Time passed dreadfully slow in here. It's only been two weeks that I've been here and it feels more like two months. Everyday at 3 pm sharp I have to go to therapy with Dr. Richardson. He's making me write in a journal about how I'm feeling everyday during our hour long sessions. I've tried asking him why I'm in here and when I'll be released but every time I ask he shoots me down with the, "Just write in your journal, Lux.". It's like he either try's to pry information out of me or just completely ignores me. My next session is in thirty minutes, one of the nurses have to come get me ten minutes before three so I can be escorted to Richardson's office.

   But oddly enough, today no nurse came to get me ten minutes before three like usual. Instead I heard a lot of shouting and what sounded like someone throwing things outside of my room. I quietly opened my door and crept down the hallway to the lounge area which is where the noise was coming from. A man, one of the patients I believe, was crying while screaming, "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME TRAPPED IN HERE FOREVER!" while he was trying to smash one of the chairs through a wall. I quickly hid behind a table and silently watched as things unfolded. A large group of nurses and security sped down the hall right past me to the man. The security men grabbed him and shoved him to the floor. One of the nurses then went up to the man and stabbed him in the neck with a small needle filled with orange goo. The man's body instantly went limp, one of the security guards picked the man's body up and swooped him over his shoulder. Then one of the nurses began speaking to the guard. I heard clear as day, "Take him to Dr. Rosenthal, he could be of some use to our cause.".

   Once the coast was clear I quickly came from behind the table. My body was trembling from the shock of the events that just unfolded before me. What are they going to do with that poor man? All he wanted was freedom. Just like the rest of us. I couldn't help but think that as I stepped forward to go to Dr. Richardson's office for our appointment. When I got to his office he instructed me to sit down and wait a moment as he finished up his notes from his last session. Suddenly the phone burst out in sound.

   Ring, ring, ring. Dr. Richardson stared at the phone for a second with a puzzled expression. One that vanished almost as soon as it appeared. He slowly reached out and picked up the telephone.

"Hello?"

"Yes she is here why do you ask?"

"No you cannot speak to her its against our policy."

   After saying that his face grew grim. He looked at me dead in the eyes. I could see the fear in his eyes as he extended his arm out towards me, handing me the phone. I grabbed it, I slowly brought the phone up to my ear.

"Hello"

"Hello Lux, I've been meaning to speak to you ever since our first meeting a couple of weeks ago." A deep and dead voice responded.

I felt a shiver go up my spine after hearing his voice. Who is he?

"Who are you?"

"Oh come now Lux, Do you not remember me? I'm hurt that you'd even ask such a question."

"Are you the Midnight Murderer?" I started to ask before I could stop myself from doing so.

"You do remember me! I'm delighted to hear that!" His voice was far too chipper all of a sudden. He started again back in his dead emotionless tone after that comment.

"Now Lux, lets get down to business, shall we? I would be happy to get you released from this awful place. Under one condition, You and I will meet for coffee next Saturday for a little chit chat. You will agree to these terms or you will spend the rest of your life in that mental asylum. And I promise you that will be what will happen. Nobody ever leaves that place... alive."

"How do I know you won't just kill me on Saturday anyways if I agree? How do I know you won't try to finish the job?"

"Honey, if I wanted you dead you would've died that night. I wouldn't have waited until now to finish the job. I've got big plans for you Lux Abano! Do you agree to my conditions? Freedom for coffee?"

   I haven't got much of a choice do I? I have to accept his deal. Or whatever happens to the patients that go missing here, could very well happen to me. I can't let that happen. I have a better chance if I say yes.

"Okay, I accept your offer." The second I said that he hung up on me.

   After that Dr. Richardson sent me to my room. Mildred and I sat there staring at each other for a few hours until bedtime. When the nurses come around making sure everyone's in bed. It's not like we have much better to do. She screams every time I try to speak to her and there's no activities in our bedroom. When the final bell sounded I curled up under the sheets on my stiff bed. One room after another the nurses came to check that everyone was asleep. After that I slowly drifted into a deep sleep which was soon broken by Dr. Richardson shaking me awake.

"Kid wake up we don't have much time!"

"Wha?" I rubbed my eyes in sleepy confusion.

"We have ten minutes before the cameras in the building come back on. Hurry up and follow me." He quickly tiptoed into the hallway. Assuming this was the Midnight Murderers doing I hurriedly followed behind him. We took an unfamiliar path to the back of the building where there was a dark car parked. As we rushed through the dimly lit hallway the alarm bells were sounding. They were so loud it was almost deafening. Red alarm lights lined the ceiling. Everything put together created an air of panic inside of me. Finally we reached the empty garage area, the air was crisp and cold. In the drivers seat there was a familiar face. Dr. Richardson shoved me into the passengers seat of the car and hurried back into the building. I sat there next to the stranger, terrified. Slowly I put on my seatbelt.

"Let's go." Said the man as we pulled out of the parking lot into the dimly lit streets of Portland.