Autopsy of a Mind

Throughout the next few hours, I couldn't help but mull over the statistics in my head. Really, how many people get saved from the lair of a serial killer. If it was human trafficking, the odds were much worse, so I supposed I was in a better condition.

The day passed slowly and dully. My whole body hurt by the time my mind was clear. The drugs had probably flushed out of my system, but my body burned. Even my ears felt like they were burning.

Instead, I found Jade slumped in her seat. Her drugs had worked and she just slept, mildly twitching now and then but nothing apart from that.

Benny, though, remained alert. Like the drugs had no effect. There were two possible reasons for this. Either he was never given a drug, or he was so used to taking drugs that whatever these people were administering didn't have an effect on him.

Both made sense, Benny would need to be high a lot of the time to come up with those convoluted manipulations that led people to murder indiscriminately.

Drug use could also accelerate intrusive thoughts and lead someone to commit crimes.

However, the contrary could also be true. Despite telling them to drug his food, the female assailant hadn't done it because she was scared or felt connected to Benny in some way. Which one it was, I needed to find out.

When the next meal came, I was sure it was night-time. I sighed as I tasted the food. It was okay.

I had noticed that the amount of food given to each person was decreasing and this was probably one of the last meals before they needed to go out to get more food.

From looking at the structure, it had to be somewhere industrial and far away from people. They would have to travel a long time to get groceries and other resources. They could use that time to wreak havoc.

"Can you bring more food?" I asked calmly.

The woman snapped towards me. "No," she grunted.

Good, they didn't have anything left. I knew for sure then.

"We need to administer the insulin thirty minutes before Gene's meal," I told her. "Which reminds me, what is your name? I never asked. It feels strange not having your name." My voice was kind and warm, never giving away why I needed that information.

A name was distinct. That was what people identified with. Once you knew someone's name, you had an unknown power over them that made them behave and not do anything bad to you. There were a lot of papers that one needed to read to grasp the concept. That was for another time, altogether.

"Lucy," she said quietly.

"Lucy… Page?" I inquired softly. Her eyes widened and she took an involuntary step back.

"H-how did you know that?" she whispered.

My guess was correct. We had taken a list of suspects before and I was going to go through the top five to see if any of the surnames elicited a response. I just happened to get it right on the first try.

I shrugged. If she wanted to think that I was a psychic or a mind reader, I would allow her to do it. "Gene hasn't eaten anything yet. She should take the medicine now." I told her.

The lack of emotion in my voice startled her. She nodded and brought the medicine over to Gene.

"Do you have a syringe ready?" I questioned. She nodded. She produced the packed needle from her pocket and showed it to me. "Take it to Gene. Unlock her hand so that she can take the medicine herself," I told her calmly.

Lucy took the packet over and the keys jingled in her pocket as she fished them out. Within a minute, Gene was free. She didn't try to move, but her eye flitted to me in panic.

She checked the packet and nodded. "It's a sealed packet," she informed me.

"Great. Take the required doze," I instructed her. "You can do it, right?" I whispered. Her eyes were red and she barely nodded. She took the medicine out and her hand hovered and shook.

"I can't do it!" she howled. "Evie, I can't do it…" she cried.

I couldn't do anything but sit there and let her cry. "It's okay. You need to take it. You can do this," I assured her. I would have liked to believe that my voice was calming but Gene sobbed until Jade woke up.

She looked around in confusion and her eyes settled on Gene. The drowsiness gave away to panic and she stared in horror at the little girl with the syringe in her hands, crying.

"What are you doing to her?" Jade howled. "Get away!" she chanted and screamed.

This was the first time I had seen a reaction from Jade that had to do with anything apart from protecting herself. I felt warmth seep into my bones.

Indeed, it was these small things that made me believe that we humans were not evil or selfish in nature… that we cared.

"I can't do it," Gene cried, her sobs turned to sniffles until she heaved without sound.

"Gene… listen to me…" My voice was low. I felt eyes on me. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath," I instructed. Her eyes flitted to a close. I walked her through a calming exercise Dr. Knight had taught me during our sessions.

She slumped in her seat, energy leaving her body, but when she opened her eyes, I could see vulnerability.

"I can't do it," she said finally. She was resolute. Therefore, I had no choice.

"I'll do it," Lucy volunteered immediately.

"No!" I yelled. "You won't," this time I was calmer. "I can do it. I was trained," I informed everyone.

"I am not untying you," Lucy said immediately.

"I am not going to run away. I know that Bernard is right outside and he has weapons. I know that you have a gun under your shirt, too. I don't want to die, so I won't make a run for it, understand?" I assured.

I had gotten a clue when she knelt down and fidgeted at the last minute as she sat. The gun was tucked in her jeans, so she couldn't fully sit down without discomfort.

I had to make a change in plans.

Lucy thought about it for a long time. She raised the hem of her shirt to reveal the gun. It was a model that was easy to buy and easy to handle, but deadly nonetheless. I stared as she took it out and pointed it right at my head as she inched closer.

"I'll unlock you. If you try to run, I'll blow your head up!" she threatened.

I nodded quickly, but a pang of fear traveled down my spine. It was okay. As long as I didn't make a run for it, I would be fine. She unlocked my hands with one of hers while she pointed the gun at me with the other.

I kept my eyes on her the whole time, never looking away. Once down, I inspected my swollen and surely infected wrists. I twisted my right wrist to make sure I had the flexibility and slowly but carefully walked over to Gene.

"Hey, kid," I whispered. "It's going to be fine." I patted her arm and she nodded. "Where did you take the shot last time?" I asked tentatively.

"My leg," she replied with the quiver of her lips.

I took the syringe tentatively from her hand. "Then I will administer it to your abdomen, okay?" I announced.

"You can?" she asked in a low voice. I gripped her hand in assurance.

To fill the silence and dissuade the nervous atmosphere, I narrated the procedure in detail, telling her exactly where, why, and how I was administering the shot.

She groaned at the pain and squeezed her eyes shut to not show it.

"All done," I announced. I turned to Lucy. "Give me the puncture-resistant container," I asked her casually. Lucy nodded, looking a little bewildered but produced a contained from the little bag she had kept in the room.

The procedure was to break the needle from the syringe and then place them separately in the container. So, after I opened the container, I broke the needle and made a show of putting it into the container. The needle was hidden between two of my fingers, completely out of view. I knew for sure Lucy wouldn't check for it.

I handed it over to her and walked back to my seat to be locked up again. "See? I do as I promise," I told Lucy with a smile.

She nodded numbly before shaking her head to get a better understanding. "Tell me something else. How can I—" she asked. Her eyes sharpened as she looked at me critically.

"Next, you have to empathize with the people in the room. Just like you brought Gene her medicine, you will need to make sure the others get the proper care. Kidnapping is one thing, but torture is a different charge with grave results." Her eyes widened and she nodded.

"What… what do you all need?" she asked. Everyone looked around at each other.

"You need anti-inflammation medicine. We also need contraceptive pills," I told her quietly.

Lucy stiffened but otherwise agreed.

She left in a hurry and I found Jade staring at me. "Why are you helping me?" she whispered. "You shouldn't help me…"

I frowned. "You need medical attention. I can't give you everything, but right now, you need basic medical help. This will scar you for life, but I will make sure it isn't worse."

What else could I say? That I understood? I didn't. How could I understand?

She stared at me for a long time because her sobs filtered through the room. Apart from Benny and me who sat stoically, the two others grieved.

They probably saw no escape. They probably didn't think we could get out.

Right then, I wasn't sure I was fully confident either.