loomis/oc next chap preview:
Michael is oddly cooperative, especially for his age, though he is more despondent. Usually, he eats, turns his head, or watches the others, but lately heās been noncompliant. He wonāt eat, barely sleeps, and has no interest in even looking out the window. He stares heavily at the corner where the walls come together, creating an even seam. His eyes rove the area, as if seeing something no one else can, and then he will tilt his head as if hearing a sound far away, a sound only meant for him.
āItās his age,ā Loomis comments after a late lunch.Ā
Theyāre standing in one of the many expansive halls of Smithās Grove, lingering outside of the rec room. Michael plays catatonicāand she only assumes this because Loomis has assured her that everything Michael does is an act, and that truly, there is no feeling beneath his pale surface skin.Ā
āJudith was seventeen,ā he continues. Loomis runs a hand over his balding head. āIām not expecting much. Iāve long given up on Michaelās treatment. You see, weāre here to contain him; cage the creature until its twenty-first birthday, and they will either convict himā¦or free him. Hopefully, with my testimony, he will be locked away forever. He knows itās coming, and he knows what I plan to do. Meanwhile, Michael will be more compliant next year, though no less dangerous.ā
āRightā¦ā She doesnāt seem convinced, though she plays along. āIām sure. I mean, heāsā¦a creature of purpose, right?ā
āCorrect. You remember. Good, thatās good. Youāll do best to listen to me. Our higher-ups are ignorant to whatās really going on hereāthey do not understand the evil that resides in that boyās body. They do not understand his rage.ā
āDo you think he feels nothing, or that he feelsā¦angry? If he feels angry, thenā¦maybe he could feel other things, too. Right? I mean, giving up on him seemsā¦unfair. I know heāā
āThere is nothing inside āMichael Myers, Nurse Molloy,ā Loomis cuts in. āIt is simply a black, endless voice. He has lost all reason, all faith, and all consciousness. Michael does not see things in the necessary shades of grey. He does not register the basics of what is right or wrong.ā
āIāve noticed something in my brief time with him,ā she says as he encourages her to walk around the rec room. Most of their patients have no interest in listening to their conversation, often off in their own worlds. She holds her clipboard, pen tucked behind her ear. āHeā¦he likes to win. He likes to play games. Is that normal for him? Michaelā¦I guess I mean to say that Michael shouldnāt have an interest in anything with how you talk about him, but observationally speaking, he seemsāā
āHe does,ā Loomis agrees. āMichael is not interested in things the way you or I am, Nurse Molloy. He is notā¦ā A respite. Loomis wants to tell her that Michael is not human, and while it would not be the first time, it is always disturbing to hear spoken aloud. It upsets the other staff members. āMichael is a performer in his own right. Right now, he is simply waiting for the correct stage to be set. Such a shame. Anyone foolish enough to play with Michael ought to understand that if he cannot win on his own, if losing is inevitableā¦to let him. At least the other patients. Theyāve learned that lesson by now.ā
The doctor shakes his head while the nurse surveys the room. Michael is alone, as the other patients avoid him. No one asks him to play checkers, watch television, or join in for a round of cards. No one comes near him. No one is brave enough to end up like Judith Myers.
