Nillium Neems (7 page)

Nil, Out (hopefully right out of my
cell!)

Day 45

Very slowly, I have
continued to recover. I am at last, nearly back to normal. Once
again, now that the hallucinations are over, I have not even once
seen anything strange. Which bugs and concerns me. I’m used to
seeing Mousy, Derrick, the Hooded Man, bugs in my food, holes in
the wall,
something
. To not see anything makes me worry that my mind has been at
last damaged beyond all repair. And I miss my Snoopy Cap. It almost
doesn’t seem worth living without it.

Still, not a single doctor has come by,
leaving me to wonder if they have all but forgotten about me. It’s
almost heartening meaning they will no longer torture me with
poisons. But I do miss Hammy and the fact that he did seem to
care.

Other than sleep, there’s not really
anything to do in here. And since I don’t do this ‘dreaming’ thing
that Dr. Higgins is so obsessed with, even sleep isn’t much fun,
just an empty blackness.

I probably will not write for a while, my
Bookish Friend, maybe never again. I’m kind of wondering what the
point of even bothering to live is. It’s not like I’m achieving
anything in life...

Nil, Out (perhaps permanently)

Day 61

Wow. Today has been... eventful. I’m sure
you’re glad to see me back after my last entry. At least, I hope
you’re glad. All I have to say is that I owe my life to Dr. Hammy.
Waking up from one more weary night of being alone, fearful that
the opening door was herald to some new monster, I found myself
face to face with Hammy.

He looked furtive, sneaky, like he wasn’t
supposed to be there and knew it. I waved at him.

"So, what’s up, Hamster?" I was rather
surprised at how casual I sounded.

Hammy knelt down beside me. He looked sad,
near tears almost. Which surprised me. I’d long ago decided he
didn’t care afterall. It had been so long since I’d last seen
him.

"You look awful, Nil."

"I feel awful. Where have you been, Hammy?
It has to have been almost a month."

He nodded sadly.

"Yes, almost a month. They banned you from
all human contact. Not even Dr. Sirius was allowed to visit you any
longer. I’ve tried my best to get them to lift it, though they’ve
threatened to fire me twice already."

I laughed. It was not a pleasant laugh that
came from my throat and I wished I could take it back.

"So you cared more about your job than
helping me, is that it Hammy? You waited until they lifted the ban
to come visit, try and be my friend again?" I didn’t want the
accusation to be too evident in my voice, though by the look on his
face I knew he heard it all the same.

"Nil," he said quietly, the almost tears
within his eyes more evident than ever. "The ban was never lifted.
I didn’t get permission to visit you."

I blinked. I didn’t know what to say.

"B-but if you get caught..."

"Then my job is forfeit."

I stared at him, unbelieving that someone
would go to those depths for crazy little me.

"I have something for you," he said, raising
his hands, a gift held in each. I had been so concentrated on his
face, daring lies to appear within his eyes, that I hadn’t noticed
at all what he was holding. He placed a bowl full of hot food
beside me, some kind of rice with veggies and stuff on it. It
looked mouthwateringly delicious. By my attention was riveted upon
the object he held in his other hand. It was my Snoopy Cap...

Gingerly, as if it were some precious,
fragile object, I took it out of Hammy’s hands. I turned it round
and round in my own, disbelieving that I was really holding it. I
placed it on my head and cried, leaning forward and embracing Hammy
in a hug, crying against his shoulder.

Never in my life have I been so thankful or
felt like I truly had someone on my side. We both cried an awful
lot, though I think Hammy cried more than me.

We talked for a while
afterwards about how things had been for both of us. We talked and
he promised that he would do what he could to get me moved back to
my old room. I actually found myself trusting him, something I’ve
never before done with
anybody
. If someone can help me,
then it will be Hammy. He is my friend.

"I have to leave now," he said after a
while, rising from where he’d been seated beside me. "I can’t be
gone too long from my other duties or they might get suspicious.
There are no cameras in this room or even nearby, so unless someone
physically catches me here, there is no proof that I’ve visited
you."

Well that was a bit creepy. Apparently
whatever happened in this room was meant to stay here. But hey, as
long as it helps Hammy out, then it’s okay with me!

He hugged me one last time and left,
hurrying off to whatever conniving he was up to in his efforts to
free me from this prison.

I, of course, still had my Snoopy Cap on.
Ever since Hammy had given it back to me, and I had no intention of
removing it. Even while sleeping I would wear it. Never again will
this Cap leave my head.

It seems hardly anytime at all had passed
since I got the Cap back, before all the weirdness started up
again. Which was cool I guess, since the absence of it had worried
me.

Things started with the reappearance of the
Mushrooms, which I was glad to see. They sprouted up from the
floor, like blades of grass growing at high speed, till they
covered most everything around me. They weren’t screaming, just
hanging out. All in all, I was rather happy to see them back.

Some kind of bat thing appeared next. I’m
not sure where it came from. One moment I was alone save for the
Mushrooms, the next I heard the skittering of tiny claws on the
ceiling and looked up to see it crawling erratically back and
forth.

It was more like a bat shadow than anything
else, its features vague, undefined, as if it only half-existed.
Though it had wings it never flew, and it moved without evident
purpose, randomly, chaotically. It seemed vaguely menacing, though
I decided to ignore it after watching it for several minutes. It
didn’t seem to pose any immediate threat.

After gently stroking the Mushrooms for a
bit, to let them know that somebody cared, I settled down on my cot
to wait for Siegfried to come back. He’d have some answers for me
with any luck.

At least an hour must have passed, and I
grew more and more frustrated in that slug's tardiness. But then,
to my surprise and utmost joy, a familiar and much beloved rustling
arose from the wall behind me.

I turned to see a tiny hole opening in the
wall, right before Mousy shot out of it, landing with a squishy
sound on the floor. The hole closed up a moment later, as if it had
never been. Mousy rustled once more, shook himself, and scurried
over to my outstretched hand. I closed it around him, lifting my
arm up and maneuvering the little guy onto my shoulder.

Really, I cannot express how happy I am. Not
only do I have a friend in Hammy and have my Snoopy Cap back, but
Mousy too has returned.

For the first time in ages, I have hope in
my life. It’s something I’ve never really had before, to any degree
at all. I’m actually starting to believe that with the aid of my
friends, I might not only escape this Hellish dungeon, but the
whole cursed building!

Things are looking up. I can finally see the
light.

Nil, Out!

Day 62

Things have taken an interesting turn. I
woke up this morning with a smile on my face, so happy at
yesterday’s events. I thought about going back to sleep, but the
sunrays of hope caressed my face, making it difficult to keep my
eyes shut.

I opened them reluctantly, and then opened
them a great deal wider when I saw the door to my cell wide open. A
trail of the screaming Mushrooms, currently silent, led off into
the distance. Both Siegfried and Mousy were sitting on the floor
watching me.

I frowned.

"You two know each other don’t you?"

They shared a glance and then Siegfried
nodded.

"There is little time for discussion,
Nillium Neems. The path has been opened for you. It is up to you to
choose which one you will take."

"Well, obviously I’d prefer the one that
takes me out of this place."

"Then go." Siegfried
replied. "Go, but not for your own selfish reasons. If you do what
you can to free the lost souls of this building, then all of my
wishes and aid go with you. If you simply leave Atrium to free
yourself, but leave the others to
rot
, then may all the demons of Hell
descend upon you."

And with those thought provoking words,
Siegfried faded from view, leaving me alone with Mousy and the
Mushrooms. I looked at the little rodent thing.

"What do you think, Mousy? Should I follow
the Mushrooms?"

He rustled and set off down the fungoid
path, stopping a few feet outside the door and turning back to look
at me expectantly. I shrugged and set off after him.

Down the hall, around the corner, down
another hall, the Mushrooms seemed to have plotted a route all the
way out of Atrium. I let Mousy take point as scout, running a
little ahead to warn me of any impending wardens.

There didn’t seem to be much foot traffic
however in this part of the Ward. I began to suspect that I was in
a basement somewhere, a section of Atrium that was little used. Or
forbidden.

As I followed the path I passed several
locked rooms, stopping to listen at the door of one of them. Only
silence greeted me. I was either alone, or whoever else was down
here was sleeping, drugged, or dead. And there were an awful lot of
locked doors...

The place was a labyrinth. If it had not
been for the Mushrooms, I would have lost my way a long time ago.
Feeling confident that there would be no doctors down here, I
picked up the pace.

Only the warning rustle of Mousy as he
turned a corner, alerted me that we weren’t alone. He zoomed back
towards me, up my leg and onto my head, quivering silently. I
stopped, back to the wall, listening.

Nothing. Not a step, not a breath. I was
certainly holding my own breath, lest it mask the sound of an
approaching doctor. Then I heard it. A dragging sound like someone
with a hurt foot. Drag, step. Drag, step. Someone was limping and
whispering of death, his muttered words bouncing off the walls of
the hallway and reaching my ears all too clearly.

I turned and ran. Wherever the Mushrooms
were leading me, it would have to wait. I’d need to find a way
around the Hooded Man first. My Snoopy Cap would have fallen off in
my haste, but Mousy clutched it tightly with his front paws,
holding onto my hair with his back ones. He peeked out from beneath
the Cap like a mouse from its hole.

Left, right, another right, I ran without
caring where I went, just that I was away. Thankfully, my bare feet
made little sound as I ran, just a gentle slap that surely couldn’t
be heard from too great a distance.

Mousy rustled again and I turned, fearful
that the monstrosity was bearing down on me. We were alone. But
there, just to my left, was a set of old, rusty looking stairs,
leading upwards. If it hadn’t been for my rodent companion I would
have run right past them.

Reaching up and stroking his gooey little
head, I took the stairs two at a time. I found myself on a much
more illuminated, cheerful looking floor when I reached the top. At
least, cheerful compared to the dungeon that we had just fled from.
It still had the same, sterile creepiness as the rest of the
Ward.

Siegfried’s words came back to haunt me.

"If you simply leave Atrium
to free yourself, but leave the others to
rot
, then may all the demons of Hell
descend upon you."

Well screw that. There was nothing I could
do for the lost souls of this evil little world. I was one small
girl, all alone and weaponless. I just wanted out. Out, into the
world of freedom that I had only briefly known.

I continued walking, slower now, for the
signs that this floor was inhabited became increasingly apparent.
Rooms I passed were brightly lit, the sound of voices behind closed
doors reached my ears, and the distant tap of shoes against the
floor. I twice saw wardens in the distance, patrolling the
area.

There was nowhere really to hide, so I’d
just have to rely on silence to keep me from discovery. I picked up
the pace once more, silent yet quick. The suspense ate at my
nerves, until my whole body was twanging with tension, ready to
take flight at any moment.

A door on my right opened just as I walked
past, a doctor walking slowly out, reading off a clipboard. He
glanced up and his eyes grew wide with surprise. I had only seconds
before he sounded the alarm.

"Would you believe I’m a travelling
saleswoman, trying to sale only the highest quality Charlie
Brown-themed baseball caps?" I asked, doffing my Snoopy Cap and
holding it out before me. Which was a mistake, because it revealed
the strange little mouse creature sitting on my head.

The doctor screamed and fled. I figured it
was best I did the same. I put the Cap snugly back on my head,
relying on Mousy to keep it there, and ran as fast as I could, no
longer caring about silence.

There was a shout behind me. Whether it was
aimed at me or the terrified doctor, I didn’t know. I just ran,
flat out down the hall, as fast as my little feet would carry
me.

We hit another set of stairs, leading up to
the second floor. I was back in familiar territory now, on the same
floor as my old room. It was mildly comforting.