Read Online Inside Out by Terry Trueman - Free Book Online Page B

that’s going to get rid of them for good! Only one thing that …
    â€œ Long gone … long gone … long gone … ”
    The phone rings and it’s the cops. Alan talks to them. Actually he listens; all he says is “Good.” Then he hangs up.
    He turns to Joey and me and says, “Dr. Curtis is on his way.”
    Clearwater Hospital is about eighteen miles south of Spokane, so it’s taking Dr. Curt a while to get here. I’m worried. I look at my watch. It’s five oh three. I’m an hour and a half late for my medicine. I’m scared of Dirtbag and Rat. I need to think about something else—anything else.
    â€œI have an idea,” I say to Alan and Joey. “Do you guys think if we snuck out the back door real quietly, we could just get out of here? I could get my medicine and you wouldn’t have to worry about jail and—”
    Alan interrupts. “What?”
    I ask again, “Could we just sneak out the back door and—”
    Alan interrupts again. “What back door?”
    I point to the closet and say, “The one in there.”
    Alan quickly goes over and opens the door to the little back room. He peeks inside.
    â€œJesus, Joey,” Alan whispers excitedly. “There’s a back way outa here!”
    Joey says, “You kidding me?”
    Alan answers, “No, for real, look at this!”
    Joey hurries over and looks into the back room too.
    Alan says, “Maybe the cops don’t know about this. Maybe we can make a run for it.”
    I blurt out, “A run for your money …” although I’m not even sure what I mean or why I say it.
    My head is starting to hurt real bad. It’s a feeling I know too well.
    But Alan smiles at me and says, “A run for our money, yeah.”

19
    Clinical note from Dr. Cal Curtis: Zachary Wahhsted’s second hospitalization at Clearwater State Hospital:
    Patient is depressed and upset. The two new voices “attacking” him are very difficult for him to deal with. They are cruel and hateful.
    Diagnostic impression: A second psychotic break occurring so soon after the first with these suicidal impulses shows a severe psychosis. Zach’s illness will be extraordinarily dangerous when stress and/or interruptions to his regular medication regimen occur.
    â€œ Long gone long gone long gone longgonelonggonelonggone .”
    Everything begins to swirl—a terrible pain shoots across my forehead.
    They’re here.
    â€œ Hey, Wasteoid, time to die ,” Dirtbag whispers.
    Rat laughs and screams, “ Yeah, time to die, Wasteoid! ”
    Alan grabs me and pulls me toward the back door. Dirtbag and Rat circle me, whispering and screaming into my ears.
    â€œ Time to die, Wasteoid! ”
    â€œ Time to die!! Time to die!! ”
    â€œAre you ready, Zach?”
    I nod. Talking hurts too much.
    We start out the back door, Alan first, now me, and Joey last, all of us bunched together. Alan and Joey are carrying their guns, holding them up like they could really shoot. The alley is dark.
    Alan whispers, “We’ll move slowly until we know it’s okay.”
    â€œ You’ll die slowly .”
    â€œ Yes, finally! Die, die, die!! ”
    â€œIf it’s safe, if there aren’t any cops, we’ll run.”
    â€œ You can’t run—you need to die! ”
    â€œ Yes, yes! ”
    â€œIt’ll be all right if we stick together. The cops don’t know who is who …”
    â€œ Kill the wasteoid, kill him good.... ”
    â€œâ€¦ so even if they see us, they won’t shoot....”
    â€œ Shoot the wasteoid, finally, YES … ”
    â€œJust stay close together....”
    Dirtbag says in his horrible voice, “ You know what we need here? ”
    Rat screams, “ Blood, blood, we need wasteoid blood! ”
    As we take our next steps into the dark alley, I can barely open my eyes. The world is all black and