Redemption

four

Anne couldn't sleep.

The thought of the man who appeared this afternoon kept flashing through her head. Anne still didn't know what made him feel familiar, but she was going to find out. No matter how.

First of all, she had to be able to get out of this room. Maybe after a few days, she will be let out. Then after that, she had to find a way to be able to meet the man. Even though Anne wasn't one hundred percent sure about this familiar feeling, there was no harm in trying. For now, that man was the only chance that Anne could let her know about her past.

Well, if the plan goes as expected.

Anne pulled the light blanket off her feet and curled up on the bed. The night air was colder than last night, she couldn't lie on the floor anymore. It's probably past midnight now.

Closing her eyes trying to sleep, Anne winced at the sound from outside her room. The silence made the voice louder and clearer. The source was right in front of her room.

Anne got off the bed slowly and crept toward the door. She peered through the square hole, but it was hard to see in the dim hallway. Only a small amount of moonlight made it through the crack in the wall. The voice had disappeared. Could it be that she was just hallucinating?

As Anne was about to go back to bed, the door across the room swung open. A tall person came out from there. Anne sharpened her eyes and realized that the figure was a woman. Short haired. Wearing the same uniform as her.

Is she also a patient? Why did she get out?

The woman looked around, before rushing towards the stairs that connected to the first floor. Her figure disappeared quickly into the darkness. Anne frowned and touched the doorknob, then pulled it down. Vain. Can not be opened. So, why did the woman get out?

Anne couldn't think of any answer. She stood still at the door, contemplating what to do.

'That woman can come out', she repeated to herself.

But perhaps, she was an old patient who had been let in and out of her room at will? Uh, no. That can't be justified either. The patient is still the patient. No matter how long she was here, if her mental state wasn't stable, she shouldn't be allowed to leave at will. She could have done something dangerous.

The assumption is, the woman took the initiative to go out on her own. She didn't know how. Could it be that she was trying to escape?

Anne took a deep breath—confused. She returned to the bed and sat there without intending to sleep again. But, what if she guessed is wrong?

She decided not to sleep and waited for the woman. Confirm what really happened. Had the woman not intended to run away, she would have been back before morning. But if so... Anne would still be waiting. If the woman was 'normal' enough to talk to, maybe she could ask some questions. Previously, Anne had thought this floor was only occupied by her. The whole day was so quiet; no sound or movement is heard.

Anne sat for a long time, her eyes starting to feel heavy. Several times her body tilted to the side as she unconsciously closed her eyes and almost fell asleep

She can't sleep.

She shook her head violently, trying to shake off the drowsiness that attacked her. Anne started to count silently while swinging her legs lightly. Sometimes, she pinched her hands when she lost focus, then counted all over again. She can't sleep. Not until the woman came back. She had to stay awake. At the 572nd count which had been repeated 10 times, the sound of soft footsteps finally sounded in the hallway.

Anne almost cheered at that. Her body reflexively jumped off the bed. She still remembers how the woman's footsteps beat. Then rushed to the door and hastily peeked through the square hole, Anne saw that the woman was already standing in front of her bedroom door.

"Shhh!" Anne made a sound. The woman's body turned stiff. Her head turned in all directions frantically. "Here. Door 202," whispered Anne.

The woman's gaze immediately turned to her room. Anne waited anxiously, but the woman did not move in her place.

A minute passed in silence.

The woman moved slightly from her position. "Who are you?" Her voice sounded doubtful. It turned out to be quite normal.

"I'm Roseanne Linn, the new patient," said Anne quickly. Couldn't hide her excitement. She hoped this woman would answer some of her questions. "May I ask you something? This is important. You're also a patient like me, right?"

The woman nodded her head.

Even though Anne didn't know what case this woman had, she didn't care. That can be asked later. "May I know how you got out? Was a patient who had been here for a long time allowed in and out of their room?"

Unexpectedly, the woman laughed. Sounds amused. Well, Anne knew it was a stupid question, but she had to confirm it.

"How could they let patients roam around. It's dangerous," the woman said, chuckling again. "I was able to get out because of the duplicate key I secretly took from the warden."

Anne's eyes widened—surprised. "How?" 

The woman didn't answer right away, but stepped forward until she was right in front of the door to her room. Anne could now see the sharp features of her face. A smirk formed on her lips.

"Easy. Wait until the weekend and I'll tell you," she said.

Anne nodded once. Her heart raced at the thought of what this woman might do to get a duplicate key.

"Oh—my name is Emily Watson. Nice to meet you," Emily said cheerfully, suddenly sounding familiar and friendly.

Anne continued to watch her expression in the dim light. She did look… normal, but her expression looked odd. Anne was very curious about what crime this woman had committed and couldn't stop herself from asking, "May I know the reason why you were brought here?

Emily laughed blandly. "You don't want to know the answer."

Maybe worse than her, Anne concluded. She wanted to ask a few more questions, but Emily suddenly stretched her arms and yawned widely.

"I'm so sleepy," she muttered. "If there's nothing else you want to ask me, I'd like to go back to my room." 

Anne could only nod because there was no way she could hold Emily. The woman was kind enough to answer her questions and tell her how to get the key. Although most likely not in a good way. Emily turned quickly towards her room, while Anne returned to her bed.

She felt more excited after talking to Emily. The whole day being confined without being able to do anything seemed to make Anne quite depressed. "Weekend..." Anne smiled. "Two more days."