Flight of the Blue Jay Part Four: The Key is in the Files

“I don’t understand why we are here.” Sammy complained, standing in front of a decaying mental hospital. “You are fucking limping still. We just got you out of the hospital yesterday.” Rolling my eyes, I smoothed my black silk skirt. Messing with my red ribbon around my neck, the black lace blouse felt itchy against my skin. The cast felt bulky on my muscular leg, making movement harder.

“I called for the records, but they didn’t have any.” I whispered, the blue moonlight bathing us. “So I am going to see if they are here.” Rolling his eyes, he pulled out his gun. Vines crawled up the chipping white paint facade, the front door swinging in the chilling night breeze. The floor creaked, our shoes creeping through the door. Graffiti lined the walls, paint peeled off. The concrete stairs curled up to the second floor, a sign reading offices upstairs. My cast thumped up the stairs to the first office, papers were scattered everywhere. Crashing noises exploded downstairs, men shouting. Slamming the door, I shoved the desk in front of it. Sammy rolled his eyes, watching the door. Going over to the cabinets, my leather bag creaked as the files were shoved into them.

“You're almost done, right?” He snapped, the door nearly giving away. “The door is about to give way.” Snatching the remaining files, my fingers wrapped around my gun. The door burst open, men in black business suits climbing over the desk. Two red demon masks ran towards us, a skeleton mask standing in the middle of the chaos. Two machetes glimmered in his hands, dried blood all over the blade.

“Come now, my dear friend.” A female voice called out from underneath the skeleton mask. “Give us the files, and you might live. You will never catch all of us anyways. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Deadly Night.” A lump formed in my throat, my gun jamming. Cursing to myself, I pulled Sammy with me past all of the men.

“What gives!” He shouted roughly, glancing back at the people behind us. “How are you running on your leg?” Shrugging, I pushed him into a solitary confinement cell. Truth be told, agony shot up my leg. Locking the door behind me, shots exploded from the other side.

“This used to be my cell.” I blurted out, feeling the floor for the trapdoor I made before. “I used to escape all of the time.” A joyous smile spread across my face, my eager fingers ripping the padded floor away. A small square with a metal handle smiled back at me, the hinges crying from being used for the first time in a long time. Disbelief darkened his face, his eyes saying that he was holding his tongue.

“Go down first!” He ordered, watching the door. “Just go, okay!” Nodding, my cast clanged against the old metal ladder. Panic gripped my eyes, my cast slipping causing me to fly back. His hand grabbed mine, my body dangling feet from the ground.

“Sorry for that.” I apologized, jumping down gently. “Make sure you lock it from the inside.” The metal lock slid into place with a horrid squeak. He jumped down next to me, turning on his flashlight. The yellow beam illuminated the dirty concrete hall. A rat scurried past my feet, my trembling body landing in his strong arms. A small smile lit up his face, a laugh behind a stern face.

“It’s fine.” He grumbled, reading his phone. “There is no service down here. What is it exactly here?” Clearing my throat, my cast scraping against the dirt as I stood up. His eyebrow cocked, my hand pulling out a yellowed map.

“These are the tunnels where they used to take the dead bodies through.” I explained, my eyes scanning the map. “If we go straight for two miles, it should take us out to the secret exit. What’s with the look you are giving me?” Emotion halfway between confusion and anger burned in his eyes.

“I am sorry, but did you say you were committed to a hospital?” He queried oddly, wrapping my arms around his strong shoulders. “How did you get your position anyways?” Guilt burned in my eyes, trying to not lean on him so much.

“I was sent here after my parents were murdered when I was ten.” I stammered, my hands starting to tremble. “I stopped talking after, so the state stuck me here. Eventually, I spoke again just to get out. I can’t say the same for Raoul.” His brows furrowed, boots pounding down the hall after us. My fingers wrapped around his purple tie tossing us into a hidden section of the hall, the men in masks marching past us. His face was inches from mine, my cheeks flushing scarlet. My heart skipped a beat, his heart pounding faster. His Old Spice scent relaxed me, Deadly Night stopping inches from us.

“Let's go down the other tunnel a while back!” She hollered , the men chasing after her in the other direction. We waited with bated breath, our eyes meeting. Poking our heads out, the coast was clear. My long hair fell out of its bun, a machete nearly hitting my shoulder. Deadly Night pushed me to the ground, her blade dripping with fresh blood.

“I had to punish them for their minor indiscretions.” She gloated with a maniacal smile. “They all proved rather useless.” My eyebrow cocked, my cast dragging against the brick floor, as I crawled back. A gunshot popped behind her, a gasp of shock fluttering from her lips. Her machetes clanged to the floor inches from mine. Her tall boyish figure fell towards me, my body rolling away in time. The white of her eyes bore into mine, hot vomit threatening to fly up my throat.

“I am going to call for backup to process the scene, and I will say we stumbled upon the scene.” He explained curtly, my lips parting in protest. “Not one word will be mentioned about the files on one condition. That is that you work with me in the police station where we can keep you safe until you heal.” Huffing grumpily, ultimately giving up my freedom until I healed.

“Fine.” I grumbled, his hand pulling me up. His finger lifted my chin, his lips pressing against mine hungrily. Time melted away, drowning out the dripping drops of water. Our faces blushed a deep red, him pulling back. My breath was taken away, a strange new emotion overtaking me.

“I have been wanting to do that since the day I met you.” He commented nervously, his eyes looking away from mine. “I want to take you on a date.” My heart skipped a beat, sirens interrupting us. Officers dashed down the hall to us, the same officer who arrested me the night Raoul went nuts standing there with his hands on his hips.

“Well I’ll be.” He teased with a warm smile. “I see you met my brother. I thought you were the same woman from before. Nice to see you doing alright.” Something was off about him this time, almost like his happiness was fake. The morning sun peeked through the trees by the time everything was wrapped up on our side.

“You need a place to stay, right?” Sammy asked, twiddling his thumbs. “How about you stay with me until this is all over?” His eyes grew wide with puppy dog eyes, and a grin that melted my heart. My one boot shuffled in the dirt, my eyes meeting his. Biting my lip, my fingers intertwined with his.

“I don’t think I have a choice.” I replied, looking sheepishly at the ground. “No funny business.” Chuckling to himself, he ran his hand through his hair. My lips kissed his lips, the other officers staring at us. Pulling back, his gaze met mine.

“I take that as a yes.” He stammered, a dazed look in his eyes. “Coffee.” Wrapping his arms around my waist, I rested my head against his chest. His muscles relaxed, his hand tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“I would love that.” I whispered, feeling the weight of my bag on my shoulder. He let go, and tossed the bag over his shoulder. Sighing, I figured this might be a good start to a brighter future. Calls of blue jays echoed around us, a single one landing in the middle of the beat pathway in front of us. His head cocked to the right, a smile appearing in its beak. Was this a good or bad sign?