xp_logs | Laurie and Golden Goose

Goose keeps working on Laurie...

Sudden blackness. Then the blinding strobe and the stunning impact of the scarlet. Blackness, scarlet, blackness, scarlet. Involuntarily she groped for the reality of the chair and bed in her room but they were gone. Instead she was falling, spinning between the floor and the ceiling and the door, until her knees impacted off the floor. If it was a floor. It was blood red and pulsing, hammering her between it and the scarlet lights above. Blackness and now voices pounding and again blood coloured hell. Her stomach told her she was upside-down though her mind told her it was just a trick and just close your eyes and it's a trick it's a trick it's a trick...

***

She woke up on the floor with the blanket wrapped tightly around her legs and hyperventilating. The door slammed open as Goose bolted in.

"Laurie? What is the matter?"

"I don't...I think I had a nightmare."

She clutched the blanket closer, backing herself up against the wall as she looked around.

Everything was just as it had been, save the look of concern on Goose's face. She wouldn't trust him though, not just because of that. She couldn't trust anyone here.

"I'm okay."

"Are you sure? I can call for a doctor to look at you." His concern seemed genuine.

"I..."

Was she okay? She could feel her heart beating hard in her ears, and fine tremors made her hands shake.

"Yes, I'll see your doctor."

Goose went out the door and after a couple of minutes returned with an older man in a lab coat. He quietly went over to Laurie and started to do basic tests; peering into her eyes, taking her temperature, and all of the normal physical examinations that he school had covered. After a little while, he drew out a needle and expertly took a sample of blood.

"Well, Miss Collins, it looks like you picked up a nasty bug. I'm going to run a few tests to make sure it isn't anything more serious, but at this point, I doubt it's more than a flu bug." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pill bottle. "Here's some Tylenol to help with the fever. She's going to need plenty of fluids and rest, Goose."

"We can make that happen. Thanks Bill." The doctor left and Walsh gave her a smile. "Why don't you try and get some rest and I'll arrange for some liquid."

Laurie frowned, it was true that a high fever could cause hallucinations, and her limbs did still feel shakey and sore. It couldn't completely hurt to allow them to treat her.

"I guess that'll be okay."

She got back into her cot and lay back, wondering how she'd managed to contract the flu. She hadn't noticed anyone near her sick, but that wasn't any indication that they hadn't been.

She wished Doug were here, he'd take care of her.

“Regardless, some extra sleep and juice isn’t going to hurt you.” Goose said before leaving. After a short while, he returned with a jug of water and a small bowl of oranges. After a moment, he shook his head and waved in another man, who held a small table. It was the first addition to her small room and he set down the food and water there.

“If you have any problems, let me know. I can only do so much, but I’ll try if I can.” Before she could do more than nod, he was gone.

***

“I see we’re having an effect.” The doctor said to Walsh, who just nodded. By the bank of televisions was a schedule for Laurie’s treatment. They had been using chemicals to make her sleep and to wake her up, distorting her sense of time. The single panel in the ceiling was cycled through light and dark, cutting off her ability to know whether day or night were passing sequentially.

“I want to up the use of the Red Room. If that’s a re-occuring nightmare, we’ll be able to introduce sleep deprivation into the equation, and that will be the key.” Walsh said, looking at the monitors contemplatively.

“Have you ever tried it?”

“The Red Room? Once. Even though I knew what was coming, I didn’t last three minutes.” He rubbed his chin. “It’s getting time to start pressing.”