The Observation Room

It sat quietly and sneered hatefully at me from behind the glass. I got goosebumps on my skin as It looked me straight in the eye, and not the good kind of goosebumps either. By the look on Its face it was starving to be back in my head feasting on my sane nerves, infecting them with the insanity that ran through Its own blood. It licked its lips and I felt the nausea rise up from my stomach into my chest. The observation room was quiet, too quiet. I sat in the room by myself wondering when everyone else was going to show up. I fidgeted in the uncomfortable chair I was sitting in and the old red vinyl crackled at my every move. Watching It through the glass makes me so nervous that I am sweating, and if I had worn shorts, my skin would be sticking to the worn material on the seat. But I didn't wear shorts, I want to to keep as much skin covered as possible from this animal. I looked back up and It was still staring at me, but now It was grinning. I tried not to let It see me squirm, but it wasn't an easy task. I was terrified of It, and It knew very well because It could see my thoughts. Hoping to clear my mind, I focused on the coffee I poured myself before I had stepped into this eerily quiet room. It was hot as it touched my lips and I could taste the bitterness making its way down my throat. My sip echoed off the walls, and it added heat to my already perspiring body. The coffee didn't help ease my stomach at all either. I could feel its eyes fixed on my face as I stared into my cup wishing this moment would end. The nausea had now risen to my throat.

Where was the operator? Wasn't there supposed to be a guy that goes in there and talks to It, ties It up, puts something in It's mouth and then flips the switch? I thought that's how they did it. But there is no movement coming from anywhere. This is all making me more uncomfortable than I have ever felt before, but at this point I am very grateful for the death penalty. Plus, I really did need to be here. I needed to see It die with my own eyes because I had been fooled before; thinking I was finally safe because It was gone. Then It would jump back into my life so much bigger and stronger than the time before and my sane nerves never stood a chance. I shuddered at the thought of those moments; the Lord knows they were horrible. Its black eyes would peer deep into mine while its cold fingers would pry open my mind where It would begin to set up Its battlefield. I hate It so much. I realize hate imprisons the soul, but this is different. This, this...thing; It wants my soul and It will stop at nothing to get it. Sometimes I feel like hate is the only weapon I have that I can use. I look up to see if It saw this whole thought process, and never one to disappoint, It was snickering at me revealing Its sharp, yellow caked teeth. Its tongue was hanging on Its bottom teeth and It was slobbering. Its dark, bottomless eyes peered into mine, past the coffee cup I was holding up attempting to cover my face. I shook away the stare and rearranged myself on the crackly red vinyl again. I could now taste the acid from the nausea rising into my mouth.

Somewhere outside my head a door slowly creeps open. I fall out of my thoughts and my head snaps around at the door into the observation room; it was closed. My eyes slowly roll over to the room behind the glass where I spot movement. Two more had slipped in through the door into the room behind the glass, and they were whispering quietly to each other. It must not have noticed, and if It did It was ignoring them because Its eyes were still fixed on me, the smile now wider. I was made aware of the nausea in my throat again. When the two new occupants of the room stopped whispering I recognize them! Relief rolls through my body like a tidal wave that releases the block on my windpipe and all of a sudden air rushes through me and out of me, and I breathe deeply. Finally. The first occupant to enter the room, my Self Control, has started measuring the poison that he would need to place in the needle. The second occupant, my Determination, had slowly and calmly crept up behind It and started strapping it down to the chair. It squirmed a little bit but kept its eyes fixated on the fear that lingered in the sweat on my body. It didn't seem bothered by Determination's strong hands that were binding It in preparation for Its death. That curdled my already sour stomach because I hadn't expected It to react so confidently to the death penalty. I felt my vision grow dim as I turned around to look for my family or my friends that I had been expecting. Where were they? This was about to happen and I was going to have to sit here and witness it by myself? Well, me and my coffee anyways. I felt my heart grow a little heavier and my nose start to sting. Oh no, this meant I was going to cry. There was no way I was going to let that creeper see me cry and think It was responsible for my tears, not again. I just thought people would realize how significant this moment was and how scared I really am. I thought there would be at least some support for....oh my. Oh no. I didn't tell them. I am such an idiot! Nobody knew that It had come back into my head and began feasting on my logic. I didn't want them to worry; I could handle this thing on my own. I have been doing it for years. Well, I guess if I had been handling it right, I wouldn't have to be sitting here right now. I should have told someone. My sweet Lord, I know you are here with me, but I should have told someone.

Self Control had finished measuring the poison and was cleaning up after himself. The clanging of the tools beat in rhythm with my heart, which felt like it was no longer beating at all. Self Control slipped the plastic gloves off his hands and washed them thoroughly in the sink while Determination checked all the wires that plugged into the sturdy chair It was sitting in. As Determination finished his inspection he firmly met my eyes and nodded reassuringly. I felt more weight lift off my chest. My eyes follow It as it turns its head to look at Determination dead in the eye. Those two have a history; Determination has been hunting down and protecting me from It for a while now. Somehow, every time, It would find a way to distract or weaken Determination and slip past him through the back of my mind, where it would find its way to the remains of the battlefield it had built and rebuild Its army. Despite our effort, It still found a way to rebuild Its evil where Self Control, Determination and I had worked so hard to clear out. One time, Determination even injured Its eye sight, but It still crept past and found Its way blindly through my mind. After all, It had been living there for more than a decade. Self Control and Determination were new to the area, so It definitely had the upper hand in this battle.

I was caught up in remembering all the times that we had gone to battle with this thing, and how persistent and strong It was. I was so caught up in rerunning the scenes through my mind that I almost missed it. I saw movement from the chair as It somehow maneuvered an arm out of the straps and managed to reach Determination with enough force to knock him over. It began to unstrap itself at an incredibly fast rate; fast enough that Self Control didn't get to It in time. Self Control had leapt across the room at It when he realized what was happening. Almost in slow motion Self Control hit his knees on the ground and reeled around with surprise plastered on his face as he glanced down at a knocked out Determination. By the time Self Control's eyes had spun around, the chair was unstrapped and empty. Self Control's face twisted into horror as his face met the sharp end of one of the measuring tools. Self Control froze for what felt like hours until he crumpled down to the ground. Both Self Control and Determination were lying motionless on the floor behind the glass.

I can't move as I stare in horror at the scene that had just unfolded; I must be dreaming. The skin underneath my jeans has started burning as I realize I have dropped my coffee cup on my lap. I smack the heat off my pants and try to catch my breath. I'm not dreaming. All of a sudden I can't stop my eyes from following the glass window up, up, up...until my eyes rest on It, plastered to the glass, staring down at me. I look around to find the nearest exit to see if there is any way It can get to me, and if I could get away. I plan the quickest way out of the observation room, feeling safe that at least It was stuck in the glass room for now. I glance back at the glass before I get up to start running, and I see it. I am frozen still except for my stomach that is turning so violently I can hear it. My sight is fooling me, surely. Calm down, Darci, you are imagining things. I close my eyes and shake my head and open them back up slowly. Oh...my..... I wasn't wrong. There was a crack in the glass. I followed it with my eyes up, up, up....until my eyes found where the crack became an opening. The glass had broken. More churning, deeper churning. I looked at It who was now laughing hysterically at my slow realization. I glanced back up at the hole in the glass and found one of Its sharp fingers sticking through the break. Oh no. No. No...Not again. My head was throbbing and the nausea had now risen into my mouth and I could taste the acid. I was frozen in shock as its hand started to rip through the glass. I hunched over as the acid taste grew stronger in my mouth, and when I did I saw more movement behind the glass. Determination had come to with a bleeding mouth, but he was strongly starting to rise off the floor...