Unstuck
by Brenton Harper-Murray
This is Doctor Prendergast, interviewing Spring Moore incident survivor... (Sounds of paper shuffling) Patient number 3-6-2 stroke 9-6. Leonard Phillips. Time, date and location will be withheld for security purposes.
I will begin the interview timer as required by my orders... (Click) Now. This interview will be edited later for redacting of classified information and removal of blank space. This recording is subject to all acts and legislation covered under the... (Redacted)
(Buzzing of a security door. Shuffling of feet. Clink of restraints.)
Hello Leonard, I am Doctor...
Leonard: Call me Leo.
Very well, Leo, I’m Doctor Murdock, I’ve brought you here...
Leo: What is your first name?
Doctor: That is unimportant right now.
Leo: I need to know, you aren’t balanced right with just one name.
Doctor: I will tell you later if you cooperate.
(The sound of fingers snapping once.)
Leo: Okay, okay. You are going to lie, anyway.
Doctor: I never lie to my patients.
Leo: I’m your patient?
Doctor: For now, until we figure out where we are going to place you.
Leo: Can I go back to my wife?
We will see.
Leo: Oh.
(Sound of hands clapping once. Leo begins to cry.)
Doctor: What’s the matter, Leo?
Leo: This isn’t going to turn out very well.
Doctor: Why do you say that?
Leo: No, no. I don’t want to say.
Doctor: That’s fine, Leo. Would you be comfortable with me asking you a few questions?
Leo: Okay, but could you tell me what time it is?
Doctor: I’m sure someone will let you know later, I’m not sure myself.
Leo: I need to know, I’m not even or balanced when I don’t know the time. It makes me crazy.
Doctor: We can find out together, later. I’m going to start with the questions now.
Leo: Oh, oh. This is going to go very badly. (Leo laughs twice, very loudly.)
Doctor: Do you remember what happened the last night you spent at Spring Moore? (The Doctor coughs.)
Leo: I don’t want to talk about that. (Leo laughs twice, very loudly.)
Doctor: Do you remember what happened the last night you spent at Spring Moore? (The Doctor coughs.)
Leo: I don’t want to talk about that.
(Stifled laughter is heard.)
Doctor: Let’s go back then. How did you first arrive at Spring Moore?
Leo: I woke up there after having a fight with my wife.
Doctor: Was this your first fight?
Leo: No, we had had lots of fights. This one was bad though.
Doctor: What was it about?
Leo: She thought I was going crazy. She wanted me to get therapy.
Doctor: What did you think about that?
Leo: I know I’m not crazy, I’m just a victim of circumstance. What happened to me could have happened to anybody.
Doctor: What happened to you?
Leo: I don’t want to talk about that.
Doctor: That’s fine, we can come back to that. How do you feel about your wife?
Leo: I love her more than anything. I miss her very much.
Doctor: Leo, you know she is dead.
Leo: Yeah, she is right now.
(Length redacted.)
Doctor: I understand you like to collect clocks, Leo.
Leo: I hate clocks.
Doctor: Why did you have so many in your house, then?
Leo: They helped keep me stuck.
Doctor: Stuck?
Leo: In one place. I can wander sometimes, if I don’t know what time it is. I need to keep track.
Doctor: I see. (Sound of a pencil on paper.)
Doctor: Back to your wife. How did you get her into that wall? I’ve seen photos. The wall was pristine, seamless.
Leo: Oh, God! She didn’t believe me! I just wanted to show her what I could do! I’m so sorry!
Doctor: What have you done! Where is the rest of me!
Leo: I’m so sorry!
(The doctor screams loudly.)
(The sound of hands clapping once. Leo begins to cry.)
Doctor: What’s the matter, Leo?
Leo: This isn’t going to turn out very well.
Doctor: Why do you say that?
Leo: I don’t... Can you please tell me what time it is?
Doctor: I’m sure someone will let you know later.
Leo: Oh, God.
Doctor: Would you be comfortable with me asking you a few questions?
Leo: Damn, you are just a robot. (The sound of hands clapping twice.)
Doctor: These noises you keep making, are they controllable?
Leo: Yes, they’re markers. I’m marking my path in case I get lost.
Doctor: I see. (Sound of pencil on paper.)
Leo: You can go ahead and ask me about Spring Moore, I don’t want to talk about my wife anymore.
Doctor: Yes, that’s fine. Do you remember what happened the last night you spent at Spring Moore?
Leo: The orderlies took all of my clocks after my roommate complained about the ticking. They even took my digital ones.
Doctor: How did that make you feel?
Leo: I felt horrible! I feel horrible right now! They doped me up to try and put me asleep, that night, but it wasn’t enough. I was awake and confused. I can’t control myself when I am confused. I can focus on myself or on an object or a person, but that night I didn’t have any control. I didn’t set any markers.
Doctor: I can see how that would make you upset, but what were you worried about controlling? Your... rage?
Leo: I don’t have any rage! I need to stretch, can you please take off these restraints? I can’t stand it any more!
Doctor: I’m sorry, Leo, for your safety the restraints will have to stay...
(The sound of three claps. Disturbance in recording. White noise omitted.)
Doctor: How did you do that! How did you get out of your restraints?
(Leo’s laughter.) Leo: I went back to before the cuffs were here, moved over and came back.
Doctor: What?
Leo: This place used to be a warehouse, there were bicycles here.
Doctor: Guards!
(Two minutes redacted. The Doctor is screaming.)
Leo: I’m so sorry! All of you... (The sound of three claps.)
Doctor: I’m sorry, Leo, for your safety the restraints will have to stay...
Leo: I’m just trying to help you...
Doctor: I don’t quite understand.
Leo: Can I please use the bathroom? I have to go really bad.
(Doctor coughs dryly.) Doctor: That’s fine, we will have a five-minute break, then I have some more questions for you. Guards!
(Door buzzes, feet shuffling.)
Doctor: Take him to the restroom and bring me a glass of water please. Thank you.
(Feet shuffling, chains recede.)
Unidentified Voice: Here’s your water, Prendergast. How is it coming?
(The sound of fingers snapping once.)
Unidentified Voice: What was that?
Doctor: You must be hearing things, I know I am. I can’t believe how tired I am today. I feel like we’ve been at it for hours.
Unidentified Voice: You have been. Six hours now.
Doctor: That’s... impossible.
Unidentified Voice: We’ve all been working on this case for way too long. Just try to find out how all those people died in Spring Moore. Then we can go home for the night.
Doctor: But, it was just noon...
(Feet shuffling, chains rattling.)
Doctor: Do you feel better?
Leo: No.
Doctor: Why?
Leo: I’m losing control. I can feel it.
Doctor: I have something here for your nerves...
(Interruption in recording.)
(A loud commotion. Leo screaming.)
Leo: No! No! No!
Doctor: Be still! You’ll feel...
(Interruption in recording.)
Doctor: Don’t you feel better now?
Leo: You shouldn’t have done that. I can’t focus.
(Unintelligible.)
Doctor: Now, can you please go into a little more detail about what happened on your last night at Spring Moore?
Leo: I...I...
Doctor: What happened to all those people?
Leo: I don’t want to say.
Doctor: You can’t leave until you tell me what you did. How you did it.
Leo: Don’t make me... I’m losing it.
Doctor: You were the only person they found alive! People were stuck in floors! Walls! Furniture! Its like they melted into...
(Momentary static. The screams of two different men can be heard.)
Doctor: Make it stop! Get him out of me!
Leo: If you had told me your real name I could have saved you.
(Static and unintelligible speech redacted.)
Leo: My God, I’m everywhere.
(The snap of fingers, three times. Static. End of recording.)
Copyright © 2009 by Brenton Harper-Murray
