You Spin My Head Right Around!

Fifteen minutes went by, and still no sign of the man I was supposed to be meeting. I messed with the table items, rearranging and putzing around until I decided that I was tired of waiting. I stood up and just as I turned, something tapped my foot and my soul left my body. I dared to look down, and saw someone's hand, holding out a piece of paper.

'Don't move. Sit back down and pretend nothing happened.'

Ah fuck. Why was I a crack head magnet? I sat back down and waited. A second later, an elderly woman came and sat at the table with me.

"Can I-" I started but she cut me off.

"Don't talk. I'm here as a placeholder. Just listen," she whispered quickly. I nodded and felt another tap on my foot.

"I'm gonna speak, but from down here. I'm a wanted man and can't risk capture. Just smile and nod every thirty second, and gasp every two minutes," a deep voice came from under the table. I did the first, and the lady across from me proceeded to mouth words, as if she were talking to me.

"We don't have much time. Order the mushroom ravioli. Please. It's very important," the voice came again. I shook my head and did a gasp towards the woman.

"I worked in that hell hole for a year. What I saw, it wasn't right. And I shouldn't have even made it out alive. They tried to lock me in. But I was too smart. I hid and escaped through that dark nightmare. It took days. That factory is huge. I started to go crazy. I saw shit, things that shouldn't be happening," Hugh rambled on quickly.

"What did you see?" I asked. He elbowed my shin.

"SHUSH! I'm the one doing the talking here," he huffed. I rolled my eyes and smiled and nodded towards the lady who was still mouthing towards me.

"As I was saying. I just barely made it out to even tell my story. I almost died. I'm lucky to be here now, telling you my story," Hugh seemed crazier than I thought. I was debating on a quick James Bond exit through the bathroom window. Homie was two ways to Sunday. A waitress came by and took our orders, and I obeyed and ordered the mushroom ravioli. As soon as she left, Hugh cleared his throat.

"Look man, not that I don't appreciate what you're doing, but can you cut to the juicy parts? I don't really want to be here all night," I sighed. Another elbow to my shin was the answer.

"ANYWAYS, you are so incredibly, wonderfully, absolutely lucky to be sitting here right now. I haven't left my house in YEARS! He has eyes everywhere, you know. He knows everything you're doing. And you, Christopher Zsardon, he likes you. He wants you. And when he wants something, he gets it. Heh heh. Stellan's gonna make you his bitch," Hugh started laughing hysterically. I blinked in surprise. I never mentioned my name to him.

"How did you know my name?" I asked him. Silence. The waitress brought our food.

"Hugh? How did you know my fucking name?" I demanded. A shuffling sound and without a warning, Hugh jumped up, grabbed my food, and ran off, without a second glance. I stared after him, watching him go by with a hood pulled the whole way up. I looked over at the lady who threw a wad of cash onto the table.

"Sorry about this sweetie. My son's a few sandwiches short of a picnic," she got up with a grunt and shimmied off. I watched her go, with my jaw slack. What a waste of fucking time. The waitress came back and handed me a box, which I used to swipe the lady's chicken tenders. Dinner time. I left the restaurant, and went back to my car. I suppose I could give him a little leeway. If he did see something bad, it could've cracked his acorn a bit. But what could be so awful to make a possibly sane man go crazy? He must've been right about one thing though, if he knew my name. Unless he hacked me. I quickly pulled out my phone to check my bank account information, but nothing was out of the ordinary. I climbed into my car and pulled my hands through my hair. Something is definitely off, that's for sure. But what is it exactly? Tweaking my radio as I drove, I thought about Stellan. He had taken a weird liking to me since this whole ordeal started. Was it just coincidence or was there something more sinister behind it? I mean, the man got me a car, he pretty much owned my soul at this point. Was it to win me over? Has that been his plan? But what could I possibly offer him aside from crippling depression and broken dreams. Could this be some wacky way of recruiting me to work there? A horrible decision if so. Would not recommend it. As I passed a tree, I debated for a hot second on taking a nice quick right and ending my stress. But no, I was too much of a coward. I pulled into my parking lot and trudged up to my apartment, wanting nothing more than a bottle of Jack and a good old nap. Walking through my door, I went to flip the light on and I was immediately tackled to the ground. I struggled against the stranger's grasp until a light was shining in my eyes, and I saw a hooded figure that looked very similar to-

"Hugh?!?" I exclaimed.

"Shhhh!! We don't have much time. Shut up and lead the way to your bedroom. We need absolute privacy for this," Hugh hissed.

"Uh Hugh. Look. I know I bought you dinner but that doesn't mean I'm into you," I grimace in disgust.

"No, you dumbass! They're already on their way. We don't have time for this! Go!" Hugh rolled off of me and brought me to my feet. I walked to my bedroom, him following on my heels, and he locked the door behind us.

"Spill it, momma's boy," I threatened. He sighed and sat on the floor beside my bed. Weirdo.

"I started working in the factory six years ago. I was just out of high school, I dreamed of going to law school, but to do that, I needed to save some money, and I saw Stellan hiring. I was hired right away and started. Nothing seemed weird or off. It was a great job. I was loyal to the company. Until after a year. I saw a tour go through the factory, and I don't know what told me to follow them. But I did. And after a few minutes, I lost track of them. I uh, stopped to tie my shoes. And then they were gone. And I had no idea where they went. I started walking around, trying to find them but I had no luck. After about twenty minutes, I found myself in the back of the factory, somewhere only the top employees were allowed to go. Of course I was going to go in. The room was unlike the factory. It was long and purple, filled with countless machines, they looked like they were where the ingredients were made and mixed. The conveyor belt in the room led towards our factory where it was finished. In the middle of this room was a giant machine. That's when I saw it. This tall machine, the bottom was full of a deep red liquid. The top of the machine was a platform, full of HUMAN HEADS! They were all chattering, like they were still alive! I backed the hell out of there, and took off down the hallway, just as an alarm started to go off. I knew instantly that they were after me. I spent the next 87 hours hiding around the factory while the guards searched nonstop for me. By the end of the third day, I was able to jump into one of the delivery trucks and ride to freedom. I went into hiding since. They've never stopped looking for me. My mom was gracious enough to allow me to hide in her house. I can't even go to the store without being pursued. I used to try. Now I just lie in wait. Hoping that someday, they will forget me and I can leave this god forsaken place for good," Hugh's story sounded like the biggest load of BS that I have ever heard in my whole life, but one thing lined up. I remember the alarms going off that day. My coworker at the time, Alan, was the one who wrote the article. Stellan claimed a robbery had happened and the criminal escaped… I was about to open my mouth when a knock at my door made me jump.

"I'm not here!" Hugh crawled under my bed. I sighed and went to my door, opening it to reveal two men in scrubs.

"Can I help you?" I asked them innocently.

"We're on the hunt for an escaped patient from the Holliston Healing Hospital. His name is Eric Sonduras. He escaped a couple of weeks ago and we have reason to believe he might be in your building. Has anyone unknown made contact with you going by some sort of alias? He's the one responsible for the robbery at the Ahead of Its Time candy factory a few years ago. He was locked up for severe schizophrenia and has been deemed a danger to himself and others," the first man explained, while they both held out official nurses IDs and information packets. I knew where they were from, my friends had been trying to get me to go there for ages. The second man, the shorter brunette was someone I went to high school with. He went for nursing at the local college. We shared a nod in recognition. So Hugh was telling lies this entire time. And his mom even made mention of him being a little wrecked in the head. I gestured for them to come inside, and gave them a shush sign. I didn't want to spook this psycho. I led them to my bedroom, and pointed them under the bed. The men nodded at me and went to both sides of the bed, when they reached under and pulled Hugh out.

"Eric Sonduras, you are hereby under arrest for the attempted robbery of Ahead of Its Time, and due to insanity, are charged to be admitted to Holliston Healing Hospital. If you attempt to flee, we will be forced to sedate you," the blonde man said, bored, as if this was his every day. Which I suppose it was.

"CHRISTOPHER, YOU CAN'T LET THEM TAKE ME! THEY'LL KILL ME! THEY'LL TAKE ME TO HIM AND HE'LL PUT ME IN THE BIG MACHINE WITH ALL OF THE OTHER HEADS. DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME! I WANT MY MOMMY! I WANT MY MOM. MOOOOM! MOMMY, HELP ME PLEASE!!" Hugh screamed. My heart broke for the poor crazy bastard. But he was obviously unwell. I highly doubt his story was true, to the extent he said. Maybe parts. Maybe none of it.

"MOMMY PLEASE. MOMMY!" The men began to drag the kicking and screaming Hugh to my living room. Hugh took a swing at the blonde, and the brunette grabbed a needle and quickly shoved it into Hugh's neck.

"Mommy, please don't let the bad men take me," Hugh started to slow, his words slurring. His flails became smaller, and tears fell from his eyes.

"Momma…" he whispered before the drugs pulled him down into a deep sleep. The brunette carried Hugh out of my apartment, struggling with his weight.

"We're very sorry you had to see that, Mr. Zsardon. It's for the best that he is released back into the hands of medical professionals who are equipped to help him. Please, try to enjoy the rest of your night," the blonde patted my shoulder before leaving me in the kitchen wondering what the hell just happened. Hugh's cries echoed in my head as I got ready for bed. Sometimes doing the right thing isn't easy. If it was the right choice. Hugh needs help and they were the ones who were willing to put up with that nut. I threw on my pjs and climbed into bed, stretching out before closing my eyes.

As I sat in silence for a few minutes, a thought struck me, causing me to shoot up in bed.

How the hell did that nurse know my name?