chapter 2

"I'm trapped inside of myself

And I'm dead"

To say the first night was a bit spooky, was an understatement. It was something that made his skin crawl and he didn’t like the feel of it. He sure didn’t tell Emma about how his night went, because then she would freak out and make him change his job.

As he laid in bed, he thought of all the patients that were just out of it, and some who were more aggressive in their own state of mind. He couldn’t comprehend any of it, but then again he wasn’t meant to. He thought back to the boy who was holding his baby like if it was real. He wondered what his story was that had the staff on alert. Why was he the only one that got to walk the empty halls while everyone slept? Why didn’t he like to be touched?

So many questions filled his head as he tossed and turned on his bed.

He stared at his ceiling and decided to just let sleep over take him when it was ready.

The next day at work Jungkook made sure his uniform was neatly presentable, and got the key badge he needed to enter his side of the ward. He walked in the hospital and waved at Jin who sat at the front desk in the main part of the building. He made his way down the same halls as yesterday and went around to the main doors that awaited him.

He took a deep breath and slid the card key into the slot and watched it flashed green. He opened the door and was greeted by Namjoon, the doctor whom he met last night as he retrieved his badge key. He was also the same guy who gave the boy the shot. He had greeted him back and resumed down the dark hallway, and was stopped by a woman who smiled right in front of him.

She reached out and tried to touch his face, but he moved and tried to go around her. The lady started to make kissing noises while looking at him and licking her lips in a sloppy motion, then laughing like a mad-woman. He quickly moved around her trying his best to avoid her, and briskly walked down the hall dodging people left and right. He turned a couple more corners and was back at his supply closet. He didn’t hear no crying this time. It was actually very quiet in the halls this evening. He checked his list and saw that he had to sweep and mop the floors.

He got his mop and bucket and went to get it ready. He wanted to start on the first hallway, but everyone was still roaming the halls. What if someone fell? Or slipped? He decided just wait until the halls were empty. He put his bucket away that was full of water, and just placed aside in the supply room. He checked the list once again and balled up his fists, the restrooms. They were in the patients rooms, so while they were out walking around, it was his chance to clean up what he needed to do.

He grabbed his cart and placed all his supplies on it that was needed, and wheeled it to the first hall. He smiled at Jimin and walked into the first room on the right. The patient was sitting on his bed just looking at the curtains with his mouth hung open. Jungkook walked straight to the restroom and almost hurled. The stench and look of it made him clutch his stomach as he held his hand over his mouth.

He quickly got some air freshener and sprayed the restroom, then put his gloves on and got straight to work.

After working on the first two halls he was surprised he didn’t throw up. As he walked to the third hall, the patients were going back to their rooms for the night. He marked it down on a paper he had, on where to pick up on tomorrow since he didn’t want to disturbed them while they slept. He decided to sweep and mop the all the halls instead.

He finally reached the third hall, and only had one more hall to go. He got his long duster broom and continued on down the hall making sure to get all the edges, so it would look good. Last thing he wanted to do was slack off and get fired, then he wouldn’t be able to afford his bills. He heard singing down the dark hall; squinting his eyes to see where it was coming from. It was a nice low voice that echoed so beautifully in the hall.

Jungkook went back to his job and listened to the singing as it continued till he got closer down the hall. The singing stop once he reached the boy’s door. He wondered if it was him that was singing, if so, he was impressed that someone in here could sing so flawlessly. He heard a click as he passed the door and quickly went faster to avoid any form of contact. He knew at a certain time someone would go by and unlock his door, but he didn’t know what time, or when since he worked at different halls as well.

He assumed the boy knew when to come out on his own time. Again he heard footsteps his way, and he panicked, since the outburst he had yesterday was completely random and spontaneous, he didn’t know when he would turn into someone else.

“Still ignoring me?” the boy asked.

Jungkook bit the corner of his lower lip and cleared his throat.

“I know your name. It’s Jungkook, right?” the boy asked with a smile playing on his lips. The boy was playing with his baby’s hair and kissed her cheek. “I heard the female nurses earlier talking about you. They were talking about the new sexy janitor that worked at nights.” The boy began to laugh. “Don’t you find that weird? They talk about you like an object and you can’t do anything about it.” The boy started to laugh harder while saying, “C-can you…can y-you imagine what they.” He doubled over laughing then tears started rolling down his face. “W-what t-they all think of me??”

Jungkook didn’t laugh. He didn’t understand what was so funny about it. He stood uncomfortable and picked up on sweeping, but slower this time. The boy wiped his tears and blew out a breath trying to calm himself down so he could talk again. “I must admit. I am a bit crazy…but I’m also in my right state of my mind from time to time. I don’t think I can ever be cured…you see, I’m damaged, in here,” the boy points to his heart. “And in here,” he said pointing to his head, “Is all kinds of fucked up.” The boy went silent and walked along Jungkook.

What was he supposed to say? Jungkook wasn’t allowed to give advice or anything, he didn’t even know why he was paying to what he was saying. All he did was sweep and mind his own business until he heard the boy whisper, “I didn’t do it.” Jungkook made the mistake of locking eyes. He didn’t mean to look at him in the eyes, but the words that came out just got the best of him.

“STOP! STOP! PLEASE!!!” the boy scream as he began to throw himself at the wall at full speed. Then ran back and ran back into the wall again just has hard as the first time. Over and over until the nurses heard the screams and ran straight for the boy. They grabbed him again and he only got worse as they injected him with medicine. Jungkook was freaked out…it was his fault for looking at him, he felt bad what had happened. He didn’t understand what the boy meant by his words, but he was intrigued by it. If he didn’t look at the boy, maybe he would’ve said something else about him. Something he could understand.

The nurses carried him and took him back to his room. A male nurse came up to Jungkook and asked what had happened.

“He was just talking and he said he, didn’t do it…I…looked at him and I know I’m not supposed to, but curiosity got the best me, **** I’m so sorry,” he apologized.

“He says that from time to time. And I know you got curious, we all did at one point while we work here. Just please avoid anything with him. He seems like a good kid, he does, I know, but he has too many problems to socialize with anyone. Anyways, I’m Yoongi by the way, Jimin told me all about you,” he grinned.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Jungkook, and can you tell me the name of him?” Jungkook said with a sharp nod towards the boy’s door.

“His name is Kim Taehyung. He’s eighteen. He’s been in here for three years and he’s still the same as he was brought in here,” Yoongi told Jungkook.

That was more info than Jin and Jimin has told him. He was shocked to hear that at fifteen he was admitted to this hospital where no one in their right mind would ever be. Then again…he was not in his right mind. But the boy said he was sometimes, so why didn’t he use that opportunity to open up to the doctor’s here that wanted to help him? Again, so many questions he had no business knowing.

“Pretty sad. Seems really hurt about something,” Jungkook said as he kept staring at the door.

Yoongi snapped his fingers in front of his face and said with a serious face, “Don’t let him get you curious about him. He can, and will hurt you, and trust me, it won’t be nice. No one will tell you that here, but I’m going to tell you since you seem to want to pick at it with him. I’m telling you now to stop. You’re not strong enough to deal with such great pain he has been through. There’s more to the story that meets the eye. We know what happened to him. What we can’t get out of him, is his side. It’s not a pretty picture of what his story is.”

Jungkook lowered his head and said, “I’m sorry. I guess, I have a good heart and just wanted to help him out. He’s so young to be in here and I just thought…well…I don’t know what I was thinking. I apologize, I won’t get involved again.” Jungkook had to say it in a mantra, over and over to forget wondering about the boy's name, Kim Taehyung.

It was his break now, and it was at the end of the fourth hall where the ward ended. Jungkook had placed his tray down of what he had order at the cafeteria, and sat down alone in the big room. He watched the T.V that was playing and it was just cartoons. He bit his burger and laughed at a funny part the show was playing.

“Are you hungry?” a voice said behind him.

Jungkook nodded while watching T.V and said, “Yeah, I’m glad it’s break time, I was starving all day.” Jungkook picked up a fry and smiled to who he thought was a nurse that was going to join him, but it wasn’t.

Kim Taehyung.

He quickly avoided his eyes and swallowed his fry then shoved more fries in his mouth to keep him from talking anymore. ****, what was going to happen now that he spoke to him? He heard the chair next to him open up and plopped down the boy with his baby who he placed in front of him on the table. “My beautiful baby is amazing…don’t you think?” he asked Jungkook brightly.

Jungkook ignored him and faced his body the other way. “I asked you a simple question, Kookie. You don’t mind if I call you that right? Of course you don’t. Why should you mind?” Taehyung giggled and began playing patty cake with the baby on the table.

Jungkook looked at the corner of his eyes to the side and looked at the boy interact with the doll. It was a bit crazy of him to do so, but there had to be a reason for his craziness to go with it. He looked back at the T.V and just ignored the boy as he started to eat his burger again.

After his break was over he got up and threw his trash away, and of course Taehyung followed closely behind with his baby in his arms cooing at her cutely. Jungkook walked to his supply closet and checked the list of what else he needed to do for the night. He had to clean the windows in the rooms that were open and unoccupied, finally something easy. He got his Windex and roll of paper towels on his cart and walked to the first hall, with Taehyung following closely still.

He looked down as he pushed his cart and saw the bare feet that were really close behind him. He hoped the nurses that he passed would stop him, since he didn’t want him following him at all anymore. He rounded the first hall where the main desk was at and walked down waving at Jimin as he saw him up ahead.

He noticed Jimin furrow his brows and walked up to him in a questioning manner. “How long as he been following you?” Jimin asked Jungkook.

“Oh…for about twenty minutes now. He sat with me during my break, but!” he quickly added it, “I didn’t do anything!”

“You spoke to me you liar,” Taehyung said with a smile. Taehyung looked at his baby and swung her around happily. Jungkook wanted to scream. “I swear I thought it was one of you guys as I was eating and watching T.V…I didn’t think it would be Taehyung!”

Taehyung snapped his head in Jungkook’s direction as he heard his name.

Jimin opened his eyes widely and pushed at Jungkook out of the way just as Taehyung was about to swing his fists at his body with his baby in tow. Taehyung starting pulling his own hair and tried to attack Jungkook. Jimin held the boy, and the boy acted like if fire was touching him as the nurse held him.

Jin came running and brought a straightjacket to not move around so much. “Jimin, get him in position!!!” Jin shouted. Jimin got in a position to where the boy’s arms where facing straightforward and then Jin quickly strapped him up and both doctor and nurse picked him up to carry him to his room.

Yoongi came running out of a room and looked at the boy being hauled off as he was thrashing his body around making it difficult for the two men to hold him in place.

“I heard you say his name,” Yoongi said to Jungkook. “I know I told you his name, but I forgot to tell you, it’s forbidden around him as well. I didn’t think his meds would wear off so fast, and him go look for you.”

“I’ve been ignoring him though! I didn’t want him to keep following me! He freaks me out a bit, I can’t do anything without making him go more crazy than he already is!!” Jungkook exasperated. “I don’t know how long I can put up with him.”

“I know…but want to hear something strange?” Yoongi said to Jungkook.

Jungkook didn’t really want to know, he was done. Still, he was curious and he hated it.

“What?”

“Never mind,” Yoongi says.

Jungkook got irritated. Now he wanted to know what it was, but was already frustrated that he let it go. “Okay. Well I’m going to back to cleaning my windows.” He walked into a room and sighed as he rubbed his eyes hard. This boy name Kim Taehyung, was going to be a problem in his future here at his job if he kept on following him.

Would he be able to deal with it in the long run?

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