Chapter 3: Stop Me Now

Loreen woke up from her unconscious state after a maximum of thirty minutes. She sat up and shook her throbbing head with a grimaced face. Her eyes glanced around, and a deep breath escaped her mouth.

She bent down and peeked under the bunk, and a wide smile formed on her lips when she saw the syringe she knocked from the tray. She picked it up and stared at it. This pin is her only way to escape.

She pulled out the pin from the syringe and carefully examined it. Her eyes glanced at the door and around the room to make sure there was nothing like a CCTV camera around. A smile formed on her lips when she saw there wasn't any. 

She inserted the pin into the lock and began to twist it in different ways. She placed the lock close to her ear and attentively listened to the sound the pin produced inside of it. She did this for almost an hour before she tiredly brought her aching hand down. That was harder than she thought.

The sun gradually set and another day began. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she peeked through the diminutive window in the room. Her mother's funeral will be taking place tomorrow, and her father gave a strict order to the hospital to prevent her from showing up at the funeral.

A soft chuckle left her mouth, and with a click of her tongue, she shook her head. What makes them think that they can prevent her from attending her mother's funeral? Nothing and no one will stop her from attending that funeral tomorrow. Her hand balled into a tight fist and she averted her gaze from the window.

 She raised her hand and stared at the chain on her wrist for a while, then at the pin beside her on the bonk. Today she has to unlock these chains and escape, or she might never get to see her mother.

She picked up the pin and inserted it into the lock. Just like before, she placed it near her ear and began to twist it.

The pin wriggled inside the lock, showing signs of being unlocked but not yet. Loreen twisted the pin inside the lock for minutes, and a cold sweat began to drip down her back. This has to work, she kept telling herself as her fingers controlled the pin inside the lock.

An hour passed, and still, nothing happened. She dropped her hand, which was already sore and aching, and a deep breath left her mouth. Her face grimaced as her eyes stared at her wrist, which had turned a shade of red as a result of the chain latching on it. 

She took a little rest and then proceeded to try again. She did this for four hours, resting when needed and continuing afterward. 

At the last minute of the fifth hour, a cracking sound suddenly reverberated from within the lock, and Loreen's eyes dilated. Did she successfully unlock it? 

She hurriedly dropped the pin and proceeded to remove the chain from her wrist. A victory smile formed on her brims when the chain fell off, setting her wrist free. She rubbed her sore wrist and her eyes viciously gazed at the door. Tonight she will escape.

She latched the chain back on her wrist and quietly laid down on the bed, patiently waiting for the nurse who injects her every day to arrive.

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The clock ticked and minutes were enacted. The sun went down and the sky turned shades of dark. Loreen's eyes gazed at the door from which the nurse would come in through any minute from now.

"10-9-8-7-6-5-" Her hand balled into a fist and her heart thumped nervously." --3-2-1," The doorknob turned and the door slowly opened.

A nurse with a friendly smile plastered on her face walked in and ambled towards Loreen with a tray that had a syringe and a bottle of drugs in it. The nurse dropped it on the small table and squatted down with her back facing Loreen.

She picked up the syringe and prepared to fill it up. 

Loreen's eyes narrowed dangerously, and she slowly removed the chains from her wrist. She stood up without making any noise and silently walked to the nurse.

The nurse felt someone behind her and she turned her head around. However, a furious kick landed on her face and sent her crashing heavily to the floor.

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"You!..." A groan escaped her mouth, and she hatefully glared at Loreen. She tried to get up, but another kick from Loreen landed on her face, causing her to fall and lay flat on the floor. Loreen walked up to her and grabbed her by the collar. She began to send punches after punches to the nurse's face, and when her hand became bloody from all the punching, she banged the nurse's head on the floor and released her grip.

Her eyes stared at the nurse, and she blinked nervously. Her heart thumped anxiously, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She had never done so before, so it was normal for her to react this way.

She grabbed the nurse by the leg and dragged her to the bunk. She pulled out the phone from inside the nurse's clothing and undressed her.

Loreen outfitted herself in the nurse's uniform and readjusted her hair just like the nurse did. She glanced at the nurse one last time and picked up the tray. She left the room and locked the door.

Her eyes darted around the hallway, and she proceeded to walk forward. She bent her head and walked a little hurriedly to avoid suspicion.

Her eyes lit up when she saw the exit door out of the hospital, and without delay, she proceeded to walk towards it. She had just gotten halfway to the door when she suddenly bumped into someone, who glared at her, "Hey! Watch where you're going! "

"Sorry," Loreen hurriedly stood up and scurried out of the hospital, not even looking at the man she had run into. The moment she made it out, she unhesitantly took to her heels and made sure to run very far from the hospital.

She stopped running when she got to a bridge, and her eyes gazed down at the water under it. She stared at the reflection of the stars in the water and chuckled at herself. A 20-year-old likes her suffering as if she were a big adult.

Her agemates are having fun and making boyfriends and all, but here she is living a bitter life. She turned around to gaze at the cars passing on the road, and the breeze brushed past her, causing her hair to flutter.

She pulled out the scissors she stole from the tray and grabbed a handful of her hair. She proceeded to cut her hair so short it didn't even reach the neck length it was before. 

Strands of her hair fell into the water, and a soft laugh escaped her mouth. She spread her hands and allowed the breeze to gracefully brush past her". Mr. Adolpho!!!!-" She screamed, crazily laughing afterward. "-Let's see how you stop me now!"