"Did you get it?"
"Got it."
"Where did you hide it?"
"In my crotch."
"Then it's perfectly safe."
"Mm, extremely safe."
After Walter's surprise ambush, the repairman became exceedingly cautious. Whenever he had a free moment, he scanned his surroundings.
This asylum was a dangerous place.
If it weren't for the high pay, he never would have come.
But what could he do? A man had to eat.
So what if it was a psychiatric hospital? It's not like they could just kill him for no reason, right?
That's what he had thought before he arrived.
And now…
It was better to be safe than sorry.
He needed to finish this job quickly, collect his money, and go get a bowl of spicy noodle soup to calm his nerves.
A few moments later.
"Huh?"
The repairman opened his toolbox and was puzzled to find his hammer missing. He remembered bringing it. He was sure he'd seen it just a little while ago.
He scratched his head, trying to recall if he had taken it out and forgotten to put it back.
He stood up and started searching.
"Where did it go?"
"You're telling me there are thieves in a mental asylum?"
As he was wondering about this, he heard a low, dull thudding sound from nearby.
"What was that?"
He stood in the corridor and looked towards the far end. If he wasn't mistaken, the sound was coming from that direction.
Curiosity is the fastest shortcut to a man's demise.
And he was just that kind of man.
Hearing the low thud, he couldn't suppress the inquisitive itch in his mind.
Time passed.
The heavy sound grew louder and clearer in his ears.
He was sure of it now.
It was just up ahead.
He followed the sound until he reached a particular room, the dull thuds now booming in his ears.
He curiously peeked inside.
That one glance was like a lightning strike. The repairman's entire body trembled, a chill running down his spine.
The room was dim, the curtains drawn, leaving only a sliver of light.
The faint illumination revealed something he wasn't meant to see.
Someone was lying on the floor, and another person was standing over them, raising something high and bringing it down with immense force. In the dim light, he recognized the object: it was his missing hammer.
Thump!
Thump!
Fresh blood splattered across the floor.
It seemed Walter had noticed him. He slowly lifted his head.
In the dark room, a single beam of light illuminated Walter's mouth and chin, leaving the rest of his body shrouded in shadow, his figure flickering in and out of view.
Walter's lips twisted into a terrifying smile.
"You saw."
The repairman shuddered, his legs turning to jelly. A suspicious warm liquid trickled down his pants.
Gasp!
He collapsed to the floor, his expression shifting from curiosity to pure terror, his eyes wide with utter horror.
"Aaaah!"
"Murder!"
"A patient is killing someone!"
"Help me!"
The repairman screamed, scrambling away on all fours. No one was chasing him, but he still stumbled, crashing into walls and slamming against closed doors.
A few nurses, not knowing what was happening, looked on with suspicion.
When did a new patient arrive? From the looks of it, this one has persecutory delusions. Seems a bit dangerous, and very aggressive.
The commotion alarmed Director Hess.
A repairman comes in for routine maintenance and ends up scared out of his wits? He was determined to find out who was responsible.
But as he passed by Ward 666 and saw that its two occupants were missing, his expression changed. He hurried towards the end of the corridor.
Swoosh!
Director Hess, with a nurse in tow, burst into the room and threw open the curtains, flooding it with light.
He saw Leo and Walter sitting on a long steel table, their legs dangling off the edge, casually sipping on soy milk.
The "blood" was just spilled soy milk.
"What are you two doing?" Director Hess asked, maintaining a safe distance.
"Drinking Coke."
"Drinking Sprite."
Director Hess scanned the room but found nothing else out of the ordinary.
The terrified repairman, now being comforted by a nurse, slowly calmed down. He had been truly and utterly traumatized. Seeing that there was no blood in the room, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
He swore to God, if anyone ever asked him to do repairs in an asylum again, he would slap them across the face. No amount of money was worth this. Unless, of course, they doubled the pay.
"Director Hess, I can't do this job. Just give me back my hammer and I'll be on my way," the repairman said.
"The hammer?"
Director Hess frowned. That was a highly dangerous weapon. Leaving it in an asylum was a huge risk. He remembered a time when a patient had brandished a hammer and threatened the orderlies.
He claimed he just wanted to "test it out."
If it had been used, there would have been blood.
Director Hess scanned the room, his gaze landing on the bulge in Leo's pants. He took a deep breath, slowly closed the distance, and stopped in front of Leo. He held out his hand and said sternly, "Hand it over."
Leo blinked, his expression calm. "I didn't steal it."
"Then what is this?" Director Hess asked.
Leo looked down and saw the handle of the hammer protruding from his crotch, creating a prominent tent in his pants.
Leo flicked his pants, glanced down, then spread his hands and looked up. "A hammer."
"Take it out."
"Oh."
He reached into his pants and pulled out the hammer.
A few of the female nurses in the room looked disappointed.
Oh, so it was just a hammer…
Director Hess slowly backed away, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. "Put the hammer on the ground."
"You come and get it."
"Listen to me. Put it on the ground."
"No. You come get it."
For a moment, they were at a stalemate.
Director Hess felt the risk was too great. He had to get the hammer back, but it was currently in the hands of a mental patient, which made the potential for harm terrifying.
Today was February 29th.
He did not want to spend his birthday tomorrow, March 1st, in a hospital bed.
"Alright, I'm coming to get it," he said, taking a deep breath. "I trust that you're a good kid."
Director Hess stared into Leo's innocent eyes, leaned forward, and slowly extended his hand. His heart pounded in his chest. Finally, his fingers touched the handle of the hammer. He gripped it tightly and let out a sigh of relief.
"Good boy."
No one knew what he had gone through in that brief moment.
He was only in his fifties.
There was no reason for his hair to be completely white.
But after prolonged periods of mental stress, it was understandable.
Clap! Clap!
The orderlies burst into applause.
"The director is amazing!"
"The director is a true hero! I definitely wouldn't have dared to do that."
Director Hess smiled. The praise from the young staff was quite comforting.
"Alright, back to your posts. The danger has been neutralized, the missing item has been recovered. Dismissed."
Inside the room.
Only Leo and Walter remained, sipping their soy milk and swinging their legs, completely at ease.
"What's the date today?" Leo asked.
Walter rolled up his sleeve to reveal a hand-drawn watch on his wrist. "What, this? It's a Rolex," he said proudly.
"How much did it cost?"
"A few million. It's nothing. I'll give it to you later."
"Okay. What's the date?"
"July 3rd."
Leo said flatly, "Right. In twelve more months, I have to leave for a while."
Walter immediately piped up, "Ah, you're leaving? Where are you going? Can you take me with you? You know you can't leave me. They don't believe in you. I'm the only one who does."
With that, Walter slid to the floor, hugged Leo's legs, and pleaded pitifully, "You have to take me with you, okay?"
Leo looked down at Walter and chuckled. "Alright, no problem."
Walter happily took a big gulp of his soy milk. "This moonshine is so sweet."
"This is soy milk."
"Coke?"
"Sprite."