Chapter 07: Don't Sleep
Finn did everything she could to stay awake. She even resorted to reading the books on mythology that Mo had left for her. The stories of the Viking gods were brutal and very confusing. She was more interested in the secondary characters, like the dwarves and elves, even though the latter were less prevalent. In one interpretation, the dwarves created Man, or at least they designed Man by carving their images in driftwood - it was the gods who infused Man with life. The story of Mimir caught her attention because of Mo's earlier mention, as did the tales of Odin's death defying pursuit of knowledge.
Finn was contemplating Odin hanging himself from Yggdrasil to gain wisdom when she lost the battle and drifted off to sleep. Initially the images were benign enough - Billy sitting near the open door of a train car, his ears flopping in the wind as trees and buildings rushed passed. Billy trotting down an alley with a plastic sack full of fruit in his mouth, the bag swaying with his gait. Finn dreamt of fresh ears of corn, eaten on the soil of a corn field as the wind stirred the stalks who whispered through its passing.
Then, more unpleasant visions crept in to her dreams. The asylum, with it's ranting and raging patients and the dead-eyed nurses and attendants who doled out meds with a nonchalance that belied their affects. The muffled sound of two pills rattling in the bottom of a Dixie cup sounded menacing in the memory of those cold rooms, as well as the empty voice of the floor nurse repeating 'Time for your meds, Miss Donovan.' twice a day like clockwork.
When the younger Finn shook her head and stubbornly refused the pills, the nurse motioned to the dark attendant standing by the door. Together they held Finn down and forced the pills onto her tongue. The nurse, holding a hand over the girl's mouth and pinching her nose, let her know that if she wanted to breathe again, she'd have to swallow first. 'Take your meds, girl or we'll have to do this the hard way' the wicked attendant warned.
Finn gave in and swallowed, tears streaming down her cheeks. The nurse secured the wrist restraints to either side of the bed so Finn couldn't shove her fingers down her throat and expel the pills as soon as they left her alone. 'Please, please don't tie me down. I'll be good, I promise.' Dream-Finn begged. Neither nurse or attendant gave her a second glance as they left the room and locked her in.
That's when the true nightmare began. Finn knew the sedatives would work their way into her system by the time the ward went into lights out. Finn added her voice to the daily mayhem, hollering futilely at the ceiling for someone to set her free until her voice was hoarse. Tears wet her hair and trickled into her ears. When the room went dark, she heard the distant baying of her tormentors, calling to their brethren that the nightly games could begin. Shadows moved in corners as her vision blurred - the pills were taking effect. Finn heard a dreaded snuffling to the left as the silhouette of a massive wolf grew into form from the moonlight dimly illuminating the pale wall.
She tried to scream, but the medicine had muted her vocal chords and all she could manage was a gasping exhalation. The head of the dark wolf form loomed over her face, his eyes glowing like mercury from his pelt of moon glow and shadow. The beast's rank breath washed over her face with a sickly heat as he growled in a satisfied tone. 'Fiiiiinn' the horde yowled from the grounds just outside her window. The one in the room with her howled in dark joy, then whined hungrily as he scraped his cold steel claws across her chest.
The beast's nails tore at her and reopened old wounds in her flesh, the pain burning in shallow, cold lines. Finn tried to scream again as the wolf brayed in triumph and leaned closer, his maw almost touching her lips. He was close enough to lap up the terror in her breath. Through the chaos of howls, Finn heard Billy call to her, accompanied by an insistent banging that had never been a part of the dream before. Finn clung to the sound of Billy's voice, the sound warmed her and scattered the shadow wolf into silvery slivers. Abruptly she awoke, sweating and momentarily paralyzed.
Then a man's face came into view instead of Billy. He had his strong hands on her arms as if to shake her awake. Finn scrambled back into the corner of the couch.
“What are you doing here?” She breathed, accusation in her eyes.
“I heard you screaming and Billy barking. When you wouldn't answer me through the door, I...I reached through it to unlock the bolt.” Mo confessed.
Finn looked at the door and saw a large hole beside the dead bolt.
“You did that? I thought that was a metal door.”
“Finn, you're bleeding!” Mo said aghast when he saw the red stains spreading across her sweatshirt. “What the hell happened?”
“Where's Billy?” Finn deflected.
“What? He's right here.” Mo shifted so she could see the dog whose front paws were propped on the opposite couch arm to look at her. “Did he do this to you?” Mo asked sternly, alarm and confusion coloring his words.
With some difficulty, the tiny girl pushed Mo out of the way and gestured to Billy. The dog clambered over the end of the couch and crawled up her legs to lay his head in her lap; nostrils twitching at the smell of his bond's blood.
“I'm sorry Finn, I fell asleep. The food was heavy and it's so warm in here. I'm so sorry.”
Finn stroked his head gently and shushed his apologies.
“Billy wouldn't hurt me” the girl said softly, in response to the man's previous query. “He's my protector. He wakes me up before the dreams can get me.”
Mo sat back on the couch and ran his hands through his already mussed hair. His face was a billboard of concern and questions. He looked around the room helplessly for a moment, as though some answers might lie in the darkened corners.
“There's a first aid kit around here somewhere.”
Mo got up and rummaged around in the desk drawers. When he turned around he held a white metal box in his hands that he seemed reluctant to hand over.
“I know from what you said before, downstairs, that you were worried that I might be some kind of sexual predator. I can say that I'm not until the fires die in Muspelheim, but you have no reason to believe me. I promise, I only want to help you.”
Mo offered her the box. “Take this into the bathroom and get cleaned up. I'll find you a clean shirt, but Finn, I won't feel comfortable until I see the wounds for myself. I need to know that you don't need medical attention.”
“No doctors!” Finn exclaimed emphatically “I'll be fine.”
“I think there's a tank top in lost and found. If you put that on first, will you let me see your chest and arms?”
Finn looked at him warily, then sighed in resignation. His concern was touching, but inconvenient.
“Yes. We can do that.”
Wincing, she struggled up from the couch and took the first aid kit into the bathroom.