Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 112

(Dennis's

POV)

The car hummed softly as the driver navigated the road toward the center. The inspection day was now inescapable, like it was literally that day. I stared out the window and watched as my reflection stared back at me in the glass a woman composed and unreadable. But inside? A shitty mess.

I tightened my grip on the leather bag in my lap. A part of me still couldn't believe I was doing this again. Stepping foot into the very place I swore I'd never return to. But Dr. Aurora's words from years ago echoed in my mind. "Freedom has a price, Dennis. Are you willing to pay it?"

The memory hit me like a fist to the stomach, dragging me back to a time when I wasn't in control-when my survival depended on my ability to comply, to nod and smile and accept the unimaginable.

•

(Flashback)

I was patient #271. At least, that's what the small tag on my wrist said. My real name didn't matter here.

The center was a maze of cold hallways and inaudible nightmares. Every corner held cameras, and every shadow held secrets. I didn't remember how I got here only that one day, I woke up strapped to a bed with lights glaring down at me and a woman in a white lab coat peering into my soul.

Her lab coat was too white...

Dr. Aurora.

Her smile was purely predatory. "Welcome, Dennis. You'll adjust soon enough."

Adjust. That was what they called it. The injections, the isolation, the endless psychological "evaluations." Adjusting meant breaking-breaking us down until there was nothing left but obedience.

But I wasn't like the others. I didn't adjust. I watched. I listened. I learned. And after months of playing their game, I saw my chance.

got so nervous and super eager. whenever she visited. That day, I overheard a conversation

The guards were panicking, and Aurora was furious. I realized

a lab coat and blended in. The escape was full of adrenaline and desperation, but I made it. Somehow, I

•

freedom came

I was safe to rebuild my life piece

the deal, Dennis. I let you live your pretty little life, and in return, you

•

(Present Day)

the

chest, heavier than I could bear. My stepson and my daughter. My

Hendrix's sharp wit dulled by the

on me was as strong as it had ever been. And yet, as I walked

stop running. Maybe it's time

•

(Dr. Joe's POV)

chaotic, but this one was

it in my bones. The staff moved like ants, scrambling to ensure every detail was perfect. No loose ends.

office, watching the security feeds. Patients moved through the halls with blank and obedient faces. At least, most of them. A select few-Angel, Hendrix, and their little band of misfits-were anything but. They thought they were clever, sneaking around and whispering among themselves in

•

The medication inventories. The security schedules. Something was off,

It was one

"Yes?" I snapped.

inspection," he

and dismissed him with a wave. As the door closed, I leaned back in my