Chapter 118 Escape Attempts
"Anna, play!" One of the patients looked at her with pleading eyes.
Anna sighed and rubbed her forehead before standing up. "Alright, alright. I'll play with you. Come on, follow me."
The two patients immediately brightened, smiling as they scrambled to their feet.
Anna remembered a hole in the wall near the back of the facility. She wasn't sure if it was still there, but it was worth checking. She pointed toward the rear yard and whispered, "Follow me, and be very quiet. Don't make a sound."
The two patients nodded eagerly, obediently following behind her.
When they reached the back yard, Anna searched along the wall where her memory guided her.
Her heart sank. The hole was gone. Completely gone.
What now?
Anna stared at the towering wall, feeling dizzy from hunger. She hadn't had anything to eat or drink all day. Since escape wasn't immediately possible, she might as well find something to eat first.
"Where can we find food?" she whispered.
"Anna, are you stupid? In the kitchen, of course," one of the patients replied.
Great. Being called stupid by a mental patient.
Anna gave a self-deprecating smile. "Fine. Your next mission is to steal some food. Let's see which of you can bring back food without getting caught. Whoever succeeds wins."
She added one more instruction, just to be safe: "Remember, don't let anyone see you. When you get the food, meet me back here!"
The patients nodded vigorously.
"Go on, then," Anna urged.
As soon as she gave the word, the two patients darted away, disappearing in seconds.
Once they were gone, Anna took a deep breath and looked up. She remembered that there was a landline phone in Everett's second-floor office. She needed to call Lucy to come rescue her.
With this in mind, Anna glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then crept toward the stairs.
Dodging and hiding along the way, Anna finally reached Everett's office. She pushed on the door, and her heart sank. It was locked.
Anna didn't dare kick it open, afraid of alerting others. Since this plan wouldn't work, she needed to find another way.
After thinking for a moment, Anna turned and headed toward the rooftop terrace.
Halfway there, she nearly ran into several orderlies coming down from above. Frightened, she quickly pushed open a patient's room door and slipped inside.
Soon, the footsteps and voices outside passed by. Anna sighed with relief and stepped out from behind the door.
A female patient sat on the bed, staring blankly out the window, mumbling something incoherent.
Anna had seen many patients like this in hospitals. The good thing about such patients was that they were immersed in their own world and weren't aggressive, making them safe to be around.
Anna was about to leave when she paused. Something seemed familiar about this woman.
She walked over to the woman and brushed aside her long hair for a better look. To her surprise, the woman looked remarkably like Daphne, the person William was searching for!
Anna had felt the photo looked familiar when she first saw it. Now she realized she had seen the woman in the photo before, which explained why she seemed familiar!
Anna lifted the woman's chin, studying her features. She looked like Daphne from the photo, yet the resemblance was imperfect.
In the picture, Daphne had been radiant with youth and beauty. The woman before her had hair as dry as straw and a gaunt face etched with deep lines.
The bone structure was there, but Anna couldn't be sure. She pulled out her phone to call William — only to see, halfway through, that there was no signal.
She put her phone away. At least now she knew where this woman was. Anna decided she would bring William here to check once she escaped.
With this plan in mind, she pressed her ear against the door to listen. Hearing nothing outside, she quietly opened the door and slipped out.
This time, she made it to the terrace without incident. The spacious area was completely empty. She took out her phone again, hoping to find a signal to make a call, but despite walking around the entire terrace, there wasn't even a single bar of reception.
Anna finally gave up. There was no way to call for help.
Putting her phone away, she stared into the deepening twilight and made her decision. If necessary, she would force her way into Everett's office.
She knew Everett had a car. She could break in, grab the keys, and drive away.
But Everett had several orderlies with him. If she was going to use force, she needed to prepare first.
Just then, a commotion erupted from below.
Anna looked down and saw that the two patients who had gone to find food had been caught by Everett's staff.
One patient had been knocked to the ground but was still protecting something in his arms, mumbling, "This is for Anna. None of you can take it!"
He received another kick as Everett shouted furiously, "Where is she? Tell me or I'll have you beaten to death!"
No one knew where Anna was, least of all the two confused patients.
Seeing they couldn't provide answers, Everett gave up. He angrily waved his hand and ordered, "Lock these two in solitary confinement. No visitors allowed!"
After the patients were dragged away, Everett suddenly looked up. Anna quickly pulled back from the edge of the terrace.
Everett scanned the area. The facility consisted of only the yard and the building before him.
He had been searching for hours but still couldn't find Anna. He was at his wit's end—unless Anna had grown wings and flown away!
Furious, he shouted, "Keep searching! Whoever finds Anna gets one hundred thousand dollar reward!"
At this command, the orderlies became excited and rushed toward the upper floors with renewed energy.
Now Anna was truly panicking.
She knew that with such a thorough search, she would eventually be found.
Where could she hide?
Meanwhile, Lucy was racing toward the mental rehabilitation center.
Lucy had only realized something was wrong that evening. She had called Anna repeatedly throughout the day with no answer. At first, she hadn't worried, assuming Anna was busy.
But by nightfall, with still no contact, she grew concerned.
Remembering that Anna had mentioned visiting her family's mental rehabilitation center earlier that day, Lucy had a terrible feeling.
Without hesitation, she jumped into her car and drove straight there.
When she arrived, Lucy found the facility's entrance brightly lit despite the late hour, with shouts echoing from inside. What was happening at this hour?
Lucy raised her fist and pounded on the main gate.
"Open up! Open the door!"