Louder Than Sirens ➳ Larry

day six

day six

The plan was so simple and yet, simultaneously, its complexities and moral difficulties turned Louis's brain into a confused maze. He knew it was risky. Harry could end up severely injured (or worse). He knew it might put his career on the line as well. But despite all these apprehensions, he was more than willing to follow Harry's crazy scheme in hopes of saving him and hundreds of other patients.

Whittingham Asylum wasn't a heavenly place for healing, hope, and medical treatment. On the contrary, it was an establishment of greed and carelessness and cruelty. It was Louis's job to reveal the hospital's true colors. He could practically feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. If he failed to supply evidence to the court, the abuse claims would be disregarded and all charges would be dropped.

He couldn't fail. He wouldn't fail. He promised Harry he'd help him escape from this dark, dreary place of torture.

Detective Tomlinson was always true to his word.

With these thoughts in mind, Louis walks into the asylum on the sixth day of the investigation with a false smile plastered on his face. His briefcase feels heavy in his hand as if it's filled with rocks. A thin layer of sweat glistens on his forehead from the summer sun. He rubs his face with his handkerchief and continues walking through the main lobby.

The tiled floors shimmer in the early morning sunlight, freshly-polished and swept. The wide expanse of space feels empty and eerie as Louis walks in silence. Nearby, patients eat breakfast in the cafeteria. The air smells like warm maple syrup.

Louis grins and tips his hat at one of the nurses passing by. She's petite and blonde, complete with pink cheeks and long lashes and blue eyes. Her white dress fits snug around her waist and bust. She's carrying a tray of plastic cups towards the cafeteria. Louis assumes they're filled with pills.

It's no secret that some of the nurses have tried to win Louis's heart over the past six days. They're all so obvious and unapologetic— undoing the top buttons on their dresses to show off their breasts, biting their lips, and slipping sexual innuendos into their professional conversations. It was flattering at first, but now it's becoming an annoying distraction.

His chest feels tight, like his heart has swelled with nervousness. He hopes Harry's plan works. It's his last hope at saving all the patients from endless abuse and neglect.

In the courtyard one day prior, Harry had plotted a grand scheme in his head to expose one of the notoriously abusive nurses, Susanne. She hated Harry with a burning passion. More specifically, she hated his Zayn personality.

A few months ago, Zayn had stolen a tube of her red lipstick and used it to draw a messy doodle on his wall. He couldn't help himself. He really loved drawing, but the asylum never let him go to the art room after he stabbed another patient with scissors. He needed a creative outlet. Although he loved the artistic outcome, Susanne was furious when she realized what he'd done. She slapped him and called him names and even threatened to kill him.

All because of a tube of lipstick. Harry had laughed ironically whilst telling the story, but Louis didn't find it funny. Not one bit.

Ever since that day, Susanne has abused Harry on a regular basis, both verbally and physically. No matter how many times Harry got a bloody lip or a black eye, nobody at the asylum believed him. He was crazy, after all. Crazy people liked to lie.

So now, Harry wants to expose her. He told Louis about his tactical plan: he'll put a voice recorder in his pocket and pretend to be Zayn. If she snaps and hits him or taunts him, he'll capture it all on the recorder. Louis would finally have indisputable auditory proof.