C22 (1/2)

I froze for a moment, then quickly stuffed the book into my pocket.

In the blink of an eye, Johnson had turned back into that gentle man sitting on the wheelchair, as if nothing had happened.

A nurse came in with a tray of potions and syringes.

”Maria, I'm going to sleep again.” Johnson smiled and said to the air.

There was no fear in his smile, only sadness. Johnson's figure froze under the warm sunlight. He was so lonely.

As I thought about what Johnson had said, I unknowingly walked to the entrance of the Inpatient Department.

”Sir, what do you have in your pocket? No matter what, I'm afraid you can't take it with you. ” The security people told me.

The system of mental hospitals in the United States was almost the same as that of prisons, and everything in them could not be taken out without permission.

I quickly took out my book to plead with the security personnel. Only then did I realize that Johnson had handed me a [Guide for the Rehabilitation of Mental Illness], which had a total of 198 pages.

The book that Johnson gave me was wrinkled all year round by flipping through it. The cover was gone, and the one that was 43 pages old even tore off a small half of it. From this page begins How to Clean the Body for the Psychopath.

I went through it from beginning to end. There was nothing to mark it, just like any guide to the rehabilitation of the mentally ill.

The security personnel were also puzzled.

”If you are interested in this book, you can go to the main building's lobby for free.” The security guard suggested.

Maybe Johnson had really gone crazy.

As I walked out of the asylum, I felt my pulse. By the time I counted to thirty, it was a mess. I can't think for three days and three nights without sleep

The sun was shining on the tarmac, and the soles of my feet were soft. As long as I wasn't careful, I could fall asleep.

I braced myself and called home from a public phone booth outside the hospital.

”Hey, Lina. I saw Johnson at the Napa Mental Hospital.”

”BREAK!” Where are you? Maria really had a problem, she was crazy! ”What should we do?”

Unexpectedly, before I finished speaking, Lina had actually turned my words completely white!

”Lina, calm down. What's going on?”

”Lei, I'm fine... Today, when Alpha came to find me, I accidentally spilled some juice on him. He refused to change his clothes no matter what, and then, and then — ”

Lina took a deep breath and said to me in a low voice, ”I took off his sleeves and saw that his body was covered with wounds! They were all deep and shallow scars! Some of them had been stitched up! His back, arms, chest, and abdomen were all covered in scars. How could a child be injured like this! It must have been done by an adult — no matter how I asked him, he wouldn't tell me the truth. She only said that she had been hurt accidentally — it couldn't have been a fall! I suspect that Maria has been mistreating him for a long time! Should I call the police?

”Lina, are you still with Alpha?”

”He just came home. Should I bring him back? Or should we call the police first? ”

”Lina, listen to me, you go open the wardrobe. There is a box at the back of the wardrobe, I put the gun at the bottom of the box. You go get the gun. ”

”Why a gun?” Lina asked in confusion.

”Lina, place the gun in a place where you can always hold it, and lock the door from the inside. Other than me, can you not open the door?”

I forced myself to calm down, and gave a brief summary of my morning meeting with Johnson.

I met Johnson this morning. I suspect that Maria had done something to him before. Was it just a coincidence that within a month, Johnson went from a normal person to a mental patient who had committed suicide dozens of times? At present, it seemed that the biggest beneficiary of Johnson's inheritance was Maria. She was the most suspicious. As for Alpha, he might be one of the victims too. ”But I don't care. I can only give priority to your safety.

”But, I really can't believe that an old lady who can't even walk a few steps can do any harm to me.”

”Do you remember how she didn't react that day when she was scalded with boiling water?” I asked Lina.

”Yes.”

”Do you think that's normal?”

”...” Lina was silent.

”Maria is definitely not as simple as we thought. Now hold the gun by your hand and lock the door.

”Lei, why are you so sure that Johnson's delusions are caused by human factors? Do you know anything else? ” Before Lina hung up the phone, she asked me anxiously.

”Because I have the same symptoms as Johnson.” I hesitated, but still told Lina.