Suddenly Leigh stirred up as Jude heard his moves as she was about to leave the office, however, caught her instant attetion as her eyes glued to the leery man. He emitted a yawn as she didn't stop observing him with frantic look on her face. In her body and veins boiled icy blood as her heart frozen abruptly once she realized she was far from secure, unsighted. Furthermore, she was paralysed, conforning herself with the endangered bind in which she's recently involved with almost no opportunities to escape alive. Likewise she didn't emit a scream yet but she could scream if she was being attacked or Leigh was way too close to her, violating her personal space.

She wanted to run away, to flee from her old office, howsoever, it was impossible. She was far paralyzed, too frightened to take a step backward. Too frightened to do anything. It would otherwise taunt Mr.Emerson as he would realize he won't be alone. Especially with his old victim, who attempted to rape, despite she stabbed him with a razor in self-defense. 

Once he rose his body as he sat on the bed, surveying his surroundings, a smirk flashed on his face when he smelled rosy fragrance that reached his nose in the floating lancinating stench that overtook the entire madhouse. 

Why she didn't escape earlier? Why she went in another direction, instead of heading back in the office where she was actually the boss once time? 

These questions mingled in her perplexed, frozen mind. 

In the interim, she prayed inwardly as her prayers were only audible to her and God, listening to her prayers.

"Grant, O Lord, Thy protection 

And in protection, strength  

And in strength, understanding

And in understanding, knowledge

And in knowledge, the knowledge of justice..."

She recitted her prayer at least triple times, hoping Leigh doesn't find her in the least predictable moment, during her prayers as she tightly closed her eyes.

***

Timothy snuck in the men's wing as he was extremely cautious to not get trouble himself, peeping at every inmate's cell though without results. He sighed frustrated for finding more new inmates who shared a cell with one more patient at least. Nevertheless, Frank wasn't there. Amongst them, unfortunately. 

He kept his gun in one of his slacks' profound pockets, in case if either he, Jude or even both of them are in great danger. 

Further, he was focused on another issue too. If either one of Briarcliff staff's guards run up to him or Jude, they would be questioned by the revolting much younger priest, Father McKenzie. Even hospitalized in the institution as patients. Crucially because of stepping in foreign territory as they foist with their own presence in the dismantling facility that looks nothing compared to four years ago. 

By the way, he looked back and forward if there's nearby any guard. 

Shortly after peeping through the tiny cell doors' windows in search for Frank, Timothy was beyond disappointed for not finding him, grumbling silently to himself.

"Goddamn it!"

Despite the inappropiate language that wasn't legal to be used, according to his opulently discerning, scholar vocabulary, he didn't refrain himself to utter a curse word especially in vexation that befallen him. 

He remembered well every room, every direction where's exactly located. The next thing that popped up in his mind to check for Frank was actually the solitary.

Once he went upstairs as he moved up to the men's wing through the solitary, he peeped at every iron door's window though he was lucky he hasn't encountered the guards even Carl and Graham, the most loyal guards to Father McKenzie. Luckily, he sensed overwhelming pride prevailing his heart for not facing the worst part after insane inmates: guards and Father McKanzie himself. 

Something rendered him to stop immediately. He saw a man with similar physical characteristics that reminded him of somebody who used to be part of Briarcliff's staff. He looked terrifyingly different compared to four years ago. Timothy's bliss in his heart shone as it illuminated his face and body, giving him a sacred hope for finding a wretched, subdued soul that spent four years in misery by surviving days without food, without bath, without water for a long period of time especially as a punishment when his rebellion reached its apogee. 

Timothy's hand reached down for the door handle as he pressed, pulling the old rusty iron door as he left a gap as soon as he entered in the solitary, finding a man hugging himself as his knees brought to his chest in the corner of the lackluster, cold wall. 

Timothy was beyond panicked even obnoxiously astonished to see Frank in such way. In such vulnerable, poignant way. In a way which he hasn't imagine to behold in such light the former security guard who had lost almost everything. His job, his wife, pressumably his family. But what he hasn't lost yet as he has still hope is actually his fewer friends that surrounded him. How about his life? Why not the sparkling hope to gain his freedom.

The former priest walked up to the forlon man, murmuring:

"Frank! I came to rescue you." 

Once he murmured, crouching down to the slightly older man than him, Frank cocked up his head as he glimpsed the former young priest, lastly realizing he wasn't alone as his heart raced. Winter blue eyes with distress, coldness, apprehension, sorrow met warm, secure, amiable chocolate eyes. A welcoming look he hasn't seen since he was ravaged by the possessed Mary Eunice plus Father McKenzie who stepped on administrator's position throne shortly after Jude and Timothy fled away from Briarcliff. 

Furthermore, Timothy hadn't any words as he was murderously speechless to find a person who he had respected though their dislike in such condition. He was disgusted and enraged with what the much younger priest had done to him.

"Oh my...Frank, they have ruined you!" Timothy muttered as he studied the man who perfectly remembered as a former security guard from head to toes, his chocolate eyes wandered up and down.

Frank modestly nod his head as he definitely agreed with the former priest's words, giving him a coy, bashful smile once he saw the charismatic, ambitious former monsignor, who he had known as the shining star of Briarcliff with Jude.

"I have thought I dislike you and vice versa, Father." Frank said in soft voice as his words sounded almost like a whisper in a desert.

"That's just in the past, Frank. Moreover, I am not a priest anymore." One of his mammoth, smooth hands reached for his pale, filthy face, cupping his cheek in his hand to soothe him friendly. "It's just Timothy, okay?" The former monsignor questioned reliably as a genuine, warm smile flashed on his face. 

"Okay, Timothy." Frank responded.

"Good. I can see how hungry, thirsty even tired you are. I am here to rescue you with Jude."

"Mhm."

"And it's evident how cruelly treated are you by this monster."

"Yes. I hate him to bones." Frank admitted frankly his opinion on the twenty-five-year-old priest.

"That's right. Because he is an awful man. An awful person." Then Timothy removed his hand from his cheek as soon as they heard intruding noise, coming from nearby as the guards, sent by Father McKenzie, wandered in almost every nook of the facility. "I think we should leave now." 

Then the both men rose their bodies as Frank felt much better, encouraged due to Timothy's interest, sympathy that he proved to him not only words within a handful of minutes, moreover his promise to rescue him. The both men exited the solitary in men's wing as their forthcoming direction was to find Jude and get out very soon. 

***

Leigh's blurry vision saw everything in front of him like fog that brewed beside him, incapable of seeing anything lucidly as he staggered around old Jude's office, noting in the periphery of his blurry vision a similar woman, who can recognize from first sight. Her long curly golden hair like a Greek Goddess, wearing a practical white shirt with a handful of undone buttons, black leather jacket, casual deep blue slacks with black army boots as her sack abided on her shoulder as she suddenly saw the disgusting man who approached her, moving away as far as she can though she was trapped in her old office.

She panted when she stood behind the chair as Mr.Emerson opted to approach her though his failure as their distance increased. The former nun's face was pale, stiffed in icely terror as her steps backwards stubbed the spilled documents that sheeted the floor as she shouted to Leigh who walked up to her slowly, making her even more uneasy, scarified.

"Stay away from me, rapist! Murderer!" She yelped as she was beyond disgusted by Leigh whose steps approached her thin, flimsy figure. 

Once she landed on her back on her old bed, she crawled backward as her back rested against the wall, grabbing the sack as she delved into it to find her razor. Her body all trembled as she scrutinized every move of the leery man who wanted nothing more but to anguish and molest her sexually. He slogged his movement as he almost entered in the room where he slept.

"Not so quickly, Sister." He stood on the doorway, giving to the disgusted, frightened former nun a loathsome smirk across his rotten mouth with a couple of missing teeth. "You and your Prince Charming left me to rot for the rest of my days as he pitied you when you were an inmate, believing blindly in the whore he shouldn't trust at all."

"You are a compulsive, disgusting liar. He rescued me because he loves me, no matter what I have been back in my sinful past." Jude urged to protect herself as she glared at the murderous disgused Santa Claus man. "Timothy! Timothy! Help me!" She screamed out loud as her pleading screams spread inside the facade. 

"He won't help you. Priests don't help pathetic whores just like you." Leigh mocked her as a guttural laugh escaped his mouth as his utterance irritated the former nun.

"If he knew only your identity, Sister..." He paused as his cheerful, haughty voice rang like hollow melody in her ears. Igniting tears commenced building its burning beginning in her startled hazel eyes as she heard his bitter exclaimation. "Otherwise he would leave you to rot...JUST LIKE ME...here." 

Then he walked sluggishly up to the compact bed as Jude aimed the razor at his direction as she grasped it firmly in her petite, elegant hand. When he sharest the closest proximity with her as he crawled on the bed, his lousy breath emitted gutturaly as it difussed, reached her pale face as she blinked to evade its stench that approached her eyelids, she aimed the razor at his chest as she regain composure, stabbing his torso with narrowed eyebrows, gritted teeth as he gasped in agony as a vapor of blood spread around their area. Her hands were bloody as blood liquor encircled his stabbed area, abiding on his filthy costume's top, his widely opened eyes scarcely blinked as his hands reached up for his wounded spot, his back collapsing on bed's edge. 

"Aaaaaahh!" 

Leigh was rather numb, almost mightless to utter a word after Jude brutally stabbed him in the chest in self defense. Unfortunately, he was still alive after surviving the stab as she picked up the stabbed razor in his chest, putting it in her sack back as she got from the bed. When she was about to leave her bedroom, Leigh's trumelously shaking hands reached up for her hips as he dragged her as she fell on the floor when he crawled out of the bed as he pinned up her body, being on top of her as his fierce blue eyes gazed at her frantic face, gaining more confidence and courage when her fear escalated. He enjoyed the sight of Jude in such state as she prayed inwardly, closing tightly her eyes as she didn't want to observe the pending torture and his ghast face that haunted her yet. 

"I didn't know you were a murderer as far as you are a town pump. Aren't you?" Leigh teased her in possibly the most embarrassing way, placing his foul, big hands on her curvy, slim waist as her terror lit his face. 

"Grant, O Lord, Thy protection 

And in protection, strength..."

She recited the same prayer until she heard a shoot that interrupted her prayer, besides saving her life. Timothy entered in old Jude's office as he aimed his gun at Leigh as he fell on the floor on his back like a helpless corpse as Judy panted, trying to catch her breath after the overwhelming event that took its place there. In the interim, Frank accompanied Timothy as he looked sadly at the blonde, somewhat recognizing her as the sole memories he had from her were her white like vanilla skin, her long wavy flossy honey hair, her brutally honest hazel eyes. He had always seen her in the sacklike, dark, conservative, woolen cloth of religion, barely having an idea how much attractive and younger she looked without her wimple and habit. 

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Timothy walked up to his wife who laid on the floor as he extended his hand, awaiting for her response as he inquired concerned.

She inhaled sharply, swallowing a solid lump in her throat as she wiped her dried tears, looking up at the both men.

"Y-yes." She murmured, taking Timothy's hand as her heart pounded in her chest. 

Then she embraced tightly Timothy as she wrapped her arms around him as he clasped his around her back, encircling her with warmness, love and protection. Shortly after they broke off the embrace, he rubbed her back on circles to comfort her as their foreheads rested against one another.

"I am so sorry for abandoning you. I am truly sorry." He apologised as an alluring, rare smile spread across her lips as she grabbed his chin, looking up at his warm chocolate eyes blissfully.

"No! Everything is fine. The most important thing of all is for rescuing Frank and coming back to me as soon as I screamed and shouted."

Timothy just nod his head as they kissed sweetly, thereafter withdrawing their bodies as Jude saw Frank in a condition she has never seen him. 

"Oh, Frank!" She inhaled desperately as she walked up to him, catching him in her arms to give him a friendly, warm hug as he wrapped his skinnier arms, surrounding her with a gift from their long friendship and collaboration.

"Jude." He whispered sorrowly like he hasn't seen her for ages, perhaps centuries. A smile flashed on his face. 

Despite Timothy felt some kind of jealousy overtook him, he was rather gleeful to see Jude and Frank reunite as friends as he cannot resist this true friendship moment after years of not seeing one another as his sparkling smile grew. He didn't want to deprive his rare bird from freedom and everything else though on other hand he didn't want to lose his most priceless God blessing he has ever found in his life. 

"It's been a long time we have seen each other." Jude exclaimed desperately as she started sniffing because it deeply hurted her for beholding Frank like he was almost like ravaged prey, given to the savage animals. "It's unbelievable what those imbeciles have done to you."

"I know. I loathe Father McKenzie and his minions for doing all this to me."

"He will get what he deserved one day." Timothy reassured them as he moved up to them confidently as he joined their conversation. "One day, God will punish him."

"Exactly said!" Jude pat the both men's shoulders once when they heard guards' steps clicking in the empty, dull madhouse's corridors. "I think it's time to leave." 

Then the three adults fled from Jude's old office as they ran in a direction where the guards' walking sounds didn't source, heading to the exit as they went downstairs hastily, without wasting any valuable time. 

Once the stairs were descended as they sped up to the exit, they ran up to Timothy's car as they got in the car. 

In the meantime, Graham and Carl ran up to old Jude's office where they heard a patient and two intruders spoke and ran away as they found nothing in the ruins of the former nun's office with exception of something that horrified the both fearless, stubborn guards. Mr.Emerson's corpse laid on the ground as a pool of blood surrounded the chubby man. The blood's odor came from Jude's old en-suite bedroom where their eyes stared down at the motionless body as they didn't believe, hence, wanted to believe it's just a dream instead of the reality. 

When Timothy started the car engine, the headlights flashed bright light as it illuminated their path as soon as the former priest began driving whilst Jude supervised the wounded, scared even miserable Frank, who laid on the front seat. He had abundance of questions to his old friend, despite he was more exhausted rather than talkative. No sooner than a few minutes, he fell asleep as his heavy eyelids betrayed him.

To be continued...