Chapter 11: The Brawl

What a fucking day, man.

We finally got a taste of the outdoors. They've got this courtyard dead-center in the lab, and we were all escorted out there after our dosing this morning. The air was ice-cold, gnawing at our skin, but damn, it was a welcome sight to see the sky, even if it was painted in dark, brooding shades. You could almost feel the weight of those clouds pressing down on us.

Everything was fine and dandy at first. I was with Ben, Randy and Jeff by the entrance.

"Anybody else dealing with a headache?" Randy asked. He's been nursing one for over a day, and the agony was practically painted across his face.

"I'm in the clear on the headache front, but I've got a major case of the shits," Ben chimed in.

"Randy, you holding up alright?" I asked, genuine concern coating my words.

"My head's a fucking furnace, man. Don't know about you guys, but these drug sessions... they're like crazy and fucking weird. Mine are all twisted images of death, my death! Over and over and over. I’ve died a thousand times since we started this shit. I also see soldiers in different wars with their heads blown off and nuclear bombs blowing up cities. Some seriously weird shit," Randy admitted.

"I'm right there with you. In mine, it's either being devoured by hordes of people, not zombies, real people, or I'm drowning, burning, all kinds of morbid shit. It’s fucked." Jeff chimed in, his voice laced with a note of fear.

Personally, I'd been swimming in a whirlpool of crazy images and sounds too, but it isn’t centered around death. Mostly, things I can’t even describe. I decided to keep that particular chapter to myself.

"What the fuck are Chester and Chuck up to?" Randy exclaimed; his gaze fixated on the courtyard.

I turned my attention to see Chester and Chuck tailing Emily and Lynette, shouting after them. The girls seemed far from thrilled.

As it turned out, Chester and Chuck had formed an unlikely duo. This revelation was quite the twist, especially given our perception of Chuck as a semi-decent dude. But Chuck was clearly pulling a 180 today, and the same went for Chester. His hormone levels had apparently hit DEFCON 5. He'd been at it since the morning dose, practically throwing a party for his private parts. That drug had certainly stirred things up. As for Chuck, he was on a military lingo roll, barking orders like we were in a boot camp straight out of Full Metal Jacket.

And there they were, trailing behind Emily and Lynette who were sauntering through the courtyard, soaking in the cold air.

"Hey Emily, got a boyfriend?" Chester's voice rang out.

Emily, seemingly unimpressed by Chester's advances, chose to give him the silent treatment.

Chuck jumped in with his own flair, "Chester is talking to you, private!"

Lynette, not having any of it, responded with "Get lost, asshole."

This seemed to trigger Chuck's irritation. Chuck's voice thundered, "Stand at attention, now!"

The situation was on the express train to the Land of Weird.

"Could I be your boyfriend? How about we go to your room?" Chester continued, addressing Emily directly. She halted, her gaze shifting to Chuck, panic painted across her features.

"Hey, you ignoring me, bitch?" Chester growled, his face stern.

Emily turned to leave. Lynette took it upon herself to step in, forming a blockade against Chester. However, boundaries were apparently not part of Chester's vocabulary. He shoved Lynette aside, leaving her sprawled on the ground.

In an unexpected twist, Amanda, who'd been observing from a few paces away, surged toward Chester.

"Keep your hands to yourself, you douchebag, or I'll—"

"You’ll do what, huh?" Chester's roar pierced the air. Chuck, from behind, gave Amanda a rough shove, refocusing his attention on Emily.

Enter, Randy the Savage, who by now had seen enough.

He charged straight at Chester, bowling him over and then launching into a frenzy of punches. The girls cried out, "Randy, stop!" Chuck joined the action, his kicks directed at Randy, who was fueled by an overwhelming fire.

By this point, it was a full-blown melee, a fracas of epic proportions. I tried to wrest Randy off Chester, but he thrust me away as if I were a mere piece of paper. The man is strong, that was clear. Randy's face was red with rage, and he was shouting into Chester's face as he rained blows down on him.

Jeff and Ben had their hands full with Chuck, but it seemed like they were on the losing end of that struggle.

I spotted Kyle, the self-appointed devil incarnate, frolicking about, cackling away and serenading us death metal screams.
Walter was nowhere to be seen, but his voice wafted from the depths of the chill air, quoting scripture like the apocalypse was upon us. His Southern drawl provided a bizarre soundtrack to the chaos: "Yea, though I walk through the valley—"

Suddenly, the door burst open, and four security guards rushed in like a swat team, swiftly restoring order and separating us. Chester was looking like a trainwreck, Randy's eyes were wild and bloodshot, his fists battered and bruised. Chuck was on his knees, hands behind his head.

"It was the girl's fault, he just wanted some action," Chuck yelled. Is it just me or is that not the most absurd justification for sexual harassment?

The girls collectively voiced their grievances, all hinting at Chester's inappropriate behavior. The three men were herded back inside, and five minutes later, the rest of us were escorted back to the common room.

Randy, Chester, and Chuck were conspicuously absent inside. I'm on edge about Randy's fate.

Rudy, ever the observer, had never joined the outdoor escapade. He lounged indoors, a smug grin plastered on his face. He cast a knowing glance over us and taunted, "Look at you pitiful fools, can't even behave like good little lab rats."
I responded with a scowl. Also, it's worth noting, he looked somewhat slimmer, as if he'd shed some weight.

So here I am in my little room, waiting to hear the aftermath. Dinner's in an hour, fingers crossed that Randy's back by then. Chester and Chuck? I couldn't care less if they get booted. At least I won't be dishing out that $1200 to Chester if he's kicked out.

​-Jack

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