Bill Oglesby was having a good day. No, make that a terrific day.

First, Man U had won today (he'd have to corner Jeff from Block D tomorrow for that tenner), then his wife had texted him that his mother-in-law had gotten the flu, meaning that unfortunately she wouldn't be able to come and stay with them for two weeks like they had planned. Pity. And if that didn't take the cake, Mr. Jennings had just told him that he could head home early tonight, saying something to the extent of "it's going to be a quiet night, why don't you go home and spend some time with Peggy." And Bill was never one to argue with his superiors, you know.

Humming softly to himself, he made his way towards the lockers in the basement. Maybe he should stop and pick up some flowers before he went home? Some red gerbera daisies – Peggy loves those… They could turn on some soft jazz, pop open that 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon they had down in the cellar; maybe take a bubble bath together…

"Yes sir, everything will be ready…"

Mr. Jennings' voice drifted out through a partially opened door, interrupting Bill's thoughts as he neared the man's office. He was never one to eavesdrop, but something about the man's voice made him stop. Pressing himself against the outside wall of the office, he cocked his head towards the door so he could hear him better.

"I'm quite confidant everything will go according to plan, sir."

If he didn't know better, he'd think Mr. Jennings sounded nervous. He shook his head. That wasn't possible. Mr. Jennings was a formidable man – not only in size, but personality as well. It was why he was able to run Blackthorn Psychiatric Hospital as well as he did.

"Sir, I understand the seriousness of this situation and I assure you that I've taken every precaution necessary to make sure there are no surprises or slip-ups."

Must be a Head coming to visit, he thought, that'd be enough to make any man nervous. Detaching himself from the wall, he turned to continue on his way, but froze when Mr. Jennings spoke again.

"I assume you know that Patient 273 is extremely dangerous and unpredictable, sir, and that you will have the proper manpower to transport him? No... All of my men except a few trusted individuals will be gone tonight… They've been trained to handle him, but transportation was not part of our agreement!"

Patient 273? Isn't that…? Bill's face drained of color. He'd never seen the man himself because contact with him was restricted to a few highly trained individuals, but he'd heard tales. Horrifying tales of the patient that had a whole block to himself; a man who was never officially discussed but was an unending source of rumors and speculation among the staff. A man, they said, who was supposed to be locked up and forgotten; never to see the light of day again for his crimes against humanity.

"I don't want any chance of being indicted in this!"

Bill's blood ran cold at the fear and anger in his boss's voice. He's definitely not talking to a Head… In fact, he was pretty sure whatever Mr. Jennings was discussing was far from legal and that he wanted to be very far from here as soon as possible. Moving quickly, he started down the hallway, tensing as he walked past the door. Just act natural. You have every reason to be walking past. Keep walking…

"Oglesby!"

He stopped, barely suppressing the groan that was clawing its way up his throat. It's ok, he doesn't know. He probably just wants to ask you something. He couldn't possibly know. Somehow, despite those reassuring thoughts, he felt his stomach twist into painful knots as he slowly turned on his heels and headed back towards the office.

"Listen, something's come up, sir, we'll have to finish discussing this tonight." Mr. Jennings motioned for him to step inside as he finished up on the phone. "Yes sir…yes…yes sir…"

Bill shuffled nervously as he waited. Stop acting so antsy! He's called you into his office before! Probably just wants to know about your Block, is all. Just be normal. He forced a small smile as the man hung up. Just. Be. Normal.

"Ah, Bill!" Mr. Jennings smiled, his nicotine stained teeth appearing even yellower in the harsh fluorescent lighting. "Close that door and come have a seat. Now," he said once Bill had settled himself in the hard plastic chair, "tell me, how's work going? Everything in Block B going well?"

See! A sigh of relief escaped him and his muscles relaxed a bit. "Everything's great, sir," he said. "We haven't had any incidents with the patients in almost a week."

"Excellent."

Silence descended upon the room, and Bill began to feel increasingly uncomfortable under the steady gaze of his boss.

"How much did you hear, Bill?" the man asked suddenly.

"I-I'm sorry, sir?"

"Don't play dumb, Oglesby." Mr. Jennings was still smiling, but it no longer reached his eyes. "You breathe like a rabid wildebeest. I could hear you out there."

"I…I-a…" Bill knew his mouth was flopping open like a fish, but he couldn't help it. It felt as if a knife had suddenly been twisted into his gut.

"You see, Bill, that conversation had some very sensitive information in it." The man leaned over the desk, as if scolding a small child. "Information that my employers would be very upset to find that you knew."

I'm going to get fired, and then Peggy's going to kill me! "I-I won't tell anyone, I swear! Please Mr. Jennings, don't fire me!" He knew he was begging, but he didn't care. He needed this job.

The smile melted away, only to be replaced by disappointment and a hint of regret. "I'm not going to fire you, Bill – I believe you," he said, opening the top drawer of his desk. "However, my employers, unfortunately, would not." He pulled out a large handgun with a silencer attached and fired. The bullet spat from the barrel with a flash and slammed into its target. "And that would be the death of both of us, I'm afraid."