Unhinged

Did we get lost

Third Person POV

"I'm here for an Eva Robinson?"

"You must be Dr. Evans. Room 301, down that hall to the left."

Matthew nodded, picking up his bag. "Thanks."

The building interior was all white, the florescent lighting harsh with the smell of hand sanitizer flooding my senses. 

He'd heard a lot about Eva from his colleagues, and their failed attempts to get her talking. Apparently she just sat there staring into space, occasionally going on about some Antonio or muttering in rapid fire Italian. 

It's not healthy to work with crazy people, his mother told him, when he told her what he wanted to do. No matter how sane you are, it always rubs off.

Maybe she was right. The whole ward gave off a creepy vibe, the occasional moans and screams of patients seeping through the walls before being shushed.

He stopped in front of a metal door, one of the many lining the hallways. Peeking through the small glass window, he tried to get a look at where she was. From what he knew she was pretty docile, but it never hurt to check.

Eva was in the middle of the white padded room, sundress hanging limply off her thin frame. She swayed back and forth, hugging herself, one hand stroking her cheek. 

"Sad, isn't it?"

Matthew jumped, turning to face a man. "Yes, it is. And you are?"

"Ah, I'm Dr. Fletcher, I've been keeping an eye on her since she was first admitted."

"How long has it been?"

"She came to us when she was seventeen, so about four years ago. Her parents and older brother were murdered right in front of her. That, combined with the already growing symptoms of schizophrenia, pushed her over the edge. She's been in a state of shock, muttering nonsense. We think she may be in a dream world so to say, hallucinations gone to far."

"That's awful." He wasn't sure what else to say, because that's what is was. Simply awful. "Can I go in?"

"Of course. Try to get through to her, won't you?"

"I'll do my best. I was thinking about a CBT approach."

He looked through the window one last time, before stepping inside the small room. It was cold, the air stale, and he wondered how anyone could stay in this lifeless place.

"Eva?"

She was quiet, humming a soft tune.

"Eva, are you there?"

Her eyes stared vacantly at the wall before suddenly snapping to his. He flinched in surprise at the sudden clarity in her gaze, as though she was looking straight into his soul.

"Are you here for Alex? He left a little while ago." She whispered, voice cracking and barely audible from years of disuse.

"I'm Matthew, you can call me Matt."

"Matt?"

"Yeah, how are you feeling? You've been gone for quiet some time now."

"Where's Antonio?"

"I'm not sure, but if you want I can help you find him."

She blinked, her face taking on a heartbreaking look, like someone who'd been alive for for too long and seen too much death. And in a way she had.

It tore at Mathew's heart strings, the look of despair and acceptance on her face, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.

"I promise," she whispered, a single tear dripping down her face, landing on the white cushioned floor. "I promise."

Matthew took a few tentative steps towards her. "Let's get you out of here."

He gently took her hand, guiding her along until they stopped in front of the doorway.

"Goodbye," she murmured, looking up at him. "I never got to say goodbye."

"You'll get to," he said. "One day you'll find them, and you can say goodbye."

Eva knew she wouldn't, that she'd never see any of them again. 

That's because it wasn't real.

And it broke her heart.

.............