The next morning, I awoke to loud knocks on my door. I turned over and looked at my clock, which said ten o' clock. I got up, put my slippers on, and opened my door. Brynne was standing there, a frown on her face. "You're late for breakfast."
"What's wrong, Brynne?" I asked.
She took a breath. "Every day, I ask the nurses who's died recently. This morning, I heard that an older woman from the adult's ward committed suicide..."
My heart skipped a beat. "What was her name?"
"Bernice."
My eyes got wide and I backed away from Brynne. "She didn't kill herself. She wouldn't have killed herself," I said quickly. Brynne looked sad and concerned.
"Adelaide, are you alright?"
"No. No. No. It was him!" I shrieked. I couldn't control myself. The lies surrounded me and pushed against me like waves.
Brynne is pushed out of the doorway by two nurses, who ran inside and grabbed me. I kicked my feet around and screamed. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Black shadows began to surround me. They all had blood dripping from their white fangs, and their eyes were blank as paper. I screamed louder, until I felt a needle pinch my side. My vision went black, with the exception of what looked like blood dripping from behind my eyelids.
---------------
I awoke in a dark room, very uncomfortable. I was sitting on the hard ground, my wrists tied up with ropes. I appeared to be in the same cell Reiko was in before. Tears stained my cheeks as I looked around, wishing to see someone I knew. I did- just not someone I wanted to see.
"Adelaide," Ms. Pennridge growled, her usual emotionless expression on her hideous face. I glared at her.
"Let me go," I demanded. I feel a stinging on my face. She'd whipped me. I winced and started crying again. Then, she whipped me again. And again. My face was burning like fire. I was sure my cheeks and nose were bleeding.
"You deserve to be punished for your inappropriate actions." She was scowling at me. "You will not be permitted to have dinner tonight." She untied me and grabbed my wrists, then pulled me up off the ground. She yanked me roughly out of the cell and dragged me to the stairs. I could hear soft moans from another cell. I turned my head, tears still running down my cheeks, and looked to where the noise was coming from. The girl who I recognized as Anna was in one of the cells, bleeding from her throat. There was vomit all over the ground around her. Blood was running down her head, where it looked like someone had made a small incision. My eyes widened, but before I could react, Ms. Pennridge slammed the door and brought me up to my room.
"Your session with Doctor Wooding is in an hour," she snapped before throwing me into my room. She slammed the door shut. I started bawling my eyes out.
Knocks came from my door suddenly. I was crying to hard to answer. It opened up, and Reiko slipped inside.
"Why are you crying?" She asked. I put my hands on my cheeks. She sat down on my bed with me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Addie."
"I want to go home," I sobbed.
"Me too. But my parents don't like me," Reiko frowned. "What happened?"
"Ms. Pennridge whipped me because Bernice died...."
Reiko sighed. "You don't get dinner, right?"
"N-No..."
"I'll bring you some."
"I deserve it, it's okay... Right?"
"No. Don't ever tell yourself that. Nobody deserves this."
A shadow appeared behind her, it's black hand around her neck. "You must be careful with who you trust, my child," it said in a low, raspy voice, then disappeared.
I looked at Reiko and blinked back tears. "Bernice didn't kill herself. I know she didn't."
"She didn't seem like the person to do such a thing."
"R-Remember what she said about about Doctor Rodgers taking out her brain? Maybe..." I paused as fear washed over me. "Maybe they did it."
"He'd be the person to do that. I don't doubt it," Reiko said.
I ran over to my drawers and took Grandpa's journal out. The cover was leather, with the name Patrick Fortman carved into the front.
"Are you going to read it now?" Reiko asked, standing besides me. I didn't answer her. I opened the journal to the first page. Immediately, my eyes were drawn to the red writing, that was clearly in blood.
Adelaide, if you ever find this, ESCAPE.
"Damn," Reiko muttered. "That's blood."
I turned to the next page.
Years ago today, I was admitted to the Kingston Mental Asylum by my son. Adelaide Marie Fortman, my first granddaughter, was born only a week before. They must think I'm some sort of danger to the innocent child. The shadows have warned me that she would end up here. I can only hope and pray she won't.
I am stuck in a room with three interesting women- Patricia Donnelly, Bernice Reed, and Caydence McAllen. Patricia was injured during a bombing, therefor causing her to lose her right leg. Bernice lost her husband years before, and is going through a deep depression. She is strongly medicated, but her behavior is still considered "inappropriate". Lastly, Caydence had an eating disorder. The nurses bring her food, she eats it, then throws it up. It isn't on purpose, from what she tells me. I told them about the shadows I see. They believe me, but they don't quite understand.
I flipped to the next page.
Today, someone in the asylum was murdered.
From what Doctor Rodgers told me, Quentin Blake committed suicide in the restrooms. I didn't believe him- nor did the rest of the women. I snuck down into the basement, and I will never recover from what I saw. Quentin's brain.
From what I've observed, after five years and the patient doesn't heal, they remove their brain for study, basically killing the person for science without their permission. They just don't understand. This cruelty cannot continue.
There were many pages blank after that. As I flipped through, I found another page written messily.
Today is the five year mark I have been in this asylum. It's over. Caydence, Bernice, and Patricia have no idea what's going to happen, and I do not want to tell them.
Adelaide, if you find this journal, you need to escape. Take any other person you can with you. This is a cruel world- unfair and dishonest. The real crazy people are the ones running this place, not the ones occupying it.
I put the journal down on my bedside table, my small hands shaking.
"I'm gonna go get Brynne, Daryl, Ivy, and Thomas. We need to plan an escape," Reiko said. She read the whole thing over my shoulder.
I suddenly started shaking like a freezing cold dog. "T-Thomas! Thomas has been here for almost five years!"
"Exactly." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room. In a few minutes, she returned with Brynne, Ivy, Daryl, and Thomas.
"Addie? Why are you crying? Oh no, your face!" Brynne cried, running over to me and putting her hands on my burning cheeks. I sniffled. Thomas was twitching like a robot. Reiko leaned against my wall and stared at Daryl.
"They whipped you?" Ivy asked quietly. Her wrists were purple and bleeding, and the crayon on her arms had been scrubbed off. I nodded, holding back tears.
Thomas tugged on Daryl's sleeve. "I-I'll g-go get Addie something to drink. Come with."
Daryl nodded. "We'll be right back." They left the room.
"Brynne," Reiko pushed herself off the wall. "What day did Thomas come here?"
"I don't know," she replied. "I just know it was sometime almost five years ago."
"Well," Reiko walked over to my Grandfather's journal. "He's fucked."
I started crying again. Brynne looked confused as she comforted me.
"Mommy used to say stuff like that," Ivy murmured, sitting down on the ground and kicking her feet around.
"Why is he...?" Brynne stared at Reiko. Reiko pointed to the journal. Brynne picked it up.
"Addie, where did you get this?" she looked at the cover with a curious expression on her face.
"They told me Reiko and Addie went to the adult's ward," Ivy said, paying no attention to anything. Her gaze was fixed on the bruises on her small wrists.
Reiko's eye twitched. "What else did they say?"
"They tell me I'm crazy," Ivy hummed.
Brynne looked back at me. "You went to the adult's ward?! When?!"
"Last night. Bernice... the lady who died this morning... she gave Grandpa's journal to me. It says that," I paused, nearly choking on my tears. "It said that after five years... if you aren't healing... they take your brain out!"
Brynne's eyes got wide and she let out a gasp, which sounded more like a sob. "W-Wait..."
Daryl returned to the room alone. I jumped up. "Where's Tommy?!"
"He had his appointment with Doctor Wooding," Daryl replied.
"They're going to kill him!" I shrieked, then pushed past him and ran down the hall. Reiko was following me, her expression dour. I ran past nurses, patients, and doctors like a lightning bolt. Terror was overwhelming me. They're going to kill Thomas! He's nine!
"Hurry!" Reiko yelled. She sounded upset. I barged into the basement and immediately heard screams. I dashed to where they were coming from, and my heart stopped.
Thomas was on an operating table, tied down by rope. He was bleeding from a cut that went all the way around his head. There were no nurses or doctors nearby.
"Tommy!" I cried, running over to him. He was still screaming and crying. They hadn't opened his skull up yet. Blood was all over him and the table.
"H-Help!" Thomas screamed.
"I'm here! I'm going to help you!"
Reiko untied the rope holding him down. "Help him up. We have to get him out of here. We all have to get out of here."
I nodded, holding back tears. I helped Thomas off the table. He immediately fell on me, blood getting on my dress. I got him out of the room successfully, and pulled him up the stairs. "Reiko, where do we go?!"
"We have to get Ivy, Daryl, and Brynne first. Then we have to get past the guard..." She trailed off. "Just follow me. Upstairs. Quickly. Do you want me to carry him?" I nodded immediately. Thomas was losing blood- fast. Reiko pulled Thomas on her back and runs down the hall, back into my room. Brynne saw Thomas and screamed. Ivy's face was pure terror as she clung to Daryl's leg.
"Oh god," Daryl choked. "No. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let him go!"
"No time to blame anyone. Let's get out of here before we all die," Reiko said, walking out the door. "Hurry, now."
"No," Thomas whispered. "It's t-too late."
"Hey!" A voice yells from down the hall. "What the hell are you doin'?!"
Reiko shoved Thomas into Daryl's arms. "All of you go. I'll distract them." She ran down the hall without another word. She is grabbed by the hair by a guard and thrown to the ground, then pinned down so she couldn't move. Nurses ran to Thomas and grabbed him from Daryl. He'd died in his arms.
---------------
Thomas was buried in the courtyard. The nurses had absolutely no sympathy for us, since they knew it was their faults. Our plan to leave was ruined- and Thomas was dead. Daryl was devastated and thought it was his fault. Brynne, being the motherly figure she was, cried nonstop. She was whipped three times before being locked in a cellar for the night. Ivy was silent, drawing something on a paper. I cried harder when I saw that it was an angel. Reiko took the blame for freeing Thomas. Her punishment, like Brynne's, was a few whips and a dinner-less night. She didn't care much, however. She was just as upset as the rest of us about Thomas.
"His mind was just like any other," a voice echoed into the air of my dark, gloomy room. "Corrupt. Humans have a talent- laziness. They did not want to put in effort to save the poor boy any longer. They thought he was far from saving."
I wiped my tear-soaked face with my sleeve. A shadow was sitting beside me, but that time, it was just black. No eyes, mouth, or blood.
"I can help you, Adelaide..."
I felt something being slid onto my wrist. I looked down and saw a tiny, red-bead bracelet. "What... What is that?"
"When you wish to see past our reality, put it on."
The world around me completely changed.
The walls were soaked in blood. Bones covered the ground, and organs hung from the ceiling like ornaments on a Christmas tree. I couldn't even scream. Another shadow was hunched over, staring at the ground. I could see it breathing. My eyes were wide. I reached over and took the bracelet off, then everything went back to normal. The shadow was still there.
"Performing an action in our reality is different than performing one in theirs." Then, it disappeared. I was in shock. If I left the asylum in this reality... would they even realize it?
It was getting late, but I was too upset to go to sleep. I wanted to get in trouble just so I could see Reiko and Brynne. I didn't care anymore. I walked out into the hallway, fell on my butt, and started screaming. Just as I expected, a nurse ran over to me- but it wasn't the one I wanted. It was Nurse Melissa.
"Adelaide, what's wrong?" she asked, kneeling down beside me. I pounded my fists on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum.
"I want to leave!"
Melissa looked around, then helped me up. "Are you trying to get in trouble?"
"Yes," I whispered back, calming down for a few seconds. "I want to see Brynne and Reiko."
"I'll take you."
She brought me down to the basement. As I looked through the cells, most were empty. Then, I saw Reiko and Brynne.
"Reiko, Brynne!" I cried out.
Reiko looked up. "I know. I know how to-" She stopped talking as soon as she saw Melissa. Melissa brought me into one of the cells and tied me up.
"Did you want me to go this far?" she asked. I nodded.
"Thank you...."
She nodded and left.
"What were you saying...?" I whimpered to Reiko, even though walls separated us. Brynne was silent.
"I know how to get out," Reiko choked out.
"H-How?"
"Is Anna still down here?" Reiko asked loudly.
"Probably," Brynne replied.
"I need to get her out," Reiko muttered more to herself. She stood up and stared at the lock on the cell. "Does anyone have a bobby pin? Or do I need to pick it with my nails."
"A-Always," Brynne whispered, getting up. Her body bent awkwardly as she took a bobby pin from her hair and shoved it in the lock. Reiko waited quietly. Brynne unlocked her own door, then Reiko's, then mine. Reiko took the pin from Brynne and walks around the area, looking for Anna. When Reiko found her, she bent down and stared at her through the bars.
"Anna. I'll let you out if you do me a favor," Reiko bribed.
"Are you one of their slaves?" Anna asked curiously, her eye twitching.
"Sure. I need you to kill someone. I don't care who, as long as they're highly ranked around here," Reiko said, putting the pin into Anna's lock and twisting it. Anna was shaking, and her hair was ratty.
"O-O-Okay," she smiled crazily. "L-Like Ms. Pennridge?"
"Perfect," Reiko said, taking her hand. She looked very uncomfortable as she pulled Anna up the stairs. Anna was laughing shakily.
Brynne ran over to me and hugged me. Tears were staining her cheeks. I hugged her back, holding back tears. "We need to get Ivy and Daryl."
We followed Reiko and Anna up the stairs.
Reiko patted Anna's back. "When I tell you to go kill her, do it. Just wait for one second while we get our friends, okay?"
Anna nodded. She looked like a dog with rabies. "W-W-What am I s-s-supposed to k-kill her with?!"
"Break her arm with your bare hands then rip it off and stab her with her own bones," Reiko shrugged. Anna grinned.
"O-Okay!"
Brynne and I ran over to Reiko.
Reiko looked at us. "Go find Daryl and Ivy." I nodded and ran to get Ivy. Brynne went to get Daryl. As I arrived in Ivy's room, I saw her drawing.
"Ivy, come on," I whispered to her. She looked up at me, her sleepy eyes full of tears. She got up without question and hugged me. I led her back to Reiko.
Reiko was looking up and down the halls, her eyebrows furrowed together. "Where are Brynne and Daryl? They need to hurry."
"Right here," Brynne said quietly as she approached us. She pulled Daryl along, who clearly was out of it. He looked like he'd cried all of his tears.
Reiko looked at Anna. "Go." She then grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall, expecting everyone else to follow. We snuck around a corner, right by the exit, where the guard was. Screams came from afar, and Anna's laughing.
"Help!" A little girl runs to him and tugs on his sleeve. "Ms. Pennridge being hurt!"
The guard ran off. The girl smiled at us. A boy, who looked exactly like her, walked up beside her. The girl had long, brown hair and green eyes. She looked to be about five. The boy, who was obviously her twin brother, also had brown hair and green eyes. He looked afraid of us and hid behind his sister.
"Thank you," I said to the girl. She nodded with a bright smile.
Reiko jumped out from behind the corner and ran to the desk. She grabbed the keys, then kicked the desk over. Her eye twitched, but she didn't do anything else. She turned to the kids. "Come along." She ran to the door and unlocked it.
"Are we leaving?" The little boy said, his voice quiet as a mouse. His sister grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
Daryl, Brynne, Ivy, Reiko, the twins and I ran to the door. It was all going to be over. Then, I stopped. "Wait." I turned and ran to my room.
"Hurry!" Reiko yelled. She pushed the twins, Daryl, Brynne, and Ivy all out the door.
I grabbed Grandfather's journal, along with my own. I had the bracelet in my pocket. A loud alarm goes off, indicating the exit had been opened. I dashed back downstairs and out the door, then through the stone lot.
Doctor Wooding was standing at the door, looking angry. "You little bitch! You'll pay!"
From a window, I saw two women staring at me. Patricia and Caydence. Sadness overcame me as I caught up to my friends. Reiko was pushing everyone along, yelling at us all to run faster. The twins were struggling with their little legs, so Daryl picked them up, one in each arm. Reiko grabbed my hand and tugged me along. Ivy looked like she couldn't breathe. Brynne was afraid- it was obvious in her facial expression.
"The maze!" Reiko yelled, pointing to the grass maze. I never realized that before... Where does it lead? We ran right into the entrance, disappearing into the darkness.