Cold. Sunnyvale Institution sinks into the ground centimeter by centimeter beneath the pale full moon. The barred windows of the opposite hall reflected themselves in the mirror hanging on the wall of the room. Jason Treborn bent down on the side of his bed, his hand reaching under the frame touching dust and cobwebs. He pulled himself to a sitting position. Nothing. Jason ran his hands through his hair, his mouth twitching in the corner. Pages of photographs. Gone.
"There are no photo albums."
Breathe. Memories didn't disappear. Andrea. Jason pressed his hand on the door knob. He twisted the handle. It wasn't locked. He pressed himself against the wall as he walked, robe flittering in the small breeze. Evan. His round face. Pink. Innocent. Jason walked further down the hallway. His hand grazed the door surfaces. Rough doors. Haunted shrieks behind them. The light in his eyes dimmed. Dimmed.
"If there are no photo albums, why am I here?"
Jason paused at the security desk. A flashlight beam stabbed the darkness. Searching for him. Hungering for him. Jason bent down behind the desk. Pain shooting through his spine. He fell on hands and knees. His mouth contorted. His eyes shut tight. Jason breathed. His teeth grinded into his bottom lip. A speck of red. The light vanished. Fate. Jason smiled. His long hair, matted against his neck. Dirt embedded in his fingernails. Scratches on his neck. Deep. Scarred. His robe bore the Sunnyvale label. Jason pulled off his robe, left it behind his desk. He crawled on the floor. His white T-shirt stained with blood.
"You have an illness, Jason. Alternate realities. Murder. Affair. Hostage."
Pause. Jason wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. He pulled his hand away. His eyes scanned the room. A flashlight beam pierced though a shattered window. His ears pricked at the mention of his name. Jason Treborn. He drank those words under his breath. It slithered through his skin.
Jason pulled open the drawer inside Intern Redfield's office. It creaked. Rusted. He extracted his file marked, "Treborn, Jason" in large block writing on the tab in black permanent marker. He switched on the light. It flooded just the corner of the room. Jason pulled the chair from behind the desk and sat down, his legs stretched on the mahogany wood in front of him. He grabbed open a drawer, saw a flashlight, and took it. He opened his file and held the flashlight beam over the words. He grinned.
"Paranoia. Induced nightmares. (Self) Alternate Reality claims. Suicide watch issued"
Jason laughed. He unclipped his photograph from the paperclip attached to his files. It wouldn't work. It was when he was first brought to Sunnyvale. He tossed the photograph over his shoulder. It landed in the dust. Jason turned the pages:
Family: Edward Treborn (Father: Died Sunnyvale patient. )
Edward Treborn was checked into Sunnyvale Institution at parents request. He never married his girlfriend and mother to son, Jason Treborn. Edward was twenty-three at the time he was brought into Sunnyvale. His departure to Sunnyvale was when son, Jason Treborn, was two years old. It is believed to have caused abandonment issues for son. His cause of death was not recorded in the Intuitions public and official records.
Photograph enclosed: Year before death.
Family: Andrea Treborn (Wife to patient, Jason Treborn, and mother to son, Evan Treborn.)
Andrea reported concern for husband when he blacked out during his son's first birthday party right after having their photographs taken together in a park. Andrew also reported anger in her husband after he kicked the base of a tree after pushing son, Evan, down the child slide. Andrew was concerned over these frequent blackouts and her husbands constant time loss. She began to feel as though he was slowly becoming delusional and a risk to their child. She convinced him and his mother that Sunnyvale would be the best place for him. He remains a patient at the Institution.
Photograph Enclosed: Jason and Andrea Treborn at their wedding.
Family: Evan Treborn (Son: One year old)
Evan Treborn was born one year before Jason Treborn was brought to Sunnyvale Institution. Mother Andrea Treborn expressed Fear for her son and his safety. Evan was not present at the time of Jason's arrival at Sunnyvale.)
Photograph Enclosed: Child's first birthday.
See note: Possible Abandonment issue for child. Contact mother through years.
Jason pulled the photograph of his wife, Andrea, himself, and his son, Evan, out of the paper clip hold. He smoothed out the photograph on the desk. Andrew's hair curled onto her shoulders. Her eyes bright. Her blue shirt and pants not quiet baggy yet not quite tight. She was holding Evan in her arms. His dark hair a contrast to her light face. Jason, himself, stood beside her. Together they stood waiting for the camera click.
Jason focused his attention on the photograph. He blinked back tears. His mind on the photograph. A pain pierced through his entire head. He brought his hand to his forehead, groaning in pain. His teeth sinking lower into his lip. Jason tried to close the file fold, his hand shaking, until it slipped from his grasp and landed onto the floor where the papers spread. The photograph of Evan lay on the top of the pile along with an assortment of photographs of Jason Andrea had brought with them when she checked her husband in.
The door to Redfield's office shook violently. The glass shattered on the floor. A flashlight beam shown through. It climbed from the floor to the chair behind the desk.
There was no sight of Jason.