A/N: This is AU and has no ties with the comics. Also, in this reality, Kennedy never existed because I hate her.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results."
—Narcotics Anonymous.

CHAPTER 1

"The nurses tell me you're not taking your medication." The doctor said to the patient on the opposite side of the desk. "Do you want to tell me, why?" the patient looked down and fiddled with her hands. "Susan?"

"The pills make me sleepy but I can't…if I sleep it'll come." Susan said semi-calmly. The doctor nodded slowly.

"You mean the monster. Now we talked about this."

"But it killed Annie."

"Susan, you're a schizophrenic. Your mind plays tricks on you. You get confused, sometimes you see things."

"I know what I am." She said her voice breaking into a sob. "Like I can see my dead son standing right behind you." She said glancing at the young brunette boy behind the doctor. "I know it's not real. But the monster, it is real."

"Annie was your roommate, and what happened to her was painful for all of us. Perhaps it's easier for you to conjure up a monster than to face how tragic her suicide really was."

"I can hear it at night! In the walls, please, you have to believe me."

"Susan." The doctor said firmly, removing his glasses. "There is no such thing as monsters."

"Hey there Veronica, what are you drawing?" the orderly asked the patient who was drawing in her sketchpad with crayons. She stopped drawing and looked at him, and then back at the drawing. She continued to draw, ignoring the question.

"Can I see it?" he asked, trying again for communication. She stopped drawing once more. She slowly passed him the sketchpad which he examined closely. "Who is this?" he asked pointing to the man she was drawing. "Why is his forehead like that, bumpy?"

"He's a monster." She replied airily.

"Is this a man you know?" he asked; glad to get some sort of reply from the patient.

"No, but I see ones like him in my dreams. The monsters; I see them all. I have to stop them. I have to stop the monsters."

"What do you mean by 'monster'? Does this man represent someone who hurt you?" he asked.

"No." was all she said.

The orderly looked through the rest of the book and saw more pictures of so-called monsters. There were more like the picture of the man, but there were many more. Some with horns, or scales, or teeth.

"What about these ones?" she didn't reply, instead she just looked down at the sheets of her bed. He decided it was best to stop for tonight and try again tomorrow. "I'm afraid it's ten-thirty, lights out. We'll have to continue this chat tomorrow." The orderly said to Veronica. She looked up at him with wide, scared eyes. The nurse left the room, switching off the lights and locking the door. Veronica ran off of her bed and looked out the little window of the door. She looked down the hallway and it was silent…for a minute.

Susan ran to the window of her door and saw Veronica.

"Help! Help me! It's coming! Help!" Susan screamed. Veronica's breathing sped up as something yanked Susan away. Veronica backed up to the end of the room and took a deep breath. She charged at the door and tried to tackle it open with her shoulder. The door didn't budge and Veronica slumped down to the floor, trying to block out the sound of Susan's screams as the monster got her.

Veronica stood up and sat on her bed. She hugged her knees close to her chest and began rocking back and forth.

"I have to stop the monsters. I have to stop the monsters. I have to stop the monsters."

A/N: So there it is; the first chapter. I hope you liked it.