A red Toyota approached the gates of Mount Massive Asylum. The driver showed her I.D. to the man in the small building beside the gate. The I.D. read Dr. Roberta Maison, with a picture of a woman with straight, brown hair, striking blue eyes, and withered white skin, which matched the woman in the driver's seat. A buzzer went off as the gates began to open. The car slowly inched past the opening gates and headed down the curved driveway towards a large, shoddy looking building. The teenage girl in the passenger seat, with similar features to the driver except for her brown eyes, wondered about the building. It looked old as the dinosaurs, though it was probably built in the 1800s by its design. It was falling apart, with boards on the windows and patches of different colored tiles on the roof. Though they seemed to be fixing it up, as there were scaffolds by some of the windows. The girl wondered why a place for the people in most need was so disheveled. Before she could ponder it for long, she felt a sharp slap on her arm.
"Emma!" The driver shouted. "I've been calling you for the past five minutes."
Emma turned around to look at the woman as she rubbed her arm, "Sorry, Mom."
"Hurry up. I don't want you to make me late."
Dr. Maison unbuckled her seatbelt, and Emma did the same. The two exited the car. Emma felt the dusty earth under her feat. She took in the crisp mountain air. She wondered if any of the patients had done the same when they got outdoor time. It was so beautiful up here, especially at night. She hoped the patients were clear headed enough to enjoy it. Then again, she had mental illness and she was able to enjoy it, so perhaps these patients could too. Though she "only" had bipolar II, not even "real" bipolar disorder, as she often told herself. These patients dealt with much more intense symptoms than she did, like delusions, hallucinations, and extreme mood swings. She hoped she could help them, like her Mom did.
"Hey, Mom," Emma said as they walked through the big doors, "I just want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I promise I'll make you proud."
Dr. Maison said nothing. She approached the front desk.
"Ah, good evening Dr. Maison" The man at the desk said, "Brought the kid today I see?"
"Yes, Earl." Dr. Maison said bluntly, as she signed in. "Where's Dr. Redding?"
"He's waiting for you downstairs." Earl replied.
"Thank you." Dr. Maison said as she put down the pen. She walked around the circular desk and began to walk to the right. Emma, who was looking around at the grand room, noticed her mother was leaving and quickly followed. She saw Earl and the other man at the desk looking at her as she left. She waved at them, but they did not wave back. They only watched her disappear into the next hallway.
Dr. Maison and Emma approached an elevator in the hallway. Dr. Maison stopped in front of it and pressed the down button. Emma stood beside her, waiting for the elevator to come.
"Where are the patients?" Emma asked.
"It's past lights out for them. They're asleep." Dr. Maison said flatly.
"Oh." Emma responded. "Do you think I'll get to meet some of them tomorrow?"
Ding. The elevator arrived, and the iron doors opened. Dr. Maison entered, and Emma followed. The two rode the elevator in chilly silence. Finally, the elevator opened and the two walked out into a small, brightly lit corridor with white walls. Dr. Maison walked down the corridor, towards two men who were talking. They both wore white lab coats. The taller man with black hair handed the shorter, blonde man a clipboard and the blonde man walked away. The tall man turned to Dr. Maison and her daughter.
"Dr. Maison, welcome back. I see you brought our new … intern." He said.
Dr. Maison smiled politely, "Dr. Redding, this is my daughter, Emma. Emma, this is Dr. Fredrick Redding, the lead psychologist of this asylum."
"I've heard so much about you and your work. It's nice to finally meet you sir." Emma said, as she extended her hand to him.
Dr. Redding simply nodded, "Let's get started shall we."
He turned around and walked ahead. Dr. Maison and Emma followed suit. Dr. Redding led them into a small room with what looked like a dentist's reclining chair to Emma. Dr. Redding motioned towards the chair.
"Emma, if you please?" He said.
Emma looked questioningly at her mother. Dr. Maison nodded. Emma cautiously settled into the chair. Dr. Redding set iron clamps onto her wrists and ankles.
"Um, Mom, wh-what's going on?" Emma asked, voice trembling.
"Her pupils are dilating. She seems to be fearful already, Dr. Maison. Perhaps your theory of this asylum needing a woman's touch is correct." Dr. Redding said, as he looked at Emma pulling her eye open further.
Dr. Maison joined him, shining a light into Emma's eye. "I told you. This situation for a woman would be twice as frightening as it is for a man. Her terror will give us the edge we need. To finally get the results we've been looking for."
"Mom! What are you talking about?" Emma said, breathless.
Dr. Maison smacked her across the face, "You don't refer to me so informally anymore. You will call me Dr. Maison from now on."
Tears formed in Emma's eyes, "You can't do this! Dad will come looking for me. You'll get caught!"
"Oh but we can, Emma." Dr. Redding said, "You see, while your mother was away at work, leaving you alone at the hotel, you slit your wrists and was found dead in the bathtub by the maid. By the time you got to the hospital it was too late. And your poor mother, racked with grief, decided to have a closed casket at the funeral, as she couldn't bear to see how pale and lifeless her dear daughter had become. Concurrently, a Miss Isabelle Cromwell, who you bear a striking resemblance to, will be admitted to Mount Massive with bipolar disorder and suicidal ideation, where she will live in the brand-new women's ward, population one."
"Of course, since there's only one of you, you'll have to share the space with the men's ward," Dr. Maison continued, "And I must warn you, these men are famished. You better keep your legs crossed."
"Mom…why?" Emma choked out through her tears.
Dr. Maison snorted, "Why? Because, Emma, you're a piece of shit."
With that last note, Dr. Redding and Dr. Maison left the room. A few seconds later, Emma heard Dr. Redding's voice on an intercom.
"Ok, Emma… I mean, Isabelle, you're going to look at the screen ahead of you. If you don't…"
"Dr. Redding!" Another man's voice interrupted, "There's something wrong with the security system! It's going berserk!"
"What?" Dr. Redding's voice said.
"We need to evacuate immediately before…" The man was cut short by a gurgling noise. All of a sudden, Emma heard the sound of flesh and bone being torn. There was screaming, followed by more sounds of flesh being ripped apart. Emma felt a hand on her own. She looked to see a deathly thin man with matted hair and beard pulling apart the metal bars that held her in place.
"We're free!" He yelled, "Be free! Be free!"
He was dancing in an oddly arrhythmic fashion as Emma shot off the seat. Emma ran out of the room. She saw a man who was larger than life. He had huge, jutting muscles and was covered in blood, which Emma guessed was not his own. He and Emma saw one another. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Emma could not be sure what she saw in his eyes, but they seemed sad, angry, confused all at once. Then, he squinted his eyes.
"Little pig." He charged at her.
Emma made a run for it, moving as fast as her short legs would let her. The man was close on her trail, almost able to grab her with his thick hands. Emma knew she would have to get to the elevator if she had any chance of escaping. But to get there, she'd have to get past that giant, which would be impossible with him rushing after her like he was. She needed to find a place to hide.
She quickly checked a door on the right side of the corridor but it was locked. She ran down the corridor, and checked another door, which was also locked. She tried to run forward, but something grabbed her arm. It was a boney but strong hand. Attached was a greasy man with a bald head who was breathing down her neck.
"Where you think you're going baby doll?" He asked as he pulled her close.
Emma tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too tight. He grabbed her around her waist, and pulled her into him. Before she could react, a giant hand landed on the man's head. It crushed the man's head, making it explode in a bloody mess. The man's body collapsed at her feet. Emma screamed as blood streaked down her face. She felt her waist being crushed. She looked down and saw a giant hand wrapped around her. She tried to pull off its fingers, but she could not free herself. She felt herself being lifted into the air, then propelled across the hallway. She collided into the wall with a thud. She slid to the ground, crumpling like a dead flower.
She did not let herself stay on the ground for long. She quickly stood up, despite the pain it caused, looking around for any exit she could find. She was in luck, for she saw she was right next to an elevator. She quickly pressed the button over and over. She looked over to see the giant slowly make his way towards her. She pressed the button even faster. He was only inches away when the elevator doors finally opened. She hopped in and pressed a random button. She quickly pressed the 'door close' button. The doors slid shut just as the giant was coming into view.