AN: Hey, Taka's back, and I'm not dead. New day, new idea I decided to write. Sorry, I've got a lot on me recently, and I'll try to update more frequently. And...okay, I've got nothing else to sa- no, wait, very important, thanks to WolfyTheRuff for helping me with this story. Okay, now I've got nothing else, so…
LEEEEEEEEEEEEEET'S GOOOOO
"And here we are today with the talented terror writer, Lucy Loud. Good afternoon, Ms Loud."
"Good afternoon. Thanks for the opportunity. And please, call me just Lucy. Loud doesn't really fit my style."
"Alright, Lucy. So, could you describe a little more about your work? When was it that you became interested in… such topics?"
"Well, I was always into the darker side of life. Poetry, which is part of my productions, was where I began. Back when I was a child, my name was already known locally for these, and my capacity to frighten those around me."
"And it seems that it never changed. You're known for the capacity to bring fright upon your readers, specially on your perspective of the human mind, when you began your stories. And it was there when your work was known out of your hometown, I suppose."
"Yes. After my second published book, "Set up For Insanity", I've reached a much larger public, and that's when I could make writing a living."
"Most of your readers say that book is the best of your projects. Do you have any idea why-" the radio was turned off
"Oh, I sure do," Lucy said to herself. "Telling a story that happened with you is way easier than creating something from stack zero." Lucy sighed. "Why I even keep this recorded?"
Lucy was driving in her car through the empty streets of Royal Woods, which lost its royalty, and was now mostly just woods. Years and years of abandonment gave the chance for plants to take over the houses and other buildings. It was like a ghost city. Lucy liked it. And her readers liked it too. Well, they liked the stories she created on that place. When you're known as the modern Queen of Darkness, living there helped with inspiration.
Living there could be depressing. Almost nobody was around, nothing was taken care of; it was abandoned. Lucy made sure her small house was in a state good enough to be habitable, but that was it. It wasn't like she needed much space. A bedroom, bathroom and kitchen was all she needed. Living alone had its advantages.
The streets were empty in the dark rainy afternoon. There wasn't much of a reason to be outside, that's a fact, but not even lights were seen inside. A signal that nobody was in there. Lucy was used to it. She saw many people leaving the city. She herself left, but she came back many years later. And to think such a place as that town would become just like Silent Hill. Her fans had annoyed her so often to check out that game. She found it funny that the scenario was a bit similar.
And all because of a certain girl.
She drove past a sign that said "Royal Woods Intensive Treatment Mental Hospital", rotten even more than the rest of the place. Being there a lot of times, Lucy know it's just a fancy name for an asylum, a sanatorium, or whatever other name for a place to lock up crazy people. Like most building, the vines were slowly taking over the walls, but it still weren't that high. Only a few seconds later, she stopped her car on the covered area of the parking lot. There weren't a whole lot of other vehicles there. Only a truck, probably delivering supplies, and a few other vehicles from the employees. She checked the clock, and noticed she was a few minutes early for visiting time. After all, she woke away very early, and had nothing else to do.
She reached the glovebox, and pulled out of it a piece of paper. It was a picture of her family, many years ago. It had a lot of drawings with a red pen. Apart from her, everyone's faces had an x over their faces. "I kept this, for so long," Lucy told herself, then she looked through the front window towards the sky. "Your souls and torment still haunt my dreams. But whatever pain I must be feeling… I can't imagine what's going with her." She looked into the building.
"Huh, that's funny. I've always wanted to live this dark life, and now I suffer from it. And all because of misplaced equipment…" Lucy closed her eyes.
Flashback
Lucy was at her house, running away from the new threat that was after them. She didn't had time to look back, before entering the basement and locking the door behind her. Clearly, she'd be able to find shelter in her third favorite place in the house. Both the vents and the attic had obstacles in the way, plus, she made it safely to the first floor, the basement was much closer, and she wouldn't risk going back up again.
She heard screams coming from above. She couldn't help but go downstairs, to avoid the noise. In that case, it was everyone for him or herself. The only bit of light that came from the windows revealed that under the house was apparently safe. But you can never be so sure, so she began scanning the area. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough to notice and not trip on the wire right in front of the staircase.
She noticed that the walls and pillars of the room began glowing. A smiley face was visible if you faced the right angle. Lucy never saw those, but it didn't took a lot of knowledge to understand that material was probably inspired by T.N.T.
"Dang it." Lucy said. They began making a ticking sound. In an instinctive act, she jumped behind the safest place she spotted, behind the cauldron. That regions had the less of those, so she ran behind it and curled with her back on the giant metal object. That's when she heard a blow. She was happy nothing happened to her.
"Not so smart now." Lucy grinned with a small smile. She turned around to check the damage, but in that moment, she began hearing a series of loud noises. Then she noticed, most of the columns of the basement were ruined. Lucy wasn't an engineer, but she knew those were probably important. Then when she saw part of the ceiling giving up, bringing a whole lot of the living room's furniture with it. Lucy ran back to her hiding spot.
The house was coming down.
End of flashback
"I've been a while, stuck by the debris," Lucy thought. She looked at her arm and pulled up her sleeve, revealing a group of scars. "But at least the firefighters managed to take me out alive. Well, me and… you." She was starting at the building. "All that guilt, all that death, and so young… you deserved punishment, maybe. But this… you never deserved this!" She checked her watch and noticed it was time already. Lucy breathed in heavily. "Let's get this over with."
She entered the grey wall building through a glass door. The environment there was never something comfy. Even not being an inmate, you would have an effect of being observed as one. Unlike most people, however, Lucy could take it quite easily. Inside, a receptionist welcomed her.
"Good afternoon, Miss. How can I help you today?"
"My name is Lucy Loud." Lucy replied. "I'm here to see my sister, Luan."
"Is this your first time, Ms. Loud?" She asked.
"No." she bluntly answered. That girl was probably new. Lucy didn't appear that often, but she was actually one of the only ones that actually dared going there. Maybe the one that most appeared. The environment was scary and disturbing. It worked well for more inspiration. Even if that place was quite small for a prison for people with mental illnesses.
"Then you are aware of the procedure." She concluded. "Mr. Owens will go with you, as soon as you fill these." She delivered her a few papers and a pen, and pointed towards the guard laying in one of the walls besides the door. She knew that guard. He was with her a few times already. She waved at him, who replied by pulling his cap down a bit.
And with that, Lucy entered the process of paper filling, body checking, metal scanning and background analysing. Since most things were always the same, she did the process almost automatically. Her head was a bit worried as in which condition she'd find her sister. Unfortunately, for her, it was never a good state. But she couldn't help and hope she might have healed.
After that, she was guided through a small room, leading towards a hallway filled with metallic doors, with numbers above them. Paying attention, you could hear screams. A couple other guards were around just to be sure. They didn't move an inch whenever a sound was heard. They were probably used to it. Lucy was just like them. The guard would almost jump every time.
"I'm surprised you still come to visit her, Ms. Loud," the guard guiding her said. "There aren't many people that see their family members in her state. 'Specially after what ha-"
"I'd rather not talk about it." Lucy interrupted. "I don't need this to be sadder than it already is." Quite ironic coming from someone like her; having been a goth all her life and thus no stranger to gloominess. Then again, back many years ago when she was just a little girl, things weren't nearly as bad as they had gotten for the town of Royal Woods and what used to be the Loud family.
"You're right. Sorry." He said. They reached a metallic door, with a pardon small glass window with enough size only you could see inside. The number 17 was over it. Muffled giggles echoed from the room and bounced off the walls. The guard shivered while Lucy maintained her stoic demeanor.
"How can you remain so calm? No offense, but she might be the worst case I've ever seen."
"Years of practice. If you knew all I've been through, before and after things went south, you'd be more worried that we're at the same side of the door." She noticed the guard was getting a bit scared. Lucy still got her talent. "Thanks, now I'd like some privacy with her."
The guard unlocked the door. "I have to stay here to assure she won't hurt you, but the door will block the sound, so I won't hear anything, and she can't move due to the straightjacket. I'm pretty sure she'll remain in place. At least I hope so."
"Thank you very much." She entered the cell, and saw the guard closing the door. That's when she had the first chance to look at her sister clearly. She had her back turned towards her, instead facing the wall in a far corner to the right. The muffled giggling got louder, now turning into a downright cackle. Lucy could see a slight glimmer near her eye; evidence that her dear sister was weeping.
Suddenly, Luan whipped her head around, giving Lucy a clearer view of her bloodstained, wet eyes. Her pupils were dilated to an extreme level, only barely showing that her eyes were bloodshot. Dark bags were visible under them. The once-bright, nearly golden brown and neat hair was now scruffy, matted and a muddy dark brown.
It took her quite some effort and time to do so, but she finally managed to turn her entire body towards her younger sister. More muffled sounds came out, none of which were the least bit decipherable.
Lucy walked over to the door and knocked a few times. The guard standing behind it jumped, but then he opened it up.
"You're already done visiting? That was quick."
"No, actually, would you mind removing the mask on her mouth, please? I came here to have a talk with her, after all."
"A-are you sure? I-I don't think she can-"
"Yes, please." Lucy was getting a bit impatient.
The guard was rather hesitant, but obliged to her request anyway. He went over and slowly took it off the patient, the uneasiness rather obvious. Right as soon as it was off, Luan began growling and baring her now crooked, yellowed and somewhat jagged teeth. He backed away slightly, dashing right out when she lunged toward him with a bark, attempting to go in for a bite. She began laughing loudly. Once he left, she turned her attention back to the goth.
"How the hell did this guy become a guard?" Lucy thought to herself. "So, here we're again. It's been a little while since last time." She began.
She had still been growling, but stopped when Lucy finished. Her lips were pursed into a smaller smile now. "You don't seem too happy. Want a balloon animal?!" she drawled with a rather raspy tone, before laughing loudly.
"Guess things haven't changed a lot for you. Not that I really expected something." She said in her monotype voice, but with a slight sadness tone.
"I remember that you like monsters, and you sure look like you still do. They're my friends too, sometimes they even talk to me in my head! Want some face paint of one of 'em?!"
"Wow, you're getting more creative, I give you that." Lucy commented. "Looks like your sanity isn't coming back, right?"
Luan started to glare at her, visibly shaking as though she was about to go in for an attack. Instead, she started grinning widely yet again and threw her head back in laughter. "You don't say?!" she shrieked. "Wait, wait, wait! I've got a joke for ya that will be sure to tickle your funny bone!"
"Sigh. I can see why Pop-Pops wouldn't let me visit you as a kid. I'd probably be afraid, and wouldn't come back."
"Why?! I'm great for entertainment! The kids love me, when they see me they scream! They're so happy to see me!" Her voice then dropped low. "At least, they used to…" Then once again in a high-pitched tone, "BUT IT'S THEIR LOSS!"
"I'm sure they did, Luan." She faces down. "I'm sure they did.
"Of course I make them happy, I always did! But now they chucked me into a cage like a TIGER! A tiger, I tell ya! But maybe I am one, maybe that's why! Tigers make people happy too!"
"This was never your intention. I know you only wanted to see people happy…"
Instead of making any comment on it, the former comedian started singing softly, "Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posie, ashes, ashes, we all fall down…"
"See our house, totally destroyed. I didn't see you nor our family. What I know is... nobody else made it..."
Luan didn't reply. After staring at her visitor for a couple long seconds, she giggled like a drunken hyena, nearly falling over but managing to get back into a sitting position.
"Pop-Pop took care of me. He never was very good at dealing with emotions, you know? Mostly, it was me with your poetry. I can understand him, though, losing his daughter and most of his grandchildren…"
In a somewhat normal and quiet voice, Luan signaled towards Lucy and said, "Hey… hey, Lucy, come over here."
Lucy found it strange that she lowered her voice tone, so she did as asked. She approached carefully, taking small steps. Once the goth was close enough, the prankster waited a few seconds, staring at her a bit before she attempted to jump at her, loudly yelling "BOO!"
Lucy took a couple steps back, as Luan had another laughing attack. She kicked the air, and would probably be shaking her arms, if not for the straightjacket. She looked back at her sister. All of that laughter, no matter who heard it, would never deliver the impression of happiness. Lucy felt bad for Luan, to say the least; even after everything that had happened back then due to her.
"I guess I should have expected that," Lucy commented. "I just hope that actually made you happy."
"Whatcha talking, about, sis?! I'm happy as a clam!" The statement sounded much more desperate than just about everything else she had said before.
"Sigh. I kind of know you're still somewhere in there sis, but I don't know if can pull you out. If you're listening to me…" Lucy stopped for a second. Luan shed a single tear, but still kept that wide, false grin of hers. "Just-just know I still care for you."
The patient looked down at the ground, as though the real her was starting to come back… the regret for what she did, and what she became. It only lasted a moment, however, and soon enough she went right back to spouting nonsense.
"Why'd Mike the Headless Chicken cross the road?!"
"I don't know, Luan." Lucy said. She heard that one a few times, but she'd let her sister think she was being funny.
"To get his head back into the game!" Instead of bursting out in laughter like she had been doing for the majority of the visit, she paused and waited for a reaction. Lucy just gave her a small smile.
"Good one." Lucy said, forcing a small smile, even if the joke was bad. It wasn't funny the first time, nor the tenth time. There were things that make the situation unfunny, so obvious only a crazy person wouldn't see it. And that's why Luan thought it was funny. She returned the smile, not grinning but still smiling widely. Only slightly wider than the genuine smiles she would have given when she had her sanity.
"I don't know if you remember the days before our lives changed…" Lucy continued the main point of her conversation. Luan tilt her head. "When we didn't had to worry about responsibility, we could do almost anything we wanted. Guess that freedom was what caused almost our entire family's demise."
Luan let out a whine, as if to say she was sorry for what she did; if only she really could fully understand it. And if only it hadn't even happened in the first place… perhaps they wouldn't be here now. Some more chuckling followed, but quieter and only a few.
"We-we tried to warn you. We told you it was dangerous. But you didn't listen." Lucy paused a bit. "I guess it's our fault we didn't stopped you, or… saw if something else was going on with you, which caused your behavior…" Lucy had to take a moment before continuing. Even for her, it was hard to say those words.
"What do you store your heavy velvet cape in for the summer? Goth balls!" Her laughter was even sadder than before, stopping at a few hiccups of a chuckle. She gave Lucy a solemn look.
"In my life, I was always the one who had to deal with loneliness, rejection and harassment. Bad feelings. But that was my choice. You…" Lucy's voiced failed for a moment. "I can't say I totally forgive you, but I do understand it was never your intention." she concluded.
In a flash, that sorrow turned to anger. "I'm funny, I'm funny! Where'd it go?! Where did everything go?! All I want is to make people laugh, and I can't even do that!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Lucy noticed one tear was falling from her eye. She quickly wiped it out. She didn't want to show sadness. "If you could just, somehow, snap out of this…" Lucy thought. "Just enough to get you out of here, I'd make sure to help you heal completely." She promised. "Our misery was the reason I'm what I am now. And I really wished it wasn't."
Luan's head hung low. She shut those crazed eyes of hers for a few moments and frowned. The room became silent. Lucy watched, waiting to see if she would do something. The silence didn't last very long, and she burst out laughing as though she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Hey Luan," Lucy called the attention of her sister, and she faced her back. "I-I've got a little thing for you," she told her. She knew it probably wouldn't be the most pleasant experience to her sister, considering her condition, but Lucy felt it had to be done. With Luan's attention, she began speaking
The broken spirit
Sometimes I ask myself, on my bed, curled
And on the nightstand I see the pictures of those we miss
What have we done, why does the world
Believed you deserve something like this
From start, laughs reached far away Even I can't say I wasn't surprised From that day forward, madness spread Years have passed, things didn't change We lost everything, my dear, but we still have each other
Joy and smiles brought on every calendar day
Except for one, when an evil would say
You'd do anything, unafraid of the price you'd pay
The events that took place, unpredictable I say
The torments that happened, as pranks disguised
Made a game that most of us were unable to play
To your whole brain, your eyes covered red
When I saw you after, I had a thought on my head
Even seeing you there, I knew your mind was asleep or dead
You're here, and I live out of our stories I exchange
And somehow our name is know in a big range
Due to a huge disaster. That's not funny, but strange.
It's only us now. No mother, sister or brother.
I hope you'll snap out, even if the chance is too small to bother.
But if that happens, know we'll have one another
Lucy faced her sister, who had a curious look on her face. "Thank you." she simply said, as though she was in public, and not with her mentally disabled sister. She knew it wasn't a professional work, but that was never her intention with that project. It had to be simple enough for Luan to understand.
Luan stood there, quiet, for a few moments. She then faced downward. Lucy could hear a couple sobbings from her. That was something new. She cried before, but it was always followed by laughter. It gave her the need to check her closer, so she approached her. As she did, the sobbing slowly and slowly turned into the usual laugher, and Luan faced her sister.
"I can't believe how sad you are. You should do it like me. I'm very happy!" she exclaimed, returning to her laughing. Lucy just stared at her, sadly.
Lucy just faced downwards. "Perhaps with time… I will visit again. I dearly hope that if I do, you'll have regained some of your sanity, but… I don't know. I just don't know. But what I do know, is that I still love you, despite what you did, and what you become." Lucy confessed.
And with that, she sighed, turned and knocked on the door, still in enough range to hear the intensive laughter from the cell. When the guard opened the door, she just walked out of the room and out of the building, not turning back to even give a quick glance, and nobody stopping her. She just took her car and began driving away.
"Let's just hope that you can make it." Lucy thought, allowing a lonely tear to escape. "It's been this cycle for 30 years now, and we don't need another 30. A tiny part of me still has faith in you, Luan."