The air was cold and bitter, frozen spots of ice against the concrete, the stone steps being walked upon leading to a building. Richmond Hall Mental facility the black letters read boldly. Stan Marsh reached for the door handle trying to walk into the spacious well kept building with a growing confidence. Once inside he instantly felt the color return to his skin, while regaining feelings of his joints.
"May I help you?" A nasally voice spoke from behind the young male. Stan jolted, turning around.
"Hello, I am Stan Marsh. I am the new Psychiatric intern."
"Ah yes, Mr. Marsh, we've been expecting you. Right this way. My name is Craig Tucker, I work along the middle ring, and the front desk. Welcome to Richmond, I'm sure you'll find your way just fine."
"Thank you, Mr. Tucker."
"Craig is fine." replied the tired receptionist.
"As is Stan. I don't like formalities."
"All jobs have them. I usually go against them." Said Craig.
"Likewise." the conversation stopped shortly after the brief exchange, reaching large wooden doors, the younger male knocked, hearing a stern voice shouting something unable to be heard. Opening the door. The two men walked in, a man in his late 40's his eyes gray, and hostile. His smile, was unsettling, Stan inwardly shivered.
"You must be Stanley, the psychiatric intern? I am Herbert Garrison. I am in charge of this facility. Now, you will be working in the lower ring. You will be getting a tour before hand, by miss Gwendolyn Testaburger, one of our finest nurses. Mr. Tucker, your work is done for now." Dr. Garrison dismissed. Craig nodded.
"Remember if you need anything, don't hesitate. Again, it was great to meet you. I hope you enjoy working with us. We are a tight knit group." Craig replied stepping out of the broad wooden door. Stan turned back towards his elder, and smiled politely.
"Hello, Yes, this is Herbert Garrison, is Gwendolyn there? Yes, she is needed to give a tour to a new intern for the lower ring. Lovely. Thank you Nurse Crabtree. Good day." Dr. Garrison smiled unsure at Stan
"Take a seat. Gwendolyn will be here shortly."
"Thank you, Sir. How long have you been running the ward?"
"Thirty five years. One of the most successful facilities up to par in Colorado."
"I am glad to be apart of it." smiled the intern.
"Glad to hear it. We don't see this much enthusiasm out of our current workers. So it is refreshing to see you so thrilled to be here. Now, I must warn you, your sleeping pattern will be heavily affected by the hours you work here. No food allowed in the patients rooms. Do NOT tamper with the medicine dosages even if you are told to do so. It is the nurses job. Not the interns. And finally, Do NOT befriend the patients. Any questions?"
"No sir, thank you for the clarifications of this job." Stan said. The door opened with a creak.
"Morning Dr. I got up here as fast as I could, I had to feed the patients; many refused the food, so I had to do what was done." Stan heard the female enter the room, he looked at her, mouth agape. She was beautiful. Waist length jet black hair, light hazel eyes, tiny freckles across her nose, and she had the prettiest face he had ever seen, even with the stressed look, she was still stunning. Dr. Garrison instantly knew what had to happen.
"Ah, shock treatment, very well. Notify nurse Crabtree she will handle it. This is the new intern, Stanley. he is working psychiatric. Show him around. Make him feel at home. Have a lovely day you two."
"Thank you, Dr. he is good hands. Come along Stanley." she said walking to the door, him close behind. The door closed. The two walked together.
"So Gwendolyn..." the girl beside him cringed.
"Wendy." she corrected.
"So Wendy, where do we begin?"
"The upper ring. It's the easiest to manage."
"What makes it easy?" Stan asked.
"It's soon to be released patients. They are no longer considered endangerment's to society."
"Ah. I see." they walked into an elevator. Stan relaxed against the bars. Wendy smiled.
"It's good to meet a friendly face." Stan smiled as the door opened. "I have to warn you, you may be disturbed. So please be cautious. And I mean on the other rings."
Wendy walked into a large white room with magnificent paintings along the walls. A teenage girl with red hair was painting fast, her brush strokes hard, but laced with elegance. The ink haired girl didn't want to startle the talented artist, so she gently touched her shoulder, her brushing stopped. And the red head locked her eyes with the nurse.
"Hi Wendy, Did you need something? You already gave me my medicine for the morning and the afternoon dose doesn't come for another three hours."
"Hello, Heidi, I just wanted to introduce you to my friend Stan, he's going to be working in the lower rings, but I am giving him the grand tour. Heidi glanced Stan up and down. Smiling.
"Hey! I'm Heidi. Wendy's awesome, you're fortunate you have her!" Stan laughed.
"Did you draw all these?" he asked, referring to the vast collection of artwork.
"Yeah, Wendy has more in her office, considering Christmas and Birthday's are celebrated in here and we can't leave. I make my gifts for her, nothing special. Whens your birthday? I can make you stuff before I get to go home to my mom!" Stan blushed. And smiled.
"No Heidi, you don't have to go through that much trouble! My birthday's October twenty-fifth."
"I wanna! I can get it done. I leave November sixth, that means I can buy you gifts Wendy!" Said Heidi excitedly. Wendy kissed her forehead.
"Your work is more then enough, I promise. Now go back to painting. I'll be back in with your afternoon medicine soon."
"Thanks Wens. Bye Stan!"
"Bye Heidi, Nice meeting you."
"She's sweet!" Stan exclaimed laughing. Wendy looked at him laughing as well.
"Yeah, she's a good girl. She's not really as..well, crazy as the others. She had a rough past. Her brother raped her. Got her pregnant, and she delivered in here.. but the thing is, she doesn't remember a thing. He drugged her, so we had to keep her drugged so she wouldn't go on suicide watch. She knows she had a baby. But she gave it up for adoption.
"She doesn't know she has a child by her brother?"
"No, her brother is locked up in a penitentiary down south. He had many things wrong with him. No one knows whats wrong. But her mother is instructed to not mention her brother to her. It's part of recovery." the nurse replied
"I see. It's good she's better. Her mother must be happy she's coming home." he coaxed
"Very, Heidi is going to an art school as soon as she's released. Being done all her courses by my computer, she's technically a graduate. So she wants to go back to normal."
"So who are we seeing now?" Stan asked.
"Kyle Brovfloski, he's getting released next year. His brother was murdered late August two years ago. Kyle hasn't been the same. His mother called us we had him examined. He was in a comatose state when we brought him in. he wouldn't eat, sleep, he just stared into space, muttering his brothers name over and over. Shivering. Now, he's eating, talking and reading. He also takes classes. He's going to finish next year when he is released."
Stan nodded, feeling sorry for the boy. Wendy opened the door. Kyle was laying on the floor doing situps, he sat up, wiped up the access sweat and greeted his visitors.
"Hey Wens, I would hug ya, but I'm sweaty and gross." she smiled and looked at him, he had red hair like Heidi, a few freckles and green eyes, and a killer body. Stan noticed more about him, he had his style, he knew he'd like him.
"No problem Kyle, don't over do it, remember last time? You popped three veins. Be careful."
"Thanks mom." Kyle said sarcastically, laughing, he noticed Stan extending his hand.
"Hey, I'm Kyle awesome to meet you."
"I'm Stan, new employee."
"Yeah I could tell. Guys don't usually check me out when they know me." he replied cheekily,
"We have similar style." Stan noted.
"Cool. Hope to be good friends with ya dude. Wendy, good pick with this one, I like em.
"Thanks Ky, glad to have your approval."
"Stop by anytime. We can jam out to music."
"Will do. Great to meet ya." Stan said stepping out with Wendy. Twenty minutes later, they were working through the crowds of doctors and nurses to get on the elevator for the middle ring.
"Is it always so crowded?" Stan asked annoyed as a doctor pushed passed them.
"Yeah, this is the Middle Ring, people are a bit, hard to deal with. They vary mental problems, I don't know much, I don't bother, I deliver meals, and medicine, I don't socialize. I'm only friends with the patients that get released."
"Didn't Dr. Garrison say not to befriend any?" Wendy smiled.
"He met the patience on the Middle and Lower ring."
"Oh, alright."
"I know the patients, but whatever you do, do not listen to them, they aren't with it in there minds."
"Check." They walked along the hallway, and rooms, Stan looked in one room with Wendy, the light was off. Except for the light of the bathroom shining on a dirty blonde haired girl, her greasy strands hung over her face. Her clothes were torn, and she was muttering loud things that Stan couldn't make out. The muttering stopped suddenly, and the girl looked at Stan dead in the eyes. He shivered.
Get. Out. You aren't safe here. You aren't SAFE HERE." she screamed louder and louder, voices of other patients rang through "I don't belong here, I don't need to be here, save me, save me! May god have mercy upon your soul." chanted through his mind. Wendy's voice startled him.
"Nurse Crabtree, another patient freak out, hurry!" Wendy said into her walkie talkie.
"Come on! Lets get out of here!" Wendy said dragging him to the elevator.
"Sorry you had to see that."
"It's fine."
"Where are we going now?"
"Lower ring." Was all Wendy said.
"Whats in the lower ring?"
"I can't explain it."
Stepping off the elevator, Stan followed Wendy down a set of steps leading into darkness, a man by a gate stood there.
"Are you the Intern on this floor?" he asked.
"Yes sir, my name is Stanley."
"Good luck, you're going to need it. Welcome to the Mad-House." Stan stood confused as the gate opened to a buzzing alarm. "If you feel in danger, slam the button on the wall. I'll come in." Stan nodded. And walked in.
The first cell was a man, his eyes were evil. His voice was gruff and violent, his dirty hair clung to his face.
"Welcome to hell. There is no escape." he yelled loudly. Causing the other inmates to laugh and holler. He walked by a girl. Her curly blonde locks greasy, her face covered in blood.
"Hey Baby, you wanna spend a night with me? I'll show you a real women!" He grunted in disgust.
"Stay away from me!" He replied as she licked the dirty glass.
As he walked on, he saw a man staring at him, his gray hair, messy, picking up a chair, he threw it at the glass, over and over, thumping it relentlessly, until finally the glass shattered up top. Stan went to run until the man pulled him back.
"SAY HI TO JOHNNY FOR ME." the man said as he held the shard, sliding it closer and closer to his jugular.
"SOMEONE HELP ME!" he screamed, barely able to reach the button on the wall. Hitting it, The guard sprinted in, Wendy in tow. He beat the man unconscious, Wendy grabbed Stan and sprinted out.
"Oh my god, we have to tell Garrison!"
"I Saw my life flash... holy shit!" Stan said shook up,
"God Stan I didn't know it was that bad, I'm only in the upper and middle rings I'm never in the Mad-House."
Stan caught his breath. He decided to tell Garrison tomorrow. Hoping to get the guy out of where he had to be into a much more guarded place.
Tomorrow was always better, right?