DEMENTED | Romance | Fantasy | Slight Thriller

Chapter Eleven: Aurian Asylum, Institution for the Mentally Insane

Chapter Eleven: Aurian Asylum, Institution for the Mentally Insane

Sunlight spun in morning air as the bumps and hard-edged turns of the carriage roused Ebony back into consciousness. Her bleary eyes slowly adjusted to see the Prince asleep on the side opposite her, and she chuckled a little. They must've both fallen asleep.

She stared at the Prince a little longer. His face was peaceful as he slept, and any sign of anger or his usual stone-faced expression was gone. He almost looked like a little boy again, short-but-long white hair mussed and jaw slack.

Then a sharp jolt shook the carriage, and the Prince's eyes flashed open, too fast for Ebony to look away as if she'd never been watching him. They made eye contact, and he grinned, showing perfectly white teeth. "Couldn't keep your eyes off of me, could you?"

"What?" Ebony huffed and turned away, struggling in vain to hide her growing blush. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She heard a low chuckle from the Prince right before the carriage stopped, lurching Ebony and the Prince forward onto the carriage's floor. The Prince groaned as they both struggled to stand, eyes unused to the bright sunlight and sudden movements.

The carriage door swung open, and their driver came into view, nervously sweating and stammering. "E-Excuse me, my lord and lady... it seems like we've lost a few parts on that last bump there... it's too risky to keep going, and it's about 30 miles to the next repair shop."

The Prince frowned, a line creasing his perfect brow. "Are you sure it's dangerous to keep going?"

The man wrung his hat nervously in his hands. "My lord, the top right wheel has become unstable. We cannot go any further, for the wheel is soon to come loose and fall off of the carriage. And we especially cannot ride with this hazard with the upcoming traffic at your destination."

"Drat," the Prince muttered angrily. "This complicates things."

He thought to himself for a moment, the man still standing nervously, by no doubt hoping he'd still receive full pay. Then he spoke again. "Thank you for taking us far," he told the man, handing him a small sack filled with gold coins. "This should be enough for the trip. Ebony, I believe we'll need to travel on foot from here."

He took Ebony's arm and their luggage, and they began to set off, the man behind them holding the sack in shock. His eyes bulged as soon as he saw the coins, and he expressed his thanks as they walked away.

This was when Ebony began to hate her decision of heels from the past day even more. After they'd walked about three miles, her feet were ridden with blisters, and they ached as if she'd stepped on hot coals. She asked the Prince to stop for a moment and discarded the shoes, making the reluctant choice to walk barefoot.

The Prince noticed her uncomfortable situation. "I could perhaps carry you if you'd like," he offered, but Ebony quickly declined. "You're already carrying our baggage as it is, and I can afford to walk a few miles barefoot."

"We are traveling 30 miles, Ebony."

She paled a little, but continued to refuse. "I'm sure I've packed a spare pair of shoes somewhere in my luggage..."

He set her bag down and she rifled through it, setting aside pastel and cream confections and dark purple crépe to find a new pair in earnest. Finally, she found a pair of sandals, basic in every aspect, and triumphantly held out her prize.

She quickly set her blistered feet in them, and although the straps chafed against her skin, they were more comfortable than her previous arrangements. "These will do."

They did work out rather well, she later found out. The sandals were easy to walk in, and as soon as she kept a steady pace there was less chafing.

But as they entered their fifth mile, a small town came into view. It was deserted, and sand blew across the ground as the wind whispered through her hair. It almost reminded her of Absinthe, somehow, with the sand and empty towns. But the sand was not black, and the empty town wasn't full of despair. It was just as if everyone had simply... vanished.

They hesitantly walked into the town, and the Prince remarked on it as they passed several shops. "I've traveled in nearly all of Auria, yet I haven't seen this place before."

They continued walking through the town, and stopped as soon as they passed a large building. It stood out from the rest, not only because of its size but also because of how it looked... clean. Not dust-covered and soot-stained like the rest of the buildings, but with pearly white windows and shamrock-painted frames.

Ebony peered closer at the building in interest, wondering what was inside.

The Prince noticed her fascination with the building, and after looking around, he spoke tiredly. "Let's have a look inside now, shall we?"

"Yes," Ebony replied. "This seems the most promising."

They walked up to its pristine exterior, and a large green banner over its entrance quietly flapped in the wind. Aurian Asylum, it read. Institution for the mentally insane.

The Prince's eyes narrowed as he read the sign, and something cold and angry flashed in his expression, only to be replaced with a look of utter confusion. "That's here?"

"You know of this place?" Ebony asked, turning to him in surprise.

"I've heard of it, yes. I just never expected to be here." His expression refused to change. "It shut down nearly ten years ago, so it should be just as desecrated as the others."

Then something crossed his mind in a flash. "What if-"

He opened the door and stepped inside quickly, leaving Ebony in his wake and quickly stalking off. "W-where are you going?" She called out. He didn't respond.

Ebony was tired of constantly chasing after him, so she sat down nearby the entrance. She was confused as to why he'd taken off, but she let him, starting to not care about whatever he did. It was tiring.

She rested her chin in her palms and looked up. The asylum towered over her, at least 10+ floors where people had no doubt been in confinement. Absinthe never had asylums, but Ebony had heard about them--places where people were wrongfully sent and tortured by their own minds, places where drugs were as common as black sand in Absinthe. People like her were sent there, and they'd been broken to the very extent where they'd take their own lives. Ebony shuddered as she thought about it. She wouldn't have lasted a week.

But why in all the realms would he decide to go in? Whoever's in there isn't someone good-

Ebony gasped, knowing why he'd gone in such a hurry. She picked up her skirts and hustled through the doors, eyes frantically searching the area. "Hello? Are you there?"

She didn't wait for a response, sending her skirts flying as she dashed down a hallway on the right in search of him. Then she skidded to a stop as she heard something.

Heavy, loud breathing, coming from right behind her. Her heart froze as she whirled around.

"Who the hell are yo-"

A cloth covered her mouth and nose, laced with sickly sweet perfume. Wait, no, it wasn't perfume; it was-

Ebony's eyes fluttered closed and her world flooded with black.