A Collection of Short Stories

6. Asylum

Taylor lies awake in her bed, on the side facing the bare wall. She hears them, whispering and talking, almost mocking her. It's the third night she's heard them. She can't stop hearing them. Not with the amount of medication they're giving her. She lies flat on her back, gazing at the ceiling. Taylor feels shivers down her spine as they sing about her death. She would tell someone there, but they wouldn't believe her. They think she's crazy. They all do. She hears the clock ticking. It's midnight. That's how long she's up for, every single night. She hears them whispering again, and turns around, trying to ignore them. She stares at the door that has claw marks on it made by all the patients that were in this room before her. She wondered if one day, that would be her. 

Footsteps. Taylor heard the faint sound of footsteps in the hallway. Who was it? The man in the lab coat? The woman in white? She hoped not. They were the ones who put her here. They were the ones causing her hallucinations. They were convinced she was sick. Insane. So they put her on medication she didn't even need. Thanks to them, she was trapped with no way out. The footsteps got closer. Suddenly, there was a knock on Taylor's door. 

"Come in..." she mumbled. 

A tall man with a white lab coat came in with a woman. Taylor recognized her. Elle Davis. The woman who put her here. 

"Hello Taylor. How are you doing today?" Elle asked her

Taylor doesn't respond.

"Good? Bad? Okay?

Nothing. No reply.

"She's a little shy. She doesn't talk much, Ms. Davis."

"Can I be alone with her for a bit?" she asks the man in the coat. He leaves, and it's just Elle and Taylor.

"So, Taylor? It's just us. You can talk to me now."

Still, she remains silent.

"Is something bothering you?"

"No." she mumbles again.

"Then why won't you talk to me?"

"I can't."

"Why" What's wrong?"

"Everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you."

"Taylor, you're making this difficult for me."

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"Fine. If you can't talk to me, then at least take your medication." 

"I'm fine. I don't need it."

"Yes you do. You're sick."

"No I don't. And I'm not sick. You're the reason I'm like this. You keep giving me more pills, and you say they're to help me relax and calm down, but they don't. I've been hallucinating for three nights straight because of you, Elle. If you didn't think I was crazy, we wouldn't be here right now." Taylor stands up and pushes past Elle.

"Taylor! Taylor, come back! Attention all staff, we have a runaway patient. Taylor Crawford, aged 23. "

She bolted out the door and straight into the hallway. The alarm went on and Elle's voice blared over the loudspeaker. It was a risky move to run, but it was all she had left. The last bit of hope that she would make it out. She ran towards the exit, but doctors were coming towards her. She ran in the other direction. Two doctors were coming for her. She looked around the hallway and at the different ends. She was trapped. They cornered her. Two guards grabbed her arms. Taylor tried to resist. She was fighting, kicking, screaming, but nothing was working. They dragged her back to the room where Elle was waiting for her with a needle. 

"I didn't want to have to come to this, but you've left me no choice."

The guards strapped her to the bed and Elle rolled up her sleeve. She then injected the needle in her arm. Taylor screamed, cried, but nothing worked. She couldn't get away from them. Almost immediately, the medicine began to take effect. Taylor's vision was blurred and she felt dizzy. Suddenly, everything went black. The last thing Taylor remembered was Elle standing over her. 

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The sound of thunder woke Taylor up. Her room was cold and dark, and she was still strapped to the bed. She heard the same heavy footsteps as before. The door slowly creaked and opened. It was Elle, holding a candle. 

"Taylor. You're awake. How are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

"Okay. Sorry. I was just asking."

"When can I get out of this?"

"Soon, Taylor. You just have to wait."

Just then, a much younger woman walked in. "Hello Taylor. How are you feeling today?" She didn't reply and just turned her head. 

"I get it. I would feel the same way. I'll let you out, but you have to promise me one thing. Stay in your room. Okay?" She just nodded. The woman unstrapped her and left without saying anything. 

"Better, Taylor?"

"Yes. Thank you, Elle. I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's okay. I get it."

There was another boom of thunder along with lightning. At first, it felt like nothing, but then there was a scream down the hall. Alarmed, Elle got up, and Taylor followed her. "Wait here." she told her. Elle walked out and Taylor peeked behind her. She froze. Blood. There was blood everywhere. The woman who unstrapped Taylor was on the floor, dead. Her chest was cut open. "Taylor, stay in your room." 

She couldn't stop staring. Who? Why? Taylor couldn't move. She was like a deer in headlights. How did this happen? The walls around her started singing, chanting. "Ten nine, I hope you die..." They get louder and louder until that's all she hears. She couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of her room and into the hall. That's when she sees Elle holding a bloody knife. Elle. She did this. She murdered her. "I thought I told you to stay in your room, Taylor!" She ran and ran, and Elle was right behind her. "Taylor! Come back here!"

She ran until she got to the exit sign. She was about to push open the door, when two guards came from behind and grabbed her. She was resisting, now more than ever, kicking, screaming, hitting, fighting back, until she eventually managed to get free. She kept running and didn't look back. There was a room at the far end of the hall which was labeled 'employees only.' She hid in there, and she realized she was trapped. Elle went in the room with the same needle.

"No. Please, Elle. Don't do this. Please."

"I'm sorry, Taylor. You know too much. You saw what happened. I promise, this won't hurt. It'll be over before you know it."

"No!..." she screamed as the needle pierced her skin. This time, it was a lot stronger. Taylor felt it right away. "Elle, please..." she said, almost slurring. She felt really dizzy and within seconds, the air turned black around her, and she fell to the floor, dead.

Three weeks later, it was reported on the news that asylum patient Taylor Crawford died from an overdose at Westview Asylum. They all thought she was crazy and that she overdosed because it was her only way out of the asylum. But no one knew that it wasn't Taylor who committed suicide, but the asylum's own doctor, Elle Davis, who committed murder. 
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One month later...

The intercom rang and the door opened. Elle Davis walked in, holding a pill. 

"Hello Alana. How are you? Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Just some minor hallucinations at night, but other than that, I'm not doing too bad."

"Well, that's good to hear. Just take your meds and it'll calm you down. It'll stop the hallucinations. I promise." 

"Okay." She downed the pills and washed it with water. A few minutes later, she was out like a light. Elle left the room and locked the door behind her.

Welcome to the asylum...

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