INSANE

【7】

My eyes widened as I uncontrollably started shaking my head back and forth. I felt wild, like I couldn't stop myself, but I also couldn't stop what was happening. Whatever was happening.

"No." I said softly at first. "No." I repeated. "A few days ago I was in this place..." I knew the more information I'd give, the more insane it would make me. But what was there to lose? Could I even trust myself? "It was abandoned... I was with my friends..." I hesitated before saying the next words. "And it was 2018."

The nurse was still staring at me as she backed up as if I was going to hurt her. "No, Katie." she shook her head. On her face was a hopeless expression. Is that what this is? Is it hopeless for everybody here?

I lunged forward. The straps tightened around my body, but I didn't care. I could only lift my body an inch or two away the backboard of the wheelchair. "NO! I want my parents. Now!" Tears welled up in my eyes, and at this point, it wasn't worth holding them back. They stung my cheeks as they slowly rolled their way down.

Elizabeth cautiously lifted herself off the chair. "I'm sorry Katie." As she walked over to the metal door, her eyes were glued to my face. Almost like the paintings that they say the eyes follow you wherever you go. "But this has to be done." Her voice displayed no empathy whatsoever. It was a flat tone as if she dealt with this all the time. Of course she does. She works with insane people. Elizabeth walked toward the metal door and opened it. It made a loud sound as it rattled the floor below me.

"Please..." I called out weakly. "Please just let me go. I-I'll do anything." I squeezed my eyes shut. I'd do anything to get out of this nightmare. If only I could see the light again.

I didn't even have to look up at the nurse to know she wouldn't give in. In here nobody does the patients favors.

"Katie..." Elizabeth said slowly, walking out of the room and closing the door slowly. "It's the rules." With that, the door was slammed shut. I heard the rattle of the metal key locking the door to ensure I couldn't get out.

And there I was, left in the hard wheelchair. Not even in the bed.

And then, I knew she was going to tell the doctor about how I've been acting. My actions weren't crazy. But in some strange universe they did make me crazy. They made me the furthest away from sane I've ever been. And I was making it worse.

I didn't bother to scream for help. That wasn't the smart way of doing things. I knew that if I didn't get myself someway out of here soon, things would get worse. Much worse. Exactly like I had been told.

I could end up in shock therapy, in starvation, or worse, having a drill being drilled through my skull just like that man I saw. The list of twisted ideas of treatment went on and on.

My brain dove back in time to a random YouTube video I had once watched when I was bored. It was ways to get out of kidnapping. Though I've seen the tricks to get out of ropes, zip ties, handcuffs, duct tape and more, never had they shown how to get out of straps that hold your whole body down similar to a straitjacket. Maybe because you're not supposed to get out of a straitjacket.

I shook away the negative thoughts and pulled my wrists forward only to be rewarded with pangs of pain. The restraints were so tight that I was just making them tighter by struggling.

The lifeless room around me was nothing but darkness as I struggled to see around. I couldn't even move myself around the room on my wheelchair. It was a very old fashioned wheelchair despite the fact that my wrists were strapped down and useless.

Suddenly, the silence of the room was shattered when a sudden bang sound erupted, making me jump in my seat. My only hint was the familiarity of the sound. Almost like I heard the sound before. It wasn't from outside the room. Throughout the night and day, screams and loud sounds always drift into the room from the hallway. I never was sure what exactly would happen out there, but I knew it was nothing but pure torture.

What is this? I thought. Some kind of game to actually make the patients become crazy?

I already felt crazy from my experiences, though they weren't even a quarter times as worse as some of the other patients went through. When you're made crazy by other people, how can you ever trust anybody around you? How can you even trust yourself?

My heart rate slowly sped up as the sound got louder. I scanned the room, not sure where the sound was coming from. And that was when I noticed the crack in the window on the far side of the room. The moonlight from outside the window was my only sign of time. It illuminated the window abruptly revealing a long crack in the window. The metal bars that had been over the window were now mangled in different directions.

And that was when I saw a man.

He had a large build to him. But as soon as I saw the white straitjacket with the black restraints that made their way up to his head, I knew.

It was the same man from the hallway the other day. The man that stopped in his tracks to give me a bone-chilling stare.

The same exact stare he was giving me right now.

The once tight and secure straitjacket he wore was ripped apart, allowing his arms to be free. Just like in the nightmare I had. With his arms free, he looked much more dangerous than he already looked, if that was even possible. And definitely not mentally stable.

Despite all my fear coming together like a puzzle, I squeezed my eyes shut trying to tell myself how it could all be in my imagination. The ever so familiar feeling of fear started to slowly take over, not giving up.

As hard as I tried to fight the feeling, I eventually opened my eyes back up.

But the man wasn't standing next to the window anymore.

This time, he was standing right in front of me, just feet away.

Without a care for being seen acting up in front of the nurses or doctors, I screamed as loud as I could, straining my throat.