Experiment Scarecrow

Chapter 11

Brooke yawned, her head pressed against the window of the car as the trees alongside the highway became a blur of brown, gold, and red, streaking past her window. She temporarily closed her eyes, curling up in the front seat prepared to fall asleep until her mother scolded her for it once again. "Brooke, did you remember what I told you yesterday? Go to bed early?"

Her eyes quickly fluttered open, darting to her mother behind the steering wheel. She slowly sat up, stretching out her legs, causing her to press back into the cloth seat. "I did..."

Her mother shook her head. "I don't believe you. What were you up doing last night?" she pressed.

She sunk down into her seat, causing the seatbelt to ride up near her chin. "I was writing."

"For the 'English Project' I assume?"

Brooke merely nodded, soon pushing herself back up and propping her elbow on the door, her sleeve bunching up near the joint as she returned her attention to the scene outside; the trees seeming to grow denser the further they came to Rosston. Small streams wove through the forest and underneath the road, leading to the sightings of various wildlife.

They travelled the main highway leading from the east side of Braylon and into the west side of Rosston. It seemed to be the opposite of Braylon, the west side of the city having been abandoned instead. 

"How long until we are there?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

Her mother glanced toward the time on the radio. "Hm... I would say about ten minutes. We're fairly close."

A small sigh escaped her, looking out toward the highway ahead, as it gave the illusion of the pavement dashing toward them. She leaned back and folded her arms, her eyes darting from side to side as the line of trees, on each side, began to thin, as if having been forced to retreat.

She forced herself to sit up, watching as buildings began to dot the misty horizon. Her mother eased her foot off the gas pedal as they passed a thirty mile per hour sign, coasting into the deserted side of the city.

Brooke pressed her face against the window, squinting her eyes as she began to read the guide signs.

The first few mentioned gas stations, restaurants, and hotels ahead, while another mentioned a hospital, including a psychiatric hospital.

She tilted her head, her eyes moving to the direction it pointed to. As the car slowed, she noticed the trees begin to thicken once again behind a line of a black iron fence, stretching at least over one-hundred feet before temporarily ending before an iron archway; letters engraved toward the top.

1835.

"Maple Ridge Psychiatric Hospital".

Brooke tried to peek through the archway, noting the gates attached behind, until refocusing to try to spot the building itself--but they passed too soon for her to be able to collect any details. All she could see were glimpses of soft-mud brick behind the trunks of the trees, scattered in rectangular shapes across the grassy, one-hundred acres of land. 

She sighed, leaning back against the seat once again as they passed by decrepit buildings fading into modernized ones; the change quite dramatic as they travelled over a lengthy stone bridge to the opposite side of the river.

She lifted her eyebrows, watching colorful restaurants, and flashing hotels, that she never heard of, drift past the window. Her eyes constantly darted around the scene-- malls, super markets, clothing stores, and even pet stores; she had forgotten how so many businesses were able to gather in one place here.

Their vehicle began to slow as her mother tapped on the brakes before coming to a stop at a red light. She leaned forward to look past her mother on the left; more buildings spread across the modernized landscape, leading deeper into the city, while on her right, the road curved, leading out into the rural area outside Rosston.