chapter 5- the breaking point

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The door slammed shut behind the guards, sealing off the only escape route. Evelyn's breath came in ragged gasps as she skidded to a halt, Colby just behind her, barely able to stand. Their escape attempt had been so close, only for it all to crash down in a heartbeat.

One of the guards—the taller, more imposing of the two—stepped forward. His eyes were hard, unforgiving. "That was a stupid move," he growled, pulling a set of cuffs from his belt.

Colby's knees buckled beneath him, and he fell to the ground with a groan. Evelyn's heart lurched in her chest. He was too weak to fight, too drugged to stand a chance. She darted forward instinctively, placing herself between the guards and Colby, her body shaking with the rush of adrenaline.

"Don't touch him!" she shouted, her voice hoarse with fear and desperation.

The guard raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Move aside, girl. You're in enough trouble as it is."

Evelyn's hands clenched into fists, but before she could respond, the other guard—a shorter, stockier man—spoke up. "This one," he gestured toward Colby, "is already on watch. Dr. Morgan isn't going to be happy about this. Let's take them to isolation."

Isolation.

The word sent a wave of icy dread down Evelyn's spine. She had heard horror stories about the isolation rooms—small, windowless cells where patients were left alone for days, sometimes weeks. No one ever came out the same.

"No!" Evelyn shouted, her voice trembling. "You can't put him in there. He's already—he's not well."

The tall guard's expression darkened, and he took a step forward, towering over her. "You don't get to make demands here."

For a moment, Evelyn's entire world seemed to freeze. She glanced at Colby, slumped on the floor, barely conscious. His lips were moving, but no sound came out. His eyes, once so full of life, now barely registered what was happening.

They were going to break him. They were going to destroy him.

"No!" Evelyn screamed again, this time with more force. She lunged at the tall guard, her fists pounding against his chest in a frenzy of panic and rage. She didn't care anymore. She couldn't let them take him.

But the guard barely flinched. He grabbed her by the wrists, yanking her arms behind her back with brutal efficiency. "Enough of this."

She struggled, kicking, twisting, trying to break free, but he was too strong. Her heart raced as she felt the cold metal of handcuffs snap around her wrists, the sharp bite of the cuffs cutting into her skin.

"Let me go!" she screamed, thrashing wildly. "Please! You're going to kill him!"

The guards ignored her pleas. The shorter one knelt beside Colby, pulling him to his feet with a grunt. Colby groaned in pain, his head lolling to the side as his body sagged against the guard's hold.

"We'll take them both to isolation," the tall guard muttered. "Dr. Morgan can deal with them in the morning."

Evelyn's mind spun with terror as she was dragged down the hallway. She could hear the distant wail of alarms still echoing through the asylum, but it felt like she was trapped in a bubble of silence, her heart hammering in her chest. This couldn't be happening.

They were thrown into separate rooms, cold and sterile, with walls that seemed to close in around her. The door slammed shut behind her with a deafening finality, the lock clicking into place.

Darkness enveloped her. She was alone.

Hours passed, or maybe it was minutes—Evelyn couldn't tell. The isolation cell was devoid of any sense of time, just an oppressive silence that pressed down on her. She curled up in the corner of the room, her knees drawn to her chest, her mind racing.

All she could think about was Colby. Was he okay? Was he even still alive?

The thought of him, alone in his own cell, fighting against the drugs and his inner demons, made her chest tighten with unbearable grief. She should have done more. She should have fought harder.

The door to her cell creaked open, and a sliver of light sliced through the darkness. Evelyn's heart leaped in her chest, but when she looked up, it wasn't Colby standing there. It was Dr. Morgan.

The woman's expression was cold, her eyes sharp and calculating. She stepped into the room, her white coat immaculate as always, as if the chaos of the night had never touched her.

"You've caused quite the disruption, Evelyn," Dr. Morgan said, her voice calm and measured. "Do you have any idea how dangerous your little stunt was?"

Evelyn glared at her, rage bubbling just beneath the surface. "You're the one who's dangerous. You're killing him with those drugs. You're killing all of us."

Dr. Morgan's lips twitched into a faint, condescending smile. "You misunderstand. We're helping you. You and Colby are sick, Evelyn. This place is designed to help you get better."

"Better?" Evelyn spat, her voice shaking with fury. "You're turning him into a zombie! He's barely even himself anymore!"

Dr. Morgan's smile faded. She crossed her arms over her chest, regarding Evelyn with a clinical detachment. "Colby is a danger to himself and to others. The medication is necessary. You, on the other hand, seem to be spiraling. You've developed an unhealthy attachment to him."

"Unhealthy attachment?" Evelyn's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. "He's the only person here who actually cares. He's not just some case to you."

Dr. Morgan sighed, as if disappointed. "I see we're not going to get through to you tonight. But don't worry, Evelyn. We'll have plenty of time to continue our conversations. You'll be staying in isolation for a while. For your own safety."

Evelyn's heart sank. She was trapped, just like Colby. Trapped in a place that wanted to break them both.

The days in isolation blurred together. Evelyn lost track of time, the walls of the small cell pressing in on her mind. She was given food and water, but the real torture was the silence—the endless, suffocating silence. She couldn't even hear Colby. She couldn't know if he was okay, or if they had finally pushed him too far.

It was during one of those endless nights, when her mind was on the verge of shattering, that she heard it.

A knock. Faint, barely audible, but unmistakable.

Evelyn bolted upright, her heart racing. She pressed her ear to the wall, holding her breath.

"Evelyn?" The voice was weak, hoarse, but it was him.

"Colby!" She whispered back, tears pricking her eyes. "You're okay..."

"I... I don't know how much longer I can hold on," he muttered, his voice trembling. "They've been giving me more drugs. I... I'm losing it."

"No, no, you have to stay with me," Evelyn whispered, her hand pressed desperately against the wall. "We're going to get out of here. I promise."

"How?" His voice was thick with despair. "There's no way out. They're going to keep us here forever."

Evelyn's mind raced, her thoughts chaotic. She couldn't let him give up. She couldn't lose him. "We'll find a way," she insisted, her voice trembling. "We just have to keep fighting."

But even as she said the words, doubt crept in. Could they really survive this place? Or was it already too late?

As she sat there, the cold wall pressed against her cheek, she knew one thing for sure: if they were going to escape, it had to happen soon. Before the asylum consumed them both.

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