The isolation cell had a way of draining the life out of you, of suffocating your hope until it was just a distant, unreachable memory. But for Evelyn, that one faint knock from Colby kept her from spiraling completely. Every moment she was trapped, her mind clung to the sound of his voice, the knowledge that he was still there, still fighting—just like her.
The days bled into each other, the hours indistinguishable. But something was different today. Evelyn felt a shift in the air, a crack in the rigid structure of the asylum's routines. And in that crack, she saw her chance.
Late into the night, when everything was eerily quiet, Evelyn heard the sound again—this time, not from the wall, but from the door. A faint, metallic click. Her heart leapt in her chest, pulse thundering as the door to her cell swung open just a crack.
A shadow slipped inside.
Evelyn held her breath, frozen in place. But as the figure came closer, the dim light of the hallway revealed a familiar face.
It was one of the younger night nurses—Lena. She had always been kind to Evelyn, offering small smiles or gentle words when no one else cared. But tonight, there was something different in her eyes. Determination. Fear.
"Get up," Lena whispered, her voice low and urgent. "I don't have much time."
Evelyn blinked, her mind struggling to catch up. "W-what? What's going on?"
"They're going to move Colby tomorrow," Lena whispered, glancing nervously over her shoulder. "To the lower ward. You know what happens down there."
Evelyn's blood turned to ice. The lower ward was where they sent the patients no one expected to come back from. The ones who had lost all sense of themselves. The ones they experimented on.
"They'll destroy him," Evelyn breathed, her throat tight with panic. "We have to get him out."
Lena nodded, already unlocking Evelyn's handcuffs. "I've heard what they're planning. We don't have long, but I can get you to him. After that, you're on your own."
Evelyn's heart pounded in her chest. "Why are you helping us?"
Lena hesitated, her expression softening. "Because... no one deserves to be treated like this. I've seen what this place does to people. I can't keep watching."
There was no time to waste. Evelyn followed Lena silently through the dark corridors, her bare feet silent against the cold floor. Her mind was racing with adrenaline, a single thought burning in her chest: Colby. She had to get to him. She had to save him.
They reached the wing where Colby was being kept, and Lena paused, handing Evelyn a set of keys. "I can't go any further," she whispered, her voice tight with fear. "You're going to have to do the rest on your own. Get him and get out. There's a door at the end of the hall that leads to the maintenance tunnels. It's not heavily guarded, but you'll need to move fast."
Evelyn nodded, her heart hammering in her throat. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling with gratitude.
Lena gave her a tight nod and hurried back down the corridor, leaving Evelyn standing alone in the dimly lit hallway. She could hear the distant hum of machinery, the faint murmur of voices from the staff on the night shift.
Steeling herself, Evelyn crept forward, the keys clutched tightly in her hand. Each step felt like a lifetime, every sound amplified by the suffocating silence of the asylum. When she reached Colby's door, her hands shook as she fumbled with the keys, her heart racing.
Please, let him be okay.
The door swung open with a soft creak, revealing Colby's motionless figure on the bed. He was pale, almost ghostly, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. The drugs had taken their toll, but he was still alive.
