The Warden Of Nightmares

Chapter 5: Unsettling Patient.

As she passed the continued her round in the west wing, Liliana caught sight of a few familiar faces. One of the nurses gave her a short nod, but it was the briefest of acknowledgments. Her eyes shifted down to the paperwork in her hands, and she hurried on her way.

The sanitarium had a maze-like quality to it, winding corridors and rooms that all seemed to blend together. But Liliana had been briefed-she knew where the most important areas were. As she made her way to the east wing, she heard someone call out to her.

"Miss Costa".

She turned to find Mr. Whitmore standing at the end of the hall, hands clasped behind his back, his eyes sharp and calculating. "I trust your first round is going smoothly?"

Liliana nodded, her face neutral. "Everything seems in order. Though I do have a few questions."

Whitmore's expression didn't change. "Questions are natural. But you'll soon find that Ravenhurst has a way of working itself out... in time."

She resisted the urge to press him further. There was something about the way he spoke that made it feel like he was holding something back, something important. But Liliana kept her thoughts to herself.

"I'll be checking on the east wing now, Mr. Whitmore," she said, changing the subject. "Is there anything specific I should be aware of?"

"Nothing you can't handle," he replied coolly. "Just remember that the patients here... they can be unpredictable. Don't let your guard down."

The cryptic warning lingered in her mind as she continued her rounds. She made her way through the halls, the silence hanging heavy around her. As she entered the east wing, she was met with rows of patient rooms, their doors closed, the occasional low murmur echoing from within.

The staff in this wing were more engaged with their tasks, tending to the patients who sat, stood, or lay quietly in their cells. Some made eye contact as she passed, but none spoke. She made a note to herself to visit each patient personally later-getting to know them, understanding their history-before drawing any conclusions about the cases she would be overseeing.

There were some patients who seemed agitated, restless behind their doors. The hum of murmurs turned into soft cries or strange mutterings. But Liliana kept moving forward, knowing she would have to address these situations with care when the time came. There was no telling what she would face on her rounds, but she was determined to see it through.

She came across a room where a patient was pacing restlessly. His thin form moved back and forth in an almost rhythmic pattern, his eyes darting to the walls as though expecting something to emerge from the shadows. He was muttering to himself in a low, frantic tone.

Liliana paused, her brow furrowing. She knew she should leave the patient to the care of the staff, but something about his behavior was disconcerting. She stepped closer to the door, listening carefully. His voice was low but insistent.

"They're here... They're coming... It's too late... too late for me..."

Liliana's gaze shifted to the nurse standing nearby, watching the patient with a distant, impassive expression.

"Is he always like this?" Liliana asked quietly.

The nurse nodded, her lips pressed together in a thin line. "He has his moments, but it's nothing to worry about. He's been like this for some time now."

Liliana nodded, but something gnawed at her. The patient's behavior was unsettling, and it only added to the strange atmosphere of Ravenhurst. She made a mental note to check in on him again later.

As the day wore on, Liliana finished her rounds, noting the peculiarities of each patient and staff interaction. There was no denying that Ravenhurst Sanitarium was unlike any place she had worked before. The building itself seemed to pulse with an energy she couldn't quite define-an energy that felt almost alive.

She glanced back over her shoulder at the imposing structure as she made her way to her office. The sun was setting, casting a deep orange glow over the stone walls. In the distance, the trees rustled in the wind, but the air around Ravenhurst remained eerily still.

Liliana Costa had just begun to scratch the surface of Ravenhurst Sanitarium. And though she had hoped for clarity, it was only raising more questions. She couldn't ignore the sense that something was off here-that the sanitarium's dark history wasn't just a rumor, but something real,

something that could change everything she thought she knew.