If These Walls Could Talk (American Horror Story Asylum FanFic)

Chapter 21

                  
Author's Note
Trigger warning for suicide and thoughts of harming oneself

I let the door quietly fall shut behind me.

Arden's lab was a circular shape, with an operating table in the middle of the room, a bright light shining down upon it. Surrounding one half of the room was a small set of steps leading to an area where people could watch whatever macabre things the doctor was doing. I had a feeling that he was the only one whose eyes ever witnessed what truly went on in the room.

Beside the operating table there was a small table, with an array of gleaming medical instruments and I shivered, reminded of Oliver and his collection of knives.

Along the other half of the circular room there were cupboards of various bottles of different sizes and I noticed that some of them had body parts floating in the foggy liquid. The largest of the jars held a brain, the stem touching the glass bottom of the jar.

"What the hell has he been up to?"

Thump thump.

I turned, thinking that Arden had come in the room without me hearing it but there was nobody but me.

Thump thump.

"Hello?" I whispered.

A groan answered me and I looked off to the left, noticing a door set into the wall. It was the colour of obsidian, and looked to be a plain wooden door.

I took small steps towards the door, wrapping my hand around the doorknob.

I slowly twisted it and pushed it open.

This room was also in the shape of a circle, with one bright light set into the ceiling above, casting a spotlight down onto the identical operating table that was in the main room. I heard another groan and looked down to the floor.

It was Diana.

I gasped and dropped down to the floor in front of her.

"Diana! It's me, Freya! I'm so sorry I didn't come for you sooner!"

I went to go hold her but when my hand made contact with her skin she screamed.

Her voice sounded raspy, the complete opposite of the sultry voice that I remembered her having. "It hurts. Everything hurts..."

She looked up at me and I saw that she now had one milky eye, the other was bloodshot and engorged looking, like it was about to pop out of its socket at any second. Her long hair had been cut off and was now in choppy pieces, cut close to her scalp.

And her skin...

Her skin looked like it had been burned and over the burns were dozens and dozens of warts. They were an angry red and many of them had dried over pus.

"What has he done to you?"

"He...experimented on me. But first, he cut off my legs."

She drew back the covers that were draped over the lower half of her body, showing me her legs. He had cut them off above the knee, and the stitches were dark red with her blood.

"Oh my god, Diana! I'm so sorry that I didn't find you sooner!"

My eyes welled over with tears and I wiped them away in anger.

I shouldn't have left her that night!

"It's...okay. Do not cry...for Diana." She heaved out, wincing in pain.

"I shouldn't have left you that night!"

"I did it...so you could escape."

"And I will! I just need to get you out of here first."

I went to go get up from the floor but her hand grabbed my wrist, bringing me back down.

"No." she said with finality.

"What do you mean?"

"My time...is done. I will not live for long. Please. Do last favour for me."

"Anything."

"Kill me."

What?!

"No, Diana! I can't!"

She sighed and leaned her back against the table. "You must. I cannot take pain much longer."

The tears came back but this time I let them roll down my cheeks, I was too busy focusing on the fact that someone just asked me to take their own life.

But it's what she wanted.

I could tell just from looking at her that she was in an immense amount of pain. And I knew that if I let her live she would just end up like one of those creatures from the forest, which is the last thing I wanted.

I mutely nodded and stood up from the floor.

"How?"

Her slender, wart covered arm pointed out towards the open doorway. "Knife from table. Slit my throat. It will be quick."

I took shaky steps back out of the room and stood before the small table with the medical instruments. I picked up the scalpel that was at the end. I remembered reading somewhere that scalpels were supposed to be so sharp that you wouldn't even feel that you cut yourself until it was too late.

Arden, I swear I will get you for this.

I walked back over to her and kneeled down on the floor, my hand shaking as I held the medical tool.

"Are...are you ready, Diana?"

She laughed but it dissolved into coughing. "I have been ready...for long time now."

I took a deep breath, my lungs rattling. "I'm going to miss you."

"Diana will miss you too. Do not cry, beautiful. It will all be over soon. For all of us."

She wrapped her hand around mine that was holding the scalpel and with every ounce of the strength she had left she lifted it up to her throat.

Her lips formed one last sad smile before she brought the knife across her throat, cutting it open.

Both of our hands went limp, the scalpel falling into her lap.

She gave a few shuddering gasps as her blood pumped out of the opening across her throat, staining the front of her gown and spreading out among the floor.

I got up and backed away from her and the slowly spreading pool of crimson.

"I'm so sorry..."

I ran out of the room, past the steel door and into the hallway.

I didn't stop running until I made it to Nurse McKillian's office, where she opened up the door with a perplexed look on her face.

"Freya! What's wrong?"

"I-I-I-"

I couldn't breathe, the day's events catching up to me.

My head began to pound and the floor beneath my feet rose up to meet me as I fainted.