Mental (Complete)

Bye Bye, Johnny

I don't sleep all night. The man in the corner doesn't move until morning when the lights begin to illuminate the cramped space. As the room brightens, it's as if he dissipates along with the darkness.

Could it be that he was only a shadow? 

It almost makes sense with the way he stood frozen all night, but there are several aspects that don't fit together. While it's possible I dreamt that a man entered my room, there's no way his glassy eyes were a figment of my imagination. I can still see them when I close my eyes. Somehow, in the nearly black room, they had stood out like beacons, pinning me to my bed and refusing to let me go.

And while he never quite leaves my thoughts, my day returns to its regular routine. Judith feeds me and then leaves me in solitude. I've tried, on several occasions, to get more answers out of her, but all she does is laugh or roll her eyes at my badgering. She either thinks it's a joke, or she's fed up with me.

Bored out of my mind, I begin circling my room. I've realized that I can walk the entire perimeter in fourteen steps. I've even scooted my cot away from the wall so I can make continual rotations without the bed hindering my progress. No wonder people in mental hospitals look crazy; the place itself probably drove them to insanity. I know I'm no exception as I walk off my pent up energy from the night before.

When my gaze snags the small peephole situated in the center of the wall just to the right of the door, I pause in my steps. I've already been scared enough to last a lifetime; and yet, that sick, curious side of me can't help but step a little closer so I can look inside. I'm almost not surprised when I see the old man standing face-first against the wall, head still bent so it's rested on the padding.

I laugh. I know I shouldn't. The old guy's obviously got issues, but seeing that he hasn't moved in an entire day sparks some kind of hysterical fear within me. I could either whither into a terror-induced ball of angst, or laugh like it doesn't bother me in the slightest. So, I laugh. My laughter continues to grow until I'm leaking tears down my face.

It's not funny. And yet, the hilarity continues to pour from my lips. When I finally recover, it's almost like throwing a blanket over a flame. The room diminishes to its tension-filled silence and the soft ticking of my heartbeat echoes around in my skull.

Judith finds me hugging myself in the corner of the room about two hours later and ushers me out for another shower. I nearly beg her to just let me be. There's no one to smell my stench anyway. But, the chance to use the bathroom has my bladder convincing me to keep my mouth shut.

I'm alone in the stall now, Judith has left me with nothing but a towel and a well-used bar of soap. I'm just reaching for my shirt, preparing to tug it off, when a warmth flutters passed my ear. I jerk away from the damp breeze, feet tripping at my sudden movement. I land on my back, scurrying to sit up so I can see who's there.

Maybe it's one of the guards trying to play a trick on the crazy guy. I make a mental note to complain later, before peering out from behind the shower curtain. My eyes scan the small bathroom, but it's empty. I'm tempted to bolt from the room and skip the shower, but I'd rather shower alone than have Judith stand guard while I suds myself up—which I know would be my other option. I return to my shower stall, and hesitantly grab the bottom of my shirt, risking a moment without site as I tear it over my head—it's in that moment that I hear the unmistakable sound of a feminine laugh.

A violent tremor has my skin nearly peeling itself from my muscles and I jerk my eyes open. I wish I hadn't.

Hunched in the corner of the shower stall is a woman. Her head is lowered to her bent knees, but I see her shoulders shaking with amusement. For a moment I think she's a child, until she looks up. I watch her contort her body, bones popping with unnatural movements until she's standing just three feet in front of me. Her head dangles to the side, disconnected from her spine and swaying without control.

Vomit scratches the back of my throat and my knees grow weak.

Her red lips shimmer through the dimly lit room. I can tell she's smiling as she leans casually beneath the shower. She looks so at ease, almost comfortable, but when her smile widens to show her teeth the real terror bludgeons through me.

There's blood everywhere. It's oozing between her teeth and dripping down her chin. Her lips are tainted with the seductive shade of red wine. My body is both cold as ice and hot as an inferno. I can do nothing but watch in stupefied horror as her tongue darts out to lick at the stains, a twisted laugh bubbling from her voluptuous chest when she sees my reaction.

"Somebody's in trouble," she purrs, pushing herself off the wall, her bare feet slapping the floor as she nears me.

I try to back away, but the shower curtain clings to my body, refusing to let me go. I can't breathe. It feels like talons are strangling my ribcage and the only thing with room enough to function properly is my heart. As my fear escalates, my pulse increases and I know it's going to puncture a hole in my chest any minute.

"Are you ready?" she hums seductively, and I watch a string of blood slip from her mouth . It dangles in the air for a moment before dropping to the ground. A gurgling sound bubbles from her throat. She's nearly gagging on her own fluids as it streams out of her mouth.

"W—what?" I stutter, barely holding my frazzled mind together. Madness is stepping in, I can feel it closing in on my conscience. I close my eyes, my hands squeezing my head with as much strength as I can manage.

"Yes. Be afraid," she whispers in my ear. I can feel one of her claws running along my bare chest as she circles around me.

And then there's silence. I know she's gone even before I open my eyes. The heavy chill of the room has vanished. I don't waste another moment as I dart from the stall, my shower forgotten.

I nearly run to my room, Judith on my heels as she questions my behavior. I ignore her, and she just shakes her head before shutting me back into my white-walled prison.

I shuffle to the corner of the room where I sit and wait for the horrors of night to descend. After Judith returns with dinner, I take as much time as possible eating each bite. I'm not ready to be alone yet. But, with the nurse's sighs of annoyance, she finally urges me to hurry it along. She leaves moments later, half my food having gone uneaten because she couldn't bother to wait any longer.

I bury myself into a corner of the room so that I can have full visibility of the tight space. Nothing feels out of place, but when a small scratching noise tickles the air around me, I shove myself further into the corner in hopes of becoming one with the wall. People aren't supposed to be afraid of the light, but when there's no escape and no place to hide, light can sometimes be the most terrifying place to be.

My eyes fly from one corner of the room to the other before they shift upwards. I check every possible crevice, but see nothing amiss. That is until I glance down. I bolt from hiding like a cheetah on speed.

It was right there. Something, or someone, had been sitting right next to me. Because engraved in the soft flooring are three simple words...

Bye Bye Johnny.

And then the room is plunged into darkness.