Dystopia

Chapter 15

"Let's try this again." A man said and leaned forward over a metal table.

"Do you accept the fact that you are mentally impaired?"

"I'm not crazy." Mathew answered from the other end of the table.

"Then why did you stab your brother?"

"He stabbed me first!"

"But you killed him."

Mathew froze and stayed quiet. He took a deep breath and shuddered as he held back tears. The guilt resurging within him. He lowered his head and whispered quivering:

"I didn't mean to."

"You still did it. It's enough proof that your genetics are not perfect, therefore, you are prone to mental ailments." The man said.

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Mathew slammed his fist onto the metal table.

The man inhaled through his nose and ran a hand across his face.

"That's enough for today, Mr. Raynott." He said. "A Watcher will escort you to your new chamber."

"You're kidding." Mathew raised his eyebrows. "Y-You're kidding, right? You can't let those things touch me." 

"Mr. Raynott, you are a patient in this institution. You do not get to choose who takes you where. Goodbye." 

The man rose and opened the door so that a tall creature wearing the mask came in. Its black robes swished in the air, the hood over its face. Mathew widened his eyes in fright and backed away immediately. The Watcher swooped in and cornered Mathew against the wall. 

"No! No! Get away from me, don't touch me!" Mathew screamed as he
placed his arms over his head.

The Watcher touched Mathew's arm and a current of something cold and dark passed onto him before falling unconscious.

It was an abnormal experience to be able to feel your own body but seeing dark and not knowing where you were. Mathew's anxiety climbed through the sky and he couldn't tell what was happening outside or inside his mind. He could see his thoughts but he couldn't hear them.

When Mathew woke up, he did so with a massive headache. He hissed at
the pain as he held a hand to his forehead. He heard a high pitched ringing in his ears and squeezed his head with both hands to block it. He gritted his teeth and rocked back and forth as the pitch intensified. It was becoming painful by the second until he could resist it no longer.

"Stop! Stop it! Make it stop!" He shouted with his eyes shut. 

The ringing continued for a while longer until it started to dissipate. Mathew panted and relaxed ever so slightly before the pitch was finally gone. He breathed hard and still held his head in between his hands. 

Eventually, he relaxed and dared lift his head. He opened his eyes to see blinding white. He squinted, trying to adjust to the white environment. Mathew was finally able to see his place, but his heart sank at the sight. 

The room he was in was absolutely white. The walls were padded with

white cushions and so was the ground. He looked down at himself to see he was wearing a white patient gown.

"No . . . no . . . no no no no!" He repeated over and over as he panicked and stood up.

Breathing erratic, heartbeat never slowing, the overwhelming panic Mathew felt seemed to only increase until it felt suffocating. He screamed loudly and cried out:

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO, I'M NOT CRAZY! PLEASE I AM NOT CRAZY! I DON'T BELONG HERE! ANDREW MADE ME DO IT!! IT WAS A MISTAKE!! I WOULD NEVER HURT HIM! LET ME OUT!!"

He ran to one of the walls, trying to find a door, but there was none. He began to bang on the wall loudly, screaming and pleading for someone to free him. But his words fell on no one's ears. 

He pulled at the sides of his blonde hair in desperation. He felt like a lab rat, stuck inside a cage running from one end to another, chasing his tail. He suddenly felt a burning sensation run through his veins in his blood. He felt he was being burned alive from within. He wailed and scratched at his own skin and dropped to the ground. His screams were not ceasing and his nails began drawing blood out of him.

Mathew looked up from the floor and saw two men wearing black uniforms. He couldn't stand up. All he wanted was to draw all the blood in his body out to stop the burning pain. One of the men, was writing down notes on a blue electronic pad, and the other simply stared at Mathew.

He laid there immobile as dull aches from his scratches took the place of his burning pain. He wasn't showing signs of consciousness but was awake nonetheless. A single tear fell from his eye as he whispered something inaudibly.