We're Broken People

Chapter Two

My cot rattled beneath my shaky figure. Tears were streaming down my face in a silent sob from the agony my mind felt in the dream.  I cradled my legs and let my head down, the darkness engulfing my body. A cold tension moved through the room; it crept up my spine and left frozen fingerprints crawling around me. Heavy breathing - my breathing - filled the silent void that was my prison and left me nervous. Quick movements caught my eyes.

The room around me was faintly lite, only a sliver of light shone under the door.  That was when I saw them. Shadows crept around me, anxious to have a bite of my fear. I waited for them to lunge at me, but they never neared enough to take a taste. They stood, waiting for my weakness to release towards them and for me to become vulnerable. I felt the air thin, my breathing became shallow and weak. 

I attempted to stand up, swaying as the metal bed roared in protest. The Shadows melted away as I crossed the room towards them, and they left me numb as I went to the tally wall. I picked up the small piece of chalk from the floor and rolled it around in my hand. It left dust on my fingers as I scratched yet another tally into the cold stone of the walls. Two hundred sixty-eight marks covered the surface, and I was praying that that was as high as it would ever go.

My vision turned blurry, and drops of liquid fell on the chalk lines, smearing the toll. Tears. This time not from fear, but anger. A sudden heat filled me and I ran to the cot. My fingers gripped at the blanket and began ripping it apart the thin material. The anger coursed through my veins until the blanket was in shreds. Sitting down abruptly, I surveyed the work. The shreds floated through the air in a flurry, dropping as quickly as they went up. I smiled as I wiped the tears away. Destruction was always beautiful.

Now that the room was once again silent and still, I walked to the door, waiting to see if the guards would run to me. Destroying the property is always a bad thing. The cameras spread about the room had barely twitched as the tantrum progressed, but I knew they were always watching. They would watch, I would wait.

I turned around to face the almost bare room. The blanket was torn across the floor, chalk was rolling along the edge of the room, and the bed was falling apart. It was empty of life, save me, and I was hardly as specimen of healthy living.

My hands twitched about the shredded remains of my blanket. The ruins were soft and frayed as I ruffled them through my hands. No guard had come yet to clean it up, so I stuffed the pieces into my pillowcase. Maybe then it would give me more comfort to soothe my sleeping habits, but I know it was a futile attempt to ease the fits. 

Seeing no other option, I laid down on the worn out mattress and attempted to fall back asleep. However, when I closed my eyes, the Shadows returned and tormented me. Their frigid being destroyed my thoughts and agonized my sleep. One more restless night started off the new day ahead of me.

....

My eyes bore into the walls, begging them for a new image. The boredom came fast today after the tests, and I couldn't help but picture a new scenery for me to be at. These white walls did nothing but keep the unwelcoming feeling in my room. I told my mind to concentrate on an image to erase the blank, and soon, the white began sparking - gold, silver, and bronze - and it was ablaze. Colors flickered through the room, and the heat radiated off the walls. 

I focused on the pain searing through my bones, numbing through the flames. Closing my eyes, I laid down, enjoying the chaos. The flames crackled, the sound relieving the sense of urgency around me. A new emotion seeped through my veins, and it made me feel spirited with warmth and passion. It was almost indescribable, and I hadn't felt it sense I stepped into this institution. Freedom.

It was short lived.

The heels clacked sharply towards me, and I knew exactly who was here to consul me. 

My eyes focused loosely on her before the fire abruptly stopped. Its heat was sucked away by my mind. My imagination. Scarlet gave me an exasperated look, and she sighed loudly. She gestured to a guard, who had followed her, and he scurried to me with a needle and unidentifiable liquid.

"Who forgot to giver her the meds this time, John? Are you going to blame Marshall again or are you going to follow my orders?" Scarlet's fingers began rubbing her temples slowly, and a short chuckle escaped her lips, "I wasn't even supposed to be with her today, but since you were an idiot, I had to take my time to watch you give her the standard medicine she needs every damn day." Her head shook with disapproval.

John practically stabbed me in the arm with the needle. His lip curled as I gave out a small cry of pain, and I could tell his anger was seeping through the cracks. When the liquid was injected, I could feel my emotions subsiding, as they did every day. 

When John stood up to leave, Scarlet turned to him and murmured a few words before he stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Scarlet turned to me, trying to calm herself from her exchange with John. "He will no longer be your doctor, Gwen. His actions were unacceptable and will not be tolerated when taking care of patients. I do apologize for the inconvenience he has given you. I will see you later this week for official business, this was just a quick visit." She turned slowly and shuffled out of my room, closing the door almost silently as she left.

The effects of the medicine had begun to take its toll on me. My head became fuzzy and the room started to spin around me. I dropped to the ground to prevent the symptoms from getting any worse than they already were, and I drifted off into the flames again.