insanity [l.t]

III.

A loud knock on the metal door makes me jump from my sleep.

"Louis?" Doctor Greene asks in a low voice.

"What time is it?" I groan as I rub the sleep from my eyes.

"Time for breakfast."

I sit up from my rock they call a bed and walk behind Doctor Greene towards the smell of food. A few people sit in tables by themselves, others are sitting together talking to the other patients. The food looks like discolored and sort of resembles concrete on a plate, and my stomach does flips as I cringe at the sight before me.

"This is the cafeteria. You'll be woken up at the same time every morning for your pills and breakfast. Your door to your room will already be unlocked so just come straight in here."

"Pills?" I ask.

"Yes. After a few sessions with me I'll be able to see exactly which ones you will be needing."

"What if I don't want them?"

"Oh, you'll take them." She says harshly. She ushers me towards the plates of food.

"I'm not hungry." I shake my head as she tries to hand me one.

"Eat, Louis."

"No." I argue.

"Fine. Starve then. Lunch isn't served until noon so eat now or wait until then. You have a new doctor arriving shortly. She will come and find you when she's ready." She walks away with a bitter look on her face.

Fuçking çunt.

•••••

The soft melody I the music fills the car and I sigh trying to calm my nerves. I've been driving for a few hours and I'm almost to the hospital. My suitcases rattle together as I hit a bump in the road.

A few minutes pass and I arrive at a gate. Large and rusty, it creaks open. A tall, worn down building is hidden behind a forest of trees. I hesitate before driving forward. Chills run up my arms as I see the sign come into view.

"Woodview Institute for the Criminally Insane." Beneath the sign, in smaller letters reads, "All ages welcome."

I park my car and take a deep breath before climbing out. The cool wind whips at my face and I pull my coat closer around my body. The large wooden doors of the hospital creak open and a tall, slim woman is standing between them.

"Welcome! You must be Althea! We are so happy that you are here. Thank you for being able to come on such short notice." I give her a smile as she ushers me into the building.

"You must be freezing. The temperature is supposed to drop tonight and we have our furnace on already." She makes small talk as she leads me further into the old building. We turn down a long hallway with doors on both sides all the way down.

"This last room at the end will be yours. Our previous doctor had to leave for personal reasons. We've cleaned it out and it's all ready for you." I open the door and walk inside the room. It's small, with a bed against the far wall and a dresser beside the door. A small bathroom occupies a room in the far corner along with a closet.

"This is great. Thank you so much. I'll go and grab my suitcase before we continue."

"No, no. Don't be silly, I'll have a nurse fetch them for you. There's no reason for you going back into the cold, especially since you've been on the road all night. I will also have a nurse bring down the uniform I would like for you to wear everyday. Don't worry about wearing it until tomorrow."

"Oh, okay." I say as she leads me to an elevator. It's old and I'm hesitant to step in as the light flickers inside.

"Come now, child. I'll show you your office and I'll have you start with your patient." She grabs my wrist and pulls me into the elevator. The doors close and I hear squeaking as the elevator moves.

A few seconds later the doors open and I quickly walk out. The doors creak closed as we walk away from it. Doctor Greene leads me past some rooms for patients, and what looks to be a cafeteria. We also pass a room with a TV and some tables with people playing cards.

They are all in the same plain outfits and have the same dead look in their eyes. As we pass the room my eyes catch a pair that are staring right at me. His hair is a mess, and the bags under his eyes tell me he hasn't slept well in awhile. His eyes lock with mine, and I can't help thinking about how lovely they look.

"Althea? Are you alright?" Doctor Greene's voice breaks me from my trance and I rush to catch up with her.

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"Here's your office." The room is big. A large desk is in the corner and a couple of chairs are set in front. In the middle, a couch sits comfortably next to a reclined chair. The office looks oddly out of place in the run down hospital.

"Here's your patient's chart. I'll give you a few minutes to look over it, he's in the next room when you're ready."

"Alright, thank you so much Doctor Greene." I sit myself behind the desk and go to open the chart.

"Before you read that, just a warning: it's a little much, so be cautious. The pictures are a pretty brutal, but it's better for you to know what you're dealing with."

"O-okay doctor. Thank you." I stutter out. She shuts my door and I don't know what to expect as I open the file.

Louis Tomlinson. 23 years old. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Resides in London, England. Mother; Johannah Deakin. Father; not listed. Siblings; Charlotte Tomlinson.

Diagnosis upon arrival: Extreme Schizophrenia; Dissociative Identity Disorder (not confirmed).

"Louis Tomlinson is responsible for the murder of his mother, Johannah Deakin, and sister, Charlotte Tomlinson, on Friday, October 13. Patient was found inside the home with blood on himself and also holding the murder weapons. Multiple stab wounds were inflicted into the mothers stomach. A cut to the throat was recorded on his younger sister. Upon arrival the patient had no idea what had happened to his family. He has no recollection of the events that occurred that night."

I close the file, at the sight of the bloody crime scene pictures. I wipe my sweaty hands on my skirt and take a shaky breath before walking out of my office and into the next room. I recognize the boy from the picture in his file.

"Louis?" I ask to the boy who is sitting by himself.

"Yes?" He asks while looking up at me.

"My name is Doctor Brooks. If you'd like to come into my office we can chat for a bit."

He stands and I let him walk in before me. We enter my office in silence and I feel more sweat forming on my palms as I anticipate being alone in a room with this murderer.