Redrum Origins: Part 3

Part 10: Illusion

Disclaimer: I do not own Redrum. Redrum is a game developed by Anarchy Enterprises. I only own the OC characters.

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Maddie stayed unconscious throughout the entire time they made their way out. They left the crumbling walls of the asylum behind. Once they reached Ravenwood's house, he settled the teen's prone figure on the bed in his guest room. Rose took up vigil duty while he did things that he hadn't been able to do in awhile. Like taking a shower. And eating actual food.

            An hour and a half later, he checked up on the girls. Maddie was still under, Rose huddled next to her in a concerning demeanor. A sour taste developed in his mouth, his full stomach churning uncomfortably. He could see the teen's eyes shift sporadically under her eyelids. Who knew what kind of nightmare she was subject to? He didn't have to be psychic to determine that the girl was suffering.

            "You can't get her out?" Rose startled slightly at the sound of his voice. She must have been deep in the zone for a long time. Her face fell when she saw it was only her uncle. "No," she replied. "I don't know what sort of danger I'd face that wouldn't be extremely risky."

            Ravenwood nodded, gently settling himself at the edge of the bed. "She won't die, will she?" Rose's expression was the most determined he had ever seen. "She's strong," she stated. "She won't die."

            "What are we going to do when she wakes up?" The psychic's face strained, the subject obviously more delicate. "I'm not sure," she said, glancing over at the sleeping teen. "It really depends on her mental state once she emerges." As she said this, Maddie's eyebrows started to twitch. Her brow scrunched in discomfort, small whimpers escaping her. The other two occupants in the room tensed, ready for whatever they had to deal with once the teen woke up.

            Suddenly, Maddie's eyes flew open, drawing in a deep breath. A split second after, she bolted upright, screaming and clutching at her head. "Stop it!" she cried. "Please, just stop!" It was clear that she hadn't fully returned to reality. Rose instinctively reached out to comfort her, but she violently flinched away at the contact, pressing hard into the wall. Her eyes darted wildly around the room, still screaming and sobbing.

            "Maddie! Maddie, it's me!" Rose called, trying to give something for the older girl to hold onto. Eventually, her screams died down, but she was still cowering and trembling. With some more coaxing, she lowered her arms to take in the others. Her eyes were wide in fear, her face a complete mess from the crying. She shifted her gaze between the both of them before settling on Rose. "Rose?" she asked tentatively, as if she couldn't quite trust what she was seeing.

            The girl addressed nodded vigorously, relieved. "Yes! Yes, it's really me! It's done, it's over. You're back." Maddie stared at her, visibly starting to relax. She turned to Ravenwood. "Harry?"

            He blinked in surprise. This was the first time the teen had called him by his first name. Taking in her full appearance, the prideful, carefree sixteen-year-old he had gotten used to was gone, a petrified child in her place. Regaining his focus, he strove to not look as intimidating as possible. "Yeah, kid. I'm here."

            Maddie's eyes roamed between the two again, not able to completely believe what was going on around her. "I-I..." she stammered, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. "I don't-" She looked around the room, as if she didn't quite recognize it. "I don't understand, I... Where're-? How did-?"

            "Do you remember the tunnels?" Rose asked, focusing the teen's attention. It took a second to process, but she slowly nodded in response. "Do you remember us escaping?" This took more time. It took extreme effort for Maddie to dredge up those memories. "I... I remember running," she said. "I remember a pinch in my back. Then it was..." Tears cascaded from her eyes, huddling in on herself, whining. Her time under the effects of the serum was still fresh in her mind. Rose seemed to understand, tucking her into a hug. The teen stiffened but then relaxed, clinging to the younger girl, something no one imagined she'd do. "It-It was all so real," she breathed, voice shaky and timid. It broke Ravenwood's hard heart. Rose stroked soothing circles on Maddie's back. "I know. I know. I'm sorry."

            It was that apology that compelled him to join in, easily encasing both girls in his long arms. He held both of them tightly as they cried together, taking in their scent and how they felt in his hold, imprinting it to memory. He had a fleeting thought of this was what mother bears felt while protecting their cubs. He knew he wouldn't always be successful, but he would do everything in his power to shield them from any kind of danger, any kind of threat. This, he vowed.

            Outside, the night was silent and still.

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            She thought that this would fade away with time. However, with every night that brought nightmares and PTSD of the depths below the asylum, it became clear how debilitating the serum was. From Rose's and Ravenwood's experiences, the hallucinogen was extremely damaging for the psyche. It explained how Fraud's patients never got better.

            Her mind kept wandering to how that was the fate the doctor had planned for her. Continuously testing her with the serum until discovering a way to perpetually keep her under its effects. Trapping her in a tormented sleep for as long as Fraud needed. Her mind torn to shreds until there was nothing left.

            It sounded like a fate truly worse than death.

            Ravenwood returned to the precinct as soon as he could, gathering the authorization to search the hidden tunnels below the asylum. It took a few days, longer than he would've liked, in his opinion. Maddie dreaded what they would find down there, afraid of any evidence they might discover that would further reveal Fraud's true intentions towards her and Rose.

            But once they finally did, they came up empty. No equipment, no medical supplies. Even the iron maiden and the clone's body had vanished. The empty body bags of his previous victims were still there, for whatever use they provided. Despite the conclusion that the doctor was gone, it was still perturbing. It means he was still alive and out there, lying in wait for the perfect moment to snatch the girls up, never to be seen again.

            Maddie was afraid to go outside. If someone touched her unawares, she would jump, always on high alert. She was increasingly nervous and hyperaware of everything going on around her. The teen wondered if this was meant to torment her, for Fraud to break her down in waiting for him to appear.

            However, as the months passed, and she reached her seventeenth birthday, there was still no sign of him. It was quite literal; it was like he had disappeared into thin air, completely falling off the map. No one had spotted him, no one had glimpsed hide nor hair. Eventually, she was called away to a different world that needed her help, a responsibility she was bestowed barely a year ago. At that point, the horrors she had been put through were pushed to the back of her mind.

            For a tiny bit, she allowed herself to relax, to convince herself that she was finally safe from that madman and his diabolical mind games. But the thought always nagged at her. Fraud's fate was unknown. With him, it most likely meant he was still alive. The notion hung there like an ever-present shadow, taunting her every chance it got. Just another reason why she couldn't stay in one place for too long.

            She started to wonder if there was any place out there safe for her.

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Author's Note: There's a reason why it ended like this. This has just been the precursor to a HUGE project in the works that involves development of my OC's storyline and character arc. The next phase will combine several different horror fandoms that I enjoy personally, such as The Evil Within, Alice: Madness Returns, and Fran Bow. Hopefully, it will be longer than any of the prequels I've posted already. I hope you're all excited.

I love you all.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower