All I Need Is You

《ÇH@þŤ3R Ťhr33》

D@Ý TW0 - @łb3rt§ P0V

I woke up the next morning to an unpleasantly cheerful nurse standing outside my door. "Good morning Albert! How did you sleep?" I groaned and slammed back down onto my pillow, ignoring her question. I heard my cell door unlock and the nurse stepped inside. "Now now, it's nearly time for breakfast and you need to get up and get dressed!" She shook me and I slapped her hand away, getting up myself. "Alright then! See you in a few minutes!" She placed my newly washed uniform down on the bed and left the room, closing the door behind her. I changed out of my gown and slipped into the uniform, putting on the loafers that matched the outfit and grabbing my comfort plush. 

"Today is another day, Albert."
It was almost as if the voice in my head was talking into my ear. I sighed and head over to the Dining Hall with the other patients. I sat by myself again, still wishing to avoid any of the other patients. I zoned out when a younger nurse started with announcements, messing with a fork that was in front of me.
"You should stab yourself with that."
I stopped messing with the fork and groaned. Not this again.
"I don't want to." I whispered.
"Sure you do. You know you want to."
I laid my head down on the table, letting out a sigh.
"What?? You won't have to deal with this stupid place anymore, or anyone else ever again. It's a win-win."
"Please shut up, I'm not in the mood for this." I whispered once again.
"Then do it."

"Shut up."

"Đ0 IT N0W."

"SHUT UP!" I screamed, hearing something shatter on the ground and a couple of people gasp. I glanced over to my side and noticed a nurse had dropped the plate she was going to hand me in surprise. I had been so zoned out I didn't even notice she was near me.
"I-I'm so sorry I didn't mean to-"
"It's quite alright darling! Do you need to step out of the room for a little bit? You seem overwhelmed." A tall male nurse in a blue nurse outfit had came over to us and placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me a warm and reassuring smile. I silently nodded as I watched the other nurse clean up the mess I had made her drop. "It may be best he exits the room, his outburst was quite startling!"
"I understand Sister Lila, I shall escort him to the comfort room." I shakily stood up, feeling everyone's eyes burning into my back. The nurse guided me out of the Dining Hall and down a long hallway. I glanced at the walls, noticing that they were dressed in stickers and hand-written messages. He pulled out a keychain with quite a few keys on it and unlocked the door that stood at the end of the hallway, opening it and allowing me to go in first. The room was a small, but cozy size. There was a couch and a comfy looking chair, and quite a few plushies. The couch had a fuzzy blanket laid over it, and the pillows were cloud-shaped. A white coffee table sat near the couch. "Feel free to have a seat or lie down, whichever you prefer dear!" I chose to lay down on the couch, my back pushing against the soft fabric. The nurse closed the door and sat across from me in the baby blue chair, crossing his legs formally and giving me another warm smile. "It's okay to ask me any questions, or we can sit here in silence. Whichever you prefer Albert."
"How do you know my name?" I immediately questioned. "Oh! It's required that we know the names and faces of all our patients, so we can help you to feel more welcome here." I squeezed my comfort plush tight, closing my eyes and sighing. "Oh, okay. What's your name then?"
I heard a slight shuffling noise come from his direction, assumingly he was changing his position. "My formal name is Brother Jacob, however I am quite alright with Jake. Whatever helps you feel more comfortable."
"Alright then, Jake. Why am I here again?" I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. "You're here because you had an outburst in the Dining Hall, do you want to talk about it?" He asked. I slowly shook my head, shaking off the memory of startling that poor nurse. "Alright, if you don't want to discuss it now, then that's fine. I'm here if you want to talk or have questions, okay?" We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, up until I mustered up the courage to break the silence with another question. "What is the purpose of this Asylum again? How is this even supposed to help me get better?" I glanced over at Jake, who had a thoughtful look plastered on his face. "VoidView's purpose is to help our patients recover from their mental illness in the simplest yet most effective way possible!" He replied cheerily. "And how do you go about that?" I sat up and changed my position so I could face him. Jake waited until I was refocused before continuing. "Our procedure involves simple steps and rules to assure the best results. We are always willing to work with our patients gently to assure the procedure is done properly."

"Procedure?.." I glanced over at him, a confused look written on my face. He maintained his gentle smile, nodding his head at my question. I pondered for a moment, picking my next words carefully.
"Why is it called specifically a "procedure"? Why not just a "process" or something?"
I noticed Jake's smile falter by the slightest bit, almost barely noticeable. He was silent for a couple of moments.

"Jake?"

"I believe that is enough questions for now, darling."

I tried to think of how to respond to him suddenly cutting off the conversation like that, but as soon as I opened my mouth another male nurse came in with a plate of food.
"Hello Brother Jacob, Albert, am I interrupting anything?" I noticed the male nurse shared the same soft, relaxed look as he stepped into the room. "No, you are not interrupting, Brother Kaden. Is this Albert's breakfast?" Jake asked. Brother Kaden nodded, setting the food down on the coffee table next to where I was sitting. He gave me a cheery smile as I looked at the meal. "Enjoy your food! Our chefs here always cook their meals with lots of love, so we hope you will be satisfied! I'll leave you two be now. Blessings be unto you." Jake repeated the same phrase to Kaden before Kaden turned and exited the room. Jake glanced back at me and repositioned himself on the chair once again. "Are you okay with me being here while you eat? For safety reasons, I cannot leave patients alone in the Comfort Room." Jake asked as he folded his hands together. "Yeah, it's no big deal." I responded.

In all honesty, it kinda was a big deal.
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<<<L@T3R>>>
9:45PM

It was well past "Lights Out" by now, but I couldn't seem to make myself fall asleep. My mind still burned with questions about bits and pieces of what Jake had mentioned earlier.

Work with us gently to assure the best results..

Procedure...

Why is it called a "Procedure"?

Simple steps, simple rules.

Is it really that simple?

Why did my question seem to bother him?

So many questions, yet majority feel like they were left unanswered. It was driving me batty.

I groaned, turning over in my bed and slamming my face into the soft downy pillow. I gently lifted my head, glancing around until my eyes fell on the clock near my bed.
"10PM... God, I am not falling asleep huh." I chuckled to myself and repositioned onto my back, gripping my comfort plush as I stared at the ceiling. I could feel the voices chipping away at my ears, but listening to them would really do me no good with such a cluttered mind. "How easy IS this supposed procedure supposed to be, anyways?" I whispered to no one in particular. There's no way it's THAT easy, there has to be more to it. Or maybe it is easy. Maybe I'm overthinking it.

I'm not really sure anymore.

Authors Note

I want to apologize for taking an entire year to post this chapter lmfao. My life has changed so much but I'm still trying to continue with my love for writing. I can't make any promises but I'll make an effort to start up with chapters for this story again. Hope it's ok y'all, enjoy.