AHS Imagines

4: Working at Briarcliff (Lana Winters)

Reader is working at Briarcliff  and is responsible for the care of Lana Winters

The evening prayer had just ended when Sister Jude approached me. She was a very strict woman, one that always made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when she walked by. I smiled lightly in greeting to her, trying to hide my nerves. 

"Hello Sister Jude." I greeted.

"Hello, I'm assigning Miss Winters to your responsibility for now. Fail to do the work adequately and I'll leave you to cleaning duties." She stated without any sort of emotion and walked directly past me.

I nodded and followed the patients out of the room. No one had told me anything about the recently admitted patient, Miss Winters, but nothing about her had struck me as being off. I knew that many of the patients were being treated unfairly, but my low position didn't give me any power to speak out against it unless I wanted to end up with them. 

My path took me to the women's ward and I had to check multiple rooms before finding where they'd put Miss Winters. She was put further down the hallway, just across from Grace. I bade her goodnight briefly and informed her that I'd have to lead an interview with her the next morning. Miss Winters replied with a harsher goodnight, understandably so since she was tormented by Sister Jude earlier.

- - - - - - - - - - 

We were seated together at one of the tables in the central room, the one French song playing on repeat from the record player in the background. Miss Winters had a permanent frown on her face and looked at me almost accusingly.

"Hello, Miss Winters. How have you felt since coming here?" I asked, reading off the first question on the document.

"Awful." She paused, "I've been trying to keep everything straight in my head about all the terrible things going on here. The electroshock isn't helping."

"I'm so sorry you feel that way." I said then looked up at her, "What do they do to you here? I don't think you need any correctional therapy." 

"I'm interested in girls, not guys. That's my problem and apparently deserving of turning my brains to mush according to you people." 

"How dreadful. I only arrived here two weeks ago and only from my parents' urging. I wanted to take care of animals, be a veterinarian." 

Her countenance changed after my last comment. 

"Call me Lana... Why haven't you seemed repulsed by what I told you?" 

"Because I think everyone deserves love and shouldn't be punished for trying to find it." 

A bitter smile came across her lips and she seemed to be examining me from across the coffee table. It was then that I noticed her  pen and papers that I hadn't seen behind my own papers. She noted something down and looked back up at me.

I read some of the other information on the official documents that got her sent here and frowned. It was unimaginable, the pain she went through for just trying to write one story about Briarcliff. Her own dearest friend signed her into the asylum and the suggested treatment included a much-higher-than-usual level of shock to be administered to her almost daily. It was only then that I could begin to comprehend Lana's disdain for this place. 

She must've figured out what I was reading based off of my expression, because Lana put out her cigarette and started to talk.

"You might be the only person here who thinks that way, but I still don't want your pity." She stated. 

"It must be difficult to earn your trust. What would I have to do to prove it to you? I want to be friends, not enemies." I explained.

"I don't want to be friends." 

"Well, alright then." I said, stacking all of the papers before getting up from my seat, "Our time is up for today and I'll see you later, Lana." 

The reporter remained in her seat with a stoic look on her face and wrote down some more on her papers. I was supposed to take them away from her, report her behavior, which would only lead to Lana getting punished for it. She couldn't go through any more of the electroshock or she'd lose it. I couldn't put her through that. 

I stayed true to my word and visited her in the evening when all the patients were back in their cells. The other staff had just slid the disgusting food meant to be dinner on the metal plate through the door slots. I could hear some of the others retching after trying to eat some of it and gagged myself. It was so wrong how these people were treated for their uncontrollable conditions. That was the thought I kept in mind upon reaching Lana's cell and going inside. 

 "What are you doing here?" Her accusing tone asked.

"Hello, Lana. I didn't think you'd enjoy that brown mush they feed everyone so I brought you some of the fresh goods from the bakery." I told her, showing what I'd carried in with me.

Her eyes briefly lit up at the prospect of decent food. I sat down on the cold floor across from her and smiled politely. Then she eyed me suspiciously.

"Why are you being so nice to me? Trying to create a false sense of security before you slit my neck or shock me to death?" 

"Not at all. I just think it's unfair for you and everyone else."

"Then why aren't you coming into everyone's cells and bringing them actual food?" 

"Firstly, you're the only one under my charge right now. Secondly, there's absolutely nothing wrong with you. And thirdly, if there's anyone here who can somehow free everyone else, it's you. I read that you're a reporter and had plans on writing about the patients here so, naturally, you've already been wanting to do it anyways. I could also get into plenty of trouble for being nice to you and for 'spoiling' you with this stuff from the bakery." 

Lana softened a bit, understanding that perhaps I was telling her the truth. Her hands cautiously took one of the offerings I'd brought in- the molasses bread she was commending Sister Jude about before she was admitted. Finally, she cracked a smile and looked up at me with her eyes that were the same color as brown tourmaline. They still had a bright spark of fire in them, like she wasn't anywhere near giving up on getting out of Briarcliff. The other patients always looked so faded and dull, like they were internally dead but externally forced to live. 

"You know what, fine, I'll trust you. If you'd risk going under Jude's canes just to help me then I guess you're trustworthy enough for me." She finally agreed.