Mental Prison

I sat there, shivering in the dimly lit cell that I was meant to call home. My hair was oily and tangled in matted lumps that going to my face with a vice grip. I pulled myself to my feel before making my way to the door.

"Water." I rasped

But as always, silence was my only answer. Letting out a sigh, I sat on the ground right in front of the bars. I had no idea how long I've been down ere, but I do know that the lack of nutrition was getting to me. The ringing in my ears were louder than it was yesterday as well as the pangs that throttled my stomach with every passing second.

I closed my eyes, breathing in the musty scent of the room while I listened to the drips of sewer water that hit the floor in a repetitious fashion. A new sound reached my ears. It was faint at first. It was a small tapping sound that gradually grew louder by the passing seconds. I slowly opens my eyes to see feet at the edge of the cage.

"Your awake."

I lifted red to try and identify the speaker but the shadows engulfed his face, leaving only his attire for inspection. He wore a suit with exactly four buttons and two pickets that seemed to be only for show.

"I bet your hungry." I could hear the wickedness his voice held so I chose to stay silent as a means to not scum to his malicious games.

He kicked at the bars forcing me to flinch and look at him.

"Here." was all the only warning I got before he chucked something at me.

It hit me in the forehead with a thunk and I fell back from the impact. My hands felt around in the dark for the object. Bringing it to my face, I recognized the object to be an apple. I brushed it lightly with my fingertips before sitting up. I stared out into the darkness and whispered, "Thank you."
I stared at the apple for a whole before taking a bite. The justices flowed down my chin as its crisp, sweet essence filled my mouth, enticing my tastebuds. Before I knew it, the apple was gone and I craved more.

I lied on he damp rocky floor and closed my eyes. For the first time in who knows when, I fell into a peaceful slumbers. I awoke to a tickling sensation on my nose. I tried scratching at it but my arms wouldn't move. Neither would my legs. I strained my body so I could lift my head and saw that I was attached to wires. I pulled against the straps that bound me but it only resulted in them digging in deeper. A chuckle sounded from my right.

"You don't learn do you?" his voice sounded worn out.

"Learn what?" the words ripped their way out of my throat.

His footsteps grew closer and soon he came to face me. He looked no older than I, maybe only by a few years or so. Turning to the left, he messed with a few buttons before facing me again.

"In not going to lie to you, this is going to hurt. A lot."

I opened my mouth to speak but blinding shocks of pain came in wave after wave, wracking my form. I screamed. The pain was almost unbearable and spots of color swarmed my vision. After a few minutes of torture, the pain subside leaving me nauseous and weak. The room around me began to compress and turn fuzzy.

"Why are you doing this?" my voice came out as a whisper.

"You know why." He turned his back to me.

Back towards the dials.

"P-please don-"

The electricity shot straight through me, giving me no time to scream. I could hear his maniacal laughter filling my ears as the world turned black.

"Let go of me!" I struggled against the hands that forced me down.

"Someone sedate her!" an unknown voice called but at this point any voice could make me quiver in fear.

"P-p-please stop." I screamed before passing out due to sheer exhaustion.

+++

My eyes opened to see three doctors hovering over me.

"Where am I?"

They looked at each other with worried expressions before one commanded to," take her to room B4." They quickly wheeled me out of there.

+++

They placed me in a padded room that held only a couch facing opposite of a small chair.

"Please sit down." A woman said as she walked into the room.

Hesitantly, I sat down, watching as she did the same. She sat there for a while before speaking.

"Do you know why you're here?"

I shook my head slowly.

A sigh emitted from her before she composed herself." you were admitted to Meadow Springs about a month ago because of your severe case of dementia with psychosis like tendencies."

I just stared, unsure how I should respond to that because I obviously wasn't here for a whole entire month. I was trapped. . . with him.

"Lie down please and clear your mind"

I did as I was told and instantly felt a calming tranquility wash over me.

"Now think back. . . Remember."

I was swimming in a pool of an inky black substance. In a flash, colors and sounds engulfed me. I saw shadows, shapes of different people and I could sense that something was wrong. I could smell the almost metallic like smell of blood. I could still see the look on their faces as I murdered them.

A tear slid down my cheek as I opened my eyes and stared at her. "I remember'

"That's good, now let's move on to your previous attack. What happened?"

I opened my mouth to recount my talked but I couldn't speak. My mouth was dry and I couldn't move.

"Emilee?"

I could hear the panic in her voice but there was nothing I could do to console her. Spots made their way into my vision and I felt a little faint.

"Emilee." it sounded like a full roar.

My eyes shut tightly as my head pounded. I could see that room again and he was watching. He was waiting. He has always been waiting. My breath quickened.

"Emilee! Breathe in and out slowly."

Somehow through the haze of my mind, her voice rang out clear. it forced the haunting images away.

"That's good, now open your eyes."

I did as I was told and saw that everything was back to normal.

"What just happened?" I questioned, still shaken up.

"That was called an attack sweetie. But do well to remember that none of that was real." she gave me a sympathetic smile and let me go back to my room after deeming that I'd had enough stress for one day.

I wandered the halls like a mindless zombie. My mind thought back to her words and I made a connection.

None of that was real.

That cell, the man. . . None of it. He wasn't real. My mind pondered over that for a while.

That's why I was here instead of there right now because everything that had happened, hadn't happened and the walks that surrounds me, crushed me, were only in my mind.