Not Crazy to Me | Slashers x Nurse!Reader

Chapter 13: Solitary Confinement

You startle upwards, almost tumbling right out of your bed. Your breathing comes in quick, short gasps, but at least this time you know you're really awake. You pull up the side of the blue hospital clothing you'd been given, and see blood seeping through the bandages plastered to your slash wound. How is it bleeding here? Did you bump it during your wake up? Or maybe you were shifting around while you slept? No, you know why it's bleeding. You also know where you got the wound in the first place; you're sure of it. The dream was... sentient. Real, a curse or an illness hanging over you, threatening your mental and physical wellbeing. It had morphed your fears into a frightening mirror of reality. On your bedside table there is a large medical patch, meant to be changed with the one currently soaked in blood. With a hiss, you peel the current bandage off, grimacing down at the wound in your side. It doesn't look like any of the stitches have snapped, and the blood flow is already slowing, but you dab at the red liquid with the bloodied bandage to soak up as much as possible before replacing it. At last, the clean bandage is pressed to your side and you let out a sigh of relief. Stretching your stiff neck, you climb carefully to your feet and hobble over to your cell phone. A quick check of the time shows you that it's a little past midnight. You'd slept through an entire day's worth of duties... Jesus. You hadn't spoken to Michael or Jason, and you wanted to go see Danny in solitary just so you can see his eyes, calm and stable like they usually are. You need to make sure that they don't hold the... evil that his eyes held in your dream. The hallways are dark, deserted, and for a moment you half expect to see Cole swing around the corner.

"Time to pay your debt~" the phantom voice drifts through the halls, nothing more than a figment of your imagination. You shiver nonetheless. He's dead, (Y/N). Your door clicks shut behind you, keys in your grasp, and you set off, silent as the wind, down the darkened hallways.

As you pass Danny's cell you see the door shut tight, yellow DO NOT CROSS tape plastered overtop. You tear your gaze away and hurry your walking. Every cell has its lights out, but the residents don't all seem to be asleep.

"Psssst!" a sharp voice hisses and you stop dead in your tracks, spinning rapidly- and wincing in pain at the strain in your side- towards the voice. "(Y-Y/N), are you a-alright? W-What a-are you doing u-up?" It's Norman, his fearful expression like that of a ghoul in the window to his cell. You glance down the hallway towards Michael and Jason, and then approach Norman's door. You wear a sad smile but don't really mind.

"I've definitely been better." Your voice feels like it's too loud, but if you speak any quieter Norman won't be able to hear you. "Is Danny in..." you can't bring yourself to finish, but you don't need to.

"S-Solitary? Y-Yes, h-he is." Norman finishes for you with a frown. "P-Please... Don't stay up too late. You need to rest." You see the deep care in his eyes and the absence of nervousness in his last few words. You sigh, and nod your head to him.

"I won't. Thank you, Norman. Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't. It's alright. Goodnight, (Y-Y/N)." Norman smiles at you one last time, and then disappears into his cell.

"Goodnight, Norman." you doubt he heard you, but you spoke anyways, and then turned back towards the hallway leading to the heavy duty cells.

You keep your footsteps light, looking at each cell window as you pass them. Even Hannibal's big glass cell is dark, and you see the silhouette of his form asleep in his bed. At least, you think he's asleep- but he doesn't strike you as a heavy sleeper, and you can feel his eyes in your back as you pass by. You want to stop and speak with him, but he says nothing so neither do you, continuing on with your mission. Before you even get to their cells, Michael is at his window, the permanent leer of his white latex mask made even spookier by the encroaching darkness. You wave at him, a small smile on your face as you approach his window.