ERIN
Did Dad plan this?Did he know they were coming? No, he’d never willingly lock me in a room with three dangerous psychopaths when he’s made his thoughts about hanging out with boys clear.
I press my back against the cold metal door, and a chill snakes down my spine.
They’re here.
Heavy panting comes from the vent and fills the space like a thick smoke. It crawls down my throat, choking me, but they don’t move. Not yet.
They leave me hanging. Waiting is even worse than if they were to storm in. I’m hyperaware of every minute sensation: the goosebumps on my arms, my parched mouth, the strong beat of my heart pumping blood around my body. At least that’s a reminder I’m alive. My legs scream for me to run, but my knees lock in place. There’s nowhere to go.
“Are you afraid of the three big bad men who live in the walls?” One drawls.
“If she’s not, she should be,” Three says. “Why don’t you scream for us again? What a sweet fucking sound. It’s been so long since I’ve heard a woman scream that pretty.”
Are they going to rape or kill me? Or both?
They’re treating me like a toy. If these are my last moments, I want to show strength. I channel Mia’s no bullshit energy, thinking about how my best friend would handle the situation. She wouldn’t pray to be spared. It’s too late for that.
“You’re the cowards here,” I say, mustering all the confidence I can. “Crawling around in the vents like rats.”
Knowing they can’t see my face makes it easier. They can’t see my shaky shoulders or my trembling bottom lip.
Two laughs hard. A deep belly rumble that bounces off the walls.
One joins him, and adds, “This one has more fire than I expected.”
This one?I bite my lip to stop myself from whimpering.
“Maybe we are like rats,” Three agrees. “We crawl through dark spaces that other people choose to avoid. We slip into gaps that others overlook and make our home there. We’re everywhere and nowhere. Always watching.”
“It may be dark, but we still see you. You’re trying to act brave when you’re not,” One says. “You can’t lie to us. The question is, why did he bring you here?”
“I’m not like y-you,” I stammer. “I’m not crazy.”
They cackle. A maniacal noise that makes my teeth chatter and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. They’re three separate entities, but the way they laugh together makes them appear interconnected.
“Everyone’s crazy,” Two says. “Those who can’t see it are the craziest of all.”
A metallic screech signals a body sliding closer. There’s a deep breath, followed by feet dropping to the floor opposite me. I scream.
“There’s that sound again,” Three says from above. “Fuck, it makes me so hard.”
I clamp my lips shut, determined not to make another sound. My mind races through the possibilities of what could happen. All of them lead to the same outcome: Dad finding my dead body in the morning.
“What does she smell like?” Two asks.
One is here with me. He doesn’t move straight away, but the heat radiating from his body warms my skin. His breathing sucks everything within range into a dark, destructive cloud, filling me with fear.
He takes a step. Slow and deliberate. He’s in no hurry.
I try to remember everything Dad said about his work and how the asylum operates, hoping there’s something that might give me a chance of surviving.
“What if an orderly finds out you left your rooms?” I ask, recalling that patients face sanctions for breaking the asylum rules.
Discussing punishments always makes Dad’s eyes light up, whether it’s limiting their access to the outside or extra sedation. He loves anything that gives him more control.
“Rules?” One scoffs. His voice has a gravelly edge to it. “There are no rules. This place is lawless.”
