The sharp sting of their callous treatment stirs something deep inside me and a spark of rage ignites beneath the fog clouding my mind. It grows quickly, feeding on the humiliation and the helplessness coursing through me.
I thrash suddenly, the burst of energy catching them off guard. My head snaps back, and a high-pitch scream tears from my throat. My body bucks against their hands as I swipe wildly, striking one of them across the face.
But I’m soon crushed as more hands descend on me, pinning me down with overwhelming force. Five, maybe six of them; I can’t tell through the haze, their figures blending into a flurryof white and shadows. I scream again, my throat burning as I writhe, kicking, twisting, desperate to break free.
“Hold her down!” one of them barks.
My heart pounds in my chest, adrenaline surging as I fight like a cornered animal. But they’re too strong, too many. My limbs are forced together, pressed painfully against my chest. The sound of something being secured around me reaches my ears before I feel it—the constriction, the suffocating embrace of thick fabric tightening around my arms and torso.
“No!” I scream, my voice cracking as I thrash harder, the fight instinctively clawing its way back to the surface.
My movements are jerky, desperate, but they finish strapping me into the straightjacket. The final buckle clicks, sealing me inside this prison of cloth and straps.
I’m yanked upright, but my legs give out beneath me, completely useless. My knees scrape against the cold floor as I’m hoisted off the table by my arms. Pain shoots through my shoulders, but the nurses grunt with effort, dragging my limp form across the tiled floor.
My head hangs forward, red hair falling into my face. They don’t speak as they haul me away, the sound of my bare feet scraping against the floor behind me.
…
The sound of the heavy lock sliding into place behind me echoes through me and I manage to lift my head, using every ounce of strength I have left, my vision swimming as I try to piece together my surroundings. The glowing brightness of the room burns into my irises, and I squeeze my eyes shut against it.
When I’m thrown forward, I crash onto a soft, spongey surface. The impact knocks the air out of my lungs, and a groan slips from my lips. The padded floor beneath me shiftsslightly under my weight as I struggle to move, my restrained arms making it nearly impossible. I twist, rolling onto my back, panting as panic claws at my chest.
The walls around me are padded too—thick and white. The room feels like a coffin, cold and suffocating, its brightness adding to my growing sense of dread. My gaze darts wildly, frantically, until movement catches my eye.
A figure steps into the room slowly, and I try to focus on the silhouette, then my blurred vision sharpens just enough for me to make out… Jess?
She’s wearing a doctor’s outfit, pristine white, with her hair pulled back neatly. Her sweet smile is strangely out of place, as if she’s stepped out of a manipulated version of reality.
“Hello, Raven,” she says softly, and it slices through the madness raging in my mind like a scalpel. “How are you feeling?”
I force myself upright, adrenaline kicking in and I shake my head, disoriented and desperate. “Jess? You have to help me… You have to…”
Her expression shifts, her smile faltering as her eyes darken. “We are helping you, Raven.” The warmth in her tone chills, and I feel the air leave the room.
“You took a dark turn, little lamb. But we’re going to make you all better.”
“No!” I shake my head violently, tears stinging my eyes. “I’m not sure… it’s not…” My voice cracks as a tear slips down my cheek, the words caught in my throat like razor blades.
“You killed people, Raven.”
I recoil as she suddenly thrusts her face close to mine, her smile now gone, replaced by something she is
cruel.
“You fucking killed my fiancé,” she hisses.
My eyes widen, the accusation hitting me like a physical blow. “No… I… I didn’t…”
“You fucking did, Raven.” Her tone trembles with fury, her body taut with restrained violence. “You were an accomplice. With your…” Her lips screw into a mocking sneer. “What did you call him? Your brother?”
The room feels like it’s spinning. I’m too tired, too broken, too confused to process her fucking words. Jess straightens slightly, her gaze raking over me with cold disgust. She takes a step closer, her hand moving to a lock of my hair, winding the red strands gently between her fingers.
“You have such beautiful hair,” she murmurs. “And it’s such a shame…”
I recoil at the word. “Shame?” I whisper, my stomach sinking.
Her other hand moves, and my breath catches in my throat when I see what she’s holding—a pair of gleaming scissors.