Madness ➮ Harry Styles AU

A10

Christopher

I gave the dainty nurse helplessly slumped on the white tile a menacing stare, challenging her to stop me. I knew she was fully able to get back up on her feet and block the entrance, but I had a feeling she knew I would just knock her to the ground again.

Seeing that she still lied where I put her, I walked through the rather large metal door and into a wide hallway filled with several other white doors. Each door had a number and a letter written on a metal plaque, starting from A1 and ending at A30. Obviously, I found myself in the A wing of the building, housing only stage A patients. Which was mainly just common disorders, if you even can consider them that. Things such as depression and mild anger issues.

The hall was completely empty, which I had expected in visiting here so late. All the patients were in the common room, probably discussing whatever the hell insane people talk about.

I skillfully navigated myself through the dark hospital, passing by the occasional nurse who was far too busy looking at a clipboard to pay any attention to their unwanted visitor. After nearly two years of visiting every single day, just to be put down and told, "You are not permitted to see this particular patient," I had grown tired of the same anti-climactic routine. I had realized that the only way to get what I wanted, was to take it by force.

As I walked down the corridors of wing D, I fiddled with the small diamond ring strung onto a silver chain I wore around my neck; every single day. I smoothed the cool metal across the pad of my thumb, reminding myself of the eternal promise I had made... and so effortlessly broken.

I ventured further down the hallway, noticing that there were far less doors here than there was in wing A, B, or C, probably because stage D mental illnesses were extremely rare. I think only one of the ten doors was occupied, and constant screaming was to be heard every time I visited.

I passed rooms D1, all the way to D10, and stopped directly in front of the next door, looming over me.

The door had no engraved plaque nailed onto it, no number or letter to signify who lied behind it, in fact, the door was completely bare. Except for a small, plastic handle, and a lock that could only be opened with a key card. A key card, that- just to my impeccable luck- I did not seem to have. Leaving me locked away from the only person I give a shit about anymore.

Of course they would case her in the only room with a lock, and of course I would be stupid enough to not predict that they would do so.

"I knew you would come here sooner or later." A voice of authority spoke from behind me, sending a chill down my spine.

"Matthew." I stated, letting out a frustrated groan, and not even turning around to face him.

"Christopher." He replied in a calm voice.

Turning swiftly on the heel of my shoe, I demanded, "Give me your key card."

Matthew laughed dryly, an obnoxious smirk was planted on his older face speckled with a small amount of facial hair. "Why? So you can barge into one of my patient's room?" His pink tongue darted out of his mouth to wet his lips. "No, hell no."

"Give me the card before this gets ugly." I stated, trying to sound demanding, but obviously failing.

"I know you're not stupid enough to try me." Matthew spoke while threading his fingertips through his wild hair that stuck up at odd angles. "However, if I am wrong, be my guest. Attack me, see how long it will take for the police to get here and arrest you for assaulting a poor, innocent civilian." Matthew stressed the "poor" and "innocent" in the sentence, which I found terribly ironic.