Immaculate Misconception

Chapter Two

The screams coming from the treatment room kept me up all night, knowing it was a human, alive and breathing, that was being tortured in there.

Knowing that it was Jack, someone I knew was in there, was sending shivers down my spine. So stayed up all night, waiting as the screams stopped, I never figured out what time it was, until I saw a light coming from my window, signalling that it was already morning.

There was a loud banging that came from across my cell, followed by a scream.

“Keep it down in there, Ashby! Wouldn’t wanna be chained to the wall again, won’t you?” One of the guards told Alan in which the ginger just screeched again and fell silent afterwards.

“Fucking mental” I heard the guard mutter, but loud enough for me to hear it.

~♦~

“Did you hear what Alan did earlier today?” I asked Matthew as we were all escorted to the dining hall for our breakfast. The floors were still slippery and shiny from, what I assumed, was just mopped by one of the housekeepers. It was hard to walk but nonetheless manageable. I could never complain, really. We are here for a certain reason and no one would listen to someone who got sent in to a mad house.

“Did you even sleep at all, Alexander? You bags are reaching your chin. Rest a little, it’s good for you.” He said, eyes darted on the floor while talking, careful not to slip and fall to the ground as we go down to the hall.

“I can’t. The screams keep me up all night, it’s disturbing. This place will not cure me, not even a tiny bit. It will only make me worse.” I whispered, only for Matthew to hear, as we reach our way to the dining hall and grabbed ourselves trays for food and walk towards the counters.

“You’ll have to get used to it, you know. It’s going to be like that every night. And if you can’t put up with it, in one or two days, you’ll be one of the patients screaming at night. I suggest you rest.” He persisted and I grabbed my food as we walked to our table and sat across each other.

“I stayed up all night listening to Jack’s shock treatment go on. It seemed like hours. What were they doing?”

“You wouldn’t wanna know, Alexander. Even I don’t know. You’re going to have to be the one on that bed, all tied up, and gagged, for you to know.” He said as he takes a bite to his poorly made sandwich.

I fell silent after that, utterly speechless as I, one by one, peel the rotting skin of this asylum.

~♦~

I was sent for a weekly therapy session with Dr. Merrick today, something I’m not looking forward to. Because to be perfectly honest, I don’t want to talk to anyone but Matthew today. But I know that’s never gonna happen.

I walk down the halls towards his office escorted by Henry and Elise, looking rather confident with herself. Dressed in her habit and a long leather, somewhat, whip hanging around her belt hoops. In the end of it were keys to the cells.

As I entered the doctor’s office, I couldn’t avoid the feeling of nausea coming, I wanted to spill my guts just then and there but that was uneducated and immoral, the last thing that I ever wanted was to be looked down to by the Sisters and the doctors. I already feel degraded just by being sent in this mad house, I don’t want the authorities to think of me as spit. Someone who they can walk on to. That’s the last thing that I ever want.

“Please, sit down, Mr. Gaskarth.” Dr. Merrick said, not looking up from the papers.

I sat down, looking sternly at him, not even breaking a glance to look at his office. Nothing special about it, in my opinion.

“So Mr. Gaskarth, how are you coping up with this place?”

“Not Bad, doctor. I haven’t slept enough, though. The screams keeping me awake.” I said.

“Ah! Yes, don’t mind those. You’ll get used to it. Well, I’ve been informed that you’ve made friends? Matthew Flyzik to be exact? I suggest you stay away from that man, Alexander. He’s a danger.”

“I will talk to whoever I wanted to doctor.” Keeping my voice calm and looking at him directly in the eye when he looked up at me.

“Very well, so let’s get started, shall we? How is your hallucinations, Alexander? Are the pills working?”

I had the sudden urge to tell him that it stopped, that I never took those damn pills, not once. But I know they’d force it down my system once they knew I didn’t so I just kept shut. Waiting for him to assume things.

“Unresponsive. Check. You’re going to have to cooperate with me, Mr. Gaskarth, if you want to leave this place.”

And that was the last straw, I completely lost it when he told me that I’d be out of this place. I leaned forward to his desk and grabbed him by the collar, “No one, not even a soul could escape from this place. Sane or not!” I spat. Letting him go and getting out of his office immediately.

~♦~

“I don’t want to repeat myself, Mr. Gaskarth. You know I hate that.” Sister Elise said. Voice laced with fury yet calm.

I was sent to her office shortly after what I did in Dr. Merrick’s office. To say Sister Elise was very unhappy about it, was an understatement. I have never been in her office before, I believe not many patients come in here for “the talk”. I got weird looks as I pass the hallway towards her office.

“I want to play a game, Alexander. My game.” She said, looking at me with her eyebrows raised high. A playful smirk on her lips. “W-what?”

She walked towards the enormous brown mahogany closet at the corner of the room, gesturing for me to follow her, I did. “I want you to pick, Alexander. Choose wisely.”

She opened the closet and it revealed leather whips from the thinnest one to a leather paddle. I gulped, almost too exaggerated that she looked at me, smirking, still. Nodding at me to pick. I knew full well where this is going.

I chose the thinnest one.

“One come on, Mr. Gaskarth. You’re not playing fair.”

I put it back, and chose the one in the middle, two inches thick leather whip, probably too thick because of the leather on it. I assume it was hardwood covered in black leather, seeing as it was hard and long with a wooden handle. But that was least of my problems as Sister Elise asked me to lower my pants on to me knees and lean forward to her desk. I did as I was told.

Without any sign of warning, the first hit landed. It stings, to say the least. Because it was leather and wood altogether. It hurts the second time she did.

“I told you never misbehave in my asylum, Alexander. I get it that you’re stupid and useless as you were sent here to be looked after to. But I told you, specifically to behave. And what did you do? Go against it.” She spat, punctuating ever line with a hard hit, my thighs were sore and I swear I could feel blood dripping from my thighs to the back of my knees. It hurts and tears were prickling in my eyes, blinking it away. Knowing that I will not be able to sit for a few days.

Once she was finished with me, she asked me to pull my pants up, and manhandling me to sit on the chair. A howl escaped from my throat as I was dragged on it. It hurt too much to refrain from screaming my lungs out. As I was certain that there was blood on my thighs, feeling the fabric of my pants getting wet from it.

“I’ll tell you this, and I’ll tell you this the very last time, Alexander. I do not, not ever, want you to misbehave in my asylum. I have bigger things that hurt more.” She said as she dragged me out of her office, pushing me forward as I stumble and land on my behind. I screeched, and screamed and howled. Everyone’s eyes were settled on me.

I started to get up, keeping some of my dignity to myself, as a familiar figure hovered above me. I could scream and run away. But I can’t as my throat was swelling up from all the screaming and howling I’ve made earlier and my thighs were bleeding, hurting. Knees shaking. So I stood there, looking straight at his brown eyes. Finding the energy to speak, my voice was hoarse and shaky.

“J-jack.”