Them Inside

1.

The thick fog caressed the cab as if the weather knew of my arrival to Case insane asylum. I can see the driver was beginning to regret taking this shift. He wasn't my normal driver, Mark, but this guy is the only one not busy.

He pulled up to the building and stared timidly at the door as if a person would come out any second and attack him. I dropped the money into his hand, through the window, and turned to make my way down the paved courtyard. I didn't glace back to see if he'd been still there because I knew he was gone as soon as I gave him the money. I clutched the fresh roses in my gloved hands. Through the gloves I could still feel the water from the stems seep through the knitted wool. "Ok." I breathed as I approached the large wooden doors.

Case insane asylum been around since 1811. The doors were cracked down the sides and some of the unreplaced windows shrouded the bottom floor with ash from the past fire. The people, who planted the flowers that grow along the side of the buildings, have been called to new jobs, but the flowers still managed to bloom on time. The front lawn always looks presentable even though the building is isolated from the public eye behind all these trees and the patients rarely ever left their rooms.

It felt as though nothing here ever changed. The same building, which gave off the same aura. The feeling of sadness and fear. The same staff that walked the buildings halls. I approached the secretary, I knew as Mary, and showed her my id. The same procedure. She slid the big book in front of me. Only a few signatures from other visitors were scattered on the yellow paper. I only added mine to the collection and slid it back to her. I was here for the same reason I was 5 years ago. My dad.

I watched the security guard's hands fumble with the keys to unlock the door. There has to be more than 50 keys on the ring. "Did you cut the thorns off those roses?" The guard grumbled. I nodded and followed him in toward the elevators. "So how are you doing, Ren?" His name is Clint and he is fairly new. He'd started work 6 months ago and looked to be in his early twenties. I wasn't one to want to start a conversation with the staff as I could get too familiar and I realized they were replaced or quit more than often.

"I'm fine." I huffed and removed my gloves.

"I think they recently changed the medication this week. I believe this dose has made a lot of them drowsy." He explained. A ding sounded and the doors opened in front of us revealing a table with a glass vase where some dying flowers basked in their cloudy water. "I believe a nurse is already in there so you can just head in." I exited the elevator. The fact they changed the medication again this month ruined the happy mood I tried so hard to gain. Last week it was that everyone was cranky. The week before that everyone was extremely hungry. Now they're tired. My dad and all the others never got a break.

I had to force a smile as I opened the door to my dad's room. It was hard to smile seeing his room. The only window in his room faced out towards a tall building. It looked abandoned, but entrancing. He blocked that view from his window with a black curtain. The walls were bare and his floor always had something spilled on it. They removed the carpet. I spotted my dad in the corner at his desk and just as Clint said two nurses were present in the room as well. Their glares at me made me trip over my words. "H-hi dad." I said clutching the flowers to my jacket. "How are you doing?" I tried confidently. I couldn't show him I was nervous. I wasn't. He moved a little and turned his head towards me. In the corner of my eye I could see the two nurses stiffle in their seats.

"Ren?" He said, huskily. I nodded and smiled. "Ren...Ren...Ren" He repeated. "Ren...Renny...Ren" He got up from his seat and walked to me grabbing my hand. One nurse began to stand, but was stopped by the other who was watching. His smile stayed on his face as he sat on the bed ushering me to sit next to him. "Are those for me?" He looked at the flowers I was holding.