Dark Nights

The Patient Profile

You walked forward, following his thrashing form as he was taken back, holding out your arm to him, trying to call out to him, but his roars drowned out your voice.

They dragged him down the hall and around a corner while leading a lightless Joshua behind. The sounds disappeared after a bit once there was the sound of a closing door.

The patients in the room were still in shambles. Many of them screaming and running around in a panicked state while the asylum workers struggled to get hold of the situation.

You noticed among the crowd the dark-haired girl that usually glared at you was standing perfectly calm amidst the chaos. Her usual angry scowl turned into what looked like her trying to murder you with her eyes. Who the hell was this chick anyway?

You sat back at the table, staying as far away from the ruckus as you could. You thought to yourself about the situation that just happened. Elliot was actually trying to get to you. He really did see you as a friend.

You smiled at that, glad that you were able to help him in some way shape or form. You looked down and opened your book to look at the flowers.

- -

"Alright, come right this way miss L/N." The nurse said as she led you down the same hallway Elliot and Joshua were taken down a few hours ago. It was right before dinner, but apparently you had to get a physical checkup real quick.

She led you into a normal-looking medical room with the bed like a table with paper sheets on it. You walked over to it and sat down, the papers crinkling underneath you. The nurse excused herself and walked out of the room.

You swung your legs boredly, the chained shackles around your ankles clinking together as you did so. You seriously had to wait for the Doctor in an Institution for the criminally insane? It's not like this is your regular-ass doctor appointment but oh well.

Minutes passed by and no one walked in. You wanted to yell out, there was literally nothing for you to do right here other than stare at the blank walls.

" Oh I'm sorry miss L/N, would you please come over here?" the nurse called from down the hall. You rolled your eyes and swung off of the table. Walking out of the room with your chains clattering along as you walked.

You looked out of the room, but the nurse was nowhere to be seen, maybe she was in one of the next rooms over? This nurse should be fired, what if you were an actual mentally unstable patient who decided to walk up to the next nurse and choke them with the chains around your wrists?

You started down the hallway, looking at each door to see which ones were open and if they had a certain nurse inside. Most of them were closed, and you never heard her voice again, so you could only look.

One of the rooms you passed was only cracked open slightly, if that was the room you were supposed to be in then it would probably not be mostly closed. You went to continue on when the profile holder next to your door suddenly caught your eye.

It was a clear little cubby attached to the wall right beside the light brown door. Inside was a Yellow folder with a patient's name printed on the outside.

Joshua Eric Daniels

Was... was Joshua in this room? Against your better judgment, you found yourself inching closer to the door. There were no sounds or voices coming from the other side, was he left alone too?

You could not resist the urge, so you looked around the hallway to see if anyone would see you. There were no guards, not even any camera's that you could see.

You reached up and plucked the papers out of the slot as quietly as you could. You brought it close and opened it to look at the papers inside.

There was only a single paper inside, with a mugshot like a photo of Joshua and a short little space of facts like his age, race, gender, height, weight, and all that other junk. There was a small paragraph underneath with a little biography. You could not stop yourself, you were in too deep.

" Joshua Eric Daniels, Victim of domestic abuse from father until the age of Eleven when he and his brother murdered their father. Their mother soon remarried and had a daughter. Joshua ran away with his brother at the age of twelve. It is unknown how they managed until they were caught, but it is well known that the brothers were responsible for multiple murders around the country. A small interview with their mother Jackie Claire bright revealed that before they murdered their father the young Joshua was quite interested in the musical arts, and always talked about how he wanted to grow up being a singer. For more notes see patient page 12 in room 814."

A singer eh? who would have known that quiet, stoic Joshua had once wanted to sing. Until his father hurt him to the point of no return. No, there was still hope for him. If shy frightful Elliot could warm up to you in the span of a month, then maybe Joshua could turn around and find the stage he lost a long time ago.

You set the paperback in the slot and placed a hand on the knob, but brought it back to your chest, trying to be as quiet as possible with the chains around your wrists.

You wanted to work up the courage to open the door, but only managed to play 'I'm not touching you' with the door handle for a minute or two.

Your breathing felt unnaturally loud in the quiet hallway, and your legs felt stiffer than usual. The blood in your head was pounding a tad hard.

You wanted to thank Joshua for saving your life, and to give your apologies for him losing his brother. You were scared that he would snap at you and attack you though.

Plus you should be looking for the nurse so you could do your physical, but... this was something you needed to do. Especially after reading the profile. So, you took in a deep breath and pushed the door open.