Dakota and the Westfield Mental Hospital

My gaze remained transfixed on a blank spot on the floor, supposedly white but gray from the lack of maintenance. Hearing the cheers and laughter coming from outside, my blood boiled. Everyone was out having fun while I was here, stuck in one little cubicle at the Westfield Mental Hospital. I noted the sound of my door opening but postponed turning my head until that familiar voice resonated through the room.

“Hello Dakota. How are you doing today?” a gentle voice asked. I looked up. In front of me stood a short woman, her height increased by a pair of black leather heels. A simple black and white suit overlay her plump physique. The entire ensemble was a bit too formal for my taste, but who was I to talk about taste; I was stuck wearing a baggy, gray one-piece with a number plastered on my back as if I were some item meant to be put on sale.

“Hello Dr. Sage,” I replied simply, “I'm doing fine.” She nodded shortly before jotting down my response on a small notepad. I saw no reason for her to do so considering my response was the same every week, but it wasn’t something worth mentioning.

“Let’s get right to the point,” she stated, though it was more of a question. Her sentence was abrupt but that was one of the things I liked about her. She didn’t bother with small talk. It was never my forte anyway. My dull grey eyes met her gentle green gaze and I gave a shaky nod.

“Can you recall to me what Carter did that night?” Immediately, I started shaking. The voices and screams started as a whisper but quickly escalated. Moments flashed before my eyes; my mother cowering on the floor with a blade pressed against her throat, my younger brother jumping on the murderer’s back only to get thrown off and shot, and Carter’s eyes, a complete replica of mine except his were icy cold while mine were glazed with fear.

“Please don’t do this, father,” I pleaded, still stuck in my trance. It wasn't until I saw Dr. Sage’s worried gaze that I found my way back to the present.

“Dakota,” Dr. Sage called cautiously.

“No,” I whispered, “No. No. No.” I called, each word getting louder and more violent as I continued. I watched as two guards creeped towards me, their arms pressed protectively against their chests. “No!” I screeched one final time before making a mad dash towards the opened cell door. Finding myself trapped by the white walls, I panicked. Unaware of which direction was which, I ran. I ran wherever this maze would take me. My vision a blur, I tried to look behind me only to end up feeling myself falling. Looking back ahead of me, I screamed as my face quickly met with the white tile. A thump and a crunch was all I heard before my vision went black.

#shortstories