Belhaven
In an asylum, two patients confront their deepest fears as they struggle to distinguish reality from nightmare.
The silence was too loud. The kind that fills the cracks in your bones, burrows into your skull, makes you feel like you're the only one left in the world. That's what it felt like when I opened my eyes. Darkness, thick and tangible. Could almost reach out and grab it. But I didn't. Stayed still. Heartbeat echoing in my ears.
Heaviness in the air. Oppressive. Weight of all my fears pressing down at once.
"Ellie, you okay?"
Voice from my right. Shaky. Filled with fear that matched my own. Turned my head slowly. Muscles stiff, uncooperative. Sarah's pale face, illuminated by faint red light streaming through the cracked window.
The blood moon. Almost forgot about it. We used to talk about it like some kind of omen. Maybe it was.
"Yeah," I whispered back. "I think so."
Common room. Where they let us out during the day to "socialize." Different now. Twisted. Warped. Nightmare stuff. Furniture broken, strewn about. Hurricane aftermath. Walls pulsing, breathing in and out. Alive. Shivered. Hugged my knees to my chest.
"We need to get out of here," Sarah said. Eyes darting around the room. "This place isn't right."
Didn't need to tell me that. Could feel it. Air vibrating with energy. But where could we go? Doors always locked at night. Windows barred. Trapped. Always trapped.
"Maybe it's a dream," I said. More to myself than Sarah. "Maybe we'll wake up soon."
Deep down, knew it wasn't true. Too real. Too vivid. Time stretching, warping. Minutes feeling like hours. Huddled together in darkness. Trying to make sense of it all. Other patients stirring. Murmurs filling the room. Scared eyes. Wide. Haunted.
Dr. Norris. The thought struck like lightning. "We need to find Dr. Norris. He'll know what to do."
Sarah nodded. Face pale, drawn. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. Let's go."
Stood up. Legs trembling. Floor unstable. Could give way any moment. Moved cautiously. Stepping over debris. Hallway beyond, darker still.
"Do you hear that?" Sarah whispered. Voice trembling.
Listened. Strained my ears. At first, nothing but my own pounding heart. Then, faintly. Low, guttural growl. Animal in pain. Shiver down my spine.
"We need to hurry," I said. "We need to find him."
Moved faster. Growls growing louder. Closer. Following us? Pushed fear aside. Focus on finding Dr. Norris. Hard when every shadow hides a monster. Every sound makes my heart leap.
His office. Door ajar. Pushed it open. Hinges creaking loudly in the silence. Empty room. Desk overturned. Papers scattered everywhere. No sign of him.
"Where is he?" Sarah's voice rising. Panic creeping in. "He should be here!"
Didn't know what to say. Same panic. Same fear clawing at my insides. Couldn't let it take over. Had to stay strong. For both of us.
"We'll find him," I said. Trying to sound confident. Failing. "We have to."
Left the office. Urgency driving us forward. Hallways twisting, turning. Ways they never had before. Building changing? Morphing into something new. Terrifying. Growls following. Louder. More insistent. Hunted.
"Ellie, I don't like this," Sarah said. Voice trembling. "I don't like this at all."
"Me neither," I admitted. "But we can't stop. We have to keep moving."
Turned a corner. Almost ran into him. Dr. Norris. Different now. Face twisted, gaunt. Eyes hollow. Staring. Unblinking. Moment of non-recognition.
"Dr. Norris," I said. Voice shaking. "We need your help. Something's wrong. Something's very wrong."
No response. Just staring. Empty eyes. Then, a smile. Slow. Chilling. Wave of terror through me.
"You're too late," he said. Low, mocking whisper. "It's already begun."
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked. Voice rising in panic. "What's begun?"
No answer. Turned. Walked away. Disappeared into shadows. Stood there. Stunned. Processing.
"Ellie, what are we going to do?" Sarah's voice desperate. Eyes wide with fear.
Lost. Adrift. Terror and confusion. Couldn't stay here. Had to keep moving. Keep searching for a way out.
Twisted hallways. Atmosphere heavier. More oppressive. Growls stopped. Other sounds now. Whispers. Faint, indistinct. Voices carried on the wind.
"Do you hear that?" Sarah asked.
Nodded. Straining to make out words. Just out of reach. Slipping away. Maddening. Like trying to catch smoke with bare hands.
"We have to keep going," I said. Voice barely a whisper. "We have to find a way out."
Deeper into the asylum. Wondering if there was a way out. Walls closing in. Hallways stretching endlessly. Trapped in a maze. Never-ending nightmare.
Turned a corner. Large mirror. Surface cracked, dusty. Stared at my reflection. Face twisted, distorted by broken glass. Looking at a stranger. Someone I didn't recognize.
"Ellie, look," Sarah said.
Tore gaze away from mirror. Saw what she was pointing at. In the reflection, behind us. Tall, shadowy figure. Eyes glowing faint red. Spun around. Heart pounding. Nothing there. Empty hallway.
"What was that?"
"I don't know," I said.
Turned away from mirror. Footsteps echoing in silence. Whispers louder. More insistent. Calling to us. Beckoning deeper into darkness.
Heavy door. Imposing. Surface covered in strange symbols. Hesitated. Hand hovering over handle. Something deeply wrong about this place. Primal, bone-deep fear.
"Ellie, what the fuck do we do?" Sarah's voice filled with terror.
"We don't have a choice," I said.
Pushed door open. Stepped into large, dimly lit room. Air thick. Foul, acrid smell. Rotting flesh. Walls covered in strange, pulsating growths. Floor slick with dark, viscous fluid.
Center of room. Figure. Tall, thin. Face hidden in shadows. Turned to look at us. Wave of terror washes over me. Eyes empty, hollow pits. Mouth twisted into grotesque smile.
"Welcome," it said. Low, raspy whisper. "I've been waiting for you."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"That doesn't matter," it said. Step towards us. "What matters is that you're here. And now, you must face your demons."
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.
Figure smiled. Slow, chilling smile. Shiver down my spine. "You must confront your fears. Your deepest, darkest fears. Only then can you find a way out."
Cold, creeping dread settling over me. My fears. My nightmares. Too real. Too vivid. Didn't want to face them. Didn't want to confront the darkness lurking inside.
Figure watching us. Empty eyes glowing with faint, eerie light.
"Ellie, I'm scared," Sarah cried.
"Me too."
Figure gestured. Room shifting, warping. Suddenly, no longer in asylum. Forest. Trees towering above. Branches twisting, writhing. Living things. Air thick with fog. Ground slick with mud.
"This is where it begins," figure's voice echoing. Everywhere and nowhere. "Face your fears, and you will find the way out."
Deep breath. Trying to steady myself. Forest dark, foreboding. Trees whispering, murmuring as we moved through them. Every step a struggle. Mud clinging to feet. Slowing us down.
Deeper into forest. Whispers louder. More insistent. Calling my name. Urging me closer. Trying to ignore them. Focus on finding way out. Hard. Fear like a living thing. Wrapping around me. Suffocating.
Stumbled into clearing. Froze. Center of clearing. Figure. Tall, thin. Face twisted into grotesque mask of pain and fear. Me. My own reflection. Staring back with hollow, empty eyes.
Figure stepped forward. Movements slow, deliberate. Reached out a hand. Cold, creeping dread settling over me.
"Face your fear," figure's voice echoing. "Only then can you find the way out."
Deep breath. Steadying myself. Had to do this. Face my fear..
"Ellie, you can do this," Sarah said. "You have to."
Nodded. Heart pounding in chest. Step forward. Another. Face to face with figure. Reached out hand. Took it. Cold, electric shock running through me.
Closed my eyes. Deep breath. Let fear wash over me. Filling every part of me. Slowly, began to let it go. Faced it. Acknowledged it. Let it go.
Opened eyes. Figure gone. Forest gone. Back in asylum. Walls pulsing with faint light.
Whispers faded. Replaced by low, constant sound vibrating through air. Oppressive weight lifted. Still sense of urgency. Feeling of running out of time.
"We have to find a way out," I said. Voice steady. "We have to get out of here before the blood moon sets."
Turned corner. Door at end of hallway. Surface covered in strange symbols. Different from other doors. More substantial. More real. Surge of hope.
"That's it," I said. Heart pounding. "That's the way out."
Ran. Door glowing with faint light. Drawing us in. Reached out. Grabbed handle. Cold shock running through me.
"Ellie, hurry," Sarah urged.
Turned handle. Door swung open. Stepped through. World shifting, blurring around us. Moment of falling. Tumbling through void. Then, suddenly, outside. Asylum gone. Vast, open field bathed in the light of a blood moon.
"We made it," I said. "We did it."
Even as words left my mouth, sense of unease. Field empty. Silent. Air thick. Didn't feel free. Still trapped. Still caught in nightmare.
Standing there. Staring out at empty field. Blood moon hanging low in sky. Relief quickly replaced by growing sense of dread. Escaped asylum, but not the nightmare.
Silence pressing down. Cold shiver down spine. Field stretching endlessly. Horizon lost in red light. No sign of life. No sound. Just oppressive silence and weight of blood moon overhead.
"Ellie, do you think we're really out?" Sarah asked.
Didn't know what to say. Everything felt wrong. Twisted.
"We have to keep moving," I said. "We can't stay here."
Started walking. Footsteps silent on soft grass. Field going on forever. Landscape unchanging. Monotonous. Air thick. Feeling of being watched.
"Ellie, look," Sarah said suddenly. Pointing ahead.
Squinted. Trying to make out what she was pointing at. In distance, figure. Tall, thin. Standing motionless in middle of field. Too far to make out details. Something deeply unsettling about it.
"Do you think it's real?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know," I said. Heart pounding.
Started walking towards figure. Getting closer. Person. Face hidden in shadows. Standing perfectly still. Watching us with empty, hollow eyes.
"Hello?" I called out. Voice shaking. "Can you help us?"
No response. Just standing there. Staring.
Another step forward. Suddenly, figure moved. Step towards us. Movements slow, deliberate. Surge of terror.
"Run," I said. "Run!"
Turned and ran. Figure following. Movements slow but relentless. Presence behind us. Cold, creeping dread.
Kept running. Figure following. Blood moon casting light over endless field. Sense of dread growing stronger. More oppressive.
Suddenly, stopped.
Edge of field. Cliff dropping off into dark, endless void. Nowhere left to run.
Heart pounding. Can't breathe. Can't think. Sarah's hand in mine, trembling. Figure approaching. Slow. Inevitable.
Time stretching. Heartbeat loud in ears. Void calling. Promising escape. But was it real? Nothing feels real anymore. Asylum, forest, field—all blurring together.
Sarah squeezed my hand. Figure reached out. Blood moon pulsed. Everything's red. Can't think. Can't breathe. Foot slides back. Pebbles skittering into abyss. One step. All it would take. To end this. To wake up. But what if we don't wake up?
Figure's hand, inches from face. Mouth opens. Can't hear over roaring in head. Sarah or void. Figure or fall. No right choice. No way out. Blood moon flares. Blinding.
Close my eyes. World spinning. Falling? Flying? Can't tell anymore. Sarah's hand slipped from mine. Or am I letting go? Darkness rushing up. Or is it light?
Screaming. Me? Sarah? The void itself? Sound fading. Everything fading.
Then...
Silence.
Darkness.
Nothing.
…
Beeping. Steady. Rhythmic.
Eyes heavy. Can't open them. Try to move. Can't.
Voices. Muffled. Far away.
"...showing signs of consciousness..."
"...remarkable recovery..."
"...Ellie? Can you hear me?"
Familiar voice. Can't place it. Try to speak. Nothing comes out.
"It's okay, Ellie. You're safe now."
The field? Sarah?
Sarah.
Try to ask. Can't form words. Panic rising.
"Don't try to speak yet. Just rest. You've been through a lot."
Darkness creeping in again. Trying to fight it. Losing.
Before consciousness slips away, one last thought:
No way to know. No way out.
Whispers. Faint. Distant.
Calling my name.