Buried Alive

“There you go Raven, that should help with the voices.” The nurse said to me as she injected some sort of liquid in my arm. The voices did not quiet down; they actually grew louder when they put the medicine in me. Reminding me that they’re there. I think that I like the voices; they help me focus on something. I don’t know how long I’ve been here; but it has been too long in my eyes.

I stare at one of the walls in my room, listening to the voices. They are mostly yelling, screaming, evil laughter, and talking about some inferno. It’s better than listening to the staff saying that I’m crazy. I keep telling them: I’m not insane. They don’t believe me, no one believes me.
My head swivels as I hear my door open, one of the security guards entered. Sullivan I think he goes by.

“Hey Raven. Ready to go outside for some fresh air?” He asks.

“No.”

“Why? Don’t you want to go outside?”

“No. Why is it that you or one of the other security guards takes me out of my room to go to places? Why not the doctors or nurses? They’re not doing anything.” I said. It’s always been on my mind since I notice that trend.

“I don’t know, but I think because you say more words with us than with them. Come on, let’s go outside.” Sullivan said as he grabs hold of my arm and lift me up off my bed and leads me out of my room. We walk down the hall where some of the other patients reside. I hear some of them scream or laugh. Some are yelling out some words but I can’t make it out.

“I’m not insane.” I whisper out, but Sullivan must have heard me because he looked at me as if I knew something that I shouldn’t have.

Soon we arrive at the garden where the other patients were out. Sullivan lets go of my arm and lets me wonder. I walk over to a tree and sit under its shadow. I just want to be left alone and be free from this place. I don’t want to go back inside. I’m not insane.

I don’t really know how long I have been sitting there, but another guard came and got me, I think he goes by Seward.

“Come on Raven, time for lunch.” I slowly get up and follow him to the food court where people with good behaviour go to eat. If you don’t have good behaviour, you get to eat in your room with someone constantly watching you. While walking to the food court, I start to hear the voices speak their opinions. They are mainly telling me that the guards I know are not what they seem. I try to ignore them, but they won’t shut up!

I grab my tray with my food and grab one of those weird 3-in-1 utensils that are made out of plastic, so we won’t hurt ourselves. I walk to some random table and sit. While everyone is eating, a nurse enters and walk around each table and giving us our medications. They say that I am a schizophrenic, I say “lies”.

“Hey Raven, how are you today?” Another nurse said; as she took a seat at my table. I don’t like it when people sit by me without asking.

“Fine.” I clipped. I don’t want to talk to anybody.

“You have an appointment with Dr. Haner today. I am going to be taking you to his office.” The nurse said, while I was wondering, why is she wearing a neon pink scrub?

“When is it?” I ask

“In about ten minutes.” She said as she checked her wrist watch.

“How about we start heading to his office?” She suggests.

“Okay.” I stood up along with the nurse to head over to Dr. Haner. I’ve talked to him a bit but I haven’t really opened up to him.

We walk down the hallway, away from the patients to the part of the building, where all of the Doctors’ offices is. The nurse unlocks the door and lets me in.

“Dr. Haner will be with you in a few minutes.” With that, she closes the door and left me standing in a big office.

There wasn’t much in the office, a bookshelf, his doctorate certificates, a desk with a laptop, and a file. I walked to the folder and notice it has my name on it. Curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to open it. I couldn’t read the writing, so I had no clue what he put in it. All I was able to read was a print out of me that has some information about me before I was admitted.

As I am trying to decipher what the hand writing says, I hear footsteps approaching. Scared I might get caught; I go over to that “bed couch” and lie down. Just as I lay down, the door opens to reveal the doctor.

“Hello Raven.”

“Hi.” I said. He walks over to his desk and grabs a note pad and a pen. Then he walks back to the chair that is beside me; I notice a mouse in a cage running on the wheel. While looking at the mouse running, I feel a little connection. The mouse and I are both running, but going nowhere.

The doctor might have notice me looking at the mouse because he wrote something down on the notebook.

“Raven, may I ask you a question?” Dr. Haner asks.

“Depends on the question.” I replied back.

“Okay, why do you think you’re here?” Dr. Haner asks.

“I’m here because people think I am crazy, even though I know what I’m talking about.” I said, turning my head towards him. He again writes something in his notes.

“What exactly are you saying about me in your notes?” I ask.

“What makes you think that I am writing about you? I could be writing a grocery list.” He replies back.
I rapidly change positions on the seat to look at the Doctor more closely.

“Because I am pretty sure that you don’t think of what fruit you have to buy on your way home, while at the same time, writing in your logs about your observation of me.” I said to him.

“You know Raven; you are a highly intelligent woman.” Dr. Haner said.

“Stop avoiding my question and answer it!” I said, slowly raising my voice.

“I am not ignoring your question.” He told me calmly.

“Yes, you are! You won’t tell me what is in your goddamn notes, or of what’s going on with me! I am not some little mouse enduring the wheel, running inside it and going nowhere in life!” I yell while at some point getting up from the chair and pacing. Dr. Haner slowly gets up from his seat, and I see him move to his desk with a measuring sort of caution.

“Raven.” He said to me. “Where do you see this mouse?”

“What do you mean ‘Where do you see this mouse’?! It’s right there! Beside the bookcase!” I point to the cage where the mouse lives.

“Raven, I don’t have a mouse.” Dr. Haner said to me with an eerie calm to his voice.

“Yes you do!” I yell. “The mouse is ri-“ I stop short of what I was going to say as I no longer see an alive mouse, but a snake swallowing the mouse.

“Raven, what do you see?” He says to me. I look at him with a look of disbelief on my face.

“You don’t see it?” I ask.

“I don’t see any animal there. You’re hallucinating, Raven.” He says to me.

“I’m not hallucinating! You don’t see it!?” I ask. Dr. Haner just shakes his head no.

I don’t know why, but seeing the doctor shake his head made me lose it. My movements scattered. I suddenly hear a sound behind me and I see one of the guards named Shadows, and a nurse holding a syringe filled with a clear liquid.

They want to knock me out.

“No! Don’t come near me!” I yell at them.

“It’s for your own good Raven.” I hear Dr. Haner says. I turn my head towards him.

“No. It’s not for my own good. It’s for your own good!” I yell at the doctor, walking towards him, ready to bash his head in. Before I could reach him; Shadows grabs a hold of my arms and tosses me to the couch.

“No! Let go of me! Let go!” As I am struggling against him, I didn’t notice the nurse advancing towards me till I see her remove the cap off of the syringe. I freeze in my movements and Shadows slowly loosens his hold on me. I take this to my advantage and I elbow him in the gut as I try to make a run for it.

“Get her!” I hear Dr. Haner yell out as I run out of the room. While I am running down the halls, I hear Dr. Haner’s voice over the PA system.

“Attention all staffs and security. We have a code black with patient Raven Cord. Patient Raven Cord, code black.” You have got to be kidding me!!

As I am running I end up running into Baker and Gates. They grab a hold of me and take me to the ground.

“No! Get off of me! Get your hands off of me, you sickos!!” I yell out. I see the nurse with that same goddamn syringe approach me with Dr. Haner and Shadows tailing behind her.

“I hate you. You know that, right?” I said to Dr. Haner.

“I’m sorry.” Dr. Haner says to me.

“No you’re not.” If a look could kill, he would have been six feet under.

As I am struggling against the two guards, I feel the nurse injects the clear liquid inside of my arm; I turn towards her and give her a dirty look. As I continue to struggle against them, wanting to be free from this hell; I start to feel the effects of the drug. A sedative to knock me out. Slowly I slip into unconsciousness.

Third Person Point of View

As Raven slipped into unconsciousness, Dr. Haner and the nurse checked her vitals to see if she was alright and was not reacting to the sedatives in a bad way.

“What do you want us to do with Raven?” The nurse asks.

“Put her in a strait jacket and send her to a padded room.” Dr. Haner said with a sad look on his face.

“But she was doing well, what happened to her?” The nurse said.

“I think she had a hallucination that sent her over the edge. She said that she saw a mouse in a cage in my office. But I don’t have any pets in my office.” He said with a sullen look on his face.

A nurse arrives with a gurney to help transport Raven safely from the hallway to her new room. As they wheel her off, Dr. Haner wishes he could have done something to help her instead of resorting to restraints and taking away privileges.

Normal Point of View

I slowly wake up with a pounding headache, I lift my hand to touch my head, to try to relieve the pain, but I can’t move my arms.

“What the hell?” I mumble out. I open my eyes but I see a different room than the one I am usually in. It’s a padded room. I’m on the ground and I notice that I am in a strait jacket.

“You have got to be kidding me. All I did was elbow the guard in the guts!” I said out loud. I slowly get up from the padded ground, trying to find my footing. I take in my surroundings to see that I only have a small window at the top of the wall, that lets in some natural light, everything else is artificial, and I have a small bed bolted into the ground, and the posts of the bed is also covered in paddings…at least I will sleep comfortable with all this paddings.

I walk over to the bed and sit; I don’t know how long I was knocked out. But now, I feel like I am back to square one, exactly, like the day I was admitted.

I don’t need to be in a strait jacket! Now, my nose is itchy, and I can’t scratch it!
My door opens and in walks Dr. Haner.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my favourite Doctor.” I said with sarcasm.

“How are you feeling Raven?” He asks, coming towards me, sitting on the cushioned floor.

“Itchy.” I replied.

“Why are you itchy?”

“Really? Is that some sort of rhetorical question? Well if it isn’t, I’ll tell you. It’s because I’m in a strait jacket! So that means I can’t scratch my nose!” I said, yelling at him with my answer.

“Are you aware that your privileges have been revoked?” He asks.

“Yes, I am well aware that they are taken from me.” I said, giving him a dry look.

“You will get your privileges back, once you start cooperating.” Dr. Haner said, standing up to leave.

“Well looks like I am going to be here for a while then.” I said, all I got back was the sound of the door closing.

One Month Later

This routine is killing me! One of the things that make it so difficult is that I am always watched. Even when I am asleep. there is someone watching with a security camera.
I am going to get out of here. Even if it kills me! I am no longer going to stay at this loony bin. The only company I get are the nurses, Dr. Haner, and those damn voices.

Lately, the voices have been talking a lot with evil laughter, as if they are mocking me, and they are talking about a toll just for me. I am trying to figure out what kind of toll they are talking about.

My door opens and in walks a nurse with Gates behind her.

“Time for your shower Raven.” She said. I don’t even bother trying to learn the nurses’ names. There is always someone new with me.

“Do I get to have it with privacy?” I ask. Already knowing the answer.

“No. You know what Dr. Haner said.” She replied back. “Now come on, time for your shower.” She said again.

I get up from my bed and I start to follow her while Gates following behind me, just in case I start to do something unexpected. As I am following the nurse down to the shower area, I start to think of ways I can get out of here. I think I am going to do it tonight.

The medical and security staff doesn’t know this…but I know how to get out of a strait jacket. You have to be tense and grip the material when they are putting it on you. The extra material and tension gives you about two inches of free space…enough to put my head through the hole to get my arms free. I obtained that information once when I watched Manswers.

We eventually arrive to where the shower stalls are, and the nurse instructs Gates to stand in front of me while she is unbuckling the jacket. While she is getting it unbuckled, I decide to look at Gates eyes and try to read him. He is probably the only security guard here that I don’t really know.

“What are you looking at?” He asks me.

“You.” I simply say.

“Why?” He questions.

“Trying to read you. See what you are like.” I say to him.

“Yea, well good luck with that.” He says back to me. He seems to have some sort of anger issues. Don’t want to be on the receiving end of the baton that is hanging off of his belt.

“Mr. Gates, you can wait outside of the stalls, I will watch Raven. I will call you if something happens.” The nurse says to Gates. He walks out and gives me a dirty look as he walks pass me.

“Come on Raven, go get undressed and take you shower.” The nurse says to me.

“Yes ma’am.” I said. Giving her a dry look.

I proceed to take off my clothes and get in the shower. The stalls are pretty clean. They have everything you need but the shower curtains are clear so the nurses can see if you are trying to harm yourself. It’s pretty difficult to do that in a shower. Even with the razor blades they supply, they make sure it’s dull so you won’t risk hurting yourself. They also make sure that there is only one patient using the shower at a time. Because you never know if one will snap and hurt someone.

After I was done my shower, I was dried off and was put back into my clothes and my strait jacket, with the help of Gates watching every move. I made sure that I was gripping the material when they were putting the jacket on me. I am determined to get out of here. Too long I have been stuck in this hell. No more.

I was led out of the shower area and back to my room where I was able to plot my escape. I knew that I could easily get the mattress springs out of the bed, they were pretty weak to begin with and I could pick the lock. But the problem was the camera; how was I going to get out with the camera watching every move I make? I walked over to the camera and stood directly underneath it so I know what exactly it was recording. It was pointed at the corner of my room, where my bed is, away from the door. Crap, they will see me free when I try to get a bedspring. I could ask to go to the washroom; they actually let me have some privacy. I could find something in there.

I walk over to the door and I start to kick it as my way of knocking, since my hands are currently occupied at the moment.

“Yes Raven, what is it?” I hear a nurse ask on the other side of the door.

“I need to go to the washroom.” I said.

“Alright, hold on.” The nurse said.

“Okay.” Too easy. Shortly after I hear my door being unlocked and opened. The nurse, who I assumed I was talking to, stood there with Sullivan. He is probably my favourite guard. I see him make some of the younger patients laugh.

“Come on. Let’s get you to the washroom.” I start to follow the nurse with Sullivan shortly behind me. Also seeing if I try to do something stupid. Once we reached where the washrooms are, they took off my strait jacket and I was allowed in the washroom. I immediately shut the door and I started to think “Where could I get an object to use on the door?” I know I needed two long thin objects. I looked around the toilet and I noticed under the tank of it were two long rusty nails. Perfect! I grabbed a hold of them and I tucked them in my bra. They wouldn’t look there.

I quickly “finished” what I had to do and I exited the washroom to see the nurse and Sullivan there waiting for me. They went and put the jacket back on me; again I was being tense and holding onto the material so I will have some slack.

I was led back to my room where I went through the rest of the day. I was fed, had a little bit of free time (aka plot my escape), got to meet the lovely Dr. Haner (for the last time), and had some more free time.

I was waiting till the lights went out in my room so I know it’s time for everyone to go to sleep. Sooner or later the lights turned off and I put my plan into action. I walked over directly under the camera so I wouldn’t be seen and I started to lift up my arm to put it through my head. I was able to squeeze my head through and I started to work on the buckles on my back. I was blindly trying to unbuckle the top ones with my hands still through the material so I can get my head through the jacket.

After a bit of struggle, I was able to remove the strait jacket. I went over to the door, making sure I wasn’t in the camera’s line of sight. I looked through the window on the door to make sure there was no one around and it was clear. I started to work on the door. It was harder than it looked in the movies. After some struggle I was able to get the door free.

I opened the door to make sure the coast was clear. I then proceeded to go to the nurses’ station where there was no one there and I went to the computers to see where the parking lot was. After I did a quick search I was able to see that it was just one floor below me.

I decided to take the stairs so I won’t run the risk of running into someone in the elevators. As I was exiting the building and heading to the parking lot to hopefully find an unlocked car, I saw something. I hid behind a three to see what was going on. It was Seward, Hates, Baker, Sullivan, Shadows, and Dr. Haner. From the distance they looked like that Dr. Haner was having a fight with the five security guards. I try to get closer to see what exactly is going on. As I get closer, I see Baker grab a hold of the doctor and hold his arms behind him, basically, he is powerless. Shadows then beat Dr. Haner to a pulp.

I gasp at the sight in front of me as I see Dr. Haner slip into unconsciousness. I then see Gates pull out a gun with a silencer and kill Dr. Haner. Tears start to fall out of my eyes. I quickly wipe them away and I slowly start to walk backwards, wanting to get away from them. I end up falling backwards and hitting a car, setting off the car alarm.

All of their heads turns towards the sound and they see me. I get up and I start to run as if the Devil himself was behind me.

“Get her!” I hear Shadows yell out to the other four guys. Shortly after I start to hear footsteps hitting the ground. I notice that the asylum is by a forest, I decide to run to it and hopefully get away from them in the trees. However, I hear their footsteps behind me. As I am running I tripped and landed onto the ground, in the same instant I felt a body slammed onto me. The assailant picks me up and holds my arms behind my back.

“Get your hands off of me!” I yell out.

“Hey Shadows! I got the person. It’s Raven!” Seward yells out. As I am struggling against Seward’s hold, the other four guys catch up.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here boys.” Baker said, standing in front of me. I decided to take this opportunity and kick him in his family jewels.

“Well, well, well. Looks like you’re not going to have any boys or girls.” I said to him as he is double over in pain and grabbing hold of his crotch.

“Good work Seward.” Shadows said, stepping in front of me.

“So Raven, this is the first time we meet outside of the asylum. Why you running?” Shadows said, learning close to my face. I spat in his face as my reply. He leaned away from my face and wiped the spit off of his face, then he slapped me, hard. I was frozen in the spot as I felt my cheek hurt.

“Ow.” I simply said.

“So, what should we do with you?” Shadows said, pondering on the thought.

“How about you let me go? I never did anything bad to you guys. And no one will believe me if cops question me why Dr. Haner is dead.” I said.

“Still, we can’t risk you ratting on us. Plus, no one is going to miss you.” Gates said, standing behind Shadows.

“True Gates, true. I think I know what we should do. Sullivan, you know what to do.” Shadows said. Next thing I know a cloth is covering my nose and mouth and I slip into unconsciousness.

Third Person Point of View

As Raven went under from the chloroform, Seward laid her down gently on the ground.

“Seward, go and get the car to the opening of the woods. We are going to make a special trip.” Shadows said. Seward left to do the deed.

“What exactly are we going to do with her? We can’t let her get away because she saw us kill Dr. Haner, but no one will believe her since she is a patient at the asylum.” Baker said.

“I know that, which is why I have an idea. Gates, you said that you were good at making stuff out of wood, right?” Shadows said, turning to Gates.

“Yea, what exactly do you need to me to make?” Gates asked

“You’ll find out. Come on; let’s get her to the car.” Shadows said. Sullivan went over to Raven and lifted her and put her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“How long do you think she is going to stay knocked out?” Shadows asked.

“A few hours at least. I still have chloroform with me in the car if she starts to wake up.” Sullivan said.

“Once we get to the car I will tell you what the plan is.” Shadows said, with an evil smirk across his face.

Normal Point of View

I woke up with my head pounding and only seeing the dark. Have I gone blind? I feel around me and I notice that I am in an enclosed space, probably a trunk of a car.

I feel around me and I find a flashlight. I turn it on to see that I am encased in a coffin. There is also a piece of paper by me. I grab it and I unfold it. I shine the flashlight on it. It simply says,

This is now your life. Die, buried alive!

THE END