Psychogenic

Kellin

10-15

I fell asleep on the bus, as usual. But when I woke up, my eyes met Vic's brown ones. They weren't relaxed either.

"What?" I whispered, looking around to see everyone looked just as worried as Vic.

"L-Look." He pointed out the window. I stretched over and looked out his window. What I saw startled me. We were no longer in my hometown. We were at that asylum we always learned about.

"Why are we here?" I asked Vic, but before he could answer, I heard a clap. I peered around the seat to see the bus driver rubbing his hands together slowly. I shivered.

"Hello...people." He spoke coldly. "You probably all wonder why we're here right now." Everyone, including myself nodded. "Well, this is your new home silly's!" What?

I glanced over to Vic and bit my lip.

"Excuse me, but whatever prank your pulling-" A lady began to say.

"This is not a joke, now shut your trap." The bus driver barked startling us all.

Everyone was silent as we listened to the bus driver, who's name is Craig. Apparently he went into a bar and lost all the mental patients, so now we're decoys? What kind of sick twisted bastard does this shit?

"As I was saying." He began "Welcome to your new home. I expect you to behave properly, or else you will be punished."'

"You won't get away with this." I heard Vic growl at the man, making the hair on my neck tingle. Could he get away with this?

After a few minutes of everyone struggling to escape the bus, everything settled. Craig grabbed two people by the arm and pushed them out the door, never letting go. Another man came out and grabbed another two before the doors were locked.

"We gotta bust this window out." I said to Vic frantically. I didn't know him very well, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

"Don't try, they don't break." Some lady called out. She must've been trying.

"Shit..." I mumbled as the two returned. They were only a few rows ahead of Vic and I. I glanced at him nervously. "What's going to happen to us in there?" I whispered to him, my heart beat irregular.

"I don't know, but whatever happens isn't going to be pretty."

And then I lost all hope. there was no way out of this. I wasn't going to go home to sleep in my bed tonight, let alone see my friends again. I'm going to be locked up and called crazy, even when I perfectly sane.

Craig and the helper returned a few minutes later, reaching our row. I watched as Craig grabbed and yanked a lady's arm, making her cry out in pain. I also heard him whisper to her to shut up, but I ignored that because I was completed frantic and was freaking out.

I felt Vic's arm bump me, so I turned to him. His eyes held as much worry as mine, but deep down in those chocolate orbs I saw hope. Everything felt slightly better now.

And then I felt him. I don't know who him is, but whoever he was had a firm grip on my arm before yanking me from my seat.

I stood up and was dragged from the back to the front, and out the doors of the bus. We scurried up to the asylum, which looked darker than ever. It wasn't until we were inside that I realized how terrifying it must be to live here.

Everyone else looked so...dead. They were pale and scrawny. Is this what I'm going to be?

The man led me away from the others and down a dark hallway. There were cries and screams coming from multiple cells locked up securely.

Why do people get treated this way?

We reached a cell unlocked, and without any hesitation, the man shoved me in. I went to pound the door back open, but the man locked it before I had the chance. Everything was silent.

But after a few minutes of complete silence, I heard footsteps. They got closer and closer to me, and before I knew it, the door was open again. I rushed towards it, but only bumped into someone else.

"Who's that?" I yelled.

"Kellin? It's Vic." I couldn't see him, but I knew he was there. His voice gave himself away.

The cell was completely dark, so I felt around. And sure enough, I hit two beds and finally a switch. I flicked it up, and on came on a faded light.

It was better than nothing, but everything was still dark. I saw the walls were both rock and steel. No wonder you can't hear anything outside of here. The beds looked uncomfortable.

Vic and I met each others eyes.

"What's going to happen?" I asked, and all he did was shrug.

"I'm not sure now, why are we in the same cell?" It was my turn to shrug.

Maybe they ran out of space, or maybe they always have two patients in one cell.

It made sense to have two guys together, just so relationships don't happen. Too bad for them though, I'm gay.

Right now though, that isn't important. What's important is that we get out of this mess.

"So...any ideas on how to get out of here?" I asked, glancing at him as I plopped down on my bed.

"Nope." And that was all we said for the rest of the time we were locked up in the cell.

Then, what I assume was a few hours later, the door opened unexpectedly. I sat up quickly, looking to see a lady in a long, black coat standing before us.

"Hello children." She spoke softly, in an angelic tone. But I was no kid, nor was I stupid.

"We're not children." Vic said to her boldly. She raised her eyebrows and stepped farther in.

"Oh really? You are a child. If you were not a child in your mind, you wouldn't be here. So tell me, why are you here?" She asked us.

"Because we were kidnapped, that's why." I spat at her. Her eyes which seemed to glow landed upon mine.

"Silly, you were not kidnapped. Craig would never dishonor us."

"Well he did." I shot back, now on my feet. She shook her head disapprovingly.

"Sit down while I speak." Her soft spoke rose slightly, so I sat back down. "You're new here, I wouldn't want to punish you on the first night now would I? Let me explain some things to you." Her smile was sinister.

Slowly, I crawled back on my bed, not fully ready to hear what she has to say.

"I'll put it bluntly because you're too unintelligent to understand big words, aren't you?"

"We aren't idiots, quit fucking with us." I heard Vic mutter, and I was taken back by his choice of words. Bolder than me, that's for sure.

I watched as her eyes flared up, and a knot formed in my stomach.

"Young child, you do not use such language in the house of God." She said boldly, straightening out the hood on her head.

"This isn't the house of God hun." Vic emphasized hun, then began to bite his nails. I couldn't help but to smile.

"Do not speak like that. No derogatory words will be tolerated, do you understand?" She now yelled, tapping her foot on the cement floor.

"Hmm, you mean like fuck? Fuck, fuck, fuck-" Vic began.

"Vic I wouldn't-"

"You." She pointed at Vic. His bored expression didn't falter. "Come with me right now." She yelled, latching onto his arm. But he didn't fight.

I watched her drag him from the cell, leaving me by myself again. I let out a sigh and fell back onto the bed.

What's going to happen to Vic?

✝

Later on that night, the door opened and in walked none other than Vic. He didn't acknowledge me, probably because he thought I was asleep. But how could I sleep in such a sinister place?

I watched him cautiously as he sat down on the bed, then winced. What happened? Everything went quiet.

But a few minutes later, I heard something. I heard him in particular. I glanced back up to him, sitting across from me on his bed. He had his knees pulled up to his chest, and his head rested on his knees. Through the thin light, I saw tears run down his cheek.

I couldn't bare it any longer. I sat up in the bed and looked at him directly, until he looked at me.

"Are you alright?" I asked him quickly. He wiped at the tears.

"Yeah I'm f-fine." He looked away.

"I don't believe you." And with that, I stood up and walked over to his bed, sitting down next to him. "I know we just met earlier today, but you can trust me." He nodded. "But if you don't want to tell me, it's okay."

"She took me to her office, I think." He began, and I nodded, silently asking him to continue. "She opened a closet and there were lashes everywhere. She gave me another chance, but me being the way I am, i didn't oblige her wishes and...yeah..."

"Are you okay?"

"I hurt." He smiled slightly, which enlightened the mood a little. But then his eyes got teary again, and I watched him wipe them away.

One strolled down his cheek and when he didn't catch it, I coudln't help but wipe it away. His eyes met mine, so I smiled at him.

And so we sat for the rest of the night. There was no talking, just silence.

I think that's all we needed right now though, silence.