Tormented

by Lee Mountford

  But things had not worked out that way.

  Instead, Elton had died on his table and Dr. Thomas Reid’s promising career had gone into free-fall.

  But he was determined to prove that the procedure was not only viable, but also the best way to treat most mental ailments.

  Which meant he needed to try again.

  And he had scheduled his first re-attempt for the very next day. If successful, he intended to try again and again, and hone the procedure until he was able to carry it out flawlessly, each and every time.

  Then he could leave Arlington Asylum behind, and the clueless Isaac Templeton—a religious idiot playing at medicine—could go to hell.

  Reid dropped his pen and let out a sigh. That was enough for tonight. While he was a man who did not need a lot of sleep to operate well, he was in danger of overdoing it and leaving himself too exhausted tomorrow to be at his best. And when he was overly tired, Reid tended to think of his wife and son, and he could not afford to let himself do that. He removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  Time for sleep, at least for a few hours. And even if sleep did not come, he could at least rest his tired eyes.

  He then got to his feet and turned off the lantern before leaving his office and locking it securely behind him. Like every other area of the asylum, his personal quarters were just off the Main Hall. That area acted as a hub, and the other wards were connected to this central section like the arms running from the head of an octopus. The building itself was all single storey, with no stairs or elevators to speak of.

  Though that wasn’t true, was it? There was an old-looking service elevator at the back of the Main Hall, one that Reid was not allowed to use. He knew it went down, but to where he had no clue, and Templeton would not tell him.

  Secrets upon secrets, in a structure that almost seemed designed to be hidden from the world: sunken into a surrounding forest, with only one road in and out.

  A road that was not much travelled anymore.

  Hell, even the administrative staff who worked in the Main Hall seemed to live on site. At times, this place felt more like a prison than a place of work. He was allowed to leave, but excursions needed to be arranged with Templeton, who held the key, and it was made clear that the facility was not to be discussed with anyone outside of its own walls. Another threat from Templeton, this one followed with a promise of expulsion.

  And given that Arlington seemed to be his last chance at professional redemption, Reid could ill afford to go against the director.

  Reid made his way towards the Main Hall, savouring the quiet. At this time of night, things were usually silent in the area—the cries of the insane insulated to their own wards.

  And he expected that tonight would be no different.

  But as he got closer to the Main Hall, he heard it.

  Voices.

  Screams.

  They were panicked, and as he got closer, he could make out the sounds of a struggle. Screams bellowed, and muffled orders were barked out.

  Above it all, a horrific screech.

  Reid stopped, not knowing if he should run back or continue forward. Curiosity got the better of him and he jogged onwards.

  What on earth could make a sound like that? His first instinct was that there was an animal loose in the asylum. How that had happened, he had no idea, but what else could explain it?

  He reached the blank iron door that separated the zone he was in from the Main Hall and unlocked it. Whatever was happening beyond seemed to be in full flow. He gently pushed the door open, just in time to hear an ear-piercing scream as someone wailed in agony.

  Reid peeked through the opening and could scarcely believe his own eyes.

  A group of orderlies had surrounded… something… and were trying in vain to subdue it. They seemed to be failing in their efforts, however, and Reid saw who it was that was crying out in agony. One of the orderlies was without his arm, and blood pumped freely from the stump at his shoulder. The severed appendage was on the floor close to the creature that they had all surrounded.

  And Reid had no idea what it was.

  Humanoid in shape, certainly—with arms, legs, a torso, and head, but it was not human. First of all, it was far too tall, and its limbs were stick-thin. It evidently possessed a power that belied its slight build, however, having pulled a man’s arm clean off. Reid was too far away to make out its face or finer features, but its thin skin looked to be black, or at least a dark purple.

  Reid then saw Jones run into the room, coming from Ward A.

  ‘What do we do?’ one of the other orderlies yelled, desperate for help and instruction, clearly at a loss as to how best handle a situation such as this. Jones circled round to another of the men, one who was equipped with a strange weapon, one that was connected to a metallic tank on his back.

  Jones relieved the man of the instrument and quickly put it on himself. ‘We kill it,’ he said.

  ‘But what about the director? Will he allow us to do that?’ another asked.

  Jones raised the end of the weapon and aimed at the feet of the approaching beast.

  ‘I’ll explain it to Templeton,’ Jones said, before a stream of orange and yellow liquid flame burst free from the metal nozzle.

  The creature was immediately engulfed in searing fire that swam up its body, coating it completely. The monster roared and screeched and continued to run towards Jones. The orderly, however, was not easily fazed and circled the creature before letting loose with another burst from the weapon. Flames engulfed it completely now, so fierce that Reid could barely make out the black of its skin beneath the yellow and red flames.

  Eventually, the thing’s screams faded, and it dropped to the floor—lifeless. The smell of burning meat flooded the air.

  ‘Give it a minute,’ Jones commanded in a confident voice. ‘Then put the fire out. I’ll go and speak with the director.’

  ‘The changes are getting worse,’ one of the orderlies said, as others rushed to the aid of the man who had been stripped of an arm. ‘We can’t go on like this.’

  ‘We can, and we will,’ Jones replied, taking off the weapon and thrusting it into the arms of the complaining man. ‘We are all here for a reason, and that reason doesn’t change. If anyone has ideas about leaving, they will answer to me. Understand?’

  No one presented an argument.

  Satisfied, Jones walked away from the room, leaving his colleagues to put out the fire before it spread further.

  Reid quietly pulled the door closed before he was seen.

  His mind struggled to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Monsters did not exist. He was a man of science, unwavering in his beliefs, so how did he reconcile his mind with what his own eyes had just shown him?

  He felt his heart beating quickly in his chest and realised he was sweating. A nervous energy flooded him.

  And something else concerned him as well; something an orderly had said after they put the creature down.

  The changes are getting worse.

  It was clear from what was said that Director Templeton was aware, at least to some extent, of what was going on here.

  Reid knew he needed answers and resolved to confront Templeton about this as soon as he could. He headed back to his office in a daze and decided to stay there for the night.

  First thing tomorrow morning, he would pay the director a visit.

  He fell into his seat and dropped his head into his hands—just what in the hell had he gotten himself involved in?

  7

  The very next day, after a night without any sleep, Reid saw Director Templeton enter the Administration Ward and make his way straight to the Chapel—which was a morning routine for the director. It was here Reid planned to confront Templeton about what he had seen the previous night.

  The image of that inhuman thing—and what it had done to that orderly—had stuck with Reid ever since he’d witnessed it the previous night. Reid had used the time throughout the night
to try to explain just what it was he had seen, and the best he could come up with was that the thing was indeed human, but had somehow transformed or mutated. He’d skimmed through his medical books in his office to try to find a known condition that could explain such a transformation, but had come up empty-handed.

  Nothing could explain what he had seen. At least nothing that he was aware of.

  However, he had a feeling that Templeton may have a little more knowledge of what was going on around here.

  Reid opened the door to the Chapel and stepped inside to see the director seated in one of the rows of pews at the front of the room. The walls here were white plaster, and on their surfaces were pictures and effigies of biblical figures. The ceiling was not as high as in other areas of the building, and the floor was an ugly white tile, giving the room quite an underwhelming feel. On either side of a central aisle, rows of uncomfortable-looking wooden pews stretched back from the front. At the head of these seats was a simple altar—a table covered in white cloth. This shrine housed a large, ornamental crucifix that stood centrally, with an open Bible beneath it. Either side of the thick book burned sticks of incense, filling the whole room with a pleasant aroma of jasmine.

  Other than the assorted ornaments and effigies, the only other thing of note was a large mirror that was affixed to one of the walls.

  Whether this room had always served as a Chapel, or whether it had been converted for such a purpose, Reid did not know.

  Nor did he care.

  Templeton did not hear him enter, or made no show of being aware of his presence, and continued to sit with his head bowed. Reid made his way over to the director, walking down the central aisle, and took a seat next to him.

  ‘I never took you for a religious man,’ Templeton said with his eyes closed. ‘Care to join me in prayer?’

  ‘No,’ Reid answered, ‘I’m not one for superstition or make-believe.’

  Templeton let out a small laugh. ‘To each his own.’

  ‘At least,’ Reid went on, ‘I thought I believed that. I was certain that all things supernatural, including demons and monsters and the like, were just made-up stories, the product of a weak or retarded mind.’

  ‘It sounds like you may have had a change of heart?’ Templeton said. His voice was flat, unreadable, and still he did not open his eyes.

  ‘Hard to say,’ Reid said, letting some of the frustration he was feeling show through in his tone. ‘But after last night, and what I saw, I don’t know what to think anymore.’

  ‘Is that right?’

  Templeton showed no emotion at all, other than perhaps a slight, amused curiosity—which only angered Reid more.

  ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘that is right. And do you have any idea what it is that I saw?’

  ‘Does it matter?’ the director asked, the question throwing Reid off his train of thought. ‘If you saw something that has made you question the very beliefs you held as sacred, then surely there is a more important question to be answered?’

  ‘Really? And what would be more important than getting to the bottom of it? You don’t think the truth is important?’

  Now Templeton opened his eyes, and he turned to face Reid. ‘Oh no,’ he said, ‘do not misunderstand. The truth is the only important thing in our lives. But I’m afraid people cling to truths that are, in fact, outright lies, and they live their lives never actually knowing real truth. Just as you have been doing.’

  Reid shook his head. ‘More riddles? Really?’

  ‘Not riddles, Thomas,’ Templeton said, using Reid’s Christian name. ‘I am simply asking a valid question. You say you saw something that has perhaps changed the way you view the world. Instead of contemplating that, and what it means to you, you rush to me for answers. But you need to provide your own.’

  ‘I am getting tired of all this vague rubbish you spout, Director,’ Reid said, raising his voice.

  But Templeton just shrugged. ‘Then do not ask anything of me. Go about your business.’

  ‘Go about my business?’ Reid was yelling now, and he got to his feet, looking down on the other man. ‘Do you know what I saw last night? I saw something in the Main Hall that was, as far as I could tell, not human. Roaming around, attacking the people that work here, and in the end it was put down by a weapon that has no business being kept in a place like this. Yet there it was, spraying its flame and killing whatever the hell that thing was. A little coincidental that such a thing was here when needed, no? And I know that you know something about it, because the men practically said as much. Now, I want you to give me some straight answers for once and tell me just what the fuck is going on here.’

  Calmly, Director Templeton rose to his feet and looked Reid directly in the eyes. ‘No,’ he said simply, and smiled. Then he turned to leave.

  Yet again, Reid could not believe the audacity of the man.

  ‘What do you mean, no? That isn’t an acceptable answer,’ Reid said.

  ‘I’m afraid it’s the only one you are getting,’ Templeton shot back.

  ‘Not good enough. If you don’t explain this to me, then I’m leaving this place for good. You will be on your own here.’

  ‘That seems fair,’ Templeton said. ‘I’m sure you will find a plethora of opportunities just waiting for you when you do. Best of luck for the future.’

  ‘I want answers, Templeton!’ Reid screamed.

  Templeton reached the door to the room and turned back to face Reid. ‘Then find them, Doctor. I am not stopping you.’

  ‘Find them? Why not just tell me?’

  ‘Because truths that are given and not earned are not really valued. What we are doing here is hard to accept. We are learning truths about the things that govern our reality, our very existence. Something that transcends your science.’

  At this, Reid had a realisation. He looked around the room they were in, the one Templeton visited every morning, and then at the robes Templeton always wore.

  ‘God,’ Reid said. ‘This is something to do with God, isn’t it? What, you think you are somehow able to communicate with him?’

  Templeton let out a loud laugh and shook his head. ‘I’m afraid you haven’t got it worked out just yet, Thomas. But keep looking. The truth will reveal itself to you, I have faith in that.’

  And then he exited the room.

  ‘Goddamn it!’ Reid huffed.

  His attempt to extract the truth from Templeton had left him feeling more confused than ever.

  No answers, only more frustration.

  Then he remembered what Templeton had told him about answers: Find them. I am not stopping you.

  Fair enough, Reid thought to himself, intending to do just that.

  8

  Adrian and his group—Jack, Trevor, Sean, and Seymour—were all seated in the Communal Area yet again. It was a change to the four walls of his room, but was fast losing its appeal—every day the same cycle.

  Rinse and repeat.

  And while not usually an environment of fun or jubilance, it felt especially on edge this morning as the group discussed what they had heard the previous night.

  Only it was different for Adrian—he hadn’t just heard it, he had seen it. However, he’d decided not to divulge that fact and let them speculate on their own. After all, what good would it do to explain that a creature beyond their understanding decapitated an orderly and then devoured the severed head?

  ‘I heard it, sounded like people were dying,’ Sean said. ‘What do you guys think it was?’

  Jack wrapped his long arms around his chest and hung his head. The conversation, coupled with what he had no doubt heard last night, were clearly upsetting to him. Adrian caught his attention and gave him a friendly smile. Jack noticed the gesture and returned it with one of his own.

  His smiles always seemed sad, somehow.

  ‘Someone got out,’ Seymour answered, confident in his own assessment. ‘Tried to escape. Can’t say I blame them.’

  If only they knew, thought Adr
ian.

  He guessed that most of the patients in the ward would have been aware of the commotion that had taken place, but Adrian doubted any had witnessed what he’d seen. It was only through sheer chance—having his hatch knocked open—that he’d seen anything at all, and the violence that had unfolded stayed with him, replaying itself over and over in his mind.

  The orderlies, too, looked different today. Usually, these men tried their very best to be intimidating and imposing—and if not, they showed outright indifference—but today they seemed… a little timid. When one especially agitated inmate started to act up, the orderlies were much slower in dealing with him than usual. Instead of instant action, they seemed hesitant, looking to one another for reassurance before diving in.

  Adrian had to wonder if the thing from last night was still prowling around here somewhere. In truth, he was surprised that he and his fellow patients had been let out of their cells this morning, same time as usual. Surely if that thing were still on the loose, then they wouldn’t have been allowed to out of their rooms, would they?

  ‘I hate this place,’ Sean said, once again picking at the angry red scabs on his arms. The man’s body was dotted with sores, caused not by needles, but by the continual scratching of his skin, clawing at an itch that could seemingly never be sated. And he constantly fidgeted as well—his left knee always bouncing and his fingers constantly picking at something. Adrian had no idea how long it took someone to get through opium withdrawal, but Sean was deep within it and showing no signs of coming out of the other side. ‘I’ve seen and heard some strange things in my time here, but nothing like that.’

  ‘Could it just be that someone got free?’ Trevor asked, with a quiet voice.

  ‘Of course,’ Seymour asserted, ‘and caused himself a little trouble, I’d wager.’

  ‘A little trouble?’ Sean asked. ‘Mild way of putting it. What I heard didn’t sound like any man.’