West Park Asylum
Dawn lies on the comfortable bed and stares at the blank, white ceiling as the night sounds waft in through the barred window. She turns her head to stare at the empty cot and wastebasket on the other side of the room. With a shuddering yawn, the young woman silently admits that she is happy to not have a roommate. Even though she agreed to stay in Raven’s Hold, she is sure that living with someone else is too dangerous a step and may always be beyond her ability. The hoot of an owl draws her out from under the covers and she groggily tries to see the bird. Dawn is calmer after having her medication and a private session with Dr. Rutherford. Dancing her fingers along the window sill, the young woman considers that she might be in a place that will help her.
A scream from another room sends a chill down Dawn’s spine and she presses against the wall. The wordless howling continues for several minutes until it dies down and is replaced by a droning hum. Another patient begins shouting obscenities to drown out the other noises, they in turn are interrupted by a woman singing an opera. Every voice stops when a deep laugh cuts through the night with enough power to shake the windows. A faint shadow passes in front of the door’s single window, the figure leaving a misty handprint on the glass before it fades away. The tapping of feet on the hallway ceiling echoes for a few seconds and disappears when a bird caws outside.
“I shouldn’t be seeing anything,” Dawn mutters as she sinks to the floor. Her heart is pounding in her chest as she listens to a ball bouncing in the distance. “I took my medicine. The doctor said the new pills would help me. That’s why I agreed to stay. She said the new pills would make me be normal.”
“No fun in normal,” hisses a silky voice from the shadows. “Never any fun in normal.”
“Who are you?”
“Pills can’t stop me,” the voice replies as the mysterious figure passes the door again. A shadowy hand casually passes through the wall and beckons for Dawn to get closer. “I’m a lonely friend. I like what you see. Want to be with me?”
“I came here to get better.”
“Odd word. What is better?”
“I want to be healthy.”
“Shame. I like what you are.”
A gentle hand of moonlight curls through the window bars and brushes some hair out of Dawn’s eyes. It tenderly strokes her cheek and wipes away a few tears. She stares at the ghostly appendage, which disappears when she blinks very hard. Satisfied that the hallucination is gone, the tired woman crawls back to bed and pulls the covers over her head. Dawn is asleep when an indent appears on the mattress and the springs creak as if someone sat down. A smile plays across her lips when the blanket is pulled down to her neck and she feels a pair of moist lips touch her forehead.
“Do you really want to be normal?”
Still asleep, the brunette rolls onto her back and whispers, “Never any fun in normal.”
Legends of Windemere 
Awesome, Charles. I like the concept and consider it ideal for this season. 🙂
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Thanks. This really is the best time to give this story a run on the blog. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Another episode his October Chills inducing tale from Charles (MWAHAHAH) 👹
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Thanks for the reblog. Good to see people liked the prologue too. 😀
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Indeed, it’s keeping us all interested Charles 👍😃
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This is so cool. I’m truly impressed.
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Thanks. I found it’s easy to start it off and build tension. Maintaining it was rough when you have more characters getting involved.
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Nice… Keep it up!
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Thanks. 🙂
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Great story line, Charles, and that picture really set it up. What a ghastly place! Reminds me of the Augusta Arsenal – a cluster of gray stone buildings from the 1800s that were used as a mental institution when the Arsenal closed.
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Thanks. Found it when I was looking for ‘Haunted Asylums’. 🙂
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“I’m a lonely friend. I like what you see. What to be with me?” How creepy!!!!!!!
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Why do I think that last part is a typo?
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I read it as “Want to be with me?”
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Fixed it. That’s what it should have been. Probably going to have a few headaches since I never edited. This whole thing is raw.
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Deliciously creepy 🙂
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Thanks. 🙂
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Scared the crap out of me! I’m not going to lie. Awesome stuff, Charles. I’m terrified of what comes next, but am hooked 😀
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Thanks. I tried for a slow build too. Not sure how that will play out in blog form though. Guess we’ll see.
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We’re there now, and mostly hiding under the bed, but we’re definitely there and eager for the action to unfold 🙂
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Might be a bit before that since it’s 29 pieces. This was to set the mood and scene. Was told that thrillers are all about tension and the action has be more in the later stages.
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Creepy!
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Thanks. 🙂
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Oh no! It scares me to think too far…is she really free of her brother? Is he still going to try to harm her in some way? OMG! Very scary! I’m liking this a lot, Charles.
I know you haven’t edited this yet so one crit: first paragraph, her comfy bed opposite a cot, that would be her room mate’s, contradict each other.
Ellespeth
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I have to admit I’m confused on the contradiction. Also, I should probably mention this is kind like a prologue. People got confused when the real protagonist took the spotlight in the next section. Kind of like in a horror movie where the opening scene shows a minor or never to return character among the creepy stuff.
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I’m off to read part 3!
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Have fun with Ian. 😀
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