West Park Asylum

“Why is he here?” Jeremy asks as he helps Dawn out of the window. Grabbing Ian by the collar, he yanks the shorter man out of the building and onto the floor. “You told me that this would be a private encounter. I was sent to solitary because of our deal. Everybody is always lying to me and playing me for a fool.”

“Then stop acting the part,” Dawn replies while leading the way to the forest. A toy duck is the group’s only source of light, which she turns on by squeezing its beak. “Ian is coming because he owes me a favor. We need a lookout to make sure we don’t get caught. Besides, he’s slower than us, so the orderlies will nab him first. Not that anyone is out tonight.”

“I thought they had guards patrolling out here,” Ian whispers when he catches up to the others. He makes sure to keep Dawn between himself and Jeremy, who routinely spits in his direction. “How far do we have to go?”

“Only as far as we have to go.”

The vague answer causes both men to roll their eyes, but they quietly follow the brunette into the rustling trees. Neither of them want to get caught and they can see the beams of flashlights in the distance. None of the guards come near the forest, their winding paths only taking them around the building, sports areas, and the pier. Ian finds it strange that there is nothing to stop them from entering the largest forbidden area on the island. A voice in the back of his head screams that he is making a mistake, which causes him to sweat and rub one of his old scars. Glancing at his companions, he takes some comfort in Jeremy looking equally worried about their adventure.

Beneath the branches, the trio use Dawn’s glowing toy and beams of moonlight to maneuver around several obstacles. Mushroom-covered stumps sit in the middle of the path and barbed bushes occasionally smack Ian and Jeremy on the legs. As their eyes adjust to the darkness, shadows flit through the forest and puts them on edge. One of the swift creatures lands in Dawn’s hair and screeches at the two men. She ignores the bat as it climbs to the top of her head and returns to the air in search of food. A winged form passes over the forest, blocking the moon for a terrifying moment and disappearing with a cackling call. Ian can sense something lurking on the edge of his vision and the smell of rotten meat drifts on the breeze, which causes him to cover his mouth. Passing a tree with large thorns, Jeremy almost screams when he sees the faint outline of a crucified skeleton within the bark. The grinning skull is merged with a knothole where thumb-sized spiders have made their webs.

After an hour of walking, Ian recognizes the thorny bushes that they come to and expects for the group to turn around. Instead, Dawn continues walking and the coiling vines roll out of her path. Fearing that the plants will return to their originally position, he hurries to stay near the woman and keeps his eyes on the glinting barbs. Assuming that he is seeing things, Jeremy stays at his casual pace and falls several feet behind his companions. The first strike is nothing more than a gentle touch to his leg, which he passes off as his imagination. When the trio reaches the center of the dangerous grove, a violent rustling erupts behind them and the path is steadily devoured. Jeremy is so far behind that the back of his knees are slashed several times before he can reach the area that is remaining stable. More of the barbs whip out of the darkness, wrapping around his arms and violently unraveling to leave a bleeding wound. By the time they reach the far side of the clearing, Jeremy is a bleeding mess and collapses in agony. With a whimpering groan, his injuries vanish and only his shredded clothes act as proof of the attack.

“This place is like a nightmare,” the muscular man whispers. An eerie howl rolls through the forest and something slimy runs across the back of his neck. “The hell is that. Why couldn’t we have done this in an area that they don’t watch? There’s nobody in solitary, so none of the orderlies are watching it.”

“I don’t like the acoustics of those rooms. The screaming doesn’t sound right,” Dawn replies with a wicked smirk that only Ian notices. When a bellowing call rings out in the distance, she clicks her heels twice. “Now be quiet. The forest doesn’t like your voice and I don’t want to make it mad. Unlike me, it doesn’t have a use for you, which means it may kill you if it feels like it.”

“What about me?” Ian asks as a lump grows in his throat. The smell of licorice hits his nose and he shudders at the sensation of teeth delicately nibbling at his neck. “I know I said I didn’t care, but this is really freaking me out. Maybe we should turn back and do this on a night where the forest is less active.”

“Sorry, but I have a promise to keep and tonight is the only night to do it,” the brunette replies before tossing the duck ahead. With a hissing pop, the dimly lit object sticks to a curtain of willow branches. “This place thinks it knows what we’re about to do and it wants to ruin the mood. Not sure if it cares about the little puppy, but it really doesn’t like you, Jeremy. So you might want to stay quiet during the fun. Just let me make all of the noise and Ian will make sure we’re not disturbed.”

Jeremy scowls at the other man, but his powerful lust focuses his attention on the attractive woman in front of him. “Fine. How much further do we have to go? I don’t want to be too exhausted to do anything later.”

Dawn skips to the hovering duck and twists it to open a door in the mass of slender branches. On the other side of the natural wall sits a shimmering lake that is fringed with violet roses. A single lily pad spins in the center of the water, a pink flower opening to greet the travelers. Frogs and crickets sing while a flock of crimson doves sleep in the trees, their snoring coos drowned out by the other creatures. A thick mat of grass covers the entire clearing, except for a spot of dirt where the door has opened. With nothing above their heads, the trio have a perfect view of the crescent moon and thick masses of stars.

“You stay here, little puppy,” Dawn orders, patting Ian on the head. She takes Jeremy by the hand and guides him toward the lake. “This is my special spot. If you tell anybody about this place, I’ll never forgive you. Though I doubt you’ll reveal my secret. Otherwise, I’ll never bring you back here.”

“In that case, my lips are sealed,” Jeremy replies, stripping off his clothes and leaning in for a kiss. A growl of frustration slips from his lips when he is gently pushed away. “Is this some kind of tease?”

The brunette smirks and runs a finger across the man’s chest before backing into the warm water. She sinks down to her neck and strips off her clothes, tossing the drenched garments onto the shore. Beckoning Jeremy to join her, Dawn floats away until she can barely touch the bottom. Splashing playfully, she watches her handsome playmate enter the lake and shiver at its chilling touch. It does not take him long to reach the attractive woman and she greets him with a passionate kiss. Peering over Jeremy’s shoulder, Dawn can see Ian pretending to watch the birds while keeping a cautious eye on the naked couple. She cringes when strong hands touch her body with a roughness that makes her want to vomit.

Wrapping her legs around her companion’s waist, the brunette leans backwards until she disappears beneath the water. The man is not sure what she is planning, but she levers herself back up to kiss him hard on the lips. Enthralled by the touch of her lips, Jeremy never notices the pinching on the sides of his neck. His muscles loosen and drowsiness overtakes him as Dawn moves away, a pair of syringes in her waving hands. A burst of energy forged by desperation and rage helps him leap for the woman. His fingers graze her chest and leave a bleeding wound that turns the water red. Vision darkening and strength fading, the confused man tries to swim to the shore and escape. He is too weak to stop Dawn from taking him by the shoulders and gently pushing him underwater. To celebrate the death, the doves transform into ravens and fill the clearing with their ear-wrenching caws.

“Night night,” Dawn whispers as the gushing gash in her chest fades away. She shivers in ecstasy as she uses her feet to finish shoving her victim to the bottom of the lake. “I hope this gets my point across. Not that either of us had any interest in this piece of meat. Fool never even heard the truth.”

Leaving the water, Dawn sets her sights on Ian and practically sprints across the grass. She tries to kiss him, but is surprised when he ducks out the way. Confused by his actions, she stands by the willows and watches the blonde man retrieve her clothes. He squeezes them over the flowers to get as much water out as possible, the giggling plants swaying under the unexpected drink. Unsure if she should be angry or embarrassed, her face turns bright red when he hands her the soaked ball of fabric and turns his back.

“Don’t you want a turn?” Dawn asks while putting her shirt on. “I’m really good and I promise not to kill you. Jeremy deserved this for being mean. Nobody will miss him. Are you sure you don’t want a reward?”

“You’re an attractive woman, but I can’t do anything like that. Haven’t had the urge in a long time,” Ian admits without turning around. With a burst of sound, the ravens leave the trees and circle the lake. “I guess I should thank you for offering. Sorry if I insult you by saying no. As strange as it sounds. I’m still loyal to my wife even though she’s dead. It’s an intimate act and I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Pulling her pants on, Dawn gives her fellow patient a hug around the neck and a friendly kiss on the cheek. “I don’t understand, but I think that makes you a good guy. Never met one of your kind before. Must be from another world. I’ve been doing stuff like this since I was little because my brother was a monster. Then I killed him and my parents got mad that I killed their favorite. After that was jail, foster homes, prostitution, and a few attempts to act like a normal person. It all lead me here where I learned how to be me. Why struggle to be normal when you’re not? It’s more torturous than anything my brother ever did to me. Well, the whipping did hurt a lot, so maybe not everything he did.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Ian replies, his arms moving to return the hug. He freezes when the ravens land around them, their yellow eyes watching the pair in quiet expectation. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m not going to kill you.”

“That’s good.”

“You’re not a little puppy.”

“Then what am I to you?”

A sharp pain strikes Ian in the stomach and he looks down to see a syringe piercing his bellybutton. The powerful sedative overtakes him within seconds and he is eased onto the soft grass by what feels like clawed feet. His eyes roll back and drools sloughs out of his mouth, the emerald blades near his head wiping his cheeks dry. The thought that he will never wake up again is ringing in Ian’s weary mind, but there is nothing he can do to stop Dawn. Even when she is straddling his chest and licking her glistening lips, he cannot fight the ever increasing darkness.

“You’re my friend, Mr. Connors,” she whispers with a kiss on his forehead.

He slips into a deep sleep as someone else says, “To both of us.”