Short Story: Madness Unleashed

“Madness unleashed: inside the twisted chambers of lobotomies! Today we are exploring live on ‘Troubling History’.” 

Chills ran through my central nervous system as I followed Ryan over the threshold and into the decaying mental asylum. My gut wanted to remain outside. Nothing to worry about, my brain overrode. Our team, ‘Troubling History’, visited locations all over the world to film. The worse thing we faced — rats… or maybe the giant flying cockroaches. That one earned us many hits online. We made a fortune. Ryan squealed like a girl at a boy band concert.

A smile crept onto my face. 

“Zoey, the lights,” said Matt, adjusting his camera. 

Whoops. I turned on my head torch and a handheld one. The beams illuminated the dark room. Wallpaper peeled from the walls and cobwebs clung to corners. We walked further into the hospital, papers scattered across the reception floor. I crouched down and picked up a file — Fiona Caits. A photograph fell out. A large scar tainted an otherwise flawless face. Poor woman. 

My comrades began exploring ahead. A being-watched feeling engulfed my senses. Alert, I stood up and took a 360 view of my surroundings. Nothing. Just darkness, except for the light coming from Matt and Ryan. A rat scattered across the discarded records. 

I’m going to need a drink tonight with the meds. 

Shaking my head, I caught up with Ryan and Matt. 

~~~

We wandered through corridors. The basic accommodation included beds and side tables — nothing special. Misery seemed to linger within the walls. The children’s ward was the saddest of them all. Paintings and drawings clung to the plaster, partially ripped. Some images invoked melancholy and others, anger. A grim reminder that kids suffered too. The books and toys would never touch young fingers again. On the bookshelf, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland collected dust. As a little one, I owned the same edition. Long gone. Maybe I could save this book. No, no, that’s stealing. 

“Boring. Let’s find where the real fun happened.”

“You know those are real people you’re talking about, right?”

“Oh, Zoe, lighten up.”

Ryan patted my shoulder as he pushed past me. Matt shrugged and followed Ryan out of the ward. Sighing, I turned and shut the door behind me. It felt like the respectful thing to do. 

~~~

Our frontman led us down a ramp. Probably safer than the stairs. We weaved in and out of rooms, dodging furniture. 

“I hope you can remember the way out.”

“You worry too much. I’ve never got us lost yet. Look over there, that looks like a medicine station. Maybe there’s something in there for you Zoe? We must be getting close.”

Rolling my eyes, I stayed on his heels. We passed through more doors and stepped over a bedpan. Ryan stopped, and I banged into him. He whistled and skipped to a bed like a kid in Toys R Us. He threw himself down. Filthy! Ew!

“Wow, I think I spot an electric shock machine. It’s got to be worth something.”

He jumped up and began playing with switches. The machine made a noise and lit up.

“Holy shit, it still works. Let’s come back for it.”

“Don’t you think it’s odd? Why is the electricity still on?”

“Why do you have to be a downer?”

Not wanting to argue, I shook my head. Ryan left for an adjoining room. On my way through, I switched the shock device off. Not a toy.

“Maybe Ryan needs shock treatment,” said Matt in my ear. 

“This place is giving me the creeps.”

“Me too. Let’s find the lobotomy room and get the fuck out. I can’t help but feel we’re being followed.”

So Matt felt it too.

“Come on, you two. I found something.”

“Yes, master.”

~~~

Ryan rattled on the door. Locked. His eyes lit up. 

“You know what that means? Something important is behind that door. Zoe, I need light.”

I guided the torchlight as directed. Matt tossed Ryan his backpack with one hand, and his other hand continued to film. Armed with tools from the bag, Ryan messed with the lock. 

Waiting, I scanned the room Nothing was out of place. Dare I say it? It looked semi-clean. Strange. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could formulate words, Ryan destroyed the lock. 

“Show time.”

The door popped open. We entered more darkness. The room’s temperature was degrees colder than the others. My stomach churned. Doors are locked for a reason. Our torches illuminated the large room. Jars sat on shelves. I stepped forward and my eyes focused. Bile travelled up my throat.

“Brains.”

“Oh my God, this looks like a torture device. There are spikes on the inside… covered in blood,” said Matt, getting a close-up with his camera. 

“There’s another room out the back. Let’s check it out.”

“No, we should leave.”

My skin went numb and my mouth dry. Bad things happened here. The energy lingered. 

“Zoe is right. I don’t think we’re alone.”

“One room. Of course, we’re alone. The place is abandoned. Anything you heard is roaches or rats.”

~~~

We stepped into another room. Tanks filled with water, hooked up to monitors. Didn’t scientists drown and resuscitate victims to learn about the afterlife and to study the consequence of no oxygen to the brain? Asylum patients were treated like lab rats. 

“Shit, the poor patients,” I said, touching the tank.

Warm. 

“Guys, we need to leave. Something isn’t right.”

Lights turned on, blinding us. We jumped. “Dream a Little Dream Of Me” played through the speakers. Chains rattled in the distance. Ryan wet himself. Matt stood, stunned. Air became a prisoner in my lungs. Behind us, the way we came in, mad laughter rang out. 

Matt caught my eye and pointed to an exit. Sprinting, we passed tanks, pulling Ryan behind us. Did the door open or was it always open? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall figure in a lab coat. His smile was as menacing as his unruly hair. My heart pounded. 

I bumped into something hard. Coffins. Coffins everywhere. Hinges creaked. Were they opening? I didn’t want to stay and find out. Matt and Ryan ran too far ahead and into the dark. I couldn’t see them. Adrenaline took over. 

~~~

Run. The labyrinth of halls became a hellish landscape. Eyes peered through slits on the doors. Heavy footsteps stomped behind me. The exits were guarded by the black. Where am I? Disoriented, I sprinted through any opening I could find. Rest later. Don’t look back. 

Heavy double doors slammed shut behind me, sliding bolts locked with a click. My body jumped. Trapped. Nowhere left to run. The soundproof room snuffed screams. The sound of a drill hummed from a room nearby. Light escaped from a crack in the door. Oh fuck.

“Please, you don’t have to —”

Ryan… 

“You wanted to see the laboratory room and the instruments.”

A woman stepped out from the shadows with Matt’s camera. My frame froze. A scar dominated her face. I gasped. Fiona Caits.  

“Shh, you’re one of us.”

The lunatics took over the asylum. 

~*~

Story Background

“Madness Unleashed” was inspired by the following prompt:

A group of friends decides to live stream their exploration of an abandoned asylum, but they soon realize they are not the only beings there.

By Chelsea Marie for The Storyteller’s Vault