Briana Gravatt

About 7,900 words

Files
by Briana Gravatt

What? What happened? Its dark, the ground is cold. When I open my eyes, the light hurts.
Theres something in my hand, something small, feels like metal. Im in the woods, why am I here?
Whats that building behind me? Why am I here? How did I get here? Opening my hand, I see a little key
inside my hand. A key? Why do I have a key? Alright, 675321 this is it, this is the last time. I feel two
big hands grab onto my arms and pull me to my feet, I quickly see who the hands belong to, two men
tower over me, one on my left and one on my right. I squeeze the key in my hand to hide it from them,
they might take it away then Ill never know what it belongs to. Who are you? Where am I? I say to the
men in a shaky and confused voice, but they dont respond, they tighten their grip and start pulling me
towards the building behind me. That hurts! I scream at them, You wont know what pain is until
Emilie hears about this. replys the man to my left. Emilie? Why does that name sound so familiar?
The double doors slam behind us as the two men drag me into the building and down a dim
hallway. We come to a huge steel door and one of the men unlocks it, they throw me into the room and I
hit my head with a hard thud against the concrete floor. Well be back says the man that use to stand to
my left, clearly hes the leader in this duo, I hear the door close behind me. I lay there for what feels like
hours, trying to remember what happened to me. I get up and look around, I see a mattress on the floor
and a blanket that was thrown to the side of the room, it looks like someone was in a hurry for breakfast. I
go to the mattress and sit down, I open my hand to reveal the key still hidden inside. Its looks so small as

it sits in the palm of my hand, it looks almost like a house key, its definitely not a car key, way to small.
Its painted gold, but the paint is chipping and its starting to fade. It shines in the light of my room, which
is just a small bulb attached to a socket on the ceiling with a chain hanging from it. Why do I have this
key? And more importantly, what does it unlock?
Something startles me and I drop the key, it lands with a soft clink at my feet. No, not again!
someone yells. I can hear them screaming, its getting closer and closer. Please no, I cant take
anymore!. Its a man, hes right outside my door now. Someone please help me!. Wait, hes starting to
leave, the voice is getting farther away from me. I run to the door and start to pound on it with my fist,
wait, come back, tell me where I am, why am I here?. I listen and hear nothing. I keep pounding, I have
to keep trying. Wait, who are you? What is this place? Please come back. Nothing comes back in
response, just silence. I press my cheek against the door, its cold against my bare skin. Hot tears rip
through that patch of cold on my cheek. What if I die here? What if no one comes back for me? A tear
drops from my cheek and stains my blue dress. Wait, this isnt a dress at all, theyre scrubs. I must be in
some kind of hospital, but what kind of hospital locks their patients in a concrete room with a steel door?
I go to the bed where the key is and look at it once more, is this key the reason why Im here?
The steel door swings open and I quickly slide the key under the mattress. The two men who
brought me here walk into the room, its your turn, says the leader. They resume their position on both
sides of me, grabbing my arms again, I start to feel my arms ache with their tight grasp. They drag me
further down the mysterious hallway. Where am I, why am I here? I demand to know from them. They
dont respond, almost like they cant hear me. Is that it? Am I a mute? Is that why Im in this hospital? We
walk for a while, I cant tell how long exactly. We come to a wooden door with a window, I can see a
women in all black except for a white collar and a white band highlighting the large black cloth draped
over her head. She must be a nun. The men open the door and the nun gestures towards the chair they
force me to sit down in. The two men walk out the door and shut it behind them, leaving me and the nun
alone in complete silence.

So, trying to conduct another great escape again are we? her words cut through the silence like
a knife.
Please sister, where am I? Why did those men bring me here? I beg. Oh, my dear girl, back at
it again I see.
She picks up a file on her desk and her eyes quickly whip across the page. It looks like this is
your 3rd escape attempt this month. she says with an unsettling grin on her face.
Escape attempt? Where am I? Where am I? my words echo from my mind.
Youre in Bethlem Royal Hospital. she says happy as a bird with a worm caught in its beak.
Bethlem? You mean, the insane asylum? the words barely made it out of my mouth I was so
shocked. Why am I here? How did I end up here? I scream at her, suddenly that grin turned into a
frown. She knocked on the wall three times and before I could say another word, the two giants entered
the room, back to their post on either side of me.
Its time for your punishment Emilie said to me, she then glanced at the giants and looked back
at me and said take her to isolation.
Im gonna die here. Ive been chained to this wall for longer than I know. How long has it been?
Weeks? Months? There are no windows in this place, just the same light as in my room. Shh, what was
that? Did you hear it? The voices are starting again. Is it starvation? I know they dont feed me everyday,
no days are that long, or are they? Have I been in here so long that I have no concept of time anymore?
The bottom of my blue dress is shredded the rats must be eating at it again. Ive tried to call for help, but
there was no answer, I rattled my chains and screamed as loud as I can, now I have no answer and no
voice. What if they forget about me and I really do die here? Shh, voices, theres someone at the door. Its
the giants again, they walk over to me and unchain me from the wall, I fall onto my hands and knees I try
to move my legs, but I cant. Get up the leader demands and kicks me in the ribs, causing me to fall to
my side. The follower grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. They dont even have to drag me anymore, I
walk silently to my room, with the two of them on either side of me. When Im finally back in my room
and the giants have gone, Im happier than a kid in an ice cream shop. I never thought Id be so glad to be

back here, but now I know that there are places even worse than this room. I jump onto my mattress and
land on my stomach, I grab the blanket and wrap it around me.
Its been three months since my last escape attempt. I count the days based on our feedings. We
have feedings, not meals. Everyday we are escorted to the playroom its just a concrete room with two
windows on one side, two doors on either side of the room, some hay bales in one corner, and some stuff
animals that look like they were taken from the dump in another corner. During our play time a few
loaves of bread are thrown into the room by people we do not see or hear out of one door in the room, we
have to fight to get to the bread, it is our only meal for the entire day. Ive seen people get their ears bitten
off while fighting to get to the food, one fellow bleed to death right on the floor and was left there for a
week while we ate around his decomposing body. I only eat enough to keep myself alive, and try to stay
out of other patients ways. My memory of this place is slowly starting to come back though. I remember
these feedings and I remember the staff in this place that is always watching us are called the Keepers and
they call us the Prisoners. And I remember Emilie is head of the asylum, she knows everything that goes
on here. No wonder I tried to break out of this place, it is a mad house. People killing each other to get
food, I haven't gotten a good night sleep, all night people are constantly screaming, clawing at the walls,
mumbling to themselves, you can even hear chains rattle. I also remembered that I have a family, a loving
husband and two beautiful twin girls named Emily and Rachel. Though my own name I still cannot find
hidden deep in the back of my mind, I know its there just waiting to be discovered. Where is my family
now? Surely they must miss me and want to rescue from me from this place, dont they? Or were they the
ones that put me here?
After our feeding for the day, I returned to my room and lay back onto my mattress on the floor, it
is the one place I feel safe now. As I shut my eyes to dream of my family and the day theyll come to
rescue me. Something burns into my left cornea, and nearly blinds me. I reach behind my mattress, and
pull out the little gold key that I was brought here with, that I held onto for dear life as I was being
dragged into this very room three months ago. I had completely forgotten about this key, the little key that
wanted to escape as badly as I did, but was dragged back into this horrible place with me. Im sorry little

key, Im sorry I didnt let you get your chance at freedom. I sit on my bed staring at the key for a long
time, thinking of what I must do next with it. As I sit there wondering, I realize that this key may hold the
answers that Im looking for. Maybe it unlocks something that could tell me about my past, a door to my
families house, a chest with letters from my family in it, a file cabinet. I must find out where this key
belongs and why it attached itself to me in its ultimate escape plan. It must not be missed if no one is
looking for it. I looked at the key more closely, its small with three little holes on the top of it. It almost
looks like a key to a door. Maybe thats it, maybe this key was my escape plan. Maybe its identical to the
key to my room, or maybe it unlocks some secret door in the asylum that could tell me more about my
past and why Im here. But how? How can I find a door with those two men always watching me and that
dictator Emilie around?
Its the typical routine of the two giants bringing me to the playroom for fun and feedings. Today
will be different though, today Ill get closer to knowing why Im here. I hide the key in my mouth, rather
than my hand, the two giants would notice that I cant open it. It sets on top of tongue, spreading the
disgusting taste of dirty metal all throughout my taste buds. I keep it there until its feeding time and I get
my piece of bread that another patient tossed to the side. As I opened my mouth to take a bite I set my
hand under my chin and let the key slide into it. Once Im finished eating, I get up and casually walk to
the back of the room with both my hands in a fist. I try to get behind a crowd of patients as I walk towards
the door. Once I am in front of the door, and hidden enough to where the keepers can not see what I am
doing, I quickly slide the key into the lock in the door. Its a perfect fit, I turn the key slightly and hear the
clink of the door unlocking. I quickly lock the door and pull the key out. I know, I know now where the
key can go! I must find out what is behind that door, there must have been a reason why I stole this key.
Maybe whats behind that door is the answers to all my questions, maybe theres a way to contact my
family. What behind that door was part of my escape plan? It doesnt lead to the outside, so why would I
take this key in particular? There must be something more to this.
When the two giants take me back to my room, I pay close attention to the man unlocking the
door, the key in his hand is almost identical to the key resting on my tongue. So, the key may be able to

open my room as well. It would make more sense that I steal it for that reason, I could open my door in
the dead of night and sneak off into freedom, but I must find out why I was here in the first place. Thats
what Ill do, Ill sneak out of my room in the middle of the night and look what is in that mysterious
room, it may hold the answers Im looking for. The reason why Im here, the reason why my family
hasnt come for me, why I cant remember anything about this place or my past. Did they do something to
make me forget?
Ok, this is it, this is the night. I didnt notice till a few days ago that the room door could be
opened from the inside as well as the outside. I assume its encase one of the keepers or a visitor has to
make a quick escape. Its been days since I tried the key on the door in the playroom. Ive been listening
closely at night to hear the keepers routine, it seems like they pace the halls for a few hours after bedtime,
then head home to their own families. Ive waited long enough, I should be able to leave my room
without any worries of running into a keeper. I slowly creep towards the door and slide the key into the
lock. I hold my breath as the key turns in the lock slowly so the click of the lock coming undone is slow
and silent, I cant risk any of the other patients hearing me. I slowly open the door just enough so my eye
can see out of it, it's pitch black in the hallway, but I hear no footsteps and see no one around as my eyes
adjust to the darkness around them. I stand there in the doorway convincing myself to start walking
forward, my feet are like bricks as they move me out of my room into the empty hallway. Im consumed
by the darkness, and cant see anything in front of me. I close my room door to a crack and make my way
down the hallway, guiding myself with my hands feeling the walls next to me. As I walk through the
hallway, I remember the playroom is just beyond the lobby when the wall ends I just need to walk straight
through the lobby and I should be able to make it to the door. As I walk through the lobby, something
stops me in my tracks, I hear a scream coming from the second level of the hospital. Some people say
thats where the worst patients are, the patients that cant be trusted in the same room with the rest of us. I
shake it off and encourage myself to keep walking.
Here I am, I can feel the door to the playroom directly in front of me, I slowly turn the knob and
enter the room, I wonder why that door isnt locked like the door directly across the room, there must be

something in there, something important. I make my way across the playroom, almost tripping over a
small piece of bread left there from the feeding today. I quickly kick it to the side and continue my what
seems like a never ending journey. It feels like hours have past by the time I make it to the door on the
other side of the room. I can feel the nerves build up inside me as I turn the lock to open the door. What if
there is nothing in this room? What if theres something in here almost too terrible to bear like a torture
chamber. I slowly open the door and look inside. Theres a window that leads the path of the moonlight
to shine into the room. In the middle of the room, theres a desk, the desk is clean but has nothing on it
but dust. The whole room is caked in dust, clearly someone hasnt been in there in a long time. At the
very corner of the room, there are two file cabinets. One is covered in dust just like everything else in the
room, but the other one is not. I decide to investigate; I slowly close the door behind me and make my
way towards the cabinet. I pull on the top handle of the cabinet and its locked. My hope fades slowly.
Wait, what about the key? I put the key in the lock next to the handle and click the cabinet opens with
ease. Now I know why I stole this key, it must be a skeleton key. A key that unlocks everything in the
asylum.
This changes everything. I can make it out of the asylum, I can go home to my family. I could
leave right now if I could. But wait, there is something that is holding me back. I must know why Im
here, I must know why my family left me here. When will I ever get a better chance than now? Standing
in front of an open filing cabinet that belongs to the asylum. It must be patient files. I gently slide open
the cabinet to discover that my assumption was correct. I see hundreds of manila envelops in front of me,
each with a person's name on the tabs peaking out of the cabinet, just the tree connected to the roots of the
secrets that brought the patients here. I pull out the file at the very front of the drawer. The name on it is
Charles Smith, I open it and the first thing I see is a picture of a man, his eyes full of sorrow, looking like
a man that has already given up on life. I recognize him, hes the man that died trying to get a piece of
bread at meal time, the body we ate around for weeks as it decomposed. I read through his file, it said he
was here because he had multiple personality disorder. He raped and killed a woman repeatedly saying
that some other man named Jerry did it. According to his medical report he had 5 different personalities,

Jerry, Sara, Simon, Emma, and Sam. The poor man, watching himself do this terrible thing to this woman
and not having any control. What if my file is like this? What if I did something terrible? I couldnt bare
to read more as the thought of me being just like him ate at the back of my mind. I slowly slid his file
back into the place I found it and searched for my own file, praying that I wasnt here for a similar
purpose.
Kayla Winston thats me. I slide the file out of its place, its oddly thick and heavy, near the
back of the drawer and hold my breath as I slowly open it, revealing my own picture. It looked as if I had
been crying, my eyes were red and my cheeks were puffy. I started reading with horror burning through
my heart. Three counts of murder, victims: daughter Emily Winston, daughter Rachel Winston, and
father Dean Winston. Found dead in their beds, chopped with an ax. someone murdered my family! The
mother was found in the basement holding said ax, repeating the words someone killed them, someone
killed them I killed my family! I close the file and sit on the floor. My entire family is dead, I start to
feel hot tears streaming down my face. My entire family is dead because of me, what kind of monster am
I?! I force myself to open the file again and read my medical report, a sever case of bipolar disorder, and
short term memory loss. That would explain why I couldnt remember this place after I tried to escape.
But why would I kill my family? As I turn to the next page, a little brown book falls out of it, hitting the
floor with a dull thud. I stand there quiet for a while before picking it up, to make sure no one heard it On
it is an evidence label that reads Kaylas diary. Diary? I dont remember having a diary. I turn to the
first page and start reading...
April 15, 1562
Dear Diary
I am so excited, Dean and I just got our first real house together. No more jumping to different
appartments for this happy couple, were here to stay. Ive already meet our neighbors, the Walts, their
so lovely, why just the other day Mary Walt brought over a pie for us as a welcoming gift. It was such a
sweet gesture, and the pie was apple, Deans favorite. We still have a lot of unpacking to do, and I will
definitely have to do something with this place as far as decorating. right now all we have are a couple

fold out chairs in the living room, our bed in the bedroom and of course the many boxes scattered across
the floor. I swear sometime in the middle of the night I will trip over one of them and break my neck.
The best part about this whole thing though is that theres more than one bedroom, Dean and I
have decided to start trying to have children. Ive always wanted kids and I am very excited to hear the
pitter patter of little feet running across the floor. I hope we have a girl and a boy, but of course I will
love whoever they are no matter what. I know theyll be beautiful and perfect. Well be the perfect family,
in our little house with our two children playing out in the yard as I cook dinner inside while Dean
barbecues on the grill while the dog begs him for a piece. I could just dream about it for hours, but first
things first, I have to make this house feel like a home.
I remember this, I remember unpacking and hating how we always had to eat out because we had
no food for me to cook and Dean always telling me that my food was a million times better than the
restaurants. He was the perfect husband. I looked out the window and noticed that the moon was much
lower in the sky now. I must have been there for hours without even realizing it. I put the diary back into
the file and put the file back where it belonged. After locking the cabinet and the room door as I exit, I
made my way back to my room, being as quiet as possible. Once there, I locked myself back in and put
the key back into its hiding spot behind my mattress.Well, I have my answered of why Im here, but it
just makes me more lost. I layed on the mattress to go to sleep, but couldnt. The thought of me killing my
family kept me awake. How could I do that to them? I loved my family more than anything else, I would
never dream of hurting them.
When the men came to get me the next day, I was exhausted, I didnt get any sleep the night
before. You know what today is 675321? the leader asked me. I shook my head at him and he replied
its bath day. They took me to a room down a long narrow hallway on the other side of the hospital.
This wing sounded worse than mine, all I could hear was people screaming, crying, and begging to be let
free. Once we were in the room I had a minute to look around me, it was just a concrete room with
several shower heads lined up along the wall, like soldiers ready for battle. I could tell the place hadnt

been cleaned in awhile, there was mold growing everywhere and it stinked of dirt and feces. The two men
grabbed me and forced off my clothes, I didnt try to fight them, I am much too tired. They guided me to
one of the shower heads and turned it on full blast. This is what made me scream, this is what woke me
up, the water was blistering hot, I could feel my skin burning from it, it felt like I was on fire. After a
while under the water, I couldnt feel anything on my back, the water mustve burned my nerves. Once
they turned it off I quickly put my clothes back on, I mustve been red like I had been in the sun for far
too long because I could still feel the sting when my clothes hit my skin. As the three of us made our way
back down the long narrow hallway, one of the men in the rooms came up to a window in the door as I
passed by. The man was frantic and scared, he had a black eye and was bleeding from his canalicular
duct. He screamed he did this to me! at me while pointing to his black eye, they think they made me
forget. Shut up, said one of the men with me, the one thats usually quiet and pounded his fist against
the door until the man retreated back into his room. What did the man mean when he said they made me
forget? Is the same thing that happened to him happen to me? Do I have a black eye just like him, I
haven't been able to look in a mirror while Ive been here so I dont know for sure. Are they doing
something to these patients to make them forget things? Making them have a never ending amnesia?
For the rest of the day, besides play time, I slept on my hard mattress. I was so tired from the
night before and I knew I would need to get so rest before I return to the room tonight, I cant be
exhausted or I might slip up while Im making my way through the hallway, I might make a noise and get
caught. That night I slipped out of my door with my key in my hand and made my way to the door past
the play room. I couldnt stop thinking about what that man said to me today they made me forget kept
ringing in the back of my head and I couldnt help but to think that the same thing happened to me. My
file did say I have severe short term memory loss, but how severe is it really? Do I really have short term
memory loss or is it just them erasing my memory? Making me forget? Just before I open the door in the
back of the play room, I stop and take a look at my reflection in the glass of the door. I look thin, my
bones are showing. Pale, like I haven't seen the sun in decades. My hair looks like Ive been in a tornado,
knotted and going every which way, but what Im looking for is no where to be found. My eyes have

wrinkles and dark circles under them, and look like they have sunk into my skull, that could be because of
how thin I appear to be. But there is no black eye. Neither of my eyes look similar to that mans. True,
black eyes can heal, but Ive forgotten so much in such a small amount of time, it cant be just memory
loss.
I open the door and make my way into the empty room once again, its colder tonight than it was
last night. My fingers feel frozen so it takes me awhile to handle the key and get the cabinet open. Once I
do, I grab my file and look for the medical page. Nothing, according to the page, I have had no
procedures performed on me here at the hospital for memory loss. The only thing here is that I took the
drug Lithium for my bipolar disorder before I was admitted into the asylum. Other than that, nothing, just
a dead end.Which is even more strange, isnt an asylum suppose to help you with an illness? Why would
they not give me treatment and wouldnt the state who keeps the medical records find that odd? I just find
more questions, no answers. There seems to be a theme here. With more thoughts and questions baring
their teeth into my mind, I slide my diary out of the file and turn to the second page;
April 20th 1562
Dear Diary
Well Dean and I are officially moved into the new house. All the boxes and bags are unpacked, all
the furniture is in the right place, and Ive started decorating making this house look like a home. Weve
also been trying very hard to have children, excruciatingly hard. Im pretty sore, so were taking a break
for the night, but I know we wont stop trying. My mother did tell me this would happen, how much of a
challenge it would be at first. Even though she also said the women in our family are extremely firtel. On
a high note though, Im finished with the kitchen, the decorating, moving things around, putting things
where they need to be. It was the first place I wanted to get done as far as decorating and all that, and I
am very proud of my work, its going to be the jewel of the house. As they say, the kitchen is the heart of
the home.

Ok, not much help there, though it does bring back more memories. I remember it took Dean and
I quiet awhile to make a child, we started to think that something was wrong with us medically. We talked
with all our family members and even checked with our doctors to see if there was a problem, but there
was nothing. No stange medical family history, no strange disease or disorder that would cause us to have
any problems with that sort of thing. I turn to the next page and read the next entry.
May 20th 1562
Dear Diary
It happened! I never thought Id actually be happy to say this, but I missed my period! And after
checking with the doctor, its official, Im pregnant! Im so excited! Well have a beautiful baby girl, shell
have my eyes and Dean's smile. Her name will be Rachel, no Sophie or maybe Hope. I can think about
names later, right now Im just so excited that Im finally going to have a baby with the man I love most
in this world. Speaking of Dean, he doesnt even know yet, I just found out myself. Ill tell him at dinner,
Ill make him his favorite stew with onions, carrots, and potatoes, and I leave a little note on the table
next to his place that says To the world's greatest dad, I hope you enjoy. Love the worlds greatest mom.
Yes, thatll be perfect, hell love it and be so pleasantly surprised. I mean I would be, and he loves
surprises like that. I must start preparing.
Not much help from this entry either, even though each passage brings back memories it still
doesnt help me answer my questions, in fact it makes my question of why I would do something so awful
to my family stronger. Clearly I was happy with my life, it almost sounds perfect, an exact replica of the
american dream. I got married, moved into a nice house with my husband, had kids who were both
healthy and happy, and never had any marital problems or any problems with the pregnancy, so why?
Why would I do something like this to them?
I take a look out the window and realize just how late it is, the sky is starting to become a dull
gray, threatening the presence of sunlight fastly approaching. I quickly put the file and diary back in its
rightful place, and practically sprint back to my room after I lock up. Im still unsure of when all the

workers come in so I must not stay out so late, I might get caught in the act. I jump onto my mattress and
hid the key back in its original spot where its lived for the past two months. It felt like just a few hour
until the two men came to get me for feeding and playtime, but when we arrived at the playroom, I
noticed the room in the back was wide open, the room with the files in it was completely exposed. Did I
forget to close it in my hurried state? All the patients were completely oblivious to it or at least acted like
they did fearing that theyd be punished if their curiosity took over. I took a quick glance into the room as
I walked by it trying to act casual, I saw a man wearing a white uniform like a Keeper would wear, hes
going through the same filing cabinet that I was looking through last night. One of the two men who
brought me here, the leader, walks into the room and I assume a position sitting with my back against the
wall, right next to the door with my head down, acting like Im not listening. Most of the conversation
between the two men is muffled between the wall and my ears, but I do understand that one of the
patients here is going home. They say the patient's wife has come to take him with her and she request
that she can have his file. Once I hear the words But I think someone has been snooping around here
My head shoots up and my attention is completely focused on the conversation.
What do you mean? says the leader.
I mean there are fingerprints all over the cabinet,theyre new as if they were made within the
past few days the other man responds.
Ha ha ha, alright detective, dont let your imagination run wild now the leader says back in a
sarcastic tone.
Just keep an eye on it would you? says the man.
Ha ha ha, sure. the leader blurted out in a sarcastic chuckle.
Once I hear the leader's footsteps pounding towards the door, I slowly pull myself to my feet and walk
towards the adjacent wall with my head down, trying not to show the panic surging through my body. My
ankles feel like they are a thousand pounds and my stomach is turning like I just drank milk on a hot
summers day. I have to stay calm, I cant show any sign of fear or theyll suspect something. I have to
calm myself down, I have too. I take a slow breath in and let it out, I sit on the floor keeping my head

down. I cant go into the filing room, at least for a couple of days, theyll probably have someone
guarding it every second, and even if they dont I cant take the chance of getting caught and getting put
into isolation again, or face a punishment thats even worse. Ill stay in my room for the next few nights
until this whole thing blows over, if it ever does.
Im starting to remember things about my past with each passing day. Even though the leader
guarding the door to the filing room is preventing me from my journal, memories are starting to come
back to me. I remember how angry I was getting with my children each day they disobeyed me, my anger
towards my husband because he was working long hours and leaving me home alone with the children all
day. I knew it would be hard to raise a family at first, but I didnt know it would be so stressful, there
were many times when I considered harming or hurting my children, the little brats. I couldnt though,
they were my little girls, how could I ever hurt them? I remember getting into fights with Dean when he
would come home drunk from work late at night. The last thing I can remember is suspecting that Dean
was having an affair, it wouldnt be hard for him, after all he did come home late almost every night, far
later than he anticipated. But, thats all I remember, after that nothing. I dont remember murdering them
or being admitted here, I dont remember anything about this place at all. Not the feedings, the treatment,
escaping, nothing. Thats another thing Ive been thinking about, escaping. I have to try again, I have to.
If I cant remember murdering my family then it must not be true, even if I do have memory loss, I would
remember something like that . I have to start thinking of a way to escape this place, this hell hole they
call a hospital.Once I am on the outside then I can explain to everyone that I didnt do it. I dont know
who did, but I had to be framed. I would never do something like that to my family, even if my husband
had an affair and upset with my children, I would never dream of hurting them. I already have the key,
now I just need a solid plan that will get me out of here and to the next town over. First things first
though, I have to get that journal.
Everyday I saw the leader guarding the filing door during our play time and feedings, he stood
there, looking bored out of his mind and didnt pay attention to what was going on around him at all. In
fact he was asleep half the time, anyone could have walked right up to the door and gone in, I never had

enough courage to do so. I have to stay low so no one gets suspicious. After what I was a week or two
later, the leader had suddenly disappeared. He must have given up his post thinking there is nothing to
worry about, which means this is my chance, I need that journal to prove that Im guilty. There are plenty
of entries showing that I was a kind and loving mother and wife that had no reason to kill her family. The
the police have to believe me, maybe theres something in there talking about who really killed them,
what really happened that night. Or maybe there is something that can lead us to the killer, maybe
someone threatened our family or had it our for me, or maybe someone had it out for my husband, maybe
the women he was having the affair with. Im not sure, but right now that journal is the one thing I have to
prove that I didnt kill them, I have to.
I waited a few more days, just to be sure the leader has completely given up. Late that night, after
carefully listening to the sounds outside my door, making sure all the Keepers have gone or the night, I
made my way out of my door and into the dark hallway, tracing my hand along the wall to my left,
leading myself to the playroom. Making my way across the playroom and to the filing room door, I try to
think of how many times I had to do this. How many times did I sneak out of my room every night with a
chance of getting caught? How many times have I started at the darkness in front of me, unsure of what or
who was lurking in the shadows watching me risk my life just to find out what happened in my past? It
only makes my desire to leave this place stronger. It lights a fire in my stomach, I have to use every
muscle to hold me back from sprinting out the front door in seconds. The thought of feeling the sun on
my face and breathing in fresh air sends chills up my spine. But before I can leave I have to get to that
journal. I open the door and make my way into the room, taking a moment to top in the middle of the
room and look out the window. I can see the trees and the moonlight beating down on them, the grass
glistens with fresh dew and the moon hangs high in the middle of the sky, a beacon of light ready for me
to follow it to freedom. I open the cabinet and snatch out my file, skimming through it once more, my
disorders, my medications, how long Ive had treatments. None of that will matter in an hour, all that will
matter is me getting to town and proving that my freedom is justified. Sliding the journal out of the file, I
put the file back into its original home and carefully close the drawer shut. Entering back into the

darkness of the hallway, I take a few glances around me to see where I should go next. My memory is
weak, but I believe we went to the left when the two men dragged me into my room, so I should be going
right. I took a right turn, again using my hand to guide my way. I felt doors and heard moaning, this must
be another wing of the hospital. Letting my eyes adjust to the darkness, I saw that I was stopped right in
front of another patience door, I couldnt see inside the room though. On the other end of the hallway,
there was a large foyer and big metal double doors on the other side, that must be the front. I took one
step towards it and heard a loud scream to my right, causing me to just about jump out of my skin. My
feet moved quicker than my mind and started sprinting toward the front door.
My mind thought I should turn back, that I should wait to see if any one else was in the hospital
to assess the screaming patient, but I just kept running. I slammed my body into the door and struggled to
turn the key in the lock, once I heard that glorious click I pushed on the two doors in front of me with all
my might and they swung open. All I could hear was the screaming continuing behind me, I took off
running out the door, unaware of where I was, unaware of where i was headed. It doesnt matter as long
as it is away from this place. Trees whiz past me, hitting me with their branches, trying to slow me down,
but I wouldnt let them. The scream slowly faded behind me, I looked back to see the door wide open and
the foyer on the other side of it. I felt a smack again my face, feeling my body hit the ground, and then
darkness.
What? Where am I? I open my eyes, the light hurts and I squint to keep it out. There are trees all
around me, I must be in the woods. Why am I here? How did I get here? Theres something in my hand,
its small feels like metal. Why do I have it? Where am I? What is that building behind me? I open my
hand to see a small silver key nestled inside. Why do I have this key? What is it for? I suddenly feel two
big hands grab my forearms. Alright 675321, this is it, this is the LAST time you will try to escape. I
hear from a man's voice behind me. Escape? What is he talking about? What was I escaping from? The
two hands drag me to my feet squeezing tightly. Ow that hurts! I yell in protest. I squeezed they key
tighter in my hand, I dont want anyone taking it away from me, I dont know where it belongs to. It
could tell me where I am and how I got out here in the first place. Get off me! I scream at the two men

who are now on either side of me. They dont listen, they dont even flinch as they start dragging me
toward the building behind me. I look at either man, they both are twice my size and tower over me, they
look like skyscraper. Who are you where am I? How did I get here? I demand to know from them.
Where are we going? What is that building? Answer me! I keep yelling at them, but they still dont
respond. Can they not hear me? Is there something wrong with me? Whats going on? I squirm in their
hands, trying to break free, but I cant their grasp is too strong. I watch a pair of big metal double doors
close behind us, watching the sunlight die behind them.