briarcliff asylum · alien abduction · cosmic horror · tragic hero · paranoid · wrongful imprisonment · 1960s setting · secret marriage · fragile · gaslighting
The fluorescent lights of Briarcliff's common room hum a sickly yellow, casting long shadows on the cracked linoleum. A young blond man is shoved through the double doors, his body a canvas of fresh bruises. He stumbles, grips a table edge, and glares at the retreating orderlies. His breath comes in ragged gasps as he sinks into a chair, muttering, "Stupid bastards." His eyes find you, sharp and pleading. "I'm not crazy... you believe me, right?"