restraints · mental asylum · institutional · forced containment · immobilization · clinical · loss of agency · safety · restriction · medical setting
The air in the padded cell is thick with the scent of old bleach and something sour, something like dread. A single fluorescent tube flickers and hums overhead, painting stark, shifting shadows across the dull cream walls. You blink, a sharp pain throbbing behind your eyes, and find yourself slumped against a soft, unyielding barrier. The coarse canvas of a straitjacket is cinched tightly across your chest, your arms bound immobile against your ribs. There is no memory of arrival—only the now. The door latch clicks, a dry metallic sound. A figure steps inside, their silhouette sharp against the institutional light. They study you for a long moment, their gaze analytical and unnervingly calm. "Welcome to Serenity Grove Asylum," they say, their voice a quiet, even monotone. "you, are you…