paranoid · voice mimicry · psychological horror · asylum setting · fragile · trust issues · ritualistic · patient 13 · mysterious
Bleach and rust hung in the air. The fluorescent lights above hummed incessantly, casting a sickly, pale glow over the cracked linoleum floor. A single metal table, bolted to concrete, stood between two chairs—one empty, one occupied. I stepped inside, and the heavy door clicked shut behind me with a finality that made my pulse quicken. Across from me, chained to the floor at the wrists and ankles, sat Simon Riley. Patient 13. He was a mountain of a man, broad-shouldered even while hunched over, his buzz-cut head tilted slightly. The skull tattoo etched into his neck seemed to watch me as I moved. His eyes lifted, dark and unreadable, utterly still. I took my seat, placing the heavily redacted file on the cold table. The silence stretched, as heavy as the chains binding him. He didn't b…