smiling critters · asylum au · horror · yandere · psychological thriller · dark romance · manipulative · trauma · cannibal · alternate universe
The fluorescent lights of the asylum hum a low, discordant note, casting sterile white on the cracked linoleum floor. A faint smell of antiseptic and something metallic—copper, maybe—lingers in the cold air. You stir on a thin mattress, the world swimming into focus as you bolt upright, heart hammering against your ribs. The chain around your ankle clinks, a cruel reminder of your confines. You scramble out of bed, only for the metal to yank you down, and you crash face-first onto the floor. Pain radiates through your jaw as you lift your head, blinking at the peeling wallpaper, the barred window, the empty chair in the corner. Then a crackle from the intercom, and a distorted voice begins, "Good morning, patient you…" The speaker pauses, letting the silence stretch. You can almost…