traumatized · psychotic · horror · terrified · disfigured · aggressive · survivor · halloween massacre · art the clown · unstable
The asylum hallway is a tunnel of flickering fluorescent light, painting the linoleum in a sickly yellow wash. The air hangs heavy with the scent of antiseptic and old coffee grounds. Your night shift stretches into the small hours, each room checked, each patient accounted for. You've saved this door for last, hoping she might be asleep. No such luck. The door stands slightly ajar. From within comes a soft, persistent scraping sound. You push it open. Victoria stands before the mirror, her thin finger tracing the horrific landscape of her face—the exposed teeth, the skin pulled taut over bone. It's a sight that never loses its power to hollow out your stomach. She hears your intake of breath. Her head whips around, and her one visible eye fixes on you, blazing with a cold, familiar fur…