[note: This is just a couple of pages that I've written lately. Let me know if this is a story that is compelling enough to continue. Also, I will be rewriting and editing chapters often. So, if you want to keep up with the story, you should reread every once in awhile. I have edited and added to this chapter.]

The white room was dark, the shadows engulfing the walls and corners with its cold fingers. It was small only having a tiny bed, a table, and one window. The moonlight barely piercing though the branches outside the barred window, letting the slivers of light portray on the door of the small trap. The atmosphere held a sense of entrapment and fear, the odor of medicine and treatment polluted the air inside the locked space. The figure of a woman in the darkness was seated on the white bed, she was rocking back and forth, her head on her knees, her brown hair covering her tear streaked face. She’d been trying to mute out the screams that filled the hallways outside her small ward. The illusion of comfort and safety emerged in her eyes, she welcomed the deceit eagerly.

As she closed her green eyes she could see the sun shining down upon a tall house in the center of an open meadow. The woman found herself standing in the midst of the wheat that grew all across the long valley. The sound of laughter caused her to turn her head.

Two children were running through nature‘s long hair, their laughter flowed through the golden waves like lightning. The brunette’s eyes began to follow the children’s game. A small smile upon her lips.

The eldest, a boy with blonde locks blowing in the breeze, teased his younger sibling that she would never catch up. He looks ten years old. The green eyed woman thought to herself. The little girl ran as fast as she could but did not catch the laughing boy. She must be six.

The girl stopped breathless, her strawberry blonde hair rushing over her face as she bent down to catch her breath, her hands resting on her shaking knees. The boy ran up to her concerned, “Heather, are you alright?” He asked worried.

“Yes, I am. But Troy, don‘t go so fast.” she whined. The girl’s small face looked up happily, then she reached up and pushed the boy playfully. “Now, you’re it!” Then, she turned, her hair waving in the air, and ran from his shocked but amused face. Troy followed after a moment, allowing her to have a fair chance of out running him, letting out a loud battle cry.

A woman appeared in the doorway of the beautiful house, her hair was worn high and tall. The golden strands shining in the sun, she raised her hand to her mouth, “Troy, Heather! It’s time to come in now!” She called to them.

The two looked away from each other to see who had called them. Their was a glimmer in their eyes as they rushed towards the woman’s awaiting arms. Their embrace was warm and loving. “Mother!” they both exclaimed joyfully.

The brown haired woman let a tear escape her eyes, “Lies.” She whispered to herself.

The peaceful home she’d been envisioning flashed suddenly, the valley no longer golden and loving. The wheat was orange and red as billows of smoke rose to the blackened sky. Her feet standing in the midst of the flame, but she did not burn. She looked around to see the house that sat peacefully upon the meadow aflame choking with every flicker of flames. The shutters charred and covered in soot. The sound of children crying, a woman screaming for them to run, and a man’s enraged howl echoed upon the blighted fire valley. The green eyed onlooker began to run towards the smoking house, her white cotton gown being pulled on by the burning fingers of wheat.

The forms of people flickered in and out of sight as the flames kissed the wood seductively, as ember fell inside the house. Children running flashed into view, then was gone. Then again a flicker of flame and their mother took their place, her arms raised trying to fight a man’s anger and hate, in his hand lay a pistol. The woman’s forehead was running with red liquid as the man’s hand came down and struck her right cheek, then they too disappeared from view.

A girl’s scream sounded as gunshots rang throughout the house, lights flashed in the room where the children had run to. The children came to light in front of a window with broken glass, one of Troy’s hands on his bleeding chest as the other was in front of his crying sibling. He stood in front of his sister protectively, then the gun boomed again, Troy‘s body jerking with the bullet‘s impact. Heather’s cries continued as he began to drop to the floor, she pulled on his shirt trying to help him stand but he fell lifeless. The man appeared in front of her suddenly, her eyes widened as he pressed the barrel of the pistol to her forehead and squeezed the trigger. The gun clicked empty. The man yelled and rose his arm, then stuck the girl. Heather flew backwards out the broken window, never making a sound until her small body hit the dirt with a thud.

The woman stopped running as child struck the burning ground. She raised her hands to her temples and screamed in agony. The vision causing her head to feel as if it were being ripped in half. The man in the window looked outside the window to the pain wrenched brunette. The valley melted away to make way to the white, shadow filled room. The woman’s screaming echoed inside the small chamber, her eyes flying open as she realized that she hadn’t ever left her small imprisonment. The white walls looked as if they were closing in on the panicked woman. “No!” She shouted, falling to the floor. The woman banged her fists against the wall in front of her, again and again she hit. Her cries mixing with the warm liquid running down her forearm, dripping on her white gown.

The door flew open flooding the room with light, as a man in gray clothing rushed towards her. “Ashlee! It’s alright. You must calm down!” He grasped her arm lightly, but she turned towards him and bit his hand. He yelled in pain then grabbed her harshly and threw her to the small white bed. The man laid on top of her, trying to reach the straps at the edge of the bars. Ashlee scratched as his face only to be held down harder. He took a hold of one leather strap and wrapped the belt around the woman’s flailing wrist. He did the same with the other and repositioned himself to hold down her legs with his knee. The belts at the end of the bed hand fallen to the ground, he reached for them leaning forward. His knee rose slightly releasing her left leg, she lifted attempting to kick him away, but her leg was held by another man in gray. He held her leg long enough for the first man to grab the belts and tie down one of her legs. The two of them worked to lower and tie her remaining leg, but their hold slipped and she kicked one of them in the jaw. The other took a hold of her quickly and forced her leg down angrily, as the other swiftly tied her ankle. When she was finally restrained both men fell to the ground thankful that it was over for now, they sat silently.

The two of them exhaled, relieved that she was now retrained. Ashlee continued to jerk and scream as they caught their breath. “No!” She screamed.

“Ashlee, that’s enough. You’re going to hurt yourself!” the first man cautioned her.

“Leave her, Simon.” The second man stood and stretched out his back. “She won’t listen to anyone right now.”

Simon straightened his legs and rose to his feet, “But Darrin, she seems so frightened.” He remarked as he looked at the woman’s scared face.

“Simon, we are in an asylum. Everyone is afraid of something. But none of it is real, that’s why they are in here.” Darrin laid a hand on Simon’s shoulder. “They’re not right in their mind.” He tapped a finger to his right temple.

Darrin turned away picking up a towel that was lying on the floor and tossed it to Simon. Simon took the towel and placed it over his left shoulder. He left the room, he returned shortly with a bottle and some bandages.

Ashlee had been trying to stop crying, she looked at her restraints sobbing silently. The blood had begun to drip onto the sheets of the bed.

Simon sat down next to the woman he poured some of the liquid from the bottle onto the towel and dapped Ashlee’s bleeding hands.

She winced as the towel stung her open wound, Simon shushed her comfortingly. He hoped that she would calm down and fall asleep during the process.

After he had finished disinfecting her hands and bandaging them up, Simon started to stroke Ashlee’s hair gently. Her eyes closed as she began to relax. “Alright. Now just fall asleep. Everything is going to be fine.”

Darrin appeared in the doorway suddenly. “Simon! You’re still here?” Ashlee opened her eyes suddenly.

Simon’s eyebrows pressed together, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Mrs. Johanna just tried to kill Myles, he’s bleeding pretty bad! I need your help now!” Darrin turned away and ran down the hallway. The sound of doors swinging open and closed flowing behind him.

Simon sighed he had a defeated look on his face. “I’m sorry. I have to go. But remember. don’t worry nothing is going to happen.”

“Wait!” Ashlee pleaded. “Don’t leave me alone! They’ll come again! It will come back!” Ashlee begged after him. She pulled against the restraints. “They won’t leave me alone.” She laid back and turned her head away from him, sobbing into her hair.

“Ashlee, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Nothing’s going to get you.” He walked away then turned in the doorway. “Now, rest.” He said as he closed the door behind him.

“No! Not the dark!” She shouted as the door clicked shut, the sound of his quickly departing footsteps faded out of earshot.

. “Not the dark! Not the dark!” She jerked in her bed anxiously.

She continued for hours before finally passing out from exhaustion. The rise and fall of her chest the only sign she was still alive. No tears ran down her cheeks while she stayed in the sanctuary of her dreams.

A creak was the noise that woke her. She did not open her eyes, too frightened to see what might be in the night. Not wanting to see what had come to haunt her this time. She felt a hand grab her lower leg. The pressure shocking her, she opened her eyes to find a man’s eyes inches away, breathing on her heavily. His soot covered face was angry. His mouth opened to unleash a dark glow. A growl came from deep inside his chest, “Judgment!” it howled.

Ashlee closed her eyes, terrified, and screamed. No one came to her side this time. The hallway outside was her only companion in this reality of a nightmare.

“Judgment!” He howled again, his voice flooding the rooms of the building’s occupied skeleton.