Game. Game. Game.
What kind of game?
If it weren't for the mysterious grin that formed on Doctor Diana's lips, Anne probably wouldn't have thought about it all day long. She didn't know that there was an annual game held in a remote Criminal Mental Hospital.
Considering that this place was deep in the forest, it was likely that the game was made to entertain the workers in this hospital. They may be so stressed that they need entertainment. Well, Anne is not surprised. After a whole year taking care of mentally ill inmates with various backgrounds, they certainly need something to keep their sanity.
However, what kind of game is it? Will they be asked to duel? Or fight to the last drop of blood?
Anne got out of bed and pondered for a while. Looking at the way Doctor Diana spoke, it didn't seem like the game was that way. Not one on one. Maybe more towards a game that directly involves a lot of people.
The new prisoner, she said. That means that familiar man will also be included. Anne still couldn't remember anything, but her plans wouldn't change. She would meet the man if she had the chance.
Anne got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom. The sun had not yet risen and the wind that blew brought a chill that was so piercing. It was probably four or almost five in the morning. She intended to clean her body that had been neglected for a few days before Cindy came.
The only thing she was excited about today was the notification that she could go out.
Anne turned on the faucet in the bathtub before picking up a set of hospital gowns that were exactly the same as the ones she wore in the nightstand drawer. Usually, she only lightly cleaned her body. But today, she scrubbed her skin hard and washed her hair, even though all she provided was liquid soap which didn't smell at all.
Anne seemed to be able to breathe more freely when her whole body was clean.
She stood by the window while waiting for Cindy to arrive. The sight she always saw every day was the blooming cherry blossoms. She also noticed a small bird that often perched on one of the sequoia trees.
In quiet moments like these, Anne usually tries to remember her past. She replayed some of the memory fragments that were still stuck in her head, hoping that she would remember the others. But it feels like a waste. Anne didn't really care now. Maybe she had started to surrender to what was happening.
Reality is sometimes that painful.
Not that Anne would just lean on her chin and wait for her memory to come back on its own. The familiar man was still her priority. It's just that Anne's belief in being able to recover has begun to erode. Who knows. Maybe she just needs encouragement to keep on living.
Like making friends, maybe?
If her sleepiness hadn't bothered her last night, then she would definitely see Emily again. Then the woman will tell her how to get a duplicate key. She wondered if Emily had been waiting for her last night? Did the woman come to check at the front of her room when she didn't show up at the door because she overslept?
Anne sighed and walked back to the bed. She seemed so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice that the door to her room was open. She felt her heart nearly burst when Cindy suddenly stood in front of her.
"Good grief!" Anne shrieked in surprise. She rubbed her chest and took a slow breath. "You surprised me. Since when did you come?"
"Just now," Cindy answered flatly. Her eyes scanned Anne from head to toe. "You look so clean?"
"Yeah, I just took a shower."
Cindy chuckled.
Anne's eyes widened for a moment. Did she see wrong? Cindy just laughed. Good grief. Anne thought she couldn't laugh. She never even saw Cindy smile, even though she made a funny joke. Whenever they spoke, Cindy always wore a nonchalant expression.
But now... Cindy laughed for the first time just because Anne said 'she just took a shower?' What's so funny about that sentence?
"Sorry, but was there something funny about what I just said?" Anne asked confused.
"No, but you shouldn't take a clean shower like that," Cindy said, and a second later laughed again.
This girl's sense of humor is very strange. Really.
Anne frowned, confused. And waited until Cindy's laughter had completely stopped. "And why did you say that? What's wrong with a clean shower? " She asked.
Again, Cindy laughed.
What the hell is this? Does she look like a clown playing a joke? Probably the funniest word in Cindy's life is 'shower'. Anne had mentioned it three times and Cindy always laughed about it. Her sense of humor is truly astounding.
"You'll find out later. Now come with me out." The girl reached for the keys in her dress pocket and Anne realized that Cindy's appearance was very different from usual. Where had the jeans and t-shirt she always wore gone?
Anne noticed Cindy's appearance, which looked neat and formal. She was wearing a peach-colored cotton knee-length dress. Her hair, which was usually tied up high, now flowed admirably on her shoulders. She even put a light make-up on her face!
"Cindy, are you going on a date?" The question just flowed out of Anne's lips. She spontaneously clapped her uncooperative mouth.
Of course, a sharp glare was the answer Anne got.
"None of your business," said Cindy curtly. She told Anne to come out through her eyes. Cindy locked the door and Anne noticed the collection of keys she was carrying, about eight of them. She also noticed which key was used for her room. When she was done, Cindy told her to walk back down the corridor.
The second floor corridor was very quiet. Only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. As she passed Emily's room, Anne heard no sign of life in it. Is Emily sleeping? Or is she out?
They walked in silence towards the first floor stairs. Anne noticed everything she could see. Clean white ceiling. Clean white walls. Clean ceramic staircase. Even the air feels fresh and clean.
Sterile.
But when Anne stepped on the last stair that connected to the first floor, a pungent smell pierced her nostrils. The scenery presented was so inversely proportional to what she saw eight seconds ago.
If the second floor corridor is sterile, then the first floor corridor is the opposite. This place looks like it's never been cleaned.
When she first came here, Anne didn't pay much attention to the surroundings, though she was aware of the stench. But now, she realized that the floor was brown, full of dirt. She was tiptoeing because she didn't want to step on something that she didn't know what it was under her bare feet. Mud, maybe? Why isn't this floor cleaned?
Anne glanced at the holding cell whose door was open and was surprised to see that it was empty. She turned and saw that the cell next to her was also unoccupied. Where are all the residents? She recalled that there were a large number of mentally ill prisoners in each cell.
"Where are all the prisoners on this floor?" Anne asked Cindy, who was walking behind her.
"Works," Cindy replied curtly.
Working?
Anne frowned and stopped, then turned to Cindy. "What do you mean work?"
"They work, get hired, don't you understand? The reason you were taken out is also to be hired."
Anne blinked. Her mouth opened to ask, but dropped when she finally understood what Cindy was talking about.
Geez. Of course. It was stupid that Anne had thought she would be allowed to walk around the hospital leisurely.
They have to work.
Anne sighed in frustration. Even though she was very excited to go out, but it turns out...
Ha. The reality is that painful.
The two days seemed to pass very slowly.Anne spent most of her time sleeping because she didn't know what to do. She always tried to talk to Cindy when she came with food, but Cindy ignored her most of the time. Only important questions about the hospital will Cindy answer.Anne wanted to talk to Emily again, but every night she fell asleep. When she tried to stay awake, she couldn't. Her eyes felt so heavy that she unconsciously fell asleep. Then, she will wake up when the room is bright in the morning sun.Before, she had never felt like that. She was sleepy, but not that bad. Anne had suspected that something had been put in her food. She didn't know if it was some kind of sleeping pill or what. As far as she could remember, the effects of sleeping pills would work after 20 or 30 minutes after taking them. The problem was, she only felt the extraordinary sleepiness after a few hours had passed.Maybe it's not sleeping pills, but other similar medicine.Well, this is just speculati
Anne couldn't help but watch the mentally ill prisoners at work. Her assumption of those who were given something to obey without doing anything else seemed... plausible. Is it some kind of medicine? Or something else? She didn't know. But, it must be something strong; that can affect a person's mind. Anne continued to dig the ground with her shovel and occasionally looked around. The prisoners are still working non-stop in their respective sections. The guards were still watching outside the construction area. Cindy was there too. Watching her every move with a sharp gaze. It was as if Anne would disappear if she looked away for even a second. The sun was almost overhead. Anne was thirsty, hungry, and tired. Sweat flooded her body. The hospital clothes she was wearing were dirty, covered in mud everywhere. She regretted having taken a clean shower in the early morning. After returning to her room, she had to scrub her body again. When Anne went back to digging, her shovel hit a bo
A little more though. She just needs a little information to know what game is actually given. If only Cindy hadn't approached too quickly, she would have known the answer. Anne sighed in frustration.That woman—Fake Marie Antoinette was an old patient. She had passed the game and... survived? It's possible that this is just a small game that won't cause any casualties, perhaps. Anne wasn't sure. Her hunch said otherwise.Anne couldn't stop thinking about it. Her legs also couldn't stop pacing in front of the window, even as her calves started to feel sore.She only stopped when her muscles felt cramped and she had trouble supporting herself. With great difficulty, she climbed into bed and pulled the covers off. Her vision was dizzy with dizziness. There are many things going through her head.This hospital stresses her out.Looks like pretty soon, Anne's really going crazy like the rest of the patients.She curled up on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her neck. Fatigue gnawed a
It feels weird.Really weird.Anne meant that this was only their second meeting, but both she and Emily looked like two best friends who had been in a relationship for years. Moreover, Emily's attitude is so friendly, making Anne can easily accept her presence.Maybe because the attitudes of the two are similar? Or are they facing the same problem? Their status as prisoners is pathetic, perhaps?She didn't know what the reason was. But even at the first meeting, she and Emily could talk fluently without feeling awkward at all. Moreover, Emily seems to have considered Anne as a friend, remembering how she barged into her room without permission. Then proudly displayed her stolen duplicate key as if she had brought a present for Anne.Anne would have considered the key an extraordinary gift if the idea of escaping had been realized with it. Unfortunately no. Until whenever it will not be able to.Emily firmly said 'there is no way to escape from this hospital' because of the microchi
The night wind was blowing very fast. Cold pricks the skin. Anne's hair flew everywhere, covering her face so much that she had to roll it up and tuck it into the collar of her hospital uniform. She didn't know the wind would be this strong, but she felt so excited to get out.Anne hugged herself and followed Emily to the front yard of the hospital. The full moon shone so brightly that they could see clearly without the help of the hospital lights which had mostly been turned off. Surprisingly, not a single guard was to be seen, either outside or downstairs as they passed. Anne assumed they were asleep, but Emily said some of them might have gone somewhere to drink. She always smelled of alcohol when the guards came to open the door to her room.Anne wondered where it was, because it was obvious the hospital was so remote. The two walked towards the side of the hospital and stopped at a long bench. Emily motioned for Anne to sit down first. Anne didn't really know what they were goin
Anne had just finished taking a shower when Cindy walked into her room like a ghost, again without making a sound. This time, Anne didn't take a clean bath and scrub her body like yesterday, she just splashed herself three times, remembering she was going to work. By noon it was very hot and her body would surely be covered in mud everywhere.Without a word, Anne followed Cindy out of her room and they returned down the same hall. Cindy seemed quieter today, even her expression was cold. She no longer wears feminine dresses, but casual clothes as usual. Cindy led her into the backyard of the hospital and had her wrist checked again by the guard.Absence maybe? She thought it was like routine attendance to calculate patient attendance at work.Anne began to work in silence; digging the ground and occasionally watching Cindy, who stands guard outside the construction area. She just realized that Cindy rarely interacted with the guards. Though, some of them seemed to be the same age as C
Anne lay on her bed with overlapping feelings after dinner and took the medicine Cindy brought her. From now on—because she said there was no change in her memory at all—Doctor Diana started prescribing medicine for her.Two white pills of different sizes.Anne only had time to pay attention for a few seconds, because Cindy angrily ordered her to swallow it immediately. Cindy's eyes keenly watched Anne until the medicine completely passed down her throat. Then, Cindy left without a word and locked the door of her room.Anne took a short breath, then rolled over to face the window whose curtains were deliberately opened. She stared at the full moon shining brightly outside, wondering what time it was. Maybe only nine o'clock. She plans to leave at midnight. The guards were probably still out there, so she had to wait until it was quiet. Anne really wanted to meet Emily and ask about the game that Doctor Diana was talking about.Tomorrow, she thought. Tomorrow the game will start.Deep
Early in the morning before sunrise, all the new prisoners were taken to the front yard of the hospital to assemble. There are 15 prisoners. 10 women and 5 men.Anne had just realized there were a lot of new patients coming—all she knew was Manson Miller. They were all ordered to line up neatly in the middle of the yard for inspection. Several detainees who did not heed the orders were immediately whipped hard on the calves. For the first time in weeks, Anne had seen how patients were punished. But apparently, their punishment method wasn't just that.Anne was at the very back and noticed the many guards surrounding them. All the guards seem to be gathered here. When she left her room and descended the stairs to the first floor, all the prison cell doors were locked tightly. Not a single guard in sight.She still didn't know what they were going to do, how the game would go, but seeing how tightly guarded they were, she was starting to feel worried. Her heart pounded as if it was goin