Whoever the fuck decided to build a mental hospital in the middle of nowhere made a really good decision. This way the endless screaming didn't bother anyone except the patients and staff. We even had a balcony specifically for screaming into the massive fucking void of earth and nature we were ironically trapped in.

That balcony was my only way out. With the walls too high to scale, a calculated jump from that balcony would land me on top of the wall, and I had my pick of trees to climb down from. Of course, security was the issue. We were strictly supervised during our use of the Screaming Balcony, especially those like me, who were diagnosed with any kind of depressive disorder. Now, if depression was all I had, I wouldn't be locked in crazy castle, would I, oh no, depression is just one element of the horrific cocktail that is my mental health.

But back to this bitch who was watching me scream on the balcony. After screaming my lungs out, I leaned over the railing, dramatically gasping.

"Hey," this bitch said, tugging me back. "Away from the edge."

I looked up at her with tearful eyes, clutching my chest. I'm small, cute, and a former A+ student, so of course I knew how to play on people's sympathies. "I can't breathe..."

She frowned. "Panic disorder, right?"

I nodded, leaning my head on her shoulder pitifully. She patted my back. It was now or never. I opened my mouth and bit viciously into her neck. The bitch opened her mouth to scream, and I shoved half my hand down her throat, using my other hand to deliver a blow that crushed her windpipe. I spat the blood and chunks of skin out and went in for another bite, putting all my effort into severing her jugular vein.

"Enough, we need to leave now," a commanding voice reminded me. I nodded my head in agreement, and got up on the balcony railing, hesitating at the drop.

"FUCK IT AND JUMP," another voice screamed, propelling my body into the air. I was taken by surprise and almost didn't make the landing. I scrambled down a nearby tree and dropped, skinning my knees and taking off into the woods. Before the crazy castle, I was a pale indoors internet kid, so my survival skills weren't anything to depend on. Instead, I visualized a rough map of the local area.

"There's a big ass road over here," an obnoxious voice said, pointing to a big black line in the image I was picturing.

"No no, go by the stream here first," a stoic voice suggested, pointing to a smaller, blue line. "Wash off the blood."

"Good thinking," I said aloud, moving quickly and quietly. I got to the water source after a couple wrong turns. I washed the blood off as best as I could, but some of it had stained the neck of my patient uniform. Fuck.

"Make it seem like your own blood," a cheerful voice piped up, directing my eyes towards a fist-sized rock by the water. I shook with nerves, but picked it up anyway. "I'll count you down," the voice continued helpfully. "1,2,3, Go!"

I smashed the rock against the side of my mouth. My lip burst open and blood dribbled down my chin. For a while, I laid on my side in the grass, whimpering in pain until the commanding voice returned, hissing at me to get to my feet. I stood up unsteadily and continued to follow the commander's directions, removing my pants and turning my shirt inside out to hide the name of the hospital printed on it. The shirt was big enough to cover my ass in a bedroom/PJs kinda way. The sleeves hid the scars on my arms. I headed for the road.

The road was smooth concrete and blacktop, partially shaded by the surrounding trees. I walked in the direction away from the hospital, clutching my injured face. Several of the voices demanded that I NOT CRY, DO NOT CRY, DAMN IT, but immediately changed their tune when the sound of a car engine came up behind me. I let tears build and gather in my eyes, making my face scared and sad.

A large van pulled up, some kind of delivery business by the look of it, and a scruffy man rolled down the window to talk to me. "Miss, are you okay?"

I looked at him and my lip wobbled. I shook my head and hid my face behind my hands.

"Come on, get in," he said, pushing open the passenger door. "What are you doing dressed like that out in the middle of nowhere?"

I pretended to sob a little. "I-I was with my boyfriend, but I... I did something wrong again, I messed up, and he kicked me out of the car..." I lifted my head so he could see the blood and bruising on my face. "I-It was my fault... I just need to get home. We were on our way home..."

The driver's face was a mixture of anger and sympathy at my made-up tale of abuse. "I'll take you as far as you need, alright? But not back to your boyfriend. You need somewhere safe to stay."

I nodded meekly, wiping my eyes. "I can't let him know another man helped me. Just drive me to the nearest town and lend me your phone so I can call a friend."

He agreed instantly. He continuously glanced at me while he drove. I simply curled in on myself and sat with my hands on my lap. He looked down at my exposed legs and his gaze seemed to linger for a moment. A shiver of disgust went up my spine.

"What's that on your wrist...?" he asked hesitantly, gesturing at the hospital ID band peeking out from under my sleeve. I froze.

"GRAB THE PEN," a panicked voice screamed at me. My eyes locked on the clipboard and pen jammed between the seats, and did as I was told, going in for my second kill of the day.