The start of an end

[Mary Harwick]

Atlanta, Georgia 1960

It is a normal morning in the life of Mary Harwick. My life. Mary, that's me. Right now, I am sitting at the table, having breakfast next to my aunt, Nicky. She is the most precious human to me, since my parents sent me away, because their work was more important to them than their own daugther. — More coffee?— My aunt asks me and I just nod, with the mouth full of Omelette. Then suddenly, the telephone rings and Nicole rolls her eyes because she thinks it's her boss again. I swallow my food down and empty my cup before I stand up. — It's okay, I go.— I say and walk over to the little commode, picking up the call. — Hello?— I ask and a unknown voice replies. -Ms Mary Harwick?...Here is Officer Andrews...- The man says and I raise one eyebrown, confused about why a policeman calls here. He makes a short pause before he talks again. - I am sorry to not be able to tell you that in person, but I thought you should hear that from me before you see it in the news...- My face becomes more serious with every word he says. I take the phone and go to my aunt with it. She sees my facial expression and stops cleaning the kitchen. Then she comes next to me and stares at my face. -Your parents had an accident yesterday night. It was so bad that they didn't survive...- The Officer says and i hold my breath while more and more tears slowly roll down my cheeks. Yes, my parents never cared about me, but that hit me harder than I thought. Now I will never get the chance to ask them why they never asked me how I am or never visited me here. I don't say anything, I just keep on crying. - Ms Harwick?- The policeman asks, but before he can say anything more, I end the call. My aunt don't ask what is wrong, because she knows that when I feel bad, I hate to talk about my problems. She only turns me around to her and hugs me hard.

ONE WEEK LATER

The last week was very hard for me. I didn't go out or talked to anyone, except aunt Nicky. I told her what happened, she was shocked and also very sad about her sister's death. I got another call, two days ago. Today is the funeral in Briarcliff, the little town where I was born. After hours of driving, me and my aunt arrived at a motel in Briarcliff. It's strange to be back in this City again, it's like I am a stranger. I only lived here for 6 years of my live and I can't barley remember how these 6 years were for me. All I can tell is, that i didn't miss this city. But since I got to know about my parent's death, everything changed...Me and my aunt arrived at the graveyard, which is near to my parent's Estate. Only a few people are there, probably friends and colleagues from the hospital. I look around, dressed in all black, but no he isn't there...My older brother, Dorian. We never really had a close relationship because he is 18 years older than me and was never at home at the time where i lived in Briarcliff. "Maybe he is just late" I thought and didn't pay more attention to the people around me. I stand next to my aunt when the funeral begins. The priest holds a speech about my parents and their life, something I never really was a part of. I allowed myself to look around again, but he still wasn't here....And he never came.

ONE MONTH LATER
September 1960, Briarcliff

Here I am, at the place and what was the most important to my parents, the Briarcliff asylum. My parents were the owners of it, but now they are gone and it's up to me and my brother. The past month I was thinking a lot about my future. After the laywer of my parents told me, that they left the asylum at my and Dorian's name, I decided to stay in Briarcliff and start as a nurse. I want to know what is so special about this job and if it's really worth it to leave a daugther to live alone with her aunt. — Thank you.— I say to the taxi driver and give him money before I get out of the car. It's cloudy outside and the wind lets my hair fly in all directions. I stare at the big house in front of me and tie my hair together until I can hear a deep voice calling my name. —Mary!— I turn around and see him, Dorian. He wears a white doctor coat and glasses. Yeah, after the funeral I called him and told him about my plans. I smile a little 'til he stands in front of me. Without a word, I hug him.

[Dorian Harwick]

When she hugged me, I felt a strange feeling. I haven't seen her since she left and now she is here, as a grown woman and about to start as a nurse. I don't show any emotion, I don't even know who this girl is now. Time changes people and so did I. I slowly step back and take off my glasses. "Nice to see you." I only say, looking neutral. Before she can say anything more, I turn around and start walking towards the big entrance. — Follow me— I only say, feeling her stare laying on my back before I hear her footsteps behind me. After a while, showing her around, we arrived to the other part of the asylum. The one for the most dangerous and difficult patients. —This here is a private station and only a few people are allowed to enter it— I say before I open the doors. Mary doesn't talk so much, she only looks around with an excited expression on her face. They both enter and walk down the corridor until they arrive at the common room. Patients are sitting at the tables, playing or talking with each other. Then, Sister Jude comes around the corner. I walk towards her, my sister still following me. — Sister Jude!— I say seriously and stop in front of her. — Mary, this is Sister Jude. She will show you everything important and how to work here.— Mary, who gives me a quick look before she looks at the nun, offers her hand to her. — Alright, Ladies. You have to excuse me, I have to go back to my office. If there should be something to talk about, let me know.— I stare at Sister Jude before I leave her and my sister alone.

[Sister Jude]

I am in my room, in front of the mirror. The old religious music has been replaced for a 50's Jazz played and singed by a black old man rejected by the society who makes me feel sexy. My hand caresses my body as my reflection shows myself dressed with a devil red babydoll. My lips are painted in the same color and my hips start moving to the rhythm of the music until the sound of the car that just stopped in front of the building warns me. I walk slowly towards the window and pushing the curtain a little by my left side, to look outside.

I can see a young girl getting out of the taxi, beautiful, with all of her life in front of her. Innocent, Ingenious. And with a skirt that shows her legs more than she should. I take the lipstick off with a white towel that now rests on the table. I dress with my nun clothes and with the cap covering my hair and I walk outside, locking the door and keeping the key close to me, on my necklace.

I walk slowly towards the common room, just in time. Dorian calls me and I walk to meet him and the girl who's on his side. I show Dorian a little smile until he leaves. I turn my sight down to stare at the girl's hand not taking it.—Follow me— I say, with superiority and pointing at the common room. Everyone plays chess, talks, laughs and seems to be happy there. The dominique song is not sounding because it's visits day.—This is the common room. The patients can be here from 7 in the morning until 8.45. Breakfast starts at 9 and they have to turn back to the common room at 9.30. They can be here until 12:45. At 13:00 the lunch starts, the patients have 45 minutes to eat.— I talk while walking outside the common room, guiding Mary to show her the dinning room.— After lunch they can go back to the common room, dinner starts at 18.00. If somebody is late, he can't have it. All the patients have to be in their rooms after 10pm, at 10:30 the lights will turn off— I talk fast, hoping that she remembers everything.—The schedule of medicines and needs of each patient is on the board in the nursing room.— After showing her the dinning room, the kitchen and the cells corridors I stop in front of the nursing room.— And for the love of god, Mrs. You are a nurse, not a whore. That skirt is too short.

[Mary Harwick]

Sister Jude didn't take the hand I offered her. I roll my eyes and follow her to the common room. She shows me all rooms and when she starts talking about the meal times, I take out my little notebook and write them fast down. Then we arrive at the nursing room. Before I can ask her anything more about my work, she says that my skirt is too short and that I look like a slut. I raise my eyebrows, looking confused about her words. After few seconds just staring at her, I slowly look down to my legs, then up again. "Be kind, Mary" I think and sigh before I speak again. —Ehm, I don't have anything to change...—

[Sister Jude]

I enter in the nursing room, opening a wardrobe and taking a nurse uniform out of it. I throw it on a stretcher and I go outside of the room, staring at her over my shoulder. — There you have it. You can go to the common room then to introduce yourself to the patients. The visits are going now.— I start walking away but I stop before leave to say one more thing.— They have to eat soon, in half an hour. Today there's a hight risk patient going to the dinning room, so be careful.— and I continue walking until I can't see her anymore.

[Mary Harwick]

I watch the nun leaving me. When I can't see her anymore, I take a deep breath, to calm myself. Then I grab the nurse uniform and go into the room. I change my clothes and when I am done, I look into the mirror, which is hanging on the wall. "Here we go" I think and stare a few more seconds into it before I turn around and leave the room. As soon as I am standing outside in the hallway, I can see some people leaving the asylum. I go to the common room and when I enter it, I see some patients moving their heads around, staring at me now. I slowly go in and smile a little. Then when I am standing in front of the tables, I raise my hand and wave. —Hi, I am Sister Mary. I am new and here to take care for you...—

[Chase Winchester]

Many people fear the dark but for me, darkness is silence. And silence gives peace and calmness. When there's light in briarcliff, there's that horrible song that rumbles in my head and causes nausea. Today it started later, because it was visits day, but normally it starts sounding at 7 am, until we go to sleep.

I am in the common room, siting alone in a cornet, staring at the new nurse who's introducing herself. She's not old, and she doesn't have that evil look that I can see in the rest of the personal of the mental Asylum, but usually, a lot of new workers look nice and kind and then they end up being the worst. I don't stand up, I just sit there staring at Pepper. She's the sweetest soul ever. She has microcephaly, a rare disease that generates a much lower head size than the normal in other people of the same age or sex. This happens as a consequence of the lack of growth of the brain and affects the development of the person in terms of speech and movement, among other basic characteristics of development.

She has a flower on his hands, she probably has taken it from one of the vases that adorn the tables. I saw Pepper walking towards the new nurse, shy, and offering her the flower. "Wanna play?" She is barely understood when she speaks, but she seems happy and starts dancing by herself.

I get up and walk towards them, usually when Pepper tries to make friends with the staff, they end up punishing her. Last week, Jude slapped her for singing during the meal and I want to avoid something like that.—I am Chase Winchester— I say, putting my hand on Pepper's shoulder.—She's Pepper, and she's happy to see new faces.— I say "So am I" my mind tells me while I start looking at her now that we're closer. She's extremely beautiful, but she's working here, so I cannot trust her, not for now. Pepper walks away, jumping and dancing at that Dominique's song and I am still here, staring at the new girl.

[Mary Harwick]

No reaction of none of them, until a girl comes towards me. When she stands in front of me, I look down and see her holding a flower in her hands. A smile forms my face when she offers it to me and asks me if I want to play with her. I make myself a little smaller and put a knee on the floor, so we are face to face now. —Thank you— I say friendly and smell the fresh fragrance of the flower. She doesn't reply anything, she just starts dancing and jumping around. I watch her with an happy expression and giggle a little. Suddenly, I can see another patient coming towards me. I get up again and smooth my uniform into shape. Then I meet a pair of blue eyes. "They are like a deep ocean, in which you drown in." I think. He introduces himself and the girl who gave me the flower. I nod understanding. —She seems to be a cute girl— I say and look from his face to her, Pepper, as he just told me.

[Chase Winchester]

I see Pepper leaving us alone and I look directly into her eyes.— I think she's older than us— I say, even if I don't really know it, no one really knows her age.— But everyone loves Pepper here, at least, us. The inmates— I rather to use the word Inmate than patient, because I am locked here and I am not crazy at all. At least, I wasn't when they first locked me. I talk serious but I am not agressive our sounding dangerous, just calmed, like a normal person. "I bet she's wondering why I am here... and that's a pretty good question" I think, still staring at her caramel-brown eyes. There's something in her, I don't know what it is, but I am sure I'd discover that later.— By the way, sister Jude likes to scare young and beautiful nurses so they leave the first day. If they sent you to the dangerous zone, don't go. Only the guards are allowed, but she always try it. They are the real crazies, but that's not the scariest part. The scariest part is how are they living down there, scrambled in their stools and drugged.— Ok, I recognize that was a little creepy, but it was tre truth.— No one else introduced himself because they are sure that you'll run away this night, as the others.

[Mary Harwick]

My eyes wander back to him when he starts talking again. I have to confess that he doesn't look like a 'normal' patient, as you imagine one or usually see in newspapers or tv. He also acts different, but maybe it's just the medicine they give them that calm them. I listen to him and at the moment when he starts talking about Sister Jude, I become curious. With the last words, my look turns serious. —I am not that kind of a person who runs away as soon as things get harder.— I say, even if I feel kinda strange about the things he just told me.

[Chase Winchester]

—Maybe you are the kind who is not going to allow high-risk patients to be in such terrible conditions?— I ask, serious, staring at her. If I know one thing is that I am not like the rest, I am not crazy, but they are still people, not animals.— Now the bell will ring to eat, when the song ends, right between it and the repetition. I advise you to bring the food from home. When the nurses finish serving us, Charlie always spits in the soup so that Jude and the others eat it. Although it doesn't make it worse, it tastes like shit.— I say and the bell rings, just in time. Everyday is the same and I have that whole rutine inside my mind, I don't even need a fucking clock. Everyone starts to stand up, some of them are nervous and run to the dinning room, because if you're late, you are not allowed to eat, and what is worse, if you don't have food in your stomach, you are perfect for a doctor's medical intervention. — After you.— I say, pointing at her the correct way.

[Mary Harwick]

I stare at him. "I would not" I answer his question, but don't say it aloud. I try to read him, his facial expressions, because he doesn't seem to be like the rest. "What did he do to be here now?" I ask myself. Then when the bell is ringing, I look at him for a few more seconds before I start walking to the dinning room. It's full of patients, all different. Some of them are watching me, what makes me feel uncomfortable. I try to ignore their stares and take a seat at one of the tables. The others around me fill their plates with soup, but not me. After what Chase told me, I decided not to eat something of it. So, I just sit there and watch the others eating. In this moment, Jude and other nurses enter the big room.

[Chase Winchester]

I follow Mary closely, watching her as she walks. There is something about her that makes me feel that she is different from the other Briarcliff workers but I still do not know what or if I can trust her so I walk in silence until we reach the dining room. I grab my tray and wait behind the other patients, waiting in line. The women who serve the food, behind the bar, seem bored and apathetic, as always, dropping the food on the plate in an impolite way. When they finish serving my food, I walk to the table where Mary has sat down, quickly, taking the place in front of her. —You shouldn't s...— I start saying, but it's too late, Jude and the other members of the curch and nurses are here.

[Sister Jude]

I enter the dining room, followed by two sisters and three nurses. We have a table meant just for us, but when I start walking between the tables I can see Mary sitting with the patients. I walk towards her, with anger and grab her arm hard, lifting her from her seat.— What do you think you're doing?— I say, dragging her to the staff table.— We do not mix with patients. Sit there and don't embarrass me!— I say it loud and I don't care about the patients staring at us. When I finish I loose her arm and I look to everyone in that place.— Whoever keeps looking at us and doesn't eat, will have a punishment.

[Mary Harwick]

I look up to stare at Chase, but then suddenly, I can feel a hand grabbing my arm. It's Sister Jude, who pulls me up. She looks very angry. While dragging me with her, she explains that there is a table just for us workers. —I didn't k- — I begin to say, but she cuts off my words and starts yelling at me. Her grip around my arm is hard and it starts hurting me, but I try to not show it. Then when she releases me, I don't say a word, I just sit down and stare at a random point on the table. "What was it my parents used to love about this place?" I ask myself in my mind, but I can't answer this question yet.

[Nancy Downs]

"One, two, three ... The music sounds, one, two, three ... one, two ..." the door of the isolation cell opened, letting the light come in and hit my eyes directly, interrupting the song that I was singing mentally. I didn't even remember if that shit was like that, or if it existed, had I just invented it? I would swear I had heard that somewhere, maybe from one of my victims?

I kept the little voodoo doll in my robe before the guy handcuffed me and pushed me out of my room, or from my cell, as I preferred to call it. I laughed out loud as I looked at him. "Why should they let me out?" —I've been good? Hey, tell me... Or is it that I turn you so horny that you wanted to see me spinning around?—I stuck out my tongue, moving it quickly up and down making obscene gestures and I kept laughing while the guy commented in a bad mood '' another joke of those, Downs, and you go back to the hole ... you'll run out of good food. ''

I kept silent, not because of the food, but because I really wanted to see the fresh meat that was in the place since the last time I left the isolation that was ... long ago. I didn't really understand why they had me down there, I had just stuck the dinner fork in the neck of a patient. In my opinion I had done him a favor, who would want to live being so fucking ugly? My laughter escaped thanks to my thoughts, but I held it back until they finally took me to the room I had to go to.

I sat at one of the tables, waiting for the guard to bring the tray with my food, since they would not let me go and look for it. I looked around and noticed how the rest of the patients piled up at other tables to not to sit next to me, yes, they should remember what happened the other time. I threw them a kiss from where I was and I laughed, then I started to observe the new ones, there were many, both personal and patients, interesting.

The guard brought the tray and left it in front of me. There was mashed potatoes, meat, something that looked like a vegetable and a bowl of soup. Yes, definitely the food was better up here. Then I realized that I was missing something. —Hey, baby, my cutlery.— I said to the guard, from whom I called his attention giving him a big slap in the ass. '' I'm not allowed to give them to you '', the guy went quite annoying and left me there, well. I took the bowl in my hands and started drinking directly from there, the party would be later, when I had to eat the rest, holding it with my hands, to make it funnier... I thought it would be fun to eat with my mouth open, to disgust the little saints arround me.

I continued drinking my soup and eating the meat with my hands, occasionally grabbing a patient who was passing by me to wipe my hands on his robe. I left the puree for the end, because it was what I liked the most. I looked around me smiling, it was nice to be let out even with the shackles. I was quite happy and that should be noted in the wide smile that was drawed in my face, as time went by.

I heard some footsteps right behind me, someone was approaching. Who dared after all? I did not even want to look at the person who had sat next to me. I could only think and imagine ways to kill the people around me and, if I looked at her face, that same "thing" that would take over me when I killed someone, would be born in me and I would end up in isolation again, eating the leftovers of all the others.

The girl proved to be apparently the craziest of the place or perhaps the most naive ... or idiot. He put his head between my face and the plate, looking at me straight in the eye. She was a dark-skinned girl with long curly hair, something messy. His huge green eyes caught my attention, I smiled at her, as if she were the sweetest being in the world and suddenly, I raised my hands (tied to each other) to grab her hair and stamp his face on my puree. Then I took her away and changed her plate for mine (only that part of the food), I stole her fork and began to eat.—I kept it for the end and you fucked up, I keep yours— I just hoped that the security guards had not seen it or I would be really screwed. —If you cry I cut your tongue out, it's a warning.— I ad.

Now the party starts.

[Mary Harwick]

I sit in silence, next to the other nurses. They are talking about a few different things like their children or the patients. I don't really listen to them, I am in my thoughts, far away. In moments like this one I think about my aunt Nicky. Here I kinda feel alone right now, so I miss her and her jokes. A little smile appears on my face because of the memories I remember.

Then, the sound of chains wake my attention back to reality. I look up and see a patient coming into the dinning room, with a security guard next to her. "That has to be a isolation patient" I think while watching her sitting down at a table. The others seem to be afraid of her and the one's who sit next to her stand up, so that she eats alone now. Sister Jude doesn't seem to care about this situation, but I keep watching her. Her movements and her behavior is something that fascinates me. Suddenly, I can see how a patient sits down next to her. I watch them carefully, because I have the feeling the girl tries to provocate her. And I am right. In this moment, the handcuffed patient puts her face into the puree and takes her food away. First it seems like the dark-skinned girl doesn't really care about what she just did, but then she grabs the hair of the grey haired girl and pulls her down. They start fighting, so I stand up and go over to them. When the other nurses see me standing up, they follow me to help me with the situation. Even tho I am not really strong, I grab the not-handcuffed one and pull her away from the isolation patient. She turns crazy and tries to hurt me too. In this moment, the security guy takes her away from me and gives her an injection, something to calm her down. Then he leaves the room with her.

[Chase Winchester]

I tried. I wanted to have warned him, but it was late.


I'm still sitting, stirring my food with my fork. It infuriates me as Jude treats the sick and the hospital staff, but I can not do or say anything if I want to avoid a punishment from the dreaded and sadistic doctor. At that moment, the sound of the chains makes me look up. Shit. Here comes Nancy, the craziest person who ever walked Briarcliff.

As I imagined, from one moment to the next, Nancy starts a fight and I get up quickly. I know it's not someone I should approach, but she's handcuffed and I'm stronger, so I grab her from behind immobilizing her.

When the guards take the brunette girl, I loose Nancy. She murders me with her eyes, but she does not continue fighting, because she does not want to return to isolation.

At that moment I watch as Jude approaches, ready to punish the girl.— Hey Hey. Wait. That girl attacked him, I saw everything, Nancy was just eating. I defend her, knowing that later she will owe me a favor. I look at Mary, we're relatively close, facing each other, next to her is Jude. Then Jude retires, to continue eating, as if nothing had happened, although I am sure he will be planning something, as always.

[Mary Harwick]

I still stare at the door, where the guard and the dark-skinned girl just went through. Then when I let my look wander back to the other patient, I see Chase just releasing her from his grip. Everything happened so fast, that I didn't even notice he came to help.

I stare at him now. I don't know why he seems to care about his inmates, but I admire that. It makes him human. Then when Jude decides to not punish the silver-haired girl, my eyes meet his. We stare at each other for a few seconds before a guard comes towards us, ready to take the patient with him. They both leave the dinning room.

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