Stay Calm! We've Only Just Begun! (Final Edit)

*Warning!  This is a story meant to insight horror and to entertain readers who enjoy stories of this type.  Any similarities to real life events in this story are coincidental and are not meant to be related.  The material written below will induce nightmares in some viewers.  For those who are for the faint of heart and are horrified easily, you have been warned. This should go without saying but, for the sake of argument, viewer discretion is advised.

     Ok!  Ok!  *sigh* Take a deep breath man!  Deep breaths!  Don't lose your cool!  Mom and Darrell are always on you for freaking out about stuff like this.  Look!  It's just an interview with a mental institution.  You need this internship man!  Just relax.  *larger sigh*  That's better. These thoughts were all too similar to the feelings I experienced in my everyday life.   I'd like to believe that I'm a smart individual, I'm decent looking, I work hard at whatever I do, and I'm nicer than most people.  The only problem is that I tend to lose my cool kind of easily.  I get flustered and frustrated kind of easily.  Right now, I feel more frustrated than the first time I met Mom's new boyfriend Darrell.  He's a decent guy, and treats Mom well, but I just don't do well with other people or new experiences.  Mom says I'm a little autistic, but she never bothered to have me tested because she never wanted it to "frustrate me".  I don't believe that bullshit for a second!  I'm just not great with new experiences.  But this new job could help me to get the experience and credits I need to get my bachelor's degree and finally be accepted into medical school. 

     I was supposed to be meeting with Dr. Caston today for an interview today.  But I wasn't sure if he was actually at the institution.  His representative at the office told me in an email that my interview was scheduled for today, May 13, and that I was supposed to be here at 1 P. M.  But it didn't seem like there's anyone here today.  Like...anyone.   There were no cars in the parking lot except for an old Volkswagen Beetle and a new Honda Civic.  I just felt weird coming here at this time today.  This was a strange day as well to be coming in.  I didn't believe in superstitions or anything like that, but I felt weird coming in on a Friday, and no one was even here.  But it wasn't gonna stop me from getting the job.  I parked my car next to the new Civic and made my way to the institute.  

      I had a bad feeling from the beginning before I even entered the building.  There were next to no cars, even though this institute was huge, and looked to be pretty new.  But that wasn’t going to deter me from landing the job.  “Greenwood Mental Institution” it read on the sign that was engraved into the overhead wall of the institution above the main entrance.

        This place already sent chills up my spine, but I wasn’t about to late anything deter me from landing this job.  I checked to see if the door was locked, and to my surprise, the door opened up.  I was a bit concerned, however when my first glimpse inside this building was a very vacant lobby.  Not even a nurse or secretary at the front to monitor check-ins.  My anxiety was only building up further and further by the vacancy of this building.  But I tried my best to stay calm.  *Deep breath*.  Ahh!  That was better.  Now to try to get someone’s attention, I thought.  There was a bell placed at the information desk, and I decided to ring.  What happened next should have filled any normal person with dread, however, when he walked up to the front desk, I was anything but startled.  In fact, I felt a sense of calm wash over me when I saw this man.  He was a very tall man, rather lanky, yet somehow seemed rather strong.  His arms were very long, extending past his waist, his skin was very pale, and his fingers looked like elongated daggers. His nose hooked down almost like a bird's beak.  His hair was jet black and his eyes were a sharp hazel, almost looking like the eyes of a wolf.  All of these features contrasted his relaxed-looking white lab coat, khaki pants, and a game-winning smile.  He decided to speak first, “Ah, yes!  Mr. Farrell!  I have been awaiting your arrival.”  

         He didn’t seem to be a man who worked in a place like this.  No!  He couldn’t be!  He seemed too nice and frail for a place like this!  But his calm atmosphere calmed my better judgment.  “Um…yes.  *Trying to contain my anxiety* Are you by chance Dr. Caston?”  

He only chuckled a little bit and responded with a solemn, “No.  Dr. Caston has unfortunately left the practice recently to me, his replacement.  I’m Dr. Murdoch.  Nice to meet you, Mr. Farrell!”

I wasn’t too interested in dealing with this guy.  He wasn’t Dr. Caston, and I wasn’t planning on dealing with anyone but Dr. Caston.  “Um….I scheduled a meeting for an internship with Dr. Caston.  I would prefer to work with him, but since he’s retired from the practice, I’d rather leave.  I’m sorry.”

Dr. Murdoch wasn’t convinced with my response and wanted to go one step further.  He showed a sense of persistence but masked it with a soothing calm in his voice.  “I’m sorry that I’m not the person what you wanted to be interviewed by, but if you would like to give me a chance, I’d gladly interview you myself, and show you a tour of the facility so you can make your final decision.  If you are still unsatisfied for any reason with the job opportunity, you can always leave.”  He seemed too calm and collective to just let me leave, and seemed eager to show me around the place, so I took up his offer.

“You know what, I’ll take you up on your offer doc!  If this place seems a lot better than I think it is by the time we’re done, I’ll stay!”

He was more than delighted, “Splendid! There’s so much for you to see, but I want you to see everything!  Please! Please! Come with me!” We started our journey by entering into a hallway, just beyond the entrance and traveled down the main floor through the rooms.  For the most part, they all appeared to be empty.  There were almost no signs of life in any of the rooms.  No artwork, no flowers, no books, not even a television in any of the rooms.  I understand that not everyone has these things in their bedrooms, but most medical hospitals and mental institutions have these items in each of their rooms.  Some even appeared to have visible layers of dust on their windows.

          “Um…where is everyone in this place, Dr. Murdoch?”  Trying to control my building anxiety. “I mean…if you don't mind me asking.”

“Everyone is either in the main activity rooms or outside.  I encourage for people to be everything that they want to be, and sometimes that means going outside for some activities, or to stay inside the main activity rooms.”  It seemed rather odd how he said “stay inside the main activity rooms,” almost like they never left.  Oh, now do I wish I had any idea what that meant!  We continued on down this hallway, passing by more empty rooms until we came to double doors that led to the outside courtyard.  The doctor could sense my anxiety now, “Stay calm, Mr. Farrell!  We’ve only just begun the tour.  There’s a lot more to see outside.”

What I saw outside brought me to disbelief and absolute disgust.  We made our way outside, and what I saw were mental patients brutally fighting each other in what appeared to be a very brutal fight corner in one part of the courtyard.  In another part, there were patients playing what I assumed to be basketball on a basketball court with what appeared to be the bloody remains of a safety dog’s dismembered head.  There were other patients doing other obscene acts.  There were some patients making art out of what appeared to be human remains, some sculptures, some were making furniture out of the gruesome remains of dead humans, others were painting with what appeared to be rather fresh blood.  I started convulsing and started to feel faint.  “Speechless.  I know, this is a lot to take in, but this facility prides itself on the absolute creativity of its patients.  All forms of human creativity and destruction are welcome within the walls of this facility.  Nothing is off-limits, as long as you are willing to participate.”  

I was horrified, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave.  This was a lot to take in, and I wasn’t planning on leaving until I saw everything that went on in this facility.  This facility was sick, but I had heard of worse things happening in other medical institutions in the past, and wanted to see one of these horror asylums for myself.  I brought myself to some form of composure and agreed to move on.  All the while trying to sound as confident and cheerful as I could.  “I’m ok, doc!  Just a little uneasy.  My stomach isn’t feeling too great, but I’ll be ok.”

He brightened up with that comment, and I still regret that “It’s hard for most people who come here at first, but just keep going, you’ll get used to it.”  Oh, how I wish he wasn’t right.  We proceeded through the courtyard.  All of the patients here were male.  I already knew that this institute was built only for male patients, so this was no surprise to me, but that was the only thing that didn’t surprise me.  As we made our way down the courtyard, I saw many other patients doing other horrific things.  There was a workout area for some of the patients, but suspended from the pull-up bar set was a patient, who was being beaten like a piñata by other patients with dumbells, long metal poles, and was being beaten senseless by fist.  

All of them were chanting a sick chant as they continued their act “Wow!  Wow!  Do you hear that sound?  It’s time to beat him to the ground!”  I was becoming unnerved by the screams and cries of the man being assaulted and chanted at, and by more and more of the activities that I witnessed.  There were other patients acting out a gruesome version of “Romeo and Juliet”  It was the scene where Romeo’s clan of “Montagues" were in a bloody battle with the “Capulets”  There were patients stabbing and slicing at each other with makeshift knives and swords.  There were bloody screams and laughter everywhere.  There were more violent displays all throughout the courtyard, each just as sick and twisted as the last one.  The outside was covered by a glass roof, and all of the sounds echoed within the “outside room.”

But this tour was only beginning.  We made our way further past the courtyard and headed back inside.  We made our way up a flight of stairs to the second floor.  As before, all the rooms were empty.  The voices of the patients had vanished, and my calm was restored.  “See, that wasn’t so bad.  This facility is dedicated to exploring the true nature of humans.  Some people choose to be as free as they want to be, however, some choose to release all of their freedom entirely.”  I was very confused by his statement, but that confusion was quickly resolved.  We made our way up to the third floor, and what I saw next was truly horrific.  We made our way to another activity room inside of the the third floor, and what I saw still horrifies me.  Inside the room were men, suspended from the ceiling by ropes, with all of their limbs having been gruesomely removed, and nails being inserted in the joints where their limbs used to meet.  They were grotesquely suspended from their ropes in front of a  large flat-screen television.

Some were awake and complained about their predicament. Others were asleep, suspended in one place.  A couple of the patients were laughing uncontrollably as they watched the television that displayed the abuse and horrors that were occurring in the "outside room" through a camera.  One was crying towards the back of the room.  One towards the back had the ropes removed from it and was left in the corner of the room.  There was dried blood in spots were the blood from the wounds of the patients used to fall and spots that were stained brown and smell of human feces and death.  There were buckets that helped to contain some of the mess, but other buckets were spewed on the floor in the corner of the room next to the man who was silent in the corner.   The doctor already knew what I was going to ask him, and decided to respond, “These gentlemen 'chose' to release themselves of their freedom, and remain here.  My assistants come in periodically and remove fecal matter and feed the patients.  As for the one in the back, *his eyes point to the one in the corner* his body has yet to be removed from the room and to be utilized in some new form.  You see Mr. Farrell, we do not dispose of anyone in this facility.  In this facility, the basic laws of nature are what govern this facility.  It’s the strong versus the weak, free versus the grounded, kill or be killed.  Human ideals are challenged the minute you enter this facility, and no one escapes.  All of the assistants who care for my patients are loyal and are part of an ongoing project to understand everything about human nature.  Our funding comes from, ‘outside sources’, and all who oppose the laws of this facility, patient or non-patient, well…”  He pointed to the screen, and what I saw still makes me question my humanity.  

On the screen, there was what appeared to be a series of rooms within the facilities, the first scene of the “show” was what appeared to be a cafeteria, and a patient refused the food and screamed about planning to leave, he was beaten senseless by other patients, and was dragged out by the assistants of the facility.  The next scene was of one of the rooms and had an assistant inside.  The room was locked from the outside, and one of the assistants was screaming to be let out of the facility, two other assistants proceeded into the room and injected the screaming assistant with an unknown liquid that put him to sleep.  The other assistants dragged him out of the room, and the television flickered to another room, one where there was one suspended microphone.  The room was dark except for one spotlight.  An assistant with a mask on spoke into the microphone with an announcer-like voice.  “And now, for our subjects!”  The two men were presented into the spotlight by assistants hidden in the dark.  Both men were strapped down to rolling chairs.  “It’s time for us to spin the *all of the awake patients started chanting* WHEEL OF DEATH!”  The announcer then welcomes a wheel with images of various images indicating methods of death, and he began spinning it.  “Let’s see what it will be today!”  The wheel spins on for what feels like minutes, while the patients quietly chant “death, death, death, death, death.”  The wheel stops on an image of a decapitated man.  The announcer vocally announces the result into the microphone, “Death by decapitation!”  The room fills with cheers as two assistants come in with sharp machetes aimed right next to the seated men.  The two men begin to weep and plead for their lives as the assistants prepare for the act.  “On the count of three,” sounded the announcer.  “One, two…” the two assistants taking fake swings at the necks of the men.

The doctor told me solemnly “Pay attention, Mr. Farrell,”  although I couldn't do anything to tear my eyes away from the screen.  

The announcer yells out that dreadful, “Three!”, and the assistants cleanly sliced the two men’s heads off.  “That’s all for now folks!  Tune in next time for the WHEEL OF DEATH!  Till next time!”  and the screen faded to static.  The patients in the room were cheering, pleased with the result, and were discussing what was gonna happen to the two now dead men.  

I wanted to know what happened to the two men, “Dr. Murdoch!  What will happen two the bodies of those two men?”  My heart was practically beating out of it’s chest. 

His response was long, but rather simple, “Anyone who wants to leave this facility meets with an untimely and gruesome death.  The ‘leftovers’ are used as ‘material’ in the courtyard for recreational purposes.  I could barely take what was happening, but after that comment, my anxiety started to resolve itself.  The fact that I was no longer anxious terrified me more than anything else.

“Why do you allow for all of these horrible things to happen?”  

“I test the resolve of any man who enters this facility”, replied the doctor.  “No one escapes this facility, and all who cannot enjoy this facility for what it is, are either placed in the ‘freedomless room’ *spins around the room for extra measure*, or are ‘disposed of’ as you just witnessed.  Well!  I’m afraid that about concludes the main tour of the facility itself.  The only question now is, are you interested?”

How could a question like that even be plausible after what I just witnessed?  But, I did feel a sense of relief when I was in this place, and I didn’t exactly want to leave the first place I had been in in years that didn’t bring me anxiety.  None of this made any sense.  I was witnessing the torture and deaths of people who have been forgotten by society and left to die.  Why was I no longer disturbed by this cruel and inhumane idea of an experiment, and why did the idea of working with Dr. Murdoch sound so enticing?  My mind was saying no, but my finally calmed body didn't want to ever leave.  He obviously wouldn't have shown me this if he didn't anticipate the chance that I would accept his offer.  And I'm sure the alternative would be something much worse than what I had just witnessed.  I decided, as much as my mind was wanting to leave,  “No….I".  I stuttered in fear, as I watched the intrigued smile that was spread wide across Dr. Murdoch's face.  He was just waiting to hear me say those four words.  And finally, after one last sigh, "…I accept your offer."

“Wonderful!  I’m sure you now realize I wasn’t planning on letting you go, but in any case, this is  great news!  I could tell that much of this frightened you at first, but you immediately came around and saw the good that a place like this has to offer. You really are a trooper you know!  You've shown the most resolve of any of my previous assistants.  You start your training today my boy, let’s get you outfitted and started by writing down your observations of patients in the courtyard!”  Those words still ring in my head to this day.

It’s been a year since I joined this facility, and the program was shut down only recently.  I would like to continue the project, but it was mandated to be a crime against humanity.  So…it had to be shut down.  I admit, I’m not proud of what I had done, but I tell you this story now, because of what I went through.  We do not know what we are capable of until we are at our worst moments.  Only then do we realize our true nature.  Our experiences, our fears, our morals, and our ideals, are all brought into question when we venture into our true nature as human beings.  But that story is ancient history.  I’ve received my certification and now own this practice here at the Greenwood Mental Institution.  This is an entirely new practice, full of its own “experiments”.  My name is Dr. Farrell, and I can assure you, sir, that this job opportunity, will be one that you will surely, never forget.