Page 71 of Til Def
In the motel room, the silence suffocates me. The clock ticks slowly, the minute hand dragging like it knows how much time I’m wasting, pacing in restless circles. My hands shake violently, my thoughts a tangled mess of panic and fear. Where is he? Where the hell did Ty go? His words echo in my head, the way he sounded—something was off. The door was left unlocked, he left it unlocked. Why would he do that? He never gives me the option to go.He never wants me to leave him.
Every nerve in my body screams at me, urging me to act, but I can’t. I’m stuck, trapped in this fucking panic. I thought I could breathe, that it was just my mind working against me, but no... My heart sinks lower with every passing second.
Suddenly, a sharp knock at the door pulls me out of my spiraling thoughts. My pulse spikes. Without even thinking, I rush toward it and when I swing it open, my heart plummets to the pit of my stomach.
“Well, hello, Ms. Tate.”
My eyes widen. Dr Moss. Why is he here? What the fuck is he doing here? My entire body goes still as my mind scrambles to process what’s happening.
I shake my head once, unable to form a single word. Two men, dressed in stark white coats, stand behind him like shadows, their eyes cold and empty.
“It’s good to see you too!” he chirps, his voice far too chipper, like nothing is wrong before he steps inside, forcing me to take one back.
“Is Ty here?” Dr Moss asks, his eyes sweeping over the cramped motel room.
I feel the heaviness of his gaze and instinctively wrap my arms around myself. Something’s wrong.Why is he here?The walls seem to close in as my heart races as I try to control the panic that’s threatening to rise.
“Why… Why are you here?” I ask as I tuck my hair behind my ear, trying to force some composure into my shaking hands.
He stops, his smile widening unnervingly, a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I think you need some help, Raven.”
My brows crease with confusion. “Help?” I repeat, almost as if saying it out loud will make sense of the situation, but it doesn’t.
He takes a step forward, and I take one back.
“Yes, help,” he says, a little too eagerly.
Before I can process what’s happening, the two men in white coats move, their hands shooting out to grab me. Panic surges through me, and I thrash in their hold, desperately trying to break free.
“Let go of me!” I scream, my voice hoarse with terror and anger.
“Take her to Sacred Heights Asylum,” Dr Moss orders steadily.
My eyes snap to his, wide with disbelief. I can feel my stomach churn as his words sink in.
“What the fuck are you talking about? I don’t work for you anymore… I…” My voice cracks, desperate for an answer, but I can already feel it—that creeping dread swarming through my veins.
“Oh, not as a worker.” He responds with the same eerie calm, his smile now curling into something darker. “As a patient.”
His words hit me like a slap, and my blood runs cold. My body goes rigid, every instinct screaming at me to fight, to run, but before I can do anything, I feel a sharp, searing pain in my neck. My hand shoots up instinctively, but the damage is already done. Something cold and foreign is pulled out of my skin, leaving behind a burning sensation that spreads through my veins like wildfire.
My vision starts to blur, the edges of the room warping into shadows, and I feel my legs give out beneath me. I try to scream, to say something, anything, but the words catch in my throat as my body betrays me.
“Raven Tate, needs to be cured,” Dr Moss says, his voice distant, muffled by the fog creeping into my mind.
And then, nothing.
The darkness consumes me.
…
Suddenly, my eyes snap open, and a sharp gasp escapes me as the brightness above sears through my blurry vision from above. I squeeze my eyes shut, desperate to block out the light, but it’s no use. The migraine in my head throbs and my heart hammers in my chest, panic rising with each second I can’t remember.
I try to move, to sit up, but I’m violently yanked back. Straps. Everywhere. My arms, my neck, my legs—all bound, tight, restricting. A scream tears from my throat, high-pitched, broken with desperation and terror.
I jerk against the restraints, my body trembling as tears stream from my eyes. The cold air bites against my exposed skin. Every inch of me is bare, and my eyes dart down, horrified, to confirm it. I’m completely fucking naked, every ounce of dignity stripped away in this sterile, alien place.
What the fuck.
