City On Fire

6

Ella had an early, seven am, session with the doctor and she was not in any mood for him. She had hardy slept and she didn’t in the slightest feel like listening to him say how all her troubles were just in her head. After waking up just after three she spent half the night petrified and the other half worried sick.

“Tell me Ella, how did you sleep?”

That was just it, she didn’t. She had dreamt of a building collapsing and trapping all its occupants in a cage of steel and concrete. There had been survivors initially but despite rescue attempts more of the building came down killing everyone. She needed to get to Benny, she needed to know.

“Fine.”

To do so she needed this s**t over with and it needed to be fast.

“Just fine?”

The doctor was a little less inclined to just except her stories today. He could see she was jumpy and didn’t seem like someone who had a good night’s sleep. “Just fine.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Ella I don’t think your being honest with me.”

Ella didn’t answer. She stared at the figure on the doctor’s desk and tried to get that horrified face of those people out of her mind.

“I am.”

Bad lie. She blamed her parents for raising her with manners. The doctor picked up her file. “I emailed a colleague of mine last night about a new treatment that has been showing excellent results at New Falls.”

Ella felt her heart drop when she heard the name. New falls had excellent results yes, but only because the patients were just short of vegetated by the time they got out. “They call it Hydro Isolation.”

Her hands started shaking.

“You would be enclosed in a water tank that drowns out all sound. You will be given a light sedative to help you relax and...”

Ella leaped out of her seat knocking it down.

“No!”

The doctor still wasn’t fazed by her reaction and placed the file on his desk before removing his glasses.

“You are not getting any better, on the contrary.”

Ella backed up into a corner her heart beating out of her chest. This couldn’t be happening.

“How long have you been here Ella? Almost seven months. That is longer than any patient has been here without improvement. This worries me.” He got up and walked over to her. She was petrified. How could this have happened? She had made so sure it wasn’t that kind of place.

“This is in your best interest.”

This kind of thing can’t just happen. There would have to be written consent or something.

“No. Don’t do this.”

Ella was on the brink of tears, but the doctor wasn’t having any of it. His eyes were dead still and portrayed not a single emotion.

“The paperwork has already been done.”

She couldn’t breathe. She was hyperventilating.

“This is in your best interest.”

Ella found the door knob and stormed out. The doctor could understand why she was upset and let her go. By now Ella was not only crying hysterically but she was frantic. She ran right to her room and slammed the door behind her. She wasn’t going to let this happen, at least not without a fight.

It must have been an hour or maybe it was two but Ella didn’t move. She sat with her back to the door when Duncan knocked.

“Ella?”

She spread her arms out as if to barricade the door.

“Please, don’t make this difficult.”

Duncan felt guilty forcing the door open and Charley didn’t feel any better about storming in after her. When they made their way in she ran to the far corner pleading with them not to take her but they grabbed her by her arms. When Mrs. Delanie came in with the sedative she started crying uncontrollably and the old nurse felt just terrible.

She cared for the girl and her being this upset wounded the old woman but she kept telling herself it was for her own good. Weather she knew it or not. “Come now child. When this works you’re going to be grateful for this.”

Despite Ella’s struggling they managed to sedate her but practically had to carry her to the infirmary.

Dr. Meer stood waiting at the door and held it open as they dragged her in. The room had been emptied to make space for the massive steel demon. Ella was still crying and pleading with Duncan not to let them do this as he lifted her up. “It’s alright my dear. We’ll be right here, nothing is going to happen. You’ll see and the water isn’t even cold, ok?”

She kept pleading as Duncan lowered her into the darkness. The water might not have been cold but she still gasped for air as he backed up and two steal doors closed, trapping her in the dark and silence alone with her demons. She didn’t stop crying but stopped calling for help when the voices started. These were voices she knew, voices she had heard before. They were the voices of the people who had begged her for help and she ignored. It was becoming harder and harder to breath. This was what losing your mind felt like.