The Institute: A Dark Anthology

by Dani René

  Still, James didn’t acknowledge her, so Lizzie walked right up to his chair and turned it around. She froze, her eyes wide open as she saw him bloodied, dead. His vacant eyes just staring at her. Before she could open her mouth and scream, something moved in the corner of her eye and all went black.

  When she woke up, she groaned softly, trying to move her head. She tried to sit up, but she couldn’t, something was holding her down. She tried to raise a hand to hold her head, but again something was holding her down. She heard voices, but they were so loud to her sensitive ears that they didn’t make sense. Slowly words started to register in her brain.

  Transfer.

  Dangerous.

  Murder.

  Delusional.

  Molly.

  Lizzie managed to open her eyes and whimpered softly, and there was Theresa, the third-floor nurse, instantly by her side, smoothing down her hair. “It’s okay, Molly, it’s okay. We know it wasn’t your fault. We’re going to take you somewhere where they can really help you. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m…no…Molly…” Lizzie was struggling to form words and it sounded garbled the way it came out.

  Theresa smiled and called out, “Lizzie, she’s awake.”

  Lizzie watched with wide eyes as her sister came over, her hair cut in a short bob, wearing a nurses’ outfit. “Oh, Molly,” her sister said, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to help you. But I’m here now, don’t worry. You’re going to get all better now. You’re sick, Molly, and I’m going to make you all better.” Molly smiled down at Lizzie and stroked her hair gently before saying, “You can take her now.”

  Lizzie fought against her restraints. “No! No!” she tried to say more, but it was as though her mouth was glued. Whatever drugs they had given her were preventing her from speaking properly and she tried to scream as she watched them wheel her away on a gurney, away from Serenity and away from Molly who stood with a soft smile, waving her sister goodbye. Lizzie tried to scream again but a medic came over with a syringe and she tried to pull away, but she couldn’t and soon she was sedated and falling asleep again.

  Molly - Five Hours Ago

  Once Molly had managed to sedate Lizzie, she wasn’t sure what to do. Lizzie was out cold, and James was dead, and she was left standing there covered in blood and unsure what to do. There was a knock at the door and Molly rushed to it; standing just in front of it she called, “Who is it?”

  “It’s Christian, I’ve brought Amber for her appointment.”

  “Christian, something has come up. Can you take Amber back to her room and come back for an emergency please?”

  “Molly?” Christian called through the door.

  Molly bit her lip. “Please, it’s urgent.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right back. Must I bring help?”

  “No!” Molly said quickly. “Come alone, you’ll see why when you get back.”

  “Okay,” Christian said, and she could hear footsteps receding. Molly quickly got the files that James had kept on both her and her sister and waited by the door. When Christian returned she opened the door a crack and pushed the files through. “Before you come in I need you to look at what he’s done,” she said desperately. “Please, Christian, see what Lizzie and James have been doing to me.”

  Christian frowned at her and asked, “Molly, where is Dr. Manning?”

  “I will show you in a second, please just look at the files, Christian,” she said.

  Christian took the files and flipped through them. At first Molly didn’t think he was going to look at them properly, but then a few things seemed to catch his eye and he stopped, looking at the papers carefully. Then he flipped back through the file, going through them slowly. “Jesus,” he said quietly, “Molly are you safe in there? Is James with you?”

  Molly opened the door and let Christian into the room. He looked around and saw Lizzie on the floor and James dead in his chair.

  “Oh God, Molly, what have you done?”

  He rushed to Lizzie and found that she was still breathing. “I sedated her,” Molly said. “I sedated her, but he’s dead and I’m scared Christian. I… They drugged me. Lizzie has been purposefully making me sick my entire life to get attention, and he…he used me, he drugged me and used me and let others rape me, Christian.” Molly started to sob, and Christian got up, doing the unexpected and going to hug her.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay, he’s gone.”

  “They’re going to lock me up forever now,” Molly sobbed. “What am I going to do?”

  “You’re going to stay here and trust me, okay?” Christian said, holding her shoulders. “Just trust me, Molly.”

  “Okay,” she said as he quickly left the room. Molly was sure that he had gone to get the police or the orderlies to come and sedate her, but when he came back, he was holding her clothes in his hands. He went over to Lizzie.

  “Quickly help me get her dressed in these,” he grunted.

  Molly didn’t argue with him and after some effort, they managed to get Lizzie into Molly’s clothes and then after a quick chat they covered her in blood from James.

  After that Christian made Molly run to the nurses’ station, telling her exactly what to say to the nurses so they would believe it was Lizzie saying it. They only had a few moments to get their stories straight before Molly alerted the nurses and they had the police there and had the real Lizzie restrained in a stretcher.

  In no time at all they had convinced the nurses, orderlies, two doctors, and the police that ‘Molly’ had had another episode and had attacked her doctor and killed him, and that her sister Lizzie had walked in on it, sedated Molly, and tried to save James. The doctors both thought it would be best to transfer ‘Molly’ to an institute for the criminally insane for the safety of the staff and patients at Serenity and ‘Lizzie’ had agreed reluctantly, disappointed that she couldn’t save her sister.

  Christian and Lizzie both stood outside watching with evil smiles as ‘Molly’ was taken away, waiting until everyone was gone before they both handed in their resignations and left the institute together, hopeful.