FINALE by Adriel Mohammed

Stunned by the revelation he touched the back of his head hastily and shots of pain beat into his skull, "That must be the migraine he thought." The doctor continued with his revelation as he saw Brian as lucid enough to digest the information.

"We moved you here yesterday as the swelling went down and took you out of the medically induced coma, I understand you got some generic tablets for the migraine this morning but you were very anxious and disoriented. How do you feel now?"

"Crazy…..."

The doctor laughed and relaxed, picking up his clipboard and writing swift notes.

Realizing that maybe now was not the time to make a joke of that type as he might be locked in an asylum for the rest of his life for something he didn't remember. 

The young doctor also looking concerned let out a confession that seemed to weigh on her

"I didn't call your name Brain, the first time you spoke to me was just now…."

He shot the young doctor a side-eye and tried to relax the situation.

 "Well, we're all a little mad in here Brian. What can you tell me about why we found you where we did?"

'I was….well I was"

Drawing a blank the back of his head began pulsing, "Not now he thought" just then his senses dialled up to 11 and the migraine started up again like an aeroplane engine. The lights got brighter and the pressure in his head kept building and building. 

Seeing his increasing discomfort with the line of questions Dr Rampaul changed direction, "Don't force yourself Brian we don't know what could have been damaged in your head, memory could be foggy for a while, don't rush."

Despite his calming tone Brian began screaming clutching his chest like he was having a heart attack.

"I'M NOT MAD"

"I'M 

NOT 

MAD"

"I'm not mad"

His screaming subsided to tears as he felt the blood rushing into his brain promising to burst out of the scar behind his head. The male nurse was poised and ready to subdue Brian if the need be.

Unfazed by the display Dr Rajpaul put his clipboard down again and began speaking over Brian's wailing noticeably annoyed and eager to move on to the next patient, "These things take time, don't pay any mind to the name you're in a hospital take as long as you need to heal and remember and we'd get you sorted out as soon as possible."

Taking the statement by the doctor to be, "we're going to lock you up in the madhouse where you can't bathe more than once a day for the rest of your life" Brian, despite being in unfathomable pain boiled to anger.

"NO! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME HERE I DID NOTHING WRONG!"

He shot up off the ground and bound straight to the doctor. He didn't intend to harm anyone but his flight or fight instinct kicked into full gear and all he thought about was getting out of the small room of confusion and the two doctors blocked his only way out of his confusion.

Before he could stand up and move toward the door, he felt what could be a medium-sized dog biting his neck and turned around to see the male nurse who previously looked at him with pity and tried to help him in the bathroom with a syringe in the nape of his neck. He felt as if cold water ran through his veins straight to the heart.

"I'm not crazy…... I'm…… Brian……Belmont…in Belmont, he tried to…...he tried to"

He hit the floor with a soft thud as the male nurse slowed his fall.

The patient slept in sweat and twisted, his pupils moved anxiously and he twitched constantly despite two doses of sedatives. 

When he finally awoke, Brian realized he was in a room by himself, the room was closed but the walls must have been very thin as he heard inhuman shrieks all around him, he was definitely in an asylum it seemed like the light itself didn't get to his bed properly and everything had a demented tinge to it.

As he tried to get up he pushed his head forward too fast hurting the back of his head and the stitches themselves felt as if they stretched a little. Warm liquid began running down his neck and his pillow as he rocked his head back and forth trying to get off the bed. To Brian's horror and surprise, he was strapped to the bed from the ankles straight to the chest, his two hands handcuffed to the bed, he now realized why the railings of the beds were so worn. 

"NURSE!!!!!!!"

"DOCTOR RAJPAUL!!!"

"GOD SOMEBODY HELP ME"

Adding to the cacophony of shrieks and screams the patient frantically called for help, not because of the scene of the dim room or the fact that he was strapped to the bed so tight he could barely breathe as blood oozed out of his opening stitches behind his head but because in his dream he seemed to remember everything from a week ago, a month ago, his entire life rushed back into his head so much life, it was as if the gigantic tree he saw the day before was crammed into his head. 

He remembered what had happened in Belmont. 

He remembered what had happened to Brian. 

He remembered his name.

And it was not Brian………