The Mind Game

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I woke up feeling startled, as I fumbled in the dark to turn off my blaring alarm clock. Feeling disorientated and sluggish, I reluctantly made my way down to the breakfast table.

Grumbling to myself about the lack of milk, or food for that matter, in the fridge, I picked up the morning paper. As I thumbed through to the job section, nothing really caught my eye. It was merely page after page of secretarial work or cleaning jobs.

I wanted something new and exciting. I was looking for a job that I could really sink my teeth into. No suck luck this morning though. I was just about to discard the newspaper, when something in the far corner of the page immediately grabbed my attention.

The advert read;

Hospital Staff desperately required Must be willing to work long hours For more information contact Dr. McNamara on the number listed below.

It was perfect for me! It was exactly what I was looking for. My mood immediately lifted as I looked forward to getting a new focus in my life. I picked up the phone and I rang the number straight away.

After a few rings, a nasal and rather pretentious voice answered the phone.

'Yes?' the man on the phone drawled out.

'Uh yes... Hi. I'm calling about the job...?'

'Well if you'd like to come down this afternoon, I can let you know if you would be up to it.'

A few moments later and after jotting down some details, I hung up the phone and went upstairs to get ready.

Time seemed to go past in a blur, and before I knew it, it was time for my interview. I chose to dress professionally. I picked out a beige blazer and a knee length skirt, teamed with sassy yet business-like kitten heels.

A final look in the mirror, and I grabbed my car keys, crossing my fingers and sending up a silent prayer that I would get the job.

The hospital was about half an hour away, so I desperately hoped I wouldn't get caught in any traffic. I needn't have worried, as the drive was easy and congestion free. I even found myself feeling really enthusiastic about my new job. That is, until I pulled into the car park.

I squinted at the address I had placed on the dash board. It was the right place alright. It was a large grey compound with dominating, huge steel gates surrounding its perimeter. The hospital loomed over me like a dormant monster waiting to strike.

I looked up, and to my horror, I saw reinforced barbed wire looped across the metal spikes that ran geometrically along the top of the gate. There was a slight sizzling sound as I realised the spikes were live with electric currents.

A shiver ran down my back, and I shuddered at the sheer evil vibes coming from this compound. I vaguely considered going back home, but I swiftly remembered the vast amount of money this job had offered.

I took a deep, shaky breath and walked to the main gate. A small, black box was the only thing I could see on the enormous gate. It had no buttons, no speaker, nothing. Just the tiny, black box. Suddenly, it came to life and crackled.

'Yes?' the voice from the phone drawled yet again.

'I'm here for my interview... Ms Ibrahim?'

'Ah yes. We've been expecting you'

Was it my imagination? Or was he chuckling? I scolded myself for being so paranoid. The gates whirred open and I found myself being drawn toward the reception by a force I could not reckon with.

I just automatically knew where I was going. I had no idea how this huge compound was so familiar to me. I approached the turnstile doors and entered the small, but not at all cosy lobby. I peered over to the receptionist's desk, and finally put a face to the nasal voice that had pierced my head every time I heard it.

A scrawny and lanky man sat crouched over the expensive mahogany desk. He had heavy framed glasses perched on the end of his nose which he constantly felt the need to push up.

He wore a stained white lab coat over a t-shirt that hadn't been washed for heaven knows how long.

'Um...hello' I spoke tentatively.

He appeared to freeze. His body became rigid, and he turned his head very slowly to look at me. His eyes looked deranged. His pupil's huge and his face ashen white. He suddenly jumped up out of his seat and gestured for me to follow.

I walked along behind him. My heels clacking uncomfortably on the tile floor, whilst his sneakers squelched along rather annoyingly. It wasn't long before we came to a barrier in the corridor. The man beside me simply inserted a card into the slot and stood beside me waiting for it to open.

The corridor was deadly silent. There was no sound except his heavy, raspy breathing down my neck. I shifted position feeling very wary of what exactly my job would entail.

The metal gates were now fully open. I looked over to the receptionist, but he seemed rather preoccupied with the plain white wall. I shook my head, and gave a slight cough. He seemed to almost jump out of his skin. What is up with him? I thought to myself.

Composing himself, he continued to lead the way. We kept walking and walking for what seemed like an eternity. We passed corridor after corridor in a never ending maze.

Suddenly the receptionist came to an abrupt halt. He was staring at something. I looked past him and gasped in horror at the sight before me.

There were many young females all around the same age. What struck me as odd, was their trance like state. They all looked as though they were hypnotised. Not one of them moved a single muscle as the receptionist and I walked through the door.

Suddenly the truth dawned on me.

'Is...Is this an asylum?' I asked, though I already knew the answer.

The receptionist gazed at me. His lips slowly curved into an eerie smile. Without any warning, he started to back away from me. My voice caught in my throat as I watched him disappear into the distance. I wanted to scream at the sight before me, but couldn't even begin to comprehend what my eyes were observing.

The man I had just been accompanied by, now floated along into the distance. I quickly rubbed my eyes to check they were not deceiving me. I was right. He didn't walk as a normal person would; there was no sashaying of hips, just a deathly float about two inches above the compound floor.

I wanted to scream, look away, anything. But I found my muscles frozen to the spot by the supernatural occurrence I had just witnessed.

What was this place? What had I gotten myself into?

A whirring sound was coming from somewhere in the room. I turned around, and realised I was trapped in a room with a dozen mentally unstable women. I desperately hoped none of them were violent.

A pretty woman with auburn hair got up and walked over toward me. I involuntarily took a step backward. My heart was racing and a cold sweat broke out across my forehead.

I knew I was frightened, but tried not to let it show on my face. I closed my eyes tightly and prayed that this was all really a nightmare. I was really going to sue when and if I ever got out of here.

I slowly opened my eyes, and found the once pretty woman's features contorted into something far beyond human comprehension. This time I did scream. I screamed until my throat was hoarse, and when my voice gave up on me, I backed up into the wall and let the sobs rack through my whimpering body.

As I sat there in the corner, I became distinctly aware that they were closing in on me. All twelve of the hideous creatures with wolf-like faces were walking toward me. Their razor sharp claws seemed to swish across the air and their starved mouths could almost taste my flesh.

I saw an opening in their formation and made run for it. I knew I wasn't safe on the other side of the room, but at least it bought me some time. I could see them in my peripheral vision. They were in hunting stances, on all fours with their fangs elongated ready to feed on their prey.

I fumbled around for something to use as a weapon. Anything at all would do. I was tossing things aside but found nothing I could use to save my life.

Suddenly, my hands closed around something. It was a small, plastic card. Similar to the one that creepy receptionist had used to open the electronic gates.

I knew I would have to use it to get out of here alive. I was not going to just stand by and succumb to these hideous creatures. I was not going to be their latest victim.

Before I could turn around, something pawed at my waist. I doubled over as pain seared through my body. I looked down to see that the cut was not very deep but my shirt was in pieces.

The paw came at me again and closed around my neck. Just as soon as it had latched on to me, it let go.

What on earth? I thought confused.

The creature had let go of my neck as if my skin had scalded it. My fingers probed about my collarbone and felt a silver crucifix on a chain resting smugly on my chest.

The wounded creature had backed off, and the others looked momentarily alarmed. This was my chance. I ran at the door faster than their heavy bodies could carry them over to stop me.

I kicked off my heels, ran full pelt down the corridor and waited impatiently at the barrier. I could hear howling coming from the distance and heavy clawing at the door.

I was breathing hard, but felt determined to save my life. I pushed through the turnstile doors and yanked the door of my car wide open. I dug around for my keys as a wave of panic seized me yet again.

Tears streamed down my face as I realised I didn't have them. Defeated, I rested my head against the headrest of my seat and gasped as I saw the receptionist in front of my car. He seemed stationary except for the slight, ethereal motion as he hovered above the car park floor.

My eyes widened in horror as I saw him hold up my car keys. 'Oh no' I thought. I was really going to die. The spirit before me started to drift closer. His essence seemed to be consuming me.

Before I knew it, he was at the window. His eyes glowed red and looked frightening against his pale, colourless face.

I suddenly realised there was still hope. I clutched the necklace around my throat and tugged it from my neck. I clasped the crucifix tightly in my palm and threw it towards the sinister spirit.

He looked shocked. He was only stunned for a moment, because he soon started to convulse. His mouth was wide open and the tremors seemed to jerk his entire body.

He lingered for a moment longer, before his entire body seemed to tear open from the inside out. There was a flash of light and then, he was gone. There wasn't a single trace of him, except for my pendant glittering on the concrete floor.

My relief was short lived as I tensed up again at the sound of blood-curdling screams coming from inside the compound. The creatures that had attacked me were now in extreme agony.

I saw some more white flashes of light and looked on in awe at the scene before me. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't block out their anguished shrieks.

As I continued to look on, I heard an insistent blaring noise. It seemed to be getting louder and louder. My head felt like it was going to explode! The sound waves were searing through me. They were dragging me away from the scene before me and before I knew it, I was drifting into a black, empty nothingness.

Suddenly, I realised I was waking up, startled and dishevelled as I fumbled in the dark to turn off my alarm clock.

Was it all really just a dream?

'Guess I didn't really find a job then' I thought bemused as I climbed out of bed feeling disorientated and sluggish.

I bent over to pull the covers up and make my bed when a sharp, intense pain froze my body. My hands immediately went to my waist where it seemed to originate from.

I gingerly lifted up my top, and saw four very distinct slashes across the edge of my abdomen. Feeling scared and numb, I slowly and reluctantly made my way down to the breakfast table where I picked up the morning paper, and thumbed through to the job section.