Story I'm working on
NO STEALING
NOT PROOFREAD
Prologue
Ashwick Psychiatric Center
An institute for troubled individuals, seeing and hearing things that others can’t? Come to Ashwick! Thinking about harming yourself or others? Ashwick is the place to go! Do you have bipolar disorder? Psychosis? Schizophrenia? Substance abuse issues? Anxiety? Mania? Obsessive-compulsive tendencies that make life a never-ending loop? Paranoia? Is insomnia so bad you’re on a first-name basis with the ceiling? PTSD? Personality disorders make it hard to keep relationships intact. Extreme mood swings? Panic attacks? Or anything else that makes you think you’re a little crazy? Askwick accepts all! So don’t waste any time, need help? Here we’ll give it!
Ashwick Psychiatric-- because everyone deserves a chance to heal.
Interested in joining our team? We're always looking for dedicated nurses and mental health professionals who aren't afraid of a challenge. Due to--- unforeseen circumstances, we have a few vacancies to fill. If you're compassionate, resilient, and willing to work nights, we want to hear from you. Applicants with a strong will and a lack of curiosity about certain areas will be prioritized. Apply today—Ashwick needs you.
(Ashwick Psychiatric Center is not responsible for any injuries, hauntings, emotional distress, spontaneous possession, parallel dimension slips, or the potential opening of eldritch portals. Patients and employees may experience side effects including but not limited to: existential dread, occasional ghost sightings, and an inexplicable fear of Room 27. Consult a medical professional before admission. Probably not us, though.)
Amelia Jones first saw that commercial five months ago. It was sketchy, borderline unprofessional-- but after two years of unemployment, it felt like a lifeline. Anything was better than her old job. Being blacklisted from every reputable medical institution didn’t leave her with many options.
What did she do, exactly? Well… she may have slightly lost her temper with a dying child. But in her defence, yelling at a six-year-old for asking to meet Barney before they kicked the bucket didn’t seem that unreasonable at the time. Apparently, her boss—and the rest of the hospital—disagreed. Too late to apologize now. That kid’s long gone, and so is her career.
Still, Ashwick didn’t seem to mind her "complicated" past. In fact, they welcomed her with open arms. Maybe a sketchy place wasn’t so bad—especially when it was willing to hire equally sketchy people.
But that was five months ago and she regretted her choice of joining more than anything.
.
.
.
The buzz of fluorescent lights hummed low against the sterile white walls, broken only by the faint click of Amelia’s pen as she finished a note in a patient’s chart. Room 213. Status: Stable. Delusions persistent. She tucked the clipboard under her arm and exhaled softly. The air in the psychiatric wing of Ashwick Asylum always felt heavier after midnight. Fewer staff. Fewer distractions. Just Amelia and the patients. Her shoes squeaked faintly as she pushed her medication cart down the hall, the wheels wobbling on the cracked marble floor. She ran through her mental checklist--
Vitals…Charting, Med administration, Behavior monitoring, and Patient safety checks every fifteen minutes. Blah blah blah.
Amelia sighed, she stopped in the middle of the hallway. She began counting how many hours she had left before she could go home. After being stuck in her thoughts for a good minute she let out a squeak, wait. She could leave now- her shift was over! Thank god! Well, actually that’s a lie she had a “couple” of things to do before she could clock out. She groaned loudly upon realizing how much she had to do, so much stuff to do…God, somebody kill her. She quickly rushed through a list of tasks nurses have to do before they leave, many of the tasks not being done properly mainly cause she didn’t care enough to put in actual effort. Could that heavily affect the patients, yes but again did she care? Nope. She practically sprinted out of the building, desperately trying to get to her car, you would think she was being chased by a manic serial killer or something. And with the patients she dealt with that wasn’t too far-fetched. She dug into her loose pockets, quickly fished out her car keys and clicked a button making her punch buggy make a popping sound as it unlocked. She made a decent living at Ashwick so she probably could afford a much better car but she liked her little buggy. Amelia enjoyed the thought of people punching each other when they saw her strolling around in it.
She glanced into her review mirror and stared blankly at the face that made eye contact with her. She leaned in close, staring at herself. A slender finger with bitten nails and chipped nail polish went under her eye. She pulled the thin skin down touching the small mole pasted there so she could analyze the darkening hue building up there. Amelia thought she was pretty and all but she despised though darn eye bags, hideous things really. Maybe she should’ve stayed jobless, at least she would’ve been getting better sleep. She could’ve become an actor-- yeah, she’s pretty she definitely could’ve become an actor. Not like the acting industry cares about actual talent, they just want some pretty babes they could advertise. She reached up and tugged on the hair that was twisted into what could barely be called a bun, just more of a mess of ginger curls. Amelia groaned in pleasure as her tied-up hair came undone, coming to rest on her shoulders, she adored the feeling of letting her hair loose. She put her keys into the car, listening to the sound of the motor whining as it started. Sighing contently as warm air flooded into the small space, she always cranked her heat to the point it would become a sauna. She backed up the vehicle and almost ran open a group of people, most likely visiting someone. Amelia flashed them the finger as she backed up further this time much faster forcing them to get out of the way. She sped out of the parking lot and whistled a tune while she drove herself home.
She burst through her apartment door, slamming it behind her smiling slightly knowing her neighbours would give her crap for being overly annoying again. Amelia kicked off her runners and practically collapsed onto her couch, she gagged and pulled away as her mouth connected with an old food stain painted into the cushion. She sat up and clicked on the TV, letting some random new channel play. She knew she should eat something, she was fully aware her skeleton appearance wouldn’t change if she kept putting off food. But she was tired…Hopefully, she could dream about food, like sushi! Yeah…Sushi sounds good…It wasn’t long before she dozed off, her brain tuning out the report happening on TV.
NEWS BROADCAST – RELS Channel 7
"Good evening. We begin tonight with a tragic story out of East Ridge, where a devastating mass shooting has left six people dead, including the alleged shooter. Authorities were called to Pinecrest Park close to Ashwick Psychiatric Center. shortly after 8:30 this morning following reports of gunfire echoing through the area."
"When officers arrived, they discovered five victims—two men, two women, and a child—all with fatal gunshot wounds. According to investigators, the suspect, identified as [ REDACTED ], 24, was found deceased at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
"Neighbors describe [ REDACTED ] as quiet but withdrawn in recent months, with some claiming they noticed erratic behaviour leading up to the incident. Police have yet to confirm a motive, but sources suggest [ REDACTED ] had a history of mental health struggles and had recently been discharged from Ashwick Psychiatric Center."
"Among the victims was Megan Hollis, aged 9, a fourth-grader described by her teachers as ‘bright and full of life.’ Family members are devastated, with one relative telling reporters, ‘She was just a child—she didn’t deserve this.’"
"East Ridge Police Chief Darren Holt called the incident a ‘senseless act of violence’ and emphasized the ongoing investigation. Autopsy reports and toxicology screenings are pending, and authorities are urging anyone with additional information to come forward."
"This tragedy comes as the city grapples with rising concerns about the intersection of untreated mental illness and community safety. We’ll continue to follow this story and bring you updates as they develop."
"For now, our hearts are with the families of the victims. This is Alyssa Chang, reporting for RELS News. Signing off.”
