"We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe."

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

/ / l o u i s / /

The door to my room opens and I continue to stare at the ceiling. I'm extremely angry and I don't want to see or talk to anyone. Dr. Foster was supposed to be here today. Where is she? She was supposed to change my bandages. She lied to me. I scared her off last night and she was never coming back. She's just like everyone else: weak, afraid, a coward. Since she didn't come back, I ripped the bandages off. Harry told me it would be a smart idea to do, therefore, I took them off me. They lay in the corner of the room with my blood stains still on them. She lied to me. I thought she was nice but she lied to me.

Two nurses and a security guard enter the room and I look them up and down. My eyes widen when I see Dr. Horan enter the room. Harry sits on the wall and he watches them just like I am. Why are there so many people in my room? Dr. Horan leans against the wall and there's a toothpick in his mouth. If only he knew Harry was sitting right beside him.

"Today's your lucky day, psycho," he smirks and Harry turns his head to look at me. He's smiling as his white eyes and teeth shine.

"Psycho," he repeats and the word slithers off of his tongue. I look down at the floor as one of the nurses approach me. "I'm beginning to like that word more. It suits you."

"No," I murmur and Dr. Horan laughs.

"You get to go home, idiot!" he exclaims and everyone looks at him, including Harry. 

My eyes widen and I begin to shake my head. I can't go home. I won't go home. My home is my prison. Harry holds me hostage there and I don't want to be held hostage anymore. What about Dr. Foster? Does she know I'm going home?

"Watch it, Horan," the security guard says. "I wouldn't push him if I were you and I won't stop him when he attacks you."

"I'll be ready," Dr. Horan mutters.

Harry's ticking noise becomes louder, "How interesting."

The nurse gently grabs my hand and I watch as she pricks my finger. Blood oozes out of my finger and she holds a small machine up to my bleeding finger. The machine collects my blood and she stands up once it's done stealing the blood from my finger.

"I'm just making sure you're good and healthy. You don't want to leave here ill, do you?" she asks and I shake my head. I don't want to leave here at all. Harry laughs from where he's sitting and he lets himself drop from the wall. I blink and let out a gasp. He's now sitting in front of me with his head tilted to the side.

"Are you afraid?" he whispers. "Are you afraid to go home with me?"

"No," I reply.

"Good!" the nurse cheers. "We wouldn't want you to go home ill, either."

Harry's long, black fingers stroke my cheek and I close my eyes, making him laugh. The sound of his laugh reminds me of how his laughter came out of my mouth last night. It wasn't me laughing. The sound that came out of my mouth was not my own.

It was his.

"I can smell your fear," he whispers as if everyone else in the room will hear him. "You're afraid to go home with me, Louis. Why is that?"

"You'll hurt me," I whisper and he falls over laughing.

"The only one that can truly hurt you is yourself!" he yells before laughing some more. "You let me control your body. Therefore, you only have yourself to blame!"

"I can't help it!" I cry out.

"You can't help what, Louis?" the nurse asks, looking back at me.

Dr. Horan shakes his head, "He's talking to himself, Barbara. Maybe we should leave and come back when he's ready to go?"

She shakes her head, "Dr. Sanchez needs him gone as soon as possible. She needs this room for another patient." I tug at my hair and cover my face with my hands. 

The only reason I'm being sent home is because they need this room, is that it? They're kicking me out and I'm not even ready to go. I'll never be ready to go. If they let me go, I'll be back soon. Everyone knows it. Why are they pretending I will never come back? What fool sends a patient home when they will return soon? I grit my teeth and I'm boiling on the inside. 

"They've replaced you," Harry says, his fangs for teeth showing. "They've found someone who is more mental than you. No, no, no, oh, no. I don't like that one bit."

"I don't care about these people. I don't care about them replacing me."

"Of course you don't!" Harry shrieks. "I, on the other hand, care."

"What are you going to do?" I whisper.

"It's a secret," he smiles and his dark figure rises from the floor. I watch as his body turns into black smoke and he floats across the room. No one can see him but me. He turns into his natural figure and stands right in front of Dr. Horan. "Louis, I want you to tell me something." Slowly, he turns his head around to face me. "How much will it take before this man breaks?" I don't answer him. I bring my knees up to my chest and sit my chin on my right knee. He constantly pokes Dr. Horan's cheek but he doesn't feel it. I want him to feel it. I want him to feel terrified. 

"Let's go," Dr. Horan murmurs. "You need to get yourself cleaned up before you leave." I don't move from my spot. I've never had a shower here before. Why would they want to give me one now? "I don't have all day. Are you coming or not?"

"Yes," I murmur and rise to my feet. Harry climbs the wall and stops once he reaches the top of it. I get closer to the door and Dr. Horan smiles at me. I don't smile back when he steps out of the room and shuts the door behind him.

"Idiot," I hear him say and I reach for the doorknob. I turn it and it's locked. Why would it not be locked? No one here seems to trust me. My hand stays on the doorknob and Harry begins to laugh again. I look down at the doorknob and let go of it.

"You really are a fool!" Harry shrieks.

"I'm not a fool," I hiss.

"You sure do have a nice way of showing it."

"I am not a fool," I repeat myself.

"That's not what Dr. Horan thinks," he smirks.

"I don't care about him."

Harry blinks his white eyes, "Do you hate him, Louis?"

"I...I don't hate anyone."

"Not even someone who hates you?" Harry asks. "Dr. Horan hates you and he can't wait for you to leave." He jumps off of the wall and gets closer to me. "Psycho..."

"Stop it."

"What?" Harry laughs, "That's what you are! Don't deny who you are deep inside!"

"Shut up!"

"Psycho! Psycho! Psycho!"

"Okay!" I yell, making Harry smile. "I hate him! I hate him! He judges me but he doesn't even know me. He doesn't know what's really happening! I'm sick of it!"

"Good to know," he whispers and I gasp as I fall onto the floor.

My hands automatically go up to my neck and I look up at the ceiling as Harry takes control of my body. Both of my eyes begin to burn and they feel as if someone set them on fire. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. Harry's now in control. I stand to my feet and my hand goes back to the doorknob.

"We'll make him pay for what he did to you, Louis..."

My grip tightens around the doorknob and I watch as it slowly turns red. My hand begins to burn but I can't pull it back. Harry'ss making me hold onto the door. The doorknob falls off the door and I push it open, exiting the room I've been in for only a few days.

"What are you going to do?" I ask but the words don't come out of my mouth. They're in my mind.

I laugh but Harry's laughter comes out of my mouth, "We're going to make him pay, Louis."

"Please," I mentally beg. "I don't want to get into any trouble."

"You've already caused enough trouble!" he yells, making one of the patients in their room scream bloody murder. Harry and I approach the elevator and I press the button to go down. The doors open and I fight the urge to get on the elevator. "Stop fighting me!"

Another scream.

"I can't!" I yelp. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Your fear is growing," he smiles and forces me to get on the elevator. "I'll feast on all of the fear inside of you and you won't be able to defend yourself. I'll be in full control and you'll do as I say." The elevator doors close and I feel defeated. There's nothing I can do. The more I fight, the more afraid I become. Harry will have more to feed on and I'll become weaker. "I wonder what I'll make you do when we find Dr. Horan."

"Please," I beg. "If we get caught, I'll get in trouble and...and I'll have to stay here even longer. They may even send me somewhere else!"

"That's what I want!" he chuckles. "I want you to stay here until you die!"

The elevator doors open and I step out. I don't bother trying to fight back as we walk down the long hallway. We're the only ones in the hallway and I'm beginning to wonder where everyone is. Harry and I turn left and we approach another hallway. I can't help but wonder, "How do you know where his office is?"

He smirks, "I know where everyone's office is. Even Dr. Foster's."

The sound of her name coming out of his mouth causes my skin to crawl.

We approach a door and my hand rests on the doorknob, forcing it to open. Dr. Horan sits in a chair behind his desk and he's typing on his computer with a phone to his ear, "You have to get down here right away!" I'm shocked by the tone of his voice. He sounds...worried? Afraid? "They let him go, Evelyn." Bells go off in my mind and I know he's talking to Dr. Foster. The boiling within me continues. I hate him. I hate her. I hate them both. "Louis." He shakes his head and I can see the smile on his face. "They let him go home."

I shut the door behind me and that's when he notices me standing there. His eyes are the size of golf balls and his jaw drops. He immediately ends his phone call with Dr. Foster. He looks terrified and I can't help but feel excited by this. He's made fun of me for so long and seeing him scared by my presence lets me know he's no different than everyone else. He's not tough.

"What are you doing in here?"

"It's a free country," Harry scoffs. "I can do as I please."

"Your eyes—"

Harry smiles as he pretends to be me, "What about my eyes?"

"T-They're...They're black."

Harry's smile widens, "I think they're amazing. Don't you...psycho?"

"Harry, don't do this." I say and he only laughs.

Dr. Horan sits up in his seat, "Is this about what happened earlier when we were upstairs? Look, man, I didn't mean it. I was only joking around! Come on. You have to have some fun around here to keep yourself sane!"

Harry claps my hands as he roars with laughter, "I'm getting tired of the games you play, Dr. Horan. I believe it's time to teach you a lesson. How about we play a game of my own? After all, you are the true master when it comes to playing games. Can you win mine?" Dr. Horan gets up from his seat and Harry looks at the bookshelf. Before I know it, there are books flying all around the room. A few of them hit Dr. Horan and cause him to sit back down to shield himself.

"Stop it!" he yells.

"Never!" Harry yells back before laughing again. "I'll show you how psychotic I am!"

"Louis, stop it!"

Harry forces another book to hit him, "Louis isn't here anymore! He's gone!"

Dr. Horan looks up and I see the blood on his forehead, "Then who are you?"

"I go by many names," Harry says as we begin to pace the room. The books are still flying and hitting Dr. Horan. He cries out in pain and this only motivates Harry to continue.

"Tell me your name!"

I turn around and tilt my head to the side as Harry speaks, "Do you really want to know my name?"

"Yes!"

He smirks, "I believe you already know it. You're just too afraid to admit it. Coward! You're nothing but a coward!"

"No..." Dr. Horan shakes his head. 

"Yes!" Harry roars. "Harry has come to pay you a visit!"

Dr. Horan's eyes widen and he looks like he's seen a ghost.

"Louis, this isn't funny," he says. "Stop this! Stop all of this!"

"Louis' gone!" Harry yells. "The demon within him has risen!"

"No, I'm not! I'm right here!" I yell but the only person that can hear me is Harry. Dr. Horan gets up from his seat and runs around his desk to get to the office door. Harry laughs as we turn around to look at him.

"You think you can run away from me?" he asks, making Dr. Horan fall to his knees. He falls back onto the floor and his hands go his neck.

"Stop this!" I yell. "You're hurting him!" Harry doesn't stop. Dr. Horan's face and neck begin to turn red and he's twitching and jerking.

"Time to play," Harry whispers as we walk toward the suffering man. My hands get a good grip on his head and I start banging it against the floor. Harry's laughter comes out of my mouth as I continue to hurt Dr. Horan. Blood stains the floor but I don't stop. I simply can't. Harry's laughter echoes throughout the room as blood stains my clothes and hands. "Make him pay, Louis. Make him pay for what he's done to you." As much as I want this to end, it feels amazing. I'm beginning to feel better as this man suffers. I lift his head up and bang it against the tiled floor again. "How does it feel?"

"It feels...amazing," I reply and notice the words are coming out of my own mouth. I look upward and see Harry staring down at me. When did he stop controlling me?

He blinks his bright eyes, "Don't stop now. We're just getting started." I continue to bang his head against the floor and a smile forms on my face as I feel his blood splatter across my cheek. "Have fun, but don't kill him. Remember that." I let his head drop back against the floor and I punch him. I punch him as hard as I can in the face and stomach and his body jerks upward.

"I want him to pay," I say, punching him all over. His blood covers my hands and I feel energized. I never want this to end. I want Dr. Horan to pay for how he has been treating me.

"Make him pay," Harry whispers and drops from the ceiling. He lands on the floor beside me and pulls Dr. Horan's pants leg up. I stare as he places his claws on his leg.

My eyes widen, "W-What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you."

"He'll lose too much blood."

"We'll watch him die."

"You said I shouldn't kill him!"

"I didn't say anything about me not killing him." Harry smirks and continues to claw the leg. 

I shake my head and try to push Harry away. He turns back into black smoke and my breathing quickens. I look down at Dr. Horan's unconscious body and tug at my hair. At this moment, I don't care that I'm getting blood in my hair and on my scalp. I wipe the blood off of my face but I know I had only wiped more on.

What have I done?

I stand to my feet...and run. I step over the books on the floor and open the door to the office. Running down the hallway, I'm thankful no one else's out here but me. I leave the hallway and make my way toward the exit. I can hear Harry laughing behind me and that motivates me to run faster. My eyes sting and I know they're turning back to their natural color. Whenever Harry takes over my body, my eyes turn entirely black. People can only see it if Harry allows them to. Dr. Foster didn't see my eyes because Harry wouldn't her. He let Dr. Horan see them, though.

My hands push the door open as I exit the institute. I jog down the steps and the sun feels horrible against my skin. I haven't seen the sun in days and the sight of it blinds me. I look down at the sidewalk as I run for my life. If anyone finds out what I did back there, I'm done for. I'll get arrested and Harry will continue to torture me. I see the bus stop ahead and no one's there. I sit down on the bench and cover my face with my bloody hands.

"You're becoming more and more like me," Harry smirks as he sits down on the bench beside me. I shake my head and sigh. No matter what I do, he comes back. He always does and I can never get rid of him.

"I'm nothing like you," I hiss.

"You almost killed an innocent man."

"That was you!"

"I left your body and you continued to hurt him."

"Stop it," I beg. "Stop messing with me."

"I'll be at home. I'm expecting to see you there soon," he whispers in my ear. "Don't try to run. I can always find you." I look beside me and he's gone.

I bring my knees up to my chest and begin to sob.