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Every warning that was echoed to you plays loudly in your head. Everyone you knew told you it was a bad idea to get a job at Willow Hill. Your parents worried for your safety and your friends (the few you have) worried for your sanity.
You swallow as you stare at the door of the common room you’re hiding in. You can distantly hear the chaos as if it’s not right outside the piece of metal separating you from it.
You remember the first time you stepped through the gates of Willow Hill.
You were led to a bright office, being forced to sit in an uncomfortable chair when the last thing you wanted was to sit still for an extended amount of time. You could taste the bitterness of nervousness on your tongue with a sweeter taste of excitement right behind it.
The building had that old smell, like a cross between a forgotten sweater that has been packed away and a grave.
All you could do was count the colorful jellybeans in the jar that sat on the cluttered desk. You wondered how long they had been sitting there, imagining breaking a tooth if you were to eat one.
You almost worried that this was a terrible idea, ready to go home when a bubbly woman walked through the door.
It almost sounded like she had started speaking before she had even stepped foot into the room. She had a big grin on her face as she sat down across from you, setting some papers down on her desk.
“Well, it looks like all your paperwork is in order. We ran a background check, and everything came up clean,” she began, sifting through papers.
All you could do was smile, knowing that you still had to do the interview before you could get the job.
“I’m going to ask you a few questions, to get to know you better.” Judi smiled again, pretending that that this was going to just be a friendly conversation and not an interview where she’ll scrutinize every word you say.
You were surprised to find that the questions were easy. You thought it would be more difficult to get a job at a psychiatric hospital.
Judi seemed pleased with your answers, checking her notes with a smile.
After you told her about your experience working at a shelter for the unhoused (which you completely made up), she paused, thinking for a second.
You thought you had said something wrong until she broke out into that smile again.
“Honestly, you were my last interview for this position, and I think you’re the strongest contender out of the bunch.” Her enthusiastic demeanor faded a little before she continued, “It’s been difficult finding someone who is willing to take on the task while also not taking the job for the wrong reasons.”
Concern laced her voice at the end of her sentence.
You furrowed your brow in confusion before she spoke again.
“Which brings me to my last question.” She paused, and you wondered if it was for dramatic effect. “Do you have any personal interest in any of the patients receiving treatment in this facility?”
You swallowed.
“No.” Your voice even.
You were ready to leave it at that, except it seemed like Judi was waiting for you to say something else.
“My only interest is that the patients in this hospital are rehabilitated to the fullest extent that they can be. And if I can be any help in that, then I would just be doing my job.”
You smiled, trying to sell the words you just made up on the spot.
For a second, you worried Judi didn’t believe you.
Finally, her enthusiasm reappeared on her face, and she seemed extremely happy with your answer.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. You have no idea how many candidates I’ve had in here that can’t answer that question.” She paused and her eyes shifted around the room, as if there were people around that could hear her. “Ever since we admitted that Hyde, I’ve gotten so many young ladies who were only interested in the job because of him,” she said in a lowered voice.
She leaned back in her chair with a small shake of her head, as if she still couldn’t believe it.
All you could do was act shocked by what she said, but you found that you had a hard time looking her in the eye after that.
“Well, the job is yours. You just need to fill out some paperwork. And then you can meet Dr. Fairburn and tour the facility.”
You thank her and tell her how excited you are to start.
She just nods and then points to the jar on her desk.
“Jellybean?”
~
You tried to relax during the tour of the hospital. You tried to remind yourself that you had the job now. But you couldn’t stop worrying they would find you out, that you were a liar and a fraud.
As Dr. Fairburn took you from hallway to hallway, passing patients eating in the cafeteria to painting in the common room, you tried to listen to the words coming out of her mouth.
It wasn’t until she abruptly stopped at the end of a dim hallway right near a door with bold letters that you were able to pay attention to her again.
“Since you’ll be working the overnight shift, you’ll be interacting with all of our patients. Including our most dangerous ones.” She gave you a severe look, and you swallowed, her words sinking in.
“That means it’s very important for you to follow protocol in these situations,” she continued. “But don’t worry, you’ll be given the proper training on your first day,” she finished with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
She started to walk away from the big metal door while your eyes lingered on it, knowing what was on the other side of it.
~
It wasn’t until your third night that you were allowed to do your tasks on your own. Your first night was training, boring informational sessions and shadowing another orderly.
On your second night, you executed the tasks while another orderly watched you. Since you worked the graveyard shift, your duty was to do the nightly check on every patient. You still hadn’t been allowed to check on any “high risk” patients, not even when watching the other orderly.
It was supposed to be on your third night that you were going to shadow the nightly check on the “high risk” patients but when you got to work that night, your supervisor told you that the orderly you were supposed to follow around had called out.
They had no one to fill in so it was up to you to do all the tasks by yourself.
You felt overwhelmed by the weight of the pressure to do the nightly checks entirely by yourself. You still didn’t feel confident in your ability to do this job, and a knot formed in your stomach at the thought of checking on every patient.
You tightly gripped the clipboard in your hands, reading the list of names of everyone admitted at Willow Hill. Your eyes landed on the name at the end of the list, written in red letters.
You had been thinking there were multiple “high risk” patients because no one had told you differently. But you quickly realized there was only one.
The pair of white sneakers the hospital gave you to wear squeaked down the hallway. You winced every time they made that irritating high-pitched noise. You wore a white dress with a collar and buttons going down the middle. It was the uniform for orderlies, but it felt vintage, like it was an old nurse’s uniform.
You went up and down the hallways, checking that every patient was safe and sound. As you neared the big door with the bold letters, you held your clipboard tighter.
As much as you denied it, you would’ve never taken this job if it wasn’t for your fascination. Your friends called it an obsession, but you ignored that.
You didn’t live in Jericho. You lived in a town neighboring it. But everyone in the area had heard about the vicious bear attacks in the woods outside of Jericho.
Until it was reported that it wasn’t a bear at all.
Instead, it was a monster that gutted those people.
A Hyde.
You had never heard of such a thing.
Then you saw the monster had a name.
The same name written in those red letters on your clipboard.
At first, it was morbid curiosity that made you read every piece written about the murders. But the more you read, the more fascinated you became.
You weren’t sure what it was that made the details of the killings stick inside your brain, like a parasite you couldn’t get rid of.
Late at night, as you tossed and turned in bed, you wondered if it was the murders at all that you couldn’t stop thinking about.
Because every time you closed your eyes, you would see his eyes staring back at you.
You only knew what he looked like from photos, and you tried to tell yourself that it had nothing to do with him, only why the murders happened in the first place.
You needed to know why he did it. Was he really manipulated by some crazed woman hellbent on getting revenge? Or was he really just a monster, full of rage and violence?
It wasn’t something you could forget about. So, when you saw the job opening at Willow Hill, you knew you couldn’t pass it up.
So with slightly trembling muscles, you passed through that door and down the stairs, farther and farther underground, the air getting colder and smelling more like a tomb than it did upstairs. You knew you had to look him in the eyes and get rid of that itching curiosity that you feel.
All you could hear was the sound of your shoes squeaking on each step and the sound of your heartbeat pounding in your ears.
It almost felt like a dream or the beginning of a horror movie. It felt like you left reality behind when you walked through that door. You wanted to pinch yourself just to make sure you weren’t dreaming.
You never could admit how many times you dreamed about the Hyde or more-so about Tyler. When you read so many articles and looked at so many pictures before bed, it unfortunately infiltrated your subconscious.
Most of the dreams were nightmarish, making you feel how you felt at that moment. Scared and fearing for your life.
But there were a few that surprised you. Ones that made your face warm in the morning when you woke.
When you got to the bottom of the stairs, you expected to see a security guard waiting for you. But there wasn’t another soul in sight, just another metal door for you to go through.
It was almost like everything was falling into place so you could have a moment alone with him. You’re not sure if that put delight or fear into your heart.
You noticed the cameras surrounding the place and knew that he was being surveilled at all times. You felt you could relax at least a little bit.
You took a deep breath and let yourself in through the last metal door that separated you and Tyler Galpin.
His eyes were on you the second you stepped into the room. He blinked in momentary shock before something hardened in his stare. Green eyes that peered under his grown-out curls looked you up and down.
You could see his lips twitch with amusement before stepping closer to you, the chains attached to him rattling.
You swallowed as he got closer to the confines of his cell.
As he got closer to you.
You tried not to show any signs of nervousness, but he ended up being the first one to speak, making you look like the coward you were afraid of being.
“You’re new.”
He stated as an observation with no hint of being uncertain.
You finally found your voice as you stood up straighter.
You told him your name, hoping that would make him trust you more.
“I’m the new orderly. Just doing the nightly check,” you explained further.
All he did was stare at you. His face still set in a glare.
A few moments passed before he spoke again.
“Well, you checked. I’m still here.” He tugged on his chains before turning his back to you.
“Wait,” you began, not wanting him to disregard you so quickly.
He slowly turned back around, facing you again.
You tried your hardest not to let your eyes wander, not wanting to find the bright red scars that decorated his muscular body.
Your jaw tensed remembering the dreams you had about him.
“I just want to talk, Tyler.”
You could see the muscles in his face twitch at the sound of his name. A coldness settled in his eyes.
“Is this some new bullshit treatment Dr. Fairburn is trying? Did she put you up to this?”
His angry tone made your heart beat faster.
“What? No.” You shook your head, the words fumbling out of your mouth. “This has nothing to do with Dr. Fairburn.”
His expression didn’t change.
So, you swallowed, realizing that Tyler might appreciate complete honesty.
“The only reason I got a job here is because of you.”
He faltered at your confession.
You thought that it was finally sinking in for him, that he was finally going to see you as a confidant instead of an enemy.
Until his lips curled, a smirk finding its way onto his face. He tilted his head, his gaze raking over you again. But this time you felt exposed. He looked at you like you were the one trapped inside a cage.
“Oh.” Amusement in his tone and his eyebrows raised. “I heard I had fans.”
You quickly shook your head again. “No. That’s not-.” You stopped, taking a deep breath.
“That’s not why-.” You stopped again. “I’m here because I wanted to hear your side of the story. No other reason.”
“So, you’re just some true crime junkie who’s trying to be an amateur detective. What? You going to tell all this to a reporter, try to make some money?”
The smirk was wiped off his face and you almost wished for it to come back.
“No. I just don’t think you’re the monster they’re making you out to be in the news.” Your words lingered in the air. “Unless you are. But I wouldn’t tell anyone what you tell me right now, Tyler.”
“Stop saying my name. You don’t know me.” His eyes widened with rage. His words filled with venom.
You could feel yourself backing away from him.
“You know what I think?” He began, and you knew he was going to tell you whether you wanted him to or not.
“I think your life is so boring and pathetic that you decided to make me into some lovelorn fantasy to distract yourself from your nonexistent dating life. And now you want me to stand here and tell you how shitty my life has been and how I just need to be fixed by some lonely girl like you.”
He narrowed his eyes at you, and you could feel something wet run down your cheek. You realized it’s a tear when the saltiness hit your lips.
“But what I’ll tell you is, I enjoyed hurting those people. Hunting them down. Letting their fear wash over me.” His voice turned to ice.
“So, I guess there’s nothing for you to fix.”
You weren’t sure if he was finished but you were done listening. You didn’t waste another second in there, leaving him in his cell, hopefully for a very long time.
~
You felt relieved to have the next few days off from work after that. You spent those days sulking in your bedroom, wondering if you even wanted to continue working at Willow Hill at all.
For some reason, every time you imagined finally meeting the Hyde, you never thought he would actually be a monster.
You always imagined he would tell you how sorry he was and how he was manipulated into killing those people.
You began to realize that maybe Tyler was right.
Before going in there, you thought your motives were clear, maybe even altruistic. But now, your obsession with Tyler was obvious. Maybe you really were just lonely. Maybe you just had a crush on the monster.
You decided to go in for your next shift at Willow Hill. You still hadn’t decided whether you wanted to quit. You couldn’t deny that the pay was better than all the food service and retail jobs you had worked before.
But you were only five minutes into your shift when you were told Dr. Fairburn wanted to speak to you. That’s when it was decided for you whether you were going to leave or not.
You were brought to her office, and you could tell from the way she was sitting at her desk that you were either going to be severely disciplined or fired.
You sat across from her, palms sweating. You swallowed as you stared at her grimacing face.
She explained to you that your entire conversation with Tyler was caught on security footage. You hated the way your chest squeezed at how embarrassed you were.
Now everyone knew why you applied to work at Willow Hill, and they knew the awful things Tyler said to you, even if they were true.
With a steady voice, she told you that you were fired. And in a way, you weren’t even upset about that, just about how it came to be.
You wish it would have been because you were lousy at being an orderly, not because you have a crush on a criminally insane monster.
You were told to clear out your locker and then vacate the premises. You were going to be escorted out, a security guard watching you as you packed away all your things. You couldn’t help but feel defeated, going slower than he wanted you to.
It was after dark. If you still had your job, you would’ve been checking on all the patients. You thought about how they must all be locked away for the night.
You were supposed to change out of your uniform before you left so that the hospital could have it back. Just as you were grabbing your change of clothes to head into a bathroom stall, sirens started to blare throughout Willow Hill.
You looked around for a second, trying to figure out how much danger you were in. You learned in your training that the situation had to be pretty dire for the sirens to go off.
The security guard you were with looked toward the door with wide eyes, as if he could see what was happening through the door.
“Stay here,” he told you in a firm voice before he left the staff room.
You could feel your pulse quickening as you heard the violence unfold outside the door. You hoped it would stay out there, until the lights went out. And you realized you really had no hope left.
You were bathed in darkness, but only for a moment. Emergency red lights came to life, leaving a bloody glow on your face.
All the screaming, yelling, and gunshots suddenly became louder. And you saw that the door to the staff room had opened. Patients and security guards ran by down the hallway.
Every door in the building that had an electrical surge to it was forcibly opened when the electricity went out.
You hugged your arms tighter around yourself when you realized that you couldn’t stay in that room.
You either had to get out of the building or find a door that didn’t have an electrical lock.
You knew the dangerous patients that Willow Hill housed. It wasn’t just Tyler, but you really wouldn’t want to run into him either.
You wondered if it was him who escaped in the first place. When you stepped into the hallway and didn’t see a Hyde running toward you, you breathed a sigh of relief.
So focused on not seeing Tyler, it took you a second to notice the dead body lying near you and the decaying zombie staggering toward you, eyeing you to be his next victim.
Your fear catapulted you down the hallway, with all the commotion going on around you, you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to leave the building. But you knew that the common room had a normal lock on its door, so you chose that to be your next hiding place.
So, there you are, standing in the dark room, hoping no zombie or Hyde, or whatever other monster finds you there.
You try to steady your breathing, the chaos outside the door slowly dwindling.
Now you really regret ever getting a job at Willow Hill. You blink your glassy eyes and decide it wasn’t worth it at all.
You think you’ll wait for the police to show up, not wanting to risk going out there when there’s still danger.
You focus on the door in front of you, almost like you think that if you stare at it long enough, you’ll stop anyone from bursting through it.
A noise in the corner of the room breaks your concentration. You’re too afraid to turn around but somehow you force yourself to.
You watch in horror and confusion as the monster you were trying so hard to keep out emerges from the darkness of the safety you thought you surrounded yourself with.
The moonlight shining through the windows casts shadows onto his figure. He still wears nothing but a pair of pants that hangs low on his hips and a haunted look in his eyes.
The only difference is he doesn’t wear chains around his wrists anymore or a shock collar around his neck. He’s not caged like an animal anymore.
You wonder what he is going to do to you. Does he want to kill you? For enraging him that night in his cell.
You see his eyes widen for a second, a delightful glint shining like he can’t believe his luck that you were served to him on a silver platter.
You expect him to say something to you. Something venomous, something taunting, something that might twist your insides.
Instead, he just stands still, staring at you.
You realize you’re doing the same thing and that you’ve entered a fight you know you can’t win.
You’re his prey and he’ll wait for you to finally make a move to strike.
After what feels like an eternity of staring into his hollowed eyes, you will yourself to move. Thinking you can outrun him, your legs move sideways before trying to go into a full-blown sprint.
Your feet only shuffle a few inches before he is in front of you, turning around so his warm chest presses against your back, and his strong arms are around your waist as he grabs you.
You let him, defeat melting you.
You close your eyes, waiting for him to turn so he can tear you apart.
But after a few seconds pass, you open them, finding him still holding you.
“Are you going to kill me?” Your voice hoarse.
You only get silence in return until Tyler turns you around to face him. His grip still bruising.
“Why would I do that?” He asks and you can’t tell if his question is rhetorical or not.
You swallow, “I thought you hated me.”
One side of his mouth twitches upwards as he doesn’t try hard to cover up his amusement. “So, you care what I think.”
You move your gaze away from him. A heat creeps into your cheeks.
Being this close to him makes it harder for you to deny your attraction to him. You decide to lift your stare to his face, finding that grisly scar and the dark circles under his eyes.
You don’t think you’ve ever wanted to kiss someone more.
Without even thinking, you try to move away from him.
His hands slip a little from your waist, but he is able to keep you in front of him.
Sirens ring inside your head. You need to get away from him.
If you don’t, you’re not sure what’s going to happen.
How fucked up can you be that you want him so badly? Even after everything he has done. Or maybe you want him because of everything he has done.
The fear that rises in your chest is from you.
“Let me go, Tyler.” Alarm in your voice as you try break free from him again.
“What if I don’t want to?” His grip growing tighter and now becoming searing.
You try to push at his chest, palms flat on his bare skin. You don’t try hard enough, becoming distracted by how sturdy he feels and how warm he is.
You don’t even realize that you’re staring at his muscles, seeing those big scars again.
A deep chuckle that vibrates through his chest makes you blink.
“You really are obsessed with me, aren't you?”
Looking up, you meet his eyes and glare.
“No, get away from me.” You say, struggling to break free again to no avail.
“You know, if you hadn’t tried all that crap about feelings, you would’ve been my favorite.”
You stop and let his words sink in.
You don’t notice his gaze on you before he kisses you.
It’s a bruising kiss, one that doesn’t give you a second to breathe.
He begins to lick inside your mouth as one of hands moves from your waist to your throat.
At first, his fingertips brush the soft skin there before his fingers squeeze tighter and you’re gasping for air for many reasons.
You try to pull away, breathlessly saying his name against his lips, but he just keeps kissing you.
He finally lets go of your neck and instead his hand snakes lower down your body.
With his tongue in your mouth, you don’t even notice that his fingers have gone under your dress until one of them brushes against your bundle of nerves.
A moan rises from your throat as he pushes your panties to the side, his long fingers wet with your slick as he pushes them inside you. He’s rough with his actions, occasionally rubbing the spot that makes you fall apart.
“I can’t do this,” you say through sighs, barely able to get the words out.
“Yes, you can,” he breathes into your ear. “I didn’t even have to touch you to know how wet you were. You were dripping just from my hands on your waist.”
He continues to spread you open with his fingers, and you feel yourself fall apart completely, knees buckling as Tyler lets you fall to your knees on the floor.
Dazed, you try to catch your breath. Until Tyler is on you again.
He kisses you, laying you flat on the wood floor.
He doesn’t waste any time in pulling down his pants and lining himself up to your aching core.
But in that moment, you see the darkness painted on his face and that same fear from earlier comes back.
So, you do the only thing you can think of. You try to crawl away from him.
Tyler stops you with a hand around your ankle, dragging you back to him.
“I know you want this,” he says.
You don’t try to protest, you’re on your hands and knees as Tyler moves behind you. You can’t tell exactly what he’s doing but you quickly learn as he doesn’t give you any warning and pushes himself into you.
A groan falls from his lips as he feels you stretched around him. He sets a brutal pace, and you can feel his fingers leaving bruises on your hips.
Moans leave your mouth as he ruts into you. The sound of skin on skin fills the room until suddenly, barely stopping, Tyler flips you over.
He thrusts himself back into you, pushing your leg up so his cock can hit a deeper part of you.
Your eyelids flutter, feeling a type of pleasure you don’t think you’ve ever felt.
You can feel his lips on your neck, his teeth nipping at the delicate skin, leaving marks and giving you a delicious mix of pain and pleasure.
His thrusts are getting sloppier, and you can feel yourself getting closer to the edge.
“Open your mouth,” he commands.
And all you can do is exactly as he says.
He lets a drop of his spit fall into your open mouth.
“Swallow,” he says, out of breath.
And you do.
Your hand grabs his bicep as you feel your orgasm wash over you.
Tyler is deep inside you as your walls squeeze around him. He spills himself inside you with a groan.
He stays inside you for a moment, trying to catch his breath until he moves away from you, pulling his pants back up.
You’re more disoriented until you hear the police sirens outside.
You see a flash of fear in his green eyes until he blinks, and it’s gone.
He hurries to help you up off the floor and puts an arm around you like he’s holding you steady.
You can feel his cum dripping down your thighs as he leads you out of the hospital, somehow staying out of the police’s sight.
He leads you into the woods, feet crunching on fallen leaves.
You walk next to him, finally moving your head to look at him. Moonlight shines on top of his curls.
Then it hits you.
You just helped the Hyde escape from Willow Hill.
You stare at him with a combination of distrust and growing infatuation.
It’s not exactly what you had in mind.