Chapter 5: Trial of Meeting Death

Several days passed since Mason’s parents came to a solution for Mason’s condition. After an 8-hour drive from Maryland to South Carolina, Mason, Lynda, and Michael finally arrived at the institution designated for the taming and well-being of superpowered human beings; Monstrosity Haven! The teenager had an uneasy feeling about his visit throughout the entire car ride, considering how Alex and Veronica bid him and parents his farewell. He constantly replayed in his head the final image of his sisters waving a tearful goodbye to the three of them from the front steps of their house as his father drove the car out of the driveway and down the street.

‘Why were they so emotional? It’s not like we were going to be gone for a long time. Mom even told them that we’re going to be back in two days, so why were they so upset?’ he kept wondering to himself.

Once they finally made it to Monstrosity Haven, Mason immediately had an uncanny suspicion about the establishment. As his father pulled the car up the driveway, many physical traits the exterior of the building withheld frightened him. None of the trees had leaves on them, the rusted gate at the front entrance looked like it belonged to a prison yard, and every worker he caught gaze of looked miserable. To him, it was as if Death himself resided in the walls of this Haven.

A shy Mason did his best to stay close to his parents as much as he possibly could as they made their way inside the building. He was terrified of the dark interior of the building and was afraid to get lost by himself in a place like this. He stood beside his father in the corner as he watched his mother speak to the pale, scrawny, and lifeless receptionist at the front desk. The woman his mother was speaking to resembled a blood-thirsty zombie that sent a chill down his spine every time she looked his way. After his mother finished signing several documents, Mason noticed her turn her head towards his father from across the room and the subtle head nod she gave him. He watched as his father unleashed the most depressing exhale he had ever heard in his young life.

Michael turned to his son with a forced smile on his face and placed his hand on his child’s shoulder. He stared into Mason’s eyes in silence for what felt like an eternity, until he finally spoke.

“Son, your treatment is about to start. Now, I want you to be the good kid you’ve always been to me and your mom. And I don’t want you to be scared while you’re in here. There’s nothing to fear…” his father quietly said to him. Mason nodded his head upon hearing these words. His father wasn’t a man of many words, but whenever he spoke, he always gained the reassurance he needed to overcome any and all insecurities that lived within him.

It was then his mother approached him with a smile on her face. She immediately gave her baby boy a hug. She kissed him on the cheek and began to study his face as it was. Surveying his shiny brown eyes, Lynda felt her heart sink into her stomach as she tried to hide her emotions. She leaned into Mason, gave her son one last hug, and spoke the words every child hoped to hear their parent say; “I’m proud of you… and I love you.”

“Mr. Corpse, Warden Grim is ready for you!” the receptionist called out to Mason, who felt his stomach churning at the sight of the woman.

“I’ll be right there…” he replied to her as he looked back at his parents. “OK, well I guess I’ll be in there a little while. Do you guys know how long this session is supposed to be?” he asked.

Lynda and Michael immediately froze like two deer about to get struck by a mac truck. Lynda scrambled in her mind to find an answer before she finally spoke. “Um, yes honey. It should be around two or three hours,” she answered.

“Oh, OK. That’s not too long. I’ll see you guys then,” he concluded as he turned around and made his way towards the main hallway.

Michael wrapped his arm around Lynda’s shoulders and held her tight. “Just hold it in for a little bit longer…” he whispered. Lynda held her head low as she was unable to bear to watch what was about to happen.

Two medical assistants stood in front of the doors that led to the hallway Mason was instructed to walk down. As he approached them, they stepped to the side and swung the doors open for him.

And there he was. The towering, swarthy, mysterious warden of Monstrosity Haven stood before him. At first, Mason was taken aback by this suited stranger and the stern look on his face. But he did his best to keep his composure.

“Well, hello, Mason Corpse. My name is Warden Grim, and I would like to officially welcome you to our institution,” the man said as he extended his hand to his new patient. Mason hesitated to take Grim by the hand, considering what happened with his grandmother. So, he placed his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie and timidly looked down at the ground. “Hi, nice to meet you,” he mumbled.

Grim noticed the immediate sheepish demeanor Mason displayed as a smile grew across his face. “Come with me child,” he said. The two began to make their way down the blindingly bright hallway as the doors shut behind them.

The plant-summoning teen observed the different posters and bulletin boards filled with information on the walls as he passed them by. As they made it towards the end of the hallway, the Warden turned around and looked at him. “So, from what I’m told, you’re struggling to keep your vegetation abilities under control. Well, I’ve never encountered a young soul with powers as special as yours, but I assure you once we begin our work together, we’ll get a hold of things,” Grim said, bringing a slight amount of comfort to Mason. Unfortunately, that same comfort was immediately stripped away once Grim spoke his next sentence.

“Come this way, child. I’ll be showing you where you’ll be staying.”

In an instant, Mason’s head shot up from staring at the ground in front him to the Warden’s dead, icy eyes. An unadulterated expression of shock could be read all over his face.

“W-what?” the boy stuttered. He immediately spun around and saw his parents watching from the windows on the opposite side of the hallway doors. “Mom… dad…” he raised his voice as it echoed across the walls.

It was that moment that struck him like a bullet to the brain. He wasn’t visiting this asylum for treatment. He was being admitted!

Instinctively, Mason began urgently walking back towards the doors his parents were standing behind. “Mom… DAD!?” he yelled out to them as he began to panic. Mason’s mother broke down in tears at the sight of her terrified son on the other side of the glass. She looked away from him as Mason made it to the glass of the door and started pounding on it.

“MOM! DAD! DON’T DO THIS! PLEASE!” he shouted while looking his father in the eye. “I DIDN’T MEAN TO KILL HER! I DON’T WANT TO GO! PLEASE, NO DON’T LEAVE ME!” he begged them and pleaded.

Grim watched from a distance and observed the trail of grass Mason had created down the hall and the excessive amount of weeds that sprouted from the soil underneath.

“And so it begins,” Grim said to himself as a group of medical assistants charged past him to get to Mason.

“PLEASE, GOD! DON’T DO THIS!” he roared to his father through the glass. Michael watched his son completely crumble before him and throw a tantrum like he’s never seen before. “Just go with them, buddy. They’re going to help you,” his father said with tears in his eyes while Lynda was sobbing in the corner.

“NO! DAD…….” Mason screamed as the medical assistants apprehended him and dragged him to the ground. “LET GO! LET GO OF ME!” he demanded at the top of his lungs. The asylum employees all struggled to pin Mason to the ground as he kicked, screamed, and swung his arms wildly on the floor. “Tranquilizer!” one of them shouted.

“Bring him to his cell once he’s out,” Grim instructed his employees as he began to walk back to his office.

“DON’T TOUCH ME! DAD HELP ME!” Mason shouted for Michael to come save him. Michael watched as the medical staff all rallied together to restrain his son. Refusing to watch anymore of this dreadful scene, he stepped away from the window and went over to his wife. “Come on honey, let’s go home,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her and led her towards the exit.

“It’s too much, Michael. It’s too much,” she painfully sobbed on his shoulder as he walked her towards the front door.

“MOM! DON’T LET THEM TAKE ME! MOM! MOM!” Mason continued to go ballistic. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. He looked over and noticed that one of the medical personnel had injected him with a needle. He quickly shoved the doctor in the face and pushed him away from him. But it was too late. At each passing second, Mason grew weaker and began to resist less and less.

“He’s almost out! Go ahead and start dragging him,” one of the employees said. “Kid has a real mean streak,” another doctor said as they began dragging Mason by his arms across the grass trail down the hallway. Mason could barely keep his eyes open. He kept blinking rapidly to try and stay awake, but it wasn’t enough. Eventually, he was fully unconscious, and officially under the custody of the asylum!