Mental Hospital

The Mental Hospital is a scary story about a young woman that goes to visit her uncle who is a successful psychiatrist.

When the train pulled into the station, Natalie Brice was the only passenger who got off. She put her suitcase down and looked around. The platform was deserted. She had come to visit her uncle and he was supposed to be there to pick her up.

Ever since her parents died in a car crash two years ago, Natalie had been alone in the world. She decided to get in contact with her only living relative, her uncle James. She had never met him and all she knew about him was that he was a successful psychiatrist.

Natalie looked around uncertainly and noticed a phone booth. She rummaged around in her purse and found the letter her uncle had sent her. His phone number was at the top.

When she called, a woman answered the phone. She could hear the sound of voices in the background. It sounded like they were having a party.

“Hello, can I speak to Dr. Brice?” Natalie asked.

“Who is calling?” the woman asked.

“My name is Natalie,” she replied. “Natalie Brice… I’m his niece.”

“One moment,” said the woman.

There was a long pause, then a man came on the phone.

“Natalie, darling!” he exclaimed. “What an unexpected pleasure!”

“My train just got in,” said Natalie. “I thought you were going to pick me up…”

“We’re having a party here,” he chuckled. “I’ll send my nurse to collect you right away. I can’t wait for everyone to meet you.”

He hung up and Natalie took her suitcase and waited outside the station. The parking lot was empty. A few minutes later, a car pulled up and a woman got out. She was tall and thin and wore a crumpled white uniform.

Natalie waved at her.

“Hurry up,” the woman snapped. “You can put your suitcase in the back.”

Natalie recognized her voice. It sounded like the woman who had answered the phone. As soon as Natalie got into the car, the woman revved the engine and sped off.

They drove in silence, as the woman negotiated the winding country roads. She was driving very fast and Natalie was worried they might crash.

Eventually, they came to a large pair of imposing gates. The car turned into the long driveway that led up to a huge house, surrounded by trees. The front door of the house was standing open.

They pulled up outside and Natalie got out of the car. She was glad the journey was over. The woman took her suitcase out of the boot and led the way through the open door.

Walking down the long, empty hallway, Natalie could hear the sound of voices talking and laughing. On the left, she noticed a black door. There was a small brass plaque on the door with her uncle’s name on it.

When they reached the end of the hall, they came to a huge living room. The party was in full swing. Music was playing in the background and a dozen or so guests were crowded around a large table.

Some of them were sipping drinks and chatting while others were dancing and jumping around. One man had a lampshade on his head. Every now and then, one of them would burst out laughing or start shouting. They seemed to be having fun.

“This is Natalie!” the nurse shouted, trying to be heard over the music. “She’s Dr. Brice’s niece!”

A short, fat man came running over. He appeared to be drunk and slurred his words.

“You must have a drink!” he shouted as he thrust a half-finished glass into her hand. “Here, take mine! I’ll pour myself another.”

With that, he ran back to the table and grabbed a bottle.

A tall, grey-haired man in a white coat approached her and smiled politely.

Natalie got excited. “You must be my uncle,” she said.

“No, no,” the man laughed. “I’m a different doctor.”

Natalie felt a little embarrassed. “Oh… sorry,” she mumbled.

“You’ll have to excuse them,” the doctor said, gesturing towards the other guests. “They’ve had a lot to drink. You see, they’re not used to parties.”

As if on cue, one of the guests threw up in the corner.

Natalie turned away in disgust. “Where’s my uncle?” she asked impatiently.

“He’s busy at the moment,” said the nurse. “You’ll see him later.”

The fat little man came running over again. His face was bright red.

“I came back,” he said. “Just like a boomerang!”

The tall man and the woman laughed out loud.

Natalie thought the people were all a little strange. She wandered out of the party and down the hallway until she came to her uncle’s office. Curious, she opened the door and peeked inside.

It was a cozy room with lots of filing cabinets and bookcases. In the center of the office, there was a desk and a big leather chair. In the corner, there was a couch. She noticed a phone sitting on the desk and a wire was hanging out of it. Something about it alarmed her.

When she went closer, she realized that the phone line had been cut. Then, she noticed something behind the desk. There was a large lump, covered by a white sheet. With trembling hands, she reached out and pulled off the sheet.

Natalie let out a blood-curdling scream.

Underneath it, there lay a man and a woman. They were clothed only in their underwear and their sightless eyes stared up at her. They were covered in blood and their throats had been cut from ear to ear.

Natalie heard a noise and when she whirled around, she saw the tall man and the nurse standing in the doorway.

“We got tired of hearing the telephone ring,” said the man with a chuckle. “The calls were getting to be such a nuisance.”

Natalie recognized that chuckle. It was the same chuckle she had heard from the man she had spoken to on the phone when she called from the station.

“What’s going on here?” Natalie demanded. She was trembling like a leaf. “Where’s my uncle?”

“I’m sorry,” said the man. “It all happened very suddenly. We wanted to have a party but Dr. Brice wouldn’t let us…”

“And then Nurse Ratchet tried to stop us,” said the woman in the nurse’s uniform.

“And then things got a bit violent,” said the man in the doctor’s uniform.

The noise of the party died down and more and more of the guests gathered outside the door, peering in at her.

“You’re all out of your minds!” Natalie cried. “You belong in a mental hospital!”

“But my dear,” said the woman in the nurse’s uniform, “that’s why they put us here…”