Paranoia

https://vocal.media/psyche/sad-absence-of-light-and-the-blues?fbclid=IwAR2parZQeW3sXqzI2ggL8iGR4iiFWS9Hy3Sa_5t6eso-2oamtoKC3TJx_e4

https://vocal.media/psyche/anxiety-0b6j9l0ezc?fbclid=IwAR3QE-zqmIdB_FEtO4R5xiR1sKJxHgIzVQejRYRWSo_Dmx3i9du_RbyZ09Q

https://vocal.media/psyche/i-can-tell-you-my-secret-now?fbclid=IwAR23O0MffNChuBbJ0C87RPHcW5IYQh3UnEY9i-g-rTXw8fMgR6Sq9nHyw3s

https://vocal.media/fiction/i-can-stop-whenever-i-want?fbclid=IwAR1wtcPpmCjcj_9A06HNHBq8wzWAptnG2uFTYW2AhMSOFsGNf1eExxlTqN0

https://vocal.media/psyche/good-grief-tm2rec0s5q?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_3344352&fbclid=IwAR3jpExyLe5Nku2F_WMpfLJMdVo9czcOPeBm0P1YXCtcrXLQnUy4RQiwKOg

https://vocal.media/psyche/i-come-with-warning-labels-o989o02hr

https://vocal.media/psyche/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-195a2m0jy6?fbclid=IwAR0_9efCkNMd-M1yYW1p1Js2GvwHL6tj1t2_5l3Wo0HLXUf0UgMGiUK5zfk

"While this piece contains fictional content the subject matter is very real. People who suffer with mental health issues face not only the struggle of their affliction but the stigma attached to seeking help. It is the goal of this collaboration to destigmatize discussing mental health and instead normalize conversation about it. It IS okay not to be okay."

"Where am I?" I asked myself.

The room was unnatural, sterile and alien. I was hooked up to a few different machines. All of them are either flashing or beeping. The machines were fed electricity from behind my bed. The wall to the right of my bed was mostly windows. The wall across from me had a rectangular loveseat, charts and a blank monitor in the right upper corner. The opposite ceiling hung a heavy divider, but I could tell the other bed was occupied.

My vision was partly obstructed by something white wrapped around my head. My right eye was completely blocked but I could see unobstructed from my left. I watched as shadows danced on the part of the wall I could see. As soon as I had my right eye uncovered I started taking off the various sensors on my head and chest. The once faint beeping and flashing of my machines now turned into a loud beep with a solid red light.

I heard a door into my room burst open. I could hear the new people scrambling to reach the end of the room. Once I saw the people coming for me I jumped to my weak knees and threw myself into one of the windows. The window cracked and I looked back at my pursuers. They were wearing tight plastic jumpsuits and doubled their effort when I jumped at the glass. One of the jumpsuit clad people yelled something I didn't understand. This is when I witnessed a large plastic person push a cart into view. I heard a drawer close and then a syringe emerged from the cart. The large plastic covered cart pusher started towards me.

"Hell no!" I tried to scream.

I ran towards the cart, just to try and scare the workers away, realigned with the window and ran full blast towards it. The window shattered and my body plummeted from what turned out to be the 3rd floor. I landed on an awning that immediately gave way, and then finally landed on the concrete sidewalk. I lost consciousness for a few seconds, maybe a few minutes. When I came to, I was being lifted onto a stretcher. These people were wearing what imitated scrubs, but the people were bloated and covered with scars. I rolled off the bed and into the street.

A floating white brick passed by just before my momentum across the street. My knees were having trouble moving me, but I managed to reach the corner convenience store. I accidentally smeared my blood on the glass doors as I pulled one open.

"Are you OK?" the human sausage behind the counter asked.

"Help!" I cried as I fell against the counter.

I saw darkness, again. When the light did return the cashier was laying against the shelf of candy. He was bleeding from a punctured neck wound and his portly appendages were flailing away. I could only flee from the building. There were more floating bricks, with bright lights, filling the street. The bricks opened and armed plastic people filed out. I turned to the natural light, to my left and started running.

A loud pop echoed through the concrete valley and then a few more. Pain eventually ripped through my shoulder, I continued to run down the street. More pops rang out behind me. I passed onto an overpass. Multi Colored bricks were driving under the steel and concrete structure under my feet. I slowed my speed. The vibrations rumbled through my body and I paused. I heard yelling from behind me, but I dared not to turn around. I took a few more steps before the darkness consumed me for the last time. The ground disappeared and I was flying.