Sinful Obsession

6. 6 - Vienna

6 - Vienna

B riarwood Institute is just as terrifying as I thought it would be, tall and uninviting. Its stone exterior is crumbling at the edges as if the years have worn it down to a skeletal frame. The sky overhead is gray, clouds hanging low like they’re ready to collapse onto the world below. Everything about this place feels wrong, as if it exists in some reality separate from the rest of the world. Just before, there was sun and the brightness before snow overtakes our little town. Here, there’s just an overwhelming sense of despair.

The women lead me up the front steps, the massive front doors made of thick, dark wood and reinforced iron. They creak as one of the women pushes them open, a groaning sound that echoes in the silence. The dreariness inside causes me to enjoy the outside one last time before we step fully inside and the doors shut behind me with a heavy, final thud.

Inside, the air is thick and stale, carrying a faint metallic scent that makes my nose wrinkle. Everything is dimly lit, the fluorescent lights casting a sickly yellow glow on the walls. The floors are cold tile, cracked in places, and there’s a faint hum of machinery somewhere deep within the building, a low, unsettling noise that feels like it’s vibrating beneath my skin.

The halls stretch out ahead of me in dark, winding paths, each one lined with heavy, locked doors. Some of them rattle faintly as we pass, as if something—someone—is inside, waiting to be let out. I feel a shiver crawl up my spine, and for a moment, I’m tempted to ask the women what’s behind those doors, but something stops me. A feeling. A warning.

As we walk, I start to sense something… familiar. It’s faint, just a whisper at the edge of my mind, but it’s there, lingering, watching. It reminds me of him. Asmodeus . There’s a strange energy here, one that feels similar to his presence, a dark, pulsing warmth in the middle of all this cold and gray. The feeling wraps around me, grounding me, and I cling to it, letting it keep me steady as we move through the maze of hallways.

The women say nothing, those blank faces staring ahead as they guide me deeper into the heart of the institute. At this point, I couldn’t even return to the entrance, having lost count of how many hallways we’ve turned down. They stop in front of a door at the end of the hall as one of the women pulls a key from her pocket and unlocks it, pushing it open to reveal a small, stark room.

“This is yours,” she says, her voice flat, as if she’s reciting a line she’s said a hundred times before. “You’ll stay here while we assess your needs.”

My needs? The warm smiles and inviting words from the house are gone. In their place is this small room, barely enough space for the narrow bed that sits against the wall. The drab gray sheets are better than the white ones I always see in the movies but just add to the dreary ambiance. There’s a single window above the bed, but it’s too far up for me to reach. It’s covered with iron bars, faint shadows cast on the floor. The walls are painted a pale, washed-out gray and the only other piece of furniture is a small metal table bolted to the floor.

If this isn’t a prison, I don’t know what is. However, I don’t react. I don’t want to give them the satisfaction of winning or whatever they think they’re doing to try and help me. So, I turn around and face them, giving them my best smile. In this place, I have nothing to my name except for the phone in my back pocket that I’m sure they’ll take from me once it’s discovered.

“Vienna, I’m sure you’re scared but this is the best place for you right now. The doctors are usually in lab coats of sorts but you can always find an orderly in dark blue.” She points to the bed. “There’s a blanket and a pillow, however, if you need anything else just ask. Your bathroom is off to the right and lunch will be served shortly. Since you’re new, you’ll be isolated today while we catalog your needs and observe your behavior. Try to rest.”

With that, they turn and leave, the door slamming shut behind them, the lock clicking into place. The sound echoes in this small area, leaving me to process everything that’s happening. I feel like a caged animal, trapped in this room with no way out, no way to explain to them that I don’t belong here.

Everything about this place screams illegal. I play with the light switch and huff when nothing happens. There’s still daylight sifting into my room but not enough to do anything with. It’s as if that’s the point.

I sink onto the bed, the thin mattress creaking under my weight and pull the blanket around me, curling up into a tight ball. The room is cold, the kind of cold that seeps into my bones and makes me feel like I’ll never be warm again. I shiver, clutching the blanket tighter, wishing with everything in me that I were anywhere but here.

The silence is oppressive, pressing in on me from all sides, amplifying the faint sounds that drift through the walls—the hum of the building, the occasional shuffle of footsteps, the distant murmur of voices. Panic bubbles up in my chest, a suffocating weight that threatens to swallow me whole.

And then, like a whisper in the darkness, I hear his voice.

“Be strong, love.”

My eyes snap open, my heart suddenly beating a little too fast as his voice fills my mind and his presence spreads through the darkness in my room. Asmodeus said that he’d always be here, that here was wherever I was but I didn’t think I’d find him in this dingy old mental institution. A sigh of relief falls from my lips as I relax.

“Is that really you?” My voice is barely above a whisper and I keep my head below the sheet not wanting to be disappointed.

“Yes, love. I’m here. I told you I’d always be with you, didn’t I?”

It’s like Christmas in the middle of July, his presence much stronger here than it was at home. I’m still pissed that my parents thought this was the next best step but having Asmodeus here will make the next few weeks easier. His energy is almost supercharged as if Briarwood is channeling or amplifying his presence.

“I fucking hate the staff here. They’re like… what I thought darkness was supposed to be. What I initially thought you were but it isn’t warm. Their eyes are dead and their touch is…”

Because they want to take you away from me. They know you are mine which means that you will see through their lies and fake promises.

I snort. “Yeah, Michael fucking flinched when he saw our bond.”

Michael? The question comes out as a terrifying growl but my body doesn’t get the memo, a tendril of pleasure making its way down between my thighs. Don’t worry about them. You’re here for a reason. This place is more than it seems and I’ll be with you every step of the way.

For the first time in a while, I’m not sure if I believe Asmodeus’ words. I’m sure I’ll come out just fine on the other side, having to pretend that he doesn’t exist and that I’m cured of all demonic activity. However, I don’t believe there’s a purpose here. Just another one of the million things my mother does to assert her control.

A faint knock on the door disturbs the darkness, Asmodeus’ presence fading away. I sit up, one of the orderlies stepping inside with a tight-lipped smile, devoid of any emotion. I scoot as close to the corner of my bed as possible and pull my knees up to my chest. She probably sees a woman terrified of her new room. In reality, the closer that orderly steps, the more disgusted I become. Asmodeus said it’s because they’re trying to rip me from him but I think it’s more than that.

I just don’t know what.

“I’m Rosalie,” she offers, her face brightening slightly. “Lunch is usually in the common area but since you’re new, you’ll be eating in here today. Just a precaution.”

A precaution? I would understand if I was violent or if my supposed hallucinations were so erratic that I couldn’t tell fact from fiction. “I don’t need to be isolated and I don’t need to be coddled. My mother threw me in here and I’m just looking forward to leaving.”

Rosalie’s smile doesn’t budge but I can see in her eyes that my words affect her. “Vienna, there are protocols to follow to ensure that everyone gets the most out of Briarwood Institute. It has nothing to do with coddling and everything to do with making sure we are giving you what you need.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter as she reaches just outside of the room and produces a small metal tray. It rests on a small cart as she pushes it toward the edge of the bed, the food bland and colorless. Hell, I might actually take my mother’s bean roasts or whatever that is. Rosalie gives me a short nod before leaving and shutting the door behind her.

I’m pretty sure this isolation tactic is one of many ways they break patients before building them back up. The problem is that there’s some connection to the church so there will be prayer and church services and moments where someone will try to rebuke me. All things that happened growing up and never worked. Because I’m not someone that needs to be fixed and Asmodeus is very, very real.

Or at least his dick is because I don’t have any toys the size of him or ones that can do what his does.

No, love. They don’t make toys like mine.

“Asmodeus, did you just make a fucking joke?” He doesn’t answer as I chuckle, crawling toward the food to inspect what’s on there. The only safe thing is the juice box, everything else a mess of gray except for the corn that looks just as questionable. “Definitely not eating that.”

You are stronger than your ability to withstand a few meals. If they think that’s all it takes to break you, then they’ll be in for a shock. They have no idea what you’re capable of.

The familiar warmth wraps around me as always but now I’m curious what he means. What I’m capable of? He sounds like there’s something more to my existence than just… Vienna Haddox. I almost ask Asmodeus if I’m meant for something greater but maybe I don’t want to know.

Because for the second time in as many minutes, I wonder if there’s some truth Asmodeus isn’t telling me. Then I remember that I’m in love with Satan’s son and have found myself locked up in a mental institution.

Okay, so maybe I don’t make the best choices.