'Ow, ow, owwww!'
A sharp pain jolted me awake, a burning pressure around my throat tightening so hard it cut off my air.
'What the…!?'
Trying to understand the cause of the pain, so I could put an end to it—I opened my eyes, but it was already too late. My body had been lifted off the ground by a rope. There was no one else in the room, and I could only conclude this was a classic suicide attempt.
"Uugh!"
My throat squeezed tighter with every passing second, my oxygen slipping away, and the only idea I could come up with was to flail my legs. I wanted to scream, but all that came out were strained groans. Swinging helplessly until my life faded away was the dumbest plan I'd ever had. Within moments, I gave up trying to do anything at all.
My vision dimmed, my eyes slowly closing. Yet my body was forced awake again by the sudden pain of being cut down.
"Huff, huff, huff."
In just a few seconds I was on the floor, gasping for air. It felt as if my respiratory system had rebooted after being pushed past its limit, almost like I had been born again. Bit by bit, my vision cleared, and I could finally identify the sharp objects scattered around me: shards of a broken mirror. And they were reflecting something strange.
'!?'
A tattoo was carved into my skin, specifically on my neck. It looked as though it was depicting my head being severed. Slowly, I raised my hand to my neck and, to my surprise, it wasn't fresh at all. It felt like an old scar, something that had been with me since birth.
"...What the hell?"
I spoke without expecting an answer, since logic didn't seem welcome in this nightmare. Even so, a creature replied.
"Chii chii!"
A rat. That was my only audience in this room. Watching closely, I realized it was holding the rope I had been hanging from minutes ago,and the funniest part was that it seemed proud of it.
"Chii chii chi!"
"Uh… thanks?"
That seemed to please it, because it started jumping around. Strange for a rat to act like that, but I was grateful for the company.
Suddenly, it scurried toward the room's only door.
"I guess I should follow it, then."
But opening the door only raised more questions, because I recognized the place instantly.
"Bekhterev V. M. Psychiatric Hospital?"