Chapter 1: The Madhouse

Snowflakes falling from the sky. All streetlights lit up the town. Houses covered in thick snow. It's the start of winter. Snug inside my many layers of clothes, the icy air still causes my skin to tingle and sting. My fingers and lips are numb. As I walk along the pavement, I can't help but to notice the towering houses. I can see families sitting beside the fireplace snug inside a blanket to keep themselves warm while singing. Others are peacefully eating fresh baked bread while sipping hot cappuccino. Everything seems quieter, almost muffled. I didn't notice that I was almost halfway of the town. I lift my head up and saw that 'thing'. A dome-shaped, 10-storey building made from strong metals. No windows or doors. Around it is a huge, circular, metal gate with spikes all over it. No one knows what lies inside. Those who were taken and forced to enter could be helpful but they did not or should I say, were not able to come back. I don't know why but all the people in town call it The Madhouse. Maybe because the people running that place are mad or the people who go in there become mad. My father used to tell me that those centuries ago, due to poverty, hunger and overpopulation, the people from the Panad, which is the capital of the town, decided to build the Madhouse. It was to control the population and at the same time, the person who escapes the Madhouse will be given goods and money. Though no one still knows what happens inside the Madhouse. The people who can enter the Madhouse are randomly taken without a warning. This brought fear all over the town back then but now, it seemed that it stopped. I shake my deep thoughts as I hear my father call my name. I've reached our house on the outskirts of town.