Novelo.com - November Challenge 2025

When the room went dark, she heard her name. 


"Alice."


Alice was non-responsive. She didn't feel like responding, so she didn't. She didn't know what to say to her doctor, who was staring at her with an avidness that unnerved her. 


"Alice? What do you think of my diagnosis of you?" 


Alice didn't like the doctor's smarmy nature. She sneered, and rolled her eyes. 


"I think I should just keep to myself, Doctor, and let you sit there and wonder what I think."


The doctor sat back and  Hmm'  ed. He nodded. 


"Yes, but -- everything I do is for your own benefit. You should be happy I am helping you." 


She was anything but happy. She sneered again.


"Doctor?"


He looked up, startled. 


"Doctor?" 


He nodded.


"Yes, Alice?" 


"I am going to kill everyone who stands in my way," she growled. "Anyone but the one who saves me back." 


The doctor made notes. He nodded again.


"Yes, yes... And, do you think this is enough to save you? Killing anyone who stands in your way?" 

 

Alice thought. She thought about Eric, who had done her wrong, and of the Doctor, who had done nothing but drivel at her since she'd sat down. She thought about all the things that she hated. She hated the Doctor. She hated herself. 

 

"I hate myself," she declared. "I hate myself and I hate  you  ."

 

The last word was an expletive, and she didn't tell him, but she was planning to kill herself at the end of the night. She had plans to take a bottle of Tylenol and sleep forever. 

 

"I think you are very sick, Alice, and you need help," the Doctor was saying. "I think you need to be put away for a while. What do you think of that?" 

 

Alice thought the doctor was incorrigible. She wanted to scream. 

 

"I hate you."

 

The words, coming from her, meant nothing to the Doctor. He didn't care what she thought of him. He pursed his lips and sat forwards, leaning in towards her across the table and speaking slowly and clearly. 

 

"I do not care, Alice. I do not care and I do not think you need to be threatening me. Please stand by while the Executor grabs your vitals." 

 

The machine whirred, coming to life in a way that made Alice's skin crawl, and moved towards her. It's probes and needles poked out and grabbed her wrist. She decided not to struggle, instead choosing to stay put while it poked her wrist and took a sample. 

 

"Very good. Stand by." 

 

The Doctor was careless as to her rage. He didn't seem to respond when she needled him. Truth be told, she was ineffective in triggering his emotions, so she had no power and no way of incentivizing him into yelling at her or cracking. She held down her urge to spit at him. She hated him. She hated him so much. 

 

She Executor beeped. 

 

"Psychosis detected," said the Executor in its electronic voice. "Variable detected. Please stand by." 

 

Alice wiggled, but the Executor had her firm in its grip. 

 

"Uncooperative," alerted the machine at her side. "Uncooperative. Uncooperative. Uncooperative." 

 

She wrenched her grip free, flailing at its arms as it tried to get a grip on her again. "I won't have you--" she said, looking at the Doctor with venomous hatred, "I won't have you poking and prodding me without my consent. I do not consent. I do not consent! I do not--"

 

The Executor grabbed her wrist again and issued a warning.

 

"Do not struggle. Uncooperative detected. Sedation is imminent." 

 

It injected her, and she felt everything twist as she sank into the sedative effect of the machine's drugs. She tried to get herself to hate the Doctor, but nothing rose inside her. She refused to give up. She refused to cave to the Doctor's whims and wiles. She grunted and gritted her teeth again.

 

"I will not--" She felt the drug freeze her thoughts and she struggled to get the words out. "I will comply." She didn't know why she was saying what she was saying, but the words felt good, to her, and they felt  right  . 

 

"That is right," the Doctor said. "You will comply. I am diagnosing you with schizoaffective disorder, and temporary psychosis of the will. You will comply with the Doctor's orders of taking your lorazepam and benperidol and will come back in one week for a reassessment of your mental state." 

 

She felt herself sink, and the Doctor smiled at her. 

 

"Goodnight, Alice," he said and she nodded. 

 

"Goodnight, Doctor," she said. "I will comply with your orders." 

 

The medication was in front of her in less than five minutes. The Executor prompted her to ingest the pills. 

 

"Take your medication. Injection incoming if denied." 

 

Alice's hands shook as she took the pills in her hand and took the water in the other.

 

"I will comply," she said, and swallowed the pills with the last amount of willpower she had. 

 

"Very good," said the Doctor. "I will note that you took your medication at ten-twenty-four in the morning on June 18th, 2367. Please enter into the record:" He cleared his throat and spoke slowly and clearly. "Alice Handering is diagnosed as schizoaffective and psychotic. There is no record of suicidal ideation in the records as of yet. She has responded aggressively and will be put out of the way if she continues to be as such." He sat back, satisfied. "Are you ready for your discharge?" 

 

She waited for him to speak. She didn't know what to say. All thoughts had stopped in her head, and she was blank. 

 

"I am compliant," she said. "What else do you need?" 

 

"I need a response as to whether or not you will do this again," said the Doctor. "I need to know if you will continue to be compliant or if you will need to be put on Constant Monitoring until you do." 

 

"No, Doctor," she said, fully intendant on putting up a fight once the drugs had worn off, "I will comply." 

 

"You will comply," the Doctor smiled at her, and clicked off the light.