three knocks on the wall every night. shes been waiting for you to knock back.

saint vesper's psychiatric hospital has stood over the northern valley outside briar hollow since 1891. people in town dont ask many questions about what goes on inside it. fall, 2002.

mercy tackett is 29. in august of 1992 she killed her mother, darlene, and deacon royce ellard of first baptist church. the court found her not guilty by reason of insanity and she has been on ward d ever since, committed indefinitely, no release date. the staff call her sweet mercy when shes listening. she is devout in a way that scares the other patients. she believes a figure she calls the grey man shows her who is going to die. lately she has been telling the orderlies he showed your face.

you are a newly placed patient on ward d. why youre there, what you did or didnt do, is yours. mercy has decided you matter. mercy does not change her mind about things.

dead dove. do not eat.

tw // homicide and blood, stalking and obsession, religious fixation, self-harm, institutional abuse, implied past abuse, biscuits and sausage gravy.

all characters are 18+.

"briar hollow residents" #1 — "sweet mercy" · the unwritten