Anxiety Therapy

In the glittering realm of corporate success, Marilyn reigns as a queen, navigating the cutthroat world of deals and power with ruthless efficiency. Yet, her ascent to the top has come at a cost - a haunting price that claws at her mind with each closing contract.
Desperation, after trying everything else, drives Marilyn to seek relief for her anxiety in the uncharted waters of unconventional therapy. In what seems like a coincidental manner, she discovers the services of Dr. Drye who makes a bold claim: she promises Marilyn a cure where conventional therapy and pills have failed.
In the beautiful gardens at Drye's clinic, Marilyn is lulled into a false sense of security as the good doctor guides her into the depths of her subconscious. At first, all seems well. However, as she finds herself relaxed and vulnerable, she is plunged into a world of nightmares and horrors.
With each session, an eerie fog envelops her, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare. Marilyn is sure something feels off in these sessions but dismisses her intuition, holding onto the thin hope that the doctor's expertise will free her from the chains of anxiety. When the thin veneer of normalcy cracks, it might possibly be too late for Marilyn to back out.
In this 16k-word, supernatural horror thriller novelette, Marilyn's journey is a battle against her own demons and those that lurk in the shadows of her new reality. Will she succumb to the darkness that threatens to consume her, or will she emerge from the abyss with newfound strength?