The Asylum

Haunted

Chapter Two

“Well?” The Hunter taps his foot. “You both have tongues. One of you needs to start using it.”

“Well, you see…” Carmilla begins. The events of the whole three days since Delta took her comes tumbling out. “And now I’m back here.” She finishes. The Hunter’s face is a blank mask.

“That’s an interesting story but I don’t believe it.” When the girls hear this, their stomachs sink.

“But I’m telling the truth!” Carmilla protests.

“She is!” Stormie adds, “The wings are proof!”

“But how do I know it’s not a story told to mislead me?”

“Jaffa never lies!” She replies defiantly. He looks at Stormie, curious about The Asylum’s newest member.

“What’s your name?”

“Stormie.”

“What’s your number?” Stormie shows him her wrist. “786-764-3.” He reads out. “Well Stormie, welcome to The Asylum.”

‘Welcome to my hell.’ He thinks glumly, aware of the reality of what he’d created. He exits the room and returns to his office.

In her room, Dakota is typing on her computer when a guard knocks on her door.

“Yes?” The door opens slowly.

“Excuse me for intruding but it seems Carmilla has returned.”

“What?!’ she exclaims, standing up.

“Carmilla has returned. She walked up to the asylum herself, with a friend, and went straight to her room.”

“This is impossible!” Dakota shrieks, staring at him with her dark hazel eyes, “No-one ever returns to The Asylum after leaving!”

“But she is back. She is here.”

She moves calmly as she goes to see Carmilla and her friend. She walks into the room and finds Carmilla once again trying to hide her wings. Stormie is helping her and offering ideas. Her presence in the room goes unnoticed. She watches silently, observing their interaction. After a while she clears her throat. Carmilla and Stormie turn and see her. They stand frozen and silent.

Though she hasn’t seen her before that she can remember, Dakota seems familiar to Carmilla. Carmilla’s mind takes her back to that hazy day three years ago.

She remembers going for a drive with Jeremy. They were singing along to the radio and chatting about things. They didn’t see the girl standing there, in the middle of the road. They swerved, narrowly avoiding a tree. She remembers Jeremy getting out of the car and shouting at the girl, who ignored him and looked Carmilla with dark hazel eyes.

Carmilla shakes her head, trying to remember what happened next. Almost as if reading her mind, Dakota says:

“I led him to a nearby house, saying someone was in trouble. Then, you got out of the car and then The Hunt began. I left you for Rex to find, so you could pay for what you did to mum, but your brother wasn’t found.”

“You pathetic little excuse of a person! I’m glad for you mum’s sake she isn’t here. When I ripped her throat out I was actually doing her a favour!” Carmilla retorts, her anger quickly rising. Her green eyes are flecked with bits of red.

Dakota, equally angry, slaps Carmilla hard on the cheek. Carmilla returns the favour by pulling Dakota’s hair. Dakota grabs one of Carmilla’s wings and tugs hard. Carmilla shouts in pain and punches Dakota in the mouth. She feels a tooth come out and hears a crack. A single tooth comes out covered in blood. Dakota, now on the ground, recovers from the blow. She stands up and dusts herself off and, thinking that she is above fighting with a werewolf, walks away and back to her room.