INSANE

【1】

"Katie!" Scarlett shouted, her voice echoing through the decaying walls.

I turned my head around quickly to see Scarlett standing beside Jade, both of them waving their phone cameras around.

"Smile!" Jade directed, giggling.

Could their voices get any louder?

I shot them a glare through the darkness, though I was almost certain they didn't see it. "The security is going to hear you guys!" I hissed into the thick, ancient air. "You guys are loud enough to wake up the dead."

Security. This place was filled with security cars parked around, only because it was set to be demolished in the next year.

Pinebrooks Lunatic Asylum, that's the name.

It was built in 1895, closed in 1965. Through the walls of the asylum many things took place. And those things were cruel and evil; leading to many deaths. Which is the reason why most people say it's haunted.

Smart, huh? Visiting an asylum that had been abandoned for more than fifty years.

The windows were shattered with years of age and vandalism. Some of the inside walls were covered in spray paint saying all sorts of different things and displaying all sorts of different pictures.

The old tile floors, now mostly gravel, was full of broken glass. Some of the ceilings to the above floor had collapsed. Old wheelchairs sat in the middle of empty hallways, just left one day for nobody.

"Oh you're no fun," Scarlett pushed, snapping multiple pictures of me standing in the doorway of a room. Inside the room was an old hospital bed, a wheel chair, and other decaying objects. The number beside the door was still visible, however. And it read: 1123.

I decided that I did need some cool pictures to post on my Instagram page. I was a fan of abandoned places after all,so I posed next to the room before moving on to the wall next to the room, full of graffiti. The whole time my two friends were cheering me on and encouraging me to pose some more.

"Take a picture of me in the middle of the hallway!" I instructed loudly, now forgetting about the security myself. Even though it was night and my parents didn't have any idea that I was out here, I decided to have some fun.

I skipped to the middle of the hallway. In back of me was a long, winding hallway that was full of mostly doorless rooms, as well as rotting metal doors. With the flash on, my friends were able to illuminate my surroundings which made it look cool.

But that was when Jade lowered her phone slowly, staring into the darkness behind me. Scarlett didn't notice because she kept snapping pictures. I estimated that she took about a hundred pictures a second.

"Guys..." Jade whispered slowly, backing away a little. From under her feet glass broke. "...what is that?"

I jumped away, jogging over to where Jade and Scarlett were standing. Scarlett lowered her phone and squinted into the darkness to where Jade was staring.

"What is what?" Scarlett inquired loudly. "I don't have my glasses."

Jade put a finger to her lips, elbowing Scarlett to be quiet.

"Should I shine my light?" Scarlett whispered to Jade. In response, Jade shook her head.

And that was when I saw it. I saw what Jade was staring at.

In the distance of the dark hallway which was full of shadows, was a different kind of shadow.

Somebody, or something, was standing at the end of the hallway. The hallway went on further than where the shadow was, but it was impossible to see further because of the darkness.

Whatever was standing in the hallway was tapping against one of the room doors; scratching rather. By the second, the scratching got louder and more irritating.

"What is that?" I asked, my voice thick with worry. My heart started racing only because I knew the place that we got in from was down that hallway. This place was big and we had no idea where the halls led.

Scarlett and Jade didn't answer my question. Seconds passed like hours of us watching the thing.

Being smart, Jade whispered loud enough for both of us to hear, "RUN!" and she took off running down the opposite hallway, away from the shadow and the sounds.

Scarlett and I followed, hopping over the mangled floor pieces, trying not to fall. The hallway never seemed to end, and I knew that none of us knew where we were going.

That was until my foot caught on a large piece of sharp glass. I fell, landing right on my left arm.

Crying out in pain, blood trickled down my arm as I realized that the glass just cut me.

Scarlett and Jade were still running.

I cried out louder, hoping they'd hear. "Jade! Scarlett! I fell!"

Still, they didn't show any sign that they heard me.

From behind me I heard slow, menacing footsteps as my friends disappeared into the darkness.

I didn't turn around, only because I didn't want to know what was creeping up behind me.

I never wanted to be caught by security before, but now, that's all I wanted.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It wasn't just a hand.

From under my hoodie, I could feel the cold touch, sending shivers down my spine.

Their hand slowly moved to my neck, their long nails causing my hair to rise.

Then suddenly, everything went black.