Shattered Asylum

Chapter 19

I knew I wasn't going to like what Kristina had in mind. We are currently driving to an abandon building. In the middle of the night, may I add. Abandon buildings have always creeped me out. The once lively building now rusted and decayed.

We get to a house that is barely standing. Kristina brought some flashlights so we don't run down our phone's. "Are you sure we can do this." I ask, my voice shaky. I already have an uneasy feeling.

"Yes, don't worry, Grayson will protect you." Nora says, nudging me with a smirk.

I roll my eyes. "You better not leave my side." I tell her, tightening my grip on her bicep.

"Okay, okay, loosen up will ya. My arm's going numb."She replies, yanking her arm free while pointing the flashlight at the dead grass crunching underfoot.

We get closer to the house, the door barely hanging on its hinges, the windows shattered, graffiti on the old wood.

Kristina and Ethan go inside first, disappearing into the shadows. Nora and I follow closely behind. No way I'm going to be last. The smell of mildew and dust burns my nose as soon as I step inside.

"Shine the light in front of us Nora not at the ground. Actually give that to me." I grab the flashlight from her. The beam illuminates decayed walls with flaking paint, and mice running across the debris strewn floor. Every step we take the floor cries, barely able to hold our weight.

"Why is it colder in here?" Vinnie asks, inching closer to Nora. Glad to know he's as scared as I am.

"Why did we let Kristina talk us into this?" Grayson asks, hot on my trail.

"I'm ready to go back if you are." I whisper, stepping over a doll that has chunks of hair missing from her head. I look at it a little closer, one of her eyes are missing, dirt coating her dress.

Creepy.

"Uh uh, no one is going back until we explore the whole house." Kristina announces, popping out of nowhere and scaring me half to death.

I sigh, in defeat.

We come to a staircase that looks like it'll collapse if someone so much as breathes on it. "You're funny if you think i'm walking on that." Nora says, eyeing the moldy wood.

"I vote Grayson goes first. He's the biggest." Vinnie says, pushing him forward.

"Did you just call me fat?" Grayson asks, clutching his chest in mock offense.

"No, you just weigh more than us." Vinnie shrugs.

That didn't sound any better.

Grayson flips him off before cautiously testing the first step. Each creak echoes in the silence, but the stair hold. Reluctantly, we follow.

This is such a bad idea.

"Watch your step." Grayson says, grabbing my hand when we encounter a few broke planks. His hand is warm, steadying me as I climb.

"We should go back, one of us could get hurt." Nora says, holding onto Vinnies arm.

"If it get's worse up here, we can go back." Grayson says, leading us.

"Where's Kristina and Ethan? They just ditched us." Noah complains.

"I don't know how they like this stuff." Vinnie grumbles.

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream erupts behind me. I shriek, clutching Grayson in panic.

"What!?" I scream.

"Spider!" Vinnie screams, pointing at the ground.

I groan. "Seriously Vinnie?" I thought Nora was the one screaming.

At the top of the stairs, the air smells worse, like rot and something sour. Grayson tries to open a door, but it won't budge.

With a grunt, he slams his shoulder into it. They rusty hinges scream as the door breaks in half, revealing a room that reeks of decay.

Sounds like silverware scraping on a plate.

"Fuck, what's that smell?" Grayson mutters, covering his nose with his hoodie.

"Smells like death." I say, shining the light on the wall, where dark stains speckle the peeling paint.

"Don't say that Aven. You're scaring me." Nora whimpers, her voice shaky.

In the corner, a bed sits covered in ripped blankets and stained sheets. Feces smear the mattress, and rotting cans of food are piled nearby. My stomach churns.

Was someone locked in here?

Vinnie walks to a closet, opening it. Something falls on him. He starts screaming, pushing off whatever fell on him and scooting backwards. "What the fuck was that?!" He yells.

Noah shines his light, a body lays lifeless, her dress stained with blood.

I hear screams all around me. We race back down the stairs, not caring if they break beneath us.Someone shoves me, and I stumble, falling into Grayson. We tumble like dominos until we hit the ground in a pile of groaning bodies.

I land awkwardly, my face inches from Grayson's chest, his legs tangled around mine.

"That fucking hurt." He groans, rubbing his head.

"Who the fuck pushed me!?" Vinnie yells, clutching him arm.

Before anyone can answer, Kristina and Ethan appear, flashlights bouncing as they jog toward us.

"Why are you guys screaming? And why are you laying on the floor?" Kristina asks, shining her light in our eyes.

"Is everyone okay?" Ethan asks, helping Nora and Noah up.

"T-There's a dead body." Nora stutters.

I get off of Grayson and help him up before dusting myself off.

"Like actually?" Kristina asks, her eyes widening.

"Upstairs, in the room." Vinnie says, breathing hard.

"Let's go check it out." Kristina grabs Ethan's hand and they start going upstairs.

We go outside and wait for them.

"We need to call the police." Nora says, her face pale.

I grab my phone from the car, no signal.

"Fuck, we don't have any service out here." I mutter, my hands shaking. I sit down, putting my head in my hands.

I hear laughing in the distance, I look up to see Kristina and Ethan coming out of the house.

"What's so funny? You just saw a dead person." Noah says, in disbelief.

"Your faces are priceless!" Ethan laughs, doubling over with laughter.

I look at them, dumbfounded. I get out of the car, my heart still racing, and they're laughing? Then I see her, a girl emerging from the house, cameras trailing behind her. Realization hits like a slap.

"You planned this?!" Nora screams, tears in her eyes.

"That was so fucked up." Vinnie says, his voice an octave higher.

As the adrenaline fades, I can't help it, I start laughing. "You got us so good." I admit, rubbing my forehead. Slowly, the others join in, except Nora, who storms off.

I can see why she's upset, it was fucked up. I'm just happy we didn't actually witness a murder.

The night ends with a mixture of laughs and lingering nerves. We pile back into the car, ready to leave this nightmare behind. If you'd told me two months ago that I would be exploring abandoned houses with my new friends, I would've laughed in your face.

But here I am.

I'm starting to like this new life.

Word Count:1175