Shadows of the Asylum

The End of the Flight

The plane was silent now, save for the occasional hum of the engines, the soft murmur of passengers who remained unaware of Kara's internal chaos. She leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes, allowing the rhythmic motion of the plane to lull her into a false sense of peace. But deep down, she knew the truth: the darkness had never really left her. It had just been waiting, biding its time.

The voice, the whispers, had faded-at least for the moment-but Kara could still feel its presence, lingering in the corners of her mind. It was a weight, like a shadow that never fully lifted, no matter how far she ran.

Her fingers gripped the armrests again, her knuckles turning white as the realization slowly sunk in. Maybe I can never escape it. Maybe it's always going to follow me.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish the thought, trying to focus on the calmness of the flight, on the world outside the window, so wide and open, like it belonged to someone else. Someone who hadn't been touched by the horrors of the hospital, someone who wasn't haunted by memories of twisted corridors and the cold hands of death reaching for her.

The plane hit turbulence, jerking her forward slightly, and Kara's breath caught in her throat. The moment of peace shattered, and the darkness, once again, closed in. She wasn't alone. The coldness she had felt in the hospital, the suffocating air, the feeling of being hunted-it was back. The walls of the plane suddenly felt too close, the air too thin. She could feel the weight of it all, pressing down on her chest.

"Kara..." The voice whispered again.

She gasped, her heart pounding. There it was again-Lily's voice. The same cold, hollow voice that had echoed through the hospital, the voice that had once promised her death. She twisted in her seat, looking around, but there was no one.

The voice spoke again, sharper this time, closer.

"You thought you could leave me. But you belong to me."

Her vision blurred as the plane shook violently, as if the sky itself were rejecting her, pulling her back into the nightmare. She gripped the seat tighter, her breath quickening, gasping for air as the cabin seemed to warp around her. The whispers were louder now, and she could feel them digging into her skull, pressing against her mind.

It was all crashing down. The hospital was never really gone. Lily was never gone.

I can't breathe. Kara's chest tightened with panic, her body trembling uncontrollably as the dark presence surrounded her once more. She could feel it pulling at her, dragging her down into the depths of the void. I can't escape.

The turbulence became more violent, the plane jolting wildly as if caught in a storm of its own making. The cabin lights flickered on and off, casting long, eerie shadows across the seats. Kara's pulse raced. Her vision was growing dimmer, her senses clouding over. No... I can't... I can't go back there. Not again. Please, not again.

But it was too late.

The whispers intensified, now a cacophony of voices in her head. All the faces of her friends, twisted, hollow, their eyes vacant. They're all gone, Kara. And so are you.

Her breathing grew ragged, a tightness in her chest making it hard to focus, to think. She couldn't escape the darkness. It was everywhere. It was in her mind. It was inside her.

The plane lurched again, and Kara felt herself falling, the world spinning wildly around her. The air was thick, suffocating, and the whispers-they were louder now, louder than the roar of the engines-their cold laughter echoed in her mind, a relentless, never-ending sound. You belong to me now, Kara.

The seatbelt sign flashed urgently, but it was too late. Kara felt herself slipping away, her vision darkening as the world around her faded. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but it was no use. Her body was heavy, unresponsive, as if the very air she breathed was turning against her.

The voice was the last thing she heard, the last thing she felt, as the plane shuddered once more, its engines howling in the distance.

"You can never escape me."

And then, everything went still.

The plane continued its journey, unknowing, untouched by the darkness that had claimed Kara. The passengers carried on, their lives continuing in blissful ignorance, unaware of the tragedy unfolding in their midst.

But in the silence, in the vast emptiness of the sky, Kara was gone.

The darkness had taken her