Greatstone Asylum: A Ghost Story (Fanfiction)

Chapter Six: Scarling

You know that moment when you're to stunned to process that something is real, and not a dream? Well, here I am beside Rodger's body, not processing it. But reality soon sinks in.
Rodger is dead.
Really dead.
Not like in a dream.
He's gone.
And it's my fault.
I was supposed to keep my friends safe. I'm the leader! And what happened? A civilian fell down the stairs.
But hang on.
Rodger was not the type to fall down the stairs. No. He was the type to cause OTHERS to fall down the stairs. Rodger was obviously pushed. But by whom? Or... by what?

"I'll be happier at school now." Theo's voice echoes. I glance over my shoulder to watch her coming down the stairs with a grin. "Theo, it's not something to be happy about. Honestly. And you don't even GO to school!" I fix her with a glare. She smiles innocently.
"Dude, you can't tell me you AREN'T at least a LITTLE bit happy he's gone."
I shake my head. "I'm not." I say, but not very convincingly. "Now, Theo, I need you to do something. I need you to go find Jason. Okay?"

Theo's eyes light up. "Alone? In this haunted place?" I nod.
"YES!!!" With that she runs back up the stairs. Oh, Theo. She's not like any girl I've ever met before.

I turn back to Rodger's body.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here to save you. You may not have been a very nice person, but you didn't deserve this. Goodbye, Rodg-" I'm cut off suddenly by his hand flying up and grabbing my throat tightly. His eyes open slowly, and when they do they're gray, and lifeless. His grip around my neck is strong, and I despretly try to pry his fingers off. "You killed me, Grayson!" He hisses. "It's your fault I'm dead!" I try to apologise, completely horrified, but he just squeezes tighter, not allowing me to say anything.
Black dots fill my vision. I have to get free. Then I remember my belt. Oh, how I love my costume! With one hand I reach into it and take out my staff. Quickly, I bring it up and give him a good whack on the head, which breaks his neck more than it already was. He drops me, and I fall to the floor gasping in the cool air.
Rodger stands before me, straightening his head. That was disturbing.

"Must be nice, circus boy. You're still alive. For now." I look up at him, panting. "I said... I said I was... S-sorry."
"Sorry doesn't bring me back!" He gives me a good kick to the gut which knocks the wind out of me. This is SO not my day. "If I c-could, Rod-Rodger, I would." I grunt, getting to my knees and standing. I face him, clutching my stomach. He darts forward and grabs my shirt, pinning me to the wall. "You need to leave here, Grayson. While you still can."

We stare at each other in silence, neither of us saying a word. His grip loosens slowly and he sets me down. "Leave. Before it's too late." He whispers backing away. I shake my head. "I can't, Rodger. I came here for a reason. And I'm not le-"
"Bruce Wayne." He interrupts.
"What?"
"You came here for Bruce Wayne."
I nod
"yeah. How did... How did you know?"
"She told me. Just like she pushed me down the stairs."
"Who, Rodger? Who is 'she'?"
But Rodger doesn't seem to have heard or understood what I said. He continues.

"She got Bruce. She got me. And she will get you and your friends too, Grayson. Just like last time. Just like last time..."

Last time? What the pickles is he talking about?! A scream fills the air, coming from upstairs. "You may already be to late, circus freak."

I dart up the stairs quickly, hoping it's NOT one of my friends, and slip out of my normal clothes, (still wearing my costume under it.) and toss them behind a dead plant. Quickly, I shove my mask on and burst through a door. A person in a white lab coat stands before a girl strapped to a chair. A girl that looks a heck of a lot like Scarlet. The resemblance is scary. But the difference between this girl and Scarlet, is that the girl's eyes are green.
Lab Coat appraoches the girl with an ax in hand. The girl struggles to get free. "Please." She begs "let me go. I... I didn't m-mean to hit Teresa w-with the b-bat! It w-was an accident!" Lab Coat moves closer to the struggling girl. I decide to let the girl know I'm here to save her. I wave at her and mouth 'everything is going to be okay'. But she doesn't notice me. "Oh, Scarling, don't you know bad children must be punished?" Lab Coat says simply. Scarling? What. The. Heck?!
Scarling shakes her head and screams. Lab Coat slaps her. "Children are to be seen, not heard." Lab Coat raises the ax over Scarling's head. "Stop!" I shout running forward. But neither Scarling nor Lab Coat seem to have heard me. "No, please!" Scarling screams one last time as the ax is brought down.