Greatstone Asylum: A Ghost Story (Fanfiction)

Chapter Seven: Mandy

"I didn't mean to!" Jason shouts, running to my side. Frosty is doing her best to remain calm, but even in my disoriented state, I can see the panic in her eyes. She's obviously worried. And why would she not be? Jason basically bashed my head in with an ax handle! Thankfully the sharp bit had fallen off. Still, doesn't mean it didn't hurt!
My vision may be clouded, but I can tell Jason's about to cry. I don't blame him for doing it. He hadn't meant to. He was possessed. He couldn't control himself. A tear rolls down his face.
"Jason." I gasp out. "D-don't cry..." Frosty sits on my other side. "Robby, sit still, okay?" I don't listen to her. Instead, with a shaky hand, I grip the side of my mask. It's time Jason finds out who I really am. He deserves it. I take a small breath and pull it off.

Jason gasps.

"D-Dick?!"
"Ta... Da..." I cough. Jason turns to Frosty next. She sighs and takes off her own mask. "Scarlet?!" By now Kid Flash and Theo had found us and now stand in the room. I wave weakly at them. "Rob, what happened?!" KF exclaims, running to me. "Um... T-tell you l-later..."
"Wait. If you're Robin. And Scarlet's Frost Fire. That means Kid Flash is Wally!" Jason concludes, breathing quickly and swaying slightly. KF steadies him. "Whoa, he's smart. He guessed my name!" I roll my eyes. Regretting this immediately as the room starts spinning.
Suddenly, there's a thud. Jason lay on the ground in front of KF. "JASON?!" I shout and, despite my injury, I crawl to his side with much protest from Frosty and KF. Theo on the other hand, standing with her arms crossed a few feet away, could care less.

I tap Jason's hand and say his name, but get no response. He's out cold. Guess he fainted. I now regret telling him. Suddenly, Frosty lets out a small shriek. I turn to her slowly. "Wh-what?" Instead of answering me she rushes forward and kneels beside Jason. Confused, I watch her as she looks around the room frantically for something. I'm about to ask what the problem is when I notice a cut on Jason's side, and a knife on the floor.

"Wally, go find my bag. Quick!" I shout, starting to panic. Kid Flash nods and runs from the room. Quickly, I take off my cape. "Use this." I say, suddenly feeling dizzy from moving too much. Frosty must be able to tell, because she frowns and takes my cape from me. "Robby, you need to lie down. You're looking very pale." She says firmly, pressing my cape to Jason's side gently to stop the bleeding.
"I'm fine, Frosty." I lie. She, however, is not convinced. But she doesn't argue about it. Jason lets out a moan and opens his eyes. "Wha-what happened?" He asks. "You fainted." Frosty replies "Now hold still. You hurt yourself when you fell." Jason faces me. "Dick, I'm sorry for what I did." He apologises. I give him as best a smile I can manage. "Not your fault." And much to Frosty's disagreement, Jason hugs me. I hug him back slowly, grunting a little as my head throbs from the movement.

"What the heck it taking Kid Slow so long?" Theo's voice echoes around the room. She had been so quiet I had forgotten she was even there. "I'm going to go look for him." She announces, walking out the door to the hall.

Thankfully by now Jason's cut had stopped bleeding. Frosty, however, insisted on Jason resting. As for me, she had me lie down. I didn't protest. I was to weak to even bother. My head hurts so much that even the lightest sound makes my ears ring. Frosty keeps casting me worried glances, and I try to smile at her reassuringly. Jason I notice is trying on my mask.

"You look great in that, Robin." I say smiling at him. He stares at me in surprise and takes off the mask. "I don't mind you wearing it." I say "don't need it right now." At that Jason gleefully puts it back on. Frosty smiles at me and I smile back. Since we're waiting for Wally and Theo to get back, I go over what I've found out about this place. Maybe it'll help me find Bruce.

It seems that the mysterious voice from the manor was actually a female inmate from this asylum. Now either she had always been there. Or she traveled there recently for revenge, it would seem. As for what her revenge is, and against whom, I don't know. But it has to be someone from the manor. So it could be either Bruce, Scarlet, Alfred, or myself.
Bruce must have known something though. Because not only was he abducted, he seemed to know what the writing on the wall meant. That could be why he was abducted. And as for this place, clearly the obvious reason for it being shut down had to do with the murders. As for the murder suspects, it could by either the lady in the lab coat. Or the voice. Maybe even both. The list of patients may provide us with some answers. I just have to remember the names that were crossed out.
The first one was Robert. The second Scarling. The third was... Teresa. Huh.... The first of us to go was Rodger. The second nearly, Scarlet. Which means the third is... Crud!!!

The realisation that Theo is next, and I had let her go off on her own, hits me hard. I start to get up. "Robby, what are you doing?" Frosty asks "you're supposed to be resting." I ignore her and stand, using the wall for support. I let go of the wall and take a step, nearly falling over again as a wave of nausea hits me suddenly and the room starts spinning. But I don't care. I have to get to Theo.
"Do you guys hear that?" Jason asks. I stop and listen. Sure enough the sound of footsteps can be heard out in the hall. For a moment I think it's Wally or Theo, but it doesn't sound right. These footsteps are lighter. Almost as if the person making them is hardly touching the ground. "Hide..." I whisper urgently to Frosty and Jason. Quickly, I scan the room for a place to hide. The only option is under the table. But I'm too far away from it.

"Robby." Frosty whispers "come on." She helps Jason under the table and runs to me. "Just leave me." I push her away. "Hide. I'll be fine." Frosty opens her mouth to protest, but the door bangs open and the lights go out. Cold air fills the room, and I get the feeling I know who it is. The voice is here.

A transparent, young, black eyed, girl in a tattered, gray, stained dress, weeds tangled in her wildly flowing, matted brown hair, glides into the room with an angry expression. "Why hello." She giggles in a psychotic way. I step foward. "You're Mandy." I say, voice shaking a little from the cold. The girl nods. "Took you long enough. The last person who figured out who I was, found himself at the bottom of a well faster than he could sing the alphabet." She lets out a cackle of pure enjoyment at the look of horror on Jason's face, who decided to come out from under the table.

"Where is Bruce, Mandy?" At that she frowns and floats up to Frosty. "I may know. I may not. But why is Scarlet still alive. She should be dead." Mandy flicks Frosty's nose, but it just goes through it. Frosty shivers. "Well, she's not. Now answer the question!" I raise my voice, annoyed. Mandy faces me and glares. "You remind me him. You have almost the same eyes. Let's just say he's getting what he deserves." Mandy turns away.

I realise this is getting me nowhere. Clearly Mandy is going to keep her mouth shut on Bruce's location. Maybe I can get the information some other way. "Why did you push Robert down the stairs?" I ask. This question appears to take her off guard. She places her hands on her hips and floats in front of me. "I did not push him down the stairs. Just like I didn't push Rodger down them."
"Well, who did, then?"
"I do not speak that woman's name. But we called her 'The Discipliner'. She pushed them down the stairs. The basement stairs, to be precise. You may know her better as the lady in the lab coat. And she hates children."
"Did she work here?"
"Yes. She was a nurse." Mandy glides to Jason, who whimpers a little, and shoves him over. "Hey!" Frosty yells, helping him up. "Why'd you do that?" Mandy smirks "because it's fun."

"Why did she push Robert and Rodger down the stairs?" I ask, trying to distract Mandy from Frosty and Jason. Mandy looks annoyed. Probably because I'm asking too many questions. Yeesh. I'm starting to sound like Theo. Mandy answers nonetheless. "Because Robert found out her secret. And Rodger looked just like him. She thought he and Robert were the same person."
"What does Bruce Wayne have to do with any of this?" I try. Mandy growls at the name and shoves me back. "Because he is the reason I'm dead!" She barks.

I stare at her. "But Bruce would NEVER hurt anyone." Mandy growls and throws me at the wall. I slide down it and land dazed at its bottom. "Dick!" I hear Jason yell, as her runs at Mandy. Mandy holds up a hand and Jason is suddenly thrown backwards by an invisible force into Frosty. I shake my head to clear my clouded mind. But nothing works. Everything is growing dim. "Mandy..." I manage to say. "What... What hap-happened..?" Mandy floats down beside me. "Fine." She says, a look of pity in her dark, almost emotionless eyes. "I'll show you." She places a pale hand on my head and the room vanishes.