Asylum

Chapter 13

Dylan got down on his knees crying while Cassie and Clarissa stared at Riley's dead body. The black haired boy felt like his whole world had just crashed from under him and he was too impotent to do a damn thing. In that moment, he wasn't as fearless as he thought he was. He was just a little boy who lost the girl that he loved. In fact, he had loved Riley since freshman year. She was funny, smart, sarcastic and beautiful. Most importantly, she never judged him like everyone else did. Riley was the perfect girl and she didn't even know it.

"Dear God, please let Riley rest in Heaven. Her soul was brighter than any of us." Clarissa prayed with her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears from falling.

Cassie sat on the floor next to Dylan and, without saying a word, she kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder to comfort him. The blonde girl knew what it was like to lose someone important and she couldn't bear to see the boy she liked so broken.

---

Faith and Quentin were still in the basement looking for a way out but to no avail. After a few failed attempts, the young man screamed in frustration. "Fuck this!" He shouted making Faith tremble. She had never seen her boyfriend so mad. 

Suddenly, the basement turned cold and footsteps could be heard. The young couple looked around and were surprised to see yet another ghost. But this wasn't a normal ghost. No, it was none other than Oliver Fitzgerald. "I hear my wife has been helping you." He said with a stern voice.

"She's been trying." Faith quickly replied while grabbing a pipe.

Oliver chuckled and took the pipe from behind her back, making her turn to him. "Weapons don't hurt ghosts." He said before raising his eyebrows. "You remind me so much of Clarissa." The spirit caressed Faith's cheek gently.

Quentin pulled Faith closer to him and furrowed his eyebrows. "What the hell do you want?" The boy asked with an angry tone.

Doctor Fitzgerald put his hands up, pretending to be scared of the boy. "I am here to offer my assistance." He took a step back. "There is a way you can leave the asylum and put the devil to rest."

"How?" Quentin demanded to know.

Fitzgerald smirked. "The tunnels!" He exclaimed criptically. "Apparently, the cleaning crew kept explosives in the tunnels, alongside some kerosine. One little match and... Kaboom!" The doctor made an explosion sound before chuckling. "Of course, you will have to be far enough from the explosion in order to survive but those are just small details."

Faith gripped her boyfriend's arm tight. "How exactly will that kill the devil?" She asked cautiously.

The good doctor smiled. "The fire caused all these lost souls to roam the asylum. Hopefully, another fire will clean this place and the devil won't have any source of food." His eyes traveled to the teens. "As you know, the devil feeds on human souls and tortures the spirits that are still stuck in this hell on Earth." He explained.

"Clarissa said we had to burn a locket she had on her when she died." Quentin informed the spirit.

Oliver sighed. "My wife is the purest soul." He smiled at the thought of his beloved wife. "Unknowingly, she protected all of us from the devil before it killed our whole family. I thought I wouldn't be able to breathe after my daughter was taken from this world but Clarissa gave me strength." He looked away. "I owe her everything, including my life."

---

Clarissa leaned against the wall while looking at the broken Dylan. "When I met Oliver he was as broken as you are." The brunette stated.

"Why?" Cassie asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

The kind spirit sighed heavily. "I was just starting college while he was already in med school. Back then, it wasn't usual to have women and men sharing classes at university. Most women were supposed to take care of their houses and husbands, but I wanted to be a nurse after my father retired from the military."

Cassie popped her gum. "I find college pointless but I still want to go and marry someone rich so I don't have to work."

Clarissa glanced at Dylan and they shared a very annoyed look. "Moving on... Oliver was always drinking at a bar near the campus and one night I met him there. We chatted for hours and he walked me to my dorm." She smiled at the memory. "He said he liked me but we could never be together because of some terrible mistake he made."

"What did you do?" Dylan asked, his voice raspy from crying.

The brunette chuckled. "I ignored his wishes and started having lunch with him everyday in the quad until he told me the truth." She looked down. "He and his previous girlfriend went to a party and they had a car accident. The poor thing blamed himself for her death because he was driving drunk." She shook her head lightly. "I knew he was a good man and that is why I never gave up on him."

---

"She never gave up on me despite the mess I was." Oliver finished his story. "Clarissa seems to care a great deal about you so it is only fair that I help you."

Faith and Quentin exchanged a look. "You can count on us." The teenage boy stated with certainty.