Investigator

Chapter 19: Covered Up

Mort ran down the hall as fast as he could. He couldn't see a thing and wasn't worried about anybody hearing him. He just wanted it to end, he just wanted him and his friends safe, no matter what. His only source of navigation was his eyes's bare adjustment to the darkness. While he ran he decided it would probably be best to get a light source so he reached into his pocket and ran at the same time.

Mort pulled out his flashlight and turned it illuminating the area in front of him, and revealing a set of stairs going down. Mort tried to break but was to slow and he fell down the stairs. He felt his back hit a few steps until he finally reached the platform.

Mort let out a groan as he held his gut. He moved his limbs and luckily he didn't break anything but he was sore as hell. Mort climbed to his feet and let out another groan as he shook the pain off. He scraped his legs and elbows and his back felt like someone tackled him in it. Mort picked up his flashlight which now had a crack on the lens but nothing to bad. He looked around at his surroundings and realized where he was.

He was on the stairs leading down into the basement they went into earlier, that felt like days ago. Mort then remembered that if he was at the stairs that meant the hall leading to the main lobby was nearby. Mort descended the stairs and walked until the hallway finally came into sight. He lumbered down the hallway until his flashlight finally illuminated the trash and chairs of the main lobby. It seemed darker but that was probably due to the sun setting outside and it now being midnight as Mort remembered from his numerous attempts to find unbarred windows. Mort got closer to the window and shone his flashlight up at it, and froze.

The window, it was gone. It was covered up with the same stone used on the outside of the building. You couldn't even tell there was ever a window there. Mort fell to his knees "no, no no no." Mort had tears begin to form in his eyes and he let out a blood curtailed yell, he was at his breaking point. They knew, they knew the plan and this twisted place destroyed it, destroyed their only exit. Once he finally stopped screaming, he could hear footsteps approaching behind him.

Mort didn't care, he lost his fear, his scaredness, his worry. With no escape, no hope, no way to get out of this hell what was the point of even trying to fight back. When all your options are gone, why try? Mort listened as the footsteps got closer and closer until finally a hand grabbed his shoulder.

Mort turned around and screamed, until he saw that it wasn't a monster but was instead his boss, John. He was wearing a rebreather mask around his mouth, Mort assumed it was to breathe the dusty air. Mort stared at him wide eyed and confused. Finally John spoke "Mort? Oh thank god, i've been looking for you forever!" John said and he stepped towards Mort but Mort just backed away.

John looked at Mort confused "Mort it's me, what's wrong with you?" John asked in a concerned tone.

"Prove it" Mort said in a shaky voice "Tell me something you would only know." Mort was not very trusting, not after the creep from earlier looked like Tony.

John kept looking at Mort weirdly but after a few seconds he finally spoke. "Um okay. Well two years ago in December we had a company party to celebrate the holidays. I remember you got really drunk and came up to me and hugged me. Then you said "I love you dad." And then you passed out."

Mort let out a sigh of relief "Aright alright, it's really you." Mort went over and hugged John which made John feel weird but he just allowed it. Mort pulled away from John and looked at him desperately. "How did you get in?" Mort asked.

"The front door, but it locked behind me as soon as I entered." John answered with a saddened look.

Mort looked down saddened "Of course." Mort said quietly.

"But I did find another exit, it's a window on the second floor in a room right next to a set of stairs that lead to a basement." John said looking around the room the two stood in.

Mort looked at him with excitement "Really?" Mort said desperately, drawing John's attention back to him.

"Yeah, we could go right now if you want." John said and Mort nodded desperately. The two began walking back the way Mort came and talked along the way.

"What are you doing here?" Mort asked John as the two walked.

John looked at Mort "I had called and texted your phone multiple times trying to tell you to meet up with me since I wanted to join you for the filming, just to make sure you caught all the right footage. I asked everyone at the studio and they said they didn't know anything about what you were doing. I went to your house and you weren't there and neither were your neighbors so I assumed you were already here and filming. I drove here and saw your car then headed inside. That's when the door locked so I looked around for another exit. I found the window upstairs but I didn't want to leave with you guys locked in here so I stayed and searched for you. That was when I heard your blood curdling scream." John said with a flashlight in his hand.

Mort grinned. He was so damn happy to not only be with someone but also to know the group had an exit. However Mort remembered something he needed to warn John about.

Mort turned to him and stopped John. "Listen, there's something very important you need to know. There's people here and I don't know if i'm just fucking losing it or what but I've been seeing things and shit but I know, I KNOW for 100% gaurentee that there is killers in here. I think they're ghosts or something but that's not the worst part. There's a room in the basement with horribly disfigured bodies covered in blood. So be careful, this place is no hospital, it's a fucking asylum." Mort said making sure he got the point across to John.

John looked at Mort confused "Wait, are you sure?" John asked with a worried look to Mort.

Mort nodded "Yeah! What do you think I decided to do this to myself?" Mort said, talking about his tattered clothing and the bruises and scars on his skin.

John stopped and held his hands up to his face "Holy shit, Holy shit holy shit. Fuck, okay okay um we have the window! We'll get out of here and then contact the police and you'll be safe, right?" John said pacing back in fourth.

Mort nodded "Right, let's go." Mort said and the two began running down the long corridor. Finally the two spotted the staircase and John began to run up it but Mort stopped. He remembered something, something important and something he needed to do before leaving.

"John stop!" Mort said and his boss stopped in his tracks and turned to face the broken employee. "I can't go yet, i've got to find my friends." Mort said quietly. He wanted to go, he wanted to leave and jump out the window and say boy voyage to this place. But he couldn't. He couldn't leave his friends. He had to go back for them, they would do the same for him.. "I've got to go."

John nodded "Alright I'll wait here, just hurry up." John said desperately. Mort gave him a thumbs up before turning and running away.