Asylum (On Hold)

Four

Chapter Four~

I stood there for a few minuets, shocked by what I had just read. So this place was a children's asylum, but things had been worse than I thought. I snatched the journal off the bed and flipped through to see if anything else was stuck within its pages. Nothing. Giving the room a quick search for anything else useful, but finding nothing, I made my way out the room into the hallway.

Being the clumsy idiot I am, I tripped over my own feet, crashing to the ground as the journal flew out of my grasp.

"Great, just great." I mutter getting up and dusting myself off. I looked around for the journal but couldn't seem to find it.

"Where the hell did it go?" I exclaimed frustrated.

"Loose something?"

I jump and turn to look behind me where a little girl is standing. It takes me a second to realize it's Emily, and she's got the journal.

"You can see me now?" I question.

They didn't seem aware of my presence back at the stair well. And i'm sure they weren't faking since Janet walked right through me.

"Oh, sorry about that. For some reason we can only see the living once they truly know what happened here. It's been a while since anyone at all has stepped foot into this asylum, not that anyone should." Emily says while looking up at me.

I'm surprised by how she talks. You'd think she was a young adult, not a little kid. She must of been here for a long time, but wasn't she the one who called the police and got this place shutdown?

"How come your... a ghost? I mean you did call in the police report so I thought you survived?" I asked voicing my thoughts.

A sadness overtook her face as she solemnly shook her head.

"I did call the police, and they eventually got to the asylum. However, by the time they kicked down the doors the headmistress had murdered us all."

My heart ached a little at the thought of so many children dying.

As if only just realizing she was still gripping it tightly, Emily handed the journal back to me.

"Here you go."

My face heated as I recalled the journal being hers, so I pushed it back her way.

"I-it's ok keep it. I'm sorry I sort of invaded you privacy."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Take the damn thing. Trust me when I say it will do you a lot more good than me."

She flung it in my direction and I hastily caught it. It was too big to fit in my pocket, so I tucked it away in my waist band.

"Well... thanks I guess."

I began walking away but didn't get very far before she stopped me.

"Wait!" Emily cried out running to catch up to me. She tried to come to a halt behind me but failed, and ended up falling right through me, her arms flailing wildly.

"Gah, i'm so sorry!" She landed in a heap on the floor.

I cringed, the feeling of a ghost passing through you was something I would never get use to.

"It's fine, but please refrain from ever doing that again."

"I can't promise it, but i'll try. Anyways the reason I ran after you in the first place was to tell you something dire!"

I raised an eyebrow and nodded for her to continue.

"This place is cursed. Not only are the souls of the dead stuck in this stupid asylum, serial killers use it as their playhouse. I have a feeling you might be a part of one of their sick games as we speak. So it's important that you get out of this place alive."

It went silent for a few minuets as I took this in. Part of a sick game? Not that I can remember anything i'd done before getting here, but if this is true then why me?

"If this is true, then how in gods name did you figure this out? And why are my memories full of holes?" I desperately asked.

"Keep in mind if this place is popular among killers, then lots have lost lives here. Making it a hotspot for teenagers during halloween looking for a scare. What better then a haunted asylum right? They bring the news of what's been happening and i've been here to listen." She stated with a shrug.

"As for your second question, recently a new drug has come to the limelight, one that can erase the memory of things like friends, family, childhood. But keeps the memories of what said thing is, what it's comprised of. This drug has become extremely popular among the vile people of the world. Terrorists, rapists," she paused and looked up at me, "serial killers, you name it. But the good news is that the effects of the drug eventually wear off."

I'll admit, another spark of hope filled me at the news of this drug subsiding. How stupid of me.

"How long until the effects start to wear off?" I asked a little to eagerly.

Emily sighed while pulling herself up off the ground. As she dusted off her pants she avoided making eye contact.

"It could take minuets, hours, days... or even weeks. It really depends on how the persons body reacts to the drug, as well as the dosage."

She finally looked up at me and I could see the pity in her eyes.

"I'm sorry but even if you- when you escape this place, it may still be quite some time before your memory returns."