Short Story Collection

Enchantment:

         "Come on, Taiyo, don't be a wimp!" Tristan called out to his friend. Taiyo looks around with a look of nervousness before sighing in reluctance. "Fine, fine, I'm coming." he grumbles following his friend into the huge forest known as the suicide forest. "This place gives me the creeps, Tristan.." he mumbles looking at his surroundings. The whole place had an eerie vibe to the more lanky boy, the trees seemingly looming over them as if smiling with a sinister intent.
         Tristan rolls his eyes at Taiyo, dragging him as they trudged deeper into the forest. Nightfall soon came as a result of all their wandering curiosity. Taiyo shivered and started to tear up at the realization that they were lost. "Tristan! It's dark, we should try and find our way back!" Taiyo shouts as he groans out in frustration. Tristan sighs before seeing something in the distance. "Hey, what's that?" Tristan says as he runs closer to the site. Taiyo followed frantically, afraid of being separated from his friend.
         Tristan stopped, Taiyo behind him as he dropped his flashlight in shock. There, in the middle of the Suicide Forest, was what seemed like a small little cottage. Moss and withered vines covered the house entirely, mold forming on the windows and sprouting from the small wooden porch. The windows were black from all the dust and rot, the roof looking like it could collapse any minute. The door was the only thing seemingly untouched by this decay, looking as if it was brand new. While the rest of the house was made of rotting wood, the door was made of metal, making it out of place in the strange sight.
         Taiyo shivered and picked up the flashlight again. "This place gives me the creeps.." he mumbles. Tristan ignored his worried banter as he made his way up the rotting steps of the front porch, taking a closer look at the metal door of mystery. There was a strange symbol engraved into the door, as if it was a foreign language. Tristan took out his phone as he took a picture of the symbols, putting it into a translation site. Taiyo carefully followed him just as Tristan mumbled the phrase in confusion. The symbols on the door suddenly started to glow as the door opened slightly.
         Taiyo held Tristan back nervously. "We shouldn't go in there! Who knows what will happen!" he pleads but as if in a trance, Tristan walked inside and dragged Taiyo with him. The inside was littered with yellowed pages and the musty smell of old books. Taiyo looked around slightly amazed. "Woah! Who knows how old these books are!" he yells in slight excitement as he looks around, examining the shelves which hold a variety of books. Taiyo felt the spines of the books as he took a peek inside to read the yellowing pages. Tristan sighs in disappointment. "Man, I thought it would be something more exciting.." he muttered before seeing something sparkle over at the center of the room.
         There in the center was a pedestal, with a book on the top. The book was made of purple leather, gold accentuating the edges of the book with a large ruby on the center. Tristan went over to it and picked it up, flipping through the crisp pages. The pages were littered with the same symbols that were on the door, yet this time it seemed Tristan did not need a translator. It was as if he understood the language, as if it were his own. He looked around before picking up a different book, trying to read the same symbolic language but to no avail. He then tried reading the leather book again, still fully understanding the words as he stood there in utter confusion. It was as if the book was magical.
         Taiyo rushed over to Tristan waving around what seemed like a blank piece of yellowing paper. Tristan glances up at him as Taiyo holds the paper in his face. "Look, the symbols move!" he cried out but Tristan saw nothing. "Taiyo, it's just a blank piece of paper," he says. Now Taiyo was the confused one. "You can't see the symbols?" he questioned before looking at the paper once again. Now the paper was blank to him and he dropped it in shock. Tristan held out the book to show him. "Look, read this," he says as Taiyo nods looking at the symbols in the book as if he could read them. "Now, try reading this." he commanded as he hands him a sheet with the same symbols. Taiyo stared in utter confusion, which soon turned to realization. "What if the book is magic?" he says. Tristan laughs in disbelief. "No way, magic isn't real." he says.
         The boys suddenly started to look around. The room was changing. Instead of bookshelves surrounding the inside of the decaying cottage, there was nothing. The whole place was empty now except for the leather book in their hands. The whole room was covered in dust and spiderwebs, as if nothing had been in here in the first place. The vines were seeping in through the cracks of the rotting wood, creeping slowly as if alive. The scent of mold and mildew filled the air with a musky scent as the boys looked around in utter shock. There was no door. The door was now gone, replaced by the creeping vines steadily growing as if alive. Taiyo let out a blood-curling scream as a vine wrapped around his leg, the vine now covered in razor sharp thorns that impaled his leg mercilessly.
         Tristan tried to help him, but the attempt was futile. The thorns would grow and impale his hands, and soon the two boys were covered in thorny vines, screaming in pain yet no one could hear. Tristan looked at the leather book now laying on the ground, the ruby shining as it drained their life force and soon the boys were nothing but shriveled up bodies. The vines slowly retraced, holding the book as they disappeared. The rotting house was no longer there, and there were no reports of a Tristan or Taiyo ever existing.

WIP of an old story I wrote: Blood, Tears, and Yanderes

         Screams could be heard in the dark alleyway before being muffled by the mysterious attacker. Large, calloused hands covered the young woman’s mouth as her pleas for help would go unheard at this moment.
         The attacker held a knife in his other hand as he moved to the woman’s neck, just a hair away from the carotid artery. The young woman shivered in fear as the unknown assailant stayed behind her. “Don’t move and don’t say a word..I don’t want to have to hurt you, my love” the obsessed stalker whispers threateningly as the woman nodded slowly in agreement.
The girl shivered as she slowly directed her gaze onto the corpse once more. Just a few feet from her and the man was a mangled corpse, the face beaten until the whole skull was just fragments and meat. Upon closer inspection of the mangled and shredded corpse was a bracelet on what appeared to,formerly, be a hand. It seemed like the bracelet had significant meaning to the girl as she started into a silent sob, it seemed she had known the formerly alive corpse.
         The mangled carcass was her best friend, Max, who had moved from America as a child and became friends with the girl. The obsessed man started to smile eerily, knowing that the final competitor for the girl’s heart was out of the way. “Oh Tsumetai, can’t you see I did this for you? He was in the way of our love, he was taking you away from me. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to get rid of him,” stated the mentally disturbed man. Tsumetai shivered in fear as she sobbed silently whilst the man moved to the front of her, now trusting that she would not move or do anything for she knew what the consequences would be.
She gathered all possible remaining courage she had to produce a glare and shout, “You psycho! I could never love you, and you killed my best friend!” which received a smirk from the stalker. “Aww my love, you’ll come around eventually.” he says in response which made Tsumetai attempt to punch him as a result. The man dodged it easily as his large hand caught her smaller one. “Now now, let’s not get all feisty~” he teased as he put his knife up to her again. “I would hate to have to hurt you..” he says threateningly as she froze in fear and remained still once more.
         “Now go home my little lamb” he says smiling as Tsumetai grimaces. “I don’t have a home anymore..” she says quietly before the man suddenly starts to drag her away. “Great then! You can live with me, beautiful!” he says happily as he whisks her away out of the now abandoned alley, minus the mangled corpse of Max. Tsumetai cringed in disagreement but would not put up a fight with the man as she feared her own safety.

Based off of Sweet Home and All Of Us Are Dead:

         It was dark. I was scared. I peeked out of the musty closet, wincing slightly as the door let out a small creak and groan. Blood stained the shag carpet and decayed corpses littered the floor. I had taken shelter in an empty hotel, which wasn’t as empty as I thought. I had been on my way back to the safety of the school. I was there when the outbreak started, and me and my classmates fortified the school building farthest from campus that rarely anyone had classes in. I had to make my way home to find my father, or at least the supplies he stored in the house. My father was a big prepper, always preparing for the worst and the end of civilization. So far, our fortified school building was holding. At least, I hoped it would hold until I returned. I slithered out of the closet and to the room door, peeking out into the hallway. So far, the coast was clear.
While I’m making my way out of this, I suppose I should tell you what’s going on. There’s been an outbreak. It started in our school, most likely the doings of some mad scientist. A kid in my class had snuck into the science teacher’s storage room, looking for a lighter. Suddenly, we heard a yell as she had gotten bit by an albino-looking rat. It was in a cage, and she had decided to poke her finger into the cage. She walked back out of the storage room, cursing at how the rat bit her. The science teacher had a strange look on his face before offering to take her to the nurse to get the bite treated. Let’s just say, she didn’t make it to the nurse’s office. Not alive.
         Once the teacher was ‘gone to the nurse’ with the student, the class erupted into chaos. They gossiped about anything and everything, only a few really caring about the condition of our classmate. It wasn’t long after that it was time for lunch. That’s where most of us were when things began. They were in the middle of lunch, when suddenly hundreds of students were piled at the cafeteria doors. The smell of death lingered in the air as the alive and undead burst into the building, blood covering the undead and soon the ones alive as well.
I had been watching from the abandoned building where I had been skipping with some classmates. We saw the commotion and I took action. We fortified the doors quickly, getting anything we could find. Furniture, unused beams, anything. It was a three-story building, and we made the main base on the third floor with the windows as our exit route.
         My classmates were all scared of me, because of my reputation in school. My name even meant ‘cold-hearted killer’. What luck? It wasn’t long before we found out that the zombie outbreak was not the only one we had to fear. We called the other strain, the ‘Desirables’. Desirables are monsters created from too much desire. The first symptom is a massive nosebleed, in which you enter ‘golden hour’. This used to be the term for the time where you could most effectively save a life. Now, it means the time where you could kill a Desirable. This golden hour is the time before that person turns into a monster. It could last a matter of minutes, hours, or days. One of our classmates, we learned, had a desire to be stronger. They desired to be even stronger than they were, and they were a jock so they were already pretty strong. The jock was so obsessed with getting stronger, It wasn’t long before it overcame him. We didn’t find out what he had turned into, as we had pushed him out of the window before he could destroy what we built.
         A day had passed since the horrid outbreak, and we were almost dehydrated and starving. I had realized my dad was a prepper, and told my classmates about all the weapons and supplies my father had at our luxurious house. They quickly agreed that I should be the one to go get it, though one did volunteer to journey with me.
         There were few people who would stay by my side, despite my reputation throughout the school. His name was Taiyo. Since he would hang around me, his reputation got bad as well. We departed through the third floor window, using a makeshift rope to get down.
Now here we were, in a hotel halfway between the school and my house. We had decided to stop for a rest before heading to my home. I had gotten separated from Taiyo once we entered the hotel, as a hoard of the undead came near us.
I sighed in relief, seeing the hallways now clear. There were no Desirables in sight either, since they were rarer than the undead. I dashed down the hallway and headed towards the staircase, since I saw Taiyo head upstairs. I turned my flashlight off as I quietly made my way upstairs. “Psst, Taiyo!” I whisper-shouted.
         I sighed in relief once more when I saw a blond patch of hair poke out from the door closest to me. I motioned for him to follow me as he nodded, slowly creeping out into the hallway and following me to an empty balcony on the second floor. I kept one earbud in, making sure Taiyo’s earbud was secure too.
         We found out that if you put your phone on a call and a Desirable is near, the phone emits a loud screech. So, we use it to track them and make sure we stay far away from them. Unlike the undead, who can be killed with a slice to their neck arteries, the Desirables cannot die.
It wasn’t long before me and Taiyo scaled the hotel and landed on the sweet, sweet ground. Though it wasn’t as sweet as it used to be, considering most of the ground is littered with pools of blood and pieces of corpses already decomposing. My house was so close now, we were only about 10 minutes away.
         We drank some of our water rations before starting the trek to my house. We had to stop in the alleyway when our exit got blocked. A high-pitched screech sounded through our earbuds as a giant Desirable blocked the alleyway exit. It hadn’t sensed us yet, and we planned to keep it that way. The Desirable was a thin one, its lanky frame practically looming over us. Its fingers were long and dragged the ground, and half of its head was severed and missing. Must have gotten chopped off by a survivor.
“Can’t see…” groaned the Desirable. I think a suitable name for it would be ‘Manicure’ due to its extremely long and sharp nails. Since it couldn’t see, it would definitely hear us easily. Taiyo made eye contact with me as I put my thin finger up to my plump lips, signaling for him to not make a sound.
         We slowly and carefully made our way out of the alleyway, before bolting out and taking the other route to avoid Manicure. Our problems didn’t stop there, however, as we soon encountered a massive hoard of the undead. I closed my nose as the smell of burning and rotting flesh overtook me. Some of the undead in the hoard must have been in a fire.
         Once again we went silent as a mouse as we prayed they wouldn’t turn around and spot us. I looked around, spotting a discarded soda can near me. I carefully picked it up as I looked around. There was an alleyway that branched off from the main one, the opposite direction of my home. I threw the can into that alley as hard as I could, and the rotting carcasses eagerly followed the noise in hopes of getting a fresh meal.
         I grabbed Taiyo’s hand and bolted, finally seeing my house come into view. “We’re so close, Taiyo!” I yelled in happiness as we picked up the pace. Taiyo smiled happily as we sprinted towards my front yard, when suddenly I was pushed forward.
The hoard had caught up with us quickly, and I held Taiyo’s hand tighter as we ran hastily. Taiyo gave me a grin before letting go of my hand. “I always knew you were a good guy. Show the rest of them I was right about you.” he spoke before pushing me as I got through the house's fence. “We did it, man!” I shouted gleefully before turning around as my face turned to one of shock. Taiyo had locked the fence, with him outside of it. He had pushed me in and stayed back to keep the hoard away. “You prove them wrong!” he shouted before screaming in pain as the hoard started to tear his flesh apart. His eyes turned red as he started to scream. He was seeing pure fear as he tried to resist turning. “No stop, how could you leave me alone?!” he screamed as he saw his worst fear. It must have been about being abandoned.
I tried to look away, but it was nearly impossible. He finally turned as red filled the whites of his eyes, and he fell to the ground. His limbs started to flail inhumanely, and you could hear the crunching as his bones tried to reorder themselves. The hoard had found a new entree and started to disperse, a now zombified Taiyo following them as his transformation was complete.
         I sat there in the front yard, tears streaming down my porcelain skin as I comprehended what just happened. My one and only friend just sacrificed himself for me. What an idiot.
         Deciding not to lurk around any longer in fear of the Desirable we previously encountered, I headed into the home after unlocking it with the spare key hidden under the mat. No one had entered the home yet, so it was still clean. It was as if the apocalypse didn’t even exist right now, and that was the most heavenly feeling I could ever feel. I knew the school would be safer though, and I had people counting on me. They were counting on Taiyo too, but he wouldn’t be joining me on the trip back anymore. I was alone on this journey now. I grabbed as many backpacks as I could, filling them to the brim with things like clothes, non-perishable foods, and water. I opened the garage and started piling the bags into the backseat until I could no longer fit much else.
         I opened the gun safe my father kept in the garage and grabbed some weapons, for safety. The car was military grade, not easy to knock over and not easy to break. I took one last glance at my childhood home before getting into the front seat. One of the first things my father had taught me about survival was driving. He would set up these grand obstacle courses for me to weave through, and I usually passed with flying colors.
         I weaved my way through the desecrated remains of the city. It seemed like an out-of-body experience, seeing all this chaos and monstrosity. It didn’t even feel like Earth anymore, and I didn’t feel like I was truly alive anymore. I watched as mutilated corpses rotted on the side of the street like roadkill, others ravaging through abandoned shops looking for any sign of their prey.
         Soon, the school was in my field of vision. I sped up as I broke through the gate, wincing slightly as I heard the crunching of rotting bodies being run over and torn by the tires. I kept driving though, no mercy for the undead. It wasn’t long before I got to the edge of campus, where our fortress of solitude was located. I parked right under the window that Taiyo and I exited out of with me not too long ago, the one that Taiyo would never get to enter again. Taiyo wouldn’t get to do many things now, since his soul is dead. Now, he’s just a reanimated corpse.
I climbed onto the top of the military-grade vehicle, my classmates lowering the rope which now had a small basket attached to the end to pull up the supplies. I watched as the backpacks were pulled back up to the third floor one at a time, before it was my turn. I grabbed a hold of the rope as my classmates pulled me up. I helped them by semi-scaling the wall so they wouldn’t waste as much strength.
         I had finally made it through the open window when my classmates started to put the rope back down. “Don’t bother, there’s no one else to pull up. Not anymore.” I said sadly, even though it came off harsh. The classmates looked down at the floor in realization as they pulled the rope back up. I didn’t even have to say it, they knew he was gone. I looked at them as I saw their judgmental glances. They blamed me. I blamed myself, too.
         I held back my tears and sat at the window ledge. “I think this city is the only place where there are people infected. I had to travel mainly around the edges of town to avoid the Desirables, and there are impenetrable roadblocks all around. Someone is trying to keep this in, keep it contained. That also means that we can’t get out either.” I explained to them. Most of them fell to the tile floor in despair, upon the realization that they would most likely never make it out of the city alive.
         I looked at them, my hands balling up into fists. “I’m gonna get out no matter what. Feel free to join me if you want.” I said as I grabbed the rope. “Don’t worry, you can keep the food. I’ll manage.” I said starting to walk down the side of the building again. I had no reason to stay there, now that the one person who supported me and cared about me was dead. I slid back into the driver’s seat of the vehicle through the window, cranking the car up once more. I had kept two backpacks in here as an emergency stash, and it was a good thing considering I changed my mind about staying. I helped them fortify their place, gave them clothes, and provided them with some food as well. If they can’t survive after I gave them everything they need, that’s on them.
         I drove around the edges of the city, examining the seemingly impenetrable defense around the city. It seemed like no one could get in or out, though I doubt anyone would want to get back in here. The walls were too slick and steep to climb, even with my tools I had stored in here. I drove around before coming to an abandoned apartment complex. Looked like no one was around this place when the outbreak happened.
         I broke the chains around the doors, chaining the door back up from the inside. There was still electricity here, which probably meant running water. I did a quick search of the first floor, not seeing any kind of danger. There was a small store here, and what looked like an office for the security guard. I got some of the other furniture laying around and used it to block the doors to upstairs and the elevator. I went into the office and opened up a panel, seeing that it controlled doors and gates. I decided to flip one of the switches as the gate lowered down at the entrance I just came through.
         A few days had passed since I took shelter in this old apartment complex. The electricity was still up and running, as well as the water. I had just finished a meal from the small shop on the first floor, before sitting back down on my makeshift chair that was constructed out of some filing cabinets and salvaged couch cushions.
I had been checking the perimeter recently, and I’ve seen more and more undead along with an increase in Desirables. My car was still out front, and I had a clear view of one of the barriers from here. I still had plenty of food in the store, though that would only last me maybe a year if I got lucky.
         I decided that I couldn’t just sit around and wait for someone to save me, because those chances were practically nonexistent. I sighed as I opened the gate and unchained the door handles. I was going to make my own way out of the town. I had to survive. For my family, for my friends, for anyone who ever cared about me. I couldn’t let Taiyo’s sacrifice be in vain, I had to live through this.
Most importantly, I had to spread the word about how this all happened and how the government did nothing to help and instead tried to seal the problem without fixing anything.
         I quickly scurried over to the car, unlocking it and getting inside as I cranked it up. I took a quick glance around me before I panicked slightly. A lot of smaller shops were already torn to shreds from the massive hoards roaming the streets. There were a lot more Desirables now, some small and some massive. It’s amazing how something you longed for the most can become a monster. A deaf man’s desire to hear would become a freakish monster with giant ears, an abused child’s desire for love would turn into a hideous two-bodied monster. The possibilities were endless. Yet, I’ve noticed that I’ve never encountered a Desirable that portrayed the desire to just live. I think deep down, that’s what my desire is. I desire to live, to see the next day and the day after for many years to come.

         I put the car in reverse before shifting back to drive as I ran over the bags of rotting flesh that stood in my way. I must be one of the only ones left in this city now, because the Desirables and monsters were turning to cannibalism and started to run towards me upon sensing me. I must be the only one alive at this point, because most of the city population was now chasing after my vehicle as I sped up. I was heading to the barrier, planning to use the rubble as some sort of ramp. The vehicle had a sunroof, which I planned to open and jump out of to get past the fortified defenses surrounding the city.
         My hands started to shake in horror as one went towards the lower half of my face. My nose had started to bleed profusely, streaming out of both nostrils and staining my clothes. It lasted a good 5 minutes, and it was too much blood to be considered your average nosebleed. The curse had chosen me, and all I could think of right now is making it out of this city and living.
         I gave myself a pep talk before pressing down on the acceleration even more, watching in the rear view mirror as the undead and Desirables quickly caught up with me. My eyes widened as a sudden hoard came at the vehicle from the side, enough to tip it over. I didn’t have enough time to exit through the sunroof as the car started to flip many times, the glass of the windows shattering and the metal doors being bent towards me.
         The car slowly tumbled to a stop, as I lay there covered in glass shards and cuts from the metal door. It wasn’t long before the undead and Desirables came after me, completely crushing the car.

Institution:

         I had just got done with my shift at the supermarket. I live in a small town, practically a community. There aren’t many people living here, but there is a lot of land. Mainly woods, and our town cannot procure the funds to tear them down. There’s something strange about those woods..they just magically started growing around this old institution one day.
         There used to be an institution here, for the mentally insane. The building was built in the 1500s, but quickly got abandoned in the 1800s. Ever since then, it’s been shrouded by these huge and eerie woods. They used to try and send volunteers to try and clean up the land, but they all mysteriously disappeared.
         I don’t know what i was thinking, but all of a sudden my feet started to walk towards the edge of the woods. I wrapped my jacket tighter around my body, the sight of the dark woods giving me chills. For whatever reason, I started to walk into the woods. The institution was calling me, and I was reluctantly answering. The leaves crunched loudly underneath my feet as I walked farther into the woods. About after an hour of walking in the freezing cold, I finally found it.
         It had vines swarming around it, and you could see the aging of it by the dust on the windows. I walked up to the door, trying to wipe some of the dust off to see inside. No one knows why it was suddenly abandoned, and due to the woods they weren’t able to clean it up or anything. It was very blurry, but I could see what looked like a waiting room, furniture still intact. I removed some of the vines so that I could access the door, pulling it open. It was stuck from years of disuse, but I finally pried it open.
         I walked inside, coughing and covering the lower half of my face with my sleeve as I breathed in the dust-filled air. I looked behind me, back towards the door. It was shut, the vines covering it as if I hadn't just opened it. I didn’t think much of it and started walking further into the abandoned institution. There were faculty pictures in the hallway, no glass to protect the pictures so they were faded and just barely unrecognizable. I walked past the waiting room, turning my phone’s flashlight on to see through the dark corridors. The doors in the hallway were made out of metal, and there were small squares at the top where you could slide the metal piece to look into the room. Most of the doors were closed, as if the patients were still occupying the cell.
         I looked into one of the opened rooms, seeing a rusty bed frame and molded mattress. There was nothing else but the single bed in the room, and a small stool. I looked at the room for a moment, trying to imagine a patient in here writing letters to their loved ones. I started to get a chilling sensation, and quickly moved on to the next area. After walking down a few more hallways full of patient cells, I came to an area which seemed to open up into a garden or greenhouse of sorts. Once again, the door to the area was stuck, vines from the small garden area covering the door. Afraid of getting trapped in there like earlier at the entrance, I left the door alone. There wasn’t as much dust on this glass door, just enough to where I could vaguely see what was inside. The plants had overgrown, and most of the flowers were dead from the harsh environment of the abandoned institute.
         There were two hallways on both sides of the greenhouse, most likely more patient cells. There was a sign next to the greenhouse, and I tried to wipe the dust off with my sleeve. In old and faded writing, there were directions. The arrow pointing to the left hallway said cafeteria, and the arrow pointing towards the greenhouse read greenhouse. I turned to the left hallway, pointing my flashlight into the eerie darkness as I walked. The hallway widened out as I reached the cafeteria, the wide doors opening harshly as the metal doors scraped against the linoleum. There were many tables and chairs, the chairs scattered out as if they left in a hurry.
         I walked into the kitchen before walking out, the rotting smell overwhelming me. I tried to find a window to see the outside, but they were too dirty to see through. I looked at the time on my phone, It was already morning. I had to find a way out. I walked back to the waiting room, or took the path that I thought was the path to the waiting room.
         When I looked around me, I was right back where I was, as if I was in a loop. I went back to the greenhouse again, going back through that first hallway I went to. After what seemed like hours of walking, I finally reached what I thought was the waiting room I saw at the entrance. However, this waiting room seemed different. It seemed like it had been used recently, not a speck of dust on the chairs or even the doors. All of a sudden it looked old and abandoned again, as if I had seen a glimpse of it from the past.
         I walked back into the hallway, as if pushed back from the waiting room. As if something didn’t want me to leave. Now, the patient cells were unlocked but not open. Out of curiosity, I slid open the metal door at the top. What I saw inside was gruesome.
         There was red writing on the walls, written out of what looked like blood. ‘NO ESCAPE’ it read. I opened the door to get a closer look into the room. In the corner, there was a corpse. Its skin was no more, and it was only bone. A skeleton. I gasped in horror, taking a step back. What had happened here?
         I opened each and every one of the now unlocked cells, each cell having roughly the same image as that first one. The last one I opened was the faculty lounge, the employee skeletons littered the floor and bloody writing was on the wall just like in the cells. I stared in horror at the sight, then started to run. I found a hidden room, it seemingly appeared in front of me. I walked in the small room, only a table and a book. I looked at the book and picked it up. It seemed to be a diary of sorts, and it seemed to be a patient’s. I flipped through it, seeing letters to family. At the end of it, there was a symbol. The last few pages talked about ‘them’ watching over the place, and how they had to hide. It escalated from there, the last page having ‘NO ESCAPE’ written on it in blood over and over. I dropped the book, stepping back.
         All of a sudden the hallway didn’t look old, and there were screams coming from the cells as banging on the door resonated throughout the building. It was as if I was seeing what was happening, feeling it. In a flash it was over, and I was standing in the abandoned hallway once more. I could still hear the screams resonating in my mind, and realized I had to find a way out before the entity got me too.
         I tried to run towards the waiting room, but kept going in circles. Whatever got those people back then, it didn’t want me to leave now. I tried to find the stairs to the roof, an open window, anything to get me out of here.
         Exhausted, I lay down in that empty patient room I found during my first few minutes here. It was the only clean room now, and as i looked around I wondered why that was true. I looked under the bed, hoping to find something. If this room managed to go untouched, there had to be something protecting it. Under the bed was another skeleton, this one curled up in a fetal position as it held something. It was a cross, with a strange symbol in the middle. Carefully, I removed it from the bony hands. I stared at it for a moment, wondering what the symbol meant. Maybe it was a protection talisman. All of a sudden, I felt like the place was crumbling around me. I hid under the old bed for protection, holding the talisman tight.

         A missing person’s report was filed on a supermarket worker in a small town. Coworkers claim they left for home when suddenly heading towards the woods. Search and Rescue was finally able to tear through the woods, finding the abandoned institution from the 1800’s. Upon looking inside, all patient cells were locked except for one, where said missing person was found under the bed holding a cross in a fetal position as a skeleton.