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These souls have never experienced peace, maybe not even a day in their lives.
The clouds shift overhead, showing off the orange moon. It lights up the street, seemingly putting a spotlight on all of us. Hazel seems to find strength from the sight of the moon, lifting her backpack higher onto her back.
“Let’s go see what we can find,” she mumbles.
Blaire whines. “If something even slightly creepy happens, I’m fucking out of there. I’ll run across that damn bridge by myself if I have to.”
Hazel glances over her shoulder. “It will all be creepy, Blaire. But if something goes wrong, we’ll leave.”
I nod, and we make our way up the steps, toward the oversized front door. It looks as if it’s made out of stone, with large vines spilling through the deep crack embedded in the center of the door.
“What if it’s locked?” Hazel asks, her hands going forward, brushing some of the vines out of the way.
I grab onto the circular handle, pulling back. It doesn’t move at first, solidified from years of unuse and dirt caking against the seal. After one more yank, I can feel the separation, and it slowly opens, the bottom scraping against the stone steps. A plume of dust carries with it, blowing across our bodies like an ash blanket.
I let out a cough, clearing my lungs as I release the door, brushing my hands over my arms.
“It smells fucking rancid,” Levi groans, bending over as he slaps at the dust on his pants.
“Like death,” Malik growls, leaning over to wipe Vera’s face.
Hazel plugs her nose. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see something dead in here.”
Piper backs up. “So, tell me again why going inside the mental hospital is a smarter idea than, I don’t know, going inside the old fucking police station down the road? We could search the records, maybe find something way more interesting than reading about the lunatics of this town.”
Hazel nods her head, bending back so she can look at the old police station. “Good idea. Maybe we should check it out.” Piper perks up, and Hazel snatches her hand out, grabbing onto Piper’s wrist. “But first, we’re going in here.”
“Why?” Piper screeches, digging her heels in when Hazel begins dragging her inside.
“Because I know I’ll find out something I need. I can feel it in my bones. So, come. On!” She gives her one last tug, breaching the entrance as she steps inside, bringing Piper with her.
Atticus and Levi step in after her, and the rest of us follow.
“Holy shit,” I mumble, my eyes raising to look at the main room. It’s filled with dust, so much of it that I feel my eyes dry out with each and every blink. The ceilings are tall, seeming endless, with thick, white cobwebs hanging from one wall to the next. Windows up near the ceiling let in rays of speckled light, and I watch the flecks float through the air.
In front of me is the large entryway, with a few chairs and couches, along with an old grand piano off to the side, and what looks like a check-in desk on the other wall.
“Sweet.” Blaire walks up to the piano, lifting the cover, brushing her fingers over the dusty keys. They leave finger streaks along the surface, and at the last moment, her finger presses down, a loud, booming, flat note ringing throughout the room.
Bang.
A door on the second level slams, and I swear my bones nearly jump from my skin. The sound was hollow, echoing down the stairs. Blaire’s fingers slam into the keys, an obnoxious and uncomfortable sound of sharp and flat notes assaulting our ears. She rushes to close the top before running to the rest of us, her body slamming into Piper’s.
“What the fuck was that?” Atticus barks, narrowing his eyes.
I step back, keeping my eyes on the stairs that lead to the second level. I see nothing, hear nothing.
“Maybe it was the wind?” I suggest, knowing it most definitely was not the fucking wind.
“It wasn’t the wind,” Hazel mumbles as she slides her backpack from her shoulders. She unzips the top, digging her hand inside, pulling out a bundle of sage. She grabs a small stick of matches, sparking one, though it burns out right away. Narrowing her eyes, she sparks another, though this one, as well, burns out instantly.
“Let me try,” I growl, shaking my head that she can’t even light a fucking match. Though as I go to spark my own, the same thing happens. Instant burnout.
I try again, same result.
“Let me try my lighter.” I grab it from my pocket, sparking it, though a flame never ignites.
“Try mine, it’s new.” Levi tosses me his lighter, and I catch it with my fist, trying his as well.
