Page 10 of Insane Obsession

“Whoever that is will come downstairs,” I whisper. “This place was supposed to be empty.” We stagger through the hall, going further away from the stairs. “There’s got to be another way out.”

“I don’t remember the drawings by heart.” Lea runs ahead of me. “Can you hear anyone coming down?”

“No,” I say. “But I’m not going to stop and listen. Just keep going.”

“It’s them, I know it is,” Lea pants. “They’re fucking with us.”

We pass more doors, and I switch off the camera. Together, we jog until we reach the isolation room once more.

“Shit,” I pant. We walked in a circle. “Now what?”

“Now we’re stuck here like a bunch of fucking losers,” Lea whispers. Her breath is ragged.

I can’t help but let out a chuckle at those words. “Well, I’m used to being one, so that doesn’t scare me.”

I can feel Lea’s gaze on my face while we both take in the silence. There are no more footsteps, no more taunts. It almost feels like we have imagined it all, and we can just walk up the stairs and out through the front door.

Almost.

“Who gave you the permission to visit the asylum?” Lea asks.

“DSInvestments.”

She hums. “And they didn’t mention anything about the asylum not being…abandoned?”

“No.”

“Well, that says it all. I just wonder why they’d be fucking with us like that. I’m so disappointed in Jess.”

A red flash of light follows a soft click.

I frown. “What’s that?”

“I don’t know, but I suggest we go. It sucks, I know. But this place is fucking ominous.”

Sliding my hand against the wall, I flinch at the rumble. “Do you feel that? The wall is moving.”

We jump away, gawking as stone splits in two under a loud groan, revealing a smooth sliding door that opens with alarming speed.

My jaw hits the littered floor. “There’s another corridor,” I exclaim.

“This one’s definitely not on the architect’s drawings.” Lea peeks inside. “What do you think, Doc?” She turns over her shoulder. “Go in and find a way out, or go upstairs and face those terrifying footsteps?”

“Let’s—” I bite my lip. Everything inside me screams to go back up. To leave this place and hide. But Lea is right. Thosefootsteps scared the hell out of me. Fuck it. I’m not ready to give up. “Let me go first.” I take a few steps inside.

“Such a gentleman,” she taunts, but I flip her off and shine my light ahead of me instead.

My skin crawls, although the place looks surprisingly clean. “Wait up.” My light flickers over the weird rope adorning the wall railing. It sweeps the walls, and then I freeze.

“What do you see?” Lea asks. Her voice comes from far away as I stare in awe.

Him.Gingerly, I approach the painting on the wall. It’s a drawing: blond hair, brown eyes, a handsome smile.

“What the fuck?” I murmur. “This place is not abandoned, Lea.”

There’s a muffled scream, and I turn over my shoulder.

“Lea? Shit!”

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