Page 11 of Insane Obsession

The place where the door had been was replaced once more by stones in the blink of an eye.

I run back and start hitting the wall. “No, no, no, no. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

4

FINN

Ipush, pull, and slide. Nothing works.

“Lea!” I keep calling her name until finally, I stop. She won’t hear me from this side of the wall, and even if she does—how the hell did I end up here? Did she set me up? Did theyallset me up?

The thought leaves a burning hole in my chest.

Checking my phone, I see that it’s nearly eight. How ironic. This is the time we wanted to be inside the asylum. Now I’m down here by myself, and no cell reception. Left with my own thoughts, which is terrifying.

“You are going crazy,” I whisper to myself. Maybe I am.

Leaning against the invisible door, I take in my new surroundings. Unlike the rest of the asylum, this corridor doesn’t carry the same scent of decay. Of broken memories.

Slowly, I lift my flashlight back to the drawing of the guy I saw before. Approaching the painting, I allow myself to drink him in. “And you, are you real?” I mutter. “Or are you yet another friend of David?”

David. My first-ever crush and regretful kiss. It happened during freshman year at a party. He was drunk, and I was desperate for his attention. When he ushered me into thebathroom, I felt like flying. Then we kissed, got caught, and his friends kicked me out and paid me off to keep my mouth shut.

He was my first and last kiss.

“I’ve never seen you around campus,” I ask the guy on the painting. My light follows the shape of his face, and I openly ogle his defined cheekbones and full lips. His eyes are drawn in the shape of a feline, black with long, dark lashes.

I sigh, then lower the light and lift my camera. “Alright. As you can see, I’m left alone,” I tell my future audience. The rapid beating of my heart slowly falls back to a normal rhythm as I follow the dark corridor. “This part of the asylum feels different. Moremodern?” I keep babbling as I walk, kicking open doors without looking inside, too scared for whatever I might find. Perhaps part of me still hopes that Lea will come back for me. “You all saw the isolation room. Gosh, that place gave me the chills. This here feels more cosy.” I chuckle uncomfortably at my words. “Which doesn’t make any sense. I’m underground in an abandoned asylum, searching for a way out. Because I think that it’s time to wrap up this night.”

If only it were that easy.

A flicker of light beneath one of the doors catches my attention.

I stop and slowly lower my camera, my heart pounding.

The horrifying truth is presented right in front of me. “This place isn’t abandoned,” I whisper, my own words causing trembles of fear. “How is that possible?”

I was given authorization to enter the asylum. To enter theabandonedasylum.

Then, the sound of a large bell. I take in a deep breath, eyes falling shut.

“Oh my god.” I look down at my camera. Whoever had messed with my classmates had found me. “Is this how I die?”

This project seemed like such a good idea; the DiSanti massacremyfascination.

The bell keeps on tolling.

“Eight times,” I whisper. “The time of the murders.” The corners of my eyes are wet with fear, making the view through my glasses unclear. “On December sixteen.”

Yes, I am going to die here.

I try the knob, and surprisingly, the door slides open with ease. “What the hell?” I peer inside where a Christmas tree is lit, its festive lights flickering happily. I suck in a breath, throat locking with dread.

“Hi Finn.” A voice behind me rasps. “You finally made it.”

Goosebumps burst across my skin, and my chest tightens with dread. “Where’s Lea?” I ask.

The only answer the stranger gives me is a chuckle.

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