Page 56 of The House of Whispers

“The Study of The Human Psych,” I continued along the shelves, each title more sickening than the last,The Hidden Psych,Mental Moral Science,Fragments of Hexer Magik,A New View of Insanity,Human Anatomy,The Unknown Atonomy of Fairfolk.My eyes spied a stray piece of paper hidden between two books. I slowly pulled the paper, knocking a book toward me. Gasping, I tried to catch the book, dropping the candle onto the floor as my eyes stared at what was inked on the small piece of parchment.

“Hello?” A voice from the hall startled me. I quickly shoved the disturbing page into the pocket of my coat. My fingers snapped, extinguishing the candle at my feet as I remained hidden from sight. The door unlocked, and a stray nurse peeked her head inside as she held a lantern. “Is someone there?” She extended her arm into the office, using the lantern to highlight the room. I remained planted in place, unseen as the light of the lantern flowed over me.

An easy target. Jakkal’s voice caused me to flinch, kicking the candle at my foot.

The woman shot her arm back in my direction, the glow of the lantern illuminating the rolling candle. She squinted her eyes, focusing as the candle hit the desk and stopped moving. The nurse stepped into the room and examined the candle. She glanced around, obviously unsettled. “Hello? Is someone here?” Her voice was shaking with fear.

You could snuff out her life before anyone would notice. Jakkal’s voice taunted me. I struggled to remain still, trying to ignore his suggestions.

The woman picked up the candle, feeling the wick. She clutched the candle to her chest, realizing someone had been in the office.

She’s onto you. Jakkal warned.

I’m not killing her!

The nurse stood, backing away slowly. “Security?” she called out. The tension in the room grew as she backed toward the door.

Stop her, Casper. Stop her before they find you.

I couldn’t be discovered. As much as I hated admitting it, Jakkal’s voice was right. I had to stop her.

The nurse turned to leave the office when my magik burst from my hand, slamming the door shut, locking it immediately. The woman began to panic, frantically trying to open the door. Quickly, I moved to her, still unseen. She felt the air move alongside me, turning her lantern out as she tried to find me.

“Please,” she cried, “please, dont hurt me!” She hadn’t even seen me, yet she knew the threat I posed to her. “Please!” she begged, crying and screaming.

I stood directly in front of her, remaining invisible as my hand arched. Magik glistened from my hand and drifted onto her face. She stared at the sudden purple light and slowly calmed, her eyes falling heavy.

“You saw nothing.” I whispered, my magik attaching to her mind, erasing her memory.

“Nothing.” The nurse repeated in a trance state.

Weak. Jakkal grumbled across my brain. I shook his voice from my head.

“Now,” I lowered my hand, speaking to the nurse, “return to your work and forget you ever came here.” The woman nodded. I unlocked the door and opened it, allowing her to leave. She stepped into the hallway, returning to her normal self and walked away. Unharmed.

I exhaled, releasing a large sigh of relief. Thunder boomed outside as the storm slowly began. Lightning flashed through the halls, highlighting everything for a brief moment. I should’ve left, but I wanted to find the basement. I needed to investigate the meaning of the paper I discovered.

My hands retrieved the folded paper as I examined it closely. It was a hand-drawn map. The map showed the hospital with all the different levels and floors, leading down to the basement. A second image was scribbled beneath the basement—a room. It seemed Dr. Reynard had found a secret room in the basement. And I was determined to find it too.

The storm raged on outside, loud thunder booming as lightning followed. The hospital was flooded with darkness as I slithered along the walls, making my way to the basement of the hospital. The sound of the heavy rain pounding into the roof filled the halls, echoing in my ears.

The basement wasn’t far from the Psychology Wing—the entrance door conveniently located down the hall and around the corner from Dr. Reynard’s office. The door was locked, chains looped around the handle and sealed with a heavy lock to prevent people from entering. Chains and locks may stop Others, but they were no match for dark magik.

My hands burned as the chains glowed purple, my power cutting through the metal lock like butter. The chains fell, thunder covering the sound of the heavy links slamming against the floor. I hesitated, glancing around before swinging the door open and sneaking inside. The heavy basement door shut behind me, causing me to gasp.

The basement door led to a single staircase that spiraled down, deep into the underbelly of the hospital. It was pitch black and silent, the storm outside muted by the thick concrete walls. My hands fumbled along the cold wall, feeling for a switch. I ran my hand over a small box, feeling it as I hit the small button. The stairway lit up as electricity buzzed and crackled, small lights leading the way down. My eyes peeked down the iron spiral stairs—it was a long way down. My stomach churned at how deep the stairs truly went.

I pulled the paper from Dr. Reynard’s office back out, re-examining the hand-drawn map. The basement stretched far below the hospital deep into the earth. I shoved the paper back into my coat pocket. “Time to uncover your secrets, doctor.” Slowly, my hands gripped the iron railing as my feet carried me down the spiral stairs. The sounds of the storm outside faded away the further I descended. The hospital lights flickered, setting me on edge.

Time seemed to go on forever as I continued down the spiral stairs. It felt as though I had reached the center of the earth when I arrived at another door. The door was old, a small window stretching across the top, encased in metal. I peeked through the old glass, attempting to see inside. The room was dark, making it impossible to see any details. The handle of the door was antique. My hand gripped it, expecting it to be locked. Surprisingly, the door creaked open. I felt for another switch along the wall, turning the lights on.

The basement room flickered to life, engulfed in an sinister red glow. The room was larger than I anticipated. It was as though I had stepped into a dirty operating room in the main part of the hospital.

I stepped through the doorway and into the basement, the red lights buzzing as I took in the details before me. In the center of the room was a single operating table, and a tray full of what appeared to be operating tools sat directly beside it. Everything was dirty, old stains of blood coating the tools as a thin layer of dust had gathered. The floor directly beneath the table had a drain that appeared to also be soaked in old blood with a few strands of hair.

I stopped next to the tray of tools, picking up a scalpel. It looked as though it had been used. I returned the operating knife to its place and turned around staring at the wall of shelves. Jars of crystallized specimens and books lined the shelves, also covered in dust and cobwebs.

I continued looking around the room, noticing a thick plastic tarp nailed across a doorway. On the other side, the flicker of a candle danced through the foggy plastic. The hairs on my back stood straight up as I slowly paced toward the tarp, unsure of what lay beyond.

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