[ TT ] Your friends dare you to stay one night in the abandoned hospital . You do it .

`` Come on, Ian, just do it. What, are you scared?'' I turned and glared at Steven, who'd been taunting me all night. Really, all of my friends had been taunting me. Steven had his arm around a young girl, Cindy, with a swirl of blonde hair pinned loose in a bun and a flowing sundress covered in scattered, white polka-dots. Leaning against a stop sign was a taller boy, beat up hoodie and jeans with dark, brown hair and even darker brown eyes. He watched us with amusement, waiting for my answer as I stalled, pretending to look for something in my car. I felt a tug on the back of my coat and turned to see two beautiful brown eyes peering up at me. 
 
 `` Do n't be a chicken, Ian,'' those eyes make my stomach flutter and her voice clears my head of any intelligent thoughts. I shut the door behind me and take in the girl before me, Lucy, honey-colored hair draped around her shoulders, and a loose-fitting sweater over tight jeans. We'd been playing some kind of cat-and-muse game for a few weeks now and of course, Steven invited her along to try and bend me to his will in some way. Only now did I see in what way. 
 
 `` I'm really not sure I want to spend the night in the old abandoned hospital,'' I mutter, tearing my gaze from hers to look up the hill at the decrepit building. The guy at the stop sign, Jake, shifted his weight and walked over to the rest of the group, patting my shoulder. 
 
 `` It'll be fine, Ian. The place is huge and we can just explore it all night.'' I brushed his hand away and avoided Lucy's eyes, turning back to glare at Steven. 
 
 `` What's in it for me, man? This is such bullshit.'' 
 
 `` Oh, I do n't know, man,'' Steven answered, nodding toward Lucy. She glanced back at him and he looked up into the sky, feigning innocence and even whistling for effect. Lucy shook her head with a smirk and her eyes locked with mine and I knew my answer as much as I hated to admit it. As we began to trudge up the hill, we were joined by Jake's younger sister, Emily. She looked excited to be included and while Jake greeted her and Cindy and Lucy stopped to chat together, Steven jogged over to my side, staring at the twisted, iron gate. `` This'll be great, dude. You can score a little action with Lucy, man. It's perfect!'' 
 
 `` I would n't call an old, empty hospital *perfect, * Steve,'' I sighed and watched her for a second before turning to study the hospital again. `` I always figured we'd go on a date before we started breaking into buildings to do it...'' 
 
 `` Think of this as a date, Ian. I'm sure there'll be beds in here somewhere. Do n't be such a bitch, dude. Strap up, strap on, and let's party.'' He laughed as Cindy approached him and wrapped an arm around her, pushing the gates open as I heard her asking what we'd been talking about. 
 
 `` Strap on? What the...'' 
 
 `` Strap on, huh?'' I jumped as Lucy's voice sounded behind me. `` What's that mean?'' 
 
 `` Uh, nothing! Something Steve said.'' I rubbed my neck, hot with embarrassment while Lucy's eyes flashed in the moonlight and a smile played on her lips. 
 
 `` Well, if that's what he's into, I guess. C'mon, let's catch up.'' She dashed around me and squeezed through the gap between the gate and I noticed everyone had moved ahead while we'd had our short exchange. I looked up at the gate before passing through. *The old Arkham Mental Hospital... Closed down fifty years ago once they investigated the place for abuse of the patients. Who knows what we'll find in-* A voice calling for me to hurry up interrupted my thought. 
 
 `` What the hell?'' I muttered before running to catch up to the group. Jake and Steven shoved into the front door, pushing all their weight to force it open as I arrived. The door ground against the floor of the foyer, sending a shower of dust into the air as it scraped against the tiles. We all squeezed through and Steven produced flashlights from a bag I had n't noticed him carrying. 
 
 `` In case we decide to split up, we'll each have a light.'' Steven passed them around and flicked his on, shining it under his chin to cast strange shadows over his face. `` Are we ready to descend into *unknown HORRORS BELOW...'' * He spoke with an inflection like Dracula, throwing his voice around the halls around us in a gloomy echo. 
 
 `` Let's just move on, dork,'' Cindy teased, shoving him playfully. He chuckled and we began our trek, wandering the halls aimlessly. After checking a dozen rooms with no impressive findings, Cindy sighed. `` This is boring,'' she mumbled. 
 
 `` Well, this place is abandoned. What did you expect?'' Steven replied. 
 
 `` I do n't know, something exciting, I guess. I heard there were like, tunnels connecting to the sewer in this place.'' 
 
 `` Where the hell did you hear that Cind?'' 
 
 `` I do n't know. I heard some of them go straight to the bay. Why do n't we look for those?'' 
 
 She looked at Steven expectantly and he scanned the hallway before nodding. `` Ca n't hurt. How do we find these tunnels?'' 
 
 `` I do n't know.'' Cindy shined her light down the hall in both directions while Jake began flashing his into different rooms. 
 
 `` Where did Emily go?'' He asked. I looked around but there was no sign of her. 
 
 `` What? Where did she go?'' I repeated Jake's question. 
 
 `` I bet she's trying to scare us.'' 
 
 `` Is n't that your job, Steve?'' Cindy remarked, smirking at him. 
 
 `` You're right. Em, you're not allowed to scare us!'' Steve called, cupping his mouth with his hands. `` That's my jo-'' A shrill scream interrupted him, freezing all of us in place. We shined our lights in unison down the hall toward the source of the scream. they all converged on a broken flashlight, smashed on the floor. Jake sprinted down the hall and we followed, Jake shouting Emily's name. 
 
 `` Jake, she's probably just screwing with us,'' Steven said as we caught up to him. He was kneeling by the broken flashlight, staring at fresh blood stain spattered on the floor around the flashlight. We heard another scream cut short by a deafening *boom* and Jake bolted down the hall, screaming his sister's name. I followed him and stopped short at the sound of commotion behind me. Steven was curled up on the floor, cradling his knee. `` I tripped. Do n't sweat it, just find Emily.'' His expression was contorted with pain but with Cindy at his side, I decided to grab Lucy's hand and pull her along with me after Jake. 
 
 I tried following his cries for Emily but eventually the echoes were playing with my ears as they rolled in from every direction. Lucy seemed turned around as well, spinning as she tried to discern where Jake might've went. `` Did you see where he ran?'' I asked. Lucy just shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. `` Maybe we should go back and get Steven?'' 
 
 Lucy was about to speak when we heard Jake's voice again, this time clearly coming from down some stairs up ahead. I pointed the light down the stairs, the winding staircase walled with bricks as it headed underground. `` Maybe these lead to the tunnels Cindy was talking about?'' Lucy said, tugging my sleeve. `` Maybe Emily went into the sewers.'' 
 
 `` Went or was taken?'' Lucy stared at me with a frightened look and I pt a hand on her shoulder. `` Sorry, I'm just scared. Let's go back and find Steve and Cindy.'' 
 
 `` What about the stairs? What if we get lost and ca n't find them again?'' I studied the staircase for a second before taking my flashlight and placing it on the ground, pointing it the way we'd come. 
 
 `` There. When we see the light, we'll know.'' 
 
 `` I do n't know how I feel about that idea.'' Lucy handed me her flashlight and looked back down at the one I'd placed on the floor. 
 
 `` It'll be fine, let's just go.'' We retraced our footsteps back the way we'd come, hoping we'd remembered all those twists and turns. I was just beginning to think we were lost when I stepped on something round that nearly made me slip and fall. I pointed the light down to see Emily's flashlight where we'd left it. Steven and Cindy were nowhere to be found. 
 
 `` Where are they?'' Lucy demanded, the fear in her voice more than noticeable. 
 
 `` Do n't freak out. Maybe they left to get help. C'mon, let's see if they're outside.'' We trudged back to the entrance, a straight shot down the hallway we'd first come down. However, upon reaching the foyer, we hit a dead end on an empty wall. `` What the fuck?'' I dragged the light over the wall's surface, trying to locate the entrance. The wall was blank, no windows, doors, or paint. 
 
 `` I do n't understand, this is where we came from. Where the hell did the door go?'' I heard the sound of something rolling on the floor and turned to see another busted flashlight as it tapped my shoe. I pointed my light down the hallway and spotted a shape disappear around the corner where we'd found Emily's flashlight. 
 
 `` Did you see that?'' I demanded. 
 
 `` See what?'' Lucy cried, grasping my shirt. 
 
 `` Fuck, I do n't know,'' my voice exposing my own fear. `` Let's find a door. Okay?'' I started walking along the wall, but the halls ended with rooms filled with broken cupboards and rotting tables. There were no other doors and I had n't remembered seeing another entrance when we'd entered. With a sigh of resignation, I pointed the light back down the hallway, spotting nothing around the corner. `` We have to find Jake.'' 
 
 `` What about Steve and Cindy?'' 
 
 `` Maybe they went after Jake and we missed'em...'' I was rubbing the stubble on my chin, sweat pouring down my neck when I remembered Cindy's words. `` The sewers. We could find them and then get out through the sewers.'' 
 
 `` What? Why do n't we find an *actual* door or get out through a window?'' 
 
 `` I think all the windows are up on the higher floors, and none of these rooms go anywhere. We'd have to go down that hallway anyways to keep searching.'' 
 
 `` I guess...'' Lucy followed me down the hallway, both of us huddled close together. As we followed our original flight after Jake, we approached the lit up hallway, the light blinking out as we rounded the corner. Upon turning, we both froze, my flashlight beam illuminating Steven's torso moments before he was dragged down the stairs screaming, vanishing in the dark. 
 
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