The road stretched long and empty as the four kids pedaled their bikes down the cracked pavement. Night pressed in on either side, trees leaning in like curious onlookers. Their flashlights bobbed with every bump in the road, the light cutting across broken signs and weeds that seemed to claw their way up from the ground.
At the very end of the road stood Hollowpine Asylum.
The building had been abandoned for decades, its windows shattered, its walls cracked and sagging under years of neglect. Legend in their town said the asylum was haunted, patients never left, and their screams still echoed inside. Parents warned kids not to go near it, but that only made it more irresistible.
Diana's eyes stayed fixed on the looming silhouette as her bike slowed to a stop. She pressed one foot against the ground, her flashlight trembling just a little in her grip. She was older than the rest, and though her heart raced, she forced her voice to come out steady.
"We don't have to stay long," she said, glancing back at the others. "Just a quick look around, then we're out. Got it?"
Anna, clutching the camera strapped to her chest, nodded nervously. She was pale even in the dark, her hands fiddling with the buttons as if double-checking it was recording. "I… I already marked the time. If we don't come out in an hour, someone will notice we're gone." Her voice wavered, and her eyes darted between the cracked windows of the asylum.
"An hour?!" Miesha squeaked, practically falling off her bike. "No way! It should be ten minutes. If I hear one ghost scream, I'm gone in a blink!" She tried to laugh.
Sapphire hopped off her bike and swung the flashlight like a sword, pointing it at the asylum's front doors. "Oh, c'mon. It's just an old building. People tell ghost stories to scare babies. We'll be fine." She grinned and marched toward the entrance.
"Wait—Sapphire—" Diana reached out, but Sapphire was already halfway up the cracked stone steps.
With a groan, Diana followed. She couldn't let her friends go in alone, no matter how much her stomach twisted at the sight of the broken, yawning doors.
The others hurried after them, Miesha muttering prayers under her breath and Anna making sure the red recording light on the camera is working.
The air hit them first—thick, damp, and sour, like mold and rot. Their flashlights flickered across long hallways, paint peeling in ragged sheets from the walls. Broken wheelchairs sat in corners, rusted and twisted, and every step echoed too loudly.
Miesha clung to Diana's arm, whispering, "This is a bad idea. Bad idea. Worst idea ever."
"Then stop holding on so tight," Diana muttered, though her voice softened when she felt Miesha trembling. She swung her flashlight down the hall. "Let's check one room and then leave, okay? Just one."
Sapphire snorted. "What's the point of coming here if we don't explore?" She kicked a crumpled soda can across the floor, the clatter echoing like a gunshot.
Anna froze. Her breath caught as she panned the camera across the hallway. "Shh… did you hear that?"
Everyone stopped.
At first, there was only silence—dripping water somewhere far off. Then came a sound that made their blood run cold.
Footsteps.
Slow. Dragging. Coming from deep within the asylum.
"Tell me that's not real," Miesha whispered, her fingers digging into Diana's sleeve.
Diana held up her hand for silence. Her heart pounded, but she forced her voice to stay calm. "Probably just an animal. Or… something falling."
But the footsteps grew louder.
Anna's camera shook in her hands. "D-Diana… it's coming closer."
A door down the hall creaked open.
All four flashlights whipped toward it. The door swung wider on its hinges with a scream of rust, and the shadows behind it seemed to shift.
"Okay, nope! Nope!" Miesha turned to bolt, but Sapphire grabbed her wrist.
"Don't freak out! It's nothing, look, I'll prove it." Sapphire squared her shoulders and stepped forward, flashlight aimed at the open doorway. "See? Nothing."
Her voice wavered on the last word.
Because something did move inside.
Just for a second, like a figure slipping back into the dark.
Diana grabbed Sapphire's shoulder. "That's enough. We're leaving—"
But then the noise started.
A low hum, almost like a voice whispering under its breath. It echoed from the walls, slipping down the hallways, curling around them. Words they couldn't understand, but they felt heavy, wrong.
Anna's breathing turned sharp and quick. "It's—It's not the wind. That's not a wind!"
The camera crackled, static flooding the audio.
"Shut it off! Shut it off!" Miesha cried, her flashlight swinging wildly.
"Don't! Keep recording!" Diana snapped. Her voice was sharper than she meant, but fear pressed in on her chest. "We need proof."
The whispers grew louder.
And then, without warning, every door in the hallway slammed shut at once.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Miesha screamed. Anna gasped, clutching the camera so tightly her knuckles went white. Sapphire froze, her bravado cracking as her flashlight shook in her hands.
"Run," Diana ordered, voice tight.
They bolted down the hallway, shoes slapping against the cracked tiles. The whispers chased them, weaving in and out of the walls, impossible to pin down. Something heavy scraped behind them, like furniture dragging, but none of them dared look back.
"Stairs—stairs!" Sapphire shouted, pointing.
They thundered up the broken staircase, the wood groaning under their weight. Miesha nearly tripped, shrieking when Diana yanked her back up. Anna kept the camera pressed to her chest, its light flickering, catching flashes of things in the corners—shadows moving where no one stood.
At the top, they found themselves in a hallway lined with old patient rooms. Every door was shut.
"Not that way!" Diana yelled, shoving them toward the window at the end of the hall.
Sapphire smashed the glass with her flashlight, shards raining down onto the grass below.
"It's the second floor!" Miesha cried.
"Jump!" Diana snapped. She climbed onto the ledge first, heart pounding as she glanced back. For the briefest moment, she swore she saw a pale face in the darkness behind them—watching. Smiling.
She didn't wait to see more. She leapt.
The impact jolted her knees, but she stumbled upright and waved at the others. "Come on!"
One by one, they jumped—Sapphire, then Miesha shrieking, then Anna clutching the camera like it was her lifeline.
The second Anna landed, the whispers cut off.
The asylum loomed silent behind them, windows black and empty.
They didn't stop running until they reached their bikes.
Breathless, they collapsed against the handlebars, sweat and fear mixing in their wide-eyed stares.
"What—what was that?" Miesha gasped, clutching her chest. "I told you this was a bad idea! A bad idea!"
Anna played back the camera footage with trembling fingers. The screen showed only static and warped audio—but through the distortion, a faint whisper leaked out.
"…you shouldn't have come…"
Anna dropped the camera like it burned her.
For a moment, no one spoke. The night air pressed heavy around them.
Finally, Diana straightened, trying to keep her voice steady. "We're not telling anyone. Not yet. We just… we don't go back. Ever."
Sapphire swallowed hard, but her eyes flicked back toward the asylum, a stubborn spark still there despite her shaking hands.
"Yeah," she said softly. "Right."
But the smile Diana thought she saw inside still burned in her mind.. like Hollowpine Asylum wasn't done with them yet.