Taryn led Rachael to another part of the building with Isabella not too far behind them. Rachael wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to Isabella following at such a distance, but given where they were; having someone who would keep an eye out for anything strange was slightly comforting to know.

Taryn wasn’t bothered by this. She didn’t seem to care. Given that she must have had Isabella, and whoever else, guarding her for however long, was just another day in a life for someone like her.

But it did leave Rachael wondering, just how bad was it that Taryn needed a bodyguard with her wherever she went? Who was out for her, and why?

Well, the “why” was probably the easier of the two to figure out, her father was the Chief of Police, and her mother was a well-known lawyer who worked for the Crown, in their careers that must have put dozens upon dozens of people away for whatever crimes they committed.

It would leave a rather large target on their backs. But then, why go after the parents, when their daughter was a much easier target?

Just thinking that sent a chill down Rachael’s spine.

Yet, nothing seemed to bother Taryn, not in the slightest.

Rachael did find it odd that her new friend explored abandoned buildings as a hobby, but then some did ghost hunting as a hobby, claiming to be a medium that could see ghosts and other spirits. Just look at how many TV shows there were for that kind of entertainment. Heck, Rachael looked up exploring abandoned places on YouTube and found a hundred thousand videos or more. Clearly, there was some form of enjoyment to be had. She even found a few of Taryn’s videos.

There was even a video about this very hospital.

But the more Rachael thought about it, something kept nagging at her about that one doctor, and his sudden death.

“Hey, Taryn, can I ask you something? It’s about that Faceless guy.”

Taryn paused to look Rachael’s way. “What about him?”

“I’m just curious but, do you know what happened to his body?”

Before Taryn could answer Isabella did instead. “His body was cremated, and his ashes were tossed in an undisclosed location, my best guess, the garbage dump. His family wanted nothing to do with him, even struck his name from their family tree. Wanting him to be completely erased and forgotten. It’s actually because of them that so-called attempt at making a show never got off the ground, with the amount of money they threw to shut up those producers it’s kept any other attempts dead on arrival.”

Taryn looked at the tall woman, stunned. “How do you know all that?”

She folded her arms across her chest. “From your mother. She gave me all the details when your uncle assigned me to be your guard. Same with your grandfather and certain events when you were very little, and telling me about your fear of mines.”

“Mines? Like the kinds where a man would go into the ground and dig out coal or precious metals or gemstones?” Rachael asked and looked to Taryn, utterly bewildered by this revelation while her friend just gave a pointed stare at Isabella. “You have a fear of mines?”

“It doesn’t have an official name, but in my case, I see anything of a track or a mine cart while underground, I freeze in place.” Taryn looked slightly uncomfortable. “And yeah… I know it’s dumb.”

“No, not dumb, just… different.” Rachael paused. “Wouldn’t your fear be more akin to Claustrophobia though?”

Taryn shook her head. “No, that’s being stuck in small dark, tight spaces, and I’ve crawled through many a hole in the dirt to get to a place. Ask Isabella if you don’t believe me. Like I said, there isn’t a name for what I have existing so there you go.”

Yet Rachael couldn’t help but wonder. “You afraid of anything else?”

She let out an exasperated sigh but answered. “It’s not a fear, per se, but you’ll never see me go into a carnival house that’s full of mirrors.” She shuddered at the thought. “I can’t stand that place.”

This was something Rachael didn’t expect. “Anything else I should know?”

Taryn was quiet for a moment. As though she was contemplating something before answering. “Just those two things, it’s not that I have a fear of a bunch of mirrors, I just… dislike it. Like I’m being watched by too many people all at once.”

“And the mines?”

Taryn shrugged. “That I’m not sure. I’ve tried going into a mine before, there’s one on my grandfather’s property. But… I can’t even get close to it. It’s like, whatever it was that caused this unnamed phobia, was suppressed by something. I couldn’t tell you what that something was, though.”

“Maybe you could if I was with you?” Rachael offered and Taryn smiled.

“That’s a nice sentiment, but let’s focus on the place that we’re in now before going anywhere else, yeah?”

They continued their trek in the abandoned halls, Taryn glancing up at a portion of the ceiling on the second floor, commenting on water damage, and how it looked like it would fall through at any time. That it’d be best if this section should soon be blocked off from any exploring.

Lest anyone becomes caught in the falling ceiling or worse, end up dead.

“What’s above it?” Rachael asked.

“I believe there’s a bathroom, the fourth floor was an addition along with the west wing, and, well, its layout is different from the other three floors. I have no clue why it was designed that way with those additions, but there you go. Just be careful, you see a lot of ceilings like this with collapsed roofs or even exposed wires. If you do, it’s probably best to just go back the way you came.”

“Noted.”

They continued onwards, back down to the ground floor and heading in a different direction from where they first entered before Taryn stopped at another entrance of this old hospital. The door had been blocked off, covered in layers of thick plywood and old furniture piled to stop anyone from coming through this way. Next to that pile was a mural and a table with both fake flowers and living flowers that had long since dried up, mementoes and notes were placed near the photos of people who had passed away.

To Rachael’s surprise, Taryn knelt before the altar made the sign of the cross and spoke in Latin with her hands clasped together and head bowed.

“Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion, et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. Exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.”

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Thou art worthy to praised, O God, in Zion, and to thee shall prayer be offered in Jerusalem. Hear my prayer, for to thee shall all flesh come. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.

“I thought you weren’t religious,” Rachael stated, rather stunned at hearing her speak in Latin of all things.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I’m not, I’m agnostic at best.” Taryn stood and looked at the memorial table. “My parents were Roman Catholic; both left the church for their reasons at different stages of their lives. And when I was born, they left me to choose if I wanted to attend church or not when I was older. And while I don’t believe in one sole creator, I do believe in the existence of a higher power and that of an afterlife. Be it up or below, or somewhere in between.”

Rachael frowned. “Then how do you know Latin?” her question was answered when she saw Taryn glance at Isabella who was doing her own prayer in Latin. “Ah.”

“Do you know Latin?” Taryn asked.

“A little,” Rachael said with a faint wave of her right hand, only to realize that Taryn was waiting for more. “I had to do research once for a piece of artwork, and I wanted to have what looked to be a carved epitaph in the background. For the epitaph I picked Latin.”

“Huh, that’s pretty neat.”

The two fell in silence as Rachael looked at the photos of those who had died, some elderly, some not. Two were children. It made Rachael’s stomach turn just thinking who might have died at the hands of such a monster. But seeing those two kids’ photos from their school yearbook smiling brightly, hurt more than Rachael thought it would.

Fighting back the urge to cry Rachael removed a small plushie cat keychain from her bag and placed it on the table between the two children. “It’s not much, but… I hope they like it.”

“I think they would. They both had a cat in their families.”

“What are their names?”

“Amy, and Ben. They went to different schools, but lived close to one another, if you can believe that. Their families are pretty close to each other now.”

“And what about her?” Rachael pointed to an elderly woman with a large grin.

“Nora, I was told she loved to knit. She made this large blanket, won a competition, and she has many grandchildren.”

“Him?” she pointed to a middle-aged man with a baseball hat and shades.

“Tom. He ran a local little league, big on watching baseball, bigger when it came to hockey. He’s a Maple Leaf’s fan.”

“And her…?”

This continued with Taryn giving names to every photo, talking about small snippets of these individuals’ lives. Smiling while doing so, even though these people were gone, as long as others talked about them, they’d never be forgotten.

That was until Taryn received a call. She scowled when she saw it. “It’s Damian.” She said before answering it. “Damian, why are you calling? We’re all in the same building.”

“We’re stuck.” Was his response.

Taryn’s body straightened. “Where are you? How many are with you?”

“Everyone, but you, your friend and the silent shadow.”

“Where are you Damian,” she repeated, ignoring Damian’s nickname for Isabella.

“The operating theatre.”

Taryn’s frown deepened. “How? The door shouldn’t have a lock.”

“The hell if I know.” He said flatly. This wasn’t his, or Taryn’s first time hearing of somebody being stuck in a room and unable to get out. “Think you can help?”

Taryn looked at Rachael before answering. “I’ll be there soon. Hang tight, Damian.” Then ended the call. “Damian and the others are trapped in the operating theatre.”

Rachael’s frown mirrored Taryn’s and Isabella’s that followed. “How?”

“I have some ideas; this building is old. Not everything will remain the same. The longer things are in use, the more they’ll decay. This hospital was already old long before its closure. The doors are probably just stuck, although… they should be able to get out by prying the doors apart with three of them there.”

“Then let’s go rescue them,” Rachael said before the three headed back the way they came, quickly reaching the second floor. Only as they ran something above them gave way, a loud sickening crunch caught all of their attention. Causing Rachael to stop in her tracks, and Taryn to slow down to look back at her friend.

“Taryn!” Isabella grabbed Taryn, pulling themselves forward after Isabella pushed Rachael back, causing her to fall a distance away just before the ceiling crashed, taking a piece of the floor with it. Leaving nothing but a sudden gaping hole between Rachael and Isabella who held Taryn close to her chest.

Taryn turned in Isabella’s hold and called out.

“Rachael are you okay!?”

“I… I’m fine.” She managed. Holy shit. She thought as she looked at the now gaping hole that was just three feet ahead of her. If Isabella didn’t push her when she did, Rachael would have been crushed. “Wh-what about you and Isabella?”

“We’re fine,” Taryn said as Isabella helped Taryn stand, and the three now looked at the new hole before them. “Damnit…”

And yet, Taryn didn’t move. Rachael realized why; Taryn didn’t want to leave her alone.

“I can head back to the memorial,” Rachael offered.

Taryn looked at her, faintly concerned about leaving her alone. “You sure?”

She nodded. “Y-yeah, it’s not like I could just jump over this hole in the floor like a Super Mario level. I’ll head back the way I came; I’ll be sure to keep my eye on the ceiling too. So you… you don’t have to worry.”

Still, Taryn hesitated.

“Taryn I’ll be fine on my own for a bit. Go and help your fellow explorers.”

She still didn’t seem all too keen on leaving Rachael, but Isabella wouldn’t let Taryn be by herself either. Only with a reluctant sigh, she gave in. “Alright, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” And then ran off with Isabella leaving Rachael to head back alone.

“Okay…” Rachael said to herself as she let out a slow breath. “I just need to head back. Easy… real easy.” She glanced at the hole. Wood, metal, and wires protruded from the hole like deadly spikes as she swallowed the lump in her throat. If she hadn’t stopped when she did, and if Isabella hadn’t pulled Taryn out of the way, they would have been severely injured, or worse, dead. Rachael shuddered at the thought. “Yeah okay… let’s get away from the hole.” She said to herself as she inched back.

Turning around Rachael walked back the way they came, looking in the abandoned rooms whenever she heard a sudden sound, only to see a rat or something had clattered to the tiled floor. Doing this by yourself is way different than with a group. She thought. She hadn’t been scared when she was with Taryn and the others, but then she wasn’t alone. The feeling of unease crept up her spine as she slowly made her way through the hall, and went slowly down the stairs, stopping in her tracks when she heard a creak of metal. “It’s just the building settling…” she told herself. “It’s not falling apart… It’s not falling apart.” When she finished going down the stairs, she let out a deep breath. “Okay… I’m good. I’m good.”

Rachael felt a sense of relief when she was back at the smaller entrance, back at the altar of photos, yet something was different. The keychain that she left as an offering was gone.

“What the… where’d it go?” She looked under the table but saw nothing. It couldn’t have just gotten up and moved on its own. So where did it go?

Rachael received her answer when she heard a low groaning creak of a door. Its hinges squeaked like nails on a chalkboard. A door that had originally been boarded up, but the planks of wood had fallen to the floor as if the nails had been removed one by one.

That was weird.

Hesitantly, Rachael walked over to the door, noting the stairs that led down.

This went to the basement.

She squatted down to get a better look without heading down the stairs. Through the long narrow hall, she saw something in the middle of the floor.

Her keychain.

Bewildered, Rachael looked back to the table. How in the world did it get from the table to the basement? It was even standing upright, facing her. Like someone had deliberately placed it there. Slowly Rachael stood, while mulling over what to do, she felt as if someone was behind her. Whirling around, she saw no one there.

Her breath came out in short bursts. This was starting to freak her out.

That was until she heard something clattering down the stairs.

“My phone!?” she said out loud in confusion as she grasped her sweater pocket where it had been originally. It must have fallen out when she turned around too quickly. It had happened before. But why now of all times?!

She looked back in the direction she came from then back to her phone, moving from foot to foot. She shouldn’t go down there. She shouldn’t go down there.

Damnit why’d it have to be her phone?!

She flinched when she heard a familiar ringtone.

Change the World the first opening from the anime Inuyasha.

The ringtone she chose for Taryn.

“Shit…” Rachael cursed under her breath.

Taryn was probably calling to see if she had gotten to the ground floor without any issues. Rachael didn’t move, and the ringing kept going until it stopped. And then started again.

Rachael cringed. “Damn it…” she cursed. “Don’t be pissed, Taryn.” Against her better judgment, she slowly made her way down the concrete steps, gripping the railing tightly as she did so as the ringing now went into its third loop. Taryn must have been really worried to be calling this much.

Given what was happening, who could blame her?

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Rachael quickly rushed over to pick up her phone. Yet the moment she went to answer, it stopped mid ring.

Did she hang up?

That was possible given that she and Isabella were trying to reach Damian and the others. Still, she needed to call her back and let Taryn know she was okay.

Rachael turned to head back up the stairs, going through her call log only to freeze in place at what she saw.

Taryn didn’t call her.

At all.

“Wha…?” was her only response. That didn’t make any sense. She heard her phone ringing. It rang four times in a row, she couldn’t have been hearing things. She even saw the screen flash with Taryn’s caller ID image. So then how?

But such questions would come to a halt when she heard the familiar groaning creak of that same door. The very door that led to this basement. It was closing.

No! With a gasp, Rachael ran up the stairs to stop it, but it was too late. The door had closed and to her horror. It was locked.

No matter how hard she tried the doorknob it wouldn’t budge.

She gripped the doorknob so hard her knuckles went white from how tightly she held it. There was no use, it wouldn’t open.

She was trapped.