As Alpha watched them on the monitor, he smirked. "Hoh, they finally made it there, huh? I can't wait for them to see the tape," he muttered, amusement dancing in his eyes. He continued to watch as they had their fun, using wheelchairs to race around.

...

Kenia's Side

The group laughed and whooped as they raced through the hallways in wheelchairs, their carefree joy echoing through the empty space. They eventually reached an auditorium, their laughter bouncing off the walls.

Vincent, seated in a wheelchair, exclaimed, "This place is amazing. The freaks had their own auditorium."

Everyone chuckled at his comment.

"Can you imagine those guys up there putting on their own play?" Vincent continued, a grin on his face. "It gives a whole new meaning to the term freak show."

Kyle, also in a wheelchair, added, "Yeah, I bet everyone was a variation of the Elephant Man."

Kenia, still in her wheelchair, picked up a tape and said, "Hey, they watched movies here."

Daniel stood up from his wheelchair, noticing the tape in Kenia's hand. "Hey, let me see that," he said, moving closer.

Claire, in her own wheelchair, chimed in, "Okay, movie time."

"Shall I fire it up?" Daniel asked, looking around.

"Yeah!" everyone responded enthusiastically.

As Daniel walked away to set up the tape, he joked, "Who's up for popcorn?"

A chorus of "Whoo!" and raised hands followed his question.

[Clattering]

[Film Rattling]

The group settled into their wheelchairs, eyes fixed on the big screen. The atmosphere shifted from playful to serious as they watched the film, which depicted a disfigured figure being experimented on and locked up.

Sara muttered, "They're just creepy."

Bridget, shaking her head as she watched, said, "I think it's kind of sad. I wonder what happened to them."

"Yeah," Kenia agreed, her eyes still on the screen.

Lauren broke the silence, her voice thoughtful. "You know, I remember this place now."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"My brother used to scare the shit out of me when I was a little girl," Lauren continued, her voice dropping slightly. "He'd tell me stories about the hillbillies."

Kenia leaned in, curious. "What stories?"

Lauren continued, "He said there was a bunch of inbred West Virginia hillbillies..." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the big screen. "...that got rounded up way back when-"

"Ew," Bridget interjected, wrinkling her nose.

Lauren pressed on, "...and locked up in this old hospital."

"Oh, my God," Kenia muttered, her eyes wide with shock.

"They're deformed 'cause they kept on screwing each other," Lauren explained.

"Ew," Bridget repeated, shaking her head in disgust.

Lauren's gaze shifted to the group. "He said that's not all they did to each other."

Sara smiled awkwardly, "What else?"

"They ate each other. Cannibals," Lauren said, her eyes returning to the big screen.

"Are you serious?" Sara asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"That's bullshit," Kenia declared, shaking her head.

"Yeah, right," Kyle added, rolling his eyes.

"That's an urban legend," Kenia insisted.

Lauren looked directly at Kenia. "He'd tell me the stories every time we drove through Greenbrier County."

The room fell silent as everyone pondered Lauren's words, the eerie atmosphere of the auditorium pressing in on them. The film continued to play on the screen, showing more horrific images of the past, adding weight to Lauren's unsettling story.

Vincent broke the silence with a chuckle. "Well, whether it's true or not, it sure makes for one hell of a ghost story, huh?"

The group laughed nervously, trying to shake off the creeping dread that Lauren's tale had instilled in them. The once playful atmosphere had turned somber, and the shadows in the room seemed to grow longer and darker.

Daniel, having finished with the video setup, walked towards the group and declared, "Show's over, folks."

Vincent stretched and agreed, "Yeah."

Daniel continued, "I don't know about you guys, but I am going to bed." He then turned to Lauren, extending his hand. "Lauren?"

Lauren stood up and joined Daniel, taking his hand.

Vincent looked at Jenna. "Hey, Jenna? Wanna go?"

Jenna smiled. "That's a good idea."

Daniel echoed, "Let's go, baby," as they started to make their way to the sleeping quarters.

Bridget turned to her girlfriend, Sara, with a mischievous grin. "Wanna do something naughty?"

Sara laughed and replied, "I like that, girl."

As the group began heading towards the wards to sleep, Sara called out, "Hey, who wants to run the stairs with me in the morning? Anyone?"

Kenia shook her head. "Wake and exercise? I think I'll sleep in."

Kyle, carrying Claire piggyback, added, "Us too."

Everyone laughed as they made their way to their respective rooms, the earlier tension from the unsettling story easing into the comfortable camaraderie of friends.

The group split up, heading to their rooms in the old sanatorium. The once eerie building now seemed a little less intimidating with the lights on and their laughter echoing through the halls. Little did they know, danger still lurked in the shadows, biding its time for the right moment. For now, though, they were just a group of friends enjoying a night of spooky fun and camaraderie.

....

Adam Wilson's POV

[Wind Howling]

In the tent, the relentless storm outside howled, battering against the thin fabric. Porter, restless, broke the silence.

"Adam, are you not going to sleep?" Porter asked, his voice a mix of concern and fatigue.

I glanced at him, "I will."

Porter sighed, "I'm gonna sleep now." He paused, looking at me once more. "Are you really sure that they won't die? My friends and my girlfriend, Kenia?"

I met his gaze, trying to offer reassurance. "I told you, those motherfuckers won't touch them. For now, maybe..."

Porter, seemingly satisfied but still worried, sighed again. "Okay, fine." He settled into his sleeping bag, his eyes slowly closing.

As I watched Porter drift off to sleep, my mind raced with uncertainty and determination. "I don't know what might happen to your friends or your girlfriend, but we will save them. Maybe not all of them, but we'll try."

The storm raged on, and I looked out into the darkness, waiting for the chaos to subside. Every second felt like an eternity, but I knew I had to be patient. The safety of Porter's friends depended on our next move. As the wind howled and the storm showed no sign of letting up, I steeled myself for the battle ahead.

.....

1 PM

Vincent, restless and unable to sleep, was quietly dressing himself.

[Rustling]

Jenna stirred from her sleep, blinking groggily. "What are you doing?"

Vincent turned to her, "I can't sleep. I'm gonna go explore."

Jenna yawned and warned, "Okay. Don't go messing with anybody. They're asleep and it's so not cool."

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Vincent nodded, "I get it. I won't." He walked over to her, leaned down, and kissed her gently. "I promise."

Satisfied, Jenna closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep as Vincent exited their room.

As Vincent wandered the dimly lit hallways, he peeked into each patient ward. He saw his friends, sprawled out and sound asleep, oblivious to his presence. As he moved from room to room, he stumbled upon a ward where Bridget and Sara were still awake.

Bridget and Sara were naked, passionately kissing and making love, their bodies intertwined in the dim light. Vincent, caught off guard, couldn't help but stare, feeling a surge of arousal.

Sara noticed him watching and laughed, a teasing glint in her eyes. Vincent chuckled awkwardly, giving them a nod before continuing down the hallway, leaving the two girls to their intimate moment.

His curiosity piqued, Vincent continued his exploration, the old sanatorium's eerie silence punctuated only by the occasional broken only by the creaking floorboards under his feet.

As Vincent wandered through the dimly lit hallways, he noticed a shadowy figure in the distance.

"Hey, you!" Vincent called out, shining his flashlight in the direction of the shadow. "Who's there?"

He walked cautiously, scanning his surroundings. "You better not be playing with me, dude! I'll beat the shit out of you!"

As he approached, Vincent thought he recognized the figure. "Porter, is that you?"

Drawing closer, he said, "Porter, when did you get here?"

Feeling a mix of relief and irritation, Vincent added, "Holy shit. You scared the hell out of me, man. This place is great, isn't it?"

He reached out to pat the figure on the back, but as the man turned around, Vincent froze in horror. It wasn't Porter. It was a disfigured figure with a grotesque appearance.

"Holy fuck!" Vincent exclaimed, his voice trembling.

Before he could react, the disfigured figure, identified as Six Fingers, swung a bat at Vincent, striking him hard and rendering him unconscious.

As Vincent lay on the floor, another figure approached. It was Alpha, the red-eyed leader of the disfigured group.

"Don't kill him yet, Six Fingers," Alpha commanded, his voice calm yet menacing.

Six Fingers nodded in acknowledgment.

Alpha smirked, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. "Good. I want these guys to witness a grand spectacle execution." He chuckled darkly, reveling in the anticipation of the terror yet to come.

...

6 AM

I woke up just as the first light of dawn began to filter through the canvas of our tent. Beside me, Porter stirred, still bleary-eyed from sleep.

"Let's go," I said, my voice low but urgent.

Porter blinked, confusion evident on his face. "Go where?"

"To find the sanatorium," I replied, my determination clear.

Porter nodded, understanding dawning on him. "Right, let's get moving."

Porter packed his bags swiftly, ensuring he had everything he needed for the journey ahead. The morning air was chilly and fresh, holding the promise of a new day filled with uncertainty.

When we stepped outside the tent, we entered the calm tranquility of the early morning forest. The sun had just started to rise, painting the trees with a golden light. Birds chirped gently in the distance, and It's still storming but not as fuck up before.

As we ventured into the forest,the morning mist added to the surreal atmosphere, lingering low around us. The trail we followed was narrow and meandering, often hard to see where bushes had taken over. I led the way, feeling both determined and anger ready to kill those fucker

.....

As Jenna woke up in the morning, her immediate concern was for Vincent, who had gone exploring the previous night.

"Vincent?" Jenna called out, scanning their room. But he wasn't there.

Meanwhile, in another room, Claire and Kyle were dealing with the aftermath of a night of smoking weed.

"We're almost out of weed," Claire sighed, examining their stash.

Kyle chuckled, "That's 'cause you smoked it all last night."

Looking for his shirt, Kyle asked, "Where's my shirt?"

Claire, still searching, replied, "I don't know," before finding it and handing it to him.

"Thank you," Kyle said appreciatively.

"You're welcome," Claire replied casually.

In Kenia's room, Jenna approached her anxiously. "Hey, have you seen Vincent?"

Kenia shook her head. "No," she answered, concern evident in her voice.

"He went exploring last night, and I can't find him," Jenna explained worriedly.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Kenia responded, "You haven't seen him since last night?"

"No," Jenna confirmed.

Kenia assured her, "Well, he's got to be around here somewhere."

"I know," Jenna replied, relieved to have Kenia's support.

"This place is so huge," Kenia remarked as they started searching each room.

"Yeah," Jenna agreed with a sigh.

Spotting Kyle and Claire, Jenna called out to them, "Hey, guys, have you seen Vincent?"

Kyle shook his head, "Not since last night, no."

Claire echoed, "No."

Jenna looked concerned, "No?"

Claire apologized, "Oh..."

Lauren and Daniel emerged from their room just then.

"We're, uh... We're looking for Vincent," Kenia informed them.

Daniel shrugged, "Haven't seen him. And also I wouldn't worry about it, guys. We're not going anywhere."

He placed a reassuring hand on Lauren's waist and added, "Have you seen it out there? It's snowing like crazy."

Footsteps approached, and Sara and Bridget joined the group, having finished their workout.

Jenna turned to Sara urgently, "Hey, Sara, have you seen Vincent?"

Sara, still catching her breath, nodded. "Yes."

"Really? Where is he?" Jenna asked eagerly.

Sara admitted, "I saw him last night doing his peeping tom bit. He was watching me and Bridget."

The group chuckled nervously at Sara's revelation.

Jenna pressed on, "What about this morning?"

Sara shook her head, "I haven't seen him. I've been running for the last hour."

Kyle suggested, "Let's eat. Breakfast, anyone?"

Before anyone could respond, a loudspeaker crackled to life somewhere in the sanatorium, startling everyone.

"Mic test, mic test... Do you hear me?" a voice called out through the speakers, causing confusion among the group.

Then, the voice continued, "Anyway, all of you should go to the auditorium. You'll see something wonderful."

"Help"

Recognizing the voice, they realized it was Vincent.

"Guys, help me!!!" Vincent's panicked voice echoed through the speaker.

Shock and fear gripped everyone as they exchanged worried glances.

Everyone was left wondering: What had happened to Vincent? Who was the mysterious person behind the distressing announcement? And why had they taken Vincent away? These questions consumed their thoughts as they grappled with the sudden and alarming situation.

Find out in the Next Chapter

To be continue