Disclaimer: I do not own Redrum. Redrum is a hidden-object horror game developed by Anarchy Enterprises. I only own the OC characters.

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"What the actual fuck?!"

Ravenwood's expression had turned from confused to frustrated in the span of five seconds. He didn't expect that on his mission to kill Fraud that he would run across the last people he would want to see in this place. If he had hair, he would be pulling it out right now.

Maddie and Rose stood at the entrance to the office, the older girl having the audacity to appear just as surprised as he was. Rose, on the other hand, was oddly unfazed. A suspicious red stain glared on the front of her dress, but other than that, they looked completely normal.

Maddie raised an eyebrow at him. "I think I should be asking you that, Detective," she shot back. That made the old war veteran splutter. "You two shouldn't be here," he hissed, a vein popping out on his forehead. "It's too dangerous."

"You shouldn't be here, either." Maddie crossed her arms, sticking out her hip. "We heard about the hearing earlier today. It was pretty stupid of you to come here by yourself."

Ravenwood felt a retort building up, but he realized it would be no use. Maddie was right, in a way. He had no idea what sort of paranormal shit was going on, and these two were the best equipped to handle it. But he would be damned if he let them go off on their own.

"How did you know I was here?" the detective asked. Rose stepped forward then. "We followed your tire tracks, Uncle," the girl answered, staring him dead in the eye. "You really are a terrible driver."

Maddie snorted. This kid was something else. Finding the detective unamused, she turned her gaze back to him, dead serious. "Since you're here, I'm assuming you have a plan?"

"I do have a plan. Kill Fraud."

The brunette unfolded her arms, exasperated. "That's it?" she inquired. "Might as well have a better chance pissing at a target."

"You got any better ideas?" Ravenwood huffed. He was surprised to see Rose nodding her head to his question. "He's hiding," she said. "He'll hide for as long as he can."

"How can we draw him out?" the detective asked. Rose turned back towards the main atrium of the asylum. "His victims will lead us to him," she said. "They need our help."

With nothing else that they could do, Maddie and Ravenwood followed the girl. The main lobby mirrored the rest of the building. Ugly, gray stone. Vines had their hold on anything they could reach. The light from the moon shone brightly through the window above, casting the gargoyle in the middle in an ominous shadow. The fountain itself had run dry.

There were a few things embedded in the vines at the base of the fountain that caught the detective's eye. He knelt and shifted the plants aside, picking up the aged piece of paper. It was the written and signed confession that put Fraud away six months ago. From what he recalled, there was only the original copy. How had it gotten here? He rummaged through the vines again, until he came across a small book. He picked it up and dusted it off. His eyes widened once he glimpsed the cover.

He straightened up and faced the two girls, who were scouring the entrance to the west wing. "Rose!" he called. The girl whipped around to face him, eyes widening once she noticed the book in his hands. She strode up to him quickly, Maddie right on her heels. "My diary!" she exclaimed. "Why is it here?" She took it from her uncle's grasp, flipping through the pages to make sure it was genuine. Maddie looked over her shoulder. "I don't understand," the black-haired girl mumbled.

"That's creepy," Maddie stated. "Why would he keep a little girl's diary? Unless this is an obsession, which would make it even creepier."

Rose pursed her lips, closing the diary. "We'll figure this out later," she said, surprisingly calm. "We need to help the others."

"Others?" Ravenwood questioned. "What others? You mean there are more?"

Rose fixed him with her gaze, giving a sharp nod. "Of course, there are more." She turned back towards the west wing, striding confidently. "It's this way," she beckoned. "I saw it in a dream."

Ravenwood rushed forward, opting to be the one to go in first. Drawing his gun, the girls huddled behind them as they inched their way deeper into the asylum. Surprisingly, the west corridor was wide open, while the east was locked. A strange relief of a skull was embedded in the door. Inside the corridor, there were two rooms, both locked with an emblem of an analog clock. A signpost was stuck in the middle of the passage between the two rooms. An analog clock rested against the base of the post.

Rose walked forward, picking up the clock. "This should help us get started," she said triumphantly. Maddie peered up at the signs, which held newspaper clippings in place of street names. The one on the left detailed how a yoga instructor had twisted her body in impossible positions, breaking her bones and rupturing her organs. The one on the right showed an artist's descent into madness, using people's blood as paint.

"So, he's labeling them, like cattle?" the brunette scoffed. "Typical." She scanned the room they were all in. Black pipes and machines she didn't recognize snaked across the ceiling, leading into their respective rooms. A green liquid was being pumped through them. She shuddered at the implication.

In truth, she didn't want to come back here. Fraud had certainly left his impression on her. She was afraid to see what the bastard planned to do with her. She had nightmares about it all the time. She kept telling herself that it would all be worth it once she kicked his ass. He was just a man, after all.

Rose approached the door on the left, sliding the clock into its slot. A light on the door changed from red to green, sliding open once the mechanism was unlocked. They all steeled themselves, bracing for what they would find.

It was truly one of the most horrifying things they had ever witnessed.

A young woman was strapped into a gurney, unconscious. Her head was shaved, allowing the tube embedded in her forehead to continuously feed green serum directly into her frontal lobe. It was obvious the woman was gripped with extreme terror, her limbs twitching and spasming.

"What in the fresh hell is this?" the detective breathed, his mind trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Maddie was utterly speechless, covering her mouth with her hands. Rose, however, kept her determined demeanor, positioning herself at the woman's bedside. "He tried to do this to me, too," she said, taking a hold of the woman's hand. The other two occupants stared at her. "What?" Maddie asked, horrified. The younger girl continued. "I remember being taken to a room like this. It's the room where he gave me bad dreams."

Maddie couldn't help but clench her fists. It had been discovered that the patented serum developed by Fraud was a powerful hallucinogen, one that left traumatic psychological scars. According to Rose, however, it was so much more than that. It was a serum that transported the victim's consciousness to a place called the Nightmare Realm, a place where the person's deepest fears come to life. Fraud had been using his patients as test subjects, harnessing their souls inside the Nightmare Realm to prolong his own life. However, the only people who knew the truth of this was her, Rose, and Ravenwood. It would be impossible to physically prove that a place like the Nightmare Realm existed.

Swallowing, Maddie sidled up to the woman's other side, positioning herself next to her head. A rag doll was out of place, tucked into the crook of the woman's neck. There were three areas marked on the doll's body with stitched red X's. Upon further inspection, the young brunette spotted a syringe filled with green serum lying on the floor just at her feet. She held back a shiver, deciding that she would deal with that later. She glanced at the woman's face, then at Rose. "So, how do we free her?" she asked.

Rose directed her bright, green gaze to a get-well card that laid on the woman's bare abdomen. A particularly gruesome scene played out on the front. "That's her nightmare," the girl explained. "We just have to go inside and free her."

Ravenwood blinked. "How do we do that?" Rose smiled up at him. "That's why I'm here," she said, holding out her hand. She extended her other hand across the convulsing woman towards Maddie. They both took her hands, wondering how this was supposed to work. "Now, remember," Rose told them, expression serious, "if you die in there, your soul is trapped forever. Whatever you do, only follow the path that I take. And don't touch anything." She glanced at each one in turn to make sure they understood. "Ready? Now, close your eyes."

Maddie did as she was instructed, apprehensive about what she would see when she opened them again.

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Author's Note: Next chapter, just like I promised. Hopefully this part will be longer than the last one. More interesting too.

Recently got tested for the virus. I pray that it's just allergies. I'll be fine, I swear.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower