5.

Gordon Chelmsford could have been someone who might have had it all. At twelve and thirteen his talent with a football was easily that of any other boy two or three years older than him. If he progressed in the way he had been heading, he would have been destined to become professional, surely capable to play at any top level in existence.

Things took a turn when he was fourteen. Mum, being a spiritualist, ran a group for likeminded souls in the community and a time came where she had organised a pilgrimage to the asylum. She was sure that she, and that group of hers, could cleanse that unholy place and ultimately save the town, as a whole, from the constant black cloud that hung over it.

On the grounds outside the asylum ... prayers were said in unison, sage was burned, crosses were held up. Things were pleasant and were all going well until Gordon's mum felt she needed to take things to next level. She wanted to take that group of hers inside and repeat what occurred outside. She was the only one, however, who was not reluctant to go inside.

Her peers thought her mad, they expected no more than what had already taken place. As determined as she was, mum went inside. Group members watched her enter; they had pleaded with her not to go in. Efforts were futile and in she went. Oddly, he entrance into the building went unhindered.

Minutes ticked by, then came the scream, a horrid wail so loud it surely woke the dead if they were not wakened already. The scream came a second time, a second wail, a wail equally or more horrid than the first. Emergency services were called for without delay. The worst had been feared.

Gordon's father, being a police officer and being aware to a degree of his wife's plans for the day, was to first to arrive on the scene. With it told of what had happened, Officer Chelmsford wasted little time with attempting to gain access to the building. Attempting is the word for it as he would be denied entry. The main entrance area was locked shut and nothing he tried got him anywhere. Apparently, that is where is wife had gained access.

He hurriedly moved around the building in an attempt to find some other kind of access point when a large glass panel he was checking out blew out, throwing him thirty feet. His acquired injuries were such, he needed twelve days in hospital. His wife never exited the building.

Gordon's mum was declared legally dead despite her body never being recovered. Dad spiralled. He never worked again. Station benefits and his wife's insurance policy ensured that finances were somewhat stable. Dad began to drink and he drank a lot. Gordon more or less looked after himself and soon enough he drank too.

Despite all that had come, would come, there are those who stood by Gordon, would stand by Gordon, out of friendship, out of loyalty, out of hope that someone would be there for them if they were in such a situation Gordon so happens to be in.

The big day came, the last Friday of the school year and school is out ... out for good for the senior year ... Thomas, Pierre, Claire, and Sophie made their way to the asylum. Sophie continued to express her doubts and Claire continued to reassure her all is well, there is nothing to fear.

Arriving to the asylum grounds, it more than appears the four friends are not the only ones here. It appears as if the whole school has been invited. The four friends make their way beyond the outer fencing that usually keeps folk of all sorts out. As the move on, mostly in silence, they observe those who are currently outside the venue.

One of those on the outside, and standing all by himself, with that ever so eerie look of his once again focused on Sophie, is Brad McGreevy. Looks like things have just got worse from Sophie's point of view.

'Who invited him?' asks Thomas just before he begins to move towards Brad to give him a piece of his mind.

'Please don't' says Sophie grabbing a hold of Thomas who, in turn, sees how nervy Sophie is.

At the building entrance, which appears to be very much open, stands Gordon Chelmsford, the now seventeen-year-old, soon to be eighteen-year-old Gordon . He finished the beer in his hand then crushes the can throwing it to the ground before moving to get all in Thomas's face.

'Go home' he says, 'all of you go home' he says to this group of four. Taking a step or two backwards, he raises his voice. 'Everyone go home ... none of you should be here. This ain't no holiday attraction ...'

Claire now takes a hold of Thomas. 'C'mon, let's just go inside' and the four friends do just that as Gordon apparently continues to lose the plot.

6.

Wednesday, tenth of February 1973. A father and his two young daughters, travelling in search of a hotel for the night, have gone astray. The come to a rather dark looking building. It is late and this place looks abandoned, still, there may be someone near who can provide directions. He brings the vehicle to a halt, ensures to leaving the lighting on.

'Now girls, dad is going to go get some directions, alright? I need you both to remain in the car and be on your very best behaviour ... is that understood?'

'Yes daddy' they both say in unison.

'I'll be as quick as I can ...'

He exits the vehicle and tentatively begins to move forward, takes about ten steps and gazes at that building a moment. He thinks twice about doing any more. There cannot be anyone here, surely it would be a waste of time, and possibly a bad idea too, to go any further. He returns to and gets into the car.

'I guess we're on our own ...' he says turning back to the girls, except the girls aren't there.

Neither of his daughters are sitting on the back seats. Where the hell did they go? He had not seen, or heard, them leave the vehicle. He had hardly been more than a few seconds getting out then back into the car. The girls were both wearing matching red cardigans. One of those cardigans is still in the car.

The panic is instant. This cannot be a moment to freeze in his seated position. Action is needed, immediately. He gets out of the car, searching the surroundings with his eyes, and there is no sign of the girls, no inclination as to where they may be. The silence is deathly.

'Alright girls, no time to be fooling daddy. ... Sophie ... Jennifer ... where are you?'

He begins to move in a direction most logical to where the girls may have gone. No more than ten steps are taken when a scream is let loose, a howling kind of wail that could easily be coming from one of his daughters. It sounds far away. This is cause for panic and worry to intensify, if it wasn't already hight enough.

Fairly soon a second howling wail sounds. Is this coming from within the building? It may just be. If a cemetery were to be indoors, then this might just be the most frightening cemetery of all. In he goes, as cautiously as he can, given the circumstances. It won't be long before his blood joins the blood of many others that stain the walls and floors of this doomed enclosure.

***

After that ever so brief first asylum encounter with that Gordon fellow, the group Thomas has entered the building with, needed to go find an area to claim as theirs. They'll need a space to claim as their own especially if the numbers joining the excursion were to increase significantly.

It is immediately clear that very little has been done to or with the place since the deathly night so long ago. Police tape which had cordoned off so many areas has been ripped apart and its dark yellow has long faded in many places, becoming a little greyed against the accompanying black, its caution warning having not cautioned anyone or anything. Something which has not faded much at all is what remains of death.

It's not all so inconceivable that any investigation to the goings on in this place, either original or subsequent, went through harrowing and unexplainable trauma so any kind of clean up or renovation was put off indefinitely. It had gone no further than the removal of Human remains.

At least one story of legend is clearly true. With it being so early in the day and with the many intact windows, moments of the past are clear to see. Blood spatter and spots where blood had pooled are clearly evident. There was death, and a lot of it. What Sophie would clearly notice is that the blood remains are darker in some areas over others; maybe more death had occurred here after the last night the asylum had been open for business? There are many stories of such, stories difficult to apply any credence to.

If there were further deaths, more recent deaths than that which occurred in 1953, shouldn't there be bodies to accompany them, well not necessarily, anything could have happened to the more recent remains. Having spoken her thoughts on what she sees, Sophie all the more does not wanna be here. The boys are intrigued by what they see and maybe Claire is also, and more than she'll probably admit too.

'This place is so cool right?' speaks Pierre.

Thomas feels the same excitement Pierre does. One thing Sophie only properly considers in this moment is the fact that since Claire and Thomas are together, is she expected to get with Pierre? No way, as far as Sophie is concerned. It's not so much that Pierre is all so bad, or anything of the likes, but this is in no way why she has come.

It might aid with warding off that Brad guy, if he were to think Sophie is seeing someone, still, Sophie has to a degree, no interest in doing anything she does not want to do. She doesn't want to be here, concession to point might prove worthy.

An area is found to settle into, away from the larger stains of death; completely escaping it is not so easy. That initial night must have been some night. 'Epic' as Thomas and Pierre would put it. The four friends sit, Sophie does so last, in a small room where a guest or two may once have stayed, ... and she removes a blanket from her brought belongings to ensure where she is sitting is untainted.

The air oddly enough is less pungent here in this spot, maybe this is a spot specifically set aside for Sophie, as if there had always been some sort of intent that sees her right here at this point in time. A stale and copper like stench had hit upon first entry though that has eased, either through acclamation or an easing off being further along inside.

A blonde-haired girl, possibly seventeen years old and smartly dressed, approaches and while staring directly at Sophie she speaks. Sophie looks up and smiles at first.

'Darkness follows you, you do know that?'

'Excuse me?'

Nothing else is spoken. That long blonde haired neatly dressed girl moves on.

'Who was that?' asks Claire.

'I have no idea' which is mostly true, for some odd reason, the name Jennifer comes to Sophie, and she is at a loss as to why this may be so.

'Well, she was talking to you.'

'I know, I saw ...'

'See how oddly she looks too?' says Pierre, 'she looks out of time, like she is from the sixties or something not far from it.'

'Yeah, and see her cardigan,' says Thomas. 'Blood red, so it is.'

The other three stop and look directly as him. 'What? ... Just saying ya know.'

What he had just spoken makes Thomas once again think of that Gordon fellow, who at the moment thankfully is not anywhere close-by. Hopefully his currant toxicity will keep him away.

Snacks and soft drinks are had before Claire gets up to begin wandering a little. She comes close to a window, and something grabs her attention.

'Guys, come here and have a look at this will ya?'

Wanting to quickly get a glimpse of something good, the two boys fight one another as they attempt to get to their feet and to the window before the other. This has Sophie shaking her head with a kind of boys will be boys lack of understanding. What Sophie herself soon sees out that window has her forgetting any thoughts of recent death having taking place in the building she is to spend the next few days in. There is something quite reminiscent of death outside that window.

There is a man outside dressed in black just standing there, a possible reaper perhaps, or a messenger of death. His black hat, long black jacket, black slacks and black shoes remind Sophie of the guy she bumped into a few days' prior. This may not be the same guy for she did not see his face on that first occasion.

She had heard his voice though and of course, if that guys outside so happened to be talking, which he wasn't, he'd be too far away and blocked by glass to be able to hear such a voice.

This man, he does look like death itself, his face colourless, quite decrepit looking. He looks as frightening as anything else this building may hold. If a reaper has come to Sophie, then has he come twice? Has he come for her?

The man in black turns and begins to leave, with a walk as deathly as his appearance is. Has a warning of sorts come not only Sophie's way but also the way of every other soul either having already arrived to or about to arrive to death's front door?

'Shit' speaks Pierre. 'Anyone think he is gonna tell?'

'Hope not' answers Thomas.

'Everything alright?' Claire asks of Sophie putting a hand on Sophie's shoulder. 'Maybe we should go home.'

'No' says Sophie coming out of some kind of a momentary trance like state. 'We should stay right here. We are right where we are meant to be.'

Claire, Thomas, and Pierre are all speechless as they just stand there and watch Sophie as she returns to her blanket, once again returning taking up a seated position, to then go on and have herself some more of the goodies all four friends have brought. Jointly having an 'alright that was strange' moment, seated company is soon re-joined.

The idea of this trip is now looking all the less of a good idea no matter who it was who had it and especially if it had been Thomas. This is not how it should be going. It should be something fun. This moment, and the one which preceded it, certainly is not ... fun. Things can only get better from here on in, right?