The October wind cuts through your jacket as you stand with the others at the rusted gates of Old Salem Village State Hospital. The massive brick building rises like a tomb against the darkening sky, its central tower reaching toward clouds that promise rain. Christa hefts a backpack full of cheap vodka and beer, the bottles clinking.
"See? Told you the new kid would show," Christa says, not quite looking at you. "Right through here. The fence has been cut for years."
David pulls the chain-link aside, creating an opening. "Security only checks the main building twice a night. We just need to avoid their flashlights."
The group squeezes through one by one. Eva wrinkles her nose at the rust stains on her designer jacket. Preston helps Christa with her backpack, earning himself a rare smile. Rebecca's already halfway to the building, practically vibrating with excitement.
The hospital's facade is worse up close. Paint peels in sheets like dead skin. Most windows are boarded, but some gape open, their darkness absolute. Graffiti covers the lower walls. Someone has spray-painted 'STAY OUT' over older tags reading 'hell mouth' and 'they still scream.'
"Kirkbride Building first," Christa announces. "That's where the really crazy ones were kept. Then we'll hit the tunnels if everyone's not too chicken."
Ellie giggles nervously. "Did you bring flashlights?"
David pulls out his phone. "Got it covered. There's no signal once we're inside though. Tower doesn't reach."
The group looks at you expectantly. This is your chance to prove you belong, but something about the building feels wrong. The windows seem to track your movement, and you swear you hear something that isn't wind whistling through the broken glass.
