Warning: This story and all characters, events, and anything as well as everything depicted or in the story in any way is under sole ownership of myself, Dustin Smith. Any attempt to steal my work in any way or any part of it will come to immediate legal action. Thank you! =)

Chapter 3

Lily and Sarah got into Claire’s car. Lily started the engine and was about to drive away when she looked up and saw the Reaper coming from the exit that she and Sarah had used to get out. She was worried about what had happened to Claire. She had enough trust in Claire though that she went ahead and listened to Claire and backed up and sped away from the mental hospital. Lily and Sarah were now on their way back to Dawn and to Sarah’s old house. It was now night time easily and it was raining extremely hard as Lily drove. Sarah could see the fear and concern on Lily’s face. “Lily. I understand why you’re worried and scared. I am too. I just want to say thank you for getting me out of that hospital. Thank you for everything you’re doing. I know you’re worried about Claire. I just met her but; I’m worried about her to. She’s strong, as are you and I’m sure she is fine. She’s probably looking for a way back to Dawn by now.” “I hope your right, Sarah. I’m just so scared. I’m still trying to figure out what is going on.” There was a brief silence. “Sarah, you’re probably right. I’m sure Claire is fine, right?” Lily began crying but, she kept her focus on the road. “Yes, she’s fine, Lily. I’m sure she’s fine.”

Lily was flying down the road at 90m.p.h. She thought about slowing down being that it was raining but, she didn’t want the Reaper getting any closer to her and Sarah than he already was. Lily wasn’t sure what to think. One moment she was going with her best friend to college and next thing you know she’s running for her life unsure whether or not her best friend was alive or dead. “When we get there and you talk to your daughter, then what Sarah?” “I’m unsure what you mean.” “I mean what next. Where do I or we depending on what happens, go next? I mean we can’t very well go to the police.” “I suppose we see what my daughter has to say first, and then we decide what to do next.” They drove the rest of the way till they finally made it to Sarah’s old house. Once there they got out of the car, locked it, and headed inside the house.

Lily and Sarah went into Samantha’s room and closed the door behind them. Samantha appeared once again having sensed their presence. “Mommy, I’m so happy to see you again!” “It’s great to see you again to my beautiful daughter!” “Thank you, Lily an- wait. Where’s Claire?” Lily looked with a grim face. She had just stopped crying. “I’m not sure. The last that we saw she was staring the Reaper down and buying us the time we needed to get out of the mental hospital. I don’t know if she’s alive or… well, you know.” “I’m sorry to hear that, Lily. I wish there was some way I could help but, well I can’t go there and the only other thing I can do is pass on. If there is any way that I could be of help then I ask that you would please tell me just how I can repay the favor.” Lily began thinking. “Do you know what the connection is between the Reaper, Deserai, and the clock tower in DeSalvo?” “No, I’m sorry.” “Is there anyway that you could tell me if Claire’s alive or not?” “Wait one moment.” Samantha tried to sense Claire’s energy. “I’m sorry but, I can’t feel her.” “Does that mean…” “No! It doesn’t mean that she’s alive or dead. It only means I can’t sense her.” “You could earlier though.” “Relax, Lily. I know how much Claire means to you. She’s like family to you.” Lily began crying. “She is. Now I have no idea what to do or where to go next and the Reaper is probably coming here to look for us as we speak.”

Sarah broke into the conversation. “Lily, stop crying. I may know something that might help point you in the right direction.” Lily stopped crying. “Really? What?” “There is a local legend in the town of DeSalvo that parents would tell us when we were kids about the clock tower. The legend spoke of the man in black who would wander the clock tower. The man in black was also known as the shadow man. It was said that he waited for little kids to come up so he could kill them and devour their souls. It was also said that the clock tower held the answer to ridding DeSalvo of the shadow man. The Shadow Man as he was known was a murderer from many years ago who lured kids into the clock tower and killed them. He used to eat their hearts. It was believed by many back then that to eat ones heart was to steal their soul, thus was born the notion of him devouring their souls. The Shadow Man isn’t the Reaper so please don’t get the two confused. The legend itself as I’ve just explained is based on a real killer from many years ago who was never caught. I however, do feel he still lurks up there. I could feel him up there when I used to go up there as a child.” “Okay, so your recommending we go to DeSalvo to try and kill a shadow man who there is a good chance would try and kill us and devour our souls. I’m just curious how this is going to help us find Claire or stop the Reaper from finding and killing us?”

“Well, you said that the Reaper is connected to Deserai and DeSalvo somehow, right?” “Yes.” “Well, in the legend it also speaks of the Reaper. It is said that the shadow man holds information to the identity of the Reaper and by killing him and killing him only will he give you that information.” “So, you’re telling me that the Reaper and the Shadow Man are somehow connected?” “Yes.” “You’re sure of this?” “The Reaper is real enough isn’t he?” “I see your point. How far is DeSalvo from here?” “200 miles from here, it sits 50 miles from Deserai.” Lily seemed to be staring off in deep thought. “Hey, Lily, is something wrong?” She snapped out of her thought. “Oh, I’m sorry; I just remembered something our professor told us about when he used to work on the force. The old mining factory in Deserai also holds something that might help us. It holds something that might kill the Reaper. Problem is, the only person who would have the key at this point is my professor and I’m not even sure if he still has it or if he would let me have it if I asked. Now you tell me of DeSalvo and the Shadow Man, as well as the connection to the Reaper he has and I’m just not sure where I should go first.”

Samantha broke back into the conversation. “Mother, could you not go with her and help her?” “Oh, of course my daughter, I already planned on going with her.” “You did?” “It’s the least I could do for your letting me see my daughter again and for helping her pass on in doing so. Not to mention you saved my life. You really didn’t expect me to stay here and let you go to DeSalvo and take on the Shadow Man alone, did you?” Lily smiled. “Of course not, I don’t know what I was thinking.” “It’s alright, your going through a tough time Lily. Listen mother, I’m going to pass on now. I love you and wish you and Lily the best. I hope to see you many years down the road when you pass on. Good bye.” A bright light appeared and without another word Samantha walked into the light and finally passed on. After that the light disappeared and Lily and Sarah left the house and got into the car. “Where are we going then, Lily?” Lily looked at the clock and it read 2:00a.m. “DeSalvo, to the old clock tower.” With that they drove away and headed for DeSalvo and the clock tower.
The pain in Claire’s head was still there when she awoke from her collapse. It had however, dulled down enough for her to move on. Claire stood up and looked around. She waited a little bit and the blurring of her vision finally went away along with the dizziness she was feeling. Then Claire snapped too fully. She remembered the receptionist and everything from before. “Lily, Sarah! I need to get out of here and find them quick!” Claire ran to the desk and turned left. She headed for the exit and tried to open the door. It wouldn’t open at all. It wasn’t until she turned around and went to the front desk that she realized that the receptionist’s body was missing. The hospital had its color back however; it looked much older than before. It looked as though it had aged greatly since she passed out. Seeing no other way out Claire headed down the hall slowly. “Hello. Is anyone else in here?” There was no answer. As Claire headed down the hall she heard the rain pouring down outside.

She stopped and looked out of a window that wasn’t there before. “That’s odd. This wasn’t here before. Come to think of it, this whole place has changed.” Claire couldn’t see out of the window because the rain was pouring too hard outside. She turned around and continued down the hall. When she reached the end she turned right and headed further down another hall. She noticed that all the doors to the cells were still open and appeared to be completely abandoned. It looked as though no one had been in the hospital for years. As Claire continued down the hallway she stopped when she heard what sounded like chains dragging down the hall and then she heard a cackling resonate through the halls. She began shaking from the extremely cold air that resonated through the whole mental hospital.

A mysterious wind blew from nowhere in the hall and in the wind Claire heard her name. “Claire” it said. “Claire.” “What. Who are you!” “Claire” the voice in the wind continued. Then a pipe organ began playing, though she couldn’t tell where from. It sounded as though it was coming from upstairs. Claire continued down the hall until she heard her name called by a different voice. The voice of a child, standing in front of Claire was the ghost of a little girl. “Hello, what’s your name?” The little girl’s ghost simply responded “Beware! Beware! The bad lady lurks and waits. Beware! Beware! Or you’ll be the next life she takes. After that the little girl vanished right before Claire’s eyes.

“The bad lady, wait! Who is the bad lady? Who are you?” Claire was now lost, scared, and confused. She knew she needed to find a way out of the mental hospital fast or she wouldn’t be able to stop the Reaper from finding Lily and Sarah. She grew worried as she continued to walk down the hallway. What was going on? How was she going to get out? Were Lily and Sarah even still alive? These were just a few questions she wanted answered and as she continued walking she wondered if she would even make it out of the mental hospital alive. For all she knew the Reaper was still in the hospital. She doubted it though. He probably would’ve come back and tried to kill her already if he was still around. She felt comfort in the fact that if he wasn’t back than chances were he hadn’t gotten to Lily and Sarah yet.

When she got to the next set of cells she stopped. In cell 101 there was a journal sitting on one of the benches. Claire walked in and grabbed the journal. She began reading it.

What’s going on? How’d I get here? One moment I was sleeping in my cell and the next I awake to this place. How terrifying this is! I met this little girl. She looked translucent, like a ghost. Did I just meet a ghost? I tried to talk to her but all she said was Beware! Beware! The bad lady lurks and waits. Beware! Beware! Or you’ll be the next life she takes. That was it. Who is this bad lady? So many questions and not enough answers. Oh well, I guess the only thing left to do is try and find a way out for now.

“There’s no name? I wonder who’s this is? Well, that was real helpful. I wonder if he’s still in here.” Claire turned around to leave the cell, wondering if who wrote that entry was still here and alive. She wasn’t sure if that person’s being alive would be a good or a bad thing. When Claire reached the cell door it slammed shut and locked itself.
“WHAT! NO! HELP! HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP!” Claire began banging on the window, but it was no use as the window suddenly iced over and the room grew extremely cold. Claire turned around and looked for another exit, but, there wasn’t one. Then she saw a translucent figure appear before her. It was an old looking man in a white suit with chains wrapped around him. “L-L-Li-Listen! M-My D-Dear! The only way out of here is by FREEING ME!!!!! PLEASE!!!” Claire didn’t trust him. “NO!!!! GO AWAY!!!”

Claire leaned up against the door and pressed her back against it as much as she could. The spirit still wrapped in chains came up to her face but, couldn’t get any closer because of the chains. He gnashed at her with his teeth but couldn’t get to her. Claire turned her head and closed her eyes tightly. She prayed silently that she could get out of the mental hospital alive and she thought back at how life was before all of this. Suddenly, the door unlocked and slid open. Claire fell and landed on her back but, immediately got and began running as far as she could down the hall. She stopped when she heard the door slam shut and a loud scream resonated through the hall. When Claire turned to continue walking down the hall all of the cell doors began opening and shutting. Claire began running in a panic down the hall. She raced further and deeper into the hallway!

Claire stopped suddenly! Down the hall she could see someone fading in and out coming towards her! Then they stopped fading in and out and started walking toward Claire slowly. Claire walked slowly toward the figure. She soon realized that the figure walking toward her was a woman standing at 5ft. 9in. with long blond hair. She was wearing high heels and a nurse uniform. It was the nurse from the front desk that the Reaper had killed. In her right hand was a knife. Claire wasn’t sure what to do. She could turn and run but she would only wind up in a dead end so she decided to face the nurse. Claire watched closely as the nurse walked toward her. Claire prepared to fight back but, when the nurse got halfway down the hall she phased out and vanished.

Claire waited but, nothing. She relaxed for a moment and was going to continue down the hall when hands shot up from the floor and grabbed Claire. They held her tight and then the nurse appeared in front of Claire. She raised the knife into the air and went to stab Claire when a knife shot out from her chest. The nurse phased out and disappeared and the knife she had fell to the floor. The hands released Claire and went back into the floor. Standing in front of Claire was a man with a long black trench coat. He wore a black shirt under the coat and black cargo pants. He also wore black combat boots. He had long black hair and blue eyes and stood at 6ft tall. “Are you alright?” “Yes. Who are you?” “My name is Jack Crimson. What’s your name?” “Claire, Claire Winfield. Thank you for saving my life.” “It was nothing, really. This place is dangerous.” “Yeah, I noticed. So how long have you been trapped here.” “Long enough, how long have you been trapped here?” “I’m unsure; I passed out and woke up here.” “I see. I came back because I heard someone screaming. That was you, right?” “Yes.” “Good. Sometimes you can’t tell in this place whether it’s someone who’s alive or dead.” “You’ve met others that are still alive!” “Very few, those that I did though usually continued on their own. I offered to help but, they refused.”

“I can’t really say I blame them though because, if I were them I wouldn’t trust anyone in this place.” “Well, I need help out of here. Could you help me find a way out?” “Of course, Claire, follow me.” Jack then turned and continued down the hall and Claire followed. She truthfully wasn’t sure if she should trust Jack at all. He did save her life but, she wondered if he had another reason for doing so. Either way she really had no choice but to go with him for the time being. He seemed to know his way around and he still saved her life regardless of what reason he may have done it for. They reached the end of the hall and there was an elevator. They entered it. There were 13 floors and then there was a basement level.

“That’s strange.” “What’s strange, Claire?” “Before I passed out, this hospital only had 2 floors and a basement level.” “Yeah, I know. This whole place has changed.” Jack pressed the 2nd floor button. “Huh? The button isn’t working. It was working when I came down to check who was screaming.” Jack pressed the button again but, there was still no response. Claire decided to press the button to open the doors but when she went to press it the elevator started. It took Claire by surprise and she jumped back against the elevator wall. “Ha, Ha, Ha! What, scared?” “Hey, that isn’t funny!” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, Claire.” “Apology accepted. I overreacted.” The second floor button lit up and the elevator began slowly rising up.

The pipe organ music grew louder now as the elevator reached the 2nd floor and the doors opened up. When the doors opened up Claire walked out to see a very bloody hallway with more doors and cells. “Hey Jack, have you ever been here before?” There was no response. “Jack. Jack!” Claire turned around to see that Jack was no longer there and that no one was there at all. “What the?” Claire decided to continue on and go forward with her search for a way out of the hospital. She headed straight and then turned right and stopped at a wooden door. It read Archives office. Claire went to try and open the door. It opened surprisingly. Claire was expecting to need a key. She entered the office and shut the door behind her. Inside she could see a film projector and thousands of reels of film. She also saw thousands of files of paperwork that she assumed went with the films. As it turned out Claire was right as each film belonged with a different case. There were thousands of cases on many different patients that had been admitted into the mental hospital. What caught Claire’s attention though was a case file on a man by the name of Jack Crimson. “That’s interesting. I wonder if…no, it couldn’t be, could it?” Claire began reading the case file:

Name: Crimson, Jack
Age: 20
Diagnosis: Schizophrenia, hallucinations, & extreme insomnia.

Case: Jack Crimson was brought to Dusk Mental Hospital after single handedly killing 19 people in a bar in Dolsey. Jack claimed that he was possessed by a demon entity and that he had no control over the murder of those 19 people. When first interviewing Jack I noticed that he seemed really violent to say the least. He kept telling me that he didn’t murder anyone. Once I refused to believe him he turned violent and tried to kill me. It was like there was two different Jack’s. It couldn’t be though. There is no such thing as demons, or possessions. I diagnosed Jack as being Schizophrenic because of the two sides he had to himself. This is common in patients with Schizophrenia, especially those with severe cases of it. In the second interview I played his little game and tried to figure out more about this hallucination of a demon possessing him. Jack said that because of the demon he couldn’t sleep. When I asked him whether or not the demon had a name he didn’t want to give an answer. I continued to press him about the name of the demon until he finally gave me an answer. He said that the demons name was Vince. I asked if the demon had a last name or a middle name and Jack replied no. When I laughed at him and mocked the name of the supposed demon he threatened to kill me. I told him that a demon named Vince wasn’t scary at all and that he’d have to come up with a better name than that if he wanted to scare me into believing his fantasy of a story. He grew extremely angry at this point. The strangest thing happened though. The room desk began shaking when he was angry. I thought it to be a small earthquake but, when I asked if anyone had picked up any reports of an earthquake everyone stared at me weirdly and then told me no. No matter though because I had Jack locked in the basement in isolation for the duration of his time here. I never had to deal with or see that lying bastard again after that.

Dr. Phil Etsby
Lead Psychologist,
Dusk Mental Hospital

“So then, does that mean… Jack’s dead?” Claire wasn’t sure if she could trust Jack anymore or if she could even trust this report. “The only bastard I see in this report is Dr. Etsby.” Claire continued to look through case files and that’s when she found one on Vince Etchcraft. Claire began reading the case file:



From: Dr. Jane Lynson
RE: The Jack Crimson Case and the connection with Vince
Date: 17 June 1972
Name: Etchcraft, Vince
Age: Unknown
Diagnosis: Schizophrenia, Insomnia, Psychopath w/extreme violent tendencies.

Case : Vince Etchcraft is a man who perplexes all of us. The above diagnosis did not cover near everything about Vince and everything listed and unlisted above was a severe case. Vince came to the Asylum about 12yrs. ago. When I first interviewed Vince I have to say that I was very scared. Vince was a unique case. He was brought in because he killed 12 cops trying to arrest him and he was too dangerous to be in prison. I know killing 12 cops doesn’t seem bad but, he killed them without ever touching them or even saying a word. What I’ve been told and what I’ve seen in the video is that he took control of one of the officer’s minds and had the officer kill the rest of the other officers and then kill himself. When he shot the first two the others tried to kill the officer but their bullets bounced off of him. After they were dead the officer shot himself in the head and died. I was amazed and frightened by this. Vince then surrendered for no apparent reason.

It seemed as though he was trying to make a point. Flaunt his power I would guess. Reports from other officers in the prison he was originally sent to speak of how much he terrified them. One officer said that he would pry into your mind and start telling you things about your past that there was no way he could know. After officers had refused to watch him they eventually threw him into solitary and no one dared go near the cell except for when they were sliding his tray in each meal for him to eat. That’s the thing though; the officers reported that through watching the hidden cameras in the cell he never ate. Yet, he never lost weight or died. Scarier yet was the fact that he would talk to the officers and even look directly into the camera that he shouldn’t have known about and stare at them for hours. One night he took control of the night officer watching the cameras and had him bring him a sub sandwich. He never ate the sandwich but, he did leave the officer dead on the floor in front of his cell door. No one knows how he killed the officer. It was after that incident that he was sent here to the Asylum.

In the first interview Vince told me how my husband was murdered detail for detail. He knew things that even the police hadn’t known. He then told me the story of my childhood. Everything, it scared me that he somehow knew all of this. He then started talking about how he was psychic and some of the things he could do besides that. He lifted my glass of water up just by staring at it. This made me uncomfortable. I left after that. In our next interview he told me about how he was controlling a man by the name of Jack Crimson. I told him that he was crazy. He then asked if I wanted proof. I told him no. He then said that by tomorrow Jack Crimson would be in Dusk Mental Hospital for the murder of 19 people he would kill in a bar in Dolsey. He gave me Jack’s description. The next day Jack was in Dusk Mental Hospital. I’m 100% certain that it is the Jack you now hold in your custody Dr. Etsby. The description matches him perfectly and I fear all we can do is hold him here. He hasn’t killed anyone in here yet, though I’m unsure why. He’s a pervert though. He’s always telling me his fantasies about me. One time I actually felt a hand brush my cheek. He only stared at me though. He never touched me, at least not physically. He never stepped past that though. I’m glad too because if he wanted to there would be nothing I could do about it. I believe that you should reconsider your pre judgment of Jack Crimson on the basis of the evidence I have presented you Dr. Etsby. Know this; I’ve seen some things that I can’t explain when it comes to Vince Etchcraft. He is easily the most dangerous man in the Asylum. If you need more proof then please come to the Asylum. There is another video of which you need to see.

Dr. Jane Lynson
Lea d Psychologist,
The Asylum

Claire felt extremely bad now for doubting Jack Crimson’s intentions. She didn’t trust him before but the new note made her rethink how she felt toward Jack. “Don’t worry about it.” Claire was startled when she heard that. She turned around and saw Jack Crimson standing there. It was as if he had never left. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. I understand your reasons for doubting and not trusting me. I’m just glad that you found that case before you fully had decided on where you stood on me.” “Jack, are you dead?” “Yes…I am.” “I see. So how did you wind up here? In this alternate reality or whatever it is.” “When I died this is where I was sent. It was Vince’s fault. I am forever bound to this Godforsaken mental hospital now.” “Why? You didn’t commit the murders.” “Yeah, I know. It doesn’t matter though because he committed the murders through me and thus I’m still responsible for his sins. That’s not why I’m trapped here though. I’m trapped here because of that witch that lurks in here.” “Witch?” “Yeah, you know. Oh, I’m sorry. You probably know her as the bad lady.”

“That’s what that little girl calls her.” “Who’s that little girl and how’d she wind up trapped here.” “She’s an orphan. She was here before I was. One of the doctors found her wandering down a road one day. Having no parents and there not being an orphanage around or anyone claiming her she was brought here. It wasn’t because she was crazy. It was simply because she had no where else to go. She wasn’t treated like the rest of us. She stayed here though. I was surprised that being here didn’t drive her mad. She’s a good kid. She doesn’t have a name though. She’s still here because this is the only place she has ever known as home, sad, huh.” “Yeah…it is.” “You see, not everyone here is evil or out to kill you. Just most everything and everyone, that’s all.”

“Thanks. That makes me feel much safer.” “Anytime.” “Alright, so have you ever been on any other floor besides the 1st and 2nd floors?” “Yeah, the highest up I’ve been is the 7th floor. I haven’t gone any further.” “Why haven't you gone any further?” “With each floor things get worse and the last time I got to the 7th floor I had a bad run in with that bad lady or whatever you want to call her.” Claire became even more curious. “What happened?” “I don’t wish to talk about it. Also I’m restricted to the first 7 floors anyways because of that witch. She did something and I can’t go past the 7th floor now. I also can’t go into the basement which I’m figuring is the only way out. I wouldn’t want to though because that’s where the worst of the worst are held. I would tell you not to go to any of those places but seeing as your looking for a way out and you’re the only living occupant in this place I won’t even bother trying. I have something I would like to ask you.” “Go ahead.” “Since your looking for a way out and the only way I believe I can get out of this hell is by finding the way out than I was wondering if you could help me rid of that retch that they call the bad lady and then maybe in return I can help you get out. Then together we can both get out. You’ll accomplish what it is your trying to accomplish and I’ll be able to pass on to a much better place.”

“So what do you say? Do we have a deal?” Claire was excited at the fact that Jack was willing to help her. “Yes, we have a deal!” “Thank you. So what do you say we find a way out of this hell?” “Yeah, definitely” With that Claire and Jack headed out of the archives room with the cases and continued their search for a way out.