I caught myself looking for Killian whenever I was on campus, but for once his annoyingly tall frame was nowhere to be found. It had been over a week since I'd last seen him.
Killian must have decided it was in his best interest to avoid me for a change because Cody, I had seen plenty. He had just exited the main auditorium when I finally mustered the courage and stopped him to ask about his roommate.
Cody's eyes narrowed and he quickly scanned the crowd of students that were filing out of the main building before leading me into a quiet corner. "How do you know about Killian?"
"Um... He slept at my place?"
I watched with strange satisfaction as Cody's jaw hit the floor. I supposed Killian had left out that tidbit of information, huh?
"Your place?" Cody asked.
"Yeah. He sneaked out the morning after," I told him smugly.
For a moment, Cody remained silent. Then he burst into laughter, his whole body shaking.
I stared at him, a sudden thought crossing my mind. "N-No, that sounded wrong! He just—"
His laughter only grew louder as I stumbled over my words. "Stop it!" I stomped my foot, but Cody was still gasping for breath, clearly finding my predicament hilarious.
"Sorry, but, man." He wiped at his eyes. "That actually explains a lot. He's been more grumpy than usual."
"Is that even possible?" I mumbled mostly to myself.
"You have no idea." He chuckled.
Leaning in closer to him, I raised an eyebrow and spoke in a half-joking, half-serious tone. "Did you check for any return labels? Maybe you can still exchange him..."
His smile widened. "We should really hang out more. I don't know if you ski or something like that but I'm planning on staying at my parents' house over winter break. You and Suzy are invited, of course."
A full week of skiing? Hell, yeah. I opened my mouth to agree but then I remembered the catch. "Killian is going to be there I suppose?"
Cody studied me, his mouth twitching. "He's not as bad as you might think. He had a pretty rough time lately."
"You do realize you're too good for him, right?"
Some emotion crossed his features, but it was gone before I could decipher it. "Killian is a great friend," Cody said suddenly serious. He smiled sheepishly. "He can just be... a bit, um... "
"Grouchy? Annoying? Too focused on other people's business?"
Cody chuckled. "I'm glad to know you two get along."
I huffed and crossed my arms. "I think you're confusing the meaning of getting along. The only thing that connects us aside from mutual dislike, is you being our friend. And... just so you're aware. My neighbor is a nurse and she said his ribs might be bruised and he would have to rest a couple of days at least."
"Don't worry, he's fine."
"Oh—alright. I mean, I'm not really worried or anything." I waved my hand around. "It's just that I feel somewhat responsible since I picked him up, you know?"
A mischievous glint appeared in this, his lips quirking up in a half-smile. "I get it. You don't need to explain."
Great. Now I was embarrassed about explaining.
"He'll be back on his feet in no time, really," Cody added as if to reassure me.
I didn't need reassurance. Because I didn't care. Period.
He looked behind my back. "So...you got something for me again?"
"Huh?"
"What? No care package this time?"
My face went up in flames. "No! That was just—just a one-time thing okay? Because I owed him a favor."
"Oh, yeah?" He spoke in a teasing tone. "Killian wouldn't tell me for what."
"Um—" I chuckled nervously. "Nothing important, really."
The soft ground beneath my sneakers sunk as I stumbled along the narrow path that was more of an animal trail really. Moonlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting long, moving shadows across the uneven terrain. The wind rustled through the leaves, accompanied by the occasional piercing screech of an owl. The air was thick with the crisp scent of pine needles, and a chill, damp fragrance carrying the promise of rain.
Today, Suz dragged me to a party a bit out of town, where apparently, her future boyfriend was probably going to be. Which turned out to be true, but much to my dismay, he'd arrived with a few familiar faces in tow and Rosalyn and Drew hadn't bothered hiding their surprise at seeing me there.
"This is a really stupid idea," Rose said somewhere in front of me, her bleach-blond hair shining like a beacon. I was surprised to see her without Jessica or Veronica today, but with a tall brunette instead. Those three were usually attached at the hip.
"It's Halloween," Nick, or rather Suzy's future second half, called from up ahead. I wasn't sure if he was aware of his luck yet. "If there's a time to break into old buildings, it's today."
By the time we arrived in front of a large fence, my breath exhaled into small foggy clouds. In the distance, lightning flashed, followed by a low rumble. Not ominous at all.
"Great, this is the best weather for a trip into an abandoned building." Rose's friend was hugging herself, her head lifted towards the clouds.
"It's the perfect weather actually," Nick countered. He walked along a thick metal fence, looking around. "A little thunderstorm creates a really cool atmosphere, don't you think?"
One of his friends stepped up to me. "Are you cold, Taylor? You can have my jacket."
I had instantly forgotten his name but he'd been nice and sort of attentive so far. A bit too nice maybe. "I'm good for now, thanks," I said.
Unlike me, the other girls had dressed up. Suz was wearing a black dress coupled with a long red cloak Red Riding Hood. Rose went as Catwoman in a tight leather suit. Her friend was clad in a nurse outfit, her long legs nearly completely exposed to the fresh October air. Out of the four of us, I was definitely the best prepared. I hadn't bothered to get a costume. Instead, I wore long sleeves coupled with an oversized shirt that showed an evil pumpkin wearing a witch's hat and dark skinny jeans.
He smiled at me. "Just let me know if it gets too cold."
"Hey, Pete, get over here and help me with this," Nick hollered from somewhere down the fence.
Pete flashed me another grin but as he walked past I was hit by an intense wave of artificial fragrance, stinging my eyes. A pickling sensation raced down my neck. I was suddenly glad for the light breeze, cooling my skin.
Suzy appeared at my side rubbing her hands together. "This is going to be fun."
At least she and her future bae seemed to think alike.
"Sure..." I rolled my eyes. "You owe me after this one though."
She grabbed my arm. "Oh, come one. This is good for you. A test of courage! You'll thank me later, trust me."
The guys had found an opening, and five minutes later, the massive complex of the asylum materialized before us. The towering structures loomed as we approached the faded sign that read "Richerston Asylum".
We all grew quiet.
The metallic scent of rust and corrosion hung in the air. Thick green vines clung to the walls, partly covering the long cracks that spread like spiderwebs. The bricks had grayed and withered, and most of the windows were barred, milky glass coated in a thick layer of grime. Some of the broken, reddish-brown iron bars dangled, their creaks and groans echoing through the air like the mournful whispers of the deceased.
The sound of the double doors rang hollow as we stepped into the vast entrance hall. The dim light that filtered through the smudged windows plunged the room into a cold light, providing just enough illumination to see without a flashlight. The sparse furniture was covered by a thick layer of dust, and a wide staircase led up to the second floor. A metal door stood on each side of the hall. Cobwebs clung to every corner and the air turned stale.
"Boo."
I reeled backward. Rosalyn screamed, her friend jumped, and one of the guys cursed.
Nick laughed at our reactions as two guys popped out from behind a large counter.
They fist-bumped Nick and shot each of us a grin. "My friends," the skinnier of the two started. "Everything has been prepared for you."
"Welcome to the haunted Richerston Asylum," the other one added.
Everyone stared at them with identical freaked-out expressions on their faces.
"So, what do we do now?" Rose's friend asked.
"Now," the skinny guy said ominously. "It is time for the real challenge." He walked up to a picture frame set beside the entrance doors. "We are going to make groups and each group will have to round the complex once. Everyone needs to leave their phone here, we wouldn't want to make it too easy, right? And don't worry. The last ghost was seen... I don't know two years ago?"
"Think so," the shorter one replied.
"Right. We start from the West entrance and then you just need to follow the hallways, walk up to the second floor, cross over to the other building, and come back to the first floor and you would have walked a circle around the place.
"Awesome," Suzy exclaimed at the same time as Rosalyn said, "Hell, no."
"So, who wants to go first?"
No one spoke up. Rose clutched her friend. Even the guys shot each other uneasy looks.
"You sure this was a good idea?" I asked under my breath.
"Of course!" Suzy whispered back. "It's a challenge. You can train your bravery. Should we go first?"
I gave her a look and nudged her. "What are you talking about? I'm your wingman tonight, you better make use of it. I'll be fine. I can team up with someone else, go."
She bit her lip, her large eyes darting around.
"Go," I repeated.
"Alright." She rubbed her hands. "Nick won't be able to run away from me this time..." She patted my shoulder lightly, then walked up and snatched Nick's arm. "We'll go first."
The poor guy.
Suz shot me an evil smile, dragging a startled Nick behind her right before the heavy metal door closed with a loud, echoing clang. Shivers that didn't have anything to do with being cold ran over my back. Nope. Not ominous at all.
Around fifteen minutes later Drew and the tall brunette went through.
It was just me, Rose, and Pete when his phone rang. "What? Who's this? Oh yeah, Suzy told me about that. Yeah, I can show you where it is, one second." He turned back to us. "I'll pick up another group quickly. Be right back." He stopped at my side. "Let's go together when I come back?"
I felt myself nod absentmindedly until the thick cloud of perfume he left behind hit me in the face. My skin tightened uncomfortably. Just whiff of his cologne and I could feel the itch building. I'd rather face ghosts, actually.
"Alright, time's up. Who's next?" The skinny guy asked after a while.
I looked around. Rose was standing on her own off to the side. The black leather let her blend in perfectly with her surroundings. She would be completely invisible if it wasn't for her bleach-blond hair. She didn't have anyone either, maybe we could go together and—
She crossed her arms. "Fuck, no. I am not going into that."
Or not.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my thighs. A few more minutes passed. They'd be here any second, and I'd be stuck with Mr. Cologne.
I shifted my weight. I could also just refuse, of course. But what if he did the same?
Argh! What was even the big deal? It was just an old building.
Wait.
"Can I go by myself?" I asked quickly.
The two guys exchanged a glance. "Sure, I guess, but your phone needs to stay," the skinny guy said.
"Hey, if she goes alone, she needs to at least have her phone," Rose said, frowning.
"No can do. Rules are rules. She can also wait for the others."
No, thank you. Between Mr. Cologne and Mr. Grumpy, I'd rather stumble through creepy hallways. Anyways, Suz and Nicks hadn't had any problems. So, why should I?
I squared my shoulders. "It's fine. I'll do it."
Rose stopped me when I was about to enter and whispered, "I heard them say, they installed a moving door somewhere down the first few hallways..."
I blinked at her. "Thanks."
Her hands shook a little when she squeezed my arm. Then I slipped through the door.