Bradley felt a drop fall on his face. He looked up, noticing the clouds blanket the moon that had led them there.
He was with Cora, the two of them deciding to check the buildings further out.
The air around them was cold, the smell of neglect and trees lingering in the air. It was calm, but Bradley could sense a shift.
Am I crazy to trust Evil Brad? I mean, wasn't he just a fragment of my disturbed mind?
It's the only clue we have, he thought, holding the flashlight tight against his hand.
He could hear Cora's heavy breathing, her hands in her sweater pocket. He wanted to grab her in his arms, tell her everything was going to be okay, but he couldn't. He wasn't worthy of her. Who was he kidding? He had ran over Max with his car on purpose! With a car he had initially bought as his ticket out...
And not to mention Evil Brad, haunting him at every possible moment.
"You think those doors are locked?" Cora asked, snapping him back to reality. They were in front of a large brick building, a dozen dark windows facing them.
The rain was beginning to fall, so he placed a gentle hand on her back and led her up the ramp. There were no stairs, which he found odd.
"This was such a bad idea," Cora said softly. "It's cold, raining and we lost someone."
"We'll find her," Bradley said, willing it to be true. "We have to."
"How were you so sure she's in here somewhere?" She asked
He sighed, feeling the weight he carried sitting harder on his chest. He couldn't be honest. "Just a feeling. Intuition of some sort."
She nodded, walking toward a dark porch that surrounded the building. "What's all this?"
She took out her small flashlight, but Bradley had his on already. He pointed in all directions, noticing the broken, worn out toys.
"You think she's in here?" Cora asked, picking up a wooden train.
She is, you better hurry, Evil Bradley said, standing next to her. Bradley closed his eyes, willing the image to disappear. When he opened them, Evil Bradley was gone.
"C'mon, let's try to get inside." Bradley said, his pulse running. He walked towards the heavy looking doors, pushing them open. It was dark, a bunch of dust rising up around them in small swirls.
The lobby was dark, a round receptionist desk sitting in the middle of the room. Papers were scattered, textbooks and magazines lying on an old cushioned chair. There were old paintings and awards hanging up on broken frames, the ink almost invisible from years of neglect.
"This is so creepy," Cora said. "And awesome."
"Excuse me?" He asked, surprised. "Aren't you spooked out?"
"I am. Trust me on that. If Mocha wasn't missing, I'd be enjoying this hell of a lot more." She responded, walking toward the leather chair. She picked up a heavy book, blowing off the dust from the cover. "Wow, this is a medical psychology book. It's all about children. 1943! I'm keeping this."
Bradley couldn't help but smile.
"It's so fascinating. Do you think you have room in your backpack for this?" She asked.
"Sure, here." He offered, opening his bag. For a moment he had forgotten all their troubles.
"Thank you," she said, giving his hand a light squeeze.
"Where do you think we are?" He asked her, trying to get back on the objective. He couldn't get distracted
"I'm guessing a children's hospital, based on the textbook I just found," said Cora, making her way towards the desk. She began to file through the papers that had been carelessly thrown around.
"That would explain the toys outside," he remarked, walking toward the window. He felt a sudden chill. The room lit up, the lightning having caught him off guard. He turned off his flashlight. Something was not right. He refused to move, waiting for the thunder that always followed the lightning.
He heard Cora jump, knocking an old plastic water bottle off the desk. She turned to look at him apologetically. He shook his head, but then heard the sounds of muffled voices making there way onto the porch outside. It couldn't be any of the gang, they each had decided to go their own way. He wasn't going to take any chances.
"Cora," he whispered as loud as he could manage without making too much noise. "Cora!"
"Yeah?" She asked, her face paling as she noticed the worried look on his. "What's wrong?"
"Someone's coming!" Was all he had time to say. He heard the turn of the heavy wooden door they had just came through. He pointed to the desk, bidding her to get behind it. He wouldn't be able to make it in time to hide next to her, so he dashed behind the leather chair near him, holding his breath as he heard the door slam open.
He willed himself to sit still, covering his mouth with both his hands. He had never been so afraid. It wasn't much for himself that he worried. It was for Cora. He turned slightly, trying to get a good look at the desk. She had hid. Good.
"Ugh, mighty strong storm, -eh?" A raspy voice said. "Came out of nowhere it did."
"It was our luck we had to go get the booze." A second voice said. It was a male voice, a much older voice.
"Mathias will be pleased though," a third said, a woman's voice. "Hurry up, he wants to cut the girl at midnight."
"Just our luck to find 'er." The raspy voice said again. "It woulda been one of us if she hadn't run by."
"There were others," the male voice said. Bradley heard the door slam shut.
"You think they were coming to the asylum?" The second voice asked. "Ugh, this shit's heavy. C'mon."
He heard them dragging something on the floor. He prayed Cora had hid herself well.
"Whatever they were doing here, we'll find them. If they're here in the asylum it'll be about time Mathia's group finds them. He has a search party looking for them."
Bradley couldn't believe it. They were all in danger. He had to see from who.
He held his breath as he looked around the sofa, wanting to get a better look at them. The lightning struck again, giving him a second to observe as much as he could.
He quickly hid back again. His heart was racing. He had to warn Max.
He knew who they were from all the news broadcast and radio stations.
The State Crossing Ghouls.