Sacrifice Incidents

They said they heard a bloody scream from the north wing. Maybe the mouth from which the scream came, would be the source of the fires. There have been at least three fires this past week: one in the south wing, and two in the north.
Silverwood Asylum had been abandoned for at least ten years. The police shut it down when they discovered that the doctors performed unruly experiments on the patients. When Silverwood first opened, they only admitted the worst of the worst, once a man who had murdered each of his seven wives.
“Will you take the case?” Sheriff Crane asked. I shook my head as if to regain consciousness after being drawn into thought. “Zaroff?!” he exclaimed, beginning to become frustrated. His silver hair glistened along with
the pale blueness of his eyes.
“Yes, sir,” I said in a nervous but firm voice. My pale hands trembled as I stood to shake his hand. Why am I afraid? It’s just some immature kids playing a prank. No big deal. “Great. You can start tomorrow. Case files will be on your desk in the morning,” Crane affirmed. He gripped my hand like a vice and shook it.Crane, the sheriff of Nottingham, London, sat and proceeded to sort through other case files. I had received the Silverwood Asylum case. A cop like me usually doesn’t fear mundane cases like a pop up fire--but something about that place put a churning feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The next day I walked into the station, hoping that the case files wouldn't be lying on my desk.
I turned the corner and there they were, just as he said they'd be. I took slow, measured footsteps over to my desk and opened the folder. The top sheet of paper stated where the fires were located and when they happened. All of the fires had been put out, of course, but it seemed as if there was a pattern. I just had to figure it out.
I stepped outside into the humid air. The sun had just hit the midpoint in the sky as I opened the door to my 1967 Chevy Impala and sat in the seat. Turning my key, the car hummed as if it had just come out of the shop. I pulled out of the parking lot and began my way to this case that seemed almost unimportant. The Silverwood Asylum sat back off an unnamed dirt road. I passed a rotting wood sign with dull gray letters. Some of them had fallen off, but you could still see the outlines of the letters in the rotting wood.
As I pulled up to the chain fence, I noticed the sign saying “Danger! Electric shock fence!” Of course the fence wasn't operating anymore, so I stepped out of my car and paused. The reflection of the massive building easily seen in the sheer black hood of my car. I pushed the iron gate open to allow my car to pass through. Approaching the asylum, I could begin to see the many fissures covering the exterior walls. The building seemed to become larger as I inched
closer.
My hands trembled as I clutched the leather steering wheel. I eased my foot on the brake and departed from my car. I left the case file in my car, knowing it wouldn't help much. All I had on me was my flashlight and the clothes on my back.
I finally reached the main entrance to the asylum. The solid metal doors looked threatening. Whatever they were doing in here, they made sure no one could run and tell. I pushed the door open gently, and it creaked and slammed against the door stopper. I took two steps in and the only light was the glow coming in from the open door. Using my dim flashlight, I observed the signs above. I followed the sign directing me to the south wing of the institution. I had barely set foot down the hallway and I heard the door slam behind me. The only light remaining was that of my flashlight. Its dim yellow glow led me to the spot of the most recent fire.
I felt as if there were eyes watching me. All of a sudden I heard a bloody scream coming from the hallway to my left. My head jerked in that direction. Maybe the arsonists, were here now, planning to start another one. I rushed down the pitch black hallway and heard the scream again. I froze in my footsteps. One of the doors behind me creaked open. I slowly turned and approached the passageway. All that was in the room was a metal bed with darkened white sheets and a box resting on top.
Picking it up with nimble fingers, I opened the box to find a file lying inside. Charlotte Jane. Must have been a patient file. Suddenly, I felt a hot breath on the back of my neck. Frozen, I inhaled deeply. I slowly rotated only to see nothing standing behind me.
“Hi,” said a sweet little voice. I turned quickly toward the doorway to see a young girl. Her long brown hair lying perfectly on her shoulders. Her dark eyes rested on me. “I’m Charlotte,” she said quietly.
“Well what are you doing here?” I said after a pause. A slight smile possessed her face,
“I’m a patient silly. Why are you here?” I froze, how could she possibly be a patient. This place has been closed for decades.
In a sturdy but shaky voice I said, “I’m here to.. Check up on you.” I lied, “How are you feeling Charlotte?” I figured I’d play along to see if I could get any information out of her.
“You’re not the doctor. You’re the detective sent here to find out what's going on with the fires.”
I looked at this olive skinned girl in awe, “How do you know that?”
“You dropped your ID when you walked in,” she said as she held up my ID badge.
“Oh,” I said in shock. I snatched my badge out of her hand and looked her dead in her glistening brown eyes. Suddenly a smoky sensation made its way into my nose. I glanced toward the doorway, then back to where the girl was standing- she was gone. I was slightly confused as to what just happened, but I tried to stay focused. “You’re just imagining things. Stick to the case,” I whispered to myself. I exited the confined room and began my way down the hallway. My vision was blurred by smoke, but I could see a dim yellow light in the distance to the left. I looked to the right once before going to investigate.
I turned to go toward the light and there was a black figure a few feet in front of me. It seemed like in a flash, she had come within a foot of me. She shrieked, “Help me!” Her long brown hair had been butchered and appeared burned. The clean white gown which she had worn had turned to a dingy grey with holes covering her front and back side. There were charred marks on almost every inch of her body. It looked as if she had been caught on fire. Charlotte scratched the sides of her face and screamed, then disappeared into thin air.
Once again, I continued toward the dim light. I finally had reached the light which led me into what looked like a lab that they used to do tests on animals. I immediately felt uneasy as I set foot in the room. I rounded the corner to see a metal chair with cuffs for a person’s wrist, ankle, and neck.
Out of nowhere I heard a crazed laugh behind me as the door slammed shut. A bright white light shone across the room near the chair. A man appeared with a white lab coat and a circular mirror attached to a black band around his head. The man held a remote with a small dial and a light glowing green.
Charlotte arose into the chair, strapped in. “No, please! Not again! No!” she screamed just before the man turned the dial slightly. Her body jerked as she screamed in agony. The doctor turned the dial more and the light began to glow yellow. I could hear the singeing of Charlotte’s skin in the chair.
I ran toward the chair to attempt to help the girl, but it seemed like there was an invisible wall holding me back. I was knocked off my feet to the floor. The doctor turned the dial more and the screaming stopped. A small flame arose from the chair, which grew rapidly. Charlotte disappeared from sight along with the man. The smell of burning flesh filled the room.
I quickly got to my feet and stumbled toward the door. I yanked it open and sprinted into the darkness, flames following close behind. I was running so fast it felt as if my feet weren’t touching the ground when I took a step. Sweat ran down my forehead into my eyes and blurred my vision. I tried to wipe the sweat away, but I couldn’t control my body. At this point, I couldn't control how fast I was running. The doctor’s mad laughter seemed to echo through the hallway as I ran.
The flames were only inches behind my steps. Suddenly my legs collapsed under me and I fell hard to the floor. I glanced up, with wobbly eyes and saw an image of the Charlotte above me surrounded by many other burned bodies. I couldn't process what was happening. My brain felt as if it was going to bust through my skull. My heartbeat flowed through my whole body and it felt as if the world around me was pulsing. I attempted to lift my hands to wipe my eyes, but my entire body had become limp. Charlotte came to my side along with many other people. Most of them, young. They all began to mumble words that I couldn't understand. Charlotte’s eyes slowly turned backward until all that was showing was the whites.One after another all of the other people’s eyes became white.
I felt a burning sensation in my chest. My breath went short. All at once the children’s eyes turned back to normal and all at once, they said, “Your turn.”