Nightmare by Robin Parrish Read Free Book Online Page A

opened up
a full view ahead where the gigantic Waverly Hills Sanatorium
loomed like an immense monolith. The massive building, the
very ground we drove upon, felt dead.
    "Ruh-roh, Raggy," said Jordin, her voice filled with awe
despite the silliness of her words.
    I wanted to slap the spoiled, silly rich girl in the passenger
seat. But I settled for rolling my eyes and choosing not to acknowledge the painful Scooby Doo reference.
    I turned my attention instead to what was in front of me.
The colossal main hospital building filled the entire windshield
as we drove closer, and its dilapidated brick walls, honeycombed
with endless rows of huge square holes where windows had once
been, were enough to give even the most hardened skeptic pause. It hadn't changed in the slightest since the last time I was here,
more than five years ago.

    Waverly Hills Sanatorium was utterly frozen in time, and
the setting sun behind the trees off to the left only enhanced
the ancient, abandoned feel of the place. It was like staring at
a vintage postcard for a place no sane person would ever want
to visit.
    I glanced at Jordin. She seemed smaller than before, as if
she'd physically shrunken. She seemed to sense my staring and
turned to look out her side window.
    "What are those buildings over there?" she asked in a tiny
voice that was trying desperately hard to be nonchalant, and she
pointed into the distance beyond the big building.
    "Urn, well," I had to collect my thoughts for a moment,
preoccupied as I was with the cloud this place cast over both
of us. "Waverly Hills was originally comprised of half a dozen
buildings or so. There were wards and dormitories for men,
women, children, and so on. Some of them still stand, but the
main hospital is the biggest by far. It's where we'll be spending
the night...."
    My voice faded in reverence as I stared up at the immense
building. The sight of it affected me a lot more than I'd expected
it to.
    It had been three years since I'd last gone on a paranormal
investigation, and I'd had no regrets about leaving that life
behind. By pursuing a career in law enforcement, I'd traded off
trying to prove the existence of the dead for trying to help the
living, and I was happy with the decision.
    Yet I could feel the old tingle sizzling across my skin, the
anticipation building within me, as I gazed at this exceedingly haunted location. We were going to encounter ghosts this night.
I could feel it.

    Because they were already watching us.

    I could always sense it as soon as we walked through the
enormous, ancient double doors at the front entrance to Waverly
Hills Sanatorium. The place was just wrong.
    The darkness was palpable now that the sun had gone down
fully, and the cold air was nearly suffocating in the enormous
old building. We were armed only with flashlights, sleeping bags,
and snacks for the night.
    Hello again, I thought, my heart beating heavily. My eyes darted
through the dark, musty atmosphere, searching the crevices and
corners. Remember me?
    I recognized the sensations this place caused from the times
I'd been there before, alongside my parents. My lungs seemed to
labor to draw breaths, like I was at a high altitude. Yet the cool air
wasn't light. It was much, much heavier than what I'd breathed
before we arrived.
    The walls were coated in graffiti made up of words, names,
vulgar phrases, and drawings of skulls. Every surface was either
peeling, rusted, or rotten.
    I looked atJordin, who had her hand to her chest. Her face was
slightly scrunched up as she absorbed the feelings that seemed
to permeate this place.
    "This is..." She tried to express her feelings, but faltered. "I
just ... I don't.. ."
    "Feel a weight against your chest?" I asked.
    She let out a shallow, quavering breath, and nodded. Her eyes were wide and troubled as she whispered, "I feel so sad. It's
like there's ... misery here ... and grief."

    I nodded carefully. It was difficult