For years, it had stood there, unused and unloved, until it became the final resting place for something far darker. It was a place where the past had festered, where old wounds had never healed. It was a place where nightmares came to life, and where no one dared to linger for too long.
And now I was standing on the precipice of it, my heart pounding in my chest as I think of Dove. I couldn’t explain it, but there was a connection between this place and her—something that was pulling me toward it, like a moth to a flame. I didn’t want to go inside. I didn’t want to face whatever waited there for me. But I had no choice.
Lilith’s words echoed in my mind. She knew. She always knew. And now she was drawing me into the very place that had haunted my nightmares since childhood.
“Well,” Lilith said, her voice trailing off, “if you’re going to find her, you better hurry. The clock’s ticking, Ash.”
Her words were a sickening taunt, a challenge. But I knew it was true. The hospital was the only place left. If Dove was here, I had to find her before it was too late.
36
ASHTON
The engine of my motorcycle roared like a caged animal, echoing through the empty expanse of Hollow Hills Woods. The icy wind cut through me, sharp as razors, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the noise in my head—the relentless pounding of Dove’s name, the haunting image of her face as I’d last seen it. Her smile, soft and unsure. Her voice, trembling with anger and heartbreak.
And now, the terrifying thought that I might never see her again.
Lilith sat behind me, her arms loose around my waist. She wasn’t holding on like someone afraid of the ride. No, she was relaxed, almost too comfortable, like she was savoring every second of my torment. I could feel her shifting, her breath annoyingly close to my ear as she laughed softly, her voice a maddening blend of amusement and malice.
“You’re awfully tense,” she purred, her words curling in the air like smoke. “Afraid of what we might find? Or afraid of what you already know?”
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t answer. My jaw clenched as Igripped the handlebars tighter, the cold metal biting into my palms through my gloves. I focused on the road ahead, the trees closing in like the jaws of some great beast. The path was uneven, snow and ice clinging to the ground, making the ride treacherous. The headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating fleeting glimpses of the forest—gnarled branches, patches of frost, shadows that moved in ways they shouldn’t.
Lilith didn’t stop. She never did. “You think you’re going to save her, Ash? You think you’re the hero in this little story? Newsflash—you’re not. You’re just a man chasing ghosts.”
I forced myself to breathe, to ignore her. She was always like this, poking, prodding, trying to get under my skin. But this time, it was harder to block her out. This time, she wasn’t entirely wrong.
The road narrowed as we approached the outskirts of town, the trees thickening, their branches arching overhead like the ribcage of some long-dead creature. The air was colder here, sharper, carrying with it a strange, metallic tang that set my teeth on edge. It smelled wrong, like the air itself had been tainted by the place we were heading toward.
When the hospital came into view, I felt my stomach lurch.
It stood at the edge of the woods, shrouded in mist that clung to its crumbling towers and ivy-covered walls. The moonlight barely touched it, as if even the light didn’t dare to get too close. The building loomed, a hulking mass of shadow and decay, its jagged edges silhouetted against the starless sky. The windows were like black holes, their broken panes glinting like jagged teeth, and the front doors—heavy and warped—seemed to sag beneath the weight of the past.
The motorcycle growled to a stop, the sound echoing eerily in the stillness. I killed the engine, and for a moment, there was nothing but the sound of the wind howling through the empty halls of the building. It wasn’t just cold here—it washollow, lifeless, as if the ground itself had been drained of warmth.
Lilith slid off the bike, her boots crunching in the snow as she stretched, completely unfazed by the oppressive atmosphere. “Home sweet home,” she said, grinning as she turned to face the hospital. “Isn’t it beautiful? A real fixer-upper.”
I swung my leg off the bike, my movements stiff. My chest felt tight, my breathing shallow as I stared at the building. Every instinct screamed at me to turn around, to leave this place and never come back. But I couldn’t. Not when Dove might be in there. Not when the clock was ticking.
“Do you ever shut up?” I muttered, my voice harsh even to my own ears.
Lilith laughed, a sound that grated like nails on glass. “Oh, Ash. You’d miss me if I did.” She tilted her head, her eyes glittering with something dark. “Do you feel it? The weight of it? This place is alive. It breathes. It watches. It hungers.”
I ignored her, stepping forward. The snow crunched beneath my boots, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence. The closer I got to the hospital, the heavier the air became, pressing down on me like a physical weight. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a painful reminder of what I stood to lose.
Dove.
Her name was a mantra in my head, a lifeline I clung to as I forced myself to move closer. I couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever. The thought of her in there, alone, terrified, broke something inside me. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve any of this.
Lilith trailed behind me, her steps light and almost playful. “You’re awfully quiet,” she said, her tonemocking. “Cat got your tongue? Or is it the ghost of your precious Dove haunting you?”
I stopped abruptly, turning to face her. “Why are you here, Lilith?” I demanded, my voice low and sharp. “You don’t care about her. You don’t care about anyone but yourself. So why follow me? Why this place?”
Her grin widened, and for a moment, I thought she wouldn’t answer. But then she leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Because this place calls to me,” she said, her eyes gleaming with madness. “And maybe, just maybe, it’s calling to you too.”
I turned away, my stomach churning. I couldn’t think about her games, her riddles. I had one focus, one goal.
Find Dove.
