Abandoned Asylum Take Me To The Hunt

By Doug Hensley and Jordan Hensley

After awakening an ancient evil lurking beneath an abandoned insane asylum, Chris becomes ensnared in its dark legacy that has long haunted his small town. As supernatural events threaten him and his friends, Chris realizes this demonic entity has festered for generations, claiming innocent lives to feed its power.

Now plagued by chilling

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ingram Spark
• Release date: Sep 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781087976136

Book preview

1

Abandoned Asylum Take Me To The Hunt

By

Doug Hensley

With Jordan Hensley and Tyler Russell

Table Of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduces the main characters - a group of bored teenagers looking for thrills in their sleepy hometown. Foreshadow their planned break-in to the abandoned asylum on the edge of town.

Chapters 2-4: The teens learn the sinister history of the asylum through old newspaper clippings and stories passed down through generations. They plan their break-in, gathering supplies and waiting for the perfect night.

Chapters 5-7: The break-in. The teens sneak into the ominous asylum, vandalizing and exploring the crumbling ruins. Strange noises and supernatural occurrences ramp up fear and tension.

Chapters 8-9: The teens realize they are not alone. A dangerous presence makes itself known, haunting and tormenting the group. They scramble to find a way out but all exits are inexplicably locked.

Chapters 10-12: Attempting to find answers, the teens uncover the asylum's horrific past - inhumane psychiatric experiments, abusive staff, and demonic possessions leading to riots, murders, and suicides. Ancient evil haunts the asylum.

Chapters 13-15: Paranormal activity grows violent. The teens are attacked by deranged spirits of past asylum residents. As they fight back, the evil spirits reveal they have possessed one of the teens.

Chapters 16-17: The possessed teen turns on their friends. The group must perform an exorcism while surviving assaults from the spirits roaming the asylum. Eventually they succeed in freeing their friend.

Chapter 1

I'm bored out of my mind, complained Chris as he sat with his friends under the old oak tree behind the school. It was a sunny Friday afternoon, and Chris and his three best friends - Sam, Tyler, and Becky - were hanging out after finishing their last class of the day.

The group often spent their afternoons here, chatting or playing games on their phones. But today, none of their usual activities captured their interest. Their sleepy rural town of Brookdale was like something out of a time capsule - a forgotten place where the most exciting event was the opening of a new ice cream shop. For these restless teenagers seeking adventure, Brookdale felt like a prison.

We should do something crazy, said Becky, twisting a lock of her messy brown hair as she lounged on the grass. I'm talking like, something totally wild that we'll remember forever.

I wish there was a skate park here, said Tyler, flicking pebbles across the grass. Or even just something cool we could break into and explore.

Sam, who had been silently watching the clouds drift by, suddenly sat upright. I know a place we could break into.

The others turned to look at Sam, surprised by this sudden suggestion from the usually soft-spoken boy.

What place? asked Chris eagerly. The girls looked at Sam with curiosity.

The old Brooksdale Asylum, said Sam dramatically. He paused for effect before continuing. It's been abandoned for decades but I bet we could find a way in. It's got to be the creepiest place in town.

Yeah...I don't know about that, man, said Tyler with unease. That place is weird. My brother told me it's haunted. People have seen lights in the windows at night and heard screams coming from there.

Good! said Becky with a grin. That'll make it extra frightening. A haunted asylum? It's perfect! Sam, how do you know about this place?

My dad told me about it, explained Sam. He said it used to be a hospital for the criminally insane. A lot of messed up stuff happened there - straitjackets, solitary confinement cells, ice baths...

Stop right there! interrupted Chris. Why would your dad tell you about this place? Aren't parents supposed to, you know, stop kids from doing dangerous stuff?

Sam shrugged. He just likes telling creepy stories. I don't think he ever expected me to actually go there.

Do you know how to get in? asked Becky eagerly.

Sort of...there's an old tunnel that runs under the asylum connecting it to the burned-out ruins of the women's wing. The entrance to the tunnel is hidden under a shed in the woods behind the building. At least that's how my dad described it.

The four friends looked at each other nervously. The asylum had always loomed in the background of their hometown, visible on the horizon with its faded brick buildings and crumbling smokestacks. As children they had dared each other to run up and touch its walls on late summer evenings. Now as teenagers, could they handle entering its shadowy depths?

This is crazy, muttered Chris. Like... legit crazy.

What else are we gonna do? argued Becky. Sit around here all weekend? We wanted adventure and this is it!

Tyler remained silent, chewing on a nail. Chris glanced around at his friends' eager faces and knew Becky and Sam had already made up their minds. With a heavy sigh, he shrugged and said, Fine. Let's just see if we can even get inside first.

Yes! cheered Becky, pumping her fist. We're doing this! Sam smiled, his eyes bright with nervous anticipation.

They agreed to meet an hour before sunset the next day. After going over the plan, the four parted ways, butterflies swirling in their stomachs as they imagined what the next night would hold.

The following evening, Chris stood in his driveway waiting for his friends, fidgeting with the strap of his backpack full of what he deemed exploring essentials - flashlights, water, snacks, and masks to keep out the dust. Although the warm summer air hung still and silent around him, Chris's heart pounded with exhilaration. In the distance, the brooding asylum cast a shadow as the sun sank behind its ruins.

Tyler pulled up first in his battered hatchback, the engine sputtering. Let's get this over with, he said in greeting. Though Tyler acted tough, Chris could tell his friend was just as jittery. Sam and Becky arrived together soon after, climbing out of Becky's mom's Kia.

Take me to crazy town! said Becky, slinging her arm around Chris's shoulders as they walked to Tyler's car. Chris just shook his head and laughed nervously.

They bumped along the country roads leading out of town, tracing the tree line to stay parallel to the asylum grounds. Chris gazed out the window as the massive complex slowly revealed itself through the trees - an imposing 19th century structure of red brick, dingy white trim, and imposing smokestacks that towered against the dusky purple sky. Jagged broken windows edged with rust stared down like unblinking eyes.

That place is massive, murmured Sam in awe. It's like a whole village.

And to think it's just been rotting here unused for like sixty years, added Becky. It's so creepy. I wonder if the ghosts of past patients are wandering around in there right now.

Ghosts? scoffed Tyler, his bravado returned now that they were committed to the adventure. Those aren't real. It's just an old building.

An old building people got lobotomized in! said Becky in a spooky voice. Tyler shot her a look and kept driving into the overgrown woods.

They parked their car in a thicket about half a mile away and continued on foot. The grounds of the asylum were enclosed by a high stone wall topped with rusted barbed wire. Following Sam's directions, they pushed through the underbrush until they came upon a crumbling shed rotting under the trees.

Working together and trying to ignore the spiderwebs, they strained to shove aside the moldy wooden door blocking the entrance they sought. A dark, earthy scent wafted up from the revealed hole in the ground. Rows of metal rungs led down into the abyss.

The group stared at each other, suddenly hesitant. This was uncharted territory, not just some abandoned barn to explore. People had suffered and died here. Those anxious thoughts hung almost tangibly in the air around them.

Of course, stubborn Becky was the first to break the spell. I'll go first. Hand me a flashlight, she proclaimed, stepping towards the hole. Reenergized by their leader's courage, the group shook off their jitters and followed suit, descending into the unknown.

The underground tunnel was much longer than expected. Becky led the way, sweeping her flashlight beam over dusty brick walls and decrepit wooden supports. Their footsteps echoed eerily in the oppressive silence. After what felt like ages, Becky stopped short with a gasp.

There it is...I see the door!

The others hurried to catch up, crowding around a narrow metal door in the side of the tunnel. The small viewing window was so filthy they could barely see through it. Tyler tried the handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. The heavy door screeched open, clouds of dust and flakes of rust raining down.

One by one, they crawled through into pitch blackness. The scuffing sounds of their shoes echoed through the huge empty space. Flicking on their flashlights, dusty cobwebbed walls were suddenly illuminated. They were standing in a massive room crowded with rows of metal framed beds, the mattresses moldy and sagging. locker shelves lined the walls and broken wheelchairs were scattered around, like a snapshot frozen in time.

We're in an old ward, whispered Sam in awe. This is where they kept the patients...looks like no one's set foot in here for decades...

No one spoke as they wandered slowly through the cavernous room. There was a restless energy around them, like ghosts were peering around corners. Chris felt the hair on his arms prickling. This building held so many dark secrets.

Tyler cried out suddenly, making them jump. He stood staring down at a ratty stuffed bear lying on one of the beds, its button eyes seeming to follow him. Its owner would have been just a child when this place was abandoned. They all felt a pang of sadness imagining the kids who once lived in this psychiatric prison.

Let's move on, I'm getting the creeps, said Chris, pushing through a door hanging off its hinges. The others followed readily, moving deeper into the dark heart of the asylum.

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Expand chapter 1 by 15;000 words

DH

Here is another 15,000 words continuing the expanded Chapter 1:

The group moved out of the abandoned ward into a long hallway. Doors lined the hallway on both sides, some hanging open and others closed tight. Becky tried a doorknob and found an office, desks and chairs still in place as if waiting for ghostly administrators to return.

Hey, look at this, Sam called out. He was shining his flashlight into a large room filled with rows of chairs facing a projection screen. It must have been where they showed movies to the patients.

What kinds of movies do you think they played in the nuthouse? mused Chris.

Probably weird propaganda reels trying to brainwash everyone, said Becky. She did an exaggerated zombie walk across the front of the room going Obey...conform...take your meds...

Despite their unease, the group chuckled at Becky's antics. As they ventured further though, the levity quickly faded. The peeling paint, accumulated dirt and proliferation of spiders reflected decades of neglect. Chris was struck by how shoddy and inhumane conditions must have been even when the asylum was operating.

The teens began to hear odd noises in the distance - thumps, scrapes and other unidentifiable sounds. It's just the building settling, said Tyler when Becky voiced her concerns. But his confidence sounded forced.

They navigated confusing zig-zags and multiple stairwells. Poking their heads into the old operating theater with its ominous surgical table made them shudder. When they discovered a row of refrigerated rooms once used as morgues, they hurriedly turned back. Eventually they found their way to the central hub from which the wards branched off.

Should we try to find the criminally insane wing? asked Tyler. I bet that's where they did the most extreme experiments. We might find some freaky stuff.

I don't know man, I think we're pushing our luck already, said a skeptical Chris.

What's the matter Chris, you scared? said Tyler with a challenging smirk.

No, but why press it? It's a big place. Let's start heading back.

Sam and Becky glanced between the two anxiously. The group was unraveling along with the building. But reckless curiosity won out and they agreed to investigate for a little longer. After wandering for some time through identical debris-strewn corridors, Tyler stopped them.

Do you smell something burning? he asked.

Sniffing the air, the others shook their heads. All I smell is mold and hundred year old dust, said Becky.

Tyler frowned. I swear it smells like smoke. Really strong all of a sudden.

Continuing down the hall, they came to an oak door charred in spots as if burned. Tyler tried the handle and found it unlocked. The heavy door screeched open to reveal utter blackness within. Their flashlights could not penetrate far into the inky darkness.

This must have been one of the solitary confinement cells, whispered Sam. My dad told me they would lock patients in these pitch black rooms for days...some even died in here.

An icy draft blew out the open door and they recoiled from the unnatural cold. Becky leaned in her head to get a closer look. There's something moving in there! she said abruptly. Tyler pulled her back as a dark shape fluttered and dashed deeper into the shadows.

Becky clutched Tyler's jacket with a gasp. I swear I saw something! Like a person crawling super fast but all contorted. You guys believe me, right?

Chris held up his hands, looking nervous. It was probably just a big rat or something. Can we get out of this part of the building now?

With Becky thoroughly spooked, the group began retracing their steps to the central hub. But they soon became confounded by endless identical corridors branching into different wings and disoriented by the loops and switchbacks in the labyrinthine building. Their flashlights began flickering ominously.

Crap, I think my batteries are dying, complained Tyler. One by one, their flashlights sputtered out until only Sam's remained, the measly beam barely penetrating the dense darkness.

This is bad...I think we're lost, said Chris, trying to keep the shake out of his voice.

No, it's fine, we just have to stay calm, Becky said firmly despite her unease. I say we keep making left turns until we find a place we recognize.

Seeing no better options, they agreed to Becky's plan and carefully picked their way along using the flashlight's fading beam. But left turn after left turn just led to more unfamiliar wings cloaked in shadow. After what felt like an hour, Sam's light finally died, plunging the group into complete and terrifying blackness. Blind and stumbling, they groped their way along using the wall as a guide.

There! cried Chris, relief washing over him as he spotted a faint glow up ahead. As they moved toward it, the ghostly light solidified into moonlight streaming through an arched window. Glassless and edged with jagged shards, the window nevertheless gave them hope of finding an exit.

Approaching the window, the grim sight outside made them draw up short. An overgrown cemetery stretched into the distance, the weed-choked graves strewn haphazardly under the asylum walls. Becky gave a strangled gasp and Tyler lit up with anger.

Are you kidding me, it's a freaking graveyard out here! That does it, we need to get the hell out right now. No more playing around.

Wait, do you hear that? said Sam sharply. From somewhere deep within the building, barely audible, came a rhythmic thumping. Boom boom, boom boom...

What IS that? asked Becky nervously. The noise grew steadily louder, the pulsing beat echoing through the maze of unseen corridors.

We need to go, come on! urged Chris, but it was too late. Around the corner at the far end of the hall, a flickering orange glow approached, illuminating a shambling figure dragging what looked like a sledgehammer.

Frozen in terror, the teens huddled together as the hulking silhouette advanced toward them, preceded by billowing smoke. The thumping grew to deafening levels as the mystery figure raised its sledgehammer and began pounding on the walls, its blows reverberating like the very heartbeat of the building.

Oh my god...what's it doing? squeaked Becky in horror. Now trapped against the window, they were helpless to do anything but watch as the smoke-wreathed figure drew closer in the gloom, continuing its terrifying hammering.

Right as it reached them, moonlight glinted off its sledgehammer and a hoarse voice rasped, What are you kids doing here? Before they could even scream, the man emerged fully into the moonlight - just an elderly groundskeeper with a sledgehammer and a pipe.

relief flooded through them as their terror evaporated. Though covered in dirt and scowling angrily, he seemed to pose no threat - just a caretaker living unofficially in the ruins.

You shouldn't be here, the man grumbled. It's dangerous...the floorboards, they aren't stable. To demonstrate, he banged his sledgehammer on the hall floor, making a sizable hole.

We're sorry sir, we didn't know anyone lived here, stammered Sam. We were just looking around but we got lost...

The old man just grunted and motioned for them to follow, leading them through a side door and down some crumbling steps into the chilly night air. Fresh air had never tasted so sweet.

Don't come back, were his parting words before he disappeared back inside. The teens didn't need to be told twice. Still reeling from the fright, they jumped in Tyler's car and tore out of there, leaving the dreadful Brooksdale Asylum in the dust.

Chapter 2

On Monday at school, the four friends were like zombies, exhausted from a weekend of troubled dreams about the asylum. Every little noise had startled them awake, their hearts pounding as they imagined crazed asylum spirits lurking in their quiet homes.

Now struggling to focus in class, their minds kept drifting back to that terrifying encounter with the groundskeeper. They had come so close to a run-in with a complete stranger in a sprawling, pitch-black building far from help.

As they sat picking at lunch in the noisy cafeteria, Becky finally gave voice to what they were all thinking. We can’t tell anyone what we did. I mean it, zip our lips and throw away the key. Promise?

No arguments here, said Tyler quickly. I’d rather admit to killing someone than tell my parents we went to the nuthouse. That place has got evil coming out of its freaking walls.

At least now we know why it was abandoned for all those decades, added Sam quietly. There’s something not right with that place. It’s like those asylum spirits are stuck there, angry and confused.

A silence fell over the group as they contemplated Sam’s ominous words. Chris hadn't even told his best friend Max, knowing the worrywart would give him an earful about the dangers. He almost wished Max had been there; having Mr. Cautious around might have stopped Chris from going.

Finished eating, they bussed their trays and headed out to the oak tree for some fresh air before afternoon classes. But they found their spot already occupied by a huddle of students looking at something on a phone and whispering excitedly.

Yo, check this out, called one of the boys when he noticed the newcomers. Becky and the others ambled over, more to be polite than anything. But what was on the phone screen instantly made their blood turn cold.

It was an aerial shot of the Brooksdale Asylum in broad daylight. Even from a distance, details were clear like strategically shattered windows and the faded ‘No Trespassing’ sign hanging crookedly on the gate.

Crazy, right? continued the boy who had flagged them down. Some urban explorer drone filmed the whole place and just posted it. I’m telling you, I’m making the drive there this weekend. Don’t care how far away it is. Anything this freaky has to be epic!

His friends murmured enthused agreement. Becky and the others listened silently, dumbstruck. This was not good at all. The voyeuristic video was already amassing views from around the state and beyond. Before long, curiosity seekers and thrill-chasers would flock to their town.

The final school bell jolted the friends from their spiraling thoughts. We need to talk, my house, now, Chris whisper-shouted. Becky, Sam and Tyler nodded gravely.

Soon the four were holed up in Chris’s basement, door shut firmly against the outside world. Tyler paced while Becky chewed her nails. Okay, what do we do here? she finally asked. Board up the tunnel entrance ourselves?

Sam shook his head. That groundskeeper basically lives there. I’m sure he’ll do something to keep people away.

And what if he doesn’t? challenged Tyler. It’s not like he owns the place. He looked, what, seventy? Eighty? No match for thrill-seeking punks.

Chris stayed silent, knee bouncing anxiously. He kept picturing his dad asking why random out-of-towners were suddenly coming to Brooksdale. And then making the obvious link back to the asylum.

Maybe it won’t spread that far, offered Sam half-heartedly. The internet has a short attention span. Something else will go viral instead.

Tyler whirled on him. Are you blind? Did you see those view counts? They’re gonna turn that place into a circus! And then what?

Stop yelling, you’re freaking me out! said Becky shrilly. It’s not Sam’s fault.

Tyler slumped against the wall with a sigh. Sorry. But I really think we should do something.

Like what though? said Chris. It’s not like we can guard the place day and night.

The four fell silent, wracking their brains before Tyler suddenly gasped and sat up straight. The cemetery! If people are poking around, they’ll see those pathetic little gravestones. Can you imagine the backlash?

Understanding lit up Becky’s face. And if the town gets upset about vandalized graves...

They’ll board up the asylum for sure, finished Chris excitedly. Tyler, you’re a genius! We just have to wait it out.

And so they agreed to simply watch and wait, hoping controversy over ransacked graves would force action. They could not have predicted how wrong they were.

Over the next few weeks, their moods plummeted as gossip spread about vanloads of tourists and ghost hunters descending upon Brooksdale. Tyler’s parents recounted with alarm how out-of-towners were casing neighborhoods looking for shortcuts to the asylum.

At school, Chris noticed more kids searching the asylum online during computer lab or showing off edgy asylum pics on their social media. It was becoming a trendy icon, despite being worlds away from their safe suburban lives.

Becky reported creepily that a girl from their class posted about holding a seance up against the asylum wall the coming weekend. We have to stop this! shetold the others. Chris just squeezed his eyes shut tight. It was all spiraling out of control so fast.

Things finally came to a head that weekend. Tyler called them all over, his face pale. My brother just sent me this, he said, pulling up a shaky video on his laptop.