Mistwood - 3

“I was trying to go to sleep and I read this story online about these two girls who were committed to some old mental asylum from the 50s and 60s. They had them locked up and wouldn’t let them leave. One day, when they were having some sort of evaluation, the two girls tried to escape. They ran through the woods and got lost, and nobody ever heard from them again.”

“Stacy, that’s an old myth. Everybody knows somebody made that up to scare kids away from going in the woods.” Emily rebuts.

“That’s what they say, but, did you know that three of the people working there died when they were trying to chase those girls down?” Stacy states

“Um, no.” Emily says nervously.

“Yeah. The hospital director, other patients there and some of the staff members. Orderlies I think they called them.” Stacy says in a soft, sullen voice.

“How did they die?” Emily asks.

“I don’t know, but they were saying that’s why the place closed down. That and because it was ‘inhumane’.” Stacy proclaims

“Okay, so why are you telling about this at 3 in the morning? I have class tomorrow and my physics professor has been giving me shit ‘cause I haven’t been paying attention and my test scores have sucked.” Emily says.

“Did you ever hear what the names of the girls who escaped and vanished were?” Stacy asks Emily.

“Um, I think so, but I don’t remember.” Emily says.

“Well, I think you’d remember these.” Stacy says with a slight pause. “Emily…and Stacy.” She finishes.

“Huh?” Emily questions with a raised eyebrow in disbelief. Just as Emily looks at Stacy with an unimpressed look, Stacy pulls her cell phone from out of her sweatshirt pocket and shows Emily a picture of the two girls.

Emily pinches her fingers on the screen and expands them to zoom in on the picture.

“Ah!” Emily gasps in disbelief as she stares at the image.

“Emi!” Emily mother can be heard from her room. “Go to sleep sweetie. Don’t you have class in the morning?”

“Yeah mom. Sorry.” Emily hollers through the wall to her mother.

Emily stairs in awe at the image on Stacy’s phone. Two young women stand in a decrepit looking building wearing matching hospital gowns. Each looking tired and slightly abused, both girls bearing a remarkable resemblance to Emily and Stacy.

“Oh my god! Where did you find this?” Emily asks.

“It was in the article that I was telling you about. Look!” Stacy says.

Emily scrolls through Stacy’s phone with her finger and reads the article in which Stacy has just paraphrased.

“Is this a joke?! Did somebody make this for you or something?” Emily asks bewildered.

“No, I swear! I was using that face app that takes your selfies and searches the internet for pics that look like it, then this story came up.” Stacy says

“Emily Riley!” Emily’s mother can be heard in the next room calling Emily in a much sterner voice. “Who are you talking to?”

“Sorry mom. I was just ‘screen timing’ with Stacy.” Emily replies.

“Tell Stacy it’s time to go to sleep. It’s 3:30 in the morning!” Emily’s mother demands.

“I know. Sorry mom.” Emily says

“Alright, you’ve got to get out of here. Text me that story and we’ll figure it out tomorrow.” Emily says as she begins pushing Stacy toward the window.

“But…” Stacy begins to say. Emily’s mother can be heard still talking in the background.

“Tomorrow’s Friday, we have all weekend to figure out what’s going on with this.” Emily says as she opens the window with one hand and begins pushing Stacy out with the other.

“Text me when you get home so I know you’re safe.” Emily says as he hand glides down Stacy’s arm.

“Alright, I’ll text you.” Stacy says as she gives Emily a goodnight kiss on the cheek before exiting out the window onto the roof.

Emily lays down in her bed and bundles herself up in the blankets and covers. She stares up at the ceiling, concurs about what she has just seen.