Walking home in the hot summer weather, I admired the beauty of the season, and also since school was out in Slaterville County I was very happy. Vibrant green leaves rustling in the wind, the occasional squirrel picking an acorn, or a blue jay chirping in a tree, made the atmosphere calming. I tried to ignore the intense heat of the sun. John and Stephen, my best friends since kindergarten, were walking by my side, and every now and then I would hear them snickering about the prank we pulled on Mr. Fitzgerald earlier today. He was so surprised when that water balloon fell on his head as he entered the room, but of course he laughed and carried on. Being fifteen year old sophomores, we were still immature, but to a certain extent. Just the thought of that made me chuckle, which caught the attention of my two friends to my left. I had been quiet the entire walk home, and they found it a bit out of place to hear me laugh.

“Hey Corry, you’ve been quiet. What’s up?” asked Stephen.

“Nothing really, I’m just thinking about today,” I replied. “Hey ya know I just had an idea you guys wanna hang out tonight?”

“Yeah I got time tonight!” answered John.

“I agree. We should have some fun since its summer vacation now!” noted Stephen.
We reached my driveway on Alaska Drive. I didn’t want to say farewell, but I knew that I’d see them shortly tonight so this thought subsided quickly.

“Alright, my place at 7:30 tonight sound good to you guys?” I asked, “I just got the new game MW3 for my X-Box and I’m pumped to play.”
Both John and Stephen nodded their heads in approval. We reached my driveway and we departed. As I reached half way up my long driveway, I looked around and observed the beauty of nature once again. It was quite amazing. I almost lost myself in the amazingness of it all that I forgot it was so hot out. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the shrieking of my mother.
“Cornelius Williams! Get inside the house right now before you get heat stroke! It’s over ninety degrees today!” my mother shrieked.
“Mom,” I replied, “don’t call me by my full name it’s embarrassing.”
“Just get inside please,” she replied.

“Alright,” I say to her with a tone of annoyance.

I walk inside my large brick home on Alaska Drive. I smell the usual scent of my home as I enter. The large foyer with the high ceilings welcomes me home. And the beautiful array of paintings gives the home an interesting touch as well.

I enter my kitchen, stepping from hardwood to tile flooring. There’s a faint smell of spices and I notice there is a pot of spaghetti on the stove, freshly made.

“Honey,” my mother began, “much sure you eat enough because you’re too lean for you age. Oh, and also I’m having the Johnsons over for dinner around 7:30 tonight.”

“But mom! I literally just asked Stephen and John to hang out here at 7:30 tonight!” I yelled, “This isn’t fair!” I added.

“I’m sorry Corry. How about you hang another day or maybe you can go to one of their houses for the night?” she asked.

“Well…,” I began, “I really wanted to play MW3 with them here tonight and it wouldn’t be the same if I—

My mother interrupted me and roared, “Look, if you want to spend time with your friends then it’s gonna be at one of their houses because I ain’t going to have any obnoxious teenagers screaming in the basement while your sister and I have dinner with the Johnsons. Is that clear?”

“Yes, mom,” I said with a look of disapproval.

“Good!” she said, finishing the conversation.
This is so dumb! I thought to myself, “I can’t even have friends over because my mom is having the Johnsons over. I mean of all people why they take priority over me! Ever since dad died she’s always been controlling and that going to end now tonight. I’m gonna do what I want.

Later that night around seven o’clock, I called up John and Stephen on Facetime and told them what was happening at my place here. John said that his parents didn’t want anyone over because they were having the Douglas family over for some board games, and Stephen said that his family room was being renovated so there was no point in going to his place.

“Well then what can we do?” I asked, realizing that it would likely become a rhetorical question since there were no obvious choices anymore.

“Hmm….,” started Stephen, “Ya know we could go by the park and play some football I guess. There are lights by the field so it won’t be very dark.”

“Sounds good to me,” I replied, “Let’s check with our parents first.”

When we came back onto Facetime is was apparent that none of our parents would let us go to the park.

“Well this is just great! Now I’m stuck in my room all night!” exclaimed John, “Well I guess could play Monopoly,” he added.

I look down at my watch and see that it is 7:13.

“Alright here’s plan. All of us will sneak out of our windows without anyone knowing. Meet up at the stop sign down the street at 7:30,” I explained, “Then we can go play, and make sure you bring your football Stephen.”

“Alright gotcha!” Stephen added.

I put my phone in my pocket, grabbed my Red Sox baseball cap, and crawled out through my window onto the deck overhang. I jumped down onto the cold wet grass and walk through the dusk light. I saw John crawl out a few moments later. We all met by the stop sign and proceeded to walk to the park. We took a shortcut through the woods by an old abandoned field. To the right was the Slaterville Asylum which was abandoned. Or at least I thought it was.

“Hey that asylum is completely abandoned, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, no one’s worked there for decades,” answered John, “except the ghosts!”

“Is little Cornelius scared of the ghosts?” jokingly mocked Stephen.

“What do you mean ghosts? I’m not scared of them” I replied.

Secretly I was terrified of supernatural things because I found them disturbing. As John was about to reply, a loud scream of a girl, almost as loud a train horn, came from the building.

“Did you here that!!” we all exclaimed in unison.

“Let’s go!” I screamed as I ran towards the building.

We reached the building after what seemed to be only a couple minutes. I sprinted ahead and jiggled the half broken door knob of the front entrance and to my luck the door just fell down. My friends joined me as we walked into the giant ruinous lobby of the asylum. The ceiling went up at least fifty feet or more Moonlight shone through the large holes in the roof, making ghastly figures on the walls.

“Where did that scream come from?” I asked, “It just makes no sens---,”
BAM! A huge crash came from the left of the building and we rushed toward a metal door. Above was a sign which faintly said: ‘Ward A’. We barged through the door and ran to middle of the long hallway. We stopped and realized we had no clue if the scream was on the first floor.

“Well where is that com---,” I began.
BAM! The door to the lobby shut behind us and in instinct we ran back. Stephen jiggled the knob, but it was locked. I was getting really scared and just wanted to leave now.

“Guys we need to leave, NOW!” I exclaimed.

“Well really now Sherlock. I thought I’d stay in here and play games,” joked Stephen.

“Guys!” started John, “Remember when you said there were ghosts?”
He pointed down the hall. A faint silhouette of a woman was standing in a white gown. Blood stained down her front and her face covered by long black hair. As she lifted her face her eyes began to glow red, and at the same time John was levitated and flown down the hallway and looked as if he was completely unconscious, or dead, when he fell to the ground. In shock, we stood there until the woman looked up at us. We ran to our left into the room and slammed the door shut, but immediately a wind pushed it back open. We ran over to the next room through various holes in the walls, looking for some escape. The ghost was close on our trail as we ran in fear. We reached a seventh room and ran back out to the hallway to the other side, into another room. We slammed the door shut. A series of bangs attacked the door as we looked for an exit. I noticed a chair in the corner rushed towards it. The window broke as I threw the chair through it. The door flew open and there stood the ghost of the woman. We rushed for the window and as I climbed through I heard someone dragged off the ground. I turned as saw Stephen suspended in the air and thrown against the wall. There was no use in trying to help. I had to leave him. But maybe I could save him! No it wouldn’t work, if I don’t she will get me too.

“Corry!!! No, come back!!!” Stephen screamed as I jumped out the broken window.
I ran from that place like a cheetah on overdrive. I ran from my fear because I could not bear it. I ran because I was afraid. As I got a safe distance, I looked back at the window. I saw the woman standing in the window. She looked scared and, then she began to weep as she looked at what she had done and then faded in the darkness. I shouldn’t be afraid of anything except one thing. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And even fear can fear itself.