Ava's eyes scanned the dusty shelves, her fingers tracing the spines of the old medical journals. She had been searching for hours, pouring over the records of Ashwood Sanitarium's patients. But one name kept recurring in her research: Malcolm.
Ava's curiosity was piqued. Who was Malcolm, and what had driven him to the brink of madness? She found a tattered diary on a shelf, its cover worn and faded. As she opened it, a piece of paper slipped out, carrying a single sentence: "I have made a pact with the devil, and now I am doomed."
Ava's heart quickened as she began to read the diary. Malcolm's words were cryptic, but they spoke of a descent into madness, of voices in the darkness and an unseen presence that watched him. The entries grew more erratic, the handwriting deteriorating as Malcolm's grip on reality began to slip.
As Ava read on, she felt a chill run down her spine. Malcolm's words seemed to echo her own fears, her own doubts. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was reading her own diary, that Malcolm's experiences were somehow linked to her own.
The diary ended abruptly, with a final entry that sent shivers down Ava's spine: "I have seen the face of the entity. It is ancient, evil. I am consumed."
Ava closed the diary, her mind reeling. What had driven Malcolm to such despair? And what was the entity he spoke of? She knew she had to find out more.
Ava spent the next few hours poring over the sanitarium's records, searching for any mention of Malcolm. She finally found a file, tucked away in a dusty corner of the archives. As she opened it, a photograph slipped out, showing a young man with haunted eyes.
Malcolm's file was thin, but it told a story of a man who had been pushed to the brink. He had been a patient at Ashwood Sanitarium, subjected to experimental treatments for his supposed schizophrenia. But as Ava read on, she realized that Malcolm's condition was different. He had been experiencing strange visions, hearing voices that no one else could hear.
Ava's eyes widened as she read the final entry in Malcolm's file. He had disappeared from the sanitarium, leaving behind only his diary and a cryptic message: "The entity will come for you."
Ava felt a shiver run down her spine. What had happened to Malcolm? And what did his disappearance have to do with the entity he spoke of? She knew she had to find out more.
As she closed the file, Ava heard a faint whisper in her ear. "You shouldn't be here." She spun around, but she was alone. The whisper seemed to come from all around her, echoing off the walls.
Ava's heart quickened. She knew she had to get out of the sanitarium, to escape the darkness that lurked within its walls. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being pulled deeper, into a world of madness and terror.
And then, Ava heard the footsteps. Heavy, deliberate footsteps, coming from the floor above. She knew she wasn't alone in the sanitarium. Someone – or something – was watching her.