Look for the way out

Leanne had no idea if the doctor was trying to trick her or if genuinely wanted to help her, but she wasn’t thinking about that now. She was dressed and no longer concerned with who might see her as she walked the corridors in a state of near nakedness. Her only thought was getting out of the insane place and she turned to head directly to the exit.

As she walked down the hallway she could hear her high heels crunching on the aged carpet. However, there seemed to be another sound, as though someone were following her. Leanne quickened her step but the noise increased in pace. She tried to run but in her heels it was nearly impossible, so instead she stopped and listened closely for someone behind her.

The corridor was empty and eerily still with no sign of either the staff or any residents. The only sounds she could hear now were her own heavy breathing and the thump of her beating heart as it pounded against her chest. She figured it was just her overactive imagination playing tricks on her, but as Leanne prepared to move she began to feel a creeping sensation like she was being watched. She shuddered and quickly checked behind her only to find herself facing a tall shadowy figure looming over her.

“Good evening, miss,” he grinned as he stepped forward, a set of bright white teeth gleaming in the gloom. Leanne leapt back against the wall and clutched her chest in fear. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to startle you. I only wondered where you might be going.”

Leanne stared at him in silence. Her heavy breathing slowly subsiding as the stranger stood watching her in return. His gaze locked on her as his lips curled into a smirk that seemed to suggest he could see more than her long dress allowed him. He wore a long, dark cloak, while the off-white of his shirt stood in contrast with his otherwise black ensemble. His hair too was jet black and appeared to run as far down as his broad shoulders. In contrast his face was pale, almost white, with angular features. His nose and chin both sharp and jagged. There was a strange accent to his voice that Leanne couldn’t place, but as she gazed into his eyes she felt her initial fear slowly subsiding.

“I’m… I’m Leanne,” she declared eventually.

“Delighted to meet you, Leanne,” replied the stranger. His teeth showing once more as his mouth spread into a wide grin. There was such intensity in the way he stared at her that it made the young woman squirm awkwardly against the wall of the corridor. She knew he couldn’t see anything but still pressed her thighs together and pulled her arms across her chest in an attempt to help her feel less exposed. “Is there anything I can be of assistance with?”

“Um, n-n-no,” she answered nervously, hoping to end this encounter as quickly as possible. She began easing herself along the hallway with her back pressed tight to the wall. Despite the feeling that this mysterious figure was somehow comforting, she couldn’t help but sense a deeper fear that was being subdued.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked. Moving nearer each time Leanne tried to slide away.

“Of… Of course not,” she responded with a **** smile. “I-I-I just have to…” Leanne looked along the corridor. It was almost pitch black and she had no idea what awaited her. But could it be worse than this stranger? With his intense gaze and the disturbing aura he was projecting.