“What’s up, everyone – you asked for it, and here we are. Behind me is the legendary, the creepy, the probably-full-of-mold… Old Ashthorn Asylum.” Andy said, looking over his shoulder at the crumbling building, then looked back at the camera. ““Abandoned since the late eighties, no power, no security… and allegedly? Very haunted…ooooooooooh,” he said, as he wiggled his fingers mockingly.

“Cut! Stick to the script, please,” Beth said sternly. “We need to be professional here.”

Andy stuck his tongue out, then said:”All right, all right. I was just…improvising…or warming up.”

“3…2…1…go.” Beth said, pointing the camera at Andy.

“Hey everyone, welcome back to the channel. Tonight we are exploring Old Ashthorn Asylum – one of the most infamous shutdowns in this state’s history. We have got blueprints, we have got backup gear, and most importantly…we have got the whole night to explore. So let us find out what is hiding behind these doors.”

They headed toward the entrance, Beth keeping the camera steady as Andy climbed the cracked concrete steps. He paused at the top, took a slow breath, and tested the rusted door handle. It didn’t budge. “It’s locked,” he said over his shoulder. Then, glancing back with a grin, “Might wanna cut the camera for this part.”

Beth sighed but lowered the camera. Andy pulled a small roll of tools from his jacket pocket and knelt by the lock. It wasn’t his first time doing this, and the pins were old, worn down by years of exposure. A few minutes later, there was a soft click. Andy stood, satisfied. “And we’re in.”

He pushed the door open. It groaned like it hadn’t moved in decades – slow and high-pitched, like metal remembering how to breathe. Dust swirled in the beam of Beth’s flashlight as he stepped aside to give her a clear shot of the interior. Beth whistled under her breath, panning across the space. The entrance hall was thick with dust and spiderwebs, the air stale and heavy. To their right stood an old reception booth behind yellowed glass, once used to direct visitors or check in patients. A faded sign still clung to the desk inside: Family Inquiries – Please Have Patient ID Ready. Beth leaned in for a closer shot. “Imagine trying to ask about your sister and getting this as your welcome.”

Andy smirked but said nothing. The air felt heavier already.

*****

“3…2…1…and we are live.” Beth said, pointing the camera at the two men sitting across from each other at the table. The one to her right was Andy, the one to her left was an older gentleman, with sunken eyes and a faded, worn jacket. Beth was behind the camera, staying silent and focused.

Andy looked at the camera and said:”Welcome back to the channel. Today we are speaking with someone who has personal experience with Old Ashthorn Asylum – a place surrounded by intrigue, mystery, and to some, sorrow, as well as quite a few unanswered questions. Now, for privacy reasons, we will be using a pseudonym. We will be calling him Clyde. He used to work at the asylum years ago, and tonight, he has agreed to share what he remembers of the place. Andy then looked at Clyde and said:”You mentioned that you worked there earlier in your career. Can you tell us what it was like?”

Clyde looked down at his hands, which were folded. He took a deep breath and said:”Yeah… yeah, I was…I was a janitor there for a couple of years. At first it was fine, just cleaning up after the patients and staff. I remember a lot of vomit…the doctors always told me it was normal. But… it didn’t always feel normal.” Clyde paused, jaw tightening.

“Then…I think after a couple of months or so, we got a new headmaster. Finnigan.” Clyde almost spat as he mentioned his name.

“He was a real piece of work. He was very cold and clinical. Started to push the staff to ‘modernize treatments’. He called it treatments, but I feel it was more like… experiments, I think…doubt it was legal. They never wrote anything down. At least, not anything I could find.” Clyde stared into the distance, lips trembling.

“I remember my cleaning got a lot heavier. Blood…oh god, the amount of blood I suddenly had to clean up. And in one case, I swear I could see bone fragments.” Clyde sat his face in his hands and started sobbing.

“I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry…” he said, to no one in particular.

Beth and Andy looked at each other, when suddenly, Clyde stared straight into the camera and started saying:”ward 6…ward 6….ward 6.”

Beth then said:”Cut. Thank you so very much for your contribution mr. Clyde,” just as she put the camera away.

*****

Andy and Beth were exploring the west wing, marked Wards 1 through 3. The corridor was wide and carried every step in a long, hollow echo. To each side there were doors, spaced apart, behind which were large rooms. Some of the rooms were caked with some dark, sticky residue on the floors and walls. Beth got in for a better view, and Andy yelled:”Clyde to ward 2. Cleanup needed”, then he laughed. Beth put the camera down and said sternly:”Andy, come on. We need to stay focused and professional. This is not the time nor the place to be a funny guy.”

Andy put his hands up and said:”OK, OK, I’m sorry.”

Beth sighed and rubbed her arms, then said:”look, I just don’t like it in here. It is as if I can feel the… sorrow…the pain, of this place. I just want to finish up and get home.”

Andy said:”sure thing. We are in ward 2 now. Let’s get some shots from ward 3 and then take a break. Sound good to you?”

“Sounds good,” Beth said. She put her camera up again and started filming the walls, the peeling paint, the deep cracks running through the plaster.

They stopped at a narrow room off to the side – a storage area. Inside was a janitor’s rolling cart: faded yellow plastic and a built-in mop wringer. The smell of bleach and ammonia was so strong, they gasped for air. Beth put the camera up to get some good shots. She hesitated, then said:”hey Andy…look at this. This isn’t right is it?”, pointing to a rolling mop cart with a built-in wringer.

It looked…fresh, as if it had never been used. There was water in the bucket. Clean looking water. Andy looked over Beth’s shoulder. “That’s… weird.” he said. Beth felt chills running down her spine. “This place has been shut down for over thirty years. Why is this here. Why is there clean water?”

She pulled back from the cart, got out of the storage room, hands shaking. “This is not right, this is not right,” she said. “Someone might be here. We need to get out of here.”

Andy didn’t move. His eyes were fixed on the cart, unmoving.”we have a job to do. We finish, then we leave.”

Beth looked at him, her lips trembling. She was unsettled by the sudden edge in his voice. And the cart sat there in the middle of the room, waiting patiently.

*****

The camera panned in on the two figures sitting across from each other at the table. Andy was on the right side, on the left side and older lady, looking stern yet glamorous. As Andy looked into the camera, he said:”Welcome to the channel. We are continuing our deep dive into the history of the famed…or should I say dreaded…Old Ashthorn Asylum. This week’s guest did have a prominent role during her career there. And for privacy reasons, we will be using a pseudonym. We will be calling her Dee for the purposes of this video.” Andy turned his gaze towards the old lady. “Now Dee, what was your role inside of Old Ashthorn Asylum?”

“Hello mr. Andy. I worked there around fifty or so years ago. I was a nurse.”

Andy interrupted her:”Sorry, a nurse? You told me on the phone you were head nurse.”

Dee shook her head. “No, no, no, that must have been a misunderstanding. I was close to the head nurse, but I was never the head nurse myself. As warm and fun she was outside of work, when on duty she was very… methodical. Maybe even… robotic, if I can describe it like that. She was cold and focused on her job. Scared me sometimes.”

“What was her relationship with Finnigan, if I may ask?” Andy said.

Dee turned white. “Where did you hear that name. That accursed name. He is the reason I no longer can sleep.” She put her head in her hands and started crying.

“All those needless experiments. Oh god, please forgive me. I did what I was told.”

Andy looked at Beth, who looked at Dee. Then suddenly, Dee looked up at the camera, eyes red from crying. “What are you trying to do. What are you hoping to find? You will only find misery in that horrid place.”

Then Dee looked out the window, saying in a low voice:”ward 6… ward 6… ward 6″.

*****

After finishing some shoots in Ward 3, Andy and Beth went outside. They both needed the break, the fresh air. Beth took a deep breath and said:”this video better get some views.”

Andy scoffed and said:”100% it will. This place, this history, our interviews. We are sitting on literal gold. This video may get a bit long, but it will be lit.”

they sat down on a grassy hill just beyond the entrance, opening their backpacks and getting some sandwiches out. “I am starving.” Beth said, taking a bite from her chicken sandwich.

Andy laughed. “Same,” he said, tearing into his peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as if it had done him some slight.

They quietly sat there, just relaxing, enjoying their food, soaking in the quiet. “You know, if I never ever have to set foot in that place again, it will be too soon.” Beth said, looking at the massive building.

Andy shrugged. “As long as we get the views, I simply do not care where we end up. This is just a building. Maybe some stuff happened here, but it was long ago. And think about all the monitos we will make from this. Ka-ching.”

Beth rolled her eyes and said softly:”money isn’t everything.”

They finished their sandwiches, then headed back inside. This time they went to the east wing, where Wards 4 and 5 awaited them. “I never understood it,” Beth said. “Why doesn’t it go from ward 1 to 6? I mean, ward 1,2 and 3 on the west wing, 4,5 and 6 on the east wing. That would make more sense to me.”

Andy laughed. “And where exactly would you put the staff then? Bottom floor of the east wing was for staff housing. Ward 4 above them and then 5 above that one. That’s how they built these places.”

“Oh of course,” Beth said, nodding her head. “Just my brain trying to make patterns that fit.”

As they moved through the staff wing, Beth took some shots of the desks and of Andy rifling through some papers. At some point, he stopped, took out a file and said:”wait, Beth, what’s your last name? Huong, right?”

Beth sighed and said:”Yes. Why?”

Andy held up the folder. She zoomed in on the tag. Elizabeth Huong. She gasped and almost dropped the camera. “What the actual fuck. No, no, no, we are getting out of here. This is way too much.”

Andy laughed and said:”Relax, it’s someone that you just share a name with. Look at the date. 1968. Almost a nice year.” He laughed too hard at his own joke.

Beth was not amused. “This is serious. There is something going on here and I don’t like it. Please, let us just finish this and get the hell away from this place.”

They entered Ward 4. The corridor stretched out in cold silence. The rooms were wide and windowless, and the floors and walls were streaked with dried red residue. The camera’s light barely cut the gloom.

*****

Andy sat across from an elderly man in their studio, a modest table between them. Beth stood behind the camera, silent and focused. The overhead light buzzed faintly. Andy looked into the camera and said:”Welcome to the channel. This is part of our continuing deep dive into the history of Old Ashthorn Asylum. Today we have a special guest. As usual, he has agreed to join us, but on condition of anonimity. So we will be using a pseudonym. For this interview, he’ll be known as Edmund.” Andy turned to the man across from him and said: “how about you introduce yourself?”

Edmund cleared his throat and said in a surprisingly strong voice:”Hello everyone, my name is… dr. Edmund. I worked at the asylum for a long period. 1940 to 1973.” He looked at his hands, and said in a lower voice:”I…I was mostly responsible for ward 2 and 3.”

Andy looked at him and asked:”What was your relationship with Finnigan?”

Dr. Edmund’s expression changed. The color drained from his face. “The devil. He was the devil. Every time he told me to… to help them, i refused. There was something evil going on. I wanted nothing to do with it.”

“Then why didn’t he just fire you?” Andy asked. “Sorry if it’s personal.”

“No no, it’s all right.” Dr. Edmund said, waving a hand. “It…it has to come out some day. But he knew if he fired me, I would be going straight to the authorities. I told him after one of our first interactions. He knew he would most likely be arrested and probably sit in jail for a long time.”

“Why didn’t you go to them anyway?” Andy asked. “Wouldn’t it have helped?”

Dr. Edmund took a deep breath, sighed and lowered his face into his hands. He started crying. When he eventually spoke up again, his voice cracked. “I am sorry…so so sorry…for all the pain.” He cried for a few moments, then looked back up at Andy and said:”I sincerely wanted to help. I felt the best way to do so was to assist the poor people of wards two and three. I felt I did some good… for a few of them at least.”

“But what about ward 6?” Andy asked. “What do you know of it?”

Dr. Edmund gasped and said:”Hell. It was hell on earth. Oh god, all the torment in that place.”

Dr. Edmund looked around the studio, as if he had forgotten where he was. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I have…I have to go now. This interview has stirred up too many memories.”

He stood up and left, leaving Andy and Beth looking at each other with puzzled expressions.

*****

After finishing their shots in Ward Five, Beth and Andy exchanged a smile. They had done it. The filming was completed. Now the video only needed some editing. This was going to be glorious, their best video yet. They chatted as they descended the stairs toward the staff housing. As they reached the bottom, Beth stopped dead in her tracks. Her face went pale. Across from them where before there had only been a wall, a hallway now stretched into darkness. She pointed a trembling finger towards it and said:”look, that wasn’t there before. What the hell is going on?”

Andy looked at where she pointed, his eyes lit up and he said:”More video material. We ain’t done yet.”

Without waiting, he headed toward the corridor. Beth hesitated, then lifted the camera again and started filming. Andy was already halfway to what she now could see were stairs leading down. Andy took a couple of deep breaths, looked into the camera lens and said:”oh boy, do we have a treat for you guys. Now, we didn’t notice this earlier when we were walking through the asylum, but now, now we are here. Stairs leading down. Down to what? We are here to find out.”

He slowly started walking down the stairs, and Beth followed. “Woah,” Andy said suddenly. “Beth…look at the door.”

She stepped beside him and raised the camera. At the bottom of the stairs stood a massive steel door, grimy with age. On it, a number, a flickering 6. Beth gasped, then said:”we are so out of here. This isn’t right.”

Andy held up a finger to quiet her, eyes wide with adrenaline. His breathing quickened. Slowly, with a shaking hand, he reached for the handle. The moment his fingers touched it, the lights snapped on. He yelped and pulled his hand back. Beth laughed – not out of humor, but fear. “Yeah, haha, funny stuff,” Andy muttered, disgruntled.

Still, he opened the door and they went inside. It was a narrow corridor, just wide enough for one person. The air was still and heavy. Doors lined both sides, all identical, each with a small reinforced window. Andy stepped to the first door on the right and peered in. He gasped and yelled at her:”Beth, Beth, come take a look. Are you seeing this?”

Beth hurried to his side, raising the camera up to the window. She looked at him, puzzled. “What is this? Some sort of a joke? A Fentenbury Hound lunchbox?”

“That was my lunchbox. In third grade. I loved the Fentenbury Hound cartoons, so my dad bought it for me. It even has the dent in it from when i dropped it.”

Beth looked at him, stunned. “Wait, I have an idea. Let’s go live and let everyone see this.”

She started the stream, and focused the camera on Andy. He looked visibly shaken, but was trying his best to keep his composure. “Hey guys, it’s your boy Andy here. Me and Beth are currently filming inside of Old Ashthorn Asylum, but now we have made a shocking discovery. Look at what we found inside what we believe is the elusive Ward Six.”

Beth moved the camera to the window. The lunchbox sat alone on the floor, perfectly placed. Then she had a thought. “Wait, if this is in this room, what will we find in the others?”

Andy pointed his finger at her, wagging it in a thoughtful way. “Good thinking. Let’s find out.”

He looked through the door on his left. “Hmm, that’s odd. I don’t remember this.”

Beth moved in beside him and caught the view. She reeled back and yelled out in surprise. “What the fuck is going on here. That was my bunny from when I was 6. It got hit by a car and died. I remember mom burying it in our backyard. How on earth is it in here?”

Andy looked at her, his confidence starting to crack. “Let’s look at a couple of more, see what we find.”

He crossed to the next door on his right. One glance inside and he screamed. “What is it?” Beth asked.

He dropped to his knees, hands covering his face. He was crying. She slowly moved towards the door. Slowly, she moved the camera to get a view of what was inside. She yelled out too. There was a young kid in there. No more than 4 years old. “What the actual fuck Andy. What is going on here?”

Andy sobbed, then said in a low voice. “That is…was…my brother, Glen. He died when he was 4. I remember… the funeral. It hit me so hard.” He buried his face in his arms, shoulders trembling. “My god. What have we uncovered here Andy?” Beth said.

She slowly made her way to the door on their left. Slowly, she put the camera in place. She was curious, but she didn’t really want to find out what was behind that door. She looked at the camera. She screamed. “Andy, we are going back, right now. This has gone way too far.”

She grabbed one of Andy’s arms, and hauled him to his feet. She said:”We are leaving. Now.”

Andy staggered upright, wiped his face, then he turned pale and he froze. She looked at him, then at where he was looking and they both screamed. They started to run. They got to the door they had come through, but it had now been replaced by a wall.

*****

Glen had gotten the alert when Unknown Archives, his favorite youtube channel, went live. It was his favorite channel, full of great interviews, historic information and excellent urban exploration live streams and videos. But this time he wasn’t impressed. Whatever they were doing, it didn’t interest him. All he could hear were faint voices behind a massive wall of static.