The Wolf King by Lynn Hagen
Chapter One
Justin Vlore and Caleb Frost sat in the Jeep as they stared up at the large and looming asylum that had been boarded up for over a decade.
“Nothing is going to happen if we just sit here,” Caleb said as he opened the driver’s door and stepped out into the empty parking lot.
Justin wasn’t too sure about this. It was an insane asylum after all. “Are you sure this is the place Juice said to meet him?”
Both men were college students at Bowling Green and had been invited to a frat party. But this place looked just as deserted as it had all those years ago. There were no lights and no music. The building stood like a silent sentinel in the night. Caleb was always invited to the cool parties, and he dragged Justin with him every chance he got.
Not that Justin was against having a good time, but he wasn’t what most would call a “cool” kind of guy. He was a redhead, his green eyes were too large for his face, and he was as thin as a rail from the blood sickness he carried in his veins—a sickness the doctors had no clue how to cure or even what to call it. Rare was the term they used so often that Justin was sick of it.
Justin slid from the car and glanced around. The large building sat on ten acres of land and had lots of trees surrounding the place. If he hadn’t come here with Caleb, Justin would be running in the opposite direction. But he and Caleb had been best friends since forever, and the man had the heart of a lion—even if he had the common sense of an infant sometimes. The guy never thought before he got himself into trouble.
“Come on.” Caleb jogged up the twenty stone steps and neared the run-down entrance. “It’s just an abandoned building. Don’t let the dilapidated state scare you, J.”
“This is stupid,” Justin said from the side of the Jeep. He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced around the empty lot. There were weeds growing out of the cracked pavement, and the surrounding woods sheltered Caleb and Justin from being seen from the road. “Who would throw a party in a place like this? Juice lied to you.”
Juice, the most popular student on campus and also the drug dealer. Justin hated the guy, but Caleb didn’t care what Juice did on the side. Caleb got along with everyone. His best friend held his arms out wide and smiled that dazzling smile at Justin. “I’ll bet they’re plenty of hot chicks inside. I’ll hook you up with a few.”
Justin frowned. That was the last thing he wanted. “I think I can get my own date.” And considering Justin was still a virgin, that made his chances of scoring slim to none. But he held a secret not even Caleb was aware of.
Justin preferred men instead of woman. He had never told his best friend because he didn’t want Caleb uncomfortable around him. Caleb was his only friend, and Justin was terrified that Caleb would be freaked out over the revelation.
“Fine, then get up here.” Caleb tried the door, but it didn’t open. That would be no big deal. The guy knew how to pick locks, a talent Justin always wondered about. He sucked in a deep draft of breath and climbed the steps.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” Caleb winked at him as he swung one of the doors open. It squeaked on unoiled hinges, and Justin smelled mold and standing water as soon as he stepped inside. The scent reminded him of an unused and unfinished basement.
“Second floor,” Caleb said.
Justin glanced around at what used to be the reception area. The vending machines were empty, and the sheets of protective glass were shattered. Chairs were overturned, and there was a layer of dust over everything. The windows were boarded up, but tiny slivers of moonlight seeped through. As he walked, glass crunched under his boots. Justin was careful of the hanging wires though he knew there wasn’t any power in this place. Probably some guys stripped the copper wiring for money.
There was graffiti spray painted on the peeling walls. Justin stopped and read the words “We Are Not Alone.” He shivered at the ominous words that had been painted in red. What did that mean? Humans or delusions in the mind of the person who’d tagged the wall?
Caleb, however, chuckled. “Don’t forget fruit loops used to live here. Don’t pay that any attention.”
But those fruit loops didn’t write that. The paint doesn’t look faded enough.
Justin nearly jumped out of his skin when he accidently kicked a fire extinguisher. It rolled slightly and hit the wall. The noise echoed eerily. He gazed down the hallway that seemed to stretch on forever, as if the noise had disturbed the long-ago residents.
There was a skylight halfway down the hall. The glass was busted, and a plethora of plants and vines reached down into the belly of the building. It was hard to believe that anything could grow in there. The greenery looked out of place.