Dexter Asylum Pt 01: Into the Asylum

When a pair of adventurous girls explore the charred ruins of Dexter Asylum in upstate Rhode Island an accident may change one of their lives forever...

Within the outer reaches of Providence Rhode Island there was at one time a massive expanses of land inhabited solely by the imposing edifice of Dexter Asylum. Once seen as the height of civility and generosity Dexter Asylum played host to the destitute and the insane.

Massive gothic architecture cast shadows over the vacant fields that surrounded the facility long after its residents had departed, but the rumors of what had gone on in the facility during its long occupancy stretched further than its shadows ever could.

In the dark days of psychology human experimentation was not only acceptable, it was considered the norm. Ghastly procedures meant to push the boundaries of the human mind and chase off the spectre of insanity were distressingly common fare, and Dexter Asylum was no exception.

Donated in the will of one Ebenezer Dexter, an eccentric millionaire who sought to secure a legacy, Dexter Asylum had one feature which set it apart from its peers, an eight foot stone wall that completely encircled the property. It is unclear, even to this day, if the wall was meant to keep the local townspeople out... or to keep its residents in...

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Although the practice of keeping the poor and the ill apart from society was already starting to decline the death knell of the Dexter house was sounded on the evening of February 23, 1956, after more than a 100 years in service.

Late into the night the alarm was raised when smoke started to pour from the lower levels of the building. Within minutes much of the building was in flames and although the staff fought valiantly to rescue as many of the patients as possible, more than 150 residents lost their lives in the fire.

Although stories run rampant of a revolt by the patients a formal inquiry was convened and it was determined that the fire was the result of a malfunction of the buildings crematorium that sat at the heart of the building.

With the building ravaged by the fire and ultimately unsuitable for further occupancy, the doors to Dexter Asylum were closed for good, and although it sat at the heart of an enviable piece of real estate the building sat abandoned for nearly 60 years, the charred bones of the facility casting long shadows in the Rhode Island sun...

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Toni was disgusted with herself, although she perfectly recalled the chain of events which had led her to this situation she still was totally unclear how exactly she had ended up here.

Best friends with Emily for more than 20 years Toni had often found herself being dragged into situations that she absolutely had no place being, and tonight was no exception. With Toni's wedding scarcely more than a few months away Emily had become almost frantic in her efforts for the long time friends to spend time together.

Which she supposed led her to where she was now, following the dark silhouette of her friend through the forest on their way to an abandoned asylum... Great...

The two girls came up short as the monsters shadow of the wall loomed up out of the darkness in front of them. Nearly eight feet tall the wall stood unbroken by the weight of the ages it had been abandoned, persevering with an almost malicious desire to protect the grounds of the old building.

"Awesome... maybe now we can turn around and go home..." Toni thought to herself. She shivered as she stood in the shadow of the massive wall. She cringed in distress as Emily started to scale the wall, scampering up the rotting masonry with an enthusiasm that quelled any opportunity for escape. Toni groaned quietly to herself before starting to climb behind her, cursing the heavens for allowing herself to be talked into this reckless endeavor.

---

A short time later the girls approached the decrepit form of the abandoned asylum, it's cadaverous form stretching up toward the stars, towering above them in the moonless night. Although Toni had nearly broken her neck in the scaling of the wall Emily had refused to back down, arguing successfully that they were already over the wall so they might as well investigate the building, since they had spent so much effort getting there in the first place.

Toni shivered as she felt the baleful gaze of the building settle upon them, its broken windows giving it an angry visage. She felt stripped and exposed standing in front of the old structure. All of the trees had long ago been cleared from in front of the building, leaving them standing alone in the open expanse of the grounds. Although she knew that there was no way anyone could possibly see them, given that there were no houses for miles, not to mention that any chance observer would have had to scale the same wall that they had, still she felt as though she were being observed.

Before she had the chance to object further Emily pushed her way through the double doors that loomed in front of them, disappearing into stygian darkness that swallowed her form up completely, leaving Toni with the option of following her, or being left alone. She hurriedly followed her.

An enormous entry hall greeted their entrance into the old facility. Toni's breath left her in a rush, stunned to silence by the scene in front of her. A massive staircase that was incredibly ornate rose up out of the darkness in front of them, it's immaculate state at odds with the charred hole that provided the only light. Both girls took out their cell phones, activating the flashlight app. As they started to explore they were both touched by the fact that other than a light smattering of debris the inside of the building was relatively untouched by time, appearing as though it were simply waiting for its patients to return. Toni fancied she could see footsteps in the dust around them, imagining that they had been cast by the flight of the residents on the dark night that had ended the buildings reign.

Toni had grown up in the shadow of the building, hearing the rumors and the stories of the clandestine experiments that had taken place in the building before its fall. She knew too much to be comfortable here...

"It's amazing isn't it?" Emily cooed enthusiastically "I never imagined that it would be so intact! Lets keep going." Emily quickly matched action to word and headed down one of the hallways that split off from the main hall, the light from her cell phone casting ominous shadows that flickered and danced on the walls with malicious glee.

Toni followed her resignedly, knowing from long experience that there was no way she was going to get her out of here until she had her fill of the place.

She paused to examine a portrait that hung beside the opening to the hall, a barely legible plaque beneath it identifying it as one "Ebenezer Dexter" the patron of the facility. The portrait has been twisted and warped by long years of neglect and exposure, leaving the colors faded and casting a demonic aspect to the wizened old man. So consumed was she in examining the portrait that she missed the warning sounds as the floor began to give way. Its supports, long ago weakened by the fire that ravaged the building, were simply unable to support its unwelcome visitors weight. Toni screamed in panic as she lost her footing. A sharp blow to the head left her tumbling into the darkness with all the resistance of a rag doll...