story

(set: $key to false) (set: $benches to 2) (set: $padlock_key to false) You are a young college student, and have been fascinated with exploring abandoned buildings. It's 11:00 pm in Northern Minnesota and you're at your 8th abandoned building ever explored. The once populated building, now desolate. Full of patients, now sorrow is left. Welcome to [[St. Clarks Mental Institute]]. <img src="https://imgcdn.stablediffusionweb.com/2025/9/26/480cea48-e959-4345-99d8-c10357732985.jpg"> You get out your flashlight as you stand at the covered sidewalk leading into the building. (if:(history: where its name contains "option2")'s length >= 1)[(set: $key to true)] [[Check the front door | option1]] (if:(history: where its name contains "option2")'s length is 0)[[Check surrounding area for other entries | option2]]

Surprisingly, the door is cracked open. You give a slight push and the door moves, scratching the concrete floor as it whines open. Using your flash light, you only see that the [[entrance room]] is the waiting room and front office with a janitor's closet on the opposite side. Next to the office is a door. Half of it blocked by a shelf. Almost like someone was trying to keep people from going that direction. Between the closet and office is a massive rollup garage door, seemingly pulled down to keep people out. [[Go to janitor's closet | option3]] [[Look at garage door | option4]]

The building stretches long on either side you look. It would take a long time to check each window on each side of the building. You look at the windows near the door and the vegetation is unmoveable. You have no knife and it's too thick to push away to get in the windows. You think about picking up broken glass from the ground but don't want to cut your hand. Next to the glass, you see a golden glint hit your eye. A [[key]]. Maybe you can use it somewhere? [[Pick up the key and go back|start]]

The key is rusted. Bits of metal are still exposed but the teeth are in good shape. After all these years, you would've thought something like this would've been weathered away or corroded to dust. [[Go back | option2]]

The sign that hangs above the entrance has the plastic linings shattered, exposing the once brightly lit neon lights. Vines are crawling the sides of the building, overgrown vegetation covering the windows. Windows are broken, but the darkness inside cannot be seen through. Your flashlight cannot get past the tall weeds and small trees growing amongst the large and lush grass. [[Go back|start]]

The office has computers, but when you look closer they're all broken. Big box computers with gashes on top and shattered glass for a screen. Tipped-over, cracked leather chairs have cushions falling out. The waiting room has plenty of seating, but not able to be seated in. Wood from benches are rotted. The ones that aren't are turned over or broken beyond repair next to tipped fallen vases with dead plants. [[Go back | option1]]

(if: $benches is 2)[You get near the janitor's closet and realize that two old benches are blocking the door. They look light enough to move.] (if: $benches is 1)[The janitor's closet has one bench blocking the door. It looks light enough to move] (if: $benches is 0)[With both benches out of the way, the rusted door to the janitor's closet is unblocked.] (if:(history: where its name contains "option7")'s length >= 1)[You don't want to go back in there.] (if: $benches is 2)[[Move first bench | option6]] (if: $benches is 1)[[Move second bench | option6]] (if: $benches is 0 and (history: where its name contains "option7")'s length is 0)[[Open janitor's closet | option7]] [[Go back | option1]]

(if: $padlock_key is false)[How has no one explored this place yet? The garage door has a padlock at the bottom of it. The padlock is still locked and unbroken keeping you from opening the door.] (if: $padlock_key is true)[Someone has tried exploring here but they couldn't use the key you have. Hopefully whatever is in here doesn't make you end up like them.] (if: $padlock_key is true)[[Unlock and open | option5]] [[Go back | option1]]

After unlocking, you pull up then push up the garage door. Making a very loud rattling sound, making even your ears hurt. The complete silence doesn't help as you make your way further into the building. Turned over tables, rotted beddings, misplaced mattresses. Typical of abandoned buildings, but knowing someone died trying to explore here, doesn't help with imagining how these furnitures did end up displaced. As you start to veer a corner, you hear it. Something that shouldn't be here. [[Walk closer | option8]]

(set: $padlock_key to true) The rusted door squeaks open. A dead body resides in the closet... blood. The [[body]] wears normal clothes, recent years yet the blood is dried and crackling. This shakes you, makes you fearful. You run out of the closet to the front door and it's locked. Breathing as if you just stopped drowning. Eventually you calm down and go back into the janitor's closet. The sight of the body still shocks you. But your flashlight makes a beam shine to your eye. A key. [[Pick up the key and go back| option1]]

(set: $benches to it - 1) (if: $benches is 1)[One less bench out of the way. You wipe off the left over wood rot from your hands] (if: $benches is 0)[Luckily you wore your gloves because the second bench breaks while trying to move it. You could've gotten a splinter!] [[Go back | option3]]

You peek around and see a large, pale being. Almost snow white in color. It's disfiguration almost look like an extorted human male. Skinny enough to see it's bones, almost as if he's only bones. The figure sounds as if it is... crying? His hands are covering his eyes. But it feels your glare... <img src="https://i.redd.it/9ei3vmfzz2k31.png"> The being stops crying... stands up... and starts yelling as he grabs his face in frustration. He's at least 12-feet tall. And his monstreous, lanky figure starts running at you. [[RUN | option9]]

You put yourself in this situation, now you are going to get out of it. You run back into the entrance room. The janitor's closet is a dead end and the front door is locked. There's only place left. The blocked area. [[Push the shelf out of the way | option10]] [[Ram the shelf out of the way | option 11]]

You try with all of your might to push the shelf out of the way of the door but he catches up to you. He grabs your arms and throws you to the concrete floor, knocking you out instantly. He rips off one of your arms and repeatedly bashes your head until it's a puddle. You died. ''Ending 1/3''

You ram the shelf at full speed, trying your best to knock it with all of your might. The shelf instantly falls over, you're stronger than you think when your adrenaline pumps. The door is unblocked. (if: $key is false)[[Try the door | option12]] (if: $key is true)[[Unlock the door | option13]]

You try the door, but find it is locked. It won't budge and you don't have enough time to ram this. You try your best to kick it in but only the small glass window breaks during your attempts. The thing reaches you. Grabbing you by the body and smalling you across the room. You think you have enough time to run but he's already at your face. He stomps on your body, yelling in frustrating, until you stop breathing. You died. ''Ending 2/3''

You've practiced before opening locked doors quickly and this time was no different. The key you found thankfully unlocks the door you need to escape. Before the monster can reach you, you open the door and make it inside. You close, lock, and block the door before the monster can get a hand you. You see the windows that you viewed from the outside and decide to run. You run as fast as possible and jump off of the window frame and break whatever's left of the existing glass surrounding the already broken window. The trees, weeds, and grass can't stop your momentum as you break them in your escape. Your adrenaline, still pumping, helps you run from St. Clarks Mental Institute and back to the nearest city. You escaped. ''Ending 3/3''

Looking at him closer, he looks like he was in his 20s. Young, someone who also wanted to explore abandoned places? Deep gashes reside on his face and stomach. One of his legs is bent obiously in the wrong direction. What happened to him? [[Go back | option7]]