Arjun Mehra had visited abandoned places before, but none of them had ever felt like this.
The jeep stopped with a sudden jolt, dust settling slowly around the compound. Ashcroft Memorial Hospital stood ahead, taller than he had imagined—silent, leaning slightly to one side, its paint peeled like old skin. A few windows glowed faintly deep inside the building, which made no sense to him.
"This place was sealed years ago," the driver muttered, gripping the steering wheel. "There shouldn't be electricity."
Arjun nodded, though his eyes were fixed on the gate.
It wasn't locked.
The iron gate stood half open, as if someone had unlatched it earlier and simply walked away. Rust coated most of it, yet the hinges looked oddly clean, almost fresh. That detail unsettles him more than the decay.
He stepped out of the jeep.
The air hit him immediately—sharp and sterile, carrying the faint smell of antiseptic mixed with something older and darker. It reminded him of an emergency room where the patient had died and staff had cleaned too quickly.
Behind him, one of the inspectors said, "Feels like the hospital is still working, sir."
"That's impossible," replied Arjun, though he also believed that the hospital was still working. They approached the gate together. As Arjun passed through, the metal creaked softly. The sound lingered in the air longer than it should have, echoing strangely; in that echoing, he heard the sound of an old woman calling his name in pain. He looked everywhere but couldn't see anyone; later he thought he had imagined it.
To the left side of the gate they saw a security cabin; there was very dim light in the cabin. They went near the cabin; they saw that there was a person wearing the security guard uniform and putting his head down. Arjun knocked at the glass of the cabin and said, "Hello." The guard, who was inside the cabin, lifted his head slowly and looked at him with no expression on his face. Arjun said we are here for investigation
The guard replied, "You two are here for registration?"
Arjun replied, "No, not for registration but for inspection,"He said with a polite smile. The guard said there is no inspection anymore only admission."