Within the silence

chapter 13

The truck rumbled to a stop outside the gates of Haven Mental Hospital, a sprawling, timeworn facility surrounded by a forest of skeletal trees. The pale morning sunlight gave the place an eerie glow, highlighting its weathered brick walls and the faded lettering of its name on the arch above the entrance.

Lance cut the engine, and the three of them sat in silence for a moment, staring at the imposing building before them.

“Well,” Nathan finally said, leaning forward to get a better look. “At least now we know what Haven means.” He glanced at Ivy and Lance. “But what the hell does a mental hospital have to do with Dominion? What could they possibly need a place like this for?”

Ivy’s gaze lingered on the building, her expression hard to read. “Could be one of their projects. Maybe some kind of experiment. Places like this…” She trailed off, shivering slightly. “They’re isolated. Quiet. No one asks too many questions.”

Lance adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t even know if this is tied to Dominion yet. For all we know, this could just be a coincidence—or worse, a trap. Something to slow us down, distract us. A safety net, in case anyone ever got too close.”

Nathan frowned, the scepticism clear in his voice. “You really think a place like this could just happen to show up on a map with all the other things we’ve uncovered?” He pulled out the files and spread them across his lap, tracing a finger over the decoded text. “Haven is mentioned multiple times in the same files that talk about Dominion. That’s not a coincidence. Something’s here.”

Ivy shifted in her seat, her gaze sharpening. “Even if it’s not a trap, we can’t assume this place is safe. If this is Dominion’s doing, it’s not just a hospital—it’s a cover. A front for something they don’t want anyone finding out.”

Lance exhaled sharply and unbuckled his seat belt. “Fine. Let’s check it out. But carefully. We go in, scope the place, and see if there’s any actual connection to Dominion. We’re not here to stir up trouble, and we’re not here to stick around any longer than necessary.”

Nathan nodded, tucking the files back into his bag. “Agreed. If this place really is tied to Dominion, the last thing we want is to make it obvious we’re snooping.”

The three of them stepped out of the truck, the gravel crunching beneath their feet as they approached the wrought-iron gate. The faint scent of damp earth and decay hung in the air. Ivy shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders.

Nathan glanced up at the building, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Creepy place,” he muttered. “Bet the inside’s worse.”

Lance gave him a warning look. “Focus.”

They reached the gate, which was ajar, one hinge rusted and creaking faintly in the wind. It felt less like an invitation and more like a warning. Beyond the gate, the hospital loomed, its tall windows like dark, empty eyes watching their every move.

“Let’s start with the perimeter,” Lance said, keeping his voice low. “Look for anything unusual. Something that doesn’t belong.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Like what? A giant sign that says ‘Welcome to Dominion HQ’?”

Ivy rolled her eyes, her voice tinged with sarcasm. “Yeah, Nathan. That’s exactly what we’re looking for. Keep an eye out.”

They moved cautiously along the side of the building, their eyes scanning for anything that seemed out of place. An old utility shed, padlocked and overgrown with vines, caught Ivy’s attention. Nathan pointed out a faint path in the dirt leading toward a side entrance that looked far less official than the hospital’s main doors.

“Think that’s where they take the VIPs?” Nathan quipped, his attempt at levity doing little to ease the tension.

Lance shot him another look but didn’t comment. “Let’s check it out.”

As they moved closer, Ivy’s thoughts raced. If Dominion really was involved with this place, what could they be doing here? The idea of experiments gnawed at the edge of her mind, each scenario worse than the last. This wasn’t a place for healing—it was a place for secrets.

When they reached the side entrance, the door was locked, but Nathan was already pulling tools from his bag. “Guess it’s my turn to shine,” he said, kneeling and getting to work.

Ivy glanced over her shoulder, scanning the treeline and the empty parking lot beyond. “Hurry up,” she urged.

After a few tense moments, there was a quiet click, and the door creaked open. Nathan grinned as he tucked his tools away. “Easy.”

Lance stepped inside first, the beam of his flashlight cutting through the gloom. Ivy and Nathan followed, their steps careful and deliberate. The air inside was cold and stale, the faint hum of electricity the only sound.

“Let’s stick together,” Lance said, his voice firm. “We don’t know what we’re walking into.”

As they moved deeper into the building, they couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. Ivy’s heart raced, but she kept her focus. Whatever Dominion had hidden here, they were going to find it—even if it meant facing whatever darkness lay ahead.

The three of them crept through the dimly lit corridors of the hospital, their footsteps muted against the scuffed linoleum floors. Room after room they peeked into, finding most of them packed with boxes stacked high and labelled with faint, cryptic markings.

“It’s like they’re clearing this place out,” Ivy whispered, her voice barely audible as she closed the door to yet another cluttered room.

“Or covering their tracks,” Nathan added, glancing nervously down the hallway.

Lance frowned, gripping the flashlight tighter in his hand. “Whatever it is, it means we’re running out of time.”

As they moved further down the corridor, a sudden sound froze them in their tracks—footsteps, echoing faintly but unmistakably down the hall.

“Someone’s here,” Ivy hissed, her voice sharp with panic.

Without a word, Lance motioned to a room to their left. They scrambled inside, Ivy nearly tripping over a stray box as Nathan shoved the door closed behind them. The small room was crammed with cardboard boxes, leaving barely enough space for the three of them to crouch behind the stacks.

The footsteps grew louder, accompanied by muffled voices.

“They’re coming this way,” Lance whispered, pressing himself closer to the boxes.

The voices became clearer as the footsteps stopped just outside the door.

“You hear that?” a gruff voice asked, low and cautious.

“No, I didn’t hear anything,” another voice replied, this one sharper and annoyed. “Now come on. Boss wants us to move these boxes as fast as possible. Boss doesn’t want to use this building anymore—not since those files went missing.”

The first voice hesitated. “But... don’t those files have codes? Like, everything we write down has codes. If someone found them, they wouldn’t know what they meant, right?”

The second voice let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, rookie, there’s coding. But there’s also such a thing as decoding. You think we’re the only ones who know how to c***k a code? If someone with the right skills got their hands on those files, it could be game over. Now shut up and keep moving.”

There was a tense pause, and Ivy risked a peek through a small hole in the stacked boxes. Two figures stood just outside, both wearing dark uniforms, their faces partially obscured by shadows. One was tall and wiry, gesturing irritably to the other, a younger, bulkier man who looked nervous.

“Let’s go,” the taller one said with a jerk of his head. The younger one followed reluctantly, muttering under his breath.

Ivy pulled back, her heart pounding in her chest as the sound of their footsteps receded down the hall.

No one spoke. The air in the room was thick with tension, the weight of what they’d just overheard settling heavily over them. The mention of “boss,” the urgency to clear out, and the acknowledgement of the files—all of it confirmed that Haven was directly tied to Dominion.

The silence stretched on, oppressive and suffocating, until Nathan cleared his throat.

“Well,” he whispered, his voice tinged with nervous humour, “at least they’re not recruiting for a dodge ball team. I hate dodge ball.”

Ivy slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle a sudden snort of laughter, the tension cracking slightly. Lance shot Nathan a glare, but even he couldn’t suppress the faint twitch of a smile.

Nathan shrugged. “What? Just trying to lighten the mood. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Ivy exhaled, finally allowing herself to relax a fraction. “That was close. Too close.”

Lance nodded, his jaw tight. “But it confirmed what we needed to know. Haven’s part of Dominion’s operation. Now we just need to figure out what they were doing here—and where they’re going next.”

Nathan gestured to the boxes around them. “Maybe some of these hold answers. If they’re clearing out, they might not have had time to destroy everything yet.”

“Good point,” Ivy said, already moving to sift through the nearest box.

Lance stood, listening carefully to make sure the coast was clear. “Let’s be quick. I don’t want to stick around long enough to meet this ‘boss.’”

With that, they began rifling through the boxes, their fear replaced by a renewed sense of urgency. Whatever secrets Haven held, they weren’t leaving without uncovering them.