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“213,” Hope piped up again, her voice loud and clear through the earbud I’d put in before we got out of our vehicles. “I’m clearing a unit from another call. ETA five minutes.”
“Negative,” I said again, this time in a whisper. “We made entry.”
My heart raced with a mix of adrendaline and curiosity as we made our way deeper into the cellar. What would we find down here? Was it all a hoax or a misunderstanding, or would it actually be for real?
Whatever was going on, one thing was clear: This wasn’t your typical day in our small Tennessee town. And as much as I lovedthe quieter life, I couldn’t help but feel a thrill at the thought of something more exciting happening on our watch.
I wouldn’t have this job if it wasn’t at least a little fun to do stuff like this.
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, Shep and I pulled out our flashlights, the darkness of the cellar swallowing us whole. I could hear voices, like whispers on the wind, but couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I scanned the dank basement with my light, the small beam slicing through the shadows.
“Somethin’ ain’t right, Shep,” I muttered under my breath, my whispered words echoing off the walls.
“With ya,” he replied just as quietly.
As we moved forward, my flashlight illuminated a creepy-looking board hanging on the wall in front of us. The blood-red words scrawled across it sent a chill down my spine: “Thanks for coming. Hope you make it out alive.”
“Sweet Lord almighty,” Shep whispered, and the board combined with his words had a cold sweat breaking out on the back of my neck.
I glanced over at my buddy, who looked just as unnerved as I felt. Maybe this wasn’t as fun as I’d thought. We exchanged nervous looks, wondering what kind of twisted game we’d stumbled into.
But before either of us could say anything, a cacophony of voices yelled, “Surprise!” and the dim room was suddenly flooded with light.
Blinking against the sudden brightness, I found myself surrounded by a group of college-aged men emerging from all corners of the cellar. Almost in unison, their expressions went from excitement to confusion to alarm, and it became very clear that none of them had expected to see us standing here when they’d come out of their hiding spots.
“All right, fellas,” I said, raising my hands to show we meant no harm before sliding my flashlight into my belt. “Who wants to explain what’s goin’ on here?”
“We don’t want any trouble,” a sandy-haired young man said, stepping forward with his hands raised. The rest of the group shifted uneasily behind him.
“Yeah, um, this is a surprise?” another guy offered hesitantly, his eyes darting from me to Shep and back again. “This is… this is a party?”
I crossed my arms and widened my stance. “Are you askin’ me or tellin’ me?”
“Tellin’ you,” he confirmed.
“Don’t look like any party I’ve ever been to,” Shep remarked, eyeing the creepy board again.
“Once again… what’s goin’ on?” I asked, trying to maintain my composure as I took in the strange scene before me. These boys looked harmless enough, but this was a little weird.
Even for Charlotte Oaks.
“Um, okay,” said another young man, stepping forward and offering a sheepish smile. “It’s a bachelor party. For our friend Jimmy.”
“Once again, not one I’ve ever been to,” Shep announced, making a few of them snicker.
“He really likes horror movies,” the kid went on, “so we figured we’d set up a scavenger hunt around town usin’ a bunch of creepy basements and stuff.”
“Yeah,” another guy jumped in. “We’re endin’ the night back at my place for a poker game. I live in my parents’ basement and we decked it out like this.”
He’d gestured to the sign on the wall, and I fought the urge to shiver. I loved being a cop, and I had a strong stomach when it came to the dark calls that had a habit of showing up in my nightmares later.
But horror movies? Not my thing.
Life could be scary enough.
“Wait, Jimmy?” Shep repeated. “Wouldn’t happen to be James Bell, would it?”
“Yep,” the guy confirmed. “Is he okay? Did somethin’ happen?”
