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Something in my gut tugs, an urge that’s almost impossible to ignore. And from the direction I know it’s the offices upstairs. Where they think the fire started. The fact Wolf even managed to get out of his own office and save anyone was a miracle in itself. And I still can’t shake the image of the ghost staring down at me from the window, flames curling around him. I know what I saw, it wasn’t just an overactive imagination on Halloween night.
No…there was no doubt that it was a ghost and I was bit by the ghost-hunting bug.
There are still a few more classrooms that we can check out before we move down the hall. They’re a safe enough distance from the front door that we wouldn’t be easily overheard. Or at least I hoped. No promises if another table gets thrown at me.
By the time I hit the front door, I know the coast is clear, so I head back to the others to tell them. I’m eager to keep exploring and the twisted side of me is hoping they got more ominous ghostly messages while I was gone.
Raven and Jayce are just as I left them. Still hunched over her phone, speaking in hushed voices. They don’t even look up when I enter or get close, so I don’t say anything until I’m standing right in front of them.
“Anything new?”
They both jump and I can’t contain my laugh. I’m not even the quiet type so that just speaks to how focused they were.
“You asshole!” Raven laughs as she playfully hits my arm.
“Aww, you would've done the same thing.”
“You’re not wrong.” She gives an evil, little chuckle that is equal parts adorable and sinister. “Did you find anything?”
“Nah, just more classrooms, but the halls are empty and we’re still in the clear. No jail jumpsuits for you…orange really isn't your color. Let’s go now before that changes.”
“Sounds like a plan, there isn’t any more activity here,” Jayce pipes in. The mix of relief and disappointment contrasting in his voice has me biting back a grin. We’ve corrupted Mr. Science, it seems.
On quiet feet, we tiptoe to the door. When I stop to open it, Raven bumps into me with a quiet ‘oof.’
“Sorry,” she whispers.
I’m too focused on getting us to the next room undetected to reply. I’m taking my job as the espionage expert seriously. I’ve gotten up to enough shit to keep vigilant. Though, next time we have to find a ghost hunt somewhere it won’t be so full of worry.
The door squeaks again even though I open it with care. Note to self: Bring oil or WD-40 for old door hinges next ghost hunt.
“Go to the next door, keep to the left and you can feel the handle after about ten steps.”
I don’t want the door to make any more noise than necessary. Raven is now leading Jayce, her hand in his. Her other one is lightly trailing along the wooden wall on her way to the door. Once my fingers find the handle, I close the door as she opens the other. Minimizing the creak as best as we can.They slip easily inside and from the sound of it she puts something in the door to keep us from having to do this again in a few minutes.
That single moment alone in the dark is when it hits again. A slightly cold feeling creeping over my skin and making every hair on the back of my neck stand up. Then, it’s the eyes on me even though there’s not another living person here with me now that they’ve gone into the next room. Whoever or whatever gave us that warning was stalking me and the uneasy edge I’m getting is making my vigilance teeter on the edge of paranoia. Even the energy in the hall seems to be pulsing, static making the hair on my arms stand up as it sparks against my skin. Okay, there’s definitely something here trying to get our attention.
But why?
Was the warning truly meant for us?
Not wanting to linger in this hall any longer I rush forward and carefully step around the wastebasket she put in the doorway. Jayce is waiting just inside the door and I nearly scream as we come face to face.
“You okay?” he whispers with a cautious glance behind me. “That took a few moments longer than I expected.” Okay, maybe I’m not the only one experiencing this paranoia.
“Fine, just felt strange out there,” I admit. He doesn’t press me, instead nodding in understanding as a shiver runs through him. We carefully make our way to what would’ve been the front of the room.
“Are there any spirits in here with us?” Raven asks into her phone before holding it out in front of her for someone or something to answer her. My girl wasn’t wasting any time now that we’d gotten a bit of activity.
Just as she started to retract it, a word pops up on her screen. Reaper.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jayce asks, the fear in his tone tells us that he is worried.
“Reaper, is that your name?” Raven asks.
‘No’ comes up this time.
“What do you mean by ‘reaper?” she continues eagerly. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as she stares down at the screen intently. Seeing her react like this is just as satisfying as getting real responses. Though a lot less scary.
