Angela shuddered. “Come with me,” she whispered, paling and began walking away. We followed behind, and she led us into a snug. As soon as we entered, we paused. On the whitewashed walls, in between some beams of wood, was a word. Jeremiah. A single name.
“That’s interesting,” Michelle said instantly.
“Is that the ghost’s name? Or does he want us to research Jeremiah?” Jack mused.
“Two good questions. However, that’s not paint,” I said as Jack stepped up with a sample bottle.
“It’s blood?” Angela cried and wrung her hands together.
“No. I think it’s ectoplasm.” I cocked my head.
“That’s usually milky-white or eerie-green,” Lucky said, turning to me. “Not red.”
“Nope, but that’s what I think it is. This is a scare tactic. The entity wanted you frightened and succeeded,” I stated.
“Have you captured this before?” Haunt asked.
“Yes. We’ve taken samples and sent them to labs. And you know what happens? They freaking disappear. Callie might as well have sent in pure air,” Sunny growled, unamused.
“Then why take a sample?” Angela demanded.
“If this disappears, then we can rule certain things out,” I explained.
“That makes sense,” Haunt agreed.
“And depending on how quickly it dissipates, that also helps us. It can tell us if this haunting is attached solely to the Inn or if it can travel,” I added.
“I don’t understand,” Angela replied.
“If it travels, then it came from somewhere else, and we can track it back and trap it where it came from. That helps us decide what choices and decisions to make when dealing with this,” Haunt explained, and I nodded.
A squeal came from my pocket, making me jump, just as a similar sound came from Haunt. I yanked out my EMF meter as he did the same.
“Five-degree temperature drop,” Haunt said,
I paused before replying. “Seven, eight, nine—we’ve got a rapid fall in temperature,” I replied. Haunt nodded.
Jack turned the SLS on and began searching slowly. Reaver activated the infrared sensors. The temperature kept falling rapidly, and our breath soon became visible in the air. A scratching sound made us turn towards the name on the wall. Underneath it, another word had formed.
“Leave,” Jack raised his eyebrows. “Why are we never welcome?” he demanded with humour.
“Because we scare the pants off whatever this is,” Haunt stated.
A hollow laugh echoed around the room, and we all jumped. Sunny grabbed me tightly and hauled me close as Jack and Lucky stood in front of Michelle, whose eyes rolled in exasperation. Haunt hauled Angela in.
“Fuck. Off. This is my home now,”a dark, evil-sounding voice drifted through the room.
“Don’t answer; it wants attention. Let’s leave and get a drink?” I suggested.
Angela was very pale, and I didn’t like her complexion. She was also violently shaking. Had the ghost formed an attachment to her and was feeding on her energy? There were too many questions and not enough answers. But I’d get them; I always did.
Chapter Two.
Haunt
“I’m worried,” I muttered in an aside to Callie. She nodded, eyes on Angela.
“You’ve good reason to be. This escalation is extreme. This doesn’t appear to be a new spirit but an old one.”
