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“Can you tell us your name?’ Ben added. “It will be a whole lot easier to find you in my notes if we have a name.”
Another thud sounded across the room. Then another. Footsteps followed from every direction so it sounded like the ghosts were circling us and caging us in.
“Well, you have our attention now,” Ben said as I panned the light over the room. For the first time in a long time I was ready to turn tail and run.
* * *
Brea
The wind was bitterly cold,lashing at us as we fought our way through the snow to the dock.
The last time I’d been here, there was only a thin layer of ice on top and actual water. Now it was frozen solid with a layer of snow blowing around like a sandstorm.
“This is going to be the shortest investigation of our life, Darklings,” I said with chattering teeth.
After my awful dream, the guys had tried to convince me to take the night off, but I wasn’t willing to. I was more determined than ever to put an end to this haunting.
It was too late in the day to call the witches, but that was my goal for tomorrow. We needed to find a way to get rid of this entity so Elizabeth could come into her home without fearing for her life.
“Is anyone out here?” Ethan called out. He had the spirit box in his hand, but even that didn’t seem as loud with the wind snatching away the sound. I wasn’t sure we’d get any real footage out here.
“Maybe we should just call it,” I mused as I shielded my face from a fresh wave of snow blowing at us.
“Don’t give up yet,” Ryker said. I wasn’t sure why he was so obsessed with this place, but he couldn’t seem to let the lake go. It was starting to make me a little nervous.
Ryker was logical and not the type to dive into an investigation to the point of obsession. Hell, he spent half of his time in the data center.
Why was he changing that now?
I suddenly wished that I’d gone with Lincoln and Ben to the attic. I was already half-frozen, and we’d just started.
“What is that?” Ethan asked. He’d made his way to the end of the dock and was crouching down on his hands and knees as he peered into the water. You’d think he’d have more fear after seeing an apparition in the water last time but clearly, he was pretending that didn’t happen.
The air seemed to be charged with electricity as I moved forward and I panicked. After the incident with Lincoln nearly tumbling over, I rushed forward, grabbing the back of his belt and holding him in place.
“Ethan, are you crazy?” I growled, tugging on him until I glanced at the ice. Something was moving under the surface. I caught glimpses of flowing hair or hands pushing at the ice.
“Are you guys seeing this? Darklings, I swear we are not using any kind of special filters. If you can’t see what we are seeing, it looks like something is moving under the ice.”
“No, no!” Ryker’s voice was frantic and desperate, which had me letting go of Ethan and turning around.
He was backing down the other leg of the dock, not looking where he was going. His eyes were fixed on something I couldn’t see in front of him.
“Ryker! Snap out of it!” I screamed over the wind. “Whatever you see isn’t there.”
Hoping Ethan would listen and back away, I ran after Ryker.
Ryker flinched and pleaded with the ghost. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not Stanton,” he protested.
I’d finally reached him but he didn’t react to my touch or my words. I wrapped my hand around his wrist and tried to lead him away but something tugged him back in a fucked-up version of tug of war.
Ethan had made it to my side at this point and tried to help me get Ryker away from the edge of the dock but it was useless.
“Let him go!” I screamed, not even sure what I was yelling at. For once, I couldn’t see it. My panic wasn’t helping matters either.
Everything we said was snatched away as the wind picked up again, my hair whipping violently around my face.
Ryker’s breath came out in a loud whoosh as if someone had punched him in the gut. He bent over as a horrified scream escaped him. His hands clutched at his stomach, shaking as he pulled one away to stare down at it in horror.
