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“This place is heavy,” Jayce notes as he walks absently around the room. “I can’t imagine how awful it would have been trapped inside.”
“It is heavy,” the guide agrees. “Not many notice that, but it’s impossible for strong energy to disappear, even after all this time. The desperation and fear were intense enough to stick around and that’s why this place gets so much activity. Sometimes, you can hear the screams of the victims.”
“How long did it take for them to find him? Professor Wolf, I mean,” I ask before I can stop myself. But I can’t shake the image of him being trapped inside as the building continued to burn, unsure if he saved everyone, still searching for the love of his life. My heart breaks for the pain the poor professor must have felt, both physically and mentally. Fighting through it all to get everyone he can out.
“Only a few hours,” she says, turning to point out the door to the stairs on the far side. “He was halfway down those stairs, but no one was with him. Likely looking for more victims but the smoke became too much.”
“That’s so sad,” Eli says softly.
“It is,” she agrees with a heavy sigh. “Spending too long in this place will make you melancholy. It clings to you like a cloak.”
“Do the caretakers and guides like you see a lot of activity when it’s quiet and the tours aren’t going?” Jayce asks.
She grins at that. “Oh yeah. We get some major encounters. There’s actually an episode on Ghostly Nightmares filmed in this building. Major TV ghost hunters and they were shocked.”
“Oh man, we have to check that out,” I gush. She shifts on her feet and glances out the doors as if she realizes she’s letting the rest of the crowd wander off.
“Thanks for answering our questions.” Eli gives her his charming smile and she seems to warm up to us a bit.
“Of course. You’re the last group, when you’re done we can hit the grounds. There are a few interesting spots,” she promises, a smile on her face. Her enthusiasm for the subject is limitless, and I find myself nodding enthusiastically. See unhealthy obsession, maybe I should get a job like hers.
“We may have to duck out a bit early, we’ve got a long drive. If we don’t see you until the end, thanks for everything!” Eli says quickly. Both Jayce and I exchange a look, not saying anything until she walks away to gather the wandering group.
“What the hell is that about?” I hiss as she walks off. “I want to see the grounds, too.”
“I know. But hear me out,” he shoots back, both hands up in defense. “This is a museum tour, not a ghost hunt. I say we sneak back in here when we find an opportunity and spend the night.” For a man who was unsure before, he looks nearly giddy at the prospect.
“You want to sleep in this death trap?” Jayce asks incredulously. His eyes are a mix of panic and confusion.
“Okay look. I’ve been a skeptic for years, but this place? It’s different. Don’t you want a chance to see if it’s actually real?” he asks, leaning in to keep others from listening in as he practically begs us to consider it. “Plus, it’s not like we’ll be sleeping, we’ll sneak out before morning and crash at Raven’s.”
“I mean I do have an EVP app I’ve been dying to try,” I fess up, with a little shrug of my shoulders.
Jayce rolls his eyes before commenting, “Of course, you do.”
The tour guide is yelling at us and I grab their sleeves. “That’s a later issue. Right now, we have to follow. She won’t leave until everyone is out.”
“Fine, but this conversation isn’t over,” Eli insists. “We can stay, then go get breakfast stupidly early in the morning, then we can sleep it off. No big deal.”
His insistence is disconcerting. He’s always been interested in the world of ghosts and spirits like I have, but he has a healthy dose of skepticism he holds tight to. Or at least he did. What changed his mind? I hoped that he would tell me the real reason once we slipped out of sight.
We follow the group outside and down the path. Something pulls at me and I can’t help but glance back. The building seems quiet, nothing out of place. Then as I start turning back, I swear I see a flash of something in an upstairs window. But when I do a double take, it’s gone. What the hell?! My heart is racing but my brain is telling me maybe it was just the spooky vibes of Halloween night and the tour that were getting in my head.
“Over this way is another of our campus’s famous hot spots. A young man was found here in the garden. They never learned his true identity, only that he wasn’t a student here. No students came forward with information and it has remained an unsolved mystery for years,” she starts in on the next ghost story. When I glance back at my guys, both Jayce and Eli are talking heatedly, their whispers low enough no one notices.
“What’s going on?” I demand, giving them both the side eye. Jayce sighs in exasperation and throws his hands up.
“He’s always trying to scare me, I don’t believe him,” he insists, glaring at Eli who looks just as annoyed.
“I’m not lying,” he says. “I know what I saw.”
“Care to share with the class?” I snark, folding my arms in front of myself. Men sometimes take forever to get to the damn point and we were falling noticeably behind… again.
“It was so weird. But when we walked into that office, I swore I could see this flash of something running from the room, all black with smoke coming off of it,” he explains. His hazel eyes beg for me to believe him and I know my boyfriend enough to know he’s being genuine.
“What do you think will happen if you stay?” I ask. He sags in relief now that I haven’t dismissed him.
“I don’t know, but I’m dying to try to talk to the ghost, see who it is,” he starts. Eli wasn’t one to talk with his hands but right now he’s flailing them around excitedly. “Something’s there and I bet it wants to be heard. And I can’t shake the feeling that we are supposed to be here to listen.”
