Chapter One. #2
Puzzled, I stopped and stared. “Magic would never hurt a woman.”
“I know that, but I don’t want Magic’s brand of chaos affecting her.”
“That’s all Magic knows, brother, but I can tell you this, he’ll break his back to protect her,” I said, wanting to calm Sunny’s worries.
“Thanks. Let me help you with the bags,” Sunny offered.
“No offence, I need time alone. Too much peopling,” I rejected his offer.
Sunny nodded before slapping me on the shoulders and leaving me.
Finally, some me time.
“Pyro, you fuckwit!” Magic roared, and I smacked my head on the car hood. Maybe not.
Harry - Sunday
“Okay, so this is the information I’ve discovered.
The Asylum was established in January eighteen twenty-seven as a Poor Farm for the county.
It didn’t stay as that and graduated into an infirmary, an orphanage, a tuberculosis hospital, an unmarried mother’s home, and a nursing home.
During that time, abuse was rumoured to run riot.
It also did a short stint as a hospital for wounded soldiers. ”
“Christ, with that history, that’s ripe for a haunting,” Jack mused.
“A lot of pain and grief in those brick walls,” Connor agreed.
“It became a nursing home in nineteen seventy-four, for a decade before its doors were closed for good. Someone took it on as a brief jaunt, as a shelter for the homeless. The serial killer Don Jacobs worked out of it, and after five years of his murder spree, it was shut down when he was arrested,” I continued and paused.
“Damn, I was aware he operated in New York State, but not here in Bethany,” Magic said.
“Yeah, Jacobs is linked to over fifty disappearances, but they only got him on twelve murders. Jacobs once claimed his kills were in triple digits,” I replied. I checked my notes even though I knew what was on them.
“We have the usual hauntings, disembodied voices, doors slamming, whistles, things being thrown, shadow figures and full body apparitions. Doors are meant to slam, and the squeaking of wheels is heard near the morgue. Added to that catalogue are screams and howls.
“It is rumoured, but not proven, that over one thousand unmarked graves are here; no bodies have ever been discovered. However, investigations haven’t been carried out to discover them.
Local authorities destroyed most of the buildings to stop the homeless moving in and dealers using them to grow weed.
A nurse is supposed to haunt here, who some say was highly abusive, while others defend her.
She’s been seen near the maternity wing or infirmary. ”
“They have a maternity wing, Harry?” Freddie asked.
“Yes, patients would get pregnant,” I replied. I knew how the gang would react, and I wasn’t wrong.
“Sex happened, whether consensual or not?” Sunny exclaimed, outraged.
“Yeah. And I’d lean more on the non-consensual side than consensual. There’s also a rumoured seven-foot shadow man who people claim is benign and friendly. He’s supposed to be a gentle giant,” I added.
“If he’s a shadow figure, how do they know he’s male?” Pyro asked, and I shrugged. It wasn’t my place to prove facts, just to state them.
“Ask him when you find him,” I retorted. “A skull haunts the morgue, and there are photographs of it, although blurred, but it is possible to make out a skull. Crying can be heard near the children’s wing. A few figures in white have been witnessed walking the grounds, too.”
“Woah, several spirits?” Connor asked, leaning forward.
I nodded. “Yes, and it’s a strange report, but over thirty witnesses have seen them.”
“Together or separately?” Sunny asked.
“Separately. None of them seems aware of the others, and they all head in the same direction. People feel intense sadness and grief when they see them,” I added.
Callie tapped her fingers against her chin. “So, they could be heading towards the graves or maybe victims of Jacobs?”
“Agreed,” I replied. The same thought had crossed my mind.
“What about the building, Harry? Anything special we need to be aware of?” Callie inquired.
“No. Its design is strange but not overly so.
It has two wings at a ninety-degree angle to each other.
A third section comes off the back of it.
That one is the same size as the other two, but it widens into a larger, rectangle-shaped building.
Despite most of the windows being boarded up, the structure is sound, and there have been no collapses.
It will be cold, so wrap up warm. No doors are locked inside, and it does boast its own security guards.
“The Asylum was bought privately and hosts a lot of paranormal events, which could be stirring up trouble. We’re aware spirits don’t like being disturbed.
If a séance or Ouija board has been carried out, it could have riled them up.
I’m researching all past investigations, and if I discover something like that, I’ll let you all know,” I informed them.
“Anything related to demons reported?” Michelle asked.
“Nothing, so this may be a quiet one for you. Although a nasty spirit is rumoured to haunt here, I can’t find any evidence other than a random rumour online,” I replied.
“Might be worth being ready just in case, Michelle,” Jack said.
“Always ready, Jack,” she retorted with a smile.
“Do you have the floor plan?” Callie asked Freddie.
She nodded and pulled out a drawing she’d done.
“The left-hand wing is the men’s ward. The top floor housed the criminally insane, while the bottom lodged the clinically insane.
It later became the wing where the homeless lived, which Don Jacobs preyed upon.
The right-hand wing held women and children.
It has a treatment centre there too; that’s where screaming is heard, correct? ” Freddie turned to me.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Okay,” Bunny said, exchanging a glance with Pyro. I thought she looked a little worried.
“Both wings had their own separate shower stalls and their own dining room. The rear wing was where the hospital ward and maternity wing were situated. Further back was the ward for tuberculosis, and where they housed the orphans when it was an orphanage,” Freddie pointed to the areas.
“Is that a basement?” Bunny asked, pointing.
“Yes. With the morgue in it. There are isolation cells down there, too. I’ve broken each level down, and Callie has the plan for the teams,” Freddie said.
I turned to Callie because we were now a large group, and I wondered what the strategy was.
Callie
“Okay. So, two teams. Staying at the base to watch the cameras will be Michelle and Harry. Cameramen will be Freddie and Phil. I’ll captain one team and Jack the second. No offence, Connor, but you’re new,” I said. How he reacted to being sidelined determined my next words.
Connor nodded. “None taken, Callie.”
That was gracious, which allowed me to continue. “However, Connor will lead my team for two nights, and the same with Jack’s. That way, we all get a fair shot at leading. That okay?” I asked Connor.
“More than fair, Callie, thanks for the chance, I won’t let you down!” Connor promised, and I smiled.
“I know. The teams will be made up of Magic, Sunny, Bunny and Pyro. We’ll mix and match them. That makes one cameraman, one lead and two investigators. Connor, you can jump to whichever team you wish until you’re the lead. I’ll decide who gets to go where.
As you know, we send one team in and then swap over. We try to hit each area investigated twice, and we work all night. As soon as dusk falls, we go in, and we don’t come out until dawn. We get two half-hour breaks and a forty-five-minute dinner break.
“You can take snacks and drinks in with you, but don’t leave rubbish behind. It’s disrespectful to the spirits, the owners, and the environment. This afternoon, you guys will begin setting up. How did the signal hold out?” I wondered, turning to Phil.
“Fine. Not a single glitch all night,” he replied.
“Great. We’ll postpone running the wiring unless needed. After lunch today, familiarise yourself with the equipment. Freddie will show you how it works, and then you can help with the setup. Any questions?” I asked.
“None,” Bunny said with a wide grin on her face. I saw worry in Pyro’s eyes, and Magic looked amped.
God, I hoped he behaved himself! Then again, it was Magic, and he was legendary for causing mayhem. I resigned myself to an entertaining week!