Chapter Three.
Callie
Jack’s team were beside themselves when they reported later about seeing several ghosts, actual manifestations heading towards the hills just beyond the buildings. I hurried my crew out and back to the command centre, where we all crowded in.
Harry played the footage over, and we all craned our necks.
“Holy crap!” Magic exclaimed as seven figures showed up out of nowhere. Three were men, two were women, and the final pair were tiny children. They literally appeared out of thin air and didn’t seem to be aware of each other. At different speeds, they began walking away.
“Guess that answers the question, do ghosts exist?” Pyro quipped, but I noted how disturbed he looked.
“That’s a hell of a clear shot,” Phil declared happily.
“We don’t have to clean up much on that image. Great capture,” I agreed.
“Why aren’t you bouncing off walls? Those are ghosts!” Bunny exclaimed.
“Bunny, they’re not the first ones we’ve seen. Why are you so surprised? This is what we do?” I replied calmly.
Bunny stared at me as if I’d grown horns. “Those are ghosts, real spirits!”
“Yes, I’m glad we caught them on camera; it’s evidence we can use. And it leads me to questions about the graveyard that’s reported to be here. Harry, can you reach out and try to get hold of some cadaver dogs, please?”
“Yeah. Also, from my research, that area has never been searched for graves. Everyone believed the burials were around here.” Harry jabbed the map he had in front of him.
“Let’s get some trail cams up there tomorrow in the direction those spirits were heading and see if we can pick anything else up,” Connor said, and I nodded.
“Agreed.”
Bunny’s hand slammed onto the desk with the monitors on it. We all turned around to face her.
“Those were ghosts!” Bunny hissed. “Why aren’t you freaking out?”
“Yeah? Bunny, I get you’re flipping over that, but in our line of work, we come across this daily. I don’t know what to say. Sure, we rarely get full manifestations like that, but they happen. You’ve no idea how privileged you are that you saw that,” I explained gently.
“So that wasn’t entirely normal?” Bunny pushed.
“Yes, and no. It’s not the first time we’ve seen ghosts or caught them on camera, but the rarity is, we’ve never filmed them as clearly as that. We usually do some sharpening and cleanup. Tonight, though, we can’t debunk. They literally appeared out of thin air. That’s beyond rare,” I added.
“You’re saying we’re privileged?” Pyro asked. He didn’t seem to agree, in my opinion.
“Yes!” I replied.
“Okay,” Pyro said dubiously, but Bunny beamed
“What’s next then?” Magic demanded.
“We’ll go eat dinner and then swap over. I want to see if you get what we did,” I replied.
“Sounds good to me,” Magic stated, rubbing his belly.
Magic
Those ghosts had thrown us all. I wanted nothing more than to storm off and investigate them, but Callie was allowing Connor and Michelle to go.
Further discussion over dinner had led to Callie making a smaller third team.
Jack had argued we needed to follow them, and Callie caved.
I hoped to go with them, but at the same time, I wished to visit the men’s wing with Callie and Sunny.
We were heading to the upper floor of the men’s wing now—and this was where shadow figures had been spotted. I’d spoken to Pyro, and that miserable fuck had refused to tell me they’d seen anything here.
I patted my shoulder holster, which was hidden under my fleece. No damn spirit would hurt anyone under my protection.
Two hours later
“Run!” I bellowed at Sunny and Callie as I whipped my Glock out.
Sunny’s eyes bugged out.
“Is that a…? Where did you…? Magic! You can’t shoot shadows!” Callie yelled.
“I’ll hold them off; you get them out of there!” A shadow figure moved near me as I roared at Sunny.
I twisted and fired. “Freddie, move that sweet ass of yours, woman!” I boomed.
“He’s got a gun!” Freddie squeaked. “He’s shooting shadow figures!”
“Sunny! Make him behave!” Callie squealed as I took aim and shot at a fucker trying to get near to Sunny.
Sunny jumped in the air and sent me a dark look.
“Shift, boyo,” I ordered him.
Sunny was shaking his head. I turned and shot at the second who came close. The shadows backed away, and I grinned. Even they were frightened of me. Rightfully so; I’d shoot their ass full of bullets.
“I’m gonna fuckin’ murder Chance,” Sunny promised.
“Do that later. Get them out of here,” I argued.
Everything had been fine until ten minutes ago.
We’d had sporadic answers but nothing too threatening.
Callie had explained that it often happened; not every place we would visit this week would have activity.
She’d been explaining that we’d debunked a lot of the legends when I noticed a shadow moving towards her.
When I pointed it out, the shit started happening.
Freddie said she was pushed, and we all saw something ruffle Sunny’s hair. I was a cool cat until Callie’s shadow moved of its own accord. That did me. Callie was pregnant and needed to be defended. I aimed and fired again as a shadow danced forward.
A low hiss began, and I waved the gun around. “Don’t care who the hell you are, come and get me, and your ass is mine!”
“Magic! The bullets are passing right through them!” Callie cried as I fired at another feisty fucker.
“Not these, babe; they’re dosed in holy water. Got some off Michelle earlier,” I replied.
“Michelle blessed your bullets?” Sunny thundered.
“Nah. I took the bottle she left lying around,” I announced honestly. Okay, maybe she hadn’t just left it hanging around.
Sunny and Callie exchanged looks.
The radio crackled. “We’re hearing gunshots!” Connor exclaimed, alarmed.
“Magic’s flipped his fuckin’ lid and is shooting shadows,” Sunny growled out. The airwaves fell silent before releasing a howl of laughter.
“Jack here, repeat that,” Jack demanded in disbelief. I swear that was Pyro laughing. Fuck him, I’d put a bullet in his ass later.
“Magic is shooting ghosts?” Connor asked.
“Yeah. Shadow figures, anyway,” Sunny replied.
A shadow came closer, and I shot at it. It darted away, and Callie shook her head.
“This is a bust. Let’s go. Someone needs to search Magic for any weapons before tomorrow night,” she said.
They began walking out, and I covered their asses. My job was done, and I felt pretty damn good. Nobody had got hurt on my watch.
Callie – Tuesday Night.
“I’m taking Bunny tonight with Freddie and Connor. Jack, Magic, Sunny, Pyro, and Phil can investigate the manager’s quarters. There have been reports of Edwin Lawson being seen there. He was in charge of The Asylum when it was an unmarried mothers' home,” I said.
“Where are you heading?” Sunny asked.
“The women’s wing, ground floor. There is a former resident who likes to play pranks and is often witnessed poking her head out of a door and yelling hello,” I replied.
“Sounds fun,” Sunny grouched. He was really grumpy tonight. I’d put him in charge of Magic; there was no way I’d trust Magic being let loose on his own after last time.
“I found something earlier. There was a nurse, Catherine Rawlins, who worked here when it was an orphanage. When it was shut down, Catherine confessed to the police about the cruelty she had seen. She had nothing to lose by then. Sadly, before anyone could be interviewed or Catherine could give names, she was killed in a hit and run,” Harry said.
“Damn, she was silenced?” Connor murmured, aghast.
“Looks like it. Without her, the statement didn’t go anywhere,” Harry added.
“Poor woman. Finally got the courage to do the right thing and was murdered. Were there any suspects in her death?” Phil asked.
“No, even though it happened on a busy street,” Harry replied.
“Cover-up,” Magic stated sagely, nodding his head.
“Don’t start,” Pyro said, wagging a finger at Magic.
Magic scowled in reply.
“Anything else before we need to leave?” I inquired, but nobody spoke up. “Okay, let’s go.”
◆◆◆
The women’s ward seemed eerie even by The Asylum’s standards. I shivered in the cold air and noted the temperature had dropped by ten degrees in the five minutes we’d been there.
“This is awful,” Bunny said, and I nodded.
“Maybe we’re sensing it more because we’re women? Imagine being locked in this hellhole through no fault of your own?” Freddie asked.
“I don’t know what you girls feel, but I’m experiencing a lot of hate. Somebody here really loathes men,” Connor murmured, his head on a swivel.
“Do you feel threatened?” I inquired.
“Yes,” Connor answered immediately and looked a little surprised at the vehemence in his tone. “Someone despises the fact I’m here, and I sense they’d hurt me if possible. There is a real man-hater here.”
“Connor, stay between us; don’t go off alone,” I ordered, and he nodded.
“Agreed. Harry said Room Ninety-A is where this ghost haunts.” Bunny flashed her torch on the doors, looking for room numbers.
Connor pointed to one hanging sideways, having lost a screw. “There, on the wall, are plaques.”
We walked quietly down the corridor until we found the room. Inside, debris covered the floor, litter and leaves, and there was a faint animal smell present. I made some space and placed a REM Pod on the window ledge.
“Hi, I’m Callie, and I’m here to talk to you,” I began my usual spiel. I introduced the others and then touched the REM Pod, which squealed.
“This is a REM Pod. It picks up electromagnetic waves, so if you touch it, we’ll know. I also have a voice recorder with me, which is very powerful, so if you speak to us, we will hear it. None of us wishes to upset you, so if we ask something you don’t like, don’t feel you have to answer,” I said.
“As Callie said, my name is Connor. I’ve heard you enjoy appearing in front of people and calling out, hello. Can you talk to me?”
I waited as Connor asked several questions in a warm and friendly tone before we played back the audio. We had nothing. Bunny tried next, and again, we received pure silence.