Chapter Seven.
Callie
“Okay, we’ve got a lot on this evening. Jack, Phil, Sunny, Pyro, and Bunny, you guys are responsible for the morgue tonight.”
“I want the morgue,” Magic announced, and I frowned.
“Fine, Pyro can come with me, and you may take his place,” I said, not wanting the arguments.
Sunny glowered, but I shrugged, and he subsided.
“Freddie, Pyro, Connor, and I are going to head to the basement, where the laundry was done, the opposite end of you guys. Detective Maines, do you need us out there tonight before I finalise these plans?” I asked him.
“There were multiple disturbances last night, as you are aware of which continued today. The press is arriving in droves, adding to the chaos. I have to inform you that your names have been leaked as attending the scene and, additionally, as the ones who found the cemetery. I’ve placed several officers around to deal with any nosy parkers, but be on guard. ”
“Thank you for the warning.”
“We’ve removed ten lots of bones today. Two have been recognised as male, four as female; there are two sets of babies and two young children.
Their deaths are classed as suspicious and are being treated as such.
Maylene Dixon has contacted the mayor, and she has provided a substantial sum for the remains to be identified.
A laboratory that deals with DNA has also offered its services, and the mayor is in talks with Miss Dixon and the lab.
There’s no hushing this up,” Maines stated, sounding satisfied.
“Good,” I replied, happy my grandmother had got the ball rolling.
“The teams have asked that Michelle attend tonight, so I’ve organised for Teri to join you again, if that’s okay?” Maines asked.
“Not a problem. Guys, let’s get moving.”
◆◆◆
Four hours later, I was ready to call it quits. There was absolutely no activity down here.
“Well, I guess we debunked the idea of a crazy laundry woman,” I stated with a chuckle. “Let’s head back, eat, and regroup. And check on how the guys are handling the morgue.”
“Sounds good to me,” Freddie agreed as we all stomped upstairs.
Sometimes investigations went like this.
We might have proven that the rumoured hauntings didn’t happen here.
There were always legends and tales attached to haunted buildings, but not all were truthful.
Some were made up, and others exaggerated, but tonight we seem to have proved the murderous laundry maid didn’t exist. There’d been no activity all week down here, so it was quite likely to be unhaunted.
As we marched back upstairs, all needing food and a warm drink, we chatted among ourselves. Little did we know, the night was about to descend into pure chaos.
Freaking Magic!
Sunny
“Harry, give us an update,” Jack said as we stood at the entrance of the morgue. I was already feeling uneasy.
“There are several offices, and a large mortuary room. There should still be an embalming table, and there are two large walk-in refrigerators with heavy metal doors for storing bodies. Don’t get locked in them; they don’t open from the inside.”
“Yeah, nobody wants zombies surprising them,” Magic warned, and I sent him a look. Oh no, he can nip that in the bud.
“The morgue is supposed to be rife with paranormal activity, which includes voices, noises, screams, and cries. Visitors claim to have been pushed, scratched, bitten, pulled, punched, and things have been thrown. A shadow figure is seen down there and is very threatening, and a skull has been witnessed hanging in mid-air—and it chases people,” Harry announced.
“Great. Looks like we saved the best for last,” I complained, and Jack sent me an amused glance. We shoved open the double doors and entered the corridor. Instantly, the atmosphere felt different.
“This isn’t creepy,” Magic muttered. No lights worked down here in the corridor, so we were using torches and the cameras. A door slammed, and we all jumped. I looked over my shoulder and saw nothing.
“Here!” Jack shouted, and we shoved open a broken door with a round window in and entered the autopsy room.
It was as Harry had described. There were glass cabinets on the wall containing instruments.
A desk was pushed into a corner, with a damaged chair lying on the floor behind it.
Several metal filing cabinets stood dirty and tarnished, their drawers open and empty; their secrets were long gone.
Jack headed over to one of the two large doors, opened it, and peered inside. I saw shelving where bodies would have been stacked and winced at the lack of dignity it seemed to hold. The second fridge resembled the first.
“All of this is miserable,” Bunny murmured. Magic found a light switch and turned it on. The fluorescent light was dim and flickered on and off due to an unstable connection. Of the four lights, only one came on, and it made everything much more fuckin’ terrifying.
“We need to get out of here,” I muttered as a chill ran up my spine. One of the cadaver tables moved slightly, and I spun to face it.
“Something is certainly here,” Jack said, holding out an EMF meter. I watched as it hit five, the maximum level.
“It’s powerful,” I murmured.
“I ain’t afraid of no ghost,” Magic quoted from a famous film, and I rolled my eyes. That was an out-and-out taunt. The damn fool.
“Shut up, Magic, remember what we told you. That was an invitation right there,” I snapped, and Magic bristled, but a low moan ran around the room. Bunny squealed and clutched hold of me.
A cabinet rattled, and we ducked as a metal tray came flying out of nowhere.
“Poltergeist activity,” Phil said, his gaze wide as he turned slowly.
“Fuck off!” the voice boomed at us, and we all jumped. Before our terrified eyes, cabinet doors opened and slammed shut. Items fell from them and were launched in our direction, and Phil stumbled as something pushed him.
“Crap,” Jack yelled, steadying Phil and sending Magic a dirty look.
“You taunted it, now it’s reacting. Idiot,” he spat.
Magic looked concerned. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
I pulled Bunny in closer to my side as a kidney-shaped tray nearly hit her.
“Everyone out; this is too dangerous. We’ll need Michelle down here,” I ordered.
“Something just scratched me!” Bunny cried and showed her arm. A lengthy red mark appeared, and I winced. That had to hurt.
Magic growled, and I realised he was getting angry. Someone had harmed Bunny, and that was a mistake.
We stumbled out into the long corridor and gaped. In front of us hung a damn skull, floating in the air. Jack instantly reacted and waved his arms around it, proving nothing was suspending it.
“Oh crap!” Jack muttered as the teeth began snapping together and two red pinpricks emerged in the eye sockets.
We were in trouble.
Jack
I thought I’d seen everything from Magic, but this? Where on earth did he hide that? Sunny looked beside himself as if he was about to blow, and I nodded at Phil to record him. This would make good viewing!
Callie made several noises over the radio but appeared unable to form words as Magic calmly waved a baseball bat around.
“Run, you stupid idiot!” Sunny yelled.
I didn’t bother arguing; Magic had a fucking weapon! My fear propelled me as I raced to the door. I couldn’t tell if the skull scared me more or Magic. No, it was definitely Magic, judging by that maniacal look in his eye.
Phil stood motionless, and I wished him the best, because I wasn’t hanging around to be beaten up by accident!
“Oh my God!” Callie shrieked over the radio. I guessed they were watching us.
You said it, sister! Your friends are freaking insane! I turned as I neared the entrance and noticed the frozen tableau. Bunny stood wide-eyed as Phil remained unable to move.
“I said fuckin’ move!” Sunny roared.
Bunny jumped and saw me at the end of the hallway. I beckoned to her, and she began running, calling to Phil to run too.
I decided Phil was a much braver man than I as the floating skull came closer to the three of them. Bunny reached me and spun around to watch.
Sunny tried to grab Magic, but the idiot stepped away. What the hell was he doing? His version of the Hulk, or what?
Magic rounded his shoulders and roared and then beat his chest. Jesus Christ! He was a rampaging lunatic.
“Nobody is a problem, dude. Magic is contained. Pyro and Bunny have everything in hand,” Sunny mocked out loud. “Just you fuckin’ wait, Pres. When it’s your turn, I’m gonna make sure we pick the scariest fuckin’ place on earth!”
Phil chuckled, and I wondered at their sanity. I’d witnessed some batshit crazy stuff, but Magic was beyond anything I’d seen.
“Come on, you bodiless prick!” Magic roared. “I dare ya!” Magic taunted as the skull stopped moving and hovered in mid-air. It almost seemed bewildered. I didn’t have to wonder why. Hell, I’d be damn confused too!
Magic waggled his fingers, taunting it to come closer. He dropped his bat, yanked his backpack off, and started pulling items out of it. Horrified, I watched as he began fitting a rocket launcher together. A goddamn rocket launcher. Bunny’s gasp matched my own as Magic deftly fitted it together.
“Where did he get that!” Callie screeched as Pyro started laughing over the radio.
“Holy shit!” Phil squealed in a high-pitched voice.
“Ya want a piece of me? Come on then, fuckface. Nobody messes with me, skull head!”
“Where’d he get a rocket launcher?” Freddie yelled over the airwaves. That was a damn good question.
“I’ll blow you into tiny pieces, asswipe!” Magic promised. “You’ll be picking your teeth out of the walls!”
“Magic!” Sunny bellowed and grabbed the irate man and began yanking him behind me.
“Let me the hell go, Sunny. I ain’t afraid of no freaking skull!”
“It has friends!” Sunny yelled.
Magic dropped the rocket launcher. A missile was fired. I hit the floor, taking Bunny with me, and hoped it went in the opposite direction.
Phil screamed, and I closed my eyes and prayed frantically.
“It flew out of the morgue’s window!” Bunny shrieked.