Chapter Eleven

Ben decided to skip the first two floors for the second night's investigation. They had not yielded any results on the first night, and it was such a big house. He decided to focus his efforts on the areas that were definitely haunted.

This investigation was far from typical. Usually, Ben tried to disprove hauntings. But in this case, it looked like he would end up proving one instead. That was not what Mr. Webb, or his clients, had in mind when they hired Ben. He wondered if they would be angry when they saw his video—and if he would still get paid.

He descended the dark stairs to the third floor. He would start here. He went back to room 317 and set up his camera and equipment, then sat quietly and waited for the bride to appear. He considered calling off the remainder of the investigation since he had more than enough video evidence of a haunting in the mansion. Given the way Cameron was shoved by a ghost, Ben questioned the safety of the investigation. It would be easy to just tell Cameron and Tara to go home.

Tara. He’d forgotten all about her. He had not seen her since yesterday, when they all arrived. He assumed she wasn’t interested in the actual investigation, since she hadn’t shown up for it, and only wanted the results when he was finished. He made a mental note to check in with her later.

As Ben sat there, considering the termination of the investigation, the bloody bride appeared on the bed. Ben pulled out his voice recorder and asked her, “What is your name? What happened to you?”

The apparition did not look at him or acknowledge him, she just stared out the window. The EMF detector was silent. Then, just as quickly as she appeared, she disappeared without a trace.

Ben reviewed the audio recording and confirmed there was nothing there but his own voice. The video camera, however, had captured the apparition again.

He packed up his gear and moved to the next room on his list, room 331. He hadn’t seen anything here the previous night, but he did get an abnormal temperature reading. He set up the camera tripod and mounted the camera so that it covered most of the room. Budgeting his time, he figured he could spend about an hour here, to see if anything appeared.

Ben was about to give up when it happened. The temperature of the room suddenly got colder. The thermometer read 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Ben shivered from the cold. Suddenly, a tall man appeared. He was easily seven feet tall, and he was standing near the window. He turned to look right at Ben, who was already reaching for his voice recorder.

“What is your name? Is there anything you want to tell me?”

The apparition opened its mouth and said, “Get out!” It then disappeared, and the chill in the air dissipated. The thermometer read 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ben replayed the audio and video, finding that both had captured the sound of the spirit’s warning. He packed up his gear and made his way back up the stairs to the fourth floor.

As he entered the parlor, he saw a man, dressed in a flannel shirt and denim pants, hammering at the wall. Ben pulled out his camera and quickly pressed record. The man continued hammering for a few seconds, never acknowledging Ben’s presence, then disappeared.

Ben stopped the camera and looked around the room. The furniture was covered in white sheets, which were covered in dust and dirt. He heard a baby cry and turned the camera back on.

Ben walked slowly through the residence, looking for the source of the sound. He found it in the master bedroom. A woman sat in a rocking chair, rocking a baby. Ben noticed that her shirt was bloody, and she had a hole in her chest. As soon as he pushed the door open to enter the room, she disappeared.

The ghosts of the fourth floor seemed shy. Ben checked his camera. He captured footage of both of them, but only a few seconds worth. Still, it was enough to include in his final video.

He walked around the fourth floor for a few more minutes, looking at the paintings on the wall, the exquisite furnishings covered by sheets. After wandering around for a few minutes, he returned to the staircase.

He made his way up the stairs slowly. He was in no hurry tonight. He still had plenty of time. On the fifth floor, he walked the hallway slowly, looking into several rooms as he walked by them. When he reached room 510, he noticed the chill in the air. He got excited, thinking this could be another possible haunting. Ben stepped into the room and checked the temperature with the thermometer. It was 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Ben pressed record on the camera and set it up on the tripod. A couple of minutes later, an apparition appeared. This time, it was a soldier, dressed in military camouflage.

The soldier looked right at Ben and said, “You were warned.” Then, it disappeared. The temperature in the room returned to normal. Ben was nearly giddy with excitement. He’d captured not only the same ghosts from last night but new ones as well. Instead of the activity slowing down, it only seemed to be getting more active.

He sat down on the bed and looked into the camera. “I’m here, on the fifth floor of Silverwood Manor, where I’ve just encountered yet another apparition. This one appears to be an intelligent haunting, meaning that the spirit interacts with the living. This one said, ‘You were warned.’ I’m assuming he was referring to the words of the tall man on the third floor who warned me to ‘get out.’ And I’m going to get out of here, but first, I’m going to go back to room 515 to see if the ghost that pushed my security guy last night is there again tonight.” Ben stopped the camera, letting out a huge breath in preparation for what he might find. This time, it would only be him—meaning that if the ghost became violent again, he would be the sole target. Still, it had to be done. He packed up his gear and left room 510.

Ben walked down to room 515 and opened the door slowly. There was no one there. He entered the room and set up his video camera on the tripod. He started recording and waited patiently for the ghost of the nurse to show up.

He guessed he had been waiting about an hour and a half. The nurse-ghost was a no-show. Maybe he could check back again later before he went to sleep. Ben stood to pack up his gear when the nurse appeared. She was right in front of Ben, so close he could see the blood matted in her hair, the depression in her skull where it had been bashed in. Her face was purple and her arms and legs were twisted. Ben heard the sickening crack as her extremities snapped back into place. She screamed, an ear-piercing, mournful wail, and then, she dove forward, arms outstretched. She made contact with Ben and shoved him to the ground.

Ben stared in amazement as she then vanished. Remembering Cameron’s torn shirt, Ben checked his own clothing but did not find any rips or tears. He quickly checked the camera to make sure it had captured the attack.

He decided that this would be a good place to end the investigation. He would pack up his equipment, send Cameron and Tara home, and they would all leave the mansion together. He would edit the video footage at home and prepare his final video to send to Mr. Webb. Once Mr. Webb approved the video, Ben would release it on YouTube.

Ben packed his camera and other equipment into his backpack. He left the room and began walking toward his room. He had taken several steps before he noticed he was still standing in front of room 515. He took a step and felt himself move forward, but he did not move. He was still standing directly in front of the door to room 515. He thought it was peculiar and took several more steps. He hadn’t moved an inch. Ben wondered if he was hallucinating or if the house was playing some sinister trick on him. He began to jog, then run toward his room. He tried moving to the middle of the hallway, all to no avail. Ben stopped, leaning against the wall for support. He was out of breath, partly from running and partly from anxiety. He wanted to leave the house, but he couldn’t. He was trapped.