Happily Never After (8 page)

We turned the corner and I was saved from
having to answer him.

Moon River Brewing loomed in front of us. The
four-story building looked harmless from the outside. The pale
stone exterior was made of common Savannah brick and the windows on
the empty floors were clean and inviting. Still, something about it
hinted at what went on inside. Or maybe that was only because I’d
witnessed it.

“Let’s go around back.”

I led him into the alley. Abby’s mom, Barb,
worked as a waitress on the weekends and we knew all the kitchen
staff. Abby and I had the run of the place most times and the
manager assured us as long as we were careful and let him keep any
evidence we found, we could go into the unoccupied floors of the
building when no other groups wanted to use it for an
investigation.

We found Abby sitting at a prep table in the
kitchen waiting for us and I properly introduced her to Jason. No
one else seemed recognize him, which was really starting to put a
damper on my preconceived notion of him being an egomaniac; a
notion I wanted to cling to.

After shaking his hand a little skeptically,
Abby turned to me. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad was it?”

“Oh, about an eight or a nine. I’m sure I’ll
be in trouble whenever I do decide to go home so let’s make the
most of tonight. Jason wants to see what we do, so I thought what
better place than this?”

I could tell she was dying to ask why I
changed my mind about Jason so I ignored her questioning looks.

“Agreed. I already talked to Mr. Manager and
we’re good. Can we eat first? I’m starving.”

I nodded as Jason went to sit at the prep
table and we joined him after ordering sandwiches. Abby made no
attempt to be subtle.

“So, Jason, what’s life like in bright, shiny
Hollywood?”

He turned his killer smile towards her. “I
wouldn’t describe it as bright and shiny. I’ve always thought of it
as a black hole. It sucks you in and life as you knew it outside
ceases to exist.”

“Oh please, you’re telling me that being a
young, rich, hot actor isn’t as wonderful as everyone imagines?”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Jason leaned close to me. “You think I’m
hot?” I fixed him with my iciest glare, which didn’t seem to work.
“Fine, I’ll take your silence as a yes. Fact is I’m never there. I
consider Colorado, where I’m originally from, to be my home. When
I’m in California I stay in Malibu to avoid the whole Hollywood
scene. L.A. is a hard place to get used to.”

Hearing him talk about Colorado reminded me
of the story about his brother. That was the part of Jason that
most interested me.

“Do you miss Colorado?” I asked.

“More than you can imagine. I’d never planned
on getting into acting and tried out for Home on a whim. I never
thought I’d get it. When I’m not working, I spend more time in
Colorado than anywhere else. I miss the mountains, the crisp air in
winter. Even the people, they don’t have as much to prove.”

Abby got a dreamy look on her face.
“Winter...I wish I could experience an actual winter. Heck, I’d be
happy with seeing the actual seasons change.”

“I miss winter. We’d get snowstorms that
dumped over a foot of snow at a time. It’s one of the most
beautiful things I’ve ever seen.” He looked at me as he said the
last part.

I fidgeted in my seat and was saved by one of
the line cooks saying our sandwiches were done. While we ate, I
brought up the subject of why we were there.

“Do you know anything at all about ghosts,
Jason?”

“In what way? I mean, I’ve seen the TV shows
so I'm fairly certain of what an EVP is. Besides, last I heard
ghosts were still a mystery. Unless you consider yourself an
expert.”

I wanted to call him a smart aleck but Abby
saved me.

“Everyone kind of has their own ideas about
spirits or ghosts which can actually affect how you see them. I
think that’s why it’s always a woman in white or a little boy. Your
mind sees something it doesn’t recognize or feel comfortable with
so it transfers it into something familiar. A spirit might not have
enough energy to manifest into anything other than a mist or a ball
of light or even a footstep.”

“And you guys have documented spirits?”

“We have,” I answered, “recorded some great
ones in this building but we let the owners keep what we find. It’s
part of the deal. Mostly, the ghosts here haven’t given us much
trouble but there are rumors of some evil spirits as well. We try
not to provoke or say anything that might anger them. Others do but
I show them some respect.”

“I agree with the idea of not upsetting them.
Let’s made sure we stick to that plan. Do you think we’ll see
anything tonight?”

“The chances are very high. We haven’t had a
night here where something didn’t happen, even if it was just
hearing footsteps or knocking. It’s a very active place. You have
to keep yourself open to the possibility and learn to be
patient.”

“Is it normal to have second thoughts about
this?” Jason tried to joke but I heard a trace of nervousness in
his voice. I couldn’t help but tease him.

“A big tough actor scared of a little ghost?
I knew you were all an act.”

Abby laughed loudly while Jason fought to
keep a grin off his face. He held up his hands in defense.

“I’m not afraid to admit it. I’ll hide behind
you, gladly sacrificing you to the legions of undead.”

“My hero,” I drawled sarcastically.

Chapter Ten

We finished eating and answering more of
Jason’s questions. His tension started to ease into curiosity and I
got the feeling he was a little excited. We led him up to the
second floor and began getting out the equipment.

“I brought along another camera, my personal
digital, so we have more,” Abby said as she pulled out a small pink
camera. “Unfortunately, since you aren’t familiar with what we’re
doing, this one’s yours, Jason.”

I watched him hesitantly take the pink camera
then turned before he caught me grinning.

“As we go into rooms, take pictures,” I
explained, pulling out my big digital camera. “We’ve discovered
part of it’s based on feelings so let those guide you to where you
point the camera. You said you knew what EVP’s are right?”

“Electronic Voice Phenomenon, it’s a voice
you catch on a recorder you didn’t hear with your own ears.”

“Right, Abby and I both have digital
recorders. You’ll hear us asking questions to try to get a
response. If you feel there’s something you want to ask, go for
it.”

Abby launched into some history. “This
building started out as the First City Hotel in 1821. Eleven years
later, there was a murder downstairs and by 1864 the hotel ceased
operations, probably because of the War. In 1999, the restaurant
opened downstairs so most of this building is still in its original
condition. They have tried to renovate but each time they start,
activity also picks up. Workers will get knocked off ladders,
objects move, and supposedly a woman was pushed down the
stairs.”

“Wow, okay.”

He sounded nervous so I gave him an
encouraging smile. “I wouldn’t worry too much. We tend to stay out
of the basement where the evil spirits are.”

His eyes widened and he started fidgeting
with the camera.

“Alright, I’m ready. Let’s head all the way
up first and then work our way down.” Abby went up the first couple
of steps and handed Jason a flashlight as she passed by.

We walked up to the top floor and wandered
through the rooms. I found myself very self-conscious, not because
of the building or why we were there but because of Jason.

Those forbidden thoughts stopped when Jason
came to stand beside me. A loud crash sounded from the room on our
right. I felt Jason jump and inch even closer to me.

“Hello?” Abby called out into the dark. “Is
there someone here with us?”

All three of us were absolutely still, but no
more sounds came from around us.

I asked, “If you’re here, there’s no need to
be afraid. I think I heard you. If that was you, could you do it
again?”

We’d turned off our flashlights so the only
illumination was the light coming from outside and the narrow view
we saw through the screens on our cameras. From our right I heard a
scuff, like a shoe moving on a dirty floor. I saw Abby turn in the
direction and begin filming.

Another, quieter bang came from behind us. It
was the kind of stuff I was used to in this building, though I
sensed Jason's tension growing by the minute. It surprised me how
active it was already, surprised and pumped up. This was what I
loved.

The darkness, the holding your body still to
keep quiet and the unexplained noises would have scared normal
people. Thank goodness, I wasn’t one of them. It was a comfort
knowing life continued in one form or another.

Abby walked farther along the hall, filming
the area in front of her. Of all the floors, we were on the one
that seemed the most consistently active. One more knock or bang
came from the far end of the hall and Abby motioned she was heading
that direction.

Jason was still glued to my side. If we
hadn’t been experiencing activity, I would have loved teasing him
about it.

He smelled clean, a breath of sunshine and
fresh air. I couldn’t believe I was standing in the middle of a
haunted building thinking about what he smelled like. It also
dawned on me we were almost touching. It made my palms instantly
sweat and I had to get a better grip on my camera. I started
snapping pictures, forcing myself to concentrate on what I was
there to do.

“Are you expecting company?” he whispered.
When I didn’t answer he continued, “Someone’s coming up the
stairs.”

Turning my head slightly, I listened for a
sound from the direction of the stairs. Sure enough, I heard slow
footsteps. Occasionally the steps themselves creaked or groaned as
if a person with actual weight were on them. The sounds were faint
but obviously moving up towards us.

My eyes adjusted to the dark. If something
was there, I didn’t want to startle it by turning on the
flashlight. I moved slowly to the stairs using only my camera’s LCD
screen as illumination and waited.

I heard Jason follow. He started to say
something but I elbowed him. He must have gotten the message
because he shut up.

The air changed, growing heavier and heavier.
People always say when something spooky happens, every hair on
their body stands up and that’s exactly what happens. It was
similar to standing in the middle of a lightning storm. No other
words did it justice.

I knew the feeling; it meant we weren’t
alone.

If anyone asked me, I’d freely admit I still
experienced a small twinge of fear in situations like this. The
expectation of the unknown and of what I might come face to face
with never left me, regardless of my strange ability to
communicate. Eventually the fear lessened but never fully
dissipated. Evil entities did exist. I should know. I was living
with one.

Jason stepped closer and I knew he'd sensed
it too. I raised the camera and started snapping a quick series of
shots in the direction of the staircase. It seemed that with each
picture I took, the temperature of the air dropped. Soon, I saw the
white vapor of our breath in the dark.

From being in the building before, I
recognized this spirit. It was female and over time, I had come to
learn certain things about her. She searched for her children who'd
stayed here when the building was used as a hospital. An outbreak
of fever had swept across the city and the dead piled up. Many
people brought their children here to die. I wished more than ever
that I could actually talk to the spirits. Seeing and sensing
things about them wasn’t enough anymore.

I wish I could help you, I thought.

So do I.

I jumped, which startled Jason beside me.

“Are you okay?” he whispered
breathlessly.

“Did you say something, before?”

“No,” his voice was in my ear so I knew he
still stood very close. “All I’ve been able to hear is your camera
and something else. Like something’s moving around us.”

I nodded, not really caring that he couldn’t
see me. The voice in my head hadn’t been me. It had tone and a
heavier accent than mine. The only other time I'd heard a voice was
with Marietta. Even though this one was different, the sensation of
having another voice in my head felt unnatural. Normally, I was
fine with whatever abilities I had. Feelings, hints and apparitions
were much easier to deal with than voices inside my head.

Before I knew what I was doing, I'd cleared
my head and thought ‘hello’.

This time nothing answered. Almost
immediately, the air changed again, back to normal. It was easier
to breathe and the static feeling disappeared.

I let out a breath I hadn’t been aware of
holding.

“What was that?” Jason’s voice shook a
little.

I flicked on the flashlight and turned it
towards him. “That was a ghost, a spirit.”

He came alive, almost bouncing in place.
“Holy crap, that was crazy. The air changed somehow and I heard
movement, like clothes rubbing when you walk. I thought a person
was standing right in front of me. I knew if I reached out, I would
have touched someone.”

His excitement transferred onto me and I
temporarily forgot about the voice I'd heard. “I know. That’s how
it is. You’re lucky, not everyone can experience something their
first time and we encountered one of the friendly ones. There are
some nasty spirits in this building but they are a whole other
experience.”

“Did you get anything on your camera?”

“I’m not sure,” I answered as I began going
back through the pictures. “With the small screen on the camera,
sometimes you don’t notice anything until you can look at it on a
monitor. Wait, here.”