Ghost town, p.11
Ghost Town, page 11
Johnny, Rachel, Gen, and Blair all looked up as she rushed into the room and slapped the files down on the ornately carved coffee table.
“I think everyone needs to see this,” Leif said.
“Hello to you too,” Johnny said. “Why do you have file folders?”
“I found them in my room. In one of the drawers,” she said.
“Cool,” Johnny said, sitting forward on the couch. “What’s in them? X-files? Ooh, or some kind of weird sex files? What was old Hastings getting up to?”
“No,” Leif said. “I think I found something fucked up.”
Johnny’s face fell. Gen, Blair, and Rachel sat forward in interest, while Gen stared at the files with a stormy look on her face.
“Why does that say your name?” Gen asked.
“That’s a good question,” Leif said. “The stuff it says inside is freaking me the fuck out.”
“What does it say?” Blair asked. She looked up at Leif with such concern on her face that it made her feel soft.
“I think you should all read them.”
Rachel shuffled forward and went to her knees in front of the table.
“Leif Henderson. It’s got all your information. It’s got transcripts from our videos,” Rachel said as she leafed through the files. “Jesus, what does this mean?”
Blair looked over her shoulder and read out loud. “She seems highly spirited and likely to fight back…what experiment are they talking about?”
“I don’t know,” Leif said. “This is so fucked up.”
“Oh my God, we’re all here,” Rachel said. “Tammy, and there’s Shae, and Jessica, and me, and…”
“Not all of us,” Johnny said. “I don’t see Blair. Or Gen.” He grabbed the files from Rachel and leafed through them, frowning. “And Abe’s not here either.”
“What?” Blair said, peering over his shoulder. “But that makes no sense. Why would everyone else be here except for us?”
“I wasn’t invited by Tannincorp,” Gen said. “I asked you if I could come after the fact.”
“That part makes sense,” Johnny said. “But it doesn’t explain why Abe and Blair are conspicuously missing.”
“What are you implying?” Blair asked.
“I just think it’s a little suspicious,” Johnny said. “Why would you and Abe be excluded?”
“Abe is one of my very best friends and he’s dead,” Blair said, obviously trying not to shout. “He wasn’t involved in whatever the fuck is going on, and neither are we.” She gestured between herself and Gen.
“I know I’m not,” Gen said.
Blair looked like she’d been slapped. Gen couldn’t possibly think that she had something to do with this.
“Gen,” Blair said. She sounded so hurt that Leif wanted to punch Gen out.
“Hey, okay. Let’s all take a second here,” Leif said instead. “This shit is bad enough without us fighting amongst ourselves.” Leif took a deep breath and looked Johnny in the eyes.
“Don’t you think it’s possible that whoever made these documents took Blair’s and Abe’s for some reason?” Leif said.
“I guess,” Johnny said, though he didn’t sound convinced.
“Johnny, surely you can’t think that someone who was killed was somehow involved,” Rachel said.
“Especially not someone so kind. And Blair is a great person. She wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Rose put in. “Abe’s spirit isn’t speaking to me, but neither are the others. It’s all silence.”
“The point is,” Leif said, trying to ignore Rose’s brand of strangeness, “Abe was murdered and Blair would never have done something to hurt him.”
“Yeah,” Johnny agreed. He shook his head as if to clear it. “Yeah, you’re right. All of this is just getting to me. Whatever sicko is doing this must have taken their files.”
“I just hope that doesn’t mean Blair is next,” Gen said.
“What?” Leif said. What kind of scary asshole shit was that to say?
“Well, if they have her file, wouldn’t that mean she’s the next target?” Gen said.
“It might,” Blair said. “If it does, I won’t be going quietly.”
“Does this mean that Tannincorp has us here to perform some sort of experiments on us?” Rachel asked. Her voice was trembling.
“I don’t know. I guess that would make some sense,” Leif said. “But I don’t understand why they’re not, like, keeping us captive.”
“Aren’t they?” Johnny said. He sounded strange, an edge to his voice that Leif wasn’t used to hearing. “We’re stuck here, aren’t we? The tires on our cars have been slashed. We’d never make it back to civilization if we tried on foot, especially not after what happened to Abe. They’ve got us in a cage. A pretty cage, but it’s still a fucking cage.”
“He’s right,” Blair said. “We are trapped here. But I think we all need to stick together. Next time someone comes to take another one of us away, we should be ready to fight.”
“Yeah,” Leif agreed. Blair was so brave. Leif really liked that about her. “We have to keep a united front.”
“You’re right,” Gen said. Leif was a little bit annoyed. She and Johnny were the two that were causing strife in the first place. But whatever. At least they were on the same page now.
“You’ll hear no argument from me,” Rose said. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“I think we should start by reading these folders,” Blair said, tapping the stack that was left on the table. “Let’s find out why they brought us here.”
Johnny snatched his file off the table and flipped it open.
“Prone to putting himself in physical danger. Reckless,” Johnny read from his file. “Huh. Yeah, they pretty much got me figured out, honestly.”
“Does it say anything about the experiment?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah. I guess I’m slated to be experimented on too,” Johnny said. “He may be a good option for the middle phase if the initial attempts fail.”
Leif grabbed Shae’s folder off the table. It was time to do some reading and figure this thing out.
Chapter Seven
Voice Memo 50
“I feel so alone. I know Gen is here, but she’s been distant since we found Abe. But I have to remember that I have other friends here too. Rachel and Johnny. Even Rose, who I never thought I’d get along with, is so sweet and caring. And Leif. Well, Leif is…she’s really amazing. I misjudged her. I think I might be falling for her.”
July 16, Masonville
They were running low on food. Snacks could only take them so far, and the food that had been delivered wasn’t much help. Hot dogs, a few burgers, and various junk food was all that was left of what Leif’s team had brought. Blair, Abe, and Gen had brought a fair bit too, but not enough for all of them to be well fed. It seemed they’d all taken Tannincorp seriously when they’d been told food would be provided. And Leif figured they technically had. She wondered if the food truck would return again or if they were going to be left here to starve. They had enough right now that they could stay alive, but not enough to feel good or energized.
The folders had revealed nothing. Just information about themselves. Things that they’d already known. It was frustrating. Whoever had written the files had kept all talk of the experiment to a minimum.
The mood was low in the house, and tempers were running high. Leif was tired of it. She needed to get out. She took a deep breath as soon as she got outside, but it didn’t help much. The air was humid and stuffy, and she’d started sweating as soon as she stepped out the door. She found Blair sitting on a log, her eyes red and puffy.
“Hey,” she said. “You want to come exploring with me?”
Blair looked at her like she had just asked her to go bungee jumping without a cord. “Isn’t that dangerous? Whoever is responsible for all of this is out there.”
“Sure,” Leif said. “But we could explore the house a little? I’m pretty sure there’s an attic.”
Blair grinned, and though it was weak, Leif still took it as a win.
“Sure. We did come here to explore, after all,” Blair said, as she stood up and brushed the dirt off of her jeans. “Should I bring an EMF reader or anything?”
“Yeah! Let’s do our first ever collab,” Leif said.
Blair’s smile was watery but real, and it made Leif feel all fluttery inside. “The collab no one ever thought possible,” she said.
Together they entered the manor, navigating its shadowed halls together until they reached the attic. They both stopped, looking at each other in confusion. The ladder was down. It had never been down before when Leif had passed this hallway.
From the attic came a familiar voice.
“Is that…Gen?” Blair asked.
Leif nodded. “Who is she talking to?”
Blair took a deep breath and then moved toward the ladder. “Gen? What are you doing up here?”
Leif got up into the attic just in time to see Gen tucking her phone back into the bag that sat beside her on the ground.
“Your phone is working?” Leif asked.
“No,” Gen said. “I just record my journal on my voice recorder app. I came up here for some privacy. Johnny keeps thinking it’s funny to interrupt me with fart sounds,” she added.
That sounded like Johnny. But the attic was a strange place to choose. “Why the attic? It’s not the first spot I’d go for,” Leif said, looking around. There were shadowed corners everywhere up there, and a thick layer of dust covered every surface. There was a table upon which there was a bunch of junk, and low hanging beams that boasted swaying spiderwebs. That was about it.
“I just thought it would be quiet,” Gen said.
Before she could continue, something made a loud static sound, and all three of them jumped.
“What the hell was that?” Leif said, her eyes scanning the cluttered tabletop in front of them.
“I don’t know,” Gen said. She sounded nervous, as though it might be a snake or something about to attack them.
There were old brick cell phones, a few random bits of metal and wires and… Leif’s eyes landed on the large object right when Blair said, “It’s a ham radio!”
“How do you know?” Gen asked.
“My dad was a trucker.” Leif didn’t miss the way Blair’s lip curled when she mentioned her dad, but she didn’t mention it.
“So, we can use this to contact someone?”
“Yes! I mean, hopefully. As long as it’s working.”
“I didn’t even notice it there,” Gen said. “I hope it works.”
“Let’s try it out,” Leif said cheerfully.
Gen made a face and clutched at her stomach. “I’m not feeling so great. I think I’m going to have to leave you two here. Good luck, I hope you can get it working.”
“Okay…” Leif said. She waited until she heard Gen’s footsteps recede down the hallway before she said, “She’s an odd one, isn’t she?”
Blair shrugged and made her way over to the radio. “I guess. She’s kind of always like that. Though I’m a little worried about how sick she keeps getting.”
“She kind of threw you under the bus with all that file stuff,” Leif said. “Are you okay?”
Blair sighed. “I don’t know what’s up with her. I think it’s just stress from all of this. Everything that’s going on is a lot. I think it’s making her lash out, maybe?”
“Maybe. But she should still be nicer to you. We all need to stick together, you know?”
Blair nodded. She inspected the radio, running her fingers through the thick layer of dust that coated it. “So, I used to ride with my dad when I was little, and he’d let me use the radio. That was a CB, but I got obsessed with radios for a while because of it,” Blair said. “He never let my sister or my brothers use it, but that’s mostly because they were never interested in going along with him.”
“You have siblings?” Leif asked. This was the first time Blair had ever mentioned them.
“Yup. Brandon is my older brother. Lilly and Joseph are my younger siblings,” Blair sounded pained as she said it. “We don’t really talk.”
Leif figured that was a good signal not to pry. She was sure that Blair would open up about it if they got close enough, but now probably wasn’t the time.
“That’s rough,” she said. Then, to change the subject she asked, “How does this thing work?”
“It’s basically a radio that can use a high range of frequencies to connect with other radios. It’s pretty much perfect for reaching out to get help. It can reach farther than, say, a CB radio. CB radio is fine for truckers reaching each other on the road, but this is—” Blair stopped herself. “Sorry, you probably didn’t want the whole history of the ham radio.”
“Maybe some other time, because that does sound interesting,” Leif said. “But for now, let’s just focus on how to actually use it.”
“Sure,” Blair said. “Here, for the sake of time, you just turn this dial. And I’ll take care of the rest.”
Leif took her position and watched Blair as she inspected the radio.
“Huh. It’s already on,” Blair said. “Why isn’t it making any sound?”
“Should I turn the dial?”
“Sure,” Blair said. “I’ll give them my call sign if we get someone.”
Leif would have to ask what the hell that meant, but later. She turned the dial and static filled the air.
“Jesus,” Leif said. “This is terrifying.”
“I know,” Blair said. “CB radios are less spooky. Usually. And it’d be more useful because you just all talk on one station, and only really switch if you want to have, like, a less public conversation.”
Leif began sliding through the channels desperate for anything other than static. She found a station that was beeping, but that didn’t help them much.
“We’re basically using a Ouija board,” Blair said. “Because I have no idea what stations anyone is on, or if they’ll even be able to help us.”
“Great,” Leif said. “Well, at least we have all day.”
“Try going back. I want to see if it goes silent again.”
Leif did what she was told, slowly spinning the dial back.
“They need to believe,” a voice said, before being swallowed by more static as Leif continued to turn the dial.
“Did you hear that?” Blair asked. “Go back.”
Leif turned the dial back, but all she got was more static.
“It said believe, right?” Leif said.
Blair nodded. “I think he said they need to believe?”
“Okay. That’s not creepy at all.”
“Yeah, I’m getting some serious preacher vibes,” Blair said. “But like, horror movie preacher, you know?”
“Definitely,” Leif agreed. “This whole trip is a horror movie.”
Blair nodded.
The radio crackled loud enough to make them both jump, then went silent.
“What the hell?” Leif said. She turned the dial but nothing happened. It was dead.
“I hate this fucking town,” Blair said. She was staring at the radio like it had personally attacked her. “I hate this so much. I just want everything to be okay.”
Tears gathered in Blair’s eyes as she stared at the radio. “I just want Abe to be okay.” The tears started to spill, and Leif felt lost. How the hell was she supposed to help Blair when she had lost so much?
“I know, Blair,” she said, as Blair wiped her eyes furiously. “Hey. You want to smash this useless radio?”
Blair finally tore her eyes away from the radio and looked at Leif in surprise. “But what if it starts working again?” she asked.
Now it was Leif’s turn to be surprised. She hadn’t expected Blair to take her seriously. But then again, maybe smashing up some old junk would be therapeutic for her.
“I think it’s toast,” Leif said. “Have at it.”
Blair looked at her, then back at the radio. “I um. I don’t think I’ve ever smashed something on purpose before.”
Leif laughed. “Here, I’ll start,” she said, and gave it a hard whack. “Go ahead. Shove it off the table.”
Blair grinned and swiped her arm across the table, sending the radio and all the other electronics smashing to the floor. “Huh. That did make me feel a little better.”
Blair kicked the radio hard enough to send it across the floor, all the way over to land against the far wall. But she wasn’t finished. Leif watched, fascinated, as Blair bolted over to it and began aggressively kicking it against the wall over and over until there was nothing large enough left to kick.
Even though the poor radio had met its match, it seemed Blair wasn’t finished. She reached down to grab a piece of metal and used it to gouge a hole in the plaster of the wall with a shout.
“Hey, whoa, don’t hurt yourself,” Leif said.
Blair didn’t seem to hear her. She kept punching holes in the wall, her shouts loud in the empty house. Then she was kicking, punching, tearing at the plaster. Large chunks of white hit the ground with dull thuds, sending a spray of powdered plaster up into the air.
Watching Blair, Leif was reminded of the Valkyries as depicted in one of her mom’s textbooks. Spear in hand, eyes bright with rage and battle lust. Standing triumphant over her foes. Leif’s stomach twisted, and she must have been staring because Blair finally stopped her onslaught of destruction.
In the silence that followed, Leif heard footfalls approaching fast.
“What the fuck was that?” Johnny’s voice came from the opening to the attic. He sounded out of breath, as though he’d run through the large manor to get to them. “Who’s up there? Come down, now.”
“It’s just me and Blair,” Leif said, poking her head through the door on the ceiling. Johnny stood at the bottom of the ladder, a knife in one hand and a box of salt from the kitchen in the other. “What are you doing?”
