Ghost town, p.7
Ghost Town, page 7
Leif perked up, focusing like a laser as Blair began to unzip her bag and reach inside.
She pulled out what looked to be two pieces of paper. Leif was immediately suspicious. Were those her notes? She didn’t take Blair to be a pen and paper kind of girl. She seemed to do most of her research with a voice recorder and a camera.
“Listen to this,” Blair said. She was clearly excited, sitting on the very edge of the log and bouncing slightly. She pushed her glasses up her nose and began to read.
“This town has the highest energy readings we have ever experienced. Tannincorp’s plan to create a sustainable energy source is—and here the page is ripped. Then it picks up again. But I believe there is a way. Sacrifices may need to be made, but I’ve seen things in this town that can’t be explained easily by science. Figures in the dark. Whispers in my ears. They tell me that I can achieve my goal, if only I—” Blair looked up and her eyes locked with Leif’s before flicking away. “And that’s it. The next page, or however many more, are missing.”
“Where did you find these?” Leif asked, even though she had a feeling that she already knew.
“The library,” Blair said. There was an overly cheerful lilt to her voice that made Leif’s blood boil.
“I can’t believe you took documents from the library,” she said. “Isn’t that theft?”
“Not if I plan to put them back,” Blair argued. “Besides, I highly doubt I’m going to get hit with late fees. That library has been closed since the eighties.”
Leif huffed but didn’t press the issue. If Blair was going to play dirty like this, Leif would do the same going forward.
Blair continued, “I also found this map of the town along with those documents. I think it was the most recent map they had since I recognize a bunch of the fast-food restaurants.”
“Cool! Can I see?” Johnny asked. “It might have some awesome filming locations.”
“Of course you can take a quick look,” Blair said. “But I’ll need it back. Gen will want to see it tonight. She’s a big history buff.”
“Where is Gen?” Rhonda asked. “I’ve barely had a chance to get to know her.”
“Not feeling well,” Abe said. “Again.”
“Rachel’s in bed too,” Leif replied. “She wasn’t feeling well either. I hope it’s not some bug that’s going around. That’d be all we’d need, being stuck out here with no medicine.”
“I brought a whole first aid kit full of medication,” Rhonda assured her. “I’m a nurse, and I never go anywhere without at least one first aid kit. Especially not to an abandoned town.”
“You’re a gem, Rhonda,” Abe told her. “Despite all of this strangeness, I’m really glad I got to meet you all.”
“Me too,” Rhonda said. Her smile was infectious.
Leif grinned. Abe was a good guy. She liked him a lot. “Yeah, me too,” she said. She didn’t look in Blair’s direction.
“We should probably head to bed. Long day tomorrow,” Abe said. He pulled Blair into a one-armed hug. “Ready to sleep, B?”
“Of course. Good night, all,” Blair said.
Leif watched them head out into the woods toward their tent.
“I can’t believe she found those documents and took them,” Leif said as soon as they were out of earshot.
“That’s why I kept the map,” Johnny said with a wink. He waved the map at her cheekily and she made gimme hands at him.
“Johnny, you’re my hero,” Leif told him as he handed it over to her. “God, look at this. It’s so neat! Except that someone got a huge smudge on it.”
“Hey, it wasn’t me,” Johnny said with his hands up in defense. Leif double-checked his fingers, and was satisfied to find them clean.
“Who cares if there’s a smudge,” Leif said. “This is the coolest.”
She folded the map and hopped up off the log. “We gotta keep this somewhere safe.”
“Sure. Let’s put it in my room,” Johnny said. “I want to go over it with Rachel. See if there’s any good filming locations.”
Leif gave him a knowing look, which he ignored.
“Night, everyone,” Leif said. Johnny echoed her, and together they walked back to the manor through the dark.
Blair was going to be so mad when she realized she’d lost the map. Leif couldn’t wait to see her looking for it.
* * *
Leif had settled into bed and slept like the dead. If she’d dreamt, she didn’t remember it when she woke up to the first rays of sunlight peeking through the window. For a moment she wasn’t sure why she’d woken. It was too early to be awake yet.
Then the sound of a floorboard creaking made her jolt up in bed. There was light shining in through the crack of the open door.
The door she had closed last night before bed.
What the fuck?
“Who’s there?” she called out. But no one answered. Leif felt goosebumps form on her skin. “Hello?”
She threw off her blanket, but hesitated before stepping out of bed. For some god-awful reason her brain was insisting that there was something under it.
She placed one foot on the floor, and then the other. Nothing grabbed her, but she couldn’t help but rush away from the bed, just in case. She tiptoed to the door and peeked around the frame.
An empty hallway greeted her.
Fuck. She was really losing it. She needed to toughen up if she was going to spend a lot of time in Masonville. She couldn’t let the ghost stories start creeping her out.
The door had probably just opened due to the house shifting. It was an old house, after all. She tried not to listen to the solid click as she closed the door behind her. Tried not to notice how tightly it sat in its frame.
The sun had started to rise in earnest now, the first rays peeking above the trees and shining into her bedroom.
The picture of the gruesome hunt was illuminated in orange and pink. The fox seemed to stare at her, as if to plead for help. The dogs watched her with cold blankness behind their eyes.
Leif turned and left the room.
She was overreacting. Everything was fine. This was Masonville! It was going to be a great day.
Chapter Five
Video Recording 52
(Blair sitting in the parlor of the Hastings Manor)
Hi all. I think this is going to be my last video recording. I can’t keep this up. I’m just so tired. And everything has gone to hell. If anyone finds these recordings, well…look for my voice memos. I’ll keep working on those.
July 14, Masonville
On the third day of their trip to Masonville, Blair was starting to feel a little bit less suspicious.
Sure, the food that had been delivered was weird, and the lack of greeting from Tannincorp was definitely strange, but so far, they’d had a lot of fun investigating the abandoned town.
Maybe Tannincorp was just really hands off about the whole thing? Maybe the company just wanted the ghost hunters to have an unguided and authentic experience of the haunted town.
That answer didn’t quite sit right with Blair, but she ignored the sense of unease. This was a great opportunity. She was happy to be here.
The group had decided to pool the food and snacks that they’d brought with them together with the strange offerings that had come in the food box.
All together they had enough to get by on for at least a little while. And Blair and Abe planned on driving until they found a signal for their phones later in the day. Maybe they could find a town and grab something more sustainable as far as food went.
Abe was an early riser, which worked just fine for Blair. She liked an early morning, especially in the summer when the weather was only cool in the mornings and evenings.
Together they ate breakfast while Gen slept in.
“Good morning,” came a voice from the doorway. It was Leif. Of course it was. “You having breakfast?”
“Yup,” Abe said. He sounded way too cheerful for Blair’s liking. “You want to join us?”
Leif hesitated for a moment before shrugging. “Sure, why not.”
Blair eyed Leif up as she sat down to the table. Today she was wearing ripped jean shorts with a pink plaid button up short-sleeved shirt. The shirt was undone to reveal a black crop top. Blair had to look away, nervous that she’d be caught staring. She might not like Leif, and Leif seemed to hate her, but she could admit when she found someone attractive. And Leif was definitely attractive.
“Let’s go on a little hike after breakfast,” Abe said. “Who’s with me?”
“I’ll come,” Leif said, quick as a flash.
Blair was annoyed, and briefly considered staying back at the camp. But she really shouldn’t let Leif get to her like that. “I’ll come too,” she said. She made sure to smile sweetly at Leif, and was pleased when Leif frowned at her. Operation kill her with kindness was going well. Her aunt would be proud. “Should we ask everyone?”
“Sure,” Abe said. “After breakfast, Blair and I will take the living room. Leif, find anyone upstairs?”
“Sounds good,” Leif said.
Breakfast consisted of a few bagels and some chips. They were trying to conserve food just in case they couldn’t get to town. Sure, Tannincorp had told them food would be provided, but they hadn’t said it would be a barely edible mishmash of foods. They had to be careful.
The conversation at breakfast was stilted, with both Blair and Leif speaking more to Abe than they did to each other. Blair felt relieved when Leif took her last bite and jumped up from her chair.
“I’ll go see if anyone upstairs wants to come on our hike,” she said. Then she turned on her heel and dashed off toward the stairs.
“I think you two are going to find you get along just fine,” Abe said. Blair wasn’t so sure, but she just shrugged.
“Let’s go find whoever is hanging out in the parlor,” she said, and tried to ignore Abe’s knowing look.
Rhonda, Shae, and Tammy were cuddled up on the couch in their pajamas. Tammy was reading a novel, while Shae snoozed on Rhonda’s shoulder.
“Anyone want to come on a hike?” Abe asked. Rhonda tapped Shae on the shoulder, and she looked up and waved.
Rhonda signed the question to Shae, who shrugged. Nah, I’m comfy here, she said.
You sure? Blair signed. It’ll be fun.
“Yeah, I think we’re just going to rest for a bit,” Tammy said. She was the youngest of the three, probably a few years younger than Blair.
“None of us slept all that well.”
Bad dreams, Shae signed.
“Aw, all right. Well, have fun out there today filming,” Abe said.
“Thanks! You too. Enjoy your hike,” Tammy said with a wave.
Blair and Abe found Leif and Rose waiting for them in the hallway.
“Hike time!” Leif cheered.
“Great! We’ve got a good team here! Rachel and Johnny didn’t want to come?”
“Rach is still feeling sick, and Johnny, the goober, is still in bed,” Leif said. “He sleeps until well after noon whenever he can and he gets grumpy with a capital G if you disturb his beauty sleep.”
“Noted. I won’t be waking up the beast any time soon. Anyone seen Jessica and Ivan?” Abe asked. “They might want to take a break and do a hike too.”
“Nope,” Leif said. “I don’t remember seeing them at all today.”
“They weren’t at the fire last night,” Blair said.
“They must have turned in early and snuck out early too,” Rose said. “Their room is right beside mine, and the beds were already made at seven a.m. when I walked past to visit the ladies’ room.”
Blair nearly giggled at that. Rose was, despite her eccentricities, a lovely lady. She reminded Blair of her own grandmother, who had died when she was five. She too had been sweet but a little odd. And she’d also had a strict daily toilet routine.
The group moved outside, and the sun instantly warmed Blair’s skin. The heat was already growing intense, but it was sure to be cooler in the woods.
The trails were badly maintained, and overgrown with weeds and all sorts of plants. Rocks and roots threatened to trip their little hiking team, and they had to go slow, especially with Rose along.
But they weren’t in a rush, and it was nice to take some time and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
The trail that led from the Hastings Manor split about a kilometer into the woods into two different paths. The path to the left led deep into the woods while the right-hand path hugged the edge.
“Which way, left or right?” Abe asked. “Group vote.”
“Left,” Leif and Blair both said, while Rose chose right.
Blair smiled at Leif, genuinely this time. It was kind of nice that they agreed on something. But once again, Leif frowned at her, and Blair was reminded that Leif hated her. Well, whatever, Blair had dealt with hate before.
The farther they hiked into the woods, the quieter and stranger the route seemed to become. Gnarled roots kept threatening to trip them, and more than once Blair had to reach out to steady a fellow hiker or be steadied herself.
“Maybe we should turn back,” Abe said after a while. He was frowning and looking back along the trail the way they’d come. “The path isn’t the smoothest.”
“Sure,” Blair said. She was a little bit worried about Rose, since she was older and not as limber as the rest of them.
“Okay,” Leif agreed, turning to face back toward the manor. “I’m good to head back.”
They all shifted, ready to head back, except for Rose, who stood staring up the path that led deeper into the woods.
“Rose?” Blair said. But Rose didn’t respond. She was squinting as though trying to figure out what she was seeing. Abe turned to Blair, the two of them exchanging a worried glance, before he turned back to Rose.
“Rose, darling,” he said. “Are you doing okay?”
“Oh, God,” Rose said. “Oh, God, that’s a person. In the woods.”
The words sent a shiver of dread down Blair’s spine. She squinted, looking ahead, but couldn’t see anyone lurking in the trees.
Then she looked down. Rose was right. Someone was lying on the ground just off the beaten path.
“Oh my God,” Blair said, wishing she’d brought her first aid kit. She ran toward the person, hoping against hope that whoever it was wasn’t injured. “Hey!” she shouted as she ran. “Are you all right?”
Leif had followed close behind, and Blair would have been annoyed if she hadn’t realized that something was very, very wrong.
Because the woman on the ground was too still. Too silent.
It was Jessica. And Blair could tell just from looking at her that she was dead.
For one thing, she no longer looked like Jessica, not really. The features of her face were the same, but now she was wrinkled. Shrunken in on herself. Jessica’s face was pale, almost ghostly looking, and her eyes were vacant and staring. Her expression was twisted in horror. Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles and her whole body was covered in red and purple discoloration around her veins. Hypostasis. God, it was horrible to see in real life.
Blair turned away. Someone vomited into the bushes just off the path. It was Rose. Leif moved to her side and rubbed at her back. Blair noticed that Leif’s hands were shaking, and tears were gathered in her eyes, but she whispered soothing words to poor Rose, who was trembling like a leaf.
“We have to tell the others,” Abe said. His voice was unsteady. He put his hand on Blair’s shoulder and tried to pull her away from the grisly sight, but she wouldn’t move. “Oh God, we have to tell Ivan.”
Blair looked back at the corpse. She felt numb. Hollow.
“I should check the body for wounds,” she said. She sounded strange to herself. “We need to know how she died.”
“What’s wrong with you,” Leif snapped, startling Blair into looking up from the body. “You’re like a robot. Someone is dead.”
“I know that!” Blair let the tears that were threatening finally roll down her face. Leif looked taken aback, the judgment slipping from her expression. “I know! But if I don’t check her over, we won’t know how. We won’t know what killed her. And as far as I know, I’m the only one here who’s taken an anatomy class and has experience with dead bodies. So, it’s my job to check her over. I have to.” Blair was shaking now, from shock and from cold. The woods were so much colder now than they’d been just a few minutes before.
“Okay,” Leif said. She looked almost impressed. “Okay. I’m sorry. Can I help at all?”
Blair took a deep breath. Leif had apologized? She really hadn’t expected that. “I don’t know. We can’t touch her. Just in case this was a murder.”
Leif nodded and stepped forward to survey the body. Blair moved to her side, then closer to the corpse. The view from that close was even more horrific. But Blair noticed something strange.
“There are no flies,” she said aloud. “There should at least be larvae. I don’t understand.”
Leif knelt down beside the body. “There are no wounds either, as far as I can tell.”
“Then how did she die?” Abe asked. He was staying back, and Blair couldn’t blame him. Despite the lack of flies, Jessica smelled of death.
“Some dark power has taken her,” Rose said, though she didn’t sound as sure as she usually did. “We shouldn’t linger here.”
“We really should get back to camp,” Abe agreed. “We need to tell the others what’s happened.”
They headed back to the estate in somber silence. Blair felt like she was in shock. She’d never thought that something like this was even a possibility. At worst she’d figured Tannincorp was playing a prank on them by having them all come to town. But if this was a prank, it had gone way too far. Someone was dead, either by accident or on purpose.
