Surprise Me.

Chapter 24- Let the Ghosts Get You.

We ran through the building before settling in the barracks to debrief. It was supposedly the least haunted room, but the four soldier ghosts doing pull-ups on their bunk-beds kinda negated that.

"It's twelve-thirty, what do we wanna do?" Sam asked. "Estes? Solo?"

"I don't think we should do Estes yet." Colby replied. "There's six of us so we could split up."

"Let's do it. I've got dibs on Adam and the Mess Hall."

"Me and Celina will take the P.O.W. rooms and the barracks since they're pretty close." Kris said, taking a camera from Sam.

"Damn it's like kickball in elementary school. I'm picked last and I have to go with the weird kid." I teased.

"I'll leave and let the ghosts get you." Colby replied, taking a camera from Sam as well.

"Bitch."

"Asshole."

"Twat waffle."

"Fucktard."

"Oh my God, stop flirting and go to the creepy basement." Sam groaned, pointing. "And I don't want a niece or nephew yet so behave."

"Yeah that's a good idea, send the girl who can see spirits to the basement." Celina teased.

"Would you rather send the one with a ghost up his ass?" I shot back, descending the stairs.

"Fuck off." Sam replied. As soon as we closed the door behind us, I let out a shaky sigh. We were essentially in a long hallway with a bunch of walls to section off spaces. Ammo boxes, misshapen metal, and what could have easily been bullet casings lined the floors.

"Colby?" I asked, looking around for him as I flicked on the light on the camera.

"I'm right here." I whirled around and flashed him in the eyes with the light on accident."Fuck, talk about a flashbang." He chuckled.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." He laced our fingers together to keep track of me most likely. "I have flashlights so we could do that method."

"I'm down."

"Let's start with one."

Colby moved and set one of the flashlights on the ground, off. It was so dark I couldn't see any ghosts around.

"Is there anyone here with us? If there is, can I have you go up and tap that flashlight?" Colby called. The flashlight flicked on.

"Well that was fast." I mumbled.

"No kidding." The flashlight flicked off as if the entity was waiting for the next question.

"Were you a soldier?" I asked. No response.

"What about a prisoner? We know that there were prisoners kept here." Still nothing.

"Were you one of the townspeople who lived in Bloodland?" The flashlight flicked on immediately before turning off again.

"Are you buried here?" On then off.

"Do you like that we're here learning about history?" I asked, looking around again. No response from the flashlight.

"Are you bound here?" Colby asked, taking the camera from me. Still no answer.

"Let's move to the end of the hall." I grabbed the flashlight and led Colby down the hallway to a door that led outside, down the hill from where we'd come in.

"Let's try again." He mumbled, setting the flashlight down again. It flashed almost immediately.

"Are you a soldier?" I asked again. Nothing.

"Are you the same ghost from down the hall?" Nothing.

"Why are you here? Are you here to keep people out?" The flashlight flicked on before going off.

"Oh boy. Are you upset that we're here?" On then off.

"Do you want us to leave?" On then off.

"Is there something you're hiding here?" On then off.

"One more question then we'll leave. Are you here to hurt us?" Nothing.

"Let's go, Mads." Colby let go of my hand and turned toward the stairs we'd come down, my focus locked on the shadows. When I turned around and expected him to be standing a few feet behind me, he was gone. Completely gone. No light from the camera, no reflection from the moonlight, nothing. Not even so much as a clink of his pant chain or his footsteps.

"Colbs?" I yelled. "Colby, this isn't funny. I'm not kidding." Tears stung my eyes as I made my way to where the door to the steps should have been. It was locked. I heard Colby close it, but he wouldn't lock me down here, not even as a joke. "Colby!" I began banging on the door. Nothing. Of course, he'd taken all of his equipment with him and now he was gone.

"Colby!"

Nothing.