𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄 / 𝗏𝗈𝗅𝗎𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝖾.
chapter nine, splitting up
𝗇𝖺𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾
THE GROUP HAD MADE IT back upstairs to their rooms with the plans to have another investigation, but before they could, the door handle in the hallway started moving, opening and closing a few times. They were all gathered in one room, Colby peering out from the door while Sam pulled out the camera.
"What the fuck is that? Someone just opened and closed the door and didn't come out?"
Sam creeps to the door and Amanda steps past him, looking around the outside hallway. "There's no one out here."
Charlotte and Olivia rise to their feet. Charlotte stands up too quickly, a rush going to her head and she nearly tips over. Olivia grabs her waist to stabilize her.
Slowly, they continued to inch out of the room, both of them hiding behind Colby. "The door's just opening and closing?"
Colby looks over at him. "Dude, that happened three times before we turned on the camera."
Behind them, it happens again, earning head turns from everyone. "You would expect someone to come out, right? If they're opening and closing and doing all the locks."
"Hello?" Olivia moves forward, asking barely loud enough for someone—if anyone, to hear.
"Who the fuck just stands there and jiggles their handle from the inside?" Colby asks.
Charlotte peers at her Apple Watch. "At 12:00. Exactly."
"No one does that." Sam says. The group talks about it a little bit more before they all decide to split up into the three rooms, attempting to catch their own activity. "We are on the fifth floor. We have decided we're actually gonna split up into three groups. Mackie and Amanda, you guys can take the big room."
"The Red Lady's Room?" Amanda asks.
Sam shrugs. "Yeah, I don't want it."
"That's you guys' room! If anyone should have it, it's you guys." Charlotte says, looking between Sam and Colby.
"Colby and I are going to take this room. Then, you and Liv will be in that one over there." Sam explains. "We'll each take fifteen minutes, see what we can capture and then we'll come back for our final investigation."
"Dude, like no joke, I feel— like I'm not even kidding, like off camera— I kinda feel nauseous right now."
Charlotte nods. "No, me too. Like, bad. I literally nearly feel over when I got up from the bed earlier."
Olivia nods. "Yeah, I literally had to catch her."
Mackie and Amanda both nod in agreement. "I felt nauseous, like, when we were in the conference room. I almost got up and was like 'I'm gonna go vomit.'"
Charlotte nods. "I almost did. Like especially after the basement. I felt so nauseous."
"Well if you guys are actually getting sick and stuff, we can cut it but let's try. Everyone gets at least fifteen minutes alone, see what we can capture and we'll come together and talk about it."
Charlotte and Olivia are in their room, Olivia holding the camera Sam and Colby lended to them while Charlotte sits down on the bed. "I don't think I've ever been this scared before," Charlotte notes. "Like my heart is beating so fast right now."
"You literally got touched earlier too."
"I know." Charlotte laughs.
The camera cuts and Charlotte is standing in the center of the room with a flashlight in her hand. "Okay, so Sam and Colby gave us this flashlight and this REM Pod, over here, so we're going to try and talk to the Lady in Red tonight. That's the big goal here."
Olivia nods, pointing the camera over to herself. "Disclaimer, we do not know how to use any of this shit."
"Oh, yeah. We're amateurs, so if we do anything wrong, don't shame us in the comments."
The camera cuts again to Charlotte and Olivia laughing as they struggle to turn the flashlight on. "What the fuck?" Charlotte laughs. "Why isn't it working?"
"It's literally just a regular flashlight from Home Depot. Why is this so hard?" Olivia asks.
"You know what, screw it." Charlotte says, putting the flashlight on the table. "We'll just use the REM Pod."
Charlotte kneels down to the floor, turning the REM Pod on when Olivia gasps and spins around. Charlotte picks up her head quickly and notices the flashlight on. "What the fuck?"
"Didn't Sam say the thing had to be like on the edge of turning on?"
Charlotte nods. "That thing wasn't even close to turning on either."
"Oh, my God."
"Hold on. Let me turn this on and then we can talk to it." Charlotte flicks to switch on the REM Pod, turning it on and letting it go off a little bit. She backs up to Olivia. "Okay, if anyone is in here with us, can you step over to this little red light? Maybe touch it and make it go off for us?"
They wait a few seconds and the light goes off. Charlotte jumps and looks at Olivia, a distraught expression on both their faces. "Oh, my God. Okay, thank you." Charlotte says, looking at the camera. "If you're willing to talk to Liv and I tonight, can you make the light go off one more time, please?"
The girls look at the pod, willing and begging it to go off, but nothing happens. They look at each other, confused. "Okay, so you don't want to talk?"
The flashlight behind them goes off, causing Charlotte to jump and Olivia to spin around with the camera in her hand. "Holy shit!" Olivia whisper-shouts.
Charlotte looks wide-eyed at her sister. "Maybe it just likes the flashlight more?"
It turns off.
"Oh, my God!" Charlotte's hand flies to her mouth.
"Wait. Okay, so, maybe it just doesn't like the REM Pod. Like it would rather use the flashlight." Olivia notes.
Charlotte looks at the light. "Do you want to talk to us using the flashlight?" Both girls stall, waiting for it to turn on. "You just have to do is turn it on and we'll know you want to talk to us."
"All you have to do is tap it," Olivia adds.
Nothing.
Charlotte's brows furrow and she looks at her sister. "Maybe it doesn't want to talk?"
"Hm." Olivia hums.
Charlotte chews on her lip a little, thinking before she gasps at a realization. "Holy shit!"
"What?"
"Maybe it's Rose." Olivia's brows furrow. "Okay, so you know when Amanda was talking earlier today about, like, how she felt in here. About her being in competition?"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe it's Rose. Maybe she, like, doesn't want to talk to use because we're, like, 'coming for her job' or whatever. Since we've been around Sam and Colby and everything."
"Oh! Wait, maybe!"
Charlotte takes a breathe before looking at the flashlight. "Rose, if you're in here with us, can you please tap this flashlight over here and turn it on?"
They wait a few seconds for nothing. "Maybe it's not Rose?"
"Are we talking to anyone else who worked here?"
They wait a few moments before Olivia jumps. "What was that?"
"What?" Charlotte asks, immediately turning her attention to her sister.
"I thought I felt something on my back." Charlotte leans over and takes the camera, pointing it to Olivia as she rubs her back, looking behind her. "It was like a push on my back. Like someone was trying to push me off the chair."
The flashlight turns on.
"Oh, my God!" Charlotte spins around to the light and Olivia jumps up from her chair. "Dude, whatever the hell is in here does not like us, like at all." Olivia shifts her weight between her legs as she chews on her nails.
Behind them, the REM Pod starts freaking out as it did earlier times of the night. Charlotte jumps up and moves to her sister quickly. Olivia grabs her arm, holding herself close to her. "What the hell is going on?"
"If you don't like us, or want us to leave this room, can you make it stop?" Charlotte asks over the noise of the REM Pod. A few moments later it stops. Charlotte gapes at her sister with tears stinging her eyes.
"Oh, my God. Are you okay?" Olivia takes the camera back to show Charlotte with tears in her eyes.
Charlotte holds up her hand. "I'm shaking so bad and my heart is, like, pounding out of my chest right now."
Charlotte begins pacing on the floor, hand over her chest while she struggles to stabilize her breathing. "How much longer do we have?"
Olivia peers at her phone. "Probably only like a few minutes, but we can stop. We can turn the lights on and turn everything off."
"This shit is terrifying." Charlotte says. "I feel like I'm going insane, because like how the fuck do we explain this? None of this makes sense."
"No, I know. You've been, like, attacked all day. 'Cause first you feel something down in the vault, you start hearing things in the basement, you see that child figure in the conference room, you start feeling sick and now this. Like this is actually really scary."
Charlotte leans her head back, running her hands through her hair while she continued to pace. Suddenly, a knock sounds, causing her to jump and clutch her chest. "Jesus, fuck, that scared the shit out of me."
Olivia laughs and moves to answer to door, opening it to both Sam, Colby, Mackie and Amanda. "Are you guys done?"
"Hell, yes." Charlotte says, flipping the lights on. "That was terrifying."
"What happened?"
"I don't even know." Charlotte grabs the REM Pod and flashlight, handing them over. "We started to get some responses in the beginning but then everything just stopped answering us. Liv felt something too."
"Really?" Amanda asks.
Olivia nods. "Yeah. I was sitting on that chair over there and I felt a push on my back. It felt like something was trying to push me out of it and as soon as I vocalized that, the flashlight turned on."
Everyone gasps. "No fucking way!"
"Yeah, we're not even kidding. Char literally started crying."
Charlotte laughs nervously. "I was freaking out man."
"Are you okay?" Colby asks looking at her and grabbing her shoulder. "Do you want to stop, because you don't have to do this last investigation."
"What is it?"
ESTES METHOD
Everyone gathers in the larger of the three rooms, taking a moment to share in detail what they had experiences in the rooms, where Colby and Sam share that the Lady in Red had agreed to join and talk to them.
Mackie put on a red onesie the group had found during their trip to a store, as a trigger object. While she was getting dressed, she heard a knock on a double door, letting the group know the trigger object worked.
They turn the lights off and turn on the red light on the camera, getting the room set up for the Estes method. Colby puts on the headphones adjusts the blindfold over his eyes, getting comfortable in the rocking chair.
The group starts naming off a few questions they want to answer during the session, those being why the Lady in Red doesn't like the girls and if she had been the one to shove Olivia, why she doesn't leave the hotel, and whether or not she is seeking revenge against men or looking for a new lover.
Immediately as Colby goes under, the REM Pod in the corner goes off. "Immediately!"
"Lover." Colby says as the group talks about the REM Pod. "It's intense."
"Can you give us a name? Who are we talking to?" Amanda asks but gets no response.
"My name's Sam," he adds. "We just want to talk to you. Can you tell me your name."
After a few minutes, Colby says, "Right here."
"Can you give us a hint?"
"I'm here."
"Who are you? What's your name?" Mackie asks.
"You feel it inside you."
"Did you work here?" asks Sam. "Did you work here at the Mizpah?"
"1920."
Everyone gapes at each other. "The roaring 20's! That was the most popping part of this town."
"Did you work in this hotel?"
"Yeah."
Sam gasps. "Nice. I do think we got Rose."
"Yeah."
Everyone lets out a surprised gasp. "Oh, my God! Okay, perfect."
"Watch this." A knock sounds behind them, going unnoticed except for Olivia, who spins around.
"Okay, we're watching."
"The floor is yours, Rose."
"Man," Colby says. "Look closer."
"It like she's trying to show us something." Charlotte mutters.
"Can you show us where?"
"I've been here."
Sam looks around before Amanda and Mackie get up. "What it the chandelier fell?"
"Oh, my God! Yes, because the chandelier was sometimes moving. Is it?" Sam moves closer.
"I don't know, but that's what the lady was saying that sometimes people see it swinging."
"Can you shake the chandelier for us?"
Charlotte's eyes goes wide. Why in the hell would he want her to do that?
"Why are you here?"
"Money."
"She's a prostitute." Amanda says.
"Maybe that answers the question," Charlotte says. "Is that why you stay here, Rose? To get money and work with clients?"
There's no answer.
"She really doesn't like us girls," Olivia adds.
Amanda tries next. "Do you know how you died, Rose?"
"Stop."
"Oh, she doesn't want to talk about it," explains Sam.
"Close."
"Close?" Sam asks himself. "There's a lot of misconceptions about your story. We want to get it right. How did you die?"
"Ran."
Mackie jumps behind them. "I just felt like something was pulling my sleeve. I swear. It felt like someone was going like that."
"Was that you, Rose?"
"It was night."
"Did you pull my sleeve?"
No answer.
"Rose, was that you that just touched Mackie?"
"Yeah. Red."
"Maybe she doesn't like that I'm wearing this?" questions Mackie. "Rose, do you want me to take off the red I'm wearing?" Again, no answer.
"Maybe you ask, Sam."
"Rose, do you not like when people wear red?"
"No."
"She really is ignoring us." Olivia says.
"I guess I should take this off." Mackie moves aside to take off the pajamas.
"Yeah, probably."
"Why?"
"Because we don't want to offend you. We want you to like everybody. Do you not like the girls?"
"Hi." Colby says after a few moments. "Woah."
"Hi, did somebody else come through?"
"Terry, are you here with us?" asks Amanda.
The REM Pod by the door goes off once and Charlotte points over to it. "That went off."
"Well, I..."
"Who set off the REM Pod that's over here by the door?" Liv questions.
"Basement."
"What about the basement?"
"Were you with us down there?" asks Charlotte.
Sam gasps. "The basement guy. So you're talking about the guy that was with us in the basement?"
"Him."
Sam nods. "Yes. Rose, I want to understand why you still work here. Why do you keep coming back?"
"Can't," Colby says. "Can't something."
"She can't leave."
"Dream of."
"You dream of somewhere else but you can't leave?"
A rustling sounds from the other room. "It sounds like somebody's in the other room."
"It does. I just got full-body chills."
"Here."
Charlotte gasps and clutches Olivia's hand.
"Oh, my God. Who's in the other room?"
"Towards you. Close your eyes."
"Okay, I don't like that." The girls all huddle over to the corner, hiding behind Sam.
"Is someone coming in the room right now?"
"Relax."
Charlotte shakes her head. "Uh-uh. Fuck that. Absolutely not."
"Think."
"Dude, I am literally like— full fucking chills." Sam holds out his arm for the camera.
"No, I am too. Like I—" Olivia jumps mid-sentence, running her hands through her hair and grabbing her sister's arm.
"What? What is it?"
"I felt like something touched my hair. Like I swear somebody—"
"That. They were interested."
"Oh, my God!" Charlotte gasps.
"It's got to be a guy." Amanda adds.
"It felt like somebody, like, pulled it up. Like..." Olivia reaches over, pulling a strand of Charlotte's hair up. "...like that."
"What's with everyone getting their hair touched today? Was that you? Was that you that just touched her hair?"
Charlotte crosses her arm, biting her thumb nail. "I wonder if it's the same person who tried to push you off the chair."
"Maybe." Sam says. "Did you try and push Olivia off her chair earlier?"
"Here."
Olivia clutches to her sister, moving both of them out of the way. "Oh, my God."
"How many spirits are here right now?"
"Why are you here?"
"We want to talk to you. Is that okay?"
"Work."
Amanda snaps her fingers. "Work. Like, she has to work."
"Do you feel like we're interrupting? Are you mad that we're here?"
"No."
"Are you mad that the girls are here?"
"Get out."
"Yo!" Sam exclaims.
"Literally every time you ask, she's nice—"
"Now."
"Oh, my God."
Charlotte shakes her head quickly. "No. I don't like this."
"What if we don't?" Amanda asks.
"Just like my..."
Sam looks at the girls. "Just like—"
"One more."
"Just like my death?"
"Yeah," nods Mackie.
"She's like 'you're gonna end up just like me. Get out of here.'"
Sam turns back to Colby as he rocks back and fourth in the chair."Are you trying to hurt anybody?"
"Tactic."
"It's like a scare tactic?" he asks.
"Oh, maybe."
"Work."
"She has to be— like, she just doesn't like us because she think's we're in competition for her work."
"Is that true? Do you think they're competition?"
"Money."
"We're competition for money."
"We just want to know why you can't leave."
"Why did you say that?"
"Well, I just— I just care about you. I mean, why stay here when you can go somewhere else?"
Another noise sounds beside them, causing everyone to freak out before they come to the conclusion it was a car from the road.
"Do you want all of us girls to get out of the room and just leave Sam and Colby in here?" Mackie asks.
Colby rocks for a few moments. "He left. Yes."
"So maybe the bodyguard left and then said yes?" Sam wonders. "Are you still mad that your lover killed you?"
"Betrayed."
Sam winces. "Wow."
Charlotte gasps. "That's insane. That was, like a direct answer, too."
"Oh, my..." Olivia breathes.
"Take him."
"Do you know who killed you, Rose? Was it your past lover?" asks Charlotte.
"Attraction."
"Woah." Sam turns the camera. "Rose died because she, you know, went and cheated on her husband."
Charlotte's hands clamp over her mouth. "Oh, wow."
"Fifteen minutes can... love me."
"Like fifteen minutes is what ruined her life, is what I'm thinking." Amanda voices.
"No. I told you."
"Is there anything you want from us?" Mackie asks.
"She told us to leave."
"Why do you stay here? She can't leave," Sam answers. "She does hate her husband, so she's still here in revenge. And she told you guys to leave."
Charlotte nods. "That's definitely our cue to go, then."
"Yes."
Charlotte nods. "Yeah, I'm out of here."
The girls leave the room, gathering outside while Sam asks questions one-on-one to Rose. The girls wait outside the door for a few minutes before Sam brings them back inside. "Dude, I was speaking straight gibberish." Colby says, pulling off the blindfold.
"No, you weren't." Sam says.
"Not even a little."
"Seriously?" Colby gapes at them.
"Probably only like one or two questions the entire time did not make sense. You were answering almost perfectly."
"And almost exclusively to Sam." Amanda points to him.
Charlotte nods. "Every time one of us asked a question she, like, barely responded."
"Or responded rudely," Sam adds. "But to me, you would literally answer my question."
Sam starts repeating information to Colby, explaining to him that she stays because she can't leave and searches for a new lover in the men that stay here. He also tells him how she looks at the girls as competition for her work.
Finally, with it being nearly two o'clock on the morning, the group finally packed up their equipment and headed to bed, only the girls were all feeling a little nervous to sleep in their rooms.
"I'm terrified to sleep tonight," Charlotte says. "Like I'm probably going to just be up all night worried about everything."
"Oh, us too." Mackie adds.
"I do not want to sleep in that room." Olivia adds. "After what happened in there when we all split up, I'm like terrified to sleep in there."
"Do you guys want to switch rooms? You guys can have the Lady in Red's bed." Colby motions to the bed and Charlotte immediately shakes her head.
"Uh-uh. I'd rather sleep in my car than even touch that bed," she comments and turns to her sister. "We're cuddling tonight, I hope you know that."
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KAY SPEAKS !
oh my freaking god. that was the most excruciating thing to write ever. and it was a helluva lot longer than i thought. (total of 8,000+ words). but anyways, hoped y'all enjoyed. writing charlotte and liv into the vid was unbelievably difficult lol.