The next morning..
I wanted to be anywhere but here right now... In fact, I wanted to be wrapped up in a fluffy blanket, with a rubbish film in my Pjs. But instead I was sat in a breakfast room, a cold breakfast room. Tired.
Zak's Friend was very vocal.. All friggin' night.
"What's up Red?" Aaron grinned sitting down at the table.
"The sky? Maybe. Sleep well?" I asked.
"Better than you by the looks of it. That bad huh?" He chuckled.
"I'm sleeping in the RV tonight.." I muttered as the rest of the crew came down and sat at the table with us. Each of them looked refreshed, happy, ready to work. Then there was me...
The last person to sit down at the table was Casanova, with as Aaron described yesterday, a face like the cat got the cream.
"Good morning sunshine." He smiled at me.
"You make me feel sick." I grumbled standing up to help myself from the breakfast buffet. The least I could do is make sure I had a decent high energy meal in me to kick start the day. I picked waffles with bacon and eggs, filling up a glass of orange juice I sat back down and began eating.
"So you ready for your first day?" Zak asked making me look up at him.
"Well since starting, every day has been some what of an adventure... Wouldn't you say?" I asked making his face fall. He got up and scraped his chair back before going off to get himself food. I pushed my plate away annoyed at the spitefulness that left me whilst I was tired, but I was also annoyed at him for last night. I didn't expect Zak to babysit me, but being as I was new to all this I had no idea what I was suppose to do when we weren't working.. Could I wander off? Could I go and see Sacramento?
I didn't have a clue when the work schedule was, which left me to follow him around like some lost puppy relying upon him and I've never relied upon anyone.
Then there was the kicking me out of the lounge so him and some lady friend could get freaky.. Manners were obviously in short supply.. But most of all! He ditched the crew to swan off and didn't have a care in the world. So what if he has big arms!? I'll pop them with a damn pin!
"Eat up, long day ahead of us." Aaron nudged bring me back out of my mental cursing. I gave him a smile and began eating slowly when he spoke again.
"You're not nervous are you?" He questioned.
"A little I guess..."
"About?" Zak interrupted sitting down. I put a bit of waffle into my mouth in a hope to skip the question.
"You've never been somewhere haunted?" Aaron asked with a little smirk.
"I.. Okay no. I haven't and as much as I want to be all 'Nothing will scare me' I'm afraid I'll be screaming my head off at the first sign of a bang." I spoke looking at Aaron.
"Everyone gets nervous, I get nervous sometimes.. It's normal, it's a human instinct to be nervous." Zak answered. "You've done your homework right? I mean read the info pack Billy gave you?"
"Yeah.." I mumbled.
"Then you'll be fine. It's the demon infected locations you gotta worry about." He winked making me look to Aaron who gave me a small smile.
"Oh, and we aren't heading there until tonight." Billy added.
Brilliant. Just when the place is most likely to be active. Fantastic.
* * * * * * *
Sitting in the back of the car I looked up at the house we were parked outside of, this house was the home of serial killer Dorothea Puente...
"This place looks creepy as shit with all the weird dolls and shit already." I grumbled.
"I know right. What is with Superman?" Aaron pointed, it was the only thing about the house that made me smile simply because of how random and out of place it was. At least it looked out of place to begin with, but as you looked more closely you found even more quirky and random things shoved in places.
"Let's do this then." Zak spoke getting out the car and closing the door behind him.
"Fingers crossed I don't go full exorcist tonight." I mumbled.
"Oh no that's at least next week." Aaron teased as we got out.
I set up my camera as Aaron and Jay set up their own, "Hey Red? Mines bigger than yours." Aaron chuckled.
"You keep telling yourself that hon." I laughed.
"Both in work mode now, stop messing." Zak commanded.
"Sir yes sir." I muttered under my breath.
Aaron heard and grinned before turning his attention back to the camera. I watched and waited as they all prepared themselves.
"Okay Zak I got you on audio, cameras are ready. Robyn you good?" Billy asked.
"As I'll ever be." I replied.
"Okay... Let's start over here." Zak spoke pulling Jay off and leaving us stood where we were.
I watched as before my eyes Zak changed into a complete different person, wiggling his head from side to side he turned profession and signalled for Jay to start recording.
"We're in Sacramento, California... Who would suspect a sweet little old lady of being a serial killer?" He asked the camera as he began walking towards it.
"In the 1980's a woman by the name of Dorothea Puente turned her yard into a cemetary. She murdered 9 people in this house, 7 of those bodies were found buried in the ground right here in this property." He spoke before signalling cut.
"I- I didn't read that bit." I whispered to Aaron who shook his head.
"You didn't read it all that pack... did you?" He asked.
"Maybe.. Some of it. I might have to sit in the car and read some of it in a minute.." I whispered causing Zak to shoot us both a look to shut up. I hadn't realised he had called for more filming and with my talking, I had distracted Aaron. I backed away and motioned that I would zip my mouth closed, that earned me a grateful look from Zak.
"We were called to the house, there are paranormal things happening here as you would guess, we just walked up on it.. " He said turning away from the camera to look up at the house. "And..... What in the heck? Is there a mannequin of her up on the front door step?" He asked.
I swallowed looking up to the mannequin figure that wore glasses, a wig and a red jacket. The large metal gates opened automatically in front of them inviting us in.
"Holy god who opened that dude?" Aaron asked quietly, I figured if anything came running at us, I would stand a good chance at escaping first.. Maybe Aaron second.
"Hello." Zak waved to a dog costume making my eyes widen even more.
"Is that thing moving?" Jay asked from behind his camera.
Please say it's not.. Please.
As Zak stepped onto the property, he made a beeline for the dog costume "First thing I'm doing is checking to see if theres a dude in there."
As he checked it out and carried onto film I kept my head down and looked at as little as possible, that superman was starting to creep me out but nothing compared to that damn dog costume. As he stepped back I saw Zak look up at a small plaque. "What does this say? Trespassers will be drugged and buried in the yard."
"This place gets worse.." Aaron chuckled as he noticed little goblins hanging off the house as well as weird signs.
"I mean it's creepy just to know that this house was the site of a serial killer, but what's the deal with the mascots, the puppets and the weird signs everywhere? It just adds another layer of like... weird." Zak said looking at Jay who held his camera still filming.
"M-Maybe I should just take some photos out here? Sounds good." I laughed nervously as they made their way up the porch steps.
"Robyn. Behind me now." Zak barked.
"So god damn bossy, good for nothing. SOB." I grumbled going behind him.
"You should really stop muttering. It's an unattractive trait." He whispered.
"Don't think you've been forgiven for last night. Casanova."
He grinned "I did try to keep her quiet... Not."
"I couldn't hear over my vomiting." I replied.
"Prude.." He added and knocked before I could retaliate.
"You kids playing nice?" Billy asked looking up at us.
"Of course. I'm an angel.." I batted my lashes and looked at Zak who laughed.
"Even Satan started off in heaven right?" He asked Billy. I turned to give him a death glare when he knocked the door. As Zak spoke with the owner's nephew and got a small load of paperwork signed, handed up from Billy I went down the steps and grabbed a drink from the car.
"Hi." A voice spoke making me jump a mile and drop my bottle of water.
"Jesus!" I hissed at the older man who chuckled.
"For a paranormal investigator, you sure are jumpy?" He smiled.
I shook my head brushing the water off my top, "I'm just a photographer.. First lockdown actually."
"Oh I'm sorry my dear. I'm here for an interview." He said before holding out his hand for a shake. "My names Sergeant John Cabrera."
"Sergeant? Whoa I'm Robyn.. Photographer." I shook making us both laugh.
I looked up at the house to see Zak still talking things over so I decided to use a bit of initiative and dig out the same forms Billy had. Jay wandered over and introduced himself as I found the right form and got John to read and sign.
"Very efficient this one." He smiled looking at me.
"Trying to remain in the bosses good books." I joked.
"Why what have you done?" He asked interested.
"Nothing as of yet but I'm bound to mess something up along the way. I also don't want to go in the house.." I admitted.
He understood as his eyes went to the property, I watched him carefully as his eyebrows tweaked slightly, he was here but in his mind he wasn't.. I'm not saying he was mental.. Obviously but he was seeing this house at a complete different time than where we were now.
"You okay John?" I asked.
"Somethings can change.. But the horror is engraved deep within the roots of this house." He replied before turning back to sign the form. I gave Jay an unsure look who gave me an unsure headshake.
"So what department did you work then John?" I asked leaning against the car. "When I was little I always wanted to be a police officer, just for the badge." I laughed.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah but then I saw Cops and realised some people fight back and officers can get seriously hurt, it didn't seem like fun then." I admitted.
He chuckled, mostly at I guess my naivety as a child "Yeah it is fun to start with.. But everything comes at a cost I guess. I worked in Homicide, I was the Lead Detective. I'm retired now."
"Oh whoa.." I replied.
"Hi! I'm my names Zak. Sorry to keep you waiting." Zak introduced himself.
"No problem this young lady has kept me company." John smiled. Zak looked at me before looking back at John, I guess he was trying to work out if I was acting up in any way but then his eyes saw the forms.
"You are welcome." I said before walking off to take photos of the house.
I could take over 100 photos.. But only a few would be used for the channels website. I took a photo of Zak interviewing John before trailing off looking at the grounds of the house wondering where these bodies were buried. The last thing I wanted to do was stand on someone's burial ground, it's just disrespectful.
They headed up the steps to the home when Zak's eye caught me, curling his finger to me, I put my hand up to block my eyes in a hope he would get the message I didn't want to go in. "Robyn. Now."
I went back up the steps the second time grumbling under my breath, Aaron must have realised I was nervous and put me between himself and Jay so that I wasn't at the back.
After a tour of the house by John, Zak had an interview with the owners nephew Chad Williams, as they interviewed I managed to get a photo of him before I moved on to take photos of the rest of the house.
With Zak on his last interview of the homeowners mother Peggy Holmes, I began to get a little excited about leaving. This place gave me the creeps, to make things a whole lot worse, they had a whole wall dedicated to Dorothea Puente..
They wanted her in the house, they wanted this house to remain in the memory of Dorothea.
My heart stopped dead when Zak came walking towards me with a determined look in his eye "You, me now." He spoke pulling me away from the crew.
"Owh." I hissed as he grabbed my elbow a little harder than intended.
"Sorry. Okay look, I'm gonna be real straight with you here. Just listen before you fire up because I know you are going to."
"Go on.."
"We are going to Peggys bedroom.. I want you in there as well."
"Okay but why?"
"Dorothea was looming over her last week in her sleep." Zak replied causing my jaw to drop, I wanted to refused and shake my head but I knew I would be putting of the inevitable.. I was going to end up in that room no matter what, but he was giving me the choice.
"Why am I needed?" I challenged.
"I want to show you what we do. I need you prepared because like Bacon said at breakfast, some things do happen before lock downs. I don't want you getting upset or scared because we haven't prepared you." He explained.
"Okay." I nodded making him almost step back.
"Did you just agree without arguing with me about it?" He teased.
"It's only because those glasses make you look strangely cute and scared of an old lady." I replied.
He scoffed "Wow you were almost nice to me then. I'm clearly growing on you."
"Hmm like a wart." I replied making him chuckle before we headed to Peggys room.
Zak pulled out a recorder and did a small what they called a burst session of EVP, he explained that he would review it. After Zak finished the interview we moved to a secluded part of the house to listen to the EVP. With Aaron stood beside him and the recorder held between them I watched as they listened carefully.
"Oh!" Aaron pointed to the recorder causing Zak to stop it and rewind it a few seconds before they both went head to head listening to it again, I noticed Aaron had an ear for these kinda things as he made the EVP out instantly.
"To die."
My body filled with goosebumps as they continued listening to the recording, then another came through.. I could barely make out the harsh whisper but they did and after the announced what it said and being able to hear it again you could clearly make it out..
"You're dead."
My mind began doing overtime but they all seemed excited and pleased that they caught something on tape. I was the only one who was thinking we needed to get Peggy the hell out this house!
The end of the interviews had me running out the door and down the steps, getting off the property as quick as I could, I paced up and down shaking the sickness feeling off of me.
"You okay?" Billy spoke coming out of the house.
"Yeah. Yeah um hm. No." I admitted instantly.
"A lot to handle right?" He asked.
"That woman is in there marking Peggy's days and nobody is worried? You heard Peggy, she keeps having falls? It's that old crazy lady back from the dead to kill her off too!"
"Okay calm down." He spoke holding my shoulders.
"Billy she is gonna kill Peggy, you heard that EVP right?"
"I did but sometimes they are all mouth." He answered.
"No Dorothea dude! She cut some womans head off with a damn circular saw! You lot are out of your damn minds. You are all crazy. I can't do this.. I can't work like this. I-"
"Didn't take her much to freak out." Zak laughed coming down the steps.
"I think its a bad idea me working for you. I don't think I can do this..."
"First experience is always the worst. Just losing your paranormal virginity." He grinned.
I clenched my fists before heading to the car. "I can't even look at you right now without feeling annoyance. You should have told Peggy."
"I did.. Robyn? Come on. You can't be serious about your job?"
"Just- I need to think about this. I was in that room and I didn't hear that. I didn't hear anyone whisper anything."
Zak trapped me between the car and his body making me look at the pavement. "You are worried, scared of the unknown.. I get that. But running away from this won't solve anything okay? You don't think I was terrified on my first experience? Or Aaron? Hell Aaron quit the show and then came back."
"Well he is just as crazy as you are."
"Or curious.. What are you so afraid of? Not everything is gonna turn you exorcist if that's the problem."
"I've lost people, family. How the hell are we suppose to sleep at night not knowing if they are settled? What if people you've lost are trying to speak to you twenty four seven?"
"They are.. I know my gran is always around me. Always."
I shook my head and rubbed my neck refusing Zak's comfort. "I need to think.. I- I'm sorry." I stuttered slipping away from him and the car and heading down the street away from them all.
How the hell am I suppose to sleep after any of this?