"How many times do I have to tell you to not wander off on your own?!" Zak's nostrils flared a little as I looked up at him with my innocent wide eyes.
I was about to answer his question when he held his hand up in my face. "Apparently not enough"
"I thought I heard something!" I crossed my hands across my chest.
"That is when you tell us Charlie, and we come and investigate it! Not you!" Zak balled his hands into fists causing me to take a step back.
When Zak realized he was scaring me, he relaxed his hands and sighed. "I need to take a step out of here" He refused to look back at me as he walked away.
I slumped my shoulders and sighed. "I'm sorry guys, it's just so boring here watching you guys have all the fun while I sit here and watch computer screens"
Jay put his hand on my shoulder. "But Charlie, you don't understand how dangerous it can be when you're all alone. Your dad has a valid reason to be mad; you have got to stop wandering off on your own"
I internally groaned. If they knew half the shit I had dealt with already, they would've locked me in the base room and not let me out until sunrise.
"I guess so" I mumbled. "Let me go talk to dad"
"And tell him what?" I turned around to face Billy, who was looking at me like a mother expecting her child to apologize, lips pursed and all.
"That I will stop wandering off on my own and start doing what I'm supposed to do?"
"Was that supposed to be a question?"
I groaned and left the room to find Zak.
"Dad?" I called, but no answer. "Dad?"
I turned a dark corner and found Zak leaning against the wall. It was too dark to read the expression on his face.
Good thinking on bringing a damn flashlight you idiot
"Dad? I just wanted to say I'm sorry for wandering off and..." Before I could finish my sentence Zak stepped into my view, but it wasn't Zak.
I stepped back in fear. Whatever it was, it wasn't a man anymore.
His skin was shriveled like a mummy's, and just like the one I had seen previously, his eyes were empty pits in his head.
As I stepped away from the spirit, I tripped on my on foot and fell flat on my ass. I started to scoot away, but it was faster. It reached and wrapped its hand around my throat.
"You need to leave, you need to leave, it wants you, only you" Its breath reeked of rot, causing me to gag. Its bony fingers tightened and squeezed around my throat, I reached for my throat and clawed for a breath of air. Just before I almost passed out, a light came from the corner of my eye, causing the spirit to release its grasps and vanish. Before I knew it, Zak came racing around the corner and shone his flashlight right in my face.
I squinted and held a hand up to block my eyes from the bright light. Zak got the hint and lowered his light, looking at me with a puzzled look.
I could only imagine how weird this looked. I was sitting on the ground, tears welling in my eyes, I was gasping for air, my hand was around my throat, and my back against the wall.
"What the fuck happened here?"
I gulped and looked around me. "Where the hell did that thing go?"
"What thing?" Zak spun around in a circle trying to find what I was talking about, but obviously saw nothing.
"I-I" I stuttered, I was too shocked to know what to say. "It had its hand around my throat"
After Zak realized what I was telling him he immediately ran and knelt next to me. He gently pulled my hand away from my neck and gasped.
"Holy shit Charlie"
For the second time while on an investigation, Zak picked me up- against my wishes- and carried me to the safety of the base room.
***********************
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" I looked up at Zak who was looking down at me with both anger and worry on his face.
"I barely remember it"
Lies
"Mhm"
"I don't! I was just calling your name, and then bam! Hands are around my neck! The next thing I remember after that was seeing you shining your flashlight in my eyes"
Zak seemed very displeased with my answer. "Okay. Charlie what are you not telling me?"
I groaned. "Why don't you believe me?"
Without a word, Zak pulled his phone from his pocket and took a quick picture of the side of my neck, and then he handed his phone to me.
"This is why"
My mouth made the shape of an O as I looked at the photo in my hand. Five very large, purple fingerprints had formed on my skin. As I stared at the photo I lightly touched the bruises, but they didn't hurt at all.
I handed Zak his phone back and looked at the ground. "It told me that I needed to get out, that it wanted me"
The feeling of the room went from normal, to tense.
"What wants you?" Billy stepped forward.
I shrugged my shoulders and fiddle my thumbs. "I don't know, but I have an idea that whatever it is, it's very bad"
Someone in the room mumbled "No shit", but I had no idea who it was.
Zak rubbed his temples. "Okay, we are locked in here for the night. So, we just have to survive another few hours without Charlie- or any of us being attacked"
"We still need to film; we can't just come out of here without any paranormal activity" Jay piped in.
Zak didn't stop rubbing his temples. "Right. Okay, Aaron you're going to go to B block, and you're going to take Charlie with you, just keep her out of the cameras view. Jay, you're going to stay here and watch the cameras and around 4:30 I'll get you to check out A block, and Billy and I will go to C block"
Everyone nodded as Zak told them where they were going. I looked over at Aaron who seemed quite happy to be going to B block, the least active block in the prison.
As we were all leaving the base room I grabbed Zak's arm.
"I thought you wanted me to be safe? Why are you making me go with Aaron instead of staying in the base room?"
"Because for some reason every time I make you watch the cameras, you end up getting hurt"
He was right. Every single time that I have been told to watch the cameras, I wander off and wind up finding myself an angry spirit.
I sighed and nodded my head. "I'm sorry dad"
"I know Charlie" He kissed my forehead and started to walk out of the base room, but before he did I grabbed his arm once more.
"Please be careful, C block is supposed to be the most dangerous block in the prison"
Zak put his hand on mine. "I know Charlie; I promise I'll be careful. Can you promise me that you'll be careful too? No wandering off?" I nodded.
He smiled and followed Billy out of the base room. I peeked my head out the doorway and watched as they faded into the darkness.
"Ready to go?" I turned around to face Aaron, who had his camera on his shoulder and a new spirit box on his tool chest.
I nodded and followed Aaron out into the hallway, making sure to wave goodbye to Jay.
"Promise me you won't wander off, your dad will literally kill me if I lose you" I huffed at Aarons comment.
"It's like you guys think I wander off on purpose. I don't. I don't wander off to look for danger; it just somehow always finds me"
Aaron didn't say anything in response, but I knew he heard me. For the next few minutes you could only hear the sounds of us breathing and shuffling towards the gated entrance of B block.
My eyes had well-adjusted to the dark, so before we entered B block, I watched Aaron pull out the spirit box and hold it out before him in his palm.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to ask a few questions before we go in there. So take a few steps back I don't want you anywhere in the footage, okay?" I nodded and took a step back.
Aaron flipped on the on switch and held the camera in his other hand. "Is anyone here? Is anyone with me?"
He waited for a response, but nothing answered him- so he tried again.
"Who is the woman I heard earlier?"
When he asked that question, the silent prison became still. The walkie-talkie in Aarons pocket bleeped which made him put the spirit box away and grab the device.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"It's Jay, listen I've got an X camera focusing on the both of you right now, and it looks like something is standing directly behind Aaron"
My stomach dropped as I watched Aaron spin around to see if anything was behind him. He stuck his arms out and felt around in front of him and gasped.
"Charlie" He started in almost a whisper, "RUN!" he yelled.
I didn't think twice before turning around and running the opposite way. I realized my plan wasn't very smart, considering all I could see was black. After successfully running away from the B block entrance, I ran straight into a cold, hard, stone wall.