Lightning, Mystery & Murder

Abby Sinclair stood motionless, absorbing the energy of the old building. The creak of a floorboard overhead increased her anxiety. No one was supposed to be here except for her. She had strict rules for investigations like this. Extra bodies could make noise, like footsteps, or open doors or windows to change to airflow. Or make creaks in the expectant silence. Her employers demanded the very best, the most professional job. Abby sighed. Tonight's investigation would have to be scrubbed until the intruder was found.

Once home to a private hospital, the rumour was the original owners abandoned it after a series of unexplained suicides. That's why she was here--to find answers, not only for the staff and the families but to help understand what drove seventeen patients to take their own lives in less than a year. Clusters of intentional deaths were a common phenomenon, but Abby believed, as the doctors suspected, there was something more going on.

Case files filled her briefcase, the pertinent details floating through her mind as she listened to the building. More steps, quieter this time, as if the person was sneaking around. Hesitantly, Abby climbed the stairs to the third floor, her flashlight's beam creating long shadows in the cluttered hallway. Dust shrouded everything, making it easy to mark the passage of the intruder. Definitely human. And definitely alive. No spirit she had encountered ever left footprints or smudges.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“You can stop playing around,” Abby yelled. “You're trespassing and need to leave.” she pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and punched 911.

“I've called the cops, so you might as well come out.”

As the call connected, Abby saw a shadow shift at the end of the hall, the darkness thickening then thinning as the figure moved away. Fear shot through her. Who did she think she was--Nancy Drew? Her mouth went dry as the footsteps resumed above her. Whoever it was, wasn't leaving. The voice of the operator finally broke through and Abby explained where she was and about the mysterious noises.

A polite silence was followed by “You know that building is haunted, right?”

“Of course, I do!” Abby snapped. “That's why I'm here. Now please, send someone over.” She hung up, miffed at the mediocre response. Even haunted buildings have real-life problems. Lightning from an approaching storm shot flashes through the cracked glass.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound resumed, like water dripping in a copper pipe. Abby returned to the first floor to wait for the officer, determined to solve one mystery tonight.

Flashing lights cascaded through gaps in the boarded-up windows, marking time with her own wavering beam. A loud thud met her as she reached the bottom step. Her heart pounded in response.

Abby's head snapped upward, then quickly scanned the lobby. If the intruder was on the fourth floor, who was down here?

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Abby could see where that would make anyone a little anxious. She had only been here for two hours and the random noises were beginning to agitate her. Thunder rumbled overhead. Great. Normally she loved storms, but tonight the noise and energy would interfere with her investigation.

Tap. Tap.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Her heart raced until she associated the knocking with the arrival of the officer. She shook her head, bewildered by her jumpy behaviour. She was usually more composed than this. Maybe the building was getting to her. Unlatching the door, she peered out into the rain.

'Now, where did he go?' she wondered. Looking out at the cruiser, its lights blinking in sequence across the top. Abby debated the wisdom of staying the rest of the night. Between the noises and her nerves, she was certain to make mistakes. And then there was the intruder to deal with.

“Officer?” she asked, her voice sounding small against the storm brewing outside.

Another thud, this time down towards the dining hall.

'That's it,' Abby decided. 'I'm out.' She grabbed up her backpack and raced for the cruiser. Diving into the car, she sat, chest heaving. Fear filled her causing her stomach to clench. She locked the doors and peered wide-eyed into the storm. Something was very wrong.

“SQUAWK!” The radio signal burst into the car, Abby's heart stopped before beginning to pound harder than the rain on the roof. It was hard to breathe. She looked down at her hands, curled into claws in her lap.

“Dave?” came a faint voice through the speakers. “DAVE!”

Abby reached out with a shaking head, her voice lost in the tightness of her chest.

“Help!” she whispered. “I think he needs help.” The last came out with more force, her brain regaining control.

“Who is this?” a stern voice asked. “Where is Officer Raymond?”

“He's...he's inside. I.. I... I never saw him.” Abby stammered, her eyes wild as she scanned the grounds for the missing policeman. Sheets of rain pushed across the driveway limiting her visibility. The upper windows lit briefly in the lightning, and Abby screamed before slamming her mental boundaries in place. Whoever was in there was watching her, their pale hair glowing in the electrical storm surging around them.

“I'm sending backup. Can you tell me what's going on?” The dispatcher's calm voice gave her an anchor to focus on, her body quivering from the fright.

“There's someone in there,” she managed to say. “Someone bad.” Hopefully, the dispatcher wouldn't ask her how she knew that. It wasn't just the glimpse of the hollow face or the ghastly skin. In the instant she made eye contact, she knew.

She knew now why so many had died behind these walls. She understood what drove them to madness, to seek death by suicide. It was going to take all her skills to keep it out of her mind so that she could banish it. If she could banish it.

Abby dug through her satchel, looking for her holy water and salt. They seemed cliche, but they worked. Only they weren't there. Dumping the contents on the floor, she scrambled them like so many eggs. Where were they? Her anxiety increased as she looked again. And again. They were gone. Along with her scrying mirror and her talisman.

Fear flooded through her until she could scarcely breathe. The bag had never been out of her sight. How could her things be gone? Who had them? Hyperventilating, she struggled to stay conscious, her mind darkening with hypoxia.

“SNAP!” A bolt of lightning struck the tree beside the hospital, fire licking the branches as it left. Startled into breathing, Abby scurried over the seat and got behind the wheel. Throwing it in gear, she tore away from the old structure, flames reaching for the roof edge. She knew she should stop and find the officer, but fear kept her going. Her conscience forced her to take one last glance in the rear-view mirror before she turned out of the driveway.

Lit by the firelight, a shadow crawled out of the bushes beside the door. Abby slammed on the brakes. Throwing the car in park, she sat stiff-armed as the figure stood and brushed itself off. The gleam of metal on the chest hinted at a badge and she relaxed. The officer. Choosing decency over cowardice, she reversed the car, driving recklessly and spitting up gravel from the path.

Drifting to a stop, the rear tires in the grass, she unlocked the door. Reflections of the lights bounced off the broken windows, highlighting the area and adding to the movie scene effect. Dense smoke, made heavy by the rain, curled along the ground. The undulating sound of sirens announced the pending arrival of the backup.

Abby got out of the car, intent on helping the officer. A crash from overhead as the tree lost another branch rattled her agitated nerves. Not seeing any sign of the policeman, she called out, “Officer Raymond! Can you hear me?” She moved toward the door, the portal standing open displaying the blackness of hell beyond the threshold. “Officer!”

From the corner of her eye, a gleam of glass drew her attention. Her mirror lay just inside the door, the bag of salt perched in the centre. Approaching from behind, a team of officers arrived, holsters unclipped. Abby looked over her shoulder, water streaming down her face.

She used one hand to shield her face as she scanned up the building to look at the top floor. With the precision of a professional show, lightning lit up the hospital once more, the strike close enough to raise the hair on her arms. The window was empty.

The overhead crash of thunder startled her. Stepping into a puddle, Abby glared down at her water-filled shoe. With a scream she jumped back, falling heavily in the mud. A face hovered in the surface of the murky water, mere inches from her own. Looking about, the only people in view were the two officers. Nothing, or no one, could have made that image appear. Trying to convince herself that her imagination was on overdrive, she clambered up, her clothes destroyed by her landing. Cold was seeping into her bones, the shivers growing stronger. Beams of light flashed past as the officers conducted their search. Voices shattered into syllables of sound, the wind and rain breaking them apart.

Convinced she would be of no further use, Abby turned back to the door. If she could retrieve her things, the night would not be more of a loss. Except they were gone. Casting a look around, she questioned her own vision. They had been right there, hadn't they? No one had come past, the officers still traipsing around the perimeter. But the portal was empty. Slowly, Abby backed away, ignoring the stream of rainwater between her and the car. The flames had died diminished, unable to continue in the downpour. What limited light remained came from the cruisers, creating a carnival atmosphere, complete with the demented clown.

Thud. Abby collided with the side of Officer Raymond's car. Her intuition told her he would never walk out of this place, that he was already dead. It was her specialty after all. If only a clear message would come through, an indication of where he lay. Then she could lead his colleagues to him, give them a body to take back.

But something was blocking her efforts. Or, more exactly, someone. Calmer now that she had a purpose again, a focus for her skills, Abby continued to probe for clarity from the other side of the veil. The pelting rain diminished to a gentle shower, the storm and its ensuing noise easing. Gripping her hair, Abby wrung out the gallon of water she had collected while she was observing the hospital.

Flashing beams crisscrossed over the lawn as the officers returned. From the set of their shoulders, they hadn't found anything. Abby turned to the cruiser. Reaching for the handle, a scream dying in her throat as she froze in terror. Sitting in the driver's seat, very dead, was Officer Raymond, with Abby's talisman hanging from the rear-view mirror.

The rest of the night passed in soundbites Abby did not want to remember. With the efficiency of the well-trained first-responders that they were, the two officers took control of the scene immediately. She was shuffled off to sit in their cruiser, a suggestion she was happy to accept. The night's events had drained her. With the arrival of the coroner and the rest of the county emergency units, the area took on the air of a carnival. She watched as they milled about, trying to find answers that weren't there, to locate clues that were invisible.

Abby couldn't explain it, other than to say that she had seen someone in the upstairs window and had heard noises before Officer Raymond arrived. The rest of the paranormal stuff would stay a secret. Disappearing tools of her trade, figure-less shadows, and her inner knowing were not admissible in court. Sitting in her wet clothes, the heater blasting through the car, Abby shivered. Not from the cold, but from the certainty that evil lived in this building. An evil so malevolent fear still crept along her skin. She stared at the swarm of activity, none of it relevant to her.

Her peripheral vision picked up movement in the upper floor window. “I'm not looking!” she shouted, her palm blocking the right side of her face. “I am NOT looking.” And with that, she slunk down in the seat and turned her back to the door. There. On the dash. Sat her mirror and bag of salt.

Her yell died in her throat as she scrambled out of the car. Her chest heaved with the effort to breathe. Standing in the cold, relentless rain, Abby clung to her sanity as she swung her head wildly. Someone must be out here. The sky erupted in lightning and the crash of thunder snapped her final nerve. She dashed for the road, intent on putting as much space between her and the haunted hospital as possible. Looking back through rain-soaked bangs, the rain sheeting down obscured the scene. It felt like a dream. More of a nightmare, she decided. Placing her hands on her knees, she bent over and rested, her breathing slowing to a more natural rhythm. Without the overwhelming presence, the malevolent being in that old place, she felt calmer.

A small laugh worked its way up and she shook her head, droplets flying in all directions. Tipping her head back, she let the rain wash down her face. This was certainly a night she would never forget. Deciding she couldn't get any wetter, it would do no harm to walk back into town. One last look at the pulsating lights and misty figures before she turned towards the highway. The sensation of being watched lingered and Abby struggled against the urge to run. The road snaked out away from the old building, the asphalt glistening with rain and oil. Beyond the hospital grounds, darkness consumed the path, the forest looming over the edges. Only the infrequent lightning would throw back the shadows. And her flashlight was in the car, tucked safely in her pack.

Suddenly, walking alone didn't seem like such a great idea. Tucking her soaked jacket around her shivering frame, Abby bent her head against the rain and turned back. Pushing into the storm, she didn't see the tips of the oxfords in front of her until it was too late. Her scream went unheard as the cascading thunder rolled overhead.