Death and the Girl
Night One
Junko's POV
"I thought I might find you here."
The soft, autumnal breeze flicked my hair as I angled my face toward a very familiar voice. Collette was strolling towards me, blonde hair tied into a loose bun that she totally pulls off.
"Yeah, just thinking," I replied. "Reading."
I hold up my book and then set it down on my lap. She made herself comfortable next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder.
"How come you're not in class?" I asked.
"Finished at two today." She replied, staring across the field.
The field spanned down in a rush of green towards the main campus. It was an old building that had been undergoing repairs for a few months now. It was one of the oldest colleges in the US and the place I had decided to spend the rest of my school life.
"Hey, Hunter's walking down the stairs." Collette grinned at me.
My gaze immediately snapped up from the book I was pretending to read. Hunter was, indeed, walking down the steps from the main building, flanked by two of his friends.
"We should totally-" Collette giggled, but I cut her off.
"No, nope, not in a million years. You know that we don't talk on campus." I replied, shuffling under the pressure of her gaze.
"Oh, come on. Who made up that stupid rule, anyways?" Collette snapped.
I wanted to remind her that Hunter had set up that rule. He didn't associate with us at college. Reputation was still important in college, just as much as high school. Hunter made his way across the quad. I lowered my eyes. It was Friday so we'd see Hunter tonight.
"Liam has found somewhere awesome tonight." Collette said, turning her eagle-eyed glare from Hunter to me.
"Really? Where?" I asked, like I really wanted to know.
"His cousin got the keys to the most haunted house in town," Collette continued. "It's been declared uninhabitable. No one has lived there in, like, forever."
I glanced across the quad again. Hunter and his friends were throwing a football back and forth. I shifted nervously and Collette noticed.
"Maybe this time we'll hit the jackpot." She grinned.
I sure hoped we didn't. We went on these little ghost hunts all over the town and even to some places that were out of state. We'd caught orbs, sure. We'd heard knocking sounds, definitely. We'd never actually seen an actual ghost though. Liam always said it was more about the feeling; like how you feel you're being watched. I got that feeling a lot from my Mom's cat, Potato, but only when he was hungry.
"Plus I could work it so you're alone with Hunter." She waggled her eye brows at me.
Alone with Hunter? And what would we do whilst alone? Why, what I usually did when we were forced into each others company. I'd make terrible small talk and he'd pretend to care. Besides he was already dating Victoria Clark. I was fairly certain she'd be unhappy if her boyfriend was alone with another girl.
"He's got a girlfriend." I sighed.
"Yeah, but Victoria and her underbite are no match for you." Collette laughed, and I rolled my eyes, cracking a smile at her humour.
The wind gusted across the quad, picking up strength. Collette rubbed her arms. It was time to head back to the dorms. I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder and trailed after Collette. The sun was still quite high but the nights were slowly beginning to fade into dusk earlier and earlier.
We walked side by side towards the dorm, passing a few other students as we did so. Some nodded at Collette because she was bright and social. Collette and I arrived at our dorm and she pushed open the door since it was too heavy for me.
"I'll see you in a couple of hours." She grinned when she stopped at her door.
I smiled and ambled down the hallway. I could hear laughter from one room as I passed. Shelley must have been talking to Andrea again. The corridor wound round a sharp bend and I paused at my door, unlocking it.
I closed the door and set my bag down. Tonight seemed like it would be cold so I'd need to wear a coat and maybe a beanie. I perched on the edge of my bed and picked up the book Liam had lent me. The Everything Ghost Hunting Book. The spine snapped slightly when I opened the book. Liam had obviosly read this book a lot before he lent it to me.
The page I turned to showed a grainy photo of a figure on the stairs of an old house. I stared at the photo and turned the page. It seemed almost romantic to want to believe in ghosts. I glanced away from the book to the window.
*******************
The sound of knocking made me leap up. A cursory glance at my bedside clock told me it was 18:45. I must have fallen asleep, looking at the ghost book, obiviously. The knocking continued until I rushed to the door. Opening the door, I was greeted by Collette's disgruntled face.
"Good evening to you too." She said, chuckling at my dishevelled look.
She barged past me. She was wearing leggings, a jumper and a pair of Ugg boots. Her blonde hair was plaited. I knew I looked like a troll compared to her. She stayed whilst I combed my dark hair until it looked tidier. I threw on a baggy hoodie, ignoring Collette's protests. I stuffed a beanie on my unruly hair and dragged her from my room.
The dorm hallways were alight with noise as girls went out to meet boyfriends and friends. The dorm stairs were lit by a single street light that made the whole street seem eerie. Liam was already waiting, parked out front in his green Volvo.
"Good Eveing ladies." He grinned.
Hunter was next to him in the passenger seat and he smiled at us both. Collette opened the door and we both crawled into the back seats. The door shut and we pulled away from the side walk and into the night.
"SpringWood House has been abandonned since the 1980s. Part of the building has fallen into a state of disrepair." Hunter was reading from a webpage on his phone.
"What haunts this place?" Collette asked, leaning forward. I stayed silent, watching the road speed by.
"Apparently the ghost of a creepy, old hag haunts the upper floor," Hunter continued. "However the downstairs area is haunted by a ghost known as The Lady of SpringWood. She was a beautiful bride murdered by her husband."
My eyes snapped forward. I could see Hunter's phone screen. A photo was on the screen. It was a picture of a window of the house. Through the curtains was a figure that seemed to resemble a woman, staring forlornly through the decaying window. A small part of me felt sorry for this ghost.
The drive continued in silence until we arrived at SpringWood. Liam had to drive the car up a wooded slope towards the house. The house itself was beautiful, even in a state of disrepair. Liam cut the brakes and I finally got a good look at SpringWood. It was two storeys high with stairs leading to the front porch. What drew my eye was the stained glass window in the middle of the second storey.
"Looks like the Amityville." Hunter chuckled.
I disagreed completely. We all got out the car and Liam opened the boot. Our first job was to set up the cameras and then I'd sit in home base and watch them for anything whilst the others walked round with EMF meters.
*********************
"Can you see me?" Collette asked.
I was sitting in the dining room of SpringWood. Two laptops were open in front of me. One screen split between the upstairs hallway and the bedroom where the 'hag' haunts. Collette was testing the one in the lounge where the 'lady of SpringWood' was said to be.
"I can see you." I murmured into my walkie talkie.
Collette grinned and gave a thumbs up. She moved away from the camera and I heard her footsteps creak towards the kitchen. I sighed, shifting in the fold out chair. Liam had gone down to the basement and Hunter was upstairs.
My eyes left the camera to glance around the room. The wall paper was faded, but it was decorated in some hideous flower pattern, quite popular to grandma's. There was some furniture left over but it had been covered by white sheets. I shifted and then looked at the camera, taking a sip from my thermos.
A face was staring at me from the camera in the bedroom. Not a hag, definitely not a hag. A young guy was staring at the camera. I swallowed my coffee and stared at the thermos then back to him. His features were soft, but angular. His hair was long and had a slight fringe. His eyes then seemed to lock with mine, staring at me.
He lifted his finger to his lips and I realised he was telling me to be quiet. A sly grin appeared on his face. I hesitated then lifted the walkie talkie.
"H-hunter, there's a guy in the main bedroom." I stuttered.
"A guy?" Hunter sounded as confused as I felt.
I waited and glanced at the camera again. The screen had blurred and static rinsed over the frame. Then the camera returned as Hunter walked into the room. I watched him explore the room, opening cupboards, peeking under the bed and behind curtains.
"There's no one here now." Hunter said, sounding slightly annoyed.
My mouth opened in slack-jawed horror. That guy couldn't have gotten out of there without Hunter noticing him. Hunter sighed and left the room, closing the door. When I glanced back up, the guy was staring at the camera again.
"Naughty girl." He grinned.
I gathered my courage and glared at the camera. I picked up the baseball bat that Liam bought along in case of intruders.
"Gonna fight me with that, baby girl?" The guy was grinning again. How could he see what I was doing?
"I thought I might find you here."
The soft, autumnal breeze flicked my hair as I angled my face toward a very familiar voice. Collette was strolling towards me, blonde hair tied into a loose bun that she totally pulls off.
"Yeah, just thinking," I replied. "Reading."
I hold up my book and then set it down on my lap. She made herself comfortable next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder.
"How come you're not in class?" I asked.
"Finished at two today." She replied, staring across the field.
The field spanned down in a rush of green towards the main campus. It was an old building that had been undergoing repairs for a few months now. It was one of the oldest colleges in the US and the place I had decided to spend the rest of my school life.
"Hey, Hunter's walking down the stairs." Collette grinned at me.
My gaze immediately snapped up from the book I was pretending to read. Hunter was, indeed, walking down the steps from the main building, flanked by two of his friends.
"We should totally-" Collette giggled, but I cut her off.
"No, nope, not in a million years. You know that we don't talk on campus." I replied, shuffling under the pressure of her gaze.
"Oh, come on. Who made up that stupid rule, anyways?" Collette snapped.
I wanted to remind her that Hunter had set up that rule. He didn't associate with us at college. Reputation was still important in college, just as much as high school. Hunter made his way across the quad. I lowered my eyes. It was Friday so we'd see Hunter tonight.
"Liam has found somewhere awesome tonight." Collette said, turning her eagle-eyed glare from Hunter to me.
"Really? Where?" I asked, like I really wanted to know.
"His cousin got the keys to the most haunted house in town," Collette continued. "It's been declared uninhabitable. No one has lived there in, like, forever."
I glanced across the quad again. Hunter and his friends were throwing a football back and forth. I shifted nervously and Collette noticed.
"Maybe this time we'll hit the jackpot." She grinned.
I sure hoped we didn't. We went on these little ghost hunts all over the town and even to some places that were out of state. We'd caught orbs, sure. We'd heard knocking sounds, definitely. We'd never actually seen an actual ghost though. Liam always said it was more about the feeling; like how you feel you're being watched. I got that feeling a lot from my Mom's cat, Potato, but only when he was hungry.
"Plus I could work it so you're alone with Hunter." She waggled her eye brows at me.
Alone with Hunter? And what would we do whilst alone? Why, what I usually did when we were forced into each others company. I'd make terrible small talk and he'd pretend to care. Besides he was already dating Victoria Clark. I was fairly certain she'd be unhappy if her boyfriend was alone with another girl.
"He's got a girlfriend." I sighed.
"Yeah, but Victoria and her underbite are no match for you." Collette laughed, and I rolled my eyes, cracking a smile at her humour.
The wind gusted across the quad, picking up strength. Collette rubbed her arms. It was time to head back to the dorms. I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder and trailed after Collette. The sun was still quite high but the nights were slowly beginning to fade into dusk earlier and earlier.
We walked side by side towards the dorm, passing a few other students as we did so. Some nodded at Collette because she was bright and social. Collette and I arrived at our dorm and she pushed open the door since it was too heavy for me.
"I'll see you in a couple of hours." She grinned when she stopped at her door.
I smiled and ambled down the hallway. I could hear laughter from one room as I passed. Shelley must have been talking to Andrea again. The corridor wound round a sharp bend and I paused at my door, unlocking it.
I closed the door and set my bag down. Tonight seemed like it would be cold so I'd need to wear a coat and maybe a beanie. I perched on the edge of my bed and picked up the book Liam had lent me. The Everything Ghost Hunting Book. The spine snapped slightly when I opened the book. Liam had obviosly read this book a lot before he lent it to me.
The page I turned to showed a grainy photo of a figure on the stairs of an old house. I stared at the photo and turned the page. It seemed almost romantic to want to believe in ghosts. I glanced away from the book to the window.
*******************
The sound of knocking made me leap up. A cursory glance at my bedside clock told me it was 18:45. I must have fallen asleep, looking at the ghost book, obiviously. The knocking continued until I rushed to the door. Opening the door, I was greeted by Collette's disgruntled face.
"Good evening to you too." She said, chuckling at my dishevelled look.
She barged past me. She was wearing leggings, a jumper and a pair of Ugg boots. Her blonde hair was plaited. I knew I looked like a troll compared to her. She stayed whilst I combed my dark hair until it looked tidier. I threw on a baggy hoodie, ignoring Collette's protests. I stuffed a beanie on my unruly hair and dragged her from my room.
The dorm hallways were alight with noise as girls went out to meet boyfriends and friends. The dorm stairs were lit by a single street light that made the whole street seem eerie. Liam was already waiting, parked out front in his green Volvo.
"Good Eveing ladies." He grinned.
Hunter was next to him in the passenger seat and he smiled at us both. Collette opened the door and we both crawled into the back seats. The door shut and we pulled away from the side walk and into the night.
"SpringWood House has been abandonned since the 1980s. Part of the building has fallen into a state of disrepair." Hunter was reading from a webpage on his phone.
"What haunts this place?" Collette asked, leaning forward. I stayed silent, watching the road speed by.
"Apparently the ghost of a creepy, old hag haunts the upper floor," Hunter continued. "However the downstairs area is haunted by a ghost known as The Lady of SpringWood. She was a beautiful bride murdered by her husband."
My eyes snapped forward. I could see Hunter's phone screen. A photo was on the screen. It was a picture of a window of the house. Through the curtains was a figure that seemed to resemble a woman, staring forlornly through the decaying window. A small part of me felt sorry for this ghost.
The drive continued in silence until we arrived at SpringWood. Liam had to drive the car up a wooded slope towards the house. The house itself was beautiful, even in a state of disrepair. Liam cut the brakes and I finally got a good look at SpringWood. It was two storeys high with stairs leading to the front porch. What drew my eye was the stained glass window in the middle of the second storey.
"Looks like the Amityville." Hunter chuckled.
I disagreed completely. We all got out the car and Liam opened the boot. Our first job was to set up the cameras and then I'd sit in home base and watch them for anything whilst the others walked round with EMF meters.
*********************
"Can you see me?" Collette asked.
I was sitting in the dining room of SpringWood. Two laptops were open in front of me. One screen split between the upstairs hallway and the bedroom where the 'hag' haunts. Collette was testing the one in the lounge where the 'lady of SpringWood' was said to be.
"I can see you." I murmured into my walkie talkie.
Collette grinned and gave a thumbs up. She moved away from the camera and I heard her footsteps creak towards the kitchen. I sighed, shifting in the fold out chair. Liam had gone down to the basement and Hunter was upstairs.
My eyes left the camera to glance around the room. The wall paper was faded, but it was decorated in some hideous flower pattern, quite popular to grandma's. There was some furniture left over but it had been covered by white sheets. I shifted and then looked at the camera, taking a sip from my thermos.
A face was staring at me from the camera in the bedroom. Not a hag, definitely not a hag. A young guy was staring at the camera. I swallowed my coffee and stared at the thermos then back to him. His features were soft, but angular. His hair was long and had a slight fringe. His eyes then seemed to lock with mine, staring at me.
He lifted his finger to his lips and I realised he was telling me to be quiet. A sly grin appeared on his face. I hesitated then lifted the walkie talkie.
"H-hunter, there's a guy in the main bedroom." I stuttered.
"A guy?" Hunter sounded as confused as I felt.
I waited and glanced at the camera again. The screen had blurred and static rinsed over the frame. Then the camera returned as Hunter walked into the room. I watched him explore the room, opening cupboards, peeking under the bed and behind curtains.
"There's no one here now." Hunter said, sounding slightly annoyed.
My mouth opened in slack-jawed horror. That guy couldn't have gotten out of there without Hunter noticing him. Hunter sighed and left the room, closing the door. When I glanced back up, the guy was staring at the camera again.
"Naughty girl." He grinned.
I gathered my courage and glared at the camera. I picked up the baseball bat that Liam bought along in case of intruders.
"Gonna fight me with that, baby girl?" The guy was grinning again. How could he see what I was doing?
22 is deep, how do you come up with this stuff?
6/18/17