So I wanted to post this earlier but time got by me. It's a ghost story for Halloween. But I consider the fall to be a perfect time for scary stories so oh well. Please review. And uh, I'm about to kill Nightmares so if you want that to keep going please go review. And Phasma is the latin word for ghost.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Phasma
Chapter 1 Ghost Hunters
Zack Martin shivered as he quickly rushed into the lobby of the Tipton hotel. The fourteen year old sighed in relief as he unbuttoned his jacket. It was an unusually cold fall and Zack was dressed like he was crossing the Alaskan wilderness. He really hated the cold.
It was then that Zack noticed a bunch of cameras and lights in the lobby. Mr. Moseby was chatting with two men wearing leather jackets. Curiosity getting the best of him, Zack made his way over to Moseby, who quickly motioned for him to shoo. Moseby seemed to be more serious then usual so Zack respected his wishes. He instead made his way over to the candy counter, where Maddie was going through boxes full of special Halloween candy.
"Hey, Maddie. Got enough candy there?" asked Zack with a slight laugh.
"There's some special trick or treat thing going on here with kids from the Children's Hospital. Moseby wants all this candy sorted through," replied Maddie with a frown.
"So what's the deal with all these cameras?" asked Zack, moving his arms around.
"Oh. They're from the TV show Paranormal Hunters. They're here to investigate the Tipton ghost. The one in 613," explained Maddie.
"All this for just one ghost?" asked Zack.
"They think there could be more. I don't know. It's mostly Mr. Tipton trying to get some publicity. These guys spent a night at a hotel in New York and the income doubled in just two months," explained Maddie as she continued her candy sorting job.
"Well didn't we prove that there's no ghost?" asked Zack, moving as two grips moved some lights.
"I don't know. We were too busy scaring you," replied Maddie with a chuckle. Zack narrowed his eyes at Maddie but let himself chuckle a little.
"Well these guys are in a for a disappointment. There's no ghost up there," exclaimed Zack as he watched the crew work.
"Not my problem," snapped Maddie. Zack shrugged and retreated to his family's suite, looking forward for the four day weekend ahead.
Cody Martin jumped as Zack came bursting into the suite. Zack laughed as he put his bookbag down on the couch.
"A little jumpy are we?" asked Zack as he walked over to his brother.
"Well we do live in a haunted hotel," whimpered Cody. "Maybe we should ask Mom to move." Zack rolled his eyes.
"It's just a ghost who hates pizza. We were in suite 613 and nothing bad happened," reminded Zack. He groaned as Cody gave him a devilish grin.
"Not to the rest of us anyway," chuckled Cody. Zack clenched his hands into fists.
"Just kidding," apologized Cody. Zack settled down.
"Ok so tonight. You and me are going to the Tower of Blood," explained Zack as he sat down next to his brother. Cody's eyes widened.
"That haunted attraction downtown?" asked Cody in fear.
"The same. Bob got us tickets. Cody, this was voted the scariest Halloween attraction in the country," explained Zack with delight.
"And what makes you think I want to go?" asked Cody, some of the color draining from his face.
"Because you don't want to be a whimp all your life. Come on, Cody. How cool will it feel to say we braved the scariest haunted house in America?" asked Zack.
"Zack, I get nightmares from Halloween episodes on sitcoms. What makes you think I can walk through a building crawling with evil?" asked Cody.
"It's just a ride. Come on, don't be such a baby," snapped Zack, standing up. He put a hand on Cody's shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"Find the courage within yourself to brave the Tower of Blood," said Zack in an overly dramatic scary voice. Cody bit his lip in thought. It was healthy to face to your fears.
"OK. I'll do it. But you have to be a good big brother if I have bad nightmares," reasoned Cody. Zack sighed and rolled his eyes but reluctantly nodded.
"Oh and you have approved this with mom right?" asked Cody.
"Approved what with me?" asked Carey as she came strolling in at that moment.
"Approve of Cody and me going to the Tower of Blood?" asked Zack. Carey looked at Cody with surprise.
"Cody, you're willing to go to that?" asked Carey in shock.
"Might as well face my fears," replied Cody with a shrug.
"Well, are you going with a group?" asked Carey.
"Bob, Barbara, Agnes, Janice, Jessica, and Max. Afterwards we'll go have dinner at the local pizza place," replied Zack instantly.
"Sounds good to me. Just try to be home at a reasonable time," ordered Carey. Zack nodded, a big grin spread across his face. Tonight he would finally get to experience the ultimate haunted house experience, He hoped it didn't disappoint.
……………….
"Welcome to the Tower of Blood!" The ghoul standing at the front of the line let out a loud cackle that sent a chill down Cody's spine. His nerves had started to return since climbing into Max's mom's mini-van. Zack was stoked. He couldn't wait to get inside. The temperature had risen a little so there was no need for a ton of clothes.
"Do you all know what happened inside this building?" asked the ghoul as he paced back and forth. There was some laughter from the crowd waiting to get in. The tower, which had been taken over by a haunted attraction company, changed stories every year. This year the building had been made to look like a hotel. This upped the terror a little for Zack and Cody.
"Years ago there was terrible storm that trapped the guests of this fancy hotel inside. On that night a sadistic group of criminals broke in and brutally murdered everyone inside before turning on themselves and hacking each other to pieces. The hotel has been haunted ever since. Do you dare enter?" The ghoul laughed again as more people were led in. A girl screamed somewhere inside. The line pressed forward. Zack turned towards his brother.
"You ready?" asked Zack. Cody gulped but nodded. Now or never. The ghoul grinned at him as he headed inside.
"Have fun!" The ghoul let out a laugh that echoed through the night. Cody took a deep breath and followed his brothers and friends into the building. He nearly screamed when the doors slammed close behind him.
……..
Cody couldn't remember ever being so scared. But at the same time he had never had so much fun in his life. The actors portraying the ghosts and ghouls were experts at what they did. Clowns with axes. Blood soaked demons with chainsaws. An old woman in a nightgown covered in blood holding a knife. Tons of zombies. Demonic bellhops. The owners had spared no expense. Cody couldn't help but laugh when a man wearing a gruesome rubber mask jumped out of the shadows and grabbed Zack, causing the boy to scream like a girl. The man laughed and ran off to scare someone else. Cody was most scared in the kitchen, where zombie chefs were hacking up helpless guests. The entire trek took thirty minutes. The Tower of Blood had lived up to its reputation. Everyone was shaking and shivering when they emerged onto the streets of Boston. Cody couldn't believe he had made it.
"Oh man, that was so scary!" shouted Zack as they all made their way to the pizza place.
"Bob, you almost peed your pants when that old woman was approaching," laughed Agnes.
"She reminds me of my grandma," explained Bob with a slight shiver. Everyone laughed.
"Cody, I can't believe you made it," exclaimed Barbara with a slight laugh.
"I'm having a hard time believing it myself. When that bellhop with the machete was coming towards me, I thought I was going to have a heart attack," admitted Cody.
"Well at least you weren't as scared as Zack was when that guy grabbed him," laughed Max as she playfully shoved Zack. Zack gave her a dirty look as the group entered the pizza place. It was packed with kids coming from the Tower of Blood. Everyone was gathered around a TV near the back.
"What's going on?" asked Zack to a kid he recognized from school.
"It's that show Paranormal Hunters. Something is going on at the hotel they're at. One of there team members got separated. They've been playing the footage over and over again," explained the kid. Zack and Cody exchanged nervous glances. That show was at the Tipton. They made their way through the crowd to look at the TV.
"Oh my God! Jack! Jack!" The screams of a man in mortal terror echoed through the pizza place. Zack felt the hairs on the back of his neck go up.
"Carl! Carl, where are you?" All that could be seen was a blurry green footage of suite 613. The man Carl wasn't even in the suite.
"God have mercy! Oh my God!" Everyone in the pizza parlor screamed when they heard a horrific scream come out of the TV. Then there was silence.
"Carl! Carl, come in!"
"Jack, what the hell is going on?"
"Carl was just going to get an extra tape."
"What the hell is in this hotel?"
"Everyone shut up! We need to go find, Carl. John, do we have any way to track him?"
"I got rid of the tracking system after that London incident." Cody tried to remember who everyone was. He had seen the show a few times. Jack Miller was the leader of the group. Besides doing the show he taught Paranormal Studies at Harvard.
"Jack, Jesus, what could have happened?"
"I don't know, Paula." Paula Moore was Jack's assistant and a fellow teacher. Carl Freemont was the main sound mixer on the show with Danny Harper working under him. John Roberts was the main technical guy of the show. They had been through a lot together. But nothing like this.
"This is just some sort of stunt right?" asked Zack, as he looked at Cody.
"No. These guys wouldn't do that. Something happened," replied Cody, his eyes fixed on the screen.
"What the ghost got pissed at them?" asked Zack anxiously.
"Not the 613 ghost. Carl wasn't in the suite," explained Cody as he watched Jack and his team try to figure everything out. The footage ended and the news anchors started to talk about the current situation. Police had the Tipton shut down pending an investigation. Zack and Cody raced out of the pizza place and went to go find Max's mom. They had to get back to the Tipton. They had to see what was going on.