Chapter 1: How it Began
Five years ago, the Ghost Adventures Crew Investigated the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio for the second time. The significance of this investigation was that the crew added a new member to the team: a young Forensic Anthropologist, who is gifted beyond any one person's reasoning and understanding, including her own. Now, she not only added her experience of working with the dead every day, but also gave insight of those beyond the grave with a Godly perspective. Her name is Alexandria Flora Kovach.
Alexandria never really understood how she could see and communicate with the dead when it was extremely rare for another person to have that sight. She did ask a pastor once from her church for help, to find out more information on why she had this supposed gift. However, the pastor took it completely the wrong way, thinking she was influenced by the devil himself. Ever since, Dria has not shared her ability to anyone (excluding her best friend), because of having fear of people judging and ridiculing her for being different. So, she keeps to herself and waits patiently for God to send her an answer as to what kind of plan He has. Little does she know, her patience will pay off due to an unexpected investigation that will bring her more understanding of her gift and an open heart, once again, to the greatest gift in the world.
Dria was always fascinated with deserted prisons, just because she loved the history behind the building… and its residents. While staying in Cleveland, OH visiting family for Thanksgiving, she decided to take a road trip to Mansfield, so she could see with her own eyes the infamous Ohio State Reformatory. Dria became really disappointed to find out that the tours were booked solid for the next few months, and she was only able to stay in Mansfield for a night. She didn't know why, but she just had to get into that facility to check things out; it was like the place was calling her, in some weird way, asking for her help. Luckily, with military and law enforcement in her blood, she knew perfectly well how to pick a standard lock; so she would be able to get in, after hours.
When it came for the time to close for the night, Dria waited patiently outside the reformatory for the staff to finish closing up. She didn't mind waiting outside considering she loved the rain, with the smell of water hitting the dirt road and beautiful melodies were made while hitting the ground. Plus, the weather gave her a reason to wear her comfy hoodie and uggs, which she doesn't get to wear much back home. Looking around after the staff left, Dria picked the lock to the gate and saw a window cracked open on a level above the main door. Now, I just have to find a way to get up there. Maybe if I could put my flexibility to good use, using the stones as some sort of step…
"What do you think you're doing?" a deep voice asked from behind her.
Oh great, she thought, my supervisor will not like this. Dria stopped what she was doing, gently climbed down the few stones she was on, and turned around to see who caught her.
A bald, tall man with a beard stood in front of her. Dria was only a woman's average height, but this guy was easily six feet. "Do we need to call the cops?"
"No, sir," she pleaded, "please don't call the authorities. I'll be on suspension if you do." She saw behind him a black van with three other men and… cameras? Why do these guys have cameras? Wait until I get them in trouble.
"Why are you trying to break in anyway?"
"This is going to sound crazy, but I have a fascination with abandoned prisons. I couldn't get a ticket to go on a tour because they were full, and I'm only in town for the night. So, I tried using my 'mad skills' to get in on my own." Dria laughed out of nerves, and tried making a joke by using her fingers to indicate quotes when she said the words: mad skills.
The bald man just stood there staring at her with laser beams shooting into her soul. About a minute went by with them staring at each other; Dria had the deer in the headlights look… until…
"Bwa-ha-ha!" the bald man laughed. "I totally got you there, didn't I?"
Dria looked at the man in shock. Why is this guy laughing? "Uh, yeah, ha-ha, you totally did."
The bald man loosened up a little and stuck out his hand, "Forgive me," he said, "I'm Aaron Goodwin."
"Dria Kovach," she replied while shaking his hand.
"Now that's a name you don't hear every day."
"Short for Alexandria… last name is of Hungarian decent on my mom's side."
"Good deal. I apologize for worrying you. We're scheduled for a lockdown in this reformatory tonight and we can't have people breaking in, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry, I just want to see what's inside, you know? I am visiting family up in Cleveland and thought I could check the place out. Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until next time I visit." Dria had a sad look on her face.
Aaron broke the silence and wanted to see why she was so interested in this one place. "Why do you like old prisons so much? You have a thing for criminals or something?"
A tiny smile formed with Dria's mouth. "I guess you could say that. I work with criminalists back home in the police department, and I am a nerd when it comes to criminalist history."
"Criminalists, huh? So, are you some kind of CSI or something? Like the show on TV?"
"In terms of how most people understand it better, yes. However, don't be fooled by the show. The real thing is more difficult drawing conclusions, meaning it takes more time, especially DNA results. I'm more like the evidence collector and I get called when a body is unrecognizable, like a burn victim or when they're completely skeletonized."
"Duuddee! That's cool, I think… I'm not much of a fan of dead bodies." Aaron laughed. "Spirits, yes, flesh and decomposing things, yeah, not so much."
Dria smiled, "Not everyone is. Skeletons and mummies have always fascinated me as a child. People think I'm nuts, but hey, I love what I do." She stood there for a moment. "Well, I guess I better get going. I don't want to waste any of your time for your lockdown. It was nice meeting you Aaron," she said as she started walking past Aaron and around the van. "Good luck." Dria noticed the other three guys watch her walk away as Aaron suddenly had an idea.
"Wait!" Aaron called to her as she was just about to reach the gate. "Dria, don't go just yet! Stay right there!"
Dria did as he requested, and waited for Aaron to say something else. She saw Aaron walk up to the other three guys. Two of the three seemed to be nodding their heads to something Aaron said. The third was shaking his head with temperament. Wait, she thought, why are they raising their hands? Are they voting on something? Apparently they are, considering that one guy was now frustrated that the rest of the group had opposite votes from him. Ha-ha, sucks for you dude.
"Hey, Dria," called Aaron, "come here and meet the guys."
Ok, this is weird. They better not ask me to do something dumb. Although, oddly, they do look familiar, I just can't put my finger on where I've seen them before. Dria walked over to where Aaron was by the van and got a closer look of the group: there was a short average man with a mohawk, a taller and thin man with a goatee, and the last man had black spiked hair with an iron cross belt holding up black baggy pants.
"Alright," started Aaron, "let me introduce you to the group. We've got Billy Tolley, our EVP analyst." The man with the mohawk smiled and waved. "Nick Groff…"
The man with the goatee came up and shook Dria's hand, "Nice to meet you. Wow, you've got a pretty strong grip for a woman."
"Likewise," Dria commented, "and it runs in the family... military back ground."
"Awesome," Nick and Billy nodded.
"And," Aaron continued, "the pretty boy with the dirty look on his face is Zak Bagans." The man with the iron cross leaned against the van with his arms crossed, staring out into space.
Well, he could at least be a gentleman and say hi or wave or something. Wonder what crawled up his ass and died. Dria snorted at the thought.
"He's had a bad day so far…" Aaron whispered, "well, actually a bad week. He blames women… crazy fans… dates who freak out over his obsession of the paranormal and vampires. Let's just say he was hoping this investigation would get him away from women… except those we interview of course. Anyways," Aaron spoke at normal volume, "we are paranormal investigators known as the Ghost Adventures Crew. You've probably heard of us?"
"Oh yeah! I thought I recognized you guys! You're on the Travel Channel, right? I watch your show every now and then, when I have free time… which isn't very often, ha-ha. When I do watch it, you guys make me fall out of my chair with laughter!"
"Well," smiled Nick, "we do like making people laugh. We also had a vote, three-to-one," everyone looked to Zak, and then looked back to Dria, "and we were wondering if you'd like to join us on our lockdown."
"Seriously?" Dria asked. They all nodded… except Zak. "Of course!" she squealed and jumped for joy. "That would be awesome! Thank you!" Zak just rolled his eyes, Great, just what we need, a squealing fan joining the lockdown.
"Come on, Zak," taunted Billy, "you could at least be a good guy and say hi. Plus, think of what evidence we can get using her as a trigger object. Just like last time, we'll have more interaction with the spirits because she's a woman AND she works with the police department."
Zak looked at Billy with the expression of, "Fine, I guess you have a point." Then, he took a deep breath, walked over to Dria, and looked at her in the eyes with an outstretched hand, "Hi."
"Hi," Wow, he does have nice eyes. Too bad his personality doesn't match his 'outer beauty.' Makes me think of the song, Pretty on the Outside by Bullet for my Valentine. Dria shook his hand with a gentle smile. "Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" As soon as her skin touched his, she immediately felt chills run up and down her spine. Man this guy's hand is friggin' ice cold! Seriously, the lifeless I work with are lower in temperature, and they're dead for crying out loud!
Zak's eyebrows and forehead formed a scrunched "V" as if reacting to the look on Dria's face when shaking hands. Why does she look scared? Zak thought. My hands aren't that bad, I mean they can't be that rough. I guess they are, compared to her hands being soft and smooth, yet strong like nick pointed out earlier.
"Uh, Zak?" Dria asked.
The question brought Zak's focus back, "Yeah?"
"Could you let my hand go now? I can't feel any blood pumping."
Zak looked down at their hands, "Oh! Sorry," he then immediately let go. Wait, was she insinuating that I have too hard of a grasp or something? Whatever, I need to focus on the lockdown. "Aaron, could you show her our x-camera locations?" Aaron gave two thumbs up while grabbing a few of the cameras. "Dria, you can help Aaron set them up. Considering you've never been on a real lockdown before, you could probably just carry the equipment. I don't want to take the chance of anything getting damaged."
"Excuse me?" Dria stood back appallingly. "I'm assuming you believe that since I'm female, I can't be trusted with your equipment?"
Wow, Aaron thought, this chick isn't taking any crap from Zak, which is a first. I like her already.
"No, I never said that," came back Zak. "I just figured you were some big fan that in reality has no idea how to properly set up expensive equipment."
"I've got news for you, pretty boy," Dria spat while making Aaron laugh, "I'm not as big of a fan as you assume, I just like the show. Also, when it comes to expensive equipment, try taking pictures and measuring a full-on homicide out in the pouring rain, at night, with only a teeny little night vision camera, duct tape, measuring tape, paper bags, and a sharpie, yet still manage to collect everything that was needed. With, perfect shots, I might add." Aaron's eyes widened and looked to Zak with an expression of Whoa dude. "You don't know anything about me, Zachary, so quit assuming you do." Dria's face turned red with anger while grabbing a camera and map from Aaron before walking into the Reformatory.
"You totally got burned, bro," laughed Aaron. Nick and Billy were smiling and coughing, trying not to laugh at Aaron's remark.
Zak was way beyond confused, turning to the guys, "What was that about?"
"Bro, you're a jerk and an idiot," Aaron smirked.
"How exactly am I the jerk? And I am NOT an idiot."
"She works with the police department," inputted Billy.
"So, your point being?" Zak asked.
"Dude, didn't you pay attention to what she was talking about with Aaron? She works with cameras everyday to collect evidence for homicides," sighed Nick. "The department's cameras are more expensive than ours, so imagine what would happen to her if she wasn't careful with that kind of property."
"Oh… well, she shouldn't have flipped out the way she did."
"Not all girls are going to fall head over heels for you, dude. Dria seems to be one of the very few girls who don't get flabbergasted over the ever-so-famous Zak Bagans."
"Whatever," Zak rolled his eyes.
"I guess there really is a first for everything," smiled Nick.
"Happens to the best of us, bro, you more so," recounted Aaron. Zak punched him in the arm. "Ow, come on, bro, I was just messing. Besides, it seems to me Dria doesn't really like you much, which is kind of refreshing." Aaron took a deep breath, "Anyways, I'm going to set up a camera at the stairway by the hole." Aaron grabbed the gear to set up the other static cameras and followed Dria into the reformatory.
"Dude," started Nick, "why are you acting like a dick to her? She seems to be smart, is seriously beautiful, and is not afraid to stand up to bull shit. I mean, you're usually prince charming. You need to apologize to her, before meeting up with Aaron at the hole. There's no point in doing this investigation if there is going to be tension."
"Fine," Zak snorted. "I'll set up a few cameras before finding her to apologize." Why should I apologize? She's the one who stormed away like a kid with a temper tantrum… ugh, women.
Meanwhile, at Cell Block 13: Wow, Zak is such a butthead, literally. I mean does he really think that I'm just going to roll over like a dog and do whatever he tells me to do? First off, he is NOT the boss of me. I only answer to one for my life decisions: He is known as the Creator of this world. Anyway, he's one of the most egotistical guys I've met. He must think he can get whatever he wants with his looks and fame. Whatever, I've got more of a brain than his two put together. Just sucks because I'm the kind of person who believes that God has things happen to you for a reason. So, what is the reason for meeting the GAC? Dria shrugged to herself, and set up the static night vision camera perpendicular to the cell of the man who burned himself alive. She turned it on, pressed record, took a deep breath and walked into the cell.
"Alright inmate," started Dria, "I am the new prison psychiatrist. I'm here to help you. I am sorry with what happened to you and how you resulted to taking your own life." Dria felt an ice cold breeze come into the cell, as if someone just walked in.
"No one can help me…" Dria heard a dark whisper come from behind her. She turned around and saw in full apparition, a man in grey prison wear, white in appearance. Dria did not scream, only sympathized with the distraught spirit.
"I can sure try," she told the spirit.
"Why?" it asked with a stern brow.
"No one else has, and I don't give up that easily." It floated there, staring at her. "Why did you burn yourself to death?"
"Being here can drive you crazy, make you feel trapped in life, so there was no other way to be free…" it said. It slowly moved closer to Dria, waiting for her to scream and run away, which she did not. "Why are you not afraid?"
"Let's just say I have been able to help others like you my entire life. I have no reason to be afraid."
"Well you should be!" it quickly moved to be directly in her face blowing her hair back from the breeze. Dria still didn't budge. "Hmm… you're somehow different than the others… but you should still be afraid of him at least…"
"Thank-you… who's him?"
"Stay out of what we call 'The Hole.' It is his domain."
"I can't promise that, however, I can promise to pass on any message or complete a task to help set you free. That is why you're still here, isn't it?"
"How did you know?"
"I have friends in spiritual places, and most of the time spirits are here because of some kind of unfinished business."
"Ok… tell my family that my will and small fortune is hidden in my favorite thinking place, they'll know what you mean… and tell Fly… I have accomplished what he thought I couldn't, to be truly free."
"I will definitely do that, I promise."
"Some advice… stay away from the hole… he wants you… and lastly… please protect your heart."
"What?" Dria asked as the spirit faded away. "No, wait! Who the hell is this he!? Why must I…" Next thing she knew, the spirit was gone, forever. "Gah!" Well, at least I helped him a little of being free beyond this world. I better head back to the guys. Little did she know, the camera caught the conversation between her and the spirit, however, the camera had no image, only audio.
"Dudes! Dria! Get to the stairway by the hole quick!" shouted Aaron from the ground floor.
"We're coming Aaron!" yelled Nick from the entrance.
"I'm coming down from Cell 13!" screamed Dria from the 3rd level of the cells.
Dria was hoping that nothing bad had happened to Aaron. Please don't let it be a demon, I hate dealing with demons. She was running down the stairs on the other side of the main high ceiling hallway of the cells, until she got to the bottom step on the ground floor, then everything went black.
After a few minutes, Dria was gaining consciousness. Great, I ran into something, something heavy and… squishy. Please don't let it be a corpse of a random person who was murdered and hidden in this prison. I hate finding random bodies, especially landing on them when I don't know their condition of decomposition. Although I smell something sweeter than death… is that cologne? Maybe Axe body spray?
"Alexandria?" a deep and breathless voice mumbled above her, as though something in midair suddenly had words and radiated heat.
Crap, someone landed on me, didn't they? I just really hope it isn't… "Zak?" Dria asked. The figure on top of her slowly shifted to look her in the eye, showing hazel eyes from the shining light of the handheld camera that was on the ground next to them.
"You know, if you wanted some alone bonding time, you could have just asked." Zak breathed while looking down on her. As the nerves in her body started to work again, she could feel the vibration of his voice as he spoke. Damn! Why does his breath smell good too? The fan sites are correct, however… he is better looking in person.
Realizing he was basically on top of her, she snapped back into the real world. "Ugh! Get off of me, you tool!" Dria exclaimed as she shoved him off with her arms, then rolled away to stand back on her feet. "And what the hell are you doing!? Why did ya run into me!?"
"Whoa, there's no need to get your panties in a bunch," Zak frowned. "I came to well…" he said as he was standing up in front of her, "I wanted to... apologize for my behavior earlier."
"Wow, Mr. Zak Bagans is actually apologizing? Can I get some evidence, please? Like a form signed in blood and a video recording?" Dria asked with her arms crossed.
"What is your problem!?" Zak asked annoyed. "I apologize for my attitude, and yet you still attack me! What gives!?" Zak was trying to be a gentleman and apologize for his words, but it seemed no matter what he did, Dria just did not like him.
"Apologies are just words, unless you mean it... and I don't think you mean it considering I bet you didn't come up with it yourself." I even bet that Nick and Aaron put him up to it. "Plus, you completely ran into me, probably giving me a concussion. You just don't think."
"Well, I'm sorry for not being perfect."
"No one is perfect, Zak. Everyone falls short, including me." Zak rolled his eyes at this, Obviously, she has pretty high standards for anyone to meet. "I just don't like how you assume that I'm the same as all the other women/girls you encounter. Unlike them, I actually have a brain that I'm not afraid to use." Dria took a deep breath, "Look, let's just find Nick and Aaron and get through the lockdown. Then I promise I'll leave and you'll never have to see me again." Dria turned to walk away, towards where she believed Aaron to be, and Zak followed, thinking: This is going to be one long night.
Meanwhile, Aaron was scared shitless because of what he saw, barely being able to breathe. Aaron was sitting on the ground, holding his head between his hands, on his knees. Luckily, Nick showed up, so he could calm down a little bit.
"Aaron!" Nick shouted as he saw his friend in despair. He knelt down to the ground beside Aaron, with a hand on the shoulder. "What happened? Are you ok?"
"Dude, I was setting up the camera by the stairs, and I look up from the ground to see a dark shadow figure with red eyes… then next thing I know, I'm being shoved into the wall! Luckily I didn't face plant, but it felt like a full shove; and you know how I am not a big pushover."
Nick nodded, "Except when it comes to being kind to people."
"Seriously bro, it's not that funny. Especially since I heard a creepy voice on the camera audio."
"What exactly did it say?"
"In reference to what just happened, I heard the voice say … GET OUT... Next thing I knew, I almost broke my nose face planting into the wall."
Dria and Zak appear from the doorway by the stairs. "What happened?" Dria asked as she got down to her knees to look at Aaron in the face. He was still shaking from the occurrence.
"Aaron was coming back down the stairs, when he suddenly was shoved into the wall," Nick answered. "It's amazing he didn't trip break his nose or something."
Dria put Aaron's face in her hands, "Aaron, look at me." He did as he asked, with major fear in his eyes. "It's going to be ok, I promise. Just keep moving forward. These things sometimes happen, but we can't let the unseen get the best of us, right?" Aaron slowly nodded. "Alright then." Dria put both of her hands on Aaron's shoulders. "Here are a few verses that have usually helped me when I'm frightened: Deuteronomy 31:6 and Psalms 23:4."
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God, goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
Aaron had recited the verses with Dria, who only smiled at his response. "How do you feel now, Aaron?"
"I definitely feel better," answered Aaron. Zak and Nick, on the other hand, were kind of shocked, to say the least. Aaron actually knew those verses? thought Zak.
"Aaron," Zak began, "how did you know those verses? I never knew you were religious."
"I grew up Catholic, dude," Aaron answered.
"Dria," Zak turned to her as she stood up, "how did you know Aaron knew those verses?"
"Honestly, I didn't." The group started walking back towards the main hall, where they had their nerve center. Nick and Aaron were ahead, while Dria and Zak walked side by side some distance behind. "I only guessed because I knew from the show that Aaron is Catholic; or at least grew up Catholic. My mother was raised with the Catholicism side of Christian beliefs, but became a Baptist believer after she married my dad. She taught me the differences and similarities of Catholic and Baptist, and there are more similarities than most people would think. Those verses are usually the first to pop into your head when you learn fear as a child. There are many verses about fear in the bible, however, those verses have always stuck with me and work when I need the inspiration. Plus, I could feel in my heart that Aaron still knew. I mean, there are certain bible verses that people learn as a kid and never forget. I personally... " Dria stopped and looked to Zak after they reached the nerve center. He was just plainly staring at her, with his hands in his pockets, making her feel uncomfortable. Dria quickly looked away, "I'm sorry. I'm boring you. I tend to ramble when the subject is on something I'm passionate about." Zak still stared at her, Dria thought with annoyance, but he was actually intrigued. "I'm just going to walk away now," commented Dria, while blushing. What the hell is wrong with me? She thought to herself. Zak watched her walk towards Aaron and wrap her arm around him for a hug while watching the set up cameras on the table. She is definitely one weirdo woman, but maybe that's why Aaron clicks with her so well.
As a group, they decided to all go together to the most haunted places of the reformatory. For the first two hours, they went to the hole, where prisoners were kept in solitude for bad behavior… and where witnesses were said to be scratched, pushed, and yelled at. This only excited Zak more, considering he loves dealing with a "spirit" who takes its anger out on people. Dria right away could feel a bad presence, and knew she needed to get back down here away from the guys. Sadly, that will have to wait until hours later when everyone splits off to do some of their own investigation.
"That's right, you evil son-of-a-b****," taunted Zak while they were in the hole. "We're back! This time, we plan to get rid of you, for good! You have been worst to people, pushing them and knocking them out. Well, I hate bullies. Why don't you pick on someone your own size!? Come at me, you evil bastard!"
The anger in Zak's voice rang through the confined space of solid confinement. Within seconds, there was a loud bang on a nearby cell door and a growling whisper. "Did you guys hear that?" asked Zak, looking around to the others. He looked at Dria the longest to see if she had a terrified reaction, but she just stood there with her hands in her pockets, as calm as the steady ocean. Zak had a puzzled look, "How are you so calm, Dria?" Aaron was pale white from freight, and none of them even knew what the entity said. Nick was just as shocked as Zak, usually when they have guests, they freak out, especially women.
"I've dealt with worse," commented Dria. She didn't want to tell them the real reason why she was so calm compared to professional ghost hunters. She also knew exactly what the dark entity said without a digital recorder:
"I want the girl… not you… *short laughter*… you will die without her…"
Dria did want to freak out from hearing that, considering she very well knew what this entity was. The guys looked at Dria confused, to them, her claiming that she's dealt with worse made no sense. "What? You guys don't believe me?" Another deep growl vibrated through the hole, only it came from right behind Dria… she still didn't flinch, just closed her eyes. Shit, she thought to herself, I recognize the growl anywhere. And here I was hoping to not run into anything like this when investigating a haunted place… darn supernatural.
"Uh…," inputted Nick, "how can you not freak out? That horrifying sound came from either behind or next to you, and it sounded demonic. We know what demonic sounds like… so, we are completely freaking out…" Aaron nods "… I just don't understand what you could have gone through that would be considered worse. Have you actually encountered things like this before?"
Dria did not want to answer that. "Maybe I'll tell you later. I barely know you guys. I don't go spilling my life's story to everyone I meet you know."
"Enough said," supported Aaron.
Dria liked Aaron, even though she only knew him for a few hours, she felt he would be the most understanding of the group. Thanks Aaron, thought Dria with a smile. Although, I can't figure out what the dark entity meant. How would Zak, or even any of them, die without me? I mean I'm the only 'girl' present… and I just met the crew for crying out loud! Yes, I know that there is some truth to what they say sometimes; but most of the other times, they like to mess with us.
What, is she hiding, thought Zak to himself. It is very strange that a first time paranormal investigator wouldn't be afraid of a low growl like that. We've been ghost investigators for years, and that sound still unnerves us! Well, we only have to deal with her for tonight, luckily. I don't like secrets and I don't like her attitude.
"Moving on," commented Nick, "did anyone hear or understand what the spirit said or growled? Honestly, it just sounded like a low demonic growl to my ears."
Dria wasn't going to say anything, but she couldn't stop the guys from finding out what it said. So, they asked Billy if he heard anything though audio and visual. He simply told them exactly what Nick had thought, that it was just a growl on the camera's audio. Next, Zak played a live feedback of the EVP recording.
"Zak yelling at the evil entitiy…" a few seconds later… '… disembodied growl… I want _ _... not _... _ _ die without _...' was all they could understand from the EVP at that point.
"Well," sighed Zak, "we'll have to wait for Billy to analyze this. Until then, let's move on to the third floor where a prisoner committed suicide by jumping off the railing."
Zak lead Nick, and Dria back up to the third floor of the main cells. Aaron split off from the group to give Billy the EVP recorder to try to decipher the message. Walking up the stairs to the third floor, Dria was worried about Billy being able to figure out what the dark entity really said. I should go to Billy when we first split off and try to erase that EVP somehow. I don't want them to start asking questions and think it's me the entity was talking about. Ugh… why did I get myself involved with these guys? I know they'll be happy and overjoyed if they ever find out about my secret. Yeah, it would be interesting to them, they're not the ones waking up to nightmares of demons possessing your family.
The group, minus Billy and Aaron, arrived to the spot on the third floor. Dria could feel the negativity in the air, possibly from the inmate that hung himself. She has had experiences with spirits who have passed on to the afterlife by taking their own life. One of which was a friend, who also hung himself, and has been part of her life as though he never died. These emotions that she's feeling now are different than what she felt from when her friend died.
"Do either of you feel that?" Dria asked Nick and Zak.
"I feel cold," answered Nick.
"I don't really feel anything. Why, what do you feel?" Zak questioned back.
"I feel major negativity, sadness, anger… and just regular depression. Like I'm feeling what the inmate felt when he decided to attach himself to a rope and jump off the railing. I wish I knew why he was depressed… well other than the obvious of being in prision."
Zak could see though his night vision camera that Dria was holding back tears. "The inmate is attached to you it seems, I can guess because women are technically more emotional than men. In other words, we can see what he felt just by looking at you."
Dria looked to Zak, knowing he was most likely right. All of a sudden, a figure of a man, with a light blue aura, similar to the inmate spirit of Cell 13, showed up between Dria and Zak, staring at her. She wanted to talk to it, but she knew if she did that directly, she would have to explain herself to the guys, which she didn't want to do.
"Ok, now I'm cold… getting goosebumps," inputted Zak. "Are you recording this Nick?" Nick nodded. "Are you here inmate?" Zak asked the darkness. "Are you the one who hung yourself? Please talk to us. We never got a chance to talk to you the last time we were here."
Dria was still staring at the spirit, who did not move from the spot between her and Zak. Tears were beginning to flow down her face and she tried so hard to not let the womanly emotions get the best of her. She mouthed, "I'm sorry," to the spirit, making sure neither Nick nor Zak would notice through the cameras.
"All I've wanted was for someone to notice me," the spirit spoke directly to Dria. "Even when I was alive, all I wanted was for someone to notice me, why I drove myself to death because I felt completely alone in this world. You are the first to not only see me, but understand me… and care for me… even though you don't know me, or what I did." Dria reached out her hand to the spirit, who gladly took it, as a sign that she truly did care… that was just the kind of person she was. She cared for all, living and dead… even those who annoy her like Zak. "Cell 13 was right… you are different… and for that I feel that I can finally go to heaven's gate. I shall warn you, however, beware of Him in 'the hole."
Great, another warning about that dark spirit in the hole. What? Is it really that bad of a spirit? Dria thought to herself. "I'm not afraid," she whispered to the spirit.
"I figured you weren't, but you should be. He is the worst here… even compared to the rapists and murderers that were kept in here. Good bye, Alexandria, and thank you for setting me free."
During this time of the spirit talking to Dria, Nick had his camera going back and forth between her and Zak. Zak was still looking out, over the railing, asking random questions. The time Nick had his camera on Dria were right before she reached her hand out and before she said she wasn't afraid to the spirit. Talk about being lucky on not getting caught on camera talking to a ghost. After the ghost disappeared, Nick put the camera on Dria to see if she had a reaction to anything; of course, he caught her crying, like really crying.
"Dria, are you okay?" Nick asked. Zak turned back to Nick and Dria after hearing the question.
"Yeah, I'm fine" Dria answered while wiping away the tears and sniffling up the boogies. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
"I saw you crying through the camera," Nick commented.
Dria turned away from Nick and Zak. "I told you I'm fine. Can we just continue the investigation?"
"Dria…" Zak breathed, "… it's okay to cry you know? To feel that emotion that a spirit felt while they were alive is completely normal… at least it's better to feel sadness than anger." He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said.
Dria just shrugged off his hand, "I told you I wasn't crying. There's a lot of dust in this old building, okay? Yes, I felt how sad the spirit was when he died, but that wouldn't make me cry. Geez… can we move on now?" *Pause* "Before you answer that, I'm going to check on Billy to see if he was able to decipher that EVP." Dria stormed away using the night vision on the camera to go back down the stairs to head to nerve center.
Ok, so I may have been crying, but I don't want the guys to know that. I hate crying in front of people, especially guys, because the second they see you all emotional, they become major push over. A push over is not fun to be around, with feeling sorry for us women all the time. Yeah, I know that can be a positive to us, but I'm not the kind of person to take the advantage of someone when their guard is down. Also, why the hell was Zak touching me? What made him think I'd be okay to get sympathy from him? I mean first he's rude to me when I first joined the investigation; second, he slams into me and knocks me out for a few minutes… which I'm probably going to bruise in the morning… then he was stupid enough to provoke a demon who now wants to mess with everyone, if not hurt them in some way, which this one in particular has an extremely dark and negative energy… now… now he's trying to show that he isn't a jerk. Well, I'd hate to be the one to say it, but one act of 'sympathy' doesn't make you a hero in my book, pal. I should get to Billy at the home base before they do so I can try to erase that EVP.
Dria was walking really fast down the stairs, more like stomping down the stairs, and before she knew it, she was slamming into something, again.
"Oww! What is the deal with you guys running into me!?" Dria asked as she gained her balance again. She shone her flash light at what she hit, and this time it was Aaron. "Oh, sorry Aaron. I just needed to get away from the others for an hour… or two… or maybe three. I didn't mean to yell at you."
"Nah, it's ok," commented Aaron as he was standing up from the knock out. "I'm used to it. The guys yell at me all the time… well, mostly Zak does… and it's usually as a joke. He's also one of my best friends, so I don't let it get to me."
"I've seen on the show how you're always the one that's picked on, especially by Zak. Why does he pick on you so? Is it only in the show or is it in real life as well?"
"Luckily, it's only really on the show. It makes our viewers laugh more. Not that it's staged or anything, it's naturally put in there. It's just, apparently people find it funny that I am put into the 'worst' rooms… well, I guess it's my fault that I tend to show fear around the spirits. Oh well, I'm not complaining."
"Ok, if you say so. I know your fans are important, but if someone is out of line while I'm around either with you guys or with fans, I have no problems setting them straight."
"Just curious, why or how would you get anything from fans?"
"Well, Aaron, number one: curiosity killed the cat, so be careful." Both Dria and Aaron laughed at this. "Number two: if I'm aired in this episode with you guys, your fans will know about me and possibly try to 'reach out' to me. Number three: I'm pretty sure a lot of Zak's 'fangirls' wouldn't like how I'm treating him. To be fair, he does have an ego the size of Asia."
"That is a reasonable evaluation. Now here's my other question, why were you flying down the stairs angry? You don't seem like the kind of person who lets things get under your skin."
Dria put on a fake smile, "I just needed to get away from the guys. Maybe I'll tell you the full reason at another time. Right now, I'd like to talk to Billy about that EVP."
"He might not have anything yet, Dria."
"Why do you say that?"
"See these little devices we have clipped to our belts?" Dria gave him the sarcastic head shake. "Billy will radio us when he's found something."
"I get that, but I want to see if I can help in any way."
"Oh, I see. Well, then I guess I'll see you in an hour or so, dude."
"Dudette."
"What?"
"Dudette. It's the female way of saying 'dude.'"
"Oh, ok, dudette." Dria put her thumbs up with a smile as she walked away from Aaron. "Strange, that woman is… she'll fit right in," mumbled Aaron.
"How is it going over there, Billy?" asked Zak over the walkie.
"Nothing much, I'm still trying to decipher the EVP on the recorder that Aaron gave me. How's it…" Billy cut off mid-sentence due to a presence he felt coming up from behind him.
"Billy? Billy, is everything ok?"
"Yeah… I just felt like something was coming up from behind me." Billy turned around one more time. "But I don't… holy shit!" Billy screamed from seeing a figure getting closer to him in the dark with a red ball of light.
"Billy!?"
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, Billy!" apologized Dria.
"Geez, Dria! You scared the shit out of me!
"Billy! Billy, don't worry, we're on our way!" yelled Zak through the walkie.
Billy almost forgot about Zak. "Zak, dude, it's ok! It was only Dria. She snuck up on me on accident. You guys don't have to come back yet, finish your session first."
Dria took the walkie from Billy, "Sorry, Zak. Apparently, I'm really good at sneaking up on people. It's all good now."
"Well, that's good to know. Why did you go to nerve center anyway? You're not scared, are you?"
"Oh yeah, Zak, that's it. I'm so totally scared…" Dria rolled her eyes. "I just don't want to be around you right now. Besides, I thought I could help Billy decipher the EVP. I got pretty good at figuring out what people were saying in telephone recordings for criminal investigations; so maybe I could figure out what the spirit entity was saying."
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but we're heading back anyways with some video footage that Aaron found on the static night vision camera that was focused on the cell you were just at with us…"
Oh God, please don't tell me they saw me talking to a ghost… thought Dria.
"… basically, we found a white mist floating behind me… and in front of you, Dria. Was that why you were crying?"
"No comment, end of conversation," Dria said and handed the walkie back to Billy while asking, "Can I see the evaluation of the EVP, please?"
Billy was puzzled as to what just happened with Dria and Zak on the walkie talkie, but he pulled up the analysis for her anyway. "What's up with you two?" he asked.
"Nothing… doesn't matter anyway, I'm only with you guys for this one investigation. I get what I want, you guys get what you want, everyone's happy."
Billy just shrugged and went to the other monitors to watch the other static night vision cameras around the prison.
Dria sat in a chair in front of the monitor with the EVP of the dark entity from the Hole. She wanted to first listen to it to see if she could understand it with modern technology instead of her own ears. If she could figure out what the entity said through the recording device, then the guys could too… and then she'd have to go through the trouble of messing with the EVP, and she really didn't have time for that.
Expanding the sound waves with the program on the computer, Dria was able to zoom in on the hidden message in the EVP. The first time she heard the entity through the recording, she could make out every syllable, but only fragments of words, like what the guys were able to point out right after hearing the live playback. Dria played the recording over and over again so see if she could make out anything, but she seemed to keep getting distracted by the monitors that were showing the guys walking back to home base. Any minute, the guys would be back, so she needed to focus on what the EVP was saying. As her way of focusing, she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes to zone in on the one sense, of hearing. Luckily, it didn't take much or her to hear something, since she was gifted in sensitive hearing (and smell, but sight… not so much). One last time, she was able to hear: "disembodied growl… I want… not…" and then she felt fingers tickling the back of her neck. As a self defense, she spun around faster than you could say "welcome foolish mortals" and swung at the first alive thing that was in her fists path. Of course, it just so happened to be the guy she despised the most… Zak.
"Aaron, do you think Zak is going to truly hate me forever now?" asked Dria as they were walking towards the back part of the reformatory (the second story of the East Wing to the Infirmary where there had been countless attacks on people).
Now I can't delete that EVP or the video of me and the Cell 13 ghost. Yup, I'm screwed… and not the literal sense. I just don't want them jumping up and down for joy for the 'evidence' I got for them. Hello, just because the guy is dead doesn't mean he doesn't deserve privacy.
"Nah, he'll get over it, eventually," shrugged Aaron. "Believe it or not, whenever we break his concentration on accident or on purpose, he totally flips out too. Sometimes he actually hits us, other times he just storms off from anger."
"So, in other words, we seem to be alike?"
"Yes and no. You seem to think of others first, unless they're the ones being stupid, then you're unafraid of telling them so, like you have been with Zak. However, you both seem to be passionate about historical places. For him, it's the paranormal part, and for you it's just the history… well, the history of law and criminal activity."
"I guess… wait…" stopped Dria as she heard a loud bang coming from the operation room of the infirmary. "Did you hear that Aaron?"
"Yeah. I heard a man screaming too." Aaron hit rewind on his camera to see if he captured the bang and scream. "Oh my God," gasped Aaron. "That door over there that leads to the old elevator, it just opened then slammed shut!"
Dria took the camera from Aaron and looked at the footage. She saw what Aaron described, but also saw what Aaron couldn't: a man in a prison uniform with red eyes smiling at them as he slammed the door. She also noticed that the scream came from the elevator shaft of a trapped spirit. The one thing that Aaron didn't hear was the prisoner saying, "Our master is waiting for you at the Hole, Miss Alexandria."
Of course, how the spirit knew who she was freaked Dria out, on the inside. She just knew that this prisoner in the infirmary with Aaron and her was NOT a demon, like most people would think, because of the red eyes. Based on her past experience, she could tell that this spirit was just an evil spirit who followed and did the dirty work for a real demon. Since she's good at drawing conclusions, she knew the entity in the Hole was, in fact, a demon; and the evil spirits contained in this once active prison all confine to its demands like slaves.
To help Dria snap out of the realization of the real terror in the reformatory, Zak's voice came from the walkie talkie. "Hey guys, it's a few hours until day break. We need to split up to do some sessions alone."
Dria knew this was the perfect time to go to the Hole, alone. "I'll go to the Hole, Zak," Dria said over the walkie. She could tell Zak rolled his eyes at that.
"I don't think that's a good idea. We don't want you swinging at nothing you know."
"Whatever, Zak, I'm going there whether you approve or not." She stuck her tongue out at him, making Aaron laugh since only he could physically see that.
"Why are you so keen on going down there?" Few moments of silence pass… "Whatever, do what you want. I hope you know that's the worst place in the reformatory. It's been known to have occurrences happen more when women are around: with being touched and hearing dark/demonic voices."
"I know, Zak. That's why I want to go, to prove that the thing down there doesn't mess with any other woman. I'm not afraid."
"Ugh, fine. Just call any one of us on the walkie if you ever need help or you see something. I'm going to the Chapel; hoping to get some demonic activity. Aaron, you should stay where you are. There have been numerous attacks on people up there."
"Of course," Aaron said under his breath.
"Nick will be going to Cell 13 where the man burned himself to death."
Good luck with that, considering he's no longer there, Dria thought.
Going to the Hole, the only explanation to the spirits in the facility knowing and fearing this entity is that it is a demon… in other words, a fallen angel who follows Lucifer. Dria knew the danger in putting herself in a demon's way, but with her experience with the things, she knew that her curse was the only way to help keep the world safe from them. Of course, the crew had no idea she had this experience, but she wanted to keep it that way and was hoping she could do her job without them finding out.
Dria made her way to the Hole and prayed the whole time walking to it: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, your rod and staff comfort me. You are always with me, You never leave me nor forsake me. I still don't understand why you've given me this ability, Lord. It frightens me every day because at a moment's notice, a demon could take over me or the people I care most about in my life just to get to me… like they have before. I know only we can control letting them in, but it's still a major fear. So, once again, please protect me with your grace and love, so I may be put to fight for you another day. My heart and soul are Yours, Lord, please protect me from any harm that may come from returning this fallen angel to the known Abyss. I love You & I praise You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
As soon as Dria entered the area known as the Hole, she came face to face with red eyed black figure. She knew that if she showed any kind of fear, it would gain confidence and use anything to tear her down. So, she had a perfectly straight face, just as before when she was down there with the guys. Which, she then wondered if the guys were, at all, in a similar "frightening" situation…
Aaron had only heard laughter echoing through the infirmary when Dria left. "This is Aaron in the infirmary. I can only document the sound of multiple spirits laughing; only it isn't a humor/good laughing. It's the kind of laughing that the guys and I have heard before on lock downs… when the spirits are laughing at us and mocking us. I also feel like I'm standing in a crowded room where people are pointing and laughing. It's just strange because why would I feel that way when nothing has been documented on the infirmary hosting events like that."
Nick was in Cell 13, hoping to get some visual or audio evidence of the man who burned himself to death. However, from a recent event that was unknown to him, the man was set free by Dria earlier in the investigation. After asking what seemed like hundreds of questions out loud, Nick was about to give up and head back to base when he suddenly saw a shadow-like apparition leaning on the fence down the walkway of the cell row in his night-vision camera. "This is Nick at Cell 13. I wasn't able to get any EVPs, audio, or visual evidence until I pointed my camera down the walkway of the cells and saw a full shadow apparition. But, when I tried to video more of the apparition, it disappeared. That was completely freaky, man. I can't wait to show the guys."
Zak was in the Chapel, where it was known for people to get scratched and eerie voices through EVPs. "Alright you evil bastards who are scratching people! The Ghost Adventures Crew are back and we're taking you down, showing the world how cowardly you really are!" Just as soon as Zak shared his opinion to the unknown spirits, he got an unrelated response through the spirit box: "… he's… gonna.. get… her…" "…unexplained laughter…" Zak had to replay the audio from the camera to make sure he heard the voice on the spirit box correctly. What is this thing talking about? wondered Zak. Who is this "he" and who is the "she"… *gasp*… "Dria…" he breathed in shock.
"So… we meet at last… Alexandria." hissed the demon. "I have been waiting for you. I knew you'd come, even though I had hoped you would have come alone."
"Well, this was the only way I could get in to this place. I could hear your calling from miles away. What do you want?"
"What do you think I want? I want your soul."
"Ha! Right, and I want there to be world peace, but you know, we can't always get what we want. Besides, according to the man upstairs, my soul isn't something I can just give away. So, try again demon."
"Don't you dare taunt me, human! You should be trembling in fear!" the demon growled in anger.
"I am not afraid of you. You're pathetic and weak." The whole time, Dria kept a straight face, showed no emotion. She could feel the mini bible in her pocket and her silver knife in her boot.
"Weak!? You think I'm weak? I'll show you weak!" The demon started rattling the cell doors so much to where the one closest to them was being pulled off with so much force, it actually began to scare Dria.
Oh fuck, thought Dria. I guess I better quit the chit-chat. As soon as she balanced herself while holding her bible, the demon rushed up on her and knocked the bible out of her hands. It's red eyes looked into her soul and growled with satisfaction because it knew that Dria was beginning to be afraid. Dria may have been afraid, but she did not dare scream and still stood her ground. It reached for her neck, to attempt to choke her, however it repelled in anger because of the silver cross with a Jesus Christ figure she wore on her throat. From anger, the demon through Dria against a nearby wall (that was hard brick), knocking the wind out of her. Amazingly, Dria was still able to recite bible verses in Hebrew: "… though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me…"
"You will learn to fear me! You will learn to obey me and only me!"
"NO! I will not fear you nor obey you! I only obey my Father in heaven! The one who created me and loves me! The God in the Highest who sent His one and ONLY Son to die for my sins so that I may live forever with Him in heaven! You know who that is, pathetic demon!? I know you do. All followers of Satan know of the Son of the Father."
"Don't you dare say it, human! You have no right to even speak the name!"
"His name, is the Name Above All Names…" the demon growled. "… He is the King of all Kings, Lord of all Lords. Emmanuel. He is… Jesus Christ our Savior."
"No!" the demon roared with rage. The demon's temperament grew far worse and its energy caused the doors in the Hole to all slam shut. Dria also got thrown against the bars of the cells and hit her head on the metal bar, knocking her out making her completely lifeless on the ground. "I have you now," laughed the dark entity.
Dria dreamed of feet running towards her and hearing a voice: "Dria! Get up!"
That voice turned out to be non other than Zak. The demon sneered and shoved Zak against the stone wall, making it difficult for Zak to breathe and making him drop the camera onto the cold stone ground. Zak, trying to catch his breath (and unable to move because the demon put a hold on him) looked over to Dria and saw that she was still unmoving. The demon only laughed at their mortal weakness and was inching over towards Dria to consume her when all of a sudden, there was no more darkness, only light. The bright light came from around Dria and speared toward the demon. The evil entity tried to disappear, but the strong luminescent light caught it and turned it into dust. After the demon was destroyed, the light vanished and all that were left were Dria on the ground and Zak trying to stand up so he could walk over to her to make sure she was still alive.
As he reached for her shoulder, she began coughing, "Thanks, Abigail. You always show up when I need you." She then turned to sit up and breathe for a few minutes.
"Dria, what just happened?" Zak was asking in freight. Shit, she thought, I completely thought he was only in my dream. I didn't know he was actually here! Great. "Also, who is Abigail?" Zak was now kneeling next to Dria, who was now sitting and leaning against the wall. He saw the cut and bruise on her forehead. "We should probably get you to a doctor," he suggested as he moved her hair from her face to see how bad the damage was.
Dria looked at him with exhaustion, "No, Zak, it's okay. I'm okay. This honestly happens more than you'd believe." Zak gave a worried look. "Hello, working with the Police Department and all, doi. Just because I already work with dead bodies doesn't mean it's a 'safe' job."
For some strange reason, Dria and Zak had a moment where they didn't argue or disagree. They were both in shock, Zak was in the most shock considering from the years of doing this job, he's NEVER seen anything like that. Out of nowhere, there were lights coming from down the tunnel, making Dria gasp of surprise. Zak turned towards the light, only to find that the light was coming from both Aaron and Nick. They had flashlights and their night vision cameras were fully charged. "Uh… hey… guys…" Zak mumbled and stood up rather quickly. So much for a decent moment, thought Dria.
"What happened down here guys?" Aaron asked with a concerned look on his face. "We heard something that sounded like a sonic boom. It seriously freaked me out, bro. Then I tried to radio everyone, but only Nick responded."
"Yeah, it was seriously weird, dude," commented Nick. "I wasn't getting anything until I saw a dark shadow figure lean onto the fence a few cells down… and then the loud 'Boom!' happened. When Aaron called me over the radio, we decided to meet up with Billy to see where you guys might be. Of course, he saw where Zak headed to before his camera went out, so that's when we practically ran down here."
"Guys," Zak started, "I didn't see much because I was knocked out. However, I swear I saw a demon in full apparition." Zak bent back down to Dria, so he was eye level with her once more. "Dria," he sighed, "what really happened? Who… is… Abigail? And how did that thing know you by name?" Both Nick and Aaron looked to Dria, then Zak, then each other with puzzled looks of shock.
Shit… I was hoping not to tell these guys, because the next thing I know, I'm all over the media being labeled as a "psychic" or "medium" or something. I just know they're reactions will be the "happy-shock" attitude: "Wow! That's awesome! What's it like!? We can't wait to tell our viewers and other believers!" You know, the blah-blah-blah and yay-yay-yay. With what Zak saw, and how much they believe in the supernatural, it wouldn't hurt to tell them the truth, right?
Zak saw the worry in Dria's eyes. "Dria, you can trust us. If you don't want your story told, then we won't tell it."
Dria looked to Zak, up to Aaron and Nick who were standing a few feet away, where the demon was. She took a deep breath, "Alright. I will tell you the truth... ONLY if you keep this off record, deal?" They all nodded their heads in agreement and turned off their cameras. "I was trying to exercise the demon that was down here. I saw it completely standing there earlier when we were down here as a team, but it wouldn't do any real harm because it only wanted to hurt one person: me." Nick and Aaron had 'deer in the headlights' looks, while Zak just stared, with a significant amount of concentration. "This is why I chose this room to be alone in. I don't like when other people get hurt on my account, plus I've dealt with this kind of entity before." Dria saw how they were forming words in their heads and how their lips were moving to get prepared to say something… well except Zak. "Look before you start asking questions on how I know this, let me at least explain what happened here.
"I came down here to attempt on sending the demon controlling this place back to The Abyss, or at least try to confront it. By the way, The Abyss is a biblical term that isn't referenced as 'Hell' per say, but a place that demons fear the most. As soon as it saw me, it started throwing me against the stone walls to make me physically weak so that it may take over my body. The only things that it wasn't counting on were: my strong will and faith of Christ in my heart, Zak showing up out of nowhere (which I have no idea why he came down here to begin with), and my guardian angel, Abigail."
"Well," started Zak, "considering of what just happened and from what you're telling us, this won't sound crazy at all: a spirit in the Chapel gave me a warning that something was going to happen to you. So, I ran down here thinking I could save you. I had no idea that there would be a full apparition demon trying to consume you… and of course it made me paralyzed from the impact of being thrown into the cell steel doors. I saw a white light appear out of nowhere like 10 minutes after that. Now that was bizarre… so… you're telling me that the bright white light I saw basically destroy the demon was actually your guardian angel?"
"Yes, it was. She tends to show up when I'm in the most trouble, which luckily doesn't happen very often." The guys gave Dria a strange look as to say, 'Riiggghht.' "What? I can hold my own. I'm not a 'damsel in distress' like most women in this situation, alright?"
Aaron just put his hands up, palms facing Dria, "Ok, ok, we understand to not to sub-categorize you, Miss Heroine. But seriously, dude, that… is fucking awesome!" Both Aaron and Nick had giddy looks on their faces.
Dria couldn't help but smile at that, "Thanks, I guess, Aaron. Just to be clear though, I don't think it's that magnificent of an ability."
"Why do you say that?" asked Nick. "You're basically a medium, aren't you? To us, in this business, that would be awesome."
"Well," started Dria, "since we're basically being 'out in the open' here: I actually don't know what I am. I don't consider myself a medium because not only can I sense the paranormal, I can also just flat out see them like I see you. Mediums just sense their presence and see a vision of what the spirit may look like in their mind. Obviously, you can all draw the conclusion that I can also see demons and angels, which is also no walk in the park, believe me… one is just a frightening as the other. I've been able to communicate and see the supernatural since I was a toddler, to say the least, or at least when I was old enough to remember."
"Can you do anything else?" asked Nick.
"Yeah, can you like touch the spirits like you can touch us?" asked Aaron.
"Do you remember your first spirit or entity?" Nick asked a second question.
Aaron was getting excited, "How many angels have…"
"Whoa, guys!" Dria nearly yelled out of frustration. "Gah! You see why I didn't want to tell you anything? I knew you'd be asking a million questions. Look, the sun will rise soon, so we'll be done with this investigation for the night. Please do me a favor, don't mention this to anyone, and I mean anyone. The only people I'd be lenient on are Billy and Jay… they most likely saw and heard me talking to the spirit in Cell 13 anyway."
"So, that's why I couldn't get any visual or voice analysis!" Nick expressed in relief. "I thought the guy just didn't want to talk to me."
"Okay, I understand that you guys set out to find real hard evidence of the paranormal… but…" Dria says with a worried face. "I need you guys to promise me that you won't share my ability, my cursed gift, to your viewers, least of all the world."
"Dria…" Zak finally spoke, "don't you know how much this will help us? How much it would help people get answers of what happens to us beyond the grave? What happens to our loved ones?"
"That's all humans care about, getting answers." Dria spat out. She was clenching her fists so hard, her knuckles were turning white and her nails were paper-cutting her skin. I can't believe it! I knew all they cared about were ratings and getting more viewers! Gah! I am so furious right now, but I can't let them see that. I can't let them see me cry in anger. They will never understand how this 'curse' affects me and my life. Dria stood up with her head held high, hands in her jacket pockets. She spoke with a shaky and cracked voice, "Do you guys ever think about why God has certain things happen the way they do? Why people who spend their lives trying to figure the world out end up going to the looney bin? We're not created to 'understand' everything in this world. We cannot fathom the reasons God has things happen in the time He wants it to; just like we cannot fathom how great his love, forgiveness, and meekness are. Those people who call themselves 'mediums' and 'psychics' don't understand the real responsibility of this 'special communication.' They share it with the world because they want attention and want everyone to know they're 'special.' I may not know what God wants with me, but I do know that He wants me to share in secret, like Christ did." Dria paused for what felt like miles of seconds that would not pass by. "I need you guys to promise. Promise that you will not under any circumstances, share this with anyone."
Nick, Aaron, and Zak all looked at each other with empathy. Then looking back to Dria, all three said sporadically, "I promise."
"Good. Thank you for including me on this investigation, but it was definitely a one-time deal. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get home to my family." Dria grabbed her camera and used the night vision on the camera to walk out of the Hole, passing the guys without one glance.
As Dria was walking back up the steps into the main hallway between the West and East Cell Blocks, she was hearing soft voices down both of the cell blocks. She couldn't understand what they were saying, so she paused with her eyes shut in the middle of the hallway. Dria then felt a cold touch on her arm. Opening her eyes to see who or what it was, a younger looking man in a prison uniform was standing beside her. "Thank you," he said. Then within seconds, he vanished.
This occurrence brought tears to Dria's eyes, "You're welcome." She stood there for a moment, taking deep breaths, so that her breathing wasn't noticeably heavy when she got back to nerve center to give Billy the camera.
"Dria!" She heard a voice yell behind her. "Wait up!" She didn't turn around to see who it was; instead, she just continued speed-walking towards the nerve center. Next thing she knew, there was a soft hand on her right arm. He was out of breath from running to catch up to her. "Dria," his voice was calm and gentle, "please wait for a minute."
She finally turned to face the lead investigator. "I don't know what you want from me, Zak, but I'm done. One investigation with you is enough to last a lifetime." They stood in an area were the sun was streaming through the windows. Dria could see the concern in his eyes, which she thought was strange because a moment ago she could only see revelation. "Why do you care? You may have experiences of your own with devilish entities, but you have no idea what things like that are truly capable of."
"Honestly, I don't know why I care so much. I barely know you and from the bits and pieces I have gathered about you, I just want to forget you're even here. However, something inside of me is telling me completely opposite, kind of like a Jiminy Cricket in my heart. Don't worry, I haven't actually eaten any crickets." Dria just looked at him like, 'Seriously?' "So much for trying to get you to laugh. I can see that something is going on in that head of yours; I'm just trying to help. The spirits spoke to you again, didn't they?"
Dria stared at him with tiny puddles of water appearing under her eyes. "So what if they did? Are you going to beat yourself up because you didn't get it on tape?"
Zak used his right hand to wipe away the tears on Dria's face while still gently holding her right arm. "No. I'm sorry for offending you; I speak without thinking sometimes… or most of the time. It is ok to get emotional, you know."
Dria politely removed his one hand from her face and the other from her arm. "For me, getting emotional has always cost something. I'm sorry, I have to go." She stepped past him towards the door about a meter away, gave one last heartfelt look to Zak, and then walked into the room where the tech analyst was gathering up equipment.
Zak followed after her, and then came Nick and Aaron. After a few minutes, the team was ready to head out and head back to their hotel. Dria said good bye to everyone but Zak, giving Aaron a hug and business card, then marched up the pebble road to her parked car on the other side of the street. As soon as the engine of her Aunt's truck rumbled, she never looked back while driving away because she was afraid of caring for him in return.
Aaron was sad after Dria left, Nick was disappointed that she wouldn't help them, and Zak just simply wanted to forget about her.