Just outside the Ghost Industries, an old chevy el camino careered round the corner and skidded to a stop near the buildings entrance. The driver's door opens and out jumps Arny. He rushes over to a nearby mail box, flipping the lid down he reaches inside and pulls out a letter. The address read out:

"ARNY-THE-ENTITY"
GHOST PLANET INDUSTRIES
JUMP CITY, USA

Without sparing a thought he torn open the letter, two small pieces of paper fell into his sleeved palm. "Alright! A review and a follower! It's working!" Arny exclaimed triumphantly. He then entered the studio and hurriedly made his way through the building. Finlay arriving back at his desk, he slid onto the chair and snatched up the remote. "Lets get right back to it! been waitin' on this thing for far to long now!" Taking aim at the TV screen he unpaused it.

THE DISPATCH

Part 10: The Institute

"If you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze right back." - Friedrich Nietzsche

(MSP) Audionautix - Deep Space

Beast Boy warily approached the schools main entrance. His heart still pounding, he prepared for the worst and shoved one of the doors open. Inside he was met with an empty and mostly darkened lobby, with no traces of life. "Just like everywhere else." Beast Boy whispered, still on edge from the whispering thing in the sewers. He still didn't know what had happened to the city... if he could even call it a city. Trying not to think about it that way, he shook the glowstick into to life, aiming it across the lobby.

It looked normal enough, just... elderly, like it hadn't been touched in ages. He took a few steps forward when something on a nearby wall caught his eye. Of all things, an inside map of the school was displayed on the wall behind a plastic coating. Beast Boy reached up and wiped most of the dust from it. The map showed that the school was divided into three main sections, the areas included: 'New Library', 'Labs' and 'Old School'. The school was actually a pretty large campus, considering if it only had a full student body of only twelve or thirteen hundred. Putting this little detail aside, Beast Boy wondered on where he should go next? there were two connecting corridors that lead to different sections, while the back of the lobby lead to the teachers offices. Deciding on the fact that he was close to them he made a move towards the offices.

Beast Boy's brow furrowed when he got to the back of the lobby. A single door had been left wide open, it was one of those reinforced safety doors that are required to be kept shut at all times in case of a fire. BB wondered why it had been left open, but was glad that he didn't have to find a key or something. Stepping passed the open door, a corridor that was a lined with seven doors on the left side met him. He slowly progressed forward, all of the doors were open and he cautiously shone his glowstick around as he searched each room. Most of the rooms held little interest, they were just basic school offices, all of which held little to no information of who they belonged to. Advancing further on he became uncomfortably aware of the weird feeling of walking through an environment, that used to be bustling with people... only to be quieter now than a cemetery.

Pushing that though from his mind, he came to a small junction where another corridor connected. Poking his head around the corner, he was met with a shorter coriander, this one only having two doors on the far left side. There was also a fairly large fax machine that stood against the wall. "Hmm... didn't know people still used these." He mumbled. Walking into the hall, he licked his dry lips as he came upon the first door. The name 'ROBERT' was written on a small plastic label, screwed neatly into the door. He tried the handle but he found it to be locked. A little puzzled by this, he looked over at the neighboring door, this one showcased the name 'ALAN' and had been left slightly ajar. He pushed it open to find another room full of mostly office stuff, but as he looked around he picked up a soft, barley audible whirring sound. The computer monitor on the desk lit up, startling him. But, what was even more startling... it was on. Coming closer, he studied the screen. It was on some sort of word processor. The message on it was brief:

I see you...

(MSP) Soundscape for scary stories - Haunting

Beast Boy stared at the screen, his jaw falling slightly. "W-Who typed this?" He murmured. But wait... if the power was out why was it on? Beast Boy followed it's wires for an electrical outlet. He found none, so... maybe it had some kind of internal battery? He didn't know. Taking a look around the office, the desk was littered with office supplies. Pencils, pens, guide books, a stapler, an empty coffee mug and soda can, an old vintage radio, etc. A not pad was placed next to the keyboard, with a short sentence written at the top.

I wonder where Robert went? One day he was here, and suddenly just vanishes and stops coming into work.

"The guy next door disappeared?" Thinking back to notes left by the lost workers from the sewer, he searched for more clues. There was a small set of draws sitting under the desk, and he opened thous as well. From inside the third draw he pulled out a huge key-chain with about ten to twenty keys on it. They made a jingle sound as he examined them. "These might come in handy." Beast Boy whispered.

An electronic noise came from down the corridor. Beast Boy jumped and spun round, ready to protect himself. Seeing no one there he slowly glanced around the door frame. It was... the fax machine? He left the office and went over to take a look. It was printing out a fax all by itself. When it finished he took hold of the fax and read it.

You got the keys to the kingdom right there. Any door that don't open, you don't want to go in it.

Beast Boy swallowed a lump in his throat, having that feeling, when you know you're totally alone, and nobody can see you, but you feel eyes on you? Have you ever gone left instead of right, because you got a feeling that you just shouldn't go to the right today?

His eyes narrowing, Beast Boy stuck the fax into a nearby waste basket. "Creepy." He murmured and began to look through the key-chain. A few of them were labeled with felt tip markers while the others were just plain bronze or silver. The letters 'ROB OFCE' caught his attention. "This one must be for Robert's office... these must be a set of master keys." He figured and took hold of said key, he inserted it. The lock turned and the door sprang open. Beast Boy jumped back but found no threat so he relaxed. Swallowing, he made his way inside. Unlike Alan's office Robert's computer was turned off, and his desk held only a few items. A telephone, a desk lamp that had a cracked bulb, a few cardboard files, a small plant that had long since wilted... an Ouija Board. Beast Boy paused at the last item. There was no mistaking it. A rectangular board showcasing all the letters from A to Z in an arch form, along with a row of numbers form 0 to 10.

Why on earth would he keep an Ouija Board in his office? or in a school for that matter? more disturbingly, a pentagram had been painted over the board in a substance that reminded him of dried blood. Trying not to think about it, he turned to find something equally distressing. A white board stood fixed to the wall before him. Three messages had been written on it, each in a different font style.

I HEAR HER KNOCKS ON THE DOOR!

SHE'S COMING CLOSER...

A GHOST?

OR THE DEVIL IN VEIL?

Devil in veil? had this man seen something? just who was he talking about? Beast Boy bit his lip. He was still no closer to finding what exactly had happened to the city, all he did know was the city was abandoned, an unknown force had taken over, he had a teammate down, the others were missing, someone or something was watching him and he still had no clue what he was up against. "I just wish I could find -!"

The phone rang.

Beast Boy jumped, whirling around. The telephone on Robert's desk was ringing. But... the power was out... wait, weren't phone lines separate from electrical lines? or where they? He didn't know, but moved to answer it. It could be a trick... it could be a trap... but the phone was ringing, and all phones need to be answered eventually. Licking his dry lips, Beast Boy picked it up off the receiver, placing it near his ear. "H... Hello? he whispered.

"Haaaaaseeeeeooooooraaaaaaseeeeeth..." A whisper answered him. Beast Boy turned pale, it was the same whispers from before. "I... See... You..." The line went dead after that. Beast Boy stared at the phone itself. He hadn't recognized the added voice at all. It sounded feminine... could it of been the voice of the so called 'Devil in Vial?' God, it sounded so real... his hand shaking, Beast Boy hung up the phone. "It's just trying to scare me..." He whispered, looking at the phone as if it might talk back. Regaining some confidence, he squared his shoulders and left the office.

(MSP)

Making his way carefully back to the main lobby, he took another look at the inside map he'd found earlier. With the now given ability to unlock every door in the campus, Beast Boy began to explore. Starting with the corridor that led to the 'New Library' he opened each room, each closet, making a map in his head of where everything was.

(MSP) Audionautix - Deep Space

The 'New Library' had long since lost its 'new' look, built in the late 90s boom, and made in that unique red-brick-and-glass style like everything else during those years. After a long search, had cleared all the rooms in the library. It was pretty and ultimately unimpressive. A number of books, papers and supplies had been left strewn about the place, as if there had been a mad rush of Finals just before the campus was deserted. A door on the left by the entrance opened fairly easily, onto a storage closet. There were stacks of late Sixties-era books, a few desks and a decaying mop in it's bucket. The reception desk stood vacant, with the swivel chair fallen on it's side. Walking over to it, he was confronted with something unexpected.

CHECK THE DRAWER

THE LIGHT IS YOUR FRIEND

/ROBERT

It was scribbled on a white piece of paper in all capitals. Beast Boy noticed an uncapped marker pen laying next to it. "Eh...?" Surprised to find a note detailing instructions, Beast Boy circled around the reception desk to find a set of three draws, he searched through them until he found the item that 'Robert' was directing him to. Reaching in he pulled out a medium sized candle, it was brown in color and was relatively thick. Some matches were also inside the draw, but Beast Boy remembered he still had his trusty lighter. "Hmm... might be useful if my glowstick runs out." Pocketing it, he took one last look around before returning to the corridor.

The 'Labs' as it turned out were a Brutalist horror of poured concrete slabs and tiny windows, built back in the 70s when buildings that looked like Soviet radiators were in style. The technology inside was more up to date, but there were many things that even Cyborg would consider foreign to his way of life. A calendar hung on a nearby wall, showing the current date marked as 20th December 2006. "Wait... but that's... two months away." He uttered. This was now the second time he'd found something from that was dated from days yet to come. Scratching his head in confusion he thought it best to move on to the next section. Wondering through the hallways he walked slowly and patiently as he could, listening for any sound that would warn him of any enemys, but found none. He could hear his own breathing, his heartbeat... he started shaking. Nothing was more disturbing to one with his sense of hearing than absolute silence.

Beast Boy soon found himself at the last section to search, the 'Old School'. He found it to be a four-story V-shaped building which had no elevators and narrow stairwells. He started with the top floors and discovered a small room in the far end off the Left Wing that must have been an old principles office, complete with what was once a beautiful antique desk and wardrobe. He checked both, but the wardrobe was empty save for a moth-eaten wool scarf, and the desk's contents were limited to a few old newspapers and some tax forms from the 1950s. The levels below had rows of doors leading of at regular intervals. He unlocked them to find they were all classrooms, all of which were abandoned, dust-covered, and mostly empty. There were a total of twelve disused classrooms in the building, along with two small restrooms and a small breakroom, complete with a lonely coffee pot.

Eventually he came to the last door on the ground level, slightly annoyed that hadn't found anymore clues, he reached out and touched the handle. The doorknob turned, but the door wouldn't open. Not entirely surprised by this he looked more closely, and saw a small keyhole. He checked his magic keychain, and found three possible matches. After he struck out on the first two, the third worked, of course. The hinges squealed like they hadn't been used in a long time (decades.)

What he found was a much Larger classroom. There were desks, a blackboard, anatomical diagrams, and posters on the walls. Everything was covered in an inch of dust. The very air he breathed was dusty, and a little cloud of disturbed dust followed him around the room. A row of naked bulbs hung down from the ceiling, all of which had blown. Beast Boy took out the glowstick and shook it to life, shinning the green light in the dark corners. He looked for anything that stood out, something that was less dusty than the rest of the room... it didn't take long. Beast Boy moved towards the far end of the room, his eyes focused on a single desk in the corner, another note from Robert lay in it's center.

SHE WON'T LET YOU LEAVE /ROBERT

Frowning, he picked the note up and turned it over. There was nothing else. Feeling a sense of unease he turned to leave and jolted to a stop.

(MSP)

There was a person sitting at one of the desk on the other side of the room.

(MSP) Kevin MacLeod - The Dread

That hadn't been there before, he was sure of it. Beast Boy forced down the shudder that he felt rising in him. Keeping a tight grip on the glowstick with one hand he reached into his pocket and withdrew his lighter. He then morphed a monkey tail which took hold of the spray can. With his weapons at the ready he began sidestepping slowly along the side of the room. Keeping his back to the wall, he kept his eyes focused on the black silhouette that sat near the rooms entrance. It sat leaning on the desk with it's arms raised, it's hands shielding it's face from view. Holding his breath as his distance shortened, he notice the person had long hair that streaked down passed it's shoulders. Was it a... girl? while thinking this his tail accidentally bumped a discarded glass cup, knocking it off a desk and onto the floor, shattering on impact. Beast Boy jumped and looked down at the broken glass. A low growling sound was suddenly heard. he looked back to see the person was now looking straight at him. Beast Boy saw the face and staggered backward with a scream.

It was Terra!

(MSP) Kevin MacLeod - The House of Leaves

A shocked look was on her face, as if she was frozen in fear. The eyes rolled back into the skull to display black, lifeless sockets. Her mouth was wide open and extended further than it should have been allowed. Beast Boy feel back onto a desk, it broke apart with age and he feel to the floor! dust and pieces of wood flew in all directions. He thrashed back into a standing position, thoroughly shaken and holding the back of his head due to the pain he'd received. Terra stood from her desk, the school uniform she wore from the last time he saw her, ripped holes covered her shirt, and her tie was missing. Before he hand anytime to react she lot out a bloodcurdling screech, lunging towards him.

"Holy shi-!" He didn't have time to finish cursing, as he narrowly missed getting tackled to the ground. Terra landed on the remains of the broken desk. Beast Boy looked around for his glowstick, he dropped it when he fell, along with the lighter and spray can. Terra snapped her head towards him with an audible 'Crack', jumping to her feet she made another run at him. Beast Boy morphed into a rabbit, dodging her attack. A loud crash was head as Terra slammed into another desk, breaking it apart. Beast Boy scurried under the row of desks, searching fanatically for any of his weapons. Beast Boy's small form bumped into something plastic and cylinder shaped, changing back almost immediately he took hold of what was mercifully the glowstick.

Shacking it with all his might until the bright neon light flickered into life. He looked up in time to see the demonic Terra rise up from the wreckage, and charge straight for him. Before he could move he was tackled to the ground and she straddled over him. It was then he noticed her hands, and he gasped as he saw they were long slender claws. Quickly raising his one hand to hold her off as she took several swipes at him, he reached over, feeling for the glowstick again. He felt his shirt get torn in his midsection, he whimpered loudly beneath her. "No... Terra... ah...!" He winced as she clawed at his chest.

"Malaki!" She hissed in a voice like ice. With tears forming in his eyes as he finally grabbed the glowstick, thrusting it up and stabbing it into her right eye. Terra reared up with a roar, clutching at her face as she fell back. Beast Boy pushed himself up, slumping against the teachers desk. He caught a glimpse of his lighter and spray can on the floor and quickly made a grab for them. The possessed Terra thrashed about, pulling hard on the violating glowstick, only to have it break in half. A green chemical poured out over her face, causing it to start smoking, she let out another horrifying scream. Picking up the spray can and holding it to the lighter, he aimed it a Terra's head and ignited the flame. Reacting to chemicals, her face became an inferno. Beast Boy could only watch as her body combusted, tears still in his eyes.

(MSP)

Collapsing to the floor, her screaming eventually stopped all together, leaving the room with a strong smell of smoke, and an eerie silence. "This is too much..." He whispered tearfully and shacking with emotional distress. Whipping away his tears he looked down at his torn shirt, there were least six tear marks covered his midsection, his collar had been split and exposed some of his chest. Luckily his skin had only suffered a few scratches, not that it made him feel any better. "Oh crud..." He murmured, looking at the broken remains of the glowstick. It was no longer useful to him. Heaving a sigh at the lose of a valuable item, he left the classroom.

The TV goes into pause mode once more. "Yay for part ten! I hope you enjoyed it... as for me, I'm just gonna sit and wait by this progression makin' machine right here." Arny points to the autodialer. The machine suddenly begins to vibrate rapidly on his desk. "What the...?" To Arny's surprise the autodialer spawned a set of four robotic legs with wheel attachments. Arny stared in confusion as it slide of his desk, making a bid for the exit. "OOOOH no you don't!" Jumping from his chair, Arny quickly chased it out of the studio.