Patty couldn't help but feel like they were being very stupid as they pulled up at the locked gate leading to the large abandoned hospital. The sun was almost completely gone and out here where there were no street lights it was becoming difficult to see.
They should have waited till the morning, till they at least would be able to see more in the hospital. Going at night felt stupidly reckless.
All of their adrenaline had been running high as they packed the car and got geared up. The closer they got the more all of them seemed to realize this was a foolish idea.
The four of them stood looking between the equipment laid out and the large imposing structure of the abandoned hospital.
"Are we sure we should do this?" Erin asked, gently touching her proton pack wiping off some dirt.
"What choice do we have?" Jillian replied, "We can't let anyone else get hurt."
The other three looked at her slightly shocked that it had been her who had replied.
"I mean obviously we need to stop him, but is wandering around a massive abandoned hospital at night really smart? There could be other ghosts in there or other people." Erin explained.
Jillian gave Erin a hard look, "What if he kills someone else tonight? Does Hunter possess someone else? If we don't do something, anything that happens tonight is on us."
"So I guess we are doing this." Patty sighed, pulling on her proton pack and grabbing her chipper.
"I'm going to call the mayor, let him know what we are doing, in case something happens." Abby sighed, moving away from the group, as they all began to gear up.
Erin could feel a ball of nerves twisting in her stomach. This felt wrong, ghost busts always made her feel nervous, but normally they were prepared. This time they were going in blind, Patty did research into the building and any ghost sightings but the person they were hunting no amount of research was going to help.
"Do you think the depossession gadget will work?" Patty asked.
"I mean it's not tested but I'm hopeful." Jillian quietly replied, focusing on putting on her pack.
"The mayor wished us luck," Abby said, heading straight to the car.
"But not back up?" Erin huffed.
Abby sighed, pulling on her proton pack, "I wish." She muttered under her breath.
Patty pulled four large torches from the boot handing them around to all of them.
"We aren't separating for any reasons. Everyone is buddying up." Patty said, looking at each of them intently.
"I'll go with Jillian," Abby said.
"Okay, Erin, you're with me." Patty smiled.
"We also check in over the radios every 20 minutes without fail, Okay?" Erin added.
The four of them looked around one another. Abby suddenly pulled Patty, Erin, and Jillian into a hug.
"Please just be careful. No unnecessary risks, please." Abby whispered into the group.
"We are all going to be okay," Patty reassured her.
Abby let out a deep exhale, nodding. Trying to calm herself, before stepping into a building that looked like every horror film ever.
"Let's go," Jillian said, marching off ahead towards the main entrance.
The others rushed after her, closing the distance as she reached out to push open the door. It let out a loud screeching sending the birds inside flying and disturbing dust into the air.
Jillian peered in for a second before stepping in.
"This place is insane." She said, looking up, as the others reluctantly followed her in.
"No disagreement with that," Patty mumbled, pushing aside a decomposing doll lying on the floor with her foot.
"Abby, let's go left. You guys go right." Jillian said, turning to look down the corridor spreading down to the left.
"Radio in twenty minutes remember," Erin called after them, as they two of them disappeared down the corridor.
Erin and Patty gave each other a look of mutual reassurance before beginning to head. The whole building was slowly decaying. The paint was all flecking, and plants were beginning to grow through the floors and windows.
Patty and Erin remained silent, listening to every creak and noise the old building made. Both of them tensing at every noise that seemed even slightly out of place.
Erin pushed open a door, it gave a loud creak making her wince as they moved into a large room.
The room was filled with old rusting beds and cots.
"Oh great, yet another room full of nightmares." Patty sighed.
Erin couldn't help but smile.
"At least there are no dummies" Erin smiled.
"Hmmm, I think dummies would be preferable than wandering here, looking for a killer," Patty grumbled, turning her proton wand around the room.
"We should probably radio, the others," Erin said.
"It's only been ten minutes," Patty replied.
Erin said, "It actually feels like it's been an age."
"The last few months feel like they've been a year emotionally." Patty sighed.
"I know, I sometimes worry that we all think catching this guy is going to make everything better, but it's still going to be weird."
Patty sighed, "Yeah, I don't know how much longer I want to do this."
Erin gave a small nod of agreement.
"If we survive this I'm getting an Intern to carry my proton pack." Patty joked, seeing how sad Erin's face had become.
Erin gave a small smile. She hated that she agreed with Patty, this had meant so much to her, to all of them, and now it had become this twisted, toxic thing. The city was once again turning against them, and things with them weren't melding as well anymore.
"We'll always be friends though, right?" Erin asked, blushing as she said it. It felt like such a childish thing to say.
Patty wrapped her arm around Erin. "Of course, hun. We bonded for life."
A loud scream broke through the hospital, echoing down the corridors. Patty and Erin froze, turning around to the source of the noise.
With shaking hands Erin pulled out her radio, nearly dropping it as her hands got sweaty.
"Abby. Jillian. Come in." Erin radioed.
The radio stayed silent, Erin counting the seconds. She looked up at Patty, whose face too was filled with panic.
"Shit, shit," Patty muttered, looking around.
"Abby. Jillian. Please come in." Erin tried again.
"Erin?" A voice came over broken up with static.
"Abby? Jillian? Are you okay?" Erin asked.
"We…..basement….no….signal….erin?….hurt….." The staticky message came through.
"Are you hurt?' Erin asked.
"Or did they hear the scream and think we're hurt?" Patty wondered aloud.
No response came. Erin radioed four more times.
"We should go to the basement," Erin said.
"That sounds like the stupidest idea ever," Patty argued, grabbing Erin's arm as she tried to walk away.
"What if they are hurt?"
Patty twisted in torment unsure what to do.
"Patty?" Erin insisted.
"Fine, let's go." Patty sighed.
The two of them set off running back down towards the reception and down the left-hand corridor. They only stopped breathing deeply as they came to an open door with a set of stairs leading down.
"There are miles of tunnels below this place," Patty said through deep breaths.
"We stick together, we search for fifteen minutes then come out and call help, agreed"
Patty nodded staring down into the darkness. She held out her hand, and Erin grabbed ahold of it tightly.
"We can do it," Patty whispered to herself.
Erin squeezed her hand, and they stepped into the dark.