After the video catastrophe Vaggie opened up a brief case which contained photographs. A lot of them depicted shadows and transparent figures that were either strange or disturbing looking but Vaggie combed through them until she found a particular collection. These photos depicted seemingly regular people.
"As you can see by these pictures." Vaggie explained. "Paranormal beings can take on many forms. They can appear either frightening or normal."
"In my opinion I think the normal looking ones are the creepiest because you never really know what the hell they are." Angel said.
"Do you have any idea what this is?" Charlie asked. "You know what's haunting us? Are we even being haunted?"
"Oh you're definitely being haunted." Vaggie said. "No doubt about that. My monitors have picked up plenty of spectral energy here. Now as for what kind of haunting, I can't say for sure until all the data collected but if I had to make a hypothesis I would say that this is a poltergeist."
"What's that?"
"A ghost or other supernatural being responsible for physical disturbances such as loud noises and objects thrown around. You've all experienced such disturbances, I trust?"
"Yes. But why? Why is this happening?"
"Ah that is the key to solving your problem. Motive."
"Motive?"
"Paranormal beings typically don't target the living for no reason. They're often motivated by something. Sometimes it's because their burial has been disturbed or they have unfinished business, it all varies. Something not of this world has a bone to pick with you people and we need to figure out what that is."
"How do we find that out?"
"Let's start with that man who's apparently stalking your children. Mr. Devalcort did that man have a name to give?"
"He called himself Iblis Danvers." Alastor answered.
"Okay does that name mean anything to any of you?" She asked the family.
"No."
"I've never heard that name before." Charlie said.
"Me either." Aaron said.
"I don't even know how to say Ib...Ibl...Iblu." Carrie said.
"Are you sure? Think hard."
"We don't know anyone by that name." Charlie said.
"In that case we'll look up that name and see if we can find anything on him. Husk start searching online."
"What the hell am I supposed to be looking for?" Husk asked.
"Just type in the name Iblis Danvers and see if you can find anything suspicious. As for the rest of you, if you don't mind I'd like to give you all a little check up."
"A check up for what?" Charlie asked.
Vaggie started to answer but then she noticed Carrie clutching her doll with her left arm and her right hand clutching her mother's all the while looking very nervous.
"Do your kids like sweets?" Vaggie asked. "Because I brought along a box of alfajores. They're sugar cookies with caramel and I'd be happy to let your children have some. With your permission of course."
"May we Mom?" Aaron asked.
"I suppose." Charlie said.
"The cookies are in my backpack. Angel take the kids into the kitchen and fix them their snack."
Angel opened up Vaggie's backpack and pulled out a plastic tin.
"You guys have milk?" Angel asked Alastor.
"Yes." He answered.
"You have any straws?"
"First drawer on the left."
"Good. Come on kids I'll show you how to make milk bubbles."
"Cool." Aaron said.
Vaggie waited until the three of them were out of the room before she spoke again.
"I was afraid that what I said next would alarm the kids." She said. "I thought it would be best if they didn't hear this."
"Hear what?" Charlie asked.
"The check up is to make sure that none of you are possessed by ghosts or demons. In instances like this it's very common for paranormal beings to force their way into bodies of the living and take control of them. Violate them. Torture them. Possibly kill them from the inside. It can get pretty ugly."
Charlie moved to hold on to her husband upon hearing this.
"You're all probably fine. This check up is just to be on the safe side." Vaggie assured them.
"How do these check ups typically go?" Alastor asked.
"I have some tools and devices that are specially designed to detect if a body is harboring more than one soul. Everyone is born with one soul but when a person becomes possessed another soul has somehow found it's way into the body. That's where my special devices and tools come in."
"What are you going to do? This won't scare the kids right? Aaron and Carrie have never been particularly fond of doctors."
"Or dentists." Charlie added. "Remember when Aaron's last check up? He bit Dr. Cladwell when he saw the hook."
"Don't worry there won't be any needles or pills or hooks." Vaggie said. "It's mostly just looking and scanning. There will barely be any touching and I'm going to do everyone's check up at the same time so you'll be there to make the kids feel more comfortable."
Vaggie scanned and examined each member of the household carefully. Looking for any sign or small detail that could indicate another soul inhabiting the two adults or the two children. She found nothing of the sort.
"You've got some pretty eyes young man." Vaggie said as she looked at them with a small flashlight. "And they appear to be perfectly normal."
"What are you looking for exactly?" Aaron asked.
"Call it a check for an infection, which you don't have."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you're fine. You, your parents, and your sister, you're all fine."
"Are you a doctor or something?"
"I'm a scientist."
"But aren't doctors a kind of scientist?"
"Yes they're a medical scientist. I'm not."
"What kind of scientist are you?"
"I'm one that studies ghosts."
"There's a science to that?"
"Yes. It's called parapsychology. It's the study of alleged psychic phenomena and other paranormal claims."
"I've never heard of it."
"Most people haven't. It's not considered a valid study but I beg to differ. I think it's very important that we try to understand things that don't live in our world like ghosts."
"I don't like ghosts." Carrie said. "They're mean and scary."
"Well not always." Vaggie said. "A lot of times they're sad and lost because they couldn't find the light."
"What light?"
"Well you believe in heaven right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well when someone dies they follow a light which leads them to heaven."
"And then they become angels?"
"Yes. But some people have trouble finding the light and they end up staying on earth. That's what turns them into ghosts."
"So does that mean all ghosts are good?"
"Not exactly. Ghosts are like people when comes to being good or bad. Just like people can good or bad, ghosts can be good or bad."
"Can they hurt me?"
Vaggie wasn't sure how to answer that. She didn't want to scare Carrie but she also didn't want to promise her security when she didn't know for certain that she could provide it. As she tried to think of the right words to say, her hand went to the necklace she was wearing. It was a Catholic talisman that her grandmother had given her years ago. According to her it was blessed by archangels to prevent evil spirits and demons from hurting the wearer. Vaggie wasn't entirely sure that it worked but it always did make her feel safe when she was little. Maybe it would do the same for Carrie.
"Tell you what." Vaggie unhooked the chain of her necklace. "I'm going to let you wear this."
"It's pretty."
"It's also special. My grandma gave it to me when I was just about your age and she told me that it will keep bad ghosts from hurting me."
She helped Carrie put it on.
"Feel safer?" She asked.
"Mmm-hmm." Carrie said nodding.
"Don't lose it okay?"
"Okay."
"Do you need us to do anything else?" Charlie asked.
"No. You and your husband just keep your kids calm and leave the rest to us."
For the rest of the day Vaggie and Angel continued looking through all the rooms in the house while gathering data. Going into the basement area their devices picked up stronger activity and strange clear ooze leaking from the walls. They collected samples of the ooze and Vaggie examined it. It was ectoplasm.
"Incredible." Vaggie said. "Real live ectoplasm. A clear sign that we are in the presences of spirits."
"I wonder why that stuff is only in the basement." Angel asked.
"Probably because it's underground which is where dead bodies are buried. Underground...Buried...Maybe this haunting is the result of graves being disturbed."
"How do you mean?"
"Maybe this house was built over an area where someone was buried. We'll have ask to Mr. and Mrs. Devalcourt what they knew about their house when they bought it. We need to know if the land was used as a burial or anything relating to that."
"You sure they'll know? I've heard of cases like these and the realtors usually keep it hush-hush because it's bad for business."
"Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Either way it's important that we know if the area of the house holds any significance."
"Aww damn!" They heard Husk suddenly shout and come running in the room with his hand pressing against his side.
"What happened to you?" Vaggie asked him.
"I heard a weird noise in a closet and when I opened the door something took a bite outta me."
"Something bit you?" Angel asked.
"Either that or I just got the world's worst muscle spasm."
"Let's have a look." Vaggie said.
Husk lifted up his shirt which revealed a large, swollen, red and black bite mark on his left side abdomen.
"Holy shit." Angel said. "Looks like you were bit by a bear or something?"
"But the marks look like they belong to human teeth." Vaggie observed.
"What human has a set of chompers that big?"
"Angel get the camera and my notebook. We better record this."
"Am I bleeding?" Husk asked.
"No I don't see any blood." Vaggie said. "I'll get you some ice to bring down the swelling. After that could you show me which closet this happened at?"
"No way I'm going near that damn thing again!"
"If it's potentially dangerous we have to warn our clients. Reminder if anything happens to them you don't get paid."
"Fine but I'm not opening the door."
"Say cheese Husk." Angel said before taking a few snap shots of him.
"Get that camera out of my face you idiot!" Husk demanded. "You know I hate flash photography."
"But it's for science."
"I don't care! You flash that in my eye again and I'll shove that camera up your ass!"
"Knock it off you two!" Vaggie said. "We're on a job here."
She then sent Angel to get Husk some ice and set to work on looking over the bite mark.