Warning: The chapter contains graphic imagery


1:21 PM

Thorn leaned against the wall, winded from her second run from the ghost. Dusk, Luna, and Brian were just as winded as her, which was fine since they were all unharmed and safe from the ghost. Though just to be cautious, they moved down the hall so they wouldn't be in front of the basement steps.

"You saw the ghost, so no cops," Thorn said to Brian.

Brian nodded. "I'm a man of my word."

That was one issue dealt with. Of course, the treasure was still unfound and they were running out of time.

"So what are you going to do now?" Luna asked Brian.

"Well, I still have to check in with the foreman and I should probably tell him about the ghost," Brian replied. "After that, I'll try to figure out a way to remove it."

"How are you going to do that?" Thorn asked.

"Not sure right now. I need to do a little more investigating to confirm some things before I can even try," Brian answered. "Anyway, you still owe me for the camera."

Both Luna and Dusk looked at Thorn for an answer but she just shrugged. She could write Brian a check for the camera as she had more than enough money for it and then leave. It was a tempting option to just leave and return to her normal life on the road, playing music with her friends. The safety and familiarity were alluring after everything they went through at the Regal Hotel. But leaving meant she failed, and the possibility of the Fallen or its followers finding her and friends again was quite possible. Perhaps it was guaranteed if the Broken's warning was accurate. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to Dusk and Luna because she was too afraid to continue. Thorn grimaced. It was a difficult decision for sure.

There was a buzzing sound and Brian reached into his pocket. He pulled out a phone and looked at the screen. "Excuse me," he said, before walking down the hall a bit and answered the call.

"Um, can we talk about what just happened?" Luna said.

"What's there to talk about?" Thorn asked. "We went downstairs and the ghost chased us out. Nothing new."

Luna sighed. "You didn't think Brian's reaction to the ghost was weird?"

Thorn didn't get a chance to answer as she heard Brian's approaching footsteps. Thorn turned around and put on a smile as Brian reached them. "What was that about?" Thorn asked, trying to gauge if he overheard them.

"Some coworkers were supposed to arrive and help with the investigation after I completed my cursory search, but they had to cancel on me," Brian answered with a frown. If he overheard them, he didn't make any indication of it. After a moment of silence, he snapped his fingers. "Tell you what, you three help me with the investigation, I'll call it even on the camera."

It was an interesting proposal. It'd give Thorn a chance to actually search for the treasure, especially if Brian could get rid of the ghost.

"Can you give us a moment," Thorn said as she motioned for Dusk and Luna to follow her a bit down the hall.

"Uh sure," Brian said, and he went to check on his equipment.

Thorn, Dusk, and Luna huddled together so they could speak in privacy.

"Okay, um," Thorn sighed. There was no point in lying to her friends. "I don't know what to do. I still want to leave because I just know I'm putting us all at risk by staying, but with Brian, we have a chance at finding the treasure."

"There's a risk no matter what we do," Luna stated. "But I still think finding the treasure is our best bet."

"So we get Brian to help us?" Dusk asked.

"Maybe," Luna said. "My problem is that I just don't trust him."

Thorn raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you trust him?"

"He just showed up out of nowhere right after whatever was upstairs left us," Luna exclaimed. She paused and lowered her voice to a whisper. "And his reaction to the ghost was beyond weird. You'd think a paranormal investigator would be more excited to see a ghost but he straight up looked bored when it appeared."

"Um, sure that's a strange coincidence with what happened upstairs," Thorn agreed. "But we know ghosts are real and he's a paranormal investigator. Maybe he's seen a real ghost before. Maybe he thinks the ghost is fake and that's why he looked bored."

Luna shook her head. "I'll concede on the ghost part as I'm suspicious of its authenticity after seeing it a few times, but what happened upstairs was real." She sighed. "I think Brian was the thing upstairs with us the entire time and I think he's a cultist."

Thorn recoiled from that bombshell of an accusation. "That's a bit extreme."

"Is it?" Luna countered. "That mark on your shoulder acted up right after that thing broke down the doors. And you said the Fallen's cultist was using that to find you. It literally wrote 'I found you' on the door, so it has to be the cultist."

"So? What does that have to do with Brian?"

"Brian immediately shows up right after that," Luna stated, slightly raising her voice.

"Could be a coincidence," Thorn said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"There are too many suspicious happenstances for it to be one big coincidence," Luna said with a huff.

"Eh weirder shit's happened," Dusk said with a shrug. "Just look at the Scooby gang, they run into monsters every time they stop for gas. Hell, every time we've met them there was a monster but we don't accuse them of being the monsters."

"Exactly," Thorn beamed.

"I can't believe you two are this naive," Luna said, facepalming herself. "Brian IS that cultist. Hell, he might be magic and that's how he was able to break those doors or make the rotten egg smell."

Thorn looked at Brian. He was assessing his broken camera. Is he actually a cultist? He didn't look the part at all. She could imagine him on some corny ghost hunting show. But a killer cultist? She was doubtful. But Luna did raise some points, and Thorn knew she was looking out for her.

"I don't think he's a cultist, but being a little more cautious around him might be a good idea," Thorn said. "At least until we know more about him."

Luna frowned, but her frown only lasted for a few seconds before she regained her normally calm composure.

"Do you trust him?" Luna asked.

Thorn hesitated. "I said I'll be cautious around him."

Luna sighed but said nothing.

"So I guess we're helping him with his investigation," Dusk said, breaking the silence.

"I guess so," Thorn replied. She glanced at Luna, but she remained silent and didn't oppose their decision. With their decision made, they broke from their huddle and regrouped with Brian.

"Okay, we'll help you," Thorn said.

Brian nodded as he gathered his few pieces of equipment. "Alright then. I still need to meet with the foreman and bring in some additional equipment, so I'll need one of you to help me with that. There are also some documents I need to further my research into the property. Financial records, old guestbooks. Stuff like that. I need someone to go get them. They should be in an office by the lobby."

"I know where that is," Dusk said. "I fell through the floor there."

Brian just looked at Dusk like she was insane, which based on her prior actions, wouldn't be too far of a stretch if he thought she genuinely was.

"Um, I'd appreciate it if you could get them," he replied. "Just… don't fall through the floor."

"Hehe, I'll try not to," Dusk said. She nudged Luna with her elbow. "Why don't you come? You like boring research stuff."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Then I guess I'm with you," Thorn said to Brian.

"Sounds good," he replied with a nod.

With the division of work settled upon, the two groups prepared to head out to their respective areas. But before she left, Thorn turned to Dusk and Luna.

"Please be careful. If anything happens, we meet up at the lobby," Thorn said as she hugged her friends.

"Will do," Dusk said with a wink.

"Thorn, be extra careful. You know how I feel about him," Luna said, with a worried sigh.

"I will," Thorn promised.

Thorn let her friends go and headed toward Brian.

"Bad dreams Thorn," Dusk called out.

Thorn turned and smiled. "Bad dreams sisters."


Instead of following her friends to reach the foreman's office as she expected, Thorn found herself going down a different hallway. Brian said it led to the back door and office where Brian said he had left some equipment and that the foreman would meet him over there. The sudden change in plans was a bit odd, not enough to run away but she'd certainly be more alert. But her mind soon drifted elsewhere.

Thorn looked back one last time as Dusk and Luna disappeared upon rounding a corner. Please stay safe. Her mind was flooded with scenarios in which harm came to her friends because she decided to let them go on their own with potentially hostile cultists and supernatural entities. No, they'll be fine. Luna's smart enough to get them out of a tricky situation and Dusk's tough enough to hold her own. They have faith in me, so have faith in them.

"Hey Thorn, are you okay?"

Thorn blinked, the sudden question breaking her from her thoughts. "Huh?"

"You alright? You looked like you spaced out there for a minute," Brian said, halting their walk to the foreman.

"Oh, um yeah, I just had some stuff on my mind," Thorn quickly answered as she resumed walking.

"You worried about your friends?" Brian asked, quickly catching up to her.

Thorn hesitated to answer. "A bit."

Brian gave her an understanding smile. "They look capable, they'll be fine; the real ghosts don't usually harm people and the hoaxers just scare ya."

It did little to calm her nerves, given they were likely dealing with a dangerous cultist and their previous encounters with actual ghosts weren't friendly. "But still..." She cut herself off. She didn't want to tell Brian about the cultist. He didn't need to know about it and if he was the cultist, then pretending to not know about it allowed her to prepare herself for a possible attack without drawing suspicion from him.

"Is this your first ghost?" he asked. "Seeing a ghost for the first time, whether real or fake, is always a scary experience."

"Not exactly," she sighed, before quickly realizing what she said. Fuck! Don't tell him more about yourself.

"Oh! Are you three ghost hunters?" he asked with a smile.

"We're not," Thorn explained, somewhat defensively. "In fact, I'd rather not see any more ghosts."

Brian frowned but quickly regained his composure. "I see," he replied, raising an eyebrow. He was silent for a moment, as if in deep thought. "This is going to sound weird but...are you psychic?"

Fuck! Thorn's face was bright red. She faked a cough just so she had an excuse to cover her face. Why is he asking me that? How can- Her eyes widened. Fuck he knows! He somehow knows I'm a witch. How? Is he a warlock? A cultist? Can he sense my magic? Did I even do something magic!? Wait. When the ghost attacked! He saw my hand! Shit! Shit! Shit! Stop. Stay calm. You can salvage this. Just act cool.

"Ah um, no I'm not, um uh, why do you uh ask?" Thorn managed to utter after several awkward seconds with as much class and grace as a rampaging bull in a china shop. If Brian wasn't going to suddenly kill her, her own cringe worthiness would.

"Oh, I just thought you were since you mentioned seeing ghosts and didn't like seeing them, so maybe you had some kind of sixth sense," Brian said, calm as ever.

Ah, thank you! I can work with this. Just don't mention Sarah or Alexander or anything real Especially anything to do with the cult. "Oh, we've bumped into a few hoaxes before," she said, brushing her bangs aside as she resumed her usual demeanor.

"That's a bummer," he replied. "Weeding out the real estate scammers and petty thieves is always a pain; makes finding evidence of real ghosts difficult and not to mention seeing how low these criminals go to make a few bucks is disgusting."

"Yeah," Thorn said. "Though not all of them are bad. The first ghost I saw ended up being my dad. Turns out it was an elaborate publicity stunt involving the mayor and a few others to bring tourists to our town since the community really needed the tourist money." Careful. That's a bit too much personal info. She also decided not to mention the Yowie Yahoo and the disgraced band Wildwind, as well as the Fortescu twins from Transylvania, just in case that tipped him off to her identity.

"Your dad was the ghost; now that's a first," Brian chuckled.

"Looking back on it, I guess it is kinda funny," Thorn laughed.

"Hehe yeah." He sighed and turned away, looking longingly down the hall. "I wish my dad was that way with the paranormal."

Thorn was caught off guard by Brian's comment and sudden change in tone. But as much as she didn't like taking advantage of other peoples' sorrow, it was better to have the conversation focus on him rather than her.

"Did he not like the paranormal or something?" Thorn asked.

Brian shook his head. "He was actually the opposite. He studied the paranormal and the occult almost religiously; if there was a sighting of a ghost, monster, psychic or other unexplained phenomena, he was there to investigate it."

"Wicked," Thorn said, a grin spreading across her face. "Sounds like your dad was an interesting guy."

"That's putting it mildly," he chuckled. "Will say he did encourage my interest in the subject and he got me my first camera when I turned seven. But shortly after that he... kinda went off the deep end."

"What happened?" Thorn asked.

"He claimed he had irrefutable evidence of genuine supernatural abilities." He sighed. "And then he started meeting with these rather peculiar people and became...preachy. Sometimes he'd come home in the middle of the night, exclaiming he witnessed a miracle and that my mother and I needed to be enlightened. At the time I thought his eccentric behavior was funny as he was so full of energy and he would tell me all these crazy stories about people shooting lasers and moving cars with their mind; it was so exciting, like something out of a comic book. Of course, my mother was pissed off by his behavior as he was spending a lot of money on his interests and I learned later she was planning to divorce him."

Thorn sighed. She didn't like where the story was headed.

"But then one night, my father brought over several people and I assume they performed some kind of ritual in the attic. I remember seeing flashes of multi-colored lights and hearing chanting. Real creepy shit." He sighed as his walk came to a halt. "And then less than a week later, I came home from school one day and he was...gone. Just disappeared with no trace."

Thorn lowered her head and sighed. She knew what it was like to lose a parent at such a young age. To have the most important person in her life, the one who played a pivotal role in shaping who she was, abruptly torn away from her, and irrevocably changing her life.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Thorn said.

"Thanks," he replied and they continued walking down the hall. "But it was a long time ago. I know the chances of finding him again are slim and I've had a long time to accept that." He chuckled. "Funny thing is, I think his disappearance led me to pursue this career as after he vanished, I got really into the paranormal. Maybe at one point, I thought if I continued researching the paranormal, I'd find him. But then I grew up; I broke down those beliefs, distilled them down into a basic service, and now ghost hunting is how I pay the bills."

Thorn simply nodded to acknowledge his comment. It was like talking into a mirror. She did the same with her Wiccan beliefs that her mother taught her, gradually developing them into the eco-goth style and look she sold to her fans. So much Hex Girls merchandise incorporated various Wiccan symbols and many of their songs were based on old hymns and prayers her mother told her. She became tense. Was that wrong? Was commodifying her heritage the right thing to do, even though it gave her a career. She'd never given it much thought. Would her mother like seeing people wearing her sacred sigils as a fashion statement. What would her mother think of her? Sure she had a tourist shop where she sold incense and herbs, but never anything of religious significance. Thorn felt her heart sink. Perhaps she failed her mother, again.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Brian said, breaking Thorn from her thoughts. "That wasn't my intent."

"No, no it's fine," Thorn replied. "You just remind me of someone."

"Ah, I see," he said.

Another thought came to her mind. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, but do you think your dad would be proud of you for what you've done? You know, for profiting from his beliefs and stuff."

"Huh, I've never given that much thought," Brian said, scratching his head. "But...I think he would. Even though his ideas and beliefs are simplified, they still exist and I share them with others. I know he'd like that."

Thorn smiled. "I think so too."

As their conversation wanned and Thorn's worries quelled, they arrived at the back door. It was nothing fancy, just a simple, white push door at the end of the hallway. Looking around, Thorn couldn't find the foreman anywhere.

"Didn't you say we were supposed to meet the foreman here?" Thorn asked.

"Yeah," Brian replied. "Dunno where he is now, but I need to get my equipment."

He pushed open the door. It was still a torrential downpour outside and had they not been protected by an awning, they would've been soaked. Brian picked up two large, plastic briefcases with the letters M.A.P.S written on them while Thorn grabbed a smaller one.

"Why are these outside?" Thorn asked.

"One of my crewmates is terrible with directions, so I have to leave the cases outside so he can find the place," Brian explained. "They were supposed to get here right after me, and set everything up while I did the baseline sweep, but obviously that didn't happen."

"Sounds like you need a better crew," Thorn teased.

"Ha! Tell me about it," he replied with a grin as they brought the gear inside.

"So this is all your ghost hunting gear?" Thorn asked.

"Yup," Brian said. "Pretty much have everything I need; FLIRs, audio recorders, portable laser grid, multimeters, thermometer guns, multiple cameras; the whole nine yards."

Thorn simply nodded along and smiled as he explained a bunch of meters and tools she never heard of. "So, are you gonna call the foreman or something?" Thorn asked.

"Oh right," Brian said. He took out his phone and called the foreman. After a minute or so, Brian hung up. "Didn't even get a voicemail."

Strange, but not unheard of. "We spotted him earlier by his office, we can try looking for him there," Thorn suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Brian said.

"But he did chase us with a hammer," Thorn added, remembering how agitated and scared the man was.

"Well he's expecting me, so I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Brian said. "Lead the way."

Thorn checked her phone to see if there was another way to get to the front entrance without backtracking. Turns out she was closer than she thought, and if they followed the hallway to their right, they'd end up back at the lobby and the foreman's office.

"It's this way," Thorn said, pointing down the hall.

Brian nodded and picked up his cases. Thorn picked up the one she brought in and they headed down the hallway. But as they continued toward their destination, Thorn began to feel tense. Call it a gut feeling, but she felt like something was wrong. She looked around but nothing was out of place. She adjusted her grip on the briefcase as if doing so would make her feel comfortable but it did little to help her. Dusk. Luna.

"Are you alright?"

"Um, yeah," Thorn said. "I'm fine."

"You don't look it," Brian said.

Thorn sighed. "I don't know what it is, but I feel like there's something wrong with Dusk and Luna. Like they're in trouble."

"Hmm." Brian looked away, as if in deep thought. Thorn could've sworn he mumbled something, but it was hard to tell. He then turned back to her. "As I said before, I think they're more capable than you give them credit for." He smiled. "Well, that's the vibe I get from them anyway."

And as Thorn went to respond, the feeling went away just as quickly as it appeared. Maybe she was just working herself up over nothing. Dusk and Luna were tough and smart and they've gotten themselves out of dangerous situations before.

"Yeah, you're right," Thorn said. "Guess I'm still a bit worried about them."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that," Brian said with a nod. He stopped and placed one of the suitcases on the ground before reaching into his pocket. "But sometimes our fears and worries get the best of us, and we need a little help overcoming them." He pulled out a gray, plastic coin with a symbol that resembled an upside-down 'F' with a blue circle at the end of the top line and a small vertical dash on the bottom engraved on it. He handed the coin to Thorn.

"What is this?" she asked, looking over the coin.

"It's a sigil my dad gave me right after he went off the deep end and shortly before he disappeared," Brian explained. "He told me that it would bring me protection and comfort when I needed it the most and that one day I'd figure out its true meaning."

"And...you're just giving it to me?" Thorn asked, somewhat flustered by the gesture. "I can't take this from you; your dad wanted you to have this."

Brian chuckled. "That's just a plastic replica I give to my crew and clients; helps give them peace of mind when confronting the supernatural, as more times than not, ghosts are an internal issue rather than an external one."

"Oh, that makes sense," Thorn replied. "Thank you." She was quite familiar with how sigils worked and how they could apply to paranormal investigations.

Brian nodded. "I keep the real one on me at all times." He revealed the real sigil which was modified into a necklace that he wore. It was silver and the design was cleanly engraved onto the metal with a dark sapphire positioned where the circle would be. It was simple, yet surprisingly elegant.

"It's beautiful," Thorn said with a smile. The silver didn't react to him. He's not a warlock.

"Thanks," Brian said, as he tucked the necklace back under his shirt. He picked up the suitcase and they resumed their walk.

"You said it has some kind of true purpose, what do you think it is?" Thorn asked.

Brian shrugged. "No idea. Sometimes I think it'll lead me to him. Like, one day on a case, I'll just find him." He chuckled. "I know, it's a silly idea, but sometimes that's what I feel."

"It's not a silly idea," Thorn said with a smile. "Maybe your dad wants you to find him."

"I hope you're right," Brian replied. "But until then, I got work to do."

The two reached the smaller corridor that connected the lobby and the hallway where the foreman's office was located. Thorn could see the lobby doors and the reception desk, but no signs of Dusk and Luna. They're probably in that back office going over documents or something. Maybe Luna found a clue to the treasure. She smiled. As soon as they met with the foreman, she'd see her friends again.

They turned down the final hallway and Thorn saw the two-by-fours Dusk had knocked over, still lying where they fell.

"He should be in here," Thorn said as she led Brian to the room. But as she neared the office, she winced. There was a terrible odor, different from the one she and her friends but still disgusting, coming from somewhere.

"Ugh, what died here?" Brian grunted, waving his hand in front of his face.

They reached the door and Brian knocked. "Hello, Mr. Kurtz? It's Brian Kent from MAPS. We talked earlier about conducting a paranormal investigation of the property."

No answer.

Brian knocked again. "Are you in there Mr. Kurtz?"

Again, no answer.

"Mr. Kurtz!"

Still no answer.

"Something's wrong," Thorn said and she swung open the door.

Thorn covered her mouth as she let out a horrified yelp, dropping the case and almost jumping back from both the rancid odor and the gruesome sight before her: blood coated the interior of the room, leaving nothing uncovered in a sanguine paste while a wretched chorus of flies buzzed in a frenzy, clustering around globs of clotted blood and unidentified chunks of flesh. Thorn stepped backward and turned away, certain she was going to vomit. Without thinking, she reached into her purse and removed a bundle of sage and her lighter. She lit the sage and inhaled the pleasant smoke to smother the smell of blood and decay.

"Get down!"

She could barely react as Brian pulled her to the floor. From the floor, she watched in disbelief as every fly swarmed into a large cloud-like mass. The droning of the swarm was deafening as they flew over her and flew out the room before disappearing down the hallway. She shuddered, slowly processing what happened and coming to the dreadful conclusion. He's dead.

"Thorn, you alright?" Brian asked, helping her up.

Thorn nodded. Outside of feeling a bit light-headed from her nausea, she was physically fine. But emotionally, well, that was another story.

"He's dead," Thorn muttered, unknowingly reaching into her pocket and grabbing the sigil.

"We don't know for certain that that's him," he reassured her. "And it's still possible that this could be a hoax."

Thorn shook her head. "Are you fucking kidding me! Just look in there! The guy is dead!"

"Okay, okay," Brian stammered. "Just calm down. We still have to identify him, just to be sure."

"Calm down!?" Thorn shouted. "How the fuck am I supposed to calm down! That poor man got torn apart." Her hands clenched into fists. "And how the fuck are you so calm about this!?"

"Because when I'm not calm, I'll do something stupid," Brian retorted, his voice raised and agitated. "I've seen enough disturbing shit in all sorts of abandoned and haunted places to know that getting riled up leads to poor decisions and someone else getting hurt."

Thorn crossed her arms and glared at Brian for a moment before sighing. He was right. She knew from experience that panicking wasn't a smart thing to do.

"Okay," Thorn said, taking a deep breath.

"Thank you," Brian replied in a calmer tone. "Now let's go see if this is Mr. Kurtz."

Thorn picked up the bundle of sage, which was no longer burning due to dropping it. She relit the sage and followed Brian into the office. She winced each time she took a step and heard the blood squish beneath her shoes. She felt disgusted and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

Without the flies, she could see the various macabre sights she missed on her first glance of the room. She saw the remains of a safety vest, stained red with blood, crumpled against the wall. There was a cell phone, the screen cracked and caked with red fingerprints, laying in a pool of blood. There were a few pieces of bone, gnawed and cracked, were scattered across the floor. But the worst was the hammer, the very same one the foreman had chased her and her friends shortly after their arrival. It was laying under the desk...with a severed hand still gripping the handle.

Thorn shuddered, her nausea getting worse. It was clear that the foreman was dead, ripped apart from some unknown assailant in an animalistic manner. And where was the rest of him? She didn't want to know. But her mind wandered and in her morbid thoughts, she realized something. What if this was a magical death? How else could this have happened? She gulped. What if the cultist got him? Or the ghost. But why kill him? He didn't do anything. Is this a warning? A threat?

"It's him."

Brian's comment broke her from her thoughts, and she turned to him. He found the man's wallet and subsequently his driver's license.

"What could've done this to him?" Thorn asked, still shocked from the horrid sight before her. "There's barely anything left of him."

"I have no idea," Brian said, placing the wallet on the desk.

"What if whoever killed him is still here?" Thorn said. Shit! Dusk and Luna are by themselves with this...monster on the loose! What if it got them? I need to find them.

She took out her phone and exited the room. Her heart was pounding as she read the screen. One unread text message and one missed call. Both were from Luna.

"Where are you going?" Brian asked, joining her in the hallway.

"I need to find my friends," she replied without looking up from her phone. She dialed Luna and began making her way back to the lobby. The phone kept ringing and with each ring, her grip on the sigil grew tighter. Please answer.

"Thorn!" Luna's voice cried over the phone.

"Are you okay?' Thorn asked.

"We need to talk," Luna said, her voice fearful. "Get to the lobby as soon as possible."

Thorn started running. "I'm on my way."