Feliciano investigated ghosts because he claimed he talked to his grandpa ten years after his death, and he wanted to prove he wasn't hallucinating.

Ludwig investigated ghosts because they didn't exist. Or, he wanted to prove they didn't exist. He and his brother had lived in a ridiculously old house, and ever since he was little, Ludwig had to prove to his older brother that the banging was the water heater… Or the dryer… Or the house settling. As he grew, it had just been natural to try and disprove it professionally.

Which is why he and Feliciano were standing outside an abandoned church.

Of course, Ludwig had gotten the proper documentation for visiting this place over night, so they weren't going to "disappear," as Feliciano always feared. Still, the man to Ludwig's left was definitely getting nervous.

"Wow, this place is pretty crazy!" Feliciano commented as they set up their gear. "Like, if I was going to pick a place to haunt and kill strangers who came to try and talk to me, this would be the place! Why is this place haunted?"

Ludwig glanced over his shoulder at Feliciano. "They used it as an infirmary during the Civil War. They say some of the dead stuck around."

Feliciano set up a tripod. "Oh, man, no wonder we flew all the way out here! That was crazy. I watched that movie about it and this guy was pushing this whole wheelbarrow full of arms! Crazy."

Ludwig grunted an agreement, standing up and dusting his hands off. The place certainly looked the part. It had been made of stone, and the whole place smelled like wet earth and mold. Rats scurried around in the corners of the room. All the windows had been busted in, so the whole place was muggy and filled with bugs. The flood lights he and Feliciano had set up cast sharp shadows on the walls.

Feliciano was still talking about the movie, setting up the camera. His hands were shaking, and he kept almost dropping the camera. Ludwig eventually came over and took it from him, placing it on the stand. Feliciano laughed nervously, looking around.

"I don't like the feel of this place, Ludwig! It feels sad, don't you think?"

Ludwig shook his head. "You're just projecting, Feliciano. This is no different than the day care center, just older."

Feliciano's eyes kept peering into the dark, and he took a step closer to Ludwig. "I dunno', that place was pretty creepy, too! This is different, though. Like, the air feels different." He flexed his hands. "It's kind of like when you walk into a room after someone just stopped crying."

Ludwig glanced over. "It's an old church."

Feliciano rolled his eyes playfully. "Alright, fine, be that way. Where should be go first? This place has an attic, right?"

Ludwig furrowed his eyebrows, rifling through his bag until he found one of the voice recorders. He tossed it to Feliciano before finding the portable camcorder. "I was thinking we should investigate the basement first. The attic is probably unstable."

Feliciano hesitated. "Do we really have to do the creepy basement, first? That's where they kept dead people, isn't it?"

Ludwig snorted. "It was a hospital in the Civil War. They kept dead people everywhere. What were—"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ludwig asked, standing a little straighter and looking around.

It wasn't impossible for some teenagers to come here for some cheap scares, but the church was situated pretty far back in the woods, and the two of them would have heard a car approaching.

The shorter man had closed his eyes, head tilted to the side like he was listening for something. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and laughed, shrugging.

"Must have been my imagination! Sorry, sorry." Feliciano rested his hand on his forehead like he was going to brush back his hair, but he dropped his hand. "You didn't say my name, right?"

Ludwig shook his head. "You are projecting. There's no way that a ghost would know your name. You're imagining things. Calm down." He bent down and found a flashlight, handing it to Feliciano. "The basement?"

Feliciano hummed in agreement. The two of them headed for the basement stairs. Ludwig went first; abandoned buildings in warm climates usually housed snakes.

Picking his way through the church, Ludwig could see why Feliciano would be nervous. Beyond the comfort of the floodlight, the church seemed to fade off into darkness forever. Creepers covered the floor, and Ludwig could hear Feliciano stumble over them every few steps. Old, wooden pews were broken and rotting.

Ludwig felt Feliciano press up behind him. It was oddly quiet, and Ludwig was hyper aware of Feliciano's breathing.

"Ah," Ludwig murmured, coming to a stop.

Feliciano peeked around Ludwig. "Hm… That doesn't look like a door. That looks more like a trap door."

Ludwig handed Feliciano his flash light and camera, bending down and heaving the door open. The wood groaned under the strain, but eventually it came loose from the floor. Stale air blew up, and Ludwig coughed as he swung the door open and let it bang against the hard floor.

Feliciano hopped over, curious despite himself. "Hey, Ludwig, if this were a horror movie, this would probably be the point when we should turn back."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Mm, well, the ghosts would probably kill me first, if that's any comfort."

They stood on the edge of the stairs, looking down into the gloom. Ludwig shined his flashlight, frowning when he saw the state of the wooden steps. He set a tentative foot down, leaning to make sure it would support his weight.

"It must have been really sad to be kept down there if you were hurt," Feliciano commented, following behind Ludwig as he went step by step. "I bet it was cold and wet. I don't know why you pick such sad places to go and visit; I don't want to talk to sad ghosts… They never really listen to what you have to say."

Ludwig stopped and looked at Feliciano. "Yes, but they probably wouldn't hang around to 'talk' if they died happily."

Feliciano smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I'm telling you, Ludwig, I saw my Grandpa. We should bring your brother along more often; at least hebelieves in ghosts."

Ludwig half turned on the steps. "Mm… And maybe I should bring along your brother. He doesn't. Maybe we could… bond."

Feliciano laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. He opened his mouth to answer, but his eyes focused in on something over Ludwig's shoulder. He placed his hand on Ludwig's arm, squeezing. Ludwig whipped his head around.

It was a human shadow.

Ludwig's mind raced. Their flashlights were pointed at one another, and most of the light from the floodlight was lost on the stairs. Could someone else be down here? What—

"Hello?" Feliciano asked. He pointed his light at the shadow.

It was gone.

Ludwig let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Light tricks," Ludwig sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Just light tricks."

"From what light?"

Ludwig didn't answer and kept going down. The floor of the basement was covered in stones and debris. Whatever had been down here had been cleared out, leaving an empty room that didn't echo.

Feliciano left Ludwig's side, wandering into the darkness. "Hello?" He called again, flashlight swinging around. "Is anybody here? We just want to talk."

Ludwig shone his flashlight around the stairs, making sure that no one had crept down before they had. Everything seemed undisturbed; besides Feliciano walking around, there was no other noise.

Ludwig turned back to Feliciano just in time to see him trip over a rock. His flashlight went flying, and Ludwig heard him land heavily on the ground.

Ludwig cursed, trying to find Feliciano with his flashlight and walking toward where he had seen him last. "Feliciano? Are you okay? Feliciano, answer me."

"Flashlight."

"What?"

"The flashlight, Ludwig."

Ludwig glanced at where Feliciano's flashlight had fallen.

The shadow was back. The flashlight illuminated a figure standing in the room. It was solid, but the light didn't show any features. Ludwig shone his own light toward the figure… No additional details were added. Just a black mass.

It stood, rocking back and forth. And then it stepped out of the light.

Ludwig gasped, walking forward and swinging his flashlight back and forth.

"Feliciano? Feliciano where are you?" It seemed like ages until Ludwig's light finally fell on Feliciano.

The shadow was crouching down by Feliciano. He jerked back as Ludwig's light illuminated it, letting out a yell of surprise. It reached out to touch him as Ludwig ran towards them.

The shadow paused, looked up at the approaching Ludwig, and disappeared back into the gloom.

Ludwig skittered to a halt beside Feliciano, getting down on his knees. "Are you okay? Did it hurt you? Feliciano, look at me." Feliciano obeyed. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I, uh, I slammed my knee against a rock and then the thing… Ludwig I think it said my name. It was reaching out to touch me," Feliciano held his hand up to his cheek, "And it said my name."

…

Ludwig set Feliciano down in the passenger side of the door, trying to avoid jostling his leg.

"But what about the gear?"

Ludwig shut the door, walking quickly around to the other side and getting in himself. He started the car, pulling away as fast as he could from the church. "I'll get it in the morning. We're not staying here when it's dark."

Ludwig didn't believe in ghosts.

Now, he did believe in not going to abandoned places at night.