Chapter 4- Case 2

Jaden’s P.O.V:

It was a week after we had helped Ben move on I was well rested and thankfully the nights had passed without any surprise visits. I had just finished my breakfast and was waiting for the rest of the paranormal investigators to come in. I had extended an invitation to all of them to stay with, my house was huge and I lived all alone. I could do with some company. Today morning I had got a call from a troubled man.

He thought his house was haunted and he wanted me to investigate. I wanted to take the rest of the guys with me so they would get hands on experience working as a team. I had even placed an ad in the newspapers, it said that the problem would be taken care in 48 hours that was our tag line that I had come up with. I wanted to solve each problem in maximum 48 hours, terms and conditions applied of course. The doorbell rang and I opened the door to find all of my new found friends standing at my doorstep.

“Hi” they chorused.

“Hi come on in.”

All of them were carrying bags, I guess all of them were moving in, I quickly showed them to their rooms and then once they had all settled we sat together in the living room. I looked at my mom’s picture and reminded myself to check up on her.

“So guys I got a call this morning from a man, he thinks his house is haunted. We need to go check up on that. I guess it would be our second case.”

“Do you have any other information?” asked Tristan.

“Weird noises, spirits and a young daughter. That’s pretty much what I could figure out from him. But first I would like to give you all a brief run down. We all will need small backpacks with a few things.”

“Hold on” said Tristan he grabbed a notepad and pen and said “go on” I smiled at his enthusiasm.

“We need holy water, a few stones, charms, a cross, and scriptures from different religious books. It’s weird, but at times in my career I have come across ghosts who weren’t affected by biblical verses because they didn’t understand what they were hearing it had no effect on them. Sometimes we need to exorcise them in their language. Are you guys with me so far?”

They all nodded silently staring at me in awe.

“Take with you whatever protective talisman you believe in a rosary, a black thread or a taveez. You never know what might help. If we come across a possessed person, no matter what they say do not believe them. They are possessed by something so evil you can’t even begin to comprehend it. Got it?”

They all nodded and I said, “good now let’s get to work. We will buy all the stuff we need today. You have to listen to everything I say. Giselle under no condition allow any spirit to enter you got it?”

“Yes” said Giselle.

“Rebecca if you sense any spirit that isn’t showing themselves to us you need to speak up’

“Ok, I feel the presence of a spirit right now but it’s a good one”

I looked at her startled and said, “Are you sure?”

“Yep”

“Ok let’s eat and then we can research some more. Mr. Martin will be expecting us over there tomorrow.”

I explained to them over lunch about protective stones and talismans. I told them what could go wrong during an exorcism and what should be done at that time. I also told them that there might be no need for an exorcism at all. We ate quickly and left. I went to my regular store and bought all the things we needed. Each of us was carrying a backpack.

We reached home and everybody researched in their own way. Some used the internet while some used my mother’s books as reference.

I double checked everyone’s backpacks and we called it a night after dinner.

We reached the given address at 9:00 a.m.

“Oh wow talk about cliché” said Tristan.

I kinda saw what he meant. It was a huge mansion like the one in Addams’ family. There was even a barren tree in the front yard to complete the effect. It was getting dark as I rang the doorbell a man in his mid-forties opened the door.

He looked at us in confusion and I stepped forward, “Hi I am Jaden”

“Hi I didn’t realise there are four of you. I guess I will have to set up a few more rooms.”

“There is no need for that” I said, “We will hardly be sleeping.”

“Ok come on in”

We went in and he showed us our room. Tristan started to put his backpack down when I gave him a warning look and he immediately straightened up. I had told that no matter what to keep their bags with them all the time. We went to meet Mr. Martin who was sitting in his den.

“So Mr. Martin” I began, “why do you think your house is haunted?”

“I moved here a month back with my teenage daughter. My wife passed away a year ago. Ever since I have come here I hear strange voices at night. Even my daughter is scared. The other day she came home from school. It was weird when she introduced me to her friend”

“What is weird about that?” Giselle asked looking confused.

“There was no one standing next to her!”

I felt goose bumps rise on my arms. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I turned to see the rest of them look shaken up too.

“Did she realize that she was talking to a ghost?” asked Rebecca.

“No I didn’t tell her anything, she was very scared as it is. But what freaks me out is that every night I hear Christine, my daughter talking to herself in her room and then I realized it was the ghost she is talking to.”

“Can I meet your daughter?”

“Sure, I’ll get her”

“Dude that is freaky” said Tristan.

“Says the guy who is best friends with a ghost” teased Giselle. Tristan shrugged and said, “We can see them and it still scares the shit out of us but can you imagine someone who can’t see them?”

We all agreed with him. The door opened and a young girl who looked about thirteen entered the room.

She looked frightened. Her curly blonde hair was tied in a ponytail.

“Hi Christine” said Rebecca beckoning to the girl. The girl came in front of her and sat down. She looked at us defiantly and had dark circles under her eyes. Rebecca looked at me for help and I obliged.

“Hey Christine, we are here to help you. Your father says that you have been hearing things at night?”

She looked at me and nodded.

“Well have you seen someone?” she thought about it and shook her head to say no.

“What have you been hearing?” I asked

“Bad things” she whispered.

“What bad things?”

“I hear voices they tell me to do bad things”

“What do they tell you?” asked Giselle.

Suddenly Christine smiled eerily at us like she had some secret. “Daddy” she said, “do you know what happened to Mr. Snuffles?”

“Honey I told you he must’ve got lost”

She shook her head and giggled, I saw Tristan’s face pale and Rebecca clutched he head, “No daddy he didn’t get lost. He died.”

“What? Christine how do you know that? Sweetheart why didn’t you tell me; did you find him?”

She shook her head again and smiled eerily once more and whispered, “I killed him daddy” and then she broke into maniacal laughter.