Whispers From the Dead

by B. L. Brunnemer

  “Thanks,” I mumbled before opening the back door and climbing into the middle of the seat next to Isaac.

  Zeke’s car still slightly smelled of smoke, but the interior was brand new and black. Big surprise there.

  I buckled my seatbelt as Asher climbed in next to me. Isaac shifted and laid his arm along the back of the seat as I was squeezed between the two of them.

  Zeke pulled onto the road and out of my neighborhood.

  “So, tell me about this place and why everyone thinks it’s haunted?” I asked the guys.

  “It was a hospital that closed in the 1940’s,” Asher began. “It was the only one around for miles.”

  “Why’d it close?” I asked as Zeke pulled out onto the highway.

  “That’s where the rumors come in,” Isaac explained. “Some rumors say bad treatment of the mental patients and others say that with the new smaller hospitals in towns they ran out of funding.”

  “Wait, there was a mental ward?” I asked.

  “A small one.” Ethan pulled out a notebook and turned on a small penlight. “In the… east wing.”

  “Is that a map?” I asked, incredulous.

  “Yeah, I sketched it from what I could find online.” Ethan held a copy up to show me. “I figured it’d be easier to get around.” Good idea.

  “So, what have people seen that made them think it’s haunted?” I asked as I shifted to get more comfortable. Vanilla and limes mixed in the space of the back seat. It wasn’t unpleasant but it was distracting.

  “Loud noises, doors slamming, cold spots, weird shadows,” Isaac began. “There’s a couple of sightings of a woman in a white hospital gown.”

  “You guys really did your homework,” I said, impressed.

  “Me and my brother have been wanting to do this since we found out you could see the dead,” Ethan admitted. I shook my head at that.

  “Did everyone bring their charms?” I asked. Everyone but Zeke held up their charms against the dead for me to see. “Zeke?”

  “Hmm?” Zeke seemed to have not been listening.

  “Did you bring your charms?” I asked. Zeke nodded.

  Why was he so quiet? Maybe I’ll get him alone later and ask. The rest of the drive the guys continued to fill me in on the information they found on the hospital. It wasn’t very exciting, which I was fine with. That meant there probably weren’t any ghosts there, we could just look around and leave.

  Half an hour later Zeke pulled off the highway onto an overgrown gravel road. Isaac started bouncing in his seat. I put my hand on his leg to try to get him to calm down. It didn’t work.

  It wasn’t long until we pulled in front of a large, desolate building. Zeke parked the car.

  “Everyone grab a flashlight out of the back and a copy of the layout,” Zeke ordered.

  Isaac and I jumped out of the Jeep and looked up at the building. Three stories of brick, set in a U. The building was enormous. Ivy was crawling up the walls and over the roof. Chimneys were crumbling. Some of the large windows were busted out, letting the ivy inside. It was awesome.

  I was suddenly just as excited as Isaac. I walked to the back of the Jeep and took a heavy Maglite from the pile and a map from Ethan.

  “Looks like a couple found the place too,” Asher announced. I turned to where he was looking. There was a gray sedan parked closer to the building.

  “We could scare the hell out of them,” I suggested wickedly. Isaac started nodding.

  Zeke looked down at me with that glare. “No,” he said in his ‘don’t even think about it’ voice.

  “It was just a suggestion,” I said innocently. The others chuckled.

  Once everyone had what they needed, I peeked up at Isaac. His gaze met mine, his mischievous grin appeared. We were both thinking the same thing. I turned back to the guys and tried to hide my excitement.

  “So, why don’t we split up?” I suggested. “We can cover more ground.” The others looked at me with confusion.

  “You’re the only one who can see the dead,” Asher reminded me.

  “Yeah, but there are other signs you look for. You know, weird noises, those doors slamming, all that stuff.” I inched my way toward the building with Isaac just a step behind me.

  Asher was eyeing me. He knew I was up to something. When our backs were to the building entrance I added, “So, let’s split into teams. I’m with Isaac.” Before they could say a word we both turned and bolted for the entrance.

  “Lexie!” Zeke bellowed. I giggled as we climbed the crumbling front steps and carefully slipped through the sideways door. We were both laughing as we turned on our lights and kept going.

  The foyer was decaying. The plaster on the walls gone in most places. The floor littered with dust and debris. There was a dusty, dank, stale smell to the air. But I didn’t care. I knew Zeke, he’d try to find us as fast as possible. I grabbed Isaac’s hand.

  “Quick, second floor!” I hissed. We could barely stop snickering as we raced up the stairs and down the left hall. We slowed down.

  The walls here were covered in peeling paint, making them looked cracked. We walked down the long corridor. Doors ran down each side of the wide hallway. It looked straight out of a horror movie.

  Isaac’s light shined on a doorway whose door was on the floor.

  “Hey, Red, let’s check this out,” he whispered. I went with him and shined my light inside.

  It was a small room. The green paint cracked and peeling off the walls, the floor covered in dirt and grime. It was empty.

  “Just a hospital room,” I thought out loud. I let go of Isaac’s hand and moved further down the corridor and around the corner. Isaac with me every step of the way.

  “This is one of the reasons I love you, Red,” Isaac said as we kept moving. “You’re willing to do the same crazy stuff I want to.”

  “Like driving Zeke nuts?” I offered, smiling. He nodded.

  “That is high on the list,” he admitted. He was quiet for a bit. “This shit doesn’t bother you?” he asked as we reached large double doors on one side of the hall.

  “Not really.” I pushed one of the doors open and stepped inside. Isaac followed. “Does it spook you out?” The light from our flashlights bounced off the green tile. There were bathtubs lined up against the wall across from us.

  “Not really,” he said as he went to one of the tubs and looked in. “Too many video games maybe.” We went back into the hallway and started walking.

  “Maybe.” I shrugged. As we looked around, I thought back to what he had said. “I don’t like all the stunts you do. The really crazy ones actually scare me.” I told him. His gaze ran over me then met mine.

  “My stunts scare you?” he repeated, sounding doubtful. “The woman who sees the dead all the time? The girl who laughs at horror movies?”

  “Yeah, they scare me,” I said simply. “Like that surf tubing in January, that scared the hell out of me.” I turned my flashlight to the walls and kept walking. “Climbing without gear in October,” I reminded him.

  “That’s just fun,” he explained.

  I turned back to him. “When you do that shit, it scares the hell out of me,” I said sincerely. He wouldn’t meet my gaze. I stepped up, grabbed his chin and made him look at me.

  “I care about you. Hell, I love you, Cookie Monster.” His jaw clenched as I continued. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  He sighed deeply, shadows filled his eyes. “So, you, what? Want me to stop being me?”

  I shook my head. “I just don’t want you to take stupid risks anymore.” His fingers brushed along my jaw. He leaned down and kissed the corner of my lips. My heart gave a hard throb. Whoa. Where did that come from? I’d never felt that before, not from Isaac. Hell, not from anyone lately. He pulled back and gave me a small, sad grin.

  “Alright, Red,” he said softly. “For you, I’ll try to pull back on the stunts.” I gave him a big smile and practically tackled him as I hugged him tight.


  “Thank you, Isaac,” I whispered. He squeezed me back.

  “Only for you, Lexie,” he said softly.

  Cursing came from down the hall. We went still. The voice was gravelly and deep. We let go of each other.

  While talking we forgot what we were doing. Zeke must have finished searching the first floor. Smiling, I hurried to the nearest door. It was a closet. I gestured to Isaac, we squeezed in and shut the door behind us.

  I shut off my light and he covered his with his shirt so it wasn’t completely dark. The closet was musty and small, forcing us to be pressed against each other. Zeke’s heavy footsteps came closer. He was mumbling about how he was going to kill us both. Isaac snorted. I looked up. He was trying to stop himself from laughing, his face was red from it. I couldn’t stop smiling as I put a finger to my lips to remind him. His shoulders started shaking. I felt my own control slipping. I let out a giggle. I covered my mouth with my hand as the footsteps came closer.

  The door jerked open, light blinding me. I couldn’t help it. I started giggling.

  “Not funny,” Zeke growled as he lowered his flashlight. We broke out laughing. He reached in, grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the closet to his side.

  Isaac and I kept laughing as Zeke marched us back downstairs to where the others were waiting. By the time we reached them I had my breath back.

  “How’d you find us?” I asked, wiping a tear from my eye.

  “Your footprints in the dirt,” Zeke bit out.

  “Oh, clever.” I smiled up at him. He glowered down at me which set me off on another round of giggles. Asher shined his light at the ceiling so we could see everyone.

  “Are you two finished running off on your own?” Asher asked in a very Miles-like tone.

  I tried not to smile too much as I said, “Yes.” Asher shook his head.

  “Back to what we came here for,” Zeke growled. “If you two are done, let’s get to it.” I peeked up at him. Was the hospital getting to him? Maybe.

  “Fine,” I agreed. “Where were the most sightings of the woman?”

  “Third floor common room,” Ethan announced. “In the east wing.” Great, the mental ward wing.

  “Third floor it is!” I declared and turned toward the stairs. Zeke stepped in front of everyone as Asher stepped up next to me.

  “What did you think you were doing?” Ethan hissed at Isaac behind us.

  “Exploring,” Isaac countered.

  “The group sticks together, that was the deal,” Ethan snapped.

  “Fine, God, relax will you,” Isaac grumbled. “It was just a joke.”

  As we reached the second story landing, something moved. I only spotted it out of the corner of my eye. I looked to the left and shined my light. There was nothing there to move. Huh. Must have been a bug or something.

  We turned and headed up the staircase to the third story.

  “Are you guys sure you don’t want to look around some more?” I asked, almost begging.

  “Maybe, if you don’t run off again,” Zeke called over his shoulder. I rolled my eyes.

  Zeke tested each step before he let us on the staircase. After all, if it could hold him, it’d hold all of us. It took a while to reach the third floor. The air was colder up here; every window was broken letting the spring wind in.

  “Which way to the common room?” Zeke asked.

  I pulled out my map and looked at it. “To the left, I think.”

  We started walking down another wide corridor that was exactly the same as the second floor. Everything was normal until I noticed I could see my breath. “Um, guys. I think there’s a soul somewhere. And a pissed off one at that.” I announced. The guys started looking up and down the corridors. I saw nothing. That chill ran down my neck, only it felt like a punch. I grunted and closed my eyes with the pain. It was only a few seconds, but when I opened them I was surrounded by the guys.

  “Ally?” Asher asked.

  “There’s a soul alright, and close.” My voice turned raspy. I reached for my water bottle and realized I had left it in the Jeep. Shit.

  I was looking down the hall at a pair of double doors when the soul walked right through it. She was in a hospital gown and muttering under her breath. Her stride was long as she cursed stupid teenagers. She looked up and stopped. Her brown hair was wild, her eyes furious.

  “Great, more stupid teenagers looking for ghosts,” she groaned. “I don’t want you here! Stop bothering me!”

  I bit back a smirk as I stepped out from behind Zeke. “I see you.” She froze, then frowned at me.

  “You can see me? Now?” she asked, her voice full of disbelief.

  “Yeah.” I nodded.

  She sighed with relief. “Great, can you tell those morons to stop coming around here and trying to talk to me?”

  The two doors down the hall opened. Two boys around our age came out. One with a video camera and another with a gadget in his hand.

  “The temperature is dropping out here!” the shorter one said. “The cold spot is moving!”

  I went still. Were they… no. They finally noticed us and jumped about three feet in the air.

  “Shit!”

  “What the...” The taller one swallowed hard. “What the hell are you guys doing here?”

  “Checking out an old building. What about you?” Asher asked moving to my side.

  “I’m Travis,” the shorter one said. He had an average face with dark hair and gray eyes.

  He gestured to his taller, leaner friend. “That’s Keith. We’re looking for proof there’s a ghost here.”

  Isaac tried and failed to cover his laugh with a cough. I elbowed him in the side.

  “So, you’re what? Ghost hunters?” Ethan tried to cover for his brother.

  “Yeah.” Keith had a nice face, black hair and silver-rimmed glasses.

  The woman waved her arms around. “See what I mean? They’re here every other day now and I’m sick of it.” I made eye contact with the soul and tilted my head toward the back of the group.

  “Asher, stall please,” I barely whispered.

  “So, how do you do that?” Asher asked walking over to them. The guys began explaining as I slipped back behind the twins. The ghost joined me.

  “I can’t deal with them but I can help you cross,” I whispered. Her brown eyes lit up.

  “Oh, yes, please. Get me out of here,” she said adamantly. “I’m so ready.”

  “What’s your name?” I asked my voice still low.

  “Esther,” she said. I gave her a smile. I pulled off my bracelets and tucked them into my pockets. Esther’s energy hit my barriers. Thankfully, they had gotten stronger. I vaguely felt pressure in my chest, a heart attack? I wasn’t sure.

  I focused on Esther’s need to move on. That gold thread wrapped around her wrist. I dropped down immediately.

  The Veil was quiet as we hit the grass. Esther let out a deep sigh of relief as I let go of her.

  “Thank you so much. You have no idea how long I’ve been there.” Esther said emphatically.

  “It’s what I do.” I shrugged. “Should I expect any other souls in the building?”

  Esther shook her head. “There were others once. But over time they disappeared.” Her eyes focused as she met my gaze. “You need to get those boys out of there. There are these… things there.”

  “What things?” I demanded instantly, my pulse picked up.

  “I don’t know. I’ve been hiding from them for years,” she admitted. A golden door shimmered into sight.

  “I’ll get them out of there,” I promised. She smiled.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” I didn’t bother to wait for her to cross. Something was in the building with the guys. I pulled myself out immediately.

  I opened my eyes and blinked hard trying to get my bearings.

  “The temperature is rising,” Travis snapped. “Damn it!”

  “Sorry, I was just curious about how you did what you do,” A
sher offered. I was about to turn around and let the guys know we needed to go when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. The sudden feeling of being watched washed over me. My heart pounded as I looked down the other side of the hall toward the West Wing and lifted my light. There, near the walls, was a pitch-black shadow figure. My skin crawled.

  “Ethan,” I whispered.

  He turned to me. “Yeah?”

  I swallowed hard. “Can you see that?” I asked quietly. Ethan looked to where my light was.

  “No,” he whispered back. “You see something?” I nodded. My stomach knotted as I looked at it. It wasn’t just a shadow where you could see through to the other side. No, the black of its body was so thick I couldn’t see past it. Dread filled me. This was definitely not a ghost.

  “Asher, we need to leave,” I whispered, knowing he’d hear me. “All of us. Now.”

  “Well since you’re done here, why don’t we all hit the diner for some late-night food,” Asher offered. “Our treat for ruining your night.” I kept my eyes on that shadow figure. And it kept watching me. It felt…

  “I can see it now,” Ethan said. Shit.

  “We’re not done, we still have a couple hours to work,” Travis said. Another shadow figure emerged from another door. I threw subtlety out the window.

  “We need to go,” I ordered. The figures started moving down the hall towards us.

  “Now!” Zeke and Asher grabbed Keith and Travis. They dragged them down the hall. We turned and ran back the way we came. Travis and Keith were shouting, asking what was going on.

  When we reached the staircase, I skidded to a stop and let the others go first. I watched as the two shadow figures came towards us. Sweat ran down my back as I turned and ran, following the boys down the stairs. When we hit the second floor there were two more on the far side of the corridor.

  “Anyone else see that?” Keith asked.

  “Faster!” I shouted. Everyone picked up the pace. When we hit the first floor it was clear.

  Everyone ran for the door. Zeke stopped and made sure the others got through first. “Run, you ass!” I shouted as I bolted through the door. Zeke followed right behind me.

  We ran until we reached the gravel. I turned, out of breath, to look at the doorway. Nothing was coming. I took big, gasping breaths as I watched the entrance. What the fuck were those things? They felt…