Shadows At Starlight

by Alice J Black

  “Okay.” I nodded.

  Olivia made a few scribbles on the sheet of paper. I wondered how she could see well enough to write anything.

  “The first few showings were fine. Full to the brim, in fact. People from all over wanted to see The Haunting, and the Starlight sold out for every show. I think people even travelled—”

  “It was popular, we get it,” Olivia interrupted, without looking up.

  I kicked the chair, but Roman carried on talking as if his flow hadn’t been interrupted.

  “Yes, it was popular. Then things started changing.”

  “Changing how?” I frowned, shifting my weight.

  “Pieces of the film started changing. It was so subtle I barely noticed at first, but then it became glaringly obvious. Doors opened when they shouldn’t have, there were screams, and of course, the shadows. I thought at first that maybe I was just over-exhausted, reading into it too much, you know? I’d seen it time and time again, and films can have a way of getting under your skin like that.”

  “Especially when you’re watching something creepy,” Olivia muttered.

  “But it kept happening. I had a few guests who, like me, needed to watch the film over and over, and when they came back, they noticed it, too. We started discussing it. And that’s when all hell broke loose.”

  “Now when you say that . . .”

  “No, not literally, Peyton.” He rolled his eyes. “There was no gateway to Hell in the Starlight, if that’s what you mean. But it was bad enough. People came out of the screen.”

  Olivia’s eyes bugged out as she stared at Roman. “Out of the screen?”

  “Not people exactly, but shadows. And they never returned to the screen. They’re still in here. Or rather, I’m not sure where they are. What I do know is that every time the film is shown, they reappear.”

  “In the cinema?” I asked. My arm hairs stood to attention, and I crossed them over my chest.

  Roman nodded. “They hide in the cinema. They’re between the seats in the foot wells, hiding in the darkness. Despite that my audiences aren’t faint-hearted, even they began to balk at the sight, and one by one, they’ve disappeared. No matter what I do, nobody but my staff has set through the doors in a week. If something doesn’t change, I’m going to go out of business.”

  “What do you think of Old Man Cinema over there?” Olivia tipped her head back towards the small office.

  Roman was still there, bathed in the eerie blue glow from his monitor, staring at us, unblinking.

  I turned back around, glad for the moment’s reprieve. “Don’t you think if your cinema was haunted by a ghost you’d be more concerned about that and less about the money?”

  “I think Roman isn’t getting what he wants anymore and needs something to blame.”

  “It’s got to be fake, right? I mean, either that, or he’s actually bat-shit crazy.” She glanced at him, over her shoulder.

  He was still staring.

  “There’s only one way to find out.”

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, no? We have to do this in the name of the job.”

  “There is no job yet. We’re here on an initial inspection. We can turn this down.”

  “Olivia,” I reached out and grasped her shoulder, “we can turn this down if you’re sure you want your life to careen into a deep, dark hole. Or we can give it a go.”

  “I hate horror films, Peyton. You know that,” Olivia whined.

  “Yeah, and I hate being hounded by ghosts, but there it is. Come on. We’ll put it all in with the fee.”

  “Even with it put in the fee, I’m not so sure about this.”

  She shook her head, and I caught the glint of light on her glasses.

  “Come on. You said yourself that the whole thing is stupid. It can’t be real. It’s just a bunch of horror-loving movie freaks who got themselves wound-up too much about this so-called lost-footage film, that’s all.”

  “Even so,” she shook her head, “I’m not sure I want to tempt fate.”

  “Well, tough luck, because it’s all part of the job, honey.”

  Olivia scowled. “I’ll get you back for this.”

  “I’m sure you will,” I called over my shoulder as I reached the doorway to Roman’s office.

  He was still staring.

  “Roman, we’ll take the case. Or at least we’ll do the initial investigation. For the first night—beginning tonight, if that’s convenient—the fee will be one hundred pounds. We’ll need to see the film, too.”

  “Of course.” He leaned forward, hands clasped in a mocking gesture of prayer.

  “Anything after that, the fee is negotiable, and we’ll talk afterwards about whether our services are required and payment options.”

  “What time do you plan to come?”

  “We’ll be here around eight. Gives us time to set up.”

  “And the film?”

  “Let’s have it start at nine.”

  “No problem. I’ll have it ready.”

  “See you tonight, Roman.”

  “Goodbye, Peyton.”

  I drained the last of my coffee and set the cup on the bench. The lights in the small office were on, the glare a little too harsh for my liking. Maybe in the future, money permitting, we could look at having them changed. The computer had been switched off hours ago, and Olivia sat with her hands in her lap, fingers twisted together. I’d never seen her look so nervous.

  “Is it because of the film?” I asked, pushing my backside up onto the counter as I stared at my best friend.

  “It’s the whole thing, Peyton. It feels . . . off to me.”

  “Of course it’s off. It’s a haunting. Olivia, this is what we do.”

  “I’m not sure I want to do this anymore.” Her face twisted into a frown.

  “Unfortunately, you have to do this, Olivia. You can’t back out now.”

  “I’m not talking about backing out.” She shook her head, palms splayed out as she reasoned. “I’m just talking about not doing this part of it. Counting on you to keep me safe in the field might not be right for me anymore. Maybe I can just lay low in the office and keep up to speed with everything. I’d be better at that.”

  “Listen.” I jumped down and moved across to her chair.

  My hands rested on the armrests, and after a little prompting, her gaze met mine. I saw a shimmer of uncertainty there.

  “Tonight is just about recon. We need to find out what’s going on in that place in order to change it. Or to see if anything needs done at all. Olivia, I need you to be my eyes and ears.”

  “I’m coming, aren’t I?”

  I grinned. “Yes. And besides, I’m sure if Roman wants us to do a really good job, he’ll provide the popcorn, too.”

  “And that makes the being almost scared-half-to-death part worth it,” she drawled.

  “There she is.” I smiled.

  “You know I hate you, right?”

  “You know I’m worth it. Now come on.”

  I picked up the already packed bag off the floor, and the weight felt good as I slung it over my shoulder. Olivia finally stood up, the chair spinning away, and picked up a file. She’d spent the afternoon typing up our first visit, researching a little on the history of the cinema—which revealed nothing unsettling beyond its peculiar manager—and fretting about the night to come.

  The Starlight, as Olivia found out in her research, used to be a small production theatre. Community plays and smaller affairs were held there, but apparently it was always attended well. When cinema was introduced to the world, live stage plays slowly went out of fashion, and the actors were petered out as the screens were built. The same happened to the Starlight. It had been a cinema ever since, and when Roman took over nine years ago, it became a haven for the strange and disturbed world of cinematography. It seemed he’d shown everything there from The Exorcist to the latest gore-fests, but nothing had shocked his audiences, until now.

  As we left the off
ice, I flicked the light off and darkness swallowed Soul Seekers. I pondered it for a moment before following Olivia out into the chill of the night air.

  In the dark, the lights of the Starlight Cinema looked garish, the glow of the pink and blue lettering fading into the night and becoming nothing more than a candy floss dream. The doorway still stood open, and now, as I stared through the double doors, I saw utter darkness beyond. It was almost like we were being invited to step into the night.

  “It’s dark in there,” Olivia mimicked my thoughts.

  I recalled the conversation we’d had in the office and her apparent need to stay away from this place.

  “And dark breeds dark,” I muttered.

  “Oh, great, you’re making me feel so much better.” She wrapped her arms across her chest as if warding off the cold, but I knew different. She was on the defence.

  I glanced at her over the roof of the car and saw that her face was deadpan, cheeks lit by the soft blue glow that accentuated her smooth skin, glasses reflecting the colours that shone overhead. I couldn’t see her eyes, but I knew if I could I would see fear.

  “We just have to stick together, and we’ll be fine.” I hoisted the bag onto my back and slammed the door shut.

  The advantage of the Starlight having no customers was that I got to park right outside. Great if we needed a quick getaway.

  I shoved the thought aside. This was going to be fine. Olivia’s panic was catching.

  Olivia rested on the car, waiting for me to arrive on the pavement. And when I did, I recognised her reluctance to enter. It was the first time she’d shown any ounce of fear during ghost hunting. Actually, it was the first time I’d seen her look anything but strong. I didn’t know whether it was the horror film—which I knew she detested—or if it was something more deep-seated.

  Olivia was a warrior in the guise of a woman. She was one of the strongest people I knew. When I was in the madness, she kept me straight and did what it took while holding down a full-time job. She was my rock. I could always count on her. The thought that my rock was beginning to weather wasn’t worth thinking about. Not right now, anyway, when we were about to step into a supposed haunted cinema where the characters on-screen came to life.

  I took a deep breath and turned to face the doors. “Come on then.” I stepped forward. “No time like the present.”

  I heard her feet behind me, soft and cautious.

  “Ah, there you are,” Roman greeted us, with a wide smile and hands clasped a little too tightly.

  He still wore the outfit from earlier that day, and something told me he spent most of his time at the cinema.

  “Yeah. Here we are.” Olivia motioned to the darkened foyer around us.

  The box office was dark, nobody sitting behind the transparent plastic, in the lone seat. Behind the food stand, I caught sight of the machines’ lights as they whirred, but nobody was home.

  “No Sarah tonight?”

  Roman followed my gaze. “She knocked off a couple hours ago. We’ve kept things running as normal as possible, especially during the night time showing, on the off-chance that we get some customers. And when I say we, I mostly mean me. I’m doing tickets, food stand, and managerial jobs.”

  “Right.” I nodded. “Makes sense, I suppose.”

  “Where would you like to start?” He looked from me to Olivia.

  “I think we can manage to do this ourselves as long as we’re pointed in the right direction. In fact, it’s probably best since we’re beginning the official investigation.”

  “Oh. Okay.” He nodded, clearly put out that we didn’t need him to monitor us. “Where would you like to be?”

  “We’ve got an hour before the film starts, so I think we’ll take a look around, set up a few pieces of equipment.”

  “Okay.”

  “When the film starts, how many staff members will be in the building?”

  “Just me.”

  Just the three of us. “No projectionist?”

  “I’m doing that, too.”

  “Okay. Good. If possible, I’d like you to lock the doors once the film begins. That way I can discount any outside interference.”

  “If you’re suggesting this is a hoax—”

  “Not at all.” I shot him a smile. “This is the way I work. I have to do things by the book, and Olivia will be recording everything.”

  She tapped her clipboard for good measure but kept the paper pressed to her chest. “We do it that way to ensure we get the best results so that we can offer you the correct support,” she reeled off.

  God, that woman was good.

  “Of course.” He nodded again, now all too happy to oblige.

  “Do you have a spare set of keys that’ll allow me entrance to the entire building.”

  “Well, no, not really. The only set of keys belong to me, and I need them.”

  “I beg to differ.” I shook my head. “Roman, I understand that this can be an uncomfortable time. However, if your cinema is truly haunted and you want us to rid the place of the issue, then you have to cooperate.”

  His mouth opened and closed as he gawked at me, and then he pressed his lips together and nodded. “Of course, you’re right. I think I just struggle with the idea of not being in control of this place. It’s my baby.”

  “I can understand that, but I would suggest that you’re not in control any longer and whatever’s haunting this cinema is calling the shots.”

  “Here.” He handed over the keys.

  They were heavy and warm where they’d been clutched in his grasp.

  “They open every door in this place. Maybe it would be best if you lock the doors yourself just before the film starts.” He motioned to the front doors. “Then you know it’s done, for sure.”

  “Thank you for your cooperation.” I shoved the keys into my pocket, glad that I’d worn loose combats rather than the tight skinny jeans I’d contemplated.

  “I’ll stay as long as you’re here. That way if you need anything you can just come and find me.”

  “It’s not necessary.”

  “I’d like to stay.”

  I nodded. This was his sticking point, staying with his baby. Mine was taking control of the stage for the night.

  “No problem. Will you just be in your office?”

  “Yes. I have a sleeping bag with me, so if I go to sleep I’ll just be tucked behind the desk.”

  “Thank you.”

  He offered a final nod before spinning on his heels and marching towards his office. Hopefully that would be the last we’d see of him tonight.

  “If the place really is haunted,” Olivia began, “then surely he wouldn’t want to spend the night. He seemed terrified about the whole thing.”

  I shrugged. “I get the sense that he opened this place because he likes dark stuff. I think he was more worried about losing customers and having to shut down than what’s coming out of the screen.”

  “Notice how he’s not sticking around, though. I think he’s scared.”

  “Anyone who’s experiencing a haunting has a right to be scared. Plus, we did pretty much say we wanted the run of the place.”

  “Oh, you’ve got an answer for everything,” she huffed.

  “Damn right.” I grinned. “Besides, we’re better off alone. We’ll have the run of the place, and that makes our job easier. Now, where should we begin?” I rubbed my hands together, staring at the foyer.

  “I say we explore. I don’t know about you, but I want to know about any available fire exits should the worst happen.”

  “That’s actually not a bad idea.” I nodded. “Let’s start on the ground floor.”

  I pulled the second backpack strap over my shoulders, leaving my hands free as we moved towards Roman’s office. Beside that door—which was still open, allowing him full scrutiny of our actions—there were three more. I shuffled with the keys several times, trying to find the right one for the right door.

  Eventually, I succeeded and open
ed the first to find a cleaning closet. There was a small shelving unit which contained several spray bottles and bin liners as well as scoops and hoovers for floor cleaning. I wondered how often they were used given the state of the place.

  I stepped out and locked up. That left two doors at the end of a short passage. I passed a poster for a movie that would be shown in the coming weeks. It depicted a woman lying on the ground, hair matted to her face, mouth open in a scream. However, if business didn’t pick up, I doubted the Starlight would be open long enough to show it.

  Olivia kept close behind as I opened the door marked Ghouls in jagged red letters. I shot a look at Olivia and walked inside. We were in the women’s bathroom, and I wondered how often the crowd at the Starlight got confused about that. There were three stalls. One of them was locked shut, with an out-of-order sign posted on it. Three small porcelain sinks stood opposite, stained from years of use. The only thing that appeared to be new were the mirrors that hung above each sink, lights sunk into alcoves just above to give a stark view.

  I caught sight of myself. The harsh glow showed my skin for the pallid colour it really was. Yet there was something healthy about it and my expression. My hair had a nice sheen where it swept over the crest of my shoulder. Not perfect but much better than I had been.

  “Getting a good look?” Olivia smirked.

  “Give me a break. I sometimes forget how nice it is to see the real me without the added effects of the booze.” I studied my reflection for a few moments longer before facing her.

  “Are you having a moment?”

  “No. Just noticing for the first time how content I look. It seems ghost hunting sits well with me.”

  Acceptance of who I was and being true to myself was working wonders for not only my looks, but my confidence as well. I was a new woman.

  “It doesn’t with me.” Olivia cast her eyes over her own reflection. “I mean, look at my skin. It’s all these late nights. I’m thinking I should take a backseat role, let you handle the investigating. You’re great at it. Staying in the office is more my thing.”