The Five Evolution

Chapter 48: Things That Go Bump In The Night (II).

『"It’s all very Scooby Doo... except, there are no masks."』

"So what do you say? Are we going to investigate the ghost room, or are you all too pussy to actually do it?" Naomi asked.

"I am no pussy," Raj declared immediately, puffing out his chest. "I’m definitely going." He looked at the others expectantly. "Guys?"

Ethan shrugged. "What the hell. If you all really want to go, then I mean... could be interesting."

Without thinking about it, Amara reached out and took his hand, a casual gesture that felt natural after last night. "Why not? I’m curious now."

Ethan’s thumb brushed lightly across her knuckles. Suddenly, Amara became very aware that this was the first time they’d touched like this in front of other people.

Naomi noticed immediately and her eyebrow climbed higher, but she said nothing.

Sophia smirked. "I’m in," she said, cracking her knuckles. Then stared at Andre and pointed at his foil. "Gonna finish that?"

Andre smiled and handed it to her. "Go for it."

Everyone had decided to go. Which left only Hiro, and they all turned to look at him.

He stood there for a long moment, clearly warring with himself. Finally, he sighed heavily. "Sure. Yeah. Let’s go to the ghost room. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Damn it, Hiro," Raj lamented. "What could possibly go wrong? Really?!"

"What?!" Hiro said.

Sophia placed her hand on her hips and waved the burrito around with her other hand. "Don’t you know you’re not supposed to say that."

"Five PM," Naomi announced, breaking up whatever discussion they were about to have. "Meet back here. Don’t be late, or we’re going without you."

"Sounds good," Andre said. He gave them another wave as he and Naomi headed off toward the training wing.

The five watched them go, then looked at each other.

"I still think this is a terrible idea," Hiro said.

"Probably," Amara agreed.

"We’re doing it anyway," Raj said.

"Obviously," Sophia added.

Ethan just squeezed Amara’s hand, and somehow that made the whole thing feel less ridiculous.

***

At exactly five o’clock, they gathered again outside the classroom wing. Each of them came prepared with an institute-issued flashlight. And an additional bag of salt in Sophia’s case.

Naomi smirked when she saw them. "Guess you’ve got some balls after all. Wasn’t sure you’d actually show."

"We said we’d be here," Amara replied evenly.

Naomi brushed her hair back. "People say a lot of things."

The group set off toward the eastern wing of the Machine, where the lost library was located. The corridors were quieter at this hour as most students were back in their various branches.

As they moved, Hiro stared at the bag of salt Sophia brought with her. "Really?" He asked, still eyeing it.

"Haven’t you ever heard salt repels evil spirits," Sophia said. "You put it at doorways, windows, or any entrance."

"I also heard there’s a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow," Hiro replied sarcastically. "Maybe we can all check that out next time it rains heavily."

"Does it actually work?" Raj asked.

Sophia shrugged, suppressing her desire to smack Hiro. "Never had to find out. But who knows, today might be the lucky day."

Their footsteps echoed unnaturally loudly in the silence. The farther they walked, the more the air changed and the more frequent the overhead light buzzed.

As they made their way down the corridor, Raj broke the silence. "If this is a real ghost, what kind are we dealing with?"

"You say that like there’s a menu," Hiro muttered.

Raj rubbed his chin. "I’m not sure... evil ones and good ones?"

"Like Casper?" Amara asked.

"Yeah, exactly." Raj grinned. "She gets it."

"As a matter of fact, there are several documented classifications," Ethan said.

Amara glanced at him with a smile. "You researched?"

He gave her a small grin. "I was curious."

Amara leaned closer and whispered, "You know, I find researching so hot."

Ethan cleared his throat and immediately launched into explanation mode. "Poltergeists are probably what people think of most, the noisy troublemakers. They move objects, create disturbances, generally make a mess."

"So like having Hiro for a roommate," Raj muttered.

"I resent that remark." Hiro clicked his tongue.

"Then there are Hitchhikers," Ethan continued. "Those, attach themselves to living people and feed off their life energy. Usually without the host even realizing it."

"La Sayona," Sophia whispered mostly to herself.

"What’s that?" Amara asked gently.

"Some legend about a woman who was murdered by her husband." Sophia explained. "Now her spirit wanders, appearing beautiful to scumbags who cheat, then draining them of their life."

Sophia smiled without humor. "I guess the moral of the story is don’t be a scumbag cheater."

Hiro let out an exaggerated laugh, then frowned. "Are all your stories just going to be disturbing?" he asked.

"It gets worse," Ethan continued before Sophia could respond. "Vengeful Spirits are entities that died cruel or unnatural deaths and return seeking revenge. They’re often mistaken for poltergeists, but they’re far more dangerous."

"Can we maybe talk about the less murder-y types?" Hiro asked weakly.

"Well, there are Wanderers," Ethan said. "Spirits not attached to any location. They just drift from place to place, usually harmless."

"Usually?" Hiro asked.

"It’s their opposites you should be more worried about." Ethan grinned. "They’re called—"

"Apparitions," Naomi interjected, deliberately lowering her voice. "They are bound to specific places or objects. Those are the most common type reported in old buildings."

"And if I’m not mistaken, the Machine is really really old," Sophia said to Hiro.

"Centuries old," Naomi agreed and turned to Hiro as well. "It has been so many things over the years, long before it became the Machine we know today."

Hiro let out a strained, hollow laugh. "Very funny guys," he said, but his forehead was already beginning to bead with sweat, which he wiped with his sleeve.

"Stop it you guys." Amara hooked her arm through Hiro’s and pulled him ahead. "Don’t listen to them."

The group rounded a corner and found themselves facing the corridor that led to the lost library.

They reached the library door and found it slightly ajar, which was unusual because it was a decommissioned facility, and that meant it was supposed to be sealed shut.

Pas un bruit. The words were written on the door.

Amara looked at it and whispered to herself as she read. "Not a sound..."

Then Ethan pushed it open slowly and they all stepped into a large room which was capable of accommodating over two hundred students.

They swung their flashlights around and everything looked completely normal. Dust floated through their flashlight beams like suspended ash and it was extremely quiet.

"Temperature’s normal," Raj observed, his breath visible only as normal condensation. "I thought ghost encounters were supposed to be cold?"

"See?" Hiro said, relief flooding his voice. "I knew it. No ghost. Just rumors and mass—"

A book fell from one of the shelves and everyone froze.

Then another. Then three more.

If they fell in a regular way one would expect a book to fall, perhaps, it could have been chalked up to the wind or something.

However, this was anything but regular. They flew from desks and shelves with force, spinning through the air before clattering to the ground.

Following this, the temperature plummeted and Amara’s next breath came out as visible mist. Around her, everyone else’s did the same.

"Okay," Hiro whispered. "Okay, I think we’ve seen enough."

Suddenly, on the large window at the front of the library, condensation began to form. Then two dots appeared in the frost, followed by a curved line beneath them.

A circle formed around it next. It was a smiley face, drawn by invisible hands on the glass.

:)

"Well, I’ll be damned," Andre said, his usual calm cracking slightly. "It’s definitely a ghost."