There would have been a time when this idea would’ve scared him. But through the entire hectic year at Sorren Academy, Jayden didn’t know what he would define as ‘fearsome’ anymore. The others managed to round him up to try and go ‘ghost-catching’ or something like that. For some reason, Tristan appeared terrified by the aspect of dead people. Jayden didn’t understand, from what that girl has been through, how could she be afraid of the idea of ghosts?

It started out as a small group. Just Jayden, Tristan, Samuel, and Ryan. Tristan was the only girl not busy and willing to go out of the girls asked. Samuel said that he’d tag along to make sure they didn’t die. Ryan thought it would be fun. Jayden thought Ryan started it too. Someone, not sure who- it definitely wasn’t Jayden- spilled the beans and now all the students of dorm buildings V and S knew. Which amounted to a total of ten people wanting to go ghost hunting. Jayden was annoyed.

The band of misfits all met up at the edge of the forest Ryan had scouted out. Based on what he said, there’s an abandoned warehouse a little hike away. They would explore it, see who had the most courage and head back before midnight. At least that was the plan.

That was the plan.

It was a beautiful cloudless and windless night. The full moon hung bright in the sky, providing a lot of their light. The sound of birds and cicadas sang from the woods. But for some reason, the weather just seemed wrong.

Melissa was the first to run out screaming, and according to her, it was because she felt something clip her ear from behind, but she was at the back of the group. The group was still walking in the trees when she bolted, screaming and high tailing it out of there. The rest of them glanced at each other and shrugged. Melissa was always jittery anyways.

Of course, Ayami was the second to run off with her sister Reyna. They both shrieked at the same time, glancing frantically at the ground. With gasping, shaky breath they told us that they felt something on their ankles. Not exact grabbing not exactly brushing either. They didn’t like it so the two sputtered out an apology and left.

The remaining seven made it to the warehouse and Allison had geeked over an owl she saw perch on the gates. It was less of a warehouse and more of a mansion. Vines crawled along its walls and a window on the second story was shattered and swung open, slamming open and shut in the wind. The gate creaked as Ryan shoved it open unceremoniously. The boy seemed strangely eager to find a ghost. Jennifer had squeaked in sync with the gate and Kyle made an offhand comment about the door needing to be oiled. The sky darkened as a cloud covered the moonlight, coincidentally the same time they cross the threshold. The kept up a constant chatter until they reach the front door.

‘It was when we entered that everything started going wrong.’

At first, it was fine. Ryan and Samuel joked, Tristan clung to Jayden’s arm, Kyle scowled at everything and Jenny and Allison gossiped. Everyone shivered at the cold draft that rushed out the warehouse door.

They took a few steps in. The door slammed shut, shrouding them in darkness except for the beams of orange light emitting from Ryan, Jenny, and Kyle’s flashlights. As if the flashlights had made a unanimous decision to all shut down together, all the items turned off with an audible click. A few more clicks of the owners trying to turn them back on turned out fruitless. A gulp was heard, Jayden wasn’t sure who it came from. With the sense of sight gone, Jayen’s heard picked up. He heard someone’s breath hitch, and someone else whispering for them to stay calm.

Ryan asked for hands so they wouldn’t lose each other. Jayen reached out for Jenny or Allison, thinking that no doubt if he finds one in the darkness he would find both of them. He was wrong. He only grabbed Jennifer’s hand.

That’s when he felt it. A slimy cold and unnatural thing brushed against his leg. His breath hitched. The tightening of Tristan’s hand told him that he wasn’t just imagining things and she felt it too. Something just went by. And no one else but Jayden and Tristan knew.

Instead, Kyle cursed and the six of them began yelling out to Allison.

Allison was gone.

A crash from somewhere above them shut their mouths. Someone mentioned Allison. But there’s no way that Allison could have found the stairs that fast nor would she not reply to their call. She wasn’t the type to prank them like this. Ryan suggested the crash was just the broken window banging in the wind. The rest of then nodded and agreed until Tristan meekly reminded them that it was a windless night. There shouldn’t be any wind to slam the window. Ryan swallowed loudly. It’s okay. He repeated it over and over as if more to convince himself than the rest of them.

Linked, the five slowly navigated their way through the dark. But with a shrill scream Jayden suddenly lost the feeling of Jenny’s hand. It almost felt like she was ripped from his grasp. He turned to tell the rest of them.

They weren’t there.

Jayden paused. He could swear he had felt Tristan’s hand on his a moment ago, cold and clammy with fear. The next thing he knew, he was utterly alone.

When faced with fear, the human body will automatically go to fight, flight, or freeze. Jayden froze. At least until he heard footsteps. Heavy, slow thump thump thump. Slowly getting louder and closer and faster. Footsteps that didn’t sound anything like the others’.

Jayden began to backpedal, facing the darkness where the noise was coming from. His back slammed into a door. He immediately stopped, hoping it wasn’t loud. He couldn’t hear the footsteps anymore. He was about to let out a relieved breath when the footsteps came back. Loud. Fast. And extremely close. As if they were running, running towards Jayden. Panicked and flustered Jayden yanked the door open and dashed inside and slammed the door shut just as the footstep sounded right next to him. Right outside the door. Jayden fumbled with the lock.

Knocking on the hollow wood. Thunk thunk thunk. The footsteps retreated and left but the knocking continued. Calm and slow.

Jayden!

Tristan’s voice called out from the other side of the door. Jayden paused and crept towards the door. What was she doing? What if those footsteps came back for her? He was about to call back to Tristan when a cold hand wrapped around his neck and mouth, effectively shutting him up. Jayden flailed soundlessly. Twisting his body, Jayden managed to look into Tristan’s wide and horror filled brown eyes. Jayden froze. His name was called out once again by Tristan’s voice outside as he stared at said person. Tristan shook her head and mouthed, not me. Jayden nodded slowly and Tristan released her grip. His name was called again. Jayden made no sound. His gaze flicked back to Tristan. Only to see her staring horrified at something behind him. Jayden whirled around only to come face to face with a knife descending upon him and the smile of the person holding the weapon. The last thing he saw was the smile.

With a shrill scream, Jayden shot up in his bed. He glanced at the familiar furniture of his dorm room. It was only a nightmare. He glanced at his glowing red clock. It flashed three in the morning. It was still dark outside. He let out a relieved chuckle.

“You okay Jay?” Melissa, who was right across the hall shouted.

“Yeah, I’m good, just had a bad dream!” Jayden yelled back. And under his breath added, “A really realistic dream.”

Melissa replied, “You haven’t been asleep that long.”

“Oh, really? Well, I’m probably getting more sleep than you or Tristan!”

Melissa’s tone took a strange edge, “Jayden, we don’t have anyone named-”

Kyle’s voice came through the wall, “Shut up both of you, go back to sleep!”

Not wanting to invoke Kyle’s anger, the conversation quickly ended. Jayden settled back into his covers, sleep taking over his body. The lasting thing he saw before drifting off to sleep was the eerie smile of the shadow outside his window and the glint of moonlight on metal.