The Investigation

October 31st, 2021 8 PM - The team has assembled, they are hyped up and ready to roll. Our tech specialist this evening is Kamila Holm, she'll be holed up in the van to monitor the equipment from a safe place while we do what we do. If we don't get much for activity, I may attempt to scare her to liven things up a bit. The youngest member of this ragtag investigation team Karl Omis and his older brother Theo Omis are set to make history with me, Ikara Thumbling as we set out to prove and document the impossible. 

9 PM - “Welcome to Buckard Manor, my team and I are here to capture evidence of activity if we can, are you all ready for this?” I point the camera at my team, they whoop and holler their approval to start this hunt. Unrolling a map of the grounds, I point at the gardener's shed at the back of the estate. “Karl, go set up camp here and see what you can scare up. “Theo, take the kitchen,” I tell him as I point to a room on the map at the back of the house. “I will start this adventure in the living room, give it at least twenty minutes in these locations then we can discuss trying different areas. Remember to keep in contact guys, Kamila is here to make sure we get something solid so keep the lines open and the cameras on.”

I make my way to the living area, more than a little nervous about the potential of finding some kind of evidence. This is the way that I was going to kick off my career and finally impress Bradley enough that he might notice me. No time to think of that now though, as I pass through the front entrance into the grand hall I see it's large and spacious with a few end tables cluttered with random items. I hold the recorder up to eye level and slowly pan the entire room for Kamila's benefit then proceed to the door on the right side to where the map had shown the living room was. The room itself wasn't anything glamorous, a china hutch in the corner on the left side from where I display a few knickknacks within its glass doors. A couch with high-back chairs on either side sat in the center of the room facing a television on a stand. I gingerly sit on a chair, hoping hard not to go through it. Carefully arranging my equipment so the camera was facing me and showing the gadgets and gizmos I had, I started trying to communicate with anyone who might be in the room with me. “If anyone is here, can you speak to me? Can you give me a sign?” 

“Ikara, the shed is a bust, I haven't gotten squat,” my radio squawked noisily, giving me a little jump.

“Theo here, the kitchen's a dud too. Any luck in the living room?”

“No, this room has been quiet too. I will head to the study, which is across from the living room. Theo, check out the dining room, and Karl you got the bathroom. The current time is quarter to ten, let's give these rooms until ten-thirty folks. Getting anything on your end Kamila? Are we sending you good stuff?”

“Hardly. No activity whatsoever. Either you guys suck or there is nothing here. Both scenarios have a high chance of being true,” Kamila's voice crackled through the radio. This is the reason Kamila becomes the target for most of our pranks, we can't win against her with wit and we have yet to successfully prank her either so we might just be outmatched against her in all areas. Truth be told, it's the very reason I insisted she should be invited along. I was surprised when she agreed, although she never told me the reason why.

“That's harsh, don't you think? I mean we could always fake stuff like other shows but I would prefer to stick to the truth,” I retorted, slightly hurt but not wanting to show it. “Come on guys, on with the search.” I sank into a dark leather chair at a dark wood desk in the den, highly distracted by Kamila's words to register much else about the room. Do we suck? I didn't want to think so but this was our third investigation together and we didn't have a thing to show for it. Maybe I should just give up...

“Earth to Ikara! Come in Ikara! Man, I dunno what you're doing but pick up the walkie already,” Karl was practically screaming at me. 

“Sorry, got lost in my thoughts. What's up? Did you see something?” I asked, not daring to get my hopes up. 

“It's almost eleven and we ain't got squat,” Kamila chimed in. “The only thing left is the two bedrooms unless you wanted to investigate the toilets too.”

“Theo, Karl, which bedroom do you guys want to take?” I ask, not caring at this point. I would have to tell the team later that this was it, I wasn't going to waste our time anymore with trying to find the truth. Knowing my team, they might try to fake something just to keep me going.

“We'll take the smaller one boss, happy hunting!” Karl replied halfheartedly. Maybe I wasn't the only one affected by Kamila's words. I left the study with a heavy sigh and started climbing the grand staircase. I arrived at the master bedroom sooner than expected, looking to the right I see the Omis brothers frozen in front of their door, staring back at me. I give them a solemn nod and turn the handle to enter the room before me. It swung open silently as I took a couple of steps into the room. A four-poster bed stood in the center of the wall to my left, a dresser stood against the opposite wall from the bed. I moved to the dresser and picked up one of the framed pictures that sat upon it. Strangers stared up at me from the photograph, but there was something strangely familiar about them too. I picked up the photo next to it and dropped it to the floor with a crash. Movement behind me in the bed, something was stirring under those sheets and blankets.

“Kamila? Are you getting this?” I whisper urgently into the walkie-talkie while trying to keep the camera straight. 

“Yes, now be QUIET,” she hissed back. 

A shrill scream erupted from the other bedroom just as the blankets fell away to reveal a woman with disheveled hair. We stared at each other for a moment before we both started to scream in fright and I flew towards the door but missed my mark and went through the wall instead. I hated the feeling of passing through objects but I popped back through the wall to gather my fallen equipment and rushed back to the van where the others had gathered. Karl looked terrified and Theo looked ecstatic.

“Can you believe it? We saw children, HUMAN children!” Theo practically screamed at me. “We were trying to get proof, I don't think it comes any more solid than this!”

“I saw a woman, we screamed at each other in terror,” I replied sheepishly. “You're right though, we did get evidence of the living that we were looking for. Who knows what discoveries this may lead to.” 

Like our history before we became spirits, like where we are supposed to go or do once we get to this place. Everyone knows that this world feels off, but no one remembers anything after they arrive. Not even their names. We are given our names but the Department Of New Arrivals. I didn't tell the others, but the photograph I had dropped was a picture of me. To be honest, I don't know if I want to know the truth, but I will continue to pursue it for the sake of knowledge.