The haunting of the S.P.I.R.I.T

Jacob was now back in his hometown of Bismarck, North Dakota where he had made the decision to quit school and do something he enjoyed. He teamed up with his best friend Tif, and another close friend of his named James, the three of them formed the paranormal group, Midwest S.P.I.R.I.T, with Jacob as the lead investigator. The team actually had some success in investigating quite a few well known places throughout the upper Midwest, including the location of The Battle of Little Big Horn, or Custer's Last Stand, as it was commonly referred to, when Custer guided his men from the plains of North Dakota into Montana.

With his team being from North Dakota, this particular investigation proved very interesting to them, as they investigated the grounds and toured the house to gather information about the living conditions of the time.

The team asked about the path taken by Custer and his men, to which the guide replied, "Custer guided his men on a four hundred and forty-four mile journey that took three weeks to complete, stopping at various sites along the way to sleep and eat."

Jacob then replied, "Then that's what we'll do! I have a friend with three horses that are capable of guiding us on our journey."

Jacob made the necessary arrangements, and it was decided that the team would journey the four hundred and forty-four miles along virtually the same path that Custer had taken. The one condition to ensure the most comfortable situation for the horses would be a horse trailer pulled behind a Chevy truck, which would also be filled with the supplies they would need to complete the modern day trek. This way they could be followed and the horses could rest if need be to ensure they kept their strength.

So Jacob and his team saddled up the horses and with each carrying a map, they set out on their journey through the grasslands of North Dakota. They replicated the same situations that Custer and his men endured, and set up camp in roughly the same spots along the way. It took them approximately three and a half weeks, since they did a bit of sightseeing along the way. When they finally reached their destination, the team awaited the horse trailer and put away the horses before gathering at a local eatery for lunch to go over the plans for the afternoon. After lunch the team set out on their investigation.

They walked amongst the battle grounds, searching for any artifacts that may have been embedded in the earth. Equipped with his spirit box, Jacob set out to explore. He came upon a dome shaped, brick structure that looked very interesting, and decided it was the perfect place to listen for EVPs. He entered and sat inside the structure with his legs crossed.

"If there's a spirit present, can you tell me your name?"

Jacob paused to wait for an answer before asking again. "Is someone here with me? Can you tell me your name?"

This time he got a response of, "Jacob." Hearing his own name spoken back, he was shocked! He heard the name spoken very clearly! There was no question as to what he'd just heard! He was feeling somewhat spooked, looking around and realizing he was still the only one around, but what spooked him the most was the voice he heard sounded similar to his own.

After Jacob sat quietly waiting, he then asked, "How did you die? Can you tell me how you died?"

There was a long silence, but before he could ask again, he got a response. "Accident… Take care of her." Then there was silence.

Intrigued and confused by what he had heard, James got up and exited the dome-like structure, and set out to rejoin the rest of the team.

Later that evening, back at camp, they informed each other about what they had encountered that day. After doing some research into the dome-like structure, James found out that it had been an incinerator for burning the bodies of the casualties during Custer's Last Stand. Learning this made him feel very uneasy. He could still faintly hear the disembodied voice inside his head. Something didn't feel right. He made the decision to abandon the journey and return home. So, as soon as the horses were put into the trailer, they hopped into the truck and headed back.

Several weeks had passed, and James had decided it was time for one more BIG investigation before the end of the summer. Jacob had always been an avid reader, and was a HUGE fan of Richard Bachman; he especially enjoyed The Luminous, which was a 1980's horror movie written by Bachman. Jacob made the announcement that Midwest S.P.I.R.I.T would head up into the mountains of Colorado to stay at the haunted Estes Hotel.

A week before the team's departure, Jacob had called the hotel to confirm the reservations. The clerk at the front desk of the hotel had informed Jacob that due to renovation to the west wing of the hotel, that they were being moved into a different room in another part of the hotel. Jacob was furious.

"NO!" He shouted. "I am paying good money to stay in that room, and I don't want to stay in another room!"

The concierge had informed him that they would be given three free passes for the hotel's ghost tour, along with a free dinner.

"Fine." Jacob relented. "What's my new room number?"

The concierge proceeded to tell him that the new room would be room 1302, which was located in the far corner of the main building, on its own floor. Jacob had done a little research on the room, and had found out that a popular paranormal investigation team had previously investigated that very same room. With it being the only room on the floor, the team had their privacy. There was a lounging area outside the room for the team to set up some of their equipment such as laptops, etc.

Everything was now lined up for the trip, so the team packed their bags and hopped in the van, venturing out on the seven hundred mile journey into the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The team had left at 2:00 in the afternoon, and made stops along the way to sight see and take pictures. Once arriving at the Estes Hotel, the team checked into their room, then headed down to the lobby to grab a bite to eat. After a fancy dinner, the team headed up to the room to get their equipment charged and ready for the following evening. The next day the team would be walking around the hotel doing their pre-walk through, before the ghost tour later that evening, followed by their big investigation.

The walk through gave the team a chance to ask some one on one questions in a bit more detail. When it came time for the investigation, the tour guide led the group to room 217, and explained that Richard Bachman stayed for a time in that room. It was there that he came up with the inspiration for The Luminous.

Jacob looked at the tour guide and jokingly said, "We wouldn't mind if you just forgot to lock this door."

A smile came across his face, and the tour guide responded with, "You are the team with the equipment…! Here you go!" And he handed Jacob the keys to room 217.

The team now not only had an opportunity to investigate their own "infamous" room of 1302, but they had just gained unlimited access to the room in which Richard Bachman was inspired to write

The Luminous. As the team returned to their room, they discovered that it had been cleaned and all the clothes they had lying around were neatly put away in the drawers. They figured that one of the maids had been in to clean the room. But when Jacob checked with the lady at the front desk, she informed him that no maids had been up to that specific room due to how incredibly haunted it was, and that not many people are allowed to stay in that particular room. It is only reserved for paranormal investigators, and that it is up to the individual parties staying in the room to do any kind of cleaning, after which only the owner is allowed in the room to get it ready for the next guest.

After their investigations into the two rooms, the team had come to the conclusion that they could neither confirm nor deny that the Estes Hotel was haunted. What they could confirm, was that it had an

interesting/famous history due to the story behind the inspiration it provided to Bachman to write the movie.

As the team made the long journey home, they began to plan their next location of investigation....the infamous San Haven Sanatorium in Dunseith, North Dakota.