Came Back Haunted (Experiment in Terror #10) - Karina Halle Page 0,31

says as he chews, climbing off the bed. “I’ll lose all my street cred.”

“You’re a moment ruiner, you know that?” I mumble.

“So I’ve been told,” he says cheerfully. “Come on, we have a bit of work to do before we head to Portland. And you have some brandy to finish off. I want you good and drunk all day.”

The drunk part sounds good, especially after what happened last night. But I play it safe. Yes, I have another cup of coffee with brandy in it, then Dex and I get to work. I answer a few emails from clients, schedule some videos that Dex has to shoot in the coming weeks, then we sit down together and go over some of the footage that we shot last night.

It’s pretty fucking good. I mean, I sound like a total amateur but we can just cut me out and do some voice over work instead. But the blood running under the door, the banging, the EMF meter going nuts, the door down the hall swinging open by itself, all of it is on here. Of course, people will say it’s fake, but even if a literal ghost showed itself to us on camera, people will dismiss it and say it’s CGI anyway.

“Well, what do you think?” he asks me as he turns the computer off. “Think we have something here?”

“Maybe. The start of something anyway. If she communicates with us.”

“I have no doubt she will. There’s something about that house that…”

“What?”

“I don’t want to freak you out because so far, I’m really loving how involved and interested you’re being in all of this. But with Atlas and Harry lying about god knows what, the mysterious mother, not to mention whoever else the fuck is in that house, well…I just think there’s a lot going on and a lot to uncover. It might get fucking scary.”

“Might get scary?” I repeat. “Don’t pretend you weren’t scared shitless when you got locked in that room.”

He studies me for a moment. “And you were surprisingly calm and collected, considering.”

I give him a tiny smile. “Someone has to be.”

He laughs, eyes wide. “Okay, now you’ve earned two spankings today.”

He makes a grab for me, but I giggle and run out of our office and into the bedroom to pack.

Even though we’re just staying at my father’s house for a night, we’ve got two nights at Cannon Beach after at some super romantic resort that Dex booked. I’m not sure what super romantic means coming out of his mouth, but maybe it’s where we were supposed to stay for our wedding anniversary a few weeks ago, which got postponed.

Either way, I’m looking forward to getting away for a few days. Rebecca and Lucinda are staying here to take care of the dog, so really it’ll be like our first vacation in a long time.

When I’m packed, and Dex has just thrown a bunch of shit in a duffle bag and called it a day, we bid adieu to Fat Rabbit and head down to the underground garage. We have just stepped off the elevator when Dex tells me he’s forgotten something. He gives me the keys to the Highlander and gets back on the elevator.

I shrug and continue toward the car. The underground parking is all one level and brightly lit. It’s never given me the creeps.

Until today.

I look over my shoulder as the elevator doors close and take a deep breath, wondering why everything feels so off all of a sudden. Because of all the shit that’s happened in our past, I’m so highly sensitive that I’ll make myself problems or give myself anxiety and a panic attack because of how my mind overreacts.

To combat the prickling feeling on my neck, I raise my chin high and walk at a faster pace, dragging my little suitcase behind me, a black faux-crocodile print affixed with stickers of all my favorite bands, some I’ve been lucky enough to see in person, others I’ve just dreamed about.

I pass by Putt Putt resting with a few other bikes and motorbikes in a stall, and keep going. It’s not the first time I’m wondering why our designated parking spot is so far from the fucking elevator.

And then I hear a faint fuzz and pop.

The space in front of me grows dimmer and I don’t have to turn around to know that one of the bulbs behind me just blew out.

Great.

I pause, even though I know I should just keep walking, and I