Fractured Legacy: Aicil Paranormal Files #1

Chapter 7

Kaylyn

By the time Cole and I meet up to investigate the hotel, it is once again nearing five o'clock. Yet another long day, while the weekend beckons just out of reach.

I hold the plywood door open with my foot while Cole and I adjust our masks and flip on our flashlights. Even with no natural light within the structure, we opt to bypass the work-lights and rely only on our flashlights and equipment to guide us through the building. I turn on my hand-held audio and video recorder—one of many devices created by our tech team to help investigators to capture images and sounds that conventional recording devices can't pick up.

I wince as a chunk of plaster breaks away from the wall and lands with a thud across the lobby. "In all the years I wanted to investigate this place, I always imagined something more—"

Cole follows behind me with her own device, recording electromagnetic frequencies, temperature, and barometric pressure. "Less atrocious and," she sniffs, "musty would suit me."

As we approach the back of the building, moving toward the staircase, Cole pauses and shines her flashlight toward an opening in the back wall. "Wonder what's back there."

"There's a back entrance." As soon as I speak, I have to duck behind my arm to block the blinding beam of light that Cole directs at my face. "What? Jonah and I found it when we walked the perimeter. It didn't seem important."

Cole makes a noise in her throat, redirects her flashlight, and steps over a pile of plaster as she heads toward the back door. Rusted metal shelves bolted into the concrete flank the door.

"It's a bit cooler in here," Cole says, "but nothing outside the norm. The rest of the readings are the same."

I nod, taking a few minutes to get video coverage of the entire space.

Heading back toward the door, Cole sidesteps another pile of debris and directs her light toward the back hall. "Let's head to the top floor and work our way down to the second. Save the best for last."

"I'm game for that," I say, watching where I'm stepping more than I'm paying attention to anything else. "The back stairwell should take us directly to the top, so we don't have to wander around the mezzanine and second floor."

Then I pause, shining my light on the back door again. "The door is locked from the inside. When Jonah and I were back there, it was unlocked. I opened it a crack."

"Okay," Cole drawls.

"Mr. Roarch didn't come back in here before he gave us the key, did he?"

"Well, no, but he probably has more than one key."

I shrug, it's a fair enough explanation, but it still doesn't sit well with my gut. I glance back one more time before following Cole to the main stairs just around the corner from the back room. Then, I take the lead, bracing my hip against the metal railing as I climb, keeping the recorder and flashlight directed ahead. "Love these old stairs. They look so solid and comforting," I say sarcastically.

Cole snort. "You think that about every set of stairs, sis."

I chuckle, but with every step, my mind grows fuzzier as if it is absorbing the dust and debris of the old structure. At the top of the first landing, I rest my back against the wall, trying to catch my breath.

Cole climbs the last few steps until we stand eye to eye. "You okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, just this stale air and these damn masks. It's unfortunate we can't open a window." I take a breath, pushing down nausea rising from my stomach. "Onward."