Double Down Demons (A Ghost Adventures/Zak Bagans Story)

Chapter 14: Cool beginnings

An hour before sunset we make our way to the gaol, leaving us just enough time to get the equipment set up. Billy and Jay settle into the hub, which is based in the gift shop, and give me a crash course in camera handling and EVP recording. Oh this was going to be fun!  I thought as I stuck the camera in Aaron's face and cracked up at his silly face pulling, not noticing Zak's intense gaze or his frown and stormy eyes as he watched.

"Urrrgh I didn't need to see that!" Laughed Billy as he checked the monitors and saw Aaron's extreme close up. "We're all good to go guys." And he and Jay wave us away.

We were starting off all together in the court room before moving on to the main gaol which was reportedly a lot more active.

As we walked over Aaron coached me to make sure I knew what to expect and insisted that I could interrupt at any point if anything at all happened. Zak was ahead of us a little and I watched as he walked. The tension and concentration radiated off of him. The laid back demeanour I had become accustomed to had all but gone instead replaced by the dead set ghost hunter. His shoulders were tense, his face serious and focus unbreakable. I found it fascinating to watch.

I stood back in the jury area while Zak filmed his introduction from the dock.  Aaron panned his camera over to me as Zak reminded the audience that I was there for the investigation. He then began calling out. Now what you don't realise from the footage on TV is that each vigil would last at least an hour, usually longer and there is a lot of non activity in that time. The courthouse was quiet, none of us felt uneasy or any real energy. We caught one EVP, the word 'sentence' in a quiet whisper but we figured that this was a residual energy as it wasn't responding intelligently to a question and probably related back to the sentences being passed in the court.

Zak decided that we should move on to the gaol, we picked up Billy on th eway and entered the foreboding building. We felt the cold as soon as we entered as the building was made of thick grey stone, the windows open to the elements except for the the metal bars that provided no shelter only imprisonment. A little moonlight streamed through the grids but this only served to make the shadows seem even darker. I shiver a little, the atmosphere pressing in on me.

"I don't know if its just the building or temperature but I have chills." I announce.

"I'm ok, how about you Aaron? Billy?" Zak asks.

"Nope I'm all good." Billy replies.

"My right arm is feeling a bit cold." Aaron says, turning towards me as I am standing directly to his right.

"Let's see if there is anything on thermal." Zak suggests, Billy takes out the FLIR camera and sets it up.  He points it in my direction.

"That's weird there's definitely an area around Tracy that is a few degrees cooler than everywhere else!" He exclaims and points it out to Zak." How do you feel Trace?"

"Other than a bit chilly, I'm fine." I shrug, trying not to be freaked out about being the centre of attention. Zak's walkie talkie crackles to life making me jump.

"We've lost sound on Tracy's mic." Jay's voice comes through the static. Zak reaches for the pack at my waist.

"Wow! It IS a lot colder around you! Holy shit! Lookit! The battery is completely drained, it was brand new I opened the packet myself." He tells us wide eyed, his excitement is palpable.

"Ok let's change your battery and I think we need to split up. Tracy you definitely have to stay here and I'll stay with you, we'll conduct a spirit box session. Billy you go up to Ned Kelly's cell with the thermal and do some EVPs, Aaron you take the SLR camera to the condemned cell ok?" Zak arranges. Aaron roll his eyes at being sent to the scariest place alone as usual but didn't complain.

My battery all changed, Billy and Aaron head off to their locations and Zak and I stay put, we're stood directly under the trapdoor for the gallows, the coincidence is not entirely lost on me.

"Let's start this spirit box session." Zak switches the device on and the familiar chugging of white noise fills our ears. He begins asking questions and for 20 minutes or so we receive nothing in response. I decide to give it a go.

"Can you hear my voice, can you see us?" I ask but still only noise fills the air.

"what were you locked up for?" I persist.

"Death, innocent." A man's voice croaks out.

"Fuck!"I exclaim in surprise, eyes wide. Zak smiles at my reaction and gestures for me to continue.

"You were innocent? Wrongly accused?' I try to confirm, "What's your name? Tell us who you are so we can clear your name." I waited and began feeling even colder. "Brrrr, I'm even colder now Zak, do you feel it?" Zak waved his hand in front of me.

"Oh my god that's so cold! Keep asking." He prompts.

"Ummm were you accused of killing someone is that why you were here? I ask.
"English." The same voice croaked.

"Eeee!That's right I'm English, I'm from Hampshire, are you English too?" I continue to quiz but hear nothing more. We try for another half an hour but the responses have completely dried up.

"Zak, do you mind if we take a break for a second? I'm really cold and i'm getting kinda headachey and groggy." I explain trying not to shiver.

"Oh yeah, sure! You ok? Let's go back to Jay and decide what we'll do next." He leads me by my elbow back to base and hands me a black hoody out of his bag. I take it gratefully and shrug it on, it smells of him and I inhale deeply.

"How do you feel now?" He asks pointing the camera at me.

"Still cold but the headache and grogginess are all but gone, I started feeling better as soon as we left the area." I answer.

"Seems like someone is a bit taken with you there." Aaron jokes and raises his eyebrows. I poke my tongue out at him.

"It doesn't feel negative." I shrug' "I'm inclined to believe that he was wrongfully imprisoned the poor guy. I think he was just trying to use my energy so he could talk with us."

"That's pretty cool." Jay nods.
We spend half an hour going through a couple of things, that Aaron had caught while fuelling up on granola bars and coffee. Then we discuss what we were going to do next.

"Lets all split up." Zak suggests with a little too much glee in his voice. I try not to give away just how nervous that suggestion makes me feel. But they do say you should always trust your instincts....

Aaarrrggh the suspense, and i won't be able to update for a couple of days! muuuwahahahaaaa!  *Twiddles moustache like an old timey villain.*

Thank you for reading, i hope you stick with it and let me know what you do and don't like about it. Cheers me dears! *GM*