Abandoned

Abandoned: Unfinished

Round 1

Sunlight filters in through the lone window, highlighting the stark whiteness of the room. No matter how many times you visit, it hasn't got any easier to see him this way.

A frail young man stares out the window, rocking gently and whispering to himself.

"Sam? Tell me you're still in there," you plead for the millionth time.

He only ever responded one way, "Still there. She's still there. Still there. She's still there. Still there. She's still..."

The papers had been oddly quiet about that night. Were they keeping the details to themselves or were there no details to give? To most people, it didn't matter now. Too many months had passed with no further leads. Joe and Sarah had been reported dead. Meghan was still listed as missing despite the unidentified body in the basement. How and why? No one knew; and when Sam was found crawling his way along the dirt road, he had said only one lucid thing before retreating to the state he was in now, "Burn it down."

"I'll see you again, Sam. Soon. I'm going to make it better," you say, patting his shoulder. You leave, and once in your car, you pull out your phone and open your email.

The house had been hard to get to right after the incident, but as interest waned, so did the police patrol. The house wasn't exactly close to town and along normal patrol routes; you didn't blame them for moving on. In fact, that's what you've been waiting for them to do. Only one place had answer for Sam, and you were intent on going. Not alone though. You put out an ad for experts.

Swiping through your emails, you narrow down your choices to two that look promising.

Who's your partner?

A.) Barry Black, ghost hunter
B.) Alice Watson, spirit medium
C.) Do you have suggestions for what you'd like to see? Let me know in the comments. I love feedback!

Round 2

A spirit medium is exactly what you need. Alice Watson will be able to guide you through the house and uncover what traumas happened there. Her email says she has 17 years of experience in haunting and paranormal happenings. No payment until the job is done. Sounds promising. You call the number provided.

Alice answers and after a brief review of your request, she agrees to the job. You'll meet her at the abandoned house in three days. Excitement shudders through you. This was really going to happen. Mystery of the house revealed, and maybe, just maybe, Sam would come back.

Until then, you need to prepare. Squatters didn't kill three people and vanish. Nothing accounted for the state of the body found in the basement, areas of flesh literally stripped from the bone. You weren't supposed to know that, but grisly rumors spread faster when there were no answers.

Thoughts tumble in your mind. Your bag was already packed, waiting in the backseat. How were you going to keep yourself busy for three days of anticipation?

A.) Research. Find out everything you can about the house and its history.
B.) Stake out. There was no reason to risk going inside until you met with Alice, but there was also nothing stopping you from monitoring the house from the outside.
C.) Don't see an option you like? Comment below with your course of action. If it gets more likes than the polling options, I'll use it!

Round 3

With three days at your disposal, you dive into as much research as you can stomach about the house. Agnes Bell had owned the house for over 30 years before her death. It had been built mid 1800s by a Mr. George Carter who never lived to see it finished. His widow took over the estate upon his death. Mrs. Emma Carter, formerly Emma Bell, owned and lived in the house until her own death.