Ghost Hunt - Cases of a Different Kind (FanFic)

Strange Tides Part 3

~Dream~

It was dark. No light came through the portholes to her side and the hallway was cold, frigid to the point that it felt malicious.

" Mai." She turned to the person that called her, easily gazing into the soft ethereal blue of her boss' twin.

The brunette smiled warmly before taking his offered hand. After nodding in the darkness, she led him lead her down the corridor and down a flight of stairs. Screeching metal could be heard along with the faint sound of a girlish giggle. The light gave way to a room that smelt of oil and steam, light bounced off the metallic surfaces within the room and Mai quickly realised it was the engine room.

"Be careful Charlotte. That's hot!" A baritone voice echoed throughout the room and Mai spotted a man, dressed in the standard issue uniform for ship captains. He stood by a set of valves set in the wall.

"It's alright father. I'm fine." The daughter of the captain was sitting by the edge of a steaming pool of water, the cooling system for old cruise ships. The little girls green eyes widened only seconds before a sharp whistle broke through the air and the captain jumped.

"Gene? What's happening?" Mai's question was nearly drowned out by Charlotte's scream, a horrible sound filled with agony that no little child should have to emit. Small hands clung to a similarly small face as boiling water dripped through her fingers.

"Charlotte!" A woman ran through Mai. The brunette stiffened as emotions ran rampant through her body, despair coursing through her veins like wild fire as the phantoms feelings caused her to drop to her knees and tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry Mai. But you have to keep watching." Genes voice did little to sooth her but the authority it held caused her to raise her head and watch the woman, possibly Charlotte's mother, clutched the now still body of the little girl. But something felt... off. From where Mai crouched, she saw blood pool under the small body of the captains daughter and the realisation that she was dead washed over her like a bucket of cold water.

"It's your fault you stupid man! I told you not to bring her here! You fool!" The mother yelled, her tear stained face scrunched up into a look of pure rage. Mai had to blink to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but when she looked closer, she could she faint wisps of black mist float off the mothers body as she turned to look at her husband as he leant against the wall, mouth soundlessly moving. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Mai's eyes widened as the scene changed to the top deck. The very same deck Mai had nearly been killed on only hours prior. A group of formally dressed people danced about the open floor. Music played from behind the large crowd, supplying the entertainment for the night.

Gene gently helped her stand and whispered an undecipherable warning in her ear only moments before a sharp 'twang' echoed through the night air. Mai froze as Gene quickly wrapped her in his arms, protectively tucking her head in the crook of his neck just as a sharp pain tore a thin line through her neck.

She chocked, an oddly cool line burning it way across her throat.

When she looked up, it was only to see the people, once dancing and enjoying their evening, fall to pieces right before her eyes.

"Oh god..." She whispered, gagging at the bloody sight, "Who... How?"

Gene just shook his head before reaching down to grab her hand and began sprinting across the deck towards the doorway leading into the ship. "I'll explain later. But right now, you have to see something."