Time is funny in that it seems to run faster when you are not thinking about it, and slower the more it comes to mind. It seemed as if it was only a few days ago when Shane had sent the email off to that haunted location; one he had mentally dubbed 'the murder house'. It was a change from their usual fair to be investigating a recently haunted location, and Shane would come to learn that his relationship with time would become very different upon visiting, not just in the conventional sense. Ryan had been unsure at first but Shane was almost positive that they would find something there.
Information exchanged and approval given, it seemed the twenty-fourth came in the blink of an eye and without event, and he and Ryan would be preparing for their trip to northern California. EL Adobe had been a bust, as the two ghost hunters had spent the evening seemingly talking to no more than empty walls and each other. It was quieter than some of their former locales, and this frustrated Ryan almost as much as it was a relief to him. Ryan had sighed in slight irritation as they walked out of the place that morning. Noting this, Shane placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder, sympathetically.
"It's ok, Ry. We'll find something soon," He had said. Ryan tossed the man a small frown but said nothing. They didn't even hear anything creepy that evening and Ryan had slept soundly throughout the whole night—something that didn't happen very often and whenever it did, it usually meant lower ratings.
As the two made their way to Shane's car, eventually the shorter man spoke.
"I'm just worried that this episode will be boring. We didn't even find anything scary."
Shane threw Ryan a look before flashing a confident smile his way, opening the door to the car, "I'm sure the recordings will have something. It's too soon to be fretting about that stuff, dude." Shane paused, before adding, "Besides... even if they don't, we still have another three places scheduled to visit for the season! That should be exciting... Er, terrifying."
Ryan smiled a little, but it went as quickly as it came, the frown returning.
At that, Shane proceeded to lean over the dash and turn the key to get the engine started before continuing his thought, "I'm gonna go talk to Teej and make sure we have the rest of the equipment packed. Did you want to drive us back?"
Ryan tossed his bag into the back seat and then looked up at his best friend, "Yeah, sure." Shane then pulled out of the car and was about to close the door as Ryan added, "...And yeah, I know you're right about the recordings. It's just...we haven't found much in the last few locations. I'm starting to wonder if I should just give up and accept that I am just...crazy. Or something."
The two looked at one another across the roof of the car, the doors clicking shut as they made eye contact. Shane shook his head.
"Naw man. I don't think you're crazy. Sure, we might not have found anything convincing at the last few locations, but I wouldn't be throwing in the towel just yet. We do still have that one place coming up, and that's certainly bound to make a good video. The mystery alone should be enough to pull some viewers in!"
Finally, for the first time all morning Ryan cracked a genuine smile, "You're talking about the murder-house, right?"
Ryan, at first, was apprehensive about it. However, over the weeks after Shane had suggested it, the two had turned the whole thing into almost an in-joke of sorts. That served to ease Ryan's worries about potential murderers, but it also provided an interesting perspective on what it meant for a place to be 'haunted'.
The fact was, Shane knew deep down that Ryan had a good heart. And though he would never admit it, he had a bit of a hero-complex as well. The idea that he might be able to help someone--be them dead or of the living--was one of the things that drove him to seeking out these haunted locations. Sure it may have been a little scary, and this upcoming location was undoubtedly more dangerous, what with the constant reports of people going MIA and such, but if Ryan had the chance to actually make a difference in peoples lives either by catching the culprit, quelling the spirit or banishing whatever demon was doing this, Ryan was on board. It didn't matter how futile the situation seemed. The man was willing to review a tape thousands of times every Halloween night for years, just so he could have answers. Ryan was nothing if not stubborn. Being honest with himself, he was the bravest man Shane knew.
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Blackstar | Shyan
Fantasy'So....' Shane thinks to himself, 'is there something one could want so badly they would be willing to give up everything for it?' The answer is simple: Yes. You could say that he was only a few deja-vu's from reliving his whole life over again. Liv...
