Page 15 of The Asylum
“Connor, stay between us; don’t go off alone,” I ordered, and he nodded.
“Agreed. Harry said Room Ninety-A is where this ghost haunts.” Bunny flashed her torch on the doors, looking for room numbers.
Connor pointed to one hanging sideways, having lost a screw. “There, on the wall, are plaques.”
We walked quietly down the corridor until we found the room. Inside, debris covered the floor, litter and leaves, and there was a faint animal smell present. I made some space and placed a REM Pod on the window ledge.
“Hi, I’m Callie, and I’m here to talk to you,” I began my usual spiel. I introduced the others and then touched the REM Pod, which squealed.
“This is a REM Pod. It picks up electromagnetic waves, so if you touch it, we’ll know. I also have a voice recorder with me, which is very powerful, so if you speak to us, we will hear it. None of us wishes to upset you, so if we ask something you don’t like, don’t feel you have to answer,” I said.
“As Callie said, my name is Connor. I’ve heard you enjoy appearing in front of people and calling out, hello. Can you talk to me?”
I waited as Connor asked several questions in a warm and friendly tone before we played back the audio. We had nothing. Bunny tried next, and again, we received pure silence.
“Perhaps she objects to our presence. Could she feel threatened?” Bunny questioned.
“Good point. Let’s leave the REM Pod here and go outside and call to her,” I agreed. We moved several rooms away, and Connor spoke again. The REM Pod lit up and released a long squeal.
“Hi!” Connor called in return.
“I swear I just saw a shadow move,” Freddie said. “Harry, can you check the room next to ninety-A?”
“Will do,” Harry replied.
“What is your name? How old are you? Why were you here?” Connor continued to ask the basic questions before pausing and playing back the audio.
“Samantha.”The whisper was faint, so Connor rewound and replayed the video.
“Yeah, that’s Samantha,” I confirmed.
“Eighteen.”
“Damn, she was a teenager?” Bunny exclaimed, affronted.
“They were women back then,” I said, and Bunny wrinkled her nose.
Samantha didn’t answer Connor’s other questions, but a word floated back to us.
“Fun!”
“You say hi because it’s fun?” I sought clarification.
The REM Pod screeched.
“Do you enjoy frightening the living?” Bunny asked, and there was silence.
“Samantha, may I call you that?” The REM Pod squealed at Connor, and he smiled. “Do you like people knowing you’re around?”
The REM Pod answered yes.
“Are visitors okay if they’re respectful?”
Samantha answered my question with a resounding yes.
“You don’t like rude people, though, do you? I don’t either,” Bunny offered, and the REM Pod shrieked briefly.
“I’m going to check the voice recordings,” I said and played it back. There was nothing until Bunny spoke.
