Page 25 of Haunted By the Mountain Man
"Fire?" Jess, Sam’s wife, asked. "What fire?"
"1995. Two employees died. The lodge was destroyed." I waved my hand around the place.
“And who are you again?” Jess asked.
I blew out a breath. “I’m Raven Duggan.”
“The YouTuber,” Kim said, snapping her fingers. “I thought I recognized you.”
“The what?” Jess said.
“Dark Places, Deep Secrets. I do an urbex podcast and videos.”
“You’re filming here?” Jess asked.
I nodded. “With Shane’s permission.”
“He gave permission?” Kim asked.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“I bet.” Now, it was Jess and Kim’s turn to exchange looks.
"She mine," Shane said, pulling me closer.
Now they all were grinning at us. I tried not to die from embarrassment.
"I came to film the abandoned lodge. Shane caught me trespassing. But when I met Walt..." I shrugged. "Plans changed."
"She's been helping me care for him," Shane said. "She has experience with dementia patients."
"My grandmother," I explained.
"So what's with all the equipment?" Sam gestured to my cameras and EMF detectors scattered around the lobby.
I looked at Shane, who nodded. "I'm documenting the lodge for my channel. But more than that, I've been capturing unexplained phenomena. Temperature anomalies that follow Walt. Electromagnetic spikes with no source. Audio frequencies that shouldn't exist."
“You’re serious?” Kim said with a confused smile on her face. “Shane are you sure Walt’s not the only one who...” She made a twirling finger by her temple.
I shook my head. “I know how it sounds.”
“This is all just for content, right?” Jess said.
“No,” Shane said. “There’s something up about the night of the fire. I don’t know if it’s all in Walt’s head or if there are two ghosts hanging around. All I know is Walt is tortured by that night. And the anniversary of the fire is in three days. I’m desperate. I’m willing to try anything at this point.”
“I’m not going to post anything about Walt. I’ve come to care about him.”
"Yeah,” Shane said. “She's been incredible with him. Plays along with his timeline, helps with his care. She's—" He stopped, struggling for words.
"She's the best seasonal hire we've had in years," Walt said, returning with Kevin and Tonya who still looked a little shell shocked. "But Miss Raven, you should be getting ready for tonight. The Halloween ball starts at seven. You can't work the candy station in your regular uniform."
"You're right, Mr. Harrison," I said. "I'll change soon."
"Good, good. Such a dedicated employee. Best seasonal worker we've hired in years." He patted my shoulder. "Though you work too many hours. Young people should enjoy Halloween, not spend it all working."
As Walt wandered off to check on imaginary preparations
"This is insane," Kevin said, but his tone had shifted from angry to concerned. "His medical care—"
