Chapter 1
"So I'm hearing that there's been activity in that old house again," Kori leaned on Nathan while they watched a horror movie.
"That house again...
please
Kori spare me the details, he gently moved her away.
"But it's
local lore,
we gotta talk about it!"
'No, we don't, you have other friends you can go ghost crazy with."
"You're my bestie, though," she whined.
"But I don't really believe in the stuff," he mock whined back.
"Just indulge me... you know you're going to."
"We all know the story of the Deceived Lover; she was in love with a man that left her after lying to her about their life they were supposed to have and she took het own life."
"And ever since then, she's haunted the family home angry at him."
"Yep. That's the gist of it, been hearing it since we were kids."
"Yeah but apparently activity is happening again, I suspect it may be some sort of anniversary that warrants more activity than usual- although it seems to have been a few years since anything or anything reported."
"Probably because people pretend that eye sore doesn't exist. You should stop watching those ghost hunter shows."
"Speaking of ghost hunter shows..."
'Nooo."
"What‽"
"Kori Spangler, we are not risking our lives in that dilapidated house," he glared.
"We don't-"
"And at night when it's even more risky? You're crazy. Go with your other friends and scare yourselves."
"I can't, they're too scared."
"Then go by yourself."
"I don't want to."
"Tough, guess you can't go."
"
Nathan...
Nate, c'mon!"
He simply shrugged.
"You
really
want me in there by myself? What if I get hurt?"
"Then don't go."
"I'm going if I have to alone, then I will."
"You just said- fine... I'll go with you."
"Yes," she hugged him, "I wanted you to be with me, anyway. I'd feel safer with you and you'll keep me calm."
"Show you it's all bullshit," he muttered.
"If it is, then I'll give up the ghost stuff."
"No you won't."
"I'll try, so we'll scope the place out tomorrow," she stood up.
"Yeah... can't wait," he rolled his eyes.
"Oh stop! You're doing this for me, we can check it out after work. I like spending time with you and it'll make me happy."
"I do like you happy. Okay, let's get you home," he turned the movie off.
At work he thought about it, he didn't believe in ghost or that what alleged proof was actual proof, no matter the claims and footage, the explanations of said entities just didn't make sense to him. He would humor her, they would see the house- what of the inside they could see, when there was nothing really to see, the issue would cease, as far as Kori goes. For some reason the house seemed to be the talk of the city, like there was nothing else going on. He could care less about that ghost, nearly everybody who came in tried to converse with him about it, talking about what he already knew and had heard for the umpteenth time that day, simply giving them a smile and nod with noncommittal responses as a parent does their child with nonsensical stories. Nathan figured once Kori saw it was nothing but an old house, that once she accepted it, he would at least have some reprieve from the nonsense with her.
"Nate didja hear about the Deceived Lover," a co-worker asked.
"
Nooo,
haven't heard a single thing about the ghost
everybody
is talking about."
"Really? My cousin said they went up there after they heard some homeless people high tailed it out of there. They said they heard crying when they went in the back door, then she screamed at them to leave her alone and get out! It was crazy! He said they were being pushed and shoved towards windows and doors out the house!"
"And you believe it," he rose an eyebrow.
"Why would they lie?"
"Because everybody believes that ghost is real. As old as that house is; it was probably the floorboards hitting them in the ass, as they walked on'em, like some old ass cartoon."
"Man, what's wrong with you?"
"I'm tired of hearing about it. Even if
it was real...
why start acting up after all these years-
bored
of doing nothing... sleep the whole time? People will fall for anything, I swear."
"Okay, but the noises they heard, huh?"
"Probably an orgy between a raccoon, opossum, and cat. Wind in the rafters. A warning the damn things about to collapse," he listed off.
"You must be
real fun
at parties," he scowled.
"I
am
fun, excuse me for being a realist. Sure that stuff was fun and scary when we were in elementary, but we're like halfway to thirty, dude. There's real stuff in life to enjoy, top much of it to worry about something that already lived its life."
"I bet your girlfriend is all in it."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Sure, Nate," he smirked, "plus how can you not believe- you and your girlfriend are always into horror movies and shit."
"Much like those movies- which is
entertainment
, the ghost is
fake
man! Kori's
not
my girlfriend, we are not each others type," he explained in a matter of fact.
"How can she not be your type‽ Dude, her body is bangin'; big titties, nice big booty... maybe not
big
, but it looks like there's enough there."
"Looks ain't everything."
"Oh... is it because she's a ginger? You got something against gingers?"
"No."
"You must only date black chicks, huh?"
Nate sighed.
"She could just be... what do yall call them;
red bone
, right? That's black, or half black?"
"She's not- no bruh, she's ginger, white. I've dated white chicks. We're just friends, we know each other well enough that we know there's no way we would ever date."
"Yall talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Shit... she might be waiting on you. Never know, she might dying for that chocolate."
"Can we go back to the ghost, does the ghost like black dudes, or whatever?"
Nathan went to pick up Kori from her job, she was sitting outside talking to two of her co-workers, most likely about the ghost, no doubt in his mind.
"There's your
boyfriend,
Kor!"
"He's not."
"Might as well be. You two are always together, might as well be married."
"We're just friends, Julia. We aren't always together."
"a brotha like that, you bettah snatch his ass up before somebody else does. He a lil weird, but I might throw it back at'em. Mmm... cuffin' seasons here too! If you don't want'em, lemme get at him!"
"Nate's
not
weird and you're not his type, Tanosha."
"How you know‽"
"I've known him since middle school."
"He's weird, Kori, ain't got no hood in him at all."
"Leave him alone, he's fine just how he is. For your info; he did grow up in the hood."
"Listen tuh her defend her man," Tanosha cackled.
They followed her to the car.
"Hi Nate," she got in.
"You gotta real one right here, Nate-dog!"
"Aye, whassup Tanosha... Julia?"
"Not much. About to go home and smoke this blunt after hearing about this damn ghost all damn day."
"I know that's right."
"Why do you always get this girl, you know she can afford her own car, right," Julia asked.
"It's tradition and he doesn't mind."
"Yeah, it's no bother, she'll get one eventually," he replied.
"Girl said
tradition,
if you don't stop being cheap and get a car, running this mans bucket in the ground," Tanosha scolded.
"This ain't no bucket, it's a hot rod," he corrected.
"You should ride in it sometimes, then you'll see why I like riding with him," she smiled.
"I saw the video of him racing it at an autocross, it's pretty fast," Julia explained.
"It'd be dope with some twenty-twos on it."
"Nope. I'm all about performance."
.Okay ladies... we got plans. See yall tomorrow," Kori said.
"Plans? Just say yall gon't go fuck."
"We're going to see the mansion," Kori replied flatly.
"The ghost house‽ Girl bye. Better leave that demon alone," Tanosha walked away.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Kor. Bye Nate."
"See ya Julia."
Nate drove to the street, sped out with his sedan, the rear end kicked out and off they went.
"Show off," she gave him a friendly glare.
"Called my shit a bucket."
"Awe your poor pride. So to the house, right?"
"We just got off work."
"I wanna see it!"
"Does anything even happen in the day time?"
"Ah dunno."
"Thought you were the expert?"
Kori scoffed, "that's why we're
investigating
."
Nathan drove towards the house, it sat on a street in a neighborhood that was fairly busy, not the only Victorian mansion on the block, the house hasn't been lived in, in years, save for homeless people. Time hadn't been too kind to the exterior, yet it still stood in defiance. The yard is kept trim to make it easier to see anybody sneaking about, although it isn't too difficult to move out of sight. Nathan parked on a side street a few houses down, Kori was excited to begin as they walked up to the property, they waited for clear traffic, walked through the missing gate right up the front walk, she walked right up the side of the house.
"Slow down," he whispered.
'It's time to begin," she stood on her toes to peer in a window.
Nathan looked inside and saw what was left of what could be any of sitting room.
"I thought it'd be like untouched or something in the inside," Kori spoke.
"What? Why? Have you not seen the house before?"
"No, have you? I've never walked up to it."
"I think we tried once when I was a kid, but I've never cared much for it."
"Poor house," she went to walk to another window, "you deserve to be fixed up."
"Raised is what it needs."
"No, it looks like it was beautiful at one time, why doesn't somebody fix it up?"
"Nobody knows who owns it, from what I know."
