Perception (Apparition Investigations #1)

Case #2: Hell's Gate: Part 11

I glanced over at Noah to see his eyes sweeping the area. His feet fidgeted underneath him, stamping, probably trying to unconsciously make noise.

"Let's try the spirit box here, without the wind to interfere," Rose suggested, panning the camera around to me.

I flipped the spirit box on. Like before, the loud rhythm pulsed outward.

"Ask it questions," Rose urged.

Holding the box out, so that the speaker pointed toward the thicker part of the woods, I cleared my voice and asked, "Hello, is there anyone out there?"

After a few beats, nothing answered.

I tried again. "We're looking for Esperanza Gomez. Do you know what happened to her?"

Again, nothing.

I turned toward Rose, not sure what else to ask, as a soft breeze trickled through the leaves overhead. And a single word chimed from the box.

"Home."

My head snapped around. I stared at the word on the box.

Rose hurried to my side, Noah close behind her. Their cameras continued to sweep the surrounding area.

"But I didn't hear anything," I said, still looking down at the box.

"What does 'home' mean?" Rose called out. "Do you want to go home? We're trying to bring Esperanza home—is that what you meant?"

The breeze above us grew stronger, the leaves crinkling even louder.

Branches groaned as the wind stirred them.

My uneasiness grew.

"Rose, maybe we better—"

"Home."

The word came from the box again.

Our fearless leader took a few steps forward, going the direction I had the speaker pointed.

"Rose, wait," Noah snapped.

"What does 'home' mean?" she repeated, excitement evident in her voice. But I could hear the fear underlying in it also. The uncertainty, the surprise.

The leaves continued to sway.

Rose panned around with the camera. "If you're out there, give us a sign. We're trying to find a missing girl. Can you help us with that?"

Something was wrong. I felt it in the very core of my chest.

Then I caught sight of yellow on Noah's camera.

It was small, slight. Just a blob in the distance, surrounded on all sides by green and blue.

It jerked me to a stop as I watched.

The yellow shape grew bigger. Closer.

Rose couldn't see it because she was in front of Noah.

Noah's focus was on Rose, not the camera.

I was the only one who saw it.

The yellow form coming closer. Now with orange appearing in its center.

Hotter. Warmer.

I couldn't move. Couldn't look away.

"Maybe we should–" Noah suggested, his eyes finally swinging back to the camera. "Shit!"