Shards of Black Glass (A Ghost Adventures Story)

The Fiery Trail of Demons

The new episode airs the next day. We all watch it as a group in the lobby, with the other people in the room peering over at the large TV screen, wondering what we were watching. A couple of people laugh when I get scared, then gasp as the EVP comes through. I laugh when Aaron gets shocked because of Billy when they cross paths on the tenth floor, then laugh more as Zak scares both of them.

Glancing at Zak, I see him frowning at me. Giving him a questioning look, he shakes his head, mouthing "later". I nod, then turn back towards the TV. One part of the episode still resides in my soul as I fall asleep that night: the part where Alice's uncovered face is shown, and the misty figure of her leaving this world for the world of the dead.

The next morning dawns bright and early. Apparently, there were a lot of fans notified where the GAC were staying, because when we exit the hotel, a crowd of people cheer.

I blink at them, wondering what they were doing outside of work. Then, it dawned on me: it was Sunday. One guy, a handsome teenager, asks to take a picture with me. I agree, and take a selfie with him. He smiles and says,"The voices you captured were awesome. Best Ghost Adventures episode yet!" I grin at him, then move towards the van. Suddenly, I see a familiar face in the crowd, and stop dead in my tracks.

The same eyes, same hair, same skin tone, as Chase. But it isn't Chase. It's too feminine of a face, too high of cheekbones, too long of lashes. The girl blinks at me, then gives me the finger and turns away. Fear and guilt gnaw at each other in my stomach, and I feel like puking.

I scramble as quickly as I can into the van, and almost shout at Billy to punch it. But, my vocal cords seem to have been frozen by the girl's chilly glare. I try to speak, find that I can't, and simply lean against the back seat, eyes staring out the window.

Zak turns around in his normal seat on the passenger side, and gives me a strange look before speaking. "All right, guys. We're hitting a new place, very close by, in Joplin." "You mean the city where that huge tornado hit in 2011?" Aaron asks, and Zak and I nod. Zak continues, either oblivious to my knowledge of the area or not wanting to spotlight me in the small van.

"The place we're headed to has reports of apparitions, people being pushed, kids getting scratched. The owner is scared out of her wits of the place. So, she called me last night to see if we would investigate there real quick, and I said we would. She also said that Saira had to be on this investigation as well, since she apparently saw a picture of Saira pinned to a table with a knife through her heart." Zak's eyes linger on me, then I see a demon face morph into view next to his head. It's glowing wolf eyes and sharp teeth gleam, then it dissolves into shadow.

"All right. I think I know the place you're talking about. Actually, I think I'm the reason it's so haunted," I say, and everyone turns to look at me; except Billy, as he's driving. He just looks at me in the rearview mirror. "I used to sneak in there as a teenager. First on a dare, then again just because. The ghosts that I met there said that I was evil, and they tried to scare me out of there. Gave me a few scratches too. I don't think they'll be too happy to have me back."

Aaron laughs,"Well, at least now we know that some ghosts hate you more than Zak. At least you won't yell at the ghosts." I shrug, and say,"I can't promise I won't yell. Those ghosts can get under my skin pretty easily, actually. After all, they're pretty much the ancestors of the idiots and asses at my school, whether by blood or marriage." Aaron looks at me, startled, and I flash him a small smile. He smiles back, then turns towards Jay, who's sitting next to him.

Zak leans back into his chair as well, but I can still feel his shock at my revelation. Oh, buddy, I think to myself. I have more shocking revelations up my sleeve. This was a grain of sand compared to some. Suddenly, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. Taking it out, I see Zak's contact picture gazing up at me from the screen. Clicking open my phone, I look at the text from Zak.