Page 4 of Drowning in Sins
The shadow moved, and I kept my eyes forward as they became unfocused.
This isn’t real. It’s a dream. You’re dreaming, I repeated in my mind as I willed myself to believe it was true.
This isn’t real.
It’s a dream.
You’re dreaming.
It was scarier than the feeling of falling in a dream, which jolts you awake and forces you to steady your heartbeat and remind yourself you’re okay. It’s that between state, where you can’t make out what is real and what isn’t.
It was the heat radiating from the thing that shouldn’t be there that had my heart unsteady and my hands growing clammy. Afraid to breathe as the thing moved closer. It watched, observing as I remained still and wished it away.
I’d never been one for scary—something about my overactive imagination. It was all too easy for me to see things that shouldn’t be there and would have me questioning everything.
And now, as always, all I could do was attempt to think about something else, then squeeze my eyes shut.
The next morning, I felt like I hadn’t slept at all. I stepped into the bathroom and onto the damp towel before picking it up to hang on the hook behind the door, something I swore I did after my shower the night before. The whisper of a headache lingered as I dressed for the day.
I knew fresh air would help, so I spent the first part of the day exploring the gardens and reading before retreating to theinn’s restaurant for a late lunch. I’d just finished making myself a plate from the buffet when I thought I heard my name.
“Ros!”
My eyes landed across the room and saw Beth, and I smiled. She speed-walked toward me, her curly blonde hair bouncing at the top of her head in a pile.
We hugged before sitting down. “Have you seen Tyler?” The two of them had an on- and off-again relationship during school.
Her cheeks flushed, and she shook her head. “We’re the first to arrive.”
“I’m telling you, we need to get more recordings in our rooms. Did they mention what other rooms might be haunted?” The loud woman from last night entered the restaurant with a half-dozen other people.
“Do you know them?” Beth leaned in.
I shook my head. “They were ghost hunting when I arrived last night. Apparently, they’re here filming a show or something.”
Beth groaned. “I don’t like ghosts. Why would you tell me that?”
All I could do was shrug as I ate and continued to listen to the group that chose to sit nearby. Curiosity had me wondering what they imagined they saw or heard.
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in ghosts, just that it was unlikely to truly witness something. I thought if someone caught firm proof, it’d be viral on the internet at this point. If there was something out there, it was smarter than we wanted to think it was.
“We’ve got a few extra cameras. All I’m saying is leave them on while we’re out exploring.”
“Do you really think you would’ve caught the ghost that moved your suitcase from one side of the room to the other?”
“Forget moving things. My door was open when I woke up. I’m not exactly a sleepwalker.”
“What did the medium say before she went home last night? She’s from the area and has been here before. She even said the spirits were more active last night. I’m telling you something stirred them up, and it wasn’t just us.”
“Someone unintentionally did something?”
“We assume. Do you see any others here for the same reason we are?”
“Can that medium read auras like that other one we met last month, when we were at the old prison? Maybe she can see if one of the guest—”
“No. We’re not interrupting anyone’s stay. It’s part of the contract we have with management. We can put out more cat balls though.”
“What if a ghost is connected to a guest and wanted us to be the middle person?”
