Page 121 of The Haunting of Lockton
“Not a chance.” Skyler grabbed the bottom of my shirt and dragged me down with him as he sat. Our chairs were scooted together. “You’re staying right beside me.”
If only those words went beyond that room. Because as I sat there, seeing his slightly crooked smile and feeling his shoe bump mine, I knew I wanted to stay by his side for much longer than I’d be able to.
“You invited us to Ivy Grove to investigate Lockton Asylum,” Julian started in a professional but friendly tone. He sat in the armchair beside Val, the camera focused on them. “During the investigation, we came across several things we couldn’t explain away with logic or debunking.”
He then played her the audio clip of the first night when the twins let me do the EVP session. She intently listened as the voices came through, the ghosts directly responding to me. She gasped when they said their names.
“How delightful!” she exclaimed once the clip ended and wiggled excitedly in her chair. “I recognize the names. All known patients. George loves to sing. People on the tours have reported hearing humming in the corridors.”
“We caught that as well,” Skyler said before playing her a few clips that was unmistakably someone humming. “I also saw his apparition. Unfortunately, it was after we’d packed up the cameras.”
Not the full truth. The cameras hadn’t been set up at all when he’d seen George. At that point in the investigation, their driving force and intent had been less about their show and more about the patients of Lockton.
“We also have confirmation of Roy Daniels,” I told her. “The apparition many have seen on the second floor.”
Val’s eyes gleamed. “The boy who loves to watch the sunset. Oh, I just got chills.”
Roy felt like such a sensitive topic for me, and based on how the twins didn’t jump at the opportunity to disclose everything we’d learned about him, I got the impression they felt the same. They told her enough to back up the claims from other witnesses, but they left out all the details about Owen.
“This is when we saw him,” Julian said before selecting a video clip.
A camera had been set up in the corridor facing the window where others had reported seeing Roy. A thermal cam had been aimed at it as well, showing a distinct cold spot as he’d appeared. There was no audio though. Further proof the twins planned to keep those details to themselves. Because I knew the audio was there. Julian had just edited it out from the clip he showed to Val—and to all the viewers who’d watch the episode.
Roy and Owen’s story was too personal and heartbreaking. If—and when—it was shared with the world, it didn’t need to be on a ghost-hunting show. It showed how much Skyler’s mindset had shifted too. The Skyler I’d first met would’ve loved sharing all those details for the wow factor.
“Our next clip is a little unsettling,” Julian told Val, rubbing at his temple again. “You said a boy was injured on Halloween after he and his friends snuck into Lockton. He claimed a dark shape with a bent neck shoved him down the stairs.”
“Terrifying, no?” Valentina shuddered. “Poor child. Trespassing or not, that incident will scare him for life. I am curious if his claims held merit.”
“I believe so,” Julian answered.
Skyler smiled at his brother. When they filmed for their show, Julian tried to stay off camera as much as possible, but he seemed to thrive off this part of it: explaining their findings and what it all meant.
Julian then played the footage from when Skyler and I were in the medical ward. It was when the tripod had been knockedover. A shadowy figure passed in front of the camera, his snapped neck apparent.
Val jumped when the camera toppled over. She seemed more excited than scared.
“We believe it’s the ghost of Samuel Howard,” I said. “He was the main doctor at the time Lockton was shut down. He hung himself from a tree on the asylum grounds three days after the riot of 1911.”
Another detail the twins kept quiet: the truth behind the riot. As promised, Callum’s family wasn’t mentioned whatsoever.
“So you think Dr. Howard is the one who attacked the boy on Halloween?” Val asked.
“Yes,” Julian answered, wincing a bit. His headache must be getting worse, and the lights weren’t helping. “On that note, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Lockton Asylum is haunted. In the four years we’ve done our show, we’ve never found as much evidence as we have here.”
“Ivy Grove is special like that,” Val said with a smile. “There’s nowhere else like it in the world.”
Skyler looked over at me and pressed his leg closer to mine. “Yeah. This town really is special. And so are the people in it.”
Valentina’s gaze flickered to me, and her smile softened. She then focused on Julian. “I knew in my gut there were spirits at Lockton, yet it’s reassuring to have the confirmation. I appreciate all the hard work you boys have put into this investigation.”
“It’s been a pleasure,” he responded.
Once the cameras were turned off, we invited Madison to join us and discussed the party. It would be held in the store, utilizing the breakroom and the main area. A projector and screen would be set up to cast the episode, and afterward, we’d spend the evening with food, drinks, and conversation.
“Dress in your finest attire or dress down, it matters little to me,” Val said. “This is a celebration, and you can enjoy it as you see fit.”
“I’ll be wearing my stretchy pants,” Madison said from Val’s desk chair that she’d brought over to sit with us. “I plan to eat my weight in dessert.”
