at they hear through the lens of what they want to hear. That way, the person repeating the spirit’s answers does not know the questions that provoked them. Espinola constantly tests his group members – when Honey had the headphones in, he called, “Honey! We have to get out of here! I’m serious – run!” She didn’t react.
The REM Pod: the source of the red light. It’s a small black cylinder with a light that turns green when anything gets near it. It is one of many EMF (electromagnetic field) detectors that the team uses, picking up shifts in energy nearby. It’s also the reason why everyone has to put their phone on airplane mode during investigations – otherwise, it could set off the light erroneously.
“I’m so skeptical that I’m always trying to justify everything,” Espinola said. “If an EMF detector goes off near a wall, I’m searching for wires around that wall.”
The Thermal Image Camera: a monitor that highlights significant warmth or coldness in a room. Ghosts have a reputation for sending shivers down your spine. This machine turns that feeling into a tracking method.
And, finally, The Flashlight: Necessary when venturing through dark, dusty basements. Even ghost hunters need to see.
When they arrived, the owner of Mayhem Ink, unfazed by the army of black T-shirts that read “RESPECT THE DEAD” in skeletal font and massive duffel bags, showed everyone around the premises. The basement had two sides. One was an old cellar that required walking across a withering plank to access, and the other had the infamous gravestone.
The team acted as a well-oiled machine. Once the owner left them to it, they sprung to unpack the duffels. “Who’s operating the camera?” someone asked as devices circulated from hand to hand.
They ducked under pipes, past cobwebs, and through holes in the wall before setting up the equipment. The REM pod and thermal imaging camera didn’t produce much excitement, but the group doesn’t give up on a spirit easily.
Coaxing a ghost into conversation with the living is like convincing a child to eat vegetables. They’re reluctant and afraid, and patience is key for success. Kayla proved quite skilled at this, despite her age. Her voice was soothing, and once Honey (via spirit box) revealed the ghost’s name as Robert, she wielded it wisely.
“You can talk to us, Robert,” she urged. “You have nothing to be afraid of. You’re not going to get in trouble.”
“I like you,” Honey said on Robert’s behalf.
“Thank you, Robert,” Kayla responded. “I like you too.”
Not all of the conversation went quite so smoothly – Honey kept repeating the number ‘80,’ and as much as they tried to reason with Robert to explain, he never did.
After two hours, a few laughs, and one or two moments of spine-tingling fear, it was time to go.
“It was lovely talking with you,” Honey addressed the room. “But you need to stay here. You can’t follow us.” The rest of the team nodded. This was protocol.
The Mayhem Ink staff were very eager to hear what the group had found in their basement.
“Oh, there’s a lot going on down there,” Espinola told them. They rehashed the past two hours of Robert’s maddening stubbornness and sobering moments of kindness. The staff leaned forward in disbelief, harboring nothing but earnest interest. The debrief lasted at least ten minutes.
Outside, the crew packed up the singular white van they came in. They buzzed with theories about Robert’s life and possible interpretations of his words before piling inside, sliding the door shut, and driving off into the summer night.
Whether or not that was really a ghost they were speaking to, everyone was leaving content.
