Though none of them were currently of age, James had quite a few friends on the football team who had fake ID's and would pass it along to him. So, by the time the chess club decided to attend a house party that night, Erica was certainly feeling the effects of her drink as she stumbled into the crowded house.

            Everyone was plastered together and oozing sweat as the late September air hadn't quite grown chilly yet. Music reverberated off the walls at a volume that gave Erica a migraine, but she simply moved towards a quieter area at the back of the house.

            The lights were dim, and Erica could hardly breathe as she felt bodies pressed against her skin, thrashing and tugging on her as if they were all a singular unit. She clutched tightly to her flask as she sipped it gradually. She certainly didn't want any trouble tonight.

            It almost seemed as if a beacon of light illuminated the crowd as Erica caught sight of a wisp of blond hair. It was the girl from the cafeteria, dancing by herself as a gaggle of frat boys lined up against the wall ogled her. Her movements were fluid as she seemed to be far more inebriated than Erica, swaying in a manner that didn't match the rapid rhythm of the song.

           "Erica..." A voice beckoned her though the blond girl's lips remained glued shut. "I know you can hear me. Where are you?"

            Erica whipped around, attempting to find the source of the voice.

            "Come outside."

            The response knocked Erica out of her daze as soon as she heard it towards the sliding doors opened across the room from her. She noticed a tall, lurking figure hovering outside and felt her stomach flip as she realized that was not the beautiful girl from the cafeteria.

            However, Erica couldn't stop herself from stepping forward as some invisible force seemed to tug her onwards. She made her way towards the exit, slipping out wordlessly and without leaving a single impression on anyone. The figure had shifted towards the woods now, extending an elongated finger as it seemed to beckon her further.

            It seemed blurry within her vision, as if she were examining an oil painting instead of glancing at someone standing in front of her. Still, she trekked on into the woods.

            She couldn't tell how far she had wandered, but she could no longer see the bright row of houses nor hear the occasional thumping of music from the house. Only the sound of cicadas crying against the stark night greeted her. She wanted to turn back, but she knew there would be nothing there.

            When the spirits wanted to show her something, there was no way of stopping them.

            Finally, after what seemed like ages, she saw the outline of a cross against the plump moon, stroking her features with feeble light. She wandered towards the chapel which looked like it hadn't been used in ages as the wood rotted and some portions of the roof caved in.

            She entered, though she knew nothing good would come of it, and followed the distant hum which seemed to be coming from underneath her. Wandering up the aisle, she examined the decaying pews and haggard confessional curtains which were once probably a rich shade of crimson.

            Descending, beneath the altar where only the priests had travelled before, Erica noticed a crowd of people hunched over, each letting out languid whines. Her eyes panned around the room, and she froze when she noticed the beautiful spirit who was trailing the girl from the cafeteria. The individuals in masks pressed her against the cold chapel floor, twisting a blade above her.

            They kept digging and carving her skin almost as if she were not human but made of stone.  However, her flesh gave way and the blood spilled out, reassuring Erica that the girl was indeed very human as she let out a shriek.

            Skin tore apart as the blood began to cover the masked individual's hands, sticking to any surface it could find.  

            Yet, she fought and spit the rag out of her throat, spluttering slightly. She seemed to address Erica directly, "Remember your fate is as a snake's: circling around, coming back to the same place no matter where you run. You will always come back to this place, to this hell. But remember, no matter what: in inceptum finis est."

            "Enough!" one of the masked people cried as the blade lodged in one decisive motion into the girl's throat.

Erica jumped back, so startled at what she'd seen she began back up the stairs. She ran out of the chapel, into the woods with tears streaming down her face as her feet pounded against the dead leaves littering the ground.

            She ran and ran until she could no longer feel the trembling of her hands or recall the girl's glassy eyes as her soul seemed to leave her body. The visions image seemed to be permanently burned into Erica's skull.

*

            Waking with a start, Erica sat up in bed and realized she was in the right dorm, adorning the same outfit she wore last night. She sat upright, ignoring the panging in her head at the sudden movement and pushed her feet onto the ground. She spluttered in shock when one of them landed in a bucket.

            Attempting to recall last night, she wrinkled her nose before fumbling for her cell phone and sighing in relief when she found it on her bedside table. She dialed Sol's number from memory and chewed on her bottom lip as she listened to the ringing.

            "Hey," he breathed after a few moments.

"Sol," Erica remarked outright, skipping over pleasantries. "Did something happen last night?"

            "Well, yeah," he murmured slowly.

"A lot happened. I don't remember when I lost you, but I remember Zip getting kind of freaked out that you were gone so we started searching around the house for you. But...We couldn't find you anywhere."

            Little snippets of last night swam back, and she could vaguely recall an image of blood flowing across the floor as a girl muttered words that meant nothing to Erica.

            "Finally, we heard someone screaming from downstairs and this girl was freaking out over seeing you collapsed and sobbing on the patio," Sol explained to her, not revealing anything within his tone. "So, we picked you up and brought you back home. You kept muttering about a snake. What was that all about?"

            "Um," Erica hissed out, jiggling her foot. "Nothing. I probably saw a garden snake in the woods or something. You know how I am when I'm drunk."

            However, Erica knew she didn't have enough alcohol to act like that. She remembered the vision that appeared before her as she crept through the woods, shuddering slightly as the girl's strangled weeping echoed through her head.

            "I guess," Sol replied, sounding slightly doubtful but too tired to question it. "Oh! Also, I forgot to tell you because you were out of it, but I talked to Drew's ex-roommate. You know, the one that moved out. He was very eager to share all of Drew's personal information."

            "Wait..." Erica paused, narrowing her eyes. "Did he give you the room number?"

            "Yeah," Sol said, and Erica could practically hear his smug grin through the phone. "Do you have a pen and paper?"

            "Give me a second." She rummaged through a drawer in her bedside table before letting out an approving hum to inform him that she was ready.

            "It's room 504 in Heger Hall," Sol informed her, nearly singing the numbers.

            "Thanks," Erica murmured, jotting it down. "I'll call you later."

            "Sounds good," Sol chirped, stifling a laugh. "See you."

            Erica padded over to her Keurig and made herself a mug of coffee. While it brewed, she settled back onto her bed and pulled her laptop out. She checked her 'professional' email out of habit, though few would call an email account dedicated to investigating ghosts professional. Then again, Erica never really cared much about professionalism.

            Slightly shocked to see a red pop-up on her screen announcing something new in her inbox, she narrowed her eyes as the subject line only read a single word: Help! Despite her better judgment, she clicked on it out of curiosity, reading it from the account 'acalanthis.'

            Erica, it read.

            I've heard of your capabilities around campus. I'm a fellow student at Damon University and have an issue at my sister's house with random objects moving themselves and voices being heard occasionally. My sister is very wealthy and willing to offer you 500 dollars for your services. Please reply ASAP because time is of the essence.

            -Ally Tullus.

            Below, the email listed some methods of contacting the girl. Erica narrowed her eyes at the sum, contemplating whether it was a scam or if these people were just too wealthy for their own good. Or both. Either way, something about the wording unsettled her. It all seemed very contrived, but Erica hardly ever encountered anything as interesting as this.

            Shutting her laptop with a decisive click, she resolved on handling it later. Currently, she had a delinquent she needed to seek out.

*

            "Open up!" Erica exclaimed, slamming her knuckles against the door to a rhythm she had trapped in her head. "Come on, Drew. I know you're in there."

            Drew was their fifth member of the chess club. Erica could recall the day he joined last December as one of her most vivid memories. He stumbled in with his advising counselor, a burly man who wore an unamused countenance as he steered Drew towards the club's meeting spot.

            He needed a club to join, the counselor had explained. Otherwise, the school wouldn't allow him to attend any longer due to his heedlessness towards academics and extracurriculars.

            "Drew chose the chess club immediately," the counselor informed them back in December. "Why? I'm not sure. However, he's eager to join."

            At that, he nudged Drew who plastered on a smile, revealing a row of gleaming, jagged teeth.

            At the time, Erica was desperate for funding, so she accepted Drew's membership, immediately nodding her head until it nearly popped off and exclaiming, "We're eager to have him!"

            However, past Erica had no idea what she was signing up for when she agreed. For one, it was a hassle to even have Drew attend the meetings.

            "Erica?" Drew finally replied to her through the door, glancing out of the peephole. "What the hell are you doing here?"

            The door flew open, nearly causing Erica to slip as she lost the support of leaning on it. She straightened up and examined him with his shirt on backwards and marks covering his neck.

            "It's not really a good time," he explained with a deadpan expression, uncaring as Erica's eyes slid over his face.

            "Ah, it's never a good time with you, is it?" Erica murmured, flashing him an unimpressed glance. "I'm not here for very long. I just wanted to point out that you need to attend at least three meetings a semester to be considered an active member. You only attended two last semester... It would be a shame if your counselor learned you were losing your passion for chess."

            Instead of ignoring her, as he usually would when she addressed him, his lips quirked into a grin. "And I'm sure the student government would be absolutely thrilled to find out where exactly their funds are being spent," he returned after a beat, seemingly melting away all his desire to keep this conversation short.

            Erica instantly pursed her lips, tilting her head as she inquired, "How do you know where our funds are going if you don't even come to the meetings?"

            "Well, I'm not sure where exactly they're going, but it's not that hard to guess they're not being used for chess. We don't even have a board," Drew pointed out.

            Erica crossed her arms over her chest and stood up straighter despite only reaching up to Drew's shoulders. "Look," she began, narrowing her eyes in determination. "Come to one more meeting and I'll leave you alone. It's that simple."

            "Is that all?" he murmured.

            "What? No," Erica returned, eyebrows furrowing but it was too late as he slammed the door in her face. She let out an exasperated huff but then closed her eyes and attempted to ignore the fury brewing in her chest. Finally, she trudged away though she kept hope in her heart that someday she may understand what drove him to act like that.

            Then again, it wasn't really her concern. Whatever it took, she'd get him to come to that meeting. She wasn't one to be dissuaded so easily.