Zac wondered whether Skye would raise any objection to the group splitting up. She couldn’t protect them if she wasn’t with them, after all. But when he caught her eye, she only shrugged. She didn’t seem worried.

Amy passed around a walkie-talkie to everyone in the group, checking as she did that they were all on the right channel. Zac studied the little handheld device before pocketing it and grabbing an armful of tripods. The walkies were much smaller than those he’d used back when he served in the military, but that was to be expected. Human technology changed rapidly and they had a mania for making their devices smaller. 

Zac followed Skye and Nora out into the lobby. The rest of the group waved and trouped down the hall to a dimly visible stairwell. Zac filmed them vanishing up into the darkness above. It would make a good shot for their video, if it was published.

“We’ll set up motion detectors aimed down both halls,” Nora said. “And put microphones, digital thermometers and infrared cameras in the cafeteria aimed toward the kitchen. That should cover it without actually going inside."

“What about the doctor’s offices on this level?” Skye asked. 

“The hallway sensors should be enough. If we have time we’ll take handheld units and try to pick up some EVPs,” Nora answered.

“That sounds fun,” Skye said while adjusting a large, black box with blinking green and orange lights which Zac could only assume was a motion sensor. 

Zac filmed the process, thinking that the patient way Nora explained how each piece of equipment went together and the eager expression on Skye’s face would make for a good bit of film. Skye really seemed to be enjoying herself. There was none of the cold rage or the distant professionalism he’d seen in Agent Reaper. 

“Hey, Zac,” Nora said, “would you wander up and down the hall a little bit so I can check if these things are working?”

“Sure.” 

Zac hugged the wall and occasionally stepped out into the hall. Every time he did, the indicator light on the device between Nora and Skye shifted from green to orange.

“Looks good,” Skye said. “This thing has a long range. Did you tweak it or did it come like this?”

“Oh, I tinkered a bit," Nora said.

“You did?" Skye asked, "Did you alter the refraction on the laser or...”

And they were off, discussing diodes, receiver sensitivity, and a lot more technicalities than Zac felt versed enough on electronics to follow.

Huh. Skye’s passion might not be ghost hunting for real, but her enthusiasm for the gadgets and tinkering was certainly authentic.

After checking the motion sensors, they carried equipment into what had been the hospital cafeteria. Skye held the metal double doors open a little wider than necessary, casually chatting with Nora the whole time. Zac slipped through, fiddling with the camera so Nora wouldn’t wonder why he’d needed the door held open for him.

Zac wandered around the abandoned cafeteria while Skye and Nora set up cameras and various other monitoring devices the humans hoped would capture them some proof of the presence of ghosts. Zac wondered how tempted Skye was to just tell these people the truth. As it was, he noticed that she glanced several times towards the kitchen and once made a sharp, negative gesture. He held the camera up to the window high in the kitchen doors to look, but the camera showed nothing supernatural.

Being a Scythe must not come with the ability to see ghosts that weren’t making themselves visible. Or he just didn’t know how to do it yet. Or he couldn’t do it on a recorded image. He’d ask later. 

In the meantime, he panned the camera over the surprisingly functional looking kitchen. It did not look like it had been abandoned for ten years. There were trays stacked near food warmers, pots and pans visible in a sink and along shelves, all the appliances one would expect were in place. 

Why hadn’t it been cleared out?

Zac turned to draw Nora and Skye’s attention to the oddity when there was a bone jarring clash of metal on tile behind him. He whirled, one hand on the camera and the other scrambling for the knife.

Skye skidded to a stop a little to his left, with Nora scrambling close behind.

“What was that?” Nora asked.

Zac shook his head, and stood up on tiptoe to see through the windows into the kitchen. Nothing looked out of place. He pushed on the door but it wouldn’t open, so with a shrug he recorded through the window. 

“We can compare the footage I got before the crash and after, see if we can’t figure out what that was,” he suggested.

“Good thinking,” Nora said.

"Could there be another entrance?" Skye asked. "For deliveries or something. The crash could have been a door blowing open."

Zac hadn't seen another door. He wondered whether Skye really believed that was a possibility, or whether she was offering a comforting rational explanation for what had just happened.

“I’ll check the blueprints but there must be another entrance," Nora agreed, "They wouldn’t have taken food deliveries and trash through the lobby, right?”

“I doubt it," Zac agreed. He couldn't imagine the hospital staff dragging trash bags through that immaculate marble lobby to a dumpster somewhere.

“Do you think we could get one of our cameras pointed through this window, just in case there’s more activity?” Nora asked.

Zac considered the small camera, the window in question, and how to attach it. Skye produced a small roll of duct tape and several cable ties from her pockets. One of these days Zac was going to get a look at that suit and figure out where she was keeping everything.

With a little effort and a lot of duct tape they got the small camera mounted and transmitting. 

Zac confirmed that he’d caught the crash sound on his camera, but unfortunately he’d turned away from the window when whatever had happened, happened. Skye’s theory about wind and a back door made the most sense so that was what they were operating off of for the moment.

"Let's move on to the offices," Nora said. "Zac, would you mind getting footage from the other groups? I promise, I'll take good care of Skye."

"Sure, no problem," Zac said. He glanced at Skye, who flashed him a grin and a thumbs up. "Stay out of trouble," he added for the sake of their cover story.

"No promises," Skye replied in a teasing sing-song.

Zac shook his head and wandered over to the stairs. He heard Skye and Nora eagerly chat about what questions they would ask to inspire any nearby ghosts to respond. Zac was fairly sure Skye could get any response she wanted from any spirit. He wondered whether she might encourage a ghost to speak, just so the hunters wouldn't leave this place empty handed.

What was her plan to get them out of here, anyway? Or did she just plan to allow them to wander in the hospital all night, secretly protecting them from any dangerous entities?

Zac found Bob and Derek on the second floor. Despite Bob's dire warnings, the two men were closely examining one of the elevators. Zac approached, and saw that they were measuring a rust brown stain on the floor of the hallway.

"Is that blood?" Zac asked, although he knew the answer. The bitter copper smell of human blood was impossible to mistake for anything else.

Bob shrieked and nearly pitched over into the open shaft of the elevator. Derek steadied him.

"Sorry," Zac apologized, "didn't mean to startle you."

"Need to put a bell on you," Derek muttered. "We're not sure. We don't have the stuff to positively identify blood. Looks like it, though."

Bob added. "It looks like a drag pattern, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Zac said. He recorded the stain, carefully adjusting the light levels to get the best shot.

"So, was someone dragged into the elevator, or out of it?" Derek wondered. "And why wasn't this stain cleaned up?"

"Maybe it happened when the place closed," Zac suggested. "Wasn't it really sudden?"

"Yeah," Derek said. "It basically shut down overnight."

"Why?" Bob asked. "I looked into the place before I showed up, but all I found was rumors."

"Officially, the hospital was shut down for emergency maintenance," Derek answered. "Something about a gas leak. The patients were evacuated and the building was sealed off and condemned."

"Gas leak?" Bob repeated.

"Yeah," Derek confirmed.

"That doesn't make any sense," Bob said. "This building isn't on a gas line. Never has been."