Zac and Bob scrambled down the main staircase to the first floor. Zac's feet skidded on the dusty marble floor and he almost collided with Tate.

"Whoa, man, what happened to you two? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did you see a ghost?" Tate asked.

"Uh, no. Bouncy ball," Bob panted.

"Huh?" Tate's face scrunched up.

"You okay?" Skye asked from the doorway of the gift shop slash base of operations.

"Yeah," Zac said, taking a few deep breaths. "We, uh, we got some footage. Recorded Bob retelling his buddy's stories about the attic. I think, um, I think we spooked ourselves. But we're fine. And we should not go up there."

"Why not?" Nora asked over Skye's shoulder.

"Because I'm pretty sure the bouncy ball dented the stairs on its way down. It'll collapse under us," Bob declared.

"Okay, but what bouncy ball?" Skye asked.

"Hey, we're all here!" Derek called out. He stepped out around the corner of the hall. "It's about to get dark. Let's hurry on down to the ER."

"Cool, let's go!" Nora said.

"I'll explain later," Zac whispered to Skye. Honestly, he was glad the group was distracted. He didn't want to admit how frightened he'd been by a story and a simple child's toy.

Skye shrugged and grinned and ran off to gather a double armful of cameras, motion sensors, and various other devices. She bounced in place as the others grabbed their equipment. If Zac didn't know better, he'd think she was honestly excited to go find a ghost in the ER.

Maybe he didn't know better. Maybe she was planning something in there that would convince the group to leave.

"So what's so exciting about the ER?" Zac asked.

"Oh, there are so many stories. It's probably the most active part of the whole site," Nora said. "The best story is the nurse who never went off duty."

"Another one to record on site?" Zac guessed.

"Yeah. Let's do it at the doors, then film Derek leading the way through. It'll look so cool," Nora suggested.

"Very cool," Derek agreed. "Hey Skye, would you be willing to step through first with your little camera, to record a cross angle?"

"Sounds fun!" Skye said, holding up her camera. Somehow she juggled the rest of her armful of gear without dropping anything.

"You want to send her in alone?" Amy protested.

"I'll keep her in sight at all times," Derek promised.

The group leader looked at Zac, and he realized he was supposed to grant permission. Because he was the older brother, and nominally in charge of Skye's welfare. Right. Yes.

It was probably a good idea for her to go through first, to make sure nothing hostile was waiting for them in the ER.

"It sounds fine," Zac said. "She'll only be a few feet from the door, right?"

"Absolutely," Derek promised.

"So what's the story?" Skye asked.

Zac ended up recording both Nora and Skye, as both of them stood next to the door. There was just something so wholesome about the excitement they shared. He hoped the group would be able to use the footage he was getting, some of it was genuinely good.

"Okay, so there was this nurse, Diane. I found conflicting reports of her last name. She was one of the best on staff. She could calm a patient in full freak out panic mode, she could find a vein on the most delicate patients. No matter how crazy the ER got, she was an island of calm."

"Sounds like a good nurse," Skye said.

"I think she was, and maybe she still is," Nora said. "One day, Diane didn't report in for her shift. She didn't call in sick, she didn't show up a little late with an excuse about traffic. Nothing. And she had never, in all her years, failed to arrive or call in."

"How long was she a nurse?" Skye asked.

"The records I found said she'd been a nurse for somewhere between 25 and 30 years," Nora said. "Over half of that time she worked for this hospital."

"So what happened to her?" Skye asked.

"No one is entirely certain," Nora said. "Her coworkers were worried. They called her house, and no one answered. So one of the doctors drove out to her house and found her in the back yard, dead. The police came. There were no signs of foul play or an accident. It seemed like a healthy, active woman just dropped dead in the middle of doing a little light yard work."

"Did they ever find out why she died?" Skye asked.

"No, it remains 'spontaneous cardiac event' on her death certificate. But that's just the beginning of Diane's story. Hospital staff started to notice strange things happening in the ER. Lights flickered in the area where Diane usually worked. Patients reported hearing footsteps approach them when they were alone, and phantom hands patted their shoulders or held their hands. Most of the reports I read were positive, with patients who reported those experiences saying they felt comforted and safe."

"And people think that's Diane's ghost?" Skye guessed.

"All the evidence points that way," Nora agreed. "I'm hoping we can make contact tonight, either through Amy or with some of our equipment."

At that point, the group was just too excited to get into the ER, so Zac moved into a good angle to catch Derek leading his team through. Skye scampered through the door, wandered around a little, and then signaled that she'd found an angle she liked.

"Looks like little sister is gonna follow in your footsteps," Tate muttered to Zac.

"She's talented," Zac said, not sure how else to respond.

Entering the emergency room was a little bit anticlimactic, to be perfectly honest. After all the stories, Zac expected cold chills and eerie sounds. Mostly there was just fading sunlight filtering through dusty windows.

Zac recorded as the group set up equipment to monitor the ER for paranormal activity. He saw motion sensors, both mercury and infrared thermometers, cameras and microphones. If there was any activity to capture, they would be able to record it.

Skye bounced around the room. She chatted constantly, her voice a cheerful narration of the activity. Zac was baffled for a moment. Then, Skye rubbed at one ear and he remembered. She had a communications device. She wasn't just playing up being an excited young fan. She was keeping her handler updated.

Was Jake keeping his promise to update Skye's parents? Zac glanced at the door leading outside the ER, and what had once been an ambulance lane. There was supposed to be a support team waiting out there. Was there, or were they on their own again?

How reliable was Labyrinth?

Zac had no way to know. He could only hope they were worthy of the trust Skye showed them.

"Okay, I think we're ready," Derek announced. "Bob, you know the routine. I'll explain it real quick for the camera, and for Zac and Skye."

Bob nodded. Zac turned the camera towards Derek and hit 'record.'

"We're going to try to record some EVP, that's Electronic Voice Phenomena," Derek explained. "Amy will hold the recorder and ask questions. The rest of us will spread out, about six feet apart so we can all see each other, but we're not bunched up. Large groups can be upsetting to some spirits. We'll stay as quiet as we possibly can so our equipment has the best possible chance to catch any answers Diane, or any other spirit present, might choose to offer. Does everyone understand?"

Skye nodded and mimed zipping her mouth closed. Zac moved to one side so that he could record everything. Skye chose to bracket the group, standing on Nora's far side. Everyone else spread out in a loose arc along one side of the room.

Amy paced into the center of the room and knelt on the dusty tile floor. She lit a single tea candle and placed it in front of her, and then held out a small audio recorder.

"Hello, spirits," Amy said. "I would very much like to speak with you. I offer you the light and warmth of this candle to give you the energy to communicate."

Amy paused, as if waiting for a response, and then continued. "This is a recorder. I would like to use it to hear your answers, if you offer any. If you object, please snuff the candle as a sign."

She waited again. The candle stayed lit. Zac appreciated the attempt to gather consent, even if it wasn't a perfect system. A spirit might not be strong enough to affect the physical plane at all. But at least the psychic acknowledge that the ghosts retained their free will.

Amy clicked the recorder on, and held it out loosely in one hand.

"Is anyone here?" Amy asked, and paused. After several seconds of silence, she added, "If you can make yourself heard, please do."

She waited again, and the room echoed with a faint, almost inaudible tap.

"I heard that," Amy gasped. "Is there a spirit with us?"

She paused, as another tap filled the silence.

"That's wonderful, thank you for responding," Amy said with a grin. "Can we do one tap for no, two for yes?"

Another pause, longer this time, and then there were two soft taps. Zac looked at the rest of the group. Derek and Tate were grinning ear to ear. Nora bounced in place, smiling too. Bob looked stunned. Skye was smiling. She met Zac's eyes and winked.

Was she somehow causing this?