Twin Paranormal: Monster In The Pub

Chapter 3: Panic! in the Storage Room

Chapter Three: Panic! in the Storage Room

The guys were sitting back at the bench at quarter til midnight, sipping on their coffee. As soon as the last customers had left at 9pm, the sun was setting and they had started to gather some B roll footage and began to look for spots to set up tripods with static cameras, REM pods, EMF readers, and the music box.

"I still can't believe Jay's never seen that thing in her storage room. Good thing she set up a motion camera or we wouldn't have anything much to go on," said Wyatt.

"Yeah. And that picture of the Dark Man, whatever it is, gives me the chills," said Ryan quietly as he checked the batteries in the flashlight.

"You really do feel a heaviness in that room, like Jay and Maddy said." Wyatt continued. Maddy had come back from her classes that evening and got acquainted with everyone while eating the delicious dinner Jay cooked them all. She was like the complete opposite of Jay, being a small, mousy blond lady in a soft grey dress and purple cardigan, with a shy but fun-loving demeanor.

River sat playing with the different batteries for his camera, making sure there was full charge on each one. He was fighting the urge to lay his head down on his arms and take a short catnap before they got started, but he knew it would be better to just power through it all. This wasn't their first rodeo, after all. He'd be fine.

"You sure you're okay, Riv?" asked Ryan, eyeing him from across the table. "You're being too quiet. You don't feel sick or anything?"

"Nah. Just tired, slight headache." River reassured them both, much as he had done earlier with Bethany. For some reason, he didn't want anyone to know that he really did just want to lay down and rest for the night. But they had a job to do and he wasn't about to miss out on a chance at catching something like the Dark Man on film. Besides, he had done all right filming Ryan while they stood outside the Pub during Golden Hour, showing the building and its sign to the audience, giving Jay a shout-out during the intro.

"I have some Advil if you want it," Wyatt offered. He kept those handy for times that he needed pain killers for his back.

"Yeah, okay. That'll go good with the caffeine." River really did want to be at his best for the video. Maybe it would help him wake up a bit.

Wyatt handed over the pills and River swallowed a couple with his coffee. He tested his mic and found everything in working order. "Almost midnight," he said, attempting to engage with the other two normally.

Jay had promised them that she and Maddy would be in bed right before midnight to help minimize any noises in the old, creaky building. "Yep," said Ryan. "What do you say we get this party started?"

They all got up from the bench and headed towards the storage room. "I'm gonna start outside the door to this room, get a baseline feel for it, and then go in," he explained his intentions to River's and Wyatt's cameras for the audience. "We'll listen a minute, see if we hear anything, then go in the storage room. Then we can do introductions in there and ask some questions, see if we get any responses on the devices."

The trio went through the regular tasks of respectfully stating their names and asking for cooperation from any spirits that might be willing to have a conversation with them, and offering assurances that the devices were not harmful in any way.

River and Wyatt panned their cameras back and forth slowly as they took turns speaking and listening. The music box on the bar made feeble attempts at turning and there were a few taps on the REM pod near the stair case, but not much else. They all quickly decided that it would be best to open the storage room door and see what lay ahead.

River suddenly began to feel eager for some reason. It felt strange, almost like the emotion was not coming from himself. He pushed the notion away, convincing himself that his brain was finally just waking up out of its weird sleepy state. The coffee and advil were just kicking in, that's all.

Ryan continued to speak to the spirits and the cameras, not realizing that his brother was dealing with an unusual feeling running through him. There was no sign of anything awry.

Wyatt happened to pan his camera around to River for a moment, just for something else for the audience to look at. He noticed River's fixated stare at Ryan, but figured his friend was just concentrating on what Ryan was talking about and continued scanning the room.

River could slowly feel the muscles in his arms and legs start to feel different. It was like cold water was coursing through his veins. By the time he realized he couldn't move, every device they had brought started to make noise simultaneously. Ryan was hopping around, trying to pinpoint the source of the energy with Wyatt filming him, but River felt as though he was cemented in place.

He tried desperately to speak, say his brother's name, say anything. He could not make a single sound. His mind filled with panic and all the hairs on his body stood up; his blue eyes became wide with fear.

Finally Ryan and Wyatt noticed that River had not moved from his spot right inside the storage room near the door. Ryan stopped talking mid-sentence, suddenly understanding that the expression on River's face was one of terror. "Riv?" he said cautiously, sprinting over to grab his forearm, giving him a small shake. Ryan was alarmed that he could barely budge it. "Oh my god! River!!" Ryan yelled in his face, trying to make him snap out of whatever state he was in.

"Holy fuck," said Wyatt, joining Ryan from across the room. "River! What's going on!?"

River could only stare back at them, unable to do anything except allow the tear from the corner of his right eye fall down the side of his face.

"I don't know! River! I don't know what to do! Wyatt, what do we do??" Ryan was shouting now, completely freaking out.

"Let's check his breathing and heartbeat," suggested Wyatt, trying to hold his voice steady. He sat his still-running camera down on a chair, then held his index finger under River's nose and felt quick, warm breaths. "He's breathing, he's breathing. He'll be okay," trying to reassure himself as much as Ryan.

Ryan put one hand on River's chest and the other on his carotid artery, trying to feel a pulse in either place. He didn't have any idea what he was doing, but thankfully was able to locate what felt like a very quick heartbeat. "Holy shit, his heart is going really fast," said Ryan, his voice shaking with fear. "River, please!!" he shouted.

Suddenly the Ovilus spoke loudly out of nowhere, startling them. "HE IS MINE."

Then Wyatt had an idea. "Whoever has ahold of River, let him go. You'll kill him if you don't let up. Then he won't be of any use to you." He spoke authoritatively, trying to sound like he knew what he was talking about.

"You better fucking let go of my brother!" Ryan shouted again, louder this time as his fear turned to desperate anger. "River! I know you're in there. Listen to me. You gotta come back. You're stronger than whatever this thing is, I know it!"

River's mind was racing as he tried everything in his power to break away from whatever had a hold on him. He had never been so terrified in his life. Ryan and Wyatt were clearly trying to help him but he could barely hear their voices or feel their hands touching him. Everything sounded like Niagra Falls in his ears. Things were beginning to look blurry. Then mercifully, he saw white sparks at the edges of his vision, which he knew meant that he was about to pass out. River willfully gave in to the sensation of blissful unconsciousness, feeling his body finally go limp and sink downwards.

"Aahh!" Ryan screamed as he saw River's eyes roll back in his head before they closed, making him look dead as he fell towards the floor. Luckily Ryan was still gripping his arm, keeping him from landing too hard on the concrete.

Thinking quickly, Wyatt grabbed the camera out of River's loosened fingers with one hand and helped Ryan lower him to the floor.

"Oh my god, River, oh my fucking god," Ryan was distraught beyond reason at this point, kneeling beside his brother, gently shaking him as tears streamed down his cheeks. River's whole face had gone slack, lips parted and head drooped to one side.

Seeing his two best friends in such a frightening state, Wyatt was on the verge of tears himself. "I'm gonna call 911," he said fearfully.