[Chapter 6: You Are About to Die]
"Is this Mr. Cross? Please come quickly -- I need your help."
The female voice on the phone was young, but filled with urgent anxiety.
Daniel replied calmly, "Please try to stay calm, ma'am. Where are you now? Is it very dangerous?"
"I'm outside my house... I don't dare to go in."
Daniel's tone seemed to soothe her somewhat, and her breathing steadied.
"Give me the address, I'll be there right away."
...
Though Los Angeles nights were chaotic, driving was still a much safer option. Daniel got behind the wheel of the worn Chevrolet his predecessor's father had left him and drove out of Cross Hall.
The Chevrolet was visibly aged -- every bump in the road made the car groan and rattle. Turning corners only caused more strange creaks, and Daniel couldn't quite identify the source of the noises. Nevertheless, the whole car shook as he pressed on.
Along the way, groups of three to five people lingered in the streets. They glanced at his car but rarely made any move.
After about thirty minutes, Daniel drove into a middle-class neighborhood. The houses here clearly looked nicer, with neat lawns out front. Police patrols passed by occasionally, reinforcing the sense of safety compared to downtown. No wonder these people paid good money to live here.
Following the house numbers, Daniel found the place. A car was parked near the driveway with its lights still on.
He opened the driver's door, stepped out, and approached.
Peering through the driver's window, he saw a young white woman curled up, knees hugged to her chest. Her eyes stared off into space, unfocused.
She was young, with big, expressive eyes and blonde hair framing a baby-soft face -- like a life-size Barbie doll.
'It's really her.'
Daniel instantly recognized her: Amanda Seyfried.
One of Hollywood's four future darlings, but in April 2004, she was only nineteen, at the very start of her career -- not yet worthy of that title.
...
Daniel knocked on the window, startling her.
She looked up, saw him, quickly opened the door, and whispered, "Mr. Cross?"
He nodded, "It's me."
She let out a breath of relief. "Thank God you came. You can call me Amanda."
Daniel was curious. "How did you get my number?"
Amanda explained, "I called the police earlier today. They came, found nothing, and left. But before they left, an officer named Lara gave me your number and told me to call if any supernatural events happened. She said you're an exorcist."
Daniel smiled inwardly, thankful for the referral. Maybe he'd invite Officer Lara out for dinner sometime.
He studied Amanda carefully. She was unmistakably beautiful, but exhausted -- her blonde hair was messy, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. More troubling was the persistent dark energy clinging to her.
"Tell me exactly what you've experienced."
With Daniel's presence, Amanda felt steady enough to speak up. "There's a ghost in my house."
"Have you seen it?"
"No," she said, eyes drifting to her front door before looking away. "But I recorded it."
"You recorded a ghost?"
"I caught my furniture moving on its own, doors opening and closing by themselves. Plates breaking in the kitchen out of nowhere. At night, my blanket even flies off me."
She rattled off incidents involving objects animating independently.
If Amanda spoke the truth, that house was seriously haunted.
"Come inside with me. I want to take a look."
"But..."
"Nothing will happen with me here."
From what Amanda described, if there was a ghost, it wasn't too strong. Otherwise, it would have attacked her directly instead of just messing with objects.
Amanda nodded and led the way.
...
The house was surprisingly neat -- everything arranged with precision. Nothing out of place.
Daniel thought about Amanda's condition. She suffered from anxiety and severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. It was advanced enough to require medication to hold it together. Yet even with a ghost around, her home remained impeccably tidy.
The decor was tasteful, the furniture high quality. Amanda said it was a pricey rental.
The moment Daniel stepped inside, he felt a surge of dense dark energy -- heavier than anything he'd encountered even at the 17th Precinct.
Amanda, now more confident, showed him around. They didn't see any signs of a ghost physically present.
"Where are the recordings?" Daniel asked.
"Over there." Amanda pointed to a cabinet.
He looked up to see a DV camera resting on a shelf, still recording.
Amanda grabbed it and played back the footage.
Just as she described, furniture moved by itself. Doors opened and closed without a touch.
One clip showed Amanda sleeping peacefully in bed until an invisible hand pulled her blanket down to reveal her slender figure draped in a delicate nightgown.
Startled, Amanda jolted upright, terrified.
"I couldn't sleep after that. Sat up against the headboard all night." Her face was pale.
Daniel checked the timestamp. "Was this last night?"
Amanda nodded, pointing to her noticeably dark circles.
Daniel glanced at her. Despite her exhaustion, Amanda's natural beauty -- her Barbie-like features -- remained intact.
He studied the camera and footage, then a flash of recognition lit his eyes.
Paranormal Activity.
Whatever Amanda was experiencing mirrored the movie's events closely.
In the film, a young couple explored similar hauntings before calling an exorcist, who found no proof and dismissed their fears.
Here, Amanda called the police first, then contacted him.
Could it be the movie was playing out in real life?
Daniel found it entirely possible.
If Jigsaw from Saw could appear in reality, then there was no reason other horror film plots and ghosts couldn't emerge too.
He suppressed the thought and kept watching.
He summarized, "The disturbances were subtle at first, barely noticeable. But over time, they grew stronger and more frequent. Until last night... it got close enough to touch you -- that's why it pulled your blanket."
Amanda's eyes widened. "So that means...?"
Daniel's voice darkened. "It means you're about to die."
Her entire face drained of color. "Ah!"
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
https://discord.gg/HjHHhUXPn7.