Junghae smacks the flashlight against her palm. The light flickers to life, and she laughs victoriously before handing it to her partner. “C’mon, Chanmi." The girl's hands twist in front of her.She stares at the house with a frown that is nearing pout territory, so Jungdae elbows her side and jokes, "What, are you scared? Do I need to hold your hand?”

“You can hold my hand, if you’d like," Baekhyun chirps.

“You just want someone to hold your . Now is neither the time, nor the place.”

Chamni takes the flashlight and follows Jungdae as if her feet wore lead shoes rather than sneakers. “Are you sure we shouldn’t, like, go as a group?” She doesn't like the feeling of the house; it raises all the hairs on her arms.

“Yep. We’re covering the far side of the house. Baek and Junghwa have the basement. Kyungsoo and Minseo are taking Sehun around the perimeter … We just want to cover the whole area.”

Junghae holds the meter in front of her, sweeping it left to right as they slowly make their way through the foyer and to the back of the house. “Hey, you gonna gimme some light?”

“Oh, sorry!” Chanmi fumbles with the flashlight. Her palms are sweaty. She can’t stay quiet for long, whispering reassurances to herself and walking as close to Junghae as possible without sharing her shoes.

“Chanmi, please be quiet. If anything’s here, I won’t be able to hear it—” Above them, the ceiling shakes; dust falls over them in shushing cascades of aged debri. Chanmi drops the flashlight and throws herself against the wall with a screaming curse.

Junghae s the meter up, tracking the quaking boards and pressing a finger to her ear. “Is anyone on the second floor, yet?” There’s a hiss of snow, but each group replies negatively.

“Taozi and I are in the van, but we both saw some movement upstairs, in the corner facing the cemetery. It could just be a broken window or something, but … .”

“It could be something else.”

The shaking has stopped. Junghae bounces on her toes. No matter how many times she goes out and how many disappointments there are, she’s still exhilarated by the mere possibility of finding proof. Proof of ghosts, the afterlife, hauntings, something. There is simply too much that’s unexplained.

She recalibrates the meter according to the most recent activity and retrieves the flashlight from where it rolled to her feet. “Alright, girl. Let’s get up there.”

Chanmi whimpers, bottom lip held between her teeth and chest heaving.

“Hey. C’mon. Take this…” Junghae presses the flashlight into Chanmi’s left hand and grabs her right wrist to pull her gently from the wall. “I’m right here. Nothing’s going to happen.” The taller girl follows her, swearing every time a board creaks or a breeze kisses her nape. Eventually, her arm slips from Junghae’s hand so their palms press together.

Chanmi has a bad feeling.

They walk slowly through the dust and cobwebs with the occasional comment from the others in their earpieces and a shriek from Chanmi every few steps.

“, this is so scary … Oh my Goooood ...Junghae, can we please go home? I don’t like this. It just gets worse and worse. Holy crap … .”

Junghae takes her time, turning slowly, to read the walls and ceiling as they enter the very back of the house. Floor to ceiling windows show the jungle the once-manicured garden has become, and all the furniture that used to invite guests and family alike to relax is shoved into a corner, covered in a grimy sheet.

The meter’s cold, ticking only when Junghae holds it up towards the stairs.

“Okay, all signs lead upstairs. Let’s go.”

Just as her foot touches the top landing, Junghae pitches forward, yanked back upright by Chanmi’s hand. The entire house shakes and bends, dirt and dust flying and terrified squeaks of whatever rodents had made their home in the old walls adding to the cacophony lead by the girls’ screams.

“Junghae JunghaeJunghaeJunghae. I don’t think they want us here.” Chanmi shakes and lurches as the stairs rock beneath them.

“The reading’s off the charts!” Junghae wants to keep going forward. A little voice of reason knocks on her brain that if she gets stuck in the house or dies on these bucking stairs, she’ll have no chance to return or investigate other hopeful houses. She turns around and shoos her hands at Chanmi. “Head out. Go!”

Chanmi takes the stairs three at a time, nearly tripping to the bottom, and waits for Junghae a split second. She grabs her partner by the arm and bolts for the front door with the house’s groans at their back.

A hiss of dust follows them outside, but the house remains upright. Yixiao and Chuntao lean out of the van, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Baekhee, Junghwa, Kyungsoo, Minseo, Juyeon, and Sehun all stand a safe distance from the house. Chanmi immediately hangs over Junghwa in a shaky hug. Junghae climbs into the van and hands Chuntao the meter.

“Did you guys see that? The readings were amazing.”

“Yeah, considering whatever’s in there tried to eat you.” Chuntao smacks Junghae’s shoulders, frowning at all the dust.

“That’s the thing, though.” Junghae grins. “This time, we know we have something.”

“Junghae, you’re not really thinking of … .”

There is a dangerous gleam in Junghae’s eyes as she scans “Let’s give it some time to settle, but I am going back with my favourite clairvoyant.”

Chanmi wails into Junghwa’s neck.