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Do we move on after death, or are we doomed to roam this planet for eternity? I face this question every day in my line of work. My name is Walt Freeman. I run a West coast paranormal society known as AfterLife. We investigate all over the west coast, searching for evidence of the paranormal. I have been fortunate enough to live in a time with an ever expanding force of technology that allows us to find all different kinds of signs of an afterlife.

My goal in life has been to prove skeptics wrong; to show them undeniable proof of ghostly activity. So far I have caught shadows, noises, and voices, as well as abnormal changes in heat or cold, and also have been able to find common explanations for things easily thought of as “Ghosts”. Unfortunately, I have yet to capture an apparition. Each place we visit the hosts will guarantee the sighting of an apparition, yet each time I have not been able to see one. So when I got a phone call from Mr. White, the owner of an abandoned hospital in Seattle, WA, I took the chance to investigate. Little did I know that my night would bring about old and new death.

We arrived at the infamous Glacial Hope hospital on a chilly October night. It was a week before Halloween, and with a creepy atmosphere already set, we thought it was the perfect setting for our investigation. It was a five man team. It was me, my wife, Shannon, the equipment manager, Brendon Hale, the case manager, Brian Graze, and my daughter, Lilly, who went to college in Seattle and wanted to help out while we were here. With two vans full or equipment and our spirits high, we drove down the dirt lane leading to the hospital, and as the rain began to pour down around us, lightning filled the sky, and illuminated the structure.

My wife and I drove the first van through the gates, and Lilly, Brian and Brendon drove right behind us. “Wow, they really know how to set the mood, don’t they,” asked Shannon. “I guess. I just hope this isn’t another hoax like that ship down in Arizona last week,” I replied. She looked at me and squeezed my hand. “Relax, Walt. We’re going to have a great time. The setting is perfect, and there is quite a colorful history here, so you never know. Maybe we’ll see this “White Gunslinger” the staff told Brian about.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’m just glad Lilly could join us. We don’t get to spend a lot of time together anymore. It’ll be nice to be together again.” Shannon smiled that sweet, innocent smile of hers at me, and leaned in and kissed me. Her breath was hot and powerful against my own breath, and for that minute I felt like a teenager again. Underneath that electricity, however, there was a sense of dread, as if something horrible was heading our way. I pushed that thought out of my head at the time, but looking back, I wish I had listened to that feeling, and had left the hospital right then and there. That wasn’t the way it happened, however, and as we broke apart, Brendon came up to my side of the car and opened up the side car to start unloading the equipment. Lilly came up to Shannon’s side of the car, and said, “You two better get in there. They’ll be expecting you guys.” Looking at Lilly was like holding a mirror up to Shannon. They might as well be twins. They both have long, brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, and are just breathtaking. Lilly is an aspiring writer, and hopes to take after her mom and write horror novels. She told me once she’d love experience some actual paranormal activity, and apply it to her work. She is a junior at Washington State University. For a couple years now, I’ve suspected that she and Brian have developed some feelings for one another. He is a couple years older than her, her 22 and him 24, and he’s always been like a son to me. He is a musician and historian, and loves to research the different areas we investigate. His parents disowned him for becoming a musician and for his work with the team. I told him I would understand if he wanted to leave the team for personal reasons, but he said that we were all the family he would need, so if there is something between him and Lilly, then I’ll be fine with that.

As we got out of the car, I said, “Hey, Lilly, why don’t you come with us. See what it’s like to go on a walkthrough of a case.”

“Really? Cool, thanks dad,” said Lilly. “Your welcome, sweetie. Let’s go. Brendon, Brian, let’s get the generators out first. This place has no power, so we’ll need them all.” They nodded, and with that we left them to work, and we set out to explore the hospital and meet the client.

We ascended the hospital steps as the rain began to increase with dangerous speed, and as we walked up, I noticed the almost medieval looking architecture of the building, including the gargoyle statues on the roof. When I looked back down, I saw a man standing in the doorway. “Good evening, Mr. Freeman. We’ve been expecting you.” I recognized the man’s voice immediately. “Mr. Briggs? Thank you for asking us here. This is my wife, Shannon, and my daughter, Lilly.” The man was wearing jeans and a cowboy looking shirt, and even had the brown cowboy boots to complete the ensemble. He stared at my hand, which I had extended for a handshake, and failed to meet it with a handshake of his own. He merely looked at us with gleaming eyes, and said, “Please, follow me. There is a lot of ground to cover, and this storm won’t let up anytime soon. When the thunder starts, you’ll want your equipment rolling. The “White Gunslinger” is restless in lightning storms.” We all nodded at once, and he turned and led us into the hospital lobby. From there, he showed us the hot spots of the hospital, but I found it difficult to concentrate on what he was saying. The uneasy feeling wouldn’t leave my stomach, and I felt that something bad was heading for us.

It wasn’t until 8:00 that night that I was able to get the guys to help set up the equipment. Mr. Briggs vanished after the tour, and we just went about our business. We set up the DVR system, and put recorders in each of the hot spots. It took us an hour to set all the equipment up, but finally, we were able to go lights out, and with that, the investigation began.

The first two hours were uneventful. No noises, no spirits, nothing. When the sky lit up with lightning and thunder, however, the whole building seemed to become a living entity of its own. Shannon and I were in the mortuary when we saw the first bolt of lightning. When it lit up the room, a long, drawn out scream filled the room. I immediately pulled out the walkie talkie, and said, “This is Walt. Did any team just scream?”

“This is Brian and Lilly, and we heard it, but it wasn’t us.”

“This is Brendan in Central Control. I heard it too, but it wasn’t me.”

“Alright, keep your eyes and ears open people. The storm is stirring up something here. Keep audio going at all times, and if you have a Thermal camera, run that too. We got a long night ahead of us.” I cut the walkie off there. Shannon turned to me and said, “What was the story behind the “White Gunslinger”, Walt?”

“Back in the 50’s, a man came into the hospital, looking for his wife, whom he had shot in the chest for sleeping with his best friend. She was still alive, but was in a coma. He went in a few hours after shooting her, and brought a whole arsenal with him. He shot and killed twenty three people, including his wife and best friend. Before police could arrive, he shot himself, and told a nurse he had taken hostage that he vowed that anyone who entered that hospital and had true love in their hearts would suffer at his hands. It is believed that he walks these halls, waiting to kill all love.”

“He was quite the charmer,” she said. We both laughed, and then went about the EVP session.

Twenty minutes later, Brendan called for us. “We got something on the DVR system. You better get here quick.” We both left at that moment. When we got there, Brendan was out of his seat, with his hand over his mouth. “Brendan, what is it? What did we catch,” I asked him. “Um, we caught an entity. I left it paused for you guys, but it’s disturbing, I won’t lie.” I looked at him, and saw the terror in his eyes. I went to the monitor, with Shannon at my side, and clicked the mouse on the play button.

On the screen, a tall, bloody man with distorted limbs and a gun in each hand walked towards the camera. The hospital was completely locked for us, and the camera this man, if you could call him that, was walking towards was in a hospital room on the fourth floor, and didn’t have a window. Plus, this thing looked inhuman. Its skin was pure white, and his jaw seemed to hang on a hinge. I felt like this thing was staring at me, and before I could shut it off, it spoke. “Leave here, now!!” It seemed to yell it over and over, all the while twisting its head and its body in front of the camera.

“Brendan, how long ago was this?”

“About ten minutes ago. And Lilly and Brian are on the fourth floor.” My heart seemed to drop at the sound of my daughter’s name. I plucked the walkie talkie out of its holster and almost yelled into the thing, “Lilly, Brian get back to Central Command, now!”

“Dad? What’s wrong?”

“Something showed up on the DVR, and we need you down here now. Watch yourself, and be careful.”

“OK, Dad, we’re on our-“she began, then suddenly stopped. On the line we heard a loud and almost feral growl. “Dad, there’s something in here,” said Lilly. “Lilly, where are you?”

“Room 42, on the fourth floor.” My heart skipped a beat, and Shannon grabbed the walkie-talkie out of my hand. “Lilly!! Get out of there now!! Move it!!” We didn’t get a reply, but from somewhere deep in the hospital, we heard two screams. Without hesitating, Shannon and I ran to the fourth floor, and Brendan stayed behind. We made it to the third floor when we ran into Lilly and Brian. She was screaming for help, and hanging on to Brian, who was being dragged back into the third floor by the creature on the video system. It turned and stared at me with bloodshot eyes. Brian was bleeding from the mouth, and Shannon and I went to help pull him back before he was pulled apart. Shannon grabbed his other arm and pulled with her daughter, and I went after the creature. I knew there was little chance of me beating the thing, but I didn’t want to believe it then. I punched it in the face, hoping the impact would shatter its hold on Brian, but instead it seemed to infuriate the thing more. “Get the fuck off him, you bastard,” I yelled at him. I pulled at the things hands, hoping to pry it off Brian’s leg, but I couldn’t shake its resolve.

Its eyes suddenly went a bright shade of red, and without a second thought, it pulled Brian apart. Shannon and Lilly both jumped back and screamed as Brian’s top half landed on them. I went to help them up, but the creature stepped in between us. It twisted its head to the left, and I thought I heard a bone snap in half in its neck. It began to utter some growls and other noises, and finally, without moving its mouth, it said, “Don’t let them fool you. I will rid you of these ‘things’, and show you why love is a lie. Just submit to me, and this knowledge will be yours.”

“Never, you dumb fuck,” I replied. “I love my family, and will never let you harm them.”

“We will see,” it said, and the next thing I knew, it was gone. I ran to Shannon, who was holding Lilly in her arms, and together we rushed down the stairs to the Control Center. We exited the stair case, and as we approached the camera system, we saw Brendan, his stomach torn open and his face caught in a silent scream. “Come on, we can’t help them now, we have to get out of here,” I said. We ran to the front door, and as we approached the doors and were about to open them, Shannon was thrown down, and before I knew it, she was being dragged back by the creature.

I knew I had to decide on whether to save my daughter or go after the woman I love, so I grabbed Lilly’s arm, and threw her out the door. “Go get help,” I yelled to her. “I’m going to help your mom. Go get some help, tell them to check the cameras. Mr. Briggs is out there still, and he’s connected to this. Now go, and know we love you.” I never gave her a chance to argue. I shut the door and bolted it shut. I grabbed a pipe as she began banging on the door, and slammed it through the handles of the double doors. I looked at my daughter, and for one last time, I told her I loved her, and then I went for Shannon.

She was already gone when I reached her. She was hovering above the equipment in the lobby, and was hanging all limp. “Shannon,” I said softly. I feared that tears were on their way, and I tried reaching for her, but before I could get her down, she was thrown across the room, and blood sprayed the wall she collided with.

Then the creature was behind me, and I felt an immense fury rush down my spine, and I began to fight the creature. Each punch I thought I landed, however, just phased right through it. “Your daughter is next,” the thing growled. It twisted its head, and it was at that point I knew what I had to do. I knew how it would react, and so, I went for the guns in its hands.

I felt the lead pierce me, even though the guns weren’t loaded with bullets. I saw the muzzle catch fire, and I felt the blood pour out of my chest. The next thing I knew, I became very cold, and when I looked down, I saw my body on the ground. I could hear Lilly outside, even over the rain and thunder, screaming for me. I don’t know if she saw me, but I knew that the thing had evened the playing field. Then I looked to my right, and saw Shannon staring at me. I went to her, and grabbed her hand. Then we turned to the thing.

“It doesn’t matter. This is my hell. I run this place, and I’ll put you down for all eternity if I have too.”

“I don’t think so,” I replied, and together we rushed the thing. My punches finally seemed to land, but the things limbs bent this way and that, and seemed to wrap around my body. Then I wrestled the things gun away from him, and as he screamed, I picked up the weapon, and shot it in the chest. It buckled, and fell to the floor. I don’t know what it was that I shot him with, but I know it did the job.

Then the thing began to speak its “dying” words. “I may move on, Freeman, but there are others. There’s a war coming, and you’ve just enlisted yourself. This was just one battle. Prepare for death.” Then it was gone. “Walt,” Shannon called to me. I turned, and saw her standing at the doors. I walked over to her, and saw Lilly running down the dirt path, yelling for help. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she said. “I know,” I replied. “If that thing was right, we have to protect her though. We don’t know what will come after her. We may be dead, but we still have a job to do.” She turned to me, tears in her eyes, and nodded. Then we kissed, and I knew that love was not a façade. It could heal, and it could survive, even after death.

I sought answers to death and all its mysteries, and instead became a part of it. Now I go day by day, protecting my daughter, and loving her and my wife. Death isn’t an end; it’s just the beginning.