"WHAT'S UP GUYS," Colby yelled, throwing his hands up in the air to make finger guns. "It's Sam and Colby!"

Andi smiled from her place a few feet off-screen. Their trip was finally beginning.

After the owners had unlocked the gate, Colby pulled the car into the park's entrance and they prepared for the tour that the couple had promised. The owners were currently locking up the gate behind the group, so the five of them decided to film the intro for the video. And in true Sam and Colby fashion, they were filming next to the creepiest statue Andi had ever seen.

"And today we're in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere to do another haunted series," Sam said, copying Colby's finger guns. "We saw how much you guys liked the Stanley Hotel videos, so we decided to kill two birds with one stone and make another series at a location that we've been wanting to go to for years."

"And when we say years guys, we mean since we were just stupid high school kids in Kansas," Colby said to the camera.

"Right," Sam nodded. "And since we've been waiting that long, we figured why not bring the whole gang?"

"Yeah so this is our special guest for this series," Colby joked, holding his hands up to showcase the extremely creepy statue of the park's mascot that sat in between them. "His name is Willy, and while he may look scary, he is quite the lady charmer. So if any of you lovely gals are single out there, hit him up."

"Or guys," Sam added. "We don't discriminate here."

"Brother," Jake said, popping his head into the shot from his place off-screen. "Is this your way of saying the trap boys are breaking up?"

"What, no," Sam said, quickly stepping away from the statue. "We didn't even say anything? You guys are going crazy."

"Really?" Corey asked, popping his head into the shot from the other side, where he and Andi were hiding. "Because it sounded to me like you guys are replacing us with Wee-Wee over here."

"Brother, are you going crazy?" Colby said, looking at the sky as if he were hiding something. "Are you on the pot?"

"Are the ghosts whispering lies to you already?" Sam asked.

"Wait," Jake said, turning his head around quickly as if he had heard something. "Do you guys hear that?"

"What?" Sam said, turning in the same direction.

Jake stood still for a moment before the rest of them heard a squeaky fart, and the red-haired boy turned around in shock. "What was that, brother?"

"Man," Colby said, pulling his shirt over his nose. "These ghosts smell like ass."

The four boys laughed, Andi covering her mouth to silence her giggles, as she was supposed to remain hidden until they introduced her.

"Anyways guys," Sam said, looking back at the camera. "We're here with Jake and Corey again, because you guys seem to like the four of us, and we practically live together, so Jake would have attacked us if we had filmed without him."

Jake ran the few steps up to the camera and got so close that his nose was pressed against the lens, leaving a dirty mark that Sam was sure to complain about later. "You can never escape big Daddy Jake. I'm like dementia. Once you get me, you can never cure the chaos that I cause."

"Dawg," Corey said, also stepping fully into the frame to stand behind Sam. "My grandpa has dementia."

"Wait, really?" Jake asked, turning towards him.

"Nah," Corey laughed. "I'm just fucking with you."

"Good," Jake laughed, turning towards Colby. "I was about to get canceled by the little people trapped inside the camera."

"But," Sam started again, turning to face the camera again. "We've got another addition to the team for this video, and hopefully future videos, that we think you guys will like. Can we get a drumroll, boys?"

The four boys slapped their hands against their legs, Jake slapping his on the top of Colby's head, messing up his blue hair more than it already was. The group held their hands up towards the gap in the middle of Jake and Corey where Andi ran out and waved excitedly at the camera, pretending to be a supermodel as she posed for nonexistent photographers.

"Hi guys," She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm Barry, they picked me up off of the street and now I live in Colby's washing machine."

"Yeah," Colby shook his head. "If you guys know how to get gremlins out of your washer, comment down below, because I desperately need to get rid of this pest."

"Hey!" She smacked the boy in the arm. "He loves me, guys, I swear. How else would the laundry get done?"

"Most of you probably know Andi from the Instagram posts that all of us have put up the past few weeks," Sam smiled. "But if you're really ancient, you may recognize her from me and Colby's early Vine days."

"Oh god," Colby laughed. "That was so long ago."

"Not the vines," Andi cringed. "If you guys remember me from those times I sincerely apologize, and I will be looking for a way to erase those memories from the minds of all of us."

"But yeah guys," Colby nodded, clapping his hands together. "We saw all the love on the Stanley videos, and we saw you guys commenting to do more overnighters, so that's what we're doing."

"Except," Sam smirked. "We're not just doing an overnighter, we're doing three overnighters."

"THREE OVERNIGHTERS BOYS!" Corey yelled, his voice echoing around the abandoned park as he threw his hands up like a rapper. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"That's right, three overnighters!" Sam laughed. "And on top of that, we're in the single most haunted Amusement Park in the United States, Willy's Wonderful Amusement Park!"

"Which has sat untouched since the day it closed down in 2011," Colby continued. "The owners came across our videos and reached out not too long ago and were cool enough to let us rent the park out for the next three days, which is really fuckin' cool."

"Yeah, shoutout to them, they're really awesome people," Sam added. "But this is huge because obviously, this park is the most haunted in America, but since it's been impossible to get into since 2011, nobody has ever been able to do an investigation to uncover the supposed hauntings that ultimately caused the park's shutdown. Meaning that we're the first. So if there's something here, we're going to be the ones to find out."

"Yeah, so to all you other ghost hunters out there that think you're better than us," Jake shrugged, flipping the camera the finger. "You can kiss our hairy asses!"

Andi burst out laughing as Sam tried to hide his laughter and Colby nodded his head in agreeance. Jake turned his back to the camera and pulled his black jeans down, fully mooning the audience to further his point. Corey's hand flew up to cover the blonde girl's eyes as Jake began to dance around and the five of them lost all chance of keeping their cool, cackling into the empty forest around them.

"Wow," Jerry laughed loudly from behind the group, making Andi jump as Jake smiled and shyly pulled his pants back up. "You LA folk sure are... interesting."

"Oh Jerry," Adla laughed. "Don't act all high and mighty, I've seen you run around naked in front of Todd more times than I can count."

"What is it with men and showing their asses any time possible," Andi laughed, pushing Corey's hand away from her eyes as she turned to the older woman.

"Hey!" Sam defended. "Not all of us flaunt our cheeks around."

"Sam," The blonde girl deadpanned. "You ran into my apartment in your boxers the other night, started doing the floss, and then sprinted out."

"Okay," He turned beet red. "I was drunk and Colby double-dog-dared me, that's different."

"Still proved my point," Andi shrugged with a smirk.

"Pardon me asking," Alda said politely, smiling at the two friends. "But are you two siblings?"

Colby laughed loudly as Andi turned towards Sam with her mouth open. In high school, the two were always mistaken as twins, but it had been a long time since she had heard that. Sam let out a little laugh of disbelief.

"I swear they're literally brother and sister and some freak accident happened where they were separated," Corey agreed, throwing his hands up.

"Yeah," Jake agreed. "They, like, share the same thoughts and everything. I bet if we cut your skulls open your brains would be identical."

"No chance, I'm way smarter than him," Andi laughed.

"Okay guys," Sam huffed at the camera. "I take what I said back, Andi will not be coming on future trips."

"Hey!"

"No ma'am," Colby smiled at the older woman as his two best friends playfully argued. "Not siblings, we're all just longtime friends."

"Ah, I see," She nodded. "Hard to find those nowadays. Make sure to keep them close."

"Oh trust me," Colby chuckled. "I'm not letting any of them out of my sight ever again."

It was getting later in the day and the owners didn't want to be stuck out in the woods when the sun set, so they started the tour of the park a bit earlier than planned. It was significantly larger than Andi expected, and entirely western themed, with pictures of bandits and cowboys on every booth and ride in sight. The entire place was completely bare of any graffiti and was surprisingly tidy for a deserted location. Of course, the wooden surfaces were rotting and most of the buildings were on the verge of collapsing, but the park wasn't nearly as trashed as the other abandoned places Andi had explored.

"So we did some research and found that there were twelve deaths total," Sam said, walking next to Colby and Andi as he filmed the tour from behind the couple. "Can you guys tell us anything about the park history or how the deaths happened?"

"I'll tell y'all as much as I know," Jerry nodded, leading them forward through a row of old game booths. "So the park was built back in '72, just one year after the Six Flags in St. Louis was built, making both parks highly popular. Willy's took just two years under construction, but the first death happened just a month before the grand opening."

"You see, the park's mascot is Willy the Wolverine, you folks were filmin' next to his statue earlier," He continued. "Well, the managers figured that instead of just having the statue, keeping an actual in-person mascot would be better for branding. So they hired a man named Frank Spitts. Frank was your average run-of-the-mill guy, had a wife and a son, and was just looking for work. So they brought him into the park to train while the construction was still going on. On his first day, he had just suited up and was being shown around the park when he walked underneath one of the rides that were still being built. A piece of equipment came loose and fell right on him."

"Holy shit," Colby gasped, looking around at Sam and Andi. The two of them shared the same shocked expression. That was a pretty sad and unlucky way to die.

"Talk about a bad first day," Jake joked from behind them.

"That was the first death of the park, and ultimately the start of the place's bad luck," Alda continued. "As a matter of fact, Frank was buried right in between the bathroom and the staff quarters where you five will be sleeping."

"No fucking way, dude," Corey turned pale. "No way brother. There's no way I'm sleeping that close to a dead guy."

"Corey, he died forty-five years ago," Andi pointed out, trying to calm the boy down before his freakout began. "He is completely decomposed by now."

"How do you know that?" Corey fretted. "Did you talk to him personally?"

"No," Andi rolled his eyes. "But I'm not a dumbass. It's basic science. On average, a body takes eight to twelve years to decompose. It's been way longer than that."

"Wait," Colby butted in. "Why the fuck do you know that?"

"You never know when it'll come in handy," She winked at him playfully.

"Remind me to never eat her leftovers," Jake whispered, the four boys staring at Andi in shock. The girl smiled and continued on down the cobblestone path, a slight skip in her step that added to the insanity that seemed to follow Andi around.

"You boys better watch out," Jerry laughed. "You've got a fiery one on your hands."

The group approached a very old and very tall all-wooden roller coaster. It was the only coaster in the entire park and was in very bad shape, the wood rotten and bending in various places.

"This here was called Bandit's Chase and was the fastest ride in the park," Alda explained, motioning up towards the towering tracks. "The next deaths happened here. In the summer of '81, there was a malfunction during one of the rides. The coaster got stuck upside-down and released the buckles. Eight people fell to their deaths."

"The park was closed for repairs and was opened only two short years later," Jerry continued. "The popularity didn't differ though, because somehow the park was able to keep the news mostly under wraps. The disaster was only reported in one news source, and at that time, the paper was very small, meaning hardly anyone would have read it."

"We come to the park once every month just to pick up and make sure nobody has gotten in or anything," Alda said with a shudder. "Every time we come after sunset and I walk over here to check on the wood I swear I can hear the screams of the people falling, and any electronics that I bring, such as my smartphone or my walkie, malfunction 90% of the time that I'm nearby."

"Only after sunset though?" Sam asked, looking down at the camera to make sure it wasn't being affected.

"Yes," The woman nodded. "I think when the ride broke down it may have been after dark, but I'm not totally sure."

"Well we'll have to check it out later tonight boys," Colby said, smiling back at Jake and Corey. Corey shook his head and looked around at the coaster next to them in uncertainty.

The couple led them around most of the park, explaining other fun facts about the theme and the game booths, but nothing that showed signs of paranormal activity. That is until they came upon a large, black-painted building with a large ghost sign nailed to the front. The building had to be at least three stories and was probably the creepiest thing in the park.

"Hey Sam," Corey said, pointing to the front of the building. "I found your ghost, bro. We can go home now."

"Good job, dude," Sam praised, pointing the camera towards him. "That was so much faster than the Stanley."

"Yeah," Colby joked. "Corey always finishes fast, if you know what I mean."

"Poor Devyn," Andi laughed.

"House of whores?" Jake asked, looking at the wooden sign for the building that had fallen off and now lay on the ground in front of them. "Sounds like my kind of place."

"That says horrors, not whores, Jake," Andi corrected. "How did you even pass elementary school?"

"Your school taught you how to spell whores in third grade?" Corey raised an eyebrow.

"It's a Kansas thing," The girl shrugged.

"Yes," Jerry laughed, moving to stand the sign up for the camera to better see. "So this is the House of Horrors, the only attraction in the park that doesn't match the theme for some reason. It was a newer ride, being built in 2005, and was one of the favorites of the park-goers. It was a horror-themed indoor coaster that was built around Halloween. The two most famous deaths happened here-"

Chills ran up Andi's spine as the man was talking, and she felt a hand firmly press itself against the back of her right thigh as if someone was holding onto her leg from behind.

"What the fuck, Jake?" She jumped, spinning around to face the boy with an angry expression donning her face. "Did you just touch my thigh?"

"Seriously dude?" Colby glared at the red-haired boy, clearly a little bit angry.

"What?" Jake said in confusion. "Why the fuck would I touch your thigh?"

"No I'm being dead-ass right now," Andi said, a look of sudden complete seriousness crossing her face. "You didn't just put your hand on my right thigh?"

"Wait," Sam said, pointing the camera at the girl. "Did something, like, actually fucking touch you?"

"Yes," Andi said, her heart beating so hard she thought it might jump from her chest. She grabbed onto Colby's arm in fear as she looked at Sam behind the camera. "I swear on my brother's life that I just felt a hand fucking firmly press against the back of my thigh."

"That wasn't me brother," Jake said, holding his hands up. "Because let's be real here, if I were to touch anything it would be your ass."

"That's not helping," Colby rolled his eyes, shifting closer to Andi as she looked around at them with wide eyes.

"That's Ally," Alda chimed in.

"Who?" Corey asked a little too loudly, his hands shaking from the whole ordeal as he spun to face the older woman.

"Ally." The woman repeated. "Like Jerry was saying, the two most famous deaths happened here."

"Yeah," Jerry nodded, continuing his story from where Andi had interrupted a few moments ago. "Back in 2010, there was a park worker that was known to have some screws loose. Nobody thought anything of it though, they just kind of left him to be on his own, figured he was an ex-druggy or something. That is until one day he got a whim up his ass and dragged a mother and her seven-year-old daughter into the ride and strangled them behind some of the props. He took off into the woods after that and was never found. Their bodies stayed in the ride for three days before people started to complain about smelling what they described as rotting flesh. The staff had thought it was just the smell of the garbage can stored behind the ride, but they were very wrong."

"During the whole year after, which was the last year the park was open, people reported still being able to smell their bodies," Alda explained, looking directly at Andi. "There were also reports of people seeing the shadow of a little girl running around, the screams of an angry mother coming from an unknown place within the ride, and finding scratches on the backs of their legs accompanied by tugs on their clothing as if the little girl was clinging onto them."

Andi's heart dropped. It had to have been the little girl's spirit that she had felt pressed against her.

"Holy shit," Colby whispered, looking down at the wide-eyed girl. "That's exactly where a kid would grab onto their parents."

"Oh fuck," Sam said.

"Guys," Corey fretted, pulling his sleeves up. "I've got so many chills right now!"

"See," Jake threw his hands up. "I told you it wasn't me!"

"At this point, I kind of wish it was," Andi said shakily.

"Now I know I told you kids that I wouldn't limit where you went," Jerry said sternly. "But I would highly recommend not trying to enter this building. The whole first floor is collapsed, and the second isn't too far behind. The third is covered in black mold."

"And on top of all that," Alda urged. "There is a dark energy here. I can feel the mother's rage clouding around the building, and things tend to be thrown or broken when people enter. I would avoid trying to get into this one."

Sam discreetly turned to the right and locked eye contact with Andi and Colby. Colby shook his head unsurely, but Andi shared his small smirk. It had fucked with her and piqued her interest. There was no way she was leaving without checking this place out. Plus, it was her and Sam's tradition to do the crazy shit together that nobody else wanted to. She was in the mood for a little hell-raising.

The group moved closer toward the staff quarters where they would be staying and Jerry led the five of them up to the giant Ferris wheel that was directly in front of their temporary crash pad. The structure was extremely rusty, the half-circle carts swaying haphazardly in the light breeze that the afternoon brought with it.

"This is the Ferris wheel, as you can see," Alda said. "Back in the winter of 1990, there was a man named Larray Pruett. He had come to the park with his girlfriend of the time, and as they were waiting in line for the ride something happened and she unexpectedly broke up with him."

"Oh damn, that's sad as fuck," Corey shook his head.

"Especially in line for the Ferris wheel," Colby added. "That's, like, the token ride you take your girlfriend on to makeout."

"Great makeout spot," Sam agreed.

"That it is," Jerry chuckled, glancing at his wife and then back to them. "Well I guess that's also what Larray thought, because he got on the ride by himself, and when his cart reached the very top, the depression from the breakup must have hit him and he, unfortunately, committed suicide."

"Poor guy," Corey shook his head.

"Just think," Sam said. "If he would have gone to any other ride, or his girlfriend would have done it any other time, he might have lived through the trip. It just happened to be on the one ride you aren't strapped into."

"That's sad as fuck, dude," Andi nodded, looking up at the ride that seemed to whisper its tragedy down upon them.

"Now this ride isn't as haunted as the others," Alda glanced at them. "But on multiple occasions, we have seen the cart on the very top start to violently shake, even if there's no wind, and, any time my sister or I have come by ourselves, something has been thrown our way or we've been pushed over, but when we look, there's nothing there."

"Oh gosh," Colby said, hesitantly glancing at the girl next to him. "So do you think his spirit targets only women because of the breakup?"

"Absolutely," The older woman nodded. "Nothing has ever happened to my husband or brother-in-law."

"Oh shit," Jake laughed, nudging the blonde girl. "Andi you're gonna get got!"

"Shut up dickbag," Andi pushed the red-haired boy, not doing much harm though as she was significantly smaller than him. "I'm gonna sacrifice you to the mascot dude when you're sleeping tonight."

"He won't do anything," Jake shrugged. "Ghosts are chill with me."

"That is true," Sam nodded. "Jake never really gets fucked with, it's always me and Corey."

"Do you think that's because you two are more open and sensitive to things of the spiritual nature?" Alda queried.

"I definitely think so," Corey nodded. "I mean, both of us are pretty open, as you said, and have had stupid crazy experiences."

"Ah, I see," She nodded. She turned to Colby and Andi with a funny look. "And what about you, hun?"

"Well," Colby rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I've been told I intimidate the spirits, so I never really have too much happen to me."

"I can tell, you have a very guarded and protective nature about you," The woman smiled. She turned her attention to Andi with a curious look. "And your energy is very different from the others. I feel a very strong spiritual connection flowing from you, but I sense that you've done something to block this out."

"I-" Andi stammered. "Yeah, I have. How the hell did you know that?"

"I'm somewhat of a psychic medium myself," She nodded, folding her hands behind her back. "I can read your energies, and let me tell you, your group is a special one regarding your spiritual ties."

"Wait," Corey shook his head in disbelief. "So you can actually know these things about us? Even without us saying anything?"

"Yep," Alda nodded. "I was gifted with the ability to see a little bit more than the normal person. I can tell you many things about your group. For example, Colby and Andi, you two are very old souls."

The group looked at the two friends who stood side-by-side in curiosity.

"Old souls?" Colby asked, his brows furrowing.

"Yes," Alda smiled. "Colby, I count twenty-one lives before this one for you. Andi, I see thirty-four."

"Thirty-four-," The blonde girl gasped.

"Holy shit," Jake piped in. "Brother, you're old as fuck!"

"Her soul is, yes," The older woman laughed. "And what is even more unusual is that I can see that you two have shared three of the same lifetimes together."

"Woah," Sam said, his blue eyes wide. "What does that even mean?"

"Well, in my beliefs, when the soul passes onto the next life then it starts fresh," She explained. "Therefore you may not remember what you did or who you were close with in your past lives. Now there are many different timelines and universes that the soul can pass onto, so usually two friends in one life may not even be in the same universe in the next. And even if they were to end up in the same place, it is very unlikely that they would know each other again."

"So you're saying that me and Colby have ended up in the same reality in three separate lives?" Andi asked. The others stood dumbfounded, still trying to process what the woman was saying, but Andi understood perfectly. She had done extensive research on most things spiritual. The topic was somewhat of a special interest of hers.

"Not only that," Alda nodded. "But the two of you have been together during those lifetimes. You've shared a life together, whether that be friendship or something more, three different times. I've never seen that in my other readings."

"Holy shit," Corey shook his head. His eyes were wide as he looked repeatedly between Alda and Andi, who wore an almost distrustful glare at the woman's reading.

"I mean," Sam started. "That explains why you guys were always so close. As soon as you met it was like you had known each other for years."

"That's so cool that you can tell all that," Colby breathed out. 

"It's very cool," Jerry nodded, looking up at the sky. "But the sun is setting and it's time we head on our way. Let me show you guys where the staff quarters are."

The couple led them to the building known as the staff quarters and pulled a tub of supplies out of a locked office room.

"Now this should have most of what you guys will need," Jerry explained. "The bathroom is straight down the path to the right, in between here and the House of Horrors. The electricity to the park has been completely destroyed over time, so nowhere will have power, but we were able to salvage the lines and pipes connected to the bathroom, so you guys will be able to flush the toilets."

"Sounds good," Sam nodded. "Thank you guys so much for all of this, we appreciate it."

"It's no problem, provides a bit of entertainment for us," Jerry smiled. "One last thing. The woods surrounding here do house animals. There may be bears or bobcats in those trees, so I highly suggest not going out there unless needed, and if so, bring protection. Nothing will be able to get in through the fence, so don't worry about that."

"Smokey the bear is going to eat our asses if we don't wear protection," Jake whispered to Andi.

"If it was down to you or me, I'd definitely be the one to survive a bear attack," She whispered back, holding in her giggle at the latter part of the boy's sentence. 

"Nuh-uh," He argued. "I'm bigger than you."

"I'm faster and smarter," She shrugged. "I'd trip you and make a run for it."

"But I'm too sexy," He shrugged. "It wouldn't eat me."

"What are you," She raised an eyebrow. "A prostitute for bears? You just seduce them and they let you live?"

"Hey," He smirked. "A real hottie can seduce anything that breathes, brother. Who wouldn't want to tap this hot emo ass?"

"I'm telling Tara that you're into animals," She whispered back.

"Bestiality isn't real," Jake rolled his eyes.

"Dear lord," Andi laughed, covering her mouth. "How have you not been canceled yet?"

"Oh," Jerry said, turning back toward the group from his spot at the door. "There's also a warehouse to the right of here. We don't own that, so I definitely don't recommend going around that area. I've heard some awful weird things in there."

"We've got it, sir," Colby nodded. "Thank you again, for everything."

"Of course," Alda nodded. "You five stay safe. If something happens, you can always call us and we'll get down here as fast as we can."

"But only in an emergency," Jerry held a finger up. "I don't want to come out here in the middle of the night because y'all got scared of a squirrel or somethin'."

"Got it," Corey smiled. "If it's a squirrel we'll just throw nuts at him. Give him a taste of his own medicine."

"I'd love to see that," Jerry nodded. "Good night, y'all. Good luck with your investigation."

The couple turned to leave, but Andi suddenly remembered something from earlier and stepped forward with haste.

"Wait-" She called, and the two of them turned back to look at her. "The road sign on the way up here, does anyone in particular write the messages displayed on it?"

"Sweetheart," Jerry gave her an odd look. "That sign hasn't worked in the eight years I've been here."

With that said, the couple left and began making their way back to the entrance of the park as the sun descended toward the horizon, painting the sky in an array of breathtaking oranges and romantic pinks that left Andi in awe. The five of them stood in silence until the owners were out of eyesight and then simultaneously turned to face each other like children who had heard juicy gossip, all of the cameras turned off now so that it was just them.

"Brother," Corey said, holding his head. "So much just fucking happened."

"I know," Jake agreed. "My brain deadass feels like oatmeal in my head right now."

"I keep trying to debunk everything," Colby shook his head, looking to Sam for backup. "But there's just no way that she could have known that Andi is a medium."

"Exactly," Sam nodded. "We didn't tell them, there's nothing online about your incident that she could have looked up, and we didn't say anything about you being able to communicate with spirits, like, at all."

"And," Andi added, her brain working overtime to try and understand what the woman had said. "She said that she knew that I had done something to block out the tie. Which I have, and only two people know that. The witch I saw and my brother. There's no way she could have found that out without actually being able to read us."

"What," Corey said in disbelief. "So you two have just been floating around for fucking ages?"

"And somehow lived three whole lives together, brother," Jake added, looking over at Colby. "That's literally crazy."

"I mean it makes sense though," Sam nodded. "Andi, you met Colby last out of the three of us, but as soon as you guys did you just clicked. If her theory is true and you guys have somehow ended up together in three separate lifetimes, maybe your souls just automatically knew and were so familiar with each other that it was like two magnets clicking together."

"Woah dude," Andi blinked. "That would also explain all of the coincidences that have just so happened to throw us back in the same crowd, even when I was across the fucking country."

"Wait," Jake laughed, breaking the serious atmosphere. "I wonder if you guys were around during the caveman days."

"Dude, I can just imagine Andi beating Colby over the head with a huge ass dinosaur bone or some shit," Corey acted out the scene, running towards Colby with his hand raised over his head in combat.

"I'm sorry," Colby yelled, running from Corey in their little skit. "I didn't know the leftover pterodactyl wing was yours!"

"No brother," Jake shook his head in disappointment. "That's not how cavemen would talk."

"Oh shit you're right," Colby said, stopping in his tracks. He looked back at Corey and made a funny face. "OOGA BOOGA!"

Laughter erupted from Andi's chest as the rest of the group fell into hysterics, each one of them clutching their stomachs to ease their aching ribs. Whether it was the night descending upon them, the adrenaline rush from being in the haunted place, or simply the fact that they were all here, together, the five of them felt a sense of giddiness that didn't follow them through their everyday lives. It was the refreshing feeling of getting out and simply living, of breaking the everyday cycle of surviving, and instead, getting out in a new place, to do arguably one of the most terrifying, but exciting things ever, with the people that they called home.

The five of them joked around for a bit more, enjoying the last few minutes of daylight that the setting sun allowed before making a quick trip to the car to retrieve their bags. They clicked on their flashlights and booked it back to the building, still getting the jeebies from the tour even though they hadn't even started doing their investigation. Even ghost hunters get freaked out sometimes. They made it back quickly and began moving through the staff building to find where they would be setting up their living quarters for the next two days.

"Alright," Sam started, looking around the completely empty room that they had come across. "Does this look good to you guys?"

The sign on the door signified that this had been the locker room where the actors had changed into their costumes, but now the only thing that remained was a singular wall of rusty red compartments that were locked shut with ages-old padlocks. Andi speculated that if she were to guess the code to one, the person's belongings would still be sitting neatly inside, waiting for their owner to come retrieve them for another day's work. That seemed to be the theme in this place. As if every living thing had just up and left in the middle of a sunny summer day.

The locker room was the most ideal place for the group to stay with its concrete floor, brick walls, and metal roof that seemed sturdy enough to house them for a few nights. It was close to the front doors in case they had to make a quick getaway, but still far enough away that if someone were to somehow get in, they'd have time to defend themselves.

"Looks good, Sammy boy," Andi smiled, throwing her duffle bag down into an empty corner with a relieved sigh.

The others placed their bags around hers, deeming that part of the room the living corner, and then Corey and Colby went back to the front doors to get the tub of supplies that Jerry and Alda had left for them. They came back a moment later, throwing the incredibly heavy box down onto the drain in the middle of the room. The five of them all gathered around as Sam cracked it open and began unpacking the dusty contents. Most of it was the basics; three flashlights, water bottles, first-aid supplies, extra batteries, four rolled-up blankets, the three cots, and the air mattress with its pump that the owners had promised.

"What the hell, dude," Jake whined, looking at the empty tub in front of him as if his dreams had just been crushed. "I thought Jerry said he left food for us."

"I guess not," Sam sighed. "We'll have to drive back into town and get something."

"We're literally gonna get eaten by a fucking deer or something, dude," Corey groaned, dragging his hands down his face.

"Corey," Andi face palmed with a sigh. "For the last time, the deer are not going to fucking eat you!"

"MCDONALDS, MCDONALDS, MCDONALDS!" Jake chanted, running around the group in circles. Apparently, the monster he had downed on the way here had finally started to kick in.

"Dude we eat McDonald's for literally every meal," Sam laughed, pulling his phone out to check the time.

"McDonalds, McDonalds, McDonalds!" Corey and Andi joined in, banging their fists on the ground as they chanted.

"Fine, McDonald's it is," The blonde boy shook his head with a smile. He looked over at Colby who had been struggling the entire time with trying to figure out how the air pump for the mattress worked. "You good to drive into town, Colby?"

"In the dark?" Colby cringed, running a hand through his hair. They all knew that the boy's eyesight wasn't the best when it was dark out, and he definitely did not like driving late at night while in the country. "I don't think I can right now, man."

"It's fine," Andi shrugged, standing from her criss-crossed position on the floor. "I can drive."

"Andi Cameron driving?" Corey gasped. "I thought I'd die before I got to see that."

"Well you might die while you're seeing it," Colby mumbled under his breath, only loud enough for Sam to hear.

"Yeah," Jake agreed, stopping his sprinting momentarily. "Do you even have your license, brother?"

"Yes I have my license, Jake," Andi rolled her eyes.

"Barely," Sam laughed, shaking his head as he stood to grab his wallet out of his bag.

"I'm not liking your negativity, Samuel," The girl scowled as Sam stuck his tongue out at her. "I think you're stereotyping me because I'm a woman."

"No," Sam shook his head. "I'm stereotyping you because you ran the instructor over the first time you went to get your license."

"That wasn't my fault and you know it!" She defended, pointing a finger at his face that dared him to say otherwise. "The sun was shining off of his bald spot and I was blinded!"

"I think that you just really hate bald people," The blonde boy shrugged.

"Well you better watch out then, you're not too far from joining that group," She quipped, skipping over to Colby with her hand outstretched. "The keys please, your emoness."

"Ah," Colby smirked, holding the keyring over the shorter girl's head. "Only if you promise that I can get shotgun and aux."

"What," Andi joked, looking up at his extended hand with a small pout. "You don't want a pistol?"

"Oh my god can we fucking go get food before you two start making out?" Jake whined, jumping up and down in front of the door like a child who was eagerly waiting for his parents.

Andi smirked and used the moment of distraction to jump up and grab the keys from the blushing boy's hand. She did a little victory dance and then grabbed her phone and wallet from the floor and ran out of the door, the wind whipping her hair back into a golden tornado.

"Last one to the car has to eat Corey's farts!" The energetic blonde shouted as she booked it to the vehicle that was parked across the amusement park.

"She's a psycho," Colby laughed, watching Jake and Corey sprint after the girl as he waited for Sam to lock the door to the staff quarters behind them.

"Yeah, but that's what made you fall in love in the first place, man," Sam smirked, clapping his best friend on the shoulder as he stepped away from the door. "Now come on, you don't want to eat Corey's farts, do you?"

Colby stood in shock for a second as Sam laughed and took off towards the car. He hadn't said a word to anyone about his feelings towards the girl, not even his best friend. He was too scared to ruin the friendship that they had been building since their teen years. Too scared that his fans would ruin her like his female friends in the past. Too scared that she would leave again. But Sam knew him inside and out, and he knew Andi just as well. There wasn't anything that Colby could hide from either of them, and that worried him deep down. Because if Sam could see it, it wouldn't be too long until Andi did as well, and then he risked losing the greatest thing that the universe had ever blessed him with.

The girl's high-pitched giggles pulled him from his thoughts as she called his name in the distance. He smiled and began to sprint to the car, her silhouette becoming more defined the closer he got until he could see her shoulders tremble from laughter. She was saying something to him, something about him losing the race, but her words fell on empty ears as his eyes studied her face, her lips quirked up on the right side in a half-giggle, her green eyes bright and feverish with excitement, the mud on her jeans displaying her youthful spirit, and her black cropped tank leaving her tattoos and tanned skin on display. Her breath puffed around her face as she said something else and playfully slapped his arm before jumping into the driver's seat with an almost psychotic smile.

Corey's fingers snapping next to his ear pulled Colby from his lovesick daze. He jumped and turned to face his friend, who donned a knowing smirk.

"You better get in the car before she drives off without your ass," Corey chuckled, and Colby almost sensed a double message in his words.

"Right," The blue-haired boy stuttered out, running around the car to get into the passenger's seat. He plopped down onto the leather and the car roared to life as Andi's fingers curled around the steering wheel and everyone in the car began talking over each other.

Colby looked around and smiled as Sam's fingers threaded through his blonde locks when the girl swerved out of their parking spot, sending her passengers lurching to the right side of the car. Jake jumped forward to turn the music up to its highest setting and Corey began dancing to the melody, Andi bumping her head along as her short legs reached to press the gas pedal. Colby didn't know if it was the hysterics from being out later at night or the intoxicating vibe that flowed from the five friends' pores, but suddenly he knew exactly where he belonged, and exactly where he wanted to go from here.

Fuck it, he thought. Maybe he didn't want to hide anymore. Maybe this trip was his chance to take the leap.

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Word count: 7254

Fun Fact- When Andi first went to get her ears pierced in high school she was scared as fuck, so to ease her nerves, Colby and Jake agreed to go with her and get theirs pierced too. Sam was sick that day so he didn't go, but he was on call with them when it happened.