They're doing a Halloween Special.

Sunshine knows of a haunted house nearby from where they are currently—which is in the middle of nowhere—and she, her mother, and Nolan are going to go check it out.

She doesn't know much about the history, but she figures they can just ask the owner when they get there. Yeah. It'll be great. So exciting!

As she explains this all to the camera, Nolan sweeps in from the side and faces Sunshine. "I decided I want to be in the video."

Sunshine makes a face.

Nolan turns toward the camera. "Hi. I'm in the video."

Sunshine blinks hard. "This is Nolan. As you...all know. Mkay, yeah, so. Let's do this thing."

"I kind of want to be in the video too," Kat whispers.

Sunshine sighs dramatically. "That's my mother."

"But they know me—"

"Oh my gosh—"

Kat outstretches the camera with an arm to show all three of them. "We're all gonna go on the adventure together."

Well...this has been fun.

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"Alright, cuties," Sunshine says, holding the camera, "we're here." It's night and it's dark and it's raining.

"It's very wet," Kat says.

"It is indeed wet. Very good observation, there, Holmes," Sunshine quips, then begins to use a Southern accent. "Um, so, yeah, we're gonna go up to the door and ask the homeowners about the history and such." She leads the way up the path.

"That was nice," Kat notes. "Is that your ghost-hunting voice?"

Sunshine laughs. "Yes."

"Your ghost-hunting voice sounds like a farmer," Nolan says.

"Hmm...thank you, I think."

Nolan looks around at the trees and overflowing foliage blanketing the ground and walls. "This place is cute."

"Um." Sunshine stares at the door—it's slightly yawned open. "The front...door's...open." She approaches and notices something on the door. "Is that a note? I never like notes. They were terrible in high school."

Sunshine carries herself up the steps and stops, squinting at the note as rain pours down around them. She begins to read aloud. 'This has gotten way out hand. We are out of here. -A'

"What?" Kat says, dumbfounded.

"Like Pretty Little Liars, anyone? Yeah?" Sunshine mutters to the camera, then turns.

"Uh, that's confusing," Nolan hums.

"What does that mean?" Kat asks.

Sunshine sighs. "I don't know what that means, guys, and I'm not exactly sure what to do."

"It's so aggressive too," Nolan observes.

"Yeah, we're gonna discuss it." Sunshine pauses. "I think."

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"Okay, so we're in agreement?" Kat asks, looking between Sunshine and Nolan. "We're—we're gonna go?"

"Yeah," they both say.

"Okay," Kat says, hesitant.

"Come on, come on," Nolan motions.

Kat knocks on the door but continues inside anyway. It's very warm but huge, very mansion-like. "Hello? Anyone home?" she calls.

"I don't know what we're doing," Sunshine says.

"Uh...homeowners!" Nolan yells. "Your, uh, paranormal team of investigators have arrived." He trips on his wet shoes.

"You okay?" Kat asks him.

"We're the best," he continues. "None like us."

"That happened," Sunshine says.

Still, silence.

"Hello," Nolan calls again, moving towards the living room. The ceiling is high, allowing Nolan's voice to carry far.

Kat quirks a brow. "The acoustics are great in here."

On the wall are several deer heads.

"Look at all the dead animals," Nolan points.

"That's...pleasant," Sunshine says.

"Deer, and, like..." He looks at the blankets hugging a stool. "Like, four polar bear carcasses, that's nice."

"Definitely."

Nolan nears a fancy-looking lamp.

"Don't," Sunshine warns.

He looks back. "I wasn't gonna—"

"Don't touch it!" Kat exclaims.

Nolan grits his teeth. "I wasn't gonna—I was just looking at it."

Sunshine raises a brow but shrugs to herself, continuing on. She looks at the portrait of a bearded man hung on the wall.

"It's like they were..." Kat trails off.

"Just here, I know," Nolan says.

"Yeah!"

Kat spots some intricate porcelain object. "Hey, that's cool! It's really pretty."

"Man," Nolan says, "what do these guys do? How can I...give them mail?"

"What?" Kat asks.

"Mail room, it's—" He points but seems to give up.

"He's a strange kid," Sunshine says, approaching her mother as Nolan wanders into the other room near the stairs.

"Why did we bring him?" Kat sighs.

"I'm...not sure."

"Guys," Nolan calls from the other room. "I think they were having a party."

Sunshine passes by the outdoor pool, glances into a mirror, and continues with her mother into the dining room, where Nolan is standing next to a set table, a white covering wreathed around.

"That's weird," she notes. "I'm all for spooky, but this is a little..." Weird.

Nolan messes with a glass cup. "Why would they leave right before dinner?"

"Put it down," Sunshine says, but she locks her eyes on the table. Why would they leave?

Nolan grumbles and walks off.

"They didn't tell you anything?" Kat asks.

"Oh! No way!" Nolan says from somewhere...behind her.

"No, they didn't tell me anything," Sunshine says. She really wishes they had.

"Nolan!" Kat reprimands.

Sunshine whirls around and sees him eating a cookie. "Seriously!" she says. "Stop!"

"There's a bunch of them," he notes. "They're tasty."

Sunshine rolls her eyes.

"You guys are freaking out, okay?" Nolan says through a mouthful of cookie, "it's okay."

"It's weird, they knew we were coming—"

"Yeah?" Nolan raises a brow. "They got a little bit jumpy, they're not used to things like we are."

Sunshine wanders into the kitchen, looking around. It's much more homey—and a lot smaller—than the rest of the house.

"We're not used to things," Kat mutters. She looks at Sunshine. "Hey honey?"

She turns. "What?"

"Do you...do you feel anything?"

"I don't know." She makes a face. "We've only been here for, like, two seconds."

Kat nods. "Okay."

"We should hang out," Nolan suggests, walking towards the living room.

"Aaaand there he goes." Sunshine sighs. "Well, the battery's about to die anyways, so we might as well just...regroup? That's a terrible word, but...just stay tuned."
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"Nolan," Sunshine says, nearing the bathroom door. He's slightly hunched over and has a hand on the wall, steeling himself. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great," he mutters, but his voice is lower than usual. "Give me, uh, five minutes and if I spew again I'd like to be in a place where—"

"Okay, just go to the bathroom," Kat says, scrunching her nose.

"Nolan, are you sure?" Sunshine is very concerned for him.

"Yeah, I'm good," he lies, closing the door behind him.

"Okay," Kat says. "What just happened?"

"No idea." Sunshine shakes her head.

Kat sighs.

Sunshine inspects the little room they're in, glancing out of the windows, before turning the camera around. "So that was weird. And...now we are waiting for Nolan in a bathroom. Okay."

"I just don't—here, I can take that." Sunshine hands the camera to her mother as they both sit down. "I just don't quite understand, like—okay, what did he throw up that wasn't throw up?"

"And why is the house so well-put-together—they have like fabric napkins, what is going on?"

"No, it's like they were having a dinner party or something," Kat says. "And what did we hear—did we hear a scream?"

"Yeah, that happened." Forgot to mention that little part.

Kat sighs. "Okay. I don't know, maybe we better check on him."

"You think? I'm sure he's fine," Sunshine shrugs. He always is. "But this is very odd, everything's just here." She looks at a cake. "I mean, it's half eaten. I just...feel weird." After a moment, Sunshine feels too weird to even continue sitting. And concerned. "Okay, let's check on him, I guess."

She nears the door and stands next to it, listening. Nothing. "Hey, Nolan, buddy, how you doin'?"

No answer.

"Can you hear anything?" Kat whispers.

Sunshine mutely shakes her head. "Nolan?" Nothing. "Hey Nolan?" She knocks.

"Ask him if he's okay."

"Nolan...you okay?" She's growing more apprehensive by the second. "You want to talk to me?"

"I don't like this..."

"Nolan." Sunshine's voice grows slightly more desperate—and panicked. She's thinking of all the things that could be on the other side of this door. "Nolan!"

"I think you better go in," Kat nods.

She knocks again, harder. "Nolan, come on. I'm gonna open the door, so...yeah."

Sunshine tries the knob but it's locked.

"It's...locked..." She shakes her head. "Nolan, unlock it! Nolan? Nolan, come on. This is no longer funny, come on. Nolan!"

"Can you break it?"

"What am I, like a thief?"

"I don't know! Veronica Mars can always break in."

"Yeah, well...okay, this is kind of like our house. The old one, a couple houses ago, and I locked myself in the bathroom all the time so maybe I can do something." She messes with the knob like she used to, and there it goes.

"Nice!" Kat says.

Light floods into the hallway.

"Nolan, you okay?" Kat asks.

"Nolan," Sunshine says. They both enter but there's...no one. "There's...no where for him to go."

"He's not in here?" Kat asks.

"Not in here and—" She looks at another door. "That's locked."

"What," her mother deadpans.

"Yeah."

"O...kay. Now what?"

Sunshine messes with the lock again and manages to open it. "Nolan?" They emerge into a bedroom. "Nolan?"

There's suddenly a strangled cry from somewhere else. "Sunshine!"

"Nolan? Nolan!" Sunshine rushes past her mother and into a separate living room, but there's nothing.

"Sunshine!" Nolan calls, but it's echoed and faint. Like he's farther away than before—on the other side of the house.

"Where is he?!" Kat asks.

"Nolan, where are you?!" They run back into the bedroom, which connects back to the dining room. "Nolan." She shakes her head. "It was coming from in here. Remember, the acoustics were really good. That's what you say when we walk into a house? 'Oh, the acoustics are great!'"

"Shush!" Kat snaps.

Both women enter the living room—the one by the front door, at least—and look around. It's empty.

At least, until Sunshine sees a foot outstretched on the ground, behind a wooden oak desk.

"Nolan?" She chokes back a cry of terror. "Nolan!" Sunshine and Kat rush to his side and—

"Oh my—"

Kay gasps.

He's crumpled to the floor, face-first. Unmoving.

Sunshine crouches next to him.

"Is he okay?" Kat whispers hoarsely.

"Nolan?" Sunshine shoves his shoulder. "Hey, Nolan, talk to me."

He groans softly and attempts to get up, but flops back down in pain.

"Nolan—stop, don't move."

They eventually manage to get him in front of the fireplace and wrap one of the stupid white polar bear blankets around him. He stares at the flames, gaze glassy.

"He's fine," Sunshine says.

"He's not fine." Kat shakes her head.

"He's fine! He doesn't even remember anything."

"He's catatonic!"

Sunshine shoves his shoulder. "He's just...sitting in front of a fire in a fur, it's fine, he's fine!" She tries to convince herself.

"Oh, like that happens every day?"

"We're not done," Sunshine says with a tone of finality.

"What do you mean we're not done?"

"We're just not done! I feel like—we're not done, can't we just—trust my gut?"

"I—I just, I don't know, I think we need to—"

There's a sudden loud, sharp woman's scream from somewhere in the kitchen.

"What was that?!" both women say, jumping to their feet.

Nolan doesn't even react.

When Kat turns, she sees a woman in white floating in the pool. "Oh—honey, honey! Somebody's in the pool! Come on! Nolan, come on!"

Kat and Sunshine rush outside through the rain, ducking through swaths of wet plants and leaves, but when they make it to the pool there's—nothing.

"There's nobody there," Kat says, shocked. "Why is there nobody here?!"

"I don't know," Sunshine says, gaping.

"What was that?!"

"I don't know! You want me to explain everything? I don't know what it was."

She really doesn't.
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"We're done. We're done!" Sunshine says when they go back inside. Nolan's standing, now, and seems to recognize what's actually going on, which makes her feel a little better, but still not enough. Her mother saw someone in the pool, but when they went out no one was there.

That only means one thing. That scream wasn't from something alive.

"I'm done," Sunshine continues on her tangent as Nolan follows. "I mean, seriously, that was a ghost! There's nobody there!" She shows the pool again. "I'm just done, okay?"

Kat tries to budge the door. "It won't open."

"Open the door."

"No! The door—I'm serious."

"What do you mean you're serious?"

"The door will not open!"

"Try it!"

Sunshine does. Stil, nothing happens. She just wants to get out of here—get Nolan out of here—and forget any of this ever happened.

"You win!" Sunshine tells whatever spirit may be watching them. "Just—open the door!"

It flies open.

"Okay," Kat says, standing still. "That worked. Come on."

They run outside to the car, but when Sunshine turns around there's no Nolan.

Kat notices, too. "Where's Nolan? Honey, seriously, where's Nolan?"

Shit.

"Is he still in the house?" Kat asks.

Sunshine isn't a fucking psychic, so she starts calling his name without answering her mother.

And then it hits her.

"I know where he is," she says, and Sunshine is suddenly running down the path.

"Where?" Kat asks as she follows.

"In the pool."

"No!—seriously?"

They make their way down the steps, and when they turn the corner they see Nolan submerged in the pool. "Nolan!" Sunshine screams.

The camera cuts to black.
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Nolan eventually comes to and manages to drag himself out of the pool. They rush to the car and drive away, leaving the house just as they'd found it, and begin going home.

"Okay, so." Sunshine blinks. "That was...crazy."

"That's an understatement," Kat laughs.

Nolan is in the back, staring straight forward with no emotion. Sunshine is worried for him, but tries to shove it off with some humor. Some laughter. She's really not sure it's working.

"I don't even know what to say," Sunshine says. "I...we got out of there, clearly."

"Nolan, you doing okay back there?" Kat glances in the rearview mirror.

He says nothing.

"We got him out of the pool," Sunshine continues. "He...seems fine."

He does not seem fine.

"I don't know," Kat says, "he's not talking much, honey. For Nolan, that's not good."

"Last video, I guess, for this adventure." She frowns. "Sorry it didn't end better, guys, but..."

"I think it ended really well," Kat says.

"Yeah," she laughs.

"We got out. We're okay."

"I dunno. So...yeah. What do you guys think?"

A pause.

"I just want some chocolate," Nolan says.

Sunshine smiles.

"We'll get you some hot chocolate," Kat grins.

"Awesome."

right in time for halloween! here we have our haunted halloween adventure, definitely some of my favorite nolan angst in the series. hope y'all enjoyed and stay tuned for season 9!