Cassie and I shared a glance with one another before my focus went back to the letter.

To the new owners.

Someone technically addressed the letter to me, let's see what it says.

To free up my hands, I placed the air conditioner down and approached the door. I pulled the envelope free when a part of the envelope connected to the door by tape tore off and dangled in place.

"Cassie, you want a look, too?" I asked. Silence was my only answer. In response, I faced her. Cassie stood frozen in place with a look of terror as her eyes remained on the door to my unit. "Cassie, you ok?" I reached out and took her hand.

A gasp escaped her when she spoke. "Oh, sorry it's just..." Her downward glance caught sight of my hand clasped around her's, resulting in our current silence.

If she's shutting down now, she could be a liability in there with Alexander. Whatever she is, she seems sensitive to ghosts, or maybe it's something about the ghost?

"Are you scared of the ghost?" My thumb rubbed against Cassie's hand and brought her comfort as she thought about my question. Her focus again went towards the door of my condo, before leaning towards me.

"Can I tell you something about myself? We have to keep it between us?" Her grip had tightened on me as she spoke in hushed whispers. I only smiled back. Her grip on me eased, she had made an assumption. One that worked in my favor.

Like hell I'm saying anything. She'll hear the lie. Smile, nod, and add a sweet word here and there. I'll let her come to her own conclusions.

"So in my family, we can sense things better than most people. Its especially strong for me and my twin brother, Sean." Her nerves frayed as she pulled my hand towards herself. Her free hand then went over our laced fingers. "Promise me you won't think I'm crazy for what I'm about to say." I set the folded letter on the air conditioner and my remaining hand over hers when her expression eased.

"I promise, I'll hear what you have to say." I said, a promise that differed from what Cassie asked for. She failed to notice.

"I can feel him, the ghost that haunts this place. Everything in me is screaming that he only wants to hurt anyone who would go in there. We knew someone bought the place and were worried Alexander might do something... I just don't want you or anyone else to get hurt... or worse." Her eyes pleaded with me to believe her and not call her crazy. To listen and get out.

Alright, I can give her a little info about myself. It might help her stay calm.

"I believe you. I'll tell you something about myself as well." Her face eased in relief. I hadn't dismissed her fears. "I won't go into too much detail, but my job is to hunt the bad things so they go where they belong. It's part of why we bought the place." I looked away from her for a moment, then brought my gaze back to hers. "Hope you don't think I'm crazy either." An embarrassed smile formed as I mimicked her earlier concerns.

She could be useful, but she could be in danger in a condo with a ghost who targeted young women like her. I need to word this carefully so she can choose for herself. If she takes the out, I go back to my original plan.

"Cassie, I want you to be honest when you answer me." My face took on a grave expression. "If you lie to me, I'll never forgive you or speak to you again, got it?" I pulled my hands from hers. "Do you want to help me stop him? If not, head home and I'll visit you after this is done. You just have to tell me what you want." She gave a response without hesitation.

"Yes, I'll help you, but you have to promise to help me with something after this." She held out her hand.

"Sounds like a deal." I shook her hand. Our agreement finalized.

Curious about what she wants, but sounds like I'll get some more souls. 

"Alright then, we're investigation partners. Let's see what this mystery letter has for us." I knelt down to the air conditioner and took the letter back. The paper rustled and scraped against itself as I unfolded it. Cassie took a step towards me and placed her hand on my shoulder.

I'm gonna have to give her a couple of days to come down from the high. Let's hope she's not too pissed when I tell her how I work.

My eyes went to the letter.

My name is Arthur Morgan. This previous owner of this unit. I first want to apologize for how I've acted throughout the entire process. I have a reason for it all.

With no exaggeration, malice consumes this place! The owner prior to me, Alexander Waters, haunts the condo from the other side of this door. You probably think I'm mad. I've occasionally thought the same.

I arrived here in 1995, though he's lurked about since that fateful night he died within this place years ago. At first things were fine, but a little off I would hear things, see a figure in a reflection only to turn and see there was nothing. Small things that anyone could think it's stress getting to them. I later realized I was gaslighting myself into complacency with the torment.

As the years passed, the presence grew more frequent and the unit's atmosphere became suffocating. The malicious whispers grew louder. A shadow would form on the floors and walls. At first it was more of a mass, but over time it took on his shape.

The final straw was the night I woke up to feel something at my throat, hands, his hands grabbing me, choking me. He wanted to hurt me. I've never doubted that.

I only returned the next day to pack everything up with movers and go. I haven't returned until now, but only to leave this letter to warn you.

Did this guy just reuse the pitch he sent out to the paranormal tv shows? Ignoring that, everything he said lines up with a normal ghost presence. Ten years in, they become visible to the unenlightened as limited as it may be. Around twenty, they interact with objects or people again in limited ways. The forty-year mark is when a ghost could have the strength to kill a human, though the actual risk would be if the ghost consumed the soul of its victim. That can create some serious complications that make my job infinitely harder.

I pushed my thoughts aside and continued to read.

While I've selflessly sacrificed and have kept others out of there for decades, I can no longer afford to perform this act of public safety. That is why I must ask you to do the same!

Remember, I sold this place to you well below the market price as a part of our agreement!

Please, do not go in there. Do what's right and keep him sealed away from the world. I can't make you do that, but if you make the wrong choice and enter, I won't be liable for what happens to you.

If you see anything, please call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX and tell me exactly what you saw.

Regards,

Yeah sure buddy, I won't go in there. I won't use the place that put me tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Nope, Cami will understand. She and Samara won't just beat me down for wasting her time. Also, public safety? Do what's right? If it weren't for that liability part. I'd think he's completely insane.

I pulled out my phone, the snapping noise sounded through the hallway. My picture appeared on screen. Said picture went into my conversation with Cami.

|Vincent:

-Girl, what the hell was negotiating with this guy like? Do I owe you booze? Hope things are going alright in Pennsylvania. Send proof of life when you can.

Hope the job that she and Ross took is going well. We were told it might take some time before they return.

"Cassie? What do you think?" I asked, then turned to face her and see her anxious expression I was becoming accustomed to. I placed my free hand over the one she planted on my shoulder.

"The letter was kind of creepy, though I was more focused on what was inside, for now I haven't felt his presence get any worse, though since we started making our way up here it did get a bit stronger." A smile formed on my face. Cassie's face did little to hide her fluttering heart.

We took one last look at my door before I pulled out my keys. After some trial and error, I determined the windowed key went to the deadbolt and the wide head key to the knob. With most the keys accounted for, I was left with only the gold key to answer for.

I got a storage unit in the basement with this place. Maybe it goes to that?

"Let me grab my stuff and we can head in." I bolted down the stairs. Once I reached my backpack, I unzipped it and grabbed a pocket knife and a vial of corporeal connector. The lid of the vial popped open. Followed by the pocket knife clicking open, I poured the liquid onto the metal. A quick movement of my fingers slicked it over the entire razor edge, and another click followed as the blade folded shut. With one weapon set, I rubbed what was on my fingers into my palms.

Knife is prepped. I can grab him. I'll get the hammer set when it's showtime. Let's fucking do this.

I made my way up the stairs,

"Ok, I got everything ready, take this." I held out the pocket knife. "If that bastard tries anything, this will stop him. I'll need it back later but for now you hold onto it." She took the folded pocket knife and held it tightly in her hand.

"Thanks." She let out a breath. I collected the air conditioner, with everything in my hands we were ready.

"Can you get the door?" Without a word, she went forward and broke the seal between the condo and hallway. The sight before us was like cracking open a time capsule, one filled with dust and peeling yellowed walls. Abandoned and left to decay as the years went by. The stale air entered the hallway, both of our faces soured, though Cassie had a stronger reaction.

"God, it smells awful in there." Cassie said, before cupping her hand over her face.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad, but I've been places in way worse shape." Her eyebrows rose in curiosity. "I can tell you about it after we deal with this." She nodded when I crossed the threshold of the condo. Cassie followed closely behind me. I looked around, I matched up what I saw in the pictures from the inspectors' report to what I was looking at.

The entrance hall had an opening that lead into the antiquated kitchen, the pastel yellow appliances had faded from decades of sitting in place, the pine cupboards had long since lost their shine, warping and sitting cracked open in their frames, and a tile floor lay hidden under the layer of dust with a few footprints stamped into it to show hints of the pattern that laid below the sheet of gray.

This place is gonna need a lot of work, but ghost first. Then I renovate.

Beyond the kitchen was an old table without chairs in what was a dining area at one time. I watched as the dust danced on the light beams from the setting sun coming in through the old six pane window I spotted on my approach to the building.

"Let's get a window open for some fresh air, then we can set up the AC." I said and met no resistance from Cassie. The two of us followed along the footprints left behind by the inspector. Opening the window, we got a light gust of warm, fresh air. Only to have the window sill drop and get stuck in place an inch from the bottom of the frame the moment I released it. "Right, old windows don't stay open on their own." I turned to the kitchen and smiled. An idea formed in my head.

"Cassie, want to know how to piss off a ghost?" I made my way back into the kitchen, looked at the cabinet between the stove and fridge. I opened the cabinet as if it were fine china, then gripped it with both my hands. The age of the wooden frame worked to my advantage as I heard a crack and the cabinet door came off the frame. I turned, then raised the cabinet over my head. "Cover your ears. It's about to get loud." The moment her hands covered her ears, I hurled the cabinet door at the tile floor. Dust flew up into a cloud around the impact site of the cabinet door. To make both sides of the cabinet match, I ripped off it's remaining door.

"Hey dead fucker, I'm gonna smash your shit up, come out and stop me, ya bastard!" I said, mocking the ghost in hopes he'd reveal himself. The two of us only stood in silence when I shrugged and slammed the other cabinet door into the tile floor. Once that dust settled, I grabbed the more intact cabinet door from the now cracked floor and made my way back to Cassie.

"Cassie, do you feel him coming?" She shook her head. "Ok, mind holding the window open? I'll get us some fresh air." Cassie placed her hand on the frame and with a pull the window scraped along its track until it reached the top.

She's stronger than she looks, another thing to add to my list. Ghost first, then her. Let's keep multitasking until we get this guy to aggro. It's probably gonna take more than smashing his kitchen to get him to attack, but it's a start.

"That's so much better. I got a real powerful sense of smell, so this place is-" Cassie went silent she looked towards the kitchen. Instead of turning, I looked in the glass of the window. The reflection of the kitchen had the figure of a man who stood in the opening to the entrance hall.

Oh, he's probably trying to scare us, looks like it worked for one of us.

I smiled as I watched the bloated, balding bastard of a man turn and walk out of sight.

Yup, he's just lurking for now. Looks like we'll need to piss him off some more.

"You saw him too?" I asked Cassie when she turned to me and weakly nodded her head. I held out my hand. "Cassie, can I have that knife back?" Her trembling hand reached out to me, I took the knife, then used my free hand to brush the side of her face. As I caressed her lightly, she leaned her head into my hand. "I promise I'll keep you safe. Just do as I say, okay?" She nodded, I gave her a grin. My grip on her face tightened slightly and I leaned against her, pulled her head towards me, and whispered in her ear. "Good girl, let's get that thing set up." I tilted my head in the direction of the air conditioner. 

"Oh, that... okay." Cassie stared at me then watched as I picked the unit up. Our footsteps made the old wooden floors creak as we passed through the living room.

Ok, let's go to where he died. That should help push him over the edge.

We entered the bedroom. A pair of old windows revealed  the leaves of the birch trees swaying in the breeze outside as small beams of light shone through them. Like the rest of the place dust floated in the air as if they were in a dance with the light. The room was empty save for a large warped cabinet with one door that hung crookedly with only a single hinge, holding it up.

"Alright, let's get this set up." I said when Cassie lifted the window open while I got the unit into place. After some adjusting and fidgeting with the window, it was finally set. I pulled the duct tape from my backpack and sealed all the gaps in the window. With everything set, we plugged it in the old air conditioner when a rumbling came from it followed by a breeze.

"Get out!" The voice was rough and angered. Cassie panicked as she looked around the room.

"It feels like he's closing in. Maybe we should-"

I interrupted her and yelled out. "C'mon out, Alex, stop fucking hiding from me." 

"Vincent!" Cassie said as she clung to my arm.

Besides entering the room or area of death, there are ways to get a ghost to appear and enter the aggro state, calling its name is one. Reminding it of how it died is another. Though personally I like to insult them while reminding them of their death or the lead up to it.

"Alex, I'm here to take you away, and unlike last time, you can't just shoot yourself to get out of it." I let out a chuckle. "Are you scared? Have you spent the last forty years cowering in here?" I watched, hoping he would appear only to scowl when he refused.

Ok, his death isn't enough. Let's try using some of what I learned about him in my research.

"You know, it's sad you were an orphan and all, but that I guess you don't have to worry about your mother being disappointed in-" Cassie interrupted me.

"Vincent! He's here." she said as the ghost appeared. I watched as his chest rose and fell rapidly while he seethed.

"Get out! Get the hell out!" he said. My target had finally revealed itself.

Time to meet your end, Alex.