The safe house was nearly empty when we reached it. Michael, along with most his men, were gone. One guard stayed at the door and the pilot was still here. That was about it. I walked back to the room I had slept in last night, finding all my things had been packed back up. There wasn't much anyways. A rose laid on the bed, along with a note and a card.

An urgency's come up. My apologies, dear. A plane is ready to take you back ASAP. Thank you for your help. I'll see about that trip. If you need anything until then, my cell and my emergency line. -Michael

His number was written on the note. The card, however, only had three digits on it. That couldn't be right, could it? Maybe it's some government secret I'm not aware of. I put his number in my phone and began repeating the three digits to myself in my head to remember them. Something tells me he doesn't give them to just anyone. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, going out to the living room to find the others.

"Vampire had to leave. Didn't say why, but I don't care. He's got a plane waiting for us and I want to get home." I said. They both were tired, I get that, but their hesitation was concerning. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Angelo muttered, forcing himself to get up, "I just, um, I don't know."

I frowned, gently setting my hand on his shoulder, "You don't want to go home, do you?"

"I, uh, n-no, not really." He stammered.

"We don't have to tell Chris you're back yet. I won't go down there either, so that he can't find out. You can see him again when you're ready." I replied.

His arms wrapped around his chest tightly, "I might just do that. I'm gonna... I'll think about it on the plane. I've got..." He sighed, looking back at Twiggy, "A lot of things to think about."

Twiggy said nothing, gave no emotional response. He simply walked back to the bedrooms to get his things. Angelo hung his head slowly and followed him. To me, when we have supernatural encounters, it's just some ghost bitch that needs to fuck off. It wasn't like that to them this time. They were effected by what she said. Her words seemed to have some importance, but they felt out of context. Some of it had to have made sense to them to fuck them up like it did.

| | |

Ricky wasn't home when I got to the base. Neither was Jeremy or Nikki, so I assume he took them somewhere for whatever reason. Unable to go down to the medical wing to see Kuza, I figured it'd be for the best if I go check on Ryan. I wasn't gone more than two days, but I figure he's gotten something done in that time. If he hasn't, I can always help him out.

The normal entrance to the lab, on the first level of the hold, was strangely locked. That's weird. He only locks it when he sleeps, but it's not that late. I walked upstairs and slipped in through the secret entrance. The whole thing was creeping me out. I stepped carefully, making sure I didn't make much noise.

Inside the lab, there was iron grates with intricate designs that once were windows. After years of shit being built around on, I don't think a single one looks outside. Most are covered anyways, but one was exposed in this passageway. I stopped before I passed it and used it as a way to peak inside. Ryan was awake and he was talking with Reese. Ugh, the fuck is she doing here? If they managed to make up with each other in those two days I was gone, I'm going to bitch slap him for being a dumbass.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" She yelled at him.

"I don't know means I don't fuckin' know." He sneered, his deep voice making him seem even more frightening. Ryan so rarely got scary. He's usually extremely calm. In these past few weeks, though, I've started to see his nasty side. It only took five years.

"It's your job to know!" Reese replied.

"Look, I wish I had the magically fuckin' answer for you! I don't know what happened. There's a lot of shit recently that I have no fucking goddamn clue why they're happening. You think I like feeling this way?! If I had an explanation for you, I'd give it to you." He turned around, facing one of his display screens. "It just- fuck!" Ryan shouted and kicked over the stool next to him. "It doesn't make any goddamn sense! Nothing makes any fucking sense anymore!"

"I know you're frustrated, but I can't make them understand that." She said.

He glared at her. You could practically see the steam coming off of him as he deadpanned, "It's not your job to make them understand. It's not your job to keep me alive either. It's also not your job to question me. I don't have to answer to you, but I am. And the answer I'm giving you is that I don't have an answer right now."

Reese gestured her hand in the direction of the door. "And I'm trying to tell you that I can't take that as an answer! They won't accept it!"

"Make them accept it." He coldly replied, "Now get out. Don't make me ask again."

"You're playing a dangerous game here, Ry. I don't want them to-"

"Reese!" He snapped at her, "Frankly, I don't give a flying fuck what you want anymore. You've run down my patience. It is not possible for me to give you the answer you want. Here's what I want you to tell them, word for fucking word: I've been over the files two hundred times. There is no apparent reason why the bugs cut out. I will have no way of knowing until I can actually look at the devices, and I have to wait until they're all asleep for that. As soon as I have an answer, if I'm able to find one, they'll be the first to know."

She crossed her arms and turned her back to him. He didn't even bother to watch her leave and returned to his work. Reese set her hand on the control panel to the door. She glanced over at him, murmuring, "You got lucky last time. I don't think they're going to be as forgiving this time."

Ryan ignored her, continuing to write away in his notebook. She hit the red button that opened the door and walked out. It shut behind her. I couldn't help but think how much I wanted it to shut on her. Like the lawyer in 13 Ghosts style. It'd be a slow enough death she could be tortured, but not too slow that anyone has time to stop it. Anyways, back to the fucked up scene actually going on.

He said the bugs cut out. I assume he means the ones on us, but who's cut? Was it ours? We were the only ones in a foreign country. Are spirits older than technology smart enough to be able to disable microchips? How do I know it was her though? Michael has more power than them. He could've done it too, but I'm not sure. There were a lot of options, and that's just me assuming he meant the bugs on us. It could've been any of the others.

Ryan glanced up at his computer screen. He sighed, pushing himself away from his desk. Standing up, he started to glance around the lab. What was he looking for? Oh, me... Right, duh. He literally has the location of our tracking devices pulled up on his computer. He spotted me through the rose shaped grate. I smiled and waved, trying to lift his spirits. He scoffed it away but I did catch a small smile.

"Get down here." He said.

"Coming." I replied, rushing down the passageway and to the stairs. "Sorry. I didn't want to... interrupt."

"It's alright. I'm surprised you're not with Kuza."

I pulled myself on one of the tables, swaying my legs back and forth. "Ange doesn't want Chris to know we're back yet. I couldn't find Ricky either, so I figured I'd come check on you."

"There was another event, in Boston this time. Some kind of creature is terrorizing a suburb. He took Nikki and Jeremy with him, along with a SWAT team." He explained.

"Are they going to be able to handle that themselves?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think. It didn't look big from the pictures I saw. It was a little smaller than a gorilla. I'm guessing you took care of the spirit?"

"Yeah, well, Ange did mostly. I just got tossed around and called her a cunt. Angelo was the one who actually convinced her to leave. Michael took off before we finished, though, so I don't know where he went."

"He wasn't there?" Ryan asked curiously.

"Uh, no. I mean, at first, yeah, but then I told him to let us take care of it. I figured he was a little too important of a person to be in danger of being killed by an evil spirit." I replied, "How's the testing been going?"

"You mean the lack there of?" He joked, "I've gotten a few things I need but shit keeps coming up. I've ran a few tests on some death row inmates, to make sure they were deadly enough."

"You make it sound so pleasant." I said.

"I know," He smirked, "I bet you're just shaking with anticipation."

I jumped down from the table, laughing, "Yeah, that's why I'm shaking! Can I sleep here tonight? I don't like sleeping alone, given how things go when I do."

"Yeah, I don't care. You don't bug me, unlike certain people." He grumbled, "I'm going to be up all night working, if the sound of constant typing doesn't bother you."

Walking up the two steps to the elevated section of the room, I shrugged, "Nah, I'll sleep right through it."

Apparently I've slept through you implanting tracking and listening devices in be before! If I can sleep through that, I'm sure I can last through a Hell of a lot worse. What would keep me up is all the swimming thoughts in my head. I don't even know where to start anymore. Between the bugs, spirits, and demons, I'm just over all this shit. Not even my dreams are safe anymore. I'm trapped.