James, approximately 11 months before the disappearance

"Bro, try not to look so sus," Austin whispered. "Chill."

James wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, trying to still the tremble. How had he let himself get talked into this? "Chill," he said. "In this heat?" Austin grabbed his forearm and rolled his eyes. His fingers felt warm. Thank God he was already flushed. Almost midnight, and the heavy air still covered the town like a thick wet blanket. Cicadas buzzed in the background while rolling clouds hid the thin sliver of moon.

Under the yellow light of the street lamp, Austin looked less scruffy, like he'd cleaned up some. He wore loose pants and an old Guns and Roses t-shirt that was tight in a good way.

"Seriously, everything's copacetic."

Copacetic earned a side eye, but James thought it meant fine. He took a deep breath and nodded. Austin released his arm, and James led the way to the Heritage Hall. Last time, he'd come during the day to take the tour. Of course, the footage sucked. He'd planned on trying again, but Austin talked him out of it. Ghosts don't haunt during the day, and no one would let a couple of teenage boys run an overnight ghost hunt in a historic home. That left only one option.

"Let's scope the place out," James suggested as they approached.

"Bet. Gotta find a way in."

The two-story white Antebellum house came into view. Six Roman columns held the roof above the front entrance, but James noticed a second entrance he hadn't seen before. It jutted out of the left side of the building, hidden behind several tall shrubs and a huge red oak. "Right there," James said. "That's our entrance point."

Austin grinned. "Perfect." They approached from the side, ducking behind a black Honda Civic parked in the street. "Let's check it out for a minute, in case there's a guard."

"Good idea." He'd only known Austin for three weeks, but they'd been messaging nonstop since they met. Austin listened. When was the last time he'd felt heard like that? Maybe never. In some ways, James felt close to him, like he'd known him his whole life. But in others? He wasn't even sure where Austin lived.

"Could you imagine living like that?" Austin asked.

James thought of his own dingy house, his father passed out drunk in the sagging green recliner while old sitcoms blared on the square TV, the place stinking of cigarettes and stale beer. "No," he said softly.

"Well, imagine it. Just got to hit it big on YouTube right?"

James laughed. "Yeah, simple."

A street light in front of the house flickered, and Austin grabbed his hand, pulling James toward the house. "I don't see anyone. Here's our chance."

They darted across the left side of the property, ducking behind the oak tree. Austin laughed and dropped James's hand, his deep brown eyes sparkling with pure joy as the street lamp flickered back on. James couldn't help but laugh with him. He could do this. He could do anything.

"You think we can get up there?" James pointed at the overhang above the side entrance.

"Yeah, I'll give you a boost."

James took a deep breath, putting his full weight onto his right foot as he stepped into Austin's hands. Austin pushed as James grabbed the edge of the roof, hauling himself onto the scratchy asphalt shingles. He leaned over. "Your turn."

Austin used the side column to balance himself as he climbed onto a thin black railing. He gripped James's hand, using his other hand to push himself up onto the roof. After a moment, Austin swung his leg over and rolled onto his feet, brushing himself off.

James checked to see if they could be spotted, but the shadows and foliage hid them completely. He stood up and peeked through the window, seeing a room scattered with old children's toys. "Yes! This is the haunted bedroom," he whispered.

"Really?" Austin peered into the window beside him. "Jackpot."

The slight brush of Austin's elbow against his bare arm sparked like an electric shock. Hyper-aware of his nearness, James closed his eyes and laid his forehead against the cool pane of glass, releasing a shaky breath.

"Bro, move," Austin said. James jerked back with a start. "Gotta get the window open."

"Right. Sorry." Getting into the house wasn't something he'd thought much about. Honestly, he didn't think they'd get this far. Tonight's trip was impulsive, an excuse to hang out with Austin. He couldn't stop thinking about him, couldn't suppress the swirling excitement and fear that he'd be found out.

A rattling sound shook him out of his thoughts as Austin tried to open the locked window.

"It's okay. I can film some stuff from out here. If we wait, maybe we'll catch something through the window."

"Nah, I got this." Austin reached down and pulled out a long metal tool hidden under his clothing. That explained why he hadn't worn shorts.

"You actually know how to use that thing?" James nibbled on the edge of his thumbnail as anxiety crept back in.

Austin gave him a sly grin. "Watch and learn." He slid the tool in between the window panes and jiggled. After a minute or two, James heard a soft click as Austin pushed the window open.

James dropped his hand. "Where'd you learn that trick?"

"Grew up in an old home. Things got jammed."

"Ok, um, you first."

Austin shrugged. "Yolo," he said as he slipped into the room. After a moment's hesitation, James followed him in. The house looked much creepier at night with the street lights casting long shadows across the room. Bed sheets hanging over an open wardrobe door took on a ghostly appearance, while the stillness of the air felt almost ominous. A porcelain doll in a frilly dress watched them from a toddler-sized rocking chair.

Austin nudged him and he flinched. Yeah, this was starting to feel like a bad idea.

"So you gonna record?" Austin asked.

"You think we should?"

"Bruh. That's the whole reason we came."

Not the whole reason. "I just realized, if we record this, won't people know we broke in? Won't the video be like admitting a crime?"

Austin stopped walking and stood perfectly still. After a moment he said, "So we don't name the place. Use tight shots, movement, dark lighting. Like, what went down in this room?"

"Some woman died giving birth."

"Perfect," Austin said with a grin. James raised an eyebrow. "I just mean it's super common. Lots of women died in childbirth. Don't give too many deets, and no one'll know where we're at."

James nodded slowly. "You're probably right. Here goes nothing." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it up to record. "Welcome back to the channel! Tonight we're investigating an old house haunted by at least four ghosts. In this very room, a young mother died in agony, taking her child with her in death. People say they still haunt the room, and we're going to find out tonight."

"Bro."

James stopped recording. "What?"

"You gotta, like, liven it up. Haven't you ever watched YouTube before?"

"Well, yeah, but there's all kinds of guys on YouTube."

"And which ones pull in the most views?"

James opened his mouth to respond and promptly shut it again.

"The ones with the most hype. Gimme that phone." James handed it over while Austin fiddled with the screen. After a moment, he aimed it at James. "Go over there." He pointed to the corner of the room where the street light filtered through the window in square chunks. James shrugged and went over, the wooden floor creaking beneath his feet. Austin looked at the screen and gave him a thumbs up. "I'll film. Now do a better intro."

James closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He pulled himself up to his full height as his eyes popped open. "Hey, welcome back to my channel! Tonight we're filming from a haunted house, and we're gonna be spending the whole night here as we search for ghosts. So hold onto your hat 'cuz I'm about to blow your mind!"

Austin burst out laughing and lowered the phone. "Hold on to your hat 'cuz I'm about to blow your mind? Too late. I'm dead."

James slumped. "Was it that bad?"

"Actually? Nah, but it's all about confidence. It doesn't sound ridiculous if you can sell it." Austin looked around the room. With a grin, he grabbed a man's hat from the period clothing displayed on the bed. Returning, he studied James with a tilt of his head. "Hold up," he said, brushing some damp hair off of James's forehead. James sucked in a sharp breath, and Austin dropped the hat on James's head, darting back.

Austin cleared his throat. "Uh, try again, but more confident. Hype it up."

James's heart raced. He closed his eyes and took another breath, tipping the hat back at a slight angle. His eyes snapped open, and he turned to the camera. "Hey, it's your boy James coming at you from inside a haunted house! I'm locked in for the night, with no way to leave till I've seen a ghost. So hold on your hats, 'cuz I'm about to blow your mind!" He yanked off the hat and flung it at Austin.

"Brooooo!" Austin gave him a high five. "Slayed it! Keep the vibe going!"

Suddenly, James was on fire, feeding off Austin's approval and infectious excitement. His fear was gone, anxiety vanished. After filming some quick background stories, they cut through the dark hallway, sticking to the rooms upstairs. Suddenly, they heard a loud smacking sound.

"Bro, this is it!" Austin said as they raced back into the first bedroom, trying to find the cause.

THUMP!

A bird crashed against the front window, dropping to the patio below.

"Weird. Don't birds sleep at night?" Austin said, flipping the camera around to himself.

James paced around the room. "Do you feel that?"

Austin came in on James for a tight shot. "What?"

James dropped his voice. "The pressure. It feels dark, menacing."

Austin crept closer, angling the phone up at James.

"Something is coming," James said. Goosebumps spread up his arms, his breath came fast and shallow. He knew he should run away and never look back, but a sense of euphoria bled into the swirling fear. He couldn't stop now, on the precipice of discovering if ghosts actually existed. He'd regret it his whole life. The room pulled into tight focus, and he was certain they weren't alone anymore. Staring into the camera, he uttered a single phrase. "Fuck it, we ball."

There was a moment of complete silence, then all hell broke loose.

A burst of wind whipped through the open window as a baby's cry pierced the air. James's eyes widened. "Come on!"

They raced through the dark rooms, trying to find the source. "The back room!" Austin said. A sharp wind blasted them as they entered and the sound bounced to the side room.

"How is that even possible?" James yelled over the noise, spinning around.

"Check the next one!" Austin yelled back.

As they dashed into the side room, another blast of wind rushed past and the crying sound shifted to the first room. Austin spun around with the camera, trying to catch whatever was happening on film as they hurried back into the hall. The cry suddenly increased to an ear-splitting shriek.

CRASH!

James skidded into the bedroom. Dead silence. The rocking chair had toppled over and the porcelain doll sprawled out on the floor. Austin focused the camera on the doll as James crouched down to pick it up.

"Stop!" said Austin, turning the camera off. "Don't touch, we got enough! Let's fly!"

James nodded at Austin and looked back at the doll. Had the head moved? Its blank eyes stared directly at him. He watched it for a couple moments before following Austin out, closing the window behind him. They dropped down to the ground and paused behind the oak tree. James's heart still raced, his body coursing with adrenaline, but he felt alive. He turned around to grab Austin, wanting to yell and jump and scream, but he found him staring at the dead birds on the ground.

"Really?" he laughed. "All that and you're freaked out by the birds?"

"Dead birds are an omen." After a moment of silence, he smiled at James, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Let's head. I know a couple people that work at the 24-hour diner near town. They'll give us some coffee and leave us alone. We can edit the video."

It was almost 1 am, but as long as he got the truck back by dawn, no one would notice he was ever gone. Even with the drive, he had time.

Austin bumped against his shoulder. "We actually found a ghost. Dope."

James lit up again. "We're gonna have like a billion views if we keep doing this." We. This time, Austin's smile was real.

They peered around the tree before heading to the truck, but no one was around. As they walked away, James snuck a quick look back at the dead birds, their small black bodies broken against the concrete. Good thing he didn't believe in omens.