"All walkies to channel one." Zak demands as we stood in base.

The night had fallen and we were now locked in. All the X-cameras were set up, all the cases were open and the equipment they wanted to use were at the ready. All we had to do was conduct this investigation...

Things were still tense between myself and Zak, all I wanted to do was grab him by the scruff and shake him in anger. The whole day today he'd made it his personal vendetta to piss me off by giving me all the jobs I struggled to do.

Like fly the drone without a spotter.

Even Billy, after all the practise he had, has a spotter. But me, with very little, wasn't allowed any help. In the end and after countless attempts, Dakota came to my rescue. Against Zak's orders to set up the cameras with Jay. Something Billy was doing as well, whilst Zak text on his phone and Aaron took photos of the building.

"Right, Jay, I want you to be at nerve, this is a huge building and I need to know I have someone watching all the cameras. Take Mike with you so he can listen with the boom mic set up in the ball room."

Both men nodded and took their seats behind the desk watching the monitors.

"Aaron and Billy, I want you two to investigate the grounds of the building, we only have access via the back door. Take the thermal, do a sweep and see if you can find the lone soldier that's said to roam the fields."

"I'll start in the upper bedrooms with the spirit box." He concludes.

"And me?" I ask.

He smirks "Get comfortable. You're at base."

"What?"

"Let's go guys, we got things to do and rooms to investigate." Zak spoke clapping his hands to signal the end of the conversation.

I shook my head and grabbed a camera before leaving base with a digital recorder stuffed in my pocket. I ignored Zak's request to get back to nerve and soon slid into one of the rooms, off camera.

He was an asshole, and I'd happily sit here for the next 12 hours than have to put up with listening to his voice filtering back to nerve.

+++

I don't know how long I've been here, or what I've been doing. But the light in the room temporarily blinded me as it was flicked on and the worry I saw in Zak's face disappeared.

"Delilah. What the fuck? I've been calling you for ages."

"And?" I ask hugging my knees.

"And we were worried. We've searched the whole building, why are you in the corner?"

I scoff and clamber to my feet. "Like you give a damn. You want me to sit out for investigation, if that's the case then why even bring me? I could have stayed at the rental or even at the hotel with Dakota. He would have been better company than you!"

He frowns.

"Ever since I've started you've been hell bent on making me feel awkward and out of place. Like I don't belong and it sucks. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous that I might be capable of doing your job." I shoved his chest with my hand eliciting a growl of annoyance.

"Oh go growl somewhere else." I throw in before heading off to base. A little confused on if that outburst was out of the blue, or if it had been a long time coming..

[19]
Second oneshot, (anyone else excited at how these are coming into the story. 🙊)

"Delilah... Crawl space." Zak orders causing Aaron and Jay to trade each other a look. "Problem?"

"It's fine." Delilah interjects shaking her head at Aaron as he pans over to her in night vision. She had been expecting some back lash after her outburst towards Zak earlier. Now it was time to prove herself that she could do this, without his approval or supervision.

Aaron chews his cheek until it was raw, but before he could say anything, Jay beat him too it. "The crawl spaces are usually my digs."

"Not tonight." Zak answers picking up the spirit box. "You got your places, now go."

His three team members stay put for a split second before they all submit to his orders.

"Are you sure?" Jay asks Delilah in a quiet hush as they head in the same direction.

"It's okay Jay. Let's just do whatever he wants. He's the lead investigator.." Delilah responds, swallowing down the bite of anxiety.

"Yeah but.." He trails off.

She knew what he was getting at, it was only throughout the walk through that Delilah quietly disclosed that she hated crawl spaces and often got claustrophobic. It was a private conversation between the three of them..

But she didn't know that Zak had heard and he decided that he would use her fear to harbour some evidence and because he was fed up of feeling like he was responsible for her outbursts. When she was clearly the problem..

Zak hated how she changed around him, she always got defensive. Sometimes he was responsible, but other times he wasn't and it irked him more than ever that he was made to be the bad guy. Every time. He had saw and figured out that she was here to play them all off against each other, and he wasn't going to have that...

"Hey." Jay stops Delilah walking "I'll face Zak. You can take the lounge."

She sighs "No.. No it's okay. I think this is more of a test anyway. Either that or some form of punishment. Besides Billy rigged up a camera down there so I will be okay, knowing he's back at nerve watching me."

Jay admired her bravery but still wasn't happy on how things were being set, after a brief chat, they both parted ways once Delilah promised to scream the second she needed help.

The crawl space in the basement was nothing but a large gaping hole in the wall. It was dark, dirty and cobwebs connected the top of it, to the ground. Each one thick from years of being undisturbed.

"Oh god.." She groans looking around for anything that could bat then aside. She found a piece of wood and sighs "Sorry spideys, don't hate me too much."

She then cleared enough room for herself to crawl in.

Her grunts and hisses were the only sounds being made as she pulls herself into the gap whilst holding her camera ahead of her.

"This sucks ass." She mutters to the LCD screen in front of her. "I'm wearing overalls next time."

She pauses to spit at the cobweb which attached itself to her face. Once she had some composure, she continued.

Getting into the middle of the crawl space, she dug her boots into the dirt and shifts herself so that she could crawl back out again rather than go backwards.

Using the little light she had, Delilah fished the recorder from her pocket and held it into view of the camera.

"I'm going to try some EVP." She hit the record button. "This is Delilah, in the crawl space, feeling like the Hobbit who lived in a dark hole."

She sighs, touching the recorder against her forehead before collecting herself. Holding it out in front of her she begins asking questions.

"Who is here?"

"Who is the owner of the house?"

"What year is it?"

"Were you murdered?"

"Show me what you can do."

She waits but didn't review the recorder, instead she pushes a little more. "Do something! Stop being a chicken!"

"I demand–" her voice died in her throat as the sound of a stone being throw scuttled across the dirt.

"Is that it? A stone? Pathetic."

Delilah knew it was a bad idea, to taunt, especially whilst she was down here alone, with no walkie, just a static camera to watch her every move, if she was to get into trouble right now? She would be completely alone until Jay or Billy arrived.

"Come on. Do something else! I know you can!"

Nothing came, Delilah tries more methods of communication, from the recorder, to tapping and even whistling, but nothing happened. Not even with a taunt. Eventually she gave up and began to pull herself towards the exit when a loud clatter made her stop.

The sound came from the room she was heading towards, it was then that the crawl space was her new safe place.

"Hello?" She calls out. Wondering if one of the guys had come down to help her out with investigating, maybe a spirit box or the SLS camera.

Spinning the camera, she films the opening and gasps when she saw a dark mass float across it. Cowering down against the dirt, Delilah felt the galloping of her heart in her chest. She willed herself to stay calm and to try and act as if she didn't see anything.

"Just breathe.." She coaxed herself.

She was trapped.

Zak had drilled it into her from day one about not showing fear, but it had left her mind, she was panicking, she was fearful, she was stuck.

"Hello, can you tell me your name?" She asks.

A growl sounded from somewhere around her making her eyes shoot to the darkness.

"Jay?!" She shouts out, hoping he would hear here. "Jay?! Billy?!"

With a fast beating heart and trembling body, she decides to exit the crawl space and face whatever the hell was awaiting her, rather than be stuck with spiders and something that growled.

Her hand pushes the camera ahead as she begins crawling out, her pace quickening as she got closer.

She was just about shout out for one of the guys, when she felt something clamp around the back of her ankle. Petrified, she kicks at the sensation and begins yelling for Jay or Aaron. In that moment, she also yells for the man who put her in this position.

She yells for Zak.

The clamp like sensation tightens and her leg was pulled hard, her fingers dig into the dirt as she screams whilst being pulled backwards. Glass which she climbed over was now embedded into her palms as she panics seeing the exit decrease.

"No! Stop! Help me!" She screams as another clamp like feeling took her other ankle.

Fearful that she was going to be pulled back into the darkness and unable to escape, she grabs hold of the beam and wraps her arms around it tightly.

+++

"Billy to Zak! Billy to Zak come in?!" Billy shouts through the walkie, rising off his seat. The loudness of Billy's voice causing Zak to almost fly off the bed he was led on.

Zak fumbled around until he found the walkie. "Go for Bill."

"Crawl space now! Delilah is screaming."

Zak frowns and almost scoffs  "About what? Spiders?"

"Dude I don't know! Just hurry up! She's freaking out big time."

"Has she used her radio?" He asks wondering why he hadn't heard it as well.

"She doesn't have one! Forget it! I'll radio Jay."

Zak pushes the button in "I'm going now."

Zak slowly pulls himself off the bed and collects his equipment before exiting the bedroom and making his way down the stairs. He made no effort to rush knowing full well that she was probably freaking out over some spider or maybe a mouse.

But as he stepped off the last step, Aaron races around the corner and heads straight for Delilah.

"You just had to send her didn't you?!" He snaps as Zak tails behind.

"Fear gets evidence." Zak argues.

"And that's all that's important?" Aaron questions as the both took the stairs down to find the room light from a torch and a pair of legs dangling out the wall.

"Delilah! Let go!" Jay shouts holding her wrists.

"I can't!" She cries.

"You can! I won't let you go. I promise!"

Tears were burning her eyes and fear had taken over her system, but she trusted Jay and unhooks one arm to give him her hand properly.

"Is she okay?" Aaron yells, hearing Jays pleas.

"Get us out!" Jay shouts back to him.

With Aaron pulling, Jay began moving, pulling Delilah along with him.

Jay's feet touch the ground and he pushes his knees into the wall to pull Delilah out.

As she's tugged out the dark hole, Zak's eyes widens to see her face dirty along with her clothes. Clear marks lined her face from tears and her body so exhausted that she falls against Jay as her legs give out.

Even from the poor lightening, Zak can see the glass embedded into her palms, dirt under her nails and scratched forearms.

"I got you," Jay soothes as she sobs with relief. "It's okay. Let's get you out of here."

"I-I'm sorry." She chokes back.

"No, shh." He hushes lifting her off the ground and marching past Zak.

Zak watches her go as Aaron collects her camera. "You knew she hated crawl spaces. You did it on purpose."

"It was for evidence." Zak argues trying to defend his decision.

"Bullshit! If you wanted the evidence that bad, you would have got in there yourself. You played on her fear and vulnerability. It's sick!" Aaron snaps back with vengeance.

"Just hold on a minute-"

"No. I won't and you know why? Because I have to go and take glass out of her hands. You saw the state she was in, and for what? Evidence?"

Aaron tuts at him before stomping out the room towards nerve centre, leaving Zak to look down at himself.

He turns and kicks something across the floor. On further inspection with his torch, he finds a recorder, her recorder.

Picking it up, he rewound it and pressed play.

"I think you're weak if you can't give me a few taps!" She shouts.

Zak listens harder and closes his eyes in concentration as an EVP is captured...

Even with the years of investigating under his belt, he couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine from the the voice but also at it's words.

New guilt hammers into his chest as he replays the EVP over and over again.

"GRAB... HER! KILL! HER!"