That wasn’t a total lie. The work I did was of a non-fictional, educational nature, even if it was also for entertainment. That’s what documentaries were, right?
The guard glared at me. “What kind of documentary?” he asked bluntly.
Man, this guy isn’t letting up...
I examined him closer, trying to figure out if he was an omega, beta or alpha. He was taller and broader than me, but didn't have that naturally fit and strong physique of an alpha, so I figured he was a beta. That immediately calmed my nerves. Ghosts and paranormal activity may have been spooky, but real life was always scarier than fiction. I wouldn't want to be alone with an alpha in a dark cemetery...
“Um, well, I'm the host of a program. My name is Mel Michaels. Maybe you've heard of me?” I suggested lightheartedly.
The beta guard stared at me, unamused.
“Okay, maybe not,” I mumbled. “I just want to get some footage of the abandoned house. I don't mean any harm, honest. I'm not here to do pranks or cause trouble. You can even search me if you want. I promise I'm free of toilet paper, or spray cans, or anything.”
After a moment, the guard sighed. “I'm not going to search you. Look, kid—”
At twenty-six, I wasn't a kid, but I had that chubby-cheeked baby face many omegas sported, so I let the comment slide.
“If you promise to head straight to Raven Hill, I'll let you through. But I've got acolleaguecloser to the Hill, and he doesn't miss anything. If he tells me you've been messing around in the cemetery, you're in deep shit. Got it?”
I nodded fervently. “Of course. I'd never dream of disturbing the peace.”
The guard gestured his head in the direction of the gate. “Then get out of here.”
“Thank you!”
A wave of relief washed over me. What good luck! The guard could've told me to scram before I said a single word, but the man was nice enough to let me pass. Tonight really was my night.
With a spring in my step, I made my way along the edge of the cemetery, hugging the intimidating iron fence. Tree branches loomed overhead like dark fingers. As a cold wind blew, some of their dangling leaves drifted down. One of them landed on my head. I took that as another sign of good luck, because why not?
Crows cawed in the distance. Deep blue clouds drifted across the moon, casting a shadow over the cemetery. I shivered and pulled my flannel over-shirt tighter. I should've worn a jacket, but it was too late to go home and get one. I was in. I couldn't leave without getting the footage needed for my video.
The video! Remembering my purpose, I took my camera out and got some nice footage of the spooky scenery. The cloud-covered moon, the dark trees and calling crows added the perfect ambience. It would be great filler footage before we got the main event—the abandoned house.
I huffed and panted as I walked up the hill. Whoever named it wasn't kidding. Everyone could see the house on the hill from a mile away, but I didn't realize until now that it meantclimbingthe thing. It felt like I was scaling freaking Everest. Good thing I wasn't filming, otherwise my viewers would see how out of shape I was.
When I finally reached the base of the abandoned house, my eyes widened in awe. The building was way bigger than I thought. It loomed ominously like the body of some great, defeated beast.
Heart racing, I whipped out my camera.
“Guys, this is it,” I half-whispered, half-panted, “this istheabandoned house on Raven Hill. Look at that. You can see the boarded-up windows to stop people from breaking in. And some of the windows don't have glass at all. Probably shattered a long time ago. Let's get closer…”
Leaves crunched below my boots as I tiptoed towards the gate. Unlike the cemetery, this gate had no guard and there was no lock. I wondered if the beta guard from earlier lied to me about his colleague. There was nobody else here. Maybe he wanted to keep me on my toes and make sure I didn't misbehave.
With my camera rolling, I pushed the creaky gate open. It groaned loudly. At the same time, wind howled, sending fallen leaves spiralling in the night air. It all sent a shiver down my spine. This was what I lived for.
And once more, I felt like I was missing something. Wasn't there any alpha out there in the world I could share this feeling with? An alpha who understood the thrill and joy of the unknown, the paranormal, the passion of Halloween night?
I smashed those feelings. Why was I thinking about that now? I was on the threshold of an unexplored abandoned house, one which I had free reign to explore to my heart’s content. One that might skyrocket my channel's ratings and views!
Ignoring my loneliness, I pressed onward. As I pushed the gate open, I felt it push back with some force. It must've had a mechanism to auto-close by itself.
I frowned. I didn't have anything to hold the gate open. Looking around, I saw an old brick.
“Aha!”
I nudged the brick closer with my foot, then put it securely between the fence and gate. The brick was solid and snug. It was too heavy to move on its own, so I had faith it'd keep the way open for me.
Brimming with excitement, I clutched my phone, ready to film at a moment's notice. I took a few steps closer to the abandoned house and—
