Chapter Text
After being on the road for 3 days straight, the GIGGS team finally made it back home. They couldn’t wait to finally sleep in their beds instead of the hammocks in the back of the truck.
As they all went into the house one by one, Grian froze in the middle of the doorway. A slight shiver went down his spine.
“What’s wrong, buddy?” Skizz asked, standing behind him.
“I think there’s a ghost here,” Grian said carefully, as if not to disturb their paranormal guest.
“Are you sure?”
“Not entirely, the feeling is really faint, but we shouldn’t risk it.”
“Impulse,” Skizz called out to his friend, who was already inside. “Sharp thinks we might have a ghostie problem with us.”
Impulse looked surprised for a second.
“Can you make sure the building gets evacuated? We don't want to take any chances.” Skizz continued.
“Of course. Do you think we should investigate now? It’s still day, but we do have all our stuff.” Impulse replied quickly.
“It’s worth a shot. At least to check if there’s actually one here.”
Impulse turned to Grian now, a confused look on his face. “You’re not certain?”
Grian just kind of shrugged. “If there is a ghost, it’s incredibly weak.”
“Grian, if you say there’s a ghost, there’s a ghost. There’s a reason you had a perfect track record as a scout.”
“What’s happening out here?” Gem’s head poked through the door.
“Grian says there might be a ghost.” Impulse explained.
“Do we need to evacuate?”
“Yeah, probably. Can you find X so we can do this as efficiently as possible? I’ll go get Scar quickly.”
“I’m on it!” Gem slipped back inside, her footsteps already fading as she began the search for their admin. Impulse vanished after her.
Skizz folded his arms and sighed. “Man, I was so ready to finally just chill after being on the road for so long.”
Grian gave a half-laugh. “Same. I was dreaming about my couch for the last fifty kilometers.”
They stood side by side for a moment in silence, the distant sounds of voices and movement inside the building filtering out through the open doorway.
Grian’s smile faded. “But… I dunno. This haunt feels weird.”
“Weird how?”
“I mean, it was so faint I could’ve imagined it,” Grian said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Like… almost nothing. Barely there.”
Skizz tilted his head. “Could be because it’s the middle of the day, yeah? They should be weaker right now.”
“Maybe,” Grian said slowly. “But even then, it should be stronger than this. Even daytime ghosts have a notable buzz. This is like... I dunno. The memory of a ghost.”
Skizz gave a hopeful shrug. “Well, hey, that means it’s probably weak, so it probably won't cause us much trouble.”
“That just means it will do even less to show us what type of ghost it is.” Grian dead panned.
“Ah, right. Would be worse than a shade. Maybe it is a shade, and it has no EMF because the building was full of hermits.”
“Could be,” Grian muttered. “But it’s not the normal EMF buzz. I’ve been around enough haunts to know what that feels like. This just feels… wrong, I guess?”
Skizz gave him a sidelong glance. “Wrong, how? Because I’m certainly hoping it’s not ‘this ghost’s gonna ruin your week’ wrong?”
“More like... ‘I shouldn't even be feeling anything at all’ wrong.” Grian frowned, stepping forward again and hovering near the doorway. “It’s so subtle, it’s like background noise. I doubt it’d even have any effect on me.”
“You sure you’re not just exhausted?” Skizz asked, only half-joking.
Grian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took a breath and stepped over the threshold again. The same faint tingle crept along his skin, like static from an old television set, barely perceptible, but undeniably there.
He stepped back out. “Nope. It’s there. Barely, but yeah. Definitely not nothing.”
“So... not a full-on haunting, but still something weird?”
“Yeah.” Grian ran a hand through his hair. “I really don’t like not knowing.”
“Well, hopefully this little surprise guest is going to give us all its evidence immediately,” Skizz said. “You know, the polite kind of ghost.”
Grian snorted. “Those don’t exist. Although now that I’m thinking about it, we did have that one Hantu-”
“Oh, I remember that! We were in and out of there in less than 10 minutes. Why can’t every haunt be like that?” The angel complained
“That’s a great question.” Grian laughed.
Skizz glanced toward the building. “Hope the evac’s going well.”
“Yeah. Me too.” Grian’s voice lowered. “I also hope no one will be mad if this turns out to be nothing.”
“You kidding?” Skizz grinned. “This is the hermits we’re talking about. There’s no way they’d be mad about something like this.”
“I guess you’re right,” the avian smiled.
After a bit, the hermits started spilling outside one by one. First came Tango, eyes darting over to Grian and Skizz immediately. His expression was more concerned than anything.
“What’s going on?” he asked, voice low but urgent. “They said there could be a ghost in the building.”
“We’re not entirely sure yet,” Grian said, offering a small shrug. “But I felt something. Faint. We’re just being careful.”
Tango gave a slow nod. “Well, if you need any help, you know where to find me.”
“We probably won’t,” Skizz reassured him. “Middle of the day, barely a blip of EMF—feels like a false alarm, but we’re checking just in case.”
“Alright. Just say the word.”
Before he could continue asking questions, a very distracted Zedaph walked out the door, holding up something that looked like it had once been a toaster and now had antennae.
“So realistically, it should be possible to reroute this to pick up on certain activities from a ghost if I-”
“No,”
“Absolutely not,”
Tango just blinked. “Zed, what is that even supposed to do?”
“Excellent question,” Zedaph replied, then wandered away to poke at the wiring, seemingly satisfied with the non-answer. He plopped down cross-legged in the grass, completely unaware of anything around him, too engrossed in the weird dials on the machine.
Tango turned back. “Ignoring whatever is going on with him, I’m guessing you know there’s a ghost because of the EMF thing?”
Grian exhaled slowly, rubbing at the back of his neck again. “That’s the thing. It’s... There’s barely anything. Like static. Like a ghost that’s already halfway moved on. I wouldn’t even call it a proper presence.”
“But you still felt something?”
“Yeah.”
“And it wasn’t just residual energy?”
“I don’t think so, but it’s not behaving like anything I’ve ever seen before”
“Can you explain that to me further?” Tango said. “I know how EMF sensitivity works in general; sensing a ghost, seeing orbies, that sort of thing, but this is new to me. There’s a difference in how strong it is?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” Grian shrugged again. “That’s how I know a hunt is coming. The EMF will spike. I can also reasonably guess if there’s EMF 5. But this is kind of going the opposite way. It was so faint I thought I’d imagined it at first.”
Then False appeared, arms folded. “What’s going on?”
“Maybe a ghost,” Skizz replied. “Not sure yet. Grian picked something up, faint.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Faint how?”
Tango, still hung up on Grian’s explanation, cut in. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out! He says it’s like a memory of a ghost?”
Grian gave a frustrated sigh. “I’m telling you, it doesn’t feel right. Not wrong in a dangerous way, just… off.”
Another voice joined them.
“Wait, what’s this about a ghost?” Cub asked, coming up beside False.
“We’re not sure it is a ghost,” Skizz repeated. “Grian sensed something weird. We’re being cautious.”
Then a familiar voice shouted Grian’s name.
“Griba!” Pearl emerged from the front door with a frown already forming. “What’s this I’m hearing about a haunting? I take one afternoon off, and suddenly the house is possessed?”
“I didn’t summon it,” Grian said dryly.
“No, but somehow weird stuff always happens when you’re around,” she shot back.
“Wow, Thanks,” Grian muttered under his breath, as Skizz snorted beside him.
Someone else joined the crowd. “Are we really dealing with a ghost right now?” Ren asked, brows raised. “Because I swear, I just started heating my lunch.”
“Yeah, you and half the building,” Skizz muttered.
By now, the front steps were packed. More Hermits spilled out, drawn by the commotion or maybe just the words ghost and evacuation tossed around a few too many times.
“What kind of ghost is it?” Doc asked, stepping up beside Ren with his arms folded, sharp-eyed.
“We don’t know if there is a ghost,” Grian started, but Skizz quickly jumped in after.
“G felt something. Real faint, like static. Barely a blip. Could be nothing, could be a ghost half-passed on. We’re checking to be sure.”
“But EMF still showed up?” Doc pressed.
“Just a flicker,” Tango cut in, “he said it was like a ghost that’s fading, or maybe it left something behind?”
“Do memories even trigger EMF?” Ren asked, eyes flicking between them.
“Not usually,” Doc murmured, more to himself than anyone else. “Unless something was really anchored. But that still wouldn’t explain an active reading.”
“Wait, so is it a ghost or not?” False asked from somewhere near the back, frowning.
Skizz pointed to her. “That’s the big question. Right now, all we’ve got is a weird feeling and a whisper of EMF. We don't know what it is. Could be a ghost taking a nap, for all we know.”
“I thought ghosts weren’t active during the day?” Bdubs said, baffled. “Or is that vampires? Are those real, too?”
“I don’t think they are,” Etho mumbled next to him.
“Did anyone actually see anything?” Ren asked again. “Or is this just like… ghost vibes?”
“Just vibes,” Grian muttered. “But strong enough to warrant investigation.”
“But no signs of a hunt or orb activity?” Doc asked, clearly still mentally running through possibilities.
“We haven’t checked anything yet, that’s why we’re clearing the building,” Skizz replied, arms out in exasperation.
“But we’re pretty sure it’s not a normal ghost?” Tango asked.
“I don’t think ghosts could be considered normal either way,” False interjected.
“Are we sure it’s safe out here?” Ren asked.
“There’s barely anything to worry about,” Grian said, hands raised. “This is probably the least dangerous ghost we've ever dealt with, if it even is a ghost. I felt a blip. A static. It could’ve been nothing. I don’t know yet.”
“But static’s weird, right?” Tango said, clearly still turning the idea over. “You’ve never described something like that before.”
“Exactly! Which is why we’re being careful!” Grian snapped, not quite yelling, but definitely on the edge.
Grian looked about two questions away from crawling into the bushes when a firm voice rang out from the center of the crowd.
“Enough.”
Everyone fell quiet. Instantly.
Suddenly, Cleo was just there, standing like she'd been there the whole time, one hand on her hip, the other gesturing like she might swat the next person who opened their mouth.
“Give them some room to breathe,” she said, sharp but not unkind. “They’re the professionals. They know what they’re doing. Let them handle it.”
The hush was immediate, like someone had hit mute on the server. A few Hermits mumbled apologies. A few more shuffled away quietly.
“That was kind of terrifying.” Joe joked.
Cleo just rolled her eyes at that.
Before the quiet could stretch too long, the door creaked open again, and Mumbo stepped out, hands clasped in front of him like he wasn’t sure what to do with them.
“Um. Hi. Is- uh- is everyone okay?” he asked, eyes flicking between the crowd and the house. “I heard something about a ghost and I- well, I just think- should I be worried?”
“You’re good, Mumbo,” Skizz said with a kind smile, voice lower now that the chaos had settled. “If this turns out to be something, it’s not going to start throwing people across the yard.”
“There’s barely any activity,” Grian added, his demeanor calmer now, too. “Honestly, it might not even be a ghost. If it is, it’s the politest one I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh,” Mumbo said, not sounding entirely reassured. He moved as if adjusting his tie, even though he wasn’t wearing one. “Still. I might just... stand close to the van, just in case.”
“Fair,” Grian muttered.
Mumbo shuffled a few steps off to the side, watching the house as if it would disappear the moment something happened.
More Hermits slowly filtered out, but thankfully, with Cleo’s glare still fresh in their minds, they didn’t crowd Grian or Skizz again. A few whispered to each other, some sat down on the grass or steps, waiting quietly. The energy had shifted, chaos morphing into more of a tense curiosity.
After the last of the stragglers appeared, a small cluster stepped out from the front hallway, Xisuma at the front, with Team GIGGS trailing close behind him. Gem, Impulse, and Scar, all talking in hushed tones that faded the moment they saw the crowd.
Xisuma’s gaze swept over the gathered Hermits before he cleared his throat.
“There is a chance that there’s a ghost inside the building. Because of that, I want to request all of you to stay outside until we’ve figured out what’s going on. The GIGGS are going to go in, and unless they specifically ask you to go in as well, I don’t want to see anybody in there. Do I make myself clear?”
A variety of 'yes'es sounded from the crowd.
After this, Xisuma turned to Impulse. “Thanks for handling it.”
“Of course, anytime.”
Impulse walked over to Skizz and Grian, Scar and Gem following close behind.
“Let’s get in the van.”