Chapter Text
The GIGGS crew was thrilled to finally be getting an assignment. Work in the ghost hunting business had been slow, and they weren't getting enough money for the five of them. It had gotten to the point where Grian, Gem, and Scar had to move in with Impulse and Skizz because the three couldn't pay their bills on time.
“So,” Skizz started. “Anyone got any assignments yet?” Skizz knew the answer before they spoke, but they said it anyway.
Grian, Gem, and Scar couldn't manage to grab any assignments before all the bigger teams got them. All that was left was clearly made up stories or ghosts that even the pros couldn't handle. The four sighed in dissatisfaction until Impulse burst through the door.
“Guess who got an assignment!” He shouted, excitement shining in his eyes like stars in the night sky. Grian jumped up, startling Maui off of his lap and the four ran over to the dining table to go over the notes they got. “It took a lot of convincing, but Ms. Evelynn finally gave us one.”
“Tanglewood? There's another ghost there?” Scar questioned. The lady that had been living in Tanglewood had been on the list so much, GIGGS had actually gotten to know her very well. They helped her with all sorts of things outside of ghost hunting.
“Poor Alice, she can't catch a break.” Gem sighed. The five looked at the files, the smile immediately fading off their faces. “Robert Peterson, 16, died of suicide a week after his twin brother, Daniel Peterson, went missing.” Skizz couldn't even finish reading the file before sighing heavily. “Her sons…” The aura in the group immediately dropped as they finished reading the file.
When they were finished, they still didn't speak, until Kevin came over, barking at Skizz and brushing up against him. He smiled. “Hey buddy.” The other four smiled softly as well. Kevin had always been able to lighten the mood after missions, good or bad. They spent a little time preparing, (and playing with the pets), before making their way to Tanglewood Drive.
The ride there was anything but silent. Impulse and Skizz in the front talking quietly about the assignment, Gem on the phone with Pearl and Cleo telling them all about the ghost, and Scar talking Grian’s ear off about Star Wars. Eventually they made it, got their supplies, and got to work.
“Breaker’s on, camera is set up, I’m going to the van to watch for orbs.” Gem said through the speaker.
Scar perked up beside Impulse after a while of searching downstairs. “Can I go to the van too? I can’t get upstairs because of my wheelchair and we haven’t found any freezing temps or even cold rooms down here.” Impulse was about to respond when Skizz came over the radio.
“Gods that took forever, are we going for a new record?” Impulse chuckled. “Anyway, the ghost is in the upstairs bathroom. Also there are not many hiding spots, so we might have to loop.” They could hear Grian using the spirit box in the background of Skizz’s radio. Scar gave Impulse a hopeful grin as he sighed, a smile creeping up on his face.
“Okay, okay. You can go back to the van.” Scar thanked him as he wheeled himself out of the house to go help Gem.
“So, any luck on spirit box?” Impulse asked as he walked in. Grian sighed as Skizz, who was weirdly quiet, grabbed the thermometer. “Nada. It’s a very quiet-”
“Freezing temps!”
Grian screamed and dropped the spirit box. Skizz laughed and spoke into the radio. “We’ve got freezing temps!” Gem and Scar cheered and the five of them wrote it down in their notebooks.
“Hey Dippledop, I'm gonna go get a crucifix, alright?” Giving a thumbs up, Skizz set off to bring in a crucifix.
After a few minutes of tripping over things in the dark, Skizz came back in the room with the crucifix, but just as he did, the ghost hunted, setting the crucifix off in his hand. “OW!” He threw the cross to the ground, hot metal scarring his hand. He shook it in the air as Impulse rushed over.
“Jeez, that looks like a bad one, let's go back to the van for that.” The duo made their way outside as Gem peeked her head out of the back.
“Everything okay?” Skizz pouted as he held his burnt hand. He muttered something about the ghost being a jerk as Gem wrapped his hand with the bandages from the medkit they brough. Grian walked into the van just after Impulse and Skizz.
“The book was a bust, it just got thrown across the room.” Gem nodded slightly as she finished wrapping his hand. “You gotta be careful Skizz, that’s the fourth mission in a row we've had to bandage you up for.” She then muttered to herself. “Even if they have been months apart…”
Scar and Skizz were really the unfortunate ones when they went out hunting. The crucifix is almost always burnt around the two of them or in their hands. A few times it was even thrown on them from one of the other three getting scared.
After it was bandaged, Impulse and Skizz went back inside, and just as they did, Scar shouted through the radio.“UV! On the door!” The two wrote it down, then proceeded to head back to the room. The whole way up, Impulse was talking about what ghost it could be.
“Maybe a Hantu?”
“Nah, probably not. Didn't the breaker turn off while I was out?”
“Mimic?”
“Maybe?” Skizz cringed “Ugh I hate mimics. Maybe check for… orbs…”
They both froze in their tracks, only a few steps outside the bathroom. The lights started to flicker and they heard the ghost groan and cry in pain, before it booked out of the room, straight to Skizz.
“….hunting!”
The two sprinted down the stairs, Skizz to the garage and Impulse to the kitchen. They heard banging on the door from Grian trying to open it. The ghost had its eyes on Skizz and as soon as they were both in the garage, it slammed the door, something new that no other ghost had done.
“Skizz!?” Impulse shouted through the door. “ Guys! The door’s locked and Skizz is in the garage with the ghost!”
“Since when could they lock the garage door?!” Scar shouted through the radio frantically.
He frantically looked around for something to stop the ghost as it approached. “Uh.. uhm…! Wait! R-Robert, listen to me-”
The ghost however, did not listen and instead ran at him with the intent to kill, pinning him to the garage door, and choking him. The banging on the door got louder as he let out choked groans and sobs. Skizz clawed at the shadowy figure in front of him, tried to peel his hands off of him, anything so he could survive. Then, he got an idea.
“D-Daniel… I- *cough* I c-can find him…”
Robert froze, loosening his grip on Skizz’s neck for a moment before dropping him completely. He groaned and pointed at the spirit box. Skizz coughed and gasped for air as he shakily grabbed it. Turning it on, a deep voice filled the room.
“Leave. Only you. Here.” The ghost stared at him. Skizz knew what he meant. He wanted to speak to Skizz. Alone. “Okay… okay..”
He shakily got up and went over to the door, only for it to be forced open by a shaking Impulse and a very worried Grian. “Skizz!” Impulse sobbed, pulling him into a hug. As soon as he did that, the lights started to flicker. The three of them looked at each other before Skizz pushed them through the outside door, where their other teammates were waiting.
“All of you. Stay. Here. I need to do something.” Skizz demanded in a stern and scratchy tone. Before anyone could protest, he shut the door, leaving his things with the others.
As much as Impulse wanted to go after him, he knew he shouldn't. So he defeatedly made his way to the front of the truck, sitting in the driver's seat. He leaned his head on the wheel and sighed, praying that he wouldn't lose his best friend tonight.
“Okay,” Skizz moved around the house with the spirit box, flicking off his radio. “I'm alone. It's just us” The lights flickered yet again and Robert appeared in front of him.
Skizz instinctively reached into his pockets for a smudge stick, before remembering he had left everything but his flashlight and spirit box with Scar.
“I'm not going to hurt you.” Skizz’s jaw dropped slightly. He had never heard a ghost talk in full sentences before. Well, he never had ghosts spare him either, or shut and lock the garage door, so its a new experience either way.
“O-okay just…” He swallowed thickly, his words caught in his throat, which was very unusual for Skizz. “What do you know.. a-about your brother's disappearance?” Robert hesitated. “How can I trust you.” His fists clenched tightly, sending panic through Skizz’s bones. But he didn't move. He couldn’t.
He thought for a moment. “I mean, technically, you saved my life. So I guess I owe you?” Robert chuckled, a hint of dread and anger oozing out of his voice.“Okay, fine. But I swear if you don't come back with him.” He dissolved, and for a moment Skizz thought he had left, until Robert was right in front of him.
Skizz gasped and backed up, running into a shelf and knocking a picture frame down. He had gotten himself into something he has no idea he’ll come out of, but dammit, he sure as hell isn’t going to give up. “O-okay.” He managed. “Deal.” Robert grinned mischievously as Skizz pulled out the notepad he had in his pocket.
When Skizz walked out into the fresh summer breeze, he expected to feel at least a bit warmer, but all he felt was the cruel coldness of the house behind him. Notebook in hand, he stared blankly as he made his way to the truck. When he peeked his head into the back seat, he saw Gem and Grian lying quietly against a sleeping Scar. He smiled. As he was about to get into the driver’s side, Impulse stopped him. “What’s up buddy?” The dark brunette asked cautiously. He knew that look.
“When we get back to the house, we need to talk.” Skizz sighed.
“I knew this was coming..”