But the truth of the night was far from pleasant. Clarissa wasn’t yet aware that when the sun sank away from the city those who controlled the day turned ownership over to the creatures of the night. Anyone foolish enough to disregard the changeover had the misfortune of being swiftly and expertly swallowed up, consumed by the dark. And when light came, never heard from again.

A group of tourists on a walking ghost tour stood at an empty intersection, all their gazes focused up at one of the old Bed and Breakfasts. The tour guide was re-telling one of many ghost stories about the city, specifically one involving poltergeist activities in one of the rooms. The young man continued, captivating his audience with a story of his own encounter with the paranormal world. Everyone loved a good ghostly tale, as evidenced by the numerous livings who shelled out the cash to hear them.

Henry paused across the street from the congregation of livings. It was one of the last tours of the night. Clarissa halted mid-stride when she too noticed the group. They stood watching the tourists and their guide, enjoying a free show as the tour guide held up an EFM device, waving it around, searching for a paranormal presence.

“You see folks,” he talked loudly to the group, “I’m picking up a bit of activity. It looks like we’re not alone out here.”

A woman grabbed her boyfriend’s hand, an excited smile on her face. The man in turn stared off into space, a bored-out-of-his-mind expression on his face. He was one of the non-believers.

“When I move the EFM this way, you can notice the change on the dial. Whatever it is,” he pointed the machine in the opposite direction of the two ghosts. An EFM or electromagnetic field meter was one of the basic equipment used by ghost hunters. However, the thing didn’t always work properly in the field, other frequencies tended to interfere with the paranormal currents. “It’s in that direction.”