The Digital Ghost?!

The hospital room was quiet, save for the rhythmic beeping of the monitors. Brendon leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes scanning the messages on his phone. The Investigation Squad group chat had been relatively silent, but now a new message popped up.

Sofie: Guys! Guess what? My experiment is successful. 🥳🥳🥳

I have managed to make a full exact digital copy of the victim's phone.

Now it's your duty to find out evidences.

I am going into the Redfur stuff. Gotta dig more.

Brendon frowned. Sofie was their tech expert, and if she had managed to replicate the victim's phone data, it meant they now had access to everything Jacob Williams had been up to before his death. That was big. Maybe even game-changing.

He scrolled down, noticing a pinned message from Sofie. It was a link. A single, ominous hyperlink with no description attached. He was about to tap it when—

RING. RING.

His phone vibrated violently in his palm. A name flashed across the screen.

Robert.

Brendon exhaled sharply before answering. "Yeah?"

Robert's voice came through, sharp and urgent. "Sorry to bother, but we got a situation."

Brendon straightened, instincts kicking in. "Go on."

"I got a call from the office. Billy—the weasel you met at the front desk earlier—he picked up a call in the Sheriff's office. It was from Mr. Hudson."

Brendon narrowed his eyes. "Who's that?"

"He owns an apartment building called 'All Today Apartment' in the eastern block." Robert's tone darkened. "Something's off. Hudson called us directly. It's not very like him. He doesn't like to take help from government officials."

"And.... why it's like that?" Quick Brendon asks.

"Well..... you can say he has a history with government.... in his youth days.... not so good, if you ask me. He only believes me in the whole area. That's why he calls me regularly. But this time he called in the Sheriff's.... I mean your office. That means his issue is serious."

"So what it is?"

"He noticed some suspicious activity in room 204. Wants us to check it out."

Brendon's gaze flicked to Luca, still lying in the hospital bed. He looked fragile but alert, his eyes watching Brendon closely.

"I'll be there in twenty," Brendon said.

"Good. I'll be waiting outside."

The call ended with a click. Brendon lowered his phone, glancing back at Luca.

"I'll tell the chief about your situation," he said, stepping toward the door. "He'll arrange some protection for you. Until then, keep yourself safe."

Luca hesitated before asking, "Where are you going?"

Brendon exhaled, grabbing the doorknob. "Sorry, but I've got business to attend to. It's urgent."

With that, he stepped out, the door clicking shut behind him.

---

The Eastern Block – 'All Today Apartment'

The cab ride was long and silent, save for the occasional chatter on the radio. Rain drizzled against the windshield, blurring the neon lights of the city outside. Brendon tapped his fingers against his knee impatiently, running through what little information he had. A suspicious apartment room? Could be nothing. Could be something.

After about twenty minutes, the taxi slowed to a stop.

"All Today Apartment," the driver announced.

Brendon tossed some cash over, muttering a thanks before stepping out. The air was damp, heavy with the scent of rain and old brick. The apartment complex was an aging structure—three stories tall, cracked paint, and a flickering neon vacancy sign. Not exactly luxury living.

Robert was waiting by the entrance, trench coat drawn tight against the chill. His dog-like ears twitched at the sound of Brendon's footsteps.

"You're late," Robert quipped.

Brendon snorted. "Relax, I had to make sure the kid was secure."

Robert nodded, his expression serious. "Good. You might wanna keep an eye on that chat group of yours. If Sofie really pulled that off, we might find something useful."

Brendon grunted in agreement, but his attention shifted to the apartment building. "Alright, what's the deal with room 204?"

Robert rubbed his jaw. "Hudson, the owner, called in saying there's been some 'weird activity.' Tenants have been complaining about strange noises—like furniture moving in the middle of the night, voices when no one's supposed to be there. But here's the real kicker—Hudson checked the lease records."

Brendon raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"Nobody's rented that room in months."

Brendon's ears flicked in annoyance. "You're telling me we're here investigating ghost noises?"

Robert shot him a look. "If it were just that, I wouldn't have called you. But Hudson swears he saw someone enter the room yesterday. Said it was a guy in a hood, carrying something."

Brendon's muscles tensed. A hooded figure carrying something into a supposedly empty apartment? That sounded less like a ghost story and more like a potential lead.

Robert gestured toward the entrance. "Hudson's inside. He'll give us the keys. Let's move."

Brendon nodded, falling into step beside him.

Something about this didn't sit right. And he was going to find out why.

---

Inside the Apartment Complex

The hallway smelled like damp carpet and old wallpaper. The flickering ceiling light cast long shadows, making the space feel smaller than it was. Mr. Hudson, a wiry old man with thinning white hair and tired eyes, met them at the front desk.

"You the guys from the station?" he asked, voice gravelly.

Robert nodded. "That's us. You called about room 204?"

Hudson sighed, pulling out a set of keys. "Yeah. Been running this place for over twenty years. Never had any real trouble. But this…" His fingers tapped against the keyring. "Something ain't right about that room."

Brendon crossed his arms. "Tell us everything."

Hudson nodded, leaning against the desk. "A few weeks ago, some of the tenants started complaining about noises from 204. But the room's been empty for months. I figured maybe rats, wind, something explainable."

He paused. "But then, last night, I saw him."

"Who?" Robert pressed.

"A man. Hoodie up, face mostly hidden. He walked right through that front door and headed upstairs. I was about to stop him, but he turned the corner fast. By the time I got up there, the door to 204 was shut." Hudson's voice dropped to a whisper. "And locked. From the inside."

Brendon's ears twitched. "You sure he didn't come back out?"

Hudson shook his head. "Watched the entrance all night. No one left."

Brendon exchanged a glance with Robert. Someone had locked themselves inside an empty apartment and never left? That wasn't normal.

Hudson slid the keys across the desk. "I ain't going in there. But if you want to check it out… be my guest."

Brendon picked up the keys, their weight solid in his hand. "We'll take it from here."

As he and Robert moved toward the stairs, the old man called out—

"Careful in there."

Brendon didn't need to be told twice.

---

Room 204

The hallway leading to the second floor was eerily silent. The carpeted floors absorbed their footsteps, and the dim lighting cast flickering shadows against the walls.

Room 204 stood at the end of the hall. The door was ordinary—plain brown wood, a dull silver handle, nothing to set it apart from the others. But as Brendon neared, a chill ran down his spine.

Something was off.

Robert sniffed the air, his ears twitching. "You feel that?"

Brendon nodded. The air was… thick. Not musty, not damp—just wrong.

He slid the key into the lock and turned it.

Click.

The door creaked open.

The room beyond was dark. Not the kind of darkness caused by a lack of light—this was heavy, pressing, unnatural. The air smelled stale, like dust and something else—something metallic.

Robert reached for the light switch and flicked it.

Nothing.

Brendon exhaled sharply. "Figures."

He stepped inside first, Robert right behind him. Their eyes adjusted quickly, taking in the surroundings.

The apartment was barely furnished—a small table, a single chair, a mattress pushed against the wall. But what caught Brendon's attention was the far corner of the room.

A laptop sat on the floor, its screen glowing faintly.

And next to it—

A phone.

Brendon's stomach tightened. It looked identical to the one Jacob Williams had owned.

Robert crouched next to the devices. "This is bad."

Brendon's gaze shifted to the shadows in the corner. Something about this place felt… haunted.

Not by ghosts.

By secrets.