"Let's split up and search for clues," Ryner suggested, trying to keep his focus. "You guys can search in the areas I can't see, while I'll look here for now."
"Okie dokie," Thomas said as he floated off into the walls of the old building.
"Okay, I'll go ahead and look through the rubble," Rita added as she floated off further into the abandoned building.
Ryner stood alone for a moment, surveying the eerie surroundings. "Now that I think about it, this place seems really creepy," he muttered to himself. "There's no light, and I'm hearing subtle echoes of water and rotting boards creaking. It sounds like this building is about to collapse."
He hesitated but shook the thoughts away. "I better not think too much about it. I mean, I encountered two ghosts, and I'm surprisingly already used to seeing them, so there's nothing here to be afraid of," Ryner said, trying to calm himself as he turned on the flashlight on his phone and ventured further into the building.
"If there was a crime scene here five years ago, that means there won't be much for us to work with. However, it's the only place we can think of to find clues," Ryner said to himself as he moved deeper into the building.
He stopped when he noticed something strange. "This looks like blood. Seems to have been here for years, though it's not so fresh," Ryner murmured, looking at a dark stain on the wall.
He continued, inspecting the building carefully. "What are these? Old newspaper articles?" he asked aloud, picking through a pile of newspapers. "Nothing in these will help us. These are new. They were dumped here around this year," Ryner said, tossing the papers aside as he continued his search.
"Wait, there's a bag up ahead," Ryner said, his voice tinged with surprise. "It looks really old and rusted. It's possible the detectives missed this detail."
He cautiously approached the bag, feeling a strange sense of anticipation. He opened it slowly, and to his shock, found books with Rita's name written on them.
"So, this was Rita's bag. She was definitely here five years ago," Ryner said, his voice low as he sifted through the contents. As he flipped through the books, an envelope fell out. It had a heart-shaped pin attached to it.
"What's this?" Ryner muttered, picking up the envelope and opening it. He read the letter inside aloud, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Dear Charley,
This is Rita, your secret admirer. You know, the one who's been sending you all those anonymous love letters."
Ryner blinked in surprise. "Wait, is this a love letter?" he asked himself as he read further.
"I'm tired of waiting and watching from afar for so long. My heart aches for you. Every time I see you, I get so flustered. I can no longer hide how I..."
"Please stop reading it!!" Rita shouted as she rushed towards Ryner, but her ghostly form flew right through him.
"Please stop! Don't look!!" Rita shouted again, floating closer and desperately trying to snatch the letter from his hands.
"Will you stop, please? This is an important clue for where we should look next!" Ryner yelled back, clearly frustrated. He wasn't about to let the letter slip away so easily.
Rita, flustered and embarrassed, shot back, "But it's embarrassing! You have no right to read it! Stop, it's personal!"
"Well, it's not like you can stop me from reading it because you're dead, so just shut up and let me help you!" Ryner shouted, his irritation getting the best of him as he continued reading.
"I can no longer hide how I truly feel about you. After you read this letter, please meet me in the old school building at noon. There, I'll tell you everything..." Ryner read aloud, piecing together the details. "I see, so she organized a meeting with him in this very building. Then this must be linked to her disappearance somehow."
Rita, her face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment, attempted to slap Ryner across the face. But to her surprise, the slap actually made contact, sending Ryner reeling back.
Ryner, his hand flying to his cheek, blinked in confusion. "Wait, what hit me just now?" he asked, still holding his cheek in disbelief.
"I just did," Rita said, her voice tinged with surprise as she looked at her hands. "I was able to touch you just now. My hit... it connected!"
Ryner stared at her, shock written across his face. "But how is that possible? You're not a part of the physical world. You shouldn't be able to make contact with me!"
"I'm not sure," Rita said, equally surprised by the fact that she made physical contact with someone for the first time since her death.
Before Ryner could process this new development, Thomas suddenly appeared, his voice filled with panic. "Guys, someone is coming. I don't know who she is, but she's so creepy! I think she might be a ghost!"
Ryner and Rita froze. A chill ran down Ryner's spines as they exchanged a worried glance.
"Where is she?" Ryner asked, his heart racing.
"I don't know, but she's... she's right behind you!" Thomas shouted, his voice now full of dread.
Rita turned, her eyes scanning the room. "What do you mean 'she's right behind us?'" she asked, trying to sense the presence Thomas was talking about. But there was nothing—at least, not yet.
Ryner, still holding the letter in his hand, looked around. The dim light cast eerie shadows on the crumbling walls of the building. The sound of creaking wood seemed to echo louder than before. It was as if something was approaching, something that wasn't part of the world they knew.
"Did you hear that?" Ryner whispered, his voice trembling slightly.
"Yeah, I did," Rita replied, her voice unusually serious now. "It's getting closer."
They waited in tense silence, the weight of the situation settling on them. Something—or someone—was coming, and it didn't seem friendly.
"Who could it be?" Ryner thought aloud, his mind racing with possibilities.