‘Yeah,’ said Alex ecstatically. ‘Tom said he wasn’t as convinced as me, but as long as we’re back before Monday - before he has to be at work - than we’re okay to go there.’
‘Monday!’ blurted out Kate, rising from the bed suddenly. ‘Your parents are back on Monday!’
‘Yeah,’ said Alex patronisingly, ‘and we’ll be back on Sunday evening. Relax.’
She fell back onto the bed and folded her arms. ‘Tom has weird reasons for being in this ghost hunt. Sometimes it seems as if he hates it.’ She sighed and turned her head to face Alex. ‘Anyway I’m not going.’
Alex laughed and sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Don’t be silly. Tom has his reasons for being in the group and you’re as much a part of the group as I am.’
‘Come off it, Alex,’ scoffed Kate. ‘I’m not here for fun; I’m here to keep an eye on you. Make sure you don’t get hurt.’
‘Yeah, but surely you’ve got some kind of interest in it all?’ he said, putting an affectionate arm around her.
‘It terrifies me.’
Alex sighed and got up from the bed. ‘I’ll go make us some breakfast and then we can discuss it.’
‘When are you leaving?’ she asked.
‘This morning. We’re gonna head down that way for lunch and set up camp there or outside the prison over night and then come back tomorrow.’
Kate shook her head. She was so frustrated with Alex. She loved him so much and the thought of losing him made her feel numb.
She laughed to herself. Was she just being stupid? What could possibly happen to him? During the months that this odd little ghost hunting group had been formed, Alex, Tom and the others had failed to find anything of any significant interest. A few bangs here and a few creaks there didn‘t make a ghost. There was nothing out there, she tried to convince herself. Nothing out there and nothing to be worried about. She watched him leave the room and then the worries set in once again.
Caroline coughed, spluttered and stepped down from the ladder.
‘Problems?’ asked the Doctor from further down the huge bookshelf.
‘Not problems, Doctor. Just a lot of dust.’
‘Ah yes,’ said the Doctor, wheeling his ladders over to her. ‘I’m afraid these books don’t always get the spring cleaning they deserve.’
He dusted one of the books down and then placed it back on the shelf. Just as he turned to carry on talking to Caroline, a book slammed down from a high shelf and whacked the Doctor on the top of his head.
‘Oww!’ he shouted, and then looked up. ‘That book just fell on it’s own.’
Caroline smiled and picked the book up. ‘Looks like the TARDIS is trying to tell you something.’
The Doctor rubbed his head and smiled to himself. Then he took the book from Caroline.
‘She’s found the right one anyway. Picked it up from WH Smith a while back,’ he said, opening the pages. ‘Ah, yes. This is the best book on the subject. It lists all the best haunted places around Earth. I swear I’ve got “The Best Haunted Locations In The Universe” somewhere,’ he said glancing around him.
Caroline drew his attention back to the book. ‘That’s all very well, Doctor, but there’s nothing like a good old fashioned haunted house - on Earth.’
‘Sherman prison!’ said the Doctor excitedly, almost dropping the book.
Caroline frowned. He was looking at one of the pages and was engrossed in the contents. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Sherman prison,’ he repeated as if she should know what he was talking about. He soon realised she didn’t. ‘Go and get Danny up here. I’ve found the perfect place for us to take a look at.’
Tom’s large, white van pulled up outside Alex’s parents house and he beeped his horn. Sat in the back, amongst the work tools and sand bags, was Mark and Joanne. They were squashed in with all their equipment and travel bags.
Presently Kate and Alex left the house and headed for Tom’s van. Alex clambered in the passenger seat next to Tom, and Kate took their own bags to the back doors and hopped in, mumbling in annoyance at having to sit amongst the cement and sand.
‘Sorry about the mess,’ Tom called back, ‘I haven’t had chance to clear up my work stuff.’ He leant in closer to Alex and whispered, ‘I thought you said she wasn’t coming.’
Alex looked back at Kate and then to Tom. ‘She wasn’t gonna come, but I convinced her.’
Tom started up the engine and sighed. ‘If she complains again, I’ll lock her up in one of those prison cells.’
‘She’ll be fine,’ said Alex. He knew Tom had a temper and Kate would most likely help it to flare up.
The van sped off down the road and began it’s journey towards Sherman prison.
It was almost 5pm when the van drove onto the forest road that led towards the prison. The light was still good but the sun was casting an early evening orange glow on the tree’s. Soon the van stopped and they all clambered out. Mark stretched his arms above his head and yawned.
‘It’ll be getting dark soon,’ said Joanne, looking around her wearily. ‘I don’t fancy staying in this forest.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Alex, ‘we’ll get to the prison soon.’
‘Good, cos I’m not staying here. I’ve seen what happens if you stay in a forest at night. We‘ve all seen the Blair Witch Project.’
Mark laughed and gave Joanne an affectionate cuddle. ‘I’ll protect you from the ghoulies.’
‘Okay everyone, have we all stretched our legs?’ asked Tom from the drivers seat.
‘I think so,’ said Alex.
‘Good. Get back in and we can be on our way.’
‘We’ve only just got out!’ complained Kate.
‘Don’t antagonise him,’ warned Alex. ‘The sooner we get there, the more time we’ll have to rest.’
They all filed back into the van and it set out on the last leg of the journey.
‘You feeling alright, Kate?’ asked Joanne.
‘Yeah,’ said Kate gloomily. ‘I just wish I’d have stood firm and decided not to come on this trip. We’re too far from home.’
‘We’ll be fine,’ said Mark. ‘Tom and Alex know what we’re doing.’
‘Oh, I’m sure those two will keep us under control,’ said Kate sarcastically.
Tom’s head snapped around at an odd angle and he looked directly into her eyes. Then he turned back and returned to his driving.
The others hadn’t noticed and Kate felt a chill run up her spine.
“The last prisoner to be executed in Sherman prison was Sam Capewood of New Jersey. He was convicted of murdering a prostitute in the winter of 1975. Like most prisoners that were hustled away to Sherman, he was kept waiting for his inevitable death. He was badly tortured, and by the time he was executed in the electric chair, he was already more or less in a vegetable state.
The remaining prisoners were saved from terrible fates when the authorities discovered what was going on and closed the building down. The building remained empty for many years. Most of the torture chambers were cleaned up, but the graves in the prison cemetery remained, inhabited with the corpses. The land has been up for sale for many years, but so far buyers have either given the place a wide berth or been scared away by stories surrounding the place.”
‘Coming to the interesting bit now?’ asked Caroline.
The Doctor looked up from the book and smiled. “It is said that Sherman prison has the biggest number of haunting’s due to the sheer amount of men that were tortured and killed there. A proper investigation has never been set up due to the danger of visiting the place. This does not, however, stop irresponsible kids from attempting to investigate the place themselves. One such harrowing case was the story of Alex-”
‘Okay, no more,’ said Danny. ‘If we’re gonna go and visit this place then let’s get there and stop reading about it.’
‘You’re right,’ smiled the Doctor. ‘Let’s go and have some fun. Anyway, I’m sure the name Sherman prison rings a bell from somewhere.’
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