Chapter 1: The Vlogger and the Venture
Logan Taylor lived for the thrill. His YouTube channel, Paranormal Escapes, had amassed over a million subscribers who eagerly tuned in every week to watch him dive into haunted asylums, abandoned mansions, and other sites of supernatural legend. Armed with a camera, an EMF detector, and a knack for storytelling, Logan transformed spooky locales into virtual experiences for his audience.
This week’s adventure was unlike any other. He was heading to the infamous Blackwood Manor, a decaying Victorian mansion tucked deep within the Appalachian mountains. According to local lore, the house was cursed, its original inhabitants disappearing under mysterious circumstances a century ago. Rumors of wailing cries, flickering lights, and ghostly apparitions had kept the place firmly off-limits for decades.
Logan was ecstatic. This wasn’t just any ghost hunt—it was the ultimate challenge.
He set off on a cool autumn evening, his gear packed neatly into his black SUV. The golden leaves blanketing the winding mountain road glowed under the dimming sunlight, adding a sense of foreboding beauty to the journey. His audience was already buzzing in the comments of his live stream.
“Blackwood is no joke. You better be careful!”
“Can’t wait for the jump scares!”
“Bet he’ll chicken out before midnight.”
Logan chuckled, responding, “You know me, folks—I don’t back down. Let’s see if Blackwood’s ghosts are ready for me.”
Chapter 2: The Entrance
By the time Logan arrived at Blackwood Manor, the sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky a deep indigo. The house loomed before him, its silhouette jagged and broken against the moonlight. Ivy crept up its crumbling walls, and shattered windows gaped like empty sockets.
“Alright, here we go,” Logan murmured, switching on his camera. “Welcome to Blackwood Manor, folks. Tonight, we’re diving into the unknown. Let’s see if the legends are true.”
He pushed open the rusted iron gate, its creak echoing unnaturally in the stillness. As he approached the front door, the air grew colder, biting through his jacket.
Inside, the house was eerily silent. Logan’s flashlight cut through the darkness, revealing peeling wallpaper, broken furniture, and a thick layer of dust coating everything. The smell of mildew and decay was overpowering.
“This place is creepy, no doubt about it,” he said into the camera, his voice steady but laced with excitement. “Let’s see if we can find some activity.”
Chapter 3: Signs of the Supernatural
It didn’t take long for things to get strange.
Logan’s EMF detector began spiking wildly near a grand staircase. “Okay, that’s interesting,” he said, holding the device steady as the lights flickered erratically. “Could be faulty wiring...or maybe something else.”
As he moved deeper into the house, the air grew heavier, almost suffocating. He heard faint whispers, though he couldn’t make out any words.
“Anyone here?” Logan called out, his voice echoing through the empty halls.
Suddenly, his flashlight flickered and went out. The camera caught his startled expression as he fumbled for the backup light. When it came on, he froze.
A shadowy figure stood at the end of the hallway. It was indistinct, more a ripple in the darkness than a solid form.
“Holy...did you guys see that?” he whispered into the camera. He took a cautious step forward, but the figure vanished.
His chat exploded:
“WHAT WAS THAT?!”
“Bro, get out of there!”
“Fake or not, I’m hooked.”
Logan forced a laugh. “Looks like we’ve got our first ghost of the night. Let’s keep moving.”
Chapter 4: The Basement Door
After exploring several rooms, Logan found himself in the kitchen. Dusty dishes were still stacked in the sink, as if the owners had left in a hurry. But what caught his attention was the heavy wooden door in the corner, partially ajar and leading down into darkness.
“Every haunted house has a creepy basement, right?” he joked, though his voice wavered slightly.
The stairs groaned under his weight as he descended, the air growing colder with each step. The basement was a labyrinth of narrow corridors and low ceilings, lined with shelves of rotting books and cobwebbed jars.
As Logan explored, he noticed strange symbols scrawled on the walls in what looked like dried blood. He reached out to touch one, only to feel a sudden jolt of cold shoot through his arm.
A loud bang echoed behind him, making him whirl around. The door at the top of the stairs had slammed shut on its own.
“Alright, that’s...unsettling,” he admitted, trying to keep his composure.
The EMF detector beeped furiously, and his camera picked up faint whispers again, louder this time. They seemed to be coming from deeper in the basement.
Logan hesitated. This wasn’t like his previous hunts. The fear creeping into his chest was real, but so was his determination to push through.
Chapter 5: The Lost Path
As he followed the whispers, the basement seemed to stretch endlessly. Logan turned corner after corner, only to find more hallways, more rooms, and no way back.
“This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered, glancing at the map he’d sketched earlier. It showed a small, straightforward basement, but he was now in a maze that defied logic.
The walls seemed to close in, the whispers growing louder, almost taunting. Panic flickered in Logan’s chest as he realized he was well and truly lost.
His chat had gone quiet. The live stream was still running, but none of the comments were coming through.
“Hey, guys? Are you still there?” he asked, his voice trembling.
No response.
Suddenly, his camera glitched, the screen filling with static. When it cleared, a figure was standing behind him. A pale woman in tattered clothes, her face obscured by matted hair.
Logan screamed and spun around, but the figure was gone.
“Okay, I’m done,” he said, his voice shaking. “I’m finding my way out of here.”
Chapter 6: The Voices in the Dark
As Logan retraced his steps—or tried to—he began hearing voices more clearly. They weren’t whispers anymore but a cacophony of overlapping words, some pleading, others laughing, and a few screaming.
“Logan...” one voice hissed, clear and sharp.
He froze. “Who’s there?”
The voice didn’t answer, but the shadows around him began to shift, forming shapes that danced along the walls. His flashlight flickered again, leaving him in near-total darkness.
Desperate, he pulled out his phone to use its light, only to find the battery inexplicably drained. His other equipment followed suit, leaving him completely in the dark.
The voices grew louder, surrounding him. He clutched his camera, which was still recording, as his only lifeline.
“Please,” he whispered, “I don’t want to die here.”
Chapter 7: The Heart of the House
Just when he thought he couldn’t take another step, Logan stumbled into a large chamber. In the center stood an ornate mirror, its surface black and rippling like liquid.
The whispers ceased as he approached, replaced by an oppressive silence. Logan felt an overwhelming urge to look into the mirror, though every instinct screamed at him to run.
As he gazed into it, his reflection wasn’t his own. The figure staring back was the woman he’d seen earlier, her eyes hollow and filled with rage.
“Why are you here?” her voice echoed, though her lips didn’t move.
“I...I’m just documenting,” Logan stammered.
“You disturb our rest,” she said. “You will stay with us.”
The mirror’s surface began to swirl, pulling at him with an unseen force. Logan screamed, fighting against it, but the pull was too strong.
Chapter 8: The Rescue
Logan woke up hours later—or was it days?—on the front lawn of Blackwood Manor. His camera lay beside him, its battery inexplicably full.
Disoriented, he stumbled to his car and drove away, not daring to look back.
When he finally uploaded the footage, it went viral. The distorted images, the whispers, and the final scene with the mirror left his viewers in awe—and terror.
But Logan didn’t feel like celebrating. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he hadn’t truly escaped.
Sometimes, in the dead of night, he would hear the whispers again.
And in every reflection, he swore he saw her watching.