MissAnthropy | Haunted

There was no sign of the summer warm, just a grey day devoid of colors. There was also no sign of former inhabitants, just a big empty house devoid of life. The only things that seemed to remain were the shadows, which actually looked more solid than the foundations over which that old decrepit building stood.

"Hey, Zuri, remind me how you found this shitty place". The smile on Carl's face is not judgemental: he is actually thinking that the old ruin is perfect for their video.

While they crossed the garden, Carl scanned the area, albeit without too much interest. Their steps were soundless against the grass, or maybe it was just the growling sound from Carl's stomach that prevented him from hearing anything else, but that at least served to pull him back to reality.

"Anybody brought a snack? I could eat something ‘fore we start shooting"

Immediately a Cliffbar pegs Carl in the shoulder, as Zuri finishes pulling herself out of the open window on the other side of the vehicle. She springs out of the car with a sharp grin crossing her face, and pulls out her phone. "It's even better than the picture..." Brushing some of her wild ebony curls out of her face she lines up the first of many pictures she expected to be taking tonight. "Come on you lazy bitches, let's get this party started!" Drumming out and trill of slaps against the van. She had been practically vibrating as they were pulling in but now she was effervescent.

Rae spent most the drive watching out of the window, her fingers tapping restlessly on her leg. Occasional attempts to check on the group social media were made, but she had too many thoughts on her mind.

As the care pulls to a stop she hops out, but while the rest start admiring the house she beelines to check on the equipment, before looking up and finally taking in the building. She throws Zuri a glance, wondering if this place would suit their purpose as she had said it would... It would make a good filming spot at least.

'We should scout out places first, before lugging the gear in. ' She half announces to the car trunk rather than the group.

Cadence quietly climbs out of the band's vehicle and goes to the back. Opening it, she pulls out the pack full of her performance ensemble, her cased bass, and her gear bag. She hoists them all up onto her back and shoulder, then closes the door and takes a few strides toward the house.

She stops short of the old stone steps and takes in the sight of the old place. There was something rotting and foul about this house and its grounds. Perfect for their new video, for their latest song, EVP. Zuri would surely extrapolate that it means Electronic Voice Phenomenon. Black grins. She had her own private little meaning for what EVP stood for.

Stephanie made sure she was quite in the centre of the group as she looked at the house.

"Well, it looks quite pale... and grim... but that's cool." she said, while silently adding in her thoughts; all the brighter I will shine in the video. "This is great production value, we'll be a hit on YouTube for sure."

She carried her microphone of course, and made sure to drag along some of the less heavy equipment.

"Sweet", Carl replies as he starts to unwrap Zuri's former cliff bar. He seems perfectly at ease with the tranquil contemplation of Cadence and Stephanie dragging the heavy stuff out of the van.

"Yeah, Rae's right, we should take a look first", he agrees, but only as an excuse to not lift anything.

Words are reinforced by actions, so Carl steps onto the front porch and holds onto the knob, which promptly disagrees.

"Door's closed", he announces to the rest of the group.

The knob is probably not a big deal, but the padlock is an unpleasant surprise, so he examines it trying to discern how shitty it is on the shitty padlock scale.

"Anyone got a bobby pin I can borrow?"

'...I have a hammer...' Rae wanders towards Carl having pulled out a large rucksack and slung it over her back. The other would know by know she kept all sort of spare bits and cables in there, along with a couple of tools, and a laptop in a padded compartment. Over her shoulder she also slings a bag with a handheld video camera. Worse quality than the big 'real deal' ones but she had suggested it might be interesting to make some shots look 'found footage' esque.

"There could also be a tire tool or a crowbar in the van, right?" Cade suggests, as she adjusts the load on her shoulder. "We should make this quick, before we all end up sleeping in the jail tonight. Not looking to be some toothless redneck gorilla girl's bitch tonight."

Zuri finished takiong pictures of the group gathering around the door, and snickers aloud as Carl starts picking the lock. "Saving this one for the Police... Everyone! Say B and E!" She takes the shot and puts her phone away to grab her personal bag, and tucking a pair of drumsticks into her belt. The rest can wait til later.

"Everybody just chill. This place is miles from anywhere. And when is the last time you had cell service, right? It's like Six. Joe Farmer Bumfuck is already asleep and the Sherrif is fucking the sheep... let's fucking rage." This was as much a vacation as shoot as far as Zuri was concerned, but she never had a great work ethic. "Are we in?"

"Wow, this place seems ancient... has no one been in here for decades?" Stephanie asks as she very carefully steps in. Slowly, one foot in front of another. Half tippy toes. As if not to disturb the furniture (or rats or spiders) that have been frozen in time here. She makes a point of not touching anything. Spiders... dust... that is something she hadn't really considered. But still...

"This is so dark and spooky. I love it. I will stand out extra shinging in this environment on video!"

Cade shrugs her pack off shoulder and crouches to dig through the side pocket. She pulls out a maglight and a collapsible baton. Shouldering her bag once more, she presses on the light and holds the beam at the floor of the porch and clicks the truncheon into extended mode.

"Try not disturb too much..." Cade says, as she crossed the threshold. "...And keep a look out for pests and poisonous spiders." She shines her light low and ahead of them so they can be sure of their footing and occasionally flicks the light upward so they don't get caught in the cobwebs; which she whisks aside with the baton.

It's good to know that Rae has a hammer, but even though Carl might look sloppy, he has higher standards wrt break-ins and so dismisses the idea.

"Not every nail needs a hammer...", he mutters wisely as he works his way around the padlock, with his tongue slightly out.

Carl's also not so sure about Cade's words, he thinks the average gorilla might very well end up being Cade's bitch, but he keeps his mouth shut. Zuri photo taking makes him frown a little, but then he remembers this is not one of his regular "jobs" and manages to relax. Success! The shitty padlock is gone and they enter the house.

The living room is quiet, hollow, frozen in time. Steph's words make him funny, it strikes him as weird to think that sometime in the past this house belonged to an actual family, maybe even a loving one, maybe even with dogs and everything. The strange feeling is shaken to pieces by something (a mouse?) that seems to move fast close to his feet and causes him to jerk and jump in its place.

"The fuck was that?", he asks pointing with his index finger to the little "mouse" that on second thought looks like just a piece of paper.

With a resting smirk on her black-painted lips, Zuri steps in passed Raechel, motioning to her to not give it away. She enters the House. Cade was going all John Wick, so she put Carl between them. But that was okay because Carl was just always a better target. Z-da-B was timing it, not really paying attention to the general creepiness and her macabre and skeptical self was more interested in goofing off.

Watching as Carl shifted his head and as he points, "Ahhhhhhhh!" Zuri was behind him screaming aloud to frighten him and the rest of the Band if possible, before devolving into laughter. She smiles as if this was all a big game to her, bumping up against Stephanie and giving a playful wink. "... I mean it... you all need to relax... This is why there are all those rumors." She walks forward to check out whatever Carl was pointing at.

Stephanie gives a little smile as Zuri screams, runs around and bumps into her.

"Sussh, will you?" she asks. "All that noise. You don't want to wake up any ghosts, do you?"

She asks it with a sparkle in her eyes and a smile on her face. They're about to be making some music in here soon anyway.
Not that Steph believed in ghosts. She did believe in rats and spiders though. And Cade's comment about poisonous ones made her glance at the ceiling and the cobwebs.