Forgotten Shadows
By Bonnie Gerstenlauer
Chapter 1
The ancient church loomed in the moonlight, its stone walls weathered by centuries of storms and secrets. Located in a remote village in Germany, it had long been the subject of local legends. Whispers of hauntings, disappearances, and cursed burial chambers beneath its foundations drew the attention of a paranormal investigation team of four; Tom, Sarah, Jim, and Kim.
Tom, the lead investigator, stood at the entrance, his heart pounding with a mix of excitement and dread. “This is it, everyone. Let’s set up in the main hall first,” He gestured toward the grand wooden doors that creaked ominously as they pushed them open.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of damp stone and dust. Kim, the skeptic of the group, started unpacking the equipment. “I still don’t get why we’re here. It’s just an old church. There’s no such thing as ghosts.”
“Just keep an open mind. You might be surprised,” Sarah replied, her voice soft, almost melodic. As the team’s psychic, she had a unique sensitivity to the energies around them. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. “I can already feel something…it feels different here.”
Jim, the tech support guy, fiddled with his audio recorders and cameras, setting them up throughout the rooms, to capture ambient sounds and any movement, hoping to document anything unusual in their investigation tonight. “I’ve got the night vision cameras ready. Let’s get some good footage for the vlog!”
His enthusiasm was infectious, but a shadow seemed to pass across his face when he glanced at the darkened corners of the church. A sudden chill swept through the hall as Jim’s flashlight flickered, casting moving shadows along the wall.
“Okay team, let’s get started.” Tom commanded. The four of them moved to the back of the church, heading towards the vestibule.
Chapter 2
An unsettling tension hung in the air during the first few hours as the team explored the church, documenting their findings along the way. As the evening deepened, they gathered in the main hall, reviewing their footage and sharing past investigation stories. Laughter echoed off the stone walls, but it felt forced, brittle.
Jim suddenly noticed the camera in the basement wasn’t working. “I’m going to check the camera downstairs,” He announced, his eyes gleaming with a mix of fear and thrill. “I wanted to see those burial chambers up close anyhow.”
“Be careful.” Tom cautioned. “We’ll stick close by.”
“Relax, I’ll be right back!” Jim waved them off, disappearing through a door marked “STAFF ONLY.”
Minutes turned into half an hour. The remaining three huddled together, exchanging anxious glances. “That camera still isn’t working. Should we go look for him?” Kim asked, biting her lip.
“Just a few more minutes,” Tom said, though he felt a knot tightening in his stomach. Just then, the lights overhead flickered ominously.
Finally, they decided to search for Jim. As they descended the narrow staircase into the basement, the atmosphere shifted. The walls felt as if they were closing in.
“Jim!” Tom called out, his voice echoing against the stone.
“Jim, can you hear us?” Sarah shouted, desperation creeping into her tone as they moved further into the darkness, their footsteps hesitant on the cold stone floor.
“Hello? Where are you Jim?” Kim asked frantically.
They searched every corner of the subterranean chambers, only finding his flashlight, lying on the ground alone. Tom picked it up, his heart sinking. They checked the last recording made down here and found it distorted, filled with static. But through the noise, they could make out Jim’s frightened voice, “Something’s down here… I can feel it… it’s—”
“Oh my God, poor Jim!” Kim screamed, her voice breaking. A gust of freezing air rushed past her, and she stumbled backward, nearly knocking over Sarah, her breath fogging in the oppressive cold.
Chapter 3
The three of them ran up the stairs, panic setting in, and regrouped in the main hall, as the realization of Jim’s disappearance weighed heavily on their hearts. “We need to get out of here,” Kim urged, her voice trembling.
“No, we can’t leave yet,” Tom insisted. “We need to find Jim. He wouldn’t just vanish.”
Sarah trembled, “I feel something… it’s …watching us.” From the far end of the room, a muffled thump echoed, unnaturally loud in the hushed air. Suddenly, the lights flickered again, casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. Sarah’s face paled as she clutched the bright scarf tied around her neck. “We need to be very careful because…”
Before she could finish, a loud crash echoed from the room next door. They all jumped, terrified, then Tom instinctively rushed toward the sound. Kim and Sarah followed closely behind, both of their hearts racing in their chests.
“Stay right behind me!” Tom shouted over his shoulder. When they reached the door, they found it ajar, swinging slightly as if inviting them in.
Chapter 4
Inside, they found a mess: overturned furniture and scattered equipment. Kim turned to look behind her but Sarah was nowhere to be seen. “Sarah?” Tom called, panic creeping into his voice. “Where are you?”
Then Kim spotted it—a flash of bright color against the dull stone floor. Sarah’s scarf lay twisted and forgotten, just inches away from them. “Tom, she was just here!” Kim gasped, picking up the scarf. “What’s happening? Where did she go?”
“We need to leave, right now.” Tom ordered, his heart racing. As they turned to go, the air grew thick, an oppressive weight pressing down on them. Tom felt a chill run down his spine, an instinctual warning that they were not alone. Suddenly something yanked Kim backwards towards the shadows, her scream echoing through the empty hall. Tom lunged after her, his fingers grasping desperately into the air.
He stumbled backward, breathless and filled with dread. “Screw this!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty space as he sprinted towards the front of the church.
Chapter 5
Frantic, Tom quickly gathered the equipment, glancing nervously at the shadows that seemed to dance along the walls. The oppressive atmosphere made it hard to think. Every sound felt amplified; the rustle of his shirt’s fabric, the creak of the floorboards, the distant echo of footsteps outside that grew closer.
Just as he finished packing, the lights flickered violently, plunging the church into darkness. Panic surged through him as a growl echoed from the depths of the church, vibrating through the stone walls. Tom felt a surge of terror, dropping the equipment. He rushed to the exit empty-handed, bursting through the heavy doors and into the crisp night air.
Chapter 6
He ran from the church, panting and breathless, not daring to look back. The darkness behind him felt alive, as if it were reaching out, trying to pull him back into the shadows. He didn’t stop until he reached the van, collapsing against the side, gasping for breath.
“What just happened?” he cried, tears streaming down his face. “Where’s Kim? Where’s Sarah and Jim?” He shook his head, feeling a sense of loss that was unbearable.
As he drove away, the church faded into the distance, its silhouette swallowed by the night. The weight of his experience pressed heavily on him, a reminder of the terror he had faced.
Epilogue: The Aftermath
Months later, Tom sat in a coffee shop, the remnants of the investigation still haunting his dreams. He vowed never to return to the world of paranormal investigations, grateful to have escaped with his life. But the memory of losing his friends still lingered, a chilling reminder of the darkness they had encountered.
As he stared into his coffee, the shadows of the church flickering in his mind, Tom thought, “I don’t know where you guys are. But I hope you've found peace.”
Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, carrying the echoes of the past, a haunting melody that would never truly fade away. The church stood silent, waiting for its next visitors, the secrets of the burial chambers still deep within its walls.