#river rees

(I combined them because I'm late)

River had played up his fear of skeletons over the years. Turned it into a joke, something he could laugh at. Something he could cope with. But what about a building FULL of skeletons?

The Twin Paranormal trio has decided to check out a supposedly haunted skeleton-themed museum. It wasn't far from home and the owner Selena had practically been in tears recounting all the horrors she'd faced since she bought the place last year.

All of this raced through River's mind as he followed Ryan and Wyatt into the museum's rusted double doors.

Selena had hurried through her knowledge of the history of the place, slapped the key into Ryan's hand and left like her ass was on fire.

It took Ryan a moment to get the key to work in the lock, pushing open the doors as soon as he was able. The interior was very dark. River flipped his camera light on. It revealed a long hallway as the entrance to the museum, lined with displays. Even from where River was standing, he could see the pale grinning faces of the dead.

He gulped and adjusted his hat. He wasn't scared. Not a bit.

One of the stories Selena had told them was about how she came in one day only to find a display open and the skeleton nowhere to be seen. She had thought that she had been robbed only to turn a corner later and find the missing cowboy with his six-shooter pointed at her.

But skeletons didn't move on their own, River assured himself. He had seen a lot of crazy stuff during his paranormal career and he felt like he knew the limits of what entities could manage to do.

Moving entire skeletons wasn't one of them. No, no. He was being silly.

"You do the hallway, I'll get the office in the back," Wyatt told River casually, already on his way down the hall with his camera. Ryan was following him with the REM-PODS in hand.

“Okay,” River called after them.

He got his camera ready, pondering what and where he was going to film for B roll footage. It was fine if he was on his own. He wasn't scared…

His whole body jerked as he turned and found a gnarly skeleton staring at him through the glass. It was dressed like a sheriff with a little bowler hat and badge.

As the other two went through the door at the far end of the hallway, the room fell quiet. River's boots sounded deafening to him as he made his way along the row of displays to pick one to film.

Cow skeletons. Not too scary.

Wolf skeletons. Not bad, but they reminded him of Resident Evil.

Stepping past the wolves, he spotted another human skeleton. It was dressed up in a cowboy outfit with a leather vest, tattered flannel shirt and old timey jeans. A cowboy skeleton might be good footage.

He crouched and got a low angle of it, slowly panning over the empty sockets of its eyes peeking out from under its wide brimmed hat.

As he stood to finish off the video, he heard a small thump. Thinking he dropped something, River pointed his light to check. Nothing.

When he turned his camera back to the cowboy, a blur of movement caught his eye. He froze, moving his camera in the same way. It was just a shadow. Phew.

Another small thump by his feet. But this time when he looked, he found a tiny off white bit of something. Kneeling down, he realized it was an old tooth.

River picked it up and held it up to the skeleton.

"Is this yours, buddy?" He asked jokingly.

The skeleton's jaw dropped open, scattering several teeth down the front of his shirt.

Every hair on River's body stood on end. He couldn't move. He was frozen with the tooth pinched between two fingers, staring at the skeleton through the dusty glass.

Floorboards! It had to be from when he stepped on the old floorboards in front of the display. It shook the skeleton and the wire in its jaw came loose.

Yeah. That was it, River told himself.

A soft creaking caught his attention as the cowboy came tumbling off his bar stool, slamming up against the glass right in front of River's face.

Taking a breath, River turned away slowly and went back down the hall.

He wasn't going to panic. He wasn't going to freak out.

He walked quickly to the door at the end of the hallway. Shoving through it, he searched for his brother and Wyatt.

"Guys?" He asked, startled as he passed several skeletons in old timey dresses with parasols in hand.

One of them tipped her head to the side to watch him.

"Ryan?" River called, hurrying around a skeletal horse pulling a covered wagon. He stopped and took a deep breath.

Ryan and Wyatt were probably playing a trick on him. 

Maybe the skeletons were automated and they had gone ahead to the control room.

That gave him an idea.

Gathering his courage, he doubled back to the women.

"M'ladies," he quipped, pretending to tip a hat. River pulled out the EMF reader from his pack and clicked it on, stretching his arm out as far as he could to run it over the skeletons.

If they were automated and had power, it should go off at least a little.

It spiked to red.

River shook his head. Of course his brother would try and mess with him. They were at a museum of skeletons!

Tucking the EMF away, River glanced around for cameras. The timing for the skeletons was too good. Ryan and Wyatt had to be able to see him.

A door creaked behind him.

“You guys got me good,” River said, pointing his camera as he turned.

It wasn't Ryan or Wyatt standing there, though. Looming in the doorway to the museum's front door stood a mass of bone and leather. It looked like several skeletons had been smashed together, with dozens of limbs and legs. Five grinning skulls twisted to look at him.

River blinked.

No. No, he was really seeing that.

“Ha ha,” he said dryly. “I know that's you guys.”

The skeleton crawled toward him, knocking the horse and wagon aside. Pieces flung past River's boots. 

It this was a prank, it was an expensive one. They'd be lucky if they weren't thrown out for causing this much damage to the displays.

Unless it wasn't a prank…

Every fiber of River's being told him to run, still he held strong.

The thing stopped right in front of him, its many arms held high like a spider ready to attack.

River stared up at it. Despite his determination, he had broken into a cold sweat.

It stared back through empty sockets, hunching down to be eye to eye with him. Standing eye to eye with it, River couldn't see any wires or motors. Only bones and crumpled clothing.

Then it dove at him, and River heard himself scream. Leather tangled around him and squeezed, capturing his whole body like a web.

Dull teeth dug into his leg. Sharp bone fingers closed in around his face.

Then he was awake. Panting and sweating in the driver's seat of the car.

“Dude,” Ryan griped, rolling in the passenger's seat to face the window more.

River looked around through wide eyes as it all came back to him. They had arrived too early and decided to nap in the car until it got late enough to start their investigation.

River stared out the front window. They were parked outside of the museum. The skeleton museum.

“I don't want to do this one,” he said.

“Why?” Ryan mumbled, tugging his hoodie down over his face more.

River wasn't sure how to explain. Ryan would probably think it sounded stupid.

“I had a nightmare about this place.”

“What kind of nightmare?”

Ryan sat up and shifted to look at him.

River froze.

Ryan's face had been replaced by a skull.

For the second time, River sat up like a shot. This time he was in his bed, safely back home in his own room. Not a skeleton in sight.

“How're you feeling?” Wyatt asked, stepping into the room with a big cup in hand. “That Taco Bell really messed you up.”

“What?” River asked.

Wyatt handed him the cup. It smelled like peppermint.

“You know. Food poisoning?” Wyatt asked.

River ran a hand over his face and nodded. Wyatt stepped away and he sank down in the blankets.

“Hopefully you're feeling better by tomorrow. Ryan found some museum he wants to check out.”

River stared after him.

In fact, there's really not that much for TP on here at all 😩 I honestly thought I would find a gold mine of stuff but noooope 😮‍💨

Ryan Rees:

..nothing yet...

River Rees:

..nothing yet...

Wyatt Hausman:

..nothing yet...

Seth Borden:

...nothing yet...

Exploring with Josh: