Free Shake, Rattle And Haunt by Terri Grimes

Make a noise. Show yourself.”
    Without warning, the air grew thick and heavy, making it difficult to breathe. The meter I held went crazy, the needle jumping from 1.3 all the way up to 9.5. Frantic, I nudged Sam, pointing to the EMF meter. I remembered him saying something earlier about the meter showing possible signs of spirits being nearby when it would jump to a much higher number, similar to what it was doing now. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this one little bit.
    Sam pointed the tiny beam of his mini flashlight onto the face of the meter. He pulled the walkie-talkie out of his back pocket, speaking into it in a quiet, yet urgent tone. “We’re getting a reading of 9.5 on the EMF, Timmy. Our base reading was 1.3 milligauss up here, but now it’s jumping all over the place. Make sure you log the reading, okay?”
    “Copy that, Sam. Will do.” Timmy’s voice squawked over the static of the walkie-talkie.
    As Sam slid the instrument into his back pocket, I heard a faint sound which seemed to be emanating from the end of the hallway, near the attic door. I grabbed his shirt sleeve. “Is that your stomach growling?”
    “No, I thought it was yours.”
    “But, you heard it, right?”
    “Almost like a small animal growling? Hell yeah, I heard it.”
    The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew that Sam and I weren’t alone. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be in the brightly lit kitchen with Timmy, sipping a hot cup of tea, forgetting all about this paranormal business. In fact, I was just about to tell Sam I was done for the night and could take no more when he grabbed my arm and bent his head to mine, speaking softly in my ear.
    “Gertie, do you hear a light knocking sound, almost like footsteps?”
    Oh. Shit. I did.
    “Yes. What is it?”
    “Everything is okay, just stay close to me,” Sam cautioned.
    He didn’t have to ask me twice. I plastered myself so close to him that we were practically wearing the same jeans.
    We made our way down the hallway toward the guest room at the end of the hall, where the footsteps seemed to be emanating. Almost the very spot where I thought the growling sound had come from. As we stepped through the open doorway of the guest room, I could have sworn I saw the faintest movement of a shadow by the closet.
    “We know you are here with us.” Sam’s voice pierced the thick silence of the not so empty room. “We mean you no harm. We want to communicate with you. If you talk into this silver box, we will be able to hear you. Speak towards the small red light.”
    I wrapped my arms around myself as a shiver ran through my body from the cold air. Even though Indiana weather was unpredictable at best, there was no reason I should be able to see my breath in this room on an April evening, yet, I did.
    “Communicate with us. We are here to help you. Give us a sign, make a noise,” Sam urged again.
    In the shadowy darkness I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw the closet door move, ever so slightly. “Did you touch that closet door?”
    “No.”
    “But it’s moving. Are you sure you didn’t bump into it?”
    “Shhh,” Sam said to me, shooting me a warning look, barely visible by the light of the moon coming in through the bedroom window. “Could you please come forward and communicate with us? Is that you moving the closet door? If so, thank you, but we need a clearer sign. Step forward and give us a sign of your presence.”
    I jumped as the closet door slammed shut. My heart pounded so hard I thought I would faint. But then, in an instant, the air became lighter, making it easier to breathe. It was apparent that whatever had been there was now gone just as rapidly as it had arrived. In the pitch-black darkness, we were seeing scary things in every corner. I hoped when the sun came out we would realize the scary things were really nothing at all.
    “What the hell was that?” I was almost giddy with relief at  the