Date: August 11, 2021
Mission: Haunted House Investigation
Remember when Phreak and I used to joke about how our missions could never get stranger? Well, tonight took the cake. It all started with a call from an elderly woman who was convinced her house was haunted. She lived alone in a creaky old mansion that looked like it was straight out of a horror movie. The noises and shadows she saw had her convinced that some restless spirit was at play.
She had already contacted the police, but they found nothing. Desperate, she found us and asked for help. Naturally, we obliged. The Everyday Heroes don’t charge for our services; we’re here to protect the community.
Phreak and I arrived at the mansion around midnight. It was a gloomy night, the kind where the moon hides behind thick clouds, making everything pitch dark. We did our usual checks: secured the perimeter, made sure our communication devices were working, and had T’Nek on standby through our Bluetooth earbuds, ready to guide us if needed.
We entered the house, and the old lady was visibly relieved to see us. She was frail, with a worry etched deep into her wrinkles. She explained the noises were coming mostly from the attic, where she had stored her late husband’s belongings. She hadn’t been up there in years.
We cautiously made our way to the attic. Every creak of the wooden steps echoed through the house, and it felt like we were walking into a trap. Phreak, ever the comedian, whispered, “Maybe we’ll find a friendly ghost this time.”
We reached the attic, and it was as dusty and cluttered as you’d expect. Suddenly, we heard a noise—a scuffling sound. Phreak and I exchanged glances and moved toward the source. That’s when we saw him: a young man, probably in his early twenties, rummaging through boxes. He looked disheveled, his eyes wide and frantic.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing here?” I shouted.
The guy turned around, startled. He was clearly high on something, and his hands shook as he tried to explain himself. It turns out he was the woman’s grandson, squatting in her attic without her knowledge, using the place as his hideout while he got high.
Phreak stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. “You need to come with us, kid. You can’t be here.”
The guy didn’t take kindly to that. He lunged at Phreak, and before I knew it, we were in a full-blown scuffle. Phreak’s training kicked in, and within seconds, he had the kid pinned to the ground. I grabbed some zip ties from my vest and secured his hands.
“You’re coming with us,” I said, dragging him down the stairs.
The old woman was waiting anxiously at the bottom. When she saw her grandson, she gasped. “Tommy? What are you doing here?”
Tommy mumbled something incoherent, but it was clear he wasn’t in his right mind. The woman’s eyes welled up with tears. She thanked us repeatedly, though the relief in her voice was tinged with sadness.
We called the police, explaining the situation anonymously, and waited until they arrived. They took Tommy away, and we assured the woman that her house was safe again.
As we walked back to the van, Phreak sighed. “Everyday Heroes, huh? Guess we’re more like everyday problem-solvers.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, but someone’s gotta do it.”
Tonight was just another reminder of why we do what we do. It’s not always glamorous, but helping those in need is what being an Everyday Hero is all about.