🖤 The Spectral Swingers - Part 1

A party that shaped her destiny

Photo by Ján Jakub Naništa on Unsplash

“I have to study this weekend! You guys go to the party without me.”

Ann frowned. “Come on, Hannah. You’ll never get a chance like this again!”

“I’ll join you next year. I promise.”

“No, you won’t. By that time, you’ll be a cop. There’s no way you’ll ever do something like this again. Hell, you’ll be one of the jerks who always try to catch us.”

Hannah sighed and closed her eyes. She knew Ann was right. Breaking into that old house would be too risky for her career once she had an actual job. It was now or never, and she was leaning pretty hard toward never.

Ann pushed her shoulder. “I heard Mike was going to be there. If he can go, you sure can. Right? Or do you want him ending up with someone like Katie?”

Fucking Katie. No, she didn’t want to picture that. She kind of liked knowing that he would be there. Being around him made her feel safe, even though she would never tell him that.

“Fine. I’ll fucking go, okay? But you’re gonna owe me one. And if I fail my final, I’ll find some way to make you pay.”

“Calm down, officer nerd! You know you won’t fail. It’s gonna be wild! I was a little scared to go without you. But now we can look out for each other.”

Uh-huh. Right. Ann was always slipping off with a new crush. It was highly unlikely that she could trust the horniest girl at the party to look out for her. But Mike? Mike had always been protective of her. He was too damn shy to make a move, but she could tell something was going on. Maybe this weekend would loosen him up enough for them to get together.

One way or another…

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“What the hell? How far is this place?”

“I don’t know. Can’t be much farther though. Don’t distract me!” Ann grumbled as she focused on the dark winding road ahead. Her weak headlights barely showed the track between black trees with clutching branches.

Hannah rolled her eyes and sighed. The little car bounced along the rutted road, jostling them as they navigated the crumbling surface. It was obvious that no one came out here anymore. Well, hardly anyone. The seniors from the local college had recently started an annual Halloween tradition of throwing an unusual party in the abandoned house.

Few were brave enough to make the trek out here for a couple of reasons. One, the stories of what had happened to the previous owners discouraged most from exploring the property, especially at night. And two, the rumors about what happened at these parties were enough to scare away the rest. The students who showed up knew what might happen, and the thought excited them. It wasn’t for the prudish or faint of heart, for sure.

As they rounded a corner, the forest opened up and their headlights reflected off a row of cars already parked near the dark dwelling’s overgrown yard. Dim lights flickered behind tattered curtains on the first floor. Hannah shivered. This was even spookier than she had imagined. She was already regretting her decision to come.

“We’re late!” Ann whined. “If they’ve already started, we’re screwed. We’ll get stuck with the worst of the worst!”

“If they’ve already started, let’s leave. I already don’t like this, and I sure as hell don’t want to end up with someone like Mark or that one guy… Tim? Fuck that.”

Ann threw the car into park and turned off the ignition. “Come on. Let’s check it out before you jump to conclusions, little Miss Sourpuss.”

They grabbed their coats and closed the car doors behind them. The dim moonlight made it a little easier to find the cracked sidewalk to the porch. Climbing the creaking old steps, they pushed the front door open and slipped inside. Hannah had to admit that the camping lanterns and candles made the living room warmer and more welcoming than she had expected. Music was playing, and people were passing out drinks from a few coolers lined up against one wall.

A young man straightened up with a smile as he walked over. “Hannah! You came!”

She smiled at Mike before he pulled her in for a hug. Ann looked at him with raised eyebrows. “I see, Mike. Already playing favorites, huh? No hug for me?”

He blushed as he released Hannah and turned toward her. “Not true. I always have a hug for you.”

Ann slid into his embrace and winked at Hannah over his shoulder. Rolling her eyes, Hannah waited until they were done. “So, Mike. What do you know about this place?”

He shrugged before answering. “A little. Not much, I’m afraid. My brother told me some stuff about his party a few years ago. But he acted pretty weird about it. I do know that the people who lived here weren’t too popular with the rest of the town. My grandma called them a sex cult.” He laughed and looked away.

“Grrrreat. A cult.” Hannah glared at Ann. “So, what happened? Did they all drink the Kool-Aid in some sort of suicide pact? I heard that a lot of people died here, and that’s why the property was abandoned.”

“No, it wasn’t like that. At least, not from what I heard. It was a chilly October night like this one, so they had the old basement furnace fired up. But it was in pretty awful shape. I heard the whole house died in their sleep of carbon monoxide poisoning. Weird and sad, but nothing violent.”

“So, is tonight the night? The anniversary of their deaths? Fuck. What a morbid party!”

“I don’t know about that. I don’t see it as morbid. They knew how to party, if you ask me! If anything, this celebrates who they were. Kind of respects it. I think that’s why they play with us.”

Hannah’s stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot. “Play with us. What does that mean exactly?”

Ann laughed. “They play. We fuck. We cum. Over and over again. What don’t you understand about that?”

Mike blushed. “Ummm, sure. It can be like that for some people, I guess. My brother said it was more like a feeling. Like remembering something you had experienced before, but it wasn’t your memories. I don’t know if that makes sense. Kind of like getting high—or turned on a little—when their memories flow through you. But you gotta be open to it. In the right frame of mind. Otherwise, you just watch the others having fun… which is okay, I guess.”

Ann frowned. “I thought it was more than that. Like one big ghost orgy or something?”

He seemed uncomfortable. “Well, yeah. Sure. I think that might happen to some people. But, like I said. You gotta be in the right frame of mind for that.”

She brightened up. “Cool! Well, time for me to get in that frame of mind.” She left and walked over to the coolers to search for a drink.

Mike glanced at Hannah. “You know, you don’t have to do any of this if you don’t want to. I was actually surprised to see you here.”

“Oh? But, it is the kind of party you want?”

“Ummm… well… I don’t know. My brother made it sound interesting. I was more curious about the house being haunted than anything else. Really!”

“Uh-huh… So, you have no interest in the sexy part of it?”

Mike shifted uncomfortably and looked around the room. “Well, I guess I was a little curious about that, too. Like, how do they do it? How does it happen? I’m not opposed to the experience, but it would have to be with the right person.”

“Like Ann?”

“No, not her. I mean, she’s nice and all. But… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just hang back and see what happens.”

Hannah laughed and poked him. “I’m just messing with you. I know she isn’t your type.”

“Oh, you know my type, do you?”

She smiled at him shyly. “I might. I have some ideas. Come on, let’s stick together. I don’t really trust anyone else here. Let’s grab a drink, okay?”

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