Evidence

 

Do you see? Do you see why you need to stay away?

 

A Warning

Things have totally gone to Hell. It's about 3 a.m. 30 minutes ago we were all still sitting around staring into the fire. No one was talking so everything was silent except for the sounds of nature. But suddenly, I noticed I couldn't even here those anymore. No crickets, no owls, nothing. I could tell everyone else was starting to get uncomfortable too. Then, it started. The growling. It was just as terrifying as the last time I heard it. The sound seemed to be coming from all around us, and we began to hear branches snapping, like people were walking through the woods. Right then, I realized we'd made a horrible mistake. This was way beyond anything we were equipped to deal with. We all got up and clustered together close to the fire like it could protect us. I was huddled between Agnes and Peter, the three of us trembling nonstop. And then it got worse. The growls turned into savage screams and a sudden gust of wind blew our fire out, plunging us into darkness. The sky was overcast, so we didn't even have light from the moon. Something shoved me from behind, and I fell to the ground. I heard one of my team members scream; I think it was Peter. I looked up and saw a dark figure stalking towards me. It was one of the co-eds. Despite my earlier optimism about trying to reason with them, I knew it was no use. I panicked and ran into the trees. As I fled, I heard one of my team members scream again, but there was nothing I could do. I sprinted for what seemed like hours, but I still couldn't find the road. My adrenaline began to wear off, so I had to take a break and sat down against a tree. I finally had the presence of mind to call the police, who naturally thought I was nuts. They said they were sending people, but it would be awhile since I couldn't give them my exact location.
So, now I'm still sitting here by this damn tree blogging to a bunch of strangers on my smartphone. Is this really how my life is gonna end? I have the horrible feeling that my team members might be dead and that I'm next. I mean, if they were still alive I would have heard them, right? They would be yelling or...oh God. I can hear the growling again. They're here. I'm gonna try to take a picture so you guys can see why you need to stay out of these woods. Please, just stay away.

 

Live Update

It's about 2 a.m., and I'm freezing. The temperature has dropped to under 40 degrees, and I'm beginning to regret this trip even though we haven't even seen any ghosts yet. At least we have some cell service out here. We found a little clearing close to the lake and set up our tents and equipment. We have cameras set up all around camp. Some are filming and the others are periodically snapping photos. Hopefully, they catch a glimpse of something even if we don't. After making camp, we split up and explored the surrounding area until about 10 p.m., but once it got pitch dark we gravitated toward the comfort of the fire and each other. Although the ghostly co-eds have yet to make an appearance, I think everyone if feeling really on edge. I guess all we can do is wait. But what are paranormal investigators supposed to do when they sit around a campfire? At this point, telling ghost stories doesn't sound appealing. There's no way we can relax enough to sleep. I managed to talk Tim and Agnes into playing I Spy for a little bit, but we lost interest in that pretty quick. So now we're just sitting here staring into flames. I'll let you know if anything interesting happens.

Back to the Beginning

Well, I think we've gotten pretty good at this ghost hunting thing. I finally felt brave enough to suggest investigating the woods near Cheat Lake, which is where all this began. I'm really not looking forward to the prospect of running into the decapitated co-eds again, but it feels like something I just have to do. Sort of like finding some closure. I still have the occasional nightmare about the girls stalking towards me on the side of the road, and I think going back with my friends will help. Maybe if I see the co-eds as just another investigation they'll stop haunting my dreams. Who knows, now that I'm used to the idea of ghosts I might even be able to communicate with them.What if they're not actually hostile, just scared and in pain because of the way they suffered? We're heading out to the woods at about 6 p.m. to set up camp. I haven't been camping since I was 5 (I got poison oak), so this will definitely be interesting. Peter's bringing along some extra recording equipment since these are the most corporeal ghosts any of us have ever encountered and we might be able to film some great evidence. I'll try to add some live updates if I have a signal on my phone. Wish us luck.

Oak Grove Cemetery

Since the Hotel Morgan investigation was a huge success, we decided to explore some more reportedly haunted locations (after giving Tim some time to recover from his ghostly encounter). Next, we decided to visit Oak Grove Cemetery. There have been numerous accounts of disturbed grave sites and spectral images on the premises. We arrived at the cemetery around midnight, since all of the sightings occurred late at night. I was more worried about attracting the attention of law enforcement than ghosts since groups of people hanging around in dark graveyards tend to arouse suspicion.
For this investigation, we all brought cameras along, because film sometimes catches what the human eye cannot. We split up and wandered around taking pictures in the graveyard for about two and a half hours. Nothing spectacular happened, and everyone left feeling cold, tired, and frustrated. However, when we examined our film the next day, we discovered the night hadn't been a waste after all. Agnes and Peter both had unexplained figures in some of their photos. One of the figures appeared to be a man in a torn, dirty suit and the other a dark haired woman in a long, white dress. Both of the figures showed up in pictures taken near a particular ancient looking mausoleum.
So, now we're two for two. I'm starting to suspect there's something special about Morgantown.

The Meeting

Today I finally got to meet the people I have been talking to online. A couple of days ago Peter, the reporter, suggested we all get together, so we decided on today at noon in Jay's Daily Grind. I was nervous, because meeting everyone in person made the whole thing seem more real. People talk about crazy things online all the time, but meeting up with strangers to talk about paranormal activity in a coffee shop felt like a point of no return.
Things were a little awkward at first. The five of us (me, Peter, Tim, Alcyone, and Agnes) huddled around a table in the corner to ensure privacy. No one really seemed to know what to say at first. Alcyone finally broke the ice by talking about her knowledge of spectral activity and sharing some of her own paranormal experiences. She seems more comfortable discussing the supernatural than the rest of us. After that, one by one, each of us shared our own experiences and opinions on the existence of ghosts.
After talking for around two hours, we decided it was time to take action. We agreed to conduct an official investigation of a supposedly haunted location, Hotel Morgan. Up until this point, all of our paranormal experiences had been completely unexpected and out of our control. As a result, it is hard to determine how much of what we saw was real or the product of fear and panic. Hopefully, since we're going to the hotel in search of paranormal activity, we'll be able to record and process anything we see more reliably and rationally. I jokingly suggested we should give ourselves a group name like those douchey ghost hunter guys on tv, and everyone really jumped on the idea. So, after a few minutes of deliberation, we decided to call ourselves the Morgantown Association of Paranormal Investigators (MAPI). I guess that makes everything official.

Reported Hauntings

I’ve been talking to my online friends a lot lately. We’ve come up with a list of possible haunted locations. We plan on visiting all of these places and trying to determine whether the hauntings are real or just the result of overactive imaginations. I know Alcyone believes in paranormal activity, but I’m not sure about the other 3. As for me, I’ve come to the conclusion that I truly did encounter the ghosts of murdered college students, and I’m ready to prove that the paranormal exists.

Cheat Lake (obviously)
Hotel Morgan
Morgantown Public Library
East Boreman
Oak Grove Cemetery
West Run Road
Peirpont Apartments
Seneca Center
East Moore Hall-Elizabeth Moore's ghost spotted hovering over pool.
WVU Library
Gobblers Knob