The trio boarded the private jet. "Wow, this is impressive!" Drew said as he took in the jet's interior. A man was wearing a tuxedo waiting for them to enter. He bowed as the three entered the jet.
After the three had sat down in the seats lining either side of the jet the man walked over and shut the door. He then turned his attention to Drew and company. "Welcome team paranormal is the new normal." The man said bowing once more. "My name is Bartley, and I am a servant in my master's service."
"And who is your master?" Terry asked.
"That shall be answered shortly Mr. Terry." Bartley said. "My master has left instructions for a video to play after take-off. He will explain everything in the video. First it is my duty to thank you for rushing here on such short notice."
"Hey, it was a free vacation!" Drew said. "Of course, we rushed over!"
"Vacation sir?" Bartley said. "Whatever are you talking about?"
"Weren't those three tickets a free vacation?" Drew asked.
"The master will explain far better than I, sir." Bartley said. The jet began to move down the runway as it began its ascent. Bartley walked over to a large Television behind him and turned it on as they got airborne.
"Hello Paranormal team!" A mysterious man on the screen said. "I am sure you three are wondering why the great Jim Johnson, owner of the largest private investment firm in the world, multibillionaire, has asked for your help."
"Oh god." Sam said.
"Well I bought an island as my latest investment, and the damn thing has something paranormal happening." Jim explained. "I don't really know what, but every crew I have sent out to investigate, well let's just I needed multiple boxes to send them home."
"I fucking told you so!" Terry shouted.
"I was at my wits end, thinking the five-billion-dollar investment was a bust." Jim said. "But then I had a dream! I saw you three on my island, and you were solving my problem! So, the next day I sent you tickets, and I am so glad that you accepted my case so quickly."
"Damn it, Drew!" Sam yelled. "This is supposed to be a vacation!"
"Now I know that you may not have been able to bring your equipment since you rushed so quickly." Jim said. "So, I stocked the jet with every bit of cutting-edge paranormal equipment I could find."
"Sorry guys!" Drew apologized. "But at least we will be on a tropical island, right?! Pristine beaches, beautiful scenes."
"Scary ass ghost shit." Terry added. "I told you this was a damn trap. But did you listen to Terry?! No, you ignored Terry, told Terry he was being paranoid."
"Due to the delicate nature of this matter," Jim explained, "the jet will be dropping you off on the island and will return for you in one week's time. I hope you will have my little problem solved by then. Good luck!"
The video ended and Bartley walked over and turned the Television off. "Are there any questions?" he said.
"Can we just fly back home and forget all about this?" Terry said. "Terry could just use a staycation instead."
"That would not be possible Terry." Bartley said. "The master had foreseen that you may have cold feet after watching the video, so he had just enough fuel to get to the island with three passengers but return with none. He hired a leading mathematician to do the calculations, so I am sure it is quite accurate. Should any of you decide to ride back the jet will crash into the ocean, and we will face a watery death."
"So, we are trapped." Sam sighed. "This is the third time in a matter of days that we have been trapped in some paranormal situation. Damn it, Drew!"
"How was I supposed to know?!" Drew complained. "I thought we were just going to have to deal with a crazed fan, I didn't know we would have to go to murder island and solve a mystery."
"We need to talk about appointing a new leader of the team." Sam said. "You are not doing a particularly good job. I nominate Terry, he seems to have a good grasp of what's going on."
"Terry don't want that responsibility." Terry said. "Hell, if I am going to have your lives hanging on my shoulders. Why don't you do it Sam?!"
"I can't be the host!" Sam said. "I am behind the camera ninety percent of the time."
"Look, I will try to be a better leader." Drew said. "Lets just solve this case as quickly as we can and enjoy the rest of the week on a deserted tropical island. Just think of how wonderful that will be, no annoying fans, no producers, just peace and quiet. Just thinking about it makes me all giddy."
"I sometimes think you might be an idiot." Sam sighed. "Did you forget the part where the previous people were sent home in multiple boxes?"
"This isn't our first rodeo!" Drew said. "We won't end up like those amateurs! Bartley what did the last crew do, like what was their specialty?"
"They were ex-elite military." Bartley said. "You know rangers and seals who retired and turned mercenary since the only thing they were good at was combat. It was tragic to see them end in such a way."
"Amateurs huh Drew?" Sam sighed. "We are totally going to die on this one."
"We will be fine!" Drew said. "After those last two cases I feel like we can do anything! They may have been better trained, better equipped, and in better physical shape, but they lacked something that we have! We have knowledge! We have seen the things that go bump in the night and we have bumped them back. We can do this! We will do this!"
"Terry thinks we're going to die too." Terry sighed.
"You two need to think positive thoughts!" Drew said. "I don't want any more negative thoughts out of you two, let's think positive and make it happen."
"I suggest you three take a nap." Bartley said. "It is a long flight, and we shall be arriving at the island at dusk. You will definitely want to be awake during the night."
Looks like the vacation is a bust... On the plus side, Case 3 is here! What kind of thing do you think they will face on a tropical island. The only hint we have so far is that it rips its victims to shreds. Also, I think Drew might be an idiot.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
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(New update schedule is in the book summary. It is the holiday season and I work retail, my time is very limited.)