That scream had completely snatched away the girls' sleep. None of them could decide whether they should go to the hospital in the middle of the night or stay where they were. But then they noticed that a light had flickered on in one of the rooms on the third floor — and after a few moments, it went out again. It looked as if someone had gone there to check something, and then left.
"What do you think, girls? Should we go and see what's happening inside the hospital?" Claire asked her friends.
"Look, if you ask me, we should just go back to sleep," Lily said sensibly. "It's not safe to go outside the motel this late. Besides, didn't you see? Someone already went into that room to check. If something serious had happened, we would've known by now. So stop overthinking that scream and just go to bed."
Following Lily's advice, Claire and Stephnie also lay down again. After scrolling through her phone for a while, Claire didn't even realize when she drifted off to sleep.
When they finally woke up, it was already 10 a.m.
"Oh, damn! We're late again. Get up, both of you — we need to go meet the hospital staff!" Stephnie said, shaking Claire and Lily awake.
"Oh my God, it's already ten! We have to check out by eleven. Give me ten minutes — I'll get ready fast!" Claire said as she rushed into the bathroom.
"Good morning, Stephnie," Lily said lazily, sitting up in bed — completely nude.
"Good morning, Lily! But seriously, you slept without clothes again?" Stephnie scolded. "How many times have I told you — when we're traveling out of town, you shouldn't sleep like that. It's not safe! You know motels often hide cameras in their rooms. If someone changes clothes or… does something private, they record it and upload the footage online!"
Stephnie's words had absolutely no effect on Lily. She simply got up, admired her beautiful body in the mirror, and flirted with her own reflection. Just then, Claire came out of the bathroom and told Lily to hurry up. Within fifteen minutes, Lily was ready, their luggage packed, and the three girls checked out of the motel and started walking toward the hospital.
"What do you think, Stephnie — will Fedrick still be at the hospital?" Claire asked curiously.
"As far as I know, according to labor laws, no one can work more than eight or nine hours a day. And remember, Fedrick said last night that his night shift starts at 11 p.m. So by that logic, his shift must've ended around 8 a.m. It's already 11 now — he must be home by this time. By the way, what were you searching for on your phone last night?" Stephnie asked as they walked together toward the hospital.
Claire, meanwhile, was enjoying the morning view. The hospital that had looked so terrifying in the dark now appeared surprisingly peaceful and beautiful in daylight. The same trees that looked eerie at night were now filled with chirping birds, bathed in soft sunlight.
"I found some interesting information last night," Claire began, checking the notes she'd made on her phone. "This hospital was built in 1850 in memory of a priest named Saint Victor. At that time, it was the only hospital in the region, and people from nearly fifty surrounding towns came here for treatment. But in early 1936, the hospital's chief doctor, Mr. Richardson, was murdered at his home. After his death, the hospital's responsibility was handed over to Dr. Peterson, who had just returned from Washington after completing his medical degree. He managed the hospital really well, and to this day, his family continues to run it. The current chief doctor and surgeon is Dr. Murphy Peterson, his grandson — and he's only twenty-eight."
Claire looked up from her phone and met the eyes of her two friends, both listening carefully as they walked closer to the gates of the mysterious St. Victor Memorial Hospital.
"Oh! So, is this Murphy guy actually hot?" Lily asked excitedly.
"I have no idea," Claire replied, glancing at her. "When I searched about Dr. Murphy Peterson's personal life online, I couldn't find a single social media account or any other personal detail. I think he prefers keeping his life private."
"If he turns out to be hot, I swear I'm going to date him," Lily said, laughing loudly.
"Well, that explains a lot," Stephnie teased. "I think your hormones are working overtime these days—that's probably why you sleep naked every night."
The three girls burst out laughing.
A few minutes later, they were standing at the gates of St. Victor Hospital.
"Lily," Claire said, turning serious, "you try to talk to people around here. See if anyone has ever experienced anything paranormal in or near the hospital."Then, looking at Stephnie, she continued, "Steph, you go inside and check the third floor. If you sense any ghostly presence, text me immediately. I'll go and talk to the hospital staff. It's 11:25 a.m. right now—let's meet back here at exactly 12:30 p.m. and share whatever we've found."
With that, Stephnie and Lily set off to do their parts, while Claire began questioning the hospital staff.
But something strange caught her attention—the staff members were staring at her in an odd, unsettling way, as if they already knew who she was. Ignoring their looks, Claire stayed focused on gathering information.
Meanwhile, Stephnie had reached the third floor. She didn't feel any obvious supernatural presence there, but she noticed that the floor had five rooms: three on the right side of the staircase and two on the left.
The three rooms on the right were open—being used by the hospital staff for blood tests, ultrasound scans, and medicine storage. But the two rooms on the left were locked.
When Stephnie compared the layout, she realized that the second room on the left was the same one from which she and her friends had heard the woman's scream last night. Someone had gone there afterward to check, but now the door was tightly padlocked.
As she stood near it, she felt the air grow denser and colder than in the rest of the corridor. A sudden gust of icy wind brushed past her, making her shiver. Instantly, she knew—this was the same haunted old general ward mentioned in that mysterious parcel.
She checked the time. It was already 12:23 p.m. Quickly, she left the floor and went to the meeting point where Claire had asked them all to regroup.
A few minutes later, Claire and Lily arrived too. The three girls sat down together in a small park beside the hospital and began sharing what they had discovered.
"I found the exact room that used to be the old general ward—the same one mentioned in the letter from that mysterious parcel," Stephnie said, her voice trembling slightly. "And you won't believe it—it's the same third-floor room from where we heard that woman's scream last night."
Her heartbeat was racing as she spoke.
"So, did you actually feel any supernatural presence there?" Lily asked Stephnie.
"I can't say that for sure," Stephnie replied, taking a sip from the water bottle beside her. "The room was locked… but there's definitely something behind that door. When I was standing there, I felt something strange—like a sudden rush of air passing right beside me."
"That means the letter inside that parcel wasn't a prank after all," Claire said, exhaling deeply. "This hospital really does have a hidden past, and that old general ward on the third floor is still haunted by it. Which means… we're in the right place."
"See? I told you we should take this case," Lily said proudly, grinning. "You two were the ones doubting it."
The three girls laughed.
"So, what did you find out, Claire?" Stephnie asked, taking the paper from Claire's hand.
"Not much," Claire said, leaning back. "When I tried talking to the staff, it felt like they were too scared to say anything. And when I went to meet Dr. Murphy Peterson, I was told he'll arrive at 3 p.m. — he's out of town right now, attending a medical conference in New Mexico. But…" — she paused with a knowing smile — "I did manage to get one important piece of information."
"And what's that?" Stephnie and Lily asked together.
"That Murphy Peterson is married… or rather, was married. He was going through a divorce case, but three months ago, his wife suddenly died in an accident. Now, you might be wondering what's strange about that—but here's the catch: before she died, Murphy's wife was being treated right here, in this very hospital."
Claire crossed her legs as she spoke, her tone turning serious.
"So you're saying the scream we heard last night could've been Murphy's wife's spirit—and she's the one haunting this hospital?" Lily asked, shocked.
"That's possible," Claire admitted. "But it might not be. Either way, we'll find out together." Then she looked toward Lily. "By the way, what did you find out from the locals?"
"I didn't get too much," Lily said, fixing her makeup in a small mirror, "but a few people told me that Murphy Peterson doesn't get along well with his father, George Peterson. Some even said George's wife—Murphy's mother—had an illicit affair with a junior doctor here. That's supposedly how Murphy was born. After that, George Peterson stopped coming to this hospital entirely and even had that junior doctor fired."
"Interesting," Claire said thoughtfully.
"Alright then," Stephnie added, "we'll get the rest of the answers straight from Murphy himself."
"Yes," Claire agreed. "But if we tell him we're the Ghost Mentors, he'll never take us seriously. So we'll pretend to be journalists instead. That's the only way we'll get him to talk."
Stephnie and Lily both nodded in agreement.
After finalizing the plan, the three friends headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. They ate, chatted, and then decided to walk around the area near the hospital while they waited.
It was only 2 p.m.—still one full hour left before Dr. Murphy Peterson would arrive.
"Hey, I just realized I forgot to tell you both something really important," Claire said suddenly, turning toward Stephnie and Lily.
"What is it?" Stephnie asked, surprised.
"About fifteen years ago, this hospital was accused of organ trafficking," Claire revealed. "But the Peterson family used their money and influence to bury the entire case before it could ever reach the media."
"So the Petersons aren't as noble as they appear," Lily muttered, taking a deep breath. "They've buried a lot more secrets than anyone realizes."
Before Claire could reply, Stephnie noticed a commotion near the hospital reception. A patient was shouting angrily, and within seconds, two security guards grabbed him by the arms and threw him out of the building.
The three girls quickly walked up to the man to see what had happened.
"My name's Jack," the man began, his voice shaking with rage and grief. "I'm a carpenter. A few days ago, my wife was admitted here for an appendix operation. They kept her for three days, made me pay a huge bill… and then one morning when I brought her breakfast, they told me her surgery had failed — and she was dead."
Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued, "You have to believe me, my wife wasn't that sick! It was just appendix pain — nothing fatal. I'm sure… I'm sure these people murdered my wife."
Jack broke down right there, trembling with helplessness.
The mystery of St. Victor Hospital was beginning to unfold — one dark layer at a time — and the truth felt closer than ever.
Just then, a sleek sports car pulled through the hospital gates, its tires screeching slightly on the gravel. A tall, sharply dressed man in his late twenties stepped out — handsome, confident, and intimidating.
It was none other than Dr. Murphy Peterson, the hospital's chief surgeon.
The three girls exchanged quick glances and hurried toward him. Introducing themselves as journalists, they requested a short interview. Dr. Murphy listened quietly, then simply said, "Wait for me in my office," before walking off toward the meeting room.
Inside Dr. Murphy's office, the air felt heavy — polished but cold. As the girls looked around, Claire's eyes fell on something hanging on the wall: a sheriff's uniform, neatly framed and displayed like a family relic.
She walked closer and read the small metal badge beneath it — George Peterson, Pennsylvania Medical Police Division.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.If George Peterson had served in Pennsylvania's police department… that meant he might have known Claire's father.
Claire's heart began to race. The mystery of St. Victor Hospital had just become personal. Now, she wasn't only here to uncover the hospital's past — she might also discover the truth about her own family.