Action

Morton and Bobby immediately tried to run and help Lauren, but Frank stopped them. "Wait! Remember what she had said before? 'This is what we are here for. To record something. To give our viewers some action.' Well, I'd call this action." he smirked, pointing his camera at Lauren.

Morton just shot back a stern gaze, but Bobby was more easily convinced. Definitely, after Lauren had just let whatever wraiths were present mess around with him in the diner before. "He's right. You better not make her angry." he warned Morton. "We gotta see what happens if we are to investigate anything." he reasoned.

Morton stopped, **** to put her partner in any real danger but unwilling to incur her wrath. Supernatural or not, he had witnessed Lauren's anger a number of times, and the asylum's thus far paled in comparison. Plus, deep down he was curious as to what might happen next. They had been to dozens of places and none turned out to be really haunted. At times, he cursed themselves for being so good at their job. And he yearned to see something truly supernatural. He deserved it, after all these years of failures.

The paddles kept at it. And while there were no noticeable contraptions moving them, their aim was extremely accurate. Never did they strike the poor show host anywhere else but her backside. Something, poor Lauren experienced firsthand. Her loud yelps and cries filled the room, her eyes tearing up.

"Are you sure she is not in danger?" asked Morton concerned for her partner. Or more like for the ratings should she leave the channel.

"It is just a spanking." pointed Liz at the equipment on the wall. "Nothing lethal."

Bobby moved in closer to capture the face of the damsel in distress, while Frank focused on the mode... interesting part of her anatomy. There was something morbidly satisfying about seeing the haughty princess being spanked like a little kid. And no matter how close they got, the presence ignored them and focues on meting out punishment.

"But why is this... presence doing this?" asked Morton, upon seeing the rest of the crew ignored by the room. "And why only to Lauren?"

"She angered the spirits." spoke Liz, her voice resonating with mistique.

"You mean to say, just like how the chair in the diner took Bobby to the table, so too do the paddles in the punishment room punish the... naughty?"

"Exactly."

"Come to think of it, I really was hungry..." noted Bobby, rubbing his belly.

"Fascinating." said Morton. Then was she... naughty? he wondered.

After a few minutes of 'action', the paddles and whips stopped and went limp, dropping Lauren to the floor. She landed on her backside, which made her jump back up on her feet immediately. The sight of the beautiful mature lady jumping around, rubbing her shapely backside elicited a laugh from everyone else in the room.

Once she seemed to have calmed down, Morton tried to talk to her. "Are you alright? How was it? Did you feel anything supernatural..."

"Out of my way!" pushed him aside Lauren as she strode to Liz. "Y - You spanked me!!! Whipped me!!!" she screamed.

"I did not!" shook her head Liz. "It was the place. You angered Charlotte."

"The Harlot..." started Lauren, but a strong tremor swept through the asylum. Once it subsided, Lauren continued, "... the Harlot has been dead for a long time now! All I see is a harlot." she looked straight at Liz angrily.

"Oh, are we calling names now? Very mature..."

"You staged this little act to humiliate me!"

"Believe me, honey, you are doing a stellar job of humiliating yourself. You don't need my help."

"You think you are so smart! You're going to hear of our lawyer. This was ****. Even if you didn't commit it yourself, you orchestrated it. You shall see what I'm made of. I won't rest until you're in jail for this."

"But Lauren," interjected Morton, "we haven't found any machinery attached to the equipments..." He held up one of the paddles in question.

"Nor will we waste time looking." interjected Lauren. "This place is filled with dangerous traps. Like a minefield. I'm not payed for this. You can stay and trigger some more of them, but we are leaving!" She turned to her tech crew, "You guys, on me!" Lauren stormed out of the room with Frank and Bobby following her obediently.

Morton looked at Liz apologetically. "Sorry. She can be a bit..."

"Bitchy?"

"... hot-headed, at times."

"Tell me about it..."

"Don't worry. She'll be back. She just needs some... fresh air."

"Then why didn't they go for the front door?" asked Liz with a puzzled look.

"Why, where did they go?"

"To the Nursery..."

Then suddenly a loud shriek echoed through the old building from the direction the team had just went. Morton and Liz exchanged looks, then immediately ran after the sound, with Mark in toe.