A Haunting (2005–…): Season 4, Episode 4 - The Apartment - full transcript

Narrator: In this
world, there is real evil,

in the darkest shadows and
in the most ordinary places.

These are the true stories

of the innocent and
the unimaginable.

Newlyweds bill and
icy Spencer are elated

when they find the
perfect apartment

in a quaint Seattle
neighborhood.

But their hopes for the
future are soon shattered

when they're confronted
by the supernatural.

Intruders with a dark
history hold them captive,

making them the victims
of their violent rage.



Between the world we
see and the things we fear,

there are doors.

When they are opened,

nightmares become reality.

captions paid for by
discovery communications

the famous space needle towers
above Seattle, Washington...

A symbol of the hopes and dreams

of those mariners
and mill workers

who founded this city
more than 150 years ago.

It was a place where people
came to make a fresh start,

escape from the past.

But for some, the past
is not easily buried.

It clings like a lonely shadow

and reappears
when least expected.



October 2004.

I'm never gonna
pass this midterm.

What's with the negativity?

You've got to have a
positive attitude, my friend.

I have a positive attitude.

I'm positive I'm going to fail.

Myrisa Spencer, known
to her friends as icy,

is a graduate student

working toward a master's
degree in mental health.

So, how is married life?

You know, we've been so busy.

Icy's been married for
a couple of months now

and eagerly welcomes
this new phase in her life.

Icy: Everything's exciting.

Everybody seemed
to be in that stage

that you're trying
to get to know

all these things
about this person.

We were having a lot of fun.

It was an adventure.

Speak of the devil. Hey, honey.

Narrator: Her husband,
bill, is also a student,

studying for his
bachelor's degree.

At night, bill works
as a contractor

for a local courier company.

I hate to tear you away,
but I found this apartment.

It looks great, so I set up an
appointment to see it today.

Wow, this does look promising.

Is it okay if I steal
her away from you?

Maybe when I see you next,
you'll have a new apartment.

Let's hope. I'll see you later.

Narrator: Bill is anxious to
leave the university district,

having grown tired of
the rowdy college lifestyle.

Bill: It's more of a
party atmosphere.

It's not really the
best atmosphere

for a young married couple.

This almost looks
too good to be true.

Don't jinx it, now. I know.

I'm just so ready to start our
new lives in some new place,

away from all of this.

I got a good feeling
about this one.

We wanted to go to an
area that was more quiet,

more of a traditional
family setting.

Narrator: When the Spencers
arrive at the apartment complex,

they notice a pile of debris
right in front of the building.

Hi, you must be the Spencers.

Hi, I'm bill. This is my wife.

It's myrisa, right?

Yes, but everybody calls me icy.

Well, bill, icy,

I really apologize
for the mess out front.

We're finishing up renovations
on the apartment today.

The apartment for rent?

Yeah, the previous tenants...

Icy: The building
manager told us

that the former tenant
left it in a bit of a hurry

and it wasn't looking very nice,

so they decided to
rip everything apart

and just basically
rebuild it inside.

It says in the ad
all-new fixtures.

Whoever gets this gets a
brand-new one-bedroom apartment.

Shall we go have a
look? Yeah, come on.

The renovations will
be complete today,

and after that, the place
will be ready for new tenants.

Bill: To get a nice, newly
remodeled apartment

in a great area of town
for not a lot of money

was truly a stroke of
luck, it seemed, at the time.

Narrator: The
place has everything

the young couple is looking for,

yet bill can't help
but feel apprehensive.

Bill: There was something
about the apartment

that didn't seem right to me.

So, how does it look in here?

Everything seems to be okay.

That's it? Don't you
think this place is perfect?

It's pretty good. Pretty good?

It's gonna be like we're
living in a brand-new place.

It's in our price range, too.

What's wrong? You don't like it?

No. No, it's not that.

You know what? You're right.

I just can't believe we found
a place this nice this soon.

But you're right. It's perfect.

So you like it?

I didn't say anything

because, well, it
kind of seemed silly

to turn down a perfect
apartment for a feeling.

Well, then, what
are we waiting for?

Narrator: The following
week, the Spencers move in.

Icy works on transforming
the apartment into a home.

Icy: I felt like I wasn't alone.

It just felt so eerie.

Narrator: Icy convinces herself

that her mind is just
playing tricks on her.

Icy: I thought,
we're just moving in.

We have all this
stress. I'm just tense.

I haven't slept in days,

so maybe I'm just
not used to this place.

Narrator: Days pass, and icy,

preoccupied with
her new role as a wife,

puts the incident
out of her mind.

That weekend, bill tells icy

that they deserve a
much-needed break

and announces that he's
taking her out for the night.

What are we doing?

Well, you are full of
surprises, aren't you?

I told you we could
afford it. Get the blanket.

[ Giggles ]

To us.

[ Sighs ] You were right.

About what?

You did get us the
best table in town.

Icy: I felt very
fulfilled at that time.

It just signified
a new beginning.

We were very excited about it.

[ Birds chirping ]

Narrator: The next morning,

bill rises early and
lets icy sleep in.

For the first time in weeks,

the couple has no classes,
work, or unpacking to worry about.

[ Rumbling ]

Bill: Just out of the
corner of my eye,

some figure was moving.

Whoa! Jumpy this morning?

No, I didn't hear you come
in. You startled me, that's all.

So, what's going on
outside? It's nothing.

So, what do you want
for breakfast, huh?

Hmm. Coffee sounds good.

There you go.

You're too good to me.

I really wasn't that
concerned with it.

There didn't seem
to be anything to it,

other than just creepiness.

Narrator: A month
after they move in,

the Spencers finally feel
settled in the apartment.

Icy can now concentrate
on her schoolwork.

[ Keyboard clacking ]

[ Locks clicking ]

Honey? You're home early.

I'll have dinner
ready in a second.

I just have to fire off this
e-mail to my professor.

[ Footsteps approaching ]

Bill?

What are you doing?

There was somebody in
front of the door, in front of me.

[ Breathing heavily ]

I was sure that I saw something.

Narrator: But an
investigation of the apartment

reveals nothing is amiss.

Icy: I didn't really
believe in ghosts.

I thought people made
up all these stories.

I just didn't think
it could be true.

It's not rational.

But I knew in the
back of my mind

that there was something there.

I just didn't want to admit it.

Hey. How's your day?

Huh?

I said, "how's your day?"

What's the matter?

I need to tell you something,

but I'm afraid you're
gonna think I'm crazy.

Anything's possible.

This isn't funny, bill.

All right, all right. Try me.

Something's going
on in this apartment.

I don't know exactly what it is,

but I got the
strangest feeling that...

That what?

That we're not alone.

What are you talking about?

I've been seeing things
through the corner of my eye,

like shadows or something
going past the doorways.

Bill: She was certainly afraid

and certainly concerned
about what she had seen

and a little panicky.

And as soon as I
look up, they're gone.

I don't know what you're seeing,

but I'm sure everything's fine.

I thought initially that
it was an overreaction,

thought it might have
been just a run-of-the-mill,

typical, standard story,

where things go
bump in the night.

Have you considered the fact

that you're at a
computer all day?

I kind of downplayed everything,

thinking that it's
not that big a deal.

It's just my imagination?

No, what I'm saying
is your eyes are tired,

and they're probably
playing tricks on you.

I'm sorry. It's silly. I know.

No, it's not silly.

It's just, I'm here, so
don't worry about it, okay?

Icy: He was so reassuring.

He wanted everything to be okay.

I felt like I was
overdramatizing.

Narrator: October
turns to November,

and icy is still on edge.

She doesn't like to be
in the apartment alone,

but icy no longer feels

that she can talk with
her husband about it.

I didn't feel like he was
really listening to me.

He was just, "oh, it'll
be okay. It'll be okay."

Narrator: She avoids
going home after class,

killing time at a
local coffee shop

until bill gets off work.

Icy: I tried to stay out
as much as I could,

'cause I just could not bear

the feelings I was
having in that apartment.

Narrator: Eventually,
icy has no other choice

but to return to the apartment.

[ Sighs ]

What's for dinner?

Don't sneak up on me like that!

I'm sorry. I thought
you heard me.

I got off work... what, you're
not even gonna say hello?

You know, I thought
about you at work today.

The funniest thing happened,
and we started laughing so hard.

Could you just give
me a little room here?

What's the matter with you?

I've got to finish
making dinner.

And I've got this huge exam

that I still haven't
studied for,

but I think it's great that
you're having so much fun.

Her attitude seemed to change.

She went from being fun
and outgoing and cheerful

to being more
withdrawn, kind of moody.

It was quite disturbing.

That's a little obnoxious. I
think you're overreacting a bit.

That's your answer
for everything.

I'm overreacting now,
just like I'm overreacting

about whatever the
hell is in our house.

For crying out loud, is
that what this is about?

Yes, that's what
this is all about.

I thought we were past all this.

That's easy for you to
say. You're never home.

I don't know what
you want me to do.

I want to know that
you're taking this seriously.

Why can't you
just let this drop?

Fine.

You know what? I'm
not hungry anymore.

You want dinner?
Make it yourself.

It seemed like my
wife was blaming me

for not having answers or
solutions for what was going on.

It was very frustrating

to not be able to come
up with something.

Narrator: That night,

bill and icy go to bed
angry at each other

and do not speak until
the following evening.

Hey, Mrs. Spencer, I'm sorry.

No, I'm sorry.

I've just been off
lately, not myself.

You were right.

No, no, look, you were right.

I've been kind of a jerk lately.

No.

No, I have. You don't
have to sugarcoat it for me.

I can take it.

Thanks.

This is much better, isn't it?

Much.

Was that our first fight?

Ah, the first ugly
domestic squabble?

Yeah, I think so.

And, hey, we survived.

I suppose we did.

Hey, why don't you take a
break from your studying tonight,

and we can get some
leftovers for dinner

and pop in a movie
and just relax?

What do you say?

Well... okay.

Bill, what is it?

Stay here, all right?
I'll be right back.

[ Breathing heavily ]

What is it? What happened?

I saw somebody go down
the hall into the bathroom,

but whoever it was...
Whatever it was just...

It disappeared.

Bill: I saw a tall,
thin, dark figure.

It was unnerving because
I went into the bathroom,

and it wasn't there.

What did he look like?

I don't know. It was like
a shadow of a person.

Oh, my god.

That's the same
thing that I've seen.

What are we gonna do?

What can we do, all right?
It was, uh... it was nothing.

Oh, god, bill!

You know there's something
in this apartment with us.

I wasn't that sure

that I really believed
in ghosts at that time.

It just didn't seem... It
doesn't seem rational.

I can't keep pretending
that there's nothing wrong.

You're making me
feel like I'm crazy,

and I know I'm not.

Where are you going?

I don't know. I got
to get out of here.

Well, wait. I'm
gonna come with you.

[ Horn honks ]

Narrator: That night,
the Spencers find refuge

at a local coffee shop.

There bill finally realizes
that icy's fears are valid

and agrees that they
must do something.

Bill: There was
certainly no denying

that we had both seen
figures in the apartment,

and we quickly realized

we both wanted
out of that apartment.

Narrator: No matter how much

bill and icy want to
leave their apartment,

they know they are tied to it.

Icy: We had nowhere to go.

We needed help.

So we went online and searched,

and we found the
Washington state ghost society.

They were in Seattle.

Narrator: The next day at
the Washington ghost society,

Shannon stidman comes across
the e-mail from the Spencers.

Stidman has been a paranormal
investigator for over six years

and has witnessed
supernatural events.

Even still,

she broaches each
message with caution.

A lot of things can be mistaken
for paranormal phenomena.

So we like to take our time and
make sure that they're credible

and that we're really
dealing with a ghost.

Narrator: In her response,
stidman outlines the basic steps

that she gives to
all potential clients.

Stidman: Our advice initially

was for them to keep
logs of the activity,

to keep in touch with us so
we could monitor the situation

to see if things would get
worse, get better, stabilize.

Narrator: If there is indeed
a presence in their home

and the activity escalates,

stidman knows that
it's only a matter of time

before they will hear
from the Spencers again.

Oddly enough,
over the next month,

bill and icy no longer sense a
presence lurking in the shadows.

Promise me next time

you're gonna try
really hard not to cheat.

Cheat? Are you
calling me a cheater?

You better believe it.

I think someone's
just a sore loser...

Can't take being beat by a girl.

Oh, yeah, yeah, it's killing me.

Look.

Leave us alone!
This is our home!

You're trespassing!

Go away!

[ Echoing ] Please!
Don't kill me!

I saw him. I s-saw his face.

A teenage boy.

Bill: It really looked like
he had been hurt pretty bad.

It looked like his face had been
severely damaged by something.

What do you mean, a boy? How?

I don't know.

Somehow I could
see him, and y...

You're gonna think I'm crazy,

but I don't think
that he's evil.

That doesn't make
it any less creepy!

I don't want this
thing in our home!

I know, I know, but
I just get the feeling

he's trying to
tell us something.

Narrator: Although the presence
does not threaten the couple,

icy feels trapped.

Icy: I had nowhere else to go.

And it was pretty
horrible to live that way.

It just felt really desperate.

[ Door opens ]

Bill?

[ Breathing heavily ]

Please! You've got to help me!

There's something
in my apartment!

Please, you've
got to believe me!

[ Laughs ]

[ Laughter echoes ]

[ Gasps ]

I was living a nightmare.

Narrator: Icy begins to
feel helpless and desperate,

believing there is no
way out of this apartment.

Icy: I'm a strong person,

but I felt like I
was losing control

over everything in my life.

I just felt like death
was all around me.

The whole apartment
felt like it was a huge crypt.

Narrator: By December,

only two months after
moving into the apartment,

icy becomes physically
and emotionally exhausted.

I totally felt like I was
becoming somebody else,

like I was moving under a spell.

Narrator: She is unable to keep
up with the demands of school,

sending her deeper
into depression.

Icy: I would be thinking
these horrible things.

I felt like hurting myself.

I was always sad.

I felt like it was
so unbearable.

Hey, icy.

Icy: I'm sorry.

How did you do on
the final? I got to go.

At that point, I wasn't really
talking much to anybody.

I was avoiding people.

I didn't want them to
think that I was nuts.

Narrator: That night...

Where have you been?

You should have
been home hours ago.

You could have at least
called, told me where you were.

I just flunked my exam, okay?

That means I flunked the class.

Icy, I'm...

Oh, icy, I'm... what, exactly?

Get out.

Get out of our house.
Leave us alone.

Do you understand
me? I said get out!

Ugh!

[ Groans ] My chest!

Bill: All of a
sudden, it was as if

somebody had put out a
lit cigarette on my chest.

Ugh!

Narrator: Bill and
icy flee the apartment,

terrified by the
violent intruder.

Bill: Both of us
were only concerned

with getting out of that
place right then and there.

It could strike any time.

There was nothing
that we could do

to defend ourselves
against whatever this was.

Narrator: They contact the
Washington ghost society again,

but this time the Spencers
hope to convince them

that they are truly
victims of the paranormal.

That day, investigator
Shannon stidman

meets with the
frightened couple.

Well, it certainly seems
like a lot has gone on

since that first
e-mail you sent.

Stidman: What struck me
most about bill and icy's story

was that events were escalating.

It was becoming
dangerous to live there.

So that's when we got involved.

I have a few theories about
what I think might be going on,

based upon what
you've told me so far.

One of the first things
that you mentioned

was that the apartment
had been renovated.

That stuck out to me
from the very beginning.

Is that important?

Narrator: Stidman believes

that any entities
trapped in the apartment

could have been unleashed
during recent renovations.

Anytime you tear
apart a structure,

it disturbs the psychic energy.

Stidman: Renovations
in a haunted house

either make the
hauntings go away entirely,

or they make them worse.

And in this case,

it seems to have
contributed to the activity.

A common theme in hauntings

is that something
traumatic happened.

The image seen by bill

was a sign there was something
definitely going on in there,

something very powerful,
something very strong.

But why attack bill?

We've been there for weeks,

and nothing like this
has ever happened.

Narrator: Stidman
explains that some entities

feed on emotions
such as fear and anger.

Where have you been?

You should have
been home hours ago.

You could have at least
called, told me where you were.

The negative energy
gives them the ability

to intensify the activity.

Is that what this is about?
Yes, that's what this is all about.

I thought we were past all this.

Why can't you
just let this drop?

Stidman: If they start
to become afraid of it,

their energy will
feed the entity.

It will do something
more dramatic,

and it's just a matter of time

before something harms
them physically in some way.

So what do we do now?
Stidman: We go back.

No. No. No. No. No.

I can't go back there.

But we need you there

in case the investigators
have questions.

Narrator: Icy is
scared, but she realizes

that this may be the only
way to take back some control.

Icy: It's like I was
at their mercy.

I just didn't want these
things to defeat me.

Okay, we'll go back,

but I'm not setting a
foot in that apartment.

Narrator: Hours later,
the ghost hunters arrive.

They hope to document
any strange activity

so they can better understand

what is occurring in
the Spencers' apartment.

The investigative team includes
two paranormal specialists

and medium Lois Lee.

Lee: I first started suspecting
that I had psychic abilities

when I was in my late teens.

When I got a little bit older,

I was able to describe
ghosts that were in houses.

Is that the psychic?

Stidman: Yes, but I prefer
that you stay right here

and have no contact with
her until after she's finished

her investigation of
the house and grounds.

We want her to
be totally unbiased.

Stidman: This psychic
goes in knowing nothing.

We do not want
her to be influenced

by what we already know.

We want to be sure
that any vibes she gets,

any impressions
she gets are from her,

not from things
that she's been told.

Can I have the key? Thank you.

Okay, thanks.

Narrator: Lois
aids investigators

by providing a
shortcut to the past,

sometimes even
communicating with the spirits.

Lee: My procedure
is to go into a place

and start putting my
hands on the walls

or objects in the room,

to try and be able
to see into the past.

The images come
to me pretty naturally.

If I'm focusing hard enough,

they can become so real

that it's almost
like they are there.

I didn't feel anything.

I didn't have my
usual sensations

that there was a spirit there.

Boy: Please! Don't hurt me!

He was such a pathetic figure...

Young, maybe about
18, 17 years old,

and I felt so sorry for him.

Please don't kill me!
Please don't kill me!

Don't worry. I won't hurt you.

Narrator: Then another feeling,

menacing and dark,

begins to overwhelm her.

And I started to
feel myself changing.

I was kind of
getting the sensation

of being in the body of
somebody watching him.

Please! Don't!

Please! Don't hurt me!

Please! Don't kill me!

And I could feel
in my hand a gun.

Please don't kill me!

Please! No!

Boy: Please! Don't hurt me!

Please! Please don't kill me!

No!

[ Gunshot ]

Lee: The smell
was just horrible.

The next thing I
know, I was running.

[ Gags ]

[ Vomits ]

I've never really seen that
much physical human Gore

in a vision before.

It's kind of like your
first time in a morgue.

Oh, my god, Lois!
Lois, are you okay?

I'll be fine. I just need
to catch my breath.

Of all the investigations
we've done,

she's seen a lot of things,
she's heard a lot of things,

she's felt things, but
she's never been...

I'd never seen her that
badly shaken before.

What happened in there?

I don't know.

I've never experienced
anything like this, never.

What did you see?

I saw a young boy.

That's exactly what I saw.

She had the very same
impression of that youth

that I did,

and that was
kind of a validation

that we were not crazy

and that we weren't
just overreacting.

You two got out just
in the Nick of time.

We don't know what's
gonna happen next.

You can't go back in there.

Narrator: Stidman
believes it unwise

for the couple to
return to their home.

Stidman: If bill and icy had
decided to stay in the apartment,

it would have just
continued to escalate.

How bad it would have
gotten, I don't know.

Narrator: Lois has
a psychic impression

of what may have
occurred in the apartment.

Lee: My conclusion on what I saw

was that it might have
been drug-related.

It seemed like there
might have been

some gang activity involved.

It felt like a
retribution crime.

[ Indistinct conversation ]

[ Breathing heavily ]

Please! Please!

Don't kill me!

No!

Narrator: Although there
are no clear-cut answers

to what occurred
in the apartment,

the Spencers are satisfied

with the outcome
of the investigation.

Icy: I don't know if
I could go on in life

asking myself time and again

what was haunting
that apartment and why.

A lot of pieces fit in together,

and that was
basically enough for us.

Narrator: Soon after moving out,

the Spencers find a new home.

Icy: I would have to say

that it was one of the
happiest days of my life.

The apartment we
got was still in Seattle,

but not as good
as where Ballard is.

But somehow I felt like
it was a refuge for me.

At least I could have
peace of mind there.

Say cheese.

Both: Cheese!

Narrator: In may 2007,

bill Spencer
graduates from college.

Thanks.

No problem. See you
at the graduation party?

You bet. Should we go?

Let's go. See you. Bye, guys.

Narrator: Despite the
trauma they've endured,

the Spencers have come
to terms with their experience

with the supernatural.

But it has also forever
changed how they view the world.

Icy: I used to not believe
in anything supernatural.

I always thought
that if I can't see it,

if I can't touch
it, it doesn't exist.

There are some things in
this world that cannot be seen.

Don't kill me!

[ Gunshot ]