The Dare
By
Seth
Warnings: language, violence, probably OOC, AU-ish, disturbing
Genre: supernatural, psychological, angst probably
Pairings: none
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own don't sue
Note: This is my first fic and to tell the truth I would like to hear what you think about it. Knowing myself it will be disturbing in one way or another so don't expect a happy thing out of this.
Part 1
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard…" Wufei got out of the car leaning against it while he waited for the others to do the same.
"Well I didn't hear you objecting oh mighty Chang." Duo mocked closing the back door with more force than needed.
"Would you stop?" Quatre sighed exasperated walking around with Trowa to stand beside the two.
With a light beep and click Heero locked the vehicle strolling over to shine his flashlight in the Americans face just as he was about to protest. "Shut it Duo you're both at fault. Neither of you protested" He said in a flat tone looking pointedly at the black haired teen as well. That did work, though the Japanese youth suspected only for maybe a few minutes. At least in Duo's case.
Flashing the light around his eyes scanned the area until they spotted a wide, clear looking footpath winding straight into the woods. It appeared to be used quite often judging by the lack of undergrowth lining the dirt road. The group of five started down the track Heero always keeping to the front with the light so they would see where they're going. The pale blue of the moon only lit the very top of the huge old trees, mostly unable to penetrate through the interlocking crowns. A soft breeze brought welcomed freshness into the humidity of the summer night carrying the chirping and soft buzz of insects away.
"Look, I know it wasn't the brightest of ideas to get into a dare with Jason." Duo exclaimed throwing his arms in the air before they dropped with a soft thud against his side. "Especially about finding some godforsaken haunted house GOD only knows where but we didn't actually agree to this ya know."
There it went. Motor mouth Maxwell at it again. Heero fought the urge to roll his eyes and tell the baka to shut up. Trowa just glared at the Americans back. Quatre had to fight the urge to laugh out at the boys incapability to be quiet for more than two minutes. Chang had to refrain from whacking him, or himself for that matter for not stopping Duo in doing above deed because this made him an accomplice.
"But hey, what's the worse that can happen?" he shrugged nonchalantly continuing in a cheerful tone. "Besides, all freshmen end up doing this…well the ones that get labeled as 'cool' do. Besides, no one died of it as of yet right? So why worry?"
Quatre couldn't help it anymore, he giggled. "I think you're the one worrying the most Duo."
"All I'm worried about is getting soaked before we get there." Trowa stated dryly pocketing his hands.
"What?" the braided teen rose a brow at the tallest of the group.
Wufei pointed up towards a small spot of the night sky between the branches above. "Clouds…and the wind is picking up."
"Ugh…damn I didn't even notice…" Duo muttered in a grave tone, not really in the mood to wander around wet to the bone.
"You would have if you would use something else instead of your mouth for once." Heero replied not turning around.
"Like what? My tongue?" Duo grinned evily wiggling his brows at the Japanese boy.
"So how far is this place supposed to be?" the blond interrupted pulling his light jacket closer to his body.
"Not sure Jason said it should be at the end of this path." the braided youth snorted zipping up the red sweater he wore. The wind was starting to get chilly which meant the weather forecast didn't look good for the night, despite of what the weatherman said on TV.
"Line up." the Japanese in front called back.
"Wha…" Duo was about to ask "think you're in the army Yuy?' when looking ahead they saw the path thin. "Great."
With the brown haired teen still leading the way followed by Duo, Wufei, Quatre and Trowa they trugged along in silence. The light at the front cast uneven shadows around them from the tree trunks, forms seemingly moving in the undergrowth and between the thick branches heavy with leaves. The soft breeze had turned into a chilly wind by than making them hold the jackets and warm sweaters closer to their forms in a futile effort to keep the cold outside.
They had to watch their step now as the way got more and more occupied by underwood, roots sticking out of the ground and branches hanging from above and stretching into the path from the sides. The buzzing of the bugs seemed to come from farther away, barely audible as the wind rushed through between trees, sometimes howling.
"I sincerely hope there's something there and we're close now." Wufei muttered looking around.
"Wanna see ghosts?" Duo chirped in a falsely happy tone.
"Ghosts. Right. I was thinking about shelter Maxwell." he raised a brow at the other's back.
"Wouldn't be bad." Quatre mumbled looking intently at the ground in order to prevent himself from tripping. The farther one stood from the lead with the light, the harder it became to see where one stepped.
"Seeing that no one has informed us how far exactly the thing should be, I doubt…" Heero began, his words coming to an abrupt halt along with his legs. Head bent Duo ran straight into him nearly toppling over, followed by the others doing the same.
"The hell Heero?!" he wailed regaining his balance. His eyes were pointed ahead following the leaders arm and finally finger to look at a large clearing just in front of them.
"What's wrong?" came the small blonds voice from the back.
"A clearing." Duo shot back as they began filing out of the narrow path onto the wide space surrounded by wood.
Heero shone the light around. It was really big, or the flashlight just too weak because he couldn't get it into the farther parts of the clearing without walking too far from the group and he didn't want to do that seeing that he was the only person with any sort of light. Brows knitted tightly together he shone it onto the way they came holding it there for several moments.
Trowa caught the contemplating look. "Something wrong?" he stood beside the boy looking the same way Heero was.
"Hn." was all the reply he got at first but just as he thought it was all the Japanese would say he continued. "Why haven't I noticed this before? There's no bend in the road here that could keep it out of sight."
"You were looking at your feet too." Trowa just shrugged "It's not daytime you could've missed it easily."
"Unlikely…" he muttered under his breath.
"But possible." the taller looked at him with one visible eye sideways. Though he knew that Heero of all people missing a huge clearing ahead of a straight road was very unlikely he dismissed it as a rare flaw.
"True…" the boy mussed turning back to the others, more precisely Duo Maxwell. "Jason didn't happen to say anything about a clearing did he?" it was more of a statement than a question actually.
"Uhh…" Duo spun around to look at him. "No, not really…but Jason's an idiot." he shrugged when a flash of lightning illuminated the belly of the approaching dark clouds far away, followed by a roar of thunder.
Five set of eyes immediately shot up glaring daggers at the storm coming up. "Hn." Heero tipped the flashlight to his shoulder. "If that" he pointed it to the nasty sky "gets here before we find some sort of shelter and I end up soaking wet, I will personally disassemble that idiot, limb from limb along with you Maxwell."
Duo's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Heero, GOSH!" he clutched at his heart theatrically "You do realize that's the longest you've talked at once in your life right?!" he exclaimed earning a chuckle from Quatre and a murderous glare from the subject.
"We should get going." Trowa stated nodding in the storms direction before the Japanese boy could think up any murderous methods to pay the braided one back, plus he didn't want to waste time and get soaked.
"Agreed." Quatre stepped closer sending Heero a pleading look. That always worked.
"Hn." was the only answer but the brown haired teen turned to go ahead once again none the less, not before sending Duo a last menacing look though.
"Spoil sport." said one muttered under his breath only for himself to hear as they started toward the other end of the clearing in hopes of finding another path. "Why we going that way? The trail could be anywhere." He just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"But since we don't know we might as well look there first. Good as any other option." Wufei replied instead of Heero, knowing the other good enough to know that he wouldn't for the moment.
Duo just grunted at that sounding suspiciously like the Japanese and succeeding in turning three mildly amused set of eyes toward him. Seeing this from the corner of his eyes he turned a questioning look at them raising both brows as if to ask 'What.'
"Nothing." Quatre snickered burying his chin and nose into the high neck of his jacket.
They stopped at a close enough distance that the flashlight could illuminate any path visible between the trunks but there was none. Duo was just about to comment on it when another, bolt of lightning flashed through the sky this time a lot closer bathing the whole clearing in eerie yellow.
"There!" Trowa shouted over the following thunder and whistling of wind, pointing a finger to the left. Eyes fell on what seemed damn similar to a path through the woods and a minute later all five stalked towards it.
Quickening their pace with forearms shielding the eyes some long and colorful cussing could be heard above the now howling wind and roaring thunder. The former pilots tripped, hopped, fended off stray branches bent on the road by the storm while half running forward in hopes to find the house, haunted or not soon.
"God damn that stupid moron idiotic asshole I'll skin him alive for th…!" Duo Maxwell bellowed before landing face first on the ground with a loud thud and accompanying yelp. "FUCK!" he screamed frustrated spitting out soil.
"You ok Duo?" Quatre held out a hand looking down at him from under an arm.
The boy took the offer. "Fine" he stood up wiping at his mouth with the other hand.
"Move it!" came the Japanese teen's voice from ahead "There's something ahead!"
None of them had to be told twice as with another roaring thunder the soft padding sound of rain hitting dirt could be heard. All five made a dash for the dark structure visible in the middle of the small clearing at the end of the current path.
Evading branches in their faces, tripping on roots and rocks they ran like there was no tomorrow the flashlight jumping around on the ground not helping much in the process of trying to see where one steps.
By the time four were dripping wet and Wufei thanked himself for taking the leather jacket that night, though it didn't help the hair and jeans. The building looked like a big mansion. Certainly a lot bigger than what Jason and his friends had described. Panting softly they looked at each other for a moment in silent indecision.
The patio gave them some shelter from the rain, but not from the raging wind that even managed to blow some water in under the roof splashing it in their faces. Having enough of the discomfort Heero took the initiative. Putting down the torch he grabbed the handle on the heavy looking door and pushed. It didn't budge. A second later Duo and Trowa were at his side.
"Ok. One. Two. Three." the three young men grunted with the effort but the door finally slid open enough for them to squeeze through with a rusty cry.
"OOFFF!" Duo leaned his back against it incredulous. "Damn that thing's heavy."
Slipping in one by one they stood in a loose circle, Heero shining the flashlight around slowly. "Found it." he stated.
"You don't say Sherlock." Duo muttered trying to squeeze the water out of his beloved braid.
It seemed the perfect late 16th or 17th century mansion where the lords and their madams lived in the midst of servants there to fulfill their every wish.
"You think they're any light switches ?" Duo asked to no one in particular wandering around just on the edge of the Japanese boys light.
"Maxwell this is a…" Wufei started before being cut off.
"Bingo!" Duo exclaimed, a second later bright yellow light flooded the hall.
All eyes on him Quatre finally spoke. "A light switch?"
"Cool huh?!" the braided boy grinned at them.
"Weird." Heero said dryly thumbing off the torch.
"Why would it be weird? Jesus Heero don't be so damn pessimistic." the boy put both hands on his hips stomping off followed by a shrugging Wufei and sheepishly smiling Quatre. Trowa and Heero looked at each other as if silently communicating before following them.
Ending up in what they assumed to be the salon for the guests Duo plopped down on the heavy and expensive looking couch, a cloud of dust erupting from it making him cough for his life.
"For God's sake Maxwell!" Wufei coughed a little stepping back from the item and the menace currently on it.
Prussian blue eyes darted paranoid around the nicely furnished room and the winding staircase leading upstairs. Probably to the chambers but it was impossible to see without turning on the lights there as well.
"Something's not right here." Heero mumbled stalking from one dark corner to the other.
Duo raised a brow looking at it for a while before he spoke. "What are you looking for Ro? Ghosts?" he asked pulling a small digital camera from one of the pockets on his military pants. "Quit it n come 'ere." He waved a cheerful hand in his direction. "Group picture."
"What?" Wufei turned to him looking on the verge of crying. "Maxwell we're soaking wet, cold and you…"
"Evidence Wu-man evidence." the American waved the camera in front of them with a grin. "Now you wouldn't want to be doing this for nothing would ya?"
Standing up he ushered all the others together opposite the fireplace, than that seemed like a perfect place to put his timed cam. Trowa and Wufei stood a little at the back, before them Quatre and Heero. Later frowning like he'd bitten into a lemon.
"Now than." he grinned running for the group, braid almost slapping Heero in the face as the teen jumped next to him throwing an arm around the Japanese just as the camera clicked.
"OUCH!"
Thud.
"The hell was that for Yuy?!" Duo looked up glaring and rubbing his abused butt.
"For nearly kicking me over Duo no baka." the other crossed his arms over his chest with a smug expression.
"Umm…guys…" Quatre's soft voice came even lower than it usually was.The other four focused their gaze on a wide eyed blond staring intently at them. "Umm…"
"What's wrong Quatre?" the tallest inquired glancing around curtly in an attempt to find what had gotten their friend so shaken up.
"Have you noticed…that there are no light bulbs…anywhere?" he asked in almost a whisper.
Looking first at each other the boys than quickly scanned the room with their eyes. Every visible corner and inch where the light may be coming from.
"There's got to be some light source…" Heero began hesitance in his tone.
"None that I can see…" Chang added helpfully.
"But the switch…" the American looked at them smile all gone from his heart shaped face. A moment later he dashed out into the hall again.
"Duo!" Quatre yelled after following him.
"I swear if this is gonna be some kind of a joke…" Wufei muttered as they strode out too.