ONE::
"'If you got leavin' on your mind, tell me now, get it over…'"
The woman's voice woke him from a sound sleep. Trafalgar Law inhaled sharply, sitting straight up in his bed. His heart was racing wildly, pounding hard against his chest. His lungs felt so tight that it was near impossible to breathe – the darkness of his room smothered him with a near physical presence, his throat clenched within such a tight grip that his shaking fingers went to it quickly to loosen the presence there. But he touched only his hot skin, sweaty with raging fear.
"'Hurt me now, get it over…'"
He wasn't sure where the voice was coming from. He looked around himself, blinking rapidly. His room was dark and still, the shapes of shadows being revealed as harmless objects. The curtains over his window were opened a crack, allowing the lights from outside to make their presence.
"'If you got leavin' on your mind.'"
It was music, he realized. Old country – he wasn't sure of the artist, but she had a melancholic voice. His brow furrowed heavily in response as the song continued from a distance he couldn't measure. He wiped his face with a shaking hand, unsure of the waking reaction.
He swung his legs off the bed, settling his bare feet onto the cold floor. There was a cricket in the house – it sang just as noisily as the music playing. It gave him the shivers, knowing there was an insect running about. Clutching the edge of his mattress, he stared at the floor to collect his thoughts. He realized his nightshirt was clinging to him – he pulled at it with a mystified action, startled at how his sweat had forced the material to mold up against him. It felt like it had been pulled directly from the washer, and left behind a large stain on his bed.
Shaking his head, he rose from his bed. He removed his wet shirt and tossed it to the floor, crossing over to his dresser. He found a new shirt and pulled that one on.
The song ended suddenly, the cricket ceasing its noise. For a few moments, the silence was startling. In its place was the rapture of a quiet house – nothing moved, and his breath felt thin as it left him.
He wasn't even sure what he'd dreamed to cause this reaction. He opened his door and left his room.
: :
In the kitchen, he headed straight for the coffee machine. The window blinds were opened, allowing the soft lights of the outside to drift in, illuminating his way around the small house. The ticking of a clock somewhere allowed him to note that this was the only sound. He couldn't recall anything about his dream that made him uneasy, but there was a feeling awakened in him that made his movements jerky and his mind unsettled. His brow remained heavy as he fixed coffee.
The house he shared with his colleagues was a hand-me-down; it demanded occasional repairs and emitted occasional sounds that gave away anyone's positions. Nestled within some trees in a low canyon just outside of the small fishing town, it was out of the way yet visible by those on main street. It was a creaky house – so when he heard the gentle creaks of incoming steps, he assumed it was one of the others that heard him rustling around in the kitchen.
Yet all the hairs on his arms rose, and his skin pimpled. Already uneasy from waking up, he ended up turning his head to see who it was coming into the kitchen. The creaking stopped. Not one to enjoy anyone's jokes so early in the morning after such restless sleep, he felt his face grow heavy with a frown.
He looked over at the narrow hallway that led to their bedrooms, expecting to see a familiar face. There was enough light in the darkness to allow him to see clearly down the hall – no physical way anybody could just disappear without opening a door along the way.
Seeing nothing, he attributed the noise to the house settling as wood popped against the cold air. He returned his attention to the coffee machine, a lone shadow pulling away from the hall. The shape of a man took formation to the dining room table.
The scrape of a chair across the thick quiet and bubbling coffee machine caused Law to jerk wildly, turning to look. He did note that a chair was pulled from the table, and he hastily walked out from around the counter to see if any one of the others had hastily crouched underneath the table. He flicked on the light, but there was no one there. Mystified, he stared at the single chair for some time, hoping the noise hadn't awakened anyone else. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he turned the light off and returned his uneasy attention to the coffee machine. The shape at the table remained there while he fixed a cup.
: :
"I don't listen to that stuff."
"Old country? I don't even listen to new country."
"We blast rock here, not that old timey stuff."
"You sure you weren't just smoking again?"
Amidst the normal sounds of moving flatware, bacon sizzling in the frying pan, everyone's morning grumbles caused Law some distress. He took a sip of his coffee, looking at everyone skeptically as they ate breakfast. All of them were getting ready for another day at sea, and all of them had normal morning attitude. In response to his question, none of them looked like they had the patience to answer.
Eustass Kid was busy stuffing his mouth, Luffy was in the middle of chewing. All of them dressed for another cold day on the sea. All of them randomly tossed together on assignment to bring in fish for commercial processing. This season wasn't the best – almost every fisherman had a disappointing story to tell and another day dealing with failure. It was almost as if this side of the world had its fish chased from the sea depths to flee something only they could identify.
Law finished cooking his share of breakfast. He tossed burnt strips of bacon down onto the table, the other two looking at it with disgust. But Luffy ate them anyway, wearing a teary expression.
Kid gestured at Law as he sat. "Now you're going to take it out on us?"
"If you're hungry, you'll eat," Law said simply, taking what was left of the eggs and crisp biscuits.
"This isn't helping anybody."
"Hopefully today's better than yesterday," Luffy said on a sigh, drinking the rest of the apple juice.
The sea was tumultuous – throwing up waves that slammed over onto the wet deck and rocking the forty foot vessel into dangerous tilts. Their nets were mostly empty by the time Kid decided to call it a day – from the radio, it appeared they weren't the only ones that were at such a disadvantage. Luffy leaned against the railing in full gear, hat doing nothing to protect him from the overhead spray. He stared down at the dark waters below, unable to imagine what was happening down there. Even on the sunniest of days, he couldn't see that far into the watery depths.
In some places, he'd been able to see whales passing by, or schools of fish that meandered unknowingly into their casted nets. Out there in these angry waters was only an inky darkness reminiscent of the night sky without stars. He wished he were some type of mermaid or sea creature; able to dive deep and breathe in freely, to see for himself why the waters were so empty.
"This area's known to be polluted by illegal growers," Kid shouted from the opened hatch. "Maybe that shit's running too much into the sea from the mouth over there."
Law shrugged in response because none of this was to his expertise. He worked nets to pay of old debts – he didn't care much for the surroundings. Luffy was in it for the adventure – and because his dying grandpa willed it so.
Kid scratched at an ear, glaring out at the stormy waters. Thick storm clouds had taken residence in the distance, blowing wind causing loose pieces to rattle and protest around their vessel. "Might as well as pack it in."
Law agreed with them. The cold air beat around them, pushed water over their boots. Swept away Luffy's wadded gum and a candy stick that he was supposed to throw into the cabin.
They could see other ships pulling in, their occupants wearing similar disappointed expressions. Law braced himself as he intended on heading into the cabin with Kid, Luffy lurching in that direction away from the railing. With their attention off the sea, none of them were prepared by the hard lift and twist of reaching waves. Their mast touched the harsh waves before the entire boat tilted onto its side and sent them all plunging into the waters.
The shock of the cold depths held the punch of something massive – knocked breath from their lungs and stunned their internal systems. Flailing in the darkness with clothes that weighed down their movement did nothing to help them. Their overturned vessel caused a dangerous cut through the water, separating them from each other as they were cut in the slipstream.
All Law really noticed was the violence in the stark silence of the water. He'd expected to hear the roar of the surface, the bubbling of the vessel as it up-righted and burst upward from the waves. He expected to hear the bubbling of his own panicked movements as he made to swim up. But he heard absolutely nothing. Similar to the stark silence of their house earlier that morning.
The darkness was comparable – smothering stillness that only seemed to crush him from the outside. It felt like all his senses had been shocked into nothing. He stared at the darkness around him with an unblinking expression, lungs screaming in protest as he held in his breath. The world underneath the surface was a different one from above – he couldn't see below and he couldn't see above – caught in suspension that refused to give him any useful information. His ears began to feel a relentless pressure that rocked his sinuses, and he clasped his hands over his nose and mouth to prevent from breathing in.
His legs swept around him, jacket caught in a currant's ripple. It jerked his entire body around violently, like someone had just grabbed him from behind and yanked with all the force of a moving car. Fear began to thrum deep inside of him as he realized he could be pulled all the way out into the sea without any way back. Drowned in the middle of nothingness. He stretched out his arms to swim out of the current, pulling out of his jacket to do so. It fluttered behind him like a scarecrow, holding a human's shape for an impossible moment before crumbling up into a fleeting flutter. He saw light flickering above him, stretching his hands towards it in a bid to return to the surface.
Fingers wrapped around his ankle and pulled. For a moment, Law thought one of the others had been caught in the same current and he looked back in terror as air bubbles escaped him. The action could kill them both, but what if he lost one of his friends?
He saw nothing, but the weight was ghastly. He realized with horror that he was being pulled away from the light. The strength in those fingers were immense, prompting him to look down. He'd kick free if he had to – apologize later if he had the chance.
Instead of seeing either Luffy or Kid's scared face, he looked at what could only be expressed as a shadowy figure. There was light below, allowing Law a glimpse of gently tussled sand and rock, debris from the world from above. His ears popped then once again filled with overwhelming pressure. He thought he could hear his own shaky breathing but he was for certain that he was holding his breath. The sound seemed to echo all around him, but he knew that was impossible. The shadow clung to him, and there was another weight applied to his calf – as if two hands had grasped him firmly.
Law struggled to move his arms – maybe it was only kelp. Seaweed, the remnants of someone's lost net. He pulled closer to the surface, struggling to hold his breath for longer. His fingers sliced through the cold water, stretching for the faint wisp of light. Something was roaring in his ears, weighing against his teeth. Move pressure on his leg, as if that shadow was using his body to climb him like a ladder. The weight was unbearable – he couldn't move.
Law kicked frantically, lungs screaming. He ended up breathing it in and expelling with horror, his hands searching for something useful to grasp onto. His entire body shuddered, everything seemingly releasing and threatening to erupt as if being forced to expel. The pressure on his leg moved up to his hip and suddenly he was being dragged further into the depths of the sea. A strange sort of desperation fueled him to push harder.
In the quiet of the sea, a low whisper made itself known: "Don't leave me here…"
Images smudged by the unknown filtered through his thoughts and memory. Moving too fast for him to process. Maybe it was the light flashing before his eyes. He was dying. He couldn't breathe. His lungs felt like they were on fire as he breathed in again, stomach filling with water. He coughed but it wasn't working – nothing was working.
"Don't leave me here…"
There was a strange music to those words, and Law realized that these weren't spoken word. His body gave a heavy twitch, and his muscles couldn't push any further. He kept breathing, even as his brain told him not to. He screamed because this was his end, and panic was the only feeling he felt. Arms wrapped around his shoulders and neck, clasping so tightly onto them that it was as if Luffy were strangling him. He had the impression that the person on his back was pushing him closer to the softly moving ground beneath him.
"Don't leave me…"
: :
When he awoke he gasped noisily, coughing moments later from the force of his inhalation. Luffy spit out the hamburger he had been eating while Kid jerked to his feet, flailing for something to grab onto. Every part of Law felt sore and heavy, and his lungs burned as he inhaled deeply. Panic had his blood running hot and forcefully, filling him with such violence that it was almost as if he'd exerted himself suddenly.
Luffy stared at him wide-eyed as he chewed. Kid clutched his chest, breathing heavily while Law regained his bearings. The soft sounds of a hospital setting told Law that he was in a safe place.
"Welcome back," Luffy told him, ketchup and tomato seeds smeared around his mouth. He reached for steak fries in the nearby container that sat atop of the table. The hospital room was quiet, and there was another occupant staring at Law from across the way, eyes wide.
"Don't do that!" Kid snapped at Law, fanning his face. "You looking to get hit?"
Law touched his own chest. The more cohesive he grew, the more the pains in his body seemed to fade away. His lungs stopped aching – his throat, which had felt raw and stripped from screaming underwater, was fine. His head wasn't ringing. The pressure against his ears was gone. He wasn't even hooked up to oxygen, and there was only a blood pressure device attached to his wrist, which began to tighten automatically on a timed schedule. The other two had been watching a basketball game.
"I'm not dead," he said to himself, awed at the realization.
Luffy gave him a skeptic expression. "Duh," he said. "Doc only wanted you admitted because you complained about not being able to breathe."
"Stress," Kid sneered at Law, who looked at the pair incredulously, noticing that he was in his street clothes. Dry, clean clothes that he hadn't even worn in a week because he hadn't washed them. He patted his chest. "Like none of us are stressed out."
"…Stress?" Law repeated dumbly, hand to his heart. "No, we were knocked out of the boat – "
"That was a week ago, Law," Luffy said, rolling his eyes. "We were knocked out the boat a week ago! We been fine after we got back in."
Law stared at him in silence.
Kid crossed his arms and gave Law a stern look. "You weren't hit in the head, were you?"
"I…" Law trailed off, looking at them both in confusion. He could vividly remember the weight of the water, the struggle he put forth in survival. His heart and lungs tightened at the remembrance of it. He furrowed his brow – the way the pair were carrying on, nothing had happened. But he remembered dying – there was no mistaking the feeling of fire in his lungs and the heaviness of water in his gut. The panic of drowning crowding out his every senses. He looked to Kid. "'Stress'?"
"Yeah. Maybe some Post Traumatic crap for you, city kid," Kid said with a snort. He looked overly exasperated while Luffy continued looking at Law with dubious teenage disbelief. "You're such a fucking weirdo."
Law was silent, processing their words – trying to understand them. He was positive he'd drowned – maybe they were all dead, living out their afterlife in a realistic hospital setting. A cruel joke of God. But the man staring at him from across the room wasn't part of his drowning experience.
Law wiped his face. "Sorry," he apologized low, wearing a confused expression. He swallowed tightly. He could still taste the sea in his mouth. "I must've…I had a weird dream."
"Awake?" Kid asked skeptically. "Because we were all in discussion, here. I'm thinking you did this deliberately because you're the only one in this room for Lebron."
Law looked to the television screen skeptically while Luffy looked at him again.
"Lebron isn't the answer," he whispered.
"So I wasn't asleep?" Law pressed.
"NO!" both of them exclaimed at the same time. Kid pulled away from his chair. "I'm going to get the doc – maybe get him to convince you that weed isn't the answer."
Law looked to Luffy as Kid let himself out of the room. Luffy finally wiped his mouth. "I don't know what to tell you, man," Luffy said with a sigh. "You're acting weird."
Unsure of what to say, Law looked at his hands. He wasn't sure what to think.
: :
Later that night, Law sat at the edge of his bed. Time had passed on without him, somehow. His room had the obvious indication that he had been here – living his life as he did day to day but without him present. What had happened below those waves? The knowledge that he had no idea left him feeling shaken. He could not abandon the thought that he'd died down there. Everything was still so vivid in his muscle memory and thought that it was as if he'd emerged from the water himself.
The doctor had prescribed him Ambien and strict instructions to take it easy over the next few days. He also passed along the name of a good therapist to help Law with his PTSD. He was not to return to the boat until cleared.
The other two ribbed him all the way home. They were getting ready for bed, so their voices were harsh in the quiet ringing of Law's room. Law had decided to take the doctor's word for it and had taken his first dose. Luffy had hid all his snacks from Law because he'd heard the stories of people sleep eating. Kid promised Law he'd hide his guns. Though both of them joked about it, Law could tell both of them were uneasy.
He wiped his face with both hands. He could quite easily see the shadow in the waters clinging to him – holding him. It felt like a nightmare. He resolved to get over it. Settling back against his bed, he stared up at his ceiling.
Maybe he was smoking too much weed.
He closed his eyes to sleep and opened them when he realized it was much too quiet. The others hadn't settled that quickly, did they?
The house was dark and thick with uneasy silence – much like how it was the other day. The only thing missing was the music – he expected to hear it, his ears open for the sound. He felt weightless and dizzy, his eyes heavy and his mind mush – like he was supposed to be sleeping but woke up in that half paralyzed state where everything buzzed and aliens surrounded him.
Sleep paralysis, he thought vaguely, understanding the situation. My mind is awake but my body is still asleep.
He sat up, mattress creaking as he did so. Something from the corner of his eye shifted, catching his attention. He turned his head in time to see someone pass by his door – but it took him a few moments to realize that it was closed. He attributed it to one of the shadows that fluttered over the wall, caused by his half opened curtains. The light outside was dim, caused by rustling trees and far off street lights. Law stretched his head from side to side and rose from his bed.
The moment he did, he heard the soft singing once more.
One of them has it for an alarm, or something, he reasoned with a shake of his head. Maybe one of those sleep-aid apps.
But the hairs on his arms rose once again, and he looked down at them uncomfortably.
"'If you got leavin' on your mind, tell me now, get it over…'"
Law pushed up from his bed, feeling dizzy on his feet. He felt as if he were freezing from the inside out – he found a hooded sweater from his closet and pulled that on, as well as some mechanic's overalls that he used whenever he and Kid were working on the boat out on the docks. His breath was visible as he breathed, so he thought to go turn on the heater. He figured the area was coming to snow – it was late for this time of year. He left his room and headed down the hall, making his way to the kitchen.
He stood at the stove, eyes locked on the burners as he debated cooking something warm to combat the chill. Options flittered over his thoughts as he waited for his stomach to make a decision. He exhaled low as nothing came to mind but he realized that the song was still playing.
"'If there's a new love in your heart, tell me now, get it over…'"
It was louder from the kitchen, and he turned his head in time to see the chair pull away from the dining room table once more. His heart fluttered with fright because he was absolutely sure he'd seen it happen. His eyes widened as he stared, locked in place.
"'Don't leave me here, in a world filled with dreams that might have been…'"
The quiet ticking of the clock came from somewhere within the house as the song ended suddenly.
For a moment, it felt like the air became heavy. His lungs seemed to seize with the force of a hard clench. Law coughed over the stove and watched as sea water spilled over the grates. His shoulders heaved again, stomach pushing up to reject the sudden weight that registered there. He vomited water over the stove, bracing himself against the edge with both hands.
For a moment Law panted for breath, unable to understand what just happened. He reached up to turn on the light overhead and caught sight of the water he'd just expelled spilling over the range. He didn't understand.
His mouth tasted of the sea – salty, thick, cold. Every part of him was cold.
He wiped his mouth, almost shocked to feel moisture come away with the back of his hand. He turned away from the stove and headed for the sink to rinse his mouth out with a glass of tap water. As he found a cup from the nearby rack, he realized his hand was shaking. He filled a cup halfway then drew it to his mouth, taking a much needed drink. A clicking sound caught his attention, and he turned around to see that one of the burners at the stove had flicked on. He watched the knob turn to low flame, the orange glow gentle in the darkness. Law paused with the cup to his mouth, unsure of what was happening.
"Are you hungry?"
The voice came from out of nowhere, and it startled Law from the inside out. He swore his very insides jumped, with his stomach clawing for his throat. He looked around with a startled expression, feeling his skin pimple with goosebumps.
He could hear the soft hiss of the gas as flame danced around the steel of the grates, then watched as the knob turned again. The flame died and sputtered before disappearing and Law was left standing there in silence, unsure of what he'd just seen and heard. He did not believe in ghosts but he was positive this was how it started before everyone wound up screaming behind crosses and bottles of Holy Water. He almost dropped his cup as it seemed to pull from his hand, and he ended up spilling it over the floor. Water splashed over the ugly tile, and he stood stock still because nothing seemed to make sense.
He knew he had to clean it up – someone was going to trip over that and break something. He set his cup aside and snatched the dish towel nearby, crouching over the puddle. He put the towel over it to allow the cloth to absorb the mess but something happened – a hand stretched up from the puddle and caught onto his hand with a cold, wet grip.
It was so unexpected and so real that Law yanked back and slammed against the pantry doors to escape. That hand stretched out and became an arm, bending to brace against the floor. Law's mouth fell open and his eyes were wide as the full figure pulling itself from the puddle fleshed into that of a drowned human being.
He'd seen those before.
Bloated, misshapen bodies that rotted away under sea, pulled to the surface in pieces.
It belched sea water onto the floor, heaving as Law had done earlier.
It was so vivid and noisy that Law gave a startled shout of fear, watching as empty eyes turned his way. Rotted lips pulled back to reveal beautifully straight, even teeth.
"Don't leave me here," it said, words thick with water.
Law screamed again, flying to his feet. The lights turned on as Kid braced himself against the wall, Luffy sliding out from behind him. In the clatter of sound, Law whipping around to look at the creature, both men could see that the kitchen was in chaos: the stove burners were on full flame, the kitchen sink was running, the cabinet doors were open.
As Law righted himself, bracing himself against them, he saw this too. That frantic screaming piled away to confused noises as Kid hurried over to the stove to turn off the burners and Luffy checked the cabinets to make sure Law hadn't found his snacks.
Once the area was safe, Kid whipped around to look at Law. "What is wrong with you?" he bellowed, hands gesturing wildly.
Law caught his breath. His heart was thundering hard against his chest. His throat was thick and salty with the taste of sea water – the image of the bloated creature was stark in his mind, and he looked to the floor where it had been. All that remained was a puddle of water, his cup dropped nearby. He looked to Kid, focusing on him as Luffy found some animal crackers, shutting only that cabinet door.
"I…I don't know," Law said helplessly. "I…there was something on the floor, it was - ! A dead body, it was a dead body, it looked like - !"
Kid hit his own head. "Are you tripping out? You took those pills, right? You took those pills, came in here for a damned snack, and now you're tripping balls because those pills do some fucked up things. There isn't a dead body in here, Trafalgar! It's just your dumb ass mind tripping out!"
Law stuttered because he was positive he'd seen what he had, but seeing the disarray of the kitchen when the others appeared made him feel like Kid was right. There was no other explanation for what happened, no reason to think that this was nothing other than a combination of PTSD and Ambien.
He exhaled shakily, rubbing his arms. Kid then looked at him skeptically. "What are you wearing?"
Luffy snorted, cramming animal crackers into his mouth. "I wanted to ask that first, but I think I was missing the bigger picture."
After taking in their skeptical expressions, Law looked down at himself. He was wearing an old suit – a black dinner jacket, an orange shirt with tie, slacks and leather shoes. He gaped at himself, unsure if he even owned these items. He was absolutely positive he was wearing his mechanic's overalls over his jeans and t-shirt. He looked at the others with bewilderment, hands out with question.
Kid and Luffy ended up laughing at him. Law braced himself against the wall near the light switch, utterly bewildered. He looked to Luffy. "Is this place haunted?"
"Oh, it's haunted now," Kid muttered with a roll of his eyes, pushing away to rub his arms. "It's cold in here. Who's going to start the damn stove?"
Luffy furrowed his brow with concentration. "I don't think so. Gramps never said anything about that sort of thing. It's just an old house. If it were haunted, man, I'd be all over that right now."
Law looked troubled as he stared down at his clothing. Impulse had him ripping off the too small jacket, and when it settled against the floor with a noisy clank, both of them looked at the garment with curiosity. Law retrieved it with a grunt caused by the tight fit of his pants.
"That sounded like a fatty grunt to me!" Kid called from the living room, where he was tinkering from the wood stove.
"You're not fat," Luffy assured Law, just in case he needed to hear it. With an impatient expression at both of them, Law searched the jacket's pockets for the source of the clank and found a lighter in the inside pocket. He examined the gold case – flicking it open to see a simple engraving of a mermaid on the inside of the lid. He flicked it closed with a puzzled look then examined the jacket.
"I've never seen this thing before," he said with a puzzled tone.
"You're obviously wearing it," Kid muttered, shoving wood into the stove, crumbling newspaper to toss in right after it.
"But I've…" Law trailed off.
He could see deft fingers buttoning the jacket up. There was the heavy smell of cigarette smoke in the air – a sharp contrast to the sea. There was a voice in the background but it sounded tinny and far off – the tune shaped into the song he'd heard playing earlier. There was something about the image that felt wrong.
"Law?" Luffy questioned, looking at the man with a tilt of his head. The older man had a stricken look to his face, eyes locked on something far off. Lifting his hand, Luffy waved it in front of him until Law blinked and focused on him.
He cleared his throat awkwardly, stuffing the lighter into the jacket. He then shook it before folding it over one arm. "Sorry. There was…something…I was trying to remember something and it…went away."
Kid lifted his head to say something in response when the chair at the dining table suddenly jerked away from the floor and tipped with sudden violence. Wood shattered, causing him to yelp and jump away from the stove as Luffy jumped onto Law, climbing him like a tree. Law tripped over his own feet, unable to see as Luffy yelled.
The entire house shuddered violently, wood cracking and protesting. The floor rumbled, and Kid flopped over the battered couch in front of the bay window as he tripped trying to get away. There was an angry sound of a man clenching his teeth, trying not to release a scream. But it broke and trembled over the cold air, Luffy squeezing Law tightly as he gave a frightful sound.
The sound evaporated as quickly as it was released and all three of them were frozen in place.
"Okay," Luffy admitted on a small whisper. "Our place is haunted."