Eric & Sookie 7 Deadly Sins Contest
Title: 7 Sinned Ghosts
Beta: Northwoman
Characters: Eric and Sookie (AH)
Disclaimer: All Characters belong to Charlaine Harris.
In the middle of the Yorkshire countryside stood a small squat building, surrounded by heath land. Sookie stood in front of the main door waiting for the local solicitor to arrive.
It had only been a couple of weeks since her uncle Bartlett had died, finally, Sookie had always despised him for the torturous parts of her childhood he had made her endure.
Now here she stood, looking upon the hovel he had left her in his will.
While she was waiting, she decided to have a look around the outside of the property. The skies had begun darkening, throwing shadows across the landscape. The few trees around the property began to sway in the building wind. The heather that filled the countryside, previously a warm green with speckles of purple, now appeared pine green, the flowers closed to protect them from the threatening sky.
Sookie wrapped her coat tightly around herself and walked round the back of the property. There seemed to only be one floor, and very few windows. This made Sookie wonder about what horrors had occurred inside while her uncle had been in resident.
She was brought from her reverie by a car approaching; it slowly made its way up the winding road and parked next to hers. A tall well built man unfolded himself from the driver's seat and walked over to introduce himself.
"Good afternoon, my name is Eric Northman, I work for your uncle's solicitor," said the tall man, "You must be Miss Stackhouse."
"Please, call me Sookie." she replied, shaking his hand.
"Shall we go inside? It looks like a storm is approaching." he said, pulling a set of keys from a folder. They made their way inside the small front door, and into a main hallway.
"My, it's much larger inside than you would expect." Sookie commented.
"Yes, my notes say there are 3 floors, 2 of which are underground." Eric led Sookie through the hallway into a large room with a mahogany dining table, where he placed his folder and offered Sookie a seat.
"Under the terms of the will," Eric began, "You must remain here for one full day, upon completion of this you may do what you wish with the property."
Sookie sat there listening to Eric reading through the terms of the will, not really listening but admiring the strong lines of his features, and the softness of his voice.
"I have been asked to remain also, to ensure the terms are followed. I will retire to one of the rooms and not disturb you unless you require my assistance" Eric finished.
Sookie signed the paperwork to begin the 24 hours, and asked Eric to accompany her on a tour around the building. They began their tour by walking across the ground floor, or top floor depending how you looked at it, there were only 2 rooms and a staircase. Across from the dining room was the sitting room. It was very decadent with thick velvet curtains hanging in front of, and mostly obscuring, the tiny windows. There was a large mirror over the fireplace and a very uncomfortable looking sofa and chairs. In the far corner stood an iron maiden, a torture device from the 18th century.
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Sookie commented, watching Eric's confusion. She walked towards it, out of curiosity, and unlatched the front fasteners opening it wide. A green mist seemed to have been lingering inside and when the doors were opened it slowly sank to the floor and dissipated into the carpet. Sookie took a step back watching the mist, not paying attention to the iron maiden. It was Eric's comment that brought her attention from the floor.
"Holy Shit!" he gasped, taking a step forwards.
Inside the horrid device, the sharp blades were covered in something red, still dripping. The insides of the doors had been scratched with two sets of four lines. Sookie stepped closer and was almost overcome with the acrid smell of blood and decay.
"Oh God! I knew he was bad, but what has he done?" Sookie exclaimed, running her fingers along the grooves in the door. She slowly closed the door and turned to Eric, who looked a little pale. "Should we call someone?"
"The house has been locked up for at least 5 years, no one as been inside; I don't know how…" he trailed off, never taking his eyes from the doors. "I should call my boss."
Eric walked out of the room and into the hallway, leaving Sookie to ponder how bad her uncle had actually been. She looked around the room, checking for further surprises. She spotted what looked like a brass finger trap on the mantle piece, and she couldn't help but check to make sure there weren't any fingers inside. Just as she placed it back, Eric strode back into the room.
"I can't get any signal. I'm not sure but maybe we should postpone this until tomorrow, or until we can get this place looked at."
"That is fine by me, can you suggest a hotel?" Sookie asked walking towards the front door. She turned and pulled at the door handle, but there was no movement.
"Allow me." Eric said, trying as Sookie had, before inserting the key to check it wasn't locked. After those attempts had failed, Eric braced himself and shoulder barged the door, but simply bounced off.
"What should we do now?" asked Sookie, feeling anxious about being trapped in this particular house. Before Eric got a chance to think of a reply, a strange sound began emanating from a set of descending stairs at the far end of the hall. It sounded almost ethereal, not quite piano music, but not string either.
"There doesn't seem to be a back door on the plans, should we investigate the music?" Eric asked glancing at the floor plans on which he was keeping a tight hold. "There must be a music room downstairs, maybe it's on a timer connected to the front door."
"Let's have a look then." replied Sookie, heading for the staircase. She had a dreadful feeling that this was going to be much worse than the iron maiden. Bartlett had locked himself up here for quite a while after Gran disowned him, but returned to the States before he died. There was always a strange feeling of foreboding around Bartlett.
They slowly walked down the stairs, Sookie taking hold of Eric's hand as the air grew cold, and she knew this was not a good sign. As they closed in on where the sound was emanating from, Sookie was sure she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. The door to the music room was open, and so they cautiously walked inside.
This room was more decadent than the sitting room, thick drapes hung from the walls and the carpet felt very thick under foot, all adding softness to the sounds surrounding them.
There were many instruments around the room, but the music seemed to be coming from a strange old harpsichord.
Eric seemed to be gaining courage, and took a step towards the music. Before he could take a second step a green mist like the one upstairs began coalescing in front of them. Sookie's hand gripped Eric tighter, and she moved to stand next to him. The mist became corporeal and looked like a child, the music quietened and stopped before the child spoke.
"Why are you here, ancestor of Bartlett?" asked the child, in a detached voice.
"Bartlett is dead; I have come to remove his belongings" Sookie replied calmly.
"Bartlett caused much harm here, using the souls of those he believed to have sinned to power this house. If your intention is the same, much harm may come to you. If not, deactivate the machine, but beware the lingering souls. Until they are released they will not be pleasant. Bartlett kept seven of us locked in here, chained to his machine; he said we were the seven deadly sinners. He envied my innocence so he put me in the iron maiden." The child finished its little speech, and dissipated.
"Oh that poor child." Sookie said, "Let's see that map and get this dealt with."
"None of the rooms are marked, just their shapes. We'll have to have a look around."
They began walking towards the next door on the map, the door was a little difficult to move, but when they finally opened it they found a bedroom. It was a large room, but plainly decorated. Only a large bed stood against the far wall, the bedspread covered in blood with a ghostly figure sprawled across the whole bed.
Sookie contemplated backing out of the room slowly, but the ghostly figure noticed them and let out an ear piercing scream. Sookie and Eric grabbed their ears, unable to move or think. As Sookie tried to stop her ear drums from bursting from the noise, she was almost sure she could hear words inside the scream.
"I can only be murdered once, leave me in peace!"
"I am here to stop this!" Sookie shouted, not sure if she would be heard.
The screaming subsided and the ghost began to sob, Sookie stepped closer and got a clear view of the scene on the bed. The mist of the ghost seemed to envelope the whole bed, but underneath the mist was a horrific scene. Before her was body of a woman, with a vial of poison in her hand. Sookie took another step closer, hoping to resolve the spirit.
"He wanted me, so he killed my Charles. I wouldn't let him touch me; I ended it to be with my Charles, but he wouldn't even let me have that. He called me lust, but he was the one filled with lust." the ghost sobbed.
Sookie was filled with sorrow for the woman, and hoped she could resolve the anguish.
"I hope you can reunite with Charles when I stop the machine." She said simply.
The ghost continued to sob, so Eric took Sookie's hand and quietly led her from the room. Sookie was too overwhelmed to say anything, but threw her arms around Eric and wept into his shirt.
Eric looked at the map and directed them both to the next room, wishing to quickly find the machine the ghost spoke of. He took hold of the door handle to the next room and braced himself before entering.
The room was like a bank vault, filled with silver and gold. In one corner hung an elongated birdcage, which on closer inspection held a skeleton. The cage was made of gold, as were the shackles around the limbs of the skeleton. A mist began swirling around the room; Eric felt this was not a friendly spirit, nor one which could be subdued.
"We should leave quickly," He told Sookie. She nodded, but before following him, she unlocked the cage and began releasing the shackles. The room seemed to shake, and one word seemed to echo around them: Mine.
"I'm going to say this one is greed." she said as they quickly retreated from the room.
They closed the door and hoped it would hold the spirit.
"One more room on this floor." said Eric, showing Sookie the map. They made their way to the next room, the door was already open. Before they crossed the threshold they could smell the metallic scent of blood.
Sookie stepped inside, finding a kitchen, and retched at the sight. The sink was full of blood and body parts, the work surfaces were covered in lumps of flesh, in the middle of the room stood a large preparation table, piled with rotting food. Sookie covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve and moved around the room.
"What the hell happened here?" she said, muffled.
"Look out!" Eric shouted, as some of the pieces of flesh began to move.
Large chunks scattered across the floor wriggled towards each other, some pieces from the sink dropped to the floor giving the blobs some stability. Sookie tried to move back towards Eric, but recombining flesh blocked her way, soon becoming the size of a human. With disgusting sloppy noises it began to move towards Sookie, until she was backed into a corner. Just before it touched her, it seemed to disintegrate before her eyes, showing Eric stood behind it holding a large frying pan.
"Let's move before it finds itself again, you think this might be gluttony?" he said, grabbing her arm and almost running from the room. He closed the door behind them firmly.
"I'm so sorry for dragging you through this." she said, looking up at him, her eyes moistening.
"It's better than you going though this alone," he replied, pulling her in for a hug. He was mightily impressed with her stamina in the face of all this horror. Most women he'd met would just run around screaming. Holding Sookie around the shoulders, Eric made his way to the staircase leading down to the next and final level.
"We're almost done now," he reassured her. They found the next room, and knowing there were only 3 left, opened and entered the door, wanting this all to be finished.
The room was another sparsely decorated space; the ceiling was the only area shown any care. It was covered in a painting of the night sky, stars and planets with the hint of other galaxies swirling around the edge. In the middle of the room was a huge pile of cushions and blankets, with an emaciated corpse laying across them. A ghost seemed to still be moving within the corpse. Sookie moved quietly towards the ghost, who did not stir, only continued to move around its old body gently.
"What happened?" Sookie asked quietly
"There's no point, it's all gone…" the ghost whispered, over and over.
"Sloth can also be described as melancholy or apathy" Eric whispered, trying to pull Sookie away.
"But it's so sad," Sookie said, being drawn in and looking up at the vastness in the painting, "Maybe there is no point."
Eric put his arms around her waist and picked her up to carry her from the room, she was so full of love for others, and it might be the end of her. When Eric closed the door, Sookie seemed to snap out of her sympathetic melancholy.
"What happened to you?" Eric asked, pulling her to sit in a chair.
"Uncle Bartlett was a very bad man, and I knew him before all this." She began, "He defaced my childhood, removed my trust in others." She held on to Eric tightly, hoping everything would go away if she wished hard enough.
"We'll get through this." Eric said, trying to reassure her. He was starting to develop feelings for this strange American girl, and if he could just get them out of this hell, he would take her home and look after her for as long as she would stay. Little did he know, Sookie was thinking along the same lines.
After taking a moment to pull themselves together they stood, and knowing there were only two ghosts remaining, moved to the only other door on the floor. Still holding Sookie in his arms, Eric opened the door. A blinding flash of red filled their eyes, and deep vicious growl seemed to surround them. Eric tried to shelter Sookie, but she broke free.
"Where is my wife!" the growling voice demanded.
"Are you Charles?" Sookie shouted into the air, raising her arms to try to show no threat.
"Where is my wife?" the voice repeated, before flinging Sookie the length of the corridor.
"We're here to help you!" Eric shouted as he ran to help Sookie.
He gathered Sookie up and tried to make it back to the door, hoping to shut them inside to deal with the machine. The angry spirit raged around them, hindering Eric's progress, whipping up a wild wind and trying to disorientate Eric. Slowly but surely he made his way to the room, and closed the door behind them. He gently placed Sookie on the floor and tried to revive her, a nasty welt had started to appear on her forehead where she had impacted the wall.
"Please wake up; I can't lose you before we've had a chance," he whispered in her ear
She began to stir, mumbling something he couldn't quite hear. Before she had chance to fully regain consciousness, his attention was drawn to the other side of the room. An old man sat on a chair, holding an ornate hand mirror, combing his hair. Eric stood, and making sure he was between Sookie and the old man, took a step forwards.
"Pride goes before a fall?" Eric asked, feeling brave.
"Does it?" the old man retorted. He took another step closer, and straightened himself.
"So what did Bartlett do to you?"
"You stupid man; I am Bartlett. You will not stop me from claiming Sookie, and you will never destroy my machine!" the old man shouted, never taking his eyes from the hand mirror.
"Why have you done this… this sick twisted controlling of souls?"
"Why not? I am superior to these wretches; these weak individuals were so easy to master. They had what I wanted so I took it." The old man stood, still looking into the mirror. Eric moved towards him, fury running through his veins.
"You will never have Sookie; she is not yours to take!"
The old man moved towards Eric, gliding across the floor. He paused a few feet from his target and turned his mirror. Light shot out from it, surrounding Eric, capturing him and holding him rigid. Sookie stirred across the room, seeing the actions of her hated uncle. She knew she didn't have time to spare. Picking herself up, she ran at Bartlett, knocking him to the ground. Eric remained captured in the light.
"You will never hurt anyone ever again!" She shouted, taking the mirror from Bartlett and smashing it on the floor.
"Ah! You wicked child; you shall bend to my will!" Cried Bartlett, backing away towards his chair.
Sookie looked at the vision of the old man, cowering on the floor, his eyes full of rage. She looked back to see Eric slumped on the floor, and knew it was all down to her. Looking across the room she saw a strange clockwork machine, no bigger than a bread bin, encased in a glass dome. This was her chance; she took hold of the broken mirror and dashed across the room. She smashed the glass dome and threw the machine against the wall where it shattered into a thousand pieces.
"NO!" screamed Bartlett. Sookie turned to see him changed to dust in front of her eyes.
She ran to where Eric was lying, and shook him.
"We need to get out of here" she said, trying to bring him around.
Eric opened his eyes and weakly smiled at her, just as the room began to shake. They stood and moved to the door, flinging it open. They quickly ran through the corridors and up both flights of stairs as pieces of masonry began to fall from above. At the top of the last flight of stairs they spotted the front door, wide open. They ran like the wind through the door, just as some pieces of the floor began to give way.
Pausing at her car, Sookie looked back at the crumbling house, as it continued to disintegrate into itself. The child was standing in the doorway waving. Sookie waved back. As the final pieces of the walls fell into the hole where the house once stood, they both saw the six trapped spirits drift up into the sky, free and happy.
Eric pulled Sookie into his arms, glad they had made it out in one piece, and Sookie returned the hug. They looked into each others eyes for a moment before Eric spoke.
"I guess there's no point hanging around; can I offer you a cup of coffee?"
"You were quite amazing in there." Sookie said, watching Eric make coffee.
"Me? You were the amazing one, so strong and compassionate."
"We both nearly succumbed to the sins, but we helped each other through." she said, feeling a strange need wash over her.
"We have been through a lot." Eric replied, bringing the cups and stopping in front of her.
"We nearly didn't survive." Sookie locked eyes with Eric, knowing exactly what she wanted. Reaffirmation of life. Eric puts the cups down on the table and sat on the sofa next to Sookie; she didn't waste anytime, capturing his face in her hands and his lips with her own. Not wanting to waste time either, but letting Sookie take the lead, Eric kissed her back. The kissing became more frenzied, and she pushed him backwards on the sofa, climbing onto his lap.
"We have been through so much," she whispered into his ear, "Make me feel alive."
He didn't need anymore encouragement; he swept Sookie off the sofa and placed her over his shoulder, before striding into his bedroom.
"Are you sure?" Eric whispered breathlessly between kisses as Sookie made quick work of his shirt and trousers, "isn't this lust?"
"No, we aren't craving carnal pleasures of the flesh, I'm craving you."She whispered back, removing her dress with one clean movement.
"I feel exactly the same."
Eric picked her up and reverently placed her on the bed, he wanted nothing more than to worship this goddess for the rest of his life. Leaning over her, he peppered her face and neck with kisses, moving down her collarbone and across to the flimsy underwear covering her ample breasts.
This appeared to be moving too slowly for Sookie, who hooked her legs around Eric's waist pulled his head up to eye level and his body flush with hers. She kissed him hard, raking her fingers up his back and feeling his reaction against her leg. She ground her pelvis against his, urging him to action.
Eric needed no more encouragement; he had been in awe of this beauty before he'd climbed out of his car, only to fall under her spell during their mad adventure. Here was his opportunity to be with her, to show her all he could be.
Slowly he slid his hand down her side, catching hold of the small pair of panties as he moved and slipping them down the length of her legs. As he moved back up, he ghosted his fingers over the inside of her thighs separating them. He settled between them, lifting one to kiss from ankle to mid thigh. Pausing to look down at her, he saw before him an angel, who was becoming increasingly impatient.
He settled back on top of her as she wrapped her legs back around him. Kissing her lightly, his hand slipped her remaining underwear off and began caressing her pert nipples, which elicited moans of pleasure. Moving his mouth down to take the place of his hand, he let his hand drop lower to find the core of her desire. He flicked and rubbed her nub, until he could feel her pleasure rising. She grabbed a handful of his hair, and pulled his head back up to hers.
"Take me now, or I'll have to take matters into my own hands." She said.
He replied by raising a single eyebrow, before reaching into his bedside cabinet to retrieve protection. Sookie took the packet from his hands and ripped it open. Having a free hand, he continued where he left off, before slowly inserting a finger inside her. Her back arched in pleasure, as she reached for his hardening length. Stroking it and gently running her fingernails up the length brought forth a primal growl from deep inside him. She slowly slid the sheath onto him, and then guided him down to where she yearned for him to be.
Eric took charge, rubbing his tip across her nub, and then teasing her by entering her only an inch. Sookie tried to pull him closer with her legs, but he resisted a moment. When her grip loosened he slowly slid inside her, causing her to moan with pleasure. He moved back and forth slowly, building the desire in them both. As they moved in time with each other, they each looked into the other's eyes, watching the passion rise and that special connection form.
They could both feel their temperatures rise as they neared the climax, moving faster, and hands roaming wherever they could reach. Sookie put one hand in Eric's hair, as the other grasped at his muscular back, clinging on to him. Eric focused all of his energy in controlling himself, licking and biting her nipples and rubbing her nub, until he felt her walls tighten around him. They both let go together and allowed the orgasm to wash over them, momentarily becoming one.
After a few moments, Eric slowly removed himself and lay on the bed next to Sookie, watching her come down from her high. He already knew he wanted to be with her, protect her and love her until his last breath. They lay in each others arms, Eric covering them both with the blanket on his bed.
Neither of them noticed the pair of ghostly figures, the reunited man and wife, smiling at them through the window, before dissipating to their final resting place, contented.