Fic Title: The Wallet

Rating: T
Warnings: Character deaths, horror elements, angst
Summary: Steven, Zinnia, Gladion and Lillie get caught in an old legend about a possessed wallet.
For: diamondpearl876 from Serebii Forums. This was written as part of the Yuletide event over on Serebii.

The Wallet

Steven

A random thought springs to my mind: about a cursed wallet I heard about at school. I laughed it off as silly playground gossip. The wallet belonged to an orphaned lad who was made homeless by his greedy uncle. He wondered the streets with only a wallet in his hands. He begged for loose change and picked pockets to make ends meet. After the war, nobody ever saw him again – presumed to be one of the many casualties.

A century ago. The children tell the story about the homeless boy's spirit being trapped in the wallet. The wallet rests on the boy's bones. Those who dare enter the sewer to retrieve it, face a certain doom. As a child, it used to give me nightmares: now it makes me laugh. Who'd want to go in the sewers to fetch a soggy old purse anyway?

Somebody did.

"What's the matter?" Zinnia asks. "Your tea is going to get cold."

"It's too hot at the moment," I reply. "I was just thinking about something."

"You mean the wallet?"

"Why would I want that old thing?"

"Because once renovated, it can make a lot of money."

I shake my head. "You know I'm more into stones, then wallets."

"But this one proves that the boy existed and that Marcus Harrison was an evil man."

"But Marcus Harrison was an only child – how could have any nieces and nephews?"

"Though his wife?"

"Oh yes." Can't believe I just said something so stupid. It doesn't change the fact that Marcus Harrison was a kind man. He took in orphans and abandoned animals off the street. It would make no sense for him to throw his nephew onto the streets. I've read many historical novels featuring him, and he's always had a fondness of every interpretation of him.

Zinnia laughs. "It's okay. Anyway, somebody found the wallet."

"Who found it?"

"Ash. You know Ash, he's friends with Lillie."

"Well, the name rings a bell."

"The last time you saw him, he was only ten."

I shake my head. I'm struggling to picture his face.

"Black hair. Zigzag scars on his cheek, you know? Like the one that Harry Potter had."

I've never read the Harry Potter books or seen the films. Zinnia dragged me into the theatre to see Harry Potter And The Cursed Child last year. I couldn't follow it. I shrug my shoulders at her. "You'll have to try something else."

"He has a red hat."

Now I've got it. "Yes, I remember now. He could eat and eat and eat but never get fat. He quite a tan. How did he find it?"

"He got lost, found the wallet and he was admitted to hospital."

"Why was he in the hospital?" I bite my lip. I don't like where this is going. It was just something that proved that the truth was stranger than fiction.

"They sectioned him!"

I almost spat my tea. "Blimey!" I'm intrigued, but at the same time. I'm lost. If I knew the wallet should book me a hospital bed, I'd let the thing rot. "What happened to him?"

"I saw them take him in. He was hyperventilating and chanting. It was as if he was possessed."

"There's gotta be more to it," I say. My fingers tap on the coffee table. The barrister on the counter behind me is irritated. I rest my hands on my lap. "If he wound up in the sewer, maybe he was there for ages. He could have been suffering anything: hypothermia, hunger, dehydration or even a chest infection. Those sewers are paradise for bacteria. He could catch anything from there."

"That's the wallet from the tale," Zinnia said. "

"But it's a historical fact that he was a nice man."

"Most of those books about Marcus Harrison were written by his family. They're bound to be biased. Anyway, Ash escaped from the unit. Now his mother-in-law and father-in-law are dead. His brother-in-law's in a coma."

"His wife could be next?"

"That's right." Zinnia holds onto my hands. "We must do something."

I'm sure the authorities are doing their best to handle things. But Zinnia is right if we can something about it, then maybe we can reduce the casualties and the horror. Though, I'm not looking forward to going down the sewers.

May

I just want this month to be over. My parents: dead. Max: in a coma. They want to pull the plug. They tell me it's kinder for my little brother to be with his parents. It's a waste. He's too smart and clever to be chained to machines. Anger boils my blood and clenches my fists. I slam the table again like I do every night. My friend's babysitting the kids, but what if he comes for them too? No, I can't bear it. I know I can't save myself... but If I can save what's left of my friends... anything to end this curse.

AND ALL THIS OVER SOME GODFORSAKEN WALLET!

I want to scream, but the gasping pulls me down. A cold hand presses against my shoulder. I look in the mirror: there's nobody there. A shadow zooms across the room, but I can't tell what it is. I follow the shadow into the sitting room. How could it have gotten in: the door's locked. I'm alone. Ash isn't here to protect me anymore.

My knees jolt to the floor as a familiar face sends shivers down my face. The shadow evolves into a man: a tall, beautiful and muscular man. It's Ash: my love. The light of my life and every single love cliche one can muster from the back of one's head. At the same time: it's not him. His once golden tan is now blank, bringing out his red eyes and black hair. No...why are his eyes red - they're brown.

The man I love... the father of my children... has turned into A MONSTER! He's fucked up beyond recognition. How could it have all come to this? Memories come flooding in my mind. The old good days: we traveled the world, had exciting adventures.

By the way, he grins at me, I know I should run. If I don't get the hell out of here, I'll die. But something makes me want to stay.

"What are you doing here?" I yell.

"Oh May... my love... why are you angry? I thought you couldn't wait to see me."

"I'm h-happy to s-see you, it's just..."

His grip on my throat silences me. His other arm cradles my hair. "I've...come...to...take...you...home...with...me..."

"I am home!"

"I mean the special place. Somewhere only we know."

The last thing I feel is his ice-cold kiss consuming my soul.

Gladion

The weather's terrible today. There goes my skateboarding session. A lot of shit been going on lately. Lillie's friend is missing, presumed as a wanted murderer, and our parents are being as supportive as a pair of overstretched pants. I slammed the phone down on them yesterday. They've been ringing me all day, but I ignore it. Pissed isn't even an understatement.

Sometimes I just wish we could go back to the old days. When it was just Lillie and me paddling in the lakes. We were the king and queen of the sandcastles we made. Lillie's always been good at blowing bubbles, she's soft and gentle. I blow too hard and they always pop. Where our parents then? Nowhere! I've always been playing the parent role for little Lillie. She needs them and they just dive into work. Work can wait. Lillie cries herself to sleep. She'll be up now. I think I'll give her a call – she always picks up.

"Lillie, did you hear the news?"

Her excited voice sends chills down my spine. I wish I could say it it was good news, but it isn't. "Have they found Ash yet?"

"No. It's worse than that."

"What is it? Tell me."

"It's better if I come down and tell you in person."

She doesn't know that he's a wanted man. I can't imagine Ash being the monster that the press writes him to be. Why didn't they observe him properly? It won't take me long to get to her place. She's shaking next to her coffee cup. Ash did a lot for her – really brought her out of her shell. Shame he's already married really.

"Gladion?"

Her face is weary and dark. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

Lillie gasps. "None..."

"I have some news on Ash. His in-laws were brutally murdered the night he disappeared. They think he's responsible."

"He came last night."

I jump out the chair and hug her. The table bangs against my chest. My god, he was here. Could he have killed her the way he killed them? He has to be guilty. "What did he say?" I gasp.

Lillie gazes upon her nightdress gaped in holes and blood. "He had the wallet," she whimpers. Her trembling fingers rumble on my back. "He couldn't stop laughing. He had the wallet in his hand and said he'll be in the sewers if I ever wanted to play."

"What the hell's wrong with him?" I roar. "We've gotta go there. We've gotta destroy the wallet."

Lillie

I follow my brother down the sewers. Little did I know that Steven and Zinnia would show up. Seeing them there starting blank at me just makes me even more nervous. I won't be able to live with myself if something happens to them. They're my friends – my family.

That wallet... I have to know more about it. I can't believe the legend about it is true. That poor child's spirit grew into a monster. I know they say that money is the root of all evil, but never in my wildest dreams would I have expected this.

Zinnia screams as she drops her phone. "May's dead?"

"What do you mean May's dead?" I ask. "T-that's Ash's wife!"

"They found her on the kitchen floor: lifeless."

"Lifeless?" I scream. "How can she be lifeless? What do you mean by that?"

"I was the one who found her on the road. She wasn't hit by a car or anything. It was as if her soul has been sucked out of her body. They're still investigating how she died."

May was a kind lady: she did nothing to deserve this. I know what I have to do. I can't let this wallet or whatever spirit it holds harm another living soul. "We need to find out the truth out that wallet."

"We might be able to find out in the sewers – maybe it's a sign."

So off we go. It's only now that my body begins to shiver. I come across as timid to most others, but I really am stronger than this. Losing my friends have set me back. I remember the day when I first met May. I entered a contest – and she won it. She told me that I was amazing and that I should never give up. The words still echo in my mind today as if she had said it only yesterday.

Come on Lillie: be brave, I think to myself as I jump into the sewers. The stench is overwhelming. It's more than just old raw sewage. Death. No words alone can describe the putrid stench. A combination of all things unholy enough to rape the nostrils and fight the verge of sickness. I bump into something. I turn the torch in its direction: it's Steven and Zinnia.

"Steven?" Gladion roars. "What are you doing here?"

"I'd be asking you the same question."

I step in front of my brother. "We're here for the wallet."

A light shines down from the murky waters beside us. We all look down, holding our noses as we see an image of a woman pleasuring herself as a young boy walks through the door. The music playing in the background adds an eerie atmosphere. It's slow and innocent as the high pitch of the keys strikes childhood memories.

The woman strangles the boy. I cover my eyes. I can't bear to watch this. I don't want to see this little boy be choked to death. The woman on the water's reflection screams and I open my eyes. The boy lives: he's dripping with blood. A man strolls in, screaming at the boy.

"That's Marcus Harrison," Steven cried out. "I know it's him."

"Uncle Marcus...I can explain...it was an accident."

"I CAN'T KEEP YOU HERE ANY LONGER: YOU MUST GO!"

The rest of the film became a short blur afterward jumping from one scene to another. Mainly images of the young boy begging for change and food. The last clip we see is the young boy shivering in the cold sewers clutching onto a leather wallet as his only warmth. The film ended the moment he closed his eyes.

It was so sad. I feel so sorry for the boy. If only there was a way to help him. Maybe he can go back to heaven with his parents.

The wallet bounces out the water, bursting out blood. Steven jumps towards the wallet and clutches it in his hand. My heart races as the blood ooze from his hands.

"Don't open it!" I plea. "It might kill you."

"I must," Steven says. "It could be the key to us solving...OUCH!"

Steven's cut short by the zip consuming him whole.

"No!" I gasp, knees crumbling to the floor. It's too much to take in. There's no way we could have lost our friend to some wallet. We have to destroy it. "BRING HIM BACK!" I cry out.

My brother holds me in his arms. "Lillie, it's no use... Steven's gone!"

I scream louder. "NO, IT CAN'T BE TRUE. HE CAN STILL BE SAVED. IF WE CAN TALK TO THE BOY, LET HIM KNOW THAT HE doesn't HAVE TO KILL ANYONE. THEN MAYBE WE CAN GET STEVEN BACK!"

"What are you guys doing with my wallet?"

It's Ash's voice.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I scream. "GIVE US STEVEN BACK?"

"Why of course!" Ash says with an eerie grin on his face. "It would be my pleasure." He speaks so slow. Slow enough to make every syllable count. His deep voice sends shivers down my spine. It's not the Ash we know standing before us. He's been possessed by that thing.

The wallet spits Steven out as if he's a sour piece of candy. His body cold and pale as if there's nothing left of him. He's still alive, but only just. By pure instinct, I order my vulpix to burn the wallet with its hidden power.

Ash's body disintegrates into the air. We drag Steven out of the sewer. Gladion calls the ambulance and the police. We'll be lucky if Steven makes it through tomorrow.

Zinnia

The wallet's been destroyed. We got the pokémon to destroy it. Steven is still alive, but I doubt that he'll ever wake up. He lies But it doesn't mask the fact that the truth is as cold as the wind pouring into the hallway. Lillie invites me to her brother's birthday party, he was a Christmas child. I declined. I'm in no mood for celebrating this Christmas, nor any other holidays that are yet to come.

I still remember the day when the wallet's ashes clash upon my face. This is where I spend all my free time: white walls, constant beeping, and a cranky bed. Steven's been here for a couple of months now.

Gladion and Lillie come up whenever they're about in Hoenn. Alola is a long way away, I applaud them for their efforts. We tell stories of our childhood and what we've been up to. Gladion isn't sure if Steven is listening, but I think he is. Steven's like a father to me. He's always listening. I love him to bits, but I can't stand to see him like this. They're talking about pulling the plug. The staff at the hospital hate me. I won't let them do that! Steven deserves to live. I know that one day he will wake up if he's given some more chances.

If only I could see him smile again.

Even though all traces of the curse is gone from their lives, it still lives on through my nightmares. The same one every night where the possessed boy snaps Steven's head off to remind me that I failed...sometimes I wish it was me instead of him.