Tasertricks presents "Ghost"
Warning this may be creepy, but then again I get scared easy so it may not be. If nothing else it should be fun to read! But for full affect read in the dark, at night, alone during a thunderstorm, with some spooky music playing in the background (I recommend the Silent Hill sound track because that's what I listened to while I was writing)
Disclaimer
This a work of fanfiction and trust me I am getting no money for it. All characters belong to Marvel, which is now owned by Disney.
"Darcy I don't see why you would insist on coming in here." Loki said as he absently kick some fallen plaster with his shoe. He was standing in the light of the late afternoon sun as it struggled to shine through the dirt caked windows. Further down the hall he could see Darcy poking her head into open doorways. The sound of broken glass and fallen debris crunching under her shoes. She was making audible "Aww" sounds every time her eyes fell upon something she deemed worthy of note. Which had been almost everything she had seen in this place so far. Loki looked at his watch 10 minutes they had been inside and she had not yet explored this one hall way! The sudden absence of sound brought Loki to attention.
"Darcy!" he called out, she did not answer. He started to walk purposefully towards the doorway he had last seen her in before he had foolishly taken his eyes off her. Inwardly chiding himself for taking on a lover that more often then not made him feel as if he was playing nanny.
"BOO!" She said suddenly popping her head out at him and giggling. He did not jump or start, he had been expecting her to pull something like this.
"Yes, very funny love now can we leave?"
"Why? Are you scared to be here after it gets dark?" she challenged him mockingly.
"No, I just don't see why we had to come here at all? This building looks like parts of it are going to collapse."
"What? How could I not check this place out?" asked Darcy in utter shock. "This is The Hills Hotel!" Loki looked about "I suppose for some this may pass as hotel accommodation" Darcy roller her eyes at him then started to walk away down the hall. When she noticed he was not following she looked back and asked if he was coming. He reluctantly started to follow her. When she had told him they were going to driving by someplace interesting he had thought she might have been talking about a museum of some sort but upon seeing the rusted gates with the large keep out sign Loki realized that this was not going to be his idea of fun at all (more like Thor's). Darcy started talking again as he caught up to her.
"This place was a Hotel up until 1929 then it went bust along with everything else. It was turned into a privet hospital after that. A guy named Wilkerson ran it. He treated rich people for TB and other illnesses and from what I read they were very discreet. Then the business changed and the place was turned into a spa in the 50's."
They had walked to a stair well and were now making for the second floor.
"That business went under' continued Darcy once they had cleared the loud echoing stair well 'and it became the infamous St. Bathhill Our Lady of Mercy Hospital!" She waited for some sign recognition from him, he gave her none.
"Darcy I am very impressed with your knowledge of this buildings history. I would be more then happy to listen to the whole sage of this building in the car as we drive back to meet up with Tony and Pepper" Darcy deflated a bit but she pulled out her flashlight and flicked it on. She turned around fast to look at Loki with the light shining up onto her face and in as spooky a voice as she could she continued her history lesson.
"Ah but this building has a long and bloody history" she said for dramatic effect. Loki sighed in defeat then looking around the very dark hallway he found a bench that did not look as if it was about to collapse. He sat down and gave Darcy his complete attention.
She giggled in childlike delight.
"When this place was being built it was to be the jewel of the local society. It had a Ballroom, Bar, Restaurant. There was a Lake out back where you could rent Canoes and swim. All the linen was fresh and new and the staff was top of the notch…but, on the Gala opening night, tragedy struck! Three people died right in the ballroom. A young socialite, her old lover and her fiancé!" Loki was actually enjoying this little show, he always found it refreshing when his lover was excited about something, she often passed on the exuberance to him in other ways. "Ask what happened" she prompted in a whisper.
He gave a dry soft laugh under his breath
"What happened Darcy? Why were the lovers killed?" he asked softly
"Ah you see, at first everyone thought that the killing had been about the two men fighting over the woman, but those in the know knew the truth. See the socialite discovered that her two lovers where in fact lovers themselves! And in a fit of rage and heartbreak she killed them both and then turned to gun upon herself! They say that her rage at being used in such a way cursed this place." She paused and waited, again Loki supplied the obvious question.
"What sort of curse my love? Should I fear for my man hood while I am in this place?"
She gave a wicked laugh. "It was said any man who slept in this hotel from that night on would never rest easy if he was being untrue to his wife or fiancé. Those that were found unfaithful would wake to the sight of the ghostly woman holding a gun at them screaming in anger. The End" Loki applauded the story. He stood and took Darcy's hand.
"Well that was indeed entertaining Darcy but it is dark now, we should go"
"Not yet we've only been in one wing and I still have more stories about this place. I checked them out on my phone on the drive down here." Loki looked at her sternly, she pouted slightly back at him.
"I'll make a bargain with you Darcy" he said at last "we will explore for one more hour and tomorrow we get to do something that I consider fun,' Loki grinned wickedly and Darcy brightened up at the prospect 'agreed?" He asked. Darcy took his hand and shook it vigorously
"Deal" she said turning and continuing to walk down the hall.
They continued to explore the floor further. Loki would never admit to Darcy that he was starting to get an uneasy feeling from the building. There seemed to be something in the air. A heaviness and a smell of old rust and blood. Darcy had been regaling him non stop with tales of ghostly maids hanging from rafters and nurses without heads making rounds. A secret morgue and crematorium in the basement, and axe murdering patients that vanished from record once the hospital had closed it's doors for good.
"And he might still be wandering the hills and old building looking for his lost meds!" Darcy finished with her best Count Dracula impression, then they walked in silence. Darcy was still looking in every open door way with her flash light.
"Darcy" said Loki suddenly. His words were so unexpected that they made the brunette jump and point her light right at his face.
"What? Jeez you scared me!" Loki held up his hand to shield his eyes.
"Apologies, but I was under the impression that you didn't believe in ghosts and you know that I don't either. If that is the case why are we here?"
Darcy lowered her flashlight
"I also didn't used to believe in Aliens or immortal Norse Gods, but now I am dating a man that covers both categories"
"touché" he replied
BAME!
Darcy jumped into Loki's arms, dropping her flashlight to the floor and burying her face into his chest. She felt the soft cloth of Loki's civilian clothing begin to shift under her face into leather and metal. A soft blue light was also now visible in her peripheral.
"What the fuck was that?" she asked the Demigod's chest. Said Demigod narrowed his eyes and sent out a wave a magic. Every light bulb that was not missing or broken came on and dingy yellow light filled the building.
"The doors have all shut" he said levelly.
"No way!" said Darcy detaching herself from her boyfriend and looking around. It was true every door in the hall seemed to have slammed shut at the same time. Also the lights were starting to go out again. They were fading on both ends of the hall leaving the one above her and Loki last to be extinguished. The blue light from Loki's scepter flared a little brighter and Darcy bent down to get her flashlight but was dead. She hit it a few times to be sure, yup dead. She kept it with her anyway, she could always use it hit things if need be.
"Love, I realized you had another 20 minutes remaining to explore…"Loki began.
"I've seen enough" Darcy said dryly. She took his offered hand with a death grip hold and began following him back the way they had come. She walked so close to him that she stepped upon his heels a few times. Every time she did she made a small scream of panic. She didn't remember the hall way being this long, maybe it just seemed that way because she was really freaked out.
"Stop" she said and pulled on Loki's hand to wait. "what was that?" she asked. Loki cocked his head to listen, then made his scepter glow brighter to light up a larger area.
"What?" he asked.
"I swear I heard something" she told him.
"All I have been able to hear are your shuffling steps, when we get home I am going to give you lessons in walking." He said "I won't have you shuffling around Asgard when you meet my mother. Now come along." He had tried to make light of her shuffling to ease her anxiety. He pulled her along again squeezing her hand in a reassuring manner. They only walked another few steps when Darcy heard it again.
"Stop!" she said and once more pulled him to a halt.
"Darcy really? This is doing nothing for my mood…" she shushed him loudly.
"Listen" she whispered, he then heard it. A soft dragging sound was coming from the darkness behind them. On top of the sound was also a slight ringing, like metal being dragged along the floor. Loki faced the sound putting Darcy behind him and sent out more light. There was nothing, or so it seemed at first. On the floor there was something that had not been there before. A fire hose had pulled itself off the wall and seemed to be following them down the hall like some great snake. The ringing sound was the nozzle scrapping the floor.
"Loki? Please tell me this is just you fucking with me? Please?" Darcy asked pleadingly. Loki aimed his scepter at the still approaching hose.
"Afraid not love, and I was about to ask the same question of you." He sent out a shot of power and vaporized the hose snake leaving nothing behind. Darcy relaxed slightly then thanked the demigod. He said nothing and in fact was now looking very intensely past her. Darcy turned fearing some other freaky thing was coming up behind them. What she found was almost worse.
"Where did this wall come from?" she asked. Loki did not reply, he simply moved past her and began running his hand along the new wall, muttering things under his breath.
"It's solid and it was certainly not here before." He said at last.
"So I guess we go to plan B then" said Darcy "You have my permission to throw me over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes and jump out a window to freedom. We're only on the third floor, you can manage that right?"
"I don't need your permission for anything mortal, let alone throwing you over my shoulder like a prize, remember that. However you have made a valid suggestion" He started walking back to the last door they had past. Darcy grinned behind him.
"I like when you call me mortal, it makes you sound so cool" Loki would have grinned himself had he not the feeling that things were not going to be as easy has his lover thought. They tried the first door they came too, but it would not open, so Loki kicked it, very hard and it flew off it's hinges. Darcy moved to see past him into the room. It was empty and there was an outside window, but she could not make out anything outside. She got closer and when the blue glow made it easier to see she groaned.
"Oh, that's just not fair!" she opened the window and felt the brick wall that now covered the whole window. "feels real" she said in a pout.
"Stand back" Loki ordered and once more he took aimed with his scepter. He let loose a bolt of destructive magic, but to both there horror, nothing happened. Darcy and Loki watched as the blue energy was absorbed and then dispersed in glowing wriggling streaks throughout the room.
"Well that didn't work, now what?" asked Darcy.
Loki went over and touched the brick wall himself making sure it was not an illusion. After all Darcy was mortal and mortal senses could be tricked. However it seemed that the wall was indeed real. What ever was messing with them was able to make a barrier more powerful then that of the Tesseract! This made the demigod nervous.
"Hey didn't you break that door down on our way in?" Darcy asked as she pulled on Loki's sleeve to get his attention. He turned to see that the door had been restored to its former place and was intact once again. A warm yellow light was visible under the door.
"I have a bad feeling about all of this." He said soberly.
"Was that before or after the unbreakable walls and moving fixtures?" asked Darcy flippantly.
The sound of a group of rowdy party goers suddenly filled the air interrupting Loki's retort. They passed by the door and their shadows blocked the light for a second. Darcy headed for the door and tried the knob, it turned. Loki went ahead of her and opened the door and stepped out into the hall.
"Wow" said Darcy as she too stepped out into the transformed hallway. Gone were the cracked walls and dirty tile floors. Now a lushes burgundy carpet with a gold swirl patterns covered the floor a soft piano tune hung in the air along with the smell of cigarettes and fine wine. The loud mob that had walked past the door was nowhere in sight.
"Ok, that's just…Loki pinch me I think I may be dreaming" Loki started walking in the direction that they had heard the loud group go in. "I assure you, you are not" he said. The hallway seemed to go on and on. All the doors were locked, and they all had the same number on them, 305. every time they turned a corner it was the same. Until finally Loki noticed a new feature at the end of one of the hall ways. An old fashioned elevator, he pointed it out to Darcy.
"No way man, that's too creepy, what if it opens and the floor floods with blood!" Loki gave her a questioning look "what?" he asked
Darcy rolled her eyes. "Never mind we'll watch the movie if we get out of here"
"When we get out of here" Loki corrected her. Darcy plucked up her courage and tapped the call button. Nothing happened. She actually let out a sigh of relief. She waved him forward. "You give it a try, doors seem to like you better in this place" He tapped the call button but still nothing happened.
"Maybe your glow stick of doom?" she prompted. Loki looked at his scepter then pursed his lips in thought.
"I don't think that will be necessary" he said suddenly ramming his hand into the call box and pulling out the wires. Darcy sometimes forgot that Loki did have super strength but he just didn't use brut force very often. He started to connect different cables then a spark made the hall go dark for a moment. In that moment Darcy would swear that everything went back to a dilapidated state, but the light came back quickly enough along with the hotel hallway. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Much to Darcy's relief no blood appeared.
"Ladies First" said Loki with a small grin.
"You won't let the door close chopping off my head right?" she asked him suddenly. Silently Loki put his hand against the door, stopping the it from closing prematurely. Satisfied Darcy stepped inside and Loki followed. As the doors started to close they once more could hear the sound of loud drunken people just out of sight. Darcy hit the L button and they felt the elevator move. It was a short ride (to be expected) but when the doors opened again they were once more looking at a line of identical doors.
"We haven't moved" said Darcy disappointedly.
"Actually we have, look" he pointed a little ways down the hall and she could just make out the top of a grand staircase. Darcy rushed out and started speed walking towards it, then stopped. The sound of drunk party guests could once more be heard and they where heading up the stairs. Loki was now behind her. "Shall we go see who is making all the ruckus?" he asked.
"I'd rather not, but I suppose we are going to meet them weather we want to or not, right?" Loki did not answer but instead took the lead and started walking. In truth he had had quite enough of all this, if these people were responsible he wanted to show them his full appreciation. The thought actually made him smile a little. He hadn't vaporized anyone in years. He reached the top of the stairs just as the loud group did, but was not wholly surprised when the sound died and he found no one at all. "coward" he hissed under his breath. Darcy looked down into the lobby, it was empty. But it looked like it had been very busy. Bags were loaded on trolleys, cigars still smoked in ash trays, a news paper fluttered to the ground as though it had been dropped.
"Come on" said Loki taking her hand as he pulled her down the stairs and made straight for the main doors.
They were imposing large oak doors without windows. He took the handle and pulled, but to no avail they refused to open. That was the last straw, Loki dropped Darcy's hand and went to the center of the lobby.
"I am Loki of Asgard! God of Mischief and Chaos! I applaud you conceit and ingenuity but I demeaned to be released at once. Your "joke" has started to ware very thin" Darcy shook her head at his display he had even made his voice boom for affect. She tried the doors herself, but they didn't open for her either. She blew air through her lips then turned back to ask him what they should do now. Only she found she was face to face with a young woman dressed in an old fashioned nurse uniform. She had a clip board and was making notes.
"So how long has your husband been suffering these delusions?" the nurse asked sympathetically
"What?" exclaimed Darcy. She looked around; the lobby had changed! It now looked like a Hospital reception area. Looking behind the nurse, she could see Loki's limp form being dragged away between to orderlies. "Hey! Where are taking him? What did you do to him?" she shoved the nurse aside and started to follow but the door was blocked by a very large orderly clad in white and he had a black truncheon hanging from his belt. The nurse tapped her on the shoulder.
"We had to sedate him, he was getting violent, now how long has your husband been under the delusion that he is a God?" Repeated the nurse clicking her pen impatiently.
"What are you talking about he's not my husband? We're in a…relationship, sort of…it's complicated" Darcy blurted, she was starting to feel a little faint.
"OK, not his spouse" frowned the nurse and made another note on her clip board. "So you are saying you did not just hear your…significant other? Call himself a god? Just a few moments ago? I would think the whole ward had heard him."
"Yeah I heard him, but I don't care! I want to see him now!" commanded Darcy, she felt a bit startled and wondered if being around Loki was starting to rub off. She rubbed her head, it was starting to hurt.
"You can't, not until we finish the registration for his commitment" the nurse said sternly.
"He doesn't need to be committed to a…OK maybe he could use some therapy, because he has a few daddy issues, but he doesn't need to be committed, not for the God thing anyway" Snapped Darcy. The nurse clicked her pen and made another note.
"You think his belief in his own godhood is healthy?" she asked sternly.
"He's not suffering from an unhealthy delusion that he's a god, because he really is an 1000 year old Alien God Frost Giant from another dimension."
The nurse made a few more notes on her clip board then cleared her throat.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMM
Loki awoke in unfamiliar surroundings. He was bound by his wrists and ankles to the remains of a rusted bed frame. He was seeing the world around him as it really was again. How had he gotten there? It had happened so fast, he had made his declaration, then all of reality shifted colour and he had felt a sting in his neck. The soft light of his scepter hummed brighter as his mind once more touched it's power. It was laying on a chair next to his head, waiting. He easily broke his bonds, took up his weapon and left the room he had been brought to. The hallway in this part of the building was in a far worse state then any he had seen previously, parts of the roof seemed to have already collapsed. A loud banging further down the hall put Loki back on full alert. His weapon raised he followed the sound to it's source. The door had warn letters across it reading "solitary" It had a single opening at waist height that was rusted shut. The door vibrated loudly with another bang.
"Please! Let me out!" came the sound of Darcy sobbing pitifully. "I can take the dark, I love the dark, but there may be bugs in here! God please send me a can of raid!"
Loki banged on the door.
"Darcy is that you in there?" he asked and the sobbing stopped. He could hear shuffling on the other side of the door.
"Yes! Yes it's me! God, open the door!" she said in relief.
"You can thank your God properly later but at the moment I would like to know, how did we meet?" Darcy was quite for a moment.
"Really? Your doing this now?" came her indigent response.
"Since this little adventure began I have been unable to trust my senses, walls have moved. I have followed phantom sounds and been incapacitated by manifestations of some unknown kind. I feel this is a small cautionary action." Replied Loki calmly.
"Well how do I know that you're the real Loki then?" she asked in annoyance. Loki thought for a moment then placing himself about where he guessed Darcy's head was and he said very clearly. "You like it when I play with your toes."
"OK, your you…As for me, OK fine. We met at Thor's Bachelor party. Jane had forced me to go because she didn't trust Tony Stark. She was afraid he might lock Thor up with couple of Call Girls and throw away the key. We met, or should I say hooked up after Tony, you and I played a drinking game involving a bottle of Alfheim Moon shine. And that's how I joined the Godly mile high club." The door was pulled open and Darcy saw the welcome sight of her lover.
"You're Darcy, no question…" he said "what are you wearing?" he asked in astonishment.
"Straight jacket, now hurry up and get me out of this thing, I have been trying to copy every street magician I have seen on TV do this and it's not working! I think those guys might be cheating" She grumbled. Loki made short work of the buckles and snaps, but once she was free Darcy refused to discard it.
"It'd make a nice souvenir" she said slightly hysterically. He had to get them out of here and soon before Darcy lost her mind. He would not have an insane woman as a lover, not again.
He wrapped his arm around her slumped shoulder and led her away down the hall. Even though it was not as obvious as before Loki could tell that they're journey was being manipulated. At some point Darcy had thrown her straight jacket over her shoulders and was walking even closer to him.
"Is it just me or is starting to get really cold?" she said, her teeth chattering slightly.
"It may be but I don't notice colder temperatures" He said, gritting his teeth a little at the reasons behind his tolerance. He know within a few moments that it was getting colder because he could see Darcy's breath in the blue light. She suddenly stopped.
"Loki? Where did the doors go?" she asked
"We just past a set…" Loki turned to look back but the hallway had vanished, they were standing in front of a blank wall. Darcy had pulled away from him and was inspecting something on the other wall.
"Gimme that for a second" she said holding out her hand for the scepter. Loki hesitantly past it over. She did not know how to use it but he still did not like it when she held a weapon of any kind. Darcy was nothing if not a little unpredictable. She held it up to a sign on the wall.
"Oh hell no!" She yelled. Then she absently tossed the cosmic relic back to her demigod boyfriend. She leaned back against the wall and slid down it until she was sitting with her knees against her chest. Loki went to investigate what had upset her so. The small sign had a long arrow on it and below was the word "Morgue" Darcy was trying to control her breathing, the odd sob escaped her lips. Loki squatted down in front of her and took her chin in his hand.
"Who is this? This is not the mortal Darcy Lewis that I took as a lover. She runs fearlessly into abandoned buildings, rescues animals, teasers the god of Thunder, trades verbal bards with the god of mischief."
"Oh yeah? Well you've never seen her so scared that she would want to...end it…now." She sobbed. "It would be better then being stuck here!"
Loki's face grew hard in anger. He stood up and glared down at her.
"Get up! We are leaving this place now!" he ordered in what she figured was his prince giving orders tone. She did not stir. He took her by the arms and pulled her up so she was eye to eye with him. He said nothing else, he just waited for her to stop. When she had calmed herself enough he released her.
"I have a theory Darcy," he said as she rubbed her eyes and sniffed. "what ever this entity is it needs energy. Events here escalated only after I sent out magic to turn the lights on. Every time I used my own magic or that of the scepter the manifestations got stronger and more powerful"
"So, you stop feeding it power and we can get out of here, is that what you are getting at?" asked Darcy softly. As if to answer her question, Loki sent his weapon away. They now were in total darkness.
"Well this is great I hope you can see in the dark" moaned Darcy. She felt something soft and warm placed in her hand.
"Put those on, then I'll lead us" came Loki's voice ahead of her. Darcy felt a sudden chill. It had been cold to begin with but now it was really cold. She put on the leather gloves that were too big (Loki's) and wrapped her straight jacket a little tighter around herself.
"Are you ready?" he asked with an edge of impatience.
"Yup" Darcy put her hands out until she found Loki's arm. He quickly moved her hold to his hand and they started to walk at a brisk pace. It was still very dark but Darcy was able to make out the shape of the man in front of her. She was also acuity aware of how cold her hand was. It was like she had been holding a block of ice for several minutes.
"Can we switch hands?" she asked and nearly jumped when a pair of red glowing eyes peered at her from where Loki's head was. He wordlessly switched and hands and then turned and continued to lead her on into the dark. Darcy was absorbed in her thoughts, she had been told what Loki was by Thor but he had never shown her himself, and in truth she still could not see him. She could sure as hell feel him though and she silently hoped her hand did not have frost bite by the time he let go of her hand. Suddenly as though thinking it had triggered a response she felt him loosen his hold.
"We are approaching a door." He said simply. Darcy found that she could see more now, light was coming from up ahead. She looked up at the back of the demigods head and could just make out his ears changing colour. Looking down quickly at his hand, which was still holding hers she could see the same bark blue colour starting to fade back to the familiar pale hue. Small ridges that had been raised on hi hand were also vanishing only to be replaced once more by smooth skin. "Cool" she said under her breath. If Loki heard her he showed no sign. Once it was light enough to see clearly Darcy pulled her hand out of his and rammed it under her arm pit trying to warm it up. The light was getting very bright but it was not a friendly light at all, it was harsh and clinical. It was streaming through the windows on a pare of swinging doors. It was as if a spot light was being shone throw on the other side. Loki paused a moment before the lighted door then pushed them open and vanished into the light. Darcy gulped and said softly.
"Well it's what they say in the movies, go towards the light" then she too walked into the blinding light.
She was blinded for a moment, then when the black spots finally cleared she could see her surroundings clearly. It was as she feared, they were in a morgue. Steel doors lined the walls, most were closed but some of them hung open and the steel beds were pulled out. The sound of a leaking faucet seemed to just set off the tone of the room. The old smell of embalming fluid hung in the air unchanged by time. Loki stood a foot ahead of her, but his attention was riveted to the two tables in the center of the room. They both had forms covered in white sheets, silent and waiting. Darcy's feet worked faster then her brain and she turned and bolted for the door. But unsurprisingly it was no longer there. She banged on the wall with her fist and yelled.
"What do you want?! Attention? You have our attention! Fame? If you let us go, I have every ghost hunter in America here with a camera and microphone in 24 hours! You want a movie? I know Tony F-ing Stark! You'll have a trilogy all to yourself!"
"DACRY!" yelled Loki over her rambling "your getting hysterical, please stop right now or I will personally put you back in that straight jacket and gag you!" he threatened.
"Not in a fun away either I'm guessing" she moaned as once more she sat on the floor against the wall with her knees up and her face hidden in her hands. She might have been crying but Loki didn't care at the moment, she was quiet and stationary, that's what he wanted.
He walked calmly to stand between the two shrouded forms and then with no emotion or ceremony he pulled both sheets off. By this point Loki was prepared for most anything this "ghost" had for him, but he had to admit what he found under the sheets did give him a slight shiver. He found himself looking down into the cold dead face of himself and Darcy. Naked and pale with ugly stitching covering their chests. Loki looked back and make sure Darcy was where he had left her. She was still there sobbing slightly and very much alive. Adjusting his leather armor coat he cleared his throat.
"Are you trying to make me believe that Darcy and I are dead? That these are our bodies?" He asked the air calmly "Because if that is the case you have made a few errors, at least as far as my body is concerned. One, I am a god this body shows no sign of a wound or trauma, the only thing that can kill a god. Second, if I were dead I would not look like that," he pointed to his dead doppelganger. "for in death my true nature would be revealed" He turned around and waited. Nothing happened, so he continued "What is the point of you keeping us here? Our deaths will not serve you, our shades would just be more of a burden and drain on you. You need energy, am I correct in this? In this place you are starving, you get little nourishment from the odd thrill seeker and electronic devices they bring into this domain.
Now I could feed your need for energy for eternity, the draw back however is that I refuse too. If you try and threaten me or hurt Darcy in anyway I would wish you to know this. I will discover you, I will find whatever plane you exist upon and I will make you suffer. If you are in fact dead, that is no obstacle to me either. For you see I have a daughter, and she is ruler of all the dead. Hela is always eager to capture souls that have slipped her grasp, and when I tell her about this place, well lets just say I won't need to get her a birthday present this year."
The eyes of both corpse blinked open, and fell upon Loki.
"I could just keep you both here, running like rats in a maze until you gave in to madness" said the corpse Darcy she started to rise into a sitting position.
"You could but that would eat away at the power you have saved, you would starve and we would escape eventually." He replied
"But I could always feed off of your power" Loki turned around when he heard his own voice speaking to him. His doppelganger was also sitting up now.
"Why would I feed you?" he asked his double
"Simple, I would attack you" was the calm dead reply. Suddenly out of nowhere a brick hurtled through the air right for Loki's face.
"Damn" he muttered as the brick sailed through him and landed loudly on the floor. The two dead faces looked at him questioningly.
"Ah well, it seems my little trick is over, but it prove one of my other theories about you. You can only focus your energy on one place. You thought you were so sure about my nature, well my brother has made the same mistake many times, and he's known me for centuries." With a bow Loki's illusion vanished.
The Real Darcy and Loki were at that moment sprinting down a dilapidated maintenance tunnel.
"The trick has been discovered love" he said.
"Don't talk run!" panted Darcy. She was not used to so much running, but she had been going nonstop since Loki had cast his illusion spell. She had seen his doubles before but had never seen him actually do it. He had been standing between the tables and pulled off the sheets. He had turned around and then just walked over to her leaving a double in his place. Taking her hand she had felt a sudden surge of, well something, and with a finger to his lips pulled her away from a double of herself still sitting on the floor. They had walked right by the tables and towards a rusted door with an old chain. She had not even seen it until it was right in front of her. He easily broke the chain and then they started running. It had to be the right way because Darcy could smell cool night air.
Loki peeked quickly behind him then said levelly.
"Darcy, don't look back." Now Darcy was one of those people that if you told them not to look down she would, just to see what the fuss was about. She had been hit on the golf course when some one yelled duck and she had cried where? That was the first and last time she had tried golf. So of course when Loki told her not to she did.
The tunnel was flooding with liquid blackness. A single glowing face road the crest of the wave. Her mouth open in a raging scream that was completely silent and deafening at the same time. Darcy ran faster and ahead she saw a small flight of steps leading up and a flat hatch door locked with chains. But she could smell the air and it was real!
"Blast it!" she cried. Loki summoned forth his relic and sent a bolt of destruction at the hatch. It exploded and the sound of the night outside spilled into the tunnel. They were nearly there. Darcy could feel a hand reaching for her hair and a few strained seemed to be pulled out but then she hit the stairs and pounded up them, jumping out on the dirt and grass. She continued to run as hard as she could until she tripped and landed hard on her knees and face. Loki knelt down next to her, he was breathing a little heavy and Darcy thought her lungs where going to explode. She rolled over and looked back the way they had come. The blasted hatch was once again locked and whole. But there was no sign of the black mass and for the first time in what felt like years Darcy didn't have the feeling of being watched.
"Can you drive dear? I'm not feeling so well." Wheezed Darcy with a small chuckle. Loki allowed himself a small laugh and helped Darcy stand up.
"Of course" he said.
Epilogue
Dawn was breaking over the "Big Smile Café" and Mavis had been up for hours. She had already seen off her usual bickers and Truckers. At 5:30 am the oddest couple she had ever seen walked in and sat at the counter. The girl had mussed hair with grass sticking out of it. Her jeans were ripped at the knees and blood and grass stains were evident, and her makeup smeared and dirty. But that was not the oddest part about the girl, she seemed to be draped in an old fashioned straight jacket. The fellow she was with was as just as unusual. He looked like he had escaped from a Renaissance fair and he was like wise disheveled and dusty.
Mavis put on her game face and headed over to the couple.
"What can I get you folks this morning? The breakfast special is $3.99 with your choice of toast or English muffin."
The man was about to speak when the girl droned.
"Coffee"
"I'll order Darcy if you don't mind" said the man gently rubbing the girls shoulder. Mavis could not quite put her finger on it but she would swear she had seen him somewhere before.
"2 Coffee's and two orders of French toast please" the man said in a pleasant voice.
"Anything else?" she looked to the girl.
"Coffee" she repeated in a pleading whisper. Mavis made her note and went to hand it off.
Darcy staggered off to the washroom to clean her face after Loki advised that she looked an absolute fright. Darcy has simply shot back. "It takes one to know one"
Loki had also ducked into the men lavatory and altered his attire so he did not stand out as much. He had noticed the look he was getting from the serving woman and experience had taught him that in large crowded area's no one knew him but one on one he would still get recognized. He left any abrasions to his face in place then exited back into the café. Darcy looked less disheveled and was inhaling her cup of coffee. Loki joined her and took a sip of his own beverage. Her mug empty Darcy banged it loudly on the counter and doing her best impression of his brother said "Another!" Loki nearly snorted coffee out of his nose in shock. The server turned and eyed Darcy. Loki also raised an eye brow at her. She blushed slightly then added sheepishly "Please"
"I see Thor has been teaching you bad manners again" he observed. The rest of the meal arrived and Darcy tucked in. Loki observed the server looked less interested now that he was dressed in Midgard clothing.
Mavis had been hovering for a while when finally she let her curiosity get the best of her.
"It looks like you two had a rough night."
"That my good woman would be an understatement."
"We were checking out St. Bath" Darcy supplied, her mouth full of syrup and French toast.
"Oh I should have known we get a few of you ghost hunters every year. They spend the night scaring themselves silly. They bring camera's and video recorders but I got to tell you they never seem to catch anything on film. Did you get anything?"
Loki looked at Darcy, then back to Mavis.
"Afraid not, but it was an interesting way to spend a night, but not one I think I shall be repeating"
"We got a few good stories though" inserted Darcy. "are you going to eat that?" she pointed to Loki's plate.
Helheimr
Hela licked her lips and watched her newest bobble spin in the flickering fire light. The figure inside was screaming in rage but was completely silent as she banged upon the walls of her prison. Perhaps she would add this one to her necklace? It was unique in her mind, and Loki's idea of all things. Looking deeper inside she could see the other two occupants of the world within, they were in a loving embrace and saw only a paradise of there own happiness. The raging woman tried to interfere and influence the world around her but that was imposable, for even in the land of the dead she would forever be a ghost.