A house is not always a home-- It was one of the first lessons Takashi Shirogane had taught to his younger half-brother, Keith. At the time the words bore no meaning to the child, and were met with only a teasing response from Keith.
"They're the same thing, it's a cinnamon." Little Keith would respond in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Synonym." Takashi corrected, eleven wise years older than the boy. "It's something you'll come to understand as you get older."
"Okay so I'll worry about it when I'm old." Keith concluded, his attention lost once again.
Keith's relationship with Takashi had always been a positive one, and he often felt that the man was more of a fatherly figure than an older brother.
After the death of their mutual father, Takashi had just barely been old enough to claim guardianship of Keith, but as a result was forced to drop out of university in order to pursue a full-time job. Never a very wealthy family, what little their father had left behind had only been enough to cover funeral costs and nothing more. After that, the entire financial burden became Takashi's responsibility. Keith, at the time only nine years old and still processing the situation, was still too young to fully comprehend all of the sudden changes happening in his life. He began to act out, and was quickly deemed a problem child by his teachers. He was still a good child at heart, but it seemed as if no adult (Takashi aside) knew how to deal with his mood swings.
It was the most difficult in the beginning. It seemed as if every day Takashi was being called at work about an outburst Keith was having at school. He couldn't afford to leave during the middle of the day, but the more issues Keith was having at school, the more unfit it made Takashi look as a guardian. The situation was unfavourable, but he did what he could to make things work.
If there was one bright side to the situation, it was that Takashi knew how to calm Keith down quickly, but it was all thanks to his many years of experience as an older brother. They'd speak over the phone on his breaks at work, Keith often already in the principal's office anyway. Takashi had three strategies, and one was usually bound to work.
The first method was simple: an in-depth conversation about what had happened. Sometimes just talking things through helped Keith understand what was going on, and as a result, put his mind and mood at ease. The second method could be tricky, but worth a try. It was laughter. If Takashi could manage to find some way to turn the situation around and get a laugh out of Keith, then surely his bad mood would fade just as quickly. And if neither worked, then Takashi gave him a respectful distance, and allowed a few moments to pass in silence until Keith was ready to speak on his own terms. But if all three methods failed, then there was something seriously wrong, and that's when Takashi would have to personally show up to the office. However, those incidents were few, and grew farther between with the older Keith got.
By the time he was fifteen, Keith was able to hold his own and had gotten used to life without his father. He began working part-time as a cashier at the local gas station while simultaneously attending high school. Though he tried to offer money to help Takashi with household finances, the man would not accept it, so Keith instead began to pay for his own necessities, to lessen at least one burden.
No longer considered a trouble at school, Keith instead became reclusive during his teenage years. His quiet demeanour was often mistaken for conceit. Those who didn't know him found it easier to fill his silence with their own assumptions, leading to many negative depictions of his image. But he didn't care. He was stuck in his own mind only, focused on figuring out his own path.
When Keith was seventeen, Takashi's boyfriend Adam had begun to live at the house, and a long period of awkwardness first had to pass before Keith could get accustomed to it. Although he was fond of Adam, Keith was and always had been a very closed-off and personal person. In other words, a loner. Adam respected his space for the most part, but it wasn't possible for the two to completely avoid each other while living under the same roof. Adam was a very serious and kind person, but try as he may, he didn't have much luck in befriending Keith and was quick to give up on his attempts. Keith was content to leave things that way, but when Takashi took note of the awkward rift between the two, it clearly took it's toll on him. When Keith and Adam both took notice of this, they wordlessly called a truce and both made mutual attempts to clear the air between them for the sake of the man they both loved very dearly.
And then presently, at nineteen, Keith was beginning life as a local college student, and Takashi and Adam were engaged to be married.
For the first time, things almost felt easy. Keith was feeling comfortable and content with his life. Everything was beginning to look up.
Until the storm hit.
It all started as a regular midsummer shower. The rain was steady, and though the winds were strong, it wasn't entirely unusual for a local storm.
Keith finished work in the early afternoon, and found himself caught in the beginning of the downpour. The walk was no longer than ten minutes on a good day, fifteen with poor weather taken into account, but never any more than twenty. By the time he had hit the five minute mark, lightning began to flash through the sky. Though he wasn't one to startle easily, he could feel the hair on his arms stand up. He mentally counted the seconds until a boom of thunder would follow, a habit from his early childhood. The thunder quickly followed suit and was nearly deafening. Keith instinctively wanted to cover his ears from the sound, but refrained from doing so when his house came into sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, unable to handle the gross feeling of wet hair and clothing clinging to his body for much longer.
The house he lived in was the house he had always lived in, a modest but comfortable home. It was one story, two bedrooms, with no attic or basement. After their father had passed away, Takashi had taken his room despite initial hesitation, but sharing a space with a fast growing pre-teen wasn't an enticing option either. He and Adam now shared the room, and Keith remained in his own. Though the house itself was small, both the front and back yards were rather grand in size, and gave a nice distance between neighbouring houses.
As Keith made his way up the pathway leading to the door, he had already begun rummaging through his bag in search of his keys when the door suddenly swung open. On the other side was his older brother, Takashi.
"Keith! You're finished work early today? You should have called me, I would've given you a ride." Takashi said. He had a stern, commanding voice, that always sounded as if he were giving a lecture. Or perhaps Keith just thought so after being raised by him for more than half of his life.
"It's fine. It's not a far walk." Keith said in response. He walked passed Takashi, making his way inside. He didn't stop until he reached his bedroom, eager to change into clothes that were warm and dry.
After discarding his wet clothing into his dirty laundry hamper, Keith dabbed himself dry with a towel and threw on a simple jumper and sweatpants combo. There was a knock at his door. "It's open."
"Hey, buddy," Takashi greeted, opening the door. "I made you a tea. And don't forget to dry your hair too, or else you'll get sick." He commented, but before Keith could respond, Takashi had already grabbed the towel and began ruffling the boy's wet hair with it.
"I can do it myself, I'm not a little kid." Keith grumbled in protest.
"I know." Takashi said, a slight laugh of amusement to follow. As he pulled back the towel, Keith's fringe became pushed back with it, causing Takashi to smile. "You know, you look a lot like dad with your hair like this."
Though it wasn't the first time Keith has received such a comment from Takashi, he still took a long glance at himself in the mirror before responding. Did he really resemble him in any way? It had been so many years that Keith was unable to remember his fathers face outside of old photographs, and even then, he had always thought that Takashi had a stronger resemblance to him.
"You've said that before." Keith finally settled on responding with, taking the towel into his own hands.
"I guess it just still surprises me sometimes." Takashi responded, taking a step outside the door and as he walked away he added, "Your tea is on the table. Don't let it get cold."
"I know. I won't."
Once he was satisfied with his hair--still damp, but not so much that it would bother him-- Keith stepped out of his room and joined Takashi on the couch with his cup of tea resting cozy in his hands. The television was turned on to the weather network, where they were discussing the sudden unexpected storm conditions. Their very own small town, Cosmos, had the misfortune of being in the heart of it. Some houses were experiencing power outages, and the far edges of town were just beginning to get a light rain. The worst of it all was expected to last a day, with the rain continuing on for the next few days. The time and date flashed at the bottom of the screen, revealing it was then four-thirty in the afternoon.
"Adam should be on his way home by now." Takashi said, briefly checking the screen of his phone.
Every day, at the same time without fail, Adam would call Takashi to let him know that he was finished with work and on his way home. He worked in the outskirts of the city, and thus had to take a forty minute train to and from work. To pass the time, he and Takashi would chat on the phone about various things. However, on this particular day, thirty minutes had passed without so much as a text.
"There must be some delays because of the weather," Keith said.
"I think so, too." Takashi agreed, before adding, "I'll give it ten more minutes before I try calling him."
Ten long minutes passed without so much as a text. When Takashi made the call to Adam, it went straight to voice-mail.
"Five more minutes?" Keith suggested, to which Takashi nodded.
Outside, the weather was only getting worse. The light pattering of rain on the windows quickly turned into sharp pelts, and the trees in the yard were so far bent in the wind that they almost looked as if they were about to snap.
All attempts to contact Adam were without any progress. Fifteen minutes quickly became thirty, and then an hour, and then two hours. Before they knew it, three hours had passed, and between both Takashi's and Keith's phones, over fifty attempts to call Adam had been made.
"Something has to be up." Takashi concluded, grabbing his keys from the coffee-table as he headed towards the door. "I'm going to drive over to the station and see what's going on. You'll be fine here on your own, right?"
"No way." Keith was quick to object, as he followed him. "I'm going with you. What if something happens to you while you're out?"
Takashi was firm in his resolve. "Then we'll both be putting ourselves in danger. You're staying home and that's final."
As the door swung open, it was quickly apparent that the world beyond the front porch was hardly visible anymore. The rain fell with such unrelenting power that everything in it's path appeared to be no more than greyish blob of land. Keith had followed Takashi outside, his eyebrows quickly raised at the sight. "There's no way you can go out in this. You won't be able to see anything."
"What if Adam is stuck somewhere with no way to get home? No way to contact me? I'm worried about him, Keith. It's been three hours. I have to make sure that he's alright."
"Can't you just wait it out a bit longer? So that you can at least see where you're going?"
Takashi shook his head. "This isn't calming down any time soon."
"Then just..." In his frustration, Keith desperately tried to think up a fast solution. "Just try calling him one more time."
"I've tried a million times already! It's just voicemail after voicemail."
"Just do--"
"What're you guys doing outside?" A sudden third voice interjected. As they turned to face the source of the sound, the appearance of a rain-drenched Adam came into sight. His glasses fogged over so heavily that he could hardly see, and beneath him, a puddle of rain water began to form from the dripping of his clothes and boots.
"Adam, oh my God." Takashi exclaimed, his worry quickly melted into relief-and then worry again- and then frustration. "Are you okay? Where have you been?!"
Adam then attempted to wipe off the lenses of his glasses with the hem of his shirt, but the attempt was only in vain as his clothing was too wet to make a difference. With a meek smile, he began to explain, "Sorry, Kashi. I couldn't get any cell service, and traffic was awful. I suppose everybody was leaving work all at once because of the weather."
Takashi breathed a short sigh. "You had us worried half to death." he replied, but he couldn't stay mad. He was quick to forgive and take the man into his arms, despite the risk of getting his own clothes wet. The embrace was returned without hesitation as Adam mumbled another apology, and gave the man a brief kiss.
"Lets go inside, it's awful out here."
The storm persisted all throughout the evening. Streets and yards were covered in roof shingles, the power had officially gone out, and all businesses were closed indefinitely. Sleeping throughout the night proved to be difficult, and between the three in the house, there was perhaps a total combination of two hours sleep. By six in the morning, everybody was awake and alert, huddled around the living room coffee table as they listened to storm updates on the radio.
The entire town was now without power, and all civilians were advised to stay indoors until further notice. The severity of the situation was becoming apparently clear, but Keith felt safe in the presence of Takashi and Adam. There were mutual feelings of protectiveness between the three of them, which, at the very least, created a sense of security. Even if the storm persisted with much gusto, they had each other, and they had their little home.
After the radio had advised them that the storm could potentially last for days, the three began to cautiously analyze their own situation. Their supplies were not entirely favourable, their lack of preparation for such a scenario was clear as day. With their phones all dead and no way to charge them, and no emergency kits with flashlights, their only source of light were candles that they would need to carefully ration and only use when absolutely necessary.
The three began a household search for any useful items to make life easier until the storm passed.
"I found two more candles," Adam announced during his search. "Rose and lavender-scented, in case anybody is looking to set a romantic mood." Although it was stated in a joking-manner, his expression remained as serious as ever.
"I found more batteries." Takashi said, setting them on the table beside the radio. "Hopefully we won't need them, but it's a relief knowing that they're there."
"I gathered all of our bottled water together." Keith said. "It should last us."
Looking across at their few supplies all gathered together, it was a sorry sight. They were ill-prepared, and in the worst case scenario, things would not end well for them. They then began to take inventory of their food supplies, checking through the cupboards and cabinets to see what they could come up with, and how long it could potentially last them.
Keith began by searching a rarely used cabinet containing canned food. The contents mostly consisted of various kinds of beans, ranging from kidney to black. There were two cans of corn, one can of chick peas, and another can turned backwards so that the front of the label was not visible. As Keith reached forward to twist the can around and identify it, it slowly began to vibrate on the spot. He squinted his eyes, lowering his hand. As if on cue, the other cans in the cabinet began to shake in rapid unison. Keith took a step back.
"Uh, guys?" Keith called out. "Is there an earthquake going on?"
"What? No. What're you talking about?" Takashi asked as he entered the room. The second he laid his eyes on the shaking cabinet shelf, he pulled Keith back in one swift movement just as the cans fell to the ground with a loud series of thuds. They both stared at the ground for a second before Takashi concluded, "It must've been an unstable shelf. Everything else seems fine."
"Yeah, I guess so." Keith responded, glancing around at the rest of the kitchen. Just as Takashi had said, everything else in the room appeared to be stable. It was just some more bad luck, then. Wouldn't that figure?
The rest of the morning had passed them by without any major incidents. After they had collected all of their supplies, the only thing left for them to do was find a way to pass the time. Given the circumstances, there wasn't much to do, and even as they sat together and attempted to chat the time away, they realized even that wasn't effective for long. They spent most of their time together, so as a result, they had very little to say that hadn't already been said before.
"It feels like it'll never stop raining." Keith commented, staring absent-mindedly at the burning candle on the coffee table.
"It will," Adam replied. A roaring boom of thunder nearly shook the house. "Eventually."
Keith brought his knees to his chest and held them comfortably. "We're going to run out of stuff pretty quickly, and it's hard to do anything without any power in the house."
"We'll figure something out, buddy." Takashi said, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder. There it was, the sense of safety and security. Keith simply nodded his head in return to his brothers comforting words.
With that, a sudden, cool breeze quickly drifted throughout the room, causing the flame of the candle to flicker out, once again leaving the room in darkness.
Adam grabbed the lighter, attempting to relight the candle. It blew out again almost instantly. He tried several more times, each time ending unsuccessfully.
"Here, let me try." Takashi said, taking the lighter from Adam. Even as he attempted for three more tries, he had no success in lighting the candle either. "That's strange. Pass me another one."
As Adam handed Takashi one of the larger scented candles, the result only ended the same each time. As soon as the wick drew the flame, it was blown out just as quickly.
Keith remained seated, still staring at the small trail of smoke raising from the candle. Something about the atmosphere felt ominous, similarly to how it had felt when the shelf of cans had collapsed earlier in the day. But he couldn't explain it, and he knew it would just sound silly if he tried to.
"There must be a small draft. We should probably save these, anyway." Adam said, getting a little tired of the process.
Both Takashi and Keith agreed, and so they continued on in darkness, talking about all sorts of different things. Work, school, bits of the past- anything and everything that would make the time go by faster. Adam and Takashi reflected on their first meeting a bit, and though Keith was familiar with the story, he let them go on, and didn't speak much in return. His mind felt too preoccupied to participate, something in the atmosphere wasn't sitting well with him.
Day gave way to night, and another restless night became morning once more. The process all felt terribly long.
Throughout the night, Keith's room had gotten progressively colder, to the point where his breath became visible. Even huddled under the blankets, he couldn't quite shake the chill. The worst of it all came in the early hours of the morning--he estimated it was around six or so, but he couldn't be sure--, when a sharp chill ran down his back, leaving him in an unusual state of paralysis.
And then, he wasn't positive only for the sheer fact that it didn't even seem possible, he could almost swear that he felt a large, cold hand wrapping itself around his neck. He held his breath, still unable to move even a finger. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the incidents regarding the cans and candles, but to a more extreme point. Before it felt unsettling, yet harmless, and now, as the feeling of the fingers around his neck grew tighter, Keith felt that whatever was near him had ill-intentions.
He wanted to raise his hands up to pull away, shout out, and fight back-- but he couldn't. All he could do with grit his teeth together, and tightly shut his eyes as the clouds of breath leaving his mouth grew shorter and shorter.
"Hey--Hey, stop that!" A voice called out, clear yet somehow dream-like. "Get away from him!"
The pressure on Keith's throat suddenly lifted, and he was able to move once more. He quickly sat into an upright position as he gasped for air, clutching onto his neck.
Standing before him was a boy with short-cropped brown hair, he was tall, lanky, and though his skin was a dark colour, his entire body appeared almost transparent. Keith blinked several times, as his eyes fell upon the boys face.
"... Lance?" Keith quietly mumbled. "Lance McClain?"
It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. Though he and Keith had been classmates in high school and were more than familiar with each other, Lance McClain had died more than a year ago. Keith was sure of it. He'd seen the news reports, he was present for the memorial at school, he was there when Lance's friends broke down in tears at graduation after his name had been called out in tribute.
"Yo." Lance responded, raising his hand in a wave. "Still remember me, huh? What, did ya miss me?" he teased.
"What're--How-- What's going on?" Keith grumbled, his hands lowering.
A boom of thunder loudly roared throughout the sky, and as it did, Lance's eyes widened in horror. "Watch out!" he called out, suddenly hurling his body on top of Keith's. Before there was any time to question what was happening, the roar of thunder was quickly replaced with a destructive crumbling.
The roof above Keith's room, and his room only, was suddenly torn right off, disappearing out of sight as bits of debris collapsed into the room. The piercing rain then began to pour in, causing destruction to everything in sight.
Keith let out a cough, and opened his eyes only to see that Lance was no longer in sight. He quickly hurried out of his bed, shielding himself from the rain. His door swung open, and standing on the other side were Takashi and Adam who had both jumped out of bed the second they heard the tearing of the roof.
"Are you okay?!" Takashi yelled out, rushing in and throwing an arm around Keith. "We need to get you out of here!"
Keith simply nodded, following the two mens lead. He briefly scanning the room with his eyes before exiting, but there was no sign of Lance to be found.
As they stepped out of the room, door shut behind them, the sounds of the storm became muffled and quiet once more. Keith took a deep breath, Takashi and Adam looking at him with wide eyes as they waited for him to speak.
"I think..." Keith began to explain, his tone quiet but serious. "I think we might be haunted?"
"Heh. What makes you think that?" It was Lance's voice that had interrupted, having suddenly appeared next to Keith.
As the two older men turned their gazes to the boy, their mouths fell open in unison.
Lance just smiled and nodded, "Nice to meet you all. So... it's kind of a long story!"
Just outside, the rain continued to pour, and pour, and pour. Only now, the storm was far from being the strangest thing occurring in the town of Cosmos.