=w= Muahahhaha...things are about to get worse.
Warnings and Disclaimer: Same as last chapter.
The Curse of Pumpkin Skin
Pumpkin Skin Doll
Naruto wrung his hands as he sat in the waiting area at the vet. Sitting around him were various people with their pets. Sickly looking dogs, fat hamsters and near featherless birds all greeted him and it only increased his nerves. The vet was taking care of Kyuubi now, but he still worried. Although Sasuke had reassured him that it wasn't too bad and Kyuubi would be fine, he still felt afraid. Kyuubi had been in his life for years, and had been one of his closest companions through a lot of shit. If someone bad happened, Naruto didn't know what he'd do.
"He'll be fine, Naruto," Sasuke said softly, taking a chance and placing a hand over Naruto's to still their incessant wringing. The blond sighed, aggravated.
"I know...but I still worry! It's like," he put a finger to his head, digging the nail into his skull. "Once I get an idea in my head, it's so hard to let it go! It's like a parasite, burrowing through my skull and casting doubts and negativity all over the place! I know it's not that bad, but I still feel like something bad is going to happen!" he whined, rubbing his face with his hands.
Sasuke listened thoughtfully, and his eyes lightened with an understanding. "Is that why you're struggling to believe me when I tell you that there's nothing going on behind your back? You got an idea and now you can't let it go?" he asked slowly, his hand moving to the back of Naruto's neck and rubbing small circles with his thumb. Naruto tensed up at his question, his eyes trained on the floor. He seemed to be deep in thought, but Sasuke dared not to break it. He simply kept rubbing circles with his thumb, playing with the strands of blond hair at the nape of Naruto's neck.
"...Maybe," Naruto mumbled eventually before sighing and running his hands through his hair. "More than likely...probably," he muttered brokenly.
Sasuke scooted closer. "Naruto, I swear on my life and the life of my entire family, that I'm not cheating on you!" he whispered, not wanting anyone else in the waiting area to get clued in on their personal problems.
Naruto put his head in his hands. "...I know...but I just can't get rid of the idea...And Sakura isn't helping! Where would she get the ideas for a rumour if something didn't happen between you?" he asked, trying and failing not to sound accusing. Sasuke sighed heavily.
"Naruto, she's a crazy girl with a big imagination and no common sense. I could probably fart in her face as I walk past and she'd somehow see it as a love confession!" he said, smiling when Naruto laughed into his hands at the image. "I don't even know what the rumours are, but I can assure you that they're all a bunch of exaggerated bullshit! All we do when we're together is work. Wait, no scratch that," he said and Naruto turned to look at him. "I do all the work, Sakura just rambles on about something that is about as interesting to me as a health-food planner is to you."
Naruto snorted again at the comparison. There were still clinging doubts in his mind, but he felt somewhat reassured.
"Thanks Sasu—"
"SASUKE! What a surprise to see you here!" a girlish voice yelled and the two looked up to see Sakura's best friend Ino at the doorway. She held a large rabbit in her arms. "Say, say! Are you taking Sakura to the dance tonight? She called me earlier and told me how you guys held hands when you left the library yesterday!"
Sasuke wanted to throw the nearby hamster cage at the girl when Naruto pulled away from him, muttering a low 'I'm going to check on my cat, bastard' before walking away. He wanted to follow, but Ino stepped into his way. Sasuke looked at the rabbit in her hands and felt incredibly sorry for the poor thing. It looked like it had been force-fed Twinkies for the last ten days.
"So, are you going to take Sakura to the dance?" Ino asked, smiling widely. Sasuke growled, making the girl's smile slide off her face. "Sasuke?"
"Ino, you know practically everyone in our school, right?" Sasuke bit out. Ino nodded slowly, unsure of what he was getting at. "Good. Tell everyone that Sakura's a no good, lying bitch. There's nothing between me and her! I'm not interested in her and I never will be! She must stop spreading rumours about us because there is no us!" he almost yelled the last bit in her face and barely managed to restrain himself as it was. Ino looked pale and shocked, but she nodded slowly, backing away from him just as Naruto walked out from the offices. Kyuubi was held in his arms, a bandage wrapped around the cat's paw.
Sasuke turned to Naruto immediately, his expression becoming soft again as he walked over. "How is he?"
Naruto sighed, nuzzling Kyuubi's head and listening to the cat purr in response. "He's got stitches, but the doc says that he'll heal fine. He just needs to stay off the leg, but apparently he'll know that himself. He usually just sleeps all day anyway," he smiled as he finished and Kyuubi's tail slid across his face as if chiding him for saying such things.
Sasuke smiled, using his index finger to scratch behind the feline's ear. Kyuubi's purring increased and he tilted his head, trying to nuzzle Sasuke's finger. Naruto couldn't help but smile, reminded of the times before the whole Sakura mess where the two of them would curl up on the couch and play video games while Kyuubi lay between them, sometimes batting at their controllers as if to tell them 'SHOOT THAT ONE' or 'OH MY GOSH YOU SUCK AT THIS GAME' or some other scathing remark that would just suit the orange and red tabby.
"Come on, let's go home," Sasuke said, leading them out. He pressed his hand to Naruto's back to usher him out, and let his touch linger.
Ino was watching the interaction with wide eyes, pieces clicking into place in her mind and she squeezed her rabbit tightly, clutching it to her chest to whisper into its ear.
"Do you see what I see, Chouji Jnr.?" she mumbled, a red flush spiking across her cheeks. In her awe, she missed the way her rabbit's eyes bulged slightly and the way it squirmed in her grip before going limp, giving up on a fruitless attempt to escape from the girl's clutches.
Naruto climbed out of the car, noticing the way that people had started turning on their lights. He couldn't believe he missed all the Halloween decorations already set up on his way to the convenience store, but then again he had been half asleep then. The houses that lined their street were covered in decorations.
Skeletons were propped up by doors, gravestones were popping out the ground, ghostly hands were hanging from mailboxes, and fake bats were blowing in the wind and chiming as they collided. There were ghostly moans and creepy music coming from so many of the houses Naruto was sure he wasn't going to sleep easy tonight. He'd always been creeped out by ghosts and Halloween was no different. As much as he loved the kids, he still got creeped out and went to bed early. Usually he would just curl up with Sasuke and fall right asleep, but as it was...he didn't think he was going to be curling up to anyone tonight.
A breeze blew through the streets, dragging several scattering leaves across the tarmac road. The colours of the dying trees only added to the spooky effects that belonged solely to the night that was Halloween. A dead leaf scratched along the road and caught his shoe, fluttering against the rubber sides. Naruto looked down at it, and the leaf suddenly detached from his shoe, whirling through the air and floating towards their house. As he watched its progress towards the roof, a cold sensation washed over him and he shivered, hugging himself and feeling his skin prickle with goose bumps.
'What the hell?' he thought, rubbing his arms. He heard a soft curse from behind him and turned, seeing Sasuke struggling to close the car door. Kyuubi was hanging on his shoulder, the cat watching his moves with contempt in his eyes. Naruto wanted to laugh when Sasuke failed to properly close the loose door for the third time, his hair starting to spring out as it always did when he got frustrated and flustered.
"Stupid door!" he grunted, slamming it shut. It stayed in place and he stepped back, letting out a triumphant laugh.
The door clicked and swung open with a loud creak.
"Motherfu—"
"Oh for the love of ramen, just go inside!" Naruto huffed, walking around and easing the door closed. He pressed up against it, forcing his weight to close it until he heard a soft click. He stepped away and the door remained closed, no indications that it would open in sight.
Dusting his hands off, he sent a smug grin to Sasuke who grumbled under his breath while Kyuubi's tail flickered happily behind him.
They walked up to the front door, hearing the calls of children from down the street and indicating that trick or treating had already started since the sun was going to go down in a few minutes.
"It's a pity I didn't remember it was Halloween. I would've offered to take Konohamaru and the other kids trick-or-treating," Naruto mumbled as he unlocked the door. He turned and grabbed Kyuubi, cradling the spoiled pet in his arms as Sasuke closed the door behind them.
"Oh, are you guys back?" Kiba called, and they could hear him playing with Akamaru in the other room. Walking through they saw him holding a bone above his head while the great white dog danced around his feet, yapping and whining for the treat as his tongue lolled around crazily and slobber speckled the floor.
"Ew, your beast is drooling on the floor," Naruto said, his nose scrunching up. Kiba just laughed and finally relinquished the treat, watching as Akamaru almost broke it in half with how viciously he began to gnaw on it.
"So, how is the devil?" Kiba asked, looking at Kyuubi. "Is he going to live?"
"Yep," Naruto said cheerfully and Kiba put on a face of disappointment.
"Dammit, and I even gave an offering at the wishing well!" he said in mock frustration. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him, kicking his shin. Kiba hopped around on his good leg, cursing the blond's existence and moving away from him to avoid any more damage to his limbs. "You ass!"
Naruto just moved to sit down, cradling Kyuubi in his hands and stroking the soft fur. Sasuke sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around the blond's shoulders. Naruto turned to stare at him blankly and Sasuke withered slightly, retracting his arm and curling in on himself in rejection while Naruto turned to look ahead again.
Kiba watched the interaction and sighed to himself. Naruto had some serious trust issues. But then again, considering his screwed up childhood with a bunch of caretakers that broke his trust and abused and abandoned him, he couldn't blame the guy for having issues. He thought back to the day when his mother had come home, dragging a frightened blond boy along with her. Kiba had only been eleven at the time, and at first he was reluctant to have a brother. He believed that his mother and his older sister were all the family he needed and he didn't trust the new kid.
But one night he had been going to take a leak and he'd walked past Naruto's room only to hear a strange sound. When he snuck a peek, it was to see Naruto sitting in a corner, face buried in his hands as he tried not to sob very hard. Kiba had swallowed heavily at the sight, remembering that he'd done the same thing when his dad had first left. He'd never wanted to feel that kind of pain again, and seeing it reflected on the blond in his home and brought it back and tugged at his heartstrings. Kiba knew that no one should have to go through that sort of pain.
And so, little Kiba had walked straight into the room and sat down beside the sobbing blond, not saying a word and just giving him a one armed hug.
The next day, the two were practically joined at the hip.
Now Kiba was watching as his adopted brother went through more pain and it made him angry at Sasuke and Sakura...but he was also angry at Naruto. Kiba knew very well that Sasuke was innocent, and that Sakura was spreading rumours because that's what she did. But he thought that Sasuke could've done something about it sooner. He could've asked for a partner change, or publicly told Sakura to piss off. But he didn't and that's what stemmed Naruto's irrational fears of betrayal.
Sighing to himself, he rubbed his nose and winced when his finger nail caught the band aid on his face. Naruto saw the action and turned to face him fully.
"Hey, what happened to your face?" he asked, motioning to the covering. Kiba rubbed the spot, looking sheepish.
"Ah yeah. When I was putting that creepy doll thing in the attic one of the claw things nicked me. It was weird because I swear they weren't near my face, but whatever," he shrugged and Naruto chuckled. "It was really creepy though, especially since it has that creepy as grin on its face," Kiba continued.
Both Sasuke and Naruto turned around to face him, eyebrows rising in confusion. "What creepy smile?" Naruto asked. Kiba looked at him, waving his hand to recall the memory.
"You know, the stitched grin on the doll. It was all wide and evil looking," he said dismissively. Sasuke furrowed his brows.
"Kiba, the doll wasn't smiling when we opened it. It was a straight line," he said slowly, recalling the item with ease.
Kiba blinked before shaking his head. "Stop playing man, that thing had a huge grin on its face when I put it up there!" he said in irritation. He didn't like the joke they were making.
Naruto gently put Kyuubi down and stood up. "No, seriously Kiba, I remember! It wasn't smiling!"
Kiba stomped his foot, the setting sunlight washing through the window and gliding over his skin. "Look, I'll prove it to you! The doll was smiling!" he snapped, turning to head towards the stairs. Naruto rolled his eyes and followed as Sasuke stood up too. The three of them made their way up the stairs, the rapidly fading light throwing the staircase into a dim shadow.
They reached the landing and Kiba reached for the latch. He pulled it open and a loud rattle made all three of them jump as the ladder clattered to the floor, barely missing Kiba's foot as he jumped back.
They stared at the ladder and Kiba swallowed. "Shit, I was sure I put the ladder back properly!" he mumbled, fixing the metal structure firmly on the floor. Sasuke and Naruto exchanged nervous looks, not liking Kiba's strangely forgetful nature.
Outside the sun was falling behind the trees and houses, casting the red glow of dying light upon the neighbourhood. A crow screeched outside, fluttering its black wings and training its beady eyes on their house. Dead leaves scraped along the road with the cold breeze of October air.
Kiba slowly climbed up the ladder, sticking his head into the attic area. He reached up, fumbling to find the low hanging light switch. When he found it, he yanked and heard another rattle before the chain fell loosely onto his head. He cursed loudly.
"The chain broke!" he called down and Sasuke sighed while Naruto stared in confusion.
"This is just getting weird," he murmured and Sasuke nodded as he walked to one of the rooms in search of a flashlight. He found one and walked back out to the others.
"Here Kiba," he said, holding up the item. Kiba snatched it and stuck his head back in. He raised the flashlight, clicking it on and shining it around. His lips pulled down into a nervous frown when he couldn't locate the doll.
"What the hell?" he mumbled. "Guys, do we have rats?" he asked.
"No," Naruto called back.
Kiba frowned even more, mentally scratching out the option of rats having dragged the doll to a darker corner and made it a nest. He continued to look around, wondering if perhaps the spiders had united and dragged the doll away to use it as an incubator.
He shuddered.
"Seriously Kiba, what's taking so long?" Sasuke asked grumpily. He was getting tired of standing here and looking at Kiba's ass wiggle around as he moved on the ladder. Naruto stood right by the ladder, one hand holding it steady as he peered upwards. Sasuke looked away from Kiba and found a sight much more tolerable: Naruto's ass. He smirked and decided he could wait a bit more.
Kiba scratched at his head, honestly confused as to what happened to the doll. There was no way Kyuubi had somehow gotten it, and there was nowhere else it could be.
"How odd," he mumbled, sweeping the dirty room with the flashlight. A noise made him pause and he strained his ears to hear. It sounded like sand shifting, followed by a metallic scratching sound.
Chills ran down his spine and he aimed the flashlight to where he'd heard the noise. It faded into blackness and he couldn't see all the way. The shifting noise came again, the same metallic scratching soon following after. Kiba swallowed, narrowing his eyes to try and see better.
"What the hell is that?" he whispered, trying to see the cause of the noise that was, in all honesty, creeping him out!
"Kiba? What's up?" Naruto called, tapping his foot. "Forget about the doll, it doesn't matter."
Kiba was perfectly happy to get out of the attic, and so he leant back, pulling the flashlight up to switch it off.
There was an inhuman shriek and something large and dark shot towards him. Kiba screamed as it started to attack his face, crawling all over him. He felt soft, yet rough skin rubbing over his cheeks and he batted wildly. Something sharp sunk into his arm and he screamed even louder, pain dripping into his voice like the blood that dripped down his arm and wrist.
"Kiba!" Naruto and Sasuke were both tugging on his legs, and Kiba let out a yell of agony as he felt another sharp claw slice across his shoulder just before he fell off the ladder.
The two below him were unprepared for his sudden drop and they all tumbled to the ground in a pained heap. Naruto sat up and gasped as he saw the blood.
"Holy shit! Kiba!" he leaned over the brunet, staring at the deep gashes along his arm and shoulder. "What the fuck happened man?"
Sasuke cursed as he scrambled to his feet, helping Naruto pull Kiba up. Together they half carried the trembling, whimpering boy down the stairs and into a bathroom. Sasuke tore open the cupboard doors, grabbing their first aid kit and tugging it open.
"Move," he ordered and Naruto stepped to the side, letting Sasuke start wiping away the blood and bandage up his brother.
"Fuck, ouch!" Kiba yelped as Sasuke tended to his arm.
"What was that Kiba?" Sasuke asked, staring wide-eyed at the gashes. It looked like they had been made with a meat cleaver!
Kiba groaned in pain, pressing a hand to his shoulder and wincing at the pain. "I don't know! I think it might have been a rat or something...shit I don't even know! It didn't sound or feel like anything I've ever heard of before!" he said, hands shaking as he recalled the sound it made. "I couldn't find the doll...it wasn't there," he added.
Naruto shivered. "That's not funny Kiba! It was probably just...in a corner or something. We must have rats, and they dragged it away and one of them went all monster-rat on you," he said shakily.
"No rat could've made those scratches," Sasuke said softly, placing the last bandage on. Kiba shuddered in pain, pressing a hand to the wounds and wincing at the stinging sensation. Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, seeing the wide blue eyes staring at him from the distant light of a street lamp outside. Night had fallen and soon children would be trick or treating along their streets, the spirit of Halloween really kicking in.
"W-well if it wasn't a rat then what the hell was it?" Naruto asked snappishly, but the other two knew to excuse him for his attitude. It was a well-known fact between them how much Naruto hated scary things like ghosts and how easily freaked out he could get when faced with things that weren't easily explained. Anger and defensive wording were his automatic response to cover up the fear.
"I don't know, but I intend to find out," Sasuke said, standing up. Naruto seemed to freeze up as Sasuke went for the door before involuntarily reaching out and snagging Sasuke's arm in his hand. The raven stopped, looking down at the contact in surprise. Naruto was staring at his feet, looking unsure and uncomfortable. He didn't make eye contact, instead looking towards Kiba.
"Just...be careful, you idiot. Don't do anything stupid," he muttered, trying to play off his concern with an insult. Sasuke blinked before smiling. He grasped Naruto's hand and pulled it off his arm, bringing it to his mouth to kiss the back gently. Naruto looked irritated, but it only fuelled Sasuke's amusement as he returned the limb.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he said and Naruto gave a short nod, turning away to help Kiba to his feet.
"I'm going to get him some pain killers," he mumbled and Sasuke nodded. As he left for the stairs, the other two went towards the kitchen.
Sasuke approached the bottom of the stairs cautiously, trying to peer up into the darkness to see if there was anything obviously waiting for him. But the lack of light had thrown the entire upstairs into dim shadow and even his good eyesight couldn't make out more than a few vague and wavering outlines. Clenching his fist, he looked around and spotted the flashlight. It must have rolled down the stairs. He picked it up and clicked it on, cursing when nothing happened. Shaking it a bit, the light suddenly flickered in his eyes and he pointed it away, trying to blink away the blinding spots. Once his vision was cleared he aimed the torch upstairs, still not seeing much in the dull beam of light.
He took a step forward, taking the first step and freezing when it creaked under his foot. Their stairs were rather creaky, but given the strange situation at hand, it seemed to be ominous and foreboding. Sasuke shook his head, trying to discard the silly thoughts. It was just because it was Halloween. Whatever attacked Kiba was obviously some kind of animal that found its way into their attic. Maybe it was a stray cat that had found an opening in the roof and climbed in.
Although, Kyuubi would've found it and they would've heard the cats fighting instantly.
Maybe it was a bat?
He kept trying to think of things it could be as he walked up the stairs slowly, taking each step with caution as if it would crumble beneath his foot.
When he reached the landing he was no closer to guessing what the creature was than Naruto or Kiba, so he sighed and decided he would just have to see what it was.
He stepped forward, shining the light up at the open attic hatch. He couldn't see anything but not wanting to chance having the thing come flying out from the top, he quickly closed the hatch and latched it. Then he started to look around the floor, seeing it there were any marks. Smears of Kiba's blood could be seen and he swallowed back nausea. It was horrible to see the blood of someone you knew smeared on the floor like it belonged in a crime scene. He was about to turn away when something strange caught his eye.
"What the..."
The blood smears trailed off, as if something had fallen into them and then dragged itself away. Sasuke would've dismissed it as Kiba's shoe, or his or Naruto's when they carried him, but...the blood led away from the stairs. He felt a bead of sweat trail down his forehead as he shined the light on the trail, cursing at the fact that they didn't have an upstairs landing light. Throwing a nervous glance to the stairs, he gathered his nerve and started to follow the faint blood trail down the hall. It didn't go very far before veering off into one of the store rooms. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he pushed open the door, shining the light into the space. There were a few random pieces of furniture, mainly things that Kiba and Naruto had ended up buying online because they were real suckers for advertisements. Shaking his head at the memory, Sasuke took a step inside and reached to the fall for the light switch.
He slid his hand over the wall only to give a short yell of pain when he felt an electric jolt slice through his hand briefly before he yanked it away. Panting from the sudden shock, he shined his light on the wall and saw the whole switch fixture had been torn off, leaving two sparking wires protruding from a hole.
No rat could do that.
Apprehension was creeping up on him like the shadows crept up with the rising of the moon, and Sasuke felt himself taking a step back towards the door. He got to the doorway, still peering into the room when a shape blacker than the darkness of the room suddenly moved in his vision. He jumped, whipping the flashlight to the spot in time to see something ruddy-orange dart behind one of the random furniture items. His nose scrunched up and then he sighed heavily.
"Kyuubi! What are you doing up here, you stupid cat?" he said, walking into the room with confidence now. He concluded that the cat must've snuck upstairs while they were in the bathroom and was the cause for the blood smears. Whatever had attacked Kiba was probably still hiding in the attic, more scared of them than they were of it.
He stepped further into the room, no longer cautious with his steps as he approached the area.
"Come on Kyuubi, let's go," he called, bending down slightly and shining the light on the box that proudly declared the name of some food slicing machine. "Kyuu—"
A soft 'meow' from behind him made his head snap around, looking over his shoulder and shining the light to see Kyuubi standing in the doorway, his bandaged paw held gingerly up as he stared at the raven curiously.
Sasuke felt himself pale and the cold sensation of dread filled his stomach. Kyuubi's head suddenly twitched, the shining eyes flicking to something over his shoulder and then the feline's mouth opened wide in a venomous and frightened hiss. Kyuubi's fur stood on end, his tail snapping straight up as he spat and snarled at something that Sasuke couldn't muster the courage to face yet.
A sound, like sand being poured around in a bag was then followed by a metallic clanking, and Sasuke felt each 'thunk' of metal on wood resonate deeply in his chest, echoing his slowly increasing heartbeat.
With Kyuubi's fierce hissing fading in his ears as his heavy breathing filled his mind, he slowly turned his head forward again.
Glowing green orbs were glaring straight at him and a wicked smile of broken thread, revealing the carved innards of a pumpkin with sharpened teeth suddenly loomed in his face. Sasuke couldn't even make a sound before the creature was upon him, and he saw the glimmering blades slicing towards his neck.
Instinct kicked in and he pushed back, skidding across the floor and tumbling over once as the flashlight flew from his grip and smashed a few feet away. The harsh crunch of metal stabbing into wood alerted him to his brief interval of escape and he spun around, kicking out his feet to get standing and rushing.
He bent down, scooping up and hissing feline in his arms before barrelling out the room. He reached the landing and cried out when his foot slipped on the blood, smearing it up his leg and his hand when he tried to steady himself. Kyuubi slipped out of his hold and scampered down the stairs haphazardly, only wanting to escape from the horror that Sasuke could now hear following him.
"Oh shit! Oh shit!" he cursed, propelling himself forward and almost falling down the stairs in his haste to get away from the oncoming horror. He slammed down the stairs and tripped on the last one, falling forward and rolling.
"Sasuke!" Naruto came rushing around the corner, eyes wide as he saw Sasuke struggling to his feet.
"Go! Get in the kitchen!" Sasuke cried, hearing something thudding down the stairs and panicking. He climbed to his feet and started to shove Naruto back towards the kitchen. "Kyuubi! Akamaru!" he called frantically, wanting to get the pets to safety too.
The white dog came trotting down the hall, having been resting in Kiba's bedroom. Sasuke pointed to the kitchen. "Inside!" he ordered and the dog yipped as it hurried into the kitchen, tail wagging. Kyuubi slunk through the doorway, hissing back at Sasuke as he limped.
"Sasuke, what the hell's going on?" Naruto asked loudly, wincing when Sasuke gave him a hard push towards the kitchen.
"No time to explain, just go—FUCK!" Sasuke cried out when something smashed against the back of his head. Naruto caught him as he started to fall forwards and his blue eyes saw straight over Sasuke's shoulder.
At the edge of the hallway, hanging on the side of the coat rack, was the doll they had received. It's clawed hand was stabbing through the material of Kiba's jacket as it swung wildly, and a demonic cackling was echoing from the gaping mouth. The green orbs that were its eyes swivelled under their glass covering before focusing on Naruto and the other clawed hand swung upwards, slicing through another wooden peg. It caught the solid piece and suddenly swung its whole body, throwing the object right at them.
Naruto yelled out, pulling Sasuke backwards into the kitchen and kicking the door shut just as the peg slammed against it.
As soon as they were inside Naruto dropped Sasuke, leaving him to stand on his own as he clutched the back of his head. He slid the small and useless latch into place on the door before pressing his back to it and staring at the other two with wild eyes.
"What the fuck was that?!" he yelled, voice cracking in his panic.
Sasuke hissed as he pulled his hand back, thankful to see there was no blood from whatever the creature threw at him. He pressed his hand back over the bump, trying to stop the aching pain and the rapidly oncoming headache from making his brain melt.
"I...shit, I don't know. It's that doll thing but..." he trailed off, the obviously unneeded words hanging in the air.
But it's alive and trying to kill us.
Kiba was leaning against the counter, face pale as he looked towards the door. Akamaru was sitting at his feet, whining softly. The peaceful canine could tell that something was very wrong now and he wondered what was making his master and friends so scared. Kyuubi was lying on the windowsill, tail curled up to him as he licked at his bandaged paw, reddish eyes sharp and flickering to the door whenever the sound of movement reached his ears.
"What are we going to do?" Kiba asked softly, gaining the attention of the other two. "I mean...I would say let's just go kick it or something but...fuck, that thing's fast and vicious. Not to mention that my balls shrivelled up the moment you confirmed that we have a living, breathing, homicidal pumpkin doll in our house!" he finished shrilly, waving his hands.
"Don't say that!" Naruto squeaked, covering his ears. "There's got to be a reasonable explanation for this! Maybe it's a prank! M-Maybe Gaara and Kankurou are like, pulling another prank this year!" he said, looking up hopefully.
"Even they wouldn't do this!" Sasuke snapped, pointing to Kiba's shoulder. "Whatever the hell that thing is, it's out to hurt us!"
Naruto shook his head, not wanting to accept the fact that there really was a demonic doll trying to get them. "You're just cra—"
The sound of a blade stabbing through wood and flesh met their ears and Naruto stopped talking, his eyes widening.
Sasuke and Kiba straightened, their eyes trained on him and the doorway.
Suddenly Naruto fell to his knees and they saw the tip of a bloodied blade sliding back through the wood.
"NARUTO!" Sasuke lunged forward, catching the blond before he could fall and pulling him into his arms. He pressed his hand to his back and felt the stab wound. It wasn't too deep, but it was bleeding badly and undoubtedly Naruto was in a bit of shock at the pain.
"Naruto, are you okay?" Kiba asked frantically, tearing out a drawer to search for a bandage.
Naruto shivered as a wave of pain spiked through from starting from his lower back and he grit his teeth tightly, fighting off any sounds of discomfort when Sasuke started to pull his shirt up to assess the wound.
"Bloody hell, Kiba hand me a dishtowel!" the raven ordered and Kiba threw him the requested object before continuing his search for something to use to bandage the wound. Sasuke pressed the cloth over the injury and ran his other hand through Naruto's hair, guiding his head to rest in the crook of his neck.
"W-What're we going t-to do?" Naruto groaned. "T-that thing is going to get in here eventually."
"We need to get out of the house for a start," Sasuke replied, holding out his hand when Kiba finally found some tape. With the brunet's help, he folded the towel over Naruto's injury and taped it to him to keep it there before sliding down his shirt and holding him tightly. "After that we need to get help—"
"From who?" Kiba interrupted. "Who'd believe us? Yes, let's go to Mrs. Jones across the street and say 'please call the cops because there is a demonic doll from hell that's trying to slice us into pieces!'" he said mockingly before scoffing. "She already thinks I'm insane because I took Akamaru for a walk in my boxers last week, she's not going to let us past her porch railing let alone offer help!"
"Well then we go to Gaara or Neji!" Sasuke snapped. "Even if they don't believe us, we have to find help from someone!"
There was a crack before the bottom left corner of the door broke away and a clawed hand shot through. The blades clanged against the tile kitchen floor and screeched as they were withdrawn even as more of the door was slashed at and broken away to reveal a leering pumpkin face and glowing green orbs.
"Shit! Run!" Kiba yelped, shooting to his feet and hauling the other two up with him. They scrambled for the other kitchen entrance, hearing the hole in the door finally widen enough for the doll to crawl in. An evil cackle reached their ears and Sasuke turned his head to see the monster soaring through the air towards them. His eyes bulged as he realized it was going to catch them before they could get away.
A vicious bark ripped through the panicked air and in a blur of white fur and slobber, Akamaru jumped through the air and snagged the doll in his jaw, teeth sinking into the rough exterior. There was an echoing howl of pain from the thing as Akamaru began to shake his head violently, his vicious growling only outdone by the noise of the doll.
"Good boy Akamaru!" Kiba yelled even as Sasuke shoved him out the kitchen.
They reached the living room and Naruto snatched the phone up with shaking hands, trying to dial the police. "Even if we don't tell them what it is, we're being attacked by something and they need to help us!" he reasoned hurriedly.
Kiba's head snapped up when he heard a pained yelp from the kitchen. "Akamaru!"
"No don't!" Sasuke grabbed Kiba, holding him back to stop him from running into the kitchen. "Kiba!"
"Let me go Sasuke! That's my dog in there!" Kiba yelled, struggling against the raven's hold despite the pain it caused to flare up in his shoulder and arm. "Akamaru!"
"You guys," Naruto called, eyes wide as he stared at them. "...T-the phone lines have been cut!"
"What? Not possible!" Sasuke snapped, still trying to restrain Kiba. "There's no way that thing had enough time to cut the lines yet!"
"Akamaru!"
"Let's get out of here!" Naruto said, turning to run for the front door. Sasuke nodded, dragging Kiba with him.
"AKAMARU!"
There was a weak bark in response from the kitchen and Kiba renewed his struggles.
"No! Kiba, dammit, he's alive! We need to get help to kill that thing and then we can safely take care of Akamaru!" Sasuke snapped, harshly pulling the boy towards the door. Kiba looked ready to cry as he finally stopped fighting and let himself be dragged away.
"If he dies, I'm going to kill you Sasuke! I'll kill you with my bare hands!" he promised angrily and Sasuke nodded.
They made a mad dash for the front door and Naruto was the first to reach it. He grabbed the handle and tugged, darting forwards.
Only to smash into the unopened door.
"Fuck!" he cursed, gripping his face. He stared at the door in horror as he tugged on the handle. "Why won't it open?"
"Move!" Sasuke pushed him out the way and started to tug on the door. He kicked it, punched it and pulled on it with all his might but it wouldn't budge. "Goddammit!" he slammed his head against it in frustration, squeezing his eyes shut. "Someone locked us in!"
"What the hell do you mean someone locked us in?" Kiba cried. "Are you saying that someone is trying to kill us by locking us in with that fucking monster?"
Sasuke turned, eyes darting around wildly. They could hear scratching from somewhere else in the house and that eerie cackle from the doll. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly there was the sound of electricity sparking before the lights went out, plunging them into darkness.
The three of them stood by the front door, eyes wide and horrified as they realized that their power had just been cut.
"Oh my God," Naruto moaned, covering his face with his hands. "We're going to die...we're going to get torn to shreds!"
"Shut up! We're not going to die dammit!" Sasuke snapped, his voice shaking as he reached out and pulled Naruto to his chest. "I won't let us die like this..."
"You guys," Kiba started, "look over there!"
He pointed over to a window where the moonlight was shining through, giving them a faint silver light. Written on the window amidst steam and fog, was a message.
The power to fight is the power to win.
Heed my warning and fight the darkness within.
At sunrise tomorrow your lives will begin.
As long as you survive the Curse of Pumpkin Skin.
... *bursts into evil laughter* AHAAHAHAHAAHA!
Oh dear, what will they do now? :3
Look forward to the third and final part, coming later this evening! (Maybe around seven, eight or nine my time. :) )
Reviews are appreciated!