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Warning: Again this is a spooky fic so expect angst and upsetting scenes.

Darkness Within

Chapter 2

A bag fell hard at the side of Brendan whose breathing was shallow, his body glistened as a torch light passed over him slowly, it stopped on his face and shone into his glazed over eyes. As blanket was thrown over him, his freezing body was picked up and moved along the floor to a different area of the museum.

Brendan shivered and tried to open his eyes, but they had sealed closed with ice crystals, he moved his arm up and noted he was constricted and couldn't really move. Something was squeezed around his body, wrapped tightly as he tried to stroke his eyes against the coarse material he felt over himself. Then there were fingers touching his eyelids and his stomach flipped. They brushed lightly against his eyelashes brushing the seal of frost away and allowing Brendan to coax his eyes to open.

"Steven?" Brendan's voice croaked trying to speak, but there was no answer. He decided to try and move his body with he managed with difficulty with it being so unbelievably cold. Spikes of pain shot through him each time he did shivering uncontrollably. Then arms wrapped around him hugging him tightly. "Steven?" Brendan asked again with no answer. He flickered his eyes open and saw someone there with him, someone who was hugging onto him and making him warm. It wasn't Steven though, this person smelt different.

"Who are ye?" Brendan opened his eyes properly this time and saw a man looking down on him smiling.

"The names' Walker. I found you on the floor covered in ice" The man spoke continuing to rub warmth over Brendan's body.

"Hey, get off please, I'm a married man" Brendan suddenly felt awkward and tried to remove himself from the man's arms, but struggled as he was in a weakened state.

"You need to warm up friend, calm down, I don't like hugging you either, but my body heat is what's keeping you alive" Walker spoke and reached over to his bag and fetched out a flask of warm soup. He moved Brendan to lean up against the wall and sat next to him.

"Here, have some of this, but sip it yeah, it's hot" Walkers hair flicked over his face as he turned around quickly, the torchlight the only thing giving them visibility in the darkness and eerie silence of the corridor they were sat in.

Brendan took the cup of soup he was given with a shaky hand and nodded in thanks. Brendan drank some of the soup and felt the warm thick liquid stroke down his throat and settleinto his stomach and immediately began to feel warmer as the heat radiated around his frozen body. He looked over at Walker and watched him messing around in his bag and he looked puzzled over him.

"So, Walker? Is that you're real name then?" He asked in interest and noticed the slight smirk form in the corner of his mouth as he rooted into his bag with a clear purpose Brendan didn't know.

"Simon, just everyone I know calls me Walker, my last name" He glanced back at Brendan and fingered his hair behind his ear to get a better view of his face by their limited light.

"What are ye doing here?" Brendan asked sipping more soup. "Oh, and thank ye, for saving me and the good soup too" Brendan chuckled and huddled into the blanket around his shoulders.

"Well I was walking past and I saw the lights flash on and off, thought it was odd, then I saw the door was open and lock broken. So being me I came in to investigate. I'm a detective, it's my job."

"Ahh, am I in trouble then?" Brendan shuffled uncomfortably onto his side a little facing the stranger trying to work him out. "The lock, sort of cries break in" Brendan glanced at Walker sheepishly drinking the rest of the soup and passing it back to him.

"Depends, what's the reason you did it, and why the hell was you covered in ice?" Walker felt Brendan's forehead with the back of his hand, it felt tepid now, healthier. "Your colour is back, feel like you could stand?"

"Yeah, I have to go anyway, Steven, he needs me" Brendan climbed to stand up and his legs felt stiff and pained, he stumbled slightly and Walker moved to steady him. "I'm not here alone there is a few of us and not the human variety either"

Walker looked up at Brendan quickly, thinking he'd misheard him "You what?"

"Spirits, ghosts, demon's? They're here too, welcome to the party" Brendan held his hand out to Walker and pulled him up. "Hope ye have another torch in that bag"

Walker smiled and chucked him another torch and they both set off to find the other's.

Ste and Jim were walking back through the room of mirrors when Ste stopped and gripped so tight around Jim's arm he yelled in pain.

"Why did you come and find me and not Brendan?" Ste widened his eyes at Jim his fingernails pressing in so deep he was leaving a nasty mark.

"OW!" Jim yanked his arm free and rubbed over the pain "That freaking hurt! And we thought he was with you, he's not with us"

"And you didn't think to tell me my husband was missing?!" Ste screamed at Jim and began running but there were so many mirrors around he couldn't find the way out. He soon got separated from Jim again and cried out Brendan's name. He had said it a few times without a reply when he began to sob with worry. One of the mirrors sparkled and made him look up and gasp. A light shone brightly inside it as he held his hand up and squinted his eyes to look at it.

Behind him he heard a scrape of metal so he spun around and flicked his eyes around seeing many images of himself in the various mirrors dotted around. He saw the fear in his eyes staring back at every angle and the scraping noise got louder as it neared him. 'Steven'

Ste span around and saw what he thought to be Brendan in the mirror again staring blankly at him. He held his hands up at the mirror and balled them into fists before pounding hard at the mirror screaming Brendan's name.

The reflection of Brendan grinned; he knew it wasn't really him as he backed off tears rolled down his eyes. "Why are you doing this? Where is Brendan?!" Ste screamed at the reflection but it just smiled. Ste turned around to see the knife that had earlier pushed through the mirror floating in front of him. He flashed up the torchlight and the blade gleamed.

Ste gasped and felt his way behind him around the mirrors for a way out the knife moved through the air at him as he ducked quickly the knife flew at the mirror and smashed it into pieces leaving an exit to another area. Ste looked into it with his torch and climbed to his feet looking down on the knife, he moved to bend down towards it as it rattled and moved he climbed through the mirror and rushed away.

The apparition slowly clenched it's fists into tightened balls and pounded behind the reflection harder and harder until the mirror started to break out where it's fists were. Pieces of mirrored shards span through the air. A hand moved through the cracks in it,blood dripping from where the jagged edges ripped at it's flesh.

Jim found the others all huddled together on a benched area in the museum. Cheryl was flapping around crying about what was in the museum with them and where the hell was her brother. Dennis was consoling Darren and Nate was wondering if he slipped away if anyone would notice he'd escaped.

"Jim, where is Ste and Brendan?" Nate walked over to Jim stiffly and held his hands out to him.

"I found Ste I swear, but we got separated when he realised Brendan was missing! I couldn't stop him" Jim cried holding his palms over his face.

"Of course he'd be like that, those two can't live without each other, they panic when separated" Nate turned to the others. "We need to split up, one group look for Brendan, the other Ste"

"What?!Split up, but we're in a spooky museum" Darren cried and Cheryl pointed to Darren nodding in agreement "What he said, I second" Cheryl trembled

"You know what Chez, I love you, but for once will you stop with the cry baby act! Your brother and his husband, your best mate is missing!" Nate moved over to her getting angry then stopped seeing her face whiten quickly and look up screaming blue murder down his ears. Nate cowered and fell to his knees looking up and seeing a number of shadows swarming above them on the ceiling.

"Shit! Jim MOVE!" Nate cried grabbing hold of Cheryl and rushing into another room. Jim was at the back trying in vain to keep up with the others but fell. As he looked up he saw them running in front of them getting smaller and smaller. He felt a presence behind him as he span around quickly. A dark apparition moved towards him and turned the air icy cold. He felt it creep up from his feet and surround his whole body. He saw a number of black shadows crawl over the ceiling as he became completely paralysed.

Dennis looked behind him and Jim wasn't there any more so he stopped."Guys! Jim is gone, stop!"

They all stopped running and moved back to Dennis."What are we gonna do? We're dropping like flies and we still haven't found the golden box!"

Nate looked at Cheryl and kissed her "That's it, we have to destroy it, I bet all this will stop when we do" The others all nodded. "We should continue, I'll go back for Jim you lot go on and find the box"

Cheryl huffed and shook her head "Nooo, I ain't leaving you!"

"Babe, I have too, you need to stay with the others, I swear I will be back when I find Jim" Nate pulled Cheryl in for a deep kiss. "I love you"

"No, I wont let you." Cheryl cried as Darren moved toward her and held her hand.

"I will look after you, and Dennis, right Dennis?"

"Oh well now I feel loads better!" Cheryl replied sarcastically.

Brendan and his new found friend Walker continued on through the museum and found the room of mirrors. They both looked at each other before walking in and looking around. Brendan saw his reflection everywhere and struggled with getting around. Then he gasped in fright as gunshots echoed in the room and sounds of glass shattering into a thousand pieces to the ground. He moved his arms up to shield his face and covered his ears and waited till the gun shots finally stopped.

He looked up with raised eyebrows at Walker who held aloft his gun and glanced over at Brendan shrugging. "What? At least we can see now right?"

"What is your major malfunction?!" Brendan strode over to him crunching pieces of glass and mirror under his heavy feet; placing a hand on Walker he shoved him backwards in anger. "Anyone could have been in here!" Brendan shone the torch around and saw the thousands of shards of glass and mirror strewn all over the place. It crunched loud underfoot as they walked through the now opened out room, eventually finding a doorway through a broken mirror. They walked through it.

There was a room full of Weapons, knives and axes were placed on the walls, old style torture items on display in glass cabinets and pictures depicting graphic torture scenes and violence littered the square room. Walker and Brendan shone around their torches over the pictures and widened their eyes. Brendan gulped loud and shook his head.

"It's taking the Mick out of us, of all the places to be trapped, a place with weapons that could have your eye out." Brendan sighed heavy. "And I can't bloody see a thing! Where's the light switch, it can't hurt to try" Walker glanced back and nodded in agreement pointing the opposite way and they found a number of different switches. Walker flicked one and a huge booming voice rattled through their bodies. It was part of the museum's entertainment it turned out, with a woman talking in a posh accent explaining what they all used to do to each other in 'the olden days' with the items in the room.

Walker flicked it back and agreed never to do that again, after a few more tries and one of a lightening display around their heads and thunder crashing they found the normal light switch, and thankfully it didn't blow up above them or make their heads explode in a random display of irony.
There was a whimper in the corner of the room that made them gasp and look up.

"Hello?" Walker asked the room as they moved around "Please show yourself I am armed and not afraid to use it"

Brendan shook his head and grabbed the nearest object and spoke "Yeah, me to and I've got a...um stick?"

Walker stopped and looked around at the thin piece of wood in Brendan's hand and chuckled "Hmm, dead scary you are" Walker span his head around hearing the cry again and located it to a desk in the far corner of the room. He silently pointed his finger gesturing over to it and Brendan nodded sneaking over to the desk with him. They crept over and reached the table when a loud screech made them jump back and something jumped up from behind the desk and Walker fired his gun.

Brendan screamed at him pushing him out of the way he scrambled around to behind the desk and cradled Ste in his arms sobbing. "Steven?" Brendan stroked through his hair and lifted up his palm seeing blood on his trembling fingers.

"AARRGGHH!He's my husband!" he screamed at walker who couldn't speak, he shook his head and dropped his gun and fell to his knees resting his head in his palms and wincing listening to Brendan's sobs of agony.

"No, no, Steven, wake up" Brendan stroked and cradled Ste in his arms rocking him. "I hate ye, I hate ye!" Looking at Walker and feeling tears roll down his cheeks. "I can't live without him" He whispered kissing Ste's forehead,tears mixing with blood and pooling down his cheeks.

Nate hid in the shadows as he shuddered watching the black entities follow after the others, he felt a pang of despair leaving Cheryl to face them, but knew deep down the lady was harder than she cared to admit, she's be the one saving the guys in the end. Nate hitched a breath and crawled across the floor in the darkness stretching out to find Jim. He didn't switch his torch on yet in fear the spirits would see him and come back for him too, and he had to save Jim.

Amazingly he did find him and he jolted at the icy cold touch of his body. Nate turned on the torch then and looked in horror at Jim who lay frozen and lifeless on the floor. He searched around and saw a radiator on the wall. Jumping to his feet he dragged him along to it. Taking off his jacket he covered him over and tried to warm him up the best he could.

Nate reached inside his pocket and took out his phone, calling Brendan, Ste and then Cheryl and each time it would say call disconnected. Frustrated he angled the torch around the room searching around. His torchlight happened upon a figure in the distance, he trembled a little hunching up to the still extremely cold Jim. It moved closer and closer till he realised who it was and sighed relieved.

"Jesus, thank god you're alright! We have all been worried. Jim is a icepop, Cheryl is goodness knows where with Dennis and Darren" Nate scrunched his eyes up seeing the man walk with his foot dragging behind him and something gleaming in his hand, it was covered in a substance he couldn't quite make out. "Brendan? What the hell happened, and where's Ste?"

"You hurt yourself then? And what's that in your hand?" Nate asked climbing to his feet he shone the light over the figure carrying a knife that was dripping blood off the tip of it. Nate moved the light onto the man's face; it had hollowed out eyes and sharpened teeth, menacingly growling at him and moving closer and closer. Nate swallowed and whimpered realising it wasn't Brendan as the figure held up the knife and lunged it towards him.

The unlikely trio of Dennis Darren and Cheryl were walking through the museum, the others now a distant memory as they had to leave them to carry on the hunt for the golden box. They decided to try another light switch and it lit up stars spiralling around the room, large moulded planets were hung above them where the exhibition had been made out like the solar system. It looked great and they all smiled watching the different colours shine around the room. Dennis pointed up to the mould of Saturn which was a particularly large piece and asked for a picture to be taken.

The planet swung slowly from side to side above him when the black apparitions crawled over the ceiling above them. Cheryl wandered off leaving Darren to take the photos. She came across another area and wandered in. There was no light in this room so Cheryl shone her torch up to see hundreds of eyes staring at her wherever she looked. It made her jolt backwards and scream so loud it shocked Dennis and Darren into action.

There was a loud crash behind them as the planet Saturn fell to the floor and broke in half. Dennis hitched a breath and looked at Darren who wailed pointing to the apparition above them. He grabbed Dennis and ran to find Cheryl. They were both running and crashed into each other ending up in a heap. Cheryl crawled backwards watching the thing get closer she felt her way up the wall finding a door she shook the handle.

It was stiff and wouldn't open as she kept trying she could hear the guys screaming at her to run, Cheryl froze on the spot, jerking at the handle and back kicking the door swearing and begging for it to open. On her last attempt she shoulder barged the door open and ran through into another room which turned out to be a giant cellar.

"Hello?" She cried hitching a breath and spinning around every noise she heard, Cheryl was on tenterhooks and carried on walking away from the door she came in from. Turns out she had wandered into the archives of the museum. There were a lot of files and objects littered on different shelves and categorised in alphabetical order. Cheryl hummed to herself and went in search of G. Thinking perhaps the box could have been archived as no one would know what it was.

After a while of wandering around hundreds of artefacts boxes and files about boxes with archives inside them she came across the box. Cheryl recognised it immediately. It had been placed inside a plastic bag and had a tag on it. Reading 'Golden trinket box, found at well known haunted location, opened but found to be empty'

Cheryl trembled with the tag in her hand after she'd read it aloud to herself, "opened but found empty" She whispered then gasped "Oh my god, Ste!"

Please review :) xx
To my guests who requested Stalker, I have no idea how you knew I was bringing Walker into this story,did you read my mind? (I wrote half this before your reviews!) So,yeah that was very spooky! I shall see what I can do, thank you for your ideas,keep em coming! :D