Big Bang Chapter 3
The gang would not be swayed, it was too good an idea. Howard was somewhat surprised that Sheldon was going along with it but that's how his luck was going so let the circle of shite commence. Penny and Amy was so up for the plan. Monday was a public holiday anyway so why spend Sunday night at home. Penny wanted to go out and party and Amy wanted to spend some time with Sheldon whom she was slowly starting to feel really comfortable with. The only saving grace for Howard was that Penny did not contact Bernadette. He didn't want his new girlfriend seeing how messed up he was about a creepy situation in his house.
They all met up in Leonards apartment. The boys collected together what surveillance equipment they could gather. Penny collected what alcohol she could gather and they were all ready.
Amy looked a little worried. "We're not going to be playing with oujia boards or anything like that are we? I don't like that."
Leonard gave her a reassuring smile.
"No that would be stupid. We're just going to go over there to reassure Howard that what he thought he heard was all in his head and there's nothing over there haunting his house."
"You don't have to make like I'm an idiot." Howard grumbled.
"I know,"
Leonard's smile was even broader as he patted his friend's shoulder.
¬o¬
They headed out to a bar to have a few drinks for courage. By the time they arrived at Howards place even Howard was in better form. They fell in the door laughing and shushing each other lest some neighbour should call the cops.
"Hay ghost e poos. We're here!" Penny called out as they entered.
Once in the hall she bent and picked up a shawl from the ground.
"Oh, our ghost friend likes to dress up. I must give her some tips." Penny took the shawl and placed it around her neck and over her shoulder.
Howard was in less good humour now as he laid eyes on the shawl he had put away twice before. Once again it had been lying on the floor in the hall.
They all congregated in the living room. Now his mother was gone on her retreat they had her big 50 inch television to themselves. Howard ran to get his xbox to hook up to it.
"We're not going to be playing games are we, That's not going to be much fun." Amy frowned.
Howard froze at the door cradling his xbox in his hands.
Sheldon turned to Amy. "No, it's alright, you're not going to be playing xbox. You and Penny are free to do what ever girls like to do. We are going to be playing xbox.
Sheldon gestured to the men present. Amy was not impressed, neither was Penny. She looked to Leonard.
"Howard, maybe we could play that later, in the meantime…."
They all froze. A loud thump came from just outside the door.
"Get the camera equipment," Leonard gestured to the others.
The boys all began routing though their rugsacks pulling out expensive cameras and so many wires that Amy was triggered to ask.
"Why don't you just use your phones?"
Raj held two pieces of expensive equipment in both hands. He turned to the others.
"You know she has a point."
The boys carefully put the equipment back in their bags and took out their flagship cell phones instead. Carefully they walked out towards the hall.
"Hello," Leonard called out.
Everyone could hear him swallow loudly as he asked,
"Is there anybody there."
He put a hand to the door of the bedroom and pushed it gently open.
"Gee Howard, does your mom ever clean her room."
A surge went through all of them like an electric bolt as the coverlet on his mom's bed moved down towards the floor. They all screamed and moved back up the hall falling over each other in their haste to get away. They all found their senses only when they were standing out in the porch getting wet in the rain.
"Did you see that," Penny snapped, breathing hard.
"No we saw nothing, That's why we're all standing out here in the rain." Amy shot back at her.
Leonard put hands up to quiten them all. "Look it could have been just the cover was heavy and it slipped down the bed."
Howard shook his head. "No things have been happening like that ever since me and Raj went to visit that house on Friday."
"I told you not to go, I knew you'd get all spooked." Leonard told him, rather unhelpful like.
"Oh, I'm spooked. Ok go back in the house Leonard and investigate the sliding cover. Go on then if you're such an expert on the paranormal."
Raj got between Leonard and Howard even though there was no need to.
"Now come on, let us not fight. Guys, that is what they want. They want us to fight so they can feed on our negative energy."
"They want to feed on our negative energy?" Howard looked at him with much doubt in his face.
"Yes, did you not see Star Trek: Day of the Dove. They want us to be at each other's throats."
"Well I'm not staying out here getting wet." Penny decided.
Raj watched as she headed back into the house. He shook his head in wonder at her bravery. But Penny wasn't being brave she was drunk and she had on a pair of very high sandles which were flaying the skin off of her feet and she had forgotten where her phone was. So any ghost would have to take a number because Penny was now triggered.
One by one they all headed back indoors. Howard went to the kitchen to get more snacks and another bottle of wine. Perhaps Leonard was right, perhaps their movement in and around the house had caused the coverlet to slip from the bed.
"Here settle down, sit," He told the others. "Hold up your glasses, this is good stuff."
He began doing the host and pouring them all a glass of wine. Amy was tipsy already and took up position snuggled next to Sheldon. He didn't understand the need for such closeness as Howard had ample chair space but he chose not to bring it up just now. He had gotten rain on his clothes and Amy was keeping his left side warm.
"Maybe we will play xbox," Penny called out. "You can show us how to play it."
Leonard frowned at the idea. They were all well intoxicated and he doubted even if he and the boys could play with any degree of acuracy. Then again it might be fun to play while drunk. He was about to say so when a sudden crash in the kitchen made them all nearly jump out of their skin. They all looked at each other with wide eyes. There wasn't a sound to be heard but their rapid breaths.
Leonard took his courage in his hands. He flicked on the camera of his phone and walked slowly towards the kitchen. This time there was no mistaking it. All the glasses that were stacked on the draining board were in pieces on the floor.
They crunched under foot at Leonard walked towards them.
"Howard, I think you've got a ghost in your house." He said, trying to keep the tremmor from his voice.
"Ok, I've had enough now. I think we should all go back to Leonards and Sheldons place, that includes you Howard." Penny said seriously.
"Wait, wheres Sheldon?" Amy asked, looking all around her.
"Sheldon, Sheldon," they called out as they opened every door.
"This is crazy, where is he?" Penny cried desperately as she searched through Howards room.
"This house isn't that big, where the hell is he?"
Amy froze as she caught sight of something out the window. She suddenly ran for the front door. They all followed behind her.
"Sheldon?" She called to him gently.
He was standing with his back to her in the garden. He was getting soaked.
"Sheldon,"
"They told lies about me. It's all lies."
"Sheldon what are you talking about,"
Amy put a hand to his shoulder and Sheldon jumped. He looked all around him.
"What am I doing?" He whispered in bewilderment.
"Come on Sheldon." Amy took his hand in order to lead him back into the house.
"No hold on Amy, he's hurt himself."
A streak of blood was pooling at his hairline and running a tiny river into his left eye.
Leonard put a hand to his head causing Sheldon to wince.
"Sheldon did you hurt yourself?" He asked.
Sheldon shook his head. "I don't know,"
Howard stepped forward. "What were you saying just now about someone telling lies Sheldon, what lies."
"I don't know," Sheldon looked around him again. He put a hand to his eye as blood was making it sting.
"We'd best get him in the house," Howard said.
But Leonard wasn't having it.
"No, lock the house up Howard. Take Raj with you and lock it up. We'll take Sheldon to the car. We can patch him up back at our place. Nobody is going back into that house until we know what is going on."
Penny Leonard and Amy led Sheldon back to the car, Howard and Raj went quickly into the house. They switched off what they could, collected phones and equipment and locked up the house.
Howard walked briskly towards the car trying not to look terrified, Raj took a look back. His dark eyes narrowed as he noted the curtain at the kitchen window fall gently back into place.