Chapter Three: Digging Deeper
Yugi felt his nails digging into the palms of his hands, trying to get himself to calm down, but it was hard to. Some idiot had almost run him over. And yet, when he had gone to yell at him, there hadn't been any anger. He had looked at the pitiful person behind the wheel of the car and let him off with a resigned warning; just walking away. It wasn't until the car had left his line of sight that he had actually gotten mad, the deep anger that he realized that he had been dealing with since he had seen that man kill that girl back in Domino. Yugi swallowed and forced himself to relax.
What he needed to do was just calm down and forget about that stuff. He was on a job here, to look through what little he could find at the library before beginning to question people from around the town. He shifted his backpack up on his back, taking some of the pressure off of his back, taking a deep breath.
At least it was a quiet town on the surface; he could see himself staying here for a little bit to recover whatever he was suffering from.
Yugi slowed for a moment, swallowing harshly before forcing himself to keep walking. If this was him beginning to go insane, he would have to tell his team so they could watch him. And, if it got too out of control, he would be sent to the afterlife and that would be the end of him. No one came back from the afterlife, he should know that. Once again, Dartz's insane grin came back to haunt him, Yugi ducking his head and exhaling shakily. He would give anything not to end up like that.
He turned a corner, glancing up at the signs on the buildings, smiling with relief as he spotted the one for the library, quickly walking towards it. He had begged to be let out close to the library, Raphael and Alister promising to drop off his luggage at the small bed and breakfast in town. Yugi wanted to get as much down as he could before he collapsed from exhaustion; he was already running on so little sleep.
Yugi glanced both ways before jogging across the street, walking towards the library and feeling himself relax the closer he got to the building. He stopped himself before he had gone too far, surprised at the sudden lack of anger and exhaustion. Yugi glanced around before backing away from the library, his eyes going wide. To his knowledge, there was no reason why he should flip from being angry and tired to relaxed and calm. His hand dropped to the phone in his pocket before he forced himself to leave it alone. He would try to figure this out by himself and then he would call Ryou later.
Still unsure of the sensation, Yugi walked into the library, opening the door and glancing around before heading back for the computers, staring at the empty front desk. He hesitated for a moment, before shrugging. He would just keep checking back and wait to see if anyone turned up. Yugi fiddled with the strap of his backpack before walking over to the computers, sitting in one of the chairs and taking a deep breath, his eyes closing.
He had always loved libraries; they seemed like a naturally calming place. With the silence and the sensation of being surrounded by books, it felt like the world had slowed down, much more like the world that Yugi had been born into instead of this modern world of rushing. He leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes with a smile. While the strange sensation of extra calm still set him on edge, he was enjoying its affects now. In fact, he was close to falling asleep where he was.
"Oh…shit…" Yugi turned around at the familiar voice, his eyes widening as he stared at the man who had nearly run him over. To his surprise, his first thought was to walk over and hug the man, instead of the more rational anger that should have come. Yugi gripped the top of the chair, watching as the man stared at him for a moment more before turning and heading for the desk. He found himself analyzing the man, a habit gained from his long years of working with different humans.
The man was wearing faded jeans that were a bit loose on him and a nondescript sweatshirt with the name of what Yugi assumed was the man's college on it. The man's coat seemed well worn too, the man taking it off and draping it over his chair, giving Yugi a nervous glance. Yugi looked away, biting his lip and staring at the ground, forcing himself to stop before he started to go over how the man acted. That he was wearing loose clothes was enough to tell Yugi that he needed comfort, Yugi still shock from the urge to go over and hug him. His grip tightened on the chair to prevent himself from moving.
"Can I help you?" Yugi started nearly falling out of his chair. He glanced up at the man before standing up and shuffling over to the desk, suddenly nervous.
"Uh…I need to use the computers."
He was waved away. "Go ahead, there's nothing special to do. Just get on and go."
"Thanks."
"Welcome." The man paused, his gaze darting down to the desk. "Sorry about earlier."
"Earlier?" Yugi blinked as he realized that he had forgotten about earlier as he stood there, blushing and looking away. That alone was another reminder to call Ryou as soon as he was settled for the night, something was going on here and it wasn't right. No one should have been able to influence him like this. He turned around and walked back to the computers, sitting down and quickly getting online, determined to see what he could find.
He threw a look over his shoulder before focusing completely on the screen in front of him, hesitating before typing 'Fairwater' into the search bar. Yugi expected to have to narrow his search, surprised when pertinent articles came up quickly, most of them having the work murder in them. He tipped his head to the side before clicking on the first link, preparing himself for a long afternoon.
The hours sped by quickly, Yugi lost in the series of articles from 1985 chronicling the murders and then trial of the killer, one Johnny Bartlett. Yugi shivered at all of the pictures that he found of the man, recognizing the same insane look that he had seen in Dartz.
He was pulled away from his work when he heard someone else come into the library, glancing back over his shoulder to see the red headed woman give a shy wave to the man behind the desk before walking over to the video section. Yugi stared at her before looking back at his watch, only then realizing how late it was. He sighed and gathered up his stuff, managing to get packed up as the woman reappeared and approached the man at the desk.
"Cutting it a bit late, Serenity?"
"I had stuff to finish up at the hospital." Serenity gave the man a smile, leaning on the desk with a sigh. "Sanders was out today because of the funeral."
Yugi frowned when he saw the man wince at the mention of a funeral, not quite sure how to take that. It was suspicious that the man looked guilty about something for a moment, the expression quickly replaced with a smile. He reached for the video that Serenity was checking out, scanning it in before turning to look at the screen. "Ah. Due in two weeks."
"Thanks, Yami."
"Anytime." Yami gave her a smile, freezing when something started beeping.
Yugi paused, hiking his backpack further onto his back and hesitantly stepping forward, looking between Yami and Serenity as the woman reached down to look at her beeper, her cell phone going off the next moment. Serenity quickly flipped it open. "Hello?"
Yugi could hear someone yelling over the phone line, Serenity biting her lip before nodding. "Alright. I'm about a block away. I'll be there as soon as possible."
She hung up the phone, Yami looking nervous from where he sat behind the desk. "What's going on?"
"Another one." Serenity ran a hand through her hair, quickly pulling it back into a ponytail. "Someone called in another one of those heart attacks at the Bed and Breakfast down the road."
"Another one?" Yami walked out from behind the desk at that, glancing around nervously before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "But Arthur Warrington just died of one a day ago."
"Well, it's happened again." Serenity gave him a helpless shrug before picking up her video and stuffing it into her purse, walking out of the library, Yami following her to the doors. Yugi watched as the man looked outside, obviously trying to decide whether to stay or follow before looking back at him. Yugi jumped as their gazes met, hurriedly looking away. He frowned as he felt himself blush, not sure what to make of it. If anything he should be angry at Yami for almost running him over, not blushing and nervous. Yugi rubbed his forehead, trying to get himself to think around the block that Yami seemed to cause.
He looked up abruptly as he heard Yami walk out of the building, looking around nervously before following Yami out, glancing around before rushing after him. Some part of Yugi wondered if he was following Yami just because he didn't feel so off balance around the man; which Yugi thought was a laughable conclusion. He was following Yami because the other man knew his way around the town. Besides, Serenity had said something about another heart attack, something that had piqued Yugi's interest.
A stray article he had found while working through the many websites on Johnny Bartlett and his murdering spree had mentioned something about the increasing number of fatalities from heart attack in Fairwater, but it had only been in passing, Yugi frowning at that. If heart attacks were becoming as common as a cold then something was wrong, the problem was find out exactly what was going on.
Yugi came to a stop just before he ran into Yami, wincing at the carelessness on his part before looking up at the crowd that was gathered around the small bed and breakfast, surprised to see that the police was there too. He turned his attention quickly back to Yami as the man walked forward, heading straight for the police officer that seemed to be in charge. "Joey!"
The blonde turned, seeming surprised to see Yami there before smiling. "Hey bud."
"What's going on here?"
Joey rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish smile. "Well, Serenity is in there now confirming things, but it's another heart attack. The call came in about five…ten minutes ago. Someone found her and called her in." Joey ran a hand through his hair with a long sigh. "I mean, I never expected Mrs. Kato to go down like that, even if she was in a wheelchair, she was probably healthier than I was."
"Oh God."
"Yeah, I know." Joey gave a little chuckle, only then seeming to realize how pale Yami had gotten. He frowned leaning over the caution tape to rest a hand on Yami's shoulder. "You alright, buddy?"
"Y-yes."
Even Yugi could tell that Yami was lying, the reaper raising an eyebrow as he watched Joey glance back towards the building. There was something there, but the blonde didn't want to talk about it, so he ignored it for the time being. Yugi kept himself from groaning in annoyance, wrapping his arms around himself and rocking back and forth. He had been too late to even get anything from the scene, if there was anything to gather. He reached up to rub his forehead again, already dreading the headache that was sure to come.
If this was what Maximillian had to deal with, he didn't blame him for going insane, even if his balance had died. The lack of anything helpful would drive anyone insane.
Yugi jerked his head up as other officers began herding people away from the tape, one coming up to whisper in Joey's ear, the news obviously agitating the blonde officer by the way he reacted. Yugi watched the hushed discussion carefully, raising an eyebrow as Joey motioned violently at everyone around before finally relenting, seeming to growl to himself.
Joey slipped under the tape, glancing at the crowd before gesturing for silence, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Listen everyone, we're gonna have to shut the place down." There were groans from the crowd, Joey pausing long enough to motion for the people to calm down before returning to his shouting. "Sorry folks, but the higher ups are demanding this, there's nothing we can do."
Yugi felt a spike of panic run up his spine. If that place was shutting down, would he be able to get his luggage back? Or, the more important, where was he going to stay for the night? He bit his lip, taking a step forward when someone else shouted from within the crowd. "What about the people staying there?"
"Listen, we're gonna take pictures and look over the luggage. Tomorrow, we'll call you in if we find anything questionable. Other than that, you'll be able to pick up your stuff tomorrow. As for where to stay," Joey shrugged with a sheepish smile, "I'm sure the good people of Fairwater would be willing to give these people a place in their homes for one night. If not, I'll ask you to follow me to the police station. We'll set up some stuff in one of the main rooms and have ourselves a little slumber party."
There were a few laughs from the crowd, Yugi slumping as they went their own ways. He stared up at the old building, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. Of course it would start out like this, he would get this far and then something would stop him. It was just like hunting Dartz all over again; except this time he didn't have Mana around to keep his spirits up. Yugi hung his head at the thought of Mana, biting his lip to hold back tears. He was always surprised by how much he missed her, especially after all the years that had passed.
He looked up as he heard the crowd beginning to disperse, catching a glimpse of Serenity coming out of the building. Yugi watched her for a moment before slumping, grabbing a hold of one of his backpack straps, and turning to walk down the street. He could always call Raphael and Alister and tell them that something had gone wrong; he doubted that the news would surprise them much. He doubted than any bad news concerning Fairwater would surprise them much.
Yugi rubbed a hand over his face, barely smothering a yawn. At this rate, he would collapse from exhaustion before the two reapers got there. He had slept on the streets before, and he wasn't looking forward to that again. Although, he was sure that repeating the action now would be a bit easier on his back and much better without Seto there to try and glare things into submission.
He was reaching for his cell phone when a hand landed on his shoulder, turning to face Yami. He blinked quickly in surprise, Yami looking equally as shocked as he did. Yami glanced down at the hand that was still on Yugi's shoulder before swallowing, taking a step back. "U-um. You need a place to stay?"
"Yes." Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
Yami seemed taken aback. "Well, you look exhausted and I nearly ran you over earlier. Consider it an apology."
"You don't know me and I don't know you. Why would you-"
"Because." Yami's voice trembled as he snapped out the word, seeming afraid of his own answer.
Yugi tipped his head to the side, his fingers tapping against the leg of his pants as he considered the situation. On the one hand, he could wait for Alister and Raphael to show up and crash with one of them. It would probably take him away from Fairwater because neither reaper had seemed keen on staying near a place that ghosts liked to gather. It would drastically shorten the time that he spent looking up stuff for this case, but he would be around people who knew him in a way. But, on the other hand, Yami was offering him a place in the town itself and it did seem like he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart.
His eyes narrowed, Yugi making sure to look away from Yami at that moment. But there was the strange pull towards Yami that he felt, not completely sure he could trust himself around Yami. And there was Yami's nervous behavior, the man very jumpy for some reason. But, he did seem to calm down when Yugi was around him, the behavior less jumpy. It didn't make sense in his own mind, and he could tell that it didn't make sense to Yami from the expression on the man's face. Still, the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages.
"Alright." Yugi nodded slowly, not sure what to make of the look of relief on Yami's face, slipping his hand into his pocket to close his hand over the shrunk down handle of his scythe. He relaxed as his fingers brushed over the wood, forcing a smile on his face. "Just don't try and run me over again."
"Oh, no." Yami shook his head, looking incredibly embarrassed at the reminder. "Definitely not."
"Good."
"I just have to close up…" Yami trailed off and walked away quickly, Yugi raising an eyebrow and looking back at the bed and breakfast before shrugging and following after Yami. With everything weird going on, Yami's behavior wasn't too bad. The important question was why was he worried about it? Yami didn't mean anything to him; he was just another human in Fairwater. And, when Yugi left, Yami would stay here and forget about him immediately.
He trailed Yami back to the library; standing in the doorway and watching Yami close up. For a moment, he wanted to jump in and help somehow, Yugi guessing that the impulse had been programmed into him after having worked for Sugoroku for so long. He smiled at the thought, tipping his head back and staring at the ceiling. That was another thing to do when he had the chance, call Sugoroku and check up on how the shop was going. Of course, that would only happen after he called Seto and reported everything that was going on. The others had to know that there was something that could kill a balance and spread the news around. And, if the balances that were still living could still be killed, then there was no telling what it could do the ones that were already dead.
If Yugi had learned anything in his life, it was the powers that governed the afterlife did not have control over much and their hold on what little they controlled was tenuous at best.
Yugi looked up as Yami walked back over, giving him an apologetic smile before walking out of the door, locking it behind him. The two walked back to where Yami's car was parked, Yugi sliding into the passenger's seat and watching as Yami got in. He forced his gaze away from his host as Yami pulled out of the parking spot, drove down the alley and into the main street.
For a moment, he was worried when Yami heading the opposite direction of where most of the houses were, turning to look over his shoulder at the bright lights of the town. His stomach churned uncomfortably, Yugi wondering just what he had gotten himself into.
"I live on the other side of town." Yugi jerked back around to look at Yami, the other man glancing at him before returning his attention to the road. "On the line of hills there. That's where most of the residential people stay. The rest of that stuff is for the people who come down here for their vacation or have just moved here."
"You get a lot of people coming here?"
"Not as many as we would like." Yami gave a nervous laugh. "Most people tend to stay away because of what they've heard."
"Johnny Bartlett?" Yugi noticed that Yami's hands tightened on the steering wheel as he nodded, humming to himself and leaning back, staring at the sunset. When he sat back and looked at it, Fairwater was a nice place. It might have even been relaxing if he hadn't been worried about what was going on. And Seto expected him to be using this as his vacation. Yugi shook his head, rolling it against the headrest to look at Yami. "I don't think we were ever introduced. I'm Yugi."
Yami raised an eyebrow. "Just Yugi?"
Yugi blushed at that. "Well, Yugi Mutou, I guess."
"You guess?"
"My parents died when they were younger." The lie slid easily off his tongue. "And Sugoroku adopted me when I was young, named me too." Another lie, he had named himself. "I lived with him since then."
Yami nodded, Yugi relaxing a fraction at that. It was sad how well that lie worked, his usual standard lie. He guessed that the simplicity of it helped make it more believable. All he had to remember to do was to adjust for his new name for the century or if he had moved out of a country recently. Although, he had been Yugi Mutou for over a century now, their group having finally settled down in Japan when the jobs of the reapers became more structured and bureaucratic; there was even a chain of command now, although Yugi had never bothered to memorize it. He just answered to Seto; he would leave it up to the brunette to worry about the rest of things.
He smiled to himself at the thought of the family that he had adopted. He had started that game shop with the first in the Mutou family, the young boy that he had adopted from the streets. And, while he had never told the Mutous specifically what he was they all knew that he was immortal. Yugi assumed that they just figured he was some god come to earth or some supernatural creature, either one was fine with him; just as long as he could stay with them. He had gotten attached to the mortals, especially Sugoroku.
"Well then, I'm Yami."
Yugi snorted, trying to hide the fact that Yami's introduction had surprised him. "Just Yami?"
"Well, Yami Gardener, I guess." Yami gave a long sigh at that, his eyes never leaving the road.
"You guess?"
"My wife passed away five years ago."
"Oh…"
"Yeah. Originally, I was Yami Sennen, but I couldn't stand the last name." Yami's hands tightened on the wheel. "My family nearly chased my mother out of their house when they found out that she was pregnant with me, and my father took her in. She always insisted on me keeping the name of my family and reminding me that I would carry on the line, but I couldn't, not after hearing about how they had treated her."
"Are they…"
"No." Yami gave a laugh at that, Yugi relieved that the sound broke the tension in the car. "No. Dad's an archeologist. As soon as I was able to stand on my own I was able to convince them to take that vacation. Well, working vacation. They call me every once and a while when they remember." He gave a soft smile. "It's like a second honeymoon for them."
Yugi nodded, turning to look out of the window and feeling the conversation die out. He had never been good at talking to people, whether he was alive or dead. But, surprisingly, the silence in the car was comfortable. He smiled to himself, propping up his chin on his hand and watching the hills as they climbed further up towards the houses. He turned his head slightly as he heard Yami humming to himself, enjoying the sound.
The humming stopped abruptly as they passed by an intersection, Yugi glancing back at Yami. His host was opening staring at the entrance to the road, looking pale. As suddenly as he had stopped, Yami turned back around, the humming returning but sounding more forced. Yugi frowned and turned to catch a glimpse of the road's name, wondering why Yami had reacted that badly. He shrugged, trying to see what he could of the road in the dimming light, flinching at the winding trail that barely looked wide enough for one car. That was enough to scare any driver.
Yugi sighed to himself and settled back; paying close attention to when Yami's humming went back to a normal sound, guessing that they had passed whatever Yami had feared. He glanced over at his host, tapping his fingers against his leg before pushing all of the thoughts out of his mind. If he kept this up, he wouldn't be able to sleep, and he was so tired from his flight over.
He rubbed his eyes, pausing as he heard Yami laugh. "I'm guessing you're set on heading to bed."
"Yeah, long flight over from Japan."
"Japan?"
"Didn't the name give it away?"
"No. I'm just amazed that you're still standing."
Yugi found himself laughing at that, leaning back as he saw Yami smiling. Maybe he had been too quick to judge this human; maybe Yami was just socially awkward as he was. If that was the case, then there was nothing to worry about. He was just staying with the human for a night, or however long that it took the police to get what they wanted. He had been around too long to believe that everything could be done in one day like Joey had said, it would take a while. Of course, with Joey's charisma, the crowd would happily accept everything he said.
"Hey." A gentle touch to his shoulder made him start, Yugi sitting up abruptly and watching Yami shrink back, the man looking frightened for a moment. Yami gathered himself together quickly though, offering him a smile. "We're here."
"Oh thank God." Yugi climbed out of the car, ignoring the soft chuckle from Yami. He reached back into the car to grab his backpack, turning to stare up at the house.
It was a nice house, two stories with a wrap around porch, something that any newly wed couple would have wanted if they were expecting children. Yugi glanced over at his host, realizing that he hadn't asked about his family. Yami could have children and Yugi didn't ask. Having raised nearly five generations of Mutous, he knew how proud a father could be. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, about to ask the question when Yami opened the door and ushered him in, Yugi toeing off his shoes in the entrance hall. "Guest room is upstairs, to the right, third door. Bathroom is right across the hall."
Yugi nodded, glancing around, noting that none of the usual signs of children were there. He gave Yami one last glance before deciding that the question could wait until tomorrow when he was more awake. Yugi trudged up the stairs, following Yami's directions into the modestly sized bedroom. He looked around long enough to identify where the bed was before setting his backpack on the floor and collapsing into the bed, not bothering to draw the covers over him.
"In twenty blood-soaked minutes twelve people were shot and murdered at the Fairwater hospital and sanitarium. Victims ranged from patients able to walk and those trapped in their bed to doctors and visitors to the hospital itself. Even those who sought shelter in the chapel were gunned down on their knees.
"The murderer himself was caught on the scene, a hospital orderly named Johnny Bartlett. When captured and questioned by the police, he only stated that 'I got me twelve, that one more than Starkweather.'
"In 1957 and early 1958, Starkweather had succeeded in killing eleven people in a cross country murdering spree. Police tried to learn more from Johnny Bartlett, the orderly only insisting that the incident must make him public enemy number one.
"Also arrested was the daughter of the hospital administrator, the young girl Vivian Ann Wong. Vivian was madly in love with Bartlett-"
"That's her!" Serenity leaned forward, pausing the screen on the image of a young girl being pushed through a jeering crowd of reporters. She stared at the girl, recognizing the eyes and the facial structure before sitting back with a long sigh. "I was at her house…"
"What were you doing there?" Serenity turned around, smiling as Tristan walked out of the bathroom, finishing tying the towel around his waist. He turned to stare at the screen, raising an eyebrow before reaching down to look at the DVD case that was on the bed, staring at the title. "Why would you get this?"
Serenity reached out to take the case, flipping in over in her hands as she sighed. "I was up at her house today because Doctor Sanders was at the funeral. Her mother said some things…and I've been gone from Fairwater so long. I mean, I knew that there had been murders here, but nothing else, Mom got me out and refused to talk to me about it. So I just wanted to know."
"Why didn't you ask Joey?"
She shot him an amused look. "Like he would tell me. He still thinks I'm his innocent little sister."
Tristan laughed at that, lounging back on the bed beside her, a smile on his face. "Yeah, I'll give him that. I half expected him to come bursting into the room to save you on our honeymoon."
"Oh, I would have killed him for that." Serenity leaned over to cup his face in her hands, placing a kiss on his lips and pulling away when Tristan leaned up for more. "I only have a few minutes left. You can wait."
"Serenity…"
"Come on. A few minutes and then I promise, I'm yours." Tristan pretended to grumble, Serenity reaching down to hold his hand as she turned to hit the play button, the documentary starting again.
"Bartlett was sentenced to the electric chair and remained unrepentant to the end. His last words were even reported to be, 'I got me a score of twelve, beat that.'
"In what seemed like a miscarriage of justice, Vivian Wong got a mere ten years in prison before she was granted a conditional release by the governor. Today, she lives a peaceful life in the family home."
Serenity turned off the television with a sigh, placing the remote on the bedside table before rolling over towards Tristan with a smile on her face, one hand reaching for the tie on her nightgown. "Alright, done."
Tristan shivered, glancing up at her. "Seeing that, I suddenly don't think it's a good idea to live here."
"Oh, stop it. We're fine. I'm one of the senior doctors at the hospital and you have a job beating math into the heads of high schoolers."
"Beating sounds about right." Tristan laughed, the sound getting cut off as Serenity leaned over to kiss him. He reached up to wrap his arms around his wife, pulling her down on top of him. Serenity laughed into the kiss as Tristan trailed a hand down her side, the touch slightly ticklish. "They are quite…inattentive."
"Well, let me make it better." Serenity sat up, completely undoing the tie on her robe and letting it slide from her body, Tristan letting out a low whistle of approval before sitting up to run his hands over his wife's body. Serenity shivered at the kisses that he placed over her collarbone, leaning over to kiss the top of his head before she leaned back, allowing him to do what he wished. She felt him smile against her skin for a moment, about to ask him what he was planning when the lamp on the nightstand tumbled to the ground.
Serenity jumped at that, Tristan sitting up immediately and wrapping his arms around her. They both stared at the lamp, Tristan frowning and slipping from the bed, stripping from his towel and pulling on boxers and a robe before wandering over to look at the lamp. Serenity pulled her robe back on as well, tying it as she leaned down to look at the lamp. "Was this near the edge?"
"No." Serenity whispered the word, jumping when the lights started flickering. Tristan was immediately by her side, looking around before pushing her towards the door.
"Out." She scrambled off of the bed, seeing a shadow move across the wall before she ducked, gasping as one of the lamp shards crashed into the wall in front of her. Tristan pushed at her back, urging her downstairs. "Out, out, out!"
Serenity took off at a run, nearly tumbling down the stairs. The shards of lamp continued to be thrown, smashing into walls. She ducked around the corner, inching along the wall to the kitchen before diving for cover behind the counter. She peeked over the edge only long enough to grab the phone before rushing back towards the foyer, spotting Tristan standing with the door open, motioning her out. Serenity sprinted faster, feeling something grabbing at her ankles before reaching for her robe, kicking the thing away before rushing out of the house and out onto the sidewalk.
Tristan slammed the door behind her, leaning against it and panting. Serenity turned to look back at their house, shaking as he dialed her brother's cell phone and waited for him to answer. She jumped when she heard Joey's sleepy voice over the speakers. "Hello?"
"Joey? Oh my God, Joey, I'm so glad I got you."
Her brother immediately perked up. "What's the matter, Serenity? Has Tristan done something to you?"
"What?" The sudden jump to a different subject flummoxed her for a moment, Serenity finally grasping what her brother was talking about and shaking her head. "No. No! There was something in our house."
"Something…in your house."
"Yes. Something knocked the lamp off the stand and then started turning the lights on and off." She turned to look at their house, watching the lights flicker on and off throughout the house, moving from room to room. "It's still doing this now."
"Serenity…"
"I didn't imagine it, Joey. That thing threw pieces of lamp at us. Tristan saw it too!" She clutched the phone more tightly to her ear, reaching out for Tristan's hand as he wandered over and holding it tightly. Her husband kissed her forehead before wrapping her in a hug, Serenity leaning against him as she waited for Joey to answer.
She heard him sigh over the phone and the slight squeak of the chair as Joey leaned back. "Listen, Serenity, the one you want to call is Yami."
"Yami?"
"Yeah. He's got some special skill with this or something. I don't know, he won't tell me outright, but I believe him."
"Seriously, Joey?"
"Seriously. I've had him tagging along on a case and he's been able to find stuff that I've missed. It's like he pulls it out of the air. If you have something supernatural going on, call Yami."
"Alright Joey. Can you give me his number?" Serenity held her breath; memorizing the numbers and repeating them back to Joey a couple of times before thanking her brother and hanging up. She tapped the phone against her hand for a bit, before looking back to their house. Whatever that thing was, it was still there. She took a deep breath before dialing the number, leaning back into Tristan's embrace and waiting for Yami to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Yami!" She didn't let him speak, rambling on as quickly as she could. "There's something in our house and it's turning the lights on and off and trying to hurt us. We're outside and safe for now, but we want to get back in and we don't know when or if it'll come out. I called Joey and he said to call you."
"Joey said…Damn it!" There was a dull thud in the background, Serenity glancing up at their house before realizing that it had come from Yami's end. She bit her lip as she heard harsh breathing on the other end of the line before a long sigh. "Listen, I'll be over as soon as I can. Keep the phone with you and I'll have my cell phone. If it's not safe, move. I'll call you on this number as soon as I take care of it."
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Welcome." Yami hung up abruptly, Serenity pulling the phone away from her ear and staring at it before hanging up as well.
She gave a long sigh, looking up at Tristan. He smiled back down at her, squeezing her close for a moment. "We'll be fine."
"I hope so."
Please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome.