NIGHT VISION

Chapter 10: Melancholy

Stan loved to pick locks despite all the trouble it had caused him in his adolescent years… that and the fact that if you looked up truant in the dictionary you would find his picture beside the definition. Every lock model came with its own combination, some of which were harder to manipulate than others, but he enjoyed the thrill of the challenge. He could also take some time to think to himself… although normally the moments were spent focusing on the task at hand.

Amy shifted from foot to foot nervously. "Hurry, Stan."

"I'm doing my best," he reassured her, hissing a swear under his breath when the pick hit a bar. Usually locks were a breeze, just not this one.

Down the hall there was a sharp, metallic echo that reverberated off the walls. Ashley cursed a line of obscenities about the door she was trying to force open and about the idiot who invented the door in the first place.

Amy focused on a painting of a farm house on the wall to distract herself from the thought of losing Sven. "Can I… ask you a question?"

"Certainly."

"How far back do you and your friends go?"

Stan withdrew the pick and slid it in again before answering. "A while. I grew up with Kenny so Shannon and I go back to preschool. Ashley arrived on the scene in fifth grade when she befriended Shannon, which dragged everyone together from there. I met Josh when I skipped school one day about a year later. Crazy kid was doing a report on the mall's history or something like that."

There was another acute echo of denting metal. Ashley seemed intent on breaking down that door one way or another.

He froze, remembering what she had scolded Shannon for back in the dam. Had he really been that awful of a friend to Josh…?

"I knew Josh was Ashley's friend," he remarked, "but he was always too shy to introduce himself. Normally he would see us come and scurry off like we were there to steal his lunch money or something. Well, Kenny did have a bit of a reputation back then but still…"

Amy chortled. "Not surprised."

"Heh, yeah. We became an official group after that." Stan twisted the pick and the lock clicked into place. "There, got it." The door swung open when he pushed against it. Amy followed him into the next corridor.

Down in the gather point, Ashley performed a spin-kick that could have knocked the door off its hinges, had the hunk of metal not been practically bolted to the frame. A second and third kick only jolted pain into her system with no real progress. She felt the strike of fire spike through her bones and retreated. Well, that isn't opening any time soon. Saves us the trouble of exploring that section of the house.

Corey and Mei were huddled side-by-side on the first couch; the Professor was leaning against the closet they had found Amy in before. She studied them quizzically. The others had been gone longer than expected, irking her instinctive concerns.

When she arrived with Shannon and Corey they discovered that whoever was living here was growing those flowers. Their spores were making her senses go haywire.

She felt her brain throb vehemently in the back of her skull. Dammit, Sven, why weren't you more careful? She flopped down on the second couch, folding her arm under her head to serve as a pillow.

From somewhere below them a scream pierced the silence.

"Sven…" Mei uttered, glancing at Ashley. "Ash, we need to get him! Where are the others?!"

Ashley didn't respond. Mei's voice was grating on her nerves, the spores were pressuring her senses and the general musk in the air was constricting her lungs. She was still for what felt like hours, but when Mei checked the clock across the room it had been only four minutes.

Mei pouted, annoyed that she had been ignored for so long. "ASHLEY! We don't have time to rest!"

"I'm making time," the other girl hissed back.

Mei crossed her arms and the corner of her lips arced upwards. She shot to her feet in sudden, lack-of-sleep induced rage. "This is our friend we're talking about! Quit being such a bitch and do something!"

Ashley finally sat up. Her jerking movements startled Mei who quickly gripped the handle of her crossbow. "What do you want from me, Mei?" Ashley seethed, rising to her feet almost menacingly despite her small stature. "I'm not a miracle worker! If Sven got kidnapped it's his own fault! If you can't take care of your own friends it's not my problem! In fact, the only reason why I came here was to protect Shannon and Kenny! I'm not a leader! I'm not your friend!"

This time Corey had stepped forward to try his hand at settling the dispute. "Ashley, don't say that-"

"I'll say whatever the hell I want to!" She snapped, snatching up her rifle. "You dragged me into this fucking nightmare and you're pretty damn lucky that I decided to save your asses! As soon as I heard you were trouble I only thought of saving my friends, not saving you! So don't flatter yourself! I don't care what happens to you and I certainly don't care what happens to Sven!"

Professor James gripping her shoulder. "Ashley, stop. It's dangerous to leave by yourself. Regardless if you do care or not you need us just as much as we need you!"

"You can rot in a hole!" She barked, slapping his hand down.

A moment later the opposing door clicked open. Josh and Shannon re-entered the gathering point with a cross in Shannon's grip. "What's with the tension?" Josh asked, glancing around.

Ashley strapped her rifle over her shoulder. "I'm leaving. You idiots can survive without me."

"Woah!" Shannon retorted, "Hold up! What the hell is with the sudden mood shift?!"

Ashley ignored her and stepped right by them, slamming the door open. Josh caught her wrist. "Don't even think about it! I'm not letting you go out there by yourself!"

"Either let me go or come with me. Make your choice."

Josh hesitated. "I'm notchoosing between your life and the life of my other friends."

"Then I guess we both know the answer," she told him bitterly, "you can stay here with your little posse and I'll head back to Fallcreek."

Shannon pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Ashley, seriously, I don't know what's gotten into you but you need to grow up! This is no time for throwing childish tantrums!"

Mei stepped forward. "I'm sorry."

Ashley gave her a glare that instantly made the group thankful looks couldn't kill. "Sorry for what? I am a bitch, but I don't need you to point it out. I'm done with this." She cast her attention in Shannon's direction. "I came to Fallcreek for you, Shannon, but now I couldn't care less. Do whatever the hell you want to." Josh released her wrist when she jerked in his grip. "I'll be seeing you around, maybe." She gave them a mocking two-fingered salute and disappeared into the foyer. "You know, if any of us survive!"

After several beats of silence Corey stared accusingly at Mei. "Nice."

In turn she slapped her palm into her forehead. "Dammit dammit dammit!"

"Ash…" Josh felt a pit well in the cavity of his chest. He knew she hadn't come to Fallcreek just to save Shannon. Her first instinct had been to save Mei… to save Mei and everyone that she knew to be alive. Not once had she mentioned Shannon or Kenny.

Should I go with her?

"She doesn't mean it," Shannon mentioned, facing the others. "She's just stressed. Ashley cares about protecting everyone, not just me."

"I know," Mei agreed silently.

"Hey, we heard shouting!" Stan descended the staircase and met them in the gathering point with Amy right behind him, a cross in her grasp. "Is everything alright?"

"Define 'alright'," James replied despondently.

"Ashley threw a hissy fit and stormed out," Josh informed him promptly, touching the door beside him. "We'll have to go on without her. We haven't checked this place out yet, is it the basement?"

"I went down before," Corey said, "there were these weird statues that could be moved but were missing crosses like the first. Did any of you find weird crosses?"

"I did," Shannon answered and flashed hers. Amy held hers up in response. "Come on, let's figure this basement out and get Sven!"

They filed downstairs into the dank, frigid room. Corey showed them the statues poised on random tiles, clicking the panels into place. He slid the crosses into the grips of the severed human hands perched up top. "This is disgusting," he groaned.

Amy flicked out an old, dog-eared picture. The image was so scuffed and faded only she could really decipher the snapshot's contents. "Stan found this in the bathroom upstairs. It shows the combination… I think, anyway."

Stan toyed with the control panel on the wall. The crane slid from the network in the ceiling above, bonking Shannon in the head. "OW! Watch it you jerk!"

"Sorry babe!" He flicked a lever and the crane reeled up.

Josh felt the hair on his neck stand up on end in realization. Realization that, at the same time, went right over his head. Babe…? Did he miss the memo or something?

Mei pressed her side against his, shivering. "It's cold down here… Jeez, you're radiating with heat!" He shrugged impassively but didn't respond.

Corey was at the other end of the room with his nose buried into the contents of a crate. "I found some band-aids! But that's it. Anyone got a cut?"

Amy shoved him aside when she passed over the tile he was standing on. "Put one here!" Stan hoisted the first podium upwards with the crane and carried it over to where she was, lowering it into the tile. "And now one here!" She posed herself before the tile diagonally right from it.

Josh felt the anxiety constrict his gut as he watched Amy and Stan coordinate the combo. Ashley had just left them there to fend for themselves, but at least they were in a group. And… and she left without even saying good-bye to him. Weren't they best friends? Why did she abandon him? Why didn't he go with her?

Didn't she love him?

Another statue was carefully put in place at Shannon's side. "Josh," she muttered after stepping away from it and towards him, gently brushing his bangs from his eyes, "Ashley will come back. Don't worry. She can't possibly stay angry forever."

He nodded. "I know. Doesn't stop me from worrying."

The third statue clicked into place – and the door across the room slid open. Within that interim, Josh realized he was more afraid to find out what awaited them on the other side than he was of losing Ashley.

The first thing Josh noticed was the blood.

Crimson liquid pooled across the floor, staining the already rusted floor beneath Sven's feet. His body was limply suspended from a meat hook chained to the ceiling; he swung on a slight angle, back and forth, back and forth, back and –

"SVEN!" Amy shrieked, racing over to him.

Josh's instincts took over first. He tackled her to the ground just as an ax was chucked in their direction. The blade skimmed his shoulder and impacted the work bench, sinking into the tattered wood.

The deformed freak that had captured Sven before appeared in Josh's line of view. Jedidiah. That's what Shannon had told him in the dining room after they found the cross. His name was Jedidiah.

Jedidiah revved up his chainsaw and Josh's feral genes kicked in. His muscles shifted outwards with his bones, forming his usual, plated monster arms. He crouched over Amy almost protectively, snarling.

Everything happened within a moment – the group didn't even receive a chance to move.

Sven responded to the noise and lifted his head. Half of his face had been burned, the skin charred and scarred like a broken mask. He met Amy's gaze for a moment. "Amy…" He whispered, breaking into a smile. She had come for him-!

"SVEN!" She screamed, reaching for him desperately.

Jedidiah drove the chainsaw into Sven's chest, raking the rotating teeth down the length of his abdomen. Sven howled in sheer agony as the power of the strike tore the hook free from his back, flooring him into his own cesspool of blood. Jedidiah smirked at the stunned reaction originating from around the room. He gyrated to face an open passage and started off, his jerking movements enough to snap Stan and Shannon out of their trance.

"You're dead!" Stan barked, dashing after the freak as he escaped through the exit, pounding the switch on his way out. The opening behind them ground shut, sealing Stan and Shannon in a tunnel of darkness.

Amy collapsed at Sven's side, stroking her nails through his matted blonde hair. "Sven… Sven! Please, Sven, please! Don't do this to me now!" Sven reached up blindly, finding the edge of her knee. She moved his fingers to her cheek. "Sven, you need to stay with me!"

He gagged. "I lll-love… y-…" His head fell forward into the blood with a wet, gut wrenching squish and the air hissed from his torn lungs. And then all was still.

There was nothing in that sudden silence but Amy's mournful wails.