Author's Note: Here we go three chapters to go, as Halloween approaches and I remain without anything to do that night. Probably eat candy and watch horror movies. I do that most nights anyway. Not much to saw about this one, other then it's moving the plot along. As always enjoy.
Brining Out the Dead
Chapter 10 – Proof and Changes
As Wufei slept on and the men worked together finding several places where the room could be. Heero promising to keep them updated should any other vengeful sprits decide to come. Coming to terms with there inevitable second night in the house, they decided to try a get a little sleep and start searching in the morning. There had been a brief moment of levity when Trowa and Quatre returning from the bathroom, asking Heero and Duo what had happened to the now completely destroyed sink. Duo had flushed red looking away, smothering hysterical giggles. Heero hadn't even twitched. Deadpan he shook his head, "No idea," he winked at Duo when violet eyes glanced his way sending the other into fits once more.
Tired they settled together on sofas all but Relena snuggled close to someone. Quatre set the camera to tape them as they slept, "See what I get," he said before he and Trowa snuggled together dozed not really sleeping. Heero slept on his back wheezing softly as his broken ribs protested the position Duo wincing in sympathy snuggled close a possible not putting pressure on the injury. Despite the uncomfortable position both drifted off physically and emotionally exhausted.
Laying quietly until the others had drifted off Relena rose slowly from where she'd curled in the chair. Moving slowly she gathered the journal and papers off the table slipping slowly out of the room. Sneering she hurried up the stairs, what did these asses know. They had served her purpose she didn't need them any more. Reaching the top she hurried off down the hall, pausing when she heard a creak behind her. Breathing heavy she turned, the empty hall dark and silent. "So what, a few ghosts and all they can do is throw things around." Muttering she hurried on, steps once more slowly as the nagging feeling of someone watching, turning slowly nervous eyes panned once more. "Hello?" she called throat dry as dust, only silence. Turning she hurried on, stopped once more when the feeling persisted, freezing she didn't so much as twitch.
Shivering as biting cold caught her watching as her breath puffed out in small clouds. She realized she could feel breathing, puffing on the back of her neck. A muffled squeak, a shaking hand held to her mouth her eyes rolling to the side she turned slowly towards the harsh sound. Grinning eyeless face staring back. Frozen for a heartbeat she screamed.
-#-#-#-
In the living room Heero came awake instantly, unsure why. The soft warm body pressed to him was welcome, but the cold chill in the air was an all to familiar feeling of terror. Glancing around the room he caught a glimpse of white, not the night dress of Miriam nor the bloodstained one of the author but new. This was a new presence one that terrified him more then he could imagine he began to shake, gripping Duo close. More terrified then when he'd been pinned down in his first fire fight in a war zone. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out, closing his eyes he counted to ten slowly unmoving focusing on his breath. A trick he learned as a kid, counting, breathing, until that vastly terrifying presence left.
Opening his eyes once more he gasped chocking, that had not been any he felt before. He barley slept the rest of night.
Dawn hours brought the revelation that Relena had disappeared in the night with the book and drawings. "Damit," Duo mumbled he glanced to where Heero was sitting pensive and drawn. The once red handprints on his neck where now an ugly purplish colour. Trowa had taken notes on the places to check thankfully redrawing what he had taken down, while Quatre sat beside him reviewing lasts nights footage. Zechs was just getting his master up and going, Heero wanted to have words with him. Wufei was looking worse today, a skeletal body, and ashen face. He was not going to be able to stay here much longer.
"Oh my god…" Quatre suddenly sat up straight, "I got something! I actually got something." Duo and Heero moved to look over his shoulder, "Oh wow, who is that?" Duo was looking at the small video screen, it was a women who moved in front of the camera back and forth. Her dress was white or cream coloured and high necked, done in an old fashioned style. Her hair was dark, flowing to her waist she moved with purpose and elegance. Heero felt the fear once more grip him, clenching teeth hard he watched as she walked, something was off about her, not right. Smiling wirily he berated himself internally nothing in this house was right, nothing in this weekend was right. Already the house felt different today, more alive…more real.
"Any information on where Relena got too?" Heero asked Trowa quietly as Duo and Quatre continued to fuss with the video watching it again and again. "None so far as we can tell, was thinking of doing a quick sweep down here." Heero nodded, "I think she has gone after the room and I haven't seen her yet." Trowa looked confused before his expression cleared, "Not dead you mean." Nodding Heero glanced to where the other two where still talking before turning back, "I think it's time we had a chat with Mr. Chang, Keleb said he knows something and I would like to hear what it is." Trowa opened his mouth to reply when a raspy, sick voice spoke up nearby "You are absolutely right Mr. Yuy it's time I come clean about all this."
Surprised the two men nodded mutely, "Zechs has filled me in on what happened last night, I'm sorry I missed all that." Settling at the table he folded his hands calmly, commanding the attention of the room immediately. The others gathered silently nearby, Quatre once more with video in hand, "I guess the best place to start at the beginning."
-#-#-#-
Blue eyes blinked slowly opening, groaning she tired to move only to realize she was bound to a table of some sort. A rustling to her right brought her head around, "Hello?" she whispered, throat dry as dust. The rustling continued, her breathing rapid she glanced around the room dark and forbidding. Whimpering when the sound moved closer, "Please," she began to cry. The sound moved closer still.
-#-#-#-
"I'm assuming you know the story from Miriam Heero," He nodded, they had settled in once more Heero wanting answer to a puzzle that had been plaguing this expedition from the beginning. Quatre camera once more rolling documenting everything, Zechs was supporting his master holding him tightly. "She said she was dying from birth, while you where only diagnosed recently." He nodding, wheezing softly "Yes, it had been a rapid degeneration, and there is nothing they can do to slow it down." He smiled wanly, "As the end approaches, it comes with the fear of what is to come." He pinned Heero with his dark stare, "You are absolutely right, I'm terrified to die. I wanted to know what comes after, what to expect." There was silence in the room, around them the house was moving a living thing.
"I sought out doctor Peacecraft, she called herself the foremost authority on the paranormal. I thought she could give me answers, what she gave me was an opportunity." A coughing fit took him then, Zechs holding him tightly rubbing his back softly, face pulled in a pained expression. Sipping water he settled down once more breathing deep, his wheezing soft once more. Zechs picked up the story at this point, "She wanted to come to this house, to prove some sort of theory of her's on haunted building absorbing the energy of the people who lived there, or something like that. She said she was getting together a team to come here and offered irrefutable proof."
Wufei calm once more, but more pale and wan then earlier rested close to his valet. Quatre open mouthed hung on his every word, "What was the proof?" the dark haired man chuckled, "Heero. She gave me your file, the one from when you where at the school it was huge, but what it said was you could see and talk to the dead. Only problem was no one had heard from you since you left the school."
"It's like a drama isn't it?" Quatre was excited panning the camera to Heero, "Where did you drop off the face of the earth to?" Heero looked at him blandly, "My father shipped me off to military school."
"Your in the military? Still serving?"
"Yes, on a four month leave before going back."
"Back?"
"Iraq," Duo spoke up, the camera turning to him, "No way! Heero you see the dead and your in a war zone?" Quatre jumped the camera back to him, "Little off topic here Quatre," the brunette pointed back to Wufei and Zechs who where watching the exchange somewhat amused. "Right sorry, go on guys couldn't find Heero." Nodding Zechs began again, "She said he was key to whole thing, that he would offer the proof." Duo looked at Heero puzzled, the other shrugged he had no idea.
"I however did not get to be head of my company by trusting something on a whim. I had her checked out by some people." He gestured to Zechs to get out his bag, pulling open the case he handed over a file. "Relena was not telling the complete truth. This wasn't a field experiment for research. She's a laughing stock at the university, they want her out and pulled her funding months ago she was broke." He placed the file on the table, "There was more, Jack Thornton at the time of his death was worth millions that he reputed to keep in the house. At the end of his life, in his growing paranoia he didn't trust banks." He gestured to file that Trowa and Heero where now looking at the papers, bank statements, pictures you name it he had it.
"The money rumors surfaced about the time Ross owned the house. She hosted elaborate parties centering around finding the stashed money." Trowa set the papers down, "Your telling me this is about money?" he nodded holding shaky hands on the table, "I am pretty sure it is driven by money, but I also think she got in over her head." They all agreed with that, "So if you knew about the money, why did you still agree to go along with this?" Duo asked the slumped man softly, he turned slowly to the long haired brunette, "It was a tempting offer if Heero was the real thing…" he trailed off shrugging thin shoulders.
"This is all very good but we are still in a haunted house that may or may not have a demon in it. What are we going to do?" Quatre looked around as a gust of wind blew through the room, a mummer of voice following it. "My money is on Heero," Trowa looked to him. "What do we do?" Heero closed his eyes rubbing his sore neck, "Your asking a lot Trowa," Duo stood up for his now lover? Boyfriend? The future seemed so distant. Shrugging the detective kept his steady green gaze. Standing Duo was about to once more stand up for him when he gasped leaning forward as a vision hit.
The room was terrifying. Dark, cold, the figure in white had her back to him. Duo was so scared he whimpered wanting to turn and run, the vision pulling him forward. "No…" he breathed wanting to be gone. She was waiting for him, it was her pulling him forward. "Heero," he said aloud. He was breathing harshly scared; she was turning now to face him. He didn't want to see her face.
Her profile was visible to him now, smirking red lips, a pale face. She turned further, her eyes a swirling darkness, that blood red mouth pulled a snarl sharp pointed teeth gnashing in his direction. Duo began to scream.
"Duo!" Heero was shaking him pale and worried, the stiff body in his arms had begun to shake then he started to scream. "Heero!" coming out of the vision he sat straight up gasping and crying his nose dripping blonde and a blinding headache behind his eyes. "Heero!" Strong-arms where around him instantly, sobbing and bleeding he buried his face against Heero weeping uncontrollably.