A/N: Got this one out quite quickly actually. I meant to post this 2 days ago but forgot about it, hehe... regardless, I haven't started on the final chapter, but I do hope this interlude will hint at more than a few answers. I'll try and get Night 7 out as soon as I can, but should it take longer than a week, I should warn you not to be surprised (in other words; it might take awhile).
Also, to Vanitas50...
;)
I DO NOT OWN RWBY
Interlude 4
'My family will know, huh?'
Jaune stood within one of the many residential streets in Vale, his cobalt eyes solemn as he stared at the building ahead of him. Even after the clean-up crew had come and tidied the place up it still looked hollow and worn. The scorched walls had been repainted a dull shade of blue and the destroyed parts of the house fixed, though the overgrown garden and faded paint on the fence clearly indicated nobody lived here. It wasn't up for sale though, so that probably played a factor into it. Why, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't keen on it being sold either.
Fiddling with the old key in his pocket, he reluctantly approached the building of his former home, now host to many nightmares. It was lucky he was even allowed to keep a key, though he presumed it was for psychological reasons opposed to practical reasons. His feet gently crushed various weed and plants as he crossed the garden, cutting a path straight through the miniature forest and to the front door, which was in a slightly worse condition, with the white paint applied rather amateurishly and chips present on the corners.
The key fitted inside the lock without much resistance, a heavy clunk coming from the door as he unlocked it, followed by an eerie groan as he pushed the door open. He was instantly hit by the scent of dull, old air. He grimaced and backed up, letting fresh air sweep into the house for a few minutes before hesitantly entering, covering his nose and mouth with his hand. The inside of the house had been cleared up as well but clearly not to the same standard. The wallpapers was completely gone, revealing the walls beneath that still held marks on them, scorch marks or otherwise. The carpet was gone too, revealing the murky and old floorboards, several which were more recent than others, indicating some had been replaced after the... incident.
Shaking his head to dispel the thoughts he began searching around rather aimlessly, looking around the hollowed remnant of his former home. Most of the furniture and items had been lost in the fire - no surprise there - and thus left the house almost completely barren. It was a surprise that no squatters had decided to take up residence here in the time since it's abandonment.
Reaching the stairs he began walking up them, the old wood groaning under him as he walked. The dead smell in the air only got worse as he reached the second floor, the refreshing breeze struggling to wade it's way through the thick stench upstairs. The hallway was dimly lit, illuminated only by the golden streams of sunlight through the clouded windows at the end of the hall. Peeking through one of the doors that belonged to his sister he swiftly closed it, the smell almost unbearable, probably from the lack of air given that room had only a small window, and that was obviously closed like all the others.
He made his way through the other rooms, peeking inside briefly before closing the doors immediately, the smell of dead air too strong for him to bear. Finally he reached his own room, peeking inside... only to be hit by the smell of fresh air. He paused before slowly pushing the door open, peeking further around the door to see the room. Like the others it could barely be called habitable, what with all the lightly singed wood and poor paint jobs. Very few objects survived the fire, namely a dresser, an old closet and a simple desk table where he avidly used to draw or read when he was younger.
However his eyes widened at the sight of something that shouldn't be there.
An old, crumbling yellow piece of paper.
He remained frozen for several long minutes, simply staring at the note as if it was an illusion, a trick of the light, but no such thing existed. With thick hesitation he moved forwards, every step reluctant and forced. When he reached the note he stared at it for a few moments, before slowly reaching towards it and picking it up, the rough paper flaking in his grasp like wafer.
There is no escape
He wasn't sure what overcame him in that moment, but before he even realised it he had dropped the note and was speed walking out of the building, his heart racing and fear dancing along his spine.
He left so quickly he didn't spot the grinning figure peeking out of the closet, heavy panting visible as crimson dripped from it's claws.
''Here's your order, sir.''
''T-Thank you...'' He mumbled, half-heartedly taking his change and cup of coffee from the cashier as he left the cosy little café, his steps quick.
He wasn't even at the school and yet his nerves were already all over the place, a creeping sense of paranoia consistently overtaking him. Small details he hadn't noticed before kept popping up to him, such as the fact he swore on his life he saw the same black-haired girl several times already, that how he had seen Weiss on signs or posters, how he overheard some businessmen talking about Pyrrha. It was almost nauseating and he wouldn't be surprised if he was hallucinating or delusional. None of it was making sense.
So here was, leaning against the wall of the hospital his sister resided in drinking a coffee in a feeble attempt to calm his nerves. It was miniscule, but the paranoid feeling slowly declined as he watch people go about the evening commute, his throat burning from the hot drink he was carelessly chugging back. He didn't care, at least it gave him something else to focus on.
He took another sip, only to realise that it was empty, a disappointed scowl crossing his face before he dumped the to-go cup in the trashcan. Stuffing his hands into his pockets he made his way inside, almost casually going through the usual routine to get access into the ICU to see his sister. He greeted the receptionist - Nurse Adel, he briefly remembered - and signed his name in, then he was off. It was oddly busy for that time of day considering there hadn't been anything major on the news when he woke up earlier. Maybe a car crash or something normal like that.
As he moved past a bunch of doctors wheeling a bleeding blonde girl on a gurney, he rapped his knuckles on the door and waited for a few moments, barely hearing the 'come in' over all the activity around him. Ducking inside the room he was greeted to the adorable sight of Hazel hugging a small but cute wolf plushy. Her cobalt eyes holding the boundless excitement and innocent eagerness that only a child could possess. He took no small amount of pleasure at seeing her eyes widen in glee when he pulled out a chocolate bar, tossing it onto her lap only for her to snatch it out of the air. By the time he took a seat by her side, she had already ripped the packet off and was halfway through eating the first few chunks.
''Gee, slow it down sis.'' He joked lightly, poking her side.
Hazel obliged, fixing him with a cute pout, ''But it's so tasty~''
''Then eat it slowly.'' He rebutted with a chuckle, getting a quiet hum from his sister as she went with his suggestion. Reluctantly.
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, their attention drifting to the TV on the wall as it played some strange cartoon about rabbits and cereal. However soon it became apparent Hazel had something on her mind, if the miniscule twitching in her hands were any indication; a tell-tale sign that something was bothering her. He voiced this, and got a response that was equal parts expected and unexpected.
''I'm scared, Jaune.''
He frowned, shuffling a little closer to her, ''What about?''
''The... thing that attacked the other day.'' She shivered, making him instinctively wrap an arm around her, which helped if the grateful look she shot him meant anything, ''I... I could hear the screams and... a-and...''
She clenched her eyes tightly shut and he didn't probe, instead silently embracing her and rubbing her back. It did little to calm her at first, but after a few minutes she slowly pulled out of the embrace, her expression still scared but marginally less so than before. Out of all the things he had been thinking about, Hazel had been one of the last on his mind, something that was painful to even consider. The others at the school had taken priority, and he hadn't thought about what it could've meant for Hazel.
She may have not been hurt, but the sounds of the attacker killing other people just hallways away in the middle of the night was a scary enough thought. For someone who was paralysed below the waist and thus unable to run away or hide... it must've been frightening beyond all words to her, unable to do anything but lay in her bed hoping, praying they didn't stop at her room. The mere thought of her in that situation made his heart clench and his lips draw into a thin line.
''Well they're gone now, and the police have probably caught them, so you don't have to worry.'' He tried to assure her.
Instead Hazel just shook her head.
''No, you don't understand... they were... evil. T-They were something out of a nightmare...'' She shuddered, ''Their eye was glowing.''
''It must've just been the light.'' He soothed her, ignoring the fear threatening to lace his body. Could one of the girls have escaped? Could they be responsible for this? And if so, why? What benefit do they have to gain for attacking random civilians-
He froze as his mind realised something she just said.
''Hazel...'' He said softly, ''Did you... see it?''
A single, shaken nod.
''I-It came by my room... it didn't enter, but it looked through the crack in the blinds...'' She explained nervously, half-heartedly gesturing to the wall that connected to the hallway, where the walls were replaced with glass windows with blinds to hide the room from view.
Hazel attempted to say something else, but it drifted off into a mumble, which transitioned into quiet sobs of fear. He held onto her as she shook in his arms, providing whatever measure of comfort he could to his only remaining family. Time seemed to fly by as he consoled her sister, thankfully uninterrupted by the staff of the hospital, though that was more likely because of the apparent influx of patients.
However, it all had to end at some point. He still had one last stop before work.
With the sun dipping behind the horizon, he let out a sigh as he stroked Hazel's hair like one would a cat, ''I need to go, Hazel.''
In response, her grasp on his clothes clutched tighter.
''Hazel...'' He sighed a second time, ''Should I get a nurse to keep you company? What's her name?''
''Miss Scarlatina?'' Hazel murmured with a nod, ''O-Okay... but come back as soon as possible!''
He chuckled dryly, ''I always do, sis.''
She smiled faintly at his remark, reluctantly letting go of his clothes. He planted a kiss on her forehead and messed up her hair for good measure, getting a childish pout in return. As he exited the room he was greeted by the sound of avid activity of the hospital, and he was about ready to continue on his way to the exit had someone not got in his way, clearly intentionally.
It was the black-haired young woman that he had seen during the day.
''Apologies.'' She said before moving on, blending in with the crowd. She must be a patient, if the injuries she bore were any indication. Now that he thought about it, she could probably pass as Cinder's sister. Both had black hair, both had a similar physique, and both had alluring eyes that almost seemed to glow.
Shaking that train of thought off, he made his way towards the exit, only for something sitting on a nearby empty gurney to catch his eye, and make him freeze on the spot.
Another yellow note.
Fall like those before you
Distantly, above the clamour of the halls, he heard something in the overhead ventilations move.
He didn't stop to ponder the meaning of the message, and just fled.
'If I survive all this... I swear... to exercise more...'
That was the general mantra he had been repeated the entire way from the hospital, leading up to his current and last destination, the cemetery. The place was eerily quiet, unsurprising given the time, and was poorly lit by intermediate street lights positioned throughout the place, casting long eerie shadows compared to those in the utility tunnel, bending and twisting as you walked. Well walk was a strong term compared to the tired stumble he moved at, thoroughly exhausted from his run.
''Seriously... if this was a slasher movie, I'd be dead in five minutes flat...'' He sighed to himself, straightening up as best as he could before approaching the spot of his family's grave.
Crouching down in front of it, he tried to greet them... but no words came. Maybe it was because he just wasn't in the mood, or maybe because he was out of breath, but the words just didn't come to mind. Instead he just offered a small smile to the grave, before settling on the task of searching for the potential code.
It didn't take long to draw the only visible conclusion, and he hoped deep down it wasn't that.
''Their ages...'' He murmured.
''Hm? Hello again, young man.''
He jumped, his eyes darting to the side, widening slightly in surprise at seeing the sight of the same woman from the other night there, long white cloak falling around her.
''A-Ah, hello.'' He smiled awkwardly.
The older woman gave a kind smile in return, before it slipped into a frown, ''Is something troubling you? People don't tend to visit graves unless they feel troubled, after all.''
''It's nothing much.'' He dismissed as casually as he could, ''I found my... uh... grandfather's lockbox the other day and he had a code for it.''
The Ruby look-a-like tilted her head curiously, ''Oh?''
''Yeah, I think it might be their ages is the code.'' He added, feeling strangely confident in his own words. Maybe it was just good to let them out in the open?
''Hm...'' The woman hummed, a smile dancing across her lips, ''Well then I wish you luck in that, though I do recommend getting home, it's getting quite late out after all.''
Hazel's words came back to him. He shuddered at the thought.
''Y-Yeah, you're right.'' He nodded, standing up and beginning a light jog towards the exit, calling out over his shoulder, ''Thanks for the help!''
''You're welcome!'' She called back, watching him go.
As Jaune left the cemetery, the cloaked woman smiled sombrely to herself, 'Survive the nightmare, Jaune Arc, to escape the dream.'
Wordlessly the woman turned and walked away...
...before fading into nothingness, dust in the wind.
A/N: I had about 400 words of this done, then I got the rest of it done in one single go, and feel quite cheerful about that. Time for sleep though.
More than a few hints present, some obvious and some subtle. Thanks to all those who reviewed, as always, it's always delightful to see the theories and guesses.
Until next time on the final chapter: Night 7!
Whether fate will be kind or not, however, is unknown.
;)
