Author's Note: Second to last chapter, my apologies for it being so late. I will post the final chapter later on today. Give you plenty of time to read it, hopefully you are recuperating from the wild night just getting in myself. Not that lame after all. Enjoy!
Bringing Out the Dead
Chapter 12 – Confusion and Confessions
"Master," a gentle hand shook the fragile figure, fading black eyes opened, "Come on Wufei! Stay with me!" blood trickled from his mouth, his breathing a slow gurgle.
-#-#-#-
"Maybe we are looking at this wrong, maybe it's not in the papers." Quatre rubbed tired eyes, "I mean in horror movies sometimes it's like the house itself, sometimes it's the ghosts…or some weird idol they find in the basement." Trowa looked at him, "What do you mean?" Quatre leaned against the bench, "I mean in horror movies there's always a reason the house is evil like Indian burial ground, in Amityville Horror. Or like super haunted like Thirteen Ghosts, or a stupid evil idol like Return to House on Haunted Hill." Duo froze mind suddenly running,Trowa seemed impressed, "You watch a lot of horror movies." The blonde snorted, "Yup, but that sure isn't doing us any good. There's a dead girl on the table, a half dead solider in the corner, an empath, detective, and student standing here trying to figure out the mother of all puzzles. Sounds like a bad joke."
Duo who'd been listening suddenly lurched forward grabbing Quatre by his shirt, "What did you say about the idol?" blinking in surprise Quatre wracked his brain, "Ummm…oh in the terrible sequel Return to House on Haunted Hill, there's like this evil demonic idol in the basement they have to get rid of. God awful sequel, even though Bruce Campbell was in it…"
"Shut up," Duo mumbled moving to the pile of paper he pilled out a drawing of some sort, "What was it Wufei said that Relena had said?" Trowa opened his notebook flipping back, "He said 'Heero was the key', or at least that was the plan." Duo was nodding, "Right but why? What did he do?" shrugging the other two looked at each other. "This is it," hurrying to Heero he gently shook him. "Heero, you still here?" Nodding he sat up, "Sorry, just so tired…" nodding Duo held out the drawings to the others, "It's here just can't…" he trailed off as a paper lifted on it's own from the mess on the table. "Umm…" Quatre pulled up his camera pointing it to where the paper was. "Holy shit!" There was a figure on his camera screen holding the paper, a teenage a boy with shaggy blonde hair and a dirty white t-shirt. Trowa and Duo looked at the screen mouths open, "Keleb!" Duo cried, the dead boy nodded slowly.
"Keleb what am I missing?" The boy held out the paper pointing to Heero, Duo stepped forward taking the paper. It was full of symbols he didn't understand, the picture featured a rock or a crystal of some sort. Notes made around it, "He's pointing at Heero again, looking really upset." Hurrying back to the camera he looked to where Keleb was pointing Heero now slumped to the floor breathing shallow.
"Heero!" Duo pulled him upright, "Come on love wake up, please," patting the pale face smeared with blood. Blue eyes rolled open, "No energy," he mumbled, Duo looked stunned, "Energy oh my god…" he looked frantically to Quatre and Trowa, "Energy! Heero is the key!" confused they looked at him. "Heero is like a reactor for the dead he gives them energy, he's feeding the house." Quatre's mouth dropped, "He's powering the house, Relena needed him to wake the house." Nodding frantically Keleb pointed to the other side of the room. "He's pointing again on the other side," Duo was helping Heero up, "Come on Heero, we got to go. We need to find that thing and get rid of it." The other two headed after him. They came up to a solid wall, "What the hell?" the blonde touched the solid mass as if hoping it was fake.
"I've been here…" Trowa said, looking around wildly he pounded the wall, "There's a room on the other side, secret I was here as I was a kid. I followed her down here…" Quatre looked at him, "What?" Frantic fingers began scrabbling against the wall, "She lead me here, I've been having nightmares and relapses since we got here." Still not understanding Quatre did what he could, reaching out he touched his cheek gently.
Pictures flooded his head, a young small boy green eyes larger then his face. A women weaving as if drunk pulling, warning her child to stay close. She began putting things in a bag. A women next no face beckoning a young boy down stairs, through the room…through the wall. Glowing object, beckoning him farther, she smiled widely reaching out. Pulling back he shook his head, "Why in gods name did your mother bring you here?" A bitter smile twisted his lips, "Needed money, and there was still some valuables here…" blues eyes blinked before he pressed his lips to the taller man's. Surprised they both stalled staring.
"Love scene later guys, we need to get through this wall." Blushing they began feeling around they tried to find so sort of latch. Heero was leaning against the wall eyes half closed breathing slowly as if asleep already. "Stay with me Heero, talk to me." Duo pleading, as the stones seeming to shudder under his fingers. "Yup," he said, Quatre chuckled hollowly, "Sounds like he's drunk," Trowa concurred, "Heero you never said why you came here," Duo reminded him of there conversation earlier.
"Yeah Heero, what made you come on this relaxing vacation." Quatre on his knees pushed at rocks, standing up straight Heero looked at the long haired man, "Duo, I came to make sure Duo would be alright." He mumbled sagging against the wall, stunned Duo opened his mouth to answer when the wall began to shake rattle and slide apart. Heero still leaning against the wall fell inwards landing in something soft and squishy. "Gross," Quatre said pulling him up off the floor. The room was dark, but not quiet there was a sound like a beating or pulsing. "There it is," Duo motioned them forward there was a small glowing something sitting on a pedestal.
"Right lets get it and get out of here," Trowa strode forward Heero pulling on reserve strength happened to glance over. "Shit!" his two favorite ghosts where back the beast man and the eyeless lady. "Trowa no!' Heero saw the beast man reach out grabbing Trowa's out stretched arm there was a terrifying snap followed by a tittering from the women. Trowa cried out in pain falling to his knees, "Oh my god, oh my god," Quatre was beside him, staring wide eyed at the bone poking out from his forearm, "Oh god," tugging off his sweater he wrapped it around the now ashen Trowa 's arm.
"Heero who's here?" Duo called looking around frightened, the women was circling towards him, "Duo, it's her again …" hurrying forward he didn't reach him before she did viciously scratching across his face. Crying out he cupped his face blood running between his fingers. "Heero we need to get out," nodding Heero dodged towards the blonde, "When I saw go, run the other way." Nodding he waited for the signal, "Now!" Quatre headed towards the pedestal only to be grabbed by his throat and thrown backwards.
Heero's hand closed around the hard little thing before he to was thrown backwards, but he had the rock. There was a grinding scream from somewhere in the house, "We got to go!" The wind whipped them, nodding the blonde scrambled to his feet grabbing Trowa hauling him upwards, Heero gabbed Duo seeing the perfectly parallel scratches scoring his beautiful face, staining pale skin red. "Go!" they crashed back into the other room slipping on the puddle of blood. Quatre sliding went face first Trowa toppling on top of him. "Oh god Heero!" the puddle was bigger the blood bubbling and rolling around his ankles, and Quatre face first in it was drowning. Reaching out one-armed Trowa hauled him up, gasping and sputtering, blonde hair now matted and red. "Oh my god that was nasty." The house gave another scream, "She's coming move."
Nodding they got going again slipping and scrambling up the wet stairs. Duo was holding Heero's shirt tightly, his face was stinging blinking blood out of eyes he hurried after them. The rumbling was getting worse, there was a shriek behind them of rage and hatred, it sent a chill of fear to all four men.
-#-#-#-
"Something's not right…" Zechs felt the house tremble and shake, the screams of rage. Obviously the others had done something, "There coming back I'm sure," in his arms the small body gave a final shudder before dark eyes clouded over. His strained lungs giving out "Wufei? Wufei!"
-#-#-#-
"Shit, shit!' Quatre supporting Trowa fell into the bedroom, panting and terrified Duo followed propelled out of the stairwell by a shove. Heero lunged seconds before the stairs under him disappeared completely. Hanging above a drop he didn't want to think about he scrabbled for purchase the blood soaked blonde and brunette where pulling him up. "Keep going!" he was pushing them out the room the burned women stalking after them. Reaching the hall they began to run best they could the house bucking and raging around them, towards the stairs.
"Oh shit," rounding the corner Heero stopped dead they where all waiting. Including the recent ghost of Relena, dead eyes glared at him resentfully as pale arms held her open stomach closed. Her entrails spilling between splayed fingers. "There's a bunch of ghosts in front of us isn't there." Quatre said panting, "Yes," Heero choked out. "On the count of three run," nervous they wait for the third count. "Three," Heero yelled rushing forward.
What followed was utter chaos, three of them could not see their attackers. Heero watched as they where thrown, scratched, clawed and beaten back again and again. As if they where playing with them, waiting for… he didn't want to think about it. Collapsing together they got unsteadily to their feet, resigned to there fate. "Get ready to run Heero," a new voice behind him, "Wufei!" Heero whipped around his sore neck protesting, the other looked too weary not seeing anything Duo was the first to clue in. "Oh no…" the black haired man ignored them stepping forward. He was joined by another, Heero recognized the blonde teen. "Get ready," Heero whispered, the two raced forward pinning the other three. "Go, go!" They made it to the stairs hurrying down Heero falling the last little bit, grabbed up by Duo. Limping to the living room Duo felt déjà vu grip him as a vision he had when he first seen Zechs came true. The blonde was crying silently on the floor the now still body unmoving in his arms. He was saying something but they could not hear over the wind and the screaming.
Rushing in they reached him hearing what he was saying, "I love you, I love you…never told you." Duo felt his heart break, "We need to go Zechs," shaking his head he held the body closer, "No my place is with him." The screaming was closer filling the room, ringing in their ears. "We need to go!" Heero wild eyed looked around waiting for it, it was getting colder and colder. Shivering Quatre looked around, "They're coming …" The screaming was in the room and suddenly she was there. Red lips, pointed teeth, and those gaping black holes of eyes, Heero straightened scared. "Heero I see that…" Quatre said the others nodding, Zechs glanced over too horrified.
There was mist hanging in the room now, forming around her caressing her, she gnashed her teeth pointing a long pale finger at Heero. "No," he said trembling but standing his ground, the mists began to take shape and the figures began to solidify around her. Beast man, the eyeless women, the hanging man, the burned women and Relena. "Hail Mary full of grace…" Duo began crossing himself. Reaching out the women flicked her fingers Trowa and Quatre collapsed to the floor as if pinned, Duo felt a weight pulling him lower kneeling he looked up dazed Heero had pulled his gun pointing it at the women. He had hoped to god this vision wouldn't come true. "Let us go," she laughed then deep, masculine those void less eyes betraying nothing, the ghosts began to advance then. He could see Trowa and Quatre struggling up like him, weighed down by some invisible force Zechs was still holding his master tight looking drained.
"I'll smash it," he pulled out whatever it was they had taken in that room. The ghosts advanced, reaching for them. Dropping Heero set it on the ground before smashing it with the butt of his gun. There was an unearthly cry, the women grew mad now, wanting to end this. The weight lifted the others stood shakily Heero in front gun still poised, "Didn't work…" the blonde said softly scared he grabbed Trowa's good hand preparing for the end.
"Heero," Duo gasped, a blonde figure strode forward from behind Heero appearing before him his neck at an unnatural angle Keleb was back, the dark haired lady hissed. Another appeared beside him the man in the tux, then a girl in a nightgown long black hair with a white ribbon.
Duo heard a gasp to his right Zechs was on his feet hand covering his mouth as he stared past Heero to the black haired figure standing beside him. "Make sure he gets out," Wufei smiled at him before moving forward to join his sister. Two new ghosts appeared on either side of Heero. "We'll hold him Sir, get out." Duo's jaw dropped as he saw the two soldiers move forward.
The women was beside herself, pointed teeth snarled and gnashed, he pointed towards them. The ghosts no longer obeying, "We need a little more sir, and we can all be free from here." Nodding Heero reached out grabbing Duo's hand, the long haired man feeling a warm tingle run down his arm. Quatre grabbed his other hand, Duo felt the surge, Heero amplifying and pushing outwards. "Now!" Wufei called as the ghosts began to circle her, a sudden eruption of flame that caught the body of the women melting it like wax.
"Run!" grabbing a stunned Zechs they raced out to the main hall the house really vibrating now, her screaming going on and on. Racing for the door they ran head long into it, the house fought once more. With a valiant tug and a groan of effort Heero put his back into rewarded when it exploding inward. "Faster," the teenager was at the entrance again the boy in the yard reaching for them. The ghost heaved them out slipping and sliding down the front stair they collapsed in the drive as the door slammed close, the house stood silent.