Dear Readers, thank you once again for the reviews and messages. After all that drama, here is a lighter chapter with the usual crappy in-jokes.
The burper: In AM's in-game responses, he says "hello brother" when he meets TB
The untouchable and psipwner: Silencer is not the killer. He's almost guilty of having sex with his student (which is illegal). So he's the 'in-between'.
Writing Rock: I like Wukong but I'm not sure if I can do justice to him… and thanks for the reminder about Diretide!
Coincidencless: I had the exact same thoughts about the TB part being exposition-dumpy. And Nortrom's age is around 30-33 in this story.
LordAmon52: I don't think TB would join them as he's on the Dire side.
Chapter 49: Haunted House Date (Halloween special)
Traxex sat in the corner of the classroom with her earphones plugged in, twirling her pen absently. She was pretending her math teacher wasn't standing in front, trying to block out his voice and the memory of their passionate kiss. She was sick of him blowing hot and cold. Now that he was back in school, he had taken on an entirely different persona and it sucked like hell. Instead of treating her like any other student, he went to the other extreme, avoiding her gaze at all times, and if she went near him he retreated as if she had some disease. She was beyond hurt and pissed off.
Class was over and he left the room. Not as if she cared.
"Trace," she heard Lina's assertive voice calling her.
Traxex lifted her head. Sheesh what is it now? She grumbled inwardly. Apparently she couldn't even be left alone for a minute to wallow in self-pity.
"You look gloomier than usual," the redhead remarked. "Wanna talk?"
Traxex was surprised that anyone – especially Lina – cared about how she felt. Maybe it was because they had developed a special bond, a close friendship after having battled those monsters together.
"I'm fine," she muttered, her face totally not looking it.
Lina shot a perceptive glance at her, and spoke in her usual loud voice. "You know, you should go out with guys your age –"
"Sshh!" Traxex stopped her, horrified. "What are you talking about?" She glanced around; a few classmates were looking at her now. Back in the pre-World Archery Championship days, nobody would have given a damn about her relationship status. But now, she had to deal with the strange new phenomenon of people being interested in her every move. "Have you been gossiping about me?" she demanded.
"Pfft, I have more important things to care about," Lina flicked her hair back. Then she made the slightest, almost imperceptible nod towards Carl.
Traxex followed her line of sight and saw the blond sitting at the back of the classroom, in the other corner, instead of his usual position in front. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses which he'd just pushed up on his head.
"Sunglasses?" she frowned. "What's he up to? Trying to get some attention?"
"Nah," Lina shook her head. "I still think he's on to something big, and I really want to find out."
Traxex mulled for a moment. Nortrom had warned her not to mess with Carl, but after the way he had treated her, she concluded that the man was just too cowardly and wishy-washy to get anything done.
She would take matters in her own hands, she decided. There was an idea she'd been toying with and she needed some information from Lina for that. She would text her later.
But her mind right now was on Lina's previous statement. Remembering the offer Clinkz made the other day, she whipped out her phone and very casually sent a text to her junior.
"Is the haunted house thing still on?"
She slipped the phone back into her pocket and waited. Not that the answer mattered much, and besides, it seemed a little dumb to visit a haunted house attraction after having faced all those real ghosts and monsters. But it was Halloween, and maybe, like what Lina said, she really should try going out with someone closer to her age. Even if it was someone she didn't fancy that much. It was just for fun, anyway. And if Clinkz turned out to be a total dud, at least there was the haunted house to entertain herself with.
At the end of the next class, she checked her phone.
"Yes! Do you want to go later? After training?"
A smug smile tugged at the corner of her lips. At last, she was going out on a proper date.
Archery training was over. Traxex didn't bother going home to change into something nicer. Her usual hoodie and jeans were enough. Clinkz wore jeans and an orange jacket that matched his messy hair of the same flaming color. He was around her height but she felt a little fat standing next to his gangly frame. They hopped on the bus together, and when they arrived at the entrance of the Diretide Theme Park, Clinkz sprung a surprise on her. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a bunch of pink flowers wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon.
"For you!" He presented them to her with a shy grin.
Traxex cocked her brows. Orchids? Really unusual choice of flowers for a date, but that was probably just Clinkz being his quirky self.
"Thanks," she said, accepting the orchids. Nortrom never gave her any flowers, and it felt nice receiving some for the first time in all her seventeen years. Also, she realized how much easier it was, openly going on a date with someone instead of sneaking around like two criminals. Nortrom would never ask her out on a date anyway. In fact, she couldn't picture him having a good time at all – he only knew how to ruin it for others. Clinkz was different; he was lively, cute in a goofy way, and he adored her.
There was a crowd waiting, as only a maximum of three people were allowed inside at any one time. They spent half an hour standing in line and Clinkz insisted on paying. The two-story haunted house looked old and decrepit, like it was going to collapse on them. Clinkz drew a deep breath.
"If you get scared, you're more than welcome to hold my hand," he offered chivalrously.
Traxex stifled a smirk. One thing she hadn't told Clinkz: she was no stranger to haunted houses. Having witnessed death at a young age, she had been fascinated with all things morbid and had watched so many horror movies that nothing really spooked her out anymore. The only time she had felt properly scared was in the Dire jungle.
Clutching the orchids with one hand and stuffing the other hand into her pocket in case he tried to hold her hand, she eyed her skinny date's nervous face. From the looks of it, she would have to be the one calming him down.
They pushed open the creaky door and walked through a narrow hallway, where a few paintings of dead animals hung on the walls. Clinkz scrunched his face at each one. The dingy living room lay before them, with old and neglected furniture, peeling paint from the walls, dirty windows and a weakly flickering ceiling lamp. The atmosphere was decently creepy. An old man with scraggly gray hair sat on a rocking chair, his back facing them.
"Where do we go?" Clinkz whispered.
Traxex pointed to the stairs in front of the old man, who was rocking back and forth.
"But – but that means we have to walk past him," Clinkz stammered reluctantly.
Traxex shrugged. "Okay, let's try the kitchen then."
They turned around, and a low, ominous voice suddenly spoke, making Clinkz jump.
"Good evening."
Whipping around, they saw the old man standing before them, wearing puke-green robes and a hideous mask, a long beard hanging from his chin. One gnarled hand clutched a wicked-looking scythe.
"I am Mr Rotund'jere," he rasped. "Feel free to explore the house," he gestured with his scythe. "There are ten candies hidden inside the rooms, and if you can find them all within an hour, you can exchange them for free tickets to the Roshan Ride." After he had finished talking, the old man slowly sunk back into his rocking chair.
"You up for it?" Traxex nudged Clinkz. She'd always liked treasure hunting.
"Y..yeah."
They stepped into the kitchen, which looked all grimy and stained. There was a huge pot of something dark red and sticky sitting on the stove.
"Search the cabinets," Traxex said.
Clinkz did as told, trembling as he opened each one.
Traxex's eyes darted to the oven. She opened it and saw a tray with a head inside. Clinkz gasped, and she rolled her eyes. The thing looked tacky. But inside its wide-open mouth was a round piece of candy wrapped in yellow foil with maroon swirls, which she retrieved with glee.
They walked past the living room and climbed up the stairs, which creaked as they were supposed to in a haunted house. At the landing, they were greeted by three doors. A soft, tinkling lullaby wafted from one of the bedrooms, which had its door partially open. The other two were closed.
"Let's try this one first." Traxex headed for the room with the lullaby while Clinkz trailed behind apprehensively.
It was a nursery, with colorful animals and letters of the alphabet painted all over the walls. Except that everything was faded like it was decades old. A crib stood ominously in the corner, and above it hung pink and blue wooden letters forming the word: p-u-g-n-a. Strange name for a baby, she thought.
Clinkz didn't dare to look inside the crib, but Traxex did. Lying in it was a demon child with eyes that glowed green. Cheap, and obviously made of plastic. Traxex peeled back the blanket further and noticed that each of the doll's hands clutched a candy. She took them and put them in her pocket.
There was nothing much in the nursery, so they proceeded to the next bedroom, which was really dark. Someone started moaning softly. "Help me…"
Clinkz grabbed Traxex's arm as they spotted a figure writhing and twisting on the bed.
"Ouch, let go! You're hurting me," Traxex snapped, prying his bony fingers off.
Clinkz released her but refused to move an inch, so she ventured closer and saw a woman chained to the bed, covered with blood.
"Help me, please…" the woman moaned weakly.
Traxex tickled her feet and the woman started laughing.
"Gimme the candy," Traxex threatened, "Or I will give you tickle hell."
"Okay, stop! Hahahehe!" The woman was now wriggling for real. "It's in the drawer! Next to the bed!"
Traxex reached for the drawer, opened it and retrieved two candies. But when she turned around, Clinkz was still standing there stiff as a pole.
"Oh come on," she said. "I'm doing all the work. Why don't you open that," she nodded towards the cupboard against the wall.
"Uh…I don't think so…"
"Just do it!" Traxex gave him a shove.
"Okay…" Clinkz went to the cupboard reluctantly and pulled the handle. The door burst open and something tall and clunky fell on him, sending him to the floor. It was a skeleton. Clinkz screamed blue murder.
Traxex rarely ever laughed. There was rarely ever any reason to do so, and even if there was one, she usually thought herself too cool to make that raucous barking sound that teenagers liked to revel in. But at the sight of Clinkz freaking out over a skeleton, she couldn't help breaking into a fit of uncontrollable giggling, which stopped only when her sides started hurting.
"Are you done screaming?" she asked, catching her breath.
Clinkz had stopped, but remained sprawled on the floor helplessly trapped by a pile of bones that weighed even more than himself.
"Help…" he groaned.
"Get up," she ordered, pulling him out from under the skeleton, and at the same time picking up the piece of candy off the floor.
She wanted to try the toilet next, but the door was locked. The sound of flushing could be heard. Someone's inside? She waited for a moment. The door opened and a plump teenager ambled out. He let out a yelp when he saw Traxex and Clinkz.
Traxex's eyes grew wide. "Pudge?" she stared at her crooked-toothed friend. "What are you doing here?"
"Um…it's my first time in a haunted house," the chubby boy said, eyes blinking innocently. "And you two looked kinda scary."
"Me? Scary?" Traxex felt insulted.
"Well, uh… creepy girl with long white hair, standing quietly outside the toilet… and uh," he pointed at Clinkz. "Him too."
"Oh, him," Traxex threw an amused glance at her date. "Yeah, he's scary alright."
"You need to put on some weight," Pudge eyed Clinkz like he was one of the horror exhibits.
"And you need to lose some!" Clinkz snapped back at Pudge fiercely.
"Okay chill, you two. Let's just get a move on," Traxex said.
"Um, can I go with you guys, please?" Pudge asked timidly, shifting his beady eyes between the two. "I'll try not to be the third wheel… but I'm really scared."
"Sure," Traxex said. "Come along." She made her way to the third room, but suddenly remembered the candy, and turned back to the toilet.
The toilet was filthy and smelled of piss and vomit. Nothing much except that the mirror had the words "flesh is but a garment" written in blood on it. She found the candy in the medicine cabinet behind the mirror and was about to leave, when she felt Clinkz grab her wrist again.
"Look…" he whispered, pointing to the corner. There was a hole in the floor, and something was emerging from it. Two feelers, followed by a palm-sized beetle that scuttled quickly across the floor towards a hole at the other end. Clinkz screeched and Pudge wobbled like jelly. Traxex wanted to squish the bug underfoot but it had a spiked carapace, so she let it go.
The third room was the library. Shelves of old, dusty books lined the walls, and when they stepped into the middle of the room, something fell from the ceiling right in front of them. It was a body hanging from a rope, dressed in purple rags. Long, green hair flopped over her rotten face and empty sockets. One withered hand held a piece of paper with the words scrawled on it:
Bury me deeper, darling
Clinkz and Pudge both let out a scream that could have woken up every dead person in a twenty-mile radius. Traxex plugged her ears. The whole thing looked so cheesy, Krobelus would have felt awkward in there. She pushed the fake corpse aside and found a candy on the study desk behind it.
They left the room and went back downstairs with Pudge following behind. The old Mr Rotund'jere was still in his rocking chair. He was not moving anymore and his eyes were closed. When they got nearer, his mouth suddenly opened and a mass of tiny black things fell out of it. This time Traxex stuck her fingers into her ears before the screaming started. She squinted at the floor - the things were supposed to be worms but they weren't even moving. She spotted the last two candies below the coffee table and took them.
"We're done!" she declared. Ten candies in less than an hour. Now it was time to go. As Traxex and Clinkz were just about to leave through the front door, they heard another cry behind them.
Clinkz froze. "What's that?"
Traxex turned around. The screaming sounded like a pig being forced ass-first through a blender. It seemed to come from somewhere near the kitchen.
They crept over and saw Pudge being dragged behind the kitchen counter by an obese man wearing a blood-stained apron. The man held a butcher's knife in one hand, but his face couldn't be seen as there was a dustbin over his head.
Traxex felt a giggle bubbling up inside her again and chortled. "Oh, the irony."
"W-What irony?" Clinkz frowned.
Pudge was now hidden by the counter, but the aproned man could be seen raising his butcher knife and bringing it down with a gruesome THUNK!
"Oh my god he's killing him!" Clinkz cried, grabbing her arm again.
"Calm down, it's not real," Traxex said. "And for the last time, get your freaking hands off me!"
"Really? It's not real?"
To prove her point, she led Clinkz into the kitchen. They found Pudge crouched behind the kitchen counter, totally unharmed and faking all the tortured noises. The aproned man repeatedly slammed his cleaver into a sack of potatoes.
"Told ya so," she smirked at Clinkz. And then she winked at her chubby friend. "Working here for extra pocket money, huh?"
"Heh," Pudge chuckled. "How's my acting? Good?"
"Not bad at all," Traxex replied with a grin.
Traxex and Clinkz left the haunted house and exchanged the candies for the tickets to the Roshan Ride, where they rode on colorful creatures called greevils, whizzing about while a gigantic, scaly, winged monster stomped around chasing them. It was kind of silly.
After that, Traxex bought him dinner as she felt a tad sorry for him. Overall, the date didn't turn out that bad after all, except the parts where Clinkz kept grabbing her arm, and of course, all that annoying screaming. She didn't end up feeling anything for him, but she did have a fun time watching him get scared shitless by virtually everything. The teasing would come later.
Also, she discovered she had a really weird sense of humor.
Characters featured:
Traxex - Drow
Lina
Clinkz - Bone Fletcher
Mr Rotund'jere - Necrophos
Pugna (found out from his bio that Pugna was turned into a demon at only thirteen months old.)
Nyx
Pudge
