Chapter 7: Castle on the hill
The rain was so hard that Danny and Sam had to run. They already regret that they did not wait in the car until the storm passes. They just hid under thier umbrella and ran back to the big gate to Vlad's property. They had to get out of the storm before something serious happens...
After a few minutes, both finally reached the gate. They did not know how they activated the camera the last time. Danny just slapped with his hand against the metal-box, the camera was in, hoping that there was a kind of sensor, or else... finally the shutter opened and the moving camera came out to film them...
"Oh my gosh, what happend?" Vlad's voice asked surprised.
"We need help... the car broke down..." Danny wailed and before he could finish they could hear the gate moving aside.
"The door to the keeper's house is unlocked. Get in there. I'll come and pick you up..." Vlad said while the camera moved back and Danny and Sam ran to the door just five feet away.
The door was unlocked, just as Vlad told. After Danny found the light switch both entered the small room and got out of the rain, that slowly turned into hail. It was a small empty room with a desk, a sink and some towels next to it. Both were soaking wet and instinctively took the towels to dry at least thier faces and thier hands. This hot summer-day ended in a heavy thunderstorm. It was just around 8 but it was so dark and cold outside like it was midnight in the winter...
Around two minutes later a car honked outside. A black BMW sedan stopped right next to thier shelter and they saw Vlad sitting on the driver's seat.
"Hurry... Get in!" he yelled and Danny and Sam rushed to get on the back seat of the car, where they found more towels.
"Oh, my gosh... thank you! We had no clue where to go else in this nowhere!" Danny said after he and Sam got on the rear seat and closed the door.
They were wet, freezing and scared. The storm seemed to get closer and closer every minute. Vlad turned the car around to get back to the castle. Danny told what happened with the V-belt and where they left the car. That was the moment, he realized that he forgot the picture of his parents in the car. Sam meanwhile took her mobile phone. There was still no service...
With the lightning flashing over it, Vlad's castle looked much creepier than before. Suddenly it had everything from a horror-movie: a thunderstorm, darkness, a creepy appearance and not working cell-phones...
"Let's go back inside and warm up." Vlad said when they stopped right in front of the main-entrace again.
Together they entered the castle again and found a clouthes rack with dry towels and bathrobes. One white and one black. For a brief moment they thought that Vlad expected thier return and prepared them. Even a black one for Sam. But than he murmured something about his maid and they forgot it. They were just happy to be safe again. The thunderstorm outside got closer. They saw lightning outside.
"Gosh... what a storm..." Danny wailed. "Thank you, Vlad!"
"Please, that's self-evident." Vlad said. "Let's go to the living-room again. I made some fire in the chimney..."
In the living-room, Danny and Sam could warm themself at the fire. Vlad left to get some tea and to talk to his house-staff. A minute later he returned with another plate with a tea-kettle and cookies...
"I talked with Ivan. He said that he will look after your car. But after the storm. Right now it is too dangerous out there."
"Thank you!" Sam said while she got a cup of hot tea. She tried to use her cell phone again, but there was still no service. "What's going on? Why there is no service."
"There is a cell tower not far from here! Looks like it got damaged in the storm. The landline phone is still working if you want to call someone." Vlad offered. "But I don't think someone will be able to get here in the storm. So I would really appreciate that you two spend the night here..."
Another bright lightning light up the room when Vlad said this. Danny and Sam were actually pretty scared but they knew that they had no other choice...
After another two hours of drinking tea and eating cookies while drying themself, Vlad led Danny and Sam upstairs to the 'guest-wing'. Passing the big oil-painting of him and his wife, again. The slipped curtain still covered the woman's face. Danny didn't know why but he had to stare on the woman all the time. It was this scary feeling that felt like he was somehow connected with that woman. He couldn't see her face, nor her hair or any other indication for her identity. Or a clue how to indentify her. Danny turned away again. Vlad's bride made him uncomfortable.
Sam meanwhile focused on another big painting on the wall. A small, white-haired man, wearing a red robe and a crown with a big hat under it, that actually looked like a big piece of cheese.
"Who is that?" she asked curious.
"Oh, this is the Dairy King!" Vlad told. "This was once his house. He died several years ago after a stroke. I personally don't think he is haunting this place. So don't worry..."
Danny and Sam felt not better.
Vlad led them to a corridor with several doors. Telling them that the previous owner (the first one after the Dairy King and before himself) wanted to turn it into a exclusive hotel. So there were various big suites already prepared. Vlad led them to the 'imperial-suite' at the end of the corridor. An impressive but also warm and cozy suite with a seperate bathroom. The luxury interiour was new and looked like it was never used before. Vlad showed them around where to find fresh towels and how to use the phone. Danny just wanted to call Jazz, whom he haven't tell so far where he is.
"Call me, when you need something." Vlad said. "Good night!"
Vlad closed the door. The squeaking was so loud that it was scaring. And when it closed, the bang echoed threw the suite. Outside the rain splashed on the windows violently. They still saw the lightning outside. And they heared the thunder. But they were happy to have a safe place for the night.
"I hope the car doesn't get washed away!" Danny said when he looked outside. Or at least tried to. He could see absolutely nothing. "What a day..."
"Did you already call Jazz?" Sam asked while she sat down on a dressing table to check herself in the mirror. Her hair was still messed up from the rain and she was totally pale.
"Not yet!" Danny said looking on his watch. It was already after 10 pm. "Hmm... pretty late! It's too late to call her, but I also did not tell her that we are here."
"Send her an SMS... wait no... without service..." Sam murmured while she used a hairbrush to unravel her hair. "I think that can wait until tomorrow."
"Hmm... you know... this is pretty odd." Danny said while he sat down on the comfy canopy bed. "The car breaks down in a thunderstorm, a scary castle on the hill, no working cell phones... a mysterious stranger..."
Sam turned around and smiled. "You wanna tell me we are in a Horror-movie! Just to cheer me up... Thank you, Danny! I love you..."
When you have the chance to spend the night in a castle? In expensive silk bedding? And that all for free! It was really like in a hotel? A luxury hotel in Wisconsin! Without the kids, any stress... and without to think about the trouble in thier life. But also without that they saw anyone from Vlad's house-staff. Like he was hiding them from the Fentons. Danny and Sam start to become intimate after they dried themself and got to bed... but Sam suddenly shied away...
"Gosh... Danny... we can't do it. Not here! This is not our house..." Sam stuttered. She was wondered about her reaction. But she had a reason.
"Sam... we are alone..." Danny tried to convince her to have some fun now. But honestly Sam was not in mood. Not here. Not now... and with her little secret she carries with her all the time. And that Vlad somehow figured out, which was scary enough.
"Sorry, Danny! I am..." Sam said while she buried herself under the blanket. "...Danny... there is something I need to tell you..."
"What? Sam, something wrong?"
"No! I am fine. I am..." Sam was just able to start the sentence when suddenly all lights went off and they were surrounded by darkness...
Sam opened her eyes again and stared on the digital alarm-clock right next to the bed. It was 2:11 am! What? Did she fall asleep? When? Suddenly a terrible pinching headache shot into her temples. She turned her head away from the alarm-clock and looked around. Vlad's canopy bed...? Yeah... she is in Wisconsin. With Danny! Danny?... She wanted to tell him about her pregnancy, finally. She looked around. He was gone...
"Danny?" Sam murmured. She was tired. Exhaused! And Danny? Just two seconds ago he was right next to her. And suddenly it was three and a half hours later and he was gone! "Danny? Are you there?"
It was silent! The wind blew outside against the big windows. She couldn't hear the thunderstorm anymore. So it was over. And it didn't rain anymore. Sam lift up and looked around in the dark room. Maybe Danny just went to the bathroom? So she laid down again. He would return soon. But he didn't. There was no sound to be hear from the bathroom. Finally Sam lift up and went into the bathroom. The light was off and Danny was not inside.
"Danny... Where are you?" Sam asked. She slowly start to get worried. She did not remember what happened or how she fall asleep so suddenly. And she had headache like a hangover...
Sam put on the bathrobe again, she got from Vlad earlier and left the suite. Maybe Danny couldn't sleep and walks a little bit across the corridor? Sam opened the door and found the light-switch outside. But the lights in the corridor were not working. Sam went back to the table and found a candle and a lighter on it. She did not know why, but she was really worried. So worried that she lights a candle to walk threw a 'propably haunted' castle at night and alone, looking for her husband...
It was creepy. Yeah! And Sam was really afraid. She only had a small candle and could barely see anything while she walked threw the dark corridor. Hearing the wind blowing outside. And a noise that sound like someone was breathing...
"Is there someone? Danny, is that you?" Sam said into the darkness. But there was no respond. A cold shiver ran down her back when she felt something. It was like something was nudging on her leg. "Agh..."
Sam made a jump and turned around. There was nobody behind her. So what did just touch her? A spider? A mouse? Sam continued walking threw the corridor. Without light, Danny maybe lost his way. But where the hell was he? How does he feel right now?
Actually, Danny felt wonderful... He had this dream again! This dream he had when he was a little boy. About him flying high over the city. Amity Park... as it was before the fire. Before the city got ruined... Danny felt so powerful and strong when he was flying. Every time he had this dream, he was so happy...
Sam meanwhile, found herself in a nightmare...
Someone or something just touched her leg, in the darkness. She was scared and start to walk faster threw the dark corridor. Someone was breathing. She could hear it... In the darkness she hit something with her right leg... a side-table maybe. And she could hear something shattering. A vase maybe. She didn't see it... she also didn't care for it... Because she knew that someone was waylaying her. And it was not Danny. He would never prank her that way. Sam turned around. Nobody was following her but it was like someone was following her. And so when she turned around she suddenly saw a face...
A young man... no a teenager! Not older than 17 or 18! Blonde hair, dark blue eyes and very fit. But with an mad and evil expression in his face, that was also 'transparent'... Sam was able to look threw the person. And to worse it, it was one, she saw dying 22 years ago when the truck, he and the other A-listeners hijaked, exploded in a fireball.
The young boy, or whatever he or it was, glared on her evily and with a madness that was undescribable. Sam did not restrain a loud scream when she was attacked by none other than Dash Baxter. Once one of the A-listeners of thier high-school and propably one of the worst bullys of Amity Park. Burned to death in 1982 but now standing right in front of her and grabbing her throat...
Sam screamed when she felt Dash's cold hands grabbing her throat and lifting her up from the ground. She dropped the candle. It fell on the ground, still burning and directly in front of Dash (or his doppelganger, whatever). 'Dash', seeing the small flame of the candle suddenly let out a loud scream, too and let off of Sam who fell on her knees and saw Dash moving away and disappearing right threw the wall.
"WHAT THE HELL..." Sam screamed. "DASH?!"
Sam was surrounded by darkness again. The candle miraculously was still burning. Sam lift it up before it could light up the carpet. And ran threw the corridor. Looking for an exit...
"DANNY! DANNY WHERE ARE YOU?!" Sam screamed.
She finally found the stairs. When she ran down she looked around again. Hopping that this 'Dash-ghost' did not follow her. Looking for Danny and for a way out. The small candlelight was not bright enough. Sam had actually no clue which stair she ran down. Was it the lobby? Sam couldn't see any of that Packer's stuff, and the stairs were narrower than before. It was definetely not the main-stair. She still could hear the wailing... the howling of the wind outside. Sam ran down the stairs and found a door.
Sam bursted threw the door and found herself in a kitchen. It had to be the main kitchen. It was big, spacious, expensive... and empty! The light's were not working here, too. But she saw that all the shelves were empty. There was no trace that this kitchen was used to cook something. There was no dish, no cookware... nothing! And than Sam suddenly saw another light...
When she turned back to the open door to the stairwell she could see a light. It was down in the basement. Propably another person. Danny or Vlad, maybe? But what if it was another dead bully...
"HELLO!" Sam yelled downstairs. "DANNY... IS THAT YOU!"
She could hear a voice... but it was not Danny's... The green light looked so familiar. And scary... Gosh it was the same light she saw in thier living-room just before 'Danny's mother' breaked threw the wall. Sam hold the candle closer to her chest. Her hands were trembling. As well as her whole body. But something forced her body to walk down the stairs. Slowly and carefully she reached the end of the stair and another door...
It was half open, but the bright green light came from there. So something was in there. Something terrible. Sam was just about to enter when something pushed her from behind.
Sam screamed. Or at least she tried to. Because something was holding her mouth. It was not a hand, it felt more like some kind of energy. The candle fell out of her hands. Sam meanwhile felt how she was lift from her feet and beeing pushed into the room. Sam did not see very much... Some bulky electronic devices across the wall... but most importantly she finally saw Danny...
Danny was surrounded by the bright green light. He was floating in the middle of the lab. With closed eyes, looking like he was sleeping and with a bright smile on his face. Right next to him a creature with red-eyes, black hair and green-blue skin wearing white clouthes... Floating, too.
The creature looked on Sam with it's red eyes and became mad.
"Get her out..." it said and Sam suddenly saw Dash again. Among with another 'ghost'. A-listeners... a listeners she saw hijacking the truck and exploding with it. They were back... They escaped the hell and returned to thier realm... but how... and what the hell did they did with her husband? And what do they do with her now...
Sam screamed. Trying to escape from the grip of the 'creatures'. Her whole body hurt...
With a loud scream... Sam opened her eyes again to find herself back in bed. Surrounded by darkness. A weak wheezing right next to her scared her so much that she jumped out of the bed and ran out of the suite...
Sam didn't think. She just act, while she was screaming and running. Right into Vlad...
"Sam...?" Vlad asked shocked and surprised after Sam crashed into him. "...why you are screaming?"
"Sam?" she heared Danny's voice from inside the suite. Sam turned around again and there he was. Laying in the bed dozy. When he lift up, Sam could see that he was the voice she heared. Than she looked into Vlad's face. Vlad was still holding her and carefully led her back into the suite. Danny meanwhile turned on the lights. Sam start to calm down. Looking on the clock again. It was 2:04 am. So before she woke up... what was that...?
"You look so pale! You should drink something!" Vlad adviced, taking a bottle of water from the dresser to hand it to Sam. "What happened?"
"There was Dash... and this monster and Danny was tortured and... and... gosh... What a nightmare?" Sam murmured.
"Who is Dash?" Vlad asked confused.
"Aww... you don't want to know!" Danny moaned. He was honestly a bit mad that Sam woke him up from this wonderful dream where he could fly like Superman. "Sam, everything is fine!"
"And you?" Sam asked back. Danny was confused but he nooded. "Sorry... I don't know why I make this scene. And I am sorry if I woke you up, too Vlad!"
"Don't care! I was on the way to the bathroom anyway." Vlad said calmly. "You should go to bed again..."
After Vlad left and Sam calmed down a little bit, she and Danny went back to bed again.
"Sam, you are the toughest person I know. What scared you that much?" Danny asked.
Sam told him a summary of her nightmare. About Dash, that other A-listener who died back then, of Danny floating next to the floating 'demon' or 'vampire' whatever. She admit that this scary castle was bothering her. Danny promised to her to travel home as soon as possible and they decided to sleep again. Danny switched off the lights and Sam closed her eyes again. But she was still to upset to sleep. She felt that she did not sleep. But when she opened her eyes again... it was 4:27 am... suddenly more than 2 hours later... Sam thought that she fell asleep without mentioning it and decide to forget it.
Danny, did not mention his wife's anxious sleep. Instead, much to his dismay, he did not dream to be a flying superhero anymore. Instead he dreamed about Dash Baxter and how he humiliated him. Danny and Sam both knew that Dash was already a nightmare when he was alive but even 22 years after his self-inflicted fate he caused trouble...
Around 6:30 am, both finally stood up and felt surprisingly relaxed. Much more than they expected. Maybe it was the expensive matress and the comfy bedsheet that both felt, despite thier nightmares relaxed and well rested.
Vlad showed up later and invited them for breakfast. In the dining-room a big breakfast was already waiting for them. During breakfast Vlad told them that 'Ivan' was able to tow thier car to the garage and that he knows a guy who could organize a new V-belt for them. Always telling them that it made no circumstances and that 'Ivan' was happy to have something to repair.
"...I would really advice that you stay a little bit longer. I heared in the morning news in the radio that many roads were flooded in the storm last night. It's possibe that you don't get through..." Vlad told them.
"Vlad... It's really nice what you do for us! Really! But we have to go home again." Danny told while Sam checked her mobile phone again.
"There is still no service! Danny, did you call Jazz?"
"Gosh... not yet... Vlad, may I use your phone?" Danny asked.
"Of course, you can use the one in the lobby..." Vlad said. Danny thanked him and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Vlad turned to Sam again. "You still haven't told him yet, have you?"
Sam nooded and smiled a bit ashamed. "I am still waiting for the right moment. Actually I wanted to tell him last night but... I think I am just too stressed?!"
"You wanna tell me about your nightmare...?" Vlad offered friendly.
Danny meanwhile found the telephone in the lobby and used it to call his sister in Chicago... She was really relieved to hear Danny's voice.
"... gosh I was worried! I tried to call you but you didn't pick up the phone! Where are you?" she asked.
"In Wisconsin!" Danny said and told her about his and Sam's sudden trip to thier parent's old friend...
"You are... in Wisconsin!?" Jazz' voice sound slightly shocked. "In Vladimir Master's house?"
"Yes!"
"Was he very mad when you arrived?"
"What? No... No, he was really happy to see us. He invited us. And he wants to meet you and your family, too..."
"Danny, I don't think this is a good idea..." Jazz wailed. Now it was obvious that she was worried.
"Jazz, what's going on?"
"Is he listening right now?"
Danny turned around and saw Vlad threw the open door to the dining room. He was talking to Sam. "No!"
"Good! Danny... I and Horatio made some research and... I don't know... This guy... I don't think he is the person he pretents to be... Did something... happened?"
Suddenly a lot of thoughts shot into Danny's head: Vlad's story about his parents beeing ghost-hunters, the breakdown of the car, Sam's 'nightmare'... "Ehm... well... actually we kind of 'stranded' here."
"Danny... you should leave there. Now!"
Please review and keep well.