.:19:.
Jack gazed out the window as Burgess passed slowly by. It was strange for him to see the city from the streets, he recognized his surroundings better from the air. He shifted his staff between his knees and glanced uneasily at Jamie. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jamie's driving, he just didn't like how mature the young man looked behind the wheel.
"How'd you even hear about this place?" Jack asked.
"Internet." Jamie grinned over at him and Jack rolled his eyes.
"Of course…" He mumbled in amusement.
"You should really try it sometime, you can find anything on the internet."
Jack eyed him, but Jamie stared at the road ahead and only a slight smirk graced his lips.
"What could I possibly need to find on a computer?" Jack asked slowly and with a hint of amusement.
Jamie exhaled and made a humming noise as he thought, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel. After a few long moments he glanced over at Jack, only to find that the winter spirit was watching him expectantly.
"I don't know, shoes? Maybe you could order yourself a new pair of pants. You could look up pictures of snow or something." Jamie chuckled a little as Jack shook his head in exasperation and rubbed a hand against the side of his face.
"There's nothing wrong with my pants." He muttered. Jamie snorted in response.
"Dude, your pants are what? Three hundred years old? It's bad enough you've been wearing the same hoodie since I met you. I can't believe my sister can take you seriously." Jamie was grinning again, and let out a bark of laughter when he caught the horrified look on Jack's face.
"What do you have against my clothing? I'm immortal, I don't go shopping! Besides, my mom made these for me…" He mumbled the last part and his face fell as he ran his fingers over the worn material.
"I'm sure she did. Right after your dad finished chopping down trees to build the house you lived in."
"I'm going to wait until you're asleep, and I'm going to freeze your head to your pillow." Jack said with mock cheer. Jamie was unfazed, but didn't respond. He simply smiled to himself as the lights of Burgess faded in the rear-view mirror.
The car ride was actually sort of pleasant. It reminded Jack of those rare times when North would take him somewhere in the sleigh. Except without the swerving and screaming. He gazed out the window as the trees rushing by, briefly illuminated in the headlights. Maybe he'd go see North soon, Christmas was coming up and he'd always meant to go and help out.
Jamie slowed down and Jack looked over at him curiously as the turn signal clicked. They turned left onto another road heading up through the trees, and Jack noticed a few scattered houses back in the woods. After a few more minutes, they passed through a small arrangement of houses, and Jack noticed a couple of shops that looked a little run-down. It looked like the area had come close to becoming a new town at some point, but had since withered and only a handful of families still lived here. Jamie turned again just past a dimly lit convenience store, and Jack noticed the pavement was cracked and falling apart. It might as well have been gravel, and he sat up straighter to stare out the window with curiosity.
There was another patch of trees, then they were driving along the edge of the forest and a pond rested on the far side of a field to their right. Standing beside the pond, a large concrete building could be seen in the moonlight. Some lights on the far side indicated there were houses nearby, and Jack suspected the road wound up and around to a neighborhood that used to house workers for the mill. Now it was just another area full of families that had gotten sick of living in town.
Jamie pulled off to the side of the road, shut the car off, then glanced over at Jack. Without a word, Jamie opened his door and stepped out into the night. Jack followed his lead, enjoying the feel of the breeze in his hair. Jamie took a moment to grab a bag from the backseat, then made his way carefully around the car to stand beside Jack on the edge of the road.
"This doesn't freak you out at all?" Jack asked, glancing around at the darkness and then gesturing towards the cluster of cement structures barely visible above the tall grass of the field.
"Not really, should it?" Jamie replied, shouldering his backpack and taking a few steps forward.
"You're just going to walk into an abandoned building in the middle of the night alone, with a camera, specifically to see if it's haunted." Jack stated, shoving one hand in his pocket as he moved forward to follow Jamie.
"I'm not alone." Jamie said pointedly. Jack scoffed.
"Try telling that to any other humans you run into. 'Oh, I'm not alone, my buddy Jack Frost is right here!' They'd think you're a lunatic." He chuckled a little at the mental image, but Jamie just shrugged.
After a few minutes of trying to struggle through the tall grass, Jack leapt up into the air with a huff of irritation. He floated lazily along the breeze, watching Jamie stride purposefully through the grass. The young man glanced up to smirk and shake his head at him.
He got bored waiting for Jamie and glided silently toward the nearest concrete structure. Landed softly on some rubble, then glanced around. It was hard to tell exactly what the building had once been, it appeared to have been gutted by a fire a long time ago. It was merely a concrete shell now, with graffiti marking some walls. He stepped in a few feet, glancing around a corner to be met with nothing but darkness.
The debris was sharp against his bare feet, and he scuffed his toes against some rocks in distaste. Walking in a slow circle, he tapped his staff against a wall and listened as the sound echoed eerily. He was about to turn and meet up with Jamie when he heard some rocks clatter somewhere inside the structure.
Stopping with a jolt, Jack turned to peer into the darkness, his brows knitting together and his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Dread began to fill him, and he wanted to ask Jamie to get back in the car and go home, but he knew the young man wouldn't listen. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he heard more rocks falling, like someone had tripped somewhere in the dark.
A hand fell on his shoulder and he jumped, spinning to hold his staff in front of himself defensively. Jamie stepped back with his hands up, a light grin on his face.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark." He snickered in amusement as Jack glared and relaxed.
"What are we even doing here, Jamie? This place is giving me the creeps…" Jack tried to look nonchalant, but he kept glancing warily into the darkness.
"Worried the Boogeyman's gonna pop out and getcha?" Jamie held his hands up and curled his fingers into claws, grinning like a maniac as Jack took a few steps back.
His eyes widened and he gripped his staff tightly in his hands, but Jamie clapped him on the shoulder and brushed past him into the structure.
"Chill out, the Boogeyman isn't real, remember?" Jamie turned to smile over his shoulder at him.
Jack relaxed at his words, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. If Pitch was lurking in this horrible, empty, possibly haunted building, at least he didn't have to worry about Jamie seeing him. He hadn't gotten the impression Pitch was up to anything nefarious, but he also knew the Nightmare King was skilled at manipulation. It was entirely possible Pitch could have played him for a fool.
He followed Jamie silently through the dark. The young man had pulled out a camera by now, and Jack assumed it was night-vision since there was a distinct lack of light. His toes brushed against something that felt suspiciously like broken glass, and he grimaced.
"Well? See anything otherworldly?" Jamie asked curiously, turning to point his camera in Jack's face.
"I can't see anything at all." Jack responded flatly. Jamie chuckled at the spirit's indifference toward his mission.
"Maybe we should split up. This place is pretty big. Here, it's my old camera." Jamie handed him something, and Jack took it.
After a moment of scuffling, Jamie managed to turn a flashlight on so he could show Jack how to use the camera.
"It doesn't have night-vision, but I don't think anyone will notice it you use the light I installed. Just don't run outside shining it everywhere. Also, try to be careful. I know you're immortal and all, but this place is kind of falling apart and I can't imagine you would enjoy having a concrete wall land on you." Jamie clapped him on the shoulder.
"What is it with your family and cameras?" Jack asked curiously.
"It's not just my family, it's most families. Cameras are freakin' awesome, everybody should have one." Jamie said seriously. Jack eyed him, but Jamie clicked his flashlight off and resumed walking down the corridor with his fancy camera.
Jack ran his fingers over the flashlight Jamie had taped to the side of the camera, grinning at his friend's use of the word 'installed'. He briefly considered rushing up on Jamie, then turning the light on, just to see what would happen. He decided that would be horribly mean, and instead faced the opposite direction and clicked the light on.
The light didn't reveal much besides concrete walls and darkness. The dim glow of the small flashlight didn't illuminate much, but it was enough to see that he was standing in a hallway littered with chucks of cement and rocks. He listened to Jamie's footsteps as they echoed off the walls around him, then vanished into nothingness. He knew Jamie was expecting him to alert him to anything supernatural he might witness, but he really wasn't in the mood to try and help Jamie find ghosts tonight. Jack couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen a ghost himself, they were so mournful and creepy he tended to avoid them. Clicking the flashlight on and off purely for entertainment, Jack sighed heavily and headed down a corridor away from the direction Jamie had headed in.
The old mill hadn't been one single building, it had been several, perhaps connected by wooden structures. Jack stepped out into the cool night, enjoying the fresh air for a moment before glancing toward the next closest building. His heart wasn't into it, but he would do anything for Jamie. He forced himself to trudge forward through the tall grass.
The next closest building was the tallest, the one he had seen from the road. It was at least four stories high, and old enough that maple trees had sprouted and flourished inside. Their tallest branches brushed against the decayed roofing, most of which had long since fallen away. Jack took a moment to enjoy the absolute silence. It was glorious. Nothing but the wind whispering gently through the old, hallow building. It rustled through the trees, and Jack aimed his camera/flashlight at the walls. He pressed the button to record, then did a sweep of the old building. Some of the graffiti was really beautiful. A giant red poinsettia took up most of one wall, and he made sure to get a decent shot of it. There were old cement ledges, indicating that at some point train tracks had lead through this building. He watched the screen as he moved the camera in front of him, starting to have some fun with it. He could see some old fire pits, and even caught sight of a few old beer cans as he stepped forward.
Laughter nearly caused him to drop the camera.
Jack spun toward the doorway he'd just passed through. Goosebumps spread along his arms and he inhaled sharply. He held his breath and waited, listening intently.
Eventually, another ragged laugh echoed back to his ears. Leaping forward curiously, he followed the general direction the sound had come from. If he had to be here, he might as well do his best to help fulfill Jamie's wishes. He might not have been especially pleased with Jamie's supernatural fascination, but he wasn't about to stifle the dreams of his own first believer. If there was a chance he could catch a clip of a ghost for Jamie, Jack was willing to try.
He clicked off the flashlight as he ducked out the door. The building was situated in an open field, and he could see the vague outline of more structures nestled in beneath some trees. Waiting, he caught the sound of low voices, and darted forward. His eyes adjusted quickly to the bright moonlight, and he glanced up at the moon to give a quick salute in thanks. It was bright enough that he could more or less see what he was recording, without having the flashlight on to scare things away.
Jack took to the air, gliding forward silently as he kept an eye on the ground below him. The grass merged almost seamlessly with a flat expanse of cement, almost making it look like part of the field was paved. There were trenches stretched across the ground, apparently at random, and he eyed them curiously as he floated overhead. He heard the voices again, and he glanced down to see two small forms picking their way through the ruins. Jack ducked down through the air and landed lightly on a tree branch.
Sighing to himself, he realized it was simply two children, probably from one of the nearby houses. They seemed to have some kind of gleeful plot in mind, and Jack leaned against the tree as he watched them. He turned the camera off in exasperation and shoved it in his pocket. He hunkered down on the tree branch and scowled down at the kids as he moved his staff to rest across his knees. They were both boys and looked to be somewhere around ten years old, and they whispered excitedly to each other as they moved slowly through the ruins.
Jack considered doing something to torment the kids, maybe freeze their shoes to the ground or something. He was deep in thought, pondering his options, when he finally noticed the children had fallen silent and had stopped moving. They had slowly moved closer to each other, and stared off into the shadows ahead of them. There was a low building ahead, and Jack heard one of the children whimper as they stared at it. Moving his staff aside, Jack leaned forward to follow the children's stares.
Something was emerging from the shadows, dragging itself from the darkness. Eerily long limbs reached out across the cement, clawing for a grip and the creature dragged itself forward. Its head tilted back and it let out a low, mournful groan. The two children shrieked in terror, smacking against each other in panic as they turned to run. One of them tripped, scrambling frantically as he tore after his companion. The children's sobbing echoed back to him as they vanished into the night, and Jack's brows furrowed in confusion. He looked back to where the creature had been, but it was gone. As he watched, a figure stepped from the shadows. Jack narrowed his eyes when he recognized Pitch Black.
Pitch moved forward, standing where the boys had been moments ago. He let out a low chuckle of amusement. Jack stood up on the tree branch, and the movement immediately caught Pitch's eye. The Nightmare King actually looked a little startled, then narrowed his own eyes and hissed hatefully at Jack.
Jack threw himself forward just as Pitch melted back into the shadows. His feet touched down and he held his staff forward, his jaw set as he scanned the darkness.
"Pitch!" Jack called out a little threateningly. He paced the area, searching for any sign of his enemy.
A few minutes passed as Jack warily eyed his surroundings. He had expected something, a few dark threats or snarky remarks from the shadows at least. The night had fallen back into silence, and Jack lowered his staff, slightly confused. He moved back over to where the boys had stopped, examining the area for some kind of clue as to what Pitch might have been doing there. Finding nothing, he stepped forward along the path to where Pitch had created the image of a creature.
In the shadows of the low structure, right in the path of the two children, Jack found another trench hidden in darkness. Decaying wooden boards covered it, and as he tapped his staff against them one of the boards cracked an a chunk fell down, crashing noisily against the thorny brambles growing along the bottom.
Jack was frozen in shock when he realized if the children had continued through the ruins, they would have crossed right over the trench. They could have fallen a good ten feet onto the thorns, and it could have ended very badly for them. It could have, except that the Boogeyman himself had scared them off. He stared down at his discovery, taking a few long moments to come to terms with the fact that he had just witnessed Pitch Black using fear to protect children.
The other Guardians would never believe it. Jack's hand immediately snapped to his pocket, and then he slapped his hand to his face when he realized he could have videotaped the whole thing. A small smile creeped across his face, and he wondered if maybe after all these centuries, Pitch might have found his center.
Footsteps pounded on the concrete behind him, and he turned to see Jamie approaching. His eyes were wide and his lips parted as he caught sight of the winter spirit, lingering in the shadows. Jack moved forward to meet his confused friend, shouldering his staff casually.
"Jack! Did you see those kids? They came tearing through here in a panic screaming that the Boogeyman was trying to get them." He took a moment to catch his breath and Jack shrugged.
He knew Pitch wasn't keen on becoming a Guardian anytime soon, and he obviously hadn't intended for Jack to see him tonight. He was willing to bet spreading the word that Pitch was lurking around doing good deeds was a quick way to get him to stop. He thought quickly, then put of a mischievous grin.
"I couldn't resist." He said mysteriously, immediately turning to wander away.
Jamie gave him a suspicious glance, then rolled his eyes.
"Troublemaker." He muttered as he followed his friend.
A/n: Well, here's a longer chapter for you since I know the short chapters aren't particularly popular. It's not exactly what I'd been hoping for, but it's the best I can do right now. I've been wanting to put this location into the story for a while, so here's the first appearance. It's more or less a copy of a real place, the Vernonia Mill in Oregon, the way it looked about fifteen years ago.
Again, thank you for reviewing. I really like some of the ideas you guys give me and the questions you ask. If there's something specific you would like to see feel free to request it, though I can't guarantee I'll use your idea.