CHAPETER 18 - Things Get Complicated
Dennis thought it best to spare the group comments about Royce and Broadway being together for so long in the room and decided to get along with what he had discovered. "I know that some of you might not be too pleased with the ways I went about getting my information, but it was the best and only way.." The psychic paused. "I returned to the house a few nights ago..right after the incident with Royce-' The Prince snorted quietly and shot Dennis a displeased look.
"You went to the house without telling anyone or taking anyone with you!?" Arthur exclaimed.
"That's generally what I mean when I say 'I went to the house.'" Dennis replied candidly. Mallory shared the same horrified look as Arthur.
"Dennis, why would you do something like that? Something could have happened to you and no one would have even known where you were!"
"Look, if I had of brought anyone else with me, we would have been spotted and gotten no where. I went on my own so that I wouldn't be noticed and I could move quickly." He retorted.
"What did you find out, Dennis?" Jean spoke suddenly and softly, as if she was gently trying to change the topic and get things back on track. The psychic blinked a few times and wiped at his eyes.
"Well, they have a plan, Cyrus and Kalina, I mean. They have a plan to make the Ocularis work once more. They can't kill anyone directly or else they'll be dragged straight to hell, right? It's the same thing with you,' he gestured at the other ghosts with the palm of his hand. "So, they're planning on playing Death itself. They're going to single out 12 people and set up their deaths in almost identical ways to our own."
"Well that's great! How are we going to find those people, they could be anywhere?!" Luke spat.
"Oh no, it gets better. What's the date?" Dennis was fixed with some quizzical looks. "Come on, people!! The date, please!!"
"Uh, August 28th!" Luke responded quietly.
"And when are you going home?"
"On the 30th"
"Why?"
"Because we have to go back to scho-SHIT!" Luke chewed on is lips nervously. Dennis nodded slowly.
"Bingo."
Bianca threw her hands up in exasperation. "Wait, wait, wait, Cyrus is going to attack a high school?" She was rewarded with another nod from the ghost.
"Not just any school, Bianca, yours."
"Why ours!?"
Dennis hesitated slightly. "Because Cyrus wants you six to be his first victims." There was a heartbeat of silence before the chaos erupted. The Erikson siblings began to all yell at once, angry questions fled their mouths and they demanded explanations. "I don't know how he get this information other than from when we were first at the house, but I'm more than certain that Kalina had something to do with it. They both know that we're with you, Cyrus and Kalina know that we're together and figured they could kill two birds with one stone." Dennis sighed unhappily and sat down heavily on the couch. "I don't know how this all happened, but we have to do something fast or else all Hell's going to break loose."
Seth looked thoughtful for a minute. "So, which are we supposed to be?" The question caught the psychic off guard.
"What..?"
"That book, the Arcanum, it calls for specific spirits, right? So which ones were we supposed to be?" Seth continued.
"What difference would it make?" Dana countered. "You'd be dead!"
"Yeah, but he knew we was going to take on the spirit of the Prince, he could take precautions to avoid certain objects." Susan responded equally as thoughtful. Royce nodded.
"Yeah, but how would someone find out how they're going to die? We just figured this out!"
"I say we go back." Mallory said. It caught everyone by surprise; she was the last person anyone expected to say something like that. "We have to go back and try to do something before he can kill anyone and before we have to go back to Bellville. It's now or never."
"Bellville..?" Dana cast her a puzzled look.
"It's the name of the city we live in." Mallory replied shortly. "Come on guys, what do you say?"
"I say you're crazy." Zeke said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Weren't you listening? Cyrus is going to KILL us and if we go back there it's like giving him the gun and telling him to pull the trigger! Sure, he's going to try to get us when we go back, but at least that's in the future and we'll have some time to prepare and come up with a game plan!"
"The kid's right." Arthur chimed in. "It's too dangerous."
Broadway shook her head. "But if we go now we might catch him in a weaker state. Think about it, do you want to go confront him now when he's still weak, or later when he's had the time to fully heal or do whatever it is he's doing? I agree with Mal, we should go now and at least try to do something to buy time."
"No way Dolly! None of you are going anywhere NEAR that house!" Royce said firmly. "Though I agree, we should go cast an eyeball just in case something is going down." Dana and Jean began to disagree loudly but Royce only frowned and threw his hand up. "Cut the gas and listen up for a second." The two women snapped their mouths closed and glanced uneasily at one another. "We go' he continued, gesturing at his ghostly companions "because he can't touch us. We go in flat out, eyeball the place, see if we can't get any illuminations, and if anything goes raunchy, we split and get back here on the double, no sweat. Dig?"
Susan and Bianca rolled their eyes in unison. "In English, Prince!" The Bound Woman demanded. Royce made another disapproving sound and scratched the back of his head.
"He means we all go there really quick and take a look around and if anything happens, we come back right away." Jean interjected. "I think it's the most appropriate course of action considering the circumstances. Cyrus can't hurt us, though he can and is intending on killing you kids. This is the safest way to go about this." The group slowly nodded at Jean in muted approval. "Alright then, lets get going."
Royce smirked slightly. "Fire up.."
Dennis thought it best to spare the group comments about Royce and Broadway being together for so long in the room and decided to get along with what he had discovered. "I know that some of you might not be too pleased with the ways I went about getting my information, but it was the best and only way.." The psychic paused. "I returned to the house a few nights ago..right after the incident with Royce-' The Prince snorted quietly and shot Dennis a displeased look.
"You went to the house without telling anyone or taking anyone with you!?" Arthur exclaimed.
"That's generally what I mean when I say 'I went to the house.'" Dennis replied candidly. Mallory shared the same horrified look as Arthur.
"Dennis, why would you do something like that? Something could have happened to you and no one would have even known where you were!"
"Look, if I had of brought anyone else with me, we would have been spotted and gotten no where. I went on my own so that I wouldn't be noticed and I could move quickly." He retorted.
"What did you find out, Dennis?" Jean spoke suddenly and softly, as if she was gently trying to change the topic and get things back on track. The psychic blinked a few times and wiped at his eyes.
"Well, they have a plan, Cyrus and Kalina, I mean. They have a plan to make the Ocularis work once more. They can't kill anyone directly or else they'll be dragged straight to hell, right? It's the same thing with you,' he gestured at the other ghosts with the palm of his hand. "So, they're planning on playing Death itself. They're going to single out 12 people and set up their deaths in almost identical ways to our own."
"Well that's great! How are we going to find those people, they could be anywhere?!" Luke spat.
"Oh no, it gets better. What's the date?" Dennis was fixed with some quizzical looks. "Come on, people!! The date, please!!"
"Uh, August 28th!" Luke responded quietly.
"And when are you going home?"
"On the 30th"
"Why?"
"Because we have to go back to scho-SHIT!" Luke chewed on is lips nervously. Dennis nodded slowly.
"Bingo."
Bianca threw her hands up in exasperation. "Wait, wait, wait, Cyrus is going to attack a high school?" She was rewarded with another nod from the ghost.
"Not just any school, Bianca, yours."
"Why ours!?"
Dennis hesitated slightly. "Because Cyrus wants you six to be his first victims." There was a heartbeat of silence before the chaos erupted. The Erikson siblings began to all yell at once, angry questions fled their mouths and they demanded explanations. "I don't know how he get this information other than from when we were first at the house, but I'm more than certain that Kalina had something to do with it. They both know that we're with you, Cyrus and Kalina know that we're together and figured they could kill two birds with one stone." Dennis sighed unhappily and sat down heavily on the couch. "I don't know how this all happened, but we have to do something fast or else all Hell's going to break loose."
Seth looked thoughtful for a minute. "So, which are we supposed to be?" The question caught the psychic off guard.
"What..?"
"That book, the Arcanum, it calls for specific spirits, right? So which ones were we supposed to be?" Seth continued.
"What difference would it make?" Dana countered. "You'd be dead!"
"Yeah, but he knew we was going to take on the spirit of the Prince, he could take precautions to avoid certain objects." Susan responded equally as thoughtful. Royce nodded.
"Yeah, but how would someone find out how they're going to die? We just figured this out!"
"I say we go back." Mallory said. It caught everyone by surprise; she was the last person anyone expected to say something like that. "We have to go back and try to do something before he can kill anyone and before we have to go back to Bellville. It's now or never."
"Bellville..?" Dana cast her a puzzled look.
"It's the name of the city we live in." Mallory replied shortly. "Come on guys, what do you say?"
"I say you're crazy." Zeke said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Weren't you listening? Cyrus is going to KILL us and if we go back there it's like giving him the gun and telling him to pull the trigger! Sure, he's going to try to get us when we go back, but at least that's in the future and we'll have some time to prepare and come up with a game plan!"
"The kid's right." Arthur chimed in. "It's too dangerous."
Broadway shook her head. "But if we go now we might catch him in a weaker state. Think about it, do you want to go confront him now when he's still weak, or later when he's had the time to fully heal or do whatever it is he's doing? I agree with Mal, we should go now and at least try to do something to buy time."
"No way Dolly! None of you are going anywhere NEAR that house!" Royce said firmly. "Though I agree, we should go cast an eyeball just in case something is going down." Dana and Jean began to disagree loudly but Royce only frowned and threw his hand up. "Cut the gas and listen up for a second." The two women snapped their mouths closed and glanced uneasily at one another. "We go' he continued, gesturing at his ghostly companions "because he can't touch us. We go in flat out, eyeball the place, see if we can't get any illuminations, and if anything goes raunchy, we split and get back here on the double, no sweat. Dig?"
Susan and Bianca rolled their eyes in unison. "In English, Prince!" The Bound Woman demanded. Royce made another disapproving sound and scratched the back of his head.
"He means we all go there really quick and take a look around and if anything happens, we come back right away." Jean interjected. "I think it's the most appropriate course of action considering the circumstances. Cyrus can't hurt us, though he can and is intending on killing you kids. This is the safest way to go about this." The group slowly nodded at Jean in muted approval. "Alright then, lets get going."
Royce smirked slightly. "Fire up.."