I am asking for an ass kicking taking so long! But I sprain my wrist at work so typing has been a bit painful! But here it is finally!
Funny Note: When I started this fic, I had yet to see the Hey Arnold where Helga and Arnold compete with new papers. In that one, Sid takes candid photos of Helga, one of which is her doing ballet and gives it to Arnold! I am so freaking good it's scary!
Anyways, on with the story!
Helga kicked another rock along the edge of the water as her, Arnold, and Gerald made there way to the hospital. Armed with nothing but flash lights and some two way radio communicators Arnold brought along on camping trips to avoid getting lost like that one time with Helga's dad.
"So how are we going about this?" Helga asked, already plotting out the changes in Arnold's room once she moved in.
"Well Gerald here with the book will stand outside since he refuses to even step in the place." Arnold said and shoot a glare over at Gerald for wussing out.
"Hey man, I have nothing to prove here, I know I am a coward, but I am a coward who will be walking away from here without some ghost haunting him." Gerald said. Helga laughed slightly at the joke.
"Anyways, Gerald will stand outside and tell us where to go and what to do based on the stories in that book about the hospital." Arnold said and Helga quickly scoffed in rejection.
"He is going to give you all the easy ones since he is on your side!" Helga said and Arnold thought about this, this was true. He looked over at Gerald who was reading the chapter in the book about their current location.
"Gerald, how many dares you say you got in that book?" Arnold asked, Gerald counted, he had already been plotting.
"About 12." Gerald said. "Why?"
"Gotta pen?" Arnold asked. Gerald reached into his pocket and only came out with a mini pencil he stole from a miniature golf course on a date with Rhonda. Arnold nodded it was good enough. "Now number the dares randomly one through twelve."
"Whatever man." Gerald said and made light pencil marks on the book's pages.
"Alright Helga, odds or evens?" Arnold asked, Helga smiled.
"Odds." She said and smiled. Arnold took the book from Gerald, and looked it over with Helga.
"So basically, we know what each of the dares will consist of somewhat. Now that you know what stories you'll be investigating and which ones I will be doing, there is no way Gerald can change it to make in unfair." Arnold said. Helga rolled her eyes, she should have just kept her mouth shut.
"Hey guys look!" Gerald said and pointed ahead, through the trees they could barely see a moss covered building. They ran ahead to get a better look, there is was, little run down more then the picture in the book, but none the same. St. Bernice Hospital.
"Looks like a piece of shit to me." Helga said in a light hearted down. Arnold gave her a devilish grin.
"Let's just see what you will be saying once the sun goes down and you have to go in!" Arnold said, Helga swallowed hard and looked over her shoulder, the sun would be setting within the hour.
"So we got some time, I guess we can just chill." Gerald said. The three sat along the shore of the river and Helga began skipping stones. Arnold was meditating on the babbling of the brook. Gerald on the other hand, couldn't find an easy way to entertain himself and decided to strike up some chit-chat, unfortunately, he couldn't have picked a worse topic to start with. "So Helga, who kisses better, me or Arnold?"
"WHAT?!" Arnold and Helga both shouted at the same time with shocked expressions on their face.
"You heard me." Gerald said, not taking a hint.
"What kind of question is that? You can't ask her that!" Arnold said and gave Gerald a slight push, as to shake some sense out of him.
"Why, you afraid she'll say me?" Gerald said with his ladies killer smile, Arnold glared.
"No, I just think it is rude to ask that!" Arnold growled, losing his cool. He really didn't like to think of Gerald and Helga kissing in the first place.
"You just mad because you know it's me." Gerald mocked.
"Excuse me! Would you two morons act your age and cut it out!" Helga said, imagine them having the nerve. Both of them were being jerks and didn't deserve an answer.
"Well which is it?" Arnold said to Helga's surprise.
"What? I thought you were Mr. Morals and 'I think it's rude'" Helga said. Arnold was beyond that for the moment, he needed to know, just for the pure fact he wanted to shut Gerald up.
"Ugh, you both suck! I rather make out with Arnold's pig." Helga scoffed and folded her arms and turned her head away from the two.
"That could be arranged if you don't answer the question." Arnold said, Helga looked at him over her shoulder.
"Fine, it's a tie!" Helga said, not wanting to say which way or the other, but this too would not please the two boys, who now had dueling egos.
"You are lying!" Arnold said, calling her bluff.
"I'll tell you if you win." Helga said with a smug smile, knowing she would not be beat. The rest of the time was spent in silence, since Gerlad thought it would be a bad idea if he opened his mouth again.
About an hour later, the sun set, leaving a purple sky over the three. Arnold was still just staring at the water, Helga was taking a nap after she ran out of rocks to skip. And Gerald was building a small fire.
"Think we should get going?" Arnold asked. Gerald nodded and Arnold walked over to Helga, who seemed to be blissfully away in sleep land. She was so cute when she wasn't screaming at him, but every good thing must come to an end. He woke her with some gentle shaking. She didn't wake, but turned over and hugged his leg, mistaking it for a pillow.
"Come on Miriam, five more minutes." Helga mumbled and snuggled her face to Arnold's pant leg. Gerald chuckled as Arnold kind of a warm feeling inside from Helga's affection.
"Helga get yo ass up!" Gerald said, still chuckling a bit. Helga's eyes fluttered opened.
"Huh?" Helga asked and realized where she was and what she was clinging to. She let go and grunted. Brushing off the leaves as she sat up she noticed night was upon them. "Time to get started?"
"Yeah Sleeping Beauty!" Gerald said with a chuckle. Helga had the urge to flip him off, but thought he wasn't worth the effort. She got to her feet and started to walk toward the building.
"Well, since you chose odds Helga, looks like you are up first. What is dare number on Gerald?" Arnold asked and looked over to Gerald who was searching the book with the flashlight.
"Am I suppose to tell you the little story behind it too?" Gerald asked and Arnold nodded yes. Gerald shrugged and started to read. " In 1899, on New Years Eve, on the turn of the century, the staff of the hospital was having a small party after securing the patients. Or so they thought. Amber Ivigines was left in the main hall alone. Amber had been in the hospital for practicing witchcraft and suspected murder of seven school children in her town that died from unknown sickness. When she was left alone in the hall, she started to chant while rocking back in forth in a chair. A nurse heard the chant and went to check it out. A hour after she didn't return, security went there to find the nurse dead on the floor. Cause of death was the same sickness that killed the seven children. Amber Ivigines has not been seen since that night. "
"What a load of crap." Helga said. She knew it was very unlikely witchcraft could be held responsible for something like that. "That Amber chick most likely had a disease yet to be discovered and it was highly contagious."
"Well whatever. Your dare is to go to the main hall and lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling for 15 minutes. The same way the found the nurse. At the end you will take a picture proving you were there." Gerald said and handed over a polaroid camera they brought along.
"Fine. How do I get to the main hall?" Helga asked, looping the strap over her shoulder. Gerald looked at the map.
"I'll give you the directions once you are in there. " Gerald said and Helga walked in the front crumbled passageway with a huff. Arnold got a bad feeling in his stomach.
"I am not sure if this is a good idea. I mean, we don't know if any wild animals are in there after all these years." Arnold said, the ill feeling spreading. But he was interrupted by Helga's voice over the radio.
"I am in the main enterance, where do I go hair boy?" Helga's voice crackled over the static.
"Go up the main flight of stairs and straight through the double doors. That'll bring you to a check in station. Go left and that should bring you to a large room with a cage door blocking the way. That large room is the main hall for the patients." Gerald talked back.
"I have a really bad feeling." Arnold kept saying, almost a chant.
"Okay, I see the cage, luckly it's unlock. I can get in." Helga's voice came back.
"Good job. Now lay on the floor for 15 minutes of radio silence. Then I'll tell you when it's done. Then you'll take the picture and come back for Arnold's turn." Gerald said. "Radio silence begins now."
"I don't like this Gerald, I am getting a major bad feeling." Arnold said, his palms beginning to sweat. Gerald let out a laugh.
"Man you are getting nervous and it isn't even you in there." Gerald said with his normal chuckle. Arnold just looked nervously at a window that had a bit of light shinning from it, most likely Helga's flashlight.
Helga laid on the floor with her flashlight keeping her company. She felt cold because the floor was tile. But there was a new chill creeping up her back. She sighed and saw her breath in front of her, which was weird, since it was almost summer.
"Stupid cold." Helga muttered and continued looking up to the ceiling. A slight noise began to mimic her heartbeat. " What the hell is that?" She asked annoyed.
Arnold watched as the first five minutes went by. He looked up to the window to see a female figure glimmering in the light. He nudged Gerald and pointed.
"Man, I told Helga to lay down!" Gerald said pissed, he grabbed the radio and pressed the button. "HELGA! I said to lay down on the floor!"
A bit of silence then a crackle back. " I am dumbass!"
"Man, she is lying." Gerald said to Arnold. But no response from Arnold. Gerald looked to Arnold to see him white as a sheet. "What is it?"
"What was Helga wearing?" Arnold asked in a weak voice.
"Halter top and shorts, why?" Gerald asked, but Arnold pointed up to the figure in the window.
"Because that girl is wearing a gown!" Arnold said as the figure seem to disappear from the window.
"OH SHIT!" Gerald cried.
"WE NEED TO GET HER OUT OF THERE!" Arnold yelled. And reached for the radio.
Helga laid still on her back and grumbled that Gerald should trust her to do the dare. What was even more annoying was that sound that kept a rhythm with her heartbeat.
"What the hell is that?" Helga asked herself. Suddenly it got louder and she could make it was words. But they were in some weird language. Then it snap to her. "It's a chant!"
"HELGA!?" Arnold's voice blared over the radio. "HELGA GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW! BETS OFF! YOU WIN! JUST GET OUT NOW!"
Helga stood up and started to run, leaving the radio and camera behind her. She ran out the cage door. She made it as far as the check in station before she stopped dead in her tracks. She felt warmth over her feet, she gulped and pointed her flashlight down. It could have been anything, but it wasn't, it was the one thing she feared the most. Rats!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Helga let out a scream and ran in the wrong direction and into the hall that contained the patient chambers. Dropping her flashlight.
Arnold and Gerald shook as they heard Helga's blood chilling scream. Arnold called for Helga on the radio over and over. But no answer. He felt the color being sucked out of his face once again.
"What happen to her?" Gerald asked in panic. "Helga should be out here by now!"
"Something happen to her." Arnold said and dashed for the door. Gerald ran after him, not knowing what else to do. Arnold ran up the stairs and into the room where Helga was suppose to do her dare. But it was empty, except for her radio and camera.
"WHERE IS SHE?" Gerald said, really starting to freak out. Why did Arnold always get them into messes like this?
Helga looked around as she noticed she had managed to escape the rats, but got lost in the process. She was in the middle of a long hall with many doors, all the doors had little windows in them. This was the actual place where the mental patients were held. Helga fell to her knees and began to cry.
Arnold and Gerald heard a soft cry being echoed from somewhere far off and looked at each other.
"Think it's Helga?" Gerald said and they walked out of the main hall into the check in station. Since they weren't running this time, they noticed the floor was warm and moving. Pointing there flashlights down they saw dozens of rats and a shattered flashlight. "It has to be Helga."
To be continued…….
Oh hate to leave it there, but the rest needs to be held till the next chapter, mwha hah hah!