THE BREAK IN CHAPTER 2
"Great plan Yuy! Now if we can just get in!" Duo complained as he watched Heero vainly attempt to pick the lock. The 5 were standing on the back porch in snow and winds making what had fallen earlier seem like nothing compared to now. Mother nature had decided to unleash her full wrath and anyone who got in her way would die under her knife-like tread. "Hurry up will ya! I'm freezing here and my pockets
are collecting snow."
"Look I may be a genius, but I never said I could pick a lock," Heero hissed.
"Oh Please!" Quatre moaned fed up with standing around being nearly being knocked over by winds and icy snow. He stepped forward, and shoved Heero out of the way, taking the wire he was picking the lock with in his hand. He bent down and probed the lock, and only seconds later they heard the lock click open.
"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Duo asked when Quatre stood up.
Quatre gave him an embarrassed grin. "I sorta had an obsession when I was 13 of picking the locks on my sisters diaries and reading them."
Duo's eyes got wide as Wufei chuckled, Heero smirked, and a twitch on Trowa's lips passed.
"Shall we?" Quatre said gesturing to the back door. Heero nodded and ventured forth, opening the door and going inside, engulfed in a blackness. The others exchanged looks and followed.
Wufei was the last in and absently shut the door loudly making all jump, stop in their tracks and turn around shushing him. He opened his arms in an innocent gesture and followed the parade through the kitchen to the dining room as snow began to slide off in mass chunks from their clothes, shoes and even skin. As if entering a haunted house, the wind howled outside blowing snow and ice on the windows. Strange creaks were heard within as branches tapped on the window sills, and the thumping of their feet echoed.
"This place gives me the creeps," Wufei said behind them.
After that comment silence permeated the room until Duo said, "I have one question." He continued lurking behind Heero as he spoke.
"What?" Heero asked somewhere in front of him in the dark.
"If there's no one here, why are we prowling around like a bunch of burglars?"
"Because we are a bunch of burglars!" Quatre called somewhere behind him all too loudly.
"HUSH!" Wufei hissed.
"Duo's right I think we can at least calm down. Unless someone IS here," Trowa commented.
"Well, how do you suggest we find out? Search each room, then if someone is in there look shocked and say 'Oops wrong house'?" Wufei sarcastically asked.
"Well, we could..." Trowa began when he stepped on something that let out a loud horrible scream.
All yelped with it and stopped in their tracks -tense and ready to flee if something jumped out to get them. The thing promptly ran off into another part of the house.
Realizing what it was and that they were quite alone in the house, Duo replied," Stepping on a cat's tail. I guess that's one way to find out, because if someone was here and didn't know we were, they surely know it now."
"Well, I suppose we should start looking for a hiding place," Heero said looking in both directions of the house only to be greeted with muted shapes in the darkness.
"And where to sleep," Trowa chimed in.
Trowa felt nauseous and could feel another coughing fit coming on, and suddenly dizzy. He stopped walking, grabbing hold of something to steady him. He felt sick, yet as he got warmer, he found he could breathe easier. Finally the coughing fit unleashed itself, and in violent convulsions he started falling to his knees. His uncontrolled coughing made his chest and throat hurt and his stomach twist into knots. He could suddenly taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and despite his effort to keep it within he felt it release.
"Trowa!" He heard Quatre cry and could feel warm hands on his shoulders. He looked up into the blonde's worried face. "My God Trowa, it's blood."
Trowa vaguely heard those words before all went black and he lost consciousness.
~~~*~~~
"God, I hate the cold!" Vanda grumbled as she fumbled with the keys to unlock the door. "Oh come on! I'm freezing here."
She was nearly knocked of balance by a gust of wind and a spray of snow that clung to her upon touch. Each tiny flake feeling like a needle on her skin. Finally the her persistence paid off and she soon found herself engulfed in the warmth of her house. She looked around, as she always did, thumbing for light switches and keeping an eye out for signs of intruders. She hated being alone at night. Especially on nights when she was too exhausted to be alert, in short like she was tonight. Seeing all was in order as she turned lights on and removed her boots, scarf, gloves and coat, she made her way into the kitchen.
~~~*~~~
"SHHH! I think she is finally coming home," Heero called to the others from the upstairs bathroom.
"Do you think it was a good idea to put Trowa in that bed, in what is probably HER room?" Wufei inquired suddenly worried.
"We had no choice. He needs to be kept warm. Now more than ever. Quiet! She's coming upstairs!"
~~~*~~~
She was too tired to feed her hungry stomach. The act of eating itself seemed tiresome to her. So, she turned out all the lights and went upstairs. She rounded a corner, and in the darkness saw a shadow of something pass by out of the corner of her eye in the hallway. Instincts suddenly taking over, she went on all alert.
She jumped and heaved a sigh of relief as the form came to her and let out a mewing sound. Feeling silly she picked the cat up. "I do wish you'd stop lurking around like that, Duchess. You had me scared to death."
Of course it didn't help that the hallway light was burned out, and they were out of light bulbs. Shaking her head she made her way to her room.
"I need to take a shower..." she muttered to herself pulling her hair out of it's clasp, opening the door.
