December 24
11:30 am
In a shadow filled apartment in Arlington a man lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as if it held the key to discovering the mysteries of life. He didn't sleep the night before; he couldn't, not until the voice stopped. It resounded softly in his head, a gently spoken whisper that could not be drowned out.
"December 25. Greenville, SC. 4273 Birch Lane. 0239."
"December 25. Greenville, SC. 4273 Birch Lane. 0239."
"What does it mean?" Mulder shouted at the ceiling. After the incident in the park the voice hadn't returned until about a month ago. Now it had started the endless cycle as the date it mentioned drew nearer. It didn't make sense. He understood that something was going to happen on Christmas Day in Greenville at 2:39 in the morning, but what did that have to do with him? He didn't even know anyone who lived there. What did the voice expect him to do?
Frustrated with his lack of knowledge and sleep, he got up and went to scrounge around in the kitchen for something to eat. He found some bread in the breadbox, "Imagine that," he thought, and threw it in the toaster setting the toasting level to black. He would have to stand watch over it because the spring was broken, it wouldn't pop up again when it was done. While he was waiting for his breakfast to finish, he idly flipped through the mail from last week that he had simply chucked onto the kitchen table without another thought. He stopped when he saw familiar handwriting on a red envelope addressed to him. Mulder turned over the envelope and opened it. Inside was a green and red patterned Christmas card with Yuletide Greetings written on the cover in fancy gold script. He opened it up and immediately recognized Scully's handwriting.
The card read:
Merry Christmas Mulder! We're sorry you said you couldn't make it down here for Christmas. Really, you would have been a welcome addition. Ethan is growing quickly and all I want for Christmas is a good night's sleep. Josh says that if you won't come down for Christmas, you have to come New Years, so consider this your formal invitation. Oh, and we're moving next week, remember? I'll email the new address to you. I can't remember what the street name was. Some kind of tree... anyway, hope to see you soon!
All our love,
Dana, Josh, and baby Ethan
"December 25. Greenville, South Carolina. 4273 Birch Lane. 0239."
The voice repeated in his head, louder, but still no more than a whisper. Mulder put down the card slowly, like he was in a trance. Then he walked over to his laptop and jabbed the power button with such force that he was afraid he had broken it. He paced in front of it, occasionally glancing out the window at the dark storm clouds as it booted up and when it was finally done pounced on it. Quickly he went to the internet and logged into this email account. Each second that passed seemed to take years. When the page finally came up he scanned the long list of items that were in his inbox, but saw none from Scully. Then his eyes drifted up to a red box in the right upper hand corner that read WARNING: OVERFLOW OF MESSAGES. Mulder let out a cry of frustration and a few curse words as he typed in the address to another website.
"Yellowpages.com, ok, find people, Josh Williams, Greenville, South Carolina." He spoke out loud as he brusquely typed in the information. He stabbed the enter key and said, "Make me a liar."
As the information was displayed, the voice resounded in his head as he read the words on the screen with a sinking heart.
Josh and Dana Williams
4273 Birch Lane
Greenville, SC 40258
555-6396
"She will die if you stay."
Mulder jumped as a new phrase echoed through his head.
"December 25. 4273 Birch Lane. Greenville, South Carolina. 0239."
He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the screen. "The number you have dialed has been temporarily disconnected. Please hang up and try again." Mulder slammed down the phone so hard it bounced out of the cradle and onto the floor, the dial tone humming indignantly.
"She will die if you stay. December 25. 4273 Birch Lane. Greenville, South Carolina. 0239."
"I get it already! Stop repeating!" Mulder shouted at the walls of his apartment. He picked receiver off the floor and dropped it back in the cradle. He ran his hands through his hair and went back to his laptop. He began searching for the airline that had the soonest flight out to Greenville. There was one available seat on the 4:30pm flight out that would arrive in plenty of time to... something. He wasn't sure exactly what he would do when he got there.
"She will die if you stay."
Mulder booked the flight, now accustomed to ignoring the repetitious phrases. He sighed and sat back in his chair. Then he paused. Was that smoke?
"Shoot." Mulder ran into the kitchen and unplugged the smoking toaster. His smoke alarm went off and Mulder had to go turn it off. When he got back he turned the toaster upside down and watched as a stiff, rectangular black chunk fell out and landed on the counter. Wrinkling his nose at the smell, he glanced at the clock and wondered what he would do for the next couple of hours.
::Four ½ Hours Later::
"What do you mean all flights out and in have been cancelled?" Mulder was glowering at the young man behind the desk who peered at him unperturbed through thick glasses.
"I'm sorry sir, but in case you hadn't noticed there's a giant winter storm going on right now. It's expected to last all night."
Mulder glared at him a bit more before stalking off to sit in an uncomfortable black chair. The fluorescent lights beat down on him as he looked around the bustling airport. It was always busy Christmas Eve, people trying to get home to their loved ones in time to open presents in the morning or in time to go to an evening church service with the whole family under one roof at least this one time. Now the storm was making that impossible for them as well as Mulder. People's lives depended on his getting to South Carolina. He glanced outside at the swirling snow hurtling through stormy dark gray skies and took out his cell phone.
"Hey Gunmen, it's me. Turn off the recording. Can you guys give me a lift? Where? To South Carolina. Yeah, I- Hello? Hello?" Mulder pulled the phone away from his ear as static interrupted his call. He looked up at the ceiling and said, "You know, if you want me to be in South Carolina in time, and I assume that's what you wanted due to the freaky voices in the head, you sure aren't making this easy." He was attracting some strange looks from other people, but simply ignored them.
"She will die if you stay."
"She will die if you stay."
"You could die if you stay."
Mulder cleared all emotion and expression from his face and walked determinedly down the concourse, suppressing the chill that ran up his spine with the latest message. When he made it down to the parking garage he got into his car and began driving down the road to South Carolina.
"She will die if you stay."
"December 25."
"Greenville, South Carolina."
"0239."
"You could die if you stay."
*********** Hey all! Finally got some writing done. Yeah! I know Scully hasn't been in the story much, but she will be in the next chapter. Let me know what ya think. Even the flames are useful, especially for making 'smores! ~ATX~
11:30 am
In a shadow filled apartment in Arlington a man lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as if it held the key to discovering the mysteries of life. He didn't sleep the night before; he couldn't, not until the voice stopped. It resounded softly in his head, a gently spoken whisper that could not be drowned out.
"December 25. Greenville, SC. 4273 Birch Lane. 0239."
"December 25. Greenville, SC. 4273 Birch Lane. 0239."
"What does it mean?" Mulder shouted at the ceiling. After the incident in the park the voice hadn't returned until about a month ago. Now it had started the endless cycle as the date it mentioned drew nearer. It didn't make sense. He understood that something was going to happen on Christmas Day in Greenville at 2:39 in the morning, but what did that have to do with him? He didn't even know anyone who lived there. What did the voice expect him to do?
Frustrated with his lack of knowledge and sleep, he got up and went to scrounge around in the kitchen for something to eat. He found some bread in the breadbox, "Imagine that," he thought, and threw it in the toaster setting the toasting level to black. He would have to stand watch over it because the spring was broken, it wouldn't pop up again when it was done. While he was waiting for his breakfast to finish, he idly flipped through the mail from last week that he had simply chucked onto the kitchen table without another thought. He stopped when he saw familiar handwriting on a red envelope addressed to him. Mulder turned over the envelope and opened it. Inside was a green and red patterned Christmas card with Yuletide Greetings written on the cover in fancy gold script. He opened it up and immediately recognized Scully's handwriting.
The card read:
Merry Christmas Mulder! We're sorry you said you couldn't make it down here for Christmas. Really, you would have been a welcome addition. Ethan is growing quickly and all I want for Christmas is a good night's sleep. Josh says that if you won't come down for Christmas, you have to come New Years, so consider this your formal invitation. Oh, and we're moving next week, remember? I'll email the new address to you. I can't remember what the street name was. Some kind of tree... anyway, hope to see you soon!
All our love,
Dana, Josh, and baby Ethan
"December 25. Greenville, South Carolina. 4273 Birch Lane. 0239."
The voice repeated in his head, louder, but still no more than a whisper. Mulder put down the card slowly, like he was in a trance. Then he walked over to his laptop and jabbed the power button with such force that he was afraid he had broken it. He paced in front of it, occasionally glancing out the window at the dark storm clouds as it booted up and when it was finally done pounced on it. Quickly he went to the internet and logged into this email account. Each second that passed seemed to take years. When the page finally came up he scanned the long list of items that were in his inbox, but saw none from Scully. Then his eyes drifted up to a red box in the right upper hand corner that read WARNING: OVERFLOW OF MESSAGES. Mulder let out a cry of frustration and a few curse words as he typed in the address to another website.
"Yellowpages.com, ok, find people, Josh Williams, Greenville, South Carolina." He spoke out loud as he brusquely typed in the information. He stabbed the enter key and said, "Make me a liar."
As the information was displayed, the voice resounded in his head as he read the words on the screen with a sinking heart.
Josh and Dana Williams
4273 Birch Lane
Greenville, SC 40258
555-6396
"She will die if you stay."
Mulder jumped as a new phrase echoed through his head.
"December 25. 4273 Birch Lane. Greenville, South Carolina. 0239."
He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the screen. "The number you have dialed has been temporarily disconnected. Please hang up and try again." Mulder slammed down the phone so hard it bounced out of the cradle and onto the floor, the dial tone humming indignantly.
"She will die if you stay. December 25. 4273 Birch Lane. Greenville, South Carolina. 0239."
"I get it already! Stop repeating!" Mulder shouted at the walls of his apartment. He picked receiver off the floor and dropped it back in the cradle. He ran his hands through his hair and went back to his laptop. He began searching for the airline that had the soonest flight out to Greenville. There was one available seat on the 4:30pm flight out that would arrive in plenty of time to... something. He wasn't sure exactly what he would do when he got there.
"She will die if you stay."
Mulder booked the flight, now accustomed to ignoring the repetitious phrases. He sighed and sat back in his chair. Then he paused. Was that smoke?
"Shoot." Mulder ran into the kitchen and unplugged the smoking toaster. His smoke alarm went off and Mulder had to go turn it off. When he got back he turned the toaster upside down and watched as a stiff, rectangular black chunk fell out and landed on the counter. Wrinkling his nose at the smell, he glanced at the clock and wondered what he would do for the next couple of hours.
::Four ½ Hours Later::
"What do you mean all flights out and in have been cancelled?" Mulder was glowering at the young man behind the desk who peered at him unperturbed through thick glasses.
"I'm sorry sir, but in case you hadn't noticed there's a giant winter storm going on right now. It's expected to last all night."
Mulder glared at him a bit more before stalking off to sit in an uncomfortable black chair. The fluorescent lights beat down on him as he looked around the bustling airport. It was always busy Christmas Eve, people trying to get home to their loved ones in time to open presents in the morning or in time to go to an evening church service with the whole family under one roof at least this one time. Now the storm was making that impossible for them as well as Mulder. People's lives depended on his getting to South Carolina. He glanced outside at the swirling snow hurtling through stormy dark gray skies and took out his cell phone.
"Hey Gunmen, it's me. Turn off the recording. Can you guys give me a lift? Where? To South Carolina. Yeah, I- Hello? Hello?" Mulder pulled the phone away from his ear as static interrupted his call. He looked up at the ceiling and said, "You know, if you want me to be in South Carolina in time, and I assume that's what you wanted due to the freaky voices in the head, you sure aren't making this easy." He was attracting some strange looks from other people, but simply ignored them.
"She will die if you stay."
"She will die if you stay."
"You could die if you stay."
Mulder cleared all emotion and expression from his face and walked determinedly down the concourse, suppressing the chill that ran up his spine with the latest message. When he made it down to the parking garage he got into his car and began driving down the road to South Carolina.
"She will die if you stay."
"December 25."
"Greenville, South Carolina."
"0239."
"You could die if you stay."
*********** Hey all! Finally got some writing done. Yeah! I know Scully hasn't been in the story much, but she will be in the next chapter. Let me know what ya think. Even the flames are useful, especially for making 'smores! ~ATX~