Nightmare
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Notes: Good grief, whatever happened to trusting the authoress? :P I've got a motive and explanation for everything, really I do. Anyway, I'll quickly answer two commonly asked questions:
Has anyone gotten it? –Well, I'm not going to say that, because I know there are people who will actually go back and check the reviews. :P Sorry… just wait a week or so for my next update.
Can you give us more hints? -::smirks:: I'm dropping hints like bombs, you're just not picking up on them. Everything will make sense when you find out who it is.
Kudos goes to Misura for correctly translating what Seto mumbled to Téa. The rest of you will find out in a couple chapters. All of you will find out who the stalker is next chapter (If anyone guesses who it is, I'll acknowledge them too, if that's okay with everyone.)
(Reuploaded version; WHY don't my paragraph breaks show up?)
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Chapter 3
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Hours later, as she let herself into the house (this time she'd had the key prepared in advance and she quickly sidled in), she wished she still had her brazen attitude from lunchtime. She could sure use comfort now.
The phone rang almost immediately. Swallowing hard, she was prepared not to answer it until it occurred to her that it could be her parents, calling from Aruba. She dived across the kitchen and had gotten out half of her greeting before it occurred to her that she could just let the machine get it, to be sure.
"Hello?"
"Hello, my dear," the voice at the other end purred.
She screamed and hung up, pushing the phone hard into the receiver. Just as quickly, she snatched it back up and began dialing the police station, whose number she had spent a good while memorizing.
"Domino Police Station," the crisp voice answered. Téa was relieved that, instead of the woman who had dismissed her earlier, this was a different man.
"I'd like to speak to Sergeant Sacco," she said firmly, pushing her nervousness to the side. "He gave me permission to speak to him at any time using this number."
"May I have your name, please?" The voice was pleasant, and Téa heaved a sigh of relief.
"Téa Gardener."
"Hello, Miss Gardener. Sergeant Sacco is unavailable at this time to take your call. Shall I leave a message?"
She stared at the phone line in disbelief. "But…"
"Yes?"
"But he promised I could talk to him! My safety is at stake and it's your job and his to make sure I'm protected! Please let me talk to him!"
"Miss Gardner, calm down. Would you like to leave a message?"
She bit the inside of her cheek. "Maybe you can help me? I don't know if he told you, but there's someone stalking me and he just called-"
The officer's voice abruptly took on a sharp tinge. "I'm afraid I cannot help you. Would you like to leave a message?"
She couldn't believe this. He wasn't even acknowledging that she had a problem.
"No. I'd like you to get off your damned lazy rear and help me," she snapped. "What'll you do if I die? What'll you do if the stalker kills me? What sort of message are you going to be able to take then? Where is Sergeant Sacco?? I need to talk to him now, and I will, if I have to march down to the police station and force myself in!"
"Miss Gardner." The man's voice had taken on a decidedly icy tone. "I have to take that as a threat. If you don't stop this behavior now, you face the distinct possibility of being arrested."
Unreal. "Well, maybe I'd be better off arrested," she snapped, bile rising in her throat. "Maybe I'd be safer in one of your damned cells! But then again, considering your horrid lack of real security, maybe not-"
He hung up on her. She stared at the phone a while, then screamed and threw it on the floor. It bounced once, then lay there prone. Losing her temper completely, letting out all the built up emotions over the last few days, Téa screamed again and went to kick it.
The phone rang. She paused, foot hanging in midair. When it shrilly rang again a second time, she let out a strangled sob and bolted to the front door.
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"Voila!" Joey crooned, as he slid two large sections of the puzzle together. Serenity laughed and jokingly clapped her hands together.
"Bravo, Joey," she teased. She bent over the puzzle, her red hair falling in a silken sheet. "You've completed the edge of the Red Eyes Black Dragon," she said in her soft voice, looking up and smiling at her older brother. "Good job! I think these pieces over here are its wings. Do you suppose they go there?" She pointed to the incomplete area next to where Joey had assembled the head.
"Probably," Joey said eagerly, sliding the puzzle pieces over and trying to move one around. "I've- got one!"
"Then this one goes here!" Serenity excitedly placed her piece next to his. When they fell together in an interlocking position, the two siblings looked up and grinned at each other.
"Joey," Serenity began softly, blushing. "I've really enjoyed hanging out with you after school."
"That goes double for me, sis," Joey said, beginning to tear up. The sound of the doorbell gave him an excuse to turn his head hastily. He was far from taking 'quality time' with his younger sister for granted.
He'd barely left the living room when the doorbell rang again, then again. He rolled his eyes. "If that's Tristan, I'm gonna muss him up…" he muttered threateningly, undoing the single bolt and pushing the door carelessly open.
Téa launched herself at him, already halfway through a good sob. "I'm sorry," she sniffled, head buried in his shirt.
Joey stared at the top of her head in astonishment. He gingerly lifted one hand to pat her hair. "Uh, it'll be all right," he said awkwardly.
She rubbed her tear-streaked face against the T-shirt he'd changed into. "I'm so sorry," she said again.
"What? What are you sorry about?" Confusion had given way to worry. He glanced over her head and saw a group of guys walking past. They were all teenagers decked out in leather jackets and greasy hairdos. One of the guys eyed Téa's long legs appreciatively; another whistled. Some of them shot Joey the thumbs-up; some shouted rather inappropriate things at what they assumed to be the couple in the doorway. The apartment Joey and his dad rented was in a rather unsavory neighborhood.
Joey stiffened with anger; Téa's sobs picked up. "Come in," he said, guiding her inside. Right before he shut the door, he looked back out at the gang and flicked them off. He slammed the door as their rude comments picked up.
"I'm sorry," Téa said a third time, standing in the middle of his dingy hallway.
"Téa, what are you sorry about?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder and leading her back into the living room, where he and Serenity had been working on the puzzle.
"For… troubling you," she said unhappily, wiping her eyes.
"Téa, something is wrong. Tell me what. It's no trouble, you know that. It's never any trouble when it comes to my friends. Is someone doing something to you?" He angrily cracked his knuckles.
"Well… yes…" her voice trailed off as they entered the living room.
"Joey, who was at the- Hey! Téa?"
"Hello, Serenity," Téa said, valiantly trying to be brave. Serenity jumped up from the couch and rushed over to give Téa a hug.
"Téa, are you okay? You seem upset."
That was the understatement of the century, Téa thought wearily as she allowed the Wheelers to guide her to a seat between them. Once on the couch, she gratefully sank way back into the shabby pillows.
Twenty minutes later, Joey's voice broke the silence that had befallen the apartment, save Téa's broken voice relating her tale. "WHAT??"
"Oh, no, Téa," Serenity said, at a loss for words. "That's unbelievable. I'm so sorry." She reached over and took up the older girl's hands in her own. Téa's fingers were cold to the touch.
"Téa, why didn't you tell us?" Joey asked, jumping off the couch and beginning to pace. "We're your friends! Man! We could have helped you!"
"I didn't want to bother anyone," Téa admitted in a quivery voice.
"We gotta call Yugi," Joey said, reaching for the phone. "He'll be so ticked…"
"No!" she practically shouted, and he snatched his hand away as if the phone were on fire. "No," Téa repeated more quietly, blushing. "I especially didn't want him to know."
"But why?" Joey asked, staring at her as if she were from another planet. "Listen, Téa, if I round up Yugi and Tristan and maybe some of the other guys, we can follow you everywhere and maybe catch this creep." He pounded his fist in his open hand for emphasis.
"Sergeant Sacco- that is, when the police were still talking to me," she said bitterly, "suggested that this creepy stalker might have fixed on me because of my friendship with Yugi. I can't tell him that- it'd tear him to pieces."
"No way," Joey said, wide-eyed, sinking into the couch. Serenity and Téa watched him anxiously as he mulled over this for a few minutes. "No way," he finally repeated. "God, Téa. Even when some psycho's after you, you still want to protect your friends. I still think you should tell someone."
"Joey, I can't," she said, close to tears again. "I've already caused enough trouble with you. I don't want anyone else worrying about me. There's nothing anyone can do, anyway."
"Aw, man," Joey muttered, mostly to himself. "Are you sure, Téa? At the very least, we could keep an eye out for you."
"No," she choked. "I can't put anyone else out. It just wouldn't feel right! Besides…"
"Besides what?" Serenity asked quietly.
Téa hesitated. She looked the younger girl directly in the eyes and felt a pang of guilt. "I've already put you two in danger!" she burst. "I can't do that to anyone else!" With that, she collapsed into a pile, clenching her jaw against the sobs wracking her body.
Joey stared, aghast, while Serenity gently dragged a blanket to cover Téa's body. "I get it now, Joey," she murmured as she tried to reassure Téa. "She's not worried about inconveniencing anyone. She's worried that, if the stalker finds out she told anyone else about him, he'll go after them. Like us. She's afraid that she just put our lives on the line."
"And I don't want to do that to anyone else!" Téa's voice came, muffled from under the blanket. "I'm already being so selfish."
"Not selfish!" Joey tried to tell her again, but she simply shrugged.
"Joey," Serenity spoke up. "Téa said she was staying home alone, right?"
Joey looked like he'd been struck across the face. Or had a pizza stolen from him. "Oh, yeah! Téa, let me tell you this: No matter how much you protest, you're not going to go back to that house. That's final. No way I'm letting you stay unprotected."
"But-" Téa started, but Serenity interrupted her.
"Téa, Joey- why doesn't Téa stay here tonight? That way, you don't have to go to anyone else, but Téa won't be alone. And who knows- maybe the stalker won't find you. Maybe he doesn't already know you're here."
"Fat chance of that," Téa muttered, but Joey wasn't listening.
"Yeah! That'll work, Téa! What do you say?" She started to respond, but he plowed on. "Never mind, you don't have a choice. You're sleeping here tonight, so I suggest you make yourself comfortable. You can have my room if you want, I'll take the couch."
Téa poked her head up under the nest of blankets Serenity had piled upon her. Her eyes were big and sorrowful under her mussed-up brown hair. "Joey…"
"No 'ifs', 'ands', or 'buts'," Joey announced proudly, crossing his arms. "That's final."
She hesitated. "Thanks, Joey," she murmured, diving back under the blankets. "But I'll take the couch." Sensing Joey about to say something, she added, "Trust me- I've seen your room."
Serenity burst out laughing, and after a while Téa joined her. "It is quite a pigsty," Serenity teased her older brother.
"Hmm," Joey grumbled mockingly.
As their giggles died away, Serenity spoke up determinedly. "Joey? I want to stay here tonight too. I bet Mom would let me."
Joey looked thoughtful, and on the verge of happiness, but Téa looked upset for some reason. "Serenity…" she started, gnawing on her bottom lip and shooting Joey an anxious look. "It's just… I'd be willing to bet that the stalker knows I'm here. And I'm already making you a target by staying the night. If Serenity stayed, and… and…" Her throat was closing up. "If something happened to her while we slept, I'd never forgive myself!"
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Téa ended up staying three nights at the Wheelers. During this time, she tried to call the police twice. Twice, she was given a brush-off. She visited her home three times, to take necessary supplies and to check for messages from her parents. There were none. And every time she tried to call their cellphone, she got a 'no reception' signal.
The first night was uneventful. The second night, she was scared out of her wits.
The third night…
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Night 1:
Although Téa's proclamation struck Joey speechless for a good thirty seconds, Serenity refused to budge. She called her mother and elicited permission to spend the night, provided she did her homework right away and called if there was an emergency.
Luckily, there weren't any emergencies, so Serenity didn't have to contact her mother. She fulfilled the other end of the bargain right away, serenely doing her homework while Téa and Joey argued about various topics, involving but not limited to who the stalker could be, why she couldn't tell anyone, what would happen to Serenity, where they could sleep for the night, and what Joey could do.
Eventually, a compromise was reached- meaning that Téa got her way on all points. Joey felt that he had achieved a small victory, at least, in making Téa take a long, relaxing shower while he set up their sleeping quarters. He ended up dragging all the sleeping bags and blankets and mattresses in the house into the living room after shoving all other furniture out of the way.
The three of them stayed up all night, all wearing various versions of Joey's pajamas (since Serenity and Téa didn't have their own). They huddled in the center of the mattress pile, clutching hands and jumping every time the house squeaked or a hoodlum outside smashed a beer bottle.
The next day at school, Téa looked better. She was cleaner, at least, and despite her lack of sleep she looked more animated. She felt better, too. She pulled herself together enough to not complain when the teacher assigned an essay, rough drafts due in just two days. Well… the truth is, Téa was never the complainer. What she did do, however, was elbow Joey in the side when he and Tristan started to whine loudly.
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Night 2:
Téa and Joey sat across from each other on the mattress fort that was still in his living room. A bag of potato chips sat prominently between them- somehow, things felt slightly more awkward without Serenity here. Serenity had visited them briefly after school, but her mother didn't want her staying too long since she had just spent the night. Serenity had promised, however, to work on her to extract permission to stay the next night. Téa had protested briefly, but now was glad she had given in to Serenity. Simply put, she just wasn't used to staying overnight at her best male friend's house.
At least she was in her own clothing. "By the way, thanks again," she said softly, breaking the silence. Joey looked quizzically up.
"For escorting me home," she clarified. "So I could grab my clothes and other stuff."
"Hey, no problem," Joey responded, scratching his neck.
"And while I'm thanking you," she continued, looking down, "Thanks for all this. For watching out for me. For letting me stay here."
"Téa," Joey said, sounding a mixture of fond and exasperated. "You've gotta stop thanking me. It's the least I can do. You know that."
She bit her lip. "You don't have to," she said.
"But I want to. Get it?" He grinned at her, then greedily stuck his hand in the bag of chips. "Mmmm, grease…" he said, licking his fingers.
Téa laughed. "Gross," she said, pretending to shy away from Joey. "Keep that zit factory away from me!"
"Hey," he said, sounding injured. "Look at this skin. Do you see one pimple on there?" He leaned close up to her, pointing at his forehead and grinning evilly.
She giggled again, putting a hand to his head. "Back off, buddy, or-"
There was a terrific thump!, and both of them froze. Téa had leaned back, bracing herself on her hand, and that arm started to wobble frantically. She swallowed over the hard lump in her throat. "What was that?" she whispered.
Joey looked uncertain. "Did it come from the door or the closet?" he wondered aloud, standing up. A chip crunched under his foot, but he didn't pay attention.
Thump!
Téa's arm gave out entirely and she fell against her elbow. She quickly rose to a crouching position, on her knees. Joey took a few tentative steps for the back door.
Thump! Thump! ThumpthumpthumpCRASH!
Téa's jaw shot down on her tongue and she shrieked in pain. Joey leapt into the hallway. "It was the backdoor," he called back to her, sounding panicked. "Someone shoved it inward!"
"You bastard!"
Téa crammed her hands against her mouth at this new voice.
"You bastard…" the voice continued. "Forgot m'keys… couldn't let your old man in…"
"Pop," Joey said, his voice now tinged with fury. "What are you doing home?"
"Forgot m'keys," the voice slurred. "Had to come in the hard way."
"You could have rung the doorbell!" Joey's voice rose. Téa slowly removed her hands from her mouth, eyes deer-wide.
"'S okay, son," the man repeated. "Just gonna… just gonna… gonna go to sleep."
"All right," Joey said, voice full of exasperation. Téa drew back as a shadow appeared in the doorway.
"And who's this?" the voice asked. She slowly looked up to see a great, hulking man filling the frame. He had dirty red-blonde hair falling in greasy strands past his shoulders, and was dressed in a torn black shirt and loose blue-jeans. His eyes were slightly unfocused and Téa suddenly realized that he was drunk. "Sorry, son," he slurred, "didn't realize you had company."
"Uh, oh yeah," Joey said, his face appearing over his father's shoulder. "Come on, dad, I'll show you to your room."
"Pretty girl you've got there," he said as his son practically shoved him across the room, to a door on the other side. "Pretty girl. Lucky boy. You treat her nice, you hear? Otherwise you'll end up like… like your mom and me…"
"That's not going to be an issue," Joey's strangled voice said before he and his father disappeared into the bedroom. Not sixty seconds later, he reappeared, his face bright red.
"Sorry, Téa," he muttered as he sank back down on the pile of blankets, trying to keep his distance. He looked at the bag of chips, plucked one out, and stared at it a moment before chomping down on it. "Didn't expect him to come in."
"After the initial shock, I was fine," Téa lied. Her heart was still pounding. "I've never met your dad before."
Joey snorted. "He's not around much. Usually out drinking."
She shrugged, feeling awkward. "He was very… moody," she blurted without meaning to.
"Yeah…" Joey absently took another handful of chips. "He has these giant mood swings. Sometimes he'll be in a full-blown tantrum, swearing at me, pounding on the walls, stuff like that. But then he'll be like he just was- trying to give me advice, act all fatherly." He stared down. "He doesn't understand that I've learned to survive without a father."
Something in her chest ached. "He seemed to care about you," she said, searching for something nice to say. That was the first thing she could pull up, but the funny thing was that it was true. She steeled herself to ask the next, inevitable question: "He never…"
"Hits me?" Joey finished. "Just once, when I was like six. When he and my mom were still married. Boy, did she pitch a fit. He hasn't laid a finger on me since." He squeezed his eyes shut. "When he hit me… and she got so mad… I think that was what did their marriage in."
Téa's eyes opened wide. "You can't blame yourself," she told him, reaching across to squeeze his hand.
Joey shrugged. "Yeah. I guess. Just like you can't blame yourself for being a stalker victim."
Their eyes suddenly met, and a jolt shot through Téa's body. His words were so true. How did Joey, who they all teased about being thick-headed, pick up on something like that? She did blame herself, to a certain extent. Some small insecurity, saying that there must be something wrong with her to attract a psycho like her stalker was.
"Well," she said, clutching the blankets and smiling suddenly. "I think we've had enough for tonight. And I've been keeping you up."
"Oh, it's no big deal," Joey said, snatching up the potato chips and pouring the remaining crumbs into his mouth. "I'm used to staying up late, playing video games with Tristan." She snorted, and he grinned, crumpling up the bag and tossing it carelessly in the direction of the kitchen. "I'll get that later. Want me to shut off the lights?"
"Yeah," she said, preparing to build herself a cocoon and grabbing a pillow. "Thanks."
He stood up and crossed the room, stopping in front of the light switch plate. She lifted her head slightly to see him staring, neck craned upward, at a lone light switch. "Something wrong?"
"Nah," he said, decisively flicking the switch upward. "This switch turns on the automatic light sensors outside. I forgot we had those. If anyone comes too close to the door, the lights detect them and turn on." She was silent, but a smile played onto her lips. Another barrier in between her and the stalker.
Joey finally turned off the living room lights and stumbled over to the mattresses, falling asleep a few minutes before she did and forcing Téa to listen to his unbearably loud snoring before she finally dozed off herself. For the first night in weeks, she didn't have a single dream- at least, none that she could remember when she woke up the next morning.
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Night 3:
It rained as Téa, Joey, and Serenity dashed to the apartment. Serenity had, by many wide-eyed looks and hopeful 'pleeeeease's, gotten permission to spend the night once again.
"The automatic lights didn't go on?" Téa questioned as they entered the front door. Joey stopped, backtracked, and looked up.
"They're broken," he said, rolling his eyes. "Stupid neighborhood. I bet you anything one of those kids put a rock or a baseball or something through the bulbs. It's okay, though. They couldn't have broken the bulbs in the backyard; they can't get in. It's surrounded by a chainlink fence."
'Does that mean the stalker won't be able to get there, either?' Téa wondered. Aloud, she asked, "What's on the other side of the fence?"
Joey flushed a little. "A dump, junkyard, landfill. Whatever you want to call it."
"Oh." She wasn't quite ready to rule out the stalker getting into the backyard yet, but she kept that to herself. Besides, the lights there worked. The lights out front didn't, but who was dumb enough to walk up to the front door when they went to such lengths to keep their identity hidden? Still, she felt a sudden, strong sense of trepidation. "Joey?" she asked, brushing her wet hair out of her eyes. "Can we lock all the windows and doors?"
"They've been locked since you started staying here," Joey said, studying her carefully.
"Can we double-check?" she asked, biting her lip. Serenity shivered a little, like she was cold.
"Yeah…" Joey said, absently scratching his elbow. "I'll double-check. And triple-check, if it makes you feel any better."
She let out a forced laugh. "Thanks."
They killed the day by doing their homework while old movies played on TV. Téa, who had somehow completed her essay for English, and refused to tell Joey how, tried to help him with his. He'd been around her ever since the darned thing was assigned! When had she had time to work on it? He was betting on study hall, but she must have typed like a maniac. Hmp. Overachiever. It was kind of amazing, though- despite everything she was going through, school came first. Sort of like Kaiba with his company.
When he accidentally growled out loud, Téa of course asked him what was going on, and he had to tell her. She rolled her eyes, but Serenity dropped her calculator on the floor, shortly followed by her entire math book. She retrieved it, face bright red.
"What?" Joey asked suspiciously.
"What what?" Serenity asked innocently, clearing her throat.
"When I said 'Kaiba', you blushed. What do you know about Seto Kaiba?"
"Seto Kaiba?" she asked, testing the name. "Absolutely nothing. I've hardly ever seen Seto Kaiba."
Joey rolled his eyes. "Kaiba's a jerk," he grumbled.
Téa suddenly recalled how he'd been glaring at Joey on Monday. She gnawed on the end of her pencil, thinking about it a moment. "Not worth it," she muttered.
"What's not worth it?" Joey asked, eagerly shoving his book aside.
Téa mock-glared at Joey and retrieved the tattered copy of Othello. "Not worth getting distracted while you're supposed to be defining Othello's personality! Let's talk about character, Joey. Why is Othello who he is?"
"You lost me," Joey said blankly. "Can't we just go back to bashing Kaiba?"
Across the room, Serenity swallowed nervously. Luckily, neither of them saw her. "We weren't bashing Kaiba," Téa informed him. "You were calling him a workaholic, and a jerk, but it didn't progress to bashing. And it won't, either."
"Why not, when it's so much fun?" Joey asked, staring at the ceiling. "And so easy, too."
"Because it's mean." Téa shook Othello in front of his face. "Concentrate, Joey."
"Mean?" Joey asked incredulously. "If anyone has it coming to him, it's Seto Kaiba!"
"That's not true," Téa scolded. "When you look at a person, you can't just look at the bad. You have to look at the good, too. Like Othello."
"What good does he have?" Joey snorted.
"Well, he's an honest person. Way too honest, which turned out to be his downfall. Very trusting too. And he's a brilliant military official, obviously, or the Duke never would have promoted him."
Joey was staring at her, mouth slightly open. She hit him over the head with the book. "Othello, Joey! We're not still talking about Seto Kaiba, we've moved onto Othello!"
"That's just because you can't find anything good about Kaiba," Joey challenged, rubbing his head and grinning a little. She rolled her eyes.
"You're not going to distract me, Joey Wheeler-"
"He's self-centered," Joey started. "And egotistical. And a rude, selfish, spoiled brat. He's insulting. He's too stubborn. He's too single-minded."
Téa heaved a sigh. "Okay, fine, I'll play your game. Seto Kaiba is also a highly intelligent individual. He's really determined. He reads a lot and designs technology way beyond our level. He's composed and calm and alert. Most important, he cares a lot for Mokuba." Serenity dropped her calculator again. Joey looked over, but Téa, completely embarrassed at defending Kaiba, plowed through her explanation. "He goes to any and all lengths to protect his little brother! And he's taken on the role of big brother and surrogate father, accepting all the responsibilities of caring for another person! And he's obviously done a great job, because look how well Mokuba turned out!"
"I'll make some popcorn," Serenity announced, scurrying into the kitchen before they could see her bright red face.
"He's a stuck-up jerk," Joey said bluntly. "Come on, Téa. You've seen how he treats Yugi. And how he acts around me."
"You know what?" Téa said thoughtfully. "I think it's just because he's never had any friends or companions his own age, so he doesn't know how to act around them." When Joey rolled his eyes disbelievingly, she scowled at him. "Come on, Joey! You called him single-minded, but you're acting no better! You have to look past the bad and see that Seto Kaiba is a decent human being, just like the rest of us!"
A clap of lightning and a roll of thunder greeted her words. Joey snorted with laughter. "All right, Téa, it's a sign," he said, grinning at her. She rolled her eyes, but at least any tension between them was gone. "Besides…" he mumbled under his breath. "I'd be surprised if Kaiba was even human…"
"Joey!" she laughed, and suddenly the room took on a separate, golden glow. She looked around for the source and froze.
The outer lights had just snapped on.
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He cursed. The damned apartments had automatic lighting! How could he have forgotten about something like that? It hadn't gone on the night before, for the drunken father. Perhaps Téa and her little friend were conspiring against him. The fools.
He backed away quickly; he didn't think they'd seen him. He moved into the shadows. The violent storm suited his weather perfectly. And as for the lights… he could take care of those.
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"I'm going out," Joey said determinedly, standing up. Just as abruptly, he was yanked back down onto the couch.
"You're not going out there!" Téa started to yell, when the room was plunged into darkness. The sounds of the microwave stopped abruptly, and the TV shut off. Téa shrieked and clutched for Joey, finding his shirt in the darkness.
"Joey!" Serenity's voice called fearfully from the kitchen.
"The power's out!" he shouted. Téa gave a short whimper and squeezed his shirt harder. Outside, lighting flashed, lighting up the backyard. It was empty. "There are flashlights in the kitchen!" Joey continued. "In the upper right cupboard. Serenity, can you grab them? And hurry!"
"Okay," she called.
Joey stood up, gently disengaging Téa's fingers from his shirt. "Man, I should have grabbed a baseball bat or something," he muttered.
"Urrgh…" Téa said, grinding her hands into her eye sockets. When she heard Joey suck in a breath, she glanced up. But it wasn't what he saw so much as what they heard.
"That creaking," Joey whispered. "That's the back door opening."
"Oh no," she whimpered. "I thought it was locked?"
"My dad must have broken the lock last night," he said in a low voice. She couldn't be sure, but she thought his voice sounded petrified. "And before you ask- it's not him. He's definitely not going to be home tonight. I don't think he's even in town."
"Oh help us oh help us…"
A burst of lightning again, bright as day. It flashed behind the two figures in the doorway, illuminating their menacing silhouettes and making Téa's heart stop.
From the kitchen, Serenity shrieked as loud as she could.
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Notes: Yes, I deliberately wrote until I got to that cliffhanger. It's because I wanted a while to gauge people's reactions. Any guesses as to what's going on? Who the people are? What happened in the kitchen? Luckily for you (I think), most questions will be answered in the next chapter. From then on, it's a struggle to stay alive. And unmolested. (I didn't just say that, did I? Sorry, Téa!)
I realized, as I was writing this, I'm sort of hinting at JoeyTéa. It's not intended, but I've always pictured them as being really close. (Of course they are, but you know what I mean)