Disclaimer: Still applies, guys. That's not going to change in the foreseeable future.

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A/N: I'm a cruel, heartless bitch. After that last chapter, I'm surprised I haven't been killed for my wicked ways. Unfortunately (for you guys), this pattern of behavior doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon. I'm sorry.......

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Desert Sands

By: Batbabe

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Chapter 12

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The two men thought they couldn't run fast enough.

After Vash's stunning pronouncement, the pain in his head suddenly stopped. As soon as it did, he jumped up and started running towards the house, Wolfwood running with him. The preacher knew that it had to be something serious for his friend to react like that, so he hadn't questioned, just followed.

Vash knew exactly what the pain was. It was an invitation.

/I should have known this would happen..../ he thought over and over, blaming himself for what he feared had happened to the girls. He only hoped that they got there in time.

When they reached the small house, both men stopped before the porch, trying to assess the situation. By all appearances, nothing seemed amiss other than the door was open. But Vash knew better. He could feel that something was horribly wrong here. Slowly, he pulled his gun from his coat and silently made his way onto the porch and through the open front door.

Wolfwood followed, pulling two guns out of their holsters. He silently berated himself for not thinking to bring his new cross punisher, though he knew there was no way in hell he could have ran across town while carrying that thing.

Vash surveyed the front room, shocked at what he saw. The room looked completely untouched. Everything was exactly how he had left it, except that the girls were gone. He could feel the preacher behind him, also taking everything in. The house seemed to be as it was supposed to be, but it just didn't feel right.

The gunman nodded his head, indicating for the preacher to check the kitchen. The man in black understood and soundlessly made his way into the next room. At the same time, Vash made his way up the stairs. He just had to check, had to know if he was right. This was one of the times that he prayed to god he was wrong.

/Meryl......forgive me..../

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Wolfwood quickly examined the small kitchen, all the while hoping that Vash was wrong about this. If he had learned one thing from all his time with the outlaw, it was to trust Vash's instinct. And this time, it wasn't just Vash that felt something was wrong. Wolfwood could feel it too, and it filled him with dread.

He found himself wondering if this would even be happening if he had just revealed himself to them sooner. In truth, Wolfwood hadn't even known that Vash and the girls lived in this town when he came. It was simply a coincidence that Milly had happened to be across the street when he came out of that bar. His first instinct when he saw her was to take her in his arms and not let go. But he knew he couldn't do that until he finished what he needed to do. But maybe if he had, he wouldn't have to feel the panic in the pit of his stomach.

The preacher made his way out the back door and onto the back porch. After not seeing anything seemingly out of place, he made a quick survey of the outside of the house.

Everything seemed to be in place. If you just looked at the house, you'd never think anything was wrong. And that just made Wolfwood more uneasy.

Finding nothing, he came back in through the front door. With no immediate threat downstairs, he made his way upstairs, following Vash. The stairs expelled him into a short hallway. Not seeing the man in red, he opened the first door to check its contents. He immediately wished he didn't.

He at once recognized it as the girls' room. He caught a faint whiff of Milly's scent: a mix of pudding and violets. An interesting combo, to be sure, but very distinctive. A pang of guilt hit him again as he remembered her heart broken face as he turned away from her.

Making his way back into the hall, he opened the second door, across the hall. Obviously Vash's, it was tiny and unoccupied. He turned away, seeing only one door left, at the very end of the hall.

The door was open, and Wolfwood could see Vash standing just inside the room, alone. His head hung slightly, and he didn't move. It was hard to tell if he was even breathing. He just seemed to be staring at something. It wasn't until the preacher stood directly behind his friend that he saw what had captured his attention. His arms dropped and his jaw slacked.

"Good God." Was all he could manage to say.

One word was written on the wall in front of them, seemingly in blood:

'Spiders'

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A/N: Again, I apologize for the mean cliffhanger. I've accepted the fact that I'm going to hell.

But please don't let that stop you from reviewing. :)