Sorry it's been a while.
Spencers13 – March 2003–March 2004
R – Drama – Angst
Chapter Thirteen – Death Walks, Death Talks
"Endri! Slow down!" Beetlejuice called ahead as his son raced through some random forest faster than he could keep up.
Doomie honked from far behind them both as he was stuck and couldn't make it past the dense trees in his way.
"Just stay back there, Doomie! Stay there till we come back!" The ghoul raced forward again, trying to catch up to his son. It's been two months—two whole months of searching and hardly taking any breaks! He's gone totally nuts! I can't control him anymore, and he's really, really scaring me. Dammit, boy, why'd this have to happen to you? He continued trying to follow Endri even though it was much harder to see his brown jacket and boots than it would be his normal white shirt and grey boots. The boy was getting too far ahead.
Maybe I shoulda worked out like he used to all the time. At least then, I'd be able to keep up! A stitch tore though his side, and he grimaced but kept running. He couldn't afford to stop now.
Lyds must be so worried! I never got the chance to tell her what happened. If I try to leave and see her, I'll lose Endri, and then I'll have two guys I have to worry about, not just one. His eyes lit up. I know! Continuing to run, he snapped his fingers, producing an already written letter. This should do the trick. I hope she'll understand. He extended the letter out, and it vanished into thin air. All the while, he still continued to run.
Huffing, Beetlejuice tried to follow his son, using his blonde hair as a guide when it flowed into sight through the gnarled, twisted trees and weeds far ahead. I know it's not Kyle's fault, but I still think he's to blame for a lot a this. If he wasn't such a good person to Endri, the boy wouldn'tve been so affected when he found the guy kidnapped. No, I take that back. I'm glad Kyle was such a good friend, but I wish the effects of that weren't so rough on Endri now that the guy's missing. He means way too much to the boy. Poor kid; his mind's so broken and warped and hurt that he formed some kinda bond with Kyle that I don't think an explosive radioactive sandworm could separate. He tripped over a hidden branch and careened to the forest floor. When he managed to finally clamor back to his feet, Endri was nowhere in sight.
"Dammit!" he shouted, starting to run again. It was a good thing Endri was such a powerful ghost. Beetlejuice could literally sense where he was just from feeling the familiar waves of energy that drifted from him. So, following his son's energy trail, the ghoul continued on as fast as he could, flying instead of running.
Endri zipped between trees, weeds, and Neitherworld oddities faster than he normally pushed his body. He felt no fatigue at all, only a dull numbness that reduced his physical senses to almost nil. He just kept going and going. He knew he was getting closer to Kyle, but that was all he could reason anymore—not where he was, what he was doing, or even who he was anymore. All he knew was that he was getting closer to someone who needed his help desperately. The only thoughts running through his mind were: Must keep promise. Must protect. And those two thoughts repeated endlessly.
Skidding to a halt suddenly, the ghost sniffed the air and grunted in surprise. He smelled something familiar. He stalked forward, sniffing along trees, bent down to smell the ground even. When he stood and sniffed the air again, he smelled it stronger there. The hint of green apples and pears drifted through the atmosphere, the source long gone from that place, but still nearby enough to allow the scent to linger. It was Kyle's scent!
Without wasting a second, Endri sped off, following the new trail. He must be close!
Moira paced worriedly around at the end of her own bed. On it lie Kyle, nude and looking as if he had been flung there carelessly. His arms and legs sprawled out a little, his body twisted just slightly. Bite wounds were evident all over him: under his upper arms; along his neck, shoulders, and chest; and inside his thighs and around bony ankles. Scratches and large bruises also covered large parts of his broken anatomy. What skin that wasn't blemished was white as a sheet, eerily matching his snowy hair. His head lie turned to the side on an overly extravagant pillow, his eyes blank, dilated, and staring. The beautiful, sky-blue irises were much darker than before, almost the color of deep ocean water. The man would be considered dead except for his shallow breaths.
Moira bit her lip. I think I was too rough on him last time. And it seems that every time I take him, he gets weaker and weaker. Is this some Human thing that I don't know about? What am I doing wrong? She sat on the side of the bed and stared at Kyle's inert form. First he fought me, then he accepted me for a few times, now he's unresponsive. I don't understand, even though he did accept me for a while, he still refused most of my kindness. "Why would you not eat for me, Kyle–baby? Aren't humans supposed to eat?"
Kyle did not respond.
But I thought he was enjoying himself with me. I thought he liked it rough. His eyes were always glazed and dilated with pleasure and desire. She sighed and closed her yellow eyes. His eyes are so beautiful. Slowly, she crawled all the way onto the bed and licked gently along the human's cheek.
Kyle did not respond.
Moira frowned. I don't get it. Pepper ranted that they did everything I've done to him, so why is he acting this way? She looked over his body, noticing the bite wounds almost for the first time. Damn! Maybe Humans can't handle having their blood drained like ghosts! Have I drained him too much? Don't tell me I ruined a perfectly good human! A soft kiss was pressed to the almost dead flesh of the human's cheek. "I'm sorry, Kyle–baby. I didn't know I'd harm you by draining you so much. I won't do it again."
Kyle did not respond.
What is wrong with—
A loud bang resounded from the living room and Moira scrambled off the bed to go see what happened. She froze in the doorway of the bedroom at the sight of a blonde man standing not two feet away, panting and bearing his teeth in an almost permanent, silent growl. With a hand over her mouth, she backed away. The resemblance between that ghost and Beetlejuice was uncanny, and she realized that it must have been the ghoul's son, Endri. Kyle had been right when he said that Endri would come looking for him. Moira just hoped the human wasn't right about the ghost being without mercy on her.
In a split second, her eyes darted from Endri to Kyle on the bed and back to Endri. It was her fatal move. The blonde would have discovered sooner or later, but that movement only made it happen that much faster.
The ghost followed the woman's quick glance, his wild eyes alighting to Kyle in a less than flattering state. A gasp tore from his throat, and he rushed over, feeling for his friend's pulse and checking his wounds and bruises. He shook his companion a little, but, of course, received no response. A few more tries to get Kyle to acknowledge him were also lost causes. Endri whimpered and gently held the practically lifeless human against his chest, hugging tenderly and rocking softly.
Moira slowly eased her way out through the door, hoping to escape while the ghost was distracted. She remembered Kyle saying Endri had the Mania, and she certainly didn't want to contend with such a loose cannon, not to mention that he was Beetlejuice's son and more than likely stronger than hell.
Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Endri looked over at the retreating woman and growled loudly at her. At the sound, Moira spun and tried to make a break for it.
Quickly, but gently, the ghost put his blood brother back to the bed, then leapt up after the woman. Barreling out through the bedroom door and into the expansive living room, he caught her, tackling her to the floor. She screamed and swung an arm back, catching the wild blonde across the cheek with her elbow, knocking him aside. She was quite strong for a woman. But, Endri never let the blow faze him, getting right back up. He grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her back as she had been trying to crawl away until she got enough leverage to stand. Two hands fisted together and pounded into her back. The resounding crack was sickening, and Moira fell limp, screaming in pain. The ghost rolled her over and straddled her thighs, one fist raised high above his head.
Pale skin connected again and again, pounding, beating, tearing, crushing. Bones broke and tendons snapped. Hair was ripped out by the roots and flung aside like carelessly uprooted weeds. Blood seeped—no, poured—almost endlessly from huge gashes and gushed as pale, red-stained fingers dug into the opened skin and tore the hole larger.
Endri beat Moira until she could no longer scream.
He put his two bloody hands to her shredded chest where ribs and intestines spilled out among the masses of ruined flesh. Leaning close, he whispered in a growling voice into her ear, one of the only things he left intact.
"No one"
Moira's one remaining eye widened as more tears escaped.
Powering up a blast, Endri shot it through her tattered chest, destroying everything it burned through, leaving a huge, gaping hole. He stood and backed away a few feet, welling up more energy into his hands.
Just then, Beetlejuice ran in, panting and hurting. He halted all movement when he saw what was left of a woman on the floor, and bit his tongue when his son shot her with the blast he had been building, disintegrating her completely. No trace was left behind but bloodstains and burn marks on the floor.
The ghoul looked to Endri, frowning. "Did you really have to do that? Who was that? Endri!"
Emotionlessly, the ghost turned without a word and went back into the bedroom. Scowling and too shocked to do otherwise at the moment, his father followed. When he saw Kyle and the state he was in, he gasped and tried to run over and help, but Endri growled at him, putting his body between them, ready to attack and destroy even his own father if it came to it.
Beetlejuice lifted his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, Son. It's okay. I'll leave him alone." He backed away a little to prove his point.
The ghost kept a wary eye on his father, but relaxed a little and dropped down to his best friend. Gently, he trailed one bloody finger over the man's pale lips, making it look as though he was wearing deep red lipstick. He leaned down and whispered something to him that Beetlejuice couldn't hear, then leaned back up a little and licked off the same finger. With another finger, still bloody, he swiped strange shapes and designs over the man's cheeks and forehead, a few over his chest, one pattern on each thigh, and a different one on the tops of his feet. None of them held any deep meaning except for decoration. Endri was decorating Kyle in the blood of his enemy, wanting him to know that the woman was destroyed and vengeance had been attained.
With one final swipe of the fingers of his other hand, the ghost deposited four deep red lines back through the human's white hair on the right side. He whispered something else to his best friend, then wiped what was left of the blood on his hands and forearms along his clothes.
Through the whole testament of Endri's devotion and symbol of revenge for them both, Kyle simply laid and stared.
Beetlejuice could only observe the proceedings from afar. Confusion was written all over his face for his son's odd behavior, but he chose to just not dwell on it in light of the human's condition. "Looks like he's comatose. Diddid ya find him like that, Endri?"
The ghost didn't respond for a moment. He only stared down at Kyle. Slowly, though, he did nod a few times.
His father frowned. "And ya went an' destroyed the only person who could've told us what's wrong with him."
Endri lowered his head in shame and reached down, pulling the human into his arms and hugging him almost apologetically. A soft whimper escaped his lips to be lost in white hair.
"Come–on, kid. Let's get outa here and back to the Roadhouse. We can take care of 'im there."
Leaning up, the ghost gently wrapped the top blanket on the bed around Kyle's body. The limp form was lifted into protective arms and was carried out of the room and outside, the owner of those arms not even waiting for his father to follow.
Three figures occupied an upstairs bedroom in BJ's Roadhouse. The atmosphere inside and even outside the house seemed dark and somber. No one moved nor spoke, letting everything hang thickly in the air until it was almost stagnant.
Downstairs, a door slammed and footsteps clopped along the rotting floorboards of the living room. A voice called out, echoing in the hollow house.
"Beetlejuice! BJ, where are you! Are you home?" Lydia shouted.
A figure finally moved in the room, and Beetlejuice went over to the half open doorway to call downstairs, "Up here, Lyds!"
Stomps pounded up the staircase, and Lydia burst through the door. Immediately, she spotted her lover, missing for over two months, and threw herself on him, hugging and kissing. "Oh, BJ! I missed you! I was so worried!" She backed down a little and pulled out a wrinkled letter from her jacket pocket. "When I got your letter, I came right over. What's been—" Her eyes drifted behind him, seeing Kyle on the bed finally, and gasped, running over. "Oh, my—!" Endri jumped from his chair at the bedside and blocked her way, growling. Lydia recoiled, not expecting her lover's son to act so hostile toward her. Beetlejuice grabbed her arms and pulled her back away from his boy.
"It's okay, kid. She didn't know. Just calm down." He waved a hand slowly, indicating for him to calm.
The ghost growled a little more in warning but backed away and sat back down. He turned a worried stare to Kyle on the bed.
Lydia looked up to Beetlejuice. "Beej"
He shook his head. "Shhh" he hushed, hinting for her to watch.
She did so, seeing Endri sitting on the chair next to Kyle's bed. He held interlacing fingers under his chin to keep it aloft and stared for a while at his unconscious companion, still sporting strange decorations over the exposed parts of his skin, drawn in blood. The human was lying in his bed, covered up to his chest in a soft blue blanket, looking so still and pale, he could have easily been mistaken for dead.
After a moment, the ghost reached out with one hand and touched his brother's pale shoulder. When he got no response, he moved the digits up to brush some stray white and grey hair from the man's forehead, then pulled back to lock his fingers under his chin again, resuming the vigil.
Lydia looked up to Beetlejuice in question. He nodded for her to follow him, and they departed, making their way downstairs to sit on the couch together. The ghoul held his love close, missing the warm feeling of her body near his.
"What's wrong? What happened?" she asked softly.
Beetlejuice sighed. "Kyle was kidnapped."
"I know. You said in your letter," she said after swallowing with nerves.
"You should've seen Endri. He's completely flipped. He won't talk to me—hasn't since about a month ago. He—He's like an animal, babes. The way he went after that woman that kidnapped Kyleor at least I think it was a woman." He shook his head. "It wasscary."
Lydia cuddled into him. "What's wrong with Kyle?"
"I don't know. He's comatose or something. Traumatized, I guess. I have no idea what went on while he was with whoever had him, but it fucked 'im up pretty good. If he doesn't wake up soon and eat, he's prob'ly gonna die. But we can't exactly do anything 'cause Endri won't let anyone within five feet of him!" Frustration was easily heard in his voice. "The boy has good intentions, I guess. He doesn't want Kyle hurt anymore, but if he doesn't snap out of it and realize the man needs medical help, the guy's gonna die!"
She tried to shush him, knowing anger would get no one anywhere. "Have you tried telling him?"
"It's like talkin' to a brick wall, but even a brick wall would give me more of a reaction than what I've been gettin'. Damn his fuckin' Mania!" He slammed a hand to the couch arm.
Lydia sighed and just wrapped her arms around Beetlejuice's neck, hugging him tightly.
He relaxed into the embrace and hugged back. "Sorry, babes. I–I'm just"
A loud, despairing cry resounded from upstairs, and the couple looked at each other for a split second, then leapt up and dashed back upstairs to Kyle's bedroom. Endri was sitting on the bedside, lightly shaking Kyle's shoulders, a look of panic etched over his tired countenance. He leaned down to listen against the human's bare chest and bit his lip, whimpering.
Beetlejuice held Lydia to him tightly. "Oh, shit. That can't be good."
She gasped, a hand over her mouth.
"Endri's not gonna take this well." Anger flushed over his cheeks and brought his brows down. "Dammit, kid, I told you, you needed to take 'im to a hospital!"
The ghost grabbed his head, growling, before shaking it and turning his attention to Kyle again. He switched to sit facing the other way on the bed and leaned down, lifting the human's chin and pinching his nose. He opened his partner's mouth and interlocked his own over it. Inhaling through his nose, he pushed that fresh air into Kyle's mouth, filling his lungs, then drew that same air back out and out through his nose, breathing for his best friend without breaking contact. He repeated the life-giving breaths four more times, then leaned up and put both hands laced together over Kyle's heart and pressed firmly a few times. Immediately after, he went back to breathe into his mouth again.
Lydia turned slowly and hid her face into Beetlejuice's chest, not wanting to watch. There were many things she prided herself in being able to watch without fear, revulsion, or being disturbed, but that was just one thing that hurt too much to witness.
The ghoul cupped her head to him, whispering to himself, "Come–on, boyyou can do it."
Endri switched to half stand, half kneel over the side of the bed to get a better angle. He jumped Kyle's heart again, then went back to breathing for him. Between one breath, he broke contact with his mouth and leaned up just slightly, almost growling the human's name out in a desperate attempt to get him to stop kidding around and wake up. After the word left his lips, he dove back down to breathe for him again, his hands trembling where they held his friend.
Lydia felt the tears stinging and mumbled into Beetlejuice's chest, "Just stop. Please. Let him become a ghost. Don't make him suffer anymore."
The ghoul held her tight, still. "He won't listen, babes. He likes humans more than ghosts. He's gonna try to keep Kyle alive for as long as possible."
Endri pumped Kyle's heart again. He threw all he had into it, gritting his teeth and panting, his mind screaming that it wasn't possible. Kyle couldn't die—not his best friend, the only one who ever truly understood and gave a damn about him!
How many times had he saved that man's life now? It had to number in the high teens—twenties, even. Most of the time, the human didn't even realize his life was in danger, and he didn't even realize his life had been saved from that danger. There were a few times, however, when he caught a glimpse of his death and knew he had been saved by his friend. One time in particular came to mind, only three years after they had metno! Now wasn't the time to take a trip down memory lane! Kyle was lost if Endri didn't put forth every effort to save his life! If he let the human die now; let his precious flame of life extinguish; let his body become cold and empty; let him become a ghost with no heartbeat and a cool touch instead of a soothing heartbeat and warm, comforting touch; Endri would be lost! It was Kyle, the human, that consoled him and made him feel welcome, cared for, and warm. If he became a ghostit would never be the same.
It was Humans he loved! Humans!
Endri threw himself onto his best friend and crushed him in an embrace. His entire body shuddered and shook in his grief, but he forced himself to tear away and continue on. He wouldn't quit until Kyle actually showed up as a ghost and told him to stop it. His mouth found his friend's again, and he breathed into him, never moving his lips away, just sucking air in through his nose and forcing it down into Kyle's lungs, then pulling that air back through his mouth and out through his nose again.
He breathed for his friend once. Twice. Thrice.
Kyle inhaled on his own in a long, dragging breath, his entire body shaking. Excitedly, Endri held the human's hand that had reached up and trembled. He smoothed white hair back and grinned down into the pained expression that greeted him. At least it wasn't a passive, dead one.
Beetlejuice sighed in relief, and Lydia looked over finally. She was happy, of course, but a little angry as well. She knew things would never slack off for Kyle until he finally died. And was she the only one who thought the human might be angry at Endri for keeping him alive when he was in such poor condition? Was she the only one who thought of the future and not just the present? She knew Kyle would be in for a rough time ahead, and it would take a long time for his wounds, visible and not, to heal.
The human huffed and shook and squeezed his eyes. He didn't register a hand holding his or his hair being touched at first; he only whimpered and tried to even his breathing. Endri couldn't hold his grin back and rested his forehead to his friend's for a moment in relief, then leaned up and kissed there a few times.
"Uh" the man grunted, making the little noises in his distress and confusion. Finally, he opened his eyes only to see a face very close to his. "Ah!" He panicked and flinched, trying to roll over.
Endri was just confused. Why would his best friend be afraid of him? "Kyle? Kyle?" He touched the man's shoulder and shook it a little. "Kyle"
The human trembled at the ghost's touch and tried to shrink away, breathing rapid and shallow.
Not daring to go over there, Beetlejuice called, "Calm 'im down, boy! He shouldn't be freakin' out like that right now."
Endri struggled with Kyle a little until he got a hold around his thin waist and flipped him back onto his back. He pinned him lightly, cupping his face in both hands and leaning his forearms and elbows to bony shoulders to keep the human from thrashing too much. "Kyle! Look! Look!"
Kyle stopped abruptly and looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. He blinked, letting his eyes finally focus. Pale lips parted a little and cerulean eyes roamed the ghost's figure, wondering if he was really there. "Uh" was the only thing he could utter after just coming back from the dead.
Endri just nodded and smiled. "It's me. See?" He released the human's face and took up one of his hands, holding it in both of his, massaging lightly. "See?"
Staring at the clasping hands, Kyle frowned in confusion and looked back up at the ghost's face. "Mah'Dri?"
Endri nodded, grinning. "Yes. Yes, it's 'Dri." He sighed in incredible relief and leaned down to kiss all over the hand he held. "I'm so sorry, Kyle. I should have looked harder. I should have found you sooner. No, I should never have left you alone! This is all my fault!" He nuzzled his face into the human's hand apologetically.
Kyle swallowed several times, his eyes continuing to search the ghost's form, trying to really see if he was real or not. He just couldn't seem to believe he was really safely back with his best friend. Reaching a shaking free hand out, he lightly ran his fingers over the blonde locks dangling close-by. Was it really real? It felt real.
Endri looked up as a couple tears fell. A guilty smile spread over his lips, swollen from crying and trying to revive his best friend.
"Endri?"
The ghost nodded again, smiling more broadly.
Kyle suddenly became agitated and yanked on the hair he had reached out to touch. He tugged on the hand the ghost held as well, trying to get him to come closer. The blonde did so eagerly, scooting close and half reaching, half being pulled down to hug his best friend. He cradled Kyle in his arms and hugged and caressed his hair and rocked him as the human sobbed loudly onto his shoulder.
Beetlejuice and Lydia looked at each other almost sadly, then turned and left out of respect.
Japanese / pronunciation / English Translation:
onegai / oh-neh-guy / Please.
Next...lost faith...