A/N: Hey guys! So I woke up from a really weird dream one night back in early 2017, and after lying in bed for about fifteen, twenty minutes thinking about where it could've gone, this thing was born. I ain't a horror fan, but I figured, 'Hell, why not? I'll only fail if I don't try.' So, yeah…this's my first attempt at writing horror. Hope ya like it! ;) \m/
Disclaimer: Me no own ASOUE. And the title of this fic is actually the name of a Metallica song, so just to be extra safe, they own the title.
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WARNING! RATED M FOR:
- BLOOD & GORE
- VIOLENCE
- LANGUAGE
- DISTURBING & BRIEF SEXUAL CONTENT
Creeping Death
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Chapter 1
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Him…
Her…
Together…
She couldn't believe it. Their name was sure to be disgraced.
Growling irritably, Violet leaned back in her seat and scowled at the ceiling. "Are we there yet?" she asked tiredly. What she wouldn't do to be flying the plane rather than riding coach next to that thing…whatever she was…
"Almost," Quigley assured her with a faint smile. "The pilot said it'd be another fifteen minutes or so."
"That's what they said fifteen minutes ago," Violet whined. "I can't do this anymore."
"Sure you can, Violet," Quigley said. "You can do anything," he added quietly, a blush creeping into his cheeks.
Violet cocked an incredulous eyebrow at him.
Quigley tipped his head toward her, his smile now obvious and sly. She'd fall under his spell sooner or later. This wasn't his first rodeo with her pessimism.
"Thanks," Violet said finally, blushing. She knew better than to give him that look. For years she couldn't understand why he put up with her. How he could be so patient with her stubbornness? She'd never know. But she was thankful for such an outstanding cheerleader.
Quigley wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. With her head now resting on his right shoulder, he couldn't help but wonder what he'd do without her. She was his Lavender Lighthouse on a dark, stormy Lake Lachrymose, and it was because of her that he hadn't shipwrecked already.
If that light went out, he couldn't imagine what he'd do…
Duncan glared at the floor, his blood boiling with jealousy. Unbeknownst to them, he'd been eavesdropping on them for awhile now, wondering why she'd picked him. Whatever happened to the good ol' days where he and her would bond over stuff during Vice Principal Nero's awful violin recitals at Prufrock Prep? Where did those sparks go? Even since the six of them reunited, she had puppy-dog eyes for his younger brother. And now, years later, her finger was being hugged by a gold band topped-off with a big Quagmire sapphire. But it wasn't put there by him. No. It was slid onto her finger by that idiot. He couldn't believe it. Quigley had beat him to the punch.
And if that reason alone wasn't enough to make the whole world pay…
Duncan stood up and looked over the seats at the ugly truth. If only he could get them to stop cuddling… Anything would do right about now… "Are we there yet?" he complained. "I'm so bored."
To his delight, Violet and Quigley stopped and looked around at him.
"You're telling me," Violet agreed, sounding equally as bored.
"Yeah…" Quigley nodded in agreement. "Hey, did you finish your Daily Punctilio article?"
"Almost," Duncan said, forcing himself to play nice with his brother. "I should be done with it after I get back from Maidenly Manor. …Why are we going again?"
"Tadrey called a meeting," Violet said. "A night to share our research with some other volunteers over dinner."
"Oh," Duncan nodded in acknowledgement. "How's Edison coming? Is he done yet?"
Violet chuckled. "No, not yet," she shook her head. "He's almost done, though. He should be finished by dinner. I want to test him out on the others."
"Gotcha. Just…curious." Duncan flopped back down in his seat. He looked to his left, surprised someone was sitting next to him this whole time. "You okay, Isadora?" he asked softly. "You're awful quiet."
"Hm?" Isadora said, finally peeling her eyes off the window to look at him.
Duncan flinched. Never had he seen his sister's eyes so red before…well, not since the fire. But that was years ago. "Oh my God, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Isadora replied, shaking her head. "I was up all night last night. Couldn't sleep."
"Oh…" Duncan said, mulling over her explanation.
Suddenly, laughs filled the plane and Quigley leaned forward to look at the couple sitting across from him and Violet, who cringed at who the laughs belonged to. "Hey!" he called. "What's so funny?"
Klaus and Fiona looked at him, grins still on their faces. "Nothing," Fiona explained. "Just an inside joke, Duncan."
Quigley flinched. "Duncan? I'm Quigley. You got me confused with the goof back there," he said, jerking his thumb back at his brother.
"Hey, don't you dare confuse me with him!" Duncan barked, offended. …Although, if it meant being married to Violet, he wouldn't object…
"Sorry," Fiona apologized, shrugging. "I can never tell you two apart."
"'Duncan' and 'dimwit' both begin with D," Quigley explained with faux eloquence, trying to emulate the poetess directly behind him. "And he be the fool behind me."
Violet, Klaus, and Fiona laughed at his improvised couplet. Duncan, however, rolled his eyes. "Very funny," he growled sarcastically.
"I know," Quigley said with a humorous crooked smile. "That's because it's true." Violet facepalmed herself, shaking her head with a chuckle.
That did it. He was tired of acting. Without hesitation, he threw caution to the wind and the truth came barrelling out. "It's not true!" Duncan snapped, jumping to his feet.
Quigley flinched at his reaction. "It was…just a joke, Duncan," he replied quietly. "I didn't mean it cruelly."
"I don't care!" Duncan barked, eyes narrowed dangerously. "It's not true!"
"O…Okay," Quigley managed to say, the awkwardness of the situation weighing down on him. Praying some of the heat would go away, he turned back around and looked out the window.
Duncan, thrilled that Quigley backed down, met Violet's gaze, embarrassed. He didn't mean to make a scene in front of her–––he just wanted to be angry. Angry that she picked that idiot instead of him. And with as much as he wanted to yell at her for her decision, he refrained from doing so. Her choice was her choice, and he'd just have to get over it and move on…
Violet offered him a sad, guarded smile, unsure of how to proceed. She wanted to defend Quigley's honor, but she didn't want to set Duncan off further and draw the whole plane's attention to them by default, either. A bittersweet mix of emotions stirred around in her stomach, past memories and present memories colliding with each other, fighting to get the upper hand. Unable to pick a side, she turned back around and looked at the floor, making sure to cast a disapproving scowl at Fiona before she did.
Guilt sinking in at her reaction to his outburst, Duncan sat back down and looked out the window with Isadora. This was the longest fifteen minutes ever…
"Alright, volunteers," the loudspeakers above them crackled. "Please fasten your seat belts. We're touching down on Ebullient Isle in five."
Relieved chatter filled the plane, the volunteers' tolerance wearing thin after a two hour flight. "Do I have to?" Quigley whined jokingly to Violet. "What if I don't wanna make it off this plane alive?"
I can arrange that, Duncan thought.