*emerges from a dark pile of scattered papers* H-hey guys... so, yeah, I'm not dead. *confetti* xD Truth be told I don't even remember where this story was going. I know how it ends, sorta, but I don't remember what I wanted to happen in between. So we'll see how this goes. This chapter started out as something that I planned on making nothing of, more of a filler with just a bunch more dead ends to the mystery, but I got rather carried away, and I guess the plot's progressed. Maybe a bit more than it should. :P But I hope it's enjoyable none the less. Sorry for leaving you guys for so long. (Has it been over a year? Sheesh Kat.)
Chapter 9.
Hiccup and Tom had their faces pressed against the glass for most of the trip, watching as the scenery wizzed by at sixty-five miles an hour. Hiccup would suddenly call out something, or point something out, wondering what it was, while giving Astrid some brief directions between.
"What is that-!?" Hiccup gasped, pointing out a tractor. "What is it doing?"
"That is a John Deere model." Fishlegs stated. "And I believe it's disking. Most likely winter weat, at this time of year."
"What happened to the horses?" Tom inquired.
"Oh, they're still around, but they aren't used for farm work anymore. At least, not in this part of the country."
Hiccup's nose was pressed so close to the window that his glasses were riding up into his hairline. He backed away momentarily to fix them and to give Toothless a comforting pat.
They came to a stop sign, where Astrid asked, "Which way, Hiccup?"
He leaned closer, his lips pressed into a thin line, clearly puzzled. "These roads weren't here the last time I traveled... Ahm..." He suddenly pointed. "Straight, there's the sign. Nest Ave."
So they puled away down a wooded road, thick with timber and bushy undergrowth. The road was badly paved for most of the journey, until it sputtered out into a gravel drive. There were weeds growing on both sides of the road- and even on it at some spots. A few signs suggested it was mainly used for hiking.
Finally, a bridge came into view. The further they drove on the road, the quieter Hiccup became. By the time Astrid pulled onto the side of the road and parked the car, Hiccup had fallen into silence, his sunglasses sliding down his nose.
Taylor cleared her throat. "So, what's the plan?"
Astrid pocketed her keys. Screwing up her eyebrows, she wondered. "I... I guess I don't know." She twisted in her seat, looking towards Hiccup. "Do you know where it happened?"
He didn't say anything, merely grabbed the door handle and shoved it open, stumbling into the outside world. The air was made even crisper from the soft rush of the creek, and just the slight gust of it from one open door sent a shiver down Astrid's spine.
Or maybe it wasn't the creek at all. Maybe it was something else.
She and the others were quick to follow Hiccup as he began stumbling down the bridge shore. When he reached the water's edge, he paced a few steps before pointing at a large, rotting tree, fallen across the water. It was massive. Just from eyeballing it, Astrid guessed it had a sixteen foot circumfrance.
"That's it." Hiccup said, quietly. Tom stepped up beside him, and rested a hand on his shoulder. Hiccup coughed, then moved forward. Toothless followed, his tail pinned against his legs and his ears flattened back on his skull. It was obvious both ghosts could sense something the others could not.
When they reached the tree, Hiccup seemingly stumbled over nothing before flickering. Tom grabbed Hiccup's shirt, asking if he was alright.
Taylor and Fishlegs trailed behind, chatting amiably, oblivious to what had happened. Toothless was beginning to go haywire, fading from being a real, wholly there dog to being nothing but a ghostly duplicate of himself. All the while, he whined as if he was in pain, crouching low on the ground.
Hiccup leaned against Tom, mumbling something Astrid couldn't make out. She refrained from grabbing him herself, worried her touch might do something to mess him up even more.
"Do you want to keep going?" Astrid asked, concern hinting at her voice. They did not look well at all.
"Yeah." Hiccup breathed, his chest heaving. He straightened, pushing away from Tom. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Sorry." He tried to take another step, but fell to his knees with a cry. His arms wrapped around his chest as he flickered.
"That's it." Astrid rushed forward and grabbed Hiccup's arm, while Tom grabbed the other. "You and Toothless need to get back to the car-"
Hiccup's hand flew out and gripped her shirt, his back heaving. When she tried to pull him back, he wouldn't budge. A whine built in the back of his throat, and she could see his eyes were screwed shut. His sunglasses must've fallen off at some point, for they lay half buried in leaves on the ground.
She hunched over, just as Fishlegs and Taylor arrived, both inquiring what had happened. "Something's not right." She said shakily. When she rested her hand gently on his back, she realized with a chill that he felt... light. If that made any sense. He felt like sand. If she pressed to hard, he began to faze, and her hand would go through him.
This had never happened before.
"Oh my gosh." Taylor whispered, horrified.
Toothless howled and writhed on the ground, whining and barking in panick. There was nothing anyone could do, for even if they were actually... solid, they still couldn't make either budge.
The fit stopped just as sudden as it had begun. Hiccup collapsed on the ground in a heap, his back rising and falling with laboured breathes. Toothless cowered away, shaking.
As quickly as they possibly could, the four dragged Hiccup as far away from the log as possible. When they reached the bridge, Fishlegs and Tom managed to get Hiccup to stand up between them, each with one of his arms slung over their shoulders. Hiccup's head fell against Tom's shoulder. His slitted eyes glowed brighter than Astrid had ever seen them glow before.
They trecked up the hill, where they helped Hiccup into the car. Astrid bent down to carry poor Toothless in her arms, lifting him into the vehicle at Hiccup's feet.
"We're going home." She said firmly, her voice still carrying a hint of panic. Hiccup did not look well. He was slouched in the soft seats, his head lolling unbidden onto Taylor's shoulder. He blinked, and she knew he wasn't fully... "there", for lack of words. Could ghosts fall unconcious?
She slid into the drivers seat and revved the engine. She peeled away from the side of the road and passed over the bridge, where she was able to make a three point turn. The car was uncomfortably silent. The only sound was Hiccup's wheezy breathing and Toothless' panting.
After five minutes of quiet, Tom finally spoke. "Excuse my language, but what the heck was that?"
No one answered.
...
By the time they reached the mansion, Hiccup was barely visible. And as soon as the door opened and Fishlegs and Taylor stepped outside, he was gone entirely. Astrid hurried out of the car, looking about anxiously.
She looked at Tom. "Is he going to be okay?"
He didn't answer her, just headed up the steps of the porch to the door. When he tried to open it, the door was locked and refused to budge. In his frustration, he kicked at the door, before stumbling back to sit on the steps. He buried his head in his hands.
Astrid ticked through her keys several times before finding the correct one (she should really label them one of these days), and deposited them on the entry table upon entering. She left Taylor to comfort Tom, and Fishlegs to do Thor knows what, for she knew exactly where Hiccup would be hiding.
She crossed the ball room in long strides, before practically flying up the steps. She breezed through the halls until she was standing in front of Hiccup's bedroom door. She didn't even bother to knock before opening it.
Much to her relief, it was unlocked.
She took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dark room, trying not to be afraid. The room held an unnatural chill, but she tried not to let it get the best of her. Yet, a nagging voice in the back of her head kept bringing an unwelcome thought to mind. What if whatever had happened, had changed Hiccup?
What if the horror movies weren't so wrong after all...
She shrugged her shoulders and shoved the fear aside. Since when did she believe in ghosts? She smiled wryly at the irony.
She heard a loud sniff, and instantly relaxed. Yet, her heart constricted. Someone was crying.
Hiccup wasn't on the bed, nor on the chair or at the desk. She took a few timid steps further, mustering enough courage to say his name. "Hiccup?"
There was a shuffle, then silence. She could tell that if he was still there, she couldn't see him. "Hiccup I'm sorry. I should never have brought you there. It was a stupid, stupid idea..." She paused, and set her hand on the bedpost. She listened, but heard nothing. "You didn't want to go and yet I pressured you to. This is all my fault."
A breeze tickled the back of her neck, and Hiccup's quiet voice responded. "No, it isn't, Ms. Astrid."
She slowly turned around to face him, her brow furrowed. She felt guilty for his pain. After all he'd suffered, he didn't need anything worse to happen to him. Especially because of her.
He didn't look up, merely stood there, arms crossed, eyes trained on the ground. His foot wiggled back and forth awkardly.
The only words she could think to say were, "I'm sorry." which he only shook his head to.
"Please don't be." He looked up then, his long hair hanging over glowing eyes. He tilted his head and offered a smile. "You were right. Something happened..." His eyes sparkled, and his smile disappeared. "I-I... I don't know if I can tell you now..."
"Does it answer any questions?" Astrid interrupted, her heart beating fast. Maybe the curse could be broken. Had Hiccup seen something..?
HIccup winced. "Yes, in some ways. But it seems impossible. I might be gone before we figure it out." The last sentance was a mutter under his breathe, obviously only half meant to be heard. But Astrid picked it up regardless.
"What?"
He flickered. "Nothing, Ms. Astrid."
"Astrid, just Astrid."
"Astrid." He sighed. "I-I can't... please, just a little time. Then I'll tell you, just-."
And with that, he was gone.
...
It wasn't until hours later that Hiccup finally showed up. It was long past supper time, and Fishlegs had regretfully returned home, telling them to call him if anything turned up. They promised to do so, and hunkered down in front of a movie to wait.
Tom was unusually silent.
Well, to be entirely honest, they were all quiet. It was hard to pretend things were normal when they so clearly weren't.
It was nearing eleven o'clock- Taylor was dozing on her end of the couch and Tom had a pillow over his eyes- when Toothless casually wandered into the room. Astrid watched the dog jump onto one of the over-stuffed chairs, walk in a circle three times, then curl into a ball. Of course, he didn't sleep, just stared off at the wall, probably wishing he could.
Astrid waited, because she knew Toothless rarely went anywhere without Hiccup. And she knew he definitely wouldn't leave him when Hiccup was so clearly in some kind of emotional turmoil. She turned off her movie and stayed silent a few more moments, before speaking. "Hiccup, I know you're there." She tried to keep her voice soft.
A figure slowly formed on the floor, siting cross legged with his arms sprawled in his lap, holding a book. He didn't look up, just fiddled with the worn edges of the book's leather. "Hey." He said quietly.
Tom was up in an instant, the pillow launching onto the coffee table. He scrambled to Hiccup, whom he grabbed roughly by the shoulders. Hiccup closed his eyes and flinched, as if the touch had hurt him.
"Where have you been!?" Tom said, a little louder than Astrid had expected. Taylor jolted awake, mumbling a few confused questions. Tom ignored her, and instead gave Hiccup a harsh shake. "Do you know how worried I've been? What the heck happened?"
Hiccup lifted a hand to push at Tom's chest. "I-I'm gonna tell you." He whispered. Astrid contemplated telling Tom to back off, because Hiccup was shaking like a leaf. And with each harsh shake he flickered between the nether world and reality.
But Tom seemed to notice this at the same moment she did, for he retracted his hands as if he'd been burned, and held them against his stomach. Astrid could just barely make out his expression. His face was etched in confusion and fear.
"What's happening..?" Tom asked, his voice quiet but high pitched. He sounded close to tears.
Hiccup gave a weak gesture. "I saw it happen. I-I saw it all happen again. The fight. The storm. Dear God..." The last part was an uttered prayer, and his eyes glowed so fiercly. He looked away. She wondered what horrors he'd seen to make him... well, to change him from the quiet guy (ghost) she'd known to this... this quivering broken man who looked far too close to having a nervous breakdown.
"Red Death's, that's what they are Tom. These things that plague me they're- demons from... down there, if you will. Drago's parting words sent them-" Hiccup was talking so fast, Astrid could hardly make out what he was saying.
"Hold up hold up- what demons?"
The two boys looked up at them, as if they were just now remembering they were there. Tom backed away and sat at Hiccup's side, his hands twisted together in his lap. Hiccup looked down, inhaling deeply. "I haven't been entirely truthful to you ladies." He said, tiredly. Astrid leaned forward, letting one of her feet touch the carpet. She hugged a pillow to her chest, waiting for him to continue.
She only vaguely realized she was holding her breath.
"There's these... things- I can't quite describe them. Creatures? Devils? I don't know, but they taunt me and get in my head. They follow me as loyally as Toothless. Before you came, it was getting so bad I could barely stand it. If I disappeared, it was bearable. But if I even tried to come to enough to talk to Tom..." He clenched his fists. "It felt as if I was dying all over again. They'd attack me like a pack of wolves."
"When you came, your presence frightened them. I guess they're not so fond of human flesh, still one with the human soul." He said. "That's... that's why I couldn't stay away from you. Trust me, if I'd been able to hide, I would've. I would've left and hid in the trees as long as you stayed, so you never would've been bothered by... all of... this." He gestured to himself, before slouching once more. He wiped the back of his hand across his nose. "But sometimes, if I was close enough, the demons would be gone entirely. It was the most freedom I'd felt in decades. I couldn't bring myself to give it up and return to their clutches."
"Oh, Hiccup..." Astrid whispered, unconsciously raising a hand to her mouth. She gnawed at her nails, her gut knotted in a twist of emotions.
"I'm sorry." He said for the utmost time that day. "It was Drago, after all. His final words were that he wanted the Haddock family to suffer for the years to come. 'By satan's tongue, curse you!'." Hiccup blinked. "Then, he was whisked away. Dead. And I was-"
"You saw it? You saw it again?" Taylor asked, her voice sounding small. She clutched her blanket to her chest.
"Yes." Hiccup's voice was filled with turmoil. "Yes I did."
"Did you see... see anything that could break the curse? Anything at all?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup stood and began pacing. He'd changed clothing since she'd last seem him, wearing felt pants and what looked to be a white cotton shirt, with soft deer hide suspenders. He looked civilized, even if the clothing made him look like a character from a World War I film.
"I... I don't know. I-" He tugged on his hair in clear frustration. "I don't think so-"
"Hey, it's okay." Tom intervened, following his brother. He grabbed Hiccup's arm, stopping him from moving any further. "It's late, and you're still shaken by everything." He emphasized 'everything', and Hiccup nodded.
"Y-yeah, I suppose I am. I'm sorry, everyone. I wish I could be more help-"
"You have been, Hiccup." Astrid interrupted. She got to her feet and went to stand beside him, copying Tom by patting his shoulder. "Don't lose hope, we'll figure out what's going on. But tomorrow. After we who sleep get some rest."
If a ghost could flush, Hiccup would've been doing it. Instead, he shifted from one foot to the other. "Of course, I'm sorry. It's so easy for me to lose track of time."
Taylor was already standing, stretching and yawning to make Astrid's point clear. "No bother! You rest some yourself, Hiccup." She smiled brightly. "We'll get it all worked out, I promise."
"As do I." Astrid parroted.
Taylor said her goodnights and left, offering to unlock to the Ballroom door for Tom. He gave Hiccup's arm one last squeeze before following the girl out into the Hall. Astrid watched them through the wide doors, realizing how comfortable she was with the two boys. No longer did she worry about Tom and Taylor being alone, or about Hiccup fazing through walls.
They'd grown close, and somehow, she hadn't realized it until then.
She looked back at Hiccup- a pained young man trapped in a world he didn't belong. That longing returned, and she did so wish she could just... just do something to make all of this feel a little bit better.
She didn't give it a second thought. She pulled Hiccup into a hug, feeling it was appropriate. What a crappy day he'd had. And sometimes, a crappy day just means you need a hug. She doubted Hiccup's situation quite marked up to what she usually thought demanded a hug (aka, a bad day at work), but it was the best thing she could offer.
Hiccup was stiff and sandy feeling, like if she squeezed to hard she'd squeeze right through him. But he began to solidify again, feeling whole, and nearly human. After a few long seconds, he even hugged her back, albeit with shaky arms.
She said quietly, "Go for a walk. Go... go haunt somebody, for Thor's sake. Go do something wild. Just do something you want to do for once."
He leaned his head against her shoulder and gave a harsh laugh. "Bless you, Astrid." He mumbled. "Maybe I'll just go to bed and pretend like I can sleep."
She frowned, that terrible feeling of guilt returning. It made her sad, to see someone so close to being human, and yet not fully so, try his very best to act like one. "Alright." She whispered, hugging him just a little bit tighter.
It's eleven o'clock at night, I can barely see the screen, and I'm very hesitant about posting this. I feel like I've really distanced myself from my writing. Was this any good at all? Do you guys want me to continue? Let me know, because I'm honestly unsure.
And, the editing on this chapter is probably so sloppy. I'm currently writing on a document that doesn't have auto correct (drat this new computer) so I'm sure there's a lot of errors that I didn't pick up on in my brief reading. I apologize for any mistakes. :)
Until next time. Toodles! *tips hat*