A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF YU GI OH 5DS OR THE VANISHING OF ETHAN CARTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO KONAMI AND THE ASTRONAUTS!
Chapter 11: Dam Suicide
They walked for a good five minutes before they found the room. They walked to it and it did appear that the water was boiling. Paul touched the water and found it warm, but not hot.
"It's okay, it's definitely just a chemical reaction," he assured them.
They all nodded and slowly walked into the water. They walked through it for a couple minutes before they came up on the other side. They climbed out of the water and into another tunnel.
They went up several flights of stairs before they saw an exit leading outside. They reached the exit which had a board blocking the way a bit making them crawl under it. Once they were out, they found themselves in fresh air and at the bottom of the dam.
There was a building to control the water flow of the dam and another house not too far from them. They walked into the house to check out the area when they noticed something odd just as they walked in. The fire axe holder had its axe missing.
"A wall-mounted case with an axe discoloration, but no axe?" Paul questioned.
"Maybe it's upstairs," Luna suggested.
"That would make the most sense," Paul agreed. "Let's go." They nodded and went up the stairs.
There was only one room and the door was destroyed and down. Akiza commented, "Was the door destroyed or something?"
"Yes," Paul answered. "There's signs of excessive force. From desperation or rage? And was it broken from the inside or outside?"
They walked around the corner only to see Dale's body on the ground, dead. His body was in the corner. The axe was by him as well with a dumped out pen holder.
"What happened here?" Leo asked.
"It looks like he was cornered. His throat is punctured as well. But there are no other wounds, no signs of struggle, no footprints in the blood," Paul explained. He looked at the pen holder. "This is overturned with the accessories scattered, which would suggest something was taken in a rush. Pen or pencil? Or maybe scissors or a letter opener? Or maybe the ruler? But only two of those things could create a puncture wound to the throat like he has."
"Scissors or a letter opener," Jack stated.
"Exactly," Paul stated. "With that said, where are the scissors?" He looked around, seeming to focus as he looked outside. He noticed a small tower in the distance, but on the same ground level as them. "It might be over there."
"Then let's go check it out," Crow suggested. "We can put the axe back in its spot on the way out." Paul nodded and they walked out, putting the axe back along the way as said.
They followed Paul to the tower and found a cable drum on its side with scissors on its top.
"And now we go back," Akiza stated and they all grinned.
They hurried back to the room and placed the scissors back in their spot. Paul then sensed out and their were surrounded by the strange world of events they were usually put in. They looked outside as some of the lights raced far out there while two stayed in the room they were in.
The one in the corner showed Dale standing there with scissors at ready. Travis was there as well, looking at his father threateningly with the axe in hand.
They then went to the one at the door. It showed the door still intact with Dale seemed to be closing it hurriedly. Travis was at the top of the stairs with the axe, seeming ready to kill Dale.
They went outside and to the one that sat just outside the home. Dale was on the ground, leaning his back up on his elbows and holding his head. Travis stood in front of him with the axe on his shoulder.
They then went to the one just beyond that. Travis held the axe with Dale seeming to be backing up in fear. His hands were out, like he was trying to calm Travis in his desperation.
After that, they found the last one at the mine exit. That one showed Dale hiding behind the wall with the axe at ready. Travis was walking out from the mines. After that final one revealed itself, the question marks appeared saying it was time to put the events in order.
"These events seem pretty straight forward," Jack stated.
Paul nodded. Starting with the one they were at as one, they went back to each even in the order they found them, one by one, and marked them each from the starting as one to the one with Dale in the corner of the house as the final.
After that, Paul said, "Considering these events are so far apart, I'm going to use some of my internal energy to have us move as the events go along."
"Are you sure?" Luna asked.
"It's the only way we're going to see each event clearly," Paul responded. "So be ready." He then focused and they flashed over to the first event.
As Travis came out of the mines, Dale went to hit Travis with the axe. However, he missed. Travis pushed Dale to the ground and grabbed the axe, seeming beyond infuriated.
"Where's my mother?" Travis asked. "Why are you standing in the sleeper's way?"
"She had an accident. Travis, put down the axe," Dale replied.
They then flashed over to the second event where Travis asked, "An accident?"
"I didn't want her to get hurt. We're all so… so sick… you know? Since Yusei found that room," Dale tried to reason.
Then onto the third event Travis asked, "Where's Yusei? Goddammit. Talk to me!"
"Okay, okay! He wants to burn the Vandergriff's room," Dale answered. "Look, Travis, just- just leave me alone!" He bolted towards the house and Travis gave an annoyed or bored gesture with his head before following.
They then went to the scene at the door upstairs. Dale had just locked the door, muttering, "Oh god. Oh god."
Travis called, "The sleeper chooses vessels, you know that? To enact his wishes. He chose Mom. He chose me."
It then switched over to the corner, and they didn't need to teleport for that. Dale held the scissors in defense, saying, "Son, I don't want to hurt you!"
"You think scissors are going to save you?" Travis mocked.
"Yes," Dale answered before stabbing his throat. He fell to the ground while Travis dropped the axe and crossed his arms.
The son stated, "It didn't have to be this way. You could have helped the sleeper. Helped us. But Mom's right. You're a coward. And you'll be meeting Yusei again soon." He gave a one laugh chuckle before all the lights came back and entered Dale's corpse. The final light came out and they looked to see it going towards the dam.
"Let's go," Paul suggested and they ran out. They found the dam maintenance building was unlocked and the door was wide open. They entered it and saw a light in between two mechanisms for the water.
Travis was walking behind the young Yusei as the elder brother said, "You disturbed it. Not me."
"Travis, we can get rid of it! I know exactly what we're up against! Don't listen to what's in your head!" Young Yusei tried to reason. The scene then disappeared and the world returned to normal.
"So this… sleeper was feeding on them. Their hate. Their distrust," Paul began to think aloud. "Yusei's adoptive father figured suicide wouldn't feed it. But it did. I can feel it sitting somewhere out there, fat as a bullfrog, digesting."
"So where do we go next?" Leo asked.
"The Vandergriff house," Paul answered.
"Where is that?" Luna asked.
"Across the river, northeast," Paul answered.
They walked through the other side of the maintenance building. They then went up and over a couple stone walls, with significant gaps between each other. However, when they reached a certain section, they found the water moving too fast to safely cross.
"What now?" Leo asked.
"Those pump machines…" Paul thought.
"Can we make it so the water flow is more gentle and slow?" Akiza asked.
Paul nodded. "Yes, but it also seems we need to find a way across this river and past that forest across from us so we can get to the correct path."
"I guess that makes sense," Jack agreed.
"What about those stone walls that the water seems to be covering?" Crow suggested. "If we slow down the water flow, we should be able to cross there, right?"
Paul nodded and they headed back. He turned the valve that control the water flow. The machines began to work and they walked outside at the door on the side of the river with the mine exit.
They looked at the flow of water and saw it was much faster than before. "It seems the slowest it can go is the way it was before," Paul realized. "But that should be slow enough to cross." The others waited where they were while the detective went back to the machines and turned them off, slowing the flow again.
When he came back, they walked closer towards the house before they found the right stone wall that went across the river to the place they needed to go. They slowly and carefully walked across it. It didn't take too long before they were all across the river.
"Lead the way, detective," Akiza told him. Paul nodded and they walked down the river, on an old path that seemed to have been long unused.