It had started with a giggle, really. Arthur wasn't sure why, but he couldn't tune out the noise no matter how hard he tried. Most likely because it was just so close to him.
Noise in the library stuck out like a sore thumb and it irked Arthur when even a pen dropped in the vicinity. And don't even get him started on the students that somehow got the wrong idea that the library was some sort of new gossip hang-out. On good days, Arthur could relax himself with the sounds of pages turning inside books that were older than the school itself.
The library was a quiet sanctuary that Arthur enjoyed spending his free time at during the weekends alone. That was, until Arthur's ears would always strain to listen in on a non-existent conversation nearby that always seemed to be behind him and a large bookcase that hadn't been properly dusted in ages.
The only problem was that there wasn't any conversation at all, only poor attempts at covered giggles.
His first immediate thought on the day it started was that Francis was the source, a French student Arthur often disputed with whenever they crossed paths. Luckily for him, the Frenchman never bothered showing up at he library when he knew Arthur would be there, so that thought had vanished.
Arthur's other guesses involved Francis' tag-alongs that often ate with him during lunch breaks. Neither of them went into the library in the first place.
Of course, Arthur never got up to investigate the problem, he simply stayed where he was until he was ready to leave and only hoped that the laughter would cease the next weekend.
It was always there when he sat down at his usual table. He would stare at the entrance of the library when he would arrive, but almost nobody came in and the laughter would start only after he got there. He was one of the earliest to go to the library and one of the last to leave when it closed for the night.
Tonight he was at the library again to study, having spent the night before in his dorm room alone doing essays. It just so happened that he pulled an all-nighter yesterday and he planned to do the same again. The laughing was still there, he grew used to it after a few weeks of dealing with it. He couldn't ignore it, but it became normal background noise and it no longer bothered him like it used to. It was late anyway, he could stand hearing it for the remainder of his time there.
However, it was an hour before closing when Arthur began to space out, the letters in the book blurring slightly before he jolted himself awake once more. The will to finish his studying only lasted for another minute until he dropped his pencil on the table and rested his head between the book pages.
"Five minutes and that's it," Arthur mumbled to himself, and he knew that it was a lie. In his last waking second, he vaguely noticed that the laughing at stopped and there was a faint chill that passed through him before his eyes shut.
His dream was set in the library, the Brit looking around the dark aisles at night in search of a book. The library was empty, the only company being the moon light that gleamed through the thin curtains that were draped over large, arched windows. As he looked, he came out from between the book shelves and stood in the center of the library. He stared near the entrance and he noticed a figure asleep at one of the tables.
The mess of blond hair and clean uniform were enough for Arthur to identify him.
Beside his sleeping self, another boy was standing over him. His uniform was different, but Arthur recognized it as the school's band uniform, only with minor differences. It was an older style, something that he had seen in pictures that were framed inside of the headmaster's office.
The boy looked unfamiliar, his hand buried in Arthur's hair, his fingers raking gently across his locks in a gentle way. His face was inches away from his sleeping self's ear, his glasses gleaming from the light that came through the windows. His lips were moving, but his voice was mute and it looked as though he were whispering something to his sleeping body.
In an instant, the boy's hand gripped his hair and yanked his head back, his other body's neck arching back until he heard a sickening snap and his head hung loosely in his grasp.
Arthur's other body was still, his eyes opened wide as it stared back at him when the band student leaned closer to his ear. A smile split his face and this time Arthur could hear him loud and clear.
He was giggling at him, the same sound that Arthur had heard every time he sat alone in the library. His own body shivered and the room grew colder, he watched as the boy's hand pulled again at his limp head, pulling and pulling until Arthur heard a tearing sound.
His eyes shot open as he screamed, his body shooting up from his chair and his feet tripped over the stack of books on the floor. A hand held onto his shoulders and kept him from falling, Arthur's vision coming into focus on the familiar face.
"You fell asleep at the table," Francis explained a bit hastily, feeling Arthur's body tremble in sweat, "you were having a nightmare and I was told to get you. The library is closing in a few minutes." He saw the fear that was swimming in his eyes and his lips were trembling with adrenaline.
Francis was heading back to his dorm room when a few students approached him, they said that Arthur was making a ruckus, crying out and moaning in the library. He wanted to take the opportunity to embarrass Arthur when he got there, tease him about falling asleep so carelessly and making a scene. It was no laughing matter when he got there, Arthur sounded terrified and it was obvious that he was scared out of his whits.
He got Arthur to his feet again and helped him clean up, the Frenchman's gaze never leaving from the Brit as he picked up the books.
Arthur was shaking still, but he seemed more focused on the bookshelf behind them. After they left, Francis took Arthur to his dorm room and left to retire in his own. The Brit didn't complain once about his help, and that truly frightened him.
Author's Note: Hey guys, thank you for sticking with me and reading the fanfics that I have written so far, you guys rock! This has actually been my first horror story that I've written so please judge, review, critic, anything and everything that you can offer! I suck at writing these sorts of things, so tell me what you think!
As for my other stories, I apologize for being so late, you guys are probably patiently waiting for an update. Captive is actually one that I'm unsure about, I've been dwelling on what to write next and nothing is really coming to mind. If you have any ideas, please tell me them! Caring Isn't Hard is iffy and I haven't even considered what to write next, honestly. Walk in the Park is what I'm currently working on now and the update will be soon, I promise. I was planning to update last Friday, but I've run a little late. The next chapter is in progress and I posted this ... story as something to bide me time to do so.
Have a wonderful day, thanks again for reading, I appreciate it very very much, and hopefully you'll stick with me until the end!