Hunter smiled and took Waylon's offered hand, stepping out of the car under the umbrella Waylon held for him. "Is this the place?"

"The very one. My aunt, may she rest in peace, always did keep the place up nice." Waylon looked at the lanterns in the windows. "By the look of thigs, I may have kin here yet."

Hunter turned a withering glance on the other car. "And what will your kin think of a car full of borderline vagabonds turning up unannounced on your doorstep?"

Waylon threw back his head and laughed. "Darling, nobody ever has called the Mercy family inhospitable. Well, I suppose my aunt wasn't strictly speaking a Mercy, nor are her people, but you know what I mean. They will be welcomed like lost cousins." He gave a merry wave to the car full of wrestlers and strolled up to the porch. Pressing close under the umbrella, Hunter followed him.

Fatu felt Scott's arms tighten around him as Mercy and Hunter approached the house. He reached up and gripped Scott's hand, hard. "Shit."

Mercy first knocked at the door, then, when nothing happened, he just opened it, as though he expected it to be unlocked all along. Hunter stepped in and Mercy followed, pausing to beckon to them with a welcoming smile.

"What the hell do we do now?" muttered Scott.

Leif looked at them, puzzled. "Not go in the creepy murder house? Sleep in the car like normal wrestlers?"

Scott barked laughter. "Leif, you think you're joking about the creepy murder house, but Waylon Mercy is a dangerous guy. I don't like this. This is a very fucking weird scenario."

Fatu twisted back to face him. "I don't like it either. Who the hell is keeping a million lanterns burning? And why? In case some fucking murderer wants to drop by and let himself in?"

Abruptly, Shawn unbuckled his seatbelt. "Look, I can see where you guys are going with this," he said, looking at Fatu and Scott. "If we're going to go all buddy system on Hunter and keep him out of trouble, I'm in. I hate sleeping in the fucking car, it kills my back and it's not any less creepy out here than it is in there."

Fatu didn't like the idea of Shawn going in there alone, but he knew Scotty didn't want to be anywhere near Waylon Mercy and like hell was he going to leave Scott's side. Surprising him, it was Leif who settled the matter. "I'll go in too. No one should go off alone."

Shawn nodded solemnly and Fatu let out a breath. "Okay. Okay, Scott and I will stay here with the getaway vehicle, in case you guys need to bail. Maybe everything's fine and you can get some sleep. If you have to grab Hunter and run, we'll drive to a corn field and figure it out in the morning."

Hunter surveyed the huge front room with curiousity and mild disdain. Lanterns peppered the windows and walls and there were doors leading off in seemingly every direction. The only piece of furniture was a lone rocking chair sitting in the center of the room.

"Ineresting decorating scheme your aunt had."

Waylon smiled. "She did have her fancies. Why, one time I had a couple days after a show at the Cow Palace, had a little time to enjoy some tourist arractions, you know what I mean? Had a chance to take a tour of that house the Widow Winchester built and I'll be goddamned if she didn't sound like my own auntie, may she rest in peace." Waylon leaned the closed umbrella against the wall and took Hunter's arm. "Would you like a tour?"

Hunter smiled up at him. "Will it be the same tour members of the public get? Or will it be special?"

"Well of course it'll be special, Hunter. There's no public tour here but if there was," he said with a chuckle, "they wouldn't get to see what I'm fixing to show you."

Hunter pulled him down for a kiss, thrilling at the feel of the man's big hands at his hips. "Show me."

With an arm around his waist, Waylon guided him through one of the many doors.

"Hello?" called Leif.

"Hunter? Waylon?" Even in their search, he and Shawn avoided talking to each other directly. In a way, he appreciated their accord on the matter.

A noise above them made them look up suddenly. Footsteps. Someone was on the second floor. Maybe Hunter or Waylon. Maybe whoever was keeping the lanterns lit. Without a word, the two of them walked to the nearest staircase.

Leif felt a growing uneasiness as they climbed. He found himself looking over his shoulder and, worse, he caught Shawn doing it too. Then, as then entered the empty hall, he heard it. The creak of the stairs behind them, as if someone were climbing very slowly and stealthily to avoid being heard.