Wow, what a load of reviews this time around!  Needless to say, Kabuki and I are still beaming with pride.  Let's start with the responses, shall we?

sakuya – Duke and his hobo.  What a combination, eh?  Well, you won't get to see what Kaiba's up to in this chapter, but don't worry, pretty soon you'll be sick of him.  *heehee*  By the way, I think schizophrenic was a *perfect* word for that last chapter.  Trouble is that I think it's almost too apt, ya know?  *g* Thanks for the review, as always, sakuya!

Malik Fan - *Makes a note to not allow MF to have anything that might be used as a weapon in the future.* Well of course you're a special person!  *nervous laughter* Aside to Yami MF: Are you sure you're the yami here?

Anime*2000 – Maybe we should start some type of slash between Duke and his hobo.  *insert mental image* O.O  Okay, well, maybe that would be a bad idea…  Here, Anime*2000, take your dose of update before you start having side effects.  *g* Thanks for the review!

Metranome – An idiot or noble, I suppose Seto's always a paradox.  Heehee, but that's probably why I love him so much.  Duke's middle name might as well be arrogance, but then again we don't know exactly how much he paid for those shoes.  *g*  You liked the Mokuba episode?  That's what sent most of the reviewers over the deep end, but we're fixing up a lovely little padded cell for them.  *evil grin* I would love to see a lawsuit over all this, but really, what would their basis be?  We were haunted at the Overlook?  I don't think that's gonna stand up in court.  *g*  Well, if anything bad happens to Duke in the future, we'll just chalk it up to getting bad karma since he's been practically asking for it this whole story.  *s*

darklight – Well… Seto hasn't really given Mokuba up, not yet.  Don't be fooled by his 'don't-care' exterior.  Let's face it, the guy's a ticking time bomb for lack of a better phrase.  *g*  I'm afraid both Mokuba and Yami are out of commission for the duration of this chapter, but you really can't expect too much out of the poor guys, they've been through a lot!  Pegasus must make an appearance b/c Kabuki's in the writing team *s* so don't worry.  Believe it or not he's going to be a major character in future chapters.  Hmm, about room 217, I'm afraid you'll only be able to find out when Duke and Kaiba make their grand entrance.  You know, I agree with you too about Seto, sometimes I think he really does have magical powers and stuff like Yugi but he just doesn't know about it.  Like maybe his adoptive father held it from him or something.  Hm, maybe I'll write a story on it someday just for fun.  *g* We love causing suspense, and you're sure to get a bunch of it in this next chappie. *s*

Emerald Dragyn RC – Nope, Seto's not a psycho, um, for the moment anyways.  But you'll find out more about him in the next chapter.  In this chappie you've got more things to worry about than Seto.  *heehee*  Oh, I'm afraid even hugs won't rouse poor Mokuba from his catatonic slumber.  Maybe he needs coffee, that always works for me!  *s*  Thanks for the great review!

Josh – Well, of course it's scary, surely you wouldn't expect anything less from this fic!  *s*  Oh man, you read it a 3 in the morning?  *pats back* You poor thing, from what we've heard that's not necessarily a good idea, especially if it's your first time reading it.  We're always glad to have a new reviewer, welcome!  Hopefully this chapter will leave you just as frightened as the others did.  In fact we're counting on it!  *maniacal laughter*

Shadow Guardian of the Gate – Ooh, another new reviewer!  It's great!  Yeah, you've gotta feel bad for poor Mokuba and Yami, and I had the same problem whenever I saw the movie.  Only a fantastic film like that could inspire such a fun fic, right?  Thanks for reviewing!

Vyctori – Heehee, well foreshadowing isn't *exactly* the same as a cliffhanger, right?  *blinks hopefully*  Yeah, cliffhangers and foreshadowing might not be much fun for the readers, but for the writers it's a beautiful tool!  *heehee* You like the dicey duelist, me too!  You know when we used it the first time we weren't sure if it'd go over well, because it actually doesn't make much sense but I think it's an apt description for him.  *g*  Well the less you describe, the more the reader can envision, and let me warn you ahead of time that this chappie's no exception.  Haha!  I'm so glad someone found that quote as funny as we did!  Obviously Tristan's never had to search for a spirit before.  *heehee*  Thanks again for the fabulous review!

BlackHoleSun – Oh no, not yet, we can't fulfill all your expectations by giving you Duke vs. the Hobo part 2 already!  We've gotta build suspense first cause that's the best part!  *evil grin*  Well, we're glad we can keep you on your toes, hopefully we'll keep with that impressive pattern.  Thanks for the review!

Mimiru – Yeah well, Duke feels he's gotta own something in this weirdo hotel I suppose.  Hopefully that doesn't make him responsible for whoever it hurts.  *shrug*  Oh well, he's asking for it.  With the Seto, Joey, Tristan, and Duke combined, it's no wonder this group is having so many problems in this hotel!  Thanks for the review!

moonymonster - *awards moony a medal with Mokuba's face plastered to front*  Here's your award for being able to hook –er, I mean, request this story to someone.  Heheheh, we knew we'd get a … disconcerting response from you after Mokuba's ordeal.  Poor kid, he's getting tortured a lot in this ficy, huh?  Tristan makes sense?  Hm, I suppose it's possible, in a house of loonies I guess anybody as weird as Tristan can make sense.  *g*  Haha, Duke and Seto are gonna die, that's so funny!  Probably due to their rash stupidity I suppose, but I guess nobody's perfect, huh?  Thanks again for the great review!

Amanda Parry – Thanks, we're glad you think the fic's so well written.  Um, spelling errors?  Oh darn, well I guess even with two writers we still make mistakes.  *shrug* Sorry about that, but if you'll just email one of us, we'd be glad to fix them whenever you spot them.  Glad you got Chapter 6 by the way, I heard Kabuki emailed it to you.  If you ever have that problem again just let us know, it's no big deal.  Thank you for the review!

Chibi Arwen – Uh oh… *backs away from the psychotic ducktapped Chibi Arwen in Duo's arms*  heheheh… Um, sorry?  *nudges Kabuki next to the computer*  Um, I think we need to write more, Buki!  *typetypetypetypetype*  *g* Thanks for the review, we always enjoy the emotional outbursts of our riled readers!  *s*

Kayrie – Ooh, to be compared with Poe, that's quite an honor!  Heehee, we're glad you spotted REDRUM, and you know what it means. *wink* Thanks for reviewing, we're always glad to spot new reviewers.  Please come back more often!

And now we take you back, ladies and gentlemen, back into the depths of the frighteningly horrific Overlook Hotel.  Keep your doors locked and watch out for suspicious-looking hobos that might want to take a piss on your shoes.  *g*  We're taking you away from Room 217 for the moment, surprisingly enough, and returning to the Meat Locker.  O.O  As you can imagine, our heroes and the writers need support… so please don't shy away from leaving a review.  *s*

Sylvia & Kabuki

*****

Chapter 13:

Tea watched as Kaiba, Duke and Tristan piled into the elevator, the frighteningly limp form of Mokuba cradled against his brother's chest, breathing in a slow, weak rhythm.  She couldn't help her reaction when she'd seen Kaiba huddled over him on the kitchen floor, especially after watching him and Joey fight outside.  It wasn't that she felt remiss of guilt, she most certainly felt bad about accosting Kaiba and arguing with Joey too, but she still felt her accusation was valid. Kaiba had indeed been acting out of the ordinary, and she took comfort in the idea that her accusations would perhaps keep the arrogant businessman from continuing to harm others. The elevator doors slid closed followed by the familiar whirring noise as the car lifted toward the higher levels. She shook her head with worry, turning her gaze toward Yugi who had curled up in one of the large leather chairs, the back cushions loomed far higher than the short boy's head and made him appear terribly small. "Oh Yugi, are you sure you shouldn't go with them? Maybe it would be a good idea for you to lie down for a while."

"No, Tea. I can't just lay around while Yami could be hurt or … or worse …"  Yugi dipped his head down in shame, tears still gleaming in his eyes.  "I wish I was stronger.  I wish I could have helped him."

"Yug, don' talk like that. Ya know it'll be ok if Tea and I are here ta help. We'll find 'im, so don' worry!" Joey ruffled his friend's spiky hair affectionately, marveling for a moment at how the unnaturally springy points bounced back into their original positions.

"That's right, Yugi, we've always been here for you, and we'll help you in any way we can."  Tea took Yugi's hand in her own, her carefully manicured fingernails gleaming in Yugi's downcast sight.

Joey nodded. "We'll find 'im, but I think we need ta wait for a bit. If tha hotel could hurt Mokuba like that and separate you an' Yami at tha same time, then I dunno how we'll be able ta --"

"Oh Joey, would you please stop with that evil hotel stuff? I know you're just trying to help, but I don't see how blaming the hotel will do any good." Tea cast a frustrated glare in Joey's direction.  She was tired of the subject and more worried about Yugi's sanity than some creepy hotel.  "Kaiba may be crazy, but I think he has a point. Only someone else, someone human, could have hurt Mokuba like that. You all just watch too many horror movies.  Didn't you see those bruises?  I'd like to see how a hotel could leave handprints on some poor little kid's neck."  Tea shook her head in defeat, just the very image of Mokuba's glassy eyes as he'd thrusted and squirmed in his big brother's grip made her hands tremble.

"Course, I saw 'em. I don't see how that makes any difference though, Tea. The fact is that th' hotel did it. I don't know how I can prove it, but I know that the hotel's behind all of this. You believe me, don'chya Yug?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I believe you, Joey." Yugi gave Tea's shaky hands a slight reassuring squeeze.  "Yami said that the hotel was behind it all and … and even though he's not …" Tea could help but wince at her friend's inability to speak, but resolutely Yugi swallowed the lump in his throat and continued.  "Even though he's not here, I have to help him. The Overlook has to be stopped. It's only that, well, I don't know how we're going to do it."

"Yugi," Tea knelt beside his chair, her eyes shimmering with emotion. "I don't know about the hotel being the cause of all this, but if you believe it then it must be true. I told you I'd follow and support you, Yugi, and I'm going to do just that. Remember our sign of friendship? The one I drew on all of our hands before you fought Kaiba for your Grandpa that first time?"

Yugi nodded, brightening a little at the mention of it. It had been the first time he'd ever really felt like he was part of something greater, something more important than a simple card game. He treasured his friends just as much as his Millennium Puzzle or his own life, even before he'd come to know Yami. "Sure I remember, Tea. It really helped me in the end. The knowledge that you all believed in me helped me to gain the courage to avenge my Grandpa. It reminded me that it wasn't just a game between Kaiba and me; I was dueling for you, Grandpa, Joey, and Tristan too."

Tea beamed, wrapping her slim arms around Yugi's neck in an awkward but warm embrace. "Well Yami was in our group then, even though we didn't know it.  And just as we supported you in dueling Kaiba, we'll help find Yami.  He's our friend too, Yugi, just as much as you are." She backed away and winked.  "We'll find him."

"Yeah, Yug, we never let our friends down!"

"Thanks you guys! You're the best." Yugi wiped his eyes with one cold, wet sleeve.  "I'm …feeling better actually. I want to help. We should see if we can find out as much about this hotel as possible. Somehow I think that understanding the hotel is the key to finding Yami."  Yugi stood, a sudden burst of energy revitalizing his features.  "I don't think Pegasus knows anymore than we do, so I doubt we'll come across another of his journals like after his tournament."

"Then it's gonna be a lot harder, Yug. I don't think the hotel wants us ta find anythin' out about it."

"Then we'll just have to search harder. Don't worry about me so much you guys. I'll be ok as long as I have you to help me."

Tea smiled, staring at the elevator as it shuddered to a halt on the second floor. She thought of how broken Mokuba had seemed, so different from the laughing, fiery boy she'd first met on Pegasus' island. And Kaiba … he'd seemed so lost and helpless. She hadn't seen him so defeated since the near destruction of his Ultimate Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his final battle against Yugi. After that, he'd entered the castle and dueled a losing battle where none of his underhanded tricks could save him, despite his devotion to young Mokuba. "Do you think we're doing the right thing letting Duke and Kaiba go off like that?"

The King of Games shrugged, an inescapable frown marring his usually optimistic features.  "I don't know, Tea.  But with Kaiba acting so strange and seeing that we still have all this work to do, I don't think we really have any other choice, do you?"

Tea clasped her hands, her eyes wide as she remembered all the work they'd been assigned over the weekend.  "Oh my god!  The chores!"

"Yeah, I know, I don't know how we're gonna get them done now.  At least the electricity works, I guess." Yugi's gaze was downcast.

"Whoa, hold on a minute, guys.  Didja forget about ol' Joey?  Mokuba an' I've been trimmin' those hedges all mornin', and they look mighty fine if I do say so myself."  Joey smiled proudly, walking away from the elevator doors to join his two companions.  "All we've gotta do now is that hedge maze in da back, and we'll be done!"

"You mean all *you* have to do…" Tea sighed, her gaze unintentionally roaming back to the elevator doors.

"Oh yeah…" Joey rubbed the back of his neck with discomfort.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Yugi stared up at his tough friend with such a pleading expression that it drew Joey forward.

"Which one? Mokuba or Kaiba?"

Yugi managed a shadow of a smile, "I mean Mokuba. What do you think happened to him back there?  It wasn't a hobo that did it to him, I know it."

"Well, when I went in ta see if Mokuba was okay and all, and Tea was screamin' at Kaiba, I noticed somethin'.  Ya know the freezer doors in there?  The place where we saw all those…" Joey looked away for a moment as a shiver ran down his spine, "Well, it was open a bit, and I wonder if those things had anythin' to do with what happened to da kid."

Yugi's eyes went wide and his face went pale, he remembered the horrific fear that had overwhelmed him as the terrible vision attempted to materialize, despite the efforts of poor Yami. He remembered how in the end Tea had to pull him to safety, dragging him from the strange enchantment the hotel had spun around him.  Not even Yami had been able to pull him from the trance, and now Yami was gone. The spiky-headed boy shook his head and got to his feet.  "What about the table we'd put in front of it?  You all said those things couldn't move it!  That they wouldn't be able to get out!"

"I was hopin' they'd be stuck there, but after all I've been seein' I don't trust anything in this place. Besides," Joey's eyes lingered to the darkened hallway that lead to the kitchen doors.  Even with the blaring sunlight streaming through the windows, it seemed as though the metallic kitchen refused such light.  It was the very memory of those creatures from yesterday that had kept Mokuba and Joey from grabbing some food in the wee hours of the morning before they'd headed outside to trim the hedges.  "I think these things are more powerful than we're givin' 'em credit for, Yug.  After what happened to you and Yami back there, you can't possibly disagree, man."

Yugi sighed and shook his head, realizing for the first time that perhaps he and his friends were in over their heads.  Kaiba had been acting like a lunatic the entire time, and if Yugi had only stayed behind like his instincts had told him before Seto and Joey had fought, perhaps Mokuba wouldn't have been hurt.  Maybe the spirits, or ghosts, or the stupid hotel would have spared the poor child.  Yugi thought back to the vacant gaze, the horrible fit Mokuba had had earlier, and felt he had to make sure the meat locker things didn't get out a second time.  He owed Mokuba that much.  "Well, we've gotta close it back, Joey.  We don't have a choice."

Joey nodded slowly, turning to Tea who'd curled up on one of the sofas, knees drawn to her chest.  "Ya know ya don't haveta come if ya don't wanna, Tea."  The girl nodded, but rose to her feet.

"I know, Joey, but I've got to stay with Yugi to make sure nothing else happens to him. And besides I … I don't want to be alone with Kaiba running loose." 

The blond nodded, raking a hand through his bushy hair in frustration.  "I don't think you have ta worry bout Kaiba. I think he's just worried bout his lil brother more than anythin'."

"If you say so, but I still don't trust him."

Yugi sighed, reaching out and grasping the hands of both friends. "We have to stick together, you guys. Let's go get this over with. I'll feel a lot better with that meat locker closed up."

Joey and Tea nodded solemnly, and together the three made their way to the kitchen, pushing the double doors open with caution.  Joey looked around the room, no longer distracted by the sad sight of Kaiba kneeling with his brother or Tea's shrieks of panic.  This time he knew what he was looking for, and even though his body still ached from the fight earlier, he forced himself to pay attention.  Several plates from the table they'd used for breakfast had been knocked over and a glass of Coke was still dripping onto the linoleum tile, forming a dark puddle beneath the card table.  Tea knelt down to the amber liquid, looking for any shoe print, if it was indeed a person that had hurt Mokuba, or any kind of clue as to where the perpetrator could have gone. 

Tea shook her head, "I don't see anything over here, guys.  For all I know Seto could have knocked these things over in a rush to get to Mokuba."

Yugi picked up his hand from the floor, examining something on his fingers.  "Whatever it was, it made the floor all gooey over here. There's sticky stuff everywhere."

"Are ya sure it's not Coke, Yug?" Joey walked to the back of the room, noticing then the slimy trail that emerged from the meat locker's entrance.  "I guess that answers that." He followed the ooze with his eyes, noting grimly that they ended at the entrance of the kitchen. 

Yugi and Tea had crept forward, peering at the trail curiously. "That's definitely not Coke."

Joey nodded and swallowed hard, moving again toward the freezer; the large heavy door had been left open a small crack by whoever had opened it.  The optimistic side of him suddenly wondered if perhaps it had been the strange hobo that Duke insisted that he'd seen upstairs.  Maybe the guy had come down to the main floor for some reason and attacked Mokuba -- that would explain the strange goo on the floor from the water from upstairs.  He could have run into the meat locker to hide, and Joey tried to encourage himself that he could handle some crazy guy, even if he was armed, the bushy-headed blond would prefer an assault of that nature than something as terrible and horrifying as what he'd seen earlier behind that metal door. He was exhausted, but he knew he could handle a street fight.

"Guys, I think… I think it's in the locker," Joey announced even though he knew the others already suspected his fears.  A piece of Joey's mind indeed confirmed that they'd all known something was wrong and waiting for them even before they'd decided to journey to the kitchen.  For Joey it was terribly obvious that no person could possibly cause that much mental damage on a kid like Mokuba, he knew the child was much stronger than to be that upset over somebody trying to kill him.  Hell, it happened all the time. No, Joey had been afraid all along that something far more disturbing, something terribly supernatural had hurt Mokuba. He wasn't sure if the others knew exactly what was on his mind, but they did act accordingly, all eyes turning toward the suspicious meat locker in dreadful apprehension.

Joey stopped moving forward, a cold fear forming in his limbs.  His mouth went dry, and for one of the very few times in his life Joey was terrified.  He wanted to run back, to get out of the damned hotel as fast as he could. Ta hell with the rest of the gang, the panicky part of his mind seemed to say.  He wanted to just run and run until the hotel was far behind his heels and he didn't have to do what he knew he must.  He felt Tea place a comforting hand on his shoulder, followed by Yugi's presence to the right, and he knew he couldn't leave them.  He couldn't leave Tristan, he couldn't leave Duke, hell he couldn't even leave Kaiba, as much of a pain the guy had been to him all weekend.  And as Joey thought back to the small sobbing child he'd hugged earlier that morning, the cold winter snow flinging about their faces, the hot tears falling onto his hands, he knew he could never leave Mokuba behind.  He was a tough guy, a duelist, and a friend to those who needed him, but above all else he was a big brother. There was no way he'd leave Mokuba at the mercy of the Overlook – no matter what happened.

Joey reached deep into himself then, and pulled a strength from somewhere, from some place he never knew existed, and he promised himself that no matter what happened, he would protect those he cared for, he would protect his friends, no matter what the accursed hotel threw at them. Joey moved forward with Tea and Yugi at either side toward the meat locker.  A cool white cloudy breeze puffed through the crack, reminding Joey of something a dragon's lair might look like.

"I guess the generator got the freezer working again…" Yugi's voice was small within the hollow metal kitchen. 

"I guess so, but I don't hear any motor running." Joey nodded absently, moving forward slowly with an arm outstretched to the door, one thought in mind.  He felt the cool metal against the palm of his hand as he tried to push the door closed, but the weight was intense.  He put two arms up, the muscles aching from the fight with Kaiba and the trimming he'd done with Mokuba earlier. He grunted with the effort, and soon Yugi and Tea came to join him, flanking either side as together they put all their strength into the act.

"It's stuck!" Tea huffed and pushed her shoulder against the door, straining to add as much of her own strength as possible. "It won't even budge!"

Yugi stepped backward and nodded. "I'll go around and see if there's anything stuck in the doorjamb."

"Yug, no!" Joey growled at his friend, nearly losing his balance as all his weight was flung against the immobile door. He recovered himself and tossed his head again. "Whatta 'bout those things in dere?!"

Yugi paused in mid-stride. He hadn't forgotten about the things he'd nearly glimpsed in the meat locker, he wondered if he'd have nightmares from that little encounter for the rest of his life, but he couldn't just let his friends waste their energy pushing uselessly against a door. It was obviously stuck, and if he went around to check it himself, he could keep his friends from being in any danger. The room was already cold from the snow outside and the lack of a heater, but somehow the temperature had plummeted in the short time the three friends had been in the kitchen. Yugi didn't know what the cold snap could mean, but it probably didn't bode well for him or his friends. The sooner they got out of the kitchen and away from the meat locker, the better. "I'll be okay. You two just keep pushing."

"Yug, get back 'ere!"

"Just keep pushing, you guys!"

Tea peered around the metal door, her blue eyes wide. "Just be careful, okay Yugi?"

"I will." Yugi turned away from them before Tea or Joey could drag the spiky-headed boy back. He knew that the hotel had done something bad to Yami, that somehow it had taken Yami away, but Yugi thought he could get the door closed without a problem. It wasn't just that, though. An acid pit of fear had begun to spread in his belly, and he knew that the real reason he wanted to court the danger was that he was curious. Like any kid, Yugi couldn't help but wonder at the meat locker. Joey and Mokuba had certainly seen something there, and their reactions had been ones of extreme terror and panic, but Yugi couldn't help but feel – well, jealous. He didn't understand why Yami and everyone else were so protective of him all the time, and he didn't understand why he'd been unable to see the things in the meat locker, despite the power of his Millennium Puzzle.

Had Yami prevented him from witnessing the sight, or did the flaw lie in Yugi alone?

It was a question burning enough to demand an answer. Yugi hadn't even thought about it until he'd returned to the kitchen after the fist fight between Kaiba and Joey. It was almost a foreign emotion, jealousy, but even Yugi wasn't prefect enough to have never felt such a thing. He was naturally curious, and the hotel wove all its webs to the exact specifications required of its proposed victims. The jealous urges he felt were so subtle as to remain safely rooted to his subconscious mind, masked by curiosity and the overwhelming desire to understand, a trait that Yugi and Yami had always shared. Full of the same confidence his dark half had displayed moments before being torn violently from the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi moved toward the inside of the door and began to search for anything which might be blocking his friends from closing it. "I don't see anything, guys!"

"Dat's nice, Yug – now get back 'ere!"

"C'mon, Yugi, let's just get out of here! It's getting colder by the minute."

Yugi could see his own breath condensing on the unnaturally cold air and had to agree. His teeth were already chattering, and there was no logical explanation for why the door wouldn't close anyway. He was about to turn and leave when a tiny movement in the corner of his vision caught his eye. He whirled around, blue jacket flaring and the puzzle around his neck jangling crazily as he spun, his violet eyes scanning for any indication of what had made the movement. His heart was pounding wildly, and he began to realize he wasn't in the best of places. "Y-yeah, let's g-get outta here."

He had just turned when the darkness intensified, a growing shadow loomed across the ground, eclipsing the tiny sliver of light from the kitchen as the door began to swing shut. "Joey! Tea! Don't – "

"We're not! Yugi, it's closing by itself! Pull harder, Joey!"

"I'm tryin'! Yug, get outta there before it – "

But Joey's words were lost as the soundproof door slammed shut, only the dull thudding of his friends as they pounded on the door echoed in his ears.  Pitch darkness surrounded the frightened boy, and Yugi could hear his thundering heartbeat in his ears.  He blinked a few times, turning around and attempting to see through the thick blackness which surrounded him.  As his vision slowly returned, he spied toward what he guessed to be the back of the locker, a small pinprick of light.

"Hello?" Yugi's voice was small and echoed around the freezing metallic room.  He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth.  "Is anybody there?  Are you the hob-… man from upstairs?"  His breath hitched in his throat and all he could think of was that hopefully it was a person.  "Please be a person, please be a person, I wish Yami was here, please be a person…" Yugi backed slowly against the metallic door, his teeth chattering uncontrollably as the freezing metal struck his back.  The pinprick of light grew, and he held up his arm to shield his eyes as a bright light, unnatural and out of place, began to swell, enveloping the boy in a brilliant white.  Yugi screamed; turning and banging on the metal door with all his might.  The world seemed fuzzy, his senses incomplete as the blackness which had surrounded him slowly faded to a pure white.

Flashes, visions played out before his eyes like an old film strip.  Jagged movements, cries of pain, agonized faces.  He watched with horror as a group of men squirmed and writhed on large meat hooks, the blood spilling down their legs and congealing on the cold metallic floor.  Dead, clouded eyes stared back at him as a thin ghastly hand gripped his arm.  Then sharp pained cries, and in the background, a low thudding sound gained ponderous momentum, pounding, pounding, a monotonous rhythm who's volume grew with each hammering, echoing drum. It was as though a giant heart were moving inexorably closer, pressing its heady rhythm into his very mind, pushing him hard enough to make the King of Games recoil, his fingers clammy and clutching the Millennium Puzzle about his neck as though it alone could rescue him from the frightful visions, the feeling of a great pressure closing in about him on all sides.

Yugi screamed, arms and legs flailing as instinctual panic gripped him.  The moans and cries increased, and tripping over his shoelaces, Yugi fell flat onto the metal floor, his eyes shut tight as he tried to rekindle the flames of logic.  His heart was pounding in time with the great thudding of the heart, and he took a few deep breaths, trying to maintain control and sense of self. He held the Puzzle tightly, remembering how long he'd worked to put it together, remembering the painstaking process with the absolute clarity of a person consumed by their task for years. He traced the edges of the upper pieces with his sweat slicked fingers, deliberately noting the shape of each individual piece, how it fit with the others, and trying to recall exactly what he'd been doing on the day when he'd fit the portion together. In his hands the Puzzle glowed, though with his eyes closed in concentration Yugi didn't see it. He focused on the detail of the Puzzle, and felt his body ease a little, his muscles release a small amount of tension as he reclaimed his sense of self and center. He swallowed, and slowly climbed back to his feet, watching the visions play across his mind and willing his heartbeat to slow down.  He would not end up like Mokuba, he would not let the things inhabiting the hotel get to him.  They were dead. Surely they couldn't hurt him, not really.

Yugi Moto opened his eyes, and though Yami wasn't near, the familiar warmth of the Sennen Eye glowed upon his forehead as the Puzzle flashed about his neck. He stared with violet eyes into the void, into the hulking shapes that lurched in the shadows of the meat locker, and saw nothing but an illusion. He stared at them, taking in all their grotesquerie and display, and then looked past them to the real horror, the beating heart of the Overlook itself, which seemed a black, formless thing in the residue of whatever evil had been performed within the dank history of the hotel. He took a step forward, confident in his own ability of perceive the truth. He was amazed at the Millennium Puzzle, which he'd thought only Yami had the power to access fully, and he marveled at himself as he took another step toward the slinking things and the throbbing, swollen shape which loomed just out of sight behind them --

The light again. He was thrown back, and he felt the door handle against the middle of his back, hard and cold as the visions melted. They were gone as though they'd never been.

There was a click as the heavy door swung open, and Yugi nearly fell over as Joey and Tea practically leapt around the corner to see him. Moving as quickly as he could on such short legs, Yugi slipped through the small gap, his tennis shoes squeaking on the floor.  He fell into Tea with a grunt and the two fell to the floor in a heap.

"Yug!  Y'alright?" Joey cried as the ominous metal door slammed shut.  "Huh?  What gives?  I didn't shut that thing!"  The blond duelist tugged at the large handle, placing a foot on the wall and grunting with the effort.  Yugi disentangled himself from Tea, helping the girl to her feet with chagrin.

"Sorry, Tea.  I didn't mean to knock you down."

"Oh Yugi!  It's okay, as long as you're alright!"  She wrapped her spiky-headed friend in a great bear hug, temporarily squeezing the breath out of the small boy.  "If you'd been any bigger, Yugi, you would've been locked in there!  Oh, I don't know what Joey and I would've done!"

"What's wrong with this thing?" Joey cried, still attempting to open the immovable doors.  "It was open just a second ago!"

"Joey, stop it!" Tea released her hold on Yugi, walking over to Joey and smacking him on the back of the head.

"Ow!  What'd I do?"

 "Do you want to have to go through that all over again? First it wouldn't close, then it shut itself, nearly sealing Yugi inside! I don't trust that door – just leave it alone and let's get out of here before something else happens."

Yugi walked up to his two friends, eying the door suspiciously.  "I don't think that whatever's in there will bother us now. I'm pretty sure I scared it away."

Joey looked from his friend to the door and back again, scratching his head in bewilderment. "I'm really tired, Yug, so I might notta heard ya, but didjya just say that you scared off those things?" He shook his head, unruly blond mane brushing side to side. "Nah, ya couldn't 've, Yug! I saw 'em, and Mokuba did too. They were bad enough ta scare the kid all night, even this morning, and if ya ask me, I think they attacked 'im just a few minutes ago while Kaiba an' I were havin' it out."

Tea rolled her eyes, rubbing the gooseflesh from her arms. "Will you please stop talking like that, you guys? You're freaking me out."

Yugi nodded, one hand still gripping the puzzle like a vice. "Alright, Tea, we'll stop."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, I'm creepin' myself out." The blond glanced longingly at the double doors behind them.  "Can't we just get outta here?"

Reluctantly, Yugi nodded.  "I think it's safe enough for us to leave."

"Besides," Tea added amicably. "We've still got a bunch of chores to do!"

"Aw man!" Joey smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.  "The hedges!  It's gotta be nearly one o'clock by now, and I've still got a lotta work ta do out there."

Yugi's shoulders slumped at the mention of chores.  He might possess the powerful Millennium Puzzle, but Yugi was still a kid at heart and the idea of chores made his skin crawl even more than the creatures in the locker had.  "Do we have to, Tea?  I mean, can't we just not do them and say that we did?"

"No, we can't.  I might not like Pegasus, but he is counting on us to take care of his hotel while he's away, and I'm not about to break a promise."  Tea moved determinedly toward the large double doors that marked the entrance to the kitchen they had only passed through a few moments before.

"Jeez, Tea, are you always this bossy?  I liked ya better when you were kickin' my butt at duel monsters than this…"  Yugi and Joey followed Tea as she left the kitchen and returned to the main lobby, waiting in irritation for the two stragglers to reach the elevator doors.  "Where're you goin', Tea?"

"I have work to do, Joey, and I'm not about to walk around this place by myself especially if there's somebody else here." She clutched her arms again, and Yugi had to smile as he noticed that Tea was far more bothered by the prospect of a living person within the building than a horde of ghostly entities.

"Well I can't come with ya," Joey rebuked.  "Didn't I just say I had a bunch of yard work ta do?  What are ya, deaf or somethin'?"

"Fine.  If you're not coming, then Yugi will just have to join me." She pushed the button for the elevator doors, completely ignoring the gaping expression on young Yugi's face.

"What do you mean, I've got to help?  I don't have to help, do I?  Joey, don't let her…"

"Now, now, Yug.  I've been workin' outside all day.  I think it's time you two actually did some work too.  Jeez, even Mokuba got some work done before he conked out."

"I don't care if you have a Millennium Puzzle or not, Yugi, you're going to help out.  I could use someone short like you to crawl under the beds upstairs and make sure everything's cleaned out." Tea grinned slyly at the frustrated King of Games.

"But-but- I just got rid of the ghost in the meat locker!  I've done work!" Yugi sputtered.

Tea rolled her eyes as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, "Again about ghosts.  Really, Yugi, maybe it's a good thing you don't have Yami around so you can't force the poor spirit to do the work for you."

"But-but-but…" Before Yugi could voice any other objection, however, Tea had grabbed him by the wrist and yanked the short King of Games into the elevator.

As the doors slid shut, she waved at Joey, "Good luck outside!"  Then the two were gone and Joey smiled as the elevator slowly moved up into the upper floors.

"Finally!" He yawned and plopped down on a particularly comfortable-looking couch. The wooden frame squeaked a little with age, but the overstuffed green cushions were surprisingly comfortable despite the mildewed odor. "I was up all night and trimmed on the damn hedges once already today."  The exhausted gardener stared at the ceiling, noticing a large stuffed head of a buck mounted on the wall above the fireplace.  Joey hadn't actually been in this room during the day, except when he was arguing with Tea earlier, he hadn't even noticed it before.  He smiled into the large dark eyes, somehow innocent among the rest of the hostile hotel.  "I think ol' Joey deserves a little nap, don't you agree buddy?"

Joey allowed his eyes to slide shut, ready to enjoy a little nap for all his hard work, but then he heard the elevator shaft begin to move, lowering ominously to the first floor again.  He cracked an eye open, eyebrow raised as he stared at the doors with a mixture of curiosity and dread.  "I don't think that's Kaiba, do you?" he glanced warily at the impassive buck.  He thought of the terrible bruises on Mokuba's neck, how Kaiba and Duke were certain that they'd been made by someone living within the hotel.  He recalled uneasily that the meat locker had indeed been empty when Yugi was locked inside. Joey slowly got to his feet, watching the tiny black arrow above the elevator doors lazily chime as it lowered floor by floor, moving closer and closer to the first.  Joey looked around, trying to spy some type of weapon.  Well, if there truly was some kind of hobo or psycho living in the Overlook, Joey'd be damned if he wasn't prepared for it.  Spying the fireplace poker Duke had hastily nabbed when Kaiba had advanced on him the night before, Joey leapt for it, falling ungracefully to the floor as he tripped over one of the chair legs.

"Oh man…" The disheveled blond rubbed the back of his head in pain and finally took hold of the poker.  Then cautiously, still watching as the needle finally rested upon the first floor, he moved to the side of the doors, preparing to strike at whatever monster or ghost or hobo might jump out.  He pulled the poker back behind his head as he heard the familiar ding as the doors began to open.  Joey didn't want to give it time to react, and aimed high, expecting the man to be rather large considering the gruesome marks he'd left on Mokuba.

"Take that, you bastard!" He swung hard, jumping slightly as he heard a terribly familiar female shriek.

"Eeek!" Joey quickly retracted the weapon, shoving it behind his back as he spied Tea's face poke out from behind the elevator doors.  She was on hands and knees, and the look on her face might have forced poor Mokuba from his still state.  "Joey Wheeler! What in the world is your problem?!"

"I… uh… I thought dat… uh…" Joey fumbled for words, grinning slightly as he saw Yugi walk out of the elevator car.  "Ah, Yug, ya gotta help me, Tea's gonna kill me!"

But Yugi was pale, shaking a little as he inched out of the elevator.  "I think you deserve it, you nearly took our heads off!"  Joey's eyes grew wide as he backed away from the menacing glint in the eye of his friend.

"Well, uh, at least I aimed high, right?" His sheepish grin melted under the heated twin glares. "Look, I didn't know you two were comin' back! I thought dat the hobo got past Kaiba somehow and –"

"Joey Wheeler, do I look like a hobo to you? Since when do hobos wear skirts!"  Tea firmly bonked the dimwitted blond on the head, garnering a weak smile from their short companion..

"Ow!  Geez, if this is the kinda treatment I get for not hurting you two, maybe I shoulda aimed lower – Ow!"

"Come on, Yugi, let's go get those cleaning supplies while the puppy licks his wounds."

"Aw, come on, Tea, not you too!  A guy can't even make a teensy mistake once 'n a while without some weirdo jumpin' all over 'im."  Joey rubbed the top of his head as he watched Tea push on the front door of the hotel, he couldn't help but smile as she pushed in vain against the resolute wooden entrance.  "What's wrong, Tea?  Need a little help there?"

"No.. ugh… I'm just… ugh… fine, thank you."  Yugi went over to help her, giving his blond friend a disparaging look, and Joey eventually joined in as the three duelists pushed with all their might against the door.  Yugi recalled the meat locker, how the cold metal of the door seemed an entrance to another world, another realm, kind of like how he first was able to enter the soul chamber of the Millennium Puzzle and speak with Yami.  But somehow, the meat locker was very different.  He hadn't had the warm, friendly, inviting glow with which Yami had comforted him, the beautiful night sky, the lilies and perfumed air that had always greeted him in the soul chamber whenever he'd needed time to talk with his other half.  Why did the hotel have to be so very different?  It didn't seem possible that Yami's soul chamber could be anything like the 'heart' of the Overlook.  What could possibly anger the hotel so much?  What had Yami ever done to deserve being thrust out of the Puzzle and away from Yugi?  How in the world could he ever hope to find him?

The tears bit at Yugi's eyes, but the boy swallowed them back.  His friends needed him, they relied on him, his support, his strength, and he couldn't let them down.  He pushed harder against the wooden door, as determined as he'd been within the locker to see past the shadows and darkness, determined to force his way through to the other side.  And then the door budged, knocking Yugi out of his mind and back to the real world with how sudden it had happened.

"Hey look, guys, look at all dat snow!" Joey exclaimed, eyes wide as three pairs of eyes followed up the small crack the door had left, scanning the giant pillar of snow that had formed during the day.  It came up to Joey's waist, and to people who'd never dealt with a blizzard before, it was quite a shock. "How the heck'd all that get 'ere? We were just outside a lil while ago. What kinda freaky funhouse is this?!"

Tea simply shook her head in desperation.  "Oh great, now what are we going to do?  I don't know of any school bus that can get through that."

"Aw, don' worry, Tea.  It's not all that bad." Joey dragged a chair over to the door, its wooden legs pulling angrily at the intricate floor.  He climbed onto the seat and began unscrewing the door frame.  "They must have snow plows for this type of thing.  Pegasus said it might snow up here, didn't he?  I mean, he must've expected it ta happen."

"Do you think Ms. Sweeney will know that though?  Or do you think she'll just leave us here?"  Yugi pulled himself out of his winding thoughts to join his friends in speculation, kneeling on the floor to unscrew the bottom of the frame as Joey moved on to the middle hinge.

"I dunno, Yug, but I'd guess dat if it were only in the hands of ol' Pegasus, you and I both know we'd probably just have to set up camp up here for a few weeks."  Joey's flesh crawled as he spoke, the very idea of staying up at the hotel for longer than a weekend made his hands tremble.  But he forced the idea to the back of his mind, as Yugi's lower hinge clanked onto the floor.

"I got this one, Joey."

"Thanks, Yug. I can get the last one myself."

"I have to agree with you, Joey.  Knowing how Pegasus acted during Duelist Kingdom, I would normally expect him to just leave us here, but I just don't know.  He seemed so… frail when we saw him the other night."  Tea backed out of the way as the two boys worked.

"Frail?"  Joey pulled off the upper hinge, holding the door up with one hand as he dismounted from the chair.  Yugi dragged the noisy furniture away from the entrance as Joey picked up the door by the handle and propped it up on the wall beside the entrance.  The snow outside was indeed high, and still more flakes poured from the cloudy skies above.  Tea clutched her elbows as a particularly cold breeze swept into the lobby.  "I don't think he looked frail, Tea, if anythin' he looked just as underhanded and dirty as ever.  Hey, Yug, where d'you think you're goin'?"

Yugi had dragged the chair back to the entrance, climbing onto the seat and jumping onto the pile of snow outside.  Unfortunately, with all the confidence the boy had, he fell waist-deep in the drift.  "What's going on? I was just going to go get supplies, guys."

Tea laughed.  "Haven't you ever been in snow before, Yugi?  You need snowshoes before you go running off like that!  You remind me of a cat I once had.  He was solid white and one day when he ran out into the snow, we could never find him again!"

"That's not funny, Tea," Yugi smirked as Tea ran off back into the foyer.

"Goin' ta get supplies? Hey, no yer not!" Joey took hold of Yugi's hand, pulling him with one thrust from the snow and placing him back on his feet in the foyer.  "I remember what happened in dat kitchen earlier, Yug, and I don't wanna haveta rescue you from some weird ghosty creature or somethin'.  Besides, I know my way around out dere better'n you do."

Yugi sighed, pulling his hand free of Joey's grip as he waited for Tea to return, hopefully with some snowshoes.  "Alright, Joey, whatever you say."

Tea returned with an armload of jackets, mittens, and scarves.  "Hey guys!  I found some snowshoes for you, here you go.  Put these on, too." She dropped the load of clothes onto the floor for the boys to sort through.  "You two have to stay warm if you're going to walk through all that snow."

Tea nodded with approval as the two guys pulled on the warmer garments.  She covered her mouth with her hands as she tried to hold back laughter, and started pointing at Yugi.  "Oh my, Yugi, I'm so sorry!  The only thing I could find was a kid's jacket and –"

Joey turned to see what in the world Tea was going on about and had to stare for a few minutes at what he saw.  Yugi was wearing a pink jacket that was terribly short for him in the arms and was decorated with little dancing yellow Pikachus.  He'd wrapped a thick black scarf around his neck, but the woolen cap he'd pulled on was a bit too large for him and fell low on his forehead.  He looked like a demented munchkin out of the Wizard of Oz.  Joey started howling with laughter as Tea couldn't hold back her chuckles any longer.  Yugi simply rolled his eyes, folding his arms in annoyance as he waited for his two 'friends' to get a hold of themselves.

"I couldn't help it, guys!  It was either this or that ugly brown jacket over there that looked like a dress.  Besides, I like Pikachu."  Yugi winced as Joey's howls became louder.

"Oh- he even likes the little yellow guys!  Ha!"

Yugi scowled at his blond companion before sitting down cross-legged on the wooden floor and began attempting to strap on the cumbersome snowshoes.  "Come on Joey; let's just get this over with."

"Ha-ha! Look, I'm sorry Yug, it's just that you look so funny!"  Joey had to talk between gasping for air and tying on his own snowshoes.  "I mean, I'm used to you lookin' so cool and all with your jacket and your collar and stuff, it's just that, heck you know what I'm sayin'!"  He grinned before awkwardly climbing onto the chair Yugi had left next to the door.

"Careful, Joey!" Tea cried, rushing over to help the unbalanced blond make an ungraceful jump onto the top of the snow drift.

"I'm bein' careful!  You just help Yugi over dere.  Looks like he needs more help than me." Joey nodded in the direction of their shorter friend.

Tea shook her head as she watched Yugi attempt to tie the snowshoes around the back of his heels.  "No, no, Yugi.  Here, let me help."  She crouched down next to him, pushing his feet into the straps and tying them tightly around the tennis shoes.  Yugi smiled as he watched her, she was always the cautious one of the group, always looking out for everyone else that he wondered sometimes if she would forget her own needs.  "There.  Come on, Yugi, let me help you up there."

The shorter boy smiled, how could he refuse Tea's earnest plea to help him?  He hated o see her disappointed, so with Tea's aid, Yugi was able to climb onto the chair and jump out onto the snow without too much embarrassment.  "Thanks, Tea!"

"No problem, Yugi.  You two be careful, okay?"

"Yeah sure, Tea.  Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on 'im," Joey winked, legs pumping with the snowshoes as he started off away from the hotel entrance.

"Now, where's this garage?"  Yugi asked, his breath coming out in puffy clouds as he tried to keep up with his friend.  Joey blinked, looking around and trying to gauge his sense of direction amidst the curtain of thick falling snow.

"I think it's that way," he pointed forward.  Yugi nodded, and together they tromped their way through the snow.  The spiky-headed duelist noticed that the evergreens, which surrounded the hotel, looked terribly beautiful in the newly fallen snow.  They looked almost as though they'd been cut directly from a picture or a movie, from a wildlife film describing the life of a grizzly bear or something.  He and Joey didn't speak much, even with the layers of clothing the cold was rather unbearable.  Yugi felt the frosty air seeping into his fingertips as they walked, his feet a little cold and wet as the snow inched its way into his tennis shoes.  Then they saw the garage, a haphazard pile of wood, aged from years of disuse, Yugi couldn't help but sigh in relief.  The sooner they finished this, the faster he could get in front of that nice warm fireplace inside.