My, oh my, will this next chapter be fun! Kabuki and I are really anticipating some unusual reactions to this doozy of a chapter. But first, the responses:
Thanks to all the reviewers!
darklight – Yeah, Tea still thinks Seto's an evil guy, but maybe she'll change her mind when she encounters some of the hotel's seedy inhabitants. Well, Joey doesn't believe he's Mokuba's big bro, only that somebody needs to watch out for the poor kid (and Seto isn't doing a very good job). Joey's just following his big-brother instincts, for better or worse I suppose. Oh don't worry, Pegasus will be making a dramatic appearance as he always does. Don't fret all you Pegsy fans, the plane can only fly so fast. You'll find out how the rest of the gang are doing in this next chapter, as for whether they're alright or not, that's debatable. Althought it's not as quick of an update as we'd like, we're put it up as quickly as possible.
Az-The-Samurai – Yeah, Yugi's a Pokemon rival, but hey, they do exist in the same fun anime world I suppose. Anyway, the jacket is supposed to be funny, laugh with us Az, you know you want to! :-) Check out Kabuki or Lena's profile to see a link to Toon World, and the Shadow Realm is under the Fiction Archive listed there. Just follow the rules listed and feel free to post as much as you like without restriction to content. Thanks for the review!
Malik Fan – I didn't think it was you all that time, you didn't seem the type to bash yourself with a hammer. *thinks for a moment* But then again… I could be wrong. :-) Oh, and have fun *punishing* Moon Unit MF *eg*.
Vyctori – Do you *really* want to know what happened to those poor folks in the meat locker??? We gave lots of hints in Kaiba's scrapbook a few chapters back, though we do have a detailed history mapped out. If we don't use it in the story, we'll send you an explanation with all the gory details. *evil laughter* Ah yes, the little light-hearted moments that make everybody feel as though the hotel couldn't really be haunted… we like our prey to be surprised. *s* Glad you like that we're adding that in though, the gang needs a breath of air once in a while (so they can run all the faster in the future!). Well Joey, Tea, and Yugi have always fallen back on their bond in times of peril, it's just a question of whether this time *insert creepy announcer voice* their bond of friendship will be enough? *cough* Well we're glad you find our writing so… um, repulsive… yeah, thanks. *g* Thanks for such a detailed review, we like to hear what everybody's thinking.
Mimiru – "Hobo? Hobo? Are you there?" *shrug* I guess Yugi didn't find him (or her). Maybe he'll have more luck in the garage? Heehee. Ah yes, the Poker of Doom! We love that new title for Joey's favorite weapon! It somehow suits him and it's a nice complement against the Millennium Rod. All these phallic objects, Pharoah Yami Yugi really had a weird obsession. *g* Thanks for the review!
Metranome – Well you've got to have humor mixed in with the horror else… well you wouldn't have a humor/horror fic! Yeah, Yugi's cute, I hate to see what Grandpa buys for him if Tea sticks him in dumb jackets. (I think we can all assume he picked out his own clothes in season two, right?) Well here's the next chapter as promised, though it's a little late. Heh.
Emerald Dragyn RC – Ah, a reader after my own heart. Having Mokuba and Seto withdrawal pains? Not this time around, let me assure you. They're here and making quite a fuss I'll say (well, except for Mokuba, he's got an excuse). Joey's hilarious, isn't he? He's so much fun to write too… like a big cuddly puppy!
BlackHoleSun – Hm, people like Yugi's new fashion statement, huh? Not quite what we expected but… at least he'll make people happy! I suppose Tea is in denial, but of what? Is she hiding her puppy love or something? Heheheh! Anyway, listening for almost two full days to Kaiba and Duke's 'puppy talk' is bound to rub off on her. Duke vs. Hotel Hobo? Hm, I think if not in the next chapter then in the one after that. It's pretty soon so don't worry. Of course, there's plenty of other things for him to worry about….
Cloned Yukito – No, the meat locker and the stairs didn't happen in the movie, we've just added a whole lot more interesting things. There are more people involved in this one than there was in the original Shining (7 duelists vs a family of three). We needed more action and more horror – so we made up our own! And anyway, the Shining takes place over an entire winter while we've condensed this story into a weekend. There's bound to be more weird stuff happening. *eg*
moonymonster – Oh, you wrote while you read, no wonder this review's so long! Lol! It's okay, we like long reviews and encourage them whenever possible. One question first though – what's your metal? *gets strange disturbing pictures in head* We're just curious and a little confused. *shrug* Now that that's out of the way, thanks for being our fabulous 101st reviewer! Whoohoo! But Cloned Yukito got 100th, sorry! We should actually give her a trophy of good timing. Oh and just so you know *s*=smile and *g*=grin while *eg*=evil grin, we don't mean to confuse people with our responses so sorry about that! Hahaha! Glad you liked the title, pikachus are some of our worst enemies (Damn them and their pathetic cuteness!). Lol, loved the Joey and the hair gel response, but I suppose after being here for a day the gel kind of wore out or something. *shrug* We don't write hair products, just the basics. Well I'm glad the evil things in the meat locker would have given you nightmares, that's still our goal after all – cause we're EVIL! Well, Yugi didn't die so don't worry. And you have to like him a little bit, I mean, the show is named after him. Of course Yugi didn't scare it away, can you imagine Yugi scaring *anybody* away? I mean, he's just so damn cute! *looks at the blizzard outside and then looks back to moonymonster's commands* I don't think it's going to go away just cause you told it to. The gang's just gonna have to deal, even if Yugi does have to wear the pikachu jacket. Mokuba will return in this chapter, don't worry, in all his mute glory. Pegasus? Adopting Mokuba? LOL! Oh, that's just hilarious! What's he gonna do, give him a tower room and give him lessons in scaling castle walls? *s*
*nudges Sylvia aside* Ok, I gotta take over for the rest now. *cracks her knuckles* Whew! There really are a lot of responses, and we love each and every one of them!
SW –Hey girl! Glad to see you around! I got your review in the mail and it was so loving and wonderfully detailed. I loved your ideas, and Sylvia and I might be able to use some of it. *g* You're so sweet! I love hearing what you have to say cause you're story rocks in my opinion. You might notice a few echoes in this part from your latest part with Kaiba and Mokuba, but we really didn't do it on purpose, honest! We've had this part written for weeks, just in pieces. Seems the Jungian collective unconscious is hard at work yet again. And nit pick away – we really want people to question and tell us what they think of the little details. *g* You're half right about Pegasus talking with the gang, cause he did do that for a while, but remember Croquet came back for him. The bus was parked way down the hill, so Croquet and Pegasus gave Miss Sweeney a ride to her *cough* preferred mode of transportation after Pegasus was safely aboard the limo. Well, you know I love the tragic hero Pegasus (you write him so well!) but Sylvia's a Kaiba lover, so we're gonna have to find a happy medium. Really, we do keep each other on topic and focused on the material as given. I don't know if she'll let me do the white knight Pegasus scenario, but I do love it and I might try to find a way to sneak it in. Rest assured that once he shows up I'll be a happy little Buki, yes indeedy!
Chibi Arwen – Hey, if being duct taped means you get to be carried around by sexy bishounen then by all means, hand me the tape! *g* Sorry to have kept you in suspense for so long, but really we had to fine tune this chapter. Between that and classes we're some busy gals, lemme tell ya! Thanks for coming out of your padded room to drop by.
Chris – Well you know what they say about the crazy ones: at least they're committed. *g* We're glad you like the story thus far. Do let us know what you think as you progress. We're dying to find out! *g*
Thorn – Wow, we rock that much? *g* Thanks! Your so sweet! As for being late to review, we completely understand you're dilemma, dear. We're planning a trip this fourth of July weekend, so we won't be posting any updates until Tuesday at the very *very* earliest. *g* Don't worry, though, we won't leave you hanging. We wouldn't get mad at you about a review … you have a right to question things, and we do encourage it so don't censor your thoughts on this matter, ok? Yami and Mokuba need help, Duke and Seto are being stubborn – all in a day's work for this group, right? *g* As for how long they'll be stuck in the hotel, only time and events can possibly tell. *g* Hey, that kinda rhymes!
Whew! That's a whole boat load of reviews there, folks! But don't be daunted – just keep 'em coming! We love to hear what everyone thinks of things as they develop. Just so you guys know, Sylvia and I'll be out of town for the weekend but we shall return with more fun and games next week. We'll be carefree in Disney World while our poor gang is trapped in the Overlook – ain't life cruel?
And now, without further adieu, we turn with reluctant eyes back to the ominous form of the Overlook itself, the hulking monstrosity looming amid snow and old memories – what hidden evil lurks within? (Oohhh … I think I almost scared myself!)
-- Sylvia & Kabuki
*****
Chapter 14:
The water was warm and the steam rose in spiraling tendrils into the thick soupy air. Kaiba breathed it in, enjoying the feeling of the heat entering his nostrils and filling his lungs. He wasn't quite certain how, but the boiler must have been hooked up to the generator downstairs, and the water had heated up rather quickly. A part of his mind was still wondering why the hotel was still so cold if the boiler had been hooked up, but Kaiba was too intent on more important issues at the moment. He breathed out slowly, picking up the sponge and rubbing some soap on it before scrubbing Mokuba's emotionless face. The child's hair hung in clingy disarrayed ringlets which plastered themselves to his face and neck. Seto moved aside a bit of hair that looked as though it would get in the boy's eyes, hoping that the motion would make the immobile child react somehow, but Mokuba didn't even blink.
Upon entering the room, Seto had laid the small boy on the bed they'd shared the night before, his brow furrowing ever more as he noticed that every limb he put down stayed perfectly in their positions. He'd started taking off the boy's sneakers, but frowned when he'd seen the strange clear goo that covered his calves and blue jeans.
"What is this?" He'd asked immediately, turning to Tristan with a mixture of worry and fright. He'd placed two fingers on the clear substance, rubbing it between his fingers in confusion. Tristan had approached, a little warily, Kaiba remarked to himself, and taken a bit of the stuff between his fingers as well. Kaiba wasn't sure how to react when the biker had put the clear goo to his tongue, grimaced, and spit.
"It tastes like petroleum jelly."
"What?" Kaiba looked from Mokuba, his body still and unmoving, and turned again to Tristan. The pointy-haired boy merely shrugged. "How in the world did he get petroleum jelly on him?"
"Who knows," Duke muttered as he stood in the doorway, "maybe the hobo covered him in it to scare us."
Kaiba stared at his brother in horror. The bruises on the neck, Mokuba's cries whenever he'd touched him, the jelly covering his pants… the only cause would be that the intruder had … hurt the boy in a way that Kaiba had only heard whispers of from some of the less fortunate boys in the orphanage. Their fathers had been put in jail for some unspeakable and unrevealed reason, but the children that had been attacked by them were never the same.
Seto gathered his brother into his arms, squeezing him hard against his chest in a sudden uncontrollable urge of protectiveness. He knew Duke and Tristan were confused by his actions, but he could care less. His first instincts were to get the child clean, to get the petroleum jelly off of him and hopefully make the child comfortable. He picked up Mokuba once again, moving with long strides to the small bathroom. He knelt, holding his brother with his good arm while he secured the silver drain and turned the hot water faucet. He shivered a little at the frigid water, and hoped there was indeed a hot water heater as he began to remove the comatose child's shirt with one hand.
"What are you doing to him?" Tristan stepped forward, noting the way Kaiba's hand shook as he struggled with the shirt. With a sigh, Tristan intervened, reaching for the boy. "Here, give him to me."
"I don't need your pity."
"Look, I'm not pitying you. I'm not catering to you. I just want to help Mokuba, ok? Now, give the kid to me. You can't possibly hold him in your lap and get his clothes off with that hurt arm of yours." Tristan reached again, but Seto pulled back, glaring.
"I'll manage."
"You're stubbornness is gonna hurt him more than whatever got him earlier. Now hand him over." He didn't wait for a negation, snatching the boy from the grip of his protective brother.
Kaiba made to stand, to rail against them, but his exhaustion got the better of him and with a groan he slumped back into his original crouch. He tried again, visibly struggling as he rose from the kneeling position to face the shorter Tristan, contempt and wounded pride dancing in his icy eyes. "Don't try me, Tristan. I'm in no mood for your stupidity."
Tristan nodded, Mokuba's small body clutched gently in his arms. The boy was lighter than he looked. "Kaiba, let me help you get him out of those clothes at least. We both know you can't do it alone, so quit arguing."
But Kaiba would have none of it. The Duel Monsters Champion snarled, lunging forward with a surprising burst of energy to snake one powerful arm around his brother while shoving Tristan away with his free hand. The pointy-haired boy stumbled backward, reaching out and grasping the doorframe before he could entirely fall over. There was a furious glare from Seto Kaiba, and Tristan barely managed to pull his fingers out of the way before with one black booted foot the door was kicked shut with enough force to make the window panes of the servant's quarters shudder in response. Tristan lost his balance fully then, landing on his ass to stare dumbly at the bathroom door that had been closed in his face.
Duke, who had been standing nearby blinked in surprise. "What the hell was that about?"
"I have no idea." Tristan sighed, rubbing his face wearily. "Things just seem to go from bad to worse around here."
"Don't worry so much. Look, Kaiba and I are about to put a stop to this superstitious nonsense with a trip to the residence of Mister Homeless." Duke twirled a thin tendril of his onyx hair around one finger, emerald eyes flashing in anticipation. "Once you see he really exists, you'll feel better. Hell, everyone'll feel better."
"You really think you're doing a public service, huh?" Tristan sighed, not bothering to stand just yet. He was tired of so many things going wrong, tired of seeing his companions suffer at every turn. "Will you answer something for me, Duke."
"I guess so. Sure."
"And be honest."
Duke's eyes lost a little of their prior gleam, the pupils tightening a little but otherwise his expression remained unchanged. "I'll try."
"Good." Tristan climbed to his feet, watching the other boy closely for any indication of his true feelings. "Tell me then, why did you lie downstairs about not seeing anything up here on the second floor?" Duke stared for a moment, then turned to walk across the room, glancing out the window absently, but Tristan wouldn't let him escape so easily. As the sound of running water continued, Tristan advanced on the lithe boy. "Well? Answer me, cause I'm a little confused. I know you saw something, Duke. Kaiba told us not to use the stairs, and no matter what you tell anyone else I saw you fall. You were terrified. You were staring at the photographs on the wall and you were scared out of your damn mind." He moved closer, the silence infuriating him all the more. "Do you realize you could be putting everyone in danger by lying like that?"
"Look, I didn't lie, ok?" Tristan couldn't see his face, but the slumping of the shoulders was a visible indicator of the Dice Duelists' mood. "I really do think the bum in room 217 is behind this … all of it."
"You're lying." Tristan balled his fists, his fury only mounting. "Am I talking to a person or a ponytail, Duke? Turn around and face me."
With a sigh, Duke turned a little so that his face was in profile. His eyes were closed, his face a little tight. "Tristan, I can't believe that I saw something real. I can't. I've tried but I just can't. This place is getting to everyone but … but I'm not going to let some hotel get the best of me with cheap funhouse tricks. Pictures don't watch people. They don't move and they don't mock, ok?"
"So that's it then. You saw the pictures move."
"No, not move. I didn't actually see them move at all. I just thought that …"
Duke trailed off and then, with a sigh, he shook his head and turned away, back to the snow filled scenery. Tristan placed a hand on the slighter boy's shoulder, squeezing the red vest and the flesh underneath. "I don't think you're crazy, if that helps anything. I'm beginning to think that I'll end up crazy after all this, but I don't think you're out of your mind, or that you're making anything up."
"Well that's all fine and dandy, Tristan, but I think I'm a total nutcase by now. I think my personal opinion is all that matters in the end, right?"
"That's not true."
"My opinions don't matter?"
Tristan chuckled, patting the other boy on the back. "You're a goof, but I don't think you're crazy, Duke."
"So now you believe in moving pictures. That's some feat, Tristan." Duke sighed, leaning against the glass and staring vacantly out over the landscape. It was Tristan who put a hand on his shoulder again and turned him around until they were staring at each other, face to face. Duke looked at the bathroom door pointedly. "Well, you may believe me but Kaiba doesn't. And no matter what you say, I still think there's a hobo responsible for this in that room. For all we know this hotel could be filled with secret passages and whatnot. Pegasus hasn't explored it completely, and neither have we."
"Yeah, but I'm still a little worried about the two of you going in there without a weapon or anything – wait a minute." Tristan fished in the deep pockets of his leather jacket until he retrieved the pocket knife, the rusty handle tarnished from so much time spent in the medical supply room on the back of a shelf. "Take this with you. If this guy is real, that way you have a way to defend yourself."
Duke took the knife curiously. He held it for a moment as though weighing its worth, then experimentally pushed the switch. The blade shot out obediently, glinting in the light. "Wow, it's not as rusted as the rest of the thing." He blinked, then looked at Tristan again. "Where did you get this?"
"Ah, I just found it lying around. It may help you out of a tough jam. You never know."
"Yeah, I guess so. Trust a street punk like you to find a switchblade, huh?" Duke pushed the button again, grinning as it retracted. "Neat present, Tristan. I didn't expect it of you. But wait, why are you giving me this? You may need it yourself, being here with a zonked Mokuba and all."
"Yeah, but you're about to be stuck with Kaiba alone in an unexplored room. I just want you to be alright, that's all. You said you don't like to use your fists, so I thought you could use a weapon more than me." He shrugged. "Anyway, that's what friends do. And we are friends, right?"
Duke nodded. "I'd say so." He tucked the blade into the pocket of his black pants, concealing it beneath the bulk of his red vest. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
"Do you think they'll be in there much longer?" Duke flipped his hair over his shoulder.
"I don't know. Kaiba seemed pretty concerned. I can't say I blame him." For a moment Tristan was unsure whether their conversation had ever occurred, but he pushed the thought away. As much as Tristan hated to admit it, Duke Devlin was growing on him.
"I wish we could do something. It's the waiting that kills me."
Tristan plopped down on the bed he'd claimed as his own. There was really nothing to do until Kaiba finished with Mokuba. It made Tristan a little angry actually, the way Kaiba had shoved him around when he was just trying to help, but he decided to just let it go. Everyone was distraught over what had happened to Mokuba, there was no doubting it, and taking Kaiba's jerky attitude too seriously would be a grave mistake. Too much stress was on everyone for Kaiba to be blamed for his rudeness.
But of course Mokuba and Kaiba weren't the only ones who'd suffered. Tristan couldn't help but think of his best pal Joey as the foremost in the list of other victims. The poor guy had retched their first night, not slept, trimmed hedges in the snow since dawn, then had his ass handed to him by Kaiba. The urge to help had been overwhelming. Tristan couldn't help but feel protective of his friend, they'd been in so many fights together. Win or lose, they always watched each other's backs. Against Kaiba, though, Joey had insisted on going alone, and had paid for it. The more Kaiba had pummeled his friend, the more Tristan could feel his body tensing. It was something he would never forget, the raw anger as Kaiba straddled his friend in the snow, beating him mercilessly. And of course Yugi … no one could tell what had happened to that poor guy. Joey's bruises would heal, but the damage done to Mokuba and Yugi was probably far greater. After seeing the weird light erupt from the Millennium Puzzle, then watching Yugi freak out in the lobby, Tristan was none too sure that the guy was coming close to cracking up.
He wished for a moment that he could be downstairs with the rest of the group, helping Tea to pick up the pieces of their two wounded friends. What was he thinking, agreeing to come upstairs with Kaiba and Duke? He wondered if he was just a glutton for trouble, following the two of them around. Sure he considered Duke his friend, but the guy was so desperate to prove that the unexplainable could be explained that he was courting disaster. Tristan had thought the same way at one time -- that the unexplainable must always have a logical explanation. He remembered racing about with Tea and Bakura in search of the way Pegasus must have cheated the night before the final duel. He didn't remember much, but he got the general impression that something very strange had happened to make him forget. He'd never figured out who was behind it for sure, but his suspicions of conventional cheating had been dashed when Yugi and Pegasus had entered the mysterious Shadow Realm during their duel. That combined with watching the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring possess Bakura and summon a real Man-Eating Bug to attack and devour the hapless security guards made him a believer. The supernatural was possible. He didn't know the how or why of it all, but the longer he hung around Yugi, the more he saw that convinced him of the existence of another realm, another reality that existed just beyond the human world. The longer he thought about the strangeness happening at the Overlook, the more he realized that he shouldn't be surprised by it. He was getting used to weird things happening for no reason to him and his friends.
He was startled from his thoughts by Duke's sudden movement as he leaped to his feet. "Ok, that's it. We've got to do something."
Tristan checked his watch. "It's only been five minutes."
"I don't care, I've got an idea."
Tristan sighed. "I really don't want you falling down another flight of stairs. You're lucky you weren't killed."
"Lady Luck thinks I'm a stud." Duke grinned and made for the door. "C'mon. We're gonna find the master key so we can get into that room."
"What room?"
"Room 217 of course!" At Tristan's stricken expression Duke just laughed. "I don't expect you to have the nerve to go in there with me, Tristan. I just figure Kaiba and I'll have to search for a way in anyway, and instead of helping him look for a fire axe, we'll just go on and find a key. I can't let him tear up Pegasus' hotel, you know."
"Alright fine. I can't let you just go around by yourself. You'll end up in a pile of rubble again."
"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"
Tristan grinned, then knocked lightly on the bathroom door. "Kaiba?"
The voice that responded was harsh and frusterated, but Tristan could detect the tinge of panic beneath the rude surface. "What is it?"
"Duke and I are going to find a key to room 217."
"Fine."
"Do you need any help?"
"No. Stop bothering me. You can go hang yourself for all I care. Just leave me alone for now."
Tristan sighed, stepping away from the door. Duke only laughed lowly, opening the chamber door to reveal the familiar paisley carpet of the second floor hallway. "You handled that well."
"Thanks. Everyone's a critic."
Tristan followed the dark-haired duelist into the hallway. The light was growing dimmer as the daylight began to fade, and as the sun passed away from the windows and toward the west, the hall was bathed in an eerie orange glow that spilled through the well-scrubbed windows and onto the dingy blue carpet. Tristan closed the door gently behind him so as not to disturb the already shaken Kaiba brothers, and followed his friend into the hallway. The pair had only taken a few steps before Duke suddenly began to smile. "I notice the floor is dry."
Tristan scowled. "You're damned determined not to believe, aren't you?" He adjusted the collar of his leather jacket. "Anyway, it wouldn't be wet on this end. Room 217 is on the other side of the elevator. Don't you have any sense of direction?"
"Nah, but you can't blame me for poking fun a bit." Duke grinned and glanced at Tristan out of the corner of his eye. "So, any idea where we should look first?"
"For the key, you mean?"
"What else would I be searching for in this dump?"
Tristan smirked. "I thought you loved this place, Duke. I mean, it is Pegasus' hotel."
"It's too drafty for my tastes. And that carpet is just awful."
"Is that so?" It was Tristan's turn to grin. "I'll bet you loved Duelist Kingdom, though."
"The castle? Oh yeah, it was swanky! I visited Pegasus on his island just before the Tournament to discuss my game. I only stayed for a night or two, but man, he has good taste."
Tristan thought about the weird golden Pegasus statues, the mythological beasts seeming ready to trample any hapless visitor to death without provocation. "You're screwed up, Duke."
"Aww… there's no need to get sentimental." Duke smiled playfully and winked. "I think you're pretty fun too."
"Umm… that's not exactly what I meant but … thanks, I guess." Tristan rubbed the back of his neck and considered what he knew of the hotel. He and Duke had found the medical supply room by pure chance, so he didn't know how they would manage to find a key to Room 217. He didn't remember seeing any key racks in the lobby on the first floor, so perhaps they'd all been removed over time. It seemed that getting into the room seemed impossible without some sort of weapon, unless there was a rack of spare keys somewhere.
Tristan began walking down the hallway toward the elevator with long determined strides. "Come on. Let's go this way."
Duke sighed and followed. As much as he wanted to believe that the hotel was harmless, he didn't want to go back down the path the two had taken last night. He still ached from the fall. His back had hurt him all night, and there was a purple bruise about the size of a fist on his left thigh. He knew he'd been lucky that his injuries hadn't been more severe, and the experience had shaken him more than he cared to admit. He wished desperately for a cigarette, but remembering that Miss Sweeney had relieved him of his pack, he began nervously fidgeting with the dice-earring on his left ear. "Do you have any idea where we're going?"
"It seems to me that the best place to look would be that room where we found the medical supplies."
"Why would the key be in there?" Duke stared for a moment at the elevator as they passed it by, the old-fashioned doors seeming to offer some means of escape. He turned away, allowing the momentary window of opportunity to pass. He wouldn't leave Tristan up on the second floor alone. Besides, he had to get control of himself. Duke knew that if he showed any sort of weakness to Kaiba when the two of them went to examine Room 217, the other boy would at the very least never let him live it down. At the most … Duke wasn't sure what Kaiba would do. He'd certainly seen that the guy was capable of doing a lot of damage, even when he was already injured. Duke had no intention of letting a predator like Kaiba get wind of his fear. "I don't see where you're coming from. Pass keys aren't kept in hospital wings."
"That's just it. I don't think that room was a hospital wing at all, not like a modern expensive hotel."
"Explain." Duke followed Tristan at a slower pace. He was getting a really bad feeling about this whole thing, and he suddenly wished Kaiba was around. The guy was a psycho, but he could probably hold his own against something dangerous better than anyone else.
"Well, the thing is, the medical supplies were probably held there along with cleaning materials and such. It's an old hotel, it was built over a century ago. Modern hotels aren't laid out the same way that they were, so we can't search in the same places to find what we need. We have to think primitively."
Duke scoffed, "Well I guess it's a good thing you're here."
Tristan ignored him, pressing on with his train of thought. "I don't know if I realized it before, but now that I think about it I definitely smelled alcohol in there – and not the kind your friend Pegasus likes so much."
"Alcohol is good for treating wounds. My dad used to have me use it all the time when I got scraped up as a kid. It burns like hell, but that doesn't mean anything." Duke deliberately avoided looking at the framed photographs as they walked by, though the temptation to satisfy his curiosity was overwhelming. He kept his eyes trained on Tristan's back and tried to ignore the fear that lurched about in his gut. It had been so much easier to say he didn't believe in ghosts when he was talking with Kaiba and the others downstairs. Now, though, in the presence of the things that had so frightened him last night, he couldn't deny the rising, illogical panic he felt. Duke was stubborn, though, and he knew he had to stay controlled.
"Ok, I'll give you that. Maybe there's nothing in there but gauze and stethoscopes, but I still think we should check it out. You're not scared, are you? This was your idea."
"Jeez, you're a real piece of work! I'm not scared so don't try to bait me, Tristan. It won't work."
"You know, you're right." Tristan leered, turning around to face Duke so suddenly that the other duelist nearly ran into him. "I don't think you're scared. I think you're terrified." He folded his arms as the other boy gaped, unsure of how to respond. "I thought you'd remember how bad it was up here once I provided a visual aid." He glared, his sly grin sliding from his features. "I don't like people turning on me, Duke. I don't like liars, and I don't like people who want to be my friend but won't support me cause it might make them look stupid."
"You dragged me up here just to complain? Are you crazy?"
"No, I really do want to check out the medical room. I just wanted to have a word with you while we're here." Tristan gleamed. Duke rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and walking deliberately past Tristan's arrogant stance.
"Fine, Tristan, you want to play it that way, that's fine. Come on, you dope, I want to get this over with." Duke walked over to the medical room again, the same red cross was plastered on the wooden door, and now that he had the time to inspect it closer, Duke noticed that it was made out of tape, obviously thrown together by whatever crew Pegasus had hired.
"Look, Duke, I just don't want you to do that to me again. First of all it was embarrassing, and second of all – it was damned rude!" Tristan glared at his friend in annoyance. "What would you have done if I'd said you jumped off the second floor instead of fell?"
"I probably would have thought you were an idiot." Duke grinned, turning the handle of the door and pushing the squeaky wooden door inwards. "Let's just find this stupid key and get out of here, okay?"
Tristan sighed, slowly following his friend into the makeshift medical supplies room. "Well, that's one thing I guess we can agree on." He hadn't intended to make Duke so angry, but the opportunity had been too much of a temptation. He'd decided that confronting the other boy was far preferable to letting his own resentment simmer. He'd rather the two of them be able to trust each other and work together to figure out the secret of the Overlook Hotel as a team. "Look, don't be mad. I just wanted to make a point, that's all."
"Well you made one, so good for you."
"Where're the lights in here?"
"There aren't any. Just deal with it."
It took Tristan's eyes a moment to adjust to the dark, and he had to look around for a moment before he finally located Duke's bright red jacket. The other boy was rummaging through the desk again, trying to look busy. Tristan sighed, "C'mon, don't be an ass."
"That's pretty steep advice coming from you." Duke slammed the desk drawer and shot Tristan a glare. "I don't see any pass key. It seems your brilliant plan was a bust."
Tristan ignored the other boy, moving to one of the walls and examining beneath various charts and diagrams of the human body. "It might be someplace besides the desk. Quit being a brat. Let's just search this room thoroughly before we run off somewhere else. We can at least give Kaiba enough time to take care of Mokuba before we go back to the room empty handed."
"Since when do you care about other people?"
Tristan turned sharply, wincing at the words. "What the heck are you talking about? If I didn't care about other people would I have risked Kaiba beating my ass by taking care of Mokuba? Would I have come with you to search for this damned pass key? To get into a room I know is off limits for a good reason?"
"Now who's the coward?"
"You're impossible! How does anyone deal with you?"
Duke shot Tristan a cocky smile, "Practice." The two glared at each other, the resentment smoldering between them until a strange sound echoed from the hall outside. It thumped loudly, like something heavy was dropped to the ground, and in the silence that followed Duke and Tristan stared at each other, their anger melting into mutual fear. Duke strained to hear something, anything that might account for the noise. "What was that?"
Tristan too was listening intently. "Maybe … it was a rat."
Duke nodded. "Sounds good to me."
"Yeah." Tristan blinked, looking at Duke. "Do we really need the pass key that badly?"
Duke licked his lips, "I'm pretty sure Kaiba and I can find a good fire axe for the door. I'll explain it to Pegasus. He'll … he'll understand, maybe." There was another thumping sound, louder and closer. Duke's emerald eyes went very wide. "I don't care if he's mad or not, let's just get the hell outta here!"
Tristan nodded shakily. "I'm with you!"
Together the two boys darted for the door, bounding into the hallway and racing back down the second floor hallway at breakneck speed, determined to reach the safety of the servant's quarters. Neither of them quite knew what they were running from, only that they wanted to put as much distance between themselves and the source of that ominous thumping sound as they could. After spending nearly two days in the Overlook, they knew not to take any chances.
Unfortunately the hotel anticipated their reaction.
As Duke and Tristan raced forward, the electric lights which had been glowing softly from old-fashioned electric lights at each doorway fizzled and went out. There was still the waning light of the day, but as the sun changed position, the guests of the Overlook were fast discovering that the hotel had been seemingly designed to take full advantage of shadow. The merest shift in the sun's position changed the entire atmosphere of the hallway. The windows were open, but only the cloudy, snow-filled sky greeted the casual observer. Darkness, it seemed, came early to the Overlook. The light was muted, but not so dark that either duelist would have had trouble seeing. They did, however, fail to notice the shadowy figure that had seemingly materialized at the head of the fallen staircase. Duke, watchful to the point of paranoia by this time, skidded to a halt, grabbing Tristan by his jacket and forcing him to do the same.
Tristan gasped, nearly losing his balance, and was about to yell at Duke when he suddenly noticed a strange growling. It came from neither Duke nor himself, and with reluctant eyes, Tristan turned to see what it was that held Duke so paralyzed with fear and surprise. For a moment he thought he was looking at Joey in the ridiculous dog suit Duke had made him wear once, but that idea was discarded as soon as the man moved. It was indeed a man, or at least something that resembled a man in a dog suit with a rubber Halloween mask. It would have been laughable had the mask and suit not been spattered with what could only be blood.
Duke gaped, stunned to the point of near-speechlessness. "Tristan … I'm not hallucinating, right? Do you see a guy in a dog costume?"
Tristan nodded, swallowing to relieve his suddenly dry throat. "We shouldn't be afraid of him. It's just a guy. Maybe it's your hobo."
"I don't think a hobo could afford that mask."
"Yeah, I guess." Tristan swallowed again, watching as the dogman regarded them. He was squatting on the floor, poorly mimicking the body language of a canine. He cocked his head to the side and yipped. Tristan shook his head. "Ok, that's weird." He cleared his throat. "Umm … who are you? How did you get in here?"
The dogman didn't respond, only moved his body into a crouching position, as though preparing to strike. A low growl rumbled from behind the mask, a perfect imitation of a ferocious mad dog.
Duke backed away involuntarily. "I don't think you should ask him anything else."
Then the dogman began to growl louder, a thin sliver of drool spilling out of the plastic mask where the person's mouth would be. "I'm gonna eat you up, little piggies!" His voice was a bellowing snarl as he sprang forward. "I'M GONNA EAT YOU UP!!"
As one, Duke and Tristan took off back down the corridor. They could hear the insane laughter of the man in the dog suit and the hollow thumping sound of his strange heavy gait upon the carpet as he bounded after them. They ran back down the hall, racing desperately into the medical supply room again and turning the lock on the door. Outside, the maniacal laughter cackled, and for a while the sound of fingernails scratching across the wooden door echoed within the tiny room. Duke felt a scream in his throat, but he kept it at bay, standing in stunned silence in the center of the room. He watched the door with a strange detachment, the same sort of feeling he'd experienced when he'd fallen down the stairs. It was like a movie. Surely it wasn't really happening to him. Surely it was all a dream. "What is he?"
Tristan was backed against the desk, ready to move it in front of the door if the creature showed any signs of being able to get through. "I dunno. Maybe another one of those ghosts you say you don't believe in."
Duke was shaking all over, the bruise on his thigh throbbed dully as he stared at the door. "He seems real enough to me."
Tristan smiled, "Coming from the King of Skeptics, that's saying something." The biker attempted to shove the desk forward, sighing in frustration when he realized that its thick wooden frame was unmovable.
Duke shot him a crippling glare and kicked one of the aluminum folding chairs across the wooden floor, the metal legs squeaking in a terribly high pitch as it skidded across the room. Tristan winced at the teeth-chattering noise, grunting at Duke's cocky smile. "What was that for exactly?" Tristan spat out, "Are you trying to remind him that we're still here?!"
The dicey duelist merely shrugged, flipping a strand of raven hair over his shoulder. "I figured he must know else he wouldn't be pawing at that door. Here, prop it against the handle."
Tristan rolled his eyes, warily shoving the thin metal against the old wooden door. "I don't know if it'll hold. How are we going to get back to Kaiba?" He started looking up at the ceiling, but was unable to find any ventilation shaft that might be large enough to hold the two boys.
Duke shook his head in despair, "I haven't a clue. Maybe we should just wait it out."
"We've gotta warn him about this crazy bastard!"
"Ha! Warn Kaiba? I don't think he needs any warning; he's more than capable of handling himself. Besides, why doesn't anyone warn us about these kinds of things? First the weirdo stuff in the kitchen, and then you freaking out at room 217, then those creepy pictures and those goddamned stairs. I swear it's like we're cursed or something!" Duke was pacing back and forth in the small room, rolling his dice back and forth between his fingers.
"Calm down, Duke. We'll get outta here." Tristan moved forward to comfort his friend, but stopped when he realized the scratching sounds had ceased. He looked down to the floor, and saw the man's shadow seeping in to their only safe haven. He was still outside, probably crouching perfectly still, but why had he stopped? Tristan looked to Duke, realizing that the other boy had come to the same realization and his emerald eyes were wide with terror. For a few minutes, all they could hear were their own frantic heartbeats.
"Little Pigs?" The voice was low and husky, almost seductive in a terribly gruesome way. Tristan involuntarily shrank away from the suddenly ominous doorway but he noticed that Duke merely cocked his head to the side listening curiously.
"Little Pigs? Are you home?"
Duke spun his head around to look at Tristan and mouthed, "What the hell?"
"Little pigs, little pigs, let me in." Then the shadow slipped away from beneath the doorway and Tristan felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise in anticipation. The room was deathly quiet for what seemed like hours. Finally Duke turned fully to face his friend and spoke in a casual tone.
"Well that was weird." Following him as though in response, the creature outside slam his body against the frail wooden door, causing various pictures and photographs to fall from their respective places on the wall with a crash. Duke let out a yelp and jumped from the sound, falling forward and into Tristan, causing them both to fall to the ground in a tumble.
"Let me in, little pigs! Let me in or I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll BLOW, Baby -- I'LL BLOW YOU RIGHT IN!"