Chapter 16

"So, Caleb's alive then?"

"That's what I saw, or what Pogue saw anyway." Reid sighed and brushed his blond bangs off his face with the back of his hand.

The movement made him dizzy a few moments later and he groaned quietly. His head was still spinning violently after viewing Pogue's memories and he was reduced to spending half of the morning on the couch in the sitting room waiting for his sudden case of vertigo to pass. The rest of his morning was spent sitting at Gorman's old dusty kitchen table with his head buried in his arms. Tyler was at his side the whole time, always rubbing his shoulder softly when he groaned and whispering reassuring words in his ear.

Tyler even held his hand a few times as well and Reid's stomach always did a full turn whenever he remembered it.

"Here." Tyler touched his shoulder gently and set a coffee mug on the table in front of him.

Reid raised his head groggily and blinked.

"What is it?"

"Some kind of tea Gorman had stashed away, he said it'd help with your head." Tyler replied and sat down in the chair next to him.

Reid dared a small sniff as he pulled the mug closer towards him. "Smells awful."

"Baby."

Reid barley had enough energy to glare at the younger boy as he took a small sip. He coughed as the hot liquid burned his throat and angrily slammed the mug down.

"Stuff tastes like shit."

Tyler chuckled and Reid felt his insides flutter from the sound.

"Yeah, well, Gorman never said how it would taste, just that it'll clear your head."

"No thanks." Reid groaned and pushed the cup away from him.

Tyler's blue eyes were watching him closely and Reid felt himself squirm. Tyler was worried; his fears always shone in the depths of his crystal blue gems.

"Was it really Caleb?"

Reid sighed and dropped his hand back in the cradle of his arms.

"I don't know Ty, probably."

Tyler's mouth turned into a thin line. "But why did Caleb attack Pogue? It doesn't make any sense, he'd never hurt any of us."

"I don't know Tyler." Reid replied, his voice muffled by his arms.

"It can't be Caleb then."

"Well who the hell could it be then?"

Tyler suddenly went quiet and growing confused, Reid slowly raised his head to see what was wrong. Gorman slowly hobbled into the kitchen, his sharp eyes instantly locking onto Reid.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." Reid grumbled.

Gorman mealy nodded and slowly walked over towards one of the counters. Tyler watched him nervously before he cleared his throat.

"How's Pogue doing?"

Gorman kept his back towards then.

"From what I can tell he's fine, but I'll do a full analysis when he wakes up."

"What? He's not awake yet?" Reid spoke up.

Gorman kept his back to them but Reid saw him shake his head.

"No."

Reid frowned. "But that doesn't make since. I thought he was supposed to wake up if we contacted him."

"So did I. Apparently something else is wrong with him." Gorman replied and joined them at the table with a coffee mug in his hands as well.

"Great." Reid grumbled, his head falling back into his arms. "Just so you know I'm not going inside his head again."

"There's no need for that. Pogue has already let down some of his mental defenses, so his mind is open at the moment. More then likely he's just exhausted."

"Well good, 'cause there no way in hell I'm doing that again."

A smile came to Gorman's lips. "I had no intention of making you."

"Sure you weren't." Reid said back, rolling his eyes.

Tyler and Gorman said nothing as they stared at the blond with amused looks on their face. Reid ignored them and moved his eyes down towards the table when something caught his eye. A small brown spider was slowly skittering across the table's smooth surface. A quick second later, Gorman grabbed the handle of his mug and slammed it down on the small insect, crushing it.

Reid and Tyler both stared at the elder in shock.

"What did you do that for; it was just a small spider." Tyler asked, his eyes wide.

Gorman said nothing, his eyes still firmly glued onto the rim of his mug. He stood up a moment later and hobbled out of the kitchen with a worried look on his ancient face. The two boys waited until the elder was gone before they looked at each other.

"What do you think that was about?" Tyler asked, his blue eyes once again showing his nervousness.

"I don't know." Reid sighed back. "And I have a feeling that I don't want to know."

--

( I don't know how much more of this I can take.)

Reid gave up counting the bricks lining the fireplace and glanced around the sitting room looking for something else to do. Tyler's eyes were scanning Gorman's bookshelf on the fair end of the room, apparently deciding if any of the books on the shelf would be a decent read. Reid's gaze lingered on his back for a long moment before the blond sighed loudly.

"God, this place is so fucking boring. I'd rather be at school."

Tyler chuckled and glanced over his shoulder at him. "Did I just hear Reid Garwin saying he'd rather be at school for once in his life?"

Reid rolled his eyes and went back to staring at the cold fire place once again. He was beyond feeling bored by now, there wasn't anything to do in the old colony house but sit on his ass and stare at everything.

The couched dipped slightly as Tyler sank down in the cushion next to him with a stack of books in his arms.

"What are those?"

"I don't know, stuff from Gorman's bookshelves." Tyler replied and opened the first book.

"Looks interesting." Reid shrugged and let his head fall back against the back of the couch.

The room soon fell silent, the only sound coming from Tyler's fingers as he turned the pages of his book. Every few minutes Reid's eyes would wander towards Tyler's direction, watching closely as the younger boy read the small print on the pages. Tyler was too engrossed in his book to notice Reid's stare so the blond let his eyes take in the younger boy's form more freely. His eyes roamed up Tyler's arms towards his shoulders. Even though Tyler lifted weights like the rest of their swim team they were still slender, like the rest of his wiry frame.

Reid always found a way to poke fun at Tyler's smaller frame but lately, he couldn't help but think Tyler's body was just perfect the way it was. Yep, Tyler's body was perfect, nice long legs, smooth skin–

"What the fuck!?" Reid yelped and brought a hand towards his right ear.

"What's wrong?" Tyler looked up from his book worried.

Reid rubbed his ear confused. It felt like something just bit him on the inside of his earlobe. It stung painfully and he hissed as he rubbed the irritated skin inside his ear with his finger.

"Reid, are you okay?" Tyler scooted closer and grabbed his arm. "Here, let me see."

Tyler gently moved his arm down and titled Reid's head from him to get a better look. The younger boy gasped quietly but Reid barely heard it. His body started to feel hot all of a sudden and the room was spinning in front of his eyes.

"Fuck, Reid look at me!"

Tyler turned the other boy's head around in his hands and through his blurry haze; Reid could see that Tyler's eyes were full of panic. He felt the younger boy push his body down on the couch as Tyler jumped to his feet and stood over him.

"Gorman!" Tyler yell pierced through his dizzy haze.

Reid started convulsing as his breath came in short supply. His skin felt like it was on fire and his eyes were starting to roll into the back of his head. Tyler yelled once again and the last image Reid saw before his world turned black was the younger boy's panicked expression as continued yelling for the elder covenant member.

--

(Well, that was easy.)

Chase smiled as he saw the spell completely take effect on the blond covenant member. The youngest was still standing over him, yelling for the old man to help and a long moment later Chase saw him hobble into the room with a panicked look.

(That's it, take the bait...)

Chase watched the two of them exchanging panicked words as the younger boy tried to explain what just happened and his smile only grew. He knew they'd eventually move the now un-conscious boy to another area of the house, leaving Pogue completely alone and defenseless.

Keeping his grin in place, he crouched down and waited for his moment to come.

--

"Put him in here." Gorman said as he held one the bedroom doors open.

Tyler slowly stumbled inside a moment later, a now fully unconscious Reid slumped against his shoulder. Together the two covenant members dragged Reid's body towards one of the old beds and gently set him down on it.

Tyler sighed loudly afterwards and flopped down on the edge of the bed. Since Pogue was in the bedroom downstairs they had drag Reid up two sets of stairs to one of the other bedroom and the trip wasn't easy.

(And he grumbled about Pogue needing to lose some weight.)

When he got his strength back Tyler looked over his shoulder at Reid. Sweat was forming on the boy's forehead and his mouth was shaped in a grimace. Blue veins where starting to form across Reid's face, all of them starting from near his right ear.

Gorman stood near the front of the bed, his eyes glaring down at Reid's face. "What happened?"

"I–I don't know." Tyler swallowed nervously. "We were sitting room when all of a sudden he groaned and grabbed his ear."

Gorman nodded grimly and kept his eyes on Reid's face.

"Did you see what did it?"

Tyler shook his head. "No."

Gorman sighed and dropped his head. "I'll be right back. I need to check on Pogue."

The moment after the elder said Pogue's name, the bedroom door slammed closed and locked. Gorman frowned and quickly hobbled towards the door and tried to turn the doorknob. It wouldn't move...

"No."

Tyler jump to his feet. "What's wrong?"

"It's locked."

Gorman swore and took a few steps back. His eyes flashed and turned black but the door still wouldn't open. Tyler also tried but to no resolve.

"Fuck. What the hell's going on?"

Gorman growled and threw his cane to the ground angrily.

"Damn him!"

Tyler took a few steps back. Gorman was starting to frighten him.

"What is it?"

"He's here..." The elder's shoulders dropped as Gorman sighed hopelessly. "He's running around inside this damn house and Pogue is unprotected!"

"Who is?" Tyler asked fearfully.

Gorman sighed and utter the next word so softly that Tyler almost didn't hear it.

"Caleb..."

--

With a lazy wave of his arm the front door swung open and Chase stepped inside the old house. His eyes moved back and forth slowly, taking in his surroundings. So this was the stronghold of the legendary covenant...he honestly expected better. Loud pounding could be heard from the locked door upstairs and Chase turned his head in it's direction and smiled.

(Good luck getting out there boys.)

With a satisfied grin on his face he started walking down the hall towards the far bedroom.

(It's just you and me now Pogue...)

--

Small warning, the next chapter will be rated NC-17. So please no kiddies, whiners or flamers.