A large puddle of blood, seeping through the cracks of a wooden floor. A hand visible, laying limp on the thick liquid. Someone violently grabbed the limp persons hand and dragged them through the blood, no face showing on either person. Flash, a change of scenery. A pentagram of blood designed on concrete flooring. In the center was a bowl, a human heart in the confines, staining the bowl with red splotches. Screaming off in the distance… A gunshot. Then, nothing.
"Kate!" Who was calling her? "Kate. Wake up!" Kate's eyes snapped open, hearing a nearby screaming. Oh, that was coming from her own mouth. The high pitched noise ceased, and all that was left was her partner violently shaking her. Her mouth was still open, confused and frightened.
"What-?" She didn't know what to say.
"You were having a nightmare. You started screaming." In a comforting motion, he soothed his hand over her back, trying to calm her down. "It was just a nightmare."
"No." She shook her head quickly. "It wasn't."
"Yes, it was. I woke up, hearing you screaming."
"Did I say anything?" It was his turn to shake his head.
"What was your dream about?" Letting out a sigh, Kate rubbed her hand over her eyes, feeling restless and hung over.
"It doesn't even matter. It made no sense."
"It might help to talk about it." Ignoring his insight, she changed the subject.
"What time is it?" He squinted down at his watch.
"Almost three." Settling back under the blanket, she was both thankful and frustrated that it was still too early to get up. Thankful, because she was utterly exhausted. Frustrated, because the sooner she got out of this house, the better. It must've been the cause of her nightmare.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I never said I was." Kate paused. "But, yeah. I'm fine." She lied thickly. It would only cause more troubles to get him involved with whatever scary thoughts were running through her head right now. Strictly her imaginations fault. What was the point of freaking out him, too? Castle seemed to be in his own thoughts as well, his eyes cast down to stare at the blanket. When he heard his partner gasp, he was pulled out of his reverie and looked up at her. He was about to ask what was wrong, but she spoke before he could.
"Castle, that's not funny." She wasn't even looking at him. Her eyes were focused on something else in the room. Not only did she sound angry, but her voice held more fear than anything else. This house was playing tricks on them. Normally, Kate was anything but scared. Or she at least tried to hide it.
"What?" He held more worry in his tone than he'd meant to.
"Why would you move the clown? You're really going to be an ass and play tricks on me at a time like this?" Her voice rose with every word.
"Whoa, Kate. Slow down. What the hell are you talking about?" His heart picked up speed.
"The clown, Castle!" She pointed at the rocking chair. "It's gone!" Swallowing, the author slowly rotated his head to look in the direction of the chair. There it was, in the corner. Void of any trace that a clown was once there.
"I didn't do that, Kate." Barely above a whisper, Castle couldn't seem to make himself sound more sure of himself. She pointed an accusing finger at him, finally looking away from the chair.
"Yes you did! And I'll have you know, that I find it really messed up. You know what? I think I'll just go sleep…" She considered. "In the car, or something." Kate said it in a fit of rage, not even sure if she meant it. Nonetheless, she pulled the blanket off herself with force and made her way to the door, a chill going up her spine as she passed the empty chair.
"Kate! I swear! It wasn't me!" He shouted at her retreating figure. Her eyebrows knitted together, eyes closing. She couldn't help but believe him. Why would he do something so cruel? But, if he didn't do it… Who did? She was never a really sound sleeper. If someone walked in, she should've woken up. Slowly, the muse turned around.
"If you're lying to me…"
"I'm not!" He was now getting off the bed, walking over to her. "You didn't do this."
"Of course not." She snapped.
"Just checking. Sometimes, you play cruel jokes."
"So, what do we do. My guess is, going back to sleep will be pretty difficult."
"Well, what you said before always stands." Castle doubted she'd go for it though. At the questioning look she gave him, he elaborated. "The car." She snorted.
"You want to sleep in the car? That scared, hm?"
"Hey! I'm not doing it for my benefit, I'm doing it for you."
"So, let me get this straight. You'd be perfectly fine staying in this room?" Castle gave another glance around.
"Okay, maybe not."
"Maybe Lanie and Esposito won't mind sharing the couches."
"Are you serious?" Castle laughed, then proceeding to make his voice higher, mocking Lanie's. "You want to sleep on the same couch as us? Okay, no problem. We'll just share with each other, that way Esposito and I spend even less time together." Kate narrowed her eyes.
"Are you finished?"
"Yes." He wasn't completely wrong. The couple barely got to spend time together, and when they did, they usually fought. They just tried to avoid doing it in front of their friends. Privacy was what they needed. "Would you like to go in the car or not?"
"Yes… No." She huffed, dropping her arms. "Castle, we're being ridiculous." All at once the lights flickered back on, but just a millisecond later they were off again, followed by a cackle of thunder. "I can't believe it's still storming." They could hear the raindrops rapidly falling outside the window. Walking over to it, she peaked through, but there was no way of seeing. No street lights, no indication of what was happening out there.
"Lights went on… for a second. That's a good sign, right?" Castle looked up towards the ceiling, wondering if they'd come back on. "Maybe we should stop worrying so much, and go back to bed. The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner we'll find ourselves in daylight." Kate rubbed her arm, the small hairs on end.
"You're right. Sleep. It sounds nice." Reluctantly, she made her way back to the bed and climbed in, Castle following shortly after. Now that they were more awake than they had been when they first went to bed, it felt much stranger for him to be lying next to her. Neither knew how to act. Kate moved in close to the wall, trying to keep her distance from the large man. The farther she was, the less of a desire to touch him. It was silent for just a few minutes, trying to force themselves into sleep.
"It was about blood." She said suddenly.
"What?" Confusion
"My dream." Quiet. "There was a pentagram made from blood. A human heart in the center. A puddle of blood, dead body dragged through it. And a gunshot. That was it." She swallowed hard, still finding difficulty in thinking about it.
"This place is really fucking with us, isn't it?" It was the only thing he could think to say. Letting out a breath, Kate frowned.
"I think so." Eventually, they fell into a fitful rest. Neither of them dreamt. First to wake up was Castle, at 8:00. His eyes gradually fluttered open, his body not yet wanting to prepare for the day. When fully awake, confusion was the first thing that struck him. Something was clouding his vision. Something with red and white fabric. At the realization, he let out a shout, jolting the woman next to him awake. Abruptly sitting up, the man tried to catch his breath.
"Castle, what the hell!" She screamed, shoving him. When she saw what alarmed him, a horrifying scream escaped her lips, until Castle pressed her against the wall and covered her mouth with his palm.
"Hush!" She nodded from under his hand, so he pulled away.
"H-H-How…?" There it was. Now on the floor after Castle swung at it, was the giant clown. It had been positioned next to him at some point during their sleep.
"We are going home. Now." Without protest, she allowed him to grab her wrist and pull her off the bed, in shock to the point where she couldn't even argue. Not that she would. Pulling her towards the door, he was about to pull it open when Kate spoke up again.
"Who would do that?" It came out as a squeak.
"I don't know, but I don't trust these people. We're going to call the tow truck, and get out of here." Not letting go of her wrist, he pulled her out the door and down the hallway. When she caught up with herself, she pulled her hand back and followed after him. Castle knocked on the guest room door. No answer. He knocked again, and again.
"Screw it." He mumbled, pushing it open. The beds were made, and no one was in the room. Kate got on her tippy toes to look over his shoulder, pouting when she saw no one there.
"They must be downstairs already."
"Then that's where we go." The author seemed much angrier than usual, his fists clenched. Of course, Kate took full advantage of this by occasionally staring at his flexed muscles, swiping her tongue across her lower lip. Why did he have to be such a looker?
As they descended the stairs, the pair heard conversation coming from the living room. They gave each other a look, and then entered the room. There, the entire household was sitting around the room, drinking coffee.
"Powers still out." Castle observed.
"That it is. I guess your phone call will have to wait." That was unacceptable.
"Why is there no signal out here?" Carol tilted her head at Castle, as she usually did when she suspected foul play.
"For your cell phones?" At his nod, she continued. "We are pretty far from the town. No cell towers along this dirt path, or nearby. The closest place your phone would pick up bars would probably be in town."
"And where's that?"
"About a 45 minute drive."
"Why are you so far from the town?"
"Why do you ask so many questions?" Everyone shifted, not sure of whether to intervene or not. Kevin and Javier gave their friend a look that said 'What the hell is your problem?'
"Just answer it."
"Richard, is it?" She sipped her coffee. "Mind yourself, when in my house. The attitude is not necessary. If you'd like to go in to the town, take your car and go. Matter of fact, there's a motel down that way. If you have a problem with me or my house, get your shit and get lost." Taken aback by her words, Castle was stumped on what to say next. Her words were venomous, yet said with sweet butter.
"We shouldn't impose any longer, anyway." He just wanted to get out of here. "Guys, we should just go to the town and call the tow truck."
"How? There isn't enough room for all of us in one working car." Kevin stated. That was true. Castle groaned. He hadn't want to leave anyone behind.
"Fine. Two people can stay here, but we'll drive right back to come get you."
"Rick, what's the rush?" Jenny asked, shaking her head at him. "They never said they wanted us out right away." She looked towards Carol. "Unless, we are imposing?"
"Nonsense! I love the company. I don't exactly have friends, way out here. Why don't you go by yourself?" Castle's eyes darkened. He did not trust this woman. Not at all.
"Castle, just go into town and make the call. Tell the truck to come to this address, and then come back with the car. It's no big deal." Esposito told his friend. He could tell something was wrong. Very wrong.
"What's with the large clown in the room we stayed in?" Kate asked, out of nowhere.
"Excuse me?" Carol raised her eyebrows.
"There was… a clown." She shrugged. "In the kids room. A giant toy clown. It was creepy." She immediately regretted bringing it up.
"That was Paul's favorite toy." The woman growled.
"It's terrifying."
"That's it!" The usually quiet Trevor slammed his fist on the coffee table, making the guests jump. Jenny grabbed her husband's arm, praying this would play out alright. Standing up, Trevor made his way over to Kate and grabbed her arm. "You don't disrespect my family!"
"I-I wasn't!"
"Get off her." Castle shoved the guy.
"Guys!" Lanie shouted. "Kate, Castle. Maybe you two should take the car into town. Call the tow truck. Okay?" Trevor brushed off his shoulder, still standing very close to Castle in a threatening way.
"Yeah." He said roughly. "We'll do that. Come on, Kate." He gently took her hand and pulled the door open, letting her walk out first to make sure the idiot who grabbed her didn't try it again. It was unlikely either way, but he couldn't help the protectiveness he always felt for her. The door was slammed behind him as they left.
"Think they'll let us back in?"
"Who cares?" He shrugged it off, heading towards the car.
"Wait, do you even have the keys?" Kate asked.
"…I'm pretty sure Esposito left them in the car."
"That's incredibly idiotic." The rain pelted down on them, though much lighter than before. "Can't believe it's still raining." Without any more words, they pulled open the car doors and got in.
"Where did he put those.." Checking the glove compartment, Kate found it empty.
"Check the dashboard." He pulled it open.
"Bingo." Snatching them, Castle turned the key into the ignition. After pulling away, he drove down the long dirt path.
"How long did she say the drive to town was?"
"I'm pretty sure she said 45 minutes." He groaned.
"Should be fun." Nothing but dirt and sand. No signs of other life. "Let's play a car game."
"No." She looked out the window instead.
"Oh, come on. Don't be such a downer." Thinking for a moment, Castle went over the past days events. Trying to click everything in to place. Maybe Trevor and Carol was just an average couple, grieving their dead son. Or maybe there was more to it than that.
"Maybe they're witches." He considered out loud.
"What?" She stared at him.
"Witches. Ya know. Magic and all that. But they're not like average witches. Oh no… Mr. and Mrs…" He then realized he didn't know their last names. "Trevor and Carol went against the normal way of magic. They studied black magic. A cauldron explosion… It started the dominos falling. It was the incident that took their son."
"Stop talking."
"These are valid explanations!" She decided not to answer. "Okay, fine. What's your theory?"
"My theory?" He nodded. "My theory is that Carol and Trevor were once regular people, with a regular marriage. A regular child. They enjoyed their privacy. Away from everybody else, in a quiet home where no one can bother them. One day, everything was taken away from them, a terrible tragedy. Maybe it was a car accident, or maybe even cancer. They lost their son Paul, and didn't know how to cope. So they lost their happy fronts and replaced it with anger, the happiness they show being nothing but a mask to hide what they truly feel inside." Castle took a moment to inhale everything she had just said. It was incredibly smart. Much more logical than his theory.
"Sometimes I forget."
"Forget what?"
"How amazing you are." Castle said softly, his voice quieter. Kate closed her eyes for a split moment, a small smile gracing her beautiful face. Her heart hurt whenever she heard him say such things.
"Thank you." She breathed, relaxing her head against the soft chair. Glancing over at her, his eyes lightened in the dimness of the car.
Eventually, Castle saw a town up ahead.
"Kate." He nudged her sleeping form. Her eyes opened, and she looked through the front window.
"Thank the lord." Stretching, she kept her eyes peeled for stores. "Hey." She pointed. "An inn. They've got to have a phone there."
"Right." He pulled up in front of the building. "This town is so old fashioned. It's western styled."
"Must have a lot of history." She agreed, getting out of the car. "This time take the keys with you, okay?" He rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, and together they approached the building. A large sign was placed next to it, stating "JOEL'S TAVERN & INN"
Holding the door open for Kate, Castle followed in behind her. Definitely old fashioned. As if they were in an old western styled bar. There were modern things here and there, but this town seemed to stick with the theme. A few patrons glanced up at them, but most didn't really notice them. Castle sauntered over to the bar.
"What can I get ya?" The bearded man was using a dirty wet rag to clean off the bar.
"Do you have a phone I could use?" Castle asked. The guy tapped his fingers along the bar, thinking.
"Yeah. There's a payphone right outside."
"Oh. Must've missed that."
"Castle, I'm going to use the ladies room. I'll meet you out there." He nodded at her and headed out the front door to call the tow truck.
Kate pushed open the door to the woman's restroom. It was small, two stalls and an old sink with a matching foggy mirror. She quickly used the bathroom, trying not to pay much attention to the unclean state of this room. After washing her hands, she glanced up at her reflection. Slightly disheveled, in desperate need of some makeup. Rubbing at the bags under her eyes, she let out a sigh.
Running her fingers through her knotted hair, she attempted to untangle her messy curls and add some normalness to her current looks. She was not anxious to go back to that house. Exiting the restroom, she nearly bumped into a woman and quickly apologized, taking a seat at the bar. Might as well just wait for Castle to finish up outside. The younger looking bartender noticed the distant expression on the woman's face and casually walked over.
"Some weather we're having, eh?" Kate raised a brow. Seriously?
"Yeah. Whole lot of rain."
"Would you like a beer? It's on me." She considered this for a moment. Her paranoia and worry was getting the best of her. Alcohol might do her some good.
"Yeah… That sounds nice." Flashing a smile at him, he made himself busy grabbing a cold one from the fridge and snapping off the cap. She watched as the frozen steam raised from the top, fingers clasping the cold bottle, water from the outside dripping onto her hand.
"You look like you've been having a rough one." She simply shrugged, eyes cast down. Another moment later, and she took her first swig of the beer. "Want to talk about it?" Her eyes now made contact with his, just noticing how beautiful his oceanic eyes were. Not nearly as amazing as Castle's, but he was an attractive young man.
"Car broke down last night. Spent the night at some weird couple's house. Over on Ridgewood Road. At least, that's what they said it was called. Saw no signs."
"You mean Mr. And Mrs. Lawson?" No recognition shone in her eyes. "Carol and Trevor?" Kate snapped her fingers.
"That's them." The man visibly shivered. Kate couldn't tell if it was for dramatic effect, or because they truly gave him chills.
"Man, are they weird."
"How do you know them?"
"They stop in town every so often. Try not come a lot, only to grab some groceries and occasionally get a drink. I never see Carol in here, though. Trevor likes to drown his sorrows and bitch about his wife. Sounds like a hand full."
"What'd you say your name was?"
"Didn't. But, it's John." Kate leaned forward.
"John, what exactly do you know about the Lawson's?"
"Not much. Nobody really does. They home schooled their son, so no one really knew him either. Clearly, those people are socially awkward or have some serious issues. My guess is on the latter."
"Creepy Crazies, then?"
"You bet. People like to talk about them. Spread more rumors than necessary."
"Like what?"
"Stupid stuff. My sister was convinced by her husband that they're some kind of witches. My best friend Harry, thinks they're aliens. My mother, she thinks they're demons. 'Plagued' by sin. Told me to stay away from them. Which I do, considering they're never around. Except for when Trevor gets a drink."
"Witches, aliens, and demons. Oh my." She mocked, as if quoting the Wizard of Oz. This earned a chuckle from John.
"I like you." He grinned. "So, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you to heed my warning."
"What warning?"
"Get the hell out of there. Go home."
"I thought you didn't believe in those rumors?"
"Oh, I don't. The unrealistic ones about them being supernatural beings, at least. But, I do think there is something seriously wrong with them. With their son going missing and all. Whole lot of foul play. I think they're some kind of killers or something.."
"Whoa, what? Their son went missing? Carol told me he was dead." John let out a big breath, his cheeks inflating.
"Official report was definitely 'Missing'. Not dead. Either you got your wires crossed, or I was right all along."
"My friends are with the couple right now. And Trevor's brother Jack."
"The best advice I can give you, is to get out. Before you end up 'missing' right along with their son." Castle had entered the bar again at this point, and wasn't too thrilled to see the exchange between Kate and this pervy bartender who wasn't doing his job. Surprising Kate by placing an arm around her, he smiled at the bartender.
"I called the tow truck, Katie." Was that a growl? She shrugged him off.
"Hey, dude." John put his hands up in defense. "I wasn't flirting with your girlfriend, so quit giving me the third degree."
"Oh no? Seemed pretty chatty."
"I'm married." He defended.
"Then maybe you should get yourself some morals."
"Castle! First of all, I'm not his girlfriend. Second of all, quit being an ass, Castle." She gave an apologetic look to John.
"It's okay. Sometimes, I'm overly friendly." That's when the author started to feel a bit guilty.
"Yeah, and sometimes I get jealous." Okay, that last word just slipped out.
"Jealous?" Kate squeaked. Inside of her heart, it felt pretty good. Maybe she should flirt with bartenders more often. At least, in front of Castle.
"Come on, Kate. Let's get back to the house before Carol and Trevor murder all our friends." It came out as a light hearted joke, but after all the information Kate just had unloaded on her, her heart picked up speed at that. As they got back in the car, Castle glanced at Kate through the rearview mirror.
"You seem out of it. What's going on?" And that's when she explained everything she'd just learned to him, emphasizing on the part about Paul being missing, not declared officially dead. Castle stepped on the pedal as she finished her story, rushing to get back to his friends before something terrible could happen. It was better safe than sorry.
TBC