Wow. I am so happy with the amount of hasty reviews I got to my newest chapter ( chapter 12). I went from 106 reviews to 120 overnight. Wow, thank you so much. So after I read them all I decided to immediately get started on the next chapter. After all I said the more reviews I get the faster the next chapter comes out. I wasn't kidding.
Thought of the day: I found out lifting the seat when you use the bathroom is a really big deal to girls and not a lot of guys do it. Does the fact that I do....I dunno....should I list it as an attractive feature or something.
Phrase of the day: (Said to my brother Derek when he said he was going to do homework.) HOMEWORK! Homework is for squares. Squares have points. You know what else has points!? Spears and swords. Swords and spears are used in war. You know who was in a war. HITLER! So if you do homework you are as bad as HITLER! FACT! Via the transitive property. (I'll let you people guess who said that)
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Lenalee and the group made the slow trudge through the dark swamp, their ankles deep in murky dark water.
Their was no form of transportation through the swamp since no one ever came out here.
The trek was truly strange. There were no sounds at all except for their own steps and breathing. Silence. Complete silence. Their weren't even mosquitoes or bugs flying about to bother them. This allowed the group to better appreciate their surroundings without the bothersome pests.
Lenalee thought it was amazing what the complete absence of life here did to her sense of these surroundings. Darkness hung all around without even the fire of lightning bugs to guide one on their path. The trees, whose roots went into the dark waters. Whose branches hung low as in mourning for whom or what Lenalee could only guess. Their unfortunate luck of land they inhabited? That they resided in a land that was nothing but decay? Lenalee didn't know.
The water was perfectly stagnant and their was barely any light overhead from the moon to guide their way. The tall grass and vegetation grew high all around them. Yet there wasn't even a breeze out here so there was no swaying of the plants in the marshland. Truly all was deathly still. All was completely quiet. No movement. No sound. Nothing.
Lenalee thought it was strangely beautiful. Like when the world was new, before life had sprouted. It was marvelous to behold in it's own strange manner
Deeper and deeper. Into the unknown. Into the darkness. Further from the lights and warmth of humanity and civilization.
"This is really creepy." Timothy was putting on a brave front but it was obvious he was frightened by this strange atmosphere.
"There's no sound out here. No animals or movement. It's weird."
"Brother told me about reports of such things. But hearing about it doesn't do it justice. The experience is..."
She didn't finish. There wasn't a word for it. She let the sentence float on the non-existent wind. Unfinished.
"What clues are we looking for out here exorcists?" The finder asked.
"Anything out of the ordinary. No life is one clue but we need more." Lavi stated.
Soon there was a faint glow out in the distance, beyond the foliage of the trees.
"What's that?" Timothy asked
"I...I don't know. I've never seen it before." The finder's answer was far from satisfactory and settled no one's nerves.
The strange luminations grew closer and the foundations of a large building grew in the distance. The lights came from the windows which was a strange contrast to seemingly deserted building. Worn from the elements and environment. Time had not been kind to it. The lights were eerie when all around them their was nothing but decay and rot from the swamp, the building dying just like the land. Yet there in the windows was a warm glow which should have brought that warmth into the travelers hearts .It did not. The exact opposite actually. It unnerved them all and Lenalee voiced this.
"I thought you said you couldn't find this Clarksville mansion and I thought it was deserted?"
"We couldn't Ms. Lee and I thought it was. The..there are rumors in town of a witch who lives out here."
"it would have been nice if you had told us sooner."
"Well it was merely some superstition and I had nothing to back it up. I didn't think I should inform you of all folk lore around these parts. Like the fact the swamp water ages your skin by years."
Lenalee's eye twitched in slight annoyance at this. "That too would have been nice to know."
"Does that mean if I swim around in it I'll grow up in like a day?" Timothy asked.
"No that just means you'll get all wrinkly forever AND you'll still be short." Lavi said with a grin.
The ensuing argument, while brief, was tuned out by Lenalee.
The group came up to the large oaken doors in front of the manor. The doors were covered in mold and cracked and worn with age. Lenalee was the first to press forward. The door was unlocked and creaked open slowly, straining and squeaking with wear.
Dust and the odor of age met them as the door revealed the entrance way. Large set of stairs sat in the center of the large room. The second floor was visible from here. Marble banister complemented the marble floorway which seemed to have faired better than the outside of the large home. Doors were all around and it made one indecisive about which one to choose.
"Uh which way now?" Lavi asked
"Anywhere as long as it's forward." Lenalee said as she stepped across the room, choosing the door on the left side of the staircase.
The group continued to follow Lenalee who walked from room to room. Choosing doors seemingly at random. Moving ever onward. Each room was bare and covered in dust. What drove her forward? What? Only she knew But she wouldn't say.
The next door opened to reveal something different. A large room with a long dining table with candles atop it. A crystal chandelier hung above. It's shine dulled and gone now.
What shocked everyone was what lay against the wall at the end of the rather large room. Someone lay against the wall. His head hung down and his arms were at his sides. He sat there unmoving.
Drip...Drip Drip
The sound began. From his arms blood began to fall to the floor. It's flow gradually increasing. He was obviously hurt. The finder, Finnigan, rushed towards the hurt man.
Kneeling by his, "Are you okay?" He asked as he inspected the man's arm for wounds.
Drip
Lavi looked around the room for signs of a struggle or evidence for this man's injury. There was nothing. Something didn't feel right. His instincts were screaming at him. Screaming something but he couldn't make out what.
Drip...Drip-AGGH!!
As the blood flow continued to increase the apparently wounded man's arm shot out, grabbing finder Finnigan's face taking him by surprise. His grip was incredibly strong and he had a firm hold around Finnigan's face
"FINNIGAN!" Lavi shouted for what effect?
The wounded man head still hung low. His brown hair hung over his head concealing his eyes from the sight of the others. A gurgling sound could be heard from Finnigan as he struggled and scratched against the man's incredible grip on his head.
"GUA GU GUUUUH GUAAAHAUAAH GUG GUG GUG!!!!!" The only sounds which came from Finnigan. His body stopped clawing at the arm which held him and instead began flailing about wildly for a time. Only to Lavi's trained eye saw the blood which dropped from in between the the two.
Then the struggling slowed and then came to a stop all together. The brown haired man released his vice like grip on Finnigan as he dropped to the floor, His eyes dull and lifeless. Blood smeared his lips and chin. He was dead.
It all happened so fast! No one had any time to respond.
The brown haired man slowly rose from his former position on the floor with his back to the wall. Now on his feet, his head still hung down with his brown hair obscuring his face and eyes. It was wild and unbrushed. One could see he had a beard though at this angle. His arms hung limply at his sides, unmoving.
Drip Drip DRIP DRIP DRIPDRIP
Blood dripped down his arms, down his hands. The red crimson glowed menacingly in the dark room. It grew from dripping to floor in steady droplets, staining the floor a bright red, to a steady flow of river red and continued growing.
The blood pooled around his feet spreading outward. So much! So Much blood!
This...this isn't right....no human can bleed that much and still remain standing...can still be alive even. Lavi's sharp mind thought to himself.
The door flew shut behind the exorcists.
The blood flow continued to increase exponentially it covered the floor of the entire room now.
This isn't human!
The brown haired man raised his head slowly without any real effort or zeal to act. He looked straight ahead at the group and his eyes chilled Lenalee to the core
His eyes. They...It was as if they had no hope in them at all. No life or happiness or joy at all in those orbs of his. Those eyes just took you in. You saw yourself reflected in those eyes. Those eyes were so soft and yet they seemed to pierce your very soul the same time. It was as if this person was already dead inside. As if his soul had been killed.
That was when the scars on his forehead appeared and his skin tone turned gray. Those cross shaped scars.
"A Noah!" Lavi spoke out loud.
"A what!? What's a Noah!?" Timothy asked with a slight shake to his voice. He was scared. Scared of this man. But he didn't want anyone to know it. He wanted to be brave. But...but this guy. Everything about him...all of it seemed as if he was already dead. There was no vigor or vitality to anything about him. There seemed to be a dark cloud of depression that hung over him. The sickening aura of Hopelessness loomed about him and matched his posture and eyes.
It was now that Lavi noticed the blood which covered the floor of the room now was at ankle level and was still rising!
Looking back up at this man's face Lavi saw just the smallest sign of a smile grace his face. The first signal of any kind of life on him that is until he spoke.
"Are any of you named Kanda?"
"W...what!" Lenalee asked hesitantly. How could he ask a question like that is such a situation. This scene...it was like something out of a nightmare.
"Are any of you named Kanda?" He asked again
"No" Lavi spoke with confidence albeit a slight crack in his voice for which he mentally berated himself for.
"Alright then. I guess I don't have to put to much effort into this then."
Lavi took note that the blood level in the room was now almost to his knees and still rising! He turned and tried the knob to the door behind him. It didn't open.
Bookman was thinking the same thing as Lavi, "Lenalee! Timothy! The doors! Quick!"
Lenalee snapped to and flew to the side of the room not breaking her gaze from the dangerous man. Yet he made no move to stop her or Timothy who moved a second later after getting snapped out of it by Lavi's voice.
None of the doors they checked would open. Lavi began trying to kick kick down his door but it didn't budge at all. He even tried his hammer but nothing! Impossible! Something weird was going on.
Still the man stood motionless in the center of the room bleeding inhuman amounts of plasma. The blood was now above their knees and at this rate would soon be above their waists.
Lavi was thinking the same thing as everyone else as he turned to face down their executioner. If we don't do something soon we're going to drown!
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More to come and it still gets better. Trust me ;)
And as always PLEASE REVIEW. If I get a lot of reviews like last time or numerous lengthly reviews Than another chapter will come out just as fast as this one did, if not faster. So the number and/or quality of review will affect how fast the next chapter comes out. Thanks to all who have been reviewing and a shout out to: Glon Morski, Bookthief 101, Darkz13, Dark-Yuuki-Sama, Aki no hikari, Lord of Murder, Shadow of a life, Micael-sama, XxveryrandomxX. You guys ROCK!! Thank you for your reviews and please keep it up. Also a shout out to those anonymous reviewers who said some kind words. Thanks guys.
~Wolf