Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 4: Strobelite

Grunting softly with effort, Noodle lifted a large cardboard box into the air before dumping the contents onto her bed, adding to a growing pile of various articles of clothing. Noodle's eyes skimmed over the pile before the guitarist let out a frustrated sigh. She had already unpacked undergarments, some casual tees and jeans, and her workout clothing, but had yet to find the outfit she was looking for. However, her elusive clothing was not the only reason that Noodle was frustrated.

As she kneeled next to another cardboard box, Noodle thought about her bandmate and best friend, 2D. As long as she had known the blue-haired singer, he had been one of the most stable sources of positivity in the band. Although stricken by frequent bouts of confusion and, occasionally, terror, 2D had always been quick to recover from Murdoc's aggressions and attacks from the undead. Noodle recalled how, when they had lived in Kong, 2D could often be found wandering the halls with a clueless smile or curled in front of the television with a relaxed grin, empty-headed for the most part, but happy. He would be the one to cheer her up when she felt down, when she got sick of Murdoc's antics or when she would muse sorrowfully over her forgotten past. He was always there with a grin and a knack for forgetting his own woes.

But lately…

Noodle bowed her head solemnly as she picked at the tape sealing the box with her magenta-painted nails. 2D hasn't been the same since Plastic Beach, she thought. I guess he was trapped there too long; he can't let go of it like he's let go of so many other things. An experience like that can't just be forgotten. The edge of the tape began to lift from the cardboard. Noodle grasped it, peeling it back. Even though he doesn't talk about it much anymore, even if he's not trying to do so much as think about it, I'll bet it's still stewing in the back of his mind. That would explain why he's so much more nervous than he used to be. I thought he was getting better for a while, or at least had found some stability while we were at Wobble Street. But ever since we arrived here, he's been so on edge. I admit this place is weird, but we've lived in plenty of weird places before. Heck, I don't think we've ever been some place normal. But this place is getting to him, more than any other place we've lived. Noodle shook her head sadly as she thought of her bandmate, remembering how helpless he had looked curled on his bed, crying over fear of a 'demon' raccoon. She pictured his downcast eyes when he had apologized for being a burden, recalling how his shoulders sagged and his spine hunched forward. Poor Toochie…

Noodle's hand formed a fist around the tape she was holding. The material crinkled in her grasp as her eyes squeezed closed. When she opened her eyes, their emerald depths glittered with determination. 2D is going to have fun tonight. I'll make sure of it. She ripped the tape off the box then rose to her feet, box in hand, and thrust the contents onto her bed. Noodle grinned in triumph as a deluge of kimonos and dresses fell atop her pile of clothing. As she ran her hands through the fine fabrics, she pictured herself and her bandmates on the dance floor, lights flashing around them as they moved and smiled. She imagined 2D in particular, beaming, laughing and jumping with her in the rhythm of the music. I'm going to make sure he has a good time. He deserves it, after all he's been through. We both deserve it. Noodle closed her hand around a swatch of leopard-print fabric and lifted it to reveal one of her new dresses. Holding the dress against her body, Noodle closed her eyes for a moment, imagining the dance floor around her and swaying slightly as if she were already there with her bandmates. She grinned and opened her sparkling eyes as she hopped with anticipation. Tonight's going to be perfect!

...

2D glanced at an old wooden grandfather clock as he leaned against the foyer wall, eager for his bandmates to gather so that they could get out of the house and hit the club. The singer had donned a pair of high-waisted jeans and a stylish flower-patterned shirt for the highly anticipated night out. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell if it was almost nine o'clock yet; reading clocks was a challenge since he always got the hands mixed up.

As he stood alone in the foyer, 2D felt slightly unsettled. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something eerie about the room and felt almost as if something were watching him. His eyes flickered around the room nervously, checking the dark corners for sinister beings, locking eyes with each photograph on the wall to make sure they didn't move or blink. The huge picture on the wall behind him was particularly unnerving. He stared into the blank eyes of the still-framed man for a good thirty seconds before working up the courage to turn his back to the image, then continued to glance back at the image frequently.

The singer's ears perked when he heard Murdoc's rough-edged voice booming upstairs. "Lards! Wake up, you lazy oaf; we're going out! Now! Weren't you listening earlier? If you're not ready in five minutes, we're leaving without you!" The sound of the bassist's impatient muttering grew louder as he appeared at the top of the stairs. As he made his way into the foyer, 2D felt simultaneously glad that he was no longer alone and nervous at Murdoc's sour mood. Maybe we should have just given him his alcohol… The bassist glared at 2D upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, and 2D pressed his body into the wall as Murdoc growled and turned towards the basement door. Arriving at the door quickly, Murdoc hammered his fist against the aged wood and hollered, "Noodle! Get up here, we're leaving!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming! Calm down!" The muffled response was followed by a stream of Japanese statements which grew steadily louder as the sound of footsteps echoed up the basement stairway. Murdoc stepped away from the basement door as it creaked open.

Noodle entered the room, and 2D couldn't hold back a broad smile. She looked wonderful. Her catlike outfit matched perfectly with the playful glow in her eyes, and she was overflowing with a spunky, upbeat spirit which reminded 2D that this was going to be a fun night out. He continued to stare as Noodle approached and met his gaze with her own smile. She stopped in front of him, gave a quick twirl, and said, "New outfit. What do you think?"

"You look beautiful, love." 2D said earnestly, observing with pleasure how her smile widened at his compliment.

"You look great too!" Noodle said, turning so that she could lean shoulder to shoulder against the wall with him. Their arms brushed together as they smiled at each other, 2D reveling in how happy he was to be in the company of the amazing guitarist.

Meanwhile, Murdoc tapped his foot impatiently as Russel appeared at the top of the stairway wearing a T-shirt, beanie, and jeans. The drummer's eyes were half-lidded, and his hand was raised to his mouth as he let out a loud yawn. Murdoc growled with frustration as his eyes skimmed over his sleepy bandmate. "How can you still be tired? You've been sleeping for hours!"

"I like sleep, man." Russel droned. "It's healthy. Maybe if you slept more, your eye wouldn't be so messed up."

"Shut up about my eye!" Murdoc hissed.

"Hey, lighten up," Noodle cut in, her eyes flickering towards the irate bassist. "We should all try to have some fun tonight."

"I'll have fun when I've found some alcohol." Murdoc grumbled before throwing the front door open and stomping towards their car. The rest of the band followed.

...

2D's eyes shone with the ambient neon glow as the Gorillaz entered the Strobelite club. The cheerful greetings of their collaborators merged into the pounding music as the doors closed behind the four bandmates. 2D grinned, already feeling higher than he'd felt in months as the energetic atmosphere perforated his mind and the music pounded with his heartbeat. He felt a light pressure at his side and looked down to find Noodle staring up at him with shining eyes and a smile to match his own. The perfect place, the perfect company… 2D felt absolutely perfect. He glanced towards the happy crowd already on the dance floor and felt excitement bubbling within him. He couldn't wait to get up there.

First, however, some collaborators beckoned them towards a set of couches in a nook of the club with a good view of the dance floor. Russel sank into a chair with a blissful sigh, his eyes quickly closing. Murdoc sat down next to him with an edgy look in his eye, glancing between the collaborators who were trying to hold his attention and the bar where he desperately wanted to be. 2D and Noodle plopped into their own seats across from each other, content to chat with their collaborators for a short while but itching to get up and move with the music.

For the most part the collaborators were trying to speak with Murdoc, leaving 2D free to watch Noodle as she observed the dancing crowd. He found himself staring, mesmerized by the lights dancing in her eyes and the glow bouncing off her glossy, tousled hair. All the while he felt a warm glow of happiness, happiness that he could be here with his friends, especially with the guitarist who had come to mean so much to him. He shivered slightly as he recalled Noodle's earlier hint of a dance together. He had danced with her before, of course. It had been he who helped her develop her moves for the Dare video (how she turned his clumsy moves into something so fantastic was beyond his understanding), and they had had a decent number of dance parties in their rooms back at Kong. However, they hadn't been out too much since Noodle had grown up, and 2D was excited to have the chance to dance with her again, as adults at a real club.

2D noticed that her attention was fixed on a group of partiers around her age who were smiling and dancing, their bodies caught in the neon glow. The singer felt suddenly, uncomfortably aware of his age. 2D shook his head, trying to clear it of the unwelcome feeling. There are plenty of people my age here. And I've still got a youthful spirit, right? I fit right in! But as he watched the young dancers smiling and laughing, he couldn't help remembering how little he had felt carefree lately, how often he had been downcast, unable to smile…

2D sighed, his smile wilting, and began to tear his gaze from the dancers. He had intended to simply stare into his lap but instead found his gaze caught by the young guitarist, who was scanning him with a slightly worried look. 2D offered her a half-hearted smile. I don't want my mood to bring Noods down. She should be able to have fun tonight. Neither of the bandmates, having endured their own trials and woes, could claim to be as carefree as the dancers they had been observing. Nevertheless, 2D knew that Noodle hadn't lost her spark of youth; he could see life and excitement shining out from her emerald eyes, and he could almost feel the energy radiating off of her. She could fit right in with those dancers. 2D broke his eye contact with Noodle, feeling ashamed to be the cause of her worry, and looked reluctantly back at the dancers. She should go up there with them. She'll have more fun when she stops worrying over me. As for me… 2D sighed to himself, lowering his gaze to his knees. I'm just an emotional wreck. All day, all I've been is sad, scared, and nervous. I shouldn't be dampening this place with my negative feelings. I should've just stayed home.

As a song ended, 2D heard cheers and shouts from the crowd, anticipating their next tune. The singer looked up when he heard a familiar beat begin to pump through the room. Strobelite. It was one of the new songs that the band had been working on. The crowd murmured with excitement as it began, and an inviting space opened in the middle of the dancefloor.

Noodle jumped up, her eyes practically glowing as she approached the floor with a wide smile. 2D watched her go with a slight ache in his chest. She'll probably find some cheerful people in the crowd to dance with. *sigh…* At least I'll be able to watch.

As Noodle arrived at the center of the floor, 2D's heart nearly stopped when she turned to look not at the crowd, but directly at 2D. She sent him a playful grin and beckoned for him to join her. Suddenly, 2D couldn't remember what he had been thinking about just a moment ago. He was only aware of the beautiful young guitarist who was currently signaling for him to join her.

In a trance, 2D rose to his feet, vaguely aware that he was smiling, vaguely aware that his other two bandmates were grumbling and snoring behind him. As he approached Noodle, she kneeled and stretched out her hands; a luminous cyan rope appeared out of nowhere connecting her fingers to his neck. This place has got some cool visual effects, 2D thought as, getting into the spirit of the place, he zombie-walked the remaining distance to meet his smiling bandmate. They stood face to face, grinning broadly at each other.

"Glad you could make it," Noodle teased. 2D, unable to think of a clever response, simply smiled wider.

Then, they danced.

2D was amazed by how naturally the dance came to them. Their Zen bond seemed to be working in overdrive as they matched each other's moves perfectly, stepping closely together in the rhythm of the music. 2D had nearly forgotten how fun it was to dance with Noodle. This was even more fun than their old dance sessions back at Kong; 2D felt as if he were flying as Noodle and he glided across the backlit floor, coasting through the electric atmosphere as the neon lights dyed their skin in otherworldly hues. The music was pounding around them, the crowd was energetically cheering the pair on. 2D's mind was swirling with the lights, the sounds, and the ecstatic feelings coursing through his body. He smiled giddily down at his dance partner and found that she was watching him and looking particularly pleased with herself. The pair continued to dance, pulling out odd moves that they had made up themselves and never failing to match each other's steps.

...

2D and Noodle danced the whole evening away, occasionally joined by their collaborators and other members of the crowd, stopping only briefly to rest a few times and have some light drinks before returning to the floor. Murdoc, who had joined a mustachioed man drinking at the bar not long after the pair had begun dancing, soon found himself quite drunk, probably high as well, but undeniably happier than he had been upon entering the club. He even joined 2D and Noodle on the dance floor for a while, swaying and snickering next to a group of young women as a magenta-colored cocktail sloshed about in one of his hands. As for Russel… well… he was catching up on his sleep.

As the song Out of Body began to pound through the building, 2D and Noodle found themselves in the center of a throng of dancing patrons, the crowd pushing them closer together as they danced. No longer having the space to do the elaborate steps they had performed for Strobelite, they settled for simpler moves as they jumped and swayed with the crowd. Both of the pair had had a few drinks, not enough to seriously impair their judgement, but enough to make the music feel louder and the lights around them seem to gleam brighter.

2D was on cloud 9, not remembering to worry or even to think at all as he let the crowd and the music move him, up and down, side to side, and always with Noodle stepping toe to toe or swaying hip to hip with him. At the moment, he and Noodle were jumping wildly and smiling manically as the music pushed the crowd into a rave-like frenzy. The floor was so crowded that they were constantly bumping into each other, their elbows clashing or their knees knocking. It was like being inside a human centrifuge, and 2D loved it.

The singer found his eyes drawn constantly to Noodle as she hopped and grooved skillfully to the beat of the song. Noodle smiled up at him, and her green eyes seemed to be filled with stars as they reflected the lights shining around them.

"What are you staring at?" She laughed.

"I'm wondering who taught you to dance so well!" 2D replied, shouting over the noise of the music and the crowd.

"You taught me to dance!" Noodle shouted back.

"The moves look better on you!" 2D replied with a chuckle.

Noodle smirked, edging closer to 2D, and hopped onto her toes, reaching out to pull 2D closer. 2D found himself hunched over slightly as Noodle tucked her chin onto his shoulder, her soft voice trickling directly into his ear. "Don't belittle yourself, Toochie. You're an excellent dance partner."

2D wondered if her hand on the back of his neck registered the quick shiver than coursed through his spine in response to the sensation of her breath tickling his ear. A moment later, Noodle was in front of him again with her radiant smile. 2D was smiling just as wide, high on the fact that she deemed him a worthy dance partner, and they continued to dance wildly with the music.

As the song drew to a close, the crowd cheered and applauded; 2D and Noodle joined in, hollering and clapping until the sound of the applause faded into the loud hum of conversation as people moved off the dance floor. 2D glanced at a digital clock near the bar- Wow, 1:30 AM already? Turning to Noodle, he said, "It's getting pretty late; do you think we should go find the others?"

"Yeah," Noodle replied, glancing up at the now silent speakers. "I think that was their last song for the night. It look's like everyone else is starting to leave." Indeed, their collaborators were putting on coats and advancing towards the doors, retreating into the cool night air. "I'll go wake up Russel. Try to drag Murdoc away from the bar; we can meet up outside at the car, Okay?"

"Sure!" 2D replied with a smile, giving Noodle a crooked salute which made her chuckle before she turned away and left to collect Russel. 2D watched her for a moment, admiring her light, airy steps before remembering his task. Turning towards the bar, he easily spotted Murdoc who had surrounded himself with an array of gleaming glass bottles (all of which had been emptied) and had his arm wrapped around a tall brunette with luxurious waterfall curls. She wore a smile but appeared slightly tense as her gaze flickered nervously between his eyes. As 2D approached them, he called out to gain his bandmate's attention. "Murdoc! The clubs closing up for the night, so we need to be heading off- "

"2-Deeeeeee!" Murdoc cried as he turned to face the blue-haired man with a smile. 2D immediately saw what was worrying the brunette: one of Murdoc's eyes was rolling around in drunken circles while the other starred listlessly ahead. "2-Dents, Dullard, my pal, my slave; how nice of you to join us! May I introduce you to… errr… sorry, what's your name again?" The bassist turned back to his female companion, who whipped out her cell phone and studied it with an expression of mock concern.

"Oh, I really must take this call. It was… um… a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Niccals… Bye."

As she scurried away, Murdoc called after her, "Don't forget, I live at the haunted house! Stop by anytime!" The woman cast him one last nervous glance before speedwalking out the door. Murdoc let out a satisfied hum before turning to 2D with a lopsided smile. "Looks like I got me a keeper, eh? Betcha she'll already be at the house by the time we get back." 2D just nodded. At least drunk Murdoc was being nice. "Hey, you should have been hanging out over here with me! I'm sure I could've found a decent bird for you too, we could have chatted them up together. It's been a while for you, hasn't it? You could use some nice female company." Murdoc finished that sentence with a wiggle of his tongue and a twist of his hips which made the term "company" sound awfully suggestive.

There was a time when 2D would have gladly hung out with Murdoc to find company, but for whatever reason, 2D didn't feel the need to seek a woman to spend time with. After all, he was having plenty of fun with Noodle- not that I consider her to be like that sort of company… gosh, I need to just stop thinking. "Thanks for the offer, but… ehm… I think I'm fine. Let's go, we're supposed to meet Noodle and Russel back at the car."

Murdoc sighed, rolling one of his eyes, and rose to his feet. As he began sway sideways, 2D placed a firm hand on the bassist's shoulder, steadying him. 2D began pulling Murdoc gently towards the door as the bassist called backwards towards the barkeep, "Hey, Carl! How about a few bottles for the road? Just toss them to me!" Carl, however had turned away and was pretending not to hear the drunk man's requests. Seeing an opportunity in the barkeep's inattention, Murdoc made sure to snatch a few bottles off the nearest shelf before he was pulled away from the bar. Murdoc snickered as he held the bottles to his chest. As 2D led him towards the door, Murdoc rekindled their earlier conversation. "So, you're not interested in catching birds with me, are ya? What is it, then? You already caught one? Tell all, tell all!"

"I haven't 'caught one,'" 2D replied with a hint of exasperation. "I'm just not looking."

"Hmmm, right." Murdoc replied, smirking. He walked in silence for a few moments before stating, "You spent an awful lot of time with Noodle tonight, didn't you? Had fun?"

2D felt his cheeks redden, and his neck felt rather warm. "We're best friends, of course we had fun together. We'll always be able to have fun together. And we'll always be friends."

"Right, right," Murdoc said, beginning to giggle slightly.

2D's neck felt warmer. "What're you laughing at?"

Murdoc's giggles broke into a quick bout of full-scale laughter. "Ha! Nothing, not laughing at anything! Heh heh… you and Noodle can have all the fun you want in club friendship, I won't laugh!"

When they finally made it outside, the cool air was a relief to 2D's heated skin and tingling nerves. He spotted Noodle at the car, coaxing Russel into the driver's seat. Probably a good idea, since he hasn't been drinking. I sure hope he doesn't fall asleep, though… 2D pondered the drummer's condition for a moment. He sure has been sleeping a lot lately. Is he sick? The singer looked at his bandmate's pale eyes. They were glowing as brightly white as ever, but 2D could see dark rings of exhaustion forming around them. I'll have to ask Russel sometime if he's alright.

2D led Murdoc to the front passenger's seat. "Since you're so talkative tonight, why don't you help Russel stay awake?"

"Yeah, yeah," Murdoc said with a wink. "I'll sit up here, and you can go sit in the back with your special friend. Try not to have too much fun!" Murdoc laughed as he took his seat, and 2D shut the door after him, his blush returning. The singer stepped to the back-passenger door and slid in next to Noodle.

When 2D saw her smiling up at him, his frustration over Murdoc slipped out of his mind almost instantaneously. Recent memories of dancing and colorful lights soothed his thoughts and filled him with a pleasant warmth. "Are you having a good evening, love?"

Still looking up at him, Noodle leaned into his shoulder. "I've had a wonderful evening. I am starting to feel a little tired, though,"

Noodle finished of her sentence with a wide yawn that 2D found adorable. "That's okay. You can sleep while we're driving back, I won't keep you up."

Noodle grinned sleepily, then cuddled into 2D's side, her eyes closed and her forehead nestled against 2D's shoulder. 2D smiled softly down at her, watching her chest rise and fall as she breathed, beginning to feel somewhat sleepy himself. He heard a chuckle coming from the front and looked up to see Murdoc glancing back at him with a sly look in his eyes (or at least in the one eye that wasn't rolling like a pinball). Murdoc winked then turned back to the front, shouting excitedly, "Look, a Waffle House! Let's stop for some grub!"

Murdoc made a dive for the car's wheel, but Russel held him off with one arm. "No. We are going home, so that I can get some sleep!" Murdoc continued to make drunken swings for the wheel, but Russel held him off easily.

2D observed their squabble for a minute before his gaze fell back upon the guitarist tucked cozily into his side. He felt his eyelids drooping, feeling heavy in contrast with his weightless, happy mind. A sense of warmth and contentment filled him as he felt his head resting on top of Noodle's, a sheet of darkness snuffing out his thoughts as he fell asleep.

...

For the third time in the past 24 hours, the Gorillaz's car pulled up to their derelict wooden house. The gentle jolt of the vehicle as it came to a stop and the sudden cutoff of the engine's soothing hum caused two pairs of eyes in the backseat to slowly blink awake. 2D felt warm, warm and comfortable, but reluctantly he untangled himself from the guitarist whom he had been cuddling with in his sleep. Said guitarist met his sleepy gaze as he said, "Let's get inside. We could both use a good rest in our proper beds."

Leaning slightly against each other for warmth and support, the pair exited the car and led the way up to the spirit house as Russel followed with an incredibly tipsy Murdoc in tow.

Although most of his mind was consumed by drowsiness, 2D also felt happy. The night out had reminded him that whatever situation the Gorillaz happened to find themselves in, life went on; he could continue to count on the help of his bandmates (his Zen buddy in particular) to help him face his fears and have fun.

As 2D lifted his tired feet up the steps to the front door, he looked at the house with a new sense of peace. The others have been telling me not to be freaked out about this place, and they're right. The ghosts we saw earlier can't be any worse than Kong's zombies. Besides. We haven't seen a hint of the ghosts since this morning. 2D stepped away from Noodle so that he could stoop down to fetch his key from under the doormat (he hadn't trusted himself to take it to the club, since he had a bad habit of loosing such small objects). This house is nothing to fear. I'm going to be fine. We're all going to be fine. Smiling to himself, 2D twisted the key into the lock and opened the door.

The first thing he saw was blood on the walls.

Then he screamed.

Yay, excitement! This was the longest chapter yet, and very fun to write!

I've realized that I'm writing 2D's perspective with a little more thoughtfulness and intelligence than he's usually perceived to have. Since it's hard to write thoughts for a character who's supposed to be relatively thoughtless, I'm going to continue to write as if 2D is smarter that people typically give him credit for. Also, I'm not even going to try to write proper British accents. I'd probably just end up making the dialogue feel awkward.

Coming up next, revelations about the Spirit House! The Gorillaz will start down the path of trying to understand why their new home is out of whack! Will they figure out what's wrong with the house? And will Noodle be able to calm 2D out of his screaming fit?

If you have any suggestions, (constructive) criticisms, or offhand comments, feel free to review!