Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 5: Written in Red

As 2D stooped to pick up his keys, Noodle yawned. It had been a long night. A very fun long night, mind you. Hours of dancing had left her limbs heavy and limp, and she was ready to collapse into bed and fall into a deep, restful sleep. Head drooping and eyes half closed, Noodle's thoughts crept back to the dance floor, to the strobe lights flashing, and to 2D dancing with her, smiling and jumping, stepping and swinging, happy and content… Noodle smiled to herself, looking forward to reliving those memories in her dreams.

Her reverie was broken by 2D's scream of terror.

Noodle's head jerked up immediately. She saw 2D standing in the open doorway, silhouetted in the light streaming out of their foyer as he stumbled backwards, screeching. The singer tripped over the doormat, almost falling before Noodle caught his back and steadied him. Alarmed but curious, Noodle glanced around 2D to see what he had noticed through the open door.

Her eyes widened when she saw the fresh red stains which covered the walls of the entryway. Floor to ceiling, the room was decorated with strange symbols drawn in crimson fluid. As her eyes scanned the eerie scene, Noodle felt a tingle in the back of her mind. These symbols are familiar to me, but I can't remember where I've seen them before. Have I come across this language while traveling? In a book? As she pondered the symbols, Noodle's eyes drifted back to the center of the room, to the spot most clearly visible from the doorway. This was the only spot not occupied by the strange script and was instead adorned with two English characters she instantly recognized.

2D.

The guitarist felt her bandmate shaking under her steadying hands. Removing her support from his back, Noodle stepped in front of 2D, looking into his face. The singer had stopped screaming but was now hyperventilating severely. The singer's eyes had paled with fright, and his gaze remained fixed on his red-lettered name.

Noodle breathed in deeply, momentarily letting her eyes droop closed, then let her breath out slowly, feeling her emotions stabilize and her inner calm take over. Opening her eyes, she raised her hands to grasp her bandmate's shoulders.

"2D," she spoke softly, in as soothing a tone as she could manage. "I know you're scared right now. It's okay to be scared." His shoulders trembled in her grip, and Noodle wasn't entirely sure that he was hearing her. "I need you to calm down a little. Just breathe. Calm down."

Noodle watched 2D as he continued to hyperventilate. His gaze, although somewhat hard to decipher, didn't seem to have moved from the writing on the walls. Noodle moved one of her hands to take 2D's chin and tilt his head gently towards her, trying to make eye contact with him. However, his pale eyes didn't meet hers. "Look at me, 2D. Breathe. I'm right here, you'll be okay." But his heavy, gasping breaths continued, with an edge of a whimper creeping into each exhalation. Noodle was feeling very worried for her friend, whose unresponsive state seemed impenetrable. How can I get him to snap out of this? She tilted her head slightly to the side. Perhaps some sort of shock would do the trick… No, no, I want him to stabilize, he probably just needs some time-

THWACK.

2D dropped like a stone, falling with a thunk across the wooden boards of the porch. His head dangled pathetically over the top stair. Noodle stared slack-jawed and wide-eyed at her unconscious friend. After a long moment, her expression of shocked disbelief began to disappear, replaced by a scowl of violent anger which would send the faint-hearted running for their lives. She looked up to lock eyes with Murdoc, who was standing at the singer's head holding a thick glass bottle and looking very pleased with himself.

"Problem solved! You're welcome!"

"MURDOC NICCALS!" Noodle shouted furiously, her fists clenched. "WE DO NOT KNOCK OUR BANDMATES UNCONSCIOUS WHEN THEY'RE SCARED!"

"It worked though, dinnit?" Murdoc replied, unable to stop grinning. "He stopped freaking out, just like you wanted!"

Noodle growled angrily, taking a threatening step towards the bassist. Angry heat was building in her chest; it was a wonder she wasn't on fire. She would have punched him if he weren't obviously drunk. Heck, I should probably punch him anyway.

"What's got Dents so worked up, anyway?" Murdoc said as he stumbled past the fuming guitarist and through the open door. He looked at the bloodstained wall and his grin widened. Noodle watched, dumbstruck, as he began to laugh. "Ha! Look at that! The house really does have it in for him, doesn't it?" Murdoc entered the house, and Noodle spared one last worried glance towards 2D. Russel, shaking his head with exhaustion and exasperation, had approached the singer and was lifting his limp, skinny frame into his arms. They followed Murdoc into the house.

"Hmmm, this is interesting, very interesting!" Murdoc cackled as if he were observing the pages of an unwholesome magazine. "Oh, look!" He said, pointing. "My name's up here too!" Noodle's gaze followed his finger to a patch of wall just above the stairway. Sure enough, Murdoc's name had been thrown in amongst a line of glistening red symbols. Her eyes narrowing, Noodle scanned the room carefully. She glanced above the creepy portrait and frowned when she found Russel's name drawn over the paint.

"Look, Russel," She said. "You're here too."

"And so are you!" Murdoc cried with glee as he pointed to a Japanese character which all the bandmates had come to recognize scrawled just to the right of the grandfather clock.

Noodle observed Murdoc with irritation as he smiled at the walls, having the time of his life as he made sure that all of his bandmates were included in the disturbing scene. She watched him stroll up to the wall and drag his finger through the scarlet fluid spelling 2D's name, then grimaced as her bandmate stuck the reddened finger into his mouth. "Murdoc, what are you doing?"

"Confirming a theory," Murdoc mumbled around his finger. He sucked on it thoughtfully, his eyes turned towards the ceiling, then removed the finger from his mouth with a pop. "Yep, that's blood! Raccoon blood, to be specific, and maybe with a bit of cat or weasel mixed in."

Noodle suddenly felt glad that she had left her own pet, Katsu, in the care of a friend while the band completed their move. "Murdoc, do you recognize these symbols? I feel like I've seen them somewhere before, but I'm not sure where."

"Of cooourse I recognize them!" Murdoc howled drunkenly. "This is a demonic language! Frequently used by citizens of the underworld and beings from the other side!"

Of course… I must have seen these while I was tracking down that demon after Plastic Beach, or stumbled across it while looking at one of Murdoc's books. "Can you read it?" She asked, her frustration giving way to curiosity.

"Yup," Murdoc said, leaning against the wall proudly.

"Then what does it say?" Noodle interrogated.

"Oh… Uhhh…" Murdoc turned back to the wall, looking at the symbols with as much focus as the drunk bassist could muster. "Well, these symbols seem to be foretelling some sort of cataclysmic event. The ones around our names are suggesting that we're involved somehow. I see destruction, doom, peril… Yeah, it looks like this house is inhabited by some evil entities which want to destroy all of humanity and us in particular." Murdoc turned towards Noodle with a self-important smile, proud of himself for giving such a thorough interpretation.

Noodle sighed. "Well, it looks like 2D was right to be wary of this house." She glanced back over the symbols before returning her gaze to the grinning bassist. "Tomorrow we should all try to figure out what exactly is going on around here. We'll need to unpack some of your books and get a more detailed translation of these symbols."

"Sure, sure!" Murdoc said as one of his eyes rolled towards the ceiling. Noodle groaned inwardly. I get the feeling that someone's going to be incapacitated by a nasty hangover tomorrow.

The guitarist then turned towards Russel, who was standing by the now closed doorway and looking almost as sleepy as the knocked-out singer he had tossed over his shoulder. "Russel, are you in to help investigate this house tomorrow?"

Russel yawned. "I dunno, baby-girl. We'll see how tired I feel tomorrow morning, and maybe if I'm awake enough, I'll pitch in. But I wouldn't count on it."

Noodle looked at the floor sorrowfully. It was down to just her and 2D, if he was up for it. Unfortunately, Noodle wasn't sure that the singer could handle much more of this house. "Okay. Russel, will you take 2D up to his room? I'll go with you; I want to be there when he regains consciousness to make sure he doesn't panic again."

It looked like Russel was about to respond in the affirmative when he was interrupted by Murdoc's giggling. Noodle turned towards Murdoc irately, tired of his drunken interjections. "What is it now, Murdoc?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Murdoc said with a wink. "It's just so sweeeeet to see how you take care of the dullard." He chuckled as Noodle rolled her eyes and Russel stared at him with confusion. "You guys have fun. I'm going to ransack the fridge. I think 2D saw a cake in there earlier." Murdoc stumbled tipsily out of the room, leaving his bandmates behind.

"What was that all about?" Russel asked.

"Nothing. Just Murdoc being himself," Noodle responded.

"Well, I'll carry 'D up to his room. It's no trouble. But after that, I'm going straight to bed." Russel let out another large yawn. "Do me a favor and make sure no one tries to wake me up before I'm ready tomorrow. Whoever disturbs me isn't going to be looking to pretty when I'm finished with them."

. . .

2D groaned softly. His head hurt. However, his back felt very comfortable. I must be in bed, 2D thought. But how did I get here? He tried to jog his memory. Although his eyes were closed, he could tell it was night time since no light was passing through his eyelids. I can't have been here for too long, then. Unless I've been asleep for a whole day… Or a week… Or a year… That would explain why I can't seem to remember much. Then again, my memory hasn't been very good at all since… uhhh…. For as long as I can remember. 2D shrugged inwardly. Oh well. As long as I'm comfortable, I should probably just go back to sleep.

2D became aware of something warm lying somewhere by his left side. Mmm, is that a heated blanket? Smiling drowsily, 2D rolled onto his side and pulled the warm object into his chest. It must be a heated blanket. It's so cozy. 2D nuzzled his face into the object when he heard an odd noise. Do blankets usually sound like they're breathing?

"2D?"

Is that Noodle? When did she get here? Is this her blanket? 2D scrunched his eyebrows in thought. Her voice seemed really close to my face. Wait… Is she in the blanket? 2D opened his eyes and leaned back. Noodle was, indeed, in the blanket, which was warm due to her own body heat. By the dim moonlight which streamed through his window, 2D could see the indentation from where he had tucked his nose into the blankets near her neck. She was blinking up at him through sleepy eyes, and 2D felt a pinch of regret at having woken her up. "Hey, Noodle. When did you get here? And… eh… when did I get here?"

It occurred to 2D that Noodle might not feel comfortable being pressed into his chest, so even though she felt super warm and cozy, 2D let his grip go slack and returned his arm to his own patch of blankets. The two bandmates were each rolled onto their sides facing each other, and Noodle was rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Sorry, 2D, I hadn't meant to fall asleep, I just wanted to make sure you'd be okay when you woke up." Noodle focused her gaze on 2D with an expression of thoughtfulness and concern. "2D, how much do you remember from last night?"

2D bit his lip thoughtfully and glanced around the room. "Well this is the new house, we just arrived…" The moonlight bouncing off of Noodle's eyes triggered a memory which made 2D smile. "And we went dancing. There were lights, and music, and we were really happy." 2D grinned at his bandmate, who was cautiously grinning back up at him.

"Is that the last thing you remember?"

2D thought hard, taking his lip between his teeth again as he struggled to think through his lethargy. "I think so-" 2D's bite was a little too hard, and he felt a drop of blood forming under his remaining frontmost teeth. Blood… 2D narrowed his eyes. There was something there, in his memory, just beyond his grasp, and it was linked to the taste in his mouth. 2D licked his lip gingerly, feeling a connection, then said the word out loud. "blood."

Noodle was watching him anxiously, but 2D hardly noticed as his mind slipped into another memory. "blood," he repeated with a faraway look in his eyes. His heartrate began to rise and his breathing quickened. "There was b-blood… On the w-walls… My name…" 2D felt panic as it began to flood his chest and his mind, threatening to overcome him. "There was blood, Noodle, bloo-"

2D felt a hand press gently against his mouth, cutting off his speech. His eyes refocused on the guitarist laying next to him, who was staring up at him with a strange calm in her eyes and whispering soothing words under her breath. "Hush, 2D. I know there was blood. Nothing can harm you right now, you're safe with me."

It would be hard not to calm down surrounded by Noodle's soothing yet strong voice, with the feeling of warmth and comfort wrapped around 2D and those steady eyes gazing right through him. The singer felt the turmoil in his mind die down and relaxed the muscles he hadn't realized were tense.

"Are you feeling better, 2D?"

"Yeah," 2D said. "W-what happened after I looked through the door?"

"You screamed," Noodle responded. "I tried to calm you down, but you weren't responding, so Murdoc took matters into his own hands. He knocked you out with an empty bottle of scotch."

"That explains my sore spot," 2D said, raising a hand to the spot on his head which was still throbbing lightly.

"I put a pill and a glass of water on your nightstand. You should take it now, or you'll probably feel worse in the morning."

2D smiled. "Thanks, love." He rolled over to his other side, spotting the aforementioned items on the nightstand, and quickly took his medicine and turned on the bedside lamp before turning back to Noodle. Now that they were bathed in the lamp's soft orange glow, the scene reminded 2D of the slumber parties they use to have in his room back when Noodle was still a small child. Although back then we would be on the floor in sleeping bags. But a bed is cozier than a floor anyway, and we each have our own blankets, so it's pretty much the same thing, just better. 2D recalled how they used to stay up late watching movies, playing videogames, or talking about whichever random subjects popped into their heads from the comfort of their sleeping bags. I've missed this.

"Uh… Thanks for staying here with me. I probably would've panicked if I'd remembered last night alone."

"No problem, Stuart."

Noodle smiled up at him, and 2D felt a rush of warmth somewhere near his heart. He was genuinely touched that Noodle had decided to stick around and make sure that he was okay. Not that he would have expected anything else from her; she had always been there for him and he knew that he could always count on her. He smiled fondly at the guitarist, once again feeling overwhelmed but this time by something far more pleasant than panic. It was a happy sort of affectionate feeling that he didn't have the energy to put a name to. 2D perked up when an exciting thought crossed his mind.

"Hey, Noodle, When Murdoc saw all the scary stuff on the walls, did he change his mind about not moving?"

Noodle sighed. "I'm afraid not. He actually seemed excited by the writing."

"Oh. Did he understand the writing? Was it saying something nice?" 2D gazed at her hopefully, but became sad as Noodle shook her head.

"He understood it, but it wasn't saying very nice things."

There was sympathy in Noodle's eyes as 2D's face fell. 2D dropped his gaze to the sheets, his eyes dark and gloomy, before looking back up at his bandmate. "So what now?"

"Tomorrow, we're going to figure out what's going on with this house," Noodle replied, holding his gaze with an intensity that surprised him. "Russel and Murdoc probably won't join us, but we can do some research on our own. There's an old library a few blocks away; places like those usually have tomes on the histories of local locations. We'll start there, and see where it takes us. That is…" Noodle's intense gaze softened. "If you're feeling up to it. I know you've been through a lot lately, and I'll understand if you'd rather just find somewhere in town to relax, or even rent out a room in a hotel until I make sure that this place is safe for us."

"And leave my best friend to handle this place alone?" 2D looked soulfully into Noodle's eyes. However scared he may have been earlier, nothing could justify him leaving her side, especially at a time like this, and especially after all that they'd been through. "Of course I'll help!"

Noodle's smile of response made his heart feel light. "I'm glad you're feeling up to this," she said. 2D was caught by surprise when she shifted forward and hugged him, tucking her face into his shoulder and sending a warm shiver through his nerves. He didn't hesitate to return the gesture, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her against him and tucking his face into her soft hair.

2D's mind swirled with happiness, contentment, gratefulness, and affection as he felt Noodle's arms squeeze tightly around his chest, and her breath tickle the juncture between his neck and his shoulder. He smiled into her hair, letting the emotions wash over him, and trying to find the words to thank her properly for all she was doing to help him with this house, and for that matter, all that she had ever done for him. "Noodle…"

"Yes, 2D?" Noodle murmured next to his ear.

Words tumbled through 2D's mind, but he couldn't seem to match them properly to his feelings, and all of the meaning he wanted to express. After a few moments of intense thought, 2D sighed, vying for something simple that he hoped would portray at least a little of how grateful he was for her. "Thank you. Just… Thank you, for everything."

2D sighed as he felt Noodle smile against his neck. Someday, hopefully soon, he would figure out how to put all of the confused feelings within him into words, and then he could properly let Noodle know how much he appreciated her.

But for now, he was too tired to think about that. He would just have to wait for the day when he could tell her how he felt…

. . .

Noodle reached around 2D and turned off the lamp. As darkness settled over the room, she nestled closer to 2D, trying to transfer as much confidence and comfort as she could muster through their embrace. She was glad that he was gaining confidence, both towards the house and towards her. He seemed to be getting better at understanding and expressing his feelings, and something in his voice when he had thanked her just seconds ago had suggested that he was finally starting to realize that she would always be there for him, and that he didn't need to hold back when he needed a hug.

The guitarist grinned, nuzzling the soft fabric of 2D's shirt. Someday, hopefully soon, she would be able to show him that she intended to always be by his side, that she genuinely wanted to be close to him, as close as possible, that she…

Well…

Sigh.

She would just have to wait for the day…

. . .

Coming up next, morning comes and the duo prepare for a day of investigation! Will any interesting plot developments turn up in the Gorillaz's mailbox? Stay tuned to find out!

By the way, Humility just came out, and I love it. If you haven't seen it yet, watch it now. 2D looks so happy in the video! Makes me wish I knew how to roller skate.

Reviews are welcome! I'd like to thank GrrHatLet for the consistent reviews; it's extremely encouraging to get your feedback! See ya next chapter!