Hello,
so I finished this chapter a day or two ago, but didn't post it because it's a little different. so if you spot any mistakes or have any suggestions to improve my work, please leave a review! And again, if you just have enthusiasmyou want to share, that's also a reason why that little box is there.
Enjoy!
Outside, May and Coulson wandered the garden looking for any signs of the missing teenagers.
"I never liked horror movies much." Coulson said. May glanced over to him as he peered down at the row of carrots, which had grown rotten and withered away long ago.
"They're too exaggerated." May didn't bother to say anything, she didn't feel like it and Coulson had one-sided conversations with her all the time.
"This time. A horror movie could give you a bit more insight." A crackly voice said. The two senior agents shifted their gazes to the edge of the garden, a women in her late 80's or 70's was standing with her arms crossed, watching them. "Names Bonnie Brand." The women stepped closer and offered a greeting hand to Coulson, "I live on the property at the bottom of the hill and across the field."
Coulson gently shook the women's hand, "I'm Phil Coulson, and this is Melinda May." He looked down the rock-roadway towards the base of the hill where the crashed car would be at the intersection. "Did you find the car?"
The women's lips curled into a slight smile, "No." she said, "But my friend did when she came to visit."
"Can we talk to your friend, madam?" Coulson asked, perhaps the lady who found the car would know more about it. The Police had already taken the car for examination, and the body even before that.
"Afraid not." Bonnie said leaning back onto the balls of her feet and swinging back forward, she had a beaming grin on her face which made Agent May slightly concerned and even more suspicious. What was so funny? "She left last night. But you can come talk to my husband. He's the one who my friend told. He knows piles 'bout this place. Come on, we've got cookies." Bonnie started down the road without a word of acknowledgement from the agents, with a quick glance over his shoulder and a nod to May, Coulson began to follow. May sighed and rolled her eyes, thinking the chances of Mrs. Brand was a waste of time was far out-seeding the chances that she and her husband knew any important information about the house. Nevertheless, as Ward and Skye exited the house and made their way to the side, she quickly informed them of Coulson's trusting of the neighbor before running to join him.
The Brands house looked like the perfect happy-grandparents retired home for cheerfully retired cooking-loving people. It was a yellow, freshly-painted farm house. It had three stories, each smaller than the stories in the old house up the road. The roof started from the base of the third floor and quickly reached a pointed top with the other side. A brown roof covered porch with a white fence and pillars ever 6 fence post, the stairs in the right center of the porch were the same white and the fence stretched to guard even the stairs. A rocking chair sat next to the green door and the windows had bright-blue curtains. Flowers lined the bottom of the porch and the bottom and top stairs and a bright orange reef hung on the door.
The inside was even more so, the walls were a pale white with white wood lining the pockets of the walls. TO the left was a cutely decorated kitchen with plenty of blocks hanging on the walls with quotes on how beautiful life and flowers were. A taffy jar shaped like a mini movie popcorn-cart sat on the counter and the smelt of freshly baked cookies.
May slowly followed Coulson who followed Bonnie up the stairs and into the house. The agents took a quick glance around to survey their surroundings. Mrs. Brand led them through the kitchen, around the counter and into the living room where a man, who the agents guessed was her husband, sat working on a crossword puzzle. "The cookies are as fresh as ever, Bon," he said without a glance towards his wife.
"Harold, we have visitors." Bonnie said in a kind, soft voice to her husband.
The old man turned in his chair and studied the agents up and down. May stood slightly behind Coulson with her hands behind her back waiting silently. "Hello, Mr. Brand." Coulson said stepping forward to shake his hand. The man rose slowly and waved him off with a 'hmph.'
He reached the counter and turned around again, a chocolate chip cookie in hand, "Cookies make for much better greetings, wouldn't you say?" he said, waving the cookie in his hand for Coulson to take, "Hm? Have one. They fresh and warm!"
Coulson only took a moment to realize the man would continue if he didn't take the treat, or be offended, either way it wouldn't hurt to have a warm, tasty, fresh treat on the job. Would it? Coulson smiled softly and took the cookie from the man, he held it for a moment and his smile grew, "Thank you," he said taking a quick bite. Mr. Brand held one out for Agent May, though her expression was completely dull and without emotion, she reached forward and took the cookie anyways.
Mr. Brand smiled and made a slow movement back to his chair with a grunt as he dropped back into it. Mrs. Brand took a seat on the coach next to him. Coulson looked over his shoulder at May, who was watching him back. Together, the agents moved to sit in front of Mr. Brand.
"Mr. Brand can-" Phil started,
"Please," Mr. Brand said waving at him and shifting to be upright in his chair, "Call me Harold. It's simpler and I don't want none of that 'Mr.' 'Sir,' crap in my house."
"Harold." Coulson nodded, "Could you tell us more about what happened in the house that made it…. Abandoned?"
"Of course!" Harold said as if he was shocked, instead of doing just that though, he went into a story on how long he lived in his house. "Why, I moved in before the second WW, of course I was just a boy, stayed in this house all my life, then I met Bon over there. Prettiest Peach in the forest of peach trees." Bonnie smiled from where she sat fiddling with a sewing kit. "Soon as I saw her, I knew she'd be the one in this house with me." He reached forward and held Bonnie's hand with a warm smile on his face, Bonnie mirroring his own. "Eh… have another cookie. They're best warm."
"No thank you, Harold, we-" Coulson glanced at may with a smile, "We're fine."
"No, sunny, you ain't fine till you have a cookie. Conversations are boring without snacks. Unless you're the one talkin', then it's just rude." He leaned back into his chair and laughed at his own joke. "Ah… anyways, the two kids in that house, that's what you want to know about, right?"
Back at the house, FitzSimmons were beginning to get annoyed with how large the house was. "Fitz," Simmons said showing him her pad, "What's wrong with Sleepy?"
The screen showing Sleepy's feed was beginning to fluctuate. The dwarf was scanning around the third level corner room, when it entered there were no problems but as it made it into the room itself, it's feed began to die out before reaching back in and out.
Skye entered in the door behind them and peered over their heads to see the feed. "Maybe there's some… signal… going through the room… like wires or something."
Both scientists looked up at her and she was suddenly reminded of her first mission with the team, "I'm going to go find Ward, again." She sighed leaving the room again.
"Pull him back before he breaks." Fitz said reaching over to tap a few commands into Simmons' pads and then his own.
"Too late." Simmons sighed, "I just lost his connection."
Fitz frowned and leaned over to look at the static-filled space on the pad where Sleepy's feed returned to them. "Better pull them all back, maybe that update wasn't as bright as you thought." Fitz grunted standing up from his squatting position on the floor, he looked up the staircase, "I'll go find Sleepy."
Simmons frowned at Fitz's obvious annoyance as he climbed the rickety stairs. "Wait! Coulson said to stick together." Simmons said jumping over their case of equipment and quickly following the engineer.
"I'm just going to get Sleepy." Fitz called over his shoulder.
Skye and Ward spent their next ten minutes looking over the shed and its collapsed roof. Ward took a step back to see the direct lining from the window to the shed below. Skye tried the door, but the fallen wood beams from the roof pushed back against it.
"Ward," she called over to the agent who joined her at the door.
With a quick glance at her, he set his shoulder against the door and, with his feet in a helpful position, pushed against with all his weight. The door barley budged but with a few helpful pushes from Skye, it finally opened enough for the agents to squeeze inside.
As soon as they entered and took a moment to survey their surroundings, Skye and Ward realized the inside looked the same as it did from the window. A three-decked shelf, the top with two plants in small pots, the middle empty except a pair of gloves, and a stack of paint cans and paint-brushes on the bottom row.
The collapsed roof covered most of the small space, which wasn't large enough to fit a car, and pointed towards the middle with the end of the beams. "Something must have hit the roof right in the middle,"
"Yeah." Skye nodded, "But what?"
There were no marks left over to represent an accident, no stains of blood, no trail marks to represent the object ever left. Ward stepped over a fallen beam towards the other end of the shed. He reached down and present Skye with a small object. A small fragment of the glass from the window above. The agents pulled their heads back to see the line to the window yet again. For a moment their hearts jumped a pace as something moved in the window, before they recognized the blonde curly hair of Fitz, followed by the tip of Jemma's head.
As they looked through the gap, they took into account the ends of the roof's beams, still attached to the top of the walls. Some reached up to 4 feet across still. "So…. what could've done this?" Skye asked, shifting in place and crossing her arms.
"I have no idea." Ward sighed looking at the top again. As he shifted his gaze to the ground, he noticed something silver from the shed's small window.
The silver object turned out to be a cellar door, one common for the time the house was built. With another great tug, the door swung open and Ward shined his flashlight into the staircase leading below the house.
Ward glanced at his watch, Coulson would be back in about ten minutes if everything had gone to plan, then again why wouldn't it? Careful to watch his step and keep a keen eye ahead of him, Ward jumped down to the first step, closely followed by Skye.
"So I looked at the fella' straight in the eye, and went, son, you had better pick up your checknook and walk out or-" he broke off and Coulson's head began to drop, the agent looked back up afraid the man was actually putting him to sleep, he felt dizzy and tired.
Beside him, May had long lost interest, "Mr. Brand."
"Harold." The old man corrected him again.
"Harold, we are really, very grateful for your time and your… delicious cookies, Bonnie, but my agents are currently looking into the house and its surroundings, so I think we're good…"
"Oh no." Harold said with a roll of his eyes, he leaned onto his left arm which was laid on the arm chair, leaning closer to Bonnie. "Honey, I think you forgot a few of them."
"You know, Harry, I think you're right." Bonnie sighed, "I only saw these two."
"I'm sorry, agent Coulson." Harold said pushing himself to his feet and stepping closer to the agents, subcounsily May stepped slightly closer to Phil. "We're going to have to ask you, not to go back there." With that, Bonnie pulled a gun from the back of the couch.
I'm deciding about how long I want each chapter to be, I wanted to enthusesmore on Bonnie and her husband because I really only wanted them to be in like one chapter, but this chapter would go on and on if I did that. SO they will also be in the next chapter.
And yes, evil grandparents that are 100% cheerful-all-the-time material.
Next time:
the sun sets