I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.

Chapter 2

When morning came, Lincoln drank orange juice and poured himself some cereal. Since these powers or ability of future foresight, Lincoln didn't do many things that he'd typically do. He didn't watch 'ARGGH!' and didn't read much of Ace Savvy comics anymore. He mainly kept to himself, drawing and sketching. He resorted to doing peaceful things that would bring him contentment. The last thing he wanted to do was be with his family.

It was Sunday, and this was when everyone would fight for the TV remote to watch their favorite shows. Lincoln didn't bother as he lost interest in TV. Plus, Lincoln had been getting headaches for the past couple of days – skull-splitting heads. This lead to feeling faint and short of breath. Lincoln felt oozy and took a knee as the headaches took their toll on him, but he could hear his sisters arguing outside his room. Lincoln stayed in his room as his sisters headed downstairs to fight over the TV. Just as his visions predicted, the house's power went out.

"Alright! Alright, everyone, just calm down!" Lori yelled.

"AH! Guys, I can't see anything! I think I've gone blind!" Leni panicked.

"No, you didn't go blind. What the heck happened?" Lori questioned.

"I was just plugging in the old TV, and it must have made the power go out," Lucy explained.

"Of course, one of you did this," Lori sighed.

"What the heck did you do that for?" Lynn asked.

"Black and white are my favorite colors, along with spooky," Lucy answered.

They argued some more, and Luan cracked a joke which made everyone groan in irritation. Lisa gave her a cookie that made her glow in the dark, so now they could see.

"Okay, let's get that power back on," Lynn said.

"Hey, when Mom and Dad are out, I'm in charge. So first, we need to do a head count to make sure we're all here," Lori stated.

Lana counted, "One, two, three, four—"

"Everyone is accounted for except our brotherly sibling unit Lincoln," Lisa said.

"Lincoln!" Lori called.

She marched over to his room and tried to open the door, but it was locked. This got everyone's attention.

"What the—? Lincoln, your door has a lock? When did you—? Never mind, open up. We need to stick together," Lori stated.

Lincoln took some steady breaths before calling back, "Coming!"

Lincoln carefully but slowly got on his feet, but Lori was impatient.

"Hurry up, Lincoln! Now!" Lori ordered.

"I said I'm coming!" Lincoln shouted with anger in his tone.

Lincoln unlocked the multiple locks and opened the door.

"Lincoln, why does your door have locks?" Lori asked.

"None of you respect my privacy. You just barge right in, and you don't even knock. I had to do something," Lincoln answered.

"So you just—? Whatever, we'll deal with this later. Where's the circuit breaker thingie?" Lori asked.

"It's in the basement," Lincoln answered.

"You okay, little bro?" Luna asked.

Lincoln sighed heavily, rubbing his head, "No, Luna, I'm not. I got a skull-splitting headache, and it's not letting up. So please, don't yell and scream."

"We'll get you some Ibuprofen after the lights are back on. Now come on," Lori said, taking Lincoln's hand.

They headed downstairs to the door leading to the dark basement, devoid of light. Lori stood there staring at the dark abyss, unsure and frightened.

"Why am I the one who has to do this?" Lori asked.

The sisters answered loudly, "Because you're in—!"

The sudden yelling brought pain to Lincoln's skull as he cried and groaned as he shut his eyes. He greeted his teeth tightly while rubbing his forehead and taking several deep breaths. Everyone quickly turned to him while clapping their hands to their mouths.

"Oops, sorry, Linky. Guys, we need to stop yelling," Leni said.

"Right, sorry about that, Stinkin," Lynn agreed while rubbing Lincoln's back. Then the sisters turned back to Lori and said softly in unison, "Because you're in charge."

"Alright! Alright. Come on, Luan. Light the way," Lori said.

"That's the brightest idea you've had all day," Luan laughed.

As soon as Lori took Luan's hand, her glow vanished. Everyone gasped.

"Oh! I guess I was staying in tonight, but I guess I'm going out," Luan joked again, making everyone groan in annoyance.

"Lisa, give her another one of those cookies. We won't tell," Lori said.

"Negative, that was the only one. Prototype," Lisa replied while writing down some notes.

"Just great," Lori said, annoyed. Then a loud moaning came from the basement, spooking the eldest sibling and making her dash away from the basement doorway.

"There's something in the basement! I'm not going down there!" Lori said, frightened.

"Oooo! You're scared of the dark!" Lynn mocked.

"I am not! You're the one that's scared."

"I'm not afraid of anything."

"Boo!" Lucy said, scaring Lynn as she yelped.

Lincoln knew what to do as everyone was arguing as he saw it in his future visions. Lincoln said loudly, "I'll go!"

Everyone turned their attention toward their brother.

"Luan, does your camera have a night vision setting?" Lincoln asked.

"Umm, let me see," Luan pulled out her camera and checked the setting, "Oh yeah, it does."

"Good," Lincoln said, taking the camera, "Okay, I'll go down there, flip the circuit breaker switch and get the lights back on."

The twins screamed, "Lincoln! No!"

They raced over and squeezed him a hug to stop their brother.

"Don't down there!" Lana yelped in fear.

"There's a ghost in the basement!" Lola cried out.

Lincoln sighed heavily, "Lola, Lana, there's no such thing as ghosts. You're not scared of ghosts. You're scared of the dark because you can't see. Here, look."

Lincoln showed the screen of the camera in the night vision setting, viewing the stairs. The twins, as well as some of the sisters, looked at the screen.

"What do you see?" Lincoln asked seriously.

"The stairs?" the twins answered almost unsurely.

Lincoln turned the camera towards the kitchen, "Now, what do you see?"

"The kitchen."

Then Lincoln turned the camera away, "What do you see?"

"Nothing."

"Is the kitchen still there?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes?"

Lincoln brought the camera up again to show that they were right.

"See? Lights on or off it doesn't change what's there or not. The same goes for the basement. The only thing down there is the washer, dryer, heater, circuit breaker, pipes, and junk. No ghosts. Now, stay here while I go get the power back on."

"Wait! You're not leaving us up here all alone, are you?" Lori asked, then quickly felt embarrassed, "I mean, uh, we couldn't possibly let you go down there all alone. We should all go down together as a group."

Lori gave a nervous smile, but Lincoln's face was indifferent.

"Okay, fine, I'll lead the way," Lincoln said.

"Uh, everyone, link together so we don't wander off, and someone hold onto Lincoln so we don't lose him," Lori instructed.

Everyone huddled together while Lynn held onto Lincoln's shirt as they descended into the basement. Everyone was nervous and on edge except Lincoln, who remained calm despite the headaches.

"There's nothing funny about this situation. Although I do like dark humor," Luan said.

"Is someone touching my hand?" Leni asked with a scared tone.

"You're touching your own hand," Lynn answered nervously.

"I hate basements," Lori stated.

Then a loud eerie moaning sound filled the basement.

"Ah! What's that moaning?!" Lori asked as everyone gasped.

"Don't freak out. It's just the pipes setting," Lincoln answered, looking through the camera.

Then a scratching sound broke through.

"What's that scratching?!" Leni freaked out, and everyone gasped again.

"Don't be scared. It's just Cliff, the cat," Lincoln replied again, looking through the camera.

Lynn covered her nose, "What is that smell?!"

Everyone gasped again. Lincoln turned the camera and saw what it was.

"It's just Lily with a full diaper," Lincoln groaned.

The headache worsened, making it difficult for Lincoln to stand up and walk straight. He scanned the basement until he found the circuit breaker box. He opened it and flipped the switch getting the lights back on. He remembered his visions when everyone would have freaked thinking the laundry was a ghost under normal circumstances, and Lincoln leaped, beating it up, thinking he was fighting an evil spirit. Now he sees he chose the rational path.

"Let there be light," Luna smiled.

"Guys, I still can't see," Leni said.

"Open your eyes," Lisa instructed.

Leni did and smiled, "It's a miracle."

"First one to the TV is couch commando!" Lori declared.

Everyone raced upstairs to the TV except Lincoln. He felt a strange light-headed feeling and was having difficulty breathing. Now he was in a cold sweat with a stinging pain in his chest. He placed the camera on the washing machine and leaned against it while panting. Lincoln felt something drip down his lips and chin from his nose. He wiped it with his hand to see that it was blood. He softly gasped, and his eyes widened. A sudden cold chill ran up his spine.

'Am I dying?' Lincoln thought.

At that moment, fear gripped him. He wasn't ready to die. He barely got to live.

'Why is this happening? Why now?' Lincoln thought.

"Hey, Lincoln! Do you still have my camera? I got you some Ibuprofen," Luan said, coming down with a smile.

However, her smile disappeared as soon as she saw Lincoln. She gasped and dropped the plastic bottle with complete worry as soon as she saw the blood.

"Lincoln! Are you okay?!" Luan cried out.

Lincoln slowly turned to her, "Luan . . . I-I don't feel so good."

Lincoln fainted, and Luan caught him just in time so he wouldn't hit his head on the floor. She quickly laid him down while holding him close.

"Lincoln! Lincoln, wake up! Stay with me. Come on!" Luan pleaded before screaming, "Lori! Lori! Get down here! Help!"

Lori ran to the basement door and sprinted down the basement. As soon as her eyes laid on Lincoln, she went pale, and her pupils shrank. The other older sisters also followed, and their faces showed the same fear and panic.

"What happened? What's wrong with him?!" Lori demanded.

"I-I don't know! I came down to get my camera and to give him some Ibuprofen, and-and his nose was bleeding, and he fainted!" Luan explained with her hands trembling frantically and tears building up in her eyes.

"Lincoln? Lincoln, come on!" Lori said as she shook Lincoln in her arms.

"Let's get him upstairs," Luna said.

Lori and Luna picked him up and carried him upstairs while Leni held Luan close as she sobbed. Leni's eyes were watering as she got scared for her brother. The other sisters initially argued and fought for the remote until they heard Luan screaming. Then their faces went pale as they looked in horror as their brother was being carried from the basement with his nose bleeding. They all cleared off the couch for them to lay Lincoln down. Lynn brought her head to Lincoln's heart and placed her finger by his throat for a pulse. Her pupils shrank, and her mouth uttered.

She turned to the others, "Guys . . . he's not breathing."

Everyone exclaimed, "What?!"

"He's not breathing! What do we do?! What do we do?!" Lynn panicked.

"Does anyone know CPR?!" Lori demanded.

"Lori! Lynn! Do exactly what I say! Place Lincoln on the floor here! Now!" Lisa ordered seriously.

They both nodded and quickly did what she said.

"Lori, place your hands together like this and press hard and fast into his chest! Twice per second! Lynn, when I tell you when tilt Lincoln's head back slightly, pinch his nose shut, cover his whole mouth with yours, and breathe into it. Pause and then breathe again," Lisa instructed.

Lynn nodded, "Okay."

Lori pressed hard and fast into Lincoln's chest several times, grunting each time with effort.

Then Lisa called, "Lynn, now!"

As Lisa instructed, Lynn tilted Lincoln's head back, pinched his nose, and breathed into his mouth. They did this over and over, but nothing was happening. The other girls were tearing up and shaking; even Lucy was crying. The twins held hands tightly, Leni held Luan and Lucy, and Luna had Lily.

"What's happening to him?" Lana whimpered.

"I don't know. He'll be okay, right?" Lola asked.

"I-I don't know. I don't know why this is happening," Lucy spoke.

"Please, Lincoln, please," Luan begged softly.

Then finally, Lincoln gasped and was breathing. Everyone gasped as well and let out a massive sigh of relief.

"Lincoln, are you okay?" Lori asked as she held Lincoln up.

Lincoln didn't answer immediately as he was coughing, which sounded abnormal. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse.

"Something's wrong. His voice doesn't sound right," Lucy pointed out.

Lincoln didn't know if he would die that night, but if he were, he wouldn't die alone. He was surrounded by his sisters, who all showed deep remorse, care, and love for him. Which was all he could ever ask as it gave him comfort, and he didn't want his sisters to live in this world without them having some closure from their dear brother.

"Lori . . . Lori," Lincoln spoke weakly.

"What?" Lori asked, bringing her ear close to Lincoln.

"Lori . . . I-I love you. I love you all," Lincoln said.

"Lincoln! You listen to me! You're not leaving us! You're going to be okay!" Lori exclaimed, holding him close with fresh tears in her eyes.

"I-I love you all," Lincoln repeated, holding his throat and chest.

"Stop saying that like you're going to die! You're not going to die on us, little bro!" Luna yelled through her tears.

"Lori! Do I call 911?!" Leni asked with the phone in hand and her finger ready to press the buttons.

Lori glanced at Lincoln as he continued to cough while trying to catch his breath.

"Yes! Do it! Call an ambulance!" Lori ordered.

The ambulance didn't take long to arrive, and they rushed Lincoln to the hospital. Lori was able to ride in the ambulance with Lincoln while Leni looked after the others. Although, everyone was too worried for Lincoln to do their everyday activities.

Once they got to the hospital, Lori called her parents and told them what had happened, and of course, they raced to the hospital as well. They waited anxiously in the waiting room until a nurse showed up.

"Loud family?" the nurse asked.

"Yes? Is he okay?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Please tell me my baby boy is okay," Rita requested.

"He's fine. He's resting. Please follow me to his room and the doctor," the nurse replied.

Lincoln was sleeping in a room with an IV plugged into his veins and an oxygen mask around his face. The doctor told them that Lincoln had an abnormal rush of blood pressure and blood flow, but the cause of it was unknown. Lincoln had a feeling he knew why. While the parents followed the doctor to his office, Lori stayed with Lincoln. As he rested, she gently stroked her fingers through his snow-white hair. Lori leaned in and planted a long and gentle kiss on the side of Lincoln's head. Lincoln pretended he was asleep, relishing the sensation of his sister stroking his head.