𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Twenty Three ~

"Be careful, okay? We don't know what Peabody's capable of," Allison warned as she and her siblings approached the home of Vanya's boyfriend. "Yeah, he didn't seem dangerous when I first saw him. Looked kinda scrawny," Diego commented. "Yeah well, so are most serial killers and mass murderers. I mean, look at him," Dusk added, looking in the direction of Five. He was not in the least bit offended by his sister's comment and just rolled his eyes as they reached the porch.

"So, what's this guy want with Vanya?" Diego inquired. "I don't know. How about we ask him after we kill him? I am not going to let a murderer go anywhere near her!" Dusk answered, trying to hold back her anger toward Leonard. Diego approached the door, looking like he was going to kick it open. Dusk felt a slight tug on her shirt, looking over to see Allison silently gesturing for the raven to come with her. She complied and followed them to the back of the house, hoping that a back door or window was left unlocked.

To their luck, there was.

As they looked around the house, Dusk and Allison instantly had chills go down their spines as they felt the cold air of this man's home. A loud smashing noise came from the front of the house, and they found Diego lying on the ground, surrounded by glass. The front door window smashed in completely. Five walked towards the door and opened it. "You know the door was unlocked?" Five slightly chuckled as his brother picked himself up off the floor. "Well, my way works just fine." Diego protested.

The four of them looked around, hoping to find Leonard Peabody. But this time, they were not so lucky with finding him. As Dusk looked around the living room, she heard Allison's voice coming from upstairs, telling them to get there quickly. Five, Diego, and Dusk rushed up the stairs, finding Allison in the attic. Pictures and posters of them from their time in The Academy hung on the walls. Their eyes were scratched out, and their figurines had their heads melted off.

"This is creepy as hell," Dusk barely whispered as she picked up the headless figurine of her. "This was never about Vanya. This was about us," Allison realized. A thud came from behind them, making them turn around to see Five lying on the ground, grimacing in pain. Dusk rolled up his shirt, almost gagging at the shrapnel wound that was still spurting out blood a couple of inches away from his belly button.

"Why didn't you say anything to us, Five?" Diego questioned. "You have to keep going... So close," Five whispered before losing consciousness. The raven leaned in close, listening for a pulse, and to her and her sibling's relief, he was still alive even after the large amount of blood he lost. "We need to get him out of here. Leonard could come back at any second!" Dusk whispered. "Your right. He can't know we've been here," Diego nodded in agreement.

"Well, he's gonna know someone was here because someone wanted to show off..." Dusk said, directly looking at Diego through squinted eyes. She carefully picked up her brother with the assistance of Allison, and they got back in the car, hoping that Five would remain alive when they got back to The Academy.

~~~~~~~

"You can do this, Klaus. Luther needs you," Ben reassured him as they walked down the street, towards one of the local nightclubs. "I just... Ugh, this is pointless! I'm going home. I'm so dope sick," Klaus complained. As he turned around, back in the direction of The Academy, Ben stood in his way, making him let out a small chuckle. "You know I could just walk right through you, right?" the junkie asked, walking through Ben to prove his point. "I'm aware of that. But you need to keep trying. Help Luther," Ben tried to persuade.

"But he could be anywhere right now doing God knows what. This is probably a good thing. The big guy needs a life, and tonight he's out experiencing the real world!" Klaus reasoned. "He's not ready for it!" Ben protested. "Well, who is? Was I? Were you?" Ben's face fell, remembering the day he had died on that mission. Instantly, Klaus began to feel a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry. I know you weren't ready to die violently at a young age. Oh, sobriety isn't easy," Klaus sighed.

"You're right. You didn't. But if you were in trouble, there is nothing in this world Luther wouldn't do to save your scrawny little junkie ass," Ben pointed out. He does have a point there. Klaus thought to himself. "Damn it, you're right. We got to keep looking," he caved in. "Atta boy," Ben slightly smiled.

They kept walking for a while until they were almost at the end of the street. "We've been to seven bars, three strip club joints, and a laundromat. Luther's not here. Can we go home now?" Klaus whined. "Would he give up on you?" Ben questioned. A few girls dressed in weird costumes walked out of one of the clubs, and the brothers had a hunch that maybe Luther was in this one. Loud music was blasting loudly as they walked inside, and colorful neon lights burst around the room. "Excuse me! Sorry! Pardon me!" Klaus said as he brushed past a few people.

They soon reached the club's center, catching a glimpse of Luther with his shirt off dancing around. "Do you think he knows?" Klaus asked. "I don't think he knows!" Ben answered. Klaus called out Luther's name, and after the second time, Luther took notice and seemed happy to see him. "Isn't this amazing?" Luther asked. "Yeah. We need to get you home. Come on," Klaus tried to persuade him.

"Home? This is my home now!" Luther responded. Just then, a woman approached him, wearing a white tutu and a long white glowing beanie. "Huge fan of the furries!" She shouted to him. Luther handed Klaus a small pill, and he quickly slapped it away, sending it across the room. Instantly he felt guilty and started to almost give in to the temptation. He crawled on his hands and knees trying to get to the ecstasy. 

But as he continued, he caught a glimpse of someone lying on the ground. To his horror, he was seeing the dead body of his lover, Dave. His lips began to quiver, and he flipped Dave over and cradled Dave's head in his arms, unaware that he was seeing ghosts again and that some of the nearby patrons were shooting him weird looks.