The Occult: DOOMSDAY

[ chapter ten ]

"If he's in here, you owe me ten bucks." Klaus comments to Melanie as he leads the way to the door of the Irish pub, not all that far from the academy.

"Deal." She shrugs, shaking his hand but sighing as he pushes open the door, pointing to the large silhouette of their number one.

"I'll give it to you later." She says begrudgingly, following Diego inside the pub.

"Trying a little hair of the dog are we?" Klaus asks Luther, the siblings filling the space around him.

"Leave me alone." He comments bitterly.

"Give us a moment." Diego tells them, the three looking at him confused as he puts his gloves down on the table.

"Okay. Come on. Maybe they'll brood each other to death." Klaus sighs, Five and Melanie following him to another table a couple away, close enough to watch for any signs of hostility.

"Isn't this basically the plot to Batman vs Superman?" Melanie asks, watching the two men talking.

"Kinda, but Martha has a better ring to it than Reginald." Klaus replies, Five scoffing at their conversation.

"It's more like Beevis and Butthead but sure, let's go with the hero's thing."

Melanie is almost about to pat herself on the back at making Five's humor appear for a moment, but doesn't get a chance as Luther bolts up, running out of the door and leaving the rest of them to follow, breaking the door as he runs through it.

Luther instantly spots the car they arrived in, yet another one from Reginald's garage, and quickly makes his way over, only stopping for a moment as Five calls to him.

"I'm driving. Get in the back."

Luther does as instructed, everyone else catching up to him and Five climbing in the drivers seat while Klaus calls shotgun.

Diego opens the door for Melanie, but she hovers a couple steps back, rooted in place as Diego frowns when she glances up to him, a panicked look on her face.

"Hey, you good?" He asks quietly, tears starting to burn in her eyes as her words escape her, Diego recognising the look of fear.

"Somethings wrong. I don't know what." She signs.

Diego's heart drops at her actions, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be okay. We'll protect you. I'll protect you." He reassures her, the anxiety still washing over her body, but feeling returning to her hands and feet instead of the cold shivers of her approaching panic attack.

Melanie nods slowly, letting Diego lead her to the car, where she slides in beside a slightly drunk Luther, Klaus looking over the back of his seat with a worried look on his face, unshed tears burning in his eyes.

"You too?" He asks as Diego closes the last door, Five starting the car and pulling away from the curb.

Wordlessly, Melanie nods, Klaus smiling at her sadly before turning around in his seat.

The journey from the city to the remote cabin takes most of the remaining sunlight, a blue haze falling over the world as Melanie sat between Diego and Luther, being squashed between the two larger men offering some form of comfort as they traveled.

The majority of the journey was passed in silence, apart from Luther's prompting to go faster and Five's loose threats, a sense of impending doom hanging like early morning fog between those that sat in the car, not lifting until the wooden cabin came into view.