A Series Of Different Events

Chapter 5 - The skeleton house

Dusk had fallen like the Baudelaire siblings' hope, the sky going from blue to a bleak, murky gray, clouds hanging heavily, threatening to spill over the edge.

Tears, also, threatened to spill in the childrens cases, but they trudged miserably through the cold fields, jumping at every noise, eyes scanning the skies for any signs of the Firestarters' eagles.

"Where are we going?" Klaus sniffled, his glasses slightly steamy as he couldn't help but let the warm tears fall from his eyes, down, down, down as they fell onto his muddy shoes. It took a good ten seconds for Violet to reply, and when she did, it was no comfort to Klaus.

"I.. I don't know.. I.." Her eyes were cast down, the usual bright sparkle in them just a dull shine reflecting the last breaths of the sun as it sunk down for its slumber. She clutched Sunny tightly to her, who was sleeping fitfully, occasionally making small, sad noises.

After climbing what seemed to be the hundredth gate, or so it felt, they finally landed from the metal bars onto hard tarmac road. It was a narrow, bumpy track, but it was better than wandering fields, no direction. Violet sighed as she looked left and right.
"Which way?" Her voice was quiet, defeated.
Klaus just shrugged, so they started walking uphill, legs aching and backs hurting from the weight of their bags, but mostly the weight of their troubles.

They kept walking, until the sky had fully darkened to a navy, tiny pinpricks of stars fighting to be seen through the clouds that hung in the sky. The moon was just a slice, a line in the endless abyss of darkness. Sunny, who has now woken up, was crying, filled with mournfulness she could not express with words. Klaus gently took her from Violet, rocking her as they walked.

As they reached the peak of the hill, a building seemed to loom out of the shadows. It was more like the skeleton of a house, concrete blocks forming walls with empty gaps for the door and windows, scaffolding encasing it. Violet and Klaus looked at eachother, grateful for the shelter that they would have tonight. All three of them were too tired to keep going.

Slightly nervously, Violet poked her head through the arch of scaffolding, through the door.
"There's no sign of anyone here, and it looks like it's been empty for months..."
And as they looked closer, the more they could see cobwebs around the edges, clustered in the corners and edges of the windows, the pale moonlight illuminating each string with a ghostly sheen.

The siblings stepped in, letting out a breath that they didn't know they were holding. Klaus put Sunny down and slumped to the floor, putting his head back against the dusty concrete bricks. Violet looked at him, and sat down next to him. "We should probably eat something.." she said, as she rustled around her bag, pulling out small foodstuffs.

After a while, Violet just put them away, as they were both just silently picking at it, and Sunny was still and asleep on the cold floor. Violet unbuttoned her cardigan, and draped it around Sunny's sleeping form as best as she could. She glanced at Klaus. Neither of them were in the mood to talk, so all she said, quietly and slowly, was "You sleep. I'm not tired, I'll stay guard."

Klaus gave her a small smile she felt too weak to return, and curled up aswell as he could in the cold night air. Atleast it was sheltered from the wind, she though, as she lent her head back, looking out the window.

Although Violet had told Klaus she was not tired, she couldn't help the fatigue that crept up on her, as stealthy as the figures moving closer and closer with every passing second. As she struggled to keep hear eyes open, Violet slowly felt her mind... slipping into sleep... back into the darkness... her eyes were closing...

Suddenly, a firm shake on Violet's shoulder jolted her awake. She looked around, panic in her eyes. "Mother? Father?!" She cried, but it only came out as a hoarse whisper. Her eyes settled on Klaus, who raised a finger to his lips. Slowly, she looked up.

Looking straight at them, was a black-clad figure with a red symbol of a flame on their arm, hood pulled up so all that the Baudelaires could see was a sharp, smug smile. Violet jumped back, and stood up, pulling Klaus with her and picking up Sunny. She looked at him, and could see the terror reflected in his eyes.

He grabbed her arm, and they rushed up the half-built stairs to the open platform of the building. As they looked around them, they could see more of the Firestarters standing around the building. "Oh, no.." Violet whispered, and Klaus laughed nervously, holding tightly onto her hand.

The screeching of the eagles were like small knives hammering into their heads, as they circled above them like a whirlwind of terror.

"You can't run, Baudelaires"
Klaus shuddered as the creaky, satisfied voice came, and he turned. At the top of the stairs, facing them, was the man with a beard but no hair and the woman with hair but no beard.
"We have you cornered," came the man's grave, calm voice, and Violet stepped back, her foot scuffing the edge of the roof.

Quickly, three of the Firestarters came up the stairs, and Klaus stepped back to the edge with Violet. Roughly, one of them grabbed Violet by her wrist, yanking her forward with a cry. They wrestled Sunny off her. "Sunny! No! Sunny!" She cried, struggling as one of the other Firestarters grabbed her arms, and put a cloth over her mouth. Everything blurred, and she felt her knees give away.

Klaus shouted as Violet collapsed, the Firestarter holding her roughly as another came forward, grabbing him. He struggled, but they managed to press the cloth to his mouth, and the last thing he saw was the Man with a beard but no hair laughing as he started to come forward.