Freefall (Jaspar)

Chapter Fourteen

He'd come to blame his lack of drowsiness on the large meal he'd shared just under three hours ago, but he also knew the logic behind the accusation was lacking to say the least. He'd eaten entire pizzas right before taking a nap, how different was the situation now?

Caspar had been lying wide awake in bed now for an hour at least, probably closer to two. The Minchester's had arrived home at about 11 pm, and Liam had come bearing groceries closer to 11:20. The lasagna had taken under an hour to cook, and was demolished in even less time.

The mathematics behind the list was too much for Caspar's head right now, but he could estimate what time he'd retreated from the busy household to silence of his room. With his phone's help, he knew it was now 3:30 am.

The thought had briefly flickered through Caspar's head that perhaps he was already asleep, and this was a dream. The flat was beyond quiet, more so than usual, especially with its overflow of residents. Liam had left shortly before Caspar retired to bed, but that still left both demon-brothers upstairs, and Dan and Phil next door.

The possibility of a dreamscape would also explain the appearance of a wardrobe in Phil's room.

Earlier, Caspar hadn't bothered to flick the lights on, simply throwing off his stained shirt and collapsing into the bed. He'd only noticed something different about the room once he'd rolled over onto his back, but it had taken him at least five minutes to actually acknowledge the wardrobe's presence.

Of course, there was the usual antique chest of drawers adorned with various figurines and plushies, and the walk-in wardrobe built into the wall on the opposite wall from where Caspar lay now. Those were there long before Caspar ever arrived, but it only made the newest addition all the more suspicious.

A solid, dark wood structure, plain and simple yet vastly more mature than anything else in the room. It looked so completely out of place, just a few centimetres taller than Caspar and perhaps half of his armspan wide.

Someone may have had it moved in here for Caspar to use, with his stay seeming to verge on less than temporary nowadays. But why wouldn't Dan, or Phil, mention anything?

There was always the possibility that it had always been standing there, pressed back against the wall between this room and Dan's, but Caspar liked to think he was more observant than that. It was kind of hard to overlook the dark, foreboding presence in the space.

Foreboding?

Caspar frowned, letting his eyes drift back to the wardrobe. He didn't know what made him associate such a heavy word with the item of furniture, but it seemed to suit. There was no way the wardrobe could actually bring him any harm as long as he was careful not to tip it over, yet it posed an unspoken threat.

Caspar didn't really like the wardrobe. Not one bit.

Of course, he began to well and truly dislike it when it began to rattle.

Not the kind of rattling that might occur when the building shudders, or when a train goes past, no. It was a shake that suggested something was hidden within, and was desperately trying to escape. Caspar listened with a growing fear as the sound strengthened, until it resembled fists slamming against the interior, and the entire wardrobe shifted on its feet.

"Fuck me," Caspar whispered, unable to take his eyes away from the furniture. Muffled sounds started to protrude from it, and all Caspar could imagine was some beast within, its mouth rendered useless by whatever means.

The doors creaked under the heavy pounding, the wood creaking like it would splinter and dissipate into a thousand slivers at any moment. The muffled yells only increased in volume, and it was a wonder no one else had come barging in to see what all the commotion was about.