Repent: Gwyllomay of the Darkness (1.5) (MANUSCRIPT)

Chapter 31, Helter Swelter

       
  
    Grace cocked her foot out. "What do you mean 'I'm the only one of us who doesn't wield supernatural-" 
    "Exactly what he said, Seamstress Grace. You do not has the cool fangers like Gwyll or Dan do." Brandon hiccuped some, his spiraling rapier growling about in his hand. 
    "Wh- What? 'Fangers'?" Grace put a hand to her collar bone. 
    "I mean, she does have nice hangers." Brandon winked at me. 
    "Hmph. Don't even get me started." I ran my tongue across my lips. 

     They are quite nice. 

    "Get you 'started'? On what, if you don't mind me asking? Sorry I'm the one without the fantastical gifts and all-"
    "Oh, don't tell me you're gonna start takin' it personal now." Brandon rolled his eyes.
    "Oh, she will, general. She doesn't much fancy being the odd one out. Don't underestimate how much of an escalator this one can be." I cleared my throat, my eyes still focused on the hallway out in front of me. Its long and winding darkness resembled that of an abyss. 
    "Pardon fucking moi!" Grace stomped on the floorboards. "I'd refer to a woman with 'beautiful hangers' in a more respectful way if I were you, Gwyllomay." 
     Sighing, I began to whistle a melody which lacked of any particular tune. "Mhm. You make a damn fair point, Grace. By the by, you have indeed been blessed with 'fantastical gifts'." 
     Brandon gripped his sword tighter just then, I could hear his veins narrowing beneath his skin. "Easy on the flirtations there, Gwyllomay." 
    "Hm?" My eyebrows furrowed, slightly creasing my forehead. 
    "Grace is a wonderful... woman. And I've unironically had my sights set on her for a long time." 
    "Yeah, you and the whole freaking cast of this story." 
    "Well," Brandon flicked his sword through the air. "I mean, not her brother. Let's hope, anyway." 
    "You sure you don't wanna put any money down on that venture?" 
    "I SAID LET'S 'HOPE', ALRIGHT?" 
    "Fine, fine. Hope it is, then." 
    "Um, guys. I hope you didn't forget that there's still a zombie-like dude with a thick gun in his hand." Daniel squeezed his face in between the shoulders of General Brandon and I. 
    "Hehehehe, you said 'thick'." Brandon smacked his sword down on the oak floor, embers of black and blue hissing about. 
    Daniel sighed. "Alls I'm sayin' is, just be mindful of the guy with the gun, alright?" 
    "Certainly. I hear your request loud and clear. Well, Gwyllomay, what do you reckon of this?" 
    "Mhmhmhmhmhm. I'd reckon that the older lad with the gun here resembles- Oh. Oh, this isn't good." 
    The general shut his eyes for a moment, his nostrils flaring. "You're not insinuating what I'm thinking you're to be insinuating, are you?" 
    "I am completely insinuating what you're fearing. Bite the bullet, buttercup. Look at this man. Anything seem familiar about him?" 
    Brandon tilted his head about, his eyelids narrowing and folding out every so often. "He has a nice head of blonde hair." 
    "It is quite the sandy blonde, too, with a short trimming to top it off." 
    "Right, right. And his eyes-" 
    "Oh, why must you go for the eyes next? General, this man's height is quite intimidating. He's just so tall. I would estimate that his stature is about six or seven feet. Such a marvelous build for a man." 
    "I swear, Gwyllomay, I wonder if you actually do favor both sexes a bit more than 'just friends'." Brandon Yuichi rolled his eyes. 
    "Tsk. The lust that I hold as the lord of all vampyres is, at times, simply too much mania for one damnable entity to bear. Nevertheless, is there anything else which you find familiar about this haunting fellow with the firearm?" 
    "Would you just spit it out already!" Daniel tightened his arms, pulling on his own black button-up shirt. 
    General Brandon bit his bottom lip. "Spitting anything out is the last thing I'd want Gwyllomay Polidori to do." 
    Grazing my right hand through the curls of my black bangs, I inhaled deeply. "That's the owner of this house. That button-shaped nose is also a dead giveaway. It always puffed up whenever he laughed." 
    "I barely noticed that." Brandon rubbed the rear of his neck with his free hand. 
    "Same. I don't really even remember the owner. He was a pretty 'vanilla' kind of dude. Like, I know his house was haunted and all but he just had such a forgettable demeanor." Grace ran a finger down a blonde lock of hers. 
    "Would you quit busting the balls of a man you don't even know?" Daniel pouted. 
    "Uuuggghhh!" The man of this house, the polite yet bland stranger who invited us in, raised his gun. 
    "Uh-Oh. Everyone, be on your guard, finally. Our pointless banter ends here." Brandon narrowed his eyes, pointing his sword forward. There gave a black aura around it, mist which hissed. 
    "Hm. Getting serious, I see. It's a fabulous look on you, general." I winked. 
    "Uuuggghhh!" The man, his eyes dripping black liquid, pulled his gun higher above his neck. 
    "What is. he doing?" Daniel shivered, his eyes flashing. 
    "UGH! I just wanna die!" The man shrieked, falling to his knees. 
    "It looks like he's trying to fight the possession." Brandon swallowed. 
    "The... spirit who haunts this house is no ordinary... ghost." 
    "Well, I did leave behind any chances of this being an easy task the minute I saw you holding a gun." Brandon twitched his left eye. 
    "Fuck me. Brandon, you are really stealing all the good one-liners tonight." I yawned. 
    "The ghost is an angry... seelenmorph." 
    "I'm sorry?" The general flicked his blue bangs around. "Are we just makin' up words now?" 
    "Oh, dear lord of all that is sanguine and saccharine! Hah. Wait a minute- That's me. Mhmhmhm. General, you have a bit to learn. A 'seelenmorph' is a disgusting and perverse kind of creation." 
    Brandon cleared his throat, putting his free hand over his mouth. 
    Daniel scratched the side of his cheek, his pinkie brushing the pale skin. 
    Grace stood behind me, her posture shaking as her knees wobbled beneath those silk leggings. 
    "So are you gonna explain what a 'seelenmorph' is?" Daniel stuck his tongue out. 
    "Not yet. Not while we're dealing with an older man who looks like he's about to explode at any minute. Brandon, restrain this possessed human. Grace and Daniel, this is going to sound crazy so I apologize, yet I'm going to need you to go into the cellar of this home." 
    Daniel shook his head. "Are you bloody nuts? That's way too spooky!" 
    "Daniel, asking that question is your first mistake. Gwyllomay is crazy. And I remember him, earlier, saying that there was a 'toxic' entity in the basement." 
    My lips curved up into the most hungry parabola of smiles. "Grace, your affinity for listening to people makes me aroused. Now, you are quite correct. There is a spirit in the cellar and the only way to properly confront the energy taking a hold of this man is to rectify whatever mishap is taking place down there." 
    "But... Gwyllomay, why me? You and General Brandon said so earlier yourselves. I don't have any really useful qualities about me." 
    My smirk fell, though my eyebrows piqued. "That's not true. Grace, you're going to have to trust me to trust you on this. I... am a being who has seen the moon's cycle over a thousand times. I have seen wars, the falls of empires, the droughts of whole ethnicities and I am here to tell you now that your cooperation in this situation is of the utmost importance to me." 
    The young French dame put a hand to her cheek, her gaze falling down to my black slacks. "You really mean it?" 
    "I do. Grace, you are important. I believe in you. Brandon and I are going to be more brutish and hold this man down, yet you and Daniel can definitely get to the bottom of this haunting." 
    Grace suddenly shut her eyes tightly, tears squeezing out. "Th- Thank you. It's been too long since I've heard a call to reassurance from someone who really mattered to... me. Thank you, Gwyllomay." The young woman put a hand to her brother's shoulder. "Let's go, Daniel! We're going to solve this haunt... together!"