A Twisted Tale

7) Trespassing *Red*

           “Almost there!” Ash shouted back at us. Feet tired, I groaned. We have been walking for enough time for it to close to sunset, and this punk has said we were almost there at least a dozen times. My stomach was about to cave in until I saw hope. Lights shone from ahead. Picking up the pace, everyone runs up the footpath and we pause, panting. Staring at the doors, Ash’s eyes brighten. “Professor Oak!” he yells. Not even waiting for an answer, he pushed open the wide oak doors and lunges into darkness.

       “I swear,” I whisper under my breath, “how has that kid managed to live for so long?” Even though he  is annoying, he’s just a kid. Sighing, I push Rowland out of the way and make my way to the doors.

“Wait,” Percy says. Holding up his pen, he uncaps Riptide. Looking behind me, I finally notice I don’t have my scythe.

“God dammit,” I mutter. Rowland looks at me and makes a punching motion with his hands. Fuck that, I think as I pull out Annabeth’s dagger out of my sheath. Bring me good luck, I pray silently and creep into the house.

The first thing I notice is how… sterile the house smells. Each place I have been to has smelt like… something. This cannot be a good sign. Looking around the dimly lit room, I see figurines and vases. Statues and furniture. At first glance, the pale blue room is beautiful. Looking at things closer, I feel as if the room is a freezing menace.

Books lay on a bookshelf, encrusted in dust. Blowing on one of the thicker volumes, I pull it out and look at the cover. The face screaming out from a burning building is enough for me to put it back on the shelf.

Shaking of the shock that an instruction manual about arson was laying casually in the foyer, I continue my investigation of the house. Creaking behind me, I signal Rowland and Percy following me. I turn back and hold my finger up to my face, shushing them. Honestly, we’ll be caught by something at this rate.

I pass a handful of rooms that lay behind Stalking down a hallway, I peek around a corner.

“Holy Shit,” I shriek as I come face to face with a bird. This bird probably would not be scary, if it weren’t ON FIRE. “Holy shit, holy shit,” I chant over and over. I can hear the pounding of feet as the two guys run up behind me.

Rowland and Percy hold identical expressions of fear and anticipation. Riptide was held at Percy’s side and Rowland has his hands extended outward. The emotions drained out of their faces as they saw the animal in front of us. Reaching towards the bird, I hold out my fingers to its back and start to stroke it.

“I wouldn’t do that,” s stern voice stops my movement,” he tends to bite stranger.” On cue, I feel a sharp nip at my hand and draw my arm back. Looking at my fingers, I see a bite with the flesh smoldering around it. Hissing at the pain, I start to flap my hand around. “Ash has told me he brought newcomers over, so if you would follow me I can take care of that wound.”

Staying silent, we all look at each other. Percy shrugs at me and we all know that following this strange man is our best bet. Walking fast to catch up to the retreating figure, I study the guy.

White hair cropped short adorns his head. Tanned skin flashes from under the sleeves of his long, white lab coat. Thin wired glasses reflect back light as he turns his head, looking for something.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he says, “I wasn’t expecting guests, so it’s a little messy.” His warning didn’t help me as I stepped into a brightly lit room. Squinting, I try to take everything in. It’s like a scene from NCIS. Yes, it’s a dorky obsession of mine, but Abbey has a killer sense of humor and a pretty fine ass.

A yipping sound breaks me from my fantasizing and a small black mound of fur runs at us. One thing I’m not expecting is the amount of force behind the puny thing. Falling sideways, I can do nothing as the animal licks all around my face.