fic: The Witching Hour Part 2 (WIP) - Zachary Quinto/Chris Pine
11:45 pm
An hour later, Chris yawns as he flips through the radio stations in Zach's car.
"Why are we going so late?"
"'The witching hour,'" Zach says simply, his attention focused on the rear-view mirror as he switches lanes. The streets are still wet from the rain that had fallen earlier that evening, and each passing streetlight creates a shiny and surreal world that glitters in the darkness.
"What?" Chris yawns again.
"'The witching hour,'" Zach repeats. "It's the time between midnight and 3am whenever paranormal activity is supposed to be at its most active...so they say."
"Ah, 'When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out,'" Chris recites. His head lolls on the headrest as he turns to smile at Zach.
Zach glances at Chris and smiles, "Something like that, yeah."
Another half hour passes with nothing more than the quiet drone of the radio, barely audible over the hum of the highway, to break the silence. Chris is drowsy, and relaxed, and to keep himself from falling asleep he alternates his attention from the view out his window, to Zach, who looks intense and focused, but full of energy. Ask Chris what his favorite thing about Zach is and you'll always get the same answer: the silences are never awkward.
Chris smiles to himself and, despite his attempts, his eyes close.
//
He didn't remember falling asleep, but he was suddenly roused by Zach's soft voice as it broke through the silence.
"We're here."
Chris slowly blinks awake, and his heart beats a little bit faster as he gapes at the sight in front of him.
Looming before them is the silhouette of a towering four-story building. An expanse of shadowy turrets stretched out against the cloudy sky.
"What is this place?" Chris murmurs.
"Saint Vincent's Hospital for the Criminally Insane." Zach's voice is reverent and soft.
Chris turns and stares at Zach, "You're shitting me."
Zach pulls up in front of the building and turns off the ignition. The headlights switch off, throwing them into total darkness. They both lean over to look out Chris' window.
"I shit you not, my friend." Zach looks at Chris out of the corner of his eye and grins.
"Zaaaach," Chris groans.
Zach slaps Chris' thigh, "C'mon. Let's go." He opens the car door and steps out onto the gravel.
Chris takes a deep breath and one last look out his window before he gets out. The gravel crunches softly under his feet as he makes his way to the back of the car where Zach is retrieving their equipment from the trunk.
"Here, take these." Zach hands Chris a camera and a flashlight.
Chris takes the items and turns his attention back to the hospital. "Where the hell did you find this place, anyway?"
"Um. A friend told me about it."
"One of your ghost-hunting friends?"
Zach glares at Chris.
"Sorry," Chris says, though his smile would say otherwise.
Zach snorts softly, "Yeah, actually." He finishes gathering his equipment and closes the trunk. "Ready?"
Chris winces, "Would you let me stay in the car if I said 'no?'"
"Nope." With that, Zach turns on his heel and heads towards the door of the hospital.
Chris trots after him, slipping slightly on the gravel when he reaches the door. He immediately stops when he spots the lock and chain around the handles.
"Hey, did you even get permission to be here?"
"What?" Zach asks, distracted as he peers through the window on the door.
Chris looks at Zach pointedly and jingles the chain looped around the handles.
Zach steps back a fraction and looks down, "Oh. Um...Yeah, not really." He at least has the decency to look a little bit remorseful. He examines the chain closer and notices the links have already been broken through and it's half hanging off the handle. "Looks like we're not the first ones, though," he shrugs. "Come on."
Chris grabs hold of Zach's arm lightly, "Zach, wait, I'm not sure--"
Zach huffs and turns to glare at Chris.
Chris rolls his eyes, "Fine. Whatever. Jeez. A B'n'E was totally at the top of my to-do list anyway. Have at it." He makes a shooing gesture towards the door.
Zach slowly pushes the door open, "Technically it's not a B'n'E if the 'B's' already been done. So, really we're just...entering." He turns and smiles at Chris.
Chris rolls his eyes and follows Zach through the door.
Once inside, they both stop. If Chris wasn't on the edge of scared he'd probably take the time to literally scoff at just how cliche it all was. What lay before them was a large lobby, with what used to be an ornate skylight overhead--the glass long since forgotten--and hallways shooting off in three different directions around them: one to their left, right, and directly in front of them. The walls look like they had once been an off-shade of green or yellow, but have since faded and crumbled, and look like a light breeze might have disastrous effects. The ceiling, along with the walls, looks water-logged, and just as dangerous, and the tile floor is barely visible beneath a thin layer of fallen plaster, and litter from years of homeless hide-aways and countless vandals.
"Whoa," Chris breathes. His whisper sounds loud in the still air around them.
"I know, right?!" Zach turns to Chris with a smile so enthusiastic Chris relaxes marginally in the warmth of it.
Chris sighs and shakes his head, returning Zach's smile, "Alright. Let's do this."
Zach bounces a little on the balls of his feet and shines his flashlight from left to right, down each of the three hallways.
"Which direction?"
Chris's gaze follows the beam of light. Each hallway looks equally dilapidated, but he finally decides that the center hall seems the less ominous of the three. "This one." he points. And they set off on their journey.