Don't Fear the Reaper-Chapter 11
Title:: Don’t Fear the Reaper
Author: eachainn or Spirithorse on FF.net
Rating: T
Pairings: YamixYugi, with hints of SetoxKisara, BakuraxRyou, YugixMana and YamixTea
Warnings: Character death, blood, violence, swearing
Spoilers: Ending for the movie, The Frighteners
Summary: Yugi is a reaper, one who separates the souls from the body at the moment of death. Yami is a man who can see and talk to ghosts. Yugi is sent to the town of Fairwater to investigate a recent increase in deaths and find out more than he ever wanted to. Based on the movie the Frighteners.
Disclaimer:I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh, The Frighteners, Dead Like Me or the song Don’t Fear the Reaper, they are all owned by their respective owners. Original plot bunny was offered up by shamise
Prologue- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10-11
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Chapter Eleven: Damned Souls
Yugi felt the incredible pressure on his being lessen the moment Yami took his first wheezing breath, forgetting about the other two people in the room in that moment. His balance was alive and well, a rogue reaper hadn't take Yami away from him. He wiped the few tears that ran down his face away, leaning forward to kiss Yami on the forehead, not really aware of what he was doing. "Yami…"
Something knocked against his leg, Yugi looking down to see it was Yami's hand. He smiled and shifted back a bit, taking Yami's hand in both of his and raising it to his lips. He kissed Yami's knuckles, watching his balance relax, his breathing becoming a bit more even.
"Serenity." Yugi looked up at Serenity and the doctor, watching as they worked to keep Yami alive, Serenity gently pulling the blankets over Yami and patting his leg. She looked over at Yugi and gave him a partial smile before turning back to her patient.
Yugi did the same, stroking Yami's bangs back from his face, wincing at the chill on his skin. Yami stared at him for a moment before coughing, Yami's mouth moving as he tried to speak. Yugi frowned and leaned forward, only getting what sounded like painful gasps of air from Yami before sitting up, shaking his head. "Calm down."
"No…time." Yami coughed, trying to sit up only to be pushed down again. His balance glared at the two doctors before turning to look at Yugi again. "Found…who…Bartlett."
Yugi froze at the name, wondering why it sounded so familiar. He looked over at Serenity, noticing that she was staring at Yami with wide eyes. So it was someone familiar to Serenity, someone important. Yugi let out a curse as he remembered, Johnny Bartlett, the killer that Fairwater was known for. He turned to look back at Yami, about to tell him that everything was alright, no one could escape from death when he remembered what Seto had told him over the phone earlier.
"Yugi, you and I are probably the only people who know that the higher ups have almost no control over the afterlife, they just can tell us which souls are going to get stuck and when. There are many things that they don't know."
He bit his lip and looked at the floor. If that was really the case, it meant that people could also be slipping back into the world of the living before their official reincarnation time, if they even had one. The region that most humans thought of as Hell was very reluctant to give out second chances. Yugi released his lip and looked back at Yami. "He's back?"
"Killing…people…"
"Vivian." Serenity sat up with that, almost standing up only to be pushing down by the other doctor.
"He's just rambling. Give him a moment to sort himself out."
Yugi narrowed his eyes, ready to snap at the man when Yami gave his hand a weak squeeze. "Get her…get her out…of there."
"Serenity-"
"Both." Yami shook his head. "Both."
"No. No, Yami I'm not leaving you." Yugi's eyes widened as Yami hauled himself up onto his elbows, obviously ignoring the frantic attempts of the doctor to lie back down. Yugi smiled weakly at that before leaning over to rest his forehead against Yami's. "I don't want to lose you again. I was so close to-"
"Fine…with Serenity…Please."
Yugi glanced over at Serenity, watching as she bit her lip before shrugging. He laughed before helping Yami lie back down, gently stroking the bangs out of his face. "Get well soon."
"Will come…when ready…"
Yugi nodded before standing up, wrapping his arms around himself and jerking his head towards the door, walking quickly. He could hear Serenity hurrying after him, trying to focus on the noise that she made walking instead of the painful breaths that Yami was taking. He ducked his head and gritted his teeth, quickly ducking out of the door before taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. It was easier to keep himself under control now that Yami was alive, but that brush with insanity had been too close.
Yugi rubbed his arms, looking up as Serenity stepped out of the lab, giving her a slow nod before turning and walking towards the entrance to the hospital. "We'll take the police cruiser. Do you have a plan?"
Serenity nodded before wincing. "We'll have to be a little slow in getting her out of that house. She's been there all of her life and has a tyrant of a mother to deal with."
He bit back a curse, forcing himself to calm down. It was alright now, Yami was alive and they had identified their rogue reaper. Although, Johnny Bartlett had never become a reaper, the authorities tended to avoid hiring murderers. So how had he gotten the ability to take on the reaper form and wield one of their scythes? There was a chance that Bartlett could have stolen it from one of the reapers who had been here, something that Yugi wouldn't put past the murderer, but he wasn't willing to settle on it as the end all explanation.
His attention was yanked back to the present as they walked out into the night, Yugi automatically calling up his black coat to keep warm, earning a surprised look from Serenity when she looked back over and saw him wearing it. He just gave her an innocent smile, watching as she slipped into the car before starting the engine. He would have to be more careful around her; Serenity was getting good at spotting things.
He slid into the car and settled down, Serenity seeming to be focused on the drive ahead of them, pushing the car faster as soon as they were out of the town. Yugi swallowed and shifted in his seat, glancing over at Serenity before relaxing a bit. "Where are we taking her?"
"I don't know. Away?" Serenity winced, looking guilty. "I don't think that there's a place where that thing won't appear."
"Well," Yugi tipped his head to the side, "I can think of a few."
If they took Vivian to a place where there were a bunch of reapers, then she would be safe. A rogue, no matter how insane they were, would never dare to get too close to the very things that could kill it. It was his plan to keep Yami safe if this got even worse. He would ship Yami back off to Japan where he would have Seto and Ryou to guard him. While their group wasn't as large as all of the others, the fact that the oldest reaper was there would be enough to deter it. And, if he was going to send Yami and Vivian off, he had a feeling that he would have to have Serenity go too.
But then there would be the hours on the plane when they would be unguarded. Yugi bit his lip at the thought, trying to figure out a way around that. He could just pull his seniority on one of the reaper groups here and guard the three until they got there, then he'd have to come straight back here and begin his hunt. Yugi nodded to himself at the thought, it was a much better idea than just hoping that Bartlett wouldn't attack them on a plane.
At the thought of the ghost, Yugi frowned. But he kept forgetting that Bartlett wasn't actually a reaper. Would the fact that there were other reapers around stop him? Or would he just barrel through and kill all three of them anyway?
Yugi shoved the thoughts away as they pulled up the drive to the Wong house, looking out the window to stare at the old hospital with a shiver. He turned to look at the house that they were driving up to, jerking forward as Serenity came to a sudden stop. She gave him an apologetic smile before turning the car off. "I don't want to get too close."
"Right." They both stepped out of the car, Serenity walking straight for the house while Yugi looked around. There didn't seem to be anything wrong here at the moment, but his senses told him to be alert. He turned in place, jumping when he passed through a section of ground.
Immediately, Yugi knelt down, frowning as he stared at the decomposing ectoplasm on the ground, gathering up his courage before turning the lump over, only to jump back when he saw that Tristan was staring blankly at him. He stood up and quickly wiped his hands on his jeans, feeling shivers run down his spine. He guessed that Serenity had come up here after she had dropped him off, that's when Bartlett would have marked her as prey. Tristan must have saved her from that first strike.
Yugi shook his head, reaching down with his left hand and resting it on the pile of ectoplasm. It would take the remainder of the night for Tristan to actually decompose to a point where his soul would be free. Even though ghosts could change themselves to walk through walls or take control of people, ectoplasm was actually very resilient; it had to be to keep the soul intact.
He closed his eyes and focused on the soul that he could feel through the ectoplasm, sucking in a deep breath before pulling it out and sending it to the afterlife. Yugi opened his eyes and sat back on his heels, glancing towards the house before hurrying after Serenity. He had wasted enough time out in the open.
The interior of the house was dark, Yugi pressing himself close to the wall and padding down the hallway, glancing into the first room that he found to see that Serenity was in there with Vivian. He cleared his throat, the two women spinning around to stare at him before they both looked up towards the stairs, Yugi turning his head to see an elderly lady glaring back down at them. She gave him one last look before continuing to make her way down the stairs. "Vivian never leaves the house."
"I know that." Serenity gave an annoyed sigh before shaking her head. "But it's not safe here for her. We're going to take her-"
"You won't take her anywhere. She remains here. I know what's best for her."
"What? Locking her up and framing her for murder?"
The old lady started at that, her hand flying up to rest over her heart. "What do you mean by that?"
Serenity's eyes narrowed. "Why do you have Yami Gardner's knife in your closet?"
"You went into my room?" Mrs. Wong turned and hurried up the stairs, Vivian rushing after her.
Yugi watched the pair before shaking his head and walking into the room, glancing towards the open window before facing Serenity. He had to figure out a way to tell her that Tristan was gone for good this time, opening his mouth to give the explanation when Serenity began talking. "She won't leave, but she knows what's going on. She says that Johnny has been tormenting her."
"Why her?"
"She was his girlfriend." Serenity stared at him in surprise, Yugi shrugging. She shook her head and began pacing. "She was the one who was with him when they murdered all of those people, except she only went along so Johnny wouldn't kill her. Then she was blamed for his part on all of this. So far, this is the only place she's known. And I was so close to getting her out."
Yugi shrugged again before walking back to the door, hearing the dull thud of footsteps upstairs. He glanced up as the chandelier shook, dust drifting down into the room. Old houses like this always had him on edge; there was either a ghost waiting around the corner to try and get him or the house was on the verge of falling apart. Either way, his senses were going crazy, telling him that there was something wrong. Of course, that could just be from the hospital, the places of a murder always rang with the emotions for a while.
He took a careful step towards the bookcase, skimming over the titles for something to do while they waited, jumping as Vivian bounded into the room, surprised at her sudden cheer. Serenity seemed to take it in stride, walking over to the woman with a smile. "Well."
"Mother says she'll go to the police now…but she'll be down in a minute." Vivian gave them an apologetic smile before wandering over to shut the window. Yugi noticed her give a little shiver after the window was closed, the woman hiding it as she carefully arranged the curtains before turning to look back at them. "I'll just get my coat."
She smiled at the both of them and walked back into the kitchen, Yugi shivering and backing towards the door. Something was going on here, and it wasn't just the hospital. He looked around the sitting room, feeling trapped. Something was here, something that he couldn't quite place but something very familiar. He grabbed his arms and dug his nails in, the little bit of pain forcing him to concentrate. Yugi shook his head and looked back at Serenity, glancing towards where Vivian had disappeared to before walking towards the stairs.
Serenity reached out to stop him, tugging on his arm and trying to pull him back into the room. "What are you doing?"
"Going to look around."
"She'll be back in a moment." Serenity tugged at his sleeve again, Yugi feeling a chill run up his spine. It was all he could do to keep from reacting by letting himself dissolve into his real form. He reached down to tug the ends of his coat closer to him, hoping that Serenity would notice his reaction. He reached down, stopping himself from pulling out his scythe.
"Something is going on here and I want to find out what." Yugi pulled away from her and walked carefully to the stairs. He heard her hesitate before following him, Yugi glancing back to wave her away. Serenity shook her head, walking quickly across the hall to stand on the step behind him.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight. You and Yami can see things that I can't and you two seem to have a better hold on what's going on than anyone else."
Yugi stared at her, blinking before turning away and walking up the stairs. He could feel Serenity clinging to him as he climbed, flinching at the creaks that the stairs made. He took a deep breath as he came to the top of the stairs, glancing around before Serenity nudged him in the right direction. They walked slowly down to the end of the hall, Yugi staring at the closed door.
He was reaching out for it when it warped, twisting and turning on itself. Yugi gasped and stepped back, his eyes going wide. Something was definitely in this house and it was nothing that he had ever seen before. He carefully inched forward, touching the wood of the door, surprised that it didn't feel different. It just looked different. Yugi tipped his head to the side and pulled his hand away, tempted to call Ryou or Seto to see what was going on. Unfortunately, they didn't have the time.
He took a deep breath and opened the door, peering inside. Usually the case was that any manipulations of the real world happened because of a specific creature. It was more likely that whatever was doing this was inside this room. But he was disappointed, Yugi's mouth dropping open in shock as he stared at the bed in the room.
He was tempted to just shut the door and turn away, but he couldn't stop staring. And he wasn't fast enough to stop Serenity from looking in, the red head pushing the door open and peering in. He heard her muffle a scream, not blaming her for the reaction.
Lying in the bed was Mrs. Wong, her white gown soaked in blood from the multiple stab wounds on her body.
---
Vivian kept her smile on until the kitchen door slammed behind her, the expression transforming into a scowl. "Patronizing bitch."
"Now, Vivian, is that anyway to talk about people?" She perked up at the familiar voice, turning to look at the ghost that leaned against the kitchen counter. The ghost gave her a smile before walking over to her, picking up her injured hand in his own before making a face, looking up to push her hair away from her neck. "Oh, baby, I never mean to hurt you that bad."
"I would have asked you to stop if it hurt too much. Besides, it was all part of the game." She kissed him, hating that she couldn't feel anything at the contact. From the regretful and angry look on his face, he couldn't feel anything either.
Vivian stepped away from Johnny, shrugging her shoulders before looking out towards the hall as she heard footsteps. She frowned and moved away from the door, glancing around the kitchen. It was still in shambles from the earlier fun that she and Johnny had been having, before they had been interrupted by her mother and the psychic that was bothering Johnny. Vivian felt a thrill tingle down her spine at the memory of the anger in Johnny's voice as he had spoken of that psychic. That tone could only mean one thing, death.
She smiled and slunk through the kitchen, carefully stepping over the mug that she had dropped today. She would pick it up later if there were any parts to be used on it but her eyes were trained on the knives on the other side of the room.
Johnny seemed to pick up on what she was doing, going to lean on the counter close to the knives. "I was almost caught by that idiot today. I could have gotten rid of him too, if not for that damn reaper." Vivian paused at the venom in Johnny's voice, turning to look at her boyfriend as he continued. "And I almost had the girl too, and then we would have had more."
"M-more?"
"Yes." He was leaning forward now, smirking. "More blood, more screams, more souls."
"More sounds good."
"More is good." He gave her a hungry look before pulling her close, Vivian reaching for one of the knives before thinking better of it. Now was not time for play. It would only be a matter of time before the two discovered her mother upstairs, so she had to act before then.
Carefully, she pulled Johnny's hands to rest on her stomach, knowing that they would roam whether she gave them permission or not. She turned her attention back to the knives, watching Johnny focus on them as well. "What would be best? Not the cleaver…I'm thinking the carving knife."
She saw Johnny's eyes move over the array before he nodded, reluctantly letting her go. Vivian nearly skipped over to the rack, carefully taking down the carving knife and examining its edge, giving Johnny an eager nod when she was sure that it was sharp. A dull knife would take too long, and they would get caught again. She wouldn't have the police ruining their fun again. There was no way in hell that she was getting trapped in jail for the rest of her life.
Johnny stepped out of her way as Vivian walked back into the sitting room, the woman glancing around before looking up towards the stairs, sure that the two had already found her mother. Her hand tightened on the carving knife before she forced herself to relax, looking back at Johnny. "You said one was a reaper."
Her boyfriend gave a slow nod, rubbing his chin as he thought. "It might be best if you left him to me." Johnny held up his hands as she glared at him, immediately trying to placate her. "It's just even that way. Besides, I know this reaper. I'll take good care of him."
"But the woman is your kill."
"They're not my kills." Johnny moved back over to her, kissing the back of her neck. "They're ours."
Vivian shivered at his cold presence behind her, shifting her grip on the handle before nodding and edging forward, moving silently out into the hallway. She had lived all of her life in this house, she knew how to move over the old floorboards so she would never been heard, unlike the other two. She could hear them now at her mother's door, the thought making her bite her lip. It would only be moments now until they discovered what was happening.
She felt Johnny slip away from her side, sliding into the floor before becoming a part of the wall, the lump in the wallpaper giving him away. But, when he moved towards the ceiling, he was practically invisible; humans never looked up. Content that their plan was going well, Vivian sped up a bit, jumping the last step to keep it from creaking before rushing down the hall.
The man heard her first, turning to face her before her jerked and looked up at the ceiling, letting out a curse. That one had to be the reaper that Johnny had talked about. Serenity was still too busy staring at her in fright, and that would cost her. Vivian let out a scream as she rushed the two, the sound forming into a curse as the man pulled Serenity into her mother's room. Vivian tore in after them, stabbing wildly with the knife as she tried to hit them.
She heard something hit the ground, turning to see that the reaper had gotten behind her and was now standing with his scythe at the ready. Vivian hissed before throwing the knife at him, the move thwarted when he blocked the throw. Vivian snarled and took a step back, already looking around the room. She wasn't stupid enough to attack the man now that he had a weapon, so she would have to wait until Johnny made his move, or get a long range weapon.
Vivian's eyes widened for a moment before she dove for the wardrobe, allowing the man and Serenity to get away for now. But she had something better. It wasn't as fun as the knife, but it would do the job just as well. She threw out her mother's coats, not caring that some of them landed on her mother's body. That would be another thing she would take care of later. Now, it was more important that her prey didn't get away.
She found the object she was looking for quickly, pulling out the shotgun with a huge grin before reaching up for the spare box of bullets, snarling when her hand knocked against something. Carelessly, she pushed the pocket knife out of her way before grabbing the box, emptying it into her pocket. Vivian hesitated for a moment before grabbing a flashlight and some electrical tape, quickly fashioning a light for her weapon. The chase would probably lead her outside and, while the chase could be fun, she didn't want to miss her targets. There could be no witnesses.
---
Yami stopped to lean against the side of the Wong house, coughing for a moment. As soon as the fit was over he straightened up, shaking his head. Thankfully, he was able to breathe better now, although he was sure that the running he had been doing hadn't helped him any. He glanced back at his care before slipping into the house, glancing around the bottom floor before deciding that being subtle wasn't going to get him anywhere. The rogue reaper was still on the loose. "Yugi! Serenity!"
"Yami!" He jumped at Yugi's shout, looking up towards the second floor, rushing up the stairs. Running took a bit more effort than normal, Yami leaning heavily on the railing to keep him up. He coughed, shaking his head before forcing himself to keep moving, seeing Serenity and Yugi rushing his way.
Yugi smiled at him and rushed right into his arms, the two holding each other. Yami gave a sigh before slumping in Yugi's arms, ignoring the short shouts of surprise as he nearly collapsed, catching himself at the last minute. He hung onto Yugi's shoulders, giving the reaper a shaky smile before standing up on his own. "Sorry, still trying to get a handle on this again."
The reaper patted his shoulder, Yami only then realizing that Yugi was holding his scythe. He frowned, reaching out to touch the staff before turning around. "What's going on?"
"Complications. Vivian is-" Yugi reached out to yank him back. "Not that way!"
Yami stared at him in shock, the three of them jumping at the sound of a gunshot coming from down the hall. Yami gave the two of them a shocked look, Yugi grabbing his arm and pulling him into the closest room, locking the door behind them before taking up the guard position in front of the door. "Vivian is insane. She's stabbed her mother to death."
"Vivian?"
"She must have lied, about Johnny." Serenity looked embarrassed, the expression only lasting a moment as she stared at the scythe that Yugi held. "She said that she didn't want to be a part of all of it before but…"
"She's in it with her dead boyfriend." Yugi scowled, tightening his hands on the shaft of his scythe. "She's coming."
Serenity scooted close to Yami, gripping his arm as she stared at Yugi. "Where did he get that? I don't remember seeing him carry it. Vivian just came running at us and then he had it."
Yami swallowed, looking between the reaper and Serenity. "Not now. I promise that I'll explain later, but not now."
Serenity gave a nervous nod, getting a tighter hold on Yami's sleeve before she was suddenly yanked backwards. Yami spun around, growling and lunging for the frame of the painting that had thrown itself off the wall to grab Serenity around her neck. He pulled the painting away, ducking a clumsy blow to his head before slamming the portrait down over the end of the bed, one of the decorative cones ripping through it.
He stumbled back at the moan that came from the painting, watching as a stream of silvery colored mist rose from the painting and was pulled back into an urn that was sitting on a pile of books. Yami glanced back at Yugi, the reaper raising an eyebrow before throwing himself to one side at the gunshot, the three of them staring at the hole in the door in awe.
Yami glanced back over at Yugi before scrambling across the floor to pick up the urn, staring at it before wiping the ashes off the name plate at the bottom. "Oh hell."
"What?"
He turned around to show the two. "These are Johnny Bartlett's ashes."
"Vivian said…" Serenity trailed off as she stared at the urn, shaking her head. "How the hell did she get those?"
"No idea." Yami ducked as other hole was made in the door, crawling back over to Yugi. "So, what do we do?"
The reaper stared at the ashes for a moment before looking at the old hospital. "We have to take it to hollowed ground, a church specifically. But the town doesn't have one, at least not close enough that Vivian and Johnny won't get us."
"The hospital." The two men looked over at Serenity. She jerked her head towards the window. "We climb out and make a run for the hospital. It should have enough stuff to take cover behind if we get into trouble."
"Sounds like a plan." Yami turned to look at Yugi, waiting for the reaper's approval. He saw Yugi wince before giving a slow nod, reaching out to place a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "What do we do once inside?"
"Go inside the church and stand in the light, you'll be able to see it. Then open the urn. If nothing happens, scatter the ashes in the light and only in the light. That should work." Yugi was biting his lip. Yami smiled softly and turned Yugi's head so he could see his eyes, giving the reaper a quick kiss on the lips before crawling to the window, cradling the urn awkwardly in his left hand. He eased open the window before holding out his hand for Serenity, helping her over the sill before clambering out himself. Yugi brought up the rear, acting as the guard.
The vines that had grown on the outside of the house helped them down, the three of them huddling in the shadows before sprinting through the thin barrier of trees that separated the house from the open clearing that stood between it and the hospital. Yami lagged behind the others, his body still trying to function after his out of body experience. He should have just stayed behind for a while like the doctor had said, but he couldn't leave Yugi and Serenity to do this by themselves. He coughed again, looking up to see that Yugi had slowed down, the reaper wrapping an arm around his waist to help him along.
The three stumbled out of the overgrown grass and to the hospital, quickly skirting around the side the building before they could find a door, but that was enough time for Vivian to begin to make her way through the small field, the beam from her flashlight giving her away. Yami took the lead, leaving Serenity to clutch the urn as they walked through the halls of the hospital. He raised an arm to block his nose and mouth, trying not to cough in the dusty hallways.
He gave Yugi a sideways glance, watching as the reaper reluctantly shrunk his scythe back down. The weapon wouldn't do them any good in the cramped hallways of the hospital, their only chance would be to outrun Vivian or hide. Either way Yami didn't like their odds. It was better to get this job done quickly.
Yami moved his arm away from his face, keeping his voice low. "Does anyone know where the chapel is?"
"No." Serenity paused as they came up to an intersection, glancing around. "It's not built like the new hospital and I don't see any signs that would help."
He heard Yugi mutter a curse, reaching out to rest a hand on the reaper's shoulder. "Then we'll split up for a bit, just to wander down these two halls. I don't know what else to do…"
"It's alright Yami." Serenity nodded at him before carefully sneaking down the hall to the left, Yami glancing over at Yugi before turning down the hall to the right, padding down it before shaking his head and turning around. He was willing to bet that it wasn't on this floor, but he didn't want to get caught on the upper levels with Vivian between them and the chapel.
He gave the stairs to a lower floor a single glance, sure that they led to the morgue. Yami turned around and shook his head at Yugi, the reaper grabbing his hand and tugging him back in the direction that Serenity had gone. He followed Yugi's lead, moving to stand beside him. "You alright?"
Yugi gave a curt nod, Yami reaching out to touch the reaper's face when someone walking their way caught his attention. Yami straightened up, his mouth dropping open in shock as two people walked past them, Yugi not even turning his head to look. He glanced back at the reaper before turning to stare at the people, surprised to see that the dusty corridor that they had just walked down was gone, the dust and grim scrubbed away to reveal a clean hall painted light green.
Yami let go of Yugi's hand, turning around and walking back down the hall, looking around in awe at the refurbished hospital before he shook his head. He didn't have time to look around this place; he had to figure out how to get the urn to the chapel. He took one last look around before turning back to where he had left Yugi, only to realize that he couldn't see him.
Yami gasped and stumbled back into the wall, holding onto it and hoping to feel paint crumble under his fingers, but there was nothing. The wall was smooth and slightly chilly, Yami turning around to run his hand down the wall. His hand shook as he straightened up, staring at where it rested against the green wall before turning around, taking a deep breath.
Somehow, he had gotten stuck in the past, at time when the hospital was still functioning. He didn't know how he was able to see this; he thought that he could just see ghosts. Yami shook his head, resisting the urge to beat it against the wall. He was already messed up, he didn't need to mess himself up more. He turned away from the wall, walking quickly back to the spot where he had let go of Yugi's hand. "Yugi? Yugi, where are you?"
"Doctor?" He turned around quickly at the voice, relaxing a fraction when he saw that it had just been two nuns. The two women moved to talk to one of the doctors, the man looking a bit stressed as he stopped. "Sorry for bothering you, but where's the chapel?"
"Chapel? On the third floor, right next to the nurse's station." The doctor hesitated for a moment. "I'll get someone to take you there."
Yami automatically stepped aside to let an orderly pushing a cart pass, glancing up towards the staircase. If he had the urn with him, he could just run up to the third floor and get the deed done, but he had handed it to Serenity in case he had slowed down the other two. Yami cursed, inching towards the stairs. While he was trapped in this place, he could at least scout out where the chapel was. Then they wouldn't have to blindly stumble around while they were being chased by Vivian.
"Hey orderly…orderly. Orderly, are you deaf?" Yami turned on the stairs to look down at the doctor, noticing that the orderly he had let by was now stopped in the middle of the hallway. Yami frowned and walked down a few steps, looking between the doctor and the young man. "Hey, moron."
The orderly twitched at the insult, yanking the white sheet off of his cart to reveal a shotgun. Yami started back, hitting the wall as he watched the man turn around, recognizing his face. Everyone in Fairwater knew the face of Johnny Bartlett.
Johnny turned around, holding the shotgun comfortable in his hands as he stared at the doctor. "I guess that makes you number one."
Yami scrambled to press himself back against the wall, flinching as he heard the shotgun go off, his eyes snapped back open as he felt someone shaking him, letting out a breath of relief as he saw Yugi and Serenity looking down at him. He took the hand that Yugi offered to pull himself up, all three of them freezing as they heard a shot from inside the hospital, Yugi glancing nervously up at the stairs before looking back at Yami.
"What happened?" Serenity inched closer to him, lowering her voice to a whisper. "You just started wandering around there."
"Must be the hospital." The two looked at Yugi, the reaper shifting uncomfortably, before shrugging. "Yami can see ghosts; it makes sense that he can see parts of what happened in the past. He's more in tune with the emotions here than I am…but it's still just a trick of the mind."
Yami took a deep breath to calm himself. He could think about the greater implications of that moment when they were all safe. He shook his head before stepping away from the wall, taking the urn from Serenity's hands. "The chapel is on the third floor, next to the nurse's station."
Author: eachainn or Spirithorse on FF.net
Rating: T
Pairings: YamixYugi, with hints of SetoxKisara, BakuraxRyou, YugixMana and YamixTea
Warnings: Character death, blood, violence, swearing
Spoilers: Ending for the movie, The Frighteners
Summary: Yugi is a reaper, one who separates the souls from the body at the moment of death. Yami is a man who can see and talk to ghosts. Yugi is sent to the town of Fairwater to investigate a recent increase in deaths and find out more than he ever wanted to. Based on the movie the Frighteners.
Disclaimer:I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh, The Frighteners, Dead Like Me or the song Don’t Fear the Reaper, they are all owned by their respective owners. Original plot bunny was offered up by shamise
Prologue- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10-11
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Chapter Eleven: Damned Souls
Yugi felt the incredible pressure on his being lessen the moment Yami took his first wheezing breath, forgetting about the other two people in the room in that moment. His balance was alive and well, a rogue reaper hadn't take Yami away from him. He wiped the few tears that ran down his face away, leaning forward to kiss Yami on the forehead, not really aware of what he was doing. "Yami…"
Something knocked against his leg, Yugi looking down to see it was Yami's hand. He smiled and shifted back a bit, taking Yami's hand in both of his and raising it to his lips. He kissed Yami's knuckles, watching his balance relax, his breathing becoming a bit more even.
"Serenity." Yugi looked up at Serenity and the doctor, watching as they worked to keep Yami alive, Serenity gently pulling the blankets over Yami and patting his leg. She looked over at Yugi and gave him a partial smile before turning back to her patient.
Yugi did the same, stroking Yami's bangs back from his face, wincing at the chill on his skin. Yami stared at him for a moment before coughing, Yami's mouth moving as he tried to speak. Yugi frowned and leaned forward, only getting what sounded like painful gasps of air from Yami before sitting up, shaking his head. "Calm down."
"No…time." Yami coughed, trying to sit up only to be pushed down again. His balance glared at the two doctors before turning to look at Yugi again. "Found…who…Bartlett."
Yugi froze at the name, wondering why it sounded so familiar. He looked over at Serenity, noticing that she was staring at Yami with wide eyes. So it was someone familiar to Serenity, someone important. Yugi let out a curse as he remembered, Johnny Bartlett, the killer that Fairwater was known for. He turned to look back at Yami, about to tell him that everything was alright, no one could escape from death when he remembered what Seto had told him over the phone earlier.
"Yugi, you and I are probably the only people who know that the higher ups have almost no control over the afterlife, they just can tell us which souls are going to get stuck and when. There are many things that they don't know."
He bit his lip and looked at the floor. If that was really the case, it meant that people could also be slipping back into the world of the living before their official reincarnation time, if they even had one. The region that most humans thought of as Hell was very reluctant to give out second chances. Yugi released his lip and looked back at Yami. "He's back?"
"Killing…people…"
"Vivian." Serenity sat up with that, almost standing up only to be pushing down by the other doctor.
"He's just rambling. Give him a moment to sort himself out."
Yugi narrowed his eyes, ready to snap at the man when Yami gave his hand a weak squeeze. "Get her…get her out…of there."
"Serenity-"
"Both." Yami shook his head. "Both."
"No. No, Yami I'm not leaving you." Yugi's eyes widened as Yami hauled himself up onto his elbows, obviously ignoring the frantic attempts of the doctor to lie back down. Yugi smiled weakly at that before leaning over to rest his forehead against Yami's. "I don't want to lose you again. I was so close to-"
"Fine…with Serenity…Please."
Yugi glanced over at Serenity, watching as she bit her lip before shrugging. He laughed before helping Yami lie back down, gently stroking the bangs out of his face. "Get well soon."
"Will come…when ready…"
Yugi nodded before standing up, wrapping his arms around himself and jerking his head towards the door, walking quickly. He could hear Serenity hurrying after him, trying to focus on the noise that she made walking instead of the painful breaths that Yami was taking. He ducked his head and gritted his teeth, quickly ducking out of the door before taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. It was easier to keep himself under control now that Yami was alive, but that brush with insanity had been too close.
Yugi rubbed his arms, looking up as Serenity stepped out of the lab, giving her a slow nod before turning and walking towards the entrance to the hospital. "We'll take the police cruiser. Do you have a plan?"
Serenity nodded before wincing. "We'll have to be a little slow in getting her out of that house. She's been there all of her life and has a tyrant of a mother to deal with."
He bit back a curse, forcing himself to calm down. It was alright now, Yami was alive and they had identified their rogue reaper. Although, Johnny Bartlett had never become a reaper, the authorities tended to avoid hiring murderers. So how had he gotten the ability to take on the reaper form and wield one of their scythes? There was a chance that Bartlett could have stolen it from one of the reapers who had been here, something that Yugi wouldn't put past the murderer, but he wasn't willing to settle on it as the end all explanation.
His attention was yanked back to the present as they walked out into the night, Yugi automatically calling up his black coat to keep warm, earning a surprised look from Serenity when she looked back over and saw him wearing it. He just gave her an innocent smile, watching as she slipped into the car before starting the engine. He would have to be more careful around her; Serenity was getting good at spotting things.
He slid into the car and settled down, Serenity seeming to be focused on the drive ahead of them, pushing the car faster as soon as they were out of the town. Yugi swallowed and shifted in his seat, glancing over at Serenity before relaxing a bit. "Where are we taking her?"
"I don't know. Away?" Serenity winced, looking guilty. "I don't think that there's a place where that thing won't appear."
"Well," Yugi tipped his head to the side, "I can think of a few."
If they took Vivian to a place where there were a bunch of reapers, then she would be safe. A rogue, no matter how insane they were, would never dare to get too close to the very things that could kill it. It was his plan to keep Yami safe if this got even worse. He would ship Yami back off to Japan where he would have Seto and Ryou to guard him. While their group wasn't as large as all of the others, the fact that the oldest reaper was there would be enough to deter it. And, if he was going to send Yami and Vivian off, he had a feeling that he would have to have Serenity go too.
But then there would be the hours on the plane when they would be unguarded. Yugi bit his lip at the thought, trying to figure out a way around that. He could just pull his seniority on one of the reaper groups here and guard the three until they got there, then he'd have to come straight back here and begin his hunt. Yugi nodded to himself at the thought, it was a much better idea than just hoping that Bartlett wouldn't attack them on a plane.
At the thought of the ghost, Yugi frowned. But he kept forgetting that Bartlett wasn't actually a reaper. Would the fact that there were other reapers around stop him? Or would he just barrel through and kill all three of them anyway?
Yugi shoved the thoughts away as they pulled up the drive to the Wong house, looking out the window to stare at the old hospital with a shiver. He turned to look at the house that they were driving up to, jerking forward as Serenity came to a sudden stop. She gave him an apologetic smile before turning the car off. "I don't want to get too close."
"Right." They both stepped out of the car, Serenity walking straight for the house while Yugi looked around. There didn't seem to be anything wrong here at the moment, but his senses told him to be alert. He turned in place, jumping when he passed through a section of ground.
Immediately, Yugi knelt down, frowning as he stared at the decomposing ectoplasm on the ground, gathering up his courage before turning the lump over, only to jump back when he saw that Tristan was staring blankly at him. He stood up and quickly wiped his hands on his jeans, feeling shivers run down his spine. He guessed that Serenity had come up here after she had dropped him off, that's when Bartlett would have marked her as prey. Tristan must have saved her from that first strike.
Yugi shook his head, reaching down with his left hand and resting it on the pile of ectoplasm. It would take the remainder of the night for Tristan to actually decompose to a point where his soul would be free. Even though ghosts could change themselves to walk through walls or take control of people, ectoplasm was actually very resilient; it had to be to keep the soul intact.
He closed his eyes and focused on the soul that he could feel through the ectoplasm, sucking in a deep breath before pulling it out and sending it to the afterlife. Yugi opened his eyes and sat back on his heels, glancing towards the house before hurrying after Serenity. He had wasted enough time out in the open.
The interior of the house was dark, Yugi pressing himself close to the wall and padding down the hallway, glancing into the first room that he found to see that Serenity was in there with Vivian. He cleared his throat, the two women spinning around to stare at him before they both looked up towards the stairs, Yugi turning his head to see an elderly lady glaring back down at them. She gave him one last look before continuing to make her way down the stairs. "Vivian never leaves the house."
"I know that." Serenity gave an annoyed sigh before shaking her head. "But it's not safe here for her. We're going to take her-"
"You won't take her anywhere. She remains here. I know what's best for her."
"What? Locking her up and framing her for murder?"
The old lady started at that, her hand flying up to rest over her heart. "What do you mean by that?"
Serenity's eyes narrowed. "Why do you have Yami Gardner's knife in your closet?"
"You went into my room?" Mrs. Wong turned and hurried up the stairs, Vivian rushing after her.
Yugi watched the pair before shaking his head and walking into the room, glancing towards the open window before facing Serenity. He had to figure out a way to tell her that Tristan was gone for good this time, opening his mouth to give the explanation when Serenity began talking. "She won't leave, but she knows what's going on. She says that Johnny has been tormenting her."
"Why her?"
"She was his girlfriend." Serenity stared at him in surprise, Yugi shrugging. She shook her head and began pacing. "She was the one who was with him when they murdered all of those people, except she only went along so Johnny wouldn't kill her. Then she was blamed for his part on all of this. So far, this is the only place she's known. And I was so close to getting her out."
Yugi shrugged again before walking back to the door, hearing the dull thud of footsteps upstairs. He glanced up as the chandelier shook, dust drifting down into the room. Old houses like this always had him on edge; there was either a ghost waiting around the corner to try and get him or the house was on the verge of falling apart. Either way, his senses were going crazy, telling him that there was something wrong. Of course, that could just be from the hospital, the places of a murder always rang with the emotions for a while.
He took a careful step towards the bookcase, skimming over the titles for something to do while they waited, jumping as Vivian bounded into the room, surprised at her sudden cheer. Serenity seemed to take it in stride, walking over to the woman with a smile. "Well."
"Mother says she'll go to the police now…but she'll be down in a minute." Vivian gave them an apologetic smile before wandering over to shut the window. Yugi noticed her give a little shiver after the window was closed, the woman hiding it as she carefully arranged the curtains before turning to look back at them. "I'll just get my coat."
She smiled at the both of them and walked back into the kitchen, Yugi shivering and backing towards the door. Something was going on here, and it wasn't just the hospital. He looked around the sitting room, feeling trapped. Something was here, something that he couldn't quite place but something very familiar. He grabbed his arms and dug his nails in, the little bit of pain forcing him to concentrate. Yugi shook his head and looked back at Serenity, glancing towards where Vivian had disappeared to before walking towards the stairs.
Serenity reached out to stop him, tugging on his arm and trying to pull him back into the room. "What are you doing?"
"Going to look around."
"She'll be back in a moment." Serenity tugged at his sleeve again, Yugi feeling a chill run up his spine. It was all he could do to keep from reacting by letting himself dissolve into his real form. He reached down to tug the ends of his coat closer to him, hoping that Serenity would notice his reaction. He reached down, stopping himself from pulling out his scythe.
"Something is going on here and I want to find out what." Yugi pulled away from her and walked carefully to the stairs. He heard her hesitate before following him, Yugi glancing back to wave her away. Serenity shook her head, walking quickly across the hall to stand on the step behind him.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight. You and Yami can see things that I can't and you two seem to have a better hold on what's going on than anyone else."
Yugi stared at her, blinking before turning away and walking up the stairs. He could feel Serenity clinging to him as he climbed, flinching at the creaks that the stairs made. He took a deep breath as he came to the top of the stairs, glancing around before Serenity nudged him in the right direction. They walked slowly down to the end of the hall, Yugi staring at the closed door.
He was reaching out for it when it warped, twisting and turning on itself. Yugi gasped and stepped back, his eyes going wide. Something was definitely in this house and it was nothing that he had ever seen before. He carefully inched forward, touching the wood of the door, surprised that it didn't feel different. It just looked different. Yugi tipped his head to the side and pulled his hand away, tempted to call Ryou or Seto to see what was going on. Unfortunately, they didn't have the time.
He took a deep breath and opened the door, peering inside. Usually the case was that any manipulations of the real world happened because of a specific creature. It was more likely that whatever was doing this was inside this room. But he was disappointed, Yugi's mouth dropping open in shock as he stared at the bed in the room.
He was tempted to just shut the door and turn away, but he couldn't stop staring. And he wasn't fast enough to stop Serenity from looking in, the red head pushing the door open and peering in. He heard her muffle a scream, not blaming her for the reaction.
Lying in the bed was Mrs. Wong, her white gown soaked in blood from the multiple stab wounds on her body.
---
Vivian kept her smile on until the kitchen door slammed behind her, the expression transforming into a scowl. "Patronizing bitch."
"Now, Vivian, is that anyway to talk about people?" She perked up at the familiar voice, turning to look at the ghost that leaned against the kitchen counter. The ghost gave her a smile before walking over to her, picking up her injured hand in his own before making a face, looking up to push her hair away from her neck. "Oh, baby, I never mean to hurt you that bad."
"I would have asked you to stop if it hurt too much. Besides, it was all part of the game." She kissed him, hating that she couldn't feel anything at the contact. From the regretful and angry look on his face, he couldn't feel anything either.
Vivian stepped away from Johnny, shrugging her shoulders before looking out towards the hall as she heard footsteps. She frowned and moved away from the door, glancing around the kitchen. It was still in shambles from the earlier fun that she and Johnny had been having, before they had been interrupted by her mother and the psychic that was bothering Johnny. Vivian felt a thrill tingle down her spine at the memory of the anger in Johnny's voice as he had spoken of that psychic. That tone could only mean one thing, death.
She smiled and slunk through the kitchen, carefully stepping over the mug that she had dropped today. She would pick it up later if there were any parts to be used on it but her eyes were trained on the knives on the other side of the room.
Johnny seemed to pick up on what she was doing, going to lean on the counter close to the knives. "I was almost caught by that idiot today. I could have gotten rid of him too, if not for that damn reaper." Vivian paused at the venom in Johnny's voice, turning to look at her boyfriend as he continued. "And I almost had the girl too, and then we would have had more."
"M-more?"
"Yes." He was leaning forward now, smirking. "More blood, more screams, more souls."
"More sounds good."
"More is good." He gave her a hungry look before pulling her close, Vivian reaching for one of the knives before thinking better of it. Now was not time for play. It would only be a matter of time before the two discovered her mother upstairs, so she had to act before then.
Carefully, she pulled Johnny's hands to rest on her stomach, knowing that they would roam whether she gave them permission or not. She turned her attention back to the knives, watching Johnny focus on them as well. "What would be best? Not the cleaver…I'm thinking the carving knife."
She saw Johnny's eyes move over the array before he nodded, reluctantly letting her go. Vivian nearly skipped over to the rack, carefully taking down the carving knife and examining its edge, giving Johnny an eager nod when she was sure that it was sharp. A dull knife would take too long, and they would get caught again. She wouldn't have the police ruining their fun again. There was no way in hell that she was getting trapped in jail for the rest of her life.
Johnny stepped out of her way as Vivian walked back into the sitting room, the woman glancing around before looking up towards the stairs, sure that the two had already found her mother. Her hand tightened on the carving knife before she forced herself to relax, looking back at Johnny. "You said one was a reaper."
Her boyfriend gave a slow nod, rubbing his chin as he thought. "It might be best if you left him to me." Johnny held up his hands as she glared at him, immediately trying to placate her. "It's just even that way. Besides, I know this reaper. I'll take good care of him."
"But the woman is your kill."
"They're not my kills." Johnny moved back over to her, kissing the back of her neck. "They're ours."
Vivian shivered at his cold presence behind her, shifting her grip on the handle before nodding and edging forward, moving silently out into the hallway. She had lived all of her life in this house, she knew how to move over the old floorboards so she would never been heard, unlike the other two. She could hear them now at her mother's door, the thought making her bite her lip. It would only be moments now until they discovered what was happening.
She felt Johnny slip away from her side, sliding into the floor before becoming a part of the wall, the lump in the wallpaper giving him away. But, when he moved towards the ceiling, he was practically invisible; humans never looked up. Content that their plan was going well, Vivian sped up a bit, jumping the last step to keep it from creaking before rushing down the hall.
The man heard her first, turning to face her before her jerked and looked up at the ceiling, letting out a curse. That one had to be the reaper that Johnny had talked about. Serenity was still too busy staring at her in fright, and that would cost her. Vivian let out a scream as she rushed the two, the sound forming into a curse as the man pulled Serenity into her mother's room. Vivian tore in after them, stabbing wildly with the knife as she tried to hit them.
She heard something hit the ground, turning to see that the reaper had gotten behind her and was now standing with his scythe at the ready. Vivian hissed before throwing the knife at him, the move thwarted when he blocked the throw. Vivian snarled and took a step back, already looking around the room. She wasn't stupid enough to attack the man now that he had a weapon, so she would have to wait until Johnny made his move, or get a long range weapon.
Vivian's eyes widened for a moment before she dove for the wardrobe, allowing the man and Serenity to get away for now. But she had something better. It wasn't as fun as the knife, but it would do the job just as well. She threw out her mother's coats, not caring that some of them landed on her mother's body. That would be another thing she would take care of later. Now, it was more important that her prey didn't get away.
She found the object she was looking for quickly, pulling out the shotgun with a huge grin before reaching up for the spare box of bullets, snarling when her hand knocked against something. Carelessly, she pushed the pocket knife out of her way before grabbing the box, emptying it into her pocket. Vivian hesitated for a moment before grabbing a flashlight and some electrical tape, quickly fashioning a light for her weapon. The chase would probably lead her outside and, while the chase could be fun, she didn't want to miss her targets. There could be no witnesses.
---
Yami stopped to lean against the side of the Wong house, coughing for a moment. As soon as the fit was over he straightened up, shaking his head. Thankfully, he was able to breathe better now, although he was sure that the running he had been doing hadn't helped him any. He glanced back at his care before slipping into the house, glancing around the bottom floor before deciding that being subtle wasn't going to get him anywhere. The rogue reaper was still on the loose. "Yugi! Serenity!"
"Yami!" He jumped at Yugi's shout, looking up towards the second floor, rushing up the stairs. Running took a bit more effort than normal, Yami leaning heavily on the railing to keep him up. He coughed, shaking his head before forcing himself to keep moving, seeing Serenity and Yugi rushing his way.
Yugi smiled at him and rushed right into his arms, the two holding each other. Yami gave a sigh before slumping in Yugi's arms, ignoring the short shouts of surprise as he nearly collapsed, catching himself at the last minute. He hung onto Yugi's shoulders, giving the reaper a shaky smile before standing up on his own. "Sorry, still trying to get a handle on this again."
The reaper patted his shoulder, Yami only then realizing that Yugi was holding his scythe. He frowned, reaching out to touch the staff before turning around. "What's going on?"
"Complications. Vivian is-" Yugi reached out to yank him back. "Not that way!"
Yami stared at him in shock, the three of them jumping at the sound of a gunshot coming from down the hall. Yami gave the two of them a shocked look, Yugi grabbing his arm and pulling him into the closest room, locking the door behind them before taking up the guard position in front of the door. "Vivian is insane. She's stabbed her mother to death."
"Vivian?"
"She must have lied, about Johnny." Serenity looked embarrassed, the expression only lasting a moment as she stared at the scythe that Yugi held. "She said that she didn't want to be a part of all of it before but…"
"She's in it with her dead boyfriend." Yugi scowled, tightening his hands on the shaft of his scythe. "She's coming."
Serenity scooted close to Yami, gripping his arm as she stared at Yugi. "Where did he get that? I don't remember seeing him carry it. Vivian just came running at us and then he had it."
Yami swallowed, looking between the reaper and Serenity. "Not now. I promise that I'll explain later, but not now."
Serenity gave a nervous nod, getting a tighter hold on Yami's sleeve before she was suddenly yanked backwards. Yami spun around, growling and lunging for the frame of the painting that had thrown itself off the wall to grab Serenity around her neck. He pulled the painting away, ducking a clumsy blow to his head before slamming the portrait down over the end of the bed, one of the decorative cones ripping through it.
He stumbled back at the moan that came from the painting, watching as a stream of silvery colored mist rose from the painting and was pulled back into an urn that was sitting on a pile of books. Yami glanced back at Yugi, the reaper raising an eyebrow before throwing himself to one side at the gunshot, the three of them staring at the hole in the door in awe.
Yami glanced back over at Yugi before scrambling across the floor to pick up the urn, staring at it before wiping the ashes off the name plate at the bottom. "Oh hell."
"What?"
He turned around to show the two. "These are Johnny Bartlett's ashes."
"Vivian said…" Serenity trailed off as she stared at the urn, shaking her head. "How the hell did she get those?"
"No idea." Yami ducked as other hole was made in the door, crawling back over to Yugi. "So, what do we do?"
The reaper stared at the ashes for a moment before looking at the old hospital. "We have to take it to hollowed ground, a church specifically. But the town doesn't have one, at least not close enough that Vivian and Johnny won't get us."
"The hospital." The two men looked over at Serenity. She jerked her head towards the window. "We climb out and make a run for the hospital. It should have enough stuff to take cover behind if we get into trouble."
"Sounds like a plan." Yami turned to look at Yugi, waiting for the reaper's approval. He saw Yugi wince before giving a slow nod, reaching out to place a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "What do we do once inside?"
"Go inside the church and stand in the light, you'll be able to see it. Then open the urn. If nothing happens, scatter the ashes in the light and only in the light. That should work." Yugi was biting his lip. Yami smiled softly and turned Yugi's head so he could see his eyes, giving the reaper a quick kiss on the lips before crawling to the window, cradling the urn awkwardly in his left hand. He eased open the window before holding out his hand for Serenity, helping her over the sill before clambering out himself. Yugi brought up the rear, acting as the guard.
The vines that had grown on the outside of the house helped them down, the three of them huddling in the shadows before sprinting through the thin barrier of trees that separated the house from the open clearing that stood between it and the hospital. Yami lagged behind the others, his body still trying to function after his out of body experience. He should have just stayed behind for a while like the doctor had said, but he couldn't leave Yugi and Serenity to do this by themselves. He coughed again, looking up to see that Yugi had slowed down, the reaper wrapping an arm around his waist to help him along.
The three stumbled out of the overgrown grass and to the hospital, quickly skirting around the side the building before they could find a door, but that was enough time for Vivian to begin to make her way through the small field, the beam from her flashlight giving her away. Yami took the lead, leaving Serenity to clutch the urn as they walked through the halls of the hospital. He raised an arm to block his nose and mouth, trying not to cough in the dusty hallways.
He gave Yugi a sideways glance, watching as the reaper reluctantly shrunk his scythe back down. The weapon wouldn't do them any good in the cramped hallways of the hospital, their only chance would be to outrun Vivian or hide. Either way Yami didn't like their odds. It was better to get this job done quickly.
Yami moved his arm away from his face, keeping his voice low. "Does anyone know where the chapel is?"
"No." Serenity paused as they came up to an intersection, glancing around. "It's not built like the new hospital and I don't see any signs that would help."
He heard Yugi mutter a curse, reaching out to rest a hand on the reaper's shoulder. "Then we'll split up for a bit, just to wander down these two halls. I don't know what else to do…"
"It's alright Yami." Serenity nodded at him before carefully sneaking down the hall to the left, Yami glancing over at Yugi before turning down the hall to the right, padding down it before shaking his head and turning around. He was willing to bet that it wasn't on this floor, but he didn't want to get caught on the upper levels with Vivian between them and the chapel.
He gave the stairs to a lower floor a single glance, sure that they led to the morgue. Yami turned around and shook his head at Yugi, the reaper grabbing his hand and tugging him back in the direction that Serenity had gone. He followed Yugi's lead, moving to stand beside him. "You alright?"
Yugi gave a curt nod, Yami reaching out to touch the reaper's face when someone walking their way caught his attention. Yami straightened up, his mouth dropping open in shock as two people walked past them, Yugi not even turning his head to look. He glanced back at the reaper before turning to stare at the people, surprised to see that the dusty corridor that they had just walked down was gone, the dust and grim scrubbed away to reveal a clean hall painted light green.
Yami let go of Yugi's hand, turning around and walking back down the hall, looking around in awe at the refurbished hospital before he shook his head. He didn't have time to look around this place; he had to figure out how to get the urn to the chapel. He took one last look around before turning back to where he had left Yugi, only to realize that he couldn't see him.
Yami gasped and stumbled back into the wall, holding onto it and hoping to feel paint crumble under his fingers, but there was nothing. The wall was smooth and slightly chilly, Yami turning around to run his hand down the wall. His hand shook as he straightened up, staring at where it rested against the green wall before turning around, taking a deep breath.
Somehow, he had gotten stuck in the past, at time when the hospital was still functioning. He didn't know how he was able to see this; he thought that he could just see ghosts. Yami shook his head, resisting the urge to beat it against the wall. He was already messed up, he didn't need to mess himself up more. He turned away from the wall, walking quickly back to the spot where he had let go of Yugi's hand. "Yugi? Yugi, where are you?"
"Doctor?" He turned around quickly at the voice, relaxing a fraction when he saw that it had just been two nuns. The two women moved to talk to one of the doctors, the man looking a bit stressed as he stopped. "Sorry for bothering you, but where's the chapel?"
"Chapel? On the third floor, right next to the nurse's station." The doctor hesitated for a moment. "I'll get someone to take you there."
Yami automatically stepped aside to let an orderly pushing a cart pass, glancing up towards the staircase. If he had the urn with him, he could just run up to the third floor and get the deed done, but he had handed it to Serenity in case he had slowed down the other two. Yami cursed, inching towards the stairs. While he was trapped in this place, he could at least scout out where the chapel was. Then they wouldn't have to blindly stumble around while they were being chased by Vivian.
"Hey orderly…orderly. Orderly, are you deaf?" Yami turned on the stairs to look down at the doctor, noticing that the orderly he had let by was now stopped in the middle of the hallway. Yami frowned and walked down a few steps, looking between the doctor and the young man. "Hey, moron."
The orderly twitched at the insult, yanking the white sheet off of his cart to reveal a shotgun. Yami started back, hitting the wall as he watched the man turn around, recognizing his face. Everyone in Fairwater knew the face of Johnny Bartlett.
Johnny turned around, holding the shotgun comfortable in his hands as he stared at the doctor. "I guess that makes you number one."
Yami scrambled to press himself back against the wall, flinching as he heard the shotgun go off, his eyes snapped back open as he felt someone shaking him, letting out a breath of relief as he saw Yugi and Serenity looking down at him. He took the hand that Yugi offered to pull himself up, all three of them freezing as they heard a shot from inside the hospital, Yugi glancing nervously up at the stairs before looking back at Yami.
"What happened?" Serenity inched closer to him, lowering her voice to a whisper. "You just started wandering around there."
"Must be the hospital." The two looked at Yugi, the reaper shifting uncomfortably, before shrugging. "Yami can see ghosts; it makes sense that he can see parts of what happened in the past. He's more in tune with the emotions here than I am…but it's still just a trick of the mind."
Yami took a deep breath to calm himself. He could think about the greater implications of that moment when they were all safe. He shook his head before stepping away from the wall, taking the urn from Serenity's hands. "The chapel is on the third floor, next to the nurse's station."