The Annals of Fear

Matt sat on the edge of the settee playing his PSP, but he knew where everyone was and what they were doing. Now that Mello had stopped ranting, an uneasy peace had settled down upon the house. He still paced up and down like a caged tiger though. Matt wondered if the other two saw only the anger or if they had the wit to spot the hurt beneath. Matt reasoned that they were both L\'s successors, so it was likely that they knew. On the other hand, they had, in the past, also bought into Mello\'s reputation as a mere bully.



Deontic had weathered it quite well, Matt thought. She had stood stoically under the onslaught, waiting for Mello to get it out of his system. It was a wise tactic and one which Matt used often. Century was still engrossed in the architecture of each room, peering up chimneys and inspecting the underside of tables. He seemed happy enough. Matt just silently played his game and took it all in. Mello had supplied both the questions and the answers for why Deontic was there. It was because no-one trusted them with Century and they had to shut Chrissie up somehow. Deontic hadn\'t denied it. Matt personally thought that Mello was over-thinking it. Deontic was probably here because she\'d spotted a two million pound reward tag on a case that Near hadn\'t taken. That was Matt\'s conclusion, though Mello hadn\'t mentioned that one yet.



"What I don\'t understand..." Mello started, then paused, turning on his heel to return to their sitting room. "What I don\'t understand is what they thought we\'d do with him! Do they honestly think...?" He stopped again, correcting himself. "Hal\'s sent you. Chrissie\'s got no authority. Chrissie could ask, just like we asked Century to come, but she can\'t command you. Hal\'s sent you. Does Hal honestly think that I\'ll harm him? What it is? Physical?" Another suspicion fortified Mello\'s paranoia. He was practically shrill. "Is it because we\'re gay? Does she think we\'re going to jump on his bones?" He was working himself up into another rant.



Deontic interupted him at this. "With respect, that is utterly ridiculous, Mello."



"Ah!" Mello pointed at her. "That\'s why we were sent an hour out of our way! So that you had two hours to get here!" He reached into the pocket of his jacket and snatched up his \'phone. "Why am I talking to the monkey, when I could be talking to the organ grinder?" His fingers jabbed at the quick dial code. "Organ grinder, ball-crushing bitch." He muttered, angrily, before he was even connected. But he stomped out into the kitchen to have the actual argument with Hal.



Deontic sighed and sat on the settee beside Matt. "And how are you?"



Matt didn\'t look up. "Fine." He guided his avatar around the barrels and machine gun blasted the enemy that he found there.



"Fascinating." Century stood up from where he\'d been crouching half under the dining room table. "You can see where the extension were added to the ends. Originally Regency, but, here and here, there are boards added. That would have been when crinoline came into fashion. The ladies still needed to fit so they could sit down for their supper. Couldn\'t have all those hoops getting in the way of a feed, see?" He wandered over to where they sat. "So then, Deontic, why are you here?"



Matt blinked and now he looked up. His gaze took in first Century, then Deontic. "You didn\'t know she was coming?"



"No. Why should I?" Century shrugged. "Mello\'s theory warms the cockles of my heart though. You here to protect me from these two, is it?"



From the kitchen, Mello\'s voice rose. "I\'ve even hidden the fucking guns! We\'ve laid on a plate of buttered Welsh cake things especially for him!"



They all looked. Century\'s gaze dipped back to Matt. "Buttered Welsh cake things?"



Matt shrugged and nodded towards the kitchen. Deontic folded her hands in her lap. She commented mildly, "It wasn\'t to protect Century from you pair. It was to chat with him without Chrissie acting as your lawyer. Hal worries about you, Century. She has a duty of care towards you." Deontic grimaced apologetically. "In truth, as far as Hal\'s concerned, this is a gift to her. The fact that Chrissie and Salvo are so wrapped up in their own case that they can\'t be here. Well, it means that we can check on things that you might not like to say in front of them."



Matt snorted. "I have a law degree." He told the PSP. "I\'ll represent you, Century."



Century was staring at Deontic. "Are you Watari now?"



Deontic shook her head. "No, but I help Hal out occasionally. As her friend."



"Friend?" Century blinked.



"Is that so strange?" Deontic replied mildly. "We didn\'t all run away. Linda, Luigi and I are there regularly; and I like Hal. She gets things done. At least, she does her best to ensure that the next generation won\'t turn out like us."



Century looked unconvinced. "Doesn\'t this make you a glorified secretary?"



Mello stormed back in, the \'phone closed in his hand. But whatever he had been about to say died on his lips, as a loud wailing began outside. It was haunting, insidious, and it raised the hair on the back of all of their necks. It sounded like many voices, keening, bereft. Mello froze, eyes moving wildly as his gaze took in all of his surroundings, then he raced to the window. Matt had also frozen, his head jerking up. He paused the game and reached to snatch up his laptop. He and Mello had set up cameras on tripods in many rooms in the building. Matt began the task of searching through the feeds to check if anything was happening in any of them. Century had ran to the largest window, standing just to the side, so not to make a target of himself against the room\'s light. He cupped his hand against the very edge of the glass and peered out. Deontic just sat there, her head to one side, listening. It went on and on.



"Century!" Mello hissed. "You\'re Welsh. What the fuck is it?"



Century looked pained. "Foxes?"



Mello stared. "Foxes?" His gaze returned to the window, where the screams seemed so close now. "It sounds like someone being murdered!"



"I\'m just guessing."



Deontic raised her hand. "It\'s going around the house." They listened, all four of them following the sound with their heads turning.



Matt lit a cigarette and bent over his laptop. "I\'m looking up fox sounds on You Tube." He fitted an earpiece and plugged the sensor in. A moment later, he was shaking his head. "Not the same sound."



Century shrugged. "Mating sounds are different to warning sounds. Try the other."



A pause then Matt looked up. "Ok, that\'s similar."



"Yes!" Century grinned. "Foxes."



Matt turned to survey Mello. "It was the warning cry."



Mello nodded, "So what are they warning against?" He stalked towards the passageway, closer to where the shrieks were now being heard. "And do they normally move in packs? I thought foxes were a pairing."



"They are." Century agreed. "But it\'s probably a family with pups."



"Right." He stopped dead as the howling sounded from upstairs. They all looked at one another, confusion rife. Deontic stood. Her back had been against the staircase, where she\'d sat on the settee. Beside her, Matt didn\'t move, but he clicked back from You Tube and into the house camera feeds. Mello, Deontic and Century simply stared up the staircase. "What are you getting, Matt?"



Matt swallowed. "Remind me to set up the other laptops. It\'s too slow just viewing on one."



Mello\'s voice dipped to a low growl. "What are you getting?"



"Nothing."



Deontic placed her hand onto the bannister. "I\'m going to see."



"Stay!" Mello commanded, pointing back to the settee. "Matt, set me up with an audio." The screams went on, seemingly from the floor above, moving around. They all stared upwards, following it through the ceiling. Mello paced forward and grabbed a headset from their box of supplies. "Am I live, Matt?"



Matt nodded. "I hear you." He raised a hand, indicating his earpiece.



Mello dashed onto the first step of the staircase. They all watched him take a gun from the inner pocket of his leather jacket. Century tensed and Deontic moved to his side, placing a hand onto his arm. She called up the stairs, "Mello, please be careful with..."



Mello gestured impatience, turned the corner of the middle landing and recoiled in horror. He was back into view and halfway down the stairs within seconds, darting around the settee to stand at Matt\'s side. His breaths emerged raggedly and his hand fluttered to his mouth. He crossed himself, still staring, while they all stared at him. Matt reached out, a hand snaking between Mello\'s legs to cup his thigh. The Slav jumped back, startled. Deontic spoke, her voice dead with calm, "What did you see, Mello?"



The howling had stopped. None of them could pinpoint the moment when it had done so, it just simply wasn\'t there anymore. Matt\'s tone was steady, unruffled. "I haven\'t got a camera on the stairs."



"Who\'s been up there?" Mello asked, recovering. His stance hardened and his voice grew gruff. "Has anyone been up there?"



Matt nodded. "I was earlier. We put the cameras up."



Mello hissed. "Since we got back." His steely gaze fixed upon Deontic. "You were here alone!"



The Malaysian woman blinked behind her round glasses. "I had literally just pulled up when you arrived. I brought in my bag. It\'s still by the wall there look. I haven\'t fetched my bedding yet and there is still food in the coolbox in the boot." She withstood Mello\'s glare of accusation. "I haven\'t been upstairs. Will you tell us what you saw please?"



Mello was gulping, looking embarrassed and awkward. "Fucking Hell." His fist closed around the chocolate bar in his pocket and he brought it to his mouth, taking two large bites. Matt sighed and placed his laptop on the seat beside him. He stood and rounded Mello to slope off towards the stairs. "Mail!" Mello snapped. But Matt had stopped near the top of the middle landing, stretching to his full height to peep around the corner. As he froze, staring, the other two rushed to join him. Deontic leaning around him, while Century just ran to the landing itself and stood there looking up, his hands deep inside his pockets.



A small figurine of the Virgin Mary stood in the centre of the upper staircase. The house was silent behind it.