The Annals of Fear

Century was impatient to be back upstairs. He actually reached for Matt\'s claw hammer, before the redhead glared and closed the lid on his toolbox. Mello stood by the closed kitchen door, as if guarding it. He snapped. "Century, wait. I\'m as anxious to get in there as you are, but sometimes it\'s wiser to ponder a few things first." He raised his hand to eat chocolate, but realised that he was only holding a screwed up wrapper. He paced over to the box on the table and took out another one. "Matt, have we got any of this on tape?"



"No."



"Showing an empty room?" Mello asked. "How about audio?"



Matt nodded. "We have audio on all of this. Presumably not the precise sound that\'s killing everyone though, on account of the fact that we\'re still alive."



Mello occupied himself with slowly removing the wrapper around his new chocolate bar. "How long before we have to check in with Chrissie?"



"Twelve minutes." Deontic replied.



"Ok. We don\'t do anything until we\'ve done that." Mello glanced sympathetically at Century. "I know you want to see this, but think! The last time that was opened, five people died and kickstarted a chain-reaction that\'s still killing people now. Do you really want to go in half-cocked?" Century pursed his lips and reached for a lollipop. "Let\'s just say that I learned a few lessons about rushing in, where angels fear to tread, during the Kira case." He raised his hand. "I want to know three things before we take the floorboards up. I want to know what we should find down there. Century, that is your cue. I want to know about priest holes. Anything that you think I don\'t know." He lifted a finger. "Deontic, I want to know that we\'re alright, mentally. You have been watching our reactions. Something has been playing with us. We should not have slept like that last night." He extended a second finger. "And I want a round robin. I want to know what you three L-trained detectives think is happening in this house." The third finger rose. "Who\'s going to start?"



"Woot!" replied Matt. "I think I have the third version of the album." He sniffed and lit another cigarette. "At least I have three files. Two or more might be identical."



Mello stared at him blankly. "We\'re not listening to any more of them unless it becomes inevitable." He inspected his chocolate, but didn\'t bite. "That would be like writing our own names into a Death Note." He extended his arm, pointing the chocolate. "Deontic, you start."



Deontic took up her pad, scanning her formulas. "I don\'t think it\'s affecting us as much today. It\'s trying a different tack..."



"What is?" Century interupted. "I\'m sorry, but you all keep saying this. Mello on about \'it\' coming up in the centre of the room. You talking about \'it\' affecting us. What is \'it\'? Because you\'re all well out of the realm of the Gwrach-y-Rhibyn. She\'s not like a Hollywood demonic entity."



Mello gave him a long, appraising look. "Whatever was awakened in this house."



"Which was?"



"Something Welsh and nasty; a demon; a shinigami; a bunch of malicious ghosts." He smiled without humour. "You\'ll be amongst the first to know when we know."



Matt stated flatly. "The only thing that I can tell you is that it\'s everywhere. I\'m checking the data from our sensors and meters. They are all lighting up like the National Grid. It\'s in this house and it\'s in every room." They all glanced about themselves. "Yes, even this one." He pointed to digital dial on his computer, showing an EMF reading of 2.4 in the kitchen. His hand-held sensor confirmed the reading. Its needle quivering between 2.4 and 2.6. "For the record, normal is about 9.0 to 30.0." He smiled tightly. "Plus I\'m getting temperature fluctuations in all rooms. I don\'t have to hear Ioan on his little run, because I can see it right here. The infrared thermometer dips by 40 degrees as he passes each point, then rises back up. The ambient air therometer readings are going up and down like yo-yos throughout the house. I\'ve had to mute the alarm on the motion sensors, because it was starting to sound like tintitus in my ear." Matt clicked to open a file. "Let\'s just say that I have 1283 jpg images of fuck all to look out." They all stared at him. That was quite a speech by Matt\'s standards. He just shrugged and focused on the pictures, his quick eyes taking in several at a time and scanning them for anomalies.



Mello was deathly calm. "Deontic, continue."



She had shivered. She consulted her notes again. "We all brought baggage here and it, whatever \'it\' is, probed us for our weaknesses. Who here would show a weakness in front of the others?" She met each of their eyes in turn, except Matt\'s. He was focused on his laptops. "Yet even Mello became extremely vulnerable last night. I don\'t know why I cried like I did. It wasn\'t even specific. Yes, the water was getting on my nerves and yes, it triggered a deep-rooted emotion inside me, but I don\'t know why I was crying. It was for Nathalie, for Lamond, for Jonny." She considered it. "Yes, even for myself. It was like all of that loss reared up inside me and I couldn\'t stop crying. Then Mello was so kind to me and I just felt foolish."



"Don\'t let your emotion build up inside." Mello warned. "I\'ve learned the hard way that that\'s never a good idea."



Deontic looked at him. "Do you wish to elaborate on that?"



"No."



"Ok." She nodded, hurrying on. "Then I have a question. Why did you point a gun at Century?"



Mello opened his mouth to respond, but faltered. He settled finally for, "Something that felt like a good idea at the time, but it wasn\'t. It was stupid." His head hunkered down into his shoulders. Uncertainty piqued.



Deontic watched him. "You are many things, Mello, but stupid isn\'t one of them." She flashed a smile that she hoped was reassuring. "You have never been anything less than genius, which is why none of us could ever catch you. Yet it got into you and manipulated you."



Mello stared. "Possession?" He pondered it, then shook his head, licking his chocolate. "No."



Century sighed heavily. "Ok, I\'m bored now. Let\'s open the priest hole."



Mello turned on him. "Century, sit the fuck down. Why are you so impatient?" The teenager didn\'t move. Mello pointed to a stool. "Now!" There was a stand-off, Mello glaring, Century staring. Mello hissed. "Don\'t put me into a situation where I have to make you do as you\'re told." He smirked one of his most malicious smiles. "Century."



Deontic moved to stand between them, talking again to deflect attention from the brewing argument. "I don\'t think it\'s possession. It\'s more an atmosphere that plays on our base feelings. Negative feelings. It\'s intense and we can\'t fully discern it, because we\'re in the middle of it. It\'s causing us to do it to ourselves. We\'re being fed our own fears, loss, pain, and..."



"Fuck." Matt scowled. "My lighter has run out." He clicked it incessantly. "I\'ve got another one in the car." He started to stand.



"Matt. Sit down!" Mello warned. At Matt\'s gaze, he softened. "Come on, Matt. Check your pockets. You\'ve always got spares." To show willing, Mello patted down his own pockets, though he knew that he didn\'t have one. "Please, Matt."



Matt glared. "The car is only out there! Half a dozen steps from the backdoor."



"Let me get it." Mello started forward.



Deontic leaned backwards and lit a hob on the cooker. "Light it here." She calmly stepped away from it and was gratified to see Matt drift into her direction. His cigarette lit, the crisis was over. "The house is fertile ground. It doesn\'t need to provide the seeds, as we brought them with us. It\'s an oppressive atmosphere. Our fears just grow."



"Something\'s just occurred to me." Century stated firmly, rising from the stool upon which he\'d perched. They all looked at him. "Mello isn\'t actually the boss of me." He circled the blond and touched the doorknob. "I can do what the..."



Mello\'s hand snaked out and grabbed his arm. The look in his eyes froze Century where he stood. Ice-cold, but raging, Mello growled, "And I was a Consigliere in the Mafia. Would you like to find what I learned there, Iestyn Jones?"



Matt exhaled and wandered over to where the two men stood. "Mell." He reached out. Mello batted his hand away with one sharp chop. "Let\'s just go and get it open. Then we can..."



Deontic agreed. "Yes. It\'s too..." She struggled for the word. "Please Mello."



"... see what we\'re dealing with." Matt reached again for Mello\'s arm. "Please, anđeo." Mello didn\'t throw him off this time, but he did stare at Matt. The promise of violence inherent in his eyes. "I\'ll get my claw hammer. It will only take a couple of moments and, at least, the noise has stopped up there."



Century pulled his arm away and opened the kitchen door. The sitting room beyond looked peaceful and inviting. Mello turned his head and watched him walk into there. Matt reached back to the table and picked up his toolbox. Deontic just stood stock-still, her hand over her mouth. "Please don\'t fight."



"Century." Mello called out. "Don\'t go up those stairs." His attention returned to Matt. "Why do you want it open? He\'s after it because of the history angle and because he wants to see if he was right. Deontic\'s just trying to keep the peace. I\'m interested because there\'s a chance it might be a Catholic chapel. What\'s in it for a shit-stirring, secular Cyberpunk like you?" He heard the footfalls on the stairs, as Century ran up them. Mello roared. "Fuck it!" He took off after the teenager. "I\'m going to fucking kill him." Matt ran after Mello, yelling his name, leaving Deontic to snatch up the toolbox and, heaving it to her chest in both arms, struggle up the stairs with it. She heard Mello screaming, "What are you doing?" He caught up with Century in the room above. Mello had him by the throat, backed up against the wall. "What the fuck are you doing?"



In Century\'s pocket, his phone was ringing. Century calmly reached down and took it out. Mello grabbed at it. A thumb pressed into Century\'s wrist and he released the phone. Mello caught it, holding it away. Century made to punch him in the stomach, but Mello danced backwards. "Give me my \'phone." Century warned. Behind them both, Matt had just rolled his eyes and taken the toolbox from Deontic. He fell to his knees and bent over the floorboards with his claw hammer. They both turned to look at the first whack between the joints. But Mello used the distraction to slam Century up the wall again. Mello\'s gaze was fearsome. "Do not fuck with me. I\'ve warned you before. You will follow my lead on this one."



Deontic coughed. "Mello, it\'s playing with your emotions. The house is...."



"No." Mello smirked. "This one is all me." He leaned with all his body weight onto the teenager, forcing Century sidewards and onto the floor. Leaving him sprawling there, Mello took the three steps to the window, opened it and threw the \'phone out into the night. "Ooops." He smiled, spinning around. "I must have dropped it." At his feet, Century glared blue murder at him.



Deontic gasped, "Was that Chrissie? What time is it?"



There was a loud splintering noise and Matt prised back one of the floorboards. He reached out for a torch, from his toolbox, and shone it beneath. "Stairs." He announced. "And something beyond."



Century scrambled to his side, peering down too, keeping himself on the other side of Matt away from Mello. Mello gritted his teeth, trying to control his temper, as he looked at Deontic. He barked, "What time is it?"



"I haven\'t got a watch." She bit her lip.



Mello reached for his own \'phone, as Matt and Century removed the second floorboard, a lot more quickly than the first. "Seven minutes past." He stared at the window. "That probably was Chrissie." He looked caught between the uncovered hole and the doorway. "Dee, would you....?"



She shook her head. "I\'m not going down there on my own. If someone comes with me, I\'ll...."



"Everyone downstairs." Mello commanded, but Century was already levering himself into the darkness beneath. "Iestyn, don\'t..." There was thud as Century landed on some floor out of sight. Matt was shining his torch into it, dropping it down into the waiting hands. "Matt..." Matt clambered into the space. "Matt, don\'t..." But he was gone. Mello whispered plainitively. "At least give me Chrissie\'s number." He looked very lost, as his gaze met Deontic\'s. "We don\'t know what\'s down there."



Century called back. "It\'s some kind of chapel. There\'s some painting on the wall that looks like a representation of Christ."



"It\'s not exactly the Sistine Chapel." Matt added, a smirk in his voice. "Oh."



Century filled in the detail. "The roof is painted blue and gold. The gold are like stars. It\'s definitely 16th century. Not very big though. They couldn\'t have done full services in here. It\'s very cosy with just me and Matt."



"Come out." Mello whispered. Deontic crossed the room, as if to hug or hold him back, but held off at the last.



There were whispers down below, then Century\'s commentary continued more loudly. "There\'s a little pot. It\'s glass, with things in it. Shine that torch, Matt." There was a pause. "It\'s like water with pins, nails and broken glass inside. The top is sealed." Another pause, then dismissal. "Oh! It\'s ok, it\'s modern. There\'s a sell-by date of last year on the bottom of the jar."



Deontic touched Mello\'s arm. "Are you alright?"



"I\'d only have to put the floorboards back." Mello said, in a tiny voice. "They\'d be trapped." He saw how Deontic\'s eyebrows rose in alarm. "I\'m not going to, but Matt would never trust that I wouldn\'t. That anyone wouldn\'t. He\'s climbed voluntarily into something that could easily be an oubliette. Matt wouldn\'t do that."



"Oh my God!" Matt\'s voice rose from that hole.



It was joined by Century\'s shriek, "Dewi! What the fucking Hell is that?"



Mello seemed to snap from his reverie. He yelled, "Will you both please get out of there?" He took a breath before bellowing the final, "Now!"



Under the floorboards, they heard Century comment, "Mello\'s freaking out."



"Yeah." Matt agreed and it sounded to Mello like a slap. "I\'d better go and tell him that he was right too."



"Fuck him." Century spat. "If he can\'t take the heat, he should get out of the kitchen."



Deontic gripped Mello\'s arm now. "Mihael. Please don\'t."



"My name is Mello." Mello shook her off and walked to the hole. He could see the ladder going down and the moving pool of light as a torch was shone around.



He heard Matt softly say, "Don\'t slag Mello off." But it had neither menace or power.



"Matt." Mello called down. "How big is it down there?" There was a shuffling, then Matt\'s face appeared looking up. He was standing to his full height. "How big is it down there?"



Matt sniffed, looking back. "You\'d struggle getting all four of us down here. Perhaps three. Century\'s having to bow his head."



"Ok." With effort, Mello was keeping his tone calm and friendly. Trying diplomacy where ire had failed. "This is an historical find now. This is Century\'s baby. I\'m happy for him to take the lead." His fists were clenched over his chocolate bar. "But, guapo, would you both come out now please? I want to..." He paused, working out how to phrase it, "do a proper hand over of this investigation downstairs."



Century hissed, "Has he got a gun in his hand?"



Matt shook his head, his eyes locked on Mello\'s gaze. "Pass that tripod and camera down, Mell. Let me place it in here, then I\'ll come up."



Mello nodded, standing up. He reached for the tripod, but Deontic held up her hand. "What?"



"Listen." She passed to the window, looking out, but there was only darkness and the river. "Can you hear it?"



Mello was listened. It was a distant wailing coming closer. He and Deontic exchanged looks and she stepped away from the window. He held onto the tripod, but his other hand crossed himself. His fist encircled the rosary, the chocolate held between his teeth. They both stared at the darkened glass, seeing only their own pale reflections. The wind changed and suddenly they knew precisely what they were hearing. "Oh shit." Mello snapped. "Century, I need you. The police are here. Come and speak Welsh to them and make them go away."



Century\'s head appeared through the gap. "Why are the police here?"



Deontic swallowed, "Chrissie must have called them."



Mello bit down his impatience. "Get out of there, so that Deontic can pass Matt this camera." Downstairs, the sirens were very loud. They had made it into their yard. Century hesitated, but, as the doorbell sounded shrill throughout the house, he climbed up the last few feet and hurried through the door. "Matt, place it and come out. Ok?"



"Yeah." Matt replied, with Deontic already rushing to hand the tripod down to him. Mello turned and followed Century out.