Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ A Dragon's Call ❯ Death In A Hand Basket ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter Nine: Death in a Hand Basket

Warnings: Death, extreme violence, squick, angst and horror. Do not read if any of this bothers you.

AN: This part was written with various horror films in mind. Like the last chapter, there are aspects of the movie 'Carrie.' As well, there are others, though I don't have the titles. Not that it is needed... -.-;;; Just think of the campy horror flicks from the '70's and '80's and you'll get the idea.

For the span of a few moments, all was silent. A pin could be heard falling to the floor; the silence was so thick. Then…panic.

Screams of terror filled the gym, both sexes running to the doors and escape. Only there was no escape, Death had come.

Joshua stood in the center of the dance floor, a blue aura surrounding him. The ghostly version of his ryuuseisui appeared, surrounding him once more.

The look on the faces of the people around him only spurred his anger and loathing of them. They dared to hurt his brother! Through the years, their so-called peers had subjected them to much ridicule.

Never again. Never would Joshua allow it. He remembered everything now. The love and loyalty he had felt before for his brother came crashing down on him. His brother would no longer be the butt of so many jokes and snide comments.

Summoning his weapon to his hand, he sent it moving through the air. A group of young men (alternates on the football team) approached. They held a great deal of resentment towards Joshua. Nicholas had chosen an untrained brat over them and this would be the perfect opportunity for their revenge.

Joshua smirked nastily, his power building. He waited, watching the three men come upon him. He never even flinched as the first approached him, taking a swing at his jaw.

Pivoting on his left foot, he swung, his right foot connecting with the boy's neck. A sickening crack could be heard, followed by the young man falling to the floor, dead. The other two were not dissuaded in the least, seeing it as a lucky shot.

A mad gleam surfaced in Joshua's eyes and he detached one of the spinning orbs. It flew, true and straight to its destination. The second young man dived, a smirk on his face as the orb flew past him.

Joshua smirked back in evil glee, watching as the orb turned around on its axis. Spinning, it grazed a banner, slicing through. Coming up behind the hapless youth, it buried itself in the boy's back.

He sputtered, his eyes wide as he watched the orb slice through his chest, his life's blood dripping off the orb as it bounced to the ground. His eyes tracked the puddle of blood on the floor, watching it grow larger and larger.

Looking down, he blinked. A gaping hole in his chest was the result of the mysterious weapon's advance. Fragments of bone and muscle poked through and that was the last he knew as he fell to the floor, dead.

The last youth cowered, the remaining orb spinning in front of his face. The cord was wrapped around his body, cutting off his circulation.

Rushing over, Yui took a hold of Joshua's arm, pulling. "Joshua! Stop this, please! End the cycle of pain and destruction here! Please stop. Think of your brother!"

No other words could have had the same reaction on the young reincarnated seishi. He blinked, turning to stare at her. For long moments, he just stared at her in perplexity and confusion.

A shadow fell over them and they both looked up. Jonathan stood next to them, his eyes sorrowful. Tar and stray bits of feathers dripped from his clothing and hair. Sadness was reflected in his eyes, but he carried himself with dignity despite his appearance.

"Shun-chan. Let him go. We have more important things to do."

Joshua blinked and the fire and madness gradually left his eyes. He stood before his brother, tears rimming the edge of his eyes. The doors to the gym swung open, the power that had sustained Joshua dissolving in a matter of moments.

Jonathan caught his brother just as he collapsed, ignoring the stares of utter terror around them. He looked at Yui and she smiled. The two held Joshua as they walked out of the gym.

* * *

In the back of the stage, Sasha flinched at the violent cursing that filled the room. Surprisingly, it wasn't Dirk.

Brad stormed around the room, vile curses coming from his too young mouth. Sasha shook her head, not surprised. Her head turned, staring at their leader.

Dirk was silent, no movement present. He watched Brad's tirade, his fingers drumming on a tabletop. Sasha took her seat next to Dirk, wordlessly giving him her support.

Without warning, Dirk's hand shot forward, sending Brad sprawling across the floor. The man in a little boy's body looked up, his eyes flashing. Hatred could be clearly seen in his eyes.

Not that this was news or that it bothered Dirk any. The boy was a convenient means to an end that was all. Dirk stood. "All is not lost. Raphael was foolish, but we can still utilize him during the summoning."

"How?! He's dead!" Tears lined his eyes. Brad always had a special relationship with Raphael. He had unconsciously admired the older boy. Now it was like his brother had been killed and Dirk didn't even care!

Brad looked up, staring at Sam. The taller, older boy gazed back with what appeared to be understanding. Brad bit his lip, but nodded. Sam took his seat and Brad climbed onto his lap, laying his head on the bigger boy's chest.

Sasha watched, fascinated. It would appear that Ashitare had changed a great deal. She looked to her current and past lover.

Dirk watched the two impassively for a moment. A frown creased his lips and he stood abruptly, walking out without a word. The three remaining seishi watched in wonder. Sasha wasn't the only one to wonder what the next few days lay ahead of them.

* * *

The house was quiet as the three young people entered. On their way to the twins' house from the disastrous Homecoming Dance, Joshua had gradually awakened. Yui and Jonathan were both worried about him. He was awake, but his eyes were blank, sightless.

Joshua's demeanor worried both Yui and Jonathan immensely. It was as if he had gone berserk, only to loose himself. The pair led him into the house, stopping in the living room. All was silent within the house.

Jonathan led the pair down the corridor to the twins' bedroom. Opening the door, he ushered his former miko and brother inside.

Holding Joshua close to her, Yui entered. She didn't even bother to look around, merely placed Joshua on one of the beds. He sat obediently, still nothing registering in his eyes.

"Will you be okay alone with him? I need to get... cleaned up." Jonathan queried of Yui, indicating with distaste at his attire.

She merely nodded, unafraid. Joshua, she knew, would never hurt her.

Nodding, he exited the room and quickly entered the bathroom. Closing and locking the door, he turned the shower on to hot. Stepping inside, clothes and all, he allowed the soothing hot water to cascade over him.

He could feel the tar and bits of feathers running off his skin. Opening his eyes he stared at all the watered down tar at his feet. An intense hatred filled his veins, his hands closing into fists at his sides. Taking a deep breath, he strove to calm himself. He removed the sodden clothing and dumped it in the hamper. Sighing, he closed his eyes as the water caressed his naked skin soothingly.

Jonathan knew who was responsible for what had happened. He had seen the dead body of Tomo, or rather Raphael, fall to the stage floor. He felt no remorse for the man's death. Rafael had been responsible for making their lives a living hell at school.

It was strange, but flashes of memory began to invade his psyche. He didn't remember all, not by a long shot. But things were beginning to fall into place.

Such as he now knew why Raphael hated him and Joshua so much. The vision of Tomo being impaled by a spinning pair of ryuuseisui was quite vivid in his mind. The irony of the situation, of Raphael meeting the same exact fate as last time, was not lost on him.

Refreshed and clean, Jonathan finally turned the water off and left the shower. He towel-dried his hair, and then finished drying himself off. Wrapping the towel around his hips, he returned to his bedroom.

As he entered, he smiled softly as he watched his twin and Yui talk quietly. At least his twin had finally come out of his shock. That was a definite plus.

"Aniki!! Are you okay?!" Joshua ran over, wrapping his arms around his brother protectively. Jonathan grinned, nodding as Yui looked on in amusement.

"I'm fine, Joshua. Thank you." He tapped his younger brother on the nose and smiled at Yui. "Are you all right?"

She opened her mouth to reply, only to shut it in shock.

The door to the twins' room opened, revealing a figure dressed all in black. Rachel Thomas stood in the doorway, a penitent look on her face. She rushed in, enfolding her arms around her sons'. "My babies!! The horror! What have those evil creatures done to you?!"

Both twins' were taken aback at their mother's concern. They looked at each other, bewildered. She'd never shown such compassion with them before. They had expected gloating and condemnation, not this.

Rachel stopped gushing over the brothers', her eyes catching sight of Yui. They narrowed, as if gauging the look of an enemy. She then smiled radiantly, beckoning to them. "Come to the living room! I have a special surprise in store for you!" She grinned, linking her arm with Yui's. "You must come too my dear."

The twins' would have refused; neither one of them liked her usual "surprises." But Rachel seemed so happy that they couldn't say no to her. It didn't help either that she had almost a death-like grip on Yui's arm.

The small group entered the living room without a word. The brothers' stared in amazement as Rachel danced from them. In the center of the room was the dining room table. A white lace tablecloth covered it, four dinner settings positioned around the table. Plates of food lined the top of the wooden table. Jonathan frowned, wondering how she knew Yui was going to be there.

"We weren't expecting company, but that's all right. I can always add another place setting, eh darling?" Rachel smiled, puttering around the table as she addressed someone to her right.

The twins' looked at one another, alarmed. Who was she speaking to?

Rachel noticed their looks and sighed. "Oh, I've been an awful mother! Did I really forget to tell you? Oh it's so wonderful!" She clapped her hands in glee. She moved over to the head of the table, where a large armchair sat. Its back was facing the three teenagers, hiding whatever was in it from their view.

While she had been moving around chaotically, Jonathan had slipped into his room and donned a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He wasn't at all comfortable with being around her with little to no clothes on. Returning, he frowned as she doted on the armchair. What was in it? "Mother... what..."

"BOYS!!!" Rachel giggled. Her eyes were wild, as she looked at them. They both backed up, seeing the signs of mental instability within them. "Say hello to your father... he's come home!"

Joshua gasped, looking at his brother. It couldn't be... Zachariah Thomas had died when they were little...

Rachel turned the armchair and Yui screamed. In the armchair sat a corpse. Its rotting flesh was starting to peel off, its sightless eyes seemingly gazing at the three teenagers.

Dead or alive, it was undeniably Zachariah Thomas.

"Oh Lord..." Jonathan breathed, taking a step back. He knew that face. He saw it whenever he looked in to the mirror or looked at his brother. "Papa..."

"What did you do to him, you bitch?!" Joshua shouted, his hand clenching at his side. He was too angry and terrified to even think of calling on his weapon.

Rachel frowned, her slender fingers caressing the skin of her dead husband. She never even seemed to notice as pieces of his flesh fell off to fall on the floor. "Why darling... I don't know what you mean. Your father has come back to us! I know it was hard when he left us... and I had to stage his funeral so people wouldn't look down on us. But he's home now and we don't have to be afraid anymore..."

"Afraid?! The only thing we've ever had to be afraid of was you!" Jonathan screamed, his eyes wild. Everything she had ever done to him came crashing down upon him. All of the anguish, hurt, pain and humiliation he had experienced at her hands cried out to him for revenge. This had been the last straw. It was so obvious to him what had happened.

Discussions with Reverend Lacroix came to his mind. How the man had admitted that he had seen Jonathan and Joshua's father in town recently. Zachariah Thomas had come to him, telling him the whole sordid story of his leaving. Rachel had grown violent and he feared for his life. He had intended to leave, get help and then return for the twins'.

Only it didn't work out that way. Rachel had grown increasingly unstable with his disappearance. She staged his death and moved her family out west without a word to anyone. No one knew where to find her or the boys. It was as if they had vanished off the face of the earth.

Then he had gotten a tip after years of searching. An essay that Joshua had written as a teenager had won a prize at a national contest. The topic: Heroes. Joshua's had been about two people; his brother and his father. It had been a hunch, nothing more. But Zachariah had to take that chance.

That was the last Jonathan had known about his father until now. He gazed sadly at the man he had called father. If they hadn't of gone to that stupid dance, they would be safe and their father alive.

Rachel smiled, her eyes conveying more than just a touch of madness. "Come! Sit! Zachariah will tell us all that has happened to him since he left!"

Jonathan looked to the others. It was quite apparent she was unstable. But did they do as she said? She was violent on the best of days, but now...

"Sit... down... now..." Rachel gazed at them hard, her hand caressing the pallid face of her dead husband. Her other hand held a butcher knife, one she had been about to use to cut the turkey that sat on the table. The three youths immediately sat at the table, gazing at her fearfully.

Rachel took her own seat and began carving up the turkey. "What dear? Oh yes. Of course I'll tell them." Her mad eyes turned to the three and she began to speak directly to them. "Zachariah isn't feeling well, you see. So he's asked me to explain why he's been gone so long.

"It all started when you boys were little. Zachariah was jealous of you, you see. He was jealous of the love I had for you. Unable to stand it, he left us." She sighed morosely, the knife stopping. "It was a sad time. In order to keep people from realizing the truth, I staged your father's death and we moved away.

"Little did I realize that your father had mended his incestuous ways and was searching for us. A week ago, while you boys were at school, he came home." She stopped for a moment, her eyes narrowed in intense fury. "But he was not right. He came, demanding I give you up to him. How could I? You're my boys! My babies!"

Her hand clasped the knife tightly and it snapped through a turkey bone. "So we had a talk. He finally saw his mistake. How wrong he was! Of course, I made up with him, didn't I darling?" She smiled lovingly at the corpse. "I didn't mean to shove that knife into your chest, after all..."

The twins looked at one another, genuine fear filling their minds. She had killed their father. That act had been the last thing to finally push her over the edge into complete madness.

And now her eyes were trained upon Yui. The blue orbs were dilated, a frown on her face. Without warning, she stood and walked over to the young woman, the knife still in her hand. Her hand clamped down hard on Yui's shoulder, squeezing it tight. "And now to address one other problem..."

"Pro... problem mother?" Joshua asked fearfully, his eyes on Yui. She gazed back at him; the terror in her own eyes an open book.

"Yes dear. A problem." Rachel replied, her gaze and voice as cold as ice. The knife in her hand suddenly came up and pressed against Yui's throat.

The young Japanese girl screamed and Rachel pulled her head back by her hair. "Hush child. It will be quick, I promise. A slut like this one is what is wrong with you boys. Once she's dead, everything will be back to normal..."

She never finished her words as her body was hurtled across the room to land on the coffee table, breaking it into small pieces.

Jonathan stood, his eyes ablaze with anger and loathing for this woman who claimed to be their mother. In his hand he gripped a flute. It was a wooden instrument, one he had made when he was a child. It had always been a prominent decoration on the wall.

Joshua had been frozen with fear, unable to call his weapon. But that didn't stop him from calling the small instrument to his brother.

The flute now resided in Jonathan's hands, the intense notes from before having literally moved Rachel across the room.

She looked up, madness in her eyes as she faced off with her eldest son. In her hand, she still held the butcher knife. "You are being defiant, Jonathan. You remember what happens when you're defiant..."

"I don't fucking care anymore! You won't hurt anyone else anymore, I won't let you!" He cried, his anger and hatred fueling his desire to defeat her. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he raised the flute to his lips.

Rachel took that moment to attack, but she never got more than a few feet in his direction. An ungodly sound, one she'd never heard before, filled her mind. She gave a blood-curdling scream, her head shaking from side to side in pain. Whatever it was, it was killing her!

Her eyes fell on her son, playing that ungodly evil flute. She had wanted to destroy it as soon as he had brought it home when he was little, but the pleading look in his young eyes had stilled her resolve. No more. He was a demon child and she would see him dead!

She cried out, whether from pain or her madness and ran at him. At that moment, the melody of the music changed. With the change, so did she. She stopped in mid-attack, a strange look upon her face. She gazed at her son, unable to believe what he had done. Her eyes closed and that was when her head literally exploded.

A sickening crack came from her vicinity and Joshua covered Yui, hiding her face from the horrible sight. Rachel's skull literally cracked open, like the ground when an earthquake strikes. Blood and a white filmy substance leaked out. That was when the explosion hit.

Red blood splattered everywhere as Rachel Thomas' head literally exploded, bathing the occupants in her blood. Yui screamed again, but having not seen anything, it was pure reflex. Joshua held her against his breast, hiding her face from the carnage his brother had wrought.

Afer what might have been days, but was only a few moments, Joshua led Yui over to his brother. He reached out and lowered the flute from his brother's nerveless fingers. He gazed into his twin's anguished face. His hand touched Jonathan's cheek softly and his lips touched his brother's in a soft kiss. "It's over aniki. It's over."

Jonathan blinked, looking from Joshua to Yui. She gazed at him sadly, but with something else in her eyes. He expected it to be revulsion, but surprisingly, it wasn't. He smiled back at her and nodded. "Yeah... it's over."

"Hai. Let's go. I don't want you two staying here with... well staying here. You can stay with me at the hotel I'm staying at." Yui took a hand from each twin and firmly led them outside, leaving the death, carnage and madness behind them forever.