Search Posts
Lucas was stunned, for a moment he thought that it might not be the mask he had come to find after all. He even thought about just leaving it behind. But then what did we come down here for? Tony went the only other way we found and now he's gone because of it. No, this has to be what we came for. "No. But it might be because we aren't near any people who are deceased... or maybe... I don't know for sure. Let's get it back to my mother. She'll probably know more. "
Lucas holds the mask reverently. "If it does what I believe it to, it should let us speak to the spirits of the deceased." "Maybe I can talk to Mia again." he almost whispered more to himself than to Reilly. Then he put the mask on.
Lucas almost wanted to start laughing. After such a long climb up the stairs and how opulent the rest of this strange manor was, it seemed almost ridiculous that the item he came here for was simply hanging on a wall behind a locked door. If only Tony hadn't been so reckless. "That's it! Or at least I think it is." Lucas said, walking forward and picking up the mask off the wall.
Lucas takes a deep breath and goes over to the door. He then tries to open it.
Lucas stopped and looked at Reilly skeptically for a moment, and then shook his head.
Lucas nearly flinched as Reilly said it aloud. It had been his suggestion to check the door on this side of the room. And now he is gone forever. A cold voice inside his head said. He grabbed at the door and slammed it closed. Taking a deep breath, Lucas looked back at Reilly and in a strained voice said, "This place is dangerous, but we haven't found what we need. Come on, we need to go back down." Without another word he started back across the room.
"Tony! Wait!" Lucas said as he reached for the man, but he had been withdrawing away from the darkness not towards it. It was too late. The man was gone, taken by the darkness, the only thing seemingly left of him was the cigarette he'd been smoking a moment before. He looked over to Reilly and called out again. "Tony! Tony, can you hear me?!"
As the beam of light from his flashlight seems to be devoured by the opening past the doorway, the hair on the back end of Lucas's neck begin stand up as he peers into the awning darkness. "... You know, I don't think we want to go this way after all. The stairs did actually go back down. Maybe the key we found will go to a door that way instead."
Lucas looks around the room. "Well there is that door on the other side of the room."
Lucas assists.
Lucas turned from the ceiling and made his way to the other two. "I didn't find anything, but Reilly seems to have."
Lucas walked forward behind the other two inspecting the strange blue flame and the mural on the ceiling.
Lucas nodded. "Alright then, up we go." he said before he began leading the way to ascend the stairs.
Lucas looked at the murals of the figure with the sword. "Hmm, well my inclination was to go up. What do you think, Reilly?"
Lucas shook his head at the dubious reason. Then glanced warily back at the rattling door. "Well whatever your reason, we've got no way to know for sure... but I'd rather not tempt fate. Let's go through this one." he said warily, reaching instead for the middle door.
Lucas eyed Tony suspiciously.
Lucas marvels at the walls and doors for a moment before turning to answer Riley. "We're looking for something. A mask, somehow this feels like the right area to search. My mother said we'll need to find it. Then, once we have it, our real work can begin. There might be other things of interest to find too, which is part of why Tony came along. I don't really care to go out of my way to find anything else though." He then adjusted the sword at his side.
Lucas looked up, pure amazement on his face. "These are the ruins?! I had been expecting... well a more decrepit look. Doesn't look like we can go around, I suppose we have to go through the front." With an almost eager pace he made his way up the stairs to the doors.
Lucas let out a sigh of relief as he hefted his new bag of supplies. "It's probably for the best that she didn't come with us anyway, Tony. Let's get going."
Lucas nodded to Tony and Reilly. "Alright, we'll split up and meet back here when we're done. After that we'll leave for the Koi ruins."
Lucas looked at Tony with a sigh. "No Tony, those are unnecessary items. Have you ever been out in less than desirable conditions? I don't know exactly what the Koi ruins are like or how long we'll be there, but we need light, food that will keep, a good bag or backpack..." he looked Tony up and down. "And maybe some newer clothes and good boots for climbing. This could very well turn into an extended trip. Tell me you can at least contribute to some of that. I have some money but I'd rather not have to buy everything."
So stubborn... Lucas put a hand down on the table top and closed his eyes.
"Tony's a little eccentric but we're working to the same goal. Besides, won't you get in trouble for not doing your detective work or something?"
Lucas cringed at Reilly's questioning. Said too much. Dang, well I better tell him now. Once Reilly bites on to something he doesn't usially let go. "Something from the ruins might help us in our search." Lucas admitted. "We don't know exactly where it is, if it exists, or if it does if it's even still there. Like I said, it could be helpful or a waste of time."
Willfully ignoring Tony, Lucas continued to look straight at his cousin. He had hoped that having Tony sit quietly would have been a good thing. But it looked like he'd been wrong. He put a hand under his chin. "The kind of company I keep is not a terribly important right now. We're checking into something else right now, it might be something or it might be a waste of time. Though the suicides are something new to me. I haven't heard much about them till now." Lucas paused for a moment, musing to himself. " Perhaps this was not the best location to meet after all... Be careful, Reilly. I hope that your suspicions about who the killer is targeting are false but we'll see. As things progress, I'll let you know more about what I find." Lucas then stood up and held out a hand to his cousin.
Lucas almost squirmed under his cousin's gaze. He didn't exactly feel like letting him know what he and his mother were planning. "Nothing more than you. I'd heard about the countdown killer when he first struck a few months ago. But then it was quiet, you know kind of became an urban legend. Then I heard about Mia and now we're here." Everything he'd said was strictly true.
Lucas sat at a table near the doors and further away from other patrons, with Tony. Before Reilly arrived he looked at Tony with a serious and troubled expression. "Look Tony, before he gets here I should let you know my cousin Reilly is a detective. He was away on business for a while but now it looks like he's back. He and I have had some disagreements in the past on what path to follow. His side of the family is very traditional and they didn't approve of my mother marrying my father, so things are somewhat strained there.I don't know if he knows that... that my sister got killed or not. It's probably best if you let me do the talking." As Reilly entered, Lucas stood up. "Reilly, it is a surprise to see you again. I had thought you were on assignment elsewhere. Forgive the abruptness of the location this was the easiest location I could think of to come to. This is Tony, a recent acquaintance of mine. I have been keeping myself busy lately with school." After the strained pleasantries were put out of the way, Lucas sat back down and shook his head. He was about to say something else, but instead the question that had been sitting in the back of his mind boiled forth. "Did you know that Mia's been murdered by the countdown killer? She was number 10."
Lucas frowned. "Tell him we'll meet him at the food court at the mall. I forget the name. But we'll be there in 15 minutes."
"Wait, what!?" Lucas responded to Tony's answer with a mix of exacerbation and surprise before glancing back at the road and having to swerve back into their lane to keep from moving into oncoming traffic.
Lucas visibly winces at the prospect at bringing more people to the ruins. He had a feeling that Tony wouldn't do anything rash, but even if the others came along, the last thing he wanted was to find what he was looking for and have one of Tony's "boys" decide that was his for the taking. "That's probably not a good idea Tony. This is a serious matter and I don't know if your friends have the same drive the two of us do. I'll take you to Rico's though. If they want to come along that's their choice, but I'm claiming what I find there and if any of them try to take it as their own, I won't let them." After a moment of long silence, his phone started ringing in his jacket pocket and Lucas pulled it out, checking the name as he drove. Reilly? What's he calling for now? "Answer that for me will you. It's a family member of mine, just tell him I'm driving."
Lucas watched Tony with a bit of bemusement and for the for the first time since he woke up he cracked a smile. The strange man sitting across from him, even though Lucas had met him barely even 5 minutes before was funny. But more importantly, he was strong. Stronger than Lucas was anyway. He'd been so focused on the fact that his sister had been killed that he hadn't even considered that there might be others who wanted to stop the countdown killer as much as his mother and himself. "Well Tony, I'd like to say that it was probably just going to be a short jaunt into the ruins but I know that maintaining both strength and ... size require sustanence. We'd better make a quick stop to pick up some more supplies first then we can head out. I know I don't have enough for both of us. You're going to need food, batteries, actual water, and a bag to carry it all. Anything else you can think of might come in handy too." Lucas then put the car into reverse and started driving away from Tao's shop and towards the shopping district.
Lucas shut the car door as he put the keys into the ignition and listened to Tony talk. When he was offered some of the pungent smelling liquid he shook his head. "No, I find alcohol to dull your senses and this is not the time for that." He started the car but didn't immediately go anywhere. After a moment of heavy silence he looked over to Tony. "Thank you for looking for the killer. Are you prepared to go to the ruins? It doesn't look like you have much to on you."
Lucas stood next to his car as the overweight man came out of Tao's shop. Part of him still wanted to punch him for his remark about his sister but his training said otherwise. Just looking at him, Lucas thought he should have been able to take him in a brawl. But he had learned the lesson that looks are in fact deceiving, the hard way back in his moms dojo. But if he says anything about her again... Lucas tossed his sword into the backseat of his car. He looked at the keys in his hand and was about to get in and drive off, but then scratched his chin and let out a quick sigh as he leaned against his car door. His mother had instilled the lesson that if one needed help, then ask for it. "I'm heading out to the ruins now. If your interested in helping to stop the killer then you can ride with me... I may need some help after"
Lucas stood up straighter as Tony gave his story, he was attentive and agreeable, at first. Then, as Tony continued, Lucas's expression shifted to something resembling unpleasantness. "I'll have you know, that was my sister you came across last night!" he said in a direct, low voice. "If you're interested in stopping these murders from happening again, then you can follow me and help out. Otherwise go look on your own." Without even waiting for a response he walked past Tony and outside.
Lucas looked at the man and eyed him levelly. "Uh yes. What is your interest in the ruins?"
Going to be out of town for most of the weekend. Probably out of touch during that time.
Lucas nodded and his face hardened into confident determination. There was something about knowing what the weapon he had could do, even if it was somewhat exaggerated, that made it easier to press forward. "I will, now I had best get on my way to the ruins." he picked up the sheathed blade and turned to see Tony standing in the doorway. "Excuse me." he said to Tony as he walked by.
Lucas looked amazed by the story Tao was telling him. "Thank you for telling me about this. I'll make sure to hold on to this."
Lucas nodded to Tao. "Thank you. I'll heed your advice." he was about to leave and then a thought occurred to him. "Before I go there is something I would actually like you to look that might be of interest to you." Lucas then turned and went out to his car and brought back the sword his mother had given to him. "This blade is a very old weapon from long ago in my family line. Can you tell me any more about it?"
Lucas stared hard at the man. He wasn't about to tell him the whole reason for going to the ruins. "I've heard of unique abilities of such items. I want to see for myself whether they hold true or not. I want... no I need to find a mask."
Lucas couldn't find it in himself to meet the older man's smile. Instead he walked over to the counter and looked at him directly. "I'm looking for information about the Koi tunnel ruins near Kanji beach. My mother said you would very knowledgable about that area."
Lucas left the kitchen and decided to head out the back door instead to get to the car. His father was in a bad state but the last thing he wanted to do was answer questions like why he was carrying their family sword and more importantly what he was planning to do with it. He then realized that if anyone asked he could just say he was taking it to Tao's Antiques to get it appraised. "Better than nothing, I suppose." he said to himself as he opened the back seat and put his survival bag in there. He looked at the house as he opened the driver side and got in. Whoever had killed his sister Mia was going to pay for what he did to his family, and Lucas was going to make sure he saw it done. He then started the car and drove off to Tao's.
Lucas nodded realizing the importance of the task his mother had given him. He had heard stories growing up of strange and unique items in the past being discovered. Now it was his turn. "Of course, mother. I will do as you ask, although no I'm not very familiar with the Koi Tunnel ruins."
Lucas looked reverantly at the sword and took the keys without any hesitation. He was about to ask why his mother was giving it all to him but then an image of his father near weeping on the back porch and realized that his mother had to see to the rest of the family and their house-hold first.
He was now free to act and would do so. Before leaving he went to the sink and filled up the cannister with water. "Before he left, he turned to his mother. "I'll go ahead and see what I can find. Where was she found?"
Lucas looked up at his mother, tears were begining to recede as understanding dawned on him. His mother planned to take revenge, he had never done anything like it before. He had heard that it was the wrong thing to do, but at that moment he wasn't about to try and convince her otherwise. He was going to go with her. He nodded, his eyes drying. "When do we begin?"
He put a hand to his head and let out a strangled sob. Last night... while I was out gambling someone was killing Mia. "If... if only I'd been out there... looking for her, then maybe..." he whispered, barely audible even to himself. Maybe she'd still be alive.
Lucas stared at his mother, wide eyed in a moment of disbelief. He hung his head down and clenched both of his fists on the table. His eyes began to well up with hot tears that he began to desperately blink back.
"When?" was all he managed to croak out.
He watched his father in silence for a moment. He was so stunned by his father crying that that his words didn't register until a moment later. Gone..? a chill went down his spine. Lucas could barely speak. His voice seemed to not want to work properly as he looked at his father.
Lucas looked at his father with concern and came over to him. "Dad, what's wrong? You look like you haven't slept at all. Did I get you in trouble at work?" |
