Valley Beyond the Veil

Minutes trickled by as the evening began to darken outside the walls of the aged estate. The kitchen, dining hall, and other pathways revealed very little to the investigators taking their stay within the dilapidated walls. Every now and then a bump or creak, or perhaps a deep groan from the old boards at their feet, would give them a fright. Adrian often had to remind James to keep a clear head, as the young man was much more easily excitable. The blond was perhaps a little too skeptical for his own good when it came to these outings, but even he had to concede that the place was beginning to wear on his resolve. The walls themselves seemed to stare into him, wriggling under his gaze. The wall paper crawled away beneath the touch of his eyes and he had forgotten that he was still standing in silence, staring intently at the wall.

"Ade.”

“Ade?"

A large, warm hand fell atop the lanky man's shoulder and added pressure, turning him slightly. Adrian's eyes met James's, concern dancing in the soft hazel orbs.

"You okay, man? Ya look kinda out of it." His lips wriggled, pulling into a frown, and he sighed. "Why don't ya take a bit of a break, mm? I brought that coffee you like, and bottled water for the machine to make it. Fix yourself a cuppa, okay?"

Adrian blinked, seemed to come to himself after a moment's time, and looked down at friend's worried eyes with a blank expression. He looked around, as if he had been woken from a sleep of some kind, and rubbed his eyes, "Mm... Yeah, alright."

He made his way to the stairs, where their equipment had been set up, and set himself down. Just a rest would do him nicely. He hadn't been sleeping well, obviously causing his daydreams.

James glanced over to Samantha and they shared a look. The woman nodded, and his shoulders eased. 'Sam will make sure he doesn't push himself,' he self-assured, turning to look at the stairs. He peered up to the dark room at the top of the staircase, "I'm gonna go ahead and take a thermal camera with me for the rest of this. The most activity was said to be upstairs after all, right?"

"Right," Sam confirmed. "The master bedroom and the attic are the supposed hot spots. That and the cellar, which you've already checked."

The brunette nodded. "I'll probably go back down there again, later. For now, though," he grunted as he wrested the camera out of one of the bags, "let's see if we can catch somethin' in the other rooms."

He grinned and tested the camera's functionality before heading up the stairs.

Adrian rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand, a soft groan escaping him. His voice was thick with a pained exhaustion, "I'll be right up. I don't know why I'm so tired all of a sudden."

"It's fine, dude," James called over his shoulder. "Take your time."

Adrian nodded and rested his head in his hands, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. It was a strange sensation. It almost felt as if he weren’t truly sitting on that step at all, or hadn't been standing in that room and staring at the wall. It was, for lack of a better relation, as if he were dreaming. Surely, he reasoned, it was only due to his lack of sleep. He should have been better prepared.

"No...that can't be it," he murmured to himself, "I had eight hours..." He pulled his glasses from his face, massaging the bridge of his nose with a frustrated groan, "Allergies...maybe."

James turned on the portable camera and set it to thermal mode as he stepped into the study. He swept it around, comparing the blues and greens to the furniture around him. Faint yellows appeared on the screen and he looked up, marking where there were. The stationary camera was giving off just enough heat to be picked up. He sighed and examined it but found nothing wrong with it, so he continued his sweep of the room. James circled around the desk, filming it and its chair from all angles. Once he was fully satisfied he set the camera down on the desk, still turned on, and grabbed his audio recorder. As soon as he cleared the study, he could move on.

The room was silent, far more so now than their entire dealings in the house itself. No creaks or moans from the floorboards were whispering to the young man as he made his way around the room. The ratty curtains did not even stir, though the window had been left open to the cool and steady breeze outside.

James conducted the EVP recording and progressed into the bathroom he'd visited before. The wood creaked beneath his feet and the rattle of pipes echoed a chilling reply. He hated the way pipes sounded when they were old and in disrepair. James rolled his shoulders and set the camera down where most of the room could be seen, so he could record the audio without anything distracting him. Nothing answered him, of course. Each question was met with silence, and James felt himself getting a little anxious. He was quickly growing bored, even though the investigation was usually his favorite part of the trip. But then, he didn't usually do long stretches of it by himself. He always had Adrian or Sam with him. James sighed.

"Can you tell me what happened to you?" James asked the empty room, trying to keep the interest from leaving his voice. It just wasn't the same if he didn't have someone to share the mounting anticipation with. He scratched at his jaw, his eyes closing as he counted out the time between questions.

Just a few moments before the time was up, a soft squeak cut through the silence. James jolted his eyes open, focusing them on the tub. The squeak repeated, and he was sure it came from the bath tub. It sounded like someone or something had turned a knob to start the water. He frowned and took the few steps to the curtain then, after a moment's hesitation, he pulled it open.

Nothing was there.

He leaned down and checked the knobs, finding them both locked firmly in place by a thin coat of rust. Nothing could have turned them. He sighed and began to straighten.

A flicker of motion caught his attention and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He twirled to the shattered mirror, finding only fragments of his own reflection. He then spun and looked to the door, half expecting to see Adrian there.


Adrian lay back on the stairs, looking up at the ceiling as his head continued to swim. He felt as if something were coursing through his system. He was hearing things and that was never a good sign. It was faint sure, like the whisperings of dreams while one lay barely waking. He had begun to break a cold sweat, as if his body were fighting some sort of fever. He drew a slow breath, "Sam, do you have any Tylenol?"

The woman removed her headphones and spun in her chair to look at him. Adrian looked pale. She frowned, worried.

"Yeah, in my purse. Just a sec," Samantha rummaged through her purse and pulled out a small bottle of pills. She then moved over to give him a few.

"Here. Man, Adrian, you look awful," she murmured, pressing her hand to first his cheek then his forehead. "You're all clammy, too. You might be coming down with something. God knows this place has got enough mold to make anyone--"

A thunderous bang upstairs cut Samantha off and she jumped, dropping the bottle. James's yelp reached her ears immediately after, followed by the man yelling. She groaned, her lips pursing. "What the hell did he do now?"

She sighed and pushed herself up, then grabbed a walkie-talkie. "I'd better go see if he broke something. You stay here and see if those meds help, Ade. I'll be right back."

Adrian nodded and looked up the stair case with a mixture of concern, amusement, and exasperation. He shook his head as Sam took her leave, trusting that James had only toyed around with something he shouldn't have, and took the pills dry. He laid back down with a groan, intent on relaxing for a time to let his allergies alleviate the strain on his mind. That is, he had hoped for that, but a sound caught his attention. It was low and wispy and he found himself sitting up straight in spite of the desire to stay put. He blinked as the ragged designs of the far wall's paper began to cringe and wriggle again.

His eyes narrowed, Do you think master is alright? He gets strange when under such duress.

Adrian shook his head as he got to his feet. His brow furrowed as he looked around the room, finding nothing to cause such teasing in his ear. He glared at the nothingness, deciding that he had had quite enough and was determined to rid himself of any wild notions that his sick-stricken head was trying to convey. He headed off for the kitchen, hoping that stretching his legs would at least do him some good.


"James?" Samantha called as she made her way down the hall. The further she walked, the more she came to realize just how nervous the man's muffled voice sounded.

"Where are you?" she called.

"Sammy! Damn; thank you, lucky stars!" One of the closed doors pounded near Samantha, making her jump. "I'm in the bathroom! The door slammed shut on me and the lights blew out."

"It... what?" Samantha scoffed and grasped at the knob, twisting it. The door didn't budge. "Alright, dumbass. Knock it off. This isn't funny. Unlock the door."

"Sam, I don't have the key! I didn't lock it. Somethin' else did!"

Something squeaked on the other side of the door and James groaned, "Please, just unlock the door and get me outta here. I think somethin' is in here with me and I'm gettin' really freaked out, here."

Samantha rolled her eyes. "I knew this would happen one day," she grumbled, setting her walkie-talkie down so she could fish her pockets for her lock-picking tools. "Your overactive imagination finally got the best of you. I told Adrian we shouldn't have encouraged you."

The stairway that Sam had left began to squeak and groan as whispers began to flit over her ears, toying with the thought of being real. Footsteps, faint and far, seemed to approach as the creaks began to grow uniform. The soft hum of a person's hand on the railing accompanied the sound as, one by one, each step drew closer.

Samantha cursed and lunged forward to catch one of the picks as it tumbled from her hand. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end and she felt a slight brush of discomfort, making her fingers a little clumsy. A sudden clatter, yelp, and curse came from the bathroom; something had startled James and he tripped over some equipment. She sighed, ignoring him for a moment to look at the stairs.

"Adrian," she murmured. "You should be trying to rest."

The darkness at the edge of her vision stirred itself, the air pulling and tensing for the briefest instant. A figure made its way up the stairs, a darker shadow amongst the black, as it came into view. The blond hair stood out unmistakably and the light cast sideways by Sam's flashlight glinted off of square-rimmed glasses.

Adrian approached with a cool smirk wound across his lips, "I feel much better actually. Thank you."

"If you say so." She smiled, though the expression matched her unsure tone.

"Any time," she turned back to the door, "Chill out, James. I'll get you out in a minute."

Adrian stood next to Sam with his arms crossed, looking at the door with a detached interest. He raised an eyebrow, "Mind if I ask what happened?"

"Hell if I know," she answered tiredly, pushing two picks into the slot and jiggling them slightly. "He said the door slammed shut behind him, and I can't get it to open."

"Uh huh," said Adrian and he leaned in close to examine the lock. He leaned, perhaps, a little too close. Much more so than he would usually and hummed in consideration, "That sounds odd. Sure it wasn't the wind or something? I saw some open windows."

"Possibly. It's likely this house might be built at a slight incline, as well. It's just unstable. Honestly, though, my bet is--"

"SAM! Get me OUT OF HERE. PLEASE." James whined and the doorknob wriggled, knocking the picks away. "I'm starting to hear things! Voices."

"Hmph," scoffed the blond as he stood up straight, crossing his arms with a hint of disdain, "Look, man. This really is not very amusing. Are you trying to give us a scare or something or are you just afraid of the dark?"

Samantha's lips pursed and she considered chiding Adrian for his attitude, but it was understandable. Adrian may have been feeling better, but he was still probably getting sick. They were all tired and at their wit's end. This place was getting to them.

"James, just try to relax, okay? It's probably just all in your head," she said instead.

Adrian rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall, "I'm sure it's just gotten jammed. We've got hammers don't we? Maybe we'll have to resort to that. Either way, it's not going to help whining about it."

"Adrian," she chided, sighing.

The blond narrowed his eyes, "What? I'm just saying it's not really helping here. Besides, if it were locked then I'm pretty sure you could have gotten it open with those picks by now. Something else has got to have it stuck."

Samantha sighed, pulling her hands away from the knob. "I suppose you're right. Still, there's no need to be so harsh. Are you sure you're feeling well?"

"Never better," Adrian shrugged as a confident smile made its way over his face, much unlike his usual array of expression. He ran his eyes over Samantha keenly before lifting his gaze to hers with what almost seemed to be a flirtatious gleam, "Why so worried, Mm?"

Samantha flushed and looked away, grabbing the doorknob again. "You're just acting a little odd. You're my friend, so I care." She jerked it hard, but the door refused to budge. "Damn."

"Sammy?" James called, his voice tinged with worry. "What's goin' on, out there?"

"The picks didn't do anything, James. I think the door's stuck. I'm gonna try forcing it loose. See what you can do from your end."

"I've been trying," he said, exasperated. Suddenly he yelled, and a series of staccato thumps and scratches assaulted the door. "Holy cheese, something just touched me!"

"Really?" said Adrian with a laugh, "Sure it wasn't just the shower curtain or something? Maybe the cabinet door is getting a little fresh? Haha!" He doubled over laughing, but his mirth soon fell into a mild case of coughing.

"Sammy," James whined, his voice urgent.

Adrian laughed through his fit, but soon all that could be heard were coughs. He lifted his head, his eyes desperate and began to back away. "Sam," he choked out before falling into another fit, leaning heavily against the wall.

"Ade?" Samantha's brows drew downward and she flicked her gaze to the door before stepping toward him.

"Adrian, breathe. Just breathe, okay?" She turned back to the bathroom and called, "James, something's up with Adrian. I'm going to go make sure he's okay. I'll be right back."

Samantha returned her attention to the lanky blond and rested her hand again his back, smoothing her palm up and down his shirt. "Come on, Adrian. Let's get you something to drink, or some fresh air or something."

He nodded, his face contorted and half covered by his hand as he coughed. Wordlessly he drew away, pushing from the wall, and trekked down the hallway. His wayward steps could not seem to decide where to go and in the dark it was difficult to discern his destination. He felt along the wall until he reached the door at the end and pushed it open, revealing the master bedroom. He stumbled inside, tripping over the mess about the floor and nearly ran into the wall on the other side of the room where there was a large, arched window. He gripped the bottom of it and tugged, but to no avail. Feeling too weak, he succumbed to coughs again.

Truly worried now, Samantha followed, leaving James cursing and trying to break down the bathroom door. She moved cautiously, watching Adrian carefully in preparation to catch him if he fell. He didn't look very steady on his feet, and she was strong for a woman of her size. She could catch and support Adrian's tall, thin form if necessary. He stumbled to the window and jerked at it weakly, making Sam wince.

"Here." She moved to the window and tugged, managing to get it open with a bit of force.

Adrian nearly collapsed over the windowsill, leaning upon it heavily and breathing deep. After some time his fit began to slacken, though the sound was uncanny and watery. He swallowed deeply, still catching his breath, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

The woman sighed and rubbed Adrian's back, her eyes softening. "Maybe we should pack up and leave, Adrian. Something in this house is making you sick. Why don't you go outside until I can get James out of the bathroom? Then we'll go."

"No, it's alright. I think I just needed some air," said the blond, shaking his head. He did seem to have recovered himself somewhat, appearing far less pale and sickly. Then, his hand found Sam's and wrapped around it gently. He turned to her and leaned close, seeming to toy with the idea of taking her lips for his own, "Don't leave me just yet."

Samantha's eyes widened at the contact and the awkwardly shy man's sudden proximity. She stared down at her wrist, shivering under his touch, "You're so cold."

Adrian brought his other hand up and brushed the stray hair from the girl's face, looked upon her dark skinned features with a soft smile. He said nothing as he leaned closer still, until his lips hovered pleadingly a mere inch away from hers.

"Adrian," she breathed, confusion and repressed desire mingling with his name.

The light blue eyes ran along the features of her face before settling on her own as a slow smirk curled over his lip. He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply, a groan tingling over the back of his throat.

Samantha stilled, shivering. Adrian was kissing her. After nearly a year of repressing her desire and keeping it from the man, unsure if he would take her affection well, he was kissing her. It was... It was strange. Not at all what she expected. His lips were too cold, for one thing. They were firm and damp, the exact opposite of the soft and slightly chapped lips she imagined. He was more aggressive than shy, and she wasn't sure what to make of the sudden change. She shivered and tried to push him away, her fingertips aching as she came in contact with his icy arms.

The cocktail of emotions radiating from her made the blond shudder and his grip tighten by a fraction. He felt a swell of greed begin to rise through him as the desire to taste those emotions began to overtake caution. They were so tangible.

So raw.

So...

Delectable.

He simply couldn't help himself or the way he pulled her closer still. He pulled away only to latch onto her neck, tasting the flesh and groaned as he felt the pulse of her heart through the vein just beyond his lips. His hands tightened still further, far beyond the comforting touch by which they began.

"Adrian, stop," Sam said, alarmed. She jerked backward, grunting, but couldn't break his grip. This wasn't the Adrian she knew. While it worried and scared her, it also angered her. She grit her teeth as she tried to break away again and failed. She didn't know what was wrong with the blond, but she didn't like it.

"Adrian," she snapped, twisting to knock her shoulder into his jaw. It was harsh, but he was hurting her. It was necessary.

The blow connected and the man was forced away. Adrian staggered back, a hand rising to rub his jaw. He stared at her firmly in what could be taken as anger, but a deeper look into those cold blue eyes reveal a particularly haunting zeal lying within. A hunger. He chuckled, "One would think a girl of your color would appreciate the attention, but I guess you're just ungrateful."

Samantha's sharp green eyes narrowed, locking with the cool blue of the man before her. In the few years she'd known him, Adrian never made a racial comment or slur in her direction. As far as she knew, he'd never done it period. She had no reason to suspect it earlier, but now she knew. Whoever she was with, it wasn't Adrian.

Her upper lip lifted in a snarl and she ground out, "I don't know just who you think you are, but no one talks to me that way."

She stepped backward, moving toward the door but never breaking eye contact with the impostor. She didn't like the idea of letting him out of her sight, "You just stay there, asshole, and keep your hands to yourself."

Behind the retreating woman came a slam that shook the walls and she knew immediately what had occurred.

The only door, her only way out, was shut.

The blond before her began to laugh, a slow chuckle growing into a boisterous roll of something far deeper than amusement.

"Ain't no little colored girl ever talked to me that way before," he said with a sneer, "I kinda like it!"

*******************

Oh, you're all going to hate my suspenseful cliffhangers >:3 Bwahahahaha!!

Sammy's in trouble now! Oh my.


Also, in response to our dear reviewer. You may look me up on twitter (Pumpkin_Hat) and I'll start making a post there to let people know I've updated my AFF stories. Or I can find you on the AFF forums and make a point to sent out a message when I update. Either way is completely fine. My user name on the AFF forum is the same as here, so just hope over and send me a message :3

Another point that I had terribly forgotten to make is that this is a co-written story between me and my good friend Haywire_Hakaze2. She's a very talented writer and you should all go check her out. If you enjoy what I write, then I'm sure you will love her, too.

Thanks everyone! Feedback is always appreciated!