Title: Things That Go Bump In The Night…
Story Type: AU
Word Count: 4067
Warnings: Anti-Michael,
Beta Queen: Bigj52
Summary: It’s Devil’s Night and Justin is missing. Brian’s panicked, and Michael’s innocent act is failing miserably…
Chapter Summary: Michael’s manipulations leave everyone frantic…
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, plot, etc. are property of their respective owners, including, but not limited to Russell T. Davies, Cowlip, and Showtime. The author of this story is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended…
Things That Go Bump in the Night
Chapter Two ~ Lies and Deceit
Brian’s resting his head on the back of the sofa, eyes closed, begging for the phone to ring. Ted’s texting with Cynthia, keeping Kinnetik’s business plugging along. Carl’s voice comes over the intercom, announcing his arrival. Brian pulls back the door just as the elevator comes to a stop. He ushers Carl in, praying for good news.
“So, you have an update for us?”
“Yeah. I’ve managed to track down a few of the suspects.”
“But you haven’t found Justin or Blake yet.”
“No. I’m sorry, but I have a group of my best detectives working on it.”
Brian looks sad, disappointed…
Carl can understand. It’s more than obvious to him and everyone else, that Brian’s deeply in love with the blond.
“Okay, here’s what I know about a few of the suspects. I’ll start off with the easy ones.”
“Craig Taylor, Justin’s father. He’s on his honeymoon with his third wife in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Is it just me, or is that weird? I mean, who takes their bride to Oklahoma for their honeymoon?”
At least that made Brian crack a smile for about ten seconds, before he got serious again, curious about all the others.
“Edward Wagner, AKA Dr. Crystal. It’s seems the good doctor abused his own product, and was found DOA about six months ago at the Paradise Hotel.”
Ted observes, “Um… That’s fitting, considering that’s where he saw most of his patients.”
That raises Carl’s eyebrows, enough said.
“Next there’s Chris Hobbs. He fell off some scaffolding at one of his company’s construction sites. He broke both of his legs, and he’s still in the hospital.”
“Good! I hate motherfucker!”
“That brings us to Ethan Gold. He’s done a one eighty since leaving Pittsburgh. He lives in Kansas City, Nevada, with his wife and daughter. He’s a music teacher at the local high school. He’s a pretty straight arrow these days, he doesn’t even have a speeding ticket.”
“Christ, what a pathetic loser. I should have known he was straight!
“Next we have Cody Bell. He’s a total wannabe criminal. He shot himself with his own gun, shattering his knee cap, and then fell down a concrete stairwell. Needless to say he is now wheelchair bound, so I don’t see him masterminding any plot against Justin.”
Brian can’t stop laughing. “That’s perfect, I can’t wait to tell Justin.”
“I asked Debbie, and she told me Spike’s real name is Mike Marshall. He was actually at the diner when I talked to her. He was really concerned about Justin, and embarrassed about the way he acted at Babylon. It seems that he and his boyfriend had an argument earlier that night, and he was just acting out. They were both at the Liberty Diner together when I talked with him. He seems like a really nice guy.”
“Well… I didn’t really think he had any reason to hurt Justin.”
“I have an inquiry out about Gary Saperstein’s whereabouts. I should hear back later today.
“That leads us to Michael. Well, what can I say? Everybody knows who Michael is, and they all have something to say about him. Surprisingly most of it isn’t very positive, although they all seem to love Debbie. The general consensus is that he’s a fool who pines for you, Brian, without a hope or prayer of ever having a chance with you.”
Ted adds, “Isn’t that the truth… He’s always had a thing for Brian, to the point that he’s completely delusional.”
Brian just takes a deep breath. “When we were kids, we were really close. Nothing ever developed between us, but maybe I should have let it. Then we could have moved on, and he wouldn’t still be having these unrealistic expectations about what could be.”
“So, the word on the street is pretty accurate? He’s a lovesick puppy without a chance in hell.”
Ted says, “Yep. You should have seen him last night.”
Brian burst out laughing, just thinking about his outfit and makeup.
“Yes, let’s talk about last night. Was he acting unusually strange?”
“You could say that.”
~~~
Alex and Reid have been attending a mental health conference in Philadelphia. After spending the last few days listening to lectures, and rubbing elbows with other physiatrists, they decided the last thing they wanted to do was drive on the interstate in heavy traffic. They mapped out a scenic route to take them back to Pittsburgh. It’s a series of long and winding back roads, passing through a few small towns, otherwise it’s pretty much rural countryside out in the middle of nowhere. They’re on the last stretch home, just a couple of hours until they arrive in Pittsburgh. They pull off at a roadside café, and enjoy a relaxing lunch, unwinding from the long drive and intense conference. The mental health community over the last few years has really expanded to include depression from Covid, and drug abuse with the increased use of oxycodone. Not to mention all the other psychoses out there, physiatrists have never been in more demand.
Once they’re back on the road it’s late afternoon, and the sun is casting shadows over the landscape. Reid sits up straight, and stares off into the distance.
“Alex. Alex, stop! Look there’s a couple of guys laying in the tall grass over there.”
Alex stops the car, and they both get out. It’s a strange place to see anyone just laying in a field. There’s nothing for miles, and they didn’t pass any vehicles with car trouble. They start walking towards them, and get an eerie feeling. They seem motionless, totally unaware of their presence as they approach.
Alex calls out to them, “Are you two alright?”
One of them sits up and looks at them. Maybe more like, looks through them, questioning if they’re really there, if they’re real.
Alex and Reid walk a little closer, when they realize they know them.
“Justin? What are you doing way out here?”
He looks panicked, frightened. He jumps to his feet and starts running away. The more Alex calls to him, the faster Justin runs away. Reid makes his way to Blake who seems to have the opposite reaction. He’s just lying motionless, staring up into the sky. He seems incoherent, catatonic. Alex has stopped trying to catch Justin, he just watches him as he cowers and hides under a bush a few yards away. Reid calls over to Alex, and they both kneel next to Blake checking his vital signs, and looking for any injuries. It’s clear that they’ve both been traumatized. Blake is covered in bruises, and scratches, with dried blood on his clothes and an open wound on his skull. He’s unresponsive to their questions, and physical examination. Reid lifts him up and starts to carry him back to the van.
Alex stands and tries calling out to Justin again. Justin just stares at him, as Alex approaches him like a caged animal. He’s talking to him in a smooth and calming voice, but Justin’s eyes are everywhere and he looks like he’s about to bolt.
“Justin, you know me. Everything’s going to be alright.”
“Justin! Justin, look at me. Are you hurt?”
Justin backs up slowly, unsure what’s happening. But he trips and falls, giving Alex enough time to approach and hold him tight.
“You’re alright. Everything’s going to be alright.”
Justin struggles, trying to get free. He’s panicked, frightened, acting irrational, screaming and hitting Alex. It’s all Alex can do to hold on to him, so he can’t run away.
“Justin, stop. Stop fighting me. Everything’s going to be alright. You’re safe now. I’ve got you, you’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
He goes limp in Alex’s arms, as he carries him back to the van, and lays him on the backseat. Like Blake he’s covered in scratches and bruises. There are visible handprints on his arms, and around his neck, and blood running down his side. Alex combs his fingers through his blood-soaked hair, but he doesn’t see any cuts or open wounds on his head. He keeps checking for injuries, and finds a large laceration on his side. It looks like he’s been clawed by a large animal.
Justin’s shaking, crying as he just repeats Brian’s name, over and over.
Taking a tee-shirt from his luggage and a bottle of water, he cleans and bandages Justin’s wound. Reid washes all the blood from Blake’s head and face. Alex tears long strips of the cotton from the tee-shirt to help wrap around Blake’s head. There’s a large gash across his forehead, which explains his state of semi-unconsciousness. This scares Alex, he wishes Blake was more coherent, at least somewhat lucid.
He tries talking to Justin, but he doesn’t seem to be able to have a rational conversation with him. He’d like to take him to the hospital for a more thorough examination. But the moment Justin hears hospital, he starts to panic again. He’s trying to get out of the car, screaming and thrashing about. Alex considers sedating him, but he doesn’t know what drugs he’s allergic to. After calming him down again, and he’s sure he isn’t going to run off, Alex decides to call Brian to let him know he’s found Justin and Blake out on an old country road, and their medical condition.
~~~
Yesterday afternoon…
Michael’s angry, he can’t believe that Brian just blew him off like that. He misses the way things used to be. Brian always had time for him, they were practically inseparable. They used to tell each other everything, and now their friendship seems to be changing, slipping away. If Justin hadn’t come back to him, he knows things would still be the same. Why is he even fucking Justin again? Even though he’s been with Ben for a few years, he is still in love with Brian. He feels like now is the time for them to finally be together.
Ben’s away interviewing for a position at North Carolina University. Michael remembers when he moved away with David, and soon after his life was in a tailspin, until it finally crashed and burned. He doesn’t like the idea of moving away from his mother, and all his friends. He needs them, as he doesn’t really make friends easily, even though Ben has no problems making friends. There’s always other professors, and professional people, which makes Michael feel inferior and stupid. That’s what happened with David, and it didn’t take long for him to feel out of place. He started feeling lonely, missing everyone back home, especially Brian. That’s how he’s feeling now, and he hasn’t even moved away yet. Yes, he knows what he wants, he just has to find a way to make that happen.
He goes back to the shop, trying to think of a way to make Brian see reason, see that Justin’s all wrong for him. Brian needs someone who will be totally loyal to him, someone who will always be there for him. Justin’s proven that he can’t be trusted by how much he’s hurt Brian. He’s left him so many times, and it’s always Michael that’s there to pick up the pieces. Yes, he’s the one who’s stood by Brian, the one he comes to when things go off the rails. Business is slow, so he wastes his time searching Google for local haunted houses. Even though Brian rejected the idea of exploring abandoned houses, he really wants to do it. He knows he just has to convince him to relive their wild teenage years. After searching for the last hour, he sees a video on YouTube posted by some teenagers. They’d been to an old insane asylum outside of Pittsburgh, and it scared the hell out of them. He ponders the idea and then sets his plan into motion.
~~~
They’ve been driving almost an hour when they make a turn into a grove of old trees. The rolling hillside has become more extreme, as they look up at the edge of the sanatorium built on the cliffside.
“Michael, is that where we’re going?”
“Yeah, doesn’t it look creepy?”
“I don’t know about this.”
“Oh, come on, Justin! You’re not scared, are you?”
Justin turns and looks at Blake, as they both regret agreeing to humor Michael in his quest to search for ghosts in an abandoned building. The road curves around, and the entrance to the property is just ahead.
Blake shudders, “You never said it was an insane asylum.”
“This is so much better, don’t you think?”
Off in the distance they see an old graveyard.
Michael excitedly says, “Did I mention that over five hundred patients have died here?”
Blake replies, “You never mentioned anything about this being anything other than an old house. This is not what we signed up for!”
Michael: House, hospital, what’s the difference?”
Justin: “Again, I’m not sure I’m up for this.”
Blake: I agree. Let’s go back home.”
“Christ, Blake! I knew you were a wuss!”
Blake and Justin just look at each other, knowing this was a big mistake.
“Look, here we are!”
“This place is huge!”
“I know! It’s going to be so much fun trying to reach the ghosts of all those buried patients out back. I heard that some died during experimental treatments like lobotomies, while others jumped to their deaths. This is the hospital they brought most patients to who suffered from tuberculous, because it was so contagious. So a lot of those headstones are from those patients who died.
Justin is freaked out, he wants to leave. Michael totally deceived them when he asked if they wanted to explore an old building. He thought they’d walk through a few old rooms and play with the stupid equipment Michael rented. He really thought this was just going to be a joke. He only agreed to come because it was afternoon, thinking they’d be on their way home before dark. But of course Michael was running late, then he dicked around, loading all these cases into his car, and trying to find batteries for the flashlights.
“Come on, help me carry all the equipment.”
Blake: “Why don’t we just check it out a little first? Get the lay of the land.”
Snarky, Michael huffs. “Okay fine! But I think we should leave our phones in the car, they might interfere with the electronics.”
Blake: “I think we might need them. You know, in case we get separated or lost. Look at the size of this place.”
Justin whispers to Blake, “There’s no way I’m going very far into this building and I’m not leaving my phone behind.”
Blake: “This place is all boarded up. How are we supposed to get in?”
Justin: “If you got permission to investigate this place, shouldn’t someone be here to let us in, maybe show us around?”
Michael ignores him, and keeps moving forward. Walking up to the front of the hospital they get an eerie feeling like someone is watching them.
The board covering the front door took some work, but Michael finally got it loose enough to pull open. They walk into the entrance and chills go up Blake and Justin’s spines. They both feel like bolting, but they won’t give Michael the satisfaction of seeing them scared to death.
Blake: “So you’re positive that Brian and Ted are meeting us here after they finish up with their presentation?”
Justin: “Brian didn’t say anything to me about this. It seems to me he would have mentioned it.”
Michael: “I told you we talked about it, and Brian promised he’d come. He said he wanted to surprise you. You know, something about you two doing something special tonight.”
Justin: “This is not what we had planned for tonight!”
“You know Brian, plans change.”
He looks at Blake, whispering, “Something is off about this. Brian and I are celebrating something special, very special. I don’t trust Michael.”
“Will you two hurry up!”
“Justin: “I really don’t like this.”
“You know this is one of the reasons that Brian agreed to do this. He thinks you’re weak. He’s fed up with how insecure you are about challenging yourself.”
“That’s bullshit, Michael! Brian would never push me to do anything I don’t want to do.”
“Well, are you coming or not?”
“Fine!”
They enter the decrepit building and see a long hallway between a double stairway. Surprisingly, there seem to be some lights on, as well as sunlight coming in the windows. Michael’s excited as he starts down the hallway, suggesting they check out what’s up the stairs. They watch him almost sprint down the long corridor, until he’s out of sight.
Justin: “I’m not comfortable with this. I’m calling Brian to make sure he’s on his way.”
Blake’s looking out the tall window at the top of the stairs, while Justin paces back and forth, willing Brian to answer his phone.
“I guess he’s still in his meeting. I’m sending him a text. I have a really bad feeling about this.”
Once they reach the top of the stairs, they turn to the right and look down the hallway.
Blake: “This place is so creepy. I can’t imagine being hospitalized here.”
Justin: “I know. It seem so inhumane to send your relatives here.”
Blake: “It seems more like a torture chamber than a hospital.”
They slowly walk down the corridor, peeking into the rooms as they go, each room seeming creepier than the last. Justin stops in the doorway of a children’s room, and shudders at the thought of children actually having been admitted here.
“Oh God! I can’t even imagine!”
Michael shouts up to them, “I’m going to bring in some of the equipment.”
Blake: “No! I don’t want to explore this place. I’m ready to leave.”
Just then they hear a loud bang.
“Jesus, he never listens to anyone. He always has to get his own way.”
“I know he’s lying to us. There’s no way Ted and Brian agreed to this.”
There is another bang, then more banging, but this time it sounds like someone hammering something.
“What the fuck is he up to?”
Michael’s almost giddy. This is so much easier than he ever thought, but he’s struggling to get the board in place covering the entrance, while holding the hammer and nails. He drops a nail, and a tall slender man reaches down and hands it to him.
“Thanks.”
The guy just smiles and nods, as he reaches up and holds the board in place, making it easier for Michael to pound the nails into the rotting wood. It was a lot more work than he expected, and he’s grateful for the help, never questioning where this guy came from.
As the hammering continues, both Justin and Blake start to freak out as they run back to the top of the staircase. Neither one can see anything out the window, as a feeling of dread fills the air.
“Michael! Michael, what the fuck are you doing?”
They run down the staircase, and try the door but it doesn’t budge.
“Michael! Michael! Let us out of here! Are you crazy! What the fuck are you doing?”
They both body slam against the old door, but it’s no use. They know there’s a huge wooden board covering the doorframe, and there’s no way they’ll be able to get out through this entrance.
Justin looks at Blake, trying to keep it together. “Why the fuck would he do this?”
Just then they hear the sound of the engine of Michael’s old car start up, and then he guns it, squealing down the dirt driveway.
“I can’t believe this! This is so fucked up!”
“Yeah, and you know there’s no way Brian and Ted are coming to get us. They probably don’t even know where we are.”
“Michael’s such a liar. He totally conned us. I knew when he mentioned this that it sounded like bullshit. There’s no way Brian would even want to do this.”
“We need to try and find another way out of here. It’s getting late and the sun will be going down soon.”
“Wait, I’m calling Brian again.”
Justin keeps hitting redial as the call keeps dropping out, until finally the screen says no service. Blake’s phone isn’t any better. They look at each other trying not to panic. It was at that exact moment that they heard high-pitched laughter echoing from the hallway upstairs.
“What the fuck was that?”
Panicked, Justin starts to run. Blake calls out, telling him to stop as Justin runs down the hallway. When he rounds the corner, Blake catches up to him and grabs him, holding him in place. They’re both shaking, looking down at the lower level where the floor has given way, realizing that they could have very easily just fallen to their death.
Justin’s breathing is increasing as he feels his heart racing. He knows he has to get it together before he goes into a panic attack. Blake senses his anxiety, knowing about his asthma and panic attacks. He helps calm him down, instructing him to take deep breaths, rubbing his back and holding him tight.
“That’s it, nice deep breaths. Let the air into your lungs…”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, it’s just…”
“I know. I know you’re scared, and so am I, but we have to keep our heads. We have to stay together, no matter what. We have to be logical about this. Don’t go any further into the building. We have to stay on the outer walls, there has to be another way out.”
“Okay. Yes. You’re right. Be logical.”
“Fuck! I’m going to kill Michael when we get back.”
They both can’t help thinking, ‘If we get back!’
The wind outside picks up, and it sounds like rain. The old rotting boards covering the windows creak, and the glass is making rattling noises.
Blake reaches out and takes Justin’s hand. “Remember. Don’t panic, and don’t bolt.”
Turning around, they slowly inch back along the outer wall. Dusk is falling and it’s getting harder to see.
Justin can’t help saying, “No one coming for us…”
Blake squeezes his hand, because, what can he say? It’s true that no one knows where they are. Just then the wind blows a door shut, somewhere out of sight. Then hysterical laughter is heard echoing in the distance.
Driving back into Pittsburgh…
Michael’s almost giddy he’s so happy. He’s finally done what’s needed to be done for years. There’s no way Justin will be able to get out of that building, because he’ll probably die of a heart attack. One of the guys from the video said his friend ran off, then jumped from the third floor window. He smiles to himself, no one will ever find them. They’re so far out in the country, and there’s nothing else out there. No one will ever go down that old country road. He gleefully thinks this is just what Justin deserves. How dare he refuse to keep making the comic book! Even after Brett Keller showed interest in making Rage into a movie, Justin wouldn’t consider it. He didn’t believe Hollywood would ever make a gay superhero movie. He wants to focus on his art, and he refused to move across the country, away from Brian. Yes, he had no other choice, he had to remove Justin from Brian’s life. He was ruining his plan, because he was the one Brian was supposed to want to share his life with. Brian never should have given Justin a second look. It was always supposed to be him, only him.
Michael finally makes it back into town after getting lost. None of the old country roads have street signs. He should have paid more attention to where he was going on the drive there, but he was too excited about what he was about to do. Ever since he left the hospital, he’s had this strange feeling like he’s not alone. He chalks it up to nerves, although he’s certain he won’t get caught. How could he when no one knows anything about his little day trip to the country? It’s late by the time he gets home. He dresses up for his big night tonight. He just knows that he and Brian will finally take their relationship to the next level.
TBC…
