BETA NOTES:

Anyways, great chapter. It’s leading towards something big. What’s Chaz going to say if Chuck turns up at the hospital? (Besides obviously clutching his heart and waiting for assistance).

AUTHOR NOTES:

AGH! Stuff. Blob.

OK. This chapter is going to be much better then the last one. DEFONATLY.

It’s gonna have stuff, plot development and lots more action. PROMISE.

And I’m gonna try and write it as fast as possible. TRY.

CUT TO THE FICAGE!

Heh.

OK, I own nought.

Kimi looked up again at the clock on the wall to see that again it was telling her the time was eleven o’clock. Usually ‘the Java’ would shut around ten and everyone who worked there went home around half-past or quarter to eleven after cleaning up and emptying the till.

However, Kimi had stayed on, saying she was going to stick around and clean up on her own, letting her mother go and see her father in hospital. He was getting worse, the doctors said it wouldn’t be long now and that they should start planning his funeral.

If anything it only made Kimi even more stressed then she already was. Never before had she been trying so hard to keep it all together.

She looked out of the front of the shop, seeing a few people walk past the window in the almost darkness of the streets, the street lights casting their cone-shaped beams of light onto the ground, creating the effect of a stage light, with the dark world as its backdrop.

Kimi sighed and looked again to the clock, five minutes had passed.

She wanted more then anything for someone, to arrive, to be here with her. The darkness of the shop was stifling, but also, strangely comforting. In the darkness she could watch the world pass by, like the window was a screen and the world was a play. In the shadows she felt almost safe, untouchable, away from all the stress and pain that was infecting her life.

‘It’s so strange, don’t you think?’ It was that voice again, that whispering which tired Kimi in her mind.

‘What is?’ She mentally replied, deciding to humour herself, anything to keep her mind off what she might be about to face.

‘The world,’ it replied softly, as if it was itself dwelling on the idea, ‘It’s such a cruel place…filled with cruel people.’

‘You know,’ Kimi wondered back, ‘I really must be going insane if I’m talking to a thought. My stress must be collecting itself within my subconscious to produce a audio outlet as my mind deals with the whole shitty mess of the last few weeks.’

‘Oh, we’re not that.’ The voice answered with smugness, making Kimi freeze, ‘we’re something a little different…we’re working on a few things in your brain right now, but don’t worry, you’ll love it.’

Kimi could have sworn she heard a soft, dark chuckle, not in her mind, but around her…

A sudden knock at the window made her jump, almost falling from the stool she was sitting on, leaning against the bar.

For a second, she thought that it was Chuckie, the red hair making her stomach drop, however, she blinked and realised that it was only Dil with a black backpack on his back.

He looked pale, but that might have just been the street light effect. Kimi smiled, finally thankful that she wasn’t alone any more.

Never before had she been so glad that he’d showed up. She ran over to the door, unlocked it while fumbling with the keys, threw it open and almost dove onto him, grabbing the man in a tight hug.

“Hey,” He replied with a hug, not as tight, but still comforting, “I’m happy to see you too Kimi but this is a little extreme.”

“I…I’m just glad to have someone here,” Kimi admitted as she let go of Dill, but refused to meet his eyes, “I’m… ah,” she shook her head, “Just, declining sanity stuff.”

Dil raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

Kimi paused and took a deep breath. “Just…” She sighed, “Never mind. I’m just nervous I guess.”

Dil nodded. “It’s alright, I’m nervous too.” His voice quietened, “It’s not every day you get to meet a dead psychopath…”

The woman turned and began to walk back into the store, Dil following her immediately. The air between them because cold, silent. The night seemed to become darker, and down the road a street light flickered, as if the shadows themselves were trying to assault the light, trying to conquer the artificial sunlight and embrace the world in gloom.

The two entered the café, each lost in their thoughts, and both secretly wishing that the whole thing would be fake and they could just go home.

Kimi locked the doors again and the two continued into the backroom, turning on a light and taking the note out of her pocket with a shaking hand. She looked over to the wall where a wall-mounted phone with an extended lead rested, waiting to be used.

She turned to Dil. “Can you phone him?”

Dil shook his head. “He won’t know who I am, it has to be you.”

Kimi’s hand was shaking even more. She gulped again and nodded. She knew the question was pointless, but she’d asked it anyway.

“Al-alright,” She forced the words out, her stomach was turning and twisting, her legs felt like they could give way. “I’ll… I’ll ring him now then.”

She picked up the phone, holding it to her ear. With a shaking hand she slowly began to dial the number.

Why did the first ring have to remind her of a funeral bell?

A second ring, a third, a forth, a fifth, maybe he really was busy? A sixth… a seventh. Kimi sighed and put the phone down.

Dil looked down and breathed out, “Well, that’s something of a relief.”

Kimi didn’t answer. This ended something she was desperately hoping to end, but now it had started something else. Why had she thought all this was real? Was something wrong with her? Maybe she was letting the stress get to her.

But there was something else. Part of her had wanted Chuckie to pick up the phone. She feared him yes, but he was still her brother, and he was in pain. She had so wanted to help him, maybe to make up for the missed chance last time…

She blinked and leant against the wall next to the phone. “Oh… God. I… this is…”

“Yea,” Dil answered quietly. He looked up. “Come on, I’ll get you a coffee, my treat.”

She nodded and turned to walk away.

Ring ring.

The two immediately froze, their eyes locking onto the motionless, but ringing telephone.

Ring ring.

Kimi slowly stretched out a hand. The room seemed to have gone colder; she couldn’t find air in her lungs.

She picked the phone up and brought it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Who is this?” Chuckie’s voice reached through the phone, making her heart jump.

“It’s…it’s… it’s me, Kimi.” She replied, gripping the phone tighter.

Dil was now looking at her, wide eyed. The room was so quiet that he could easily the familiar voice buzz from the phone. The colour had drained from his face and his stomach had dropped, he was sure his heart had stopped beating as well.

“Kimi? Kimi who?” Chuckie was genuine in his questioning, he’d already forgotten about her.

“Kimi Finster,” she replied quickly, not wanting him to think she was some random caller, “Remember Chuckie? We met in the twenty-four seven. I’m your step-sister…”

“…The hill! Yes!” Chuckie was jumping on the other end of the line, but suddenly is voice dropped, like he didn’t want anyone around him to hear, “How’d you get this number?”

“You… you gave it to me.” Kimi insisted, “You said if you knew my number they’d-”

“Know about you, yes,” Chuckie added quickly, “Which is why we’ve gotta be fast, they might know I’m talking to you now… Where do you want to meet?”

“Erm, do you know the Java Lava?” She asked, wondering how odd it sounded to ask him about a place he once worked in.

“Erm… I… it has coffee, right?”

Again, Kimi was taken by surprise. “Yes,” She nodded once, “It’s on Warren Street, opposite that new English style chip shop.”

She could almost hear Chuckie try to remember. “…I think I know… Yes, yes I do know. I think we used to go there sometimes, am I right?”

Kimi couldn’t stop a smile twitching. “Yes! Our parents owned it, you worked here.”

“Here? As in, you’re in the café right now?”

“Yes, we’ll let you in don’t worry.” She assured him.

“We?” The quiet anger in his voice made Kimi quickly remember her fear.

“Yes… someone’s here with me,” She looked at Dil, “An old friend of ours, Dil Pickles.”

“Dil…” Again she could almost hear him thinking, running his brain for even the slightest hint of a memory. “…aliens.”

Kimi almost laughed. Of all the things for Chuckie to remember about Dil, the one thing he associated with him was the boy’s eccentric personality. “Yes.”

Dil seemed to have an odd mixture of horror and surprise on his face. He could hear how Chuckie had associated him with aliens, and so he was glad the guy remembered him, but on the other hand, Chuckie was alive! This was impossible, but Kimi was on the phone to him, right now! And once more, that meant he really was a murderer, and he was coming right here to the café!

“I… should get going.” Chuckie announced quickly, “I’ll get there in about half a… make that an hour. I better put on some dry clothes.”

The statement made a chill run up Kimi’s spine. “Alright, we’ll be waiting…”

Chuckie put the phone down without even saying goodbye. Kimi took the phone away from her ear and looked at it, wondering for a second if that had just happened. Then she put the phone down, as if signing a contract.

Chuckie was coming, and now they had to wait.

Dil gulped and went to fold his arms, then unfolded them. He fidgeted like that for a moment before finally asking. “So… he’s coming?”

“Yes.” Kimi said soundly, trying to be the stronger one. “I told you, didn’t I? That he was alive, and you doubted me.”

“I’m sorry, but what can you expect?” Dil quickly countered.

Kimi smiled softly, “It’s alright. I’d have done the same thing.” She looked up, “He’ll take an hour… so how about that coffee?”

She was buying time, trying to keep normal. Dil knew it too. He nodded. “Yea, heh, I think I need one.”

For the next hour, the two sat, side by side at the bar of the Java Lava. They talked about what they wanted to ask Chuckie, about how this might affect their lives. About if he was a waste-lock, therefore confirming the existence of demons; then did angels exist as well? Ghosts, spirits, other phenomenon; this could lead to so many long asked questions being answered.

Dil seemed to find some excitement in the idea, seemingly forgetting who he was about to talk too, the realization that Chuckie was living proof that there was something else beyond this world had made him forget that the man was also a psychopath.

Only when Kimi mentioned that it was nearing twelve that the silent, shared fear crept back into the air.

The two looked to the window; the world seemed to have gotten more defined. Colours stood out more, the light and dark seemed to no longer move around each other, but clash, each trying to outdo the other in how toned they could be.

They waited… and waited… the clock moved to five then to ten.

“He’s… he’s not coming.” Dil finally spoke, his words almost making Kimi jump.

She frowned at him. “He’ll come, he said he would.”

Dil frowned back. “Look Kimi, we may have to accept the fact that perhaps he doesn’t want to see us.”

“Why wouldn’t he not want to see us?” Kimi asked, turning her eyes towards her coffee mug.

Dil looked up, leaning back on the counter. “Maybe he wants to protect us… he said that’s why he didn’t want you knowing where he lived and whatnot.”

“Maybe…” Kimi sighed, “Come on, lets get out stuff together and-”

She was cut off by a very final, very attention crabbing knock at the door of the café. The two adults jumped and there eyes darted towards the door.

There he stood. Dressed completely in black, wearing a black hoody with long black sleeves and gloves as well as black pants and the same boots Kimi had last seen him in. However, the most alarming thing was that almost all of his hair had gone, only two large strands stuck out at the front, like a pair of odd bunny ears.

Kimi and Dil looked at him, and Chuckie stood perfectly still looking back, his eyes travelling from Kimi to Dil, then back again.

Slowly Kimi got off her stool and walked, somewhat quietly over to the door. She was afraid, but now, somewhat less so. Maybe it was because all the tension was now broken, he was here, finally. Maybe it was because in her mind, she’d been building up this image of this loud horrible psychopath armed with knives and always ready to kill, yet here he was simply standing quietly, even a small smile playing on his lips.

She unlocked the door, and opened it wide. Now there was nothing but air between the two step-siblings.

“Carpe noctem,” Chuckie greeted, his smile growing wider.

“Seize the night to you too.” Kimi answered, surprised at the easy way that had come from her mouth.

Dil said nothing; he just stared at the man he’d thought dead for so long. Chuckie seemed like a shadow of how he’d remembered him. Like there was almost nothing left but a barely working skeleton that looked like it would fall apart at any moment. There was an odd air about him, a darkness, a quiet intelligence and a strange sorrow.

Kimi cocked her head slightly. “What happened to your hair?”

Chuckie raised a hand to his head, feeling the cut-short hair. “I’m not sure… I think I might have sleep-shaved it or something.”

“I thought you didn’t sleep?” Kimi asked as they walked into the middle of the room.

The murderer shrugged. “I try not to, but there’s only so long a person can go without sleep.”

Chuckie looked at Dil, making Dil freeze on the spot. The killer’s eyes narrowed as his mind worked to connect the face to his memories.

“You’ve changed.” Chuckie’s words echoed around the dark room.

“So have you.” Dil answered back, surprised at his own anger. This man who stood before him had killed his friends, his brother, and had almost drove him to suicide in grief. “I hate you.” Dil words seemed to hit Chuckie harder than he thought they would.

Chuckie bowed his head, “I know. I hate me too.”

Dil growled and stood from his chair. “You killed my brother.” Chuckie said nothing and hugged his arms around him, making his form seem even thinner then it already was. Dil’s hands curled into fists. “You… bastard.”

Chuckie turned and walked towards a table, sitting down in a spare chair heavily, not making eye contact with anyone. There was a moment of silence before he finally spoke. “I have no idea how to respond to you, I cannot even imagine what it feels like to feel such loss, however, I know that should I die, neither of you would regret my death. And in a way I’m glad, I do not deserve, nor wish to be remembered.” The words quietly shocked the other two, Chuckie was meant to be a psychopath, yet he wasn’t living up to any of the expectations of one. He was regretful, quiet. He wasn’t even armed.

Kimi walked over to Chuckie, sitting in the seat opposite. “Chuckie…” She sighed, “How do we even do this?”

“Maybe an interview would be good.” The two looked up as Dil pulled something out of his backpack, a tape recorder.

Chuckie’s eyes widened and Kimi gasped, then scowled. “Dil! What the hell are you doing?”

Dil smiled somewhat smugly. “I’m a paranormal journalist Kimi, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Chuckie frowned. “You have changed; you never used to be like this.”

Dil stopped, his face falling, than he growled. “Yea, well having your friends and brother torn from you will do that to a person.”

Kimi went to shout at Dil, but Chuckie raised a hand, stopping her. “It’s alright, if I can somehow be of use to you then I will. But,” as he turned back to Dil a slightly wicked grin appeared on his face, “I expect my questions to be answered in turn, agreed?”

Dil felt a slow cold shiver run down his spine, but he nodded and walked over to sit across from Chuckie, placing the recorder down in the table and hitting the record button. He quickly spoke his name, the date and the time out loud before stopping it and rewinding, playing his message back and testing to see if it worked. After he was happy he set it to record again and locked his eyes onto Chuckie. “Alright then. Tell us your name and go from there.”

Kimi glared at Dil’s almost aggressive tone of voice, but said nothing.

Chuckie leaned back, placing an arm over his seat. “I’m Chuckie Finster, although I only learned the ‘Finster’ part three days ago. I am… a waste-lock,” he finished with a shrug.

Dil leaned forward, eager to get his interview. “So you have a demon?”

Chuckie laughed darkly. “More like a demon has me. It lives behind a bunch of mirrors in one of the rooms in my house, right down at the bottom of my chambers.”

“Chambers?” Dil asked, turning his head slightly, but never taking his eyes from Chuckie.

“Chambers,” Chuckie nodded, “my torture chambers, built underneath my house.”

Kimi and Dil both looked shocked as Chuckie continued as if his life was nothing unusual. “I need to take people, preferably people who don’t deserve to live, into my house so I can extract their blood and throw in onto the mirror, aka the demon, so it doesn’t escape and destroy reality.” He stretched, “It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it I guess.”

“Erm, well,” Dil stammered before quickly collecting himself, “Do you have an acolyte?”

Chuckie raised an eyebrow. “A what?”

“An evil spirit,” Dil pressed, “Something that works for the mirror-demon to-”

“Yes.” Chuckie answered, a shadow being cast over his face and a terrible hate entering his eyes. The two opposite suddenly felt very uncomfortable being in his presence. The maniac linked his hands together over his mouth and spoke in a low, dangerous, almost murderous way. “Gogol,” the two shivered at the way Chuckie pronounced the name, “He was the one that first told me what I was, who I was going to become. But I don’t know when he did this or what I was like before I ‘signed up’ as he puts it.”

Dil gulped. “Well, what does he look like?”

However, even though Chuckie opened his mouth to speak, it was Kimi who answered. “It’s a cat.” The other two looked at her, a shared surprised look on their face, she was staring into space, totally emotionless as she spoke, “A small black cat toy, with red eyes.”

The two red-heads looked to each other in shock, then back to Kimi. Dil slowly placed a hand on her arm. “Kimi…. Are you ok?”

Kimi looked down. “I’m sorry Chuckie…”

Chuckie’s eyes shifted to look around before unlinking his hands and asking. “Why?”

She sniffed. “I bought you that cat… I’m sorry…” She couldn’t bring herself to tell him she was still terrified by it whenever she slept, she was afraid if how Chuckie would react.

Chuckie, for a fleeting moment, felt angry at her. She’d been the one to had Gogol over to him, to curse his life with the demon-cat. However, after a moments thought he shook his head, “No, you didn’t do anything. Gogol only possessed the toy; it could have been anything else. Now,” Chuckie quickly decided to chance the subject, “Tell me about me.”

Dil leaned back in his chair, switching the recorder off. “Where do you want to begin?”

“At the beginning,” Chuckie smiled.

The three then talked, and talked, and talked. The air of fear dampened, never dropping, as it could never drop while in the presence of a murderer, but it dampened as the three began to become more relaxed. They talked of older, happier times. Sometimes Chuckie remembered, mostly the older memories, and sometimes he didn’t, but either way he seemed fascinated by how he used to be.

How could he have been so fearful? So scared of almost everything? Now he feared nothing, it was such an odd, but almost fitting change to his character.

Sudden a watched beeped, bringing the three’s attention to the watch on Dil’s wrist. He went to switch it off, but as he did, his eyes widened. “Whoa, it’s almost five o’clock!”

Kimi chuckled. “Well, we did get a bit carried away.”

Chuckie nodded. “It was nice… remembering,” he sighed and leant back, looking up, “I feel so much better about things now, now I know who I was… Maybe things might be better from now on…”

Kimi looked down onto the table. “Look, Chuckie, there’s something you should know.”

Her step brother looked back down; a worried expression crossed his face. “What?”

“It’s about your dad…” Kimi gulped, she was hoping he’d take this well, “He’s… dying.”

“WHAT!?” Chuckie leapt up from his chair as Kimi and Dil jumped in their chairs. “What the hell? Why!?”

Kimi slowly stood up. “He… He had a heart attack, but he’s not getting better. Something to do with his arteries…”

“I’m sorry Chuck,” Dil added with a sad honesty in his voice.

Chuckie remained standing, staring onto the floor. “I… I… I want to go see him. Where he is?”

Kimi walked around to talk to him properly. She would have normally given him a hug, but Chuckie seemed to shy away from normal human contact, so she kept her distance. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

Chuckie snapped his eyes to her, his gaze one of fury. “My dad’s dying and you think I shouldn’t go to see him?!” He growled as if to say more, but then paused and looked away, closing his eyes and holding himself. “Damn… I’m sorry. I know it’d be a bad idea… but he’s still my father. And if he’s dying then this might be the last time…”

“I know,” Kimi answered slowly. She sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”

Chuckie laughed quietly. “Don’t worry about sneaking me in. I can get into anywhere, one of the little perks about being a waste-lock.”

Dil nodded, “It’s true, you could get in easy. But the question is: do you think your father could even handle seeing you?”

“What do you mean?” Chuckie couldn’t hold back some of the anger in his voice, “He’s my dad, of course he’d want to see me.”

“Yes,” Dil quickly reasoned, not wanted to push Chuckie’s anger, “But like Kimi said, he has a weak heart… You’d be taking a risk…”

Chuckie looked down, his hands curled into tight fists. Dil was right, if he showed up he could inevitably cause his fathers death, but on the other hand, this could be his last ever chance to talk with the man. The decision was so hard, maybe even the hardest he’d ever made.

One last talk with possible murderer, or to be forever forgotten by his father and to let him die in peace; never knowing his son wanted to hug him one last time, to assure him that he was alive but also, to tell him of what he’d become, a mass murdering psychopath, a slave to a demon. Chuckie bit hard onto his lip. He doubted a man with a heart problem on his death bed could handle something like that.

Chuckie turned and began walking towards the door. “I’ll… I have to think about this.”

Kimi and Dil said nothing and instead just watched the killer walk out of the shop to be enveloped by the darkness outside.

Dil sighed as Chuckie vanished from view. “That poor guy… damn,” He shook his head and looked down, “You almost feel sorry for him.”

“Almost?” Kimi questioned, narrowing her gaze at her friend.

Dil turned and went to put his recorder back in his bag. “Almost, he is still a murderer you know.”

“Yea…” Kimi looked back to the door. “But he’s… different. He’s bad person, but he’s got a good soul.”

“That doesn’t excuse his actions.” Dil harshly replied. “He’s a murderer Kimi. It doesn’t matter how nice he may be, how sorry he tells you he is, even if he’s your step-brother or not, he’s a murderer.” He walked towards the door, pausing before he went out, his hand just resting on the window-glass. Without looking at Kimi he slowly said, “Murderers are murderers, and you can’t wish that away.” He then pushed the door open and left.

Kimi stood, her eyes glazed with tears, but they had yet to fall down her face.

‘You weakling,’ That inner Kimi spoke again. ‘Unable to help Chuckie or your farther and now even Dil is starting to hate you.’

She scowled. ‘That’s not true.’

‘Oh?’ It scowled, ‘And he didn’t leave here in a bad mood with you because you seem to be unable to grasp the fact that Chuckie is lost forever.’

Kimi moved to get her stuff and leave, she needed sleep, desperately. She hadn’t slept in two days. She scowled as she collected her things. ‘Look, just shut up alright? Dil doesn’t hate me, Chuckie can be helped, everything’s going to be ok.’

‘Yea, you just keep deluding yourself, moron.’ Kimi’s face twitched in hurt at the insult. She could suddenly feel the effects of a headache coming on and she ran her hand through her hair as she exited the café, locking it behind her.

It was strange. She would have continued her internal argument, but she felt as if she would get no answer, almost as if whatever it was that was talking back had left…

As she got into her car she shook her head. “Why does life hate me?”

WOO! Ok, the reason this took longer then expected to be posted was because 1: I got distracted a lot and 2: I despised the ending. I still do, but believe me, it’s 100 better then the old ending.

So, as always, R&R my reader friends!