[Wufei]

The tranquility of the past few days has been completely shot to hell.

I had one hell of a surprise this morning when I came into the house and found Yuy standing in the kitchen doorway, looking like hell on legs. I raised as much hell as I could, trying to wake him up from wherever the hell his mind was. He didn’t so much as blink. It was only when Duo smacked the living hell out of him that he finally came back to himself.

What the hell was going on?

***

[Trowa]

I was alarmed when I heard Wufei’s shouts, and even more alarmed when I heard Duo’s slap from where Quatre and I were laying in the yard. We ran as quickly as we could to the kitchen just in time to see Heero back to normal. The morning became even more interesting when Quatre yanked the basement door open and vomited for no apparent reason. Before my circus decided to arrive, I suggested to Heero that he rest while I kept watch. It was obvious he hadn’t slept at all last night. So he helped a nauseated Quatre into the bedroom while Wufei and I sat down in the living room. Duo vanished to the back porch.

Something was wrong with Heero. The key to all of this was hidden in his eyes. His eyes were dilated, as if he had seen something so terrible they would never be normal again. He had been standing in a dark room all night though. Anyone’s eyes would dilate in order to allow more light in. That was only natural. But when I questioned him about it, he said that he was just making sure nothing unusual was going on in the kitchen. He and Wufei had heard some strange sounds. Wufei left to sleep outside but he wanted to stay there, just to be sure.

It never occurred to him to turn a light on. He was too smart for such a mistake.

***

[Quatre]

I haven’t felt this way since I was five. I could die right now if it meant I wouldn’t feel this way anymore.

I felt so sick.

I’m gonna vomit again. Ughhh...

Trowa opened the window. The cool air made me feel better. Dried the sweat on my forehead.

“Thanks Trowa.”

He nodded. “Sleep for a while.” He gave me a concerned look. I must look bad if he had an expression on his face.

“Okay,” I whispered. My throat felt scratchy.

Trowa left. I glanced at Heero. He just laid there on his back, staring at the ceiling.

I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

***

[Duo]

Heero looked like shit. Quatre looked and felt like shit. I was scared to the point of shit-ting. Trowa was calm. Wufei kept saying ‘hell’ every other word. Lady Luck was not giving us a helping hand.

Our fearless leader was cracking up. I should know, I’ve seen it too many times. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t cracking up, but he sure wasn’t being his normal self. I can still see Wufei standing there, screaming bloody murder in his face. Scared me so bad I pulled my hand back and let it rip. He came to then, thank god. His ass would still be standing there if he didn’t.

It was so cool how Quatre and Tro came barging in, ready to kick some ass. The effect got ruined though, when Q opened the door and let out a week’s worth of undigested food. Thank god again he did it on the basement stairs. As long as we didn’t open the door, there were no problems.

I wish we had some ice for my poor hand. I should’ve known that the boy would have a face of steel to go with his balls. The throbbing probably won’t stop for an entire week!

“It’s going to rain,” Trowa said conversationally as he came to stand next to me on the back porch, leaning forward on the windowsill.

“Yeah,” I said sourly, looking at the clouds as they turned gray. “And of course it would have to rain now of all times.”

“I thought you liked the rain?” He sounded amused.

“I do, but this shit feels like a setup. Just wait, it’s going to be a long, wet dark night.”

He said nothing for a while, then, “I’m going to check on Wufei.”

He didn’t sound amused anymore.

***

[Heero]

Something was there.

I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t hear it. I couldn’t touch it. I couldn’t smell it.

But something was there.

It had ambitions. It had plans. It had goals. It had purposes.

I knew something was there.

It was stronger. It was older. It was tougher. It was smarter.

It knew I knew something was there.

And it wanted something, I just didn’t know what.

***

[Wufei]

The rain was nice. It came down quietly and in a subtle way, not the type of storm that threatened to set off car alarms and set trees on fire with its lightening. In fact, it was so nice we left the window open so that Quatre could breathe in the fresh air. He needed it. Whatever Quatre caught, it had him down for the count. I hope it’s not contagious.

That damn squishing was going to make my ears bleed.

My watch said it was around nine at night, although it felt like midnight. We were all pretty wound up today, so I guess it was the exhaustion that made it feel later. Too bad it was raining. I would’ve liked to have slept outside again. And it was uncomfortable for all of us to be crammed into one bedroom. If the other room’s floor didn’t look like it would fall apart if I breathed out my mouth, things would’ve been better. I won’t complain though.

That damn squishing! What I would give for earplugs right now.

Trowa must be tired of going back and forth between here and the kitchen. I told him it would start once he laid back down. I supposed he resigned himself just like I did. I can’t believe that Heero’s little... whatever, unraveled me so badly. It still bothered me now. He hasn’t said a word since this morning. He didn’t talk much to begin with, but he hasn’t been... in tune with us, so to speak. Just kind of out of it--

“STOP DAMNIT!”

Oh my god, it stopped.

***

[Trowa]

I see why Wufei joined us last night. I’ve already gotten up three times to find out what that noise was. So far I’ve come up empty handed and no closer to sleep. I might just brave the weather outside. At least that way I could get a shower while I slept.

Quatre seemed better, although he’s pale to the point where it’s frightening. But he’s sleeping peacefully enough. I wish I could say the same about Heero. He seemed to be in a coma, but the only thing that said otherwise was that his eyes were open. I found it disturbing that both our leader and tactician were not up to speed. As Duo would say, ‘it’s a conspiracy.’ At least Wufei was feeling more... controlled. I’ve never heard him say ‘hell’ that many times in one day before.

I wish that squishing would stop. Reminds me of that time one of the lions had stepped in--

“STOP DAMNIT!”

Well, either I just went deaf or it worked.

***

[Quatre]

“STOP DAMNIT!”

I jerked awake at the shout. It took a few seconds, but when my eyes focused I saw that Wufei, Trowa and Duo were avidly watching... the vent? Yeah, that’s what they were doing. They were staring at it as if it was a slot machine and they were expecting money to shoot out of it.

The rain outside offered a soft distraction, and it felt really nice to breathe in the rainwater. Eventually, I laid my head back down and relaxed, watching the others as they waited for something. Suddenly I felt a whole lot better, as if whatever poison that was in my blood had finally dissipated.

“It’s gone,” I told them in a breath as I fell back to sleep.

***

[Duo]

I can’t take this shit! What the hell was that? It kept going and going like the fuckin’ Energizer Bunny!

Trowa has gotten up three times to check it out, and came back with nothing! Nothing! He knew how to track sounds. Wufei and Heero went through this crap last night, so I knew that if *I* got up, *I* would turn up with what they did, which was nothing! How’s a guy to sleep?!

I snapped. “STOP DAMNIT!”

All of a sudden, it stopped. No more mud in the shoes. Silence fell over us all, interrupted slightly by the raindrops hitting the ground. I sat there for a few seconds, waiting for it to start up again like it did when Trowa would lay back down. But as the silence grew longer and longer, I began to get nervous. It was clear as fuckin’ day to me that the noise wasn’t caused by a person or a thing. It was something way beyond what my little brain could comprehend, and this situation suddenly became a thousand times more terrifying.

“It’s gone,” Quatre said in a small voice, then fell asleep as if nothing was wrong.

Oh my god, I think I just pissed myself.

***

[Heero]

You want us to die.

You want us to die.

You want us to die.

You want us to die.

(tbc)