Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2002 21:20:33 +0000 (GMT Standard Time)
From: David Grimstone <grimstone@btinternet.com>
Subject: After Dark 7

After Dark 7 by DCG

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DISCLAIMER
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The usual disclaimer applies as per usual. I don't mean to imply anything
about NSync or anything they do or think. But *my* character Chris, who is
based around a real person is, yes you've guessed it, completely and
utterly gay and THAT I DO want to imply!!

Also, I am mentioning music that people have had the inspiration to write
and compose and perform and I want to impart that the piece used here is
the artists alone...(and Sony Music (c)  as-well!!)

Also, kids bugger off cause your too young, and the same goes for those who
don't like this stuff...All that being said...............

Authors Notes: Chapter 6 out of the way, chapter 7 coming your way!! But
the questions just keep on coming... Where has the body gone? How will the
cute threesome survive the weather, and who is JC following?

Suggested Reads: Just go and read the lot. I happen to be reading Josh &
Just again, and it is a great read by an equally great author. I only hope
any of my stories can reach such a length and depth of J&J and still
maintain people's attention, concentration, and empathy.

Important Note: Nobodies reading this I'm sure, but ha-ho... I have come to
realization that music is a pivotal part of my writing. It influences me
immensely and guides my storylines without effort. I listen to a fast paced
piece of rock music and the pace of the story increases, and the sentences
shorten, and the action becomes slicker. I listen to a piece of background
music, or classical music, or soundtrack music for that matter, and it goes
the opposite way...and everything slows down and I put more thought into
the scene in general, and the thoughts of the characters take a more
prominent role...With this in mind, I have decided to attach a piece of
music to each chapter, as sort of a theme for it. It will be the piece of
music that influenced me the most in my writing, and was more than likely
the piece of music I was listening when i wrote it...Some pieces may
surprise you, or they may not!! Oh, and if someone else has already done
this in their work and feels I have stolen their idea without asking, then
please let me know and I'll stop...

Enough of me and on with the show...

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

Last Time in After Dark...

By now, Lance had reached the first floor, and he suddenly felt a chill run
across his face as he rounded the corner at the top of the stairs. His body
visibly shivered at the sudden sensation. He stopped and looked
around. Everything seemed normal, but the temperature had visibly
decreased. He decided to test the air. He let a small breath escape between
his lips as he saw as the air from within his lungs condense in mid air as
if he were walking down the street on a cold winters morning. He started
walking again and at the end of the hallway, he saw the culprit. He saw a
fully opened window, the red curtain that hung from it, blowing hard in the
wind as trickles of snow crept onto the ledge. Another chill ran up his
spine as he approached, and eventually reached the window. He looked out
into the harsh outside world for a second before reaching up and grabbing
the window, and pulling it down. He almost reached the bottom, when
suddenly he saw something out of place. The latch had been forced off it's
hinge, the window had been forcibly opened. Lance stood, shocked for a
second, his mind contemplating millions of possible answers and
explanations... That was until he glanced down even further a saw another
clue. He saw a soaking carpet, a trail of water leading away from the
window. He looked up, and followed the trail. It rounded a corner and
suddenly, Lance knew where it came from. He walked to the door, and looked
inside the room, and what he saw he didn't like, or understand. The trail
of water led Lance straight to the bathroom, the very bathroom they had
stored the body...

"Where is it?"

And now the continuation...

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After Dark by DCG

Chapter 7 - Touch Wood

Music: Thinking about forever - P.O.D

***In the Bathroom***

Pieces of ice were strewn over the floor, and a slight chill reverberated
through the stagnant air. The bath was empty. A simple fact, but one Lance
couldn't quite comprehend. Moments later, he shook himself from his slumber
and turned and walked back to the window, and looked out. The snow still
fell outside, but it seemed to have abated slightly. He wasn't being forced
inside by the howling wind and freak temperatures. Now all he saw when he
looked out of the window, was a shell of a burnt out car in the distance,
and picture perfect winter scene as snow fell to the floor, and the capped
trees bordered the horizon. A door hinge creaked, and Lance spun around,
heart beating to find nothing. The bathroom door began to close of it's own
accord. Lance froze on the spot...

"Hello..." He said, as everyone in that situation would (yeah right!) But
nothing happened, not a sound, and the door continued to close, creaking
loudly as it did, until eventually, it clicked shut. Lance hadn't moved an
inch, and still stood against the forced open window. He felt a chill rush
up his spine as he pushed all thoughts of horror movie scenarios out of his
mind. He shook his head before walking past the now closed door.

A clatter, and Lance stopped instantly. Another noise, and he looked
towards the door. Smashing glass! Lance gulped, and then did the only thing
he thought of, and ran. He rounded the stairs, and ran down them to an
expectant group...He was out of breath...

"Shit Lance, what's going on?" Asked Chris, as Lance stopped in front of
the burning embers within the fire. He composed himself...

"He's not dead!" Stated Lance. Joey just laughed...

"I'm not fucking joking Joe... He's not dead, he's not in the bath, the
window has been forced open, from the inside, and there's someone in our
bathroom...!" He said, verging on the point of shouting, but maintaining
enough composure to keep it calm. As soon as he had finished his verbal
tirade, silence covered the room.

"Well, what do we do?" Asked a small voice in the group as Britney made her
voice heard for the first time. The other three just looked straight at
her, faces blank, neither of them knowing what do, or what to say...

***At the Cave, in the Woods***

The abating snow had reached the small cave across the wooded expanse, as
Chris and Justin sat, across from each other, silently.

"I take it your here on holiday?" Asked Chris. He needed to start
conversation somehow

"Yeah." Nodded Justin "A week."

"This may sound stupid, but seen as you came here deliberately, you know
whereabouts we are then?" Asked Chris. Justin looked up at Chris for the
first time, and smiled

"You mean your not here `deliberately' either?" Laughed Justin.

"Not exactly..." Smiled Chris "I kinda ran into a bit of trouble..."

"You either did or you didn't...It would a bit difficult to `kinda' run
into trouble!" Continued Justin, his smile still evident on his face. Chris
reacted by lowering his head, half in shame, the other in sadness...Justin
caught onto his apparent dejection

"I'm sorry...I hope I didn't hit a nerve..." Said Justin, his face devoid
of the previous smile. He then realised that they were still complete
strangers to each other, in every way.  "I'm Justin by the way." He said,
holding out his hand, crossing the divide between them. Chris noticed this
and met his hand with his own and shook it gently.

"Chris..." He responded. "I'm sorry I tuned out there. It's been one of
those days..." He said before bursting into laughter.

"What?" Asked Justin

"Well...I wouldn't call nearly falling off a cliff to my death and crashing
my car into a tree and watching it explode as being `one of those
days'...That's the sort of thing you say when you stub your toes on the
door to the kitchen or something!" He said, continuing to laugh...and
Justin quickly joined him... But moments later, Justin stopped.

"What did you say?" He asked

"What?" Chris asked, still half laughing to himself, and not paying much
attention to Justin

"Your car, what did you say about your car?" Asked Justin

"I crashed it this morning. Right into a tree of all things!" He
smirked. "I thought I'd be more pissed about it that this..." He mused

Justin didn't hear it as he was busy thinking about what Chris had just
said... He was the driver of the car. He was ok. He wasn't dead. He wasn't
the dead body in the chalet! And with that a shocked expression appeared on
Justin's face as he realised the truth

"What's that matter?" Asked Chris, clambering off the rock he was sat on
and walked across to be alongside Justin. "It wasn't a particularly good
car anyway. I have you to thank for taking my mind off it. I'm usually a
manic worrier, so without you, I would have probably had a breakdown or
something!" He laughed, placing his hand on Justin's shoulder. But Justin
didn't laugh along with him.

"It wasn't you!" He whispered

"What wasn't me?" Asked Chris, confused as to what had suddenly changed
Justin's outlook.

"The body...It wasn't you!" Said Justin, looking over at Chris, their eyes
piercing each other's. "You're alive, and he's...dead, and in our bath..."
Said Justin (corny, I know!) Chris stopped his smile immediately.

"What body?" He asked. He had heard what Justin had said and didn't want
what he was thinking to be the truth. "What body did you find?"

"This morning...We found your car, and...a...body...A dead body near your
car." Justin took a breath "We thought it was the driver. We thought it was
you." He finished. Their faces stood mere inches from each other as Chris
listened intently to Justin's words. Suddenly, they started to draw closer,
thinking of nothing but savouring each others lips for the briefest of
moments. For a second, the wind narrowed and silence ensued. They drew
closer, but just as Justin closed his eyes, and Chris prepared to close
his, a sound reverberated around the cave, and Chris pulled away. Justin
sat waiting for a second, waiting for the kiss, but he eventually opened
his eyes to see Chris looking past him and out into the wilderness.

"What?" Justin asked, wanting to know what had pulled Chris from their soon
to be kiss.

"Did you hear that?" Asked Chris. "I heard a voice." He finished

"It was nothing. It was probably the wind!" He surmised, and Chris seconds
later nodded...

Just a mere fifty meters away, JC had shouted Justin's name for the
millionth time it seemed. He stopped for a second to catch his breath, and
get his bearings. He felt a constant chill run up his spine as his skin
started to cool to the point of numbness. The snow and wind had subsided,
but the damage it was doing to JC's health was still evident. His eyes felt
droopy and tired. He decided to continue...

"JUSTIN!" He screamed yet again, hoping that he would get an answer, but he
didn't get one. He sidestepped another tree and started to feel the
tree-line subside and an opening appear, but with it came a stronger
wind. He looked up and around. Suddenly, as he surveyed the land before
him, his gaze stopped. He squinted to see, and he was right. In the
distance, just a mere forty or fifty meters away he was sure he could see
Justin. He could see him as clear as day. He could see him laughing, with
another person. He looked ok. A wide smile appeared on JC's face as he
started to make his way to them...

Suddenly a figure appeared in his path. He looked up to see the man. He
looked injured as he kept a tight hold on his ribs, and maintained a
painful grimace on his face...

"About Time!" Said the man. "I knew I'd catch up with you eventually!" He
finished. JC stood shocked for second before glimpsing the man start to
clench his right hand into a tight fist. JC gulped.

"What do you want?" He asked, a quiver in his voice.

"I don't want anything you can't give!" He said...an evil smile appearing
on his face as he followed JC's glare to his clenched fist and chuckled
slightly. JC took this as a sign...

"JUSTIN!" He screamed, hoping to get his attention. But Justin didn't
register his plea, so he decided to try and run, towards them. He tried to
bypass the man, but as he tried to dart past his injured side, the man
reached out, grabbed JC's shirt and rammed him against the bark of a nearby
tree bloodying his lips and scratching the side of his face. JC stumbled,
as he tried to regain his composure. He looked up after a second to see
Justin as clear as the day in front of him...

"Maybe this'll teach you!" He heard, and no sooner than that, he felt an
almighty pain in his face before he suddenly felt nothing at all...

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That's chapter 7 out of the way and chapter 8 is right alongside!! That's
what makes this bit feel good, cause I know the next chapter is already
done and dusted!! phew lol Hope you enjoyed it, and now I am back from my
sabbatical, things should get updated much quicker than usual!! Drop me a
line by email or chat on MSN Messenger, and I will be more than glad to say
hi and answer and questions, or just chat!!

Love and Hugs to everyone, and I want to say hi to my best mate Christopher
(no, not you Mr Barrett!! - my other best bud) Chris Harrison in good ol'
Washington DC. Him and his other half Samuel are moving to Toronto and I
want to wish them the best of luck and I'll see you guys at Xmas when I
come to visit...YAY (Seems a long time ago since we were in college
together!! lol)

DCG