*OLD*Phantom Detectives*OLD*

Ch. 48 Truth is Deadly

Ace D.

Arthur was right... Adrien wasn't human... at least not anymore. I put Violet behind me, stepping in front of her.

"Don't play the protective husband Ace," Adrien sneers, pointing the gun at me, "everyone who's come across me and tried to play that role ends up playing the dead husband next."

Silence fills the room. Eloise, Arthur, and James are all standing still. It seemed like a scene from a play... the villain, clad in black, with the hero clad in white... Arthur stood there, unflinching, his gaze so cold it burned, bright and menacing.

"As for you, master," Adrien huffs a laugh, "I plan on killing you first."

"You're not touching him!" James bellows, standing in front of his brother.

"What do you want, Adrien!?" Connor demands.

"What I want? What I want!?" Adrien cackles sending a violent shiver down every nerve. "Here's the thing Connor, no matter what happens from here on out, I'll get what I want. And what I want, is to kill!"
"Step back Adrien!" Arthur demands.

"Or else what Wester!?" Adrien sneers. "The council already knows I'm one of the most vicious haunts there are! Those old bastards can't touch me!"

Council? What council? What the hell are they talking about?!
Arthur's gaze narrows, and all of us take a step back as Adrien starts to circle around Arthur like a vulture with it's prey. Adrien even had that same, vicious, starving look a vulture would have.

"You think you're so~ tough now that you're a Guardian Phantom, don't ya Wester? Well too bad! Because either way, this all ends the same for you!" Adrien laughs. "If I go down, I'm dragging you to hell with me."

"I highly doubt that Adrien," Arthur says cooly, "the crimes you committed prove you shouldn't go to heaven or hell... but some place... better."

Adrien's eyes become wide, then go narrow with rage, wrath, and hate. "They aren't taking me back into that prison."

"We'll see about that..."

"DAMNED BITCH!"
"Look out!" Rodrich yelps, tackling Tex to the ground as the shots ring out.

I bring Violet close to my chest as we duck behind a bookcase. I peek around the corner and gasp at the scene before me. The bullet wounds on Arthur... are closing up... the blood being sucked back into his body. He coughs up the bullets, tossing them across the room.

"Well... we've certainly learned some new tricks haven't we?" Adrien chuckles.

"Stand down Adrien!" Eloise demands, flipping out her gun and pointing it at him.

"Ah yes, the sweet little sinner. Eloise... did you honestly think you would be able to hide it for this long? Did you truly think you could hide what your bloodline is?" Adrien hisses.

"Crap!" Violet whimpers. "He knows..."

"Wait, he knows what?" I hiss.

"Step away from my partners!" James demands, stepping out of hiding.

"J-James!" Connor yelps as Grey drags him back.

"Oh right! How could I have forgotten you James. You know, for years you've thought of Connor as a horrible person, yet the only horrible person... was you."

"What's he talking about Connor?!" James demands.

"J-James I... I-"

"Tell him Connor," Adrien smirks, "or your dear baby brother will die before your eyes."

I glance to Connor. His eyes... they are filled with thousands of emotions, all along the lines of grief and... and love...

"J-James I... I knew what Adrien was since day one... I knew he was a phantom... b-be... because I-" Connor chokes on almost every word.

James eyes become wide again... the gun in his hand starts to shake. "It was you..." James says slowly. His breathing becomes harder, rage glows in his eyes. "IT WAS YOU!" He roars at the top of his lungs. "YOU FRAMED MY BROTHER! YOU TRIED TO KILL MY SISTER! YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!"

"Damn straight kid," Adrien cackles, "the truth about your dear older brother is that he was getting pushed around by the same kids who were with him that night. I found him and gave him some... assistance. He was partially in his right mind... he had the choice, but he still didn't tell you."

"Connor," James breaths.

"I-I just didn't want you to be hurt!" Connor cofesses.

"It's too bad Connor! Now look at this mess! And you're sitting there helpless!"

"You won't get away with these murders." Eloise says.

"Oh, and why's that little sinner?" Adrien laughs.

Eloise lets out a high pitched whistle that gradually gets lower. For a while, there is complete silence... no breathing to be heard... only the storm... growing more violent by the- that's it! Thunder!

As if on cue, with the next strike of lightning, Thunder bursts through the doors, jumping up and biting Adrien's nape. Adrien screams in pain as he falls to the ground, the gun far out of his reach, and back into Arthur's.

"GO, RUN!" Arthur demands.

Connor follows after James as he grabs Eloise and drags her out of the room. Tex and Rodrich run out at the back entrance, as do Grey and the servants. Violet and I dart out the exit to our left. Once on the second level of the manor, I swipe a hunting knife from the study just before we slow our pace and lock ourselves in one of the rooms.

"Violet," I huff, "what the hell!? Have you been lying to-"

"Yes!" Violet admits, tears in her eyes. "Yes it's true! I've lied to you Ace..."

"What," I growl, "what is it!? Tell me you damned woman or else!"

"If you want to kill me than just do it!" Violet cries.

My breath catches in my throat... it was then I realized... there was a trace of silver in Violet's eyes... one that had never been there before. Violet averted her eyes as she took a shaky breath and admitted, "E-Eloise and I... our family... we... we're..."

"We're not completely human."