New Jersey - Addams Family Home - Day
Wednesday POV:
After my dream last night, I didn't bother sleeping. I was still reeling from the information I was given. Luckily I have a photographic memory, so I won't be losing it anytime soon. Tyler saw I was a little shaken up and opted to stay with me for the rest of the night.
The morning was just as hectic. Tyler's dad was on the phone most of the time, getting as many details as he could about the case from his deputy Santiago. Tyler and I had hastily packed our bags so we could hit the road as soon as possible. I gave Enid a quick call, letting her know we were heading to Nevermore early. She was also packing as she had heard the news from Ajax. Bianca and Xavier were also on their way to Jericho. We all decided to meet up to discuss the case together.
My parents and brother were sad to see us go, but they knew Jericho needed us. My father gave me his signature hug and kiss on the cheek while my mother blew me a kiss from afar. Pugsley however gave me a hug like he always did. This time I did not mock him, knowing what we were about to walk into was potentially dangerous.
"Stay safe sis." I gave him a curt nod.
"I don't know who this man is but he is dangerous. Keep your guard up here at home as well." I pull a small key out of my pocket and hand it to Pugsley. "It's for my secret weapon stash. Only for emergencies." He nodded then took his place next to my parents. Tyler was next to say his goodbyes. He shook my father's hand first.
"It was great getting to know you and your family sir." My father gave Tyler a pat on the shoulder.
"It was excellent getting to know you too, my boy. I can tell you and my daughter care a lot about each other. So I trust you to keep her safe." He abruptly pulls him close and whispers his next sentence that I can barely hear. "But if you break her heart, no one will find your body." He gave Tyler his signature smile, his demeanor change making Tyler go pale.
"Y-yes sir." Tyler shook off my father's threat but I could tell it still lingered in his mind. Next, he gave Pugsley a fist bump, the connection they had created over the summer making me smile just a little bit. My mother handed Tyler a rose, the flower part chopped off the top of course.
"For luck." He gave her a grateful smile. Tyler's dad said his goodbyes to the family and it was time to hit the road. Lurch loaded up our luggage and opened the door, letting us in. The car started, making our way down the drive. I looked back one more time, watching my family wave us off. I don't know what's in store for us in Nevermore, but for the first time in my life, I was a little scared of what was going to happen next.
The Highway Outside Jericho - Day
The ride back to Jericho seemed to go a lot faster than when we left. We spent the majority of the ride going over my vision and coming up with who the mystery man might be and what his endgame in Jericho could spell for Nevermore and the town. A blanket of fog had taken over the valley, the headlights of the car barely piercing its thickness as we drove.
As Laurel had never mentioned working with anyone during her little scheme against the outcasts, the list of potential suspects consisted of three people. Laurel, who had faked her death previously to get away from the public eye to help her hide in the shadows. We can't prove she's not involved until I see her body for myself. The other is Laurel's father Ansel Gates. According to Tyler's dad, he had become an alcoholic after Garrett passed away and eventually it sent him to an early grave. But with the existence of supernatural elements now plaguing the town, another member of the Gates family coming back to life wasn't out of the question.
"Are you absolutely sure that Ansel is dead, Sheriff? His family was one who knew of witchcraft and spellcasting. Could he have potentially been resurrected and is now pulling the strings of this whole thing?" He scratched his head and looked out the window.
"Addams, I was there at his funeral. Open casket. I saw the face of the man who lost his entire family be put in the ground. Just to be sure I called Santiago earlier to confirm whether his grave has been disturbed recently. No dice." I scratched his name off my notepad and sighed.
The third is the mystery man from my vision. He seemed to know Laurel and Garrett and lived in the Gates Mansion. That will be my first stop once we get back into town.
"Dad, is there anyone in town who could still potentially be against the idea of Nevermore and outcasts?" He huffs a sigh of annoyance, not at Tyler, just at the situation.
"Bud, I don't think there's anyone in Jericho who is completely okay with the idea of kids with supernatural abilities living just up the road. That list could be a mile long." Tyler rubbed his eyes, the sleeplessness of the night before starting to weigh on him, but he was still as determined as ever to figure this out.
I continued to go over the events of the vision in my head, trying to piece things together, when I took a quick glance out the front window. The dense fog obscured the view of almost everything, almost like it was clinging to the car. Then almost as if I had conjured it, a small object came into view in front of the car. Wait. It's not just in front of the car, its-
"Lurch! Look out!" The man's attention had waned after being stuck in the car for so long, but my voice brought his attention to the object hurtling toward us. He hit the brakes and swerved, the boulder just barely grazed the back of the car, and a screeching sound is heard as the rock scratched the paint. The car came to a halt, Lurch grunting as he put all his strength into stopping the car.
I looked through the window past Tyler, a silhouette of a person now evident just on the outer edge of the fog. Lurch got out of the car and faced the stranger. He grunted in anger and moved towards him. I saw the man raise his hand and make a throwing motion. Another boulder flew out of the fog, hitting Lurch square in the chest. He flew back and smacked into the side of the driver's side door, a large body-shaped dent now evident. He shook his head and stood back up, his body resistant to most types of damage because of my father's experiments.
Tyler's dad was on the phone, trying to get a few officers out here. They would be a few minutes out.
"Stay here you two." He got out of the car, pulled his pistol out of the holster, aiming it at the assailant. "Freeze! Jericho Sheriff's department! Put your hands on your head and get down on the ground." The stranger tilted his head but didn't say anything. He made a small motion with his hand.
"Dad! Look out!" I looked over to see a sharp branch heading toward Tyler's dad. He quickly ducked out of the way. The stranger turned his hand once again, impaling Lurch in the shoulder and sticking the end of the branch into the car, stopping him from moving.
"Dammit!" I heard Tyler's dad yell. "I tried to play nice!" He got up from behind the car and started to fire his gun. He had caught the stranger off guard and one of the bullets pierced his shoulder. He grabbed it and grunted. He used his powers to pull the bullet out of his shoulder, he looked at it, then at Tyler's dad. He flicked the bullet right back at him and before he could react, the bullet hit him in the chest, right above his heart.
"Dad!!" Tyler opened the door and ran to his father's side. I followed quickly behind, making sure to keep my eyes on the masked stranger. Tyler ripped his shirt and put pressure on the wound. "Hold on dad. You're gonna be okay." I could see tears rolling down Tyler's eyes, his hands frantically trying to stop the blood. I put my hand over him to calm him down. His frantic breathing was replaced by grunts of anger. He looked at me, his eyes becoming a little darker, but asking me if it was okay. I nodded, knowing he would do it either way but would feel better if I approved.
"I'll look after him, go." I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and he smiles that signature grin. He rips the rest of his broken shirt off, and walks forward, coming face to face with the stranger. What I didn't expect to hear was the stranger laughing. Finally, he spoke.
"You're out of your depth boy. Give me the girl and nobody gets hurt." His head turned to look right at me, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
"Oh, we're way past that." Tyler grunted and his body changed almost instantly, his Hyde form emerging. Over the summer Tyler had been training with my Uncle Fester to master his ability to change without losing himself.
The stranger took a few steps back, visibly surprised to be facing off against such a monster. Tyler took this opportunity to strike, catching the stranger off balance and swiping at him. His claws catch the stranger's side, making him grunt in pain. Tyler roared, hoping the man would take the hint and walk away. Unfortunately, he wasn't scared so easily. He flicked both his hands towards Tyler, two tree trunks flying at him. He caught the first one but the second hit him in the chest, pushing him back. He shook it off and charged him, swinging the trunk he caught as a weapon. The man was able to dodge a few times but his leg got caught on a branch and he was slammed into the ground. He recovered faster than Tyler could anticipate. He ripped a branch off the fallen tree with his powers, whipping it at Tyler, the sharp edge impaling his shoulder. He groaned in pain but didn't let it phase him.
I looked over and saw Lurch was still stuck in the car. I went over and helped him pull the branch out. He stood up and started making his way over to help Tyler. The man looked between the two and knew he was outmatched. Then he looked at me, then at the car. He pointed both his arms at the car and watched as it was lifted into the air. He pointed at me and I turned watching the car plummeting toward me. I covered Tyler's dad to shield him and waited for the inevitable. But it never came. I looked up and came face to face with Tyler, his eyes filled with fear, afraid of what could have happened to me and his dad.
Lurch came over and helped Tyler set the car back down on the road, wheel side up. As they finished up, sirens could be heard. I looked over and the mystery man was gone. Forgetting about him for a second, I went into Tyler's luggage, grabbing him a pair of jeans and a shirt. I handed them to him and he slipped into the woods quickly and I heard him change back. Shortly after, a few cop cars and an ambulance pulled up. A Sheriff's deputy came running over to us.
"Where's Dono-" She stopped short after seeing him laying there, a small blood pool around where the bullet went in. "Medic! We got a man down!" The paramedics ran over and took over holding pressure on his wound. Tyler came back out of the forest, following the medics over to the back of the ambulance. The deputy known as Santiago came over to talk to us.
"Tyler. I got a call from your dad saying a crazy guy was attacking you guys. What happened?" Tyler explained everything, the deputy was surprised at how everything unfolded. "First Laurel being murdered then someone attacking you on your way into town. This was no coincidence." That's exactly what I was thinking. I looked over to see Lurch being looked over by a medic, his grunting sorta freaking out the guy.
"Well I wanna go with my d-" Tyler lost his balance and almost fell over. I caught him and he moved his hand up to his shoulder. I moved his shirt and saw the leftover mark from the tree branch. It wasn't super bad but it was still bleeding.
"We need to get you checked out too. Hey! Can you help him?" The medic working on Lurch walked over and pulled out a bandage wrapping up Tyler's shoulder and putting his arm in a sling.
"You both need to go to the hospital to get checked out." She grabbed our bags out of the car and put them in the ambulance. She then called the situation over the radio and started getting the cars moved and headed back into town. I walked over to Lurch who was picking at his wound.
"Stop touching it. It will help." He grunted disapprovingly. "Now, take the car back home and tell mother and father what happened. Make sure they put up the proper defenses. I don't want this mystery man showing up at our house unannounced." He grunted again but nodded. He reached into the passenger seat and grabbed something, dropping it on my shoulder. It was Thing. I had totally forgotten he was in the car with us.
"Hello, Thing. I apologize for forgetting about you. The situation got out of hand quite quickly." He signed to me that it was alright. "Are you alright? Any injuries?" He signed no but he was feeling a bit nauseous because of all the quick movement. How he was nauseous without a stomach I'll never know.
We watched as Lurch drove away into the fog. Once he was gone I hopped into the ambulance with Tyler and headed into town.
Jericho - Jericho County Hospital - Day
Tyler was pretty quiet on the drive to the hospital, an occasional sniffle could be heard but all I could do was hold his hand encouragingly. His dad was taken into surgery and not even an hour later the doctors told us he was stable and going to be alright. We both let out a huge sigh of relief. Tyler sat down, running his hands through his hair. I sat next to him, holding him close so that he knew I was there for him.
We sat there in silence for a few more minutes before the doors of the hospital opened and Enid and Ajax came in. We both got up to say hello, Tyler's solemn state still evident. Enid gave Tyler a hug which he appreciated. Ajax gave him a handshake and a curt nod. Enid then came to hug me but stopped, knowing me. I grabbed her and pulled her in, surprising her but she hugged me tightly back.
"It's to see you and Ajax again." I could tell by Enid's face that she couldn't believe it. Me, being nice.
"It's nice to see you too. But what happened over the summer that made you so-" She stopped and looked at Tyler, the gears finally turning. "Ohhh."
"Mention it to anyone and I will end you." She gave a quick nod, knowing I was serious. Thing crawled up to my shoulder and waved at Enid. She waved back.
I explained what happened on the way here. Enid and Ajax looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces.
"What? What is it?" Enid scratched her ear and sat down.
"Well, Ajax and I got here only a half hour before you guys did. We went to the Weathervane but as we walked it felt like we were being watched. I could've sworn we were being followed. One of Ajax's snakes hissed behind us so we turned around but there was no one there. It was super creepy." I did a quick survey of the hospital lobby, no one else was there except for the nurses in their chairs behind the station.
"Not taking any chances. We better head to Nevermore and let Weems know what's going on. Do you wanna come with Tyler or stay here?" He shook his head and looked at me.
"Sorry Wednesday. What did you say?" I could tell his dad getting hurt really got to him.
"I can stay here with him. He'll be alright. Don't worry." I gave Ajax a grateful nod. They both sat back down and Enid and I headed out the door.
"There's something else you should probably see." I looked at Enid curiously.
Jericho - Ruins of The Gates Mansion - Day
We walked the path leading to the Gates Mansion. The last time I was here, Enid and I almost got killed by the monster. It brought back some pretty horrible memories. I love it.
The usual lock on the gate had been broken and it was wide open. We walked through and once the building came into sight, my eyes went wide. The once giant house, the last living legacy of the Gates family, was mostly destroyed. The garage portion of the house was completely gone, and blackened wood surrounded the area. Light gray smoke was still slowly rising from the ruins. Giant holes in the walls and moldy carpet were present from rain that had come and gone. The house was a husk of its former self.
"What happened here?" Enid walked up and picked up a charred piece of wood off the ground, examining its burned exterior before tossing it away.
"I have no idea. I figured the first thing you might do when you got into town was check out this house. Ajax and I came here and found it like this. We asked Deputy Santiago and she said the night Laurel died, she got a call about a house fire. She didn't get here in time, the place was half burned to the ground. Someone getting rid of evidence I was assuming?" I raised my eyebrow and smirked. I was impressed. Enid was becoming quite the detective.
"Great job Enid. I'm proud of you." Her eyes lit up. "Now let's go check it out." Her expression dropped.
"I knew you were gonna say that." I took the lead as we made our way into the house. Thing jumped onto Enid's shoulder and gave her a reassuring thumbs up. I tried the doorknob and it was locked.
"Well looks we can leave no-" Without skipping a beat I kicked the door and it fell off the hinges that it was barely holding on to. I could hear Enid grumble behind me. I smiled just a little.
As Enid said, the fire destroyed most of the house. I peered into the remains of the living room, the portrait of the Gates family was completely burned. I guess the portrait is in a more literal sense now. We finally made it to the stairs, the old wood paneling speckled with black. I took a step and heard a groan, the wood still supporting my weight.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Enid's voice quivered just a little bit.
"In my vision, the stranger said he was Garrett's friend. There has to be evidence of him in Garrett's old room. If it hasn't been burned of course." I continued my way up the stairs, the continued groans making Enid more anxious. I made it to the top with no issues. Enid was right behind me, her foot on the last step. Suddenly the wood gave way, she screamed and reached out for something. I grabbed her arm and pulled her up, stopping her from falling any further. We both stood there, breathing hard.
"You okay?" She looked at me, feigning anger.
"Why does something scary always happen in this stupid house!" I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She sighed and waved her hands, letting me know we could continue. The upstairs looked almost exactly like it did in my vision, except for the fact everything had been burned. We walked past Laurel's old room, the door slightly ajar. I opened it to look inside, but the room was gone. The fire had burned the beams connecting the room to the house and dropped it from the house completely. The remains were smashed and scattered across the grass, and the last remains of Laurel Gates burned to a crisp. Good.
Next, we moved onto the room next to it, the door matching the one from my vision. I walked in and took a step, except there was no floor, I went to grab something, then an arm grabbed me. Enid pulled me up back to the doorway.
"I guess we're even now." She gave me her playful smirk and I rolled my eyes. Lucky for us it was only the floor near the doorway that was missing. The only problem was that if that part of the floor collapsed, what's to stop the rest of it from going if I were to step on it?
I scanned the room thoroughly, looking for anything that might help us. Just before I gave up, a small glint in the far corner caught my eye. I turned my flashlight back in that direction and I saw it again. The light was reflecting off of something. I pulled a small pair of binoculars out of my bag and looked again. This time I saw a picture frame, the glass cracked from falling on the floor, but the image inside was perfectly preserved. I couldn't see what was in the picture but I knew this was our best hope.
I turned around to look at Enid. "There's something over there. I need to figure out a way to get it." She didn't look thrilled about the prospect of either of us going over there. I began to sketch a layout of the best spots to walk on but I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Thing. He signed and told me that he would be able to get over there without putting too much pressure on the floor.
"Are you sure? You won't have any help out there if something goes wrong." He gives me a reassuring thumbs up. "Alright. But the easiest way to do this is if I toss you over there." I pick him up and figure out the right trajectory. I toss him and he lands right next to the picture. He picks up the frame and shakes the glass out, grabbing the picture inside.
"Yes! Good job Thing!" Enid was excited and to be honest I was too. A small smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. Having some kind of evidence against this stranger would help us figure out who he is and what he wants. Thing slowly made his way along the floor, occasionally creaking here and there but nothing to be concerned about. He made his way back to the door and handed me the picture. As I suspected it was a photograph of Garrett and another teenager. I flipped the picture over and the back had writing on it.
"Garrett and James. 1990." Interesting. The name on the back of the picture matched up with the name of the man in my vision who was talking to Laurel. I was still thinking about this when Enid grabbed my arm and pulled me against the wall.
Before I could talk she put her hand over my mouth and used her other hand to point down. The second floor had a few holes that showed the downstairs. I had been distracted by the picture and hadn't noticed someone else was in the house with us. Heavy steps could be heard as the stranger made their way into the house, grunting as if they were in pain. We used the noises he made to our advantage and moved to the bedroom at the end of the hall. We slowly opened the door and slipped inside. I left the door cracked a little so I could still see. I heard the familiar creaking of the stairs as the person made their way up.
Once he reached the top, he stopped just for a moment. The broken stair crossed my mind and I hoped he thought it was just the house. It seemed he was in too much pain to bother as he made it to the landing and walked into the bathroom. I heard him mutter something before he went in.
"Damn Hyde." This confirmed this was the same man from the highway. I knew if he caught us we would be in huge trouble. I took a quick look around and spotted an open window. I ushered Enid out, using the small roof, then hopped onto the grass. We ran to the road and made it out past the gate. Once we made it to a safe distance, we stopped to catch our breath.
"That was him. The guy from the highway." I wiped some sweat from my forehead. Enid looked at me with wide eyes.
"Oh my god! Are you sure?" I nodded, pulling out the photo and showing it to her.
"Yes. The wounds matched the ones Tyler and his dad gave him during the fight. It's also the same guy in this photo with Garrett." She took the photo, not sure what to say.
"We need to show this to Weems right away!" I couldn't argue with that.
"Let's go see how Tyler is holding up first." This case was important but Tyler was also important to me. I needed to see how he was doing. We began heading back to the hospital, unaware in the bushes nearby the stranger watched, his hand clutching the empty picture frame, its surface cracking under the pressure of his hand.
Jericho - Jericho County Hospital - Night
We finally made it back to the hospital just as the sun was starting to set. The waiting room was empty and I asked which room Donovan Galpin was in. We headed down the hall and walked inside, Tyler sitting next to the bed and talking to his dad. Ajax was there and they were all laughing and having a good talk. Enid and I didn't want to ruin the moment so we stood and watched for a moment.
Tyler's dad noticed us first. He gave me a quick smile as we made our way over. I put my hand on Tyler's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. He jumped a little, making me crack a small smile. He got up and gave me a quick hug, Ajax doing the same with Enid.
"How was the house? You were gone for a while, we started to get a little worried." I gave him my usual deadpan look and he chuckled. I pulled out the photograph and showed it to him.
"Say hello to our mystery man. His name is James and he was Garrett's best friend thirty years ago." Tyler took the photo and raised an eyebrow.
"House? Photo? What's going on?" Tyler's dad was sitting up rubbing his eyes.
"I'm glad to see you're alright Mr.Galpin. And you don't need to stress. We've got it all under control." He looked a little skeptical, but sighed as the last time he argued about a case I proved him wrong. A nurse came in and let us know he could be discharged. Tyler gathered his dad's things and we all walked outside.
"I need to bring this picture to Weems. She might know more information about James." Tyler's dad gave us a nod.
"I'm gonna head to the station. We've got a murderer on the loose so the towns gonna need a Sheriff." Tyler looked a little worried.
"Well if you need anything, just call me okay?" He gave his dad a quick hug. "Love you, dad."
"Love you too son." With that, he headed down the road to the Sheriff's station. We made a stop at Tyler's house to grab his car. The four of us packed in, Tyler and I grabbed our luggage from the front desk of the hospital. The drive was quiet and I could tell Tyler was worried. I took his hand and laced our fingers together. His shoulders relaxed almost immediately.
Nevermore - Principal Weems Office - Night
I did a quick knock on her office door to make sure she was there.
"Come in." The four of us walked in, myself leading the group. "Ah. Miss Addams. Welcome back." I gave her a polite nod.
"Thank you. Now I need to speak with you urgently about Laurel's death." She raised her eyebrow, not sure where this was going.
"Laurel? Laurel Gates? That's a name I haven't heard in a while." The mysterious voice made everyone jump except for me. I was used to random voices in the dark. We all turned to find a man sitting in the chair near the door.
"Oh right. I forgot to mention. We have a new history teacher with us this semester." She gestured to the man who stood up and walked over to us.
"Wednesday, meet James Atlas."