LONDON CALLING

As they walked back through the property, Angus was starting to see rooflines of buildings--several of them, and the way they were laid out made him wonder what they were coming into. They were laid out almost like a little street, with buildings on both sides, and something down at the end that was creating a dead end to the street.

"Well, I'll be," Edward said. "Its almost a little ghost town." The closer they got, the more Angus saw Edward was right. There were some dilapidated little houses, one building that was evidently either a mercantile or a little pub, and the structure that created the dead end was a large round building, like a tower.

"What do you suppose that one's for?" Angus asked Edward.

"That's an old grain mill," Edward said. "Some of the old French ones are round towers like that. Clearly this one hasn't been used for generations."

"This is weird. Are we sure these are the right coordinates?" Angus asked. Edward looked at the paper that Owens had given them, and then looked to the stars for navigation.

"Yes. This is it," Edward confirmed. Angus wasn't sure what the draw was to a half a dozen houses, an old storefront and an old mill out in the middle of nowhere, and then the smell hit him--it was a powerful smell of death. Angus had smelled dead things before, and this was powerful, like a lot of dead things all around them.

"Oh, this is definitely the place," Marcus said, smelling it too. "I think we should all stay together this time. Something here is incredibly dangerous."

"I feel it too, and I'm not a seer," Brian said. "Stay close, All."

"We're being watched," Khaat said, shivering. Marcus saw her shiver, but it wasn't cold. He had learned that if she had picked up on dark magic energies, sometimes she shivered. She had often described it as making her blood run cold. He flicked a couple of his fingers at her jacket to transfigure it to be a little warmer for her.

"That's alright," Edward said. "Let 'em watch. I feel like we should be seeing things now too, though."

"It's underneath our feet," Khaat said, taking a moment to kneel and feel the ground. "The dark feeling is coming up from the ground."

"Then there are tunnels below the street," Michael said. "And I bet that's the draw for Gelding. There's infrastructure here that they can capitalize on. I bet its the old sewer system and water mains. If they're old, like the rest of this place, then they're surely made of stone, and they're as solid as they come. Tunnels like that could go on for a long time, probably out to the river or maybe, in the other direction, to a larger nearby town, and if that's the case, they could travel from one place to another without coming up to the surface. It would let them move unseen."

"I'll bet you a sickle that's where we need to go," Mira replied. Angus didn't like it. His gut told them they were right, but his guts were also telling him to turn back this time. And that was something that had only happened in his life a time or two before. If there were Donohues here held against their will, turning back was not an option.

"So you think the kids are down there?" Angus asked.

"Hard to say," Edward said.

"So how do we get to the tunnels?" Mira asked.

"Has to be an access in one of those buildings," Michael said.

"Or the mill. The mill would have needed to have water power, so there's a wheel, most likely on the other side, on the river. And they would have needed a basement and a sub basement for the gears to turn the wheel and the gears then would have also turned the grindstone on the mill floor," Edward said.

"So, let's divide in two groups but not lose sight of each other. Half can look in the buildings on the left side of the street, and the other half can check out the buildings on the right. Let's, for now, just get the lay of the land, and if anyone sees anything promising, call out. Don't go inside though. If anyone sees something, we all go together. We'll work our way down the street toward the mill. Agreed?" Brian asked. Michael, Edward, Marcus and Angus nodded. It seemed like a good plan to them.

Jack and Jessie looked at each other as they drew nearer to the small inconspicuios abandoned town " creepy." Jack said Jessie agreed while Ruby just held Angus's hand more for comfort and security as she found it very unsetteling.

"it dosn't fee right" she said " like there are eyes watching us." she spoke softly Jack looked around and shook his head as he sniffed the air.

"no ones here now but have been, scents faint but there" he said loking at the old houses. When the mill was mentioned he looked over at it " hum marks on the ground say the doors been open recently guys" he pointed to a dirt line in almost a semi circle. But he also spotted large paw prints. " um guys, watch for red eyes." he said looking down at the prints.

Ruby looked around spotting something move in a building to her left she moved closer to Angus Building to the left I thought I saw something." she spoke quietly to him. " red eyes Jack?" she asked confused.

"Possible werewolf," Angus replied. "Actually, I'm not as worried about them as much as the bazillion other things that could be here, or what the stinking shapeshifters want us to think is here." He started looking in the windows of the houses on the right side of the street because he saw some of the others already looking on the left.

Something was bothering him, making his blood run cold. He couldn't put his finger on it. He had never shied away from a mission, any mission, not even as a child when he would go with Edward. He didn't know why this was so different. He worked hard to keep his focus this time. He wasn't seeing anything in particular except, vague shapes of things that didn't want to be seen, things that were a flash out of the corner of his eye that would skitter off into the pitch blackness of night to avoid him. Some built in radar within him was nigh onto screaming that it was time to turn tail and dash off back home.

Inside his head, he was having an argument with himself, silently calling himself out and reprimanding himself for being a yellow bellied coward. He was not going to let Ruby or anyone else see the struggle he had within.

"It's not here," he told Ruby softly. "This isn't it. I don't know how I know, but it's not in these houses. I think it's in that mill down there. I don't know why, but I think whatever is waiting for us is waiting down there."

"You might well be right, Mate," Marcus said. "I think we're supposed to be wigged out on this one. I think there's some enchantment at work that's supposed to put us on high alert, more than usual."

"And its doing a fine job of it," Khaat said quietly, looking all around for some sign of anything. Right at that moment, something leaped out of the shadows and flew straight at Khaat and Marcus, and Khaat fired her wand about three times in rapid succession. And following the wand fire were three little plops on the ground. Marcus lit his wand and pointed it at where he'd heard something hitting the ground.

"Oh, well done, there, Sheriff," Marcus said, looking at her with amusement. "You just took out three ordinary, run of the mill bats." She sighed, frustrated.

Ruby listened to Angus and nodded " well its creepy still, illushion or not." she said " then she turned raising her wand to fire but stopped when she saw Khaat had fired hers. She breathed out a braeth she didn't know she was holding. "You think this is all to keep out nosy people and unwanted prying eyes?" she asked her wand now slipped back in its holder.

Holding hisa arm she steadied herself watching but ignoring some of the things she saw and felt around her. "focus, just focus" she said softly taking long slow breaths so not to become too rattled but she ahd to agree with Angus about other things being in wait for them up ahead.

"You're right. This one rates right up there on my creep-o-meter," Angus said. "You might be right about the purpose of it, though. I think it would keep out anyone that was in their right mind. Says something about us, doesn't it? We might deserve a raise for taking on this one at night."

"I agree," Brian said.

"Let's hold him to it," Michael said. "The man that holds the purse strings just said we all deserve a raise."

"Buck up, Boys and Girls," Edward said. "If we manage to shut this one down, it would be a fine enterprise as a Halloween haunt."

"Only you could think of something that twisted," Michael laughed.

"Says the man who plays poker with his hat rack," Edward replied. As they were walking, Angus started to remember why this was so jolting for him. He'd seen some of this in a dream before. He couldn't remember the details, but he had been here and done this all before, and in his dream, it had all been inside that mill.

Khaat saw Angus let go of Ruby's hand and started walking a lot quicker to the mill by himself, and she picked up on the fact that he wasn't entirely focused now.

"He's being drawn to the mill," Khaat said.

"Is it a spell?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know yet," she said.

"This smells of an enormous big trap," Michael warned. Edward hurried to catch up with Angus,  and he laid his hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Look at me," Edward said firmly to Angus. Angus looked up at him. "Where are you? What is it?"

"I've done this all before somehow. I've been here before, and I've done this before," Angus said.

"I should send you back to Italy. You're not yourself," Edward said. "When did you start to know you'd done this before?"

"Just now. I'm fine. I've just...done it all before. And whatever it is, its in the mill."

"In the mill, well, that much, we know," Edward said. "Focus in on your mission, Angus. Focus in and get your mind in the game. Ruby, come take his hand. I'll walk with you two."

Ruby felt his grip losen and then let go of her hand she stood and watched as he started to walk away from her. quickly she followed him not realy wanting to be left on her own. She felt it strange that he would do that and as Edward spoke she quickly took hold of his hand again " Im not letting go" she said " what ever this is could be toying with our minds in a big way, making us think we've been here before right?" she asked Edward.

Jessie grasped hold of Jacks arm " stay close" he said to him as Jack stood watching his head moving left them right then back again.

"I wish they would stay put, can't get a bead on them" he said with a growl. Jack took a breath in calming himself and noting he never lost control of himself and it wa strange how Jessie was controled and he wasn't quite. " weird" he said looking at Brain " lets get this done, this is worse than a halloween fun house."

Ruby staid with Angus and Edward her hand gripping his shirt sleevewhile the other held his hand. "Well I wouldn't bring my kids here." she said hearing Jack's comment.

"This could be a magical hall of mirrors in a way," Edward said to Ruby. "Designed to get us turned around in all sorts of directions. We'll have to stay sharp."

"You're not supposed to catch them," Khaat told Jack. "They're here to distract you. That's why they're moving, to keep you looking."

"Well, how about this, then?" Edward said, sick of the games. He pointed his wand high up in the air and shouted "Lumos Maxima!" It shone a mammoth bright light over the whole area, and the light was followed by high pitched shrieking and then hissing sounds, like things being dissolved.

"That should take care of those bloody illusions for a minute," Michael said.

"Where's my family!" Angus bellowed. He listened, and he heard absolutely nothing.

"Not even a cricket," Marcus observed. That told Marcus more than he really probably wanted to know. This place was so thick of evil that not even crickets would come here.

"Well, let's go battle the creepy grain mill, then, and get it overwith," Michael said. "My money is on the kids being down in the tunnels under the street. And it sounds like the access is on Dead Central down there." He gestured to the mill.

"I'm inclined to agree with you," Marcus said.

Ruby clung to Angus as she heard the shireks from what it felt all around her. Se heard Edward and shivered but looked to Angus then the direction Marcus had motioned to " oh boy, creepy town here we come" she said her hand never leaving Angus's. Jack and Jess focused on moving towards the mill.

"I wonder how bad its going to get befoer we actually get there." Jack said " of if what we've seen so far is all they have." though deep inside he knew it was far from over if his interactions with Gelding had anything to do with it. Jessie held on to Jacks shirt and jack was greatful for that. " just stay close kid" he said Jessie nodded.

"I agree with Marcus let get there and get those kids back they don't need all this scary stuff they should be back with there family." he said as he kisked soemthing on the ground " hey guys look at this." he said picking up a small toy off of the ground " this looks out of place." He held it up to show every one.

"That belongs to Mimi," Edward said. "Michelle--Tyler's youngest. She's five. She keeps it in her pocket because she gets bored so blooming easily. That little gizmo you have there is hinged. It opens up, and there's teeny weeny doll in there and about a million almost microscopic accessories for it. It's some sort of muggle thing she just had to have."

"Is the the youngest of all of these kids?" Marcus asked.

"No," Edward said. "There's one younger than that. Emily--she's just three. She's the only child of Tracy--Angus's youngest sister. Emily is incredibly shy. She's afraid of anyone new, and she hides from them."

As they approached the old wooden steps going up into the mill, the door of the mill opened, and two figures started to come out. Angus snapped his hand free of Ruby, drew his wand and fired. He got the first one immediately, but the second one stood his ground, returning fire. The first figure fell dead and rolled down the steps to the ground. Marcus leveled his wand and fired as well but the spell bounced off.

"He's got a shield." Marcus told the others, just as two more figures came out.
"Oh, good. Company."

Ruby let go of Angus and aimed her own wand firing but it bounced off the sheild " then we do it old school" she said taking out her knife she aimed and threw it passing threw the sheild it hit the mans shoulder but he just glared at her. Aiming with her wand again she fired this time she hit home and the fugure fell to the ground dead.

Jack and Jessie both aimed and moved to for a semi cirle seeing others leave the building. Firing Jessie hit one and Jack took him down. Rubys second shot missed and hit the building behind the man.

"damn it,sorry missed" she cursed and fired again altering her stance to take in the slight drift she had.