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Darkness Falls on the House of Loud	By : Trillhouse Category: +G through L > The Loud House Views: 2549 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
II - Descent

When Lori hadn't returned after ten minutes, nobody thought anything of it.
After fifteen minutes, some started to worry… Luna assured them that everything was fine, and she had probably gotten caught up with something.
After thirty minutes, however, things were starting to grow tense.
"This is ridiculous!" Lynn cried in annoyance. "She was just going next door, right? Something must have happened to her!"
"We don't know that," Luan replied calmly, though the concern was evident in her voice. "Maybe someone else needed help? Mr. Grouse is an old man, after all… he could have gotten hurt." The others grunted in approval; it was certainly possible.
"Even so," continued Lynn, "Someone should go look for her."
"Lori said to stay here," Lincoln reminded her with a frown.
"If you haven't noticed, Lincoln," Lynn scoffed, "Lori isn't here. She said Leni was in charge, remember?" Lynn glanced over at her older sister, who was gently rocking a fussy Lily in her arms. "Leni, you agree with me, right?"
"U-um…" Leni mumbled softly, a nervous frown plastered across her face. "…I think we should stay put, like Lori said."
"Wow, what a shocker." Lynn grumbled sarcastically. "What about Luna, then? Is she just supposed to wait for Lori all damn night?!"
"I'm fine, dude." Luna sighed. In truth, she was feeling a lot better; though her broken fingers were still in a lot of pain, the aspirin had worked wonders in dulling it down to manageable levels. "Just chill, okay…?"
"Luna's right," Lincoln agreed. "Freaking out isn't going to solve anything. Lori can take care of herself… I'm sure she's fine. Besides, it's only been…" He picked up Leni's phone and pressed the button; however, to his confusion, the time still read 1:35. "…Huh. Guess the clock froze…"
"Am I seriously the only one that thinks that something's up?!" Lynn asked, looking around the room for some sign of support; however, everyone seemed to be avoiding eye contact. "…Nobody…?"
"Lynn," Luan chimed in softly, "You need to relax."
Lynn grit her teeth in frustration. "Well, screw you guys, then." She spat. "I'm going to find her." With that, she headed over to the door.
"Lynn, stop!" Lincoln pleaded, grabbing Lynn by the arm. "We need to stick together!"
"It could be dangerous out there!" Lola cried.
"All the more reason we should be looking for Lori! And if you cowards don't want to help me, then suit yourselves!" She wrenched her arm from Lincoln's grip and turned to the door...
…Only to find Lucy blocking her path.
"Move, Luce." Lynn grunted, but Lucy simply shook her head. "I said move."
"N-no." Lucy stammered. "Lynn, you can't leave."
"Move!" Lynn shouted, pushing her sister aside harder than was necessary. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Lucy suddenly hugged her around the waist, trying with all her might to pull her sister away.
"You CAN'T!" Lucy begged as Lynn struggled against her grip. "Not again, please!" Lucy was in near-hysterics, giving her enough strength to actually hold back the athlete.
"Dammit, Lucy, let go!" Lynn hissed, finding herself actually needing to put forth effort to pull free from her sister. As she pulled at Lucy's arms, she inadvertently squeezed the girl's injured hand, making her cry out in pain and loosen her grip; Lynn slipped free, but the momentum sent her crashing headfirst into the door. Lynn hit the ground with a groan.
"Omigosh! Are you two okay?!" Leni cried, setting Lily on the couch before rushing over to the pair. "Lynn, are you hurt…?" She asked with concern, offering her little sister a hand. Lincoln ran over too, hoisting Lucy to her feet.
"What the hell is up with you, Lucy?!" Lynn snapped, swatting aside Leni's hand and glowering at the goth. "You've been acting nuts all night!"
"Y-you…" Lucy whimpered, "You can't go, Lynn. None of you can go. We need to-"
"What we need to do is go find Lor-"
"Lori's not coming back!" Lucy cried out suddenly, making Leni gasp; the others simply just stared at her in shock. The silence was deafening.
"…Lucy." Leni said at last with a trembling, yet stern voice. "Don't say that."
"She's not..." Lucy muttered sadly. "She's not coming back. A-and if anyone goes after her, they're not coming back either…"
"L-Lucy," Lola whined from the couch, clinging to an equally-shaken Lana. "You're scaring us."
"Y-yeah, Luce…" Luan stammered. "Now ain't the time for that kind of talk, you know?"
"I'm serious-"
"Lucy, that's enough-" Leni began.
"Guys, please." Lincoln interrupted. "Lucy," He began in the most comforting tone he could, putting an arm around his frightened sister. "What are you talking about?"
"I-I just… I feel it." Lucy said softly, staring at the floor. "She's gone. I tried to stop her…"
"Lucy…" Lisa chimed in, her serious tone betrayed by her ever-present lisp. "Do you, perhaps… know something you're not telling us?"
Lucy bit her lip before giving a small, barely-noticeable nod. "I… I did something."
Lincoln frowned. "What?"
Lucy swallowed. "I was… right before the earthquake, I was in the attic." She sniffled softly. "I-I was doing a ritual-"
"Okay, that's it, I'm out." Lynn huffed, throwing her hands in the air. Lucy could hear everyone else let out a sigh of relief as well; Lincoln even had to stifle a small laugh.
"N-no, listen to me!"
"Shut it, Lucy. I'm not in the mood for bullshit!" Lynn snapped angrily.
"Lynn!" Leni gasped.
"You shut it too, Leni!" Lynn growled. "If you're not going to help me look for Lori, then just stay the hell out of my w-"
"Lynn, that is enough!" Leni shouted at the top of her lungs, face red with anger. Lynn's voice died on her lips; she'd never heard her gentle sister scream like that before. Leni leaned forward, giving the sporty Loud the fiercest glare she could muster. "That. Is. Enough." She repeated, her voice low and assertive. "You are going to stay here. You are going to wait for Lori like the rest of us. And, most importantly, you are going to keep your mouth shut until I say so. Do I make myself clear?"
The rational part of Lynn's brain told her to say yes. But Lynn was nothing if not a rebel, and she did not like to be pushed around. She only barely tolerated it with Lori, but Leni? Airheaded, ditzy Leni? Lynn scowled, indignant rage bubbling up from her gut. "Y-you think I'm gonna take orders from a retard?!" She snapped back, the words leaving her mouth before she could even think them through.
Silence.
Lynn instantly regretted opening her mouth. Seven pairs of wide eyes stared at the two, mouths agape; even Lily seemed to realize that Lynn had said something very, very bad. "Dude…" Luna muttered in shock under her breath.
Leni's mask of authority slipped, but she didn't look angry, nor did she cry. She simply stared at Lynn with downcast eyes, her lips parted slightly. She bit her lip slightly and averted her gaze. "I think…" Her voice cracked, lacking the edge it had just moments before. "…I think you'll take orders from your sister." Without another word she walked back to the couch, scooped up Lily, and sat down.
Lynn swallowed. She could feel the judgmental eyes of her siblings on her as she stared at the floor. She wanted to apologize, but the words wouldn't come. What could she say, really? She'd crossed the line. Lynn turned on her heel and ran past Lincoln and Lucy, up the stairs, and into her room, slamming the door behind her.
The tension in the living room was so thick it could be cut with a knife; it was Luna who first broke the silence. "…'Scuse me." She said, the fury in her voice evident, ignoring the pain in her hand as she got to her feet and stormed upstairs. A moment later, Lynn's door opened and slammed again, followed by muffled shouting from within.
"U-um…" Luan stammered, only to receive a cold glare from Lincoln, as if daring her to make a joke. "Leni, are you-"
"It's fine." Leni replied flatly, focusing her attention on the baby in her arms. "Lincoln?"
"Y-yeah?"
"I think Lily's hungry," Leni said in a quiet voice, not wanting to upset the infant any further. "Can you, like, heat up some formula for me?"
Lincoln gave a small nod. "Sure thing, Leni."
"I'll join you," Lisa said as she hopped off the couch. "This is all getting too emotional for my tastes." As the two walked into the kitchen, Leni turned her focus to Lucy, who was still standing near the door with a nervous, frightened expression.
"Lucy," Leni said, forcing a gentle smile. "Come here." She patted the space next to her. Lucy hesitated briefly before shuffling over and taking a seat next to her big sister. "I know you're scared," Leni began, putting an arm around the girl's shoulder and pulling her into a hug, which she didn't resist. "We all are. But it's totes going to be okay, I promise. Lori will be back soon, I'm sure of it."
"But…" Lucy muttered. "But the ritual…"
"Shhh. I'm sure that was totes just a co… ca…"
"Coincidence?" Offered Luan.
"Yeah, one of those." Leni smiled sweetly. Lucy leaned into Leni's side; she wasn't convinced, but right now the girl's warm embrace soothed her somewhat. She could only hope that her sister was right.
Lincoln retrieved a bottle of formula from the fridge while Lisa sat at the table, munching on a chocolate bar. "You shouldn't be eating sweets at night, you know." He scolded her with a frown.
"I eat when I'm stressed, brother," She replied. "And you are the last person that should be giving dietary advice."
Fair enough, he figured as he fished a measuring cup from the cabinet. "So, Lisa… do you have any idea what's going on here?"
"…No." Lisa mumbled through a bite of chocolate before swallowing. "But I'm just as troubled as you are."
"What about what Lucy said…?"
"Lincoln," Lisa scoffed, "I am a scientist. I operate within the realms of logic and reasoning, not paranormal quackery." She cleared her throat. "That said… it is clear that Lucy, at least, believes there to be a correlation between her childish games and the phenomenon we experienced earlier. I would like to assuage her concerns as soon as possible, if nothing else."
As he filled the measuring cup with water, Lincoln couldn't help but smile. She didn't show it much, but there was no doubt Lisa loved her family just as much as any of the others did. He opened the microwave and placed the measuring cup inside, set it to a minute, and pressed 'start'.
"If I were, however, to wager a guess," she continued, "Given the unusually low level of light outdoors, I believe we may be experiencing some sort of unknown meteorological event."
"Huh…" Lincoln muttered, glancing out the window. He could see absolutely nothing; not so much as a single light in the distance. It was if someone had simply covered the window with black paint. "Come to think of it, did it get darker…?"
"Preposterous," Lisa huffed, hopping down from her seat and walking over. She stood at his feet awkwardly for a moment before clearing her throat again. "…Assistance, please." Lisa mumbled, her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Oh… right." Lincoln picked her up and set her down on the countertop. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she looked out the window, darting about as if trying to find a single speck of, well, anything besides darkness.
"Hold on to me," Lisa ordered as she slid open the window, barely giving her brother time to grab onto her legs before she leaned her entire upper body out. She looked to her left, then to her right. Nothing. Everything beyond the window was pitch black; she could only faintly make out the outer wall of the house, and even that trailed off into darkness after a few feet. She pulled herself back inside and shut the window. "…Curious." She muttered. "Very, very curious."
Lincoln was about to ask what she meant, when a bubbling sound turned his focus to the microwave. The measuring cup was boiling over. "Whoa!" he yelped, quickly flinging the door open, shutting the microwave off. "That was close…"
"Lincoln," Lisa sighed, "A container of that size needs no more than a minute to reach optimal temperature. Surely you know that."
"Of course I know," Lincoln grumbled. "Darn thing's acting up again. See?" He pointed to the display; indeed, he had set the time to a minute. However, it seemed to have failed to count down, letting the microwave run indefinitely.
"…S-so it would seem…" Lisa muttered in confusion. Odd, she thought. While Lincoln tended to the measuring cup, Lisa waddled down to the other end of the counter and picked up a chicken-shaped kitchen timer. She turned it halfway, hearing the clockwork ticking into place, and then… nothing. The dial remained in place. She was able to turn it back manually, hearing the familiar 'ding' as it returned to its starting position. She idly chewed her thumb in thought. "…Lincoln." She said quietly. "When you looked at Leni's cellular device earlier, you said that the clock had 'frozen'?"
"Huh? Oh… yeah." Lincoln sighed as he placed the formula bottle into the hot water to warm it. "Why?"
Lisa frowned. Her eyes flicked up to the wall clock; it, too, was completely still. An electro-magnetic pulse, perhaps…? No, no… that would have disabled electronic devices entirely… She swallowed. "My apologies, Lincoln," She said, hopping to the floor. "But I have to take my leave. There are some things I must look into."
"Lisa…?" Lincoln felt a lump forming in his throat as he picked up the tension in her voice. "Did you… figure something out?"
"Not yet. But there are… several avenues I need to explore." Lisa mumbled. "If you see anything out of the ordinary, let me know. In the meantime, I'm sure it goes without saying, but… don't go outside."
"O-okay… but why?"
"Just a hunch," Lisa stated plainly. "…For now." She added, before scurrying out of the kitchen.
There was no doubt that something was amiss, and Lincoln couldn't help but feel a vague sense of dread overtaking him. He was worried about Lori, worried about his parents… worried about them. He swallowed, forcing down his fears for the time being. For now at least, they were safe, and they were together. His sisters were scared enough already; he'd need to put on his best game face for their sake, at least.
Though the longer Lincoln stared out the window into the darkness, he could feel something else creeping up within him, beyond the fear. Not an urge, nor an overwhelming thought, but there; much like how one might look down from a great height and consider, very briefly, that perhaps they should jump off.
The desire to go outside.
Leni hated being in charge. She was a nurturer… she could play 'Mom' better than any of the sisters, and perhaps even better than Rita herself. But when it came to leadership, that had always been Lori's forte.
Leni didn't like to raise her voice. She didn't like to be loud, or stern, or to throw her weight around the way Lori did. Admittedly, Lori could be downright tyrannical at times, but she at least knew how to maintain order. But Leni… she was a pushover, and she knew it. The few times she had been left in charge, things had devolved into pure chaos. Her parents learned to stop asking by then; if Lori wasn't available, Luna would be next in line. She, at least, could lay down the law when she needed to be. Tonight, however, Leni had to be in charge. Luna was injured, after all.
And yet, that injured girl was upstairs, standing up for her. Even muffled by Lynn's door, she could hear Luna's furious admonishments; 'How could you say that to her,' She cried. 'We're all stressed out right now, but that's no excuse'. She even heard Luna use a few choice words herself that she was sure Lori would disapprove of; she reminded herself to chastise her sister later. She already knew that she wouldn't. She couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief when the shouting finally stopped.
Leni understood that Lynn was on edge right now, as they all were. In truth, part of her had even agreed with Lynn… she did want to go out and look for Lori. But she couldn't be Leni right now. She had to be in charge. She had to be Lori. And so, she'd tried to be Lori.
But she wasn't.
Leni knew fully well that she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. It wasn't so much that she was stupid, she had been told, but that her mind just worked a bit differently than others. She had come to terms with this. But to hear that word directed at her, from her own sister no less… it hurt. It hurt a lot.
She hated this. She was tired, and scared, and upset. She wanted Lori to come home. She wanted to curl into a ball and cry herself to sleep, but she couldn't. She was still in charge, whether she liked it or not… and she had to be strong.
Leni looked down at the crying infant in her arms. She idly wondered if Lily was at some level aware of what was going on. Across the room, Luan sat in the armchair, taking periodic glances out the window in the hopes that she'd see Lori coming back; no doubt she was already planning out how she'd scold Lori for taking so long in the most pun-filled way possible. Lucy still sat nestled against Leni's side, looking more vulnerable than Leni had ever seen her, and on her opposite side were the twins. They looked exhausted, and Lola was struggling to keep her head up.
"Girls," she said sweetly, "Why don't you two go back to bed?"
"But Lori isn't back yet…" Lana mumbled sadly.
"Well, Lori would totes rather you rest up instead of staying awake worrying about her, don't you think~?"
"Leni's right," Luan chimed in. "You two should get some sleep. In fact, I bet that by the time you wake up, everything will be hunky-dory again!"
"You think so…?" Lana looked at her older sister with hopeful eyes, and Luan smiled brightly back at her.
"I know so."
Lana gave a small smile in return. "W-well, I guess…"
"Come on, Lana," Lola yawned. "Some of us need our beauty sleep." She hopped down from the couch and Lana somewhat reluctantly followed her to the stairs. "Thanks, Leni!"
"Yeah… g'night." Lana added, and then the two went back up to their room.
"Sweet dreams!" Leni called out after them, before giving Lucy a little nudge as well. "You too, Lucy. Aren't you tired?"
"No." Lucy said flatly. It was true; she was a creature of the night, after all. That aside, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep like this, not while she was in such inner turmoil. With a sigh, she slid off the couch. "…I'm going to see if Lynn's alright."
Leni frowned and nodded. As Lucy silently slunk her way over to the stairs, she couldn't help but take a glance back at her sisters. Even if they were doing their best to remain in good spirits, she could tell that it was forced. As she watched Leni give her best smile to a fussing Lily, she felt a pang of guilt in her heart.
"Lucy? You okay?" For once, the tables were turned as Lucy was startled by Lincoln. He had just come out of the kitchen, warm bottle of formula in hand.
"Y-yes." She stammered. "I was just… going back upstairs."
Lincoln chewed his lip. He'd never seen Lucy like this before; she was normally so stoic, distant in a way that not even Lisa could match. But now she was scared… vulnerable. "Do, you, um… do you want to talk?"
Lucy considered taking him up on his offer. Lincoln, after all, was one of the very few people she enjoyed talking to for an extended period of time. On the rare occasions she needed someone to vent to, he was always there, and she felt that he was the only one in the family that could truly understand her.
At the very least, he may be the only one who tried to.
But tonight, she knew there was nothing he could do for her. "Thank you," she said quietly in her practiced, monotone voice. "But no. I don't." She knew fully well that the only thing that could ease her worries was for Lori to walk through that door safe and sound
And somehow, she knew that wasn't going to happen.
Lynn lay on her bed in the fetal position, knees pulled close against her chest. She could feel a pit of guilt in her stomach. This was far from the first time she had upset one of her sisters… her propensity for speaking her mind had landed her in hot water more times than she could count. But even she knew there were lines that should never be crossed… she would never attack Luan for her overbite, or Lisa for her lisp, or Luna for her sexual preferences.
But tonight, she'd crossed that line, insulting Leni of all people. Leni, whose only crime had been daring to lay down the law to the sporty Loud. And what had Lynn done in response?
She'd called her sister a retard.
Just thinking about it made her feel sick. Retard. That was no simple slip of the tongue… she'd chosen that word on purpose. She'd chosen that word because she knew it would hurt Leni more than a punch to the gut ever could. She'd chosen it because she could still remember Leni coming home from middle school in tears, with clumps of dirt and twigs caught in her hair. Bullied mercilessly for being just a little bit slower than everyone else. Made to feel unwanted… like there was something wrong with her.
That word had tormented poor Leni for so many years, and Lynn had used it deliberately… callously. Cruelly. Why? Because she was annoyed? Because Leni had asserted herself?
Lynn could still feel her ears ringing from Luna's screams. Good. She deserved it, every harsh word that Luna had thrown her way. She was an ungrateful bitch. She was a spiteful, obnoxious brat.
She was horrible.
Lynn froze as she heard her door creak open. "Lynn…?" Lucy called out softly. "Lynn, are you awake…?" Lynn didn't respond, nor did she move. She didn't want to talk… she didn't have anything to say. All she wanted right now was to disappear.
After what felt like an eternity, Lucy left. And then, the tears came.
Luna splashed some cool water in her face before looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her face was still red with anger, and she couldn't help but scoff at the girl staring back at her. "You lost your cool, Luna." She said to herself. It was true; as much as she was furious with Lynn for insulting Leni, she knew fully well that she had been taking out her frustrations on the poor girl. Lynn was just a kid worried about her sister. And, Luna reminded herself, worried about her.
Luna was stressed. Well, so was everyone else, but for Luna things went deeper than that. Normally, she would just jam out for a bit to calm her nerves… but she couldn't. Not with her hand in its current state.
She grimaced as she looked down at her now-unwrapped left hand. It hurt, no doubt about that; it was swollen and discolored, her broken fingers bent at odd angles. She knew it would take some time to heal… and that during that time, she wouldn't be able to play guitar. Quite frankly, she had no idea how she was going to manage it without losing her mind. Music was her life, her one true calling, the only thing she really cared about… outside her family, of course. And right now, she'd never needed it more.
"Luna?"
Luna yelped, jumping as Lucy appeared in the doorway. "Bloody hell, Lucy! Don't do that!" She snapped a bit more forcefully than intended. Her expression softened as she noticed her younger sister recoil slightly, and she sighed. "S-sorry, Luce… I didn't mean it. C'mere."
She beckoned the goth over to her, giving her a gentle one-armed hug.
"Sorry." Lucy mumbled.
"S'alright luv. How're you holding up?"
"Fine…" Lucy lied. She winced as she saw her sister's mangled fingers, more out of sympathy than disgust; in any other circumstance, she'd likely be unfazed by the grotesque hand. "Does it hurt?"
"Oh, uh…" Luna laughed nervously, hiding it behind her back. "S'nothin' you need to worry about, dude."
"…I'm sorry." Lucy muttered in a quiet, guilt-stricken tone.
"'Bout what? You didn't do anything wrong."
Lucy frowned. "Do you want me to take care of it?"
"Eh…?" Luna chuckled softly. "I think this is a bit above your pay grade, dude."
"I-I can fix it." Lucy assured her. "I've set broken fingers before."
"Luce, it's… wait, what?" Luna asked, cocking an eyebrow. "When?"
"Lynn."
"Oh, right. Makes sense." Luna sighed. Lynn was always getting herself banged up in one way or another. "A-anyway… thanks, lil' dude, but I think I'm just going to wait till Lori gets back."
"…Luna, you'll be better off if you let me wrap it properly." Lucy sighed. "I mean, it doesn't look like help's coming right away… and I know what I'm doing. I promise."
Luna bit her lip. Lucy did have a point… there was no telling how much longer they'd be waiting for help to show up, and it did hurt with the fingers flopping around freely like that. But… "Will it hurt…?" She asked nervously.
"Yes." Lucy replied simply. "A lot."
"…Wow. You've really sold me on the idea, Luce." Luna said sarcastically.
"You'll feel better afterwards." Lucy was already headed to the closet; she fished out a large medical kit, the kind often used for sports injuries. "Sit."
Luna hesitated for a moment, fidgeting nervously. She'd always been a pretty tough girl, but this was a bit… extreme. It wasn't so much that she didn't trust Lucy, more that these were, well, her fingers. She kind of needed them. "Lucy, I dunno…" She stammered.
Lucy sucked her teeth in thought. "…Come on." She said at last. "It'll be totally metal."
Well, shit. "That does sound pretty metal, doesn't it…" Luna muttered under her breath. She was metal, right? She could handle this. Hell, Pucker Uppenheimer once let a roadie yank out a rotten tooth with nothing more than a rusty pair of pliers and a few shots of whisky. Surely she could handle a few fingers being popped back into place? "Alright, doc." She said apprehensively before sitting down on the toilet lid. "Patch me up."
Lucy smirked and set the med kit on the side edge of the tub. "Oh, by the way," She said as she picked up the shirt Luna's hand had been wrapped in, rolling it up into a tube before handing it to Luna. "You're gonna want to bite down on this."
"U-uh… right. Great…" Luna mumbled. She could feel herself breaking out in a cold sweat. She was already beginning to regret this decision, but Luna Loud was not one to back down. She did as she was told and bit down on the shirt. "Ly thith?"
"Yes." Lucy said as she took her sister's hand carefully, even the gentlest of touches sending waves of pain though Luna's body. "Ready?"
"Ye- ah men nuh, nuh, nuh-FFFFFFFFFFHHHHHHHHCKKKK!"
"Did you hear that?!" Lana gasped, shooting upright in her bed. Lola didn't respond; she was snoring loudly, her long blonde hair splayed out wildly across the bed… for a princess, she was definitely an ungracious sleeper.
Lana chewed her lip. She was sure she had heard something… one of her pets, maybe?
Were they crying for her?
She hopped out of bed, yelping in pain as she stepped on a Lego. The room was even messier than usual, the earthquake having done quite a number on the place… but that was a matter for tomorrow. She clicked her tongue a few times, trying to beckon out any of her beloved pets; normally, they would come running as soon as she called for them.
Most people thought that reptiles and the like were cold, emotionless creatures, but Lana knew better. Each of her babies were precious and unique to her… each had a name, a personality, and an important place in her heart. Clive loved having his belly scratched, for example… Izzy didn't. El Diablo liked to give hugs, while Sgt. Slithers was a loner. Hops enjoyed the simpler things in life, while Seymour had been more of a renaissance frog.
Lana wiped a tear from her eye. She hated being without her babies… they'd never been gone this long before, and definitely not all at once like this. She was absolutely baffled as to where they could have gone; even her ant colony was completely empty, despite still being sealed shut. It was like they had all just… vanished. Not so much as a single lizard remained.
"I can't sleep," Lana muttered sadly. "Not while my babies are still out there. Don't worry guys, Mama's comin'!" She snatched a flashlight from her drawer and left the room; she'd search all night if she had to. But where to start?
She thought for a moment. She'd already checked her room top-to-bottom… and surely if any were upstairs, at least one would have come out of hiding when she clicked her tongue. So they must be downstairs if they were in the house at all, right?
With that in mind, she slid down the banister. Lincoln and Leni were still in the living room, talking as they waited for Lori to arrive, while Lily slept peacefully beside them. Lincoln seemed to be doing his best to comfort his older sister. Lana slipped behind the couch and quietly entered her parents' room; if Leni caught her, she'd probably be sent back to bed, after all.
Her parents' room, barren as it was, had been left relatively untouched by the quake; a mirror had fallen of the wall, but luckily for Lana it hadn't shattered. She clicked her tongue a few times. "Guys? Mama's here… c'mon out!" She checked under the bed, through the dresser, and in the closet, unceremoniously rooting through her parents' clothes and tossing them to the floor. She did learn that her mom wore a size D bra, which she hoped would give her something to look forward to in the next twenty years or so, but other than that… nothing. Lana sighed dejectedly.
She slipped back out, past the living room, through the dining room and into the kitchen… only to be met with Luan pouring herself a glass of juice. "Lana?" She asked, surprised to see the little tomboy out and about. "I thought you were going to bed?"
"I-I tried…" Lana mumbled. "I couldn't sleep."
"Heh… still a bit shaken up, huh?" Luan chuckled, ruffling the girl's hair. "I guess that earthquake left us all pretty rattled. Get it?"
"Luan, stop," Lana giggled. Even at their lamest, Luan was just so earnest with her jokes that Lana couldn't help but laugh along with her.
"Tell you what," Luan began. "How about you sit down and have some juice with your big sis? Maybe that'll turn that frown upside down."
Lana smiled. "Y-yeah, okay." She sat down at the kiddie table as Luan poured a second glass for her. She snickered softly as Luan sat down next to her; her gangly body looked completely out of place in the tiny chair, making her hunch over with her knees practically reaching her chin. She looked like a big pink grasshopper.
"Huh, I knew I was getting a bit long in the tooth, but this is ridiculous!" She quipped, sucking in her lower lip to accentuate her oversized front teeth. Lana laughed again, and Luan grinned brightly as she gave her a glass of juice.
"Thanks, Luan…" She said as she took a sip. The sweet grape juice was exactly what she needed right now… almost as much as Luan's company. She could feel her nerves settling already.
"So, kiddo," Luan began. "Lola snorin' up a storm as usual?"
"You have no idea." Lana scoffed.
"You think that's bad? Luna sings in her sleep." Luan glanced over her shoulder before leaning in and whispering to Lana, "Opera."
"No." Lana gasped.
"Oh, yeah. In Italian and everything!" Luan laughed. "She doesn't even know she's doing it!"
"Please tell me you have videos!"
"Hours." Luan said with a hint of pride in her voice. "One of the highlights of my collection, might I add. I'll show you sometime."
"That'd be awesome," Lana giggled.
As their chuckles faded, each took a sip of their juice. In that brief moment of silence, Lana's thoughts couldn't help but drift back to the current situation. "…Luan…" she said softly, "Do you really think Lori's okay?"
Luan's grin faltered for just a moment. "Y-yeah." She said, faking a smile. "She probably just got caught up in some trouble. But she's a tough girl, you know? I'm sure she's fine."
Lana frowned. "She… she promised me she'd help me look for my pets."
"Well, that's all the proof you need, isn't it?" Luan grinned. "Lori always keeps her promises. No matter what."
Lana smiled a bit. "Yeah… I guess you're right."
"Hey, speaking of Lori…" Luan added in a sly murmur. "You wanna know a secret?"
"Mmm?" Lana mumbled as she took another sip of juice.
"Sometimes Lori farts if you press on her stomach."
Lana snorted loudly, spraying grape juice from her nose and all over the table.
"Whoa, Lana!" Luan exclaimed with a snicker. "Say it, don't spray it!" She had a big smile on her face as Lana wiped her dripping nose; nothing made Luan happier than making other laugh. A spit-take was fantastic, but nothing could beat some good ol' drink-out-nose action.
The two finished their juice, sharing a few more laughs along the way, before the conversation had drifted towards the missing pets. "I just dunno what to do," Lana whined. "I can't find them anywhere… not so much as a single ant!"
"Hmm…" Luan frowned. She hadn't seen any of the other pets, either... usually they would hide under a bed or something during bad storms, but she'd expected them to come out of hiding by now. Still, she thought it best to not worry the poor girl further. "You know…" She said, "Creepy-crawly things like hanging out in dark places, right? Have you checked the basement?"
"The basement…" Lana thought for a second; come to think of it, some of them did like going down there. It was dark, it was warm, and best of all, there were all kinds of delicious bugs and rodents scampering around after hours. "Luan, you're a genius!"
"I try," Luan boasted. "Now, here's the deal… you can go take a look, but if they're not there, you sneak your tuchus back upstairs and go back to bed… and I won't tell Leni you were down here, okay?"
"Deal!" Lana said happily, hopping up and giving her sister a big hug. "Thanks Luan… you're the best." With that, she ran around the corner and headed down into the attic. Luan chuckled and took the two glasses to the sink, being sure to wipe down the grape juice sprayed across the table before heading back to the living room.
Normally, Lana liked the basement. It was dirty, it smelled weird, and there were usually plenty of gross bugs crawling about. In other words, it was heaven.
But tonight, Lana just felt… uneasy. It was too dark, for one. Granted, the basement was always a bit too dark, the single exposed bulb on the ceiling doing little to light the room. But tonight it seemed darker than usual; the darkest corners of the basement were nearly pitch black, as if the light just wasn't reaching them. Lana clicked her tongue as she flitted about, checking under the washer and dryer, than inside the washer and dryer, and even inside the radiator. She checked all the familiar cracks and crevasses, she checked under the stairs, she even dumped out all the laundry, but found nothing. Even the cobwebs were free of spiders.
With a dejected sigh, Lana shut off the light and walked back up the stairs. She just couldn't understand it. Where had they gone? How could she not have found a single one of her babies? Somewhere in the back of her young mind, she knew this was not normal. It was as if they had all disappeared, like magic… but that was impossible, right?
As she reached the top of the stairs, she found herself standing before the back door. The only place she hadn't checked… outside. It wouldn't be the first time a few of her animals had gotten out… granted, never all of them at once, but she figured there was a first time for everything. Well, she supposed they'd be fine out there… she would continue her search in the morning.
…Although.
Lana chewed her bottom lip. Surely… she could at least take a quick peek? What harm could it do? She knew she'd been told not to leave the house, but she'd just be in the yard… the yard is still technically part of the house, right?
It'd only take a minute or two anyway. No one would ever know.
As quietly as possible, Lana reached out and unlocked the door. She had to be quick about this. She didn't think Leni would be too mad, but if she told Lori… Lana shuddered. She didn't want to think about that.
Lana carefully swung open the door, and she found herself standing before…
Nothing.
Everything outside the door was pitch black. She could not see even an inch in front of her… rather than bleeding out, the light from the kitchen seemed to just stop at the doorframe. Were she just a little older, she may have immediately noticed that there was something wrong about that, but unfortunately she was not a little older. She was six, and the only thought to cross her mind was "Wow… it's really dark out."
Lana got out her flashlight and flicked the switch. Nothing. "Stupid thing must be broken…" she grumbled. If she were only to have looked at it a little bit closer, she would have noticed that it was working just fine… however, it simply cast no light beyond the door. Lana leaned her head out slightly, clicking her tongue a few times. "Babies…? C'mon, it's time to come home! The earthquake's over!" She waited. Nothing. There was not a single slither or rustle of a leathery body through grass; in fact, there was no sound at all. She swallowed and carefully, slowly took a step. She could feel the cool grass beneath her feet... she just couldn't see it. She took another step, then another. She could feel leaves and twigs crunching beneath her feet, but she couldn't hear them over her own racing heart.
Or could she not hear them at all…?
Lana felt a chill run through her body. Not because it was cold… it wasn't, and in fact, it wasn't warm either. It was just… neither, somehow. She couldn't detect a temperature of any sort, nor could she feel even the faintest breeze against her skin. In all directions, Lana could only see darkness. Not a single star, not a single dot of light in the distance. It had felt like she'd been there for hours, when in reality it had been only a couple of seconds… but she'd had enough. She'd find her pets in the morning. Lana turned to go back into the house…
…but there was no door.
"Damn, dude…" Luna muttered as she looked at her freshly-bandaged hand. It had taken some time, but Lucy had done a good job. Resetting the bones had been the roughest part, of course… though Lucy had been as gentle as she possibly could under the circumstances, without a heavy dose of morphine that was going to be agonizing no matter what. But after that, Lucy had carefully splinted and wrapped each finger, and then wrapped all four together into a nice tight bundle. She may have lacked the motherly touch that Leni had, but she certainly knew what she was doing.
"You'll still need to go to the hospital," Said Lucy as she packed away the med kit, "But you should be good until morning, at least."
"No shit?" Luna laughed. "You're a regular Dr. Feelgood, y'know that?" She pulled her little sister into a hug, and Lucy smirked slightly. "Thanks, Luce. Really."
"It's, um… don't mention it." Lucy couldn't help but feel a bit better.
"C'mon, let's go see how everyone's doing." Luna said, leading Lucy back out into the hallway. "Maybe they're heard from Lor-"
Suddenly, Lisa burst out of her room with a slam, startling both girls; she looked to be in a near-frenzy, wide-eyed and with her hair even more unkempt than usual. "Lucy!" She cried.
"W-wha-"
"I must speak with you." She said quickly, grabbing her sister's arm. "Privately. Now." Without waiting for her approval, she pulled Lucy into her room and slammed the door shut, leaving a very confused Luna standing alone in the hallway.
"Lisa, what're you-" Lucy froze when she saw the state of Lisa's room. It was complete chaos, but not due to the earthquake… there were numerous large computers set up, beeping and whirring as they spat long rolls of printouts onto the floor. There were monitors displaying calculations and waveforms that Lucy couldn't even begin to comprehend, and what looked like some sort of radar dish rotating back and forth, and Lisa's chalkboard was covered in complex equations; that's not to mention the seemingly hundreds of charts and graphs scattered about. "L-Lisa…?"
"I've been busy." Lisa said plainly as she let go of her sister's arm. She looked awful; her eyes were bloodshot and she was jittery, even worse than one of her sugar highs. She was breathing heavily and Lucy couldn't help but worry that the tiny girl was going to pass out. "I was skeptical at first. It was illogical. Is. Is illogical. Even as I've began to make sense of it. Sense? No… no." She laughed a dry, humorless laugh. "No sense. It makes no sense."
"Lisa…" Lucy stammered. "Lisa, please calm down."
"Calm down…?" Lisa chuckled. "No. No, sister, I will not." She beckoned Lucy over to her desk, and Lucy gasped as she saw a bottle of caffeine pills lying on its side, contents scattered everywhere.
"Lisa, these-" Lucy began as she picked up the bottle. How many had she taken?
"Necessary. All necessary." Lis muttered. "Not important. Look. Watch." She raised an hourglass, showing it to Lucy. "See?"
"U-um…" Lucy blinked. "Yes…?"
"Good. Now look." Lisa placed it on the desk upside-down, and the sand inside fell to the bottom of the chamber; but they did not sift through to the bottom chamber. She said nothing for a moment, her eyes rapidly darting from Lucy, to the hourglass, back to Lucy. "See?"
"It's stuck?" Lucy muttered, before looking back down at the pill bottle in her hand. "Lisa, how many of these-"
"Forget about the pills!" Lisa shouted, smacking the bottle from her hand. She reached up and grabbed Lucy by the front of her nightgown, pulling her down to eye-level. "It doesn't flow! It doesn't count down, Lucy! Nothing does! Not the hourglass not the timer, not the clocks, they don't work! None of it works!"
"I-I…" Lucy had no idea what Lisa was talking about. She was clearly worked up over it, that much went without saying. Lucy gently took her sister's hands and pulled them free from her dress. "Lisa, please… calm down. What are you trying to tell me?"
Lisa looked up at her older sister with wide, wild eyes. Then, she shut them and took a deep, ragged breath. "…Alright. Alright, bear with me." Lisa removed her glasses, massaging the bridge of her nose and putting them on again before continuing. "As I said before… this was no earthquake. At least, not in the literal sense…" She began pacing. "In the simplest terms possible, the house violently shook, but there was no accompanying seismic activity. At least, none that my devices picked up on."
"O-ok…" Lucy swallowed. "You mean… only our house shook?"
"I… believe so. Potentially." Lisa sighed. "There are… other factors at play, but I'll get to that. I'm sure you've noticed that the clocks have stopped?"
"Yes…"
"It was strange," Lisa continued. "A clock stopping on its own is not unusual, however… all of them did. Every last one. Even clocks that were merely a function of another device, say, a cellular phone for instance… they just stopped, even as the device itself continued operating."
"Right..."
"Not only clocks, however." Lisa frowned. "I assure you, that hourglass is not stuck. There is nothing stopping that sand from falling… at least, nothing physical."
"I… I don't understand." Lucy could feel her throat growing dry. "What are you-"
"Moving past that," Lisa kept on rambling, paying her sister no mind. "The darkness. It's unusual, isn't it?"
Lucy tensed up. She could feel a shiver running down her spine. Lisa noticed this, and raised an eyebrow.
"Clearly you agree, if your earlier behavior is any indication." Lisa cleared her throat. "Admittedly, I thought little of it at first… I took the low level of light as a sign that the earthquake had been an unknown meteorological event of some sort… until our brother pointed out that it was getting darker. Impossibly so, even…"
"D-darker…?" Lucy whimpered, glancing out the window. Sure, she couldn't see anything, but…
"Observe." Lisa pulled a light-up rubber ball from Lily's toy chest and walked to the window, sliding it open. With the ball glowing brightly in her hand, she reached through the window.
The moment the ball crossed the boundary of the windowsill, it was gone from sight. Not even the faintest glow could be seen; Lisa's arm was simply gone, as if cut off at the shoulder. Lucy gasped, recoiling slightly. "W-what… how…?"
"As I said," Lisa muttered softly, pulling her arm back inside, the ball's bright light popping back into view as it left the darkness. "Impossible. By the very nature of science, the impossible cannot be. And yet… here we are." Lisa's voice had become very quiet. She seemed uncharacteristically fragile… almost like an ordinary four-year-old girl. "Lucy… come here." She said softly. Lucy found it difficult to comply, as her legs were trembling as if they were made of jello. "Look." Lisa said, gesturing to the window.
"…No." Lucy shook her head, her trembling voice barely above a whisper. "N-no, I don't want to."
"It's alright, Lucy." Lisa assured her, taking her by the hand. "I've got you. Just… look."
Lucy swallowed, gripping her sister's hand tight. Slowly, she dipped her head and shoulders out the window into the darkness. She felt her chest tightening, unable to breathe; there was nothing. Just an endless void, a complete and utter lack of anything… darkness so deep she could feel it piercing to her very core. She staggered back, falling onto her backside, wide-eyed and gasping for air; Lisa simply frowned, closing the window.
"Impossibly dark," Lisa repeated, wiping her glasses on her shirt. "And growing."
"I-I don't…" Lucy whimpered, trembling with fear. "I don't… Lisa, what's happening…?"
Lisa swallowed. "I… don't know. Not entirely. I've done the calculations, I've looked over the data. I have… theories…" She began chewing her thumb in thought again. "In fact, I have a very strong hunch on what. The question is why…?"
"Why…?" Lucy already knew where this was going. She'd dreaded this, hoped against all hope that it wasn't the case… but as Lisa stared at her with a solemn gaze, she knew what was coming.
"Lucy," She began in a hushed tone, "I am a scientist. I believe only in that which is logically sound, that which can be observed and rationalized… and yet, I cannot rationalize this. I have observed, and I have struggled to make sense of it. This is… beyond my comprehension. All I can do is follow my instincts… which leads me to you." Lisa leaned forward, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Lucy… what did you do?"
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Darkness Falls on the House of Loud