Photograghic Memory

Photographic Memory
No warnings
Word Count: 2224
Disclaimer: This is fiction. I don't own the people or the characters. I make no claims about their sexuality or lifestyles. No profit made. Fake, false, a figment of my abused imagination.

Chapter 12
**********

They had risen before the sun for the trip to Viggo's house. It was Orlando's home too, but for some reason everyone thought of it as Viggo's.

After much debate they had finally decided on which vehicle to take. After gathering their bags and supplies for the trip, like snacks and such, they spent the next 30 minutes discussing seating arrangements.

When the discussion had progressed to the three former hobbits rolling on the ground proclaiming the winner gets front, Sean intervened.
"My car, I decide. Billy front, you two, back seat." Grumbling was met with a simple, "Shut up, that's final." Only then did he unlock the doors to let them in.

The ride started off very quiet, subdued, almost as if they were going to a funeral. After 15 minutes of silence, a record for these guys, Elijah started with demands for music.

"We need music! Decent music, it will make this trip more tolerable. It's too damn quiet. I have CD's, good jams will make the trip go by faster."

"No. Your music gives me a headache." Sean turned on the radio.

"Sean." Elijah tried the big blue eyes, Sean wasn't looking. "Seeeaan." He tried whining. Sean was immune. He kicked the back of the seat, no response. When he started tossing CD's into the front seat Sean pulled off the road and turned around to look at Elijah. One stern look from Sean was enough to cause him to sit back and start rummaging for his portable cd player. Sean had kids; he had perfected his "looks".

Dom fell asleep about half an hour into their road trip. Within another half-hour Elijah was snoozing as well, draped over Dom, CD player lying forgotten in the floor.

Billy was trying to stay awake to keep Sean company but losing the battle. Being up until late last night and getting up early this morning was making it difficult. When Billy's head bumped against the window the third time, Sean suggested he take a nap. "I'll wake you when we leave civilization. I might need help with Viggo's crazy-ass directions."

Billy had nodded and laid his head back against the seat. Sleep quickly over-took him and within minutes he was out. Sean turned off the radio and drove in silence. Running over everything they had discussed the night before. It sounded good, it might work, but still, he had an uneasy feeling creeping up his spine. It did not pay to underestimate Viggo.

********

The car jolted when they left the hard top for the gravel road and jarred everyone awake. Billy stretched and looked around. "Where are we?"

Elijah and Dom were grumbling in the back and shifting into upright positions.

"You need the directions, Sean?" Billy began searching for them.

"Maybe, aren't we looking for a barn?"

"One.. Two.. Three.. " Elijah pointed out the window as he counted off barns.

"Alright, a barn that has burned down."

"Why would someone use a burnt barn as a landmark in directions? I mean, wouldn't the owner just tear it down and build another? Then it wouldn't be there." Billy was still looking for the directions.

"Look." Sean pointed out the window.

Nobody said a word as they passed the burnt out wreckage of what must have been a barn. The weeds and plant life growing up around it made it look as if it had been there awhile. All that was left was a skeleton of the original structure. Burnt, weathered boards sticking up here and there to suggest an outline.

After a few more minutes of oppressing silence Sean turned the radio back on and began adjusting stations. The rest of the trip everyone was relatively quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Just staring out the windows watching for landmarks in Viggo's directions.

***

The massive gate was already rolled open when they approached it. Beyond it the driveway curved around into the forest and out of sight.

"Welcome to my parlor said the spider to the fly." Billy muttered quietly.

"Said Shelob to the hobbit." Elijah added.

"Right." Beanie responded as he eased the car through.

When they pulled up in front of the house Orli came bounding out. Viggo leaned in the doorway, smiling, as Orli jumped around with hugs for each of them before leading them up to the door.

After more hugs and greetings inside, Viggo excused himself to go check on something in the kitchen. Orli had them stash their stuff next to the stairs.

"We'll work out sleeping arrangements later." He flashed his brilliant smile at them. "This is going to be such fun."

Each one's eyes were running from head to toe up and down Orlando's body. Looking, either consciously or unconsciously, for signs. Signs of Viggo. Orli saw them looking and raised his hands above his head and swung his hips, as if swaying to music only he could hear. His jeans hung low on his hips and his shirt slid up his stomach. The bruises on his sides stood out darkly on his smooth skin.
"Like what you see?" He said, smiling at them.

Viggo returned and stood leaning in the doorway, "Are you showing off?"

Orli, with his arms raised above his head and still wiggling his hips, sauntered over to Viggo and pressed his body up against him draping his arms over Viggo's head and around his neck. Vig smiled, playing absently with Orli's hair for a few minutes. He finally tore his eyes from Orlando and looked over at his guests. "Let me give you the grand tour." He said with a grin, "You're gonna love it."

He led them through into the kitchen. "I got most of this information from a trunk in the attic," he looked pointedly at Sean for a few seconds before continuing. "There were all sorts of journals and deed transfer records, even a few old newspapers clippings up there. Some were so old and brittle that I barely got them scanned before they crumbled."

"Scanned? You have a scanner?" Sean actually looked surprised.

"Teenage son, Sean. I have gotten quite an education in the finer art of computer basics."

The unease Sean had felt earlier was back.

"This is the kitchen," he waved his arms around in a dramatic gesture. "The kitchen and dining room are part of the original structure. It started out as a two room cabin almost 200 years ago. Owned by two men, a couple of fur traders, I think. They lived here about 15 years. Someone found them together in bed dead one day. No one knows for certain what killed them but it was officially listed as natural causes. The house sold seven years later for the property taxes owed."

He led them back through the dining room. They stopped to admire the ornate carvings around the fireplace before proceeding into the main hall again. There he continued his tour.

"In 1831, the Smiths bought it. A man, his wife, and two kids. Over the next eight years they had five more little ones. They added this room, at that time it was actually two rooms. In 1837, an influenza outbreak swept through this area, it wiped out almost the entire family. After her husband and six of their kids died the wife put it up for sell and went back east with her remaining child.

Viggo then led them into the living room. "In 1843 Horace and Wallace Abernathy bought the place. They were farmers, after about six years one of them got married, although the papers didn't say which one. The wife lived here for about seven years, had eight kids and died during childbirth with the last one in 1856. In 1859 Horace was hanged. It seems he decided to kill off all the others, slit their throats while they were sleeping. The articles I found said he had lived here for several weeks with their bodies still in the beds. It was still a four-room cabin then. The property went back to the state and didn't sell for 15 years. I guess nobody wanted to buy a house that 9 people had been killed in."

He paused in his story as they reached the den. Offering everyone something to drink and then lighting a fire in the fireplace. Orli busied himself with lighting candles; the room was full of them. When everyone was comfortably sitting with something to drink, Viggo joined Orli on the love seat and continued his tale.

"In 1874 William Stillwell moved in here with his three sisters. Good old William died in 1879, from gangrene. Left the three lovely sisters with seven kids. Nobody even knew the kids were up here. Two years later the local town people ran them off; they had four more kids by then. Seems they were practicing the 'oldest profession' and the local ladies didn't like it."

"It stood empty for four more years before a Mathew Walker bought it. In 1885 Walker opened a doctor's office here. There were a lot of records on him. He married Virginia in 1888, she died in 1891. He remarried the same year to a Martha. She had two children over the next four years and she along with the children died in a barn fire in 1895. He married Margarete in 1896. In 1905 he had the house expanded and added the second floor. They had 7 children by then. He enlarged his office to include minor surgery. By 1910 they had 11 children. In 1911 Mathew died at the age of 54. His wife shot him and then herself leaving a 16-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. She left a letter that said he had killed off two wives, one was pregnant at the time, and 11 children sharpening his surgical skills. His medical logs confirmed it. He had plans to remove the four year old's appendix the next day which is why she killed him."

"Damn, Viggo." It was the only thing Sean could think of to say.

Viggo looked at his watch, "While it is still daylight let's go outside. There is something I want to show you."

He led them around the house and up the well-worn path.

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

Billy was fidgeting, "A graveyard, a goddamn, bloody graveyard. Viggo you are insane. Why would you buy a house with a graveyard?"

"The history of it is fascinating." Orli supplied.

"The fourteen graves over there are the doctor's family. The one by the tree is the good doctor himself. His son didn't want him buried next to the others. All along there," he motioned toward the opposite side; "the doctor had buried patients who didn't make it."

Orli moved closer to Viggo; he really didn't like this place. Viggo wrapped an arm around him without thinking and continued his story, "From 1911 until I bought the place, 47 people have died here, most were children. Only one death was natural causes. The last owner died of a heart attack in the front yard. Everyone else has been accidents or illnesses. Including the last owners' three children."

"Vig, the sun is about to set," Orli interrupted.

"Let's go back to the house." Billy was very quick to suggest.

"No, you have got to see this." Viggo told him.

"Oh no, Viggo, I am not hanging around a graveyard, after dark, on Halloween."

"Watch the tree." Was all Viggo said.

As the sun slipped down the tree started to sparkle. Sean started toward it with a "What the fuck?" It stopped when he got within three feet of it, and started again when he backed up.

"Did you rig that?" He was looking at Viggo, none too friendly.

"Nope."

"Tell him about the ghosts." Orli could hardly contain himself.

"Patience, Luv, patience." Viggo still had his arm around Orli's waist and pulled him close. Once the tree died down for the night they began to head back to the house in the dark.

Billy was right behind Viggo and Orli. So close in fact, when Viggo stopped he ran into them and staggered back, causing Sean to catch him.

"Well, I see we are all together." Viggo laughed then continued walking.

They came in through the kitchen door. While everyone else was getting himself something to eat Billy went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink, muttering about a "fucking boneyard".

Viggo stood back and surveyed the room. So far, so good. Orli slid up beside him and whispered, "You want me to shut the gate now?" Viggo checked his watch and nodded. Orlando quietly left the room and headed for the office.

**********

He watched the monitor as the gate rolled shut. Then began typing in different codes and watched as different scenes from different cameras played across the screen.
Then the monitor went black.
He typed some more and watched as two other cameras moved to cover what the non-functioning camera was suppose to.

That's when he saw it. He typed some more and readjusted the camera, zooming it in as well. Sitting by the side of the road, about 1-kilometer from the gate, was a dark blue, four door Ford Taurus.

He locked the door behind him as he went to tell Viggo that their other guests had arrived.

~Continued~