Dark Keys of Uncomplacency

Chapter 21: Conquest's End

Connor could care less about the suspicions that would arise when he didn't show up at the hospital. Even if he wanted to go now, the Buick was shot. The engine wouldn't rev up to 50mph without shaking and the gas tank had been empty for so long that it prompted the car to beep two times already. A third beep would mean being stranded on the side of the road, out of gas. Of course he could've asked his new friends for a ride, but as he sat on the basement steps wielding a crowbar, all he could think about was Allison. There was obviously a strong connection between her and the spirit in the piano, and instead of being lulled into possession, like the last few times, she was intentionally bringing it upon herself by playing the piano. She was determined.

Before sitting on the steps beside Julian, who was arm's length away from the door on the left, he reluctantly retrieved another wrinkled piece of paper from his pocket: a copy of Klaus & Schröder's Uncomplacency. If Allison was going to reach Heinrich, she was going to have to play that piece. The idea was to lose herself in the piece so much so that Heinrich takes over and so, in turn, she can rifle through his memories.

"I need one of you guys to come in here and hold the flashlight up. I can barely see anything in there". She peeked her head out of the door on the left ever so slightly, as if assuring the soul was tightly packed into the piano.

"I'll go", Julian volunteered.

Connor could see the fear on his face. He looked almost nauseous as he stepped halfway into the room with Allison. "Guess we're all going in because I'm not waiting out here, when the crowbar might be needed in there".

"I don't think a crowbar matches up to what's about to happen in here, but yeah bring it just in case".

"Actually that's not a bad idea, they do the same thing in Supernatural. The metal in the crowbar is supposed to fend off any spirits that may appear".

"But this isn't a spirit—", Allison caught herself and took a deep breath to calm down. "It's more like a force, like a ringing in the ears. You know it's there, but you can't trace its origin. The last time I was in here, I remember being Heinrich Schröder. I somehow stepped into his shoes and could access memories. Good and bad memories. They were mostly muffled by Cedric's murders, but I could sense some pure moments somewhere in his head. Something about a silvery, blonde-haired woman back overseas? If it doesn't look good for me while I'm playing, you know what to do".

Connor nodded as he twirled the crowbar in his hand.

"Damn! I forgot my bat at home".

"It doesn't matter, you'll be holding the flashlight anyway. Besides, I'm sure there's something else in that other room full of tools you could use".

They closed the door, cutting themselves off from the land of the living except for the thin line of light that seeped through the bottom of the door. The stage was set and the spotlight was pointed at the old dusty Steiff. Even the cobwebs had been restored in its resurrection; they shined in the light like twisted lines of trip wire. Allison took her seat, before giving her fingers and wrists a long thorough stretch. The audience of two remained silent as she began to play.

Playing the first few cords reminded Allison of what it was like priming a shitty typewriter or an old guitar with a loose string. The melody was dark and enigmatic like the nightmares she had been experiencing. Her fingers never skipped a note, she even found herself tapping the dull foot pedals even though they were broken. The general body of the piece sounded like the perfect complement to an elaborate constellation or geometric fractal. The untuned keys only made the crescendos and decrescendos more wobbly. Each note rippled through the air like light waves through a quiet pond.