Phoenix under the Umbrella (Umbrella Academy AU) Chapter 39: The Seance

[Third Person's PoV] 


Hazel raised his gun once more toward Klaus, but Klaus just giggled. With a playful beckoning motion, both guns flew from Hazel and Cha-Cha’s hands as if pulled by an invisible force.


Klaus opened his closed fist, revealing a tattooed "Hello" on his palm, and the guns disassembled in mid-air, each component splitting apart. “Heh, my little gingerbread man of a brother taught me that. Pretty cool, right?”


Cha-Cha, recovering quickly, prepared to charge at Klaus, but with a casual wave of his hand, she was slammed against the wall, hovering a few feet off the ground alongside Hazel.


Klaus telekinetically pulled the chair he had been tortured on, twirling it before sitting down leisurely. He draped one arm over the back and rested his head on it, his free hand lazily covering his face. "Now, what’s Daddy Klaus gonna do with his naughty kids who didn’t listen to the safe word?" he mused aloud.


Hazel, tense and apprehensive, spoke first. “Look, we’re just doing our job…”


“I don’t recall hiring BDSM services,” Klaus quipped, his eyes twinkling with mischief.


“We’re tasked to find your brother,” Cha-Cha muttered, clicking her tongue in frustration at their predicament.


Klaus gave a dismissive wave. “What do you even want with Five? He’s harmless! Poor guy’s been stuck in the future for… however many years. Point is, he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”


Hazel shifted uncomfortably. “He’s a hitman who’s killed hundreds of people…”


Klaus arched an eyebrow. “Oh? So that’s why you're after my pint-sized brother? Revenge? Because I gotta tell you, that won’t end well for you guys.”


“It’s not revenge,” Hazel corrected. “We don’t have anything personal against him. He’s just broken his contract, and we’ve been sent to deal with him.”


“Dude, shut up,” Cha-Cha snapped, glaring at him.


Hazel groaned. “He’s holding us against a wall. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable this is? Especially for someone as big as I am”


As Klaus considered their fate, ghostly figures began to materialize around him—visages of the brutally slain.


“Ugh. You guys need to see a doctor. You look like hell,” Klaus grimaced in disgust.


Hazel and Cha-Cha exchanged confused glances, unsure if Klaus had completely lost it, since he appeared to be talking to thin air.


Klaus buried his face in his arm, groaning. "You guys are the reason I do drugs, just so you know." He paused, a sly grin forming. “Wait a sec...”


He lifted his hand, palm outstretched with the "Hello" tattoo visible. “Hey, some people want to say hi. They’ve missed you.”


Suddenly, the room filled with apparitions. Hazel and Cha-Cha’s confusion turned to dread as they recognized the faces of the ghosts.


“Aren’t they…?” Hazel stammered in disbelief.


“Yeah… they are,” Cha-Cha confirmed grimly.


The ghosts were their victims—people they had killed in the past.


“How…?”


“That bastard can talk to the dead,” Cha-Cha growled.


Klaus wiggled his fingers at the two of them. “The dead send their greetings to the living.”


The ghosts surged forward, grabbing Hazel and Cha-Cha by the legs, dragging them to the floor. Klaus nonchalantly stood and walked over them, as if floating on air.


"AHHH!"


"AHHH!"


Both screamed as the vengeful spirits attacked, their blood splattering the walls. Their agonized cries filled the room while the ghosts reveled in their long-awaited revenge.


Klaus, casually floating above the chaos, released his levitation and landed softly on the bed. Crossing his legs, he telekinetically opened a nearby vent, pulling out a briefcase and placing it on his lap.


"Now then, let’s see what goodies they were using on me," he said, sounding hopeful.


The screaming abruptly stopped. Klaus glanced up, seeing the ghosts holding severed limbs and decapitated heads.


He gagged, covering his mouth. “This is why you do drugs, kids.”


The ghosts bowed toward Klaus, their voices echoing in unison, “Thank you, Mr. Seance.”


“You guys know me?” Klaus asked, surprised.


“Of course. You’re a legendary figure in the land of the dead. Everyone hopes to one day be summoned by you.”


Klaus blinked in confusion. “Just how hard were the drugs those guys gave me? And where can I get some more?”


He slapped the top of the briefcase, still bewildered. “Wait, why am I some ‘legendary figure’? And why do you all want to be called by me?”


The ghosts exchanged puzzled looks, as if the answer was obvious. “You’re the Ruler of the Land of the Dead, the King of the Spirit World.”


Klaus, dumbfounded, waved his hand with a tattooed “Goodbye,” sending the apparitions vanishing back to wherever they came from, leaving dismembered limbs to drop unceremoniously to the floor.


He stared blankly for a moment. “How do I forget I even heard that? Ah yes, The answer to all of my problems—drugs.”


Shaking his head, Klaus turned his attention back to the briefcase, fiddling with it for a moment before finally opening it.


As Klaus opened the briefcase, he suddenly vanished from where he sat.


One second later...


Klaus reappeared in the same spot, but he looked completely different. His hair was shorter, his frame slightly more muscular, and a new tattoo adorned his forearm. He was dressed in military fatigues, the sleeves ripped off, with two dog tags hanging around his neck.


Clutching the briefcase tightly, Klaus began to hyperventilate. His eyes were wide and lost, his lips trembling. 


He tried to stand from the bed, but his legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees on the floor. 


A single tear slipped from his watery eyes, and that was all it took for the floodgates to open. Klaus sobbed uncontrollably, shaking as he held the briefcase like it was his lifeline. Each breath was ragged, his body wracked with every tear that fell.


Those sobs soon turned to fury. Grabbing the briefcase, he slammed it against the walls, the floor, and even the windows, thrashing it violently.


"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Klaus screamed in raw anger as tears streamed down his face.


“DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! WHAT GOOD ARE THESE POWERS IF I CAN’T SAVE THE ONE I LOVE?!”


In a blind rage, Klaus flung the briefcase out the window. It crashed into the parking lot below, erupting in flames upon impact.


Exhausted and broken, Klaus lost his balance and collapsed to the floor, curling into a ball as he continued to sob uncontrollably.


Moments later, a wormhole opened, and Nathan stepped through with a confused expression on his face.


“Klaus?” Nathan called out, concern lacing his voice. He was shocked to see blood spattered everywhere and dismembered body parts scattered across the floor.


At the sound of Nathan's voice, Klaus leaped up and hugged him tightly, sobbing harder than before.


Nathan was taken aback by the chaos, but he quickly set his shock aside. The only thing he knew for sure was that his brother needed him—now more than ever.


Nathan wrapped his arms around Klaus, placing a comforting hand on his head. “I got you... don't worry, brother, I got you.”