Chapter Text
During his formative years, Kai heard all kinds of stories about ghosts. Ones that said they were vengeful spirits occupying the empty spaces of abandoned houses. Homes full with the memories of those who once gave life to it, and now those spirits vow to protect these memories from curious foreign eyes.
Kai now knows better, these were just lessons, stories that adults make up so kids don’t cause any trouble. Don't enter abandoned houses, it’s dangerous not because of ghosts that might haunt you but because of drug addicts or homeless folk that might make it their space.
Being aware of that ruins some of the meaning ghosts once gave him, that even after death, sometimes, you could have something to fight for.
But what does he know? That doesn’t matter, ghosts don't exist…
—
It’s a pretty cold morning, the ones that only makes getting out of bed harder, and Kai absolutely HATED the cold, it made his nose run, made his throat hurt like hell and made his hands too cold for his liking, but he liked the feeling of sleeping through it, especially now with how warm his sheets felt right no-
“KAI GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED WE’RE GONNA BE LATE AGAIN”
…
…Great, now he really needs to get out of bed. Hopping out and heading downstairs he encounters the origin of the scream, his 'sometimes ray of sunshine, sometimes personal freak of nature', aka his sister Nya.
“Why aren’t you dressed? I can’t afford to be late to class again” She fumed while putting some pancake batter in the pan, letting it solidify into the soft treats Kai’s stomach was earning for. “And neither can you by the way, we ain't repeating the drama from last year.”
“Okay MOM, i'm going to after breakfast” He said walking to a near chair and letting himself sloth on it, putting his arms in the back of his head and stretching his legs beneath the table, closing his eyes he focused on the sizzle of the pancakes.
“Speaking of it… mom sent a letter, she and dad arrived in Ninjago City, told you to not get in any trouble” She held the letter in her hands and handed it to her brother. “Mrs. Grumbmiller is gonna check on us from time to time”.
“Great, we're not even gonna feel like they abandoned us again” Kai shrugged, crumbling the paper, grin growing as his sister came with a plate full of soft and shiny delights.
“Stop being dramatic” She smacks him on the head as she sits on the table. They went on to do their morning routine, as always, Kai spent too long in the bathroom making both of them late… again.
The two teens hopped in their bikes, Nya almost falling off hers as Kai zoomed past her with a mischievous look in his face, a move that clearly called for a race. The streets were silent and the atmosphere was calm like always. It was normal in Ignacia, a small city with not many people didn’t call for lots of vehicles, though people were not always the nicest around, it was a good place to live, it felt like a playground for kids to play around without being afraid of being run over by a crazy driver.
Leaves snap beneath the wheels, the orange shades of the trees made the morning sun shine through them in a gold beam, the air was starting to get colder and the wind faster which made Kai’s eyes water, he was out of his seat as he put all his weight on the pedals, competitive nature getting the best of him.
They arrived at the finish line, Kai winning the race and hitting the brakes waiting for his sister to catch up, when she eventually did Kai bragged about being the fastest and his bike being the coolest, being bright red and filled with yellow flames. She flipped him the bird and they said their farewells.
Kai and Nya went to different schools, something Kai wasn’t very comfortable with, who knows what could happen to his sister while he was away. These thoughts washed his mind every day when he saw his sister pedal away. He sighs at the thought, his eyes look around and fall to the most outstanding building in the block, the church.
They saw it everyday, it’s very unusual, there aren't many churches around the First master’s belief, people who are followers normally express their beliefs in other ways like word to mouth so structures like that are very rare especially in a small city like theirs.
The church itself had a weird feel about it, it was abandoned, the tinted windows were broken and the walls filled with mold and crude graffiti. It was kind of revolting, one day this church was beautiful, he was sure. But now, it felt like a horror movie setting. He didn’t even notice he spent so long looking at that place, he didn't know why, but he felt something was watching him back.
—
“Well well well, if my eyes don’t deceive, Kai Smith actually came today” Mr. Garmadon stopped the lesson, turning his and the class’s attention to the boy that just came past the door. “Just 15 minutes late today. What is the excuse this morning?”.
“Uhm my bike’s tire is flat” The old man’s face looked unamused as he towered over his student.
“Of course it is… How about you say that to principal Wu himself? I’m sure he would love to hear about that flat tire again” Some giggles came from the silent room, Kai gritted his teeth over that. How annoying these people can be. Garmadon walked back to his desk putting his reading glasses back on looking over some random papers in his hand.
Kai saw that as an invitation to finally leave, turning back to the door his teacher called him from behind. “Oh and Smith, if you don’t come back with a pass don’t even bother to come back at all” He said staring deep in his eyes, head low and glasses at the tip of his nose. Kai left the class, goddamn.
—
“Really, what is worse than going to detention after just 30 minutes the class started, THAT’S RIDICULOUS!! What is mom and dad gonna say about this, man? I can't even imagine it! What if we’re expelled, or even worse? I mean, maybe girls are gonna like a bad boy like me. But that's out of the question right now. What do you think buddy?” His pleading eyes looked with defeat at the taller boy next to him.
“I think it would be appreciated if you took a deep breath and calmed down, Wu sure could understand our situation if we explain in a concise manner” The taller boy spoke softly looking down at the slouched figure of his friend.
“I guess you’re right” They arrived at the principal’s office apprehensively pushing the door that led to the waiting room. Inside was unexpectedly another student waiting for the principal’s attention. He was sleeping on one of the chairs in the room, which was just a gray hall with five hard chairs and some decorative plants tossed around.
The sleeping brunette woke up with the creaking of the door opening, he shifted around trying to sit better on the chair. “Hey you guys want to see principal Wu? Cause too bad, he’s not here” He explained.
The two teens standing look at each other “Have you been here too long? we kinda don’t wanna stay here waiting.” The freckled one said, he looked around nervously, it was pretty clear he never came here before.
“The fact I just had one of the best naps of my life must be telling” His gaze followed the two that held a silent conversation. “Who are you two anyway? I've never seen you guys around here and trust me, I know the regulars”
“My name is Jay, Jay Walker and this big guy here is Zane” The fella held his hand for Kai to shake. This name wasn’t all unfamiliar to him. Kai wasn’t too big on the gossiping train but the news of an ex-homeschooled kid that lives in a junkyard didn’t fly past him.
By first glance, Kai could assume he was a huge nerd, the two of them actually. Jay held a face full of freckles making him look like a cake top full of sprinkles dancing around the surface. His hair was very curly and messy, as an enthusiast of hairstyling Kai was full of ideas for him, the hair totally needed some tips for oiliness.
“We were sent here by Mr Chen after we had an incident with the fire extinguisher. It exploded in one of the halls when Jay knocked it accidentally.” Said Zane, the guy was weird for sure. His blue eyes were hunting and looked almost like they were glowing. His hair, cut straight and tall, military style, was blond, matching with his skin, eerily light, like paper, except under his eyes and nose, with red bright blood flow under the skin almost like it was super transparent.
Kai actually studied with Zane in some classes, much to his disdain. He was the top student and most likely to be successful in life. Kai… was not, terrible grades, nothing was ever good enough for his parents and his whole social presence was being the hot guy in school with many girls around him but none that actually stuck. Zane had a stable family, a prosperous future and a good reputation. That kind of made him a bit jealous to be honest, even if he tried to deny this feeling to himself.
“Im Kai, Mr Garmadon sent me here for being late. I came here just to get a pass but I guess it’s too much to ask” He puffs.
“Have you tried getting it yourself? you don’t need principal Wu to give it to you” The freckled guy raised his notched brow, directing himself to the door in the middle of the room.
“Oh come on, you really think i didn’t check if the-” The door clicked open.
Yeah he forgot to check the door…
“Of course… Uhh– Come on, you’re just gonna stand there or help me find that stupid pass” They all scatter around the office checking some of the drawers and looking through some folders. It felt like watching behind the scenes of a movie, student reports, tests from many different classes and different documents about school infrastructure, or something like that.
They probably shouldn’t be seeing all that, Principal Wu could come back at any moment, he was normally a really understandable man but somethings can show the true side of some people… like meddling with important things and desorganizing some stuff by accident.
Eventually the passes were found, ending their exploring “Hey Kai i found the stuff!” Jay exclaimed, waving the piece of printed paper. Turning his body he saw the spiky haired boy kneeling next to the trash bin reading a big yellow screwed up paper with an expression of wonder in his face. “What are you doing weirdo?”
“Finding the next thing to snoop” He grew a malicious grin turning the paper to the other boys who gazed at it with an equally surprised look in their eyes.
Come and find me at the church, we have a lot to talk about and you can’t keep running from this any longer than you already had.
I’ll be waiting your visit September 26th at 7:30
Make sure you are alone.
Cordially: Father Clouse.
“Church? You mean the church here in Ignacia? But it’s abandoned, why would a priest be based there?” The mystery flourished many questions and theories in the taller boy’s brain.
“OoOoOoooh do you think they have a hidden facility with monsters beyond our comprehension? Or what if they have a secret affair?” Jay jumped around with the possibilities.
“Ewww i don’t think i want to eavesdrop on old people porn, don’t ruin it for us” Kai drove himself out the door, walking backwards and facing the others “Come on we’ll never know what it is if we’re not there to find out”.
“Are you crazy? You want us to S- SKIP CLASS? You’re gonna get us in trouble.”
“Me? I'm not the one that opened the principal’s office without permission.”
“Kai, I don’t appreciate your behaviour, we went in because of you. You don’t really suppose we will follow you breaking school guidelines when we don’t even know you personally.” Zane spoke in a higher tone which is the most emotion the brunette has ever seen in the blonde.
“If you don’t go that's fine by me, and you can stay with the pass, I just needed a good enough reason to skip, Mr. Garmadon is gonna fail me anyway.” Just as Kai was leaving he said. “Just don’t come to me wanting to know what the hell a priest is doing in an abandoned church with OUR principal, I guess that's coming to the grave with me.”
“Wait!” There it is “I can’t believe you’re not curious Zane! We NEED to know what is going on PLEEEEEEAAAASE I'M NOT GONNA SLEEP TONIGHT IF I DON’T FIND OUT!” Jay clutched the tall boy’s sweater.
“Jay, that’s not nice to do, just minutes ago you were scared of being expelled by an accident now you want to-”
“But I'm not anymore, I can deal with an advertence if it means I'll get to spy on a super secret conversation like Clutch Powers did on that movie we saw. C'mon, think about the girls, they loOoOoove a bad boy. Just look at Kai.”
Zane stood there looking at Jay’s big puppy eyes, he sighed. “I’ll go. So I can be sure you stay safe, I promised you and I won't disappoint.”
The three sprint off to their bikes, jumping the school gates and unlocking the chains that held them. Except for Zane, who informed Kai he didn’t have a bike and came by foot. Jay’s bike had no space, much to Kai’s annoyance, his bike did, shame on him for having such a cool bike. Zane rose to the unstable rear back of Kai’s flame themed bicycle and the three took off.
It didn’t take too long to reach the building, the one Kai saw daily on his way to school, admittedly it felt weird coming here at a different time than he was used to, but quickly he shoved those thoughts in the back of his head as they sensed movement inside the structure.
After hiding their escape vehicles behind some brush close by, the trio approach the church, leaned over to avoid any windows they advance through the sides of the place, glancing up, two figures could be figured inside, the conversation seemed heated by their erratic movements. They end up climbing some rubbish, reaching a higher window, from the outside, yells were caught. Unfortunately, the vast, empty insides of the church made them harder to hear with all the echoing.
“It’s dan– rous, who would –ow what could happen to these people if things get out of our control?” It was their principal, in the middle of an argument.
“I didn’t call you here to discuss whether or not p– ople are in danger or not. How– how did you even find out about this case?” The priest’s tone got higher as he spoke, his arms waving around with each word.
“I’ve been looking to find people for the program, we don’t need to close it” Program? What type of program needs to be so secretive?
“That’s not the issue, are you really that blind? This already caused too much of a problem to us. You and your brother just made the situation worse. All I ask is for the equipment back, to ensure you won't use it for… personal use.” The trio looked at each other, they heard that right, didn't they?
“Denying so– ing like the – ng – ack is asking to –” Wu lowered his tone for the grief of the stalkers. Trying to listen, they lightly lean forward to the window frame. “WE WILL NOT CLOSE THE PROGRAM” The scream echoed through the walls, its noise reverberating through the pillars. Jay flinched at the sudden noise, the pile they were standing on slightly shifting and clashing into itself. They quickly got away from the window, knowing that the noise was caught.
After a pause, “I think this is enough, again I couldn't change your mind about your little game of cat and mouse, hopefully you might change your mind in the distant future.” Priest Clouse stated in a bitter pinch. The two adults left for the front door, the kids following from the outside. Wu leaves, going back to school, leaving the trio confused and curious.
Jay distances himself from the others taking a peek inside the building, the priest is looking around, searching for any nosy person like them, he looked at Jay’s direction which made him hide. He felt the weight of eyes on him disappear, giving him confidence enough to take a peek again. The priest was gone.
“Uhh guys… He’s gone”
“What do you mean gone?” Kai's eyes widened.
“I mean that he was there and now he’s not anymore, what do you want from me?” Jay cried, his voice cracking mildly. The three boys looked at each other, none knew why, just a silent acknowledgement that they needed some sort of conclusion out of this.
“Okay, we can’t just sit here like idiots, we need to do something, this shit sounded serious. I don’t think I can survive with this mystery unsolved.” Jay and Zane look concerned, uncertain. They don’t intervene with Kai’s speech. He paces around and after some steps he shoots his head up, as if a light bulb lit up inside his head. “We’ll come back here tonight and try to find anything that could put us on some track. If the priest just disappeared in thin air there must be something we can’t quite see from the outside right?”
“So you’re saying we should… sneak out? I don’t know if I can do this” Zane stokes his hands looking at the ground.
“Yeah you’re really starting to overcome your welcome. You already made us sneak out of school, now you want us to invade an abandoned building? AT NIGHT??” Jay screams in whispers, looking around sporadically, as if the trees itself could listen to their debate.
“You know you two could have just said no right?” Kai looks straight into Jay's eyes, approaching slowly, he puffs his chest, intimidating the smaller boy enough for him to force himself to not back off. “So if you want to stay at home, cuddling your plushies to sleep you can. But your absence will not stop me from coming here tonight.
“You’re kidding right? I'm not letting you come here all alone, you’ll either be kidnapped or have a lot of fun and i’ll not miss any of that” Kai jerks away from Jay in surprise, he tries to bicker but loses the words to.
Zane loudly groans. He presses his eyebrows together, silent for a few seconds to breathe. “Jay, you just can’t stay out of trouble, I'm not letting you do this alone, as much as I wished not to. I will accompany you Kai.”
“Okay so here, tonight, in front of the gates, 2 am. Bring flashlights and anything that might be important. It’s a secret mission so only we can know and bring it to the grave.” Kai brings the attention of the conversation back to him, they nod in agreement and turn to their bikes. Going back to the school continuing their normal day as if nothing major was going through their minds, when in reality, they were planning every move they would make at night.
—
The clock reached the long awaited time. The house was silent, Mrs Grumbmiller was long gone, only coming to prepare the dinner for the two siblings. Thankfully her visit was brief, Kai really didn’t want to deal with sneaking away from two people.
He moved out pushing his door open as cautiously as he could, the old thing making a horrible cry. The floorboards creak lightly with every step the boy takes walking downstairs. In the tip of his toes he approaches the front door, arm reaching for the keys next to it, they jingle loudly, filling the silence around him.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The sound of his sister’s voice made Kai jump, the keys clashing on the ground. He turns, wide eyes and hand clutching his chest. The one detail he forgot on his escapade, she’s a fucking insomniac. Her hair was a mess, her eye bags as dark as a raccoon, she had in her hands a piece of bread with nothing inside and a cup of coffee. “And don’t you dare say “nowhere” cause I know when you lie to me”.
“I'm just going to meet some friends, okay? Nothing special. Go to sleep, I can take care of myself” He bends down to grab back his keys, avoiding his sister’s drilling gaze.
“You? With friends?! I gotta see this!” She runs to the kitchen table leaving her mug and half eaten nothing sandwich. Seriously, what is wrong with this girl??
“What?? No way! You’re not coming with me, you’ll sleep, Hear me?”
“Oh yeah? Why not? If there’s nothing special about it?” She doesn’t blink, inviting Kai to an uncalled staring contest.
“Fine, Fine! You win, you domesticated parasite” He huffs at her smug smile “Some guys and I heard weird stuff happen in the church. Y’know that one on our way to school? Well, we’re gonna see if we find something cool.” He watches as her eyes shine with wonder.
“I’ll go grab my coat!” She runs past him, jumping 2 steps at the time in the stairs. Kai stands there, he groans and looks at the clock in the kitchen wall, even though it’s dark, he can read 2:04. He lets out another annoyed growl.
“Okay i'm ready! while we go you gotta tell me more about this whole thing” She says as she snaps the keys from her brother’s hands.
—
The sound of gravel from the asphalt echoed in the neighbourhood when they hit their brakes, the building seemed much more terrifying than before now that everything, from outside and inside the church were now enveloped in darkness.
“Where are they? There’s no way we’re early” Nya said, walking off her bike and looking around for any type of movement.
“You’re right girl, no way” Jay says, leaving from some brushes with Zane right beside him.
“Who is she?” asked Zane.
“She’s my sister Nya, I wasn't able to find my way around her while sneaking out”.
Jay’s eyes widened, she was the prettiest girl he’s ever seen. “H-hi im J-J-Jay…” He held his hand up for a handshake, staring at the ground in embarrassment, he could just feel his face was as red as her jacket and honestly, it felt pathetic.
She chuckled and shook his hand, he seemed like a cool guy, opposed to what Kai told her about him.
“My brother told me about all the stuff you guys put yourselves onto. So this is the place right?” She points a flashlight in the building in front of them.
“Precisely. I say for us to keep our visit short, we can get in trouble for breaking and entering.” Zane explains as he moves forward, stopping a step away from the massive entrance door. The others follow, standing next to the blonde in a line.
“Well… what are we waiting for?” Kai finally breaks the silence that was holding their bodies to the ground.
The boy pushes open the door, making as little sound as possible, which seemed hard considering the state of it. The hard, solid wood felt almost too light at touch, seemingly it being hollow inside by termite.
Upon entering, the group was greeted with a dark enormous corridor, the walls extending more than their flashlights could illuminate. There was a row of benches at each side of the corridor, many crumbling down. Paintings of dragons and other creatures relating to the beliefs of the church were displayed, some unrecognizable, it was a bit melancholic.
In the end of the room was an altar, with a somewhat exotic nature, having a huge stained glass that lit the floorboards and a small table in the middle with a coloured light, it didn’t seem abandoned or forgotten.
They separated from each other, investigating different things that got their attention. Zane found some stairs that lead to a 2nd floor, there, he found himself in another narrow corridor. Zane brought his camera to capture anything he deemed important. He found some pretty interesting paintings, symbols in the walls and markings he assumed weren’t related to the religion, still, it was interesting to document.
He reached some doors leading to small rooms, some blocked by rubble, some simply empty. At the end of the passage there was a very crooked gate, weirdly, it was open enough for any person to enter. Looks like someone broke in before them. Passing the gate led him to the very top of the building, being met with the massive bell, Zane had to fight the urge to ring it. When he looked down, he saw some weird worn out symbols around the bell in the form of a circle. It gave him a bad feeling, though it was probably nothing. Another photo.
Kai went forward to investigate the altar, the small table used to give the speeches was impeccable, you couldn’t even guess this place was abandoned for as long as it did. Beside it, there were two marble dragon statues on each side, again, really well kept. Why was that? Was Nya seeing the same thing he was, or was he just crazy?
“Hey Nya, look, what do you think of–” He notices he’s talking to no one. He looks around and spots her walking with that dork, Jay. “What are you two doing?” Kai tiredly says, walking towards them.
“Finding a secret passageway.” Jay explains, his hands pass through the books in a shelf he was searching, he pulls out some of them leaving them on the ground. “You just can't tell me that guy just disappeared”.
“Hey dumbass, Zane found a staircase, don’t you think it’s easier that the guy just went up there?”
Jay stopped, processing the information, and proceeded to slap himself in the forehead. “Well now I knocked down almost every book on the shelf. I’ll just finish it first then”
Kai groans. He walks back to the center of the altar, Nya following him. It was pretty well lit due to the big window in the back. The light of the moon shone in blue, purple and yellow on the floor, just now Kai noticed the immense rug beneath them.
“You bored already?” Nya leaps towards where Kai was standing, leaving Jay to his errands.
He sighs and leans further on the small table “This place kinda sucks, nothing really ‘Wooooow that's craazzyyyy’ Just some old stuff. Maybe Zane had some more luck”.
Just as he was leaving, Kai noticed something wrong with the rug. It was cut, not rugged or something like that, there was a straight continuous cut, made by something like scissors. He lifted it up and behind it was a fissure, a very long one, maybe a few stories down, who knows? Now this for sure was a ‘Wooooow that's craazzyyyy’ moment.
“Hooolly mother…” Nya whispered.
Zane was now returning to the others in a rush, his findings upstairs sparked many theories in his head and he needed to share them.
“You guys have to see the pictures I took upstairs, they look pretty high quality considering the ambient i-” Zane notices the gap on the floor and immediately goes to inspect it.
So now that’s the situation, Jay is in the back of the altar, focused on the last shelf, next to the rest of the group, while the others discuss what that could be. When, out of sudden, on the last few books left, Jay felt something click as he pulled the book out, it felt heavy and a noise of machinery could be heard from somewhere inside the walls and floor.
“Hey guys i found something!”
…
The platform they were now all standing on fell down in great velocity, they almost felt their feet leave the ground. The platform came to a full stop some meters down.
“Oh now you’ve done it Jay, no wonder Zane has to babysit you” Kai complains, scratching his back, that hit the ground when they fell. Jay scratches his neck with a nervous chuckle.
“What is this place anyway?” Nya mutters before getting up and leaving to explore.
“Nya come back here! Where are you going?” Kai hurries after her.
The group was now walking together, in wonder for the hidden facility hidden, literally, below their noses.
The place had white walls and a very clean look, a big divergence from the dark and crumbled place above them. I had the look of a lab, completely submerged in darkness.
“Heh, I guess at least it wasn’t a secret affair”
As the group reached farther from their entrance, they found a lit up room, a beam of light from behind a door, they had tried some that were gathered around the place but none worked. Something told them this one would be different. Something told them they weren’t as alone as they truly thought.
Kai took the initiative, he had to step up and find out the truth about this crap. He grabbed the handle, to the surprise of no one, it was unlocked.
He peeked inside, before deciding to open it entirely in one go. Rip the band aid off.
The full view of the room came to be, the lights were on, the white of the walls and ground almost blinding, and it was mostly empty, except for…
“PRINCIPAL WU?!”