Boogeyman - Chapter 5

 

Chapter 5

Truck and Camaro pulled up at the exact same time, screeching to a halt near Chin's truck. Steve and Danny jogged to Chin's side where he stood by the open passenger door of the dark vehicle. Cody sat in the seat, an oversized discarded HPD jacket covering his shoulders. He wore a look of defeat and his eyes carried a dead look.

"Chin. Update." Steve commanded. The two were wearing their bullet proof vests as a precaution and were prepared. Chin, after having promised Cody that he wouldn't leave his side, had donned his own vest and was waiting anxiously for the two to show up.

"Cody says a man attacked him at the house. The guy may still be in there. You guys got here pretty quick. But twenty minutes may have given the man enough time to get away." Chin reported quickly. He really wanted to be the one to go into the house but since Cody didn't want to be left alone (and there was the chance that the man was in the woods around the house and would locate Cody fairly quickly) he was ready to let Danny and Steve take the lead in searching if need be.

"Alright. Chin I want you to come in with me. You know the house well and will be able to point out hiding spots." Steve decided.

Cody's head popped up and he stared wide eyed at Chin.

"Chin please don't." he whispered. Chin turned from his superior and leaned a hand on the top of the truck.

"Cody, I have to go in. I know places in there the they don't. Danny'll stay out here with you. You can trust him, I promise." he persuaded.

Danny stepped up, offering a smile to the distraught younger male. Cody wanted to protest. Although he had been in LA for so long and hadn't been around Chin as much, he still trusted the 5-0 member much more than anyone else. He had never met Steve or Danny even though he had heard of their exploits and their impressive track record.

Clamping his mouth shut, he nodded tightly. Steve and Chin wasted no time in running towards the house, their weapons at the ready.

Meanwhile, Danny moved closer to the truck, keeping a wary Cody in his vision. He didn't want to spook him.

"He's not going to be in there." Cody said quietly. His voice held no inflection whatsoever. Danny didn't know this kid. He didn't know what he was going through.

"Don't give up just yet. If anyone can find a piece of scum in a maze, it's Steve McGarret." he reassured. There were creaks and groans throughout the woods around them. Danny fixed his eyes around him, his weapon tight in his grip. Every noise made Cody scrunch tighter to himself, wanting to disappear from the tense situation. His heart beat quickly, almost seeming to beat out of his chest and laugh as he struggled to take a deep breath. His vision was becoming tunnel, the edges closing in like smoke in a burning room. Squeezing his eyes shut, he placed his hands over his ears, his mind suddenly hearing the noise of his mother's screams, begging to be left alive. He moaned.

Danny turned from his scope of the land and observed Cody. He could identify a panic attack when he saw one. Keeping his back to Cody and his weapon at the ready, he backed up towards the younger and glanced at him quickly.

"C'mon Cody. Breathe. Things are going to be okay. You have to calm down. Slow down your breathing." he coaxed.

But Cody didn't seem to hear him. Instead, his breathing worsened and tears leaked down his face. But the breathing was the only thing that one could hear from the helpless victim. There was no sound of crying, no talking, no movement. He was locked in his own memories of what had happened those many years ago. Danny bit his lip and glanced around. He had to make a decision. He had had panic attacks before; when his daughter was threatened; when he was in a tight space. He knew that it would only get worse.

Acting fast, he shut Cody's door to the truck and jogged around to the driver's side, getting in and shutting his own door. He quickly hit the lock button and took a final glance around. Content that nothing was there and they were safe for the moment, he turned to the fetal positioned boy. He took a risk and grabbed Cody's arm. Cody jerked in his grip and tried desperately to curl up further into himself.

"Cody. You need to listen to me. It's Danny. You know who I am. Listen to my voice and start paying attention to your breathing." he persuaded.

Cody could hear Danny's calm voice in the web of horror in his brain and pulled himself towards it. He didn't want to stay. He didn't want to be in the recesses of his brain where these memories were thriving and digging at his psyche. Opening his eyes slowly, he let them focus on the darkness that was outside the realm of the street lights at the end of the drive. Tears blurred his vision and he furiously wiped them away.

"You know, I knew this wasn't over. I knew this was coming." he said absently. Danny leaned back in the seat and stared at the steering wheel.

"Kid, I can't claim to know what you are going through but you gotta help me out. I can't help you if you don't help me know what your thinking." he tried to reason. Cody shook his head harshly.

"You wouldn't understand Detective Williams." he said, almost coldly. Danny chuckled and snorted, the only sign of the amusing sound being the breath of air that came quickly from his nose.

"I hate small spaces. I don't like closets or airplane bathrooms." he started.

"You're claustrophobic."

"Yep. I know panic attacks. I know them when I see them. And trust me, it's hard to ask for help. I may not know what you are going through because I haven't been as involved as maybe Chin. But I've been through so much myself that I know that you want to be brave and you want to be the one to hold the emotion in and appear strong. But it doesn't help. It just makes you more miserable. I can see Chin wants to help. You have to help him help you." Danny finished. He didn't give a lot of speeches but when he did, they were powerful.

Cody rubbed his hands over his arms in a silly attempt to bolster his strength.

"I haven't trusted anyone for, who knows how long. What makes you think that I'm just going to let someone in?" he asked. He was trying to put on a brave front, an act. And yet he knew it was failing miserably.

"You'll never know until you try. Just give it a chance. I can tell Chin cares, he really does. Let him help." Danny basically pleaded.

Cody tried to look him in the eye but failed, looking back down at the floor of the truck.

"Okay." it was a simple answer.

H50

Chin ran a hand over his hair in frustration as he waited for Steve to reappear from the living room. The house had obviously been empty, no sign besides the scuffle of someone having been there. He hadn't gotten much information out of Cody to begin with but as the front door was wide open, they assumed that was where the incident ended. That had left the upstairs to be checked as well as the basement. No one.

Chin wasn't surprised. Twenty minutes was long enough for someone to clean up traces of ever having been there and to leave the premises unseen.

"Clear!" Steve called out as he returned to the room. The two replaced their guns in their holsters and glanced around.

"Definitely signs of a struggle. There's a cracked banister pole. I think it started upstairs." Steve remarked. He headed back to the front door and stepped out on the porch. Chin sighed and looked around. He grabbed one of the full bags that Cody had had with him earlier that day and swung it over his shoulder. Joining Steve on the porch, he walked to the side and glanced over the railing. The only movement was the slight swing of trees as the storm winds blew. He looked up and blinked harshly at the lightning.

"Let's head back to the cars. I have to make sure Cody's alright." he said. He trotted back down the stairs of the house and down the drive. The crunch of gravel behind him alerted him that Steve was following.

"So Cody returns to Oahu and immediately is attacked. Did anyone know he was coming?" Steve asked. His brain was working overtime, trying to figure out what was going on and put all the pieces together.

"He said he didn't tell anyone. It's been eight years. The case has been in a box in the file room covered in dust. I don't know who would have known that he was returning." Chin said with a frown. He looked around at the surrounding forest and overgrown foliage. The moving of the trees and the lightning made it look as if things were running around.

Things were quiet except for thunder as they traveled down the long drive to the vehicles. Chin could see Danny sitting in the front seat of the truck, facing Cody. They seemed to be conversing. Chin went around to Cody's side and knocked on the window. It was the fastest reaction he had seen from both men in the car. Cody ducked down quickly while Danny's weapon lifted from his lap and pointed at the window.

"Danny it's me." Chin called out, putting his hands up. Cody sat up fast and opened the door, turning to let his feet hang out of the truck.

"No one was there were they." he said, sure of himself.

"No there wasn't." Steve said from the other side where Danny had opened his own door. Steve was leaning in, looking at the youngest.

"Did you tell anyone that you were coming back? Any friends? Teachers?" Chin asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Cody shook his head firmly.

"I don't have many friends on the mainland and my teachers haven't really bothered me about my plans." he reported.

Chin wasn't sure what to do. It was then that he remembered the bag hanging over his shoulder.

"I grabbed your bag. You're staying with me tonight." he told the boy, leaving no room for discussion. Cody nodded and looked at Danny. Danny nodded encouragingly. Cody looked back to Chin.

"I need help."

TBC