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readjthompson · 6 months

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Happy Halloween, people. Here’s an all-new short story (© me, now), free to read.

Bayou Ma’am

by Jeremy Thompson

“Those bitches!” Claude exclaims. “Those lyin’, stinkin’, blue ballin’ whores! Makin’ us the butts of their jokes! Gettin’ us laughed at by everyone! We oughta find ’em and stomp their fuckin’ skulls in!”

“And how would we even do that?” I respond, focusin’ on my composure, compactin’ the shame and heartbreak I now feel into a teeny, tiny ball that I’ll soon entomb in my mind’s deeper recesses. “They said they’re flyin’ back to New York City tonight, to that precious little SoHo loft they wouldn’t stop braggin’ about. They wouldn’t have done what they did if they thought we might see ’em again.”

Andre says nothin’, unable to take his eyes from the iPhone he manipulates, alternatin’ between the Instagram profiles of two hipster sisters, to better appraise our debasement.

#bayoumen is the hashtag they affixed to photos they’d taken with us just a coupla hours prior, at the one bar this town possesses, which we fellas have yet to leave. They’d flirted and led us on, allowin’ me to buy ’em drink after drink and believe that maybe, just maybe, one or more of us would be blessed with a bit of rich girl pussy for a few minutes…or twenty. They’ve got relatives in the area, they claimed, and had just attended one’s funeral. Some black sheep aunt of theirs. A real nobody.

Finally, Andre breaks his silence. “Look at this, right here. They used some kinda special effect to give me yellow snaggleteeth. I go to the dentist religiously. Look at these veneers.”

Barin’ his teeth, he reveals a mouthful of perfect, blindin’-white dental porcelain.

“Yeah, and they made Claude’s eyes way closer together than they really are and gave ’im a unibrow,” I say. “And they gave me a neckbeard and a fiddle. Look pretty real, don’t they?”

“Look at all the likes they’re gettin’. Thousands already. Everyone’s crackin’ jokes on us, callin’ us inbreds and Victor Crowleys, whatever that means. Look, that bitch Marissa just replied to someone’s comment. ‘Those bayou gumps were so cringe, we’re lucky we didn’t end up in their gumbo,’ she wrote. Fuck this. I’mma give ’er a piece of my mind.” A few minutes later, after much furious typin’, Andre adds, “Well, now she’s blocked me. Probably never woulda told us their real names if they knew that we’re on social media.”

Indeed, outlanders often make offensive assumptions when learnin’ of our bayou lifestyles. Hearin’ of our tarpaper shacks, they assume that we do naught but wallow in our own filth every day and smoke pounds of meth. Earnin’ a livin’ catchin’ shrimps, crabs, and crawfishes doesn’t appeal to ’em. They’d rather work indoors, if they even work at all. Solitude brings ’em no peace whatsoever. They care nothin’ for lullabies sung by frogs and crickets. Ya know, maybe they’re soulless.

I wave the bartender over and pay our tab. Nearly three days’ earnings down the drain. “Let’s get outta here, fellas,” I say. “It’s time for somethin’ stronger. There’s blueberry moonshine I’ve been savin’ at my place. It’ll drown our sorrows in no time.”

“Your place, huh,” says Claude. “We ain’t partied there in a minute.”

* * *

The roar of my airboat’s engine—as I navigate brackish water, ever grippin’ the control lever, passin’ between Spanish moss-bedecked cypresses that loom impassively, fog-rooted—makes conversation a chore. Still, seated before me, Andre and Claude shout back and forth.

“Bayou men aren’t fuckin’ rapists!” hollers Claude. “We’re not cannibals neither! I can whip up a crawfish boil better than anything those stuck-up cunts’ve ever tasted!”

“Damn straight!” responds Andre. “Bayou men are hard-workin’, God-fearin’, free folk! If they should be scared of anyone around these parts, it’s Bayou Ma’am!”

“Bayou Ma’am?!” I shout, as if that moniker is new to my ears. “Who the hell’s that…some kinda hooker?!”

“Hooker, nah!” attests Claude. “She’s a…whaddaya call it…hybrid! Half human, half alligator, mean as Satan his own self!”

“I heard that a gator was attackin’ a woman one night!” adds Andre. “Then a flyin’ saucer swooped down from the sky and grabbed ’em both wit’ its tractor beam! Somehow, the beam melded the gator and his meal together all grotesque-like! The aliens saw what they’d done and wanted none of it, so they abandoned Bayou Ma’am and flew elsewhere!”

“I heard toxic chemicals got spilt somewhere around here and some poor teenager swam right through ’em!” Claude contests. “She was pregnant at the time! A few months later, Bayou Ma’am chewed her way right on outta her!”

“Damn, that’s fucked up!” I shout, well aware of the grim reality lurkin’ behind their tall tales.

* * *

Bayou Ma’am is my cousin, you see. As a matter of fact, she was born just seven months after I was, in a shack half a mile down the river from mine. Her mom, my Aunt Emma, died in childbirth—couldn’t stop bleedin’, I heard. Maybe if they’d visited an obstetrician, things would’ve gone otherwise.

My aunt and uncle were reclusive sorts, and no one but them and my parents had known of her pregnancy. There aren’t many residences this far from town, and none are close together. It’s easy to disappear from the world, to eschew supermarkets and restaurants and consume local wildlife exclusively. Uncle Enoch buried Aunt Emma in a private ceremony and kept their daughter’s existence a secret from everyone but my mom and dad. Even I didn’t meet her until we were both four.

One day, a pair of strangers shuffled into my shack—which, of course, belonged to my parents in those days, up ’til they moved to Juneau, Alaska when I was sixteen, for no good reason I could see.

“This is your Uncle Enoch,” my dad told me, indicatin’ a goateed, scrawny scowler. “And that’s his daughter, your cousin Lea.”

Though itchy and bedraggled, though dressed in one of Uncle Enoch’s old t-shirts that had been refashioned into a crude dress, Lea sure was a cutie. Her eyes were the best shade of sky blue I’ve ever seen and her hair was all golden ringlets. Shyly, she waved to me with the hand she wasn’t usin’ to scratch her neck.

The two of ’em soon became our regular visitors. I never took to my perpetually pinch-faced Uncle Enoch, with his persecution complex and conspiracy theories shapin’ his every voiced syllable. Lea, on the other hand, I couldn’t help but be charmed by. She had such a sunny disposition, such full-hearted character, that I was always carried away by the games her inquisitive, inventive mind conjured. Leavin’ our parents to their serious, sunless discussions, we hurled ourselves into the vibrant outdoors and surrendered to our impish natures.

“I’m a hawk, you’re a squirrel!” declared Lea. Outstretchin’ her arms, she voiced ear-shreddin’ screeches, and chased me around ’til we both collapsed, gigglin’. “Whoever collects the most spider lilies wins!” she next decided. “The loser becomes a spider! A great, big, gooey one! Yuck!”

We skipped stones and spied on animals, learned to dance, cartwheel and swim. We played hide-and-seek often, with whichever one of us was “it” allowed to forfeit the game by whistlin’ a special tune we’d improvised. It was durin’ one such game that Lea made a friend.

“I’m comin’ to get you!” I shouted, after closin’ my eyes and countin’ to fifty. Our environs bein’ so rich in hiding spots, expectin’ a lengthy hunt, I was most disappointed to find my cousin within just a few minutes. There she was, at the river’s edge. Behind her, towerin’ cypress trees seemed to sprout from their inverted, ripplin’ doppelgangers. So, too, did Lea seem unnaturally bound to her watery reflection, until I stepped a bit closer and exclaimed, “Get away from there, quickly! That’s a gator you’re pettin’!”

Indeed, we’d both been warned, many times, to avoid the bayou’s more dangerous critters. Black bears and bobcats were said to roam about these parts, though we’d seen neither hide nor hair of ’em. Snakes flitted about the periphery, never lingerin’ long in our sights. We’d seen plenty of gators swimmin’ and lazin’ about, though. As long as we kept our distance and avoided feedin’ ’em, they’d leave us alone, we’d been told.

“Oh, it’s just a little one!” Lea argued, scoopin’ the creature into her arms and plantin’ a smooch on his head. “A cutie-patootie, friendly boy. I’m gonna call ’im Mr. Kissy Kiss.”

I studied the fella. Nearly a foot in length, he was armored in scales, dark with yellow stripes. Fascinated by his eyes, with their vertical pupils and autumn-shaded irises, I stepped a bit closer. Mr. Kissy Kiss’ mouth opened and closed, displayin’ dozens of pointy teeth, as Lea stroked him.

“Well, I guess he does seem kinda nice,” I admitted. “I wonder where his parents are.”

“Maybe his mommy and daddy went to heaven, and are singin’ with the angels,” said Lea.

“Maybe, maybe, maybe,” I mockingly singsonged.

Suddenly, a strident shout met our ears: my mother callin’ us in for lunch. Carefully, Lea deposited Mr. Kissy Kiss onto the shoreline. He then crawled into the water—never to return, I assumed.

Boy, was I wrong. A few days later, I found Lea again riverside, feedin’ the little gator a dozen snails she’d collected—crunch, crunch, crunch. A week after that, he strutted up to my cousin with a bouquet of purple petunias in his clenched teeth.

“Ooh, are these for me?” Lea cooed, retrievin’ the flowers and tuckin’ one behind her ear. “I love you so much, little dearie,” she added, strokin’ her beloved until his tail began waggin’.

Their visits continued for a coupla months, until mean ol’ Uncle Enoch caught us at the riverside as we attempted to teach Mr. Kissy Kiss to fetch. Oh, how the man pitched a fit then.

“No daughter of mine’ll be gator meat!” he shouted. “Sure, he’s nice enough now, but these bastards grow a foot every year! By the time he’s eleven feet long and weighs half a ton, you’re be nothin’ but a big mound of shit he left behind.” Seizing Lea by the arm, my uncle then dragged her away.

When next we did meet, a few days later, my cousin wasted no time in leadin’ me back to the riverside. “Where are you, Mr. Kissy Kiss?” she wailed, until the little gator swam from the shadows to greet her. Sweepin’ him into her arms, she said. “Let’s run away together, right this minute, so that we’ll never be apart.”

“Oh, that’s not such a great idea,” a buzzin’ voice contested. “Little girls go missin’ all the time and their fates are far from enviable.”

“Who said that?” I demanded, draggin’ my gaze all ’cross the bayou.

“’Tis I, Lord Mosquito,” was the answer that accompanied the alightin’ of the largest bloodsucker I’ve ever seen. Its legs were longer than my arms were back then. Iridescent were its cerulean scales, glimmerin’ in the sun.

“Mosquitos don’t talk,” I protested.

“They do when they were the Muck Witch’s familiar. Now she’s dead and I’m free to fly where I might.”

“I ain’t never hearda no Muck Witch.”

“And she never heard of you. That’s the way of southern recluses. Still, such is the great woman’s power that she grants wishes even now, from the other side of death. The Muck Witch’ll ensure that you never part with your precious pet, little Lea, just so long as you follow me to her grave and ask her with proper courtesy.”

Well, I’d been warned about witches and the deceitfulness of their favors, so I attempted to drag Lea back to my shack, away from the bizarre insect. But the girl fought me most ferociously, clawin’ flesh from my face, so I ran for my parents and uncle instead.

By the time the four of us returned to the riverside, neither girl nor gator nor mosquito could be sighted. We searched the bayou for hours, shriekin’ Lea’s name, to no avail.

A few weeks later, after we hadn’t seen the fella for a while, my parents dragged me to my uncle’s shack, so that we might suss out his state of mind and offer him a bit of comfort.

“I found her,” Uncle Enoch attested, usherin’ us into his livin’ room, which was now occupied by a large, transparent tank.

Atop its screen lid, facin’ downward, were dome lamps that emanated heat and UVB lightin’ from their specialized bulbs. Silica sand and rocks spanned its bottom, beneath a bathtub’s wortha water. At one end of the tank, boulders protruded from the agua. Upon ’em rested a terrible figure. If not for the recognizable t-shirt she wore, I’d never have surmised her identity.

“Luh…Lea?” I gasped. “What in the world has become of ya?”

Indeed, though Lea had wished to always be with her beloved gator, I doubt that she’d desired for the creature to be merged with her, to be incorporated into Lea’s very physicality. Patches of scales were distributed here and there across her exposed flesh. Her beautiful blue eyes remained, but her nose and mouth had stretched into an alligator’s wide snout, filled with many conical teeth. And let’s not forget her long, brawny tail.

After our initial shock abated and dozens of unanswerable questions were voiced, my parents took me home. Never again did they return to my uncle’s shack, but a dim sense of familial obligation had me comin’ back every coupla weeks, to feed Lea local muskrats and opossums I’d captured, and help my uncle change her tank’s shitty water.

The years went by, and Lea moved into a succession of larger tanks. Eventually, she grew big enough to wear her mother’s old dresses, seemin’ to favor those with floral patterns.

Finally, just a coupla months ago, I arrived at the shack to find Lea’s tank shattered. Torn clothin’ and scattered bloodstains were all that remained of Uncle Enoch, and my cousin was nowhere to be seen.

Not long after that, the Bayou Ma’am sightings began, which vitalized increasingly outlandish rumors and the occasional drunken search party. Luckily, no one has managed to photograph or film Lea yet, as far as I know.

* * *

At any rate, back in the present, I cut the airboat’s engine, leavin’ us driftin’ along our twilight current. It takes a moment for our arrested momentum to register with Claude and Andre, then both are bellowin’, askin’ me what the fuck’s goin’ on.

Rather than voice bullshit answers, I whistle the special tune my cousin and I improvised all those years ago, again and again, to ensure that I’m heard.

Moments later, Lea bursts up from the water, wearin’ a floral dress that had once been red-with-white-lilies, before the bayou muck spoiled it. In the fadin’ light, blurred by her own velocity, she could be mistaken for a primeval relic, a time-lost dinosaur of a species hitherto unknown. But, as her nickname had been so freshly upon their lips, both of my passengers, nearly synchronized, cry out, “Bayou Ma’am!”

Whatever the fellas might’ve said next is swallowed by their shrieks, as Lea tackles Andre out of his passenger seat while simultaneously swattin’ Claude across the face with her tail. The latter’s nose and mouth implode, spillin’ gore down his shirt.

Attemptin’ to gouge out Lea’s eyes as she and he roll across the deck, Andre instead loses both of his hands to her snappin’ teeth. Blood fountains from his new wrist stumps as he falls unconscious.

Claude tries to dive off the side of my airboat, but Lea’s powerful mouth has already seized him by the leg, its grip nigh unbreakable. She begins shakin’ her head—left to right, right to left—until Claude’s entire right calf muscle is torn away and swallowed.

“Ah, God, that hurts!” he shouts. His eyes meet mine and he begs, “Help me! Kill the bitch!”

“Sorry,” I respond, comfortably perched in the driver seat, an audience of one, watchin’ Lea’s teeth tear through the fella’s arm, as his free hand slaps her snout.

After Lea’s mouth closes around Claude’s skull, my friend’s struggles finally cease. Not much is left of him now. All of his thoughts and feelings have surely evanesced.

Groggily, Andre returns to consciousness, only to find himself helpless as Lea tears away his pants and consumes his right leg, then his left. She takes special delight in dinin’ on his genitals, as is evidenced by her waggin’ tail.

Blood loss carries Claude’s soul away, even as Lea moves onto his abdomen.

* * *

I’ll miss Claude and Andre. Friends aren’t easily attained in the bayou and they were the best ones I’ve ever had. All of the memories we made together will be carried only by me now. When I’m gone, it’ll be as if those events never happened.

Perhaps I should say a prayer as I push what little is left of their corpses into the dark river, but all I can think to say is, “Farewell, cousin,” as Lea swims away, glutted. Does she even care that I sacrificed chummy companionship to help keep her existence unknown?

It’s tough as hell to fight a rumor, but I’m sure gonna try. I’ll say that Claude and Andre hitchhiked to Tijuana, cravin’ a bit of prostituta. No need to further enflame the Bayou Ma’am seekers. If many more of ’em disappear, it’s sure to spell trouble for Lea.

Perhaps my cousin’ll be captured one day, for display or dissection. Or maybe I’ll discover the Muck Witch’s grave and attempt to wish Lea back to normal. Is Lord Mosquito still alive? If so, can it be persuaded to help?

Whatever the case, I wasn’t lyin’ about that blueberry moonshine earlier. Lickety-split, I’ll be drinkin’ my way into slumberland, and therein escape familial obligation for a while.

#horror fiction #indie author #am writing #indie #horror #horror stories #horror reads #short stories #short story #free short story #free story #october #october horror #halloween #halloween story #autumn #scary stories #happy halloween #Jeremy Thompson

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gulabiprincess · 4 years

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Before quarantine I only had the energy to watch at most 3-4 episodes of a show in a row during my free time but now I’m binging whole seasons outta boredom

#at least im catchin up on stuff ive been meaning to get to for awhile #also havent read this many books in such a short amt of time

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mikkouille · 3 years

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i need me a show that rly holds me in its grasp crazy im going insane

#im only eating up short formats now lol #is kdramaland taht dry these days.....#i had hopes for d/vil judg/ but idk i aint rly feelin it n im now 3 eps late so u kno how it be #tf is airing these days #im only tuning in to light on me n the given live action if ur longer than 20 minites sry i cant look.#tbh im out of the loop mostly like idk whats going on these days #just sittin there...waiting for smth....#but i open a show see it be an hour long per ep n im just like. thats so much #anyway i got a book to read so good thing actually that nothing is catchin my eyes

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some-random-loki-stan · 3 years

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Catchin’ The Vibe

Pairing: Loki x reader

Word Count: 2,543

Warnings: drug use (devils lettuce folks), wee bit of angst, fluff if you squint, awkwardness if that counts lol, older GenZ!reader

A/N: Ahhhh! This is my first time posting something I’ve written! I hope you all enjoy!

Classes that day were less than pleasant. The reminder of 4 major exams coming up did nothing to soothe (Y/s) constant stress and anxiety and she couldn't help but rush out of her final class, ready to finally relax.

The brisk walk home got her thinking and she quickly pulled out her phone and sent a text to her roommate, Cassie. The girl was well aware of Cassie's habits of bringing friends over unexpectedly. She'd learned to text ahead so that she could change her course of direction before it was too late and Cassie made her begrudgingly agree to stay with them. For as much as their external personalities clashed, she really did love Cassie but she also really didn't feel like trying her own patience today. Instead, she prepped for her backup plan.

When the inevitable response came from her roommate, she sighed and set a course for Avengers Tower. Even if a group of super heroes lived there, the tower was big enough to grant her space from them.

Walking in the front door, she flashed the card that her aunt Pepper gifted her upon her arrival to the big city to the security guard. If you need anything, Pepper had said, pressing the card into the girls palm, just come find me. She absolutely adored her aunt Pepper and although she didn't particularly need anything from her aunt in person, she was ever grateful for the unlimited access to the tower.

The girl was pleased to find that the residence atop the tower was seemingly empty. Out on a mission, she presumed. Thank God.

She wasted no time plopping herself down on the couch and reached deep into her backpack, searching for the little ziplock bag. The perfect little cookie she had placed in there earlier that morning had crumbled to bits and she made a sound of disappointment. She opened it and poured a handful of crumbs, careful not to spill any on the couch. Only after carefully putting the rest away, she finally let herself fall back against the sofa and unwind.

When the girl found her eyes sore and red, and her mouth dry as the desert, she knew her high had hit. The previous anxious pounding in her heart and head was replaced with a subtle, pleasant throbbing throughout her body. Finally, she felt like she could take a deep breath. Reveling in the feeling, she closed her eyes and thought back on the day.

Unbeknownst to her, Loki stood in the doorway of the living room, watching her intently. His fingers softly tapped on the hardcover of his book, debating whether or not he should go back to his room. He could sense that there was something different about her today. Something off. Now that Loki thought about it, the girl's energy always seemed a little ‘off’ compared to the other mortals on Midgard, but never this heavy before. It made him shift in discomfort.

Before he could turn and sneak away, her soft yet dry-red eyes peered over the couch and caught his own deep green ones. He was caught.

“Hello,” she said kindly. "You can join me, if you'd like." Loki's presence was one she always welcomed. She smiled softly and gestured to the sofa across from her. Loki hesitated for just a second but then slowly took a seat. She sat up to address him better and continued. “I wasn't expecting anyone to be here. I thought everyone was out on a mission.”

Only a couple feet from her now, the god could clearly see the red in her eyes and her exhaustion radiated off of her. His curiosity got the better of him and the question shot out of his mouth, quiet but clear. “Is something wrong?”

The girl froze suddenly. Her thoughts fluttered excuse from excuse. But she stopped, suddenly. She wondered with a bit of mischief -and defiance, probably-, what if she just told the truth. She realized quickly that Loki would probably be the last person to rat her out, quite honestly. Besides, something told her that Loki'd had his fair share of, well, exotic herbal substances, for lack of better term. Forgetting herself, she laughed a little at the thought.

Thinking he'd said something foolish, it took everything in Loki not to stride out of the room then and there. Irritation and perhaps embarrassment bloomed deep in his chest. Instead he let out a little huff which luckily got her attention.

“Im sorry, but no. Why do you ask?” Her voice lilted up in a teasing manner. She had a small smirk on her face as she took a sip from the water bottle in her bag.

Loki knew that look all too well. It was the same one he got on his face when he was up to no good. Suddenly intrigued, he narrowed his eyes at her and slipped on his shit-eating grin.

“Your eyes are red. And your presence feels more... tense than usual.”

She leaned forward and swallowed quickly. “What, you mean like my energy?”

Loki paused pensively then nodded.

She snickered and thought about that particularly interesting tid-bit of information. The scientific and spiritual knowledge on Asgard is far different and more advanced than anything on earth, she knew.

Minutes passed and the girl found her thoughts wondering, as well as her eyes. At some point, they landed on Loki reading his book and suddenly a light bulb went off in her head. Surprising herself with this idea, she mulled it over in her head. He is literally the most stressed individual I have ever met...and aunt Pepper has to deal with Tony on a daily basis so that's saying something... there's no harm in asking.

"Loki, have you ever heard of weed?" she asked as innocently as she could muster. He looked at her, contemplating. Eventually, he shook his head no. Delight spread across her face before caution took its place and the girl thought of the best way to explain to Loki what exactly the Midgardian herb was.

"On Earth, there's this plant called marijuana." A look of slight recognition passed over his face. "It's used as a destresser, antidepressant, muscle relaxer…” She paused pensively. “Some use it for spiritual purposes. It's got loads of uses. Not to mention it gets you nice and toasty."

With the Avengers away, his normally stiff and stoic facade was softer, allowing the girl to just barely make out the contemplative faces he was making. She had also noticed his brief look of uncertainty at her use of the term 'toasty'.

"So this is Midgards form of the Gift," he concluded.

"If that's what you guys call drugs on Asgard then, yeah. Sure." She let out a little laugh and looked at him intently.

After a second of thinking, he finally looked at her again, mischief seeping into his words and face. "And why might you be telling me this, dearest?"

Leaning back with a grin, she fished the baggie from her backpack once more. The loose crumbs looked less than impressive to the god but the girl didn't seem to care. She gave Loki a look to rival his own and for a second, it actually made him falter.

The amount left in the bag was just the amount she felt comfortable giving him so she handed him the plastic baggie. When he didn't take it right away, she pulled back.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." The gentleness in her voice caught him off guard and reassured him that it was his choice. He had no doubt after that, he wanted to do this.

For as much as he didn't trust Midgard or their people, Loki was quite comfortable around her. The child of the group and yet she seemed to be the only tolerable one. Her normally quiet disposition drew him in and her ability to launch passionately into one of her stories only made him enjoy her company more. It reminded him of his mother.

Shoving those thoughts aside, he did his best to pour the cookie crumbs into his mouth then set the baggie on the coffee table. Leaning back, they both fell into comfortable silence and waited.

---------------------------

She was in the kitchen when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Loki slowly close his book. The girl looked up and across the space to the connected living room where he sat and saw him staring blankly at a spot in front of him. Finally, he let out a small groan and fell backwards. It had finally hit.

"Loki?"

His hand twitched in her direction and she knew he wasn't doing well. Quickly filling a glass of water, she was at his side in a second. His head was all the way back, looking at the ceiling and his eyes were wide, pupils blown. His breathing was labored and his hands were shaking.

"Hey, ok," she said, sitting gently next to him. She placed her hand on his arm but he flinched away. Paying it no mind, she spoke gently. "Don't fight it, Loki. Just relax and breathe."

Loki tried his best to relax, truly. But there was this relentless twitching all throughout his body and his senses felt dulled by this incessant tingling. His mind was flitting through thoughts faster than he could grasp. Not having control over his mind and body was completely unexpected. The Gift was nothing like this.

On Asgard, the Gift clears your mind and energy and makes you feel present and centered. It connects mind and body, bringing them together in harmony. This was the opposite. It was incapacitating his body and his thoughts swirled senselessly in his head.

"May I touch you?"

He looked at her but the words were lost on him, he couldn't focus. He stared at her until she spoke again.

"Loki? Is it alright if I touch you?"

Before she could even finish the question a second time, he was already nodding his head yes. The girl smiled and softly placed her hand on his shoulder for reassurance. She rubbed her thumb gently back and forth and held up the glass of water.

"Take a sip, it'll help," she urged. Loki mustered enough composure to sit up and take a few sips. When he was done, he rested back against the couch, shutting his eyes tightly.

Putting the glass down, the girl sighed as she looked at his rigid body. Poor thing was torturing himself with how tense he was. "Loki, if you don't relax, you're gonna cause more harm than good. Your muscles are going to snap."

He only shook his head.

Suppressing her own increasingly anxious thoughts, she continued. "Then what can I do to help? Please? I want to help you…" But Loki couldn't bring himself to say anything. Instead he shakily took her hand. Gentle but firm, it was the smallest of acts but she could already feel the difference it made.

After a few moments, his scrunched up face was finally smoothing into one of ease and his breathing began to level out. The twitching was unavoidable and so was the probability of zoning out a couple times but that was all a part of the experience. After regaining control of his breath, Loki finally seemed to be letting himself unwind.

As his body started to melt into the couch, she gently readjusted herself next to him so that she was more comfortable. Not once did they let go of each other's hand. They sat in silence, enjoying the buzz but also each other's quiet presence.

---------------------

As the night got darker and the high mellowed out, Loki found himself actually enjoying his time. He could still feel the tingling in his body but had decided that he liked it. The girl had managed to pull him out of his trance when she pulled her hand away to put on some slow, quiet music that was pleasant to his currently sensitive ears.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, softly.

Still lounging back against the couch, Loki took a moment to think then nodded his head. A lazy smile spread across his face. "I feel...good."

"Yeah?" she chuckled.

"Yeah."

They both let out a lazy chuckle and the girl fell back against the couch. "So…" She hesitated and wondered if she should say something so soon but continued anyway. "Are you okay? That was kind of... intense and I just want to make sure you're alright."

Loki took a second to gather his thoughts and cleared his throat. "My mind went places I try very hard to keep hidden. I wasn't prepared, is all."

When he didn't say anything more she decided it was best to leave it there. She watched him lose himself in his thoughts again and immediately scooted closer. Grabbing his hand wholly, she pressed herself into his side lightly as not to startle him and gave him a reassuring laugh. "I've gotcha. You're stuck with me now, buddy."

He just closed his eyes and exhaled heavily, the slightest hint of a smile on his face. But then he remembered why he was in this strange situation in the first place. When he had initially walked into the common room, the girl's abnormally heavy presence had made him want to flee. He wondered for a second if it could have been an effect of the Midgardian drug but if he focused hard enough, he could still sense that same tension deep in her muscles.

"And how about you?"

She looked at him uncertainly. "What about me?"

"Are you ok?"

She shook her head in confusion as she couldn't understand what he was trying to get at. Loki thought about giving it up but he managed to convince himself otherwise. Pay her the same courtesy she did you, he willed himself.

"When I walked in I noticed a particular...mood settling over the room. It wasn't much like you and I wonder if something upset you," he spoke, afraid he might be over stepping.

Recollection spread across her face and she laughed begrudgingly. Now that she had time to relax and let the day sink in -not to mention the external help of her good friend Mary Jane-, she could separate herself from the anxiety and stress of everyday college life. Four exams were nothing, she concluded. She'd gotten through worse before. She could do this.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just some trivial human stuff. But I'm ok, I promise."

They looked at each other, both their eyes red and droopy. She had a soft, genuine smile on her face and Loki felt himself relax all over again. As the music met their ears once more, they fell into pleasant silence.

----------------------

When the team got home early the next morning, they were surprised to find the two asleep on the couch. With Loki's head hanging back against the couch and the girl's face smothered into his shoulder, it definitely wasn't the most comfortable condition to sleep in. And yet, these two, in their stubborn chaos, managed to make it work. Deciding not to disturb them, the team just let them be and didn't dare mention a word to them when they woke.

#loki x y/n #loki (marvel)#loki x reader #loki #the avengers #mcu fanfiction #mcu fic #mcu #devils lettuce #genz!reader #tom hiddelston x reader #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fanfiction

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calpalirwin · 4 years

Text

Front Row of Last Resorts

Summary: Calum never got a reason why his girlfriend left him. So when they run into each other six months after the fact, he’s determined to both get an answer and the girl.

A/N: Got angsty vibes when I came across the line “but do you miss the way those lies tasted” thanks to @cxddlyash. And here we are.

Content: Smoking, alleged infidelity, hitting, pissed off female reader, smug Calum

Word count: 1.2k

And away, and away we go!

“Fuck you!” Her scream bounced off the buildings as she kept walking away from me.

Even though she was halfway through calling me every name in the book, my hands reached out to steady her as the heel of her shoe caught on an uneven part of the sidewalk and she stumbled backwards. “Whoa, easy there.”

“Don’t you fuckin’ touch me!” she snarled, snatching her arms back before I could even touch her.

I held up my hands in fake surrender. “Fine. Fall on your ass. See if I care.”

“You!” She took a step forward, a finger pointing dangerously in my face. “You fuckin’ disgust me! I never wanna see your face again, you hear me?!”

I dug into the pocket of my jacket for my cigarettes and lighter. If I was gonna listen to her continue to berate me, I was at least gonna have a smoke. “This some new sort o’ game you’re playin’, sweetheart?” I drawled as I lit up, taking a long drag.

“The only one playing games here is you!”

“Am I at least winning?”

“Fuck you, Calum,” she spat one more time before turning her back on me.

It took me snuffing my smoked cigarette into the concrete with the tip of my shoe to realize she wasn’t coming back.

~6 Months Later~

“What’re you doin’?” My lips moved around the cigarette in my mouth as I eyed Ashton in suspicion.

The other man giggled as he grabbed a nearby traffic cone and placed it on my head like a hat. “Makin’ sure you don’t get run over!” He flashed a grin.

“Piss off,” I chuckled good naturedly, lightly kicking his leg with my foot as he started to take a picture.

The sidedoor beside us opened, and we snapped our heads to it, expecting to see Luke and Michael walking out in search of us. When we saw it was a gaggle of girls, we averted our attention. “You’re a shit photographer, mate. Don’t quit your day job.”

“Am I the shit photographer, or are you the shit model?” Ashton quipped.

“Wouldn’t be the only thing Cal’s shit at,” one of the women snorted.

“Hey, Ash, remind me to look up ‘never’ in the dictionary. I wonder if there’s a second definition where it says ‘is actually 183 days.’” I took the cone off my head and took one last pull of my cigarette before digging the snub into the ground and rising to my feet. “How’s it goin’, sweetheart?”

“Eat shit,” she told me.

“Oh, so we’re still playin’ that game.” I tapped at my lips in thought as I walked over closer to her, leaning a hand against the wall. “We ever figure out who won?”

She let out a small scream of frustration before her hand cracked against my cheek.

I rubbed where she had struck me, my entire cheek on fire, brushing off Ashton who took a step forward, ready to intervene on my behalf. “Now that you got that out of your system, you ready to talk to me like a big girl? Or you wanna cuss me out some more? Let’s see… you already told me to eat shit, so look’s like we’re right about where you say I disgust you, and that you never wanna see my face again.”

“Fuck you!” Her hand shoved hard against my shoulder but I barely budged. She turned around, ready to walk off just like last time. Jesus, it was like clockwork with her.

I opened my mouth to call out after her, but Ashton cut me off with a hissed, “Mate!” his eyes wide as they pleaded with me to just let her go.

“No, fuck this,” I dismissed him, before whistling loudly to get her attention. “Go ahead, and walk away again, sweetheart. I’ll see ya in another six months. Lovely catchin’ up!” I waggled my fingers and smiled sweetly at her.

“You stupid, smug, son of a bitch!” she fired, stalking back over to me.

I grabbed her wrist before she could hit me again. “Well, there’s no reason to drag my mum into this…” She growled and I grabbed her other wrist, holding both of them in one of my hands. “Now, that’s not very nice, sweetheart. What happened to all those words you had last time?”

“You’re not worth the air.”

“Alright. You wanna do what you didn’t do last time, and actually tell me just why the fuck you’re so hellbent on ripping my head off? Maybe, I dunno, change the outcome?”

“Why don’t you ask the girl you fucked what happened?!”

“I am!”

“Oh, so you weren’t fucking some other girl when you were with me? So, you’re not even an honest cheat? You’re a fuckin’ lyin’ one!”

“A cheater?! You think I cheated on you?!”

“I don’t think you cheated. I know you cheated! And you’re gonna stand there, and continue to deny it?!”

“I’m not denying shit, Y/N! I didn’t do anything! The only person I was crazy enough to fuck when I was with you was you!”

“Then explain this!” She quickly pulled up a picture on her phone before flashing it in my face.

I took one look and howled with laughter. I laughed so hard my sides ached and I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. I slumped against the wall, bracing a hand on my knee and pointing at Ashton with the other. “She thinks I fucked your girl!” I wheezed. “Oh, my, God! That’s fuckin’ great! Here I am, counting the days and kicking myself in the ass over Y/N when apparently I’ve supposed to been fuckin’ my best mate’s girl the whole time. Shit, I wish someone would've told me. This celibacy shit blows...”

While I fought to regain my composure, and she sputtered, “I- I- I,” at me, Ashton pulled up the unedited version of the picture on his phone. The photo that had him in it, his girlfriend’s hand on his jaw as he kissed her cheek the same way she was kissing mine.

“Believe me now?” I asked as she looked back and forth between the picture, Ashton, and me, her cheeks scarlet with embarrassment.

“Cal, I’m-”

“Save it,” I cut her off with a shake of my head. “I can’t believe you thought I would cheat on you. I can’t believe you read so much out of a fuckin’ picture so quickly that you drew you a conclusion about what happened without even having the decency to talk to me about it first before going off. I fuckin’ loved you. You know that this is the first time in 183 days that I’ve been able to stomach going out? Do you know that you had me so fucked up, that I actually know it’s been 183 days? Do you know how pathetic that is? To have literally counted the fuckin’ days?”

“Calum…” her voice shook.

“Yeah, doesn’t feel so good to not get a word in, huh?” I shot her a wink before I broke out in a held back grin.

She opened her mouth in shock. “Oh! You little shit!” She swatted lightly at my chest.

“Oh, c’mon, you deserved that, and you know it,” I laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her to me.

“So you didn’t cheat?” Her voice was small and muffled as she buried her face in my shirt, inhaling my scent the same way I was doing with her.

“God, no. I fuckin’ love you, you crazy ass woman.”

“Good. Cuz I’ve really fuckin’ missed you.”

“Well, next time don’t leave me.”

Tag List

@frontmanash @goeatsomelife @flameraine @creator-appreciator @cxddlyash @1-irwin-94 @sparkling-calm @tea4sykes @youngblood199456 @5-seconds-of-obsession @gosh-im-short @aquarius-hood1996 @talkfastromance4 @itjustkindahappenedreally @philthepegacorn @boomerash @teenwolfss24 @karajaynetoday @myfavfanficsever @stormrider505 @cashtonisruiningmylife

#front row of last resorts #calum hood #calum hood fic #5sos #ashton may be a sass master. but calum is a fuckin' snark king #dont @ me we know its true #galcal irwin

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1-0-1-9archived · 3 years

Text

@anotherdayadifferentdream responded to this post with:

🎁

52. Hayloft - Mother Mother

Lucas stumbles and careens and teeter-tilts and scarecrow-flails up stairways and hallways and secret-ways through the barn, checkin’ over his shoulder and intermittently feelin’ some kind of phantom wave of heat behind him almost like he’s got an explosion on his heels. Just like you see in one o’ them cheesy space or action affairs.

It ain’t for nothing that he feels the heat. Noooo, there’s nothing behind ‘im. Nothing that oughtn’t be anywhere in the barn - heck, Alice knows where his control room is, and has gotten a rundown of how to check the monitoring systems, if not much else, and so depending on where she is at present, chances are she’s seen that for herself; that rundown seemed fittin’ as a precaution, what with circumstances nowadays bein’ what they were, as one of a set of insurance measures for whenever the atmosphere seems particularly hairy and the safer bet’s likely to be him goin’ it alone whenever either of them needs something.

Thing is, though, things do seem hairy. In a way that she ain’t gonna pick up on, at least quite yet (ho god quite yet -- !!), but that some powers-that-be afoot here absolutely fuckin’ want him to (stop it stop it STOP IT EVELINE -- !)

He hears a step the way you hear it in a fresh dream - a barely-vocalized wheeze as he banks around a corner; stumbles into throwin’ his momentum forward down the hall up ahead and in a moment of his heart rate spikin’ in his chest he flings a look back over his shoulder.

Underneath the sound of the step was grass.

The old man’s in the yard.

He puffs louder and forces his eyes up ahead and books it arms ‘n legs flailing --

A voice, this time, still heard without hearing it, like he remembers it from just now --

-- Dotin’ on that girl all the time, you don’t got no more time for your sister, now, do ya, boy...? Nor for the folks who raised ya...! --

-- puffs louder lips warping in a grimace around his teeth nose scrunching biting back a shriek of frantic fucking fucking FUCKING FRUSTRATION WHY IS THIS HAPPENING -- !!

-- Think just ‘cause you’ve got yourself a little girlfriend now, all of a sudden you’re a big man around here, huh...! Aw, I bet your ass you wish you were...! Nah... -- biting harder, scrunching his eyes blurring and blindingly tight stop it STOP IT -- you -- are still under my roof, Lucas...! You think you’re better than the rest of us now, oh, you’re long overdue to remember your place...! --

STOP IT -- ...!

...A giggle bouncing around in the echoes of the sorta-heard words; he bites down harder ‘n yet the shriek still winds up overpressurized; barely begins to press out and he steels himself - another step, a door squealing open -- ! -- steels himself harder, winds up his stance and braces himself with head ducking low as he shoulder-tackles the door open to the last place he was with Alice...!

-- Breaks into it fuckin’ stumbling over and flailing around himself again, with a mid-vocalized blowin’ sound, eventually catchin’ himself somewhere in the middle of the room nearly a full halfway doubled over. Picks himself up, sagging, breathing fast-yet-shallow and increasingly quiet, so ‘least there’s that - head low, eyes dull. Scanning one way, then the other, countin’ off the bat on finding Alice and gettin’ at least some... superficial sense of security and ‘s-all-gonna-be-fine from that...!

...And when, haah...

...spot her, he does, with a dully-wet snap of his mouth changin’ shape, he pops a... weary, lopsided open smile, head liftin’...! ‘Ah’. One more breath until he... stills...!

-- Before his eyes pop wide.

Trips a couple steps in closer to her, hands comin’ up a tad in a ‘steady now...!’ stance, jerkin’ a look back to the open door behind him -- ...!

“ We’re, uhhh -- ...! ”

He says it... thin, but light, at first! Maybe a li’l pressed-out, but... almost conversational, till it catches a snag and he doubles into clearin’ his airways back out with a very-much-voiced sharp throat-clear through his nose...!

...A double-take; he looks toward her again - you’re listenin’, right...?! - and back to the door - thump. Thump. Thump, up the stairs, you never do anything but hide, son! You ran outta places to give your father the slip long ago! - scampers scampers scampers closer over to her fuckin’ instinctively holdin’ out his arms oh my god c’mon hide me settle me down -- !!

-- Hard swallow and then sharp and rusty -- !

“ -- We’re lockin’ shit down for a bit -- ? If ya don’t mind?! ”

Llllucas ain’t a polite man. She likely knows that full well by now - from him, a ‘thank you’ or a ‘would ya kindly’ or an ‘if ya don’t mind’ is most always given playfully. Or facetiously, at least.

Based on his movements, here, and the risin’ and harshening and roughening and borderin’ into a rough-screaming crow of his voice, this is probably one a’ those ‘at least’ cases.

#> WELP LIKE I SAID #LET'S PLAY | IC #DRAW THE JOKER | Asks Answered!#BLACKENED THE SUN | Molded #YOU'VE JUST HAD SOME KIND OF MUSHROOM | Alice Liddell (anotherdayadifferentdream)

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britneyshakespeare · 5 years

Text

yet another tag

i really need to be catchin up on these already sorry if anyone’s bothered by em

thank you to @aliceic for taggin me 💖✨

nickname: di, but mostly ppl just call me diana

zodiac: taurus

height: 5′7

last movie i watched: spider-man (2002) last night :-)

last thing i googled: lucille clifton

favourite musician: marianne faithfull, brian jones, ryan ross, pj harvey, miley cyrus, et cetera

song stuck in my head: tutti frutti by little richard

other blogs: @creatediana for poetry go follow it & reblog all my stuff if you love me

do i get asks: sometimes

blogs following: 838

amount of sleep: the right amount

lucky numbers: don’t really believe in those things. i used to say it was 2 because i always got it on fortune cookies but that doesn’t really signify anything to me.

what i’m wearing: hershey’s t-shirt, tinkerbell pajama pants, and a fluffy pink bathrobe

dream job: glamorous, wealthy widow who writes a lot of Very Secret poetry to be published posthumously, leaving behind a legacy of mystifying, lonesome, female eccentricism

dream trip: i’m sure the most interesting place in the universe is one i’ve never even heard of

favourite food: i’m only picky about what i don’t like to eat

instruments: i’m pretty proficient at guitar, though i haven’t played in a long time, and when i was 16 i committed the all-too-common white girl sin of buying a ukulele. actually, it was a birthday present, but i wanted it. i can play it bc it’s really small and easy but it’s not like i’m trained in it whereas i took classes at my public high school for guitar.

languages: english, some spanish i haven’t touched for a few years but can still remember roughly, and a very little bit of french. want to expand this list though.

favourite songs right now: marianne faithfull’s version of in the night time, and delia murphy’s version of the spinning wheel are always great, to me

describe yourself with aesthetic things: messy inky handwriting, piles of books, wrinkled sheets...... i can’t do this. i’m not aesthetic. i’m doing this wo the ‘aesthetic’ part bc fuck that. stuffed animals, comic books, the smell of dust, volumes of poetry, old black sweatshirts, red converse, metrical poetry, feminine rhymes. was that aesthetic? if it was it’s just coincidence i promise. i’m innocent officer.

i’ll tag @nospoonsgiven @sneez @a-stringofpearls @doitforparamore @bohemian-brian @hailstormofsnails and aaaanyone else who cares buh bye

#tag

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aidanchaser · 5 years

Text

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Everyone Lives AU

Table of Contents beta’d by @ageofzero

Chapter Three The Knight Bus

Harry didn’t look back, and he didn’t hear Sirius following him. He only kept walking until he realized he had no idea where he was. The trouble with Apparating between places, he wasn’t at all sure how the world connected. He realized he was stranded, quite alone, in the dark Muggle world.

He could go back the way he came. He could apologize to Sirius, but he didn’t know what he had to apologize for. He could talk to Remus, but he figured Remus will simply scold him for being so rash. He could try to find his parents, but his heart sank into his stomach as he realized he only just barely got off being in trouble for all the things he did at school last year, and when his parents found out he ran away from Sirius’s flat, he’d never ride a broom again.

Harry looked around and saw that he’d wandered out of the collection of flats where Sirius lived and into a different neighborhood entirely. He could tell it was different because the buildings were painted a mint-green instead of the dusty blue of Sirius’s complex. It also had a nice park adjacent to it, which Harry knew Sirius’s building did not have. Harry sat down next to the entrance to the park and turned his wand over in his hands.

It was clear at some point he would have to apologize for running away. But he was still so angry at Sirius for burning the book that he wasn’t sure he was ready to apologize. Not even to Remus. He didn’t know how to make anyone understand how frustrated he was with Sirius and his parents and everything that was wrong this week.

Before Harry could decide where to go, the bushes next to him rustled. He scrambled to his feet and tightened his grip on his wand. It was probably just a stray cat, but it could be Sirius sniffing him out. He did not need Sirius to bite his sleeve and drag him back home.

Harry squinted through the dim light, trying to make out the shape of a large black dog in the bushes, but the light was not enough. He put his wand out, but didn’t dare use Lumos and have the Trace catch him.

Then a stray cat shot out of the bushes like an Every Flavor Bean from Peeves’s nose and darted across the street. Startled, Harry fell over onto his trunk and there was a loud bang and a blinding light. Harry opened his eyes to a large, bright purple bus with three levels and gold lettering that read The Knight Bus.

Harry hadn’t meant to stick his wand out over the street, but maybe this bus was his ticket away from Sirius.

The door opened and the conductor, a young boy, not much older than Harry, stepped out.

“Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this even —” He suddenly noticed Harry, still collapsed over his trunk and frowned. “What’re you doin’ down there?”

Harry quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed his trunk. He also flattened his bangs over his forehead. “Fell over.”

“‘Choo fall over for?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Stan Shunpike did not look very impressed with Harry’s story and said, “Woss your name?”

Harry said the first name that popped into his head — “Neville Longbottom.”

“Longbottom? You better get in then. Don’t want that Black catchin’ you. Come on, come on.” Stan grabbed Harry’s trunk from him and led him inside. The inside of the bus had no seats, only tall brass beds from front to back. Stan put Harry’s trunk under a bed near the driver. “Where you headed?” he asked.

Harry pulled out one of the Gallons he’d gotten for his birthday. “The Leaky Cauldron, please.” He could stay there at least one night and owl his parents that he was not going to spend another minute with Sirius and they should take him home immediately, or let him stay at the Leaky Cauldron.

“Choo want hot ‘ot chocolate? Four more sickles for that and a ‘ot water bottle an’ a toofbrush in the color of your choice.”

“Hot chocolate would be great,” Harry said, and took back the sickles Stan handed him as change.

Harry sat down on the bed as Stan introduced him to the driver, Ernie Prang. Harry self-consciously flattened his bangs as Ernie looked him over, but he didn’t have to worry for long that the driver or Stan might recognize his scar. The bus took off with a bang and Harry was thrown flat against his bed.

Harry adjusted to the speed and gratefully took hot chocolate from Stan. He sipped at it quietly while they dropped off another passenger. Between stops, Stan was reading the Daily Prophet and Harry saw the same article that Remus had sent him a few days before, about Regulus Black.

While Stan led Madam Marsh — a small witch who looked green from the Knight Bus’s speed — off the bus, Harry picked up the newspaper and looked at the article.

“What did Regulus Black do, exactly?” Harry asked. “The article is a bit vague, isn’t it?”

“Wha’ choo mean, you don’ know?” Stan frowned at Harry. “Though’ choo said your name was Longbottom.”

Goosebumps prickled on Harry’s arms as he looked at the picture of Regulus Black on the front page. “Er — I’m not close with my family,” Harry said. The resemblance to Sirius was striking, but Regulus was far thinner, and his eyes seemed dark in a completely different way. The sallow look of his skin reminded Harry of Uncle Remus’s vampire friends.

He felt a small pang of guilt about running away from Remus. But the guilt wasn’t bad enough to ask Stan to turn the Knight Bus around.

“You know Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-’Oo. Second-in-command, they say. An’ when little ‘Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-’Oo —”

Harry flattened his bangs.

“— they say Black when mad with rage. The fing is, no one ‘ad seen ‘im in years. He’d been skulking around doin’ wha’ever You-Know-’Oo wanted done, and then suddenly ‘is master’s jus’ gone. So he turns up outta no’ere, probably wanted to go after the Potters’ since they’re the ones tha’ killed You-Know-’Oo, but they were in hidin’ by then, so he wen’ after the Aurors that hid them, Frank and Alice Longbottom. You related to ‘em and you don’ know the story?”

“Distant relations,” Harry said, and thought it was probably true anyway, since his father and Neville’s parents were all purebloods.

“Well, Black is no reasonable man. He an’ his friends, other supporters of You-Know-’Oo tortured the Longbottoms. It took three more Aurors to bring ‘im in. Laughin’ as they dragged him off to Azkaban. He’s mad as anyfink, innee, Ern?”

Harry looked over to the driver, who shivered in his seat.

“If he weren’t when he went to Azkaban, he will be now,” said Ern in a slow voice. “I’d blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you… after what he did….”

“An’ now ‘e’s out,” said Stan, and he took the picture back from Harry. He looked over Regulus Black’s face again. “Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, ‘as there, Ern? Beats me ‘ow ‘e did it. Frightenin’ eh? Mind, I don’ fancy ‘is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?”

Ernie shivered. “Talk about summat else, Stan, there’s a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles.”

Harry knew a bit about Dementors. There were horror stories that said they sucked your soul from your body and kept it in lanterns that they used to light the halls of Azkaban. He didn’t know how true those stories were, but he did remember how Hagrid had looked when he came back from Azkaban. Hagrid had been in Azkaban less than a month, and he came back with a distant and haunted look in his eyes. He’d cheered up during the celebrations that evening, but something about him was still different.

Harry had no desire to ever find out what Dementors were really like.

Ern stopped the bus in front of the Leaky Cauldron and Harry stepped out. Stan grabbed his trunk.

Harry stood on the sidewalk and reached back for his trunk. “Thanks for the chocolate —”

But Stan wasn’t paying attention to him. He was staring wide-eyed at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

“There you are, Neville!” a voice said, and before Harry could even turn around and correct the person, there was a hand on his shoulder.

Harry looked up and saw Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself. Cornelius looked down at him, startled. “Goodness! You’re not Neville at all!”

“No, sir, I’m not,” Harry said. He didn’t understand why the Minister of Magic would be looking for Neville of all people.

“You’re not Neville?” Stan said, still goggling at the Minister.

“This is Harry Potter,” the Minister said, “who is also not supposed to be running around London without supervision. I thought you sent a message saying Neville Longbottom was on the Knight Bus.”

“I told Ern this was Neville Longbottom. Ern musta sent the message on ahead. Didn’ think it was smart for a boy named Longbottom to be out this time o’ night.”

“Yes, very, er, wise,” the Minister said. “Well, thank you very much, and have a wonderful evening.”

Harry couldn’t imagine how all this was about Neville, and he really wished the Minister would leave and go find Neville instead of taking him home, but he really didn’t know how to protest as Fudge led him inside the pub.

Tom, the old landlord and bartender, brought them a pot of tea, and Fudge anxiously checked his watch.

“I suppose you know who I am,” Fudge said as he poured the tea for himself and Harry.

“Yessir.” Harry didn’t think it wise to mention he’d seen Cornelius Fudge at Hogwarts last year, when Hagrid had been taken to Azkaban, but he had definitely seen Fudge in the Daily Prophet.

“Do your parents know where you are, Harry?”

“No, sir.” Harry sipped at the hot tea. “I was going to send them an owl when I got here, honest.”

“Where do they think you are?” Fudge continued to check his watch.

Harry wondered what he was waiting for. “With my godfather. See, they’re staying with Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom and —”

“Yes, I know where your parents are. I asked them to stay with the Longbottoms.” He snapped his watch closed. He cleared his throat and turned all his attention onto Harry. Harry realized he liked it better when Fudge was looking at his watch.

“Harry, listen, you need to be more careful. What with criminals running loose, there’s no telling what sort of danger is out there. We are doing everything we can to catch Black, but he’s —”

Harry suddenly put together what he had overheard from Nymphadora, his conversation with Sirius, and what Stan had told him. And the pieces that didn’t make sense — like why Harry and Neville could not stay with their parents this week — suddenly came together. “You’re using my parents as bait. And he’s not taking it.”

Fudge looked startled at the interruption. “No, no of course not. We just thought that he might go after your parents or Neville’s, or even you or Neville, so we made sure you two were safe first, of course, and decided it would be easier to protect your parents if they were all together.”

But Harry had grown up with four very excellent liars, and Fudge was not even close to being an excellent liar. “Protect our parents? What sort of protection are you giving them if it’s not safe for me and Neville?”

Cleared his throat. “Excuse me, while I notify your parents you arrived. We were quite sure you were safe, and now we’re not sure where Neville Longbottom is — well, I’m sure Neville is absolutely fine. Excuse me, one moment. Have a biscuit.”

He shoved the bread towards Harry, but Harry was quite full from cake, cocoa, and tea. He watched the Minister disappear to a room separate from the main bar and close the door behind him. Harry nudged his trunk with his foot and pushed a spoon around in his cup of tea. So much for his night away from Sirius. He’d be sent right back any minute.

But he did like that he’d learned something, and he did understand why his parents had kept the reason for staying with the Longbottoms a secret. Of course they wouldn’t want him to worry that mad Regulus Black was going to come after them. And surely, even though they were bait to catch him, they’d agreed to it. They knew the plan. They just hadn’t told him. And Harry understood why, but he was still upset about it, and he was absolutely going to tell them how upset he was.

There were four sharp cracks outside the pub, and then the door burst open. Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus all rushed in and immediately over to him.

Lily threw her arms around him and then started to check him for injuries. “Harry, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” and Harry didn’t sound as angry as he’d meant to. “Are… you okay?”

She laughed and his father hugged him and said, “We’re fine. When are you going to stop scaring us, huh?”

Harry laughed a little and hugged both his parents at once. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Well, maybe a little.

Fudge came out of the room and looked startled to see the pub so crowded all of a sudden, but he quickly regained his composure. “Mr. and Mrs. Potter.” He smiled widely at them, and Harry noticed the way he completely failed to acknowledge Sirius and Remus. “You arrived so quickly. As you can see, everything is perfectly fine, and I’d be happy to escort you back to the Longbottoms —”

“We’ll be going home,” Lily said without letting Harry go.

Fudge looked startled by this, then looked to James for some sort of explanation.

James only laughed. “What, am I supposed to say something different?”

Fudge spluttered for a moment. “But — the plan. How are we supposed to catch Black if —”

“The plan isn’t working,” Lily said sternly. “It’s been a week, and we’re no closer to catching Black. We are going home to spend time with our son before he goes to school.”

“Let me arrange to have some Azkaban guards stationed at your home.”

“Absolutely not,” James said.

Fudge looked like he wanted to argue, but wasn’t sure how. Harry didn’t blame him. His parents were difficult people to argue with. Especially when they agreed with each other.

“Perhaps a team of Aurors?” Fudge suggested weakly.

Lily said, “We’ll talk to Alastor about that personally, and I would prefer if the Ministry stayed out of it.”

Fudge took a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his forehead. “Of course. And, you should be happy to hear, Neville is fine after all. It seems there was a bit of panic when we thought he was on the Knight Bus, but he’d merely gotten lost in his grandmother’s garden.”

“I’m glad he’s safe,” James said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be taking Harry home. Have a pleasant evening, Minister.”

Harry was not very excited to leave. He had a feeling he was in for the biggest scolding of his life when they got home. He had never run away before, and he was pretty sure it was the worst thing he’d ever done. Even worse than sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest and nearly getting eaten by giant spiders.

But his father took his trunk, and they all apparated home.

#harry potter everyone lives au #hp everyone lives #hp fic #harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban #poa

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pratering · 7 years

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#i just ordered three new books #ans theyre all gay #one is oscar wilde #im excited i havent had time to read the past decade so like #im catchin up

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nsschaintale · 5 years

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Link 4: Perseverance Draws The Line

CHAINTALE Extra

Chain Link: The Fallen Royal Scientist

Link 4: Perseverance Draws The Line

It had been years since the previous human fell, and things have settled down. There had been some monsters whose time had come for them to be Fallen, and there had been some funerals that were performed. Attempts were made to save some of the monsters, but there was nothing to be done. Nowadays, things have calmed down. By this time, Tether and Catena became old enough to do entry-level things related to what they wanted. Tether was still a bit of an errand boy, but is allowed in the restricted areas alone and learning how to help with low-level tasks around the laboratory. Catena also became an errand boy, but still not close enough to fully join the Royal Guard. Tether sometimes help the guards in the snowfields with deliveries when not at the lab. He was about to return to the lab when he heard something coming from the forest from the direction of the Ruins. He rushed to hide behind the sentry station and when he peeked over, he spotted a human. The human has shoulder-length light brown hair, hazel brown eyes, and wearing black fullframed glasses, a shortsleeved purple shirt layered over a white longsleeved button shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. The human was trudging their way in the snow and noticed the station. Curiously, they went to investigate it and when they got closer, Tether popped up to say hello, startling the bespectacled human. By the voice, Tether realized it was a boy.

Human: M-M-MONSTER!!

Tether: Yeah, I know I am. You a human?

Human: Y-Yeah. What's...your name..?

Tether: I'm Tether! Tether Gadwyn! You?

Human: I'm Percival, but you can call me Percy. You...won't hurt me, will you?

Tether: You didn't hurt anyone, did ya?

Percy (shakes his head): No.

Tether: Then I won't!

Percy: Hmn...Hm? (cleans his glasses and put them back on) Whoa, you're a walking skeleton?

Tether: Yeah. Why?

Percy: I've never seen one before. They're usually buried underground when someone dies. (opens a purple notebook and takes a black pen out; starts writing) Monster Type Number..... Living Skeleton...

Tether: Really...? (glances in the notebook) Whatcha writin' in there?

Percy: Oh.. would it be okay if I wrote about you?

Tether: About me? Sure! Oh, I gotta warn ya. The other monsters are really into catchin' humans, so ya better watch out.

Percy: Are you gonna catch me, too?

Tether: Not really, but you did catch my attention!

Percy: I did?

Tether: Yeah, because I didn't catch you, you caught me!

Percy: ….

Tether: Uuh...wait...Maybe it should be... (clears his throat) The only thing that is caught here..is my attention!

Percy: Um...

Tether: Nevermind, I'll..work on it.

Percy: Were you trying to make a joke?

Tether: Yah, but it didn't work. But I got a...skele-ton..of others to try!

Percy: Pft haha, there's one.

Tether (throws his fists up): Yes! I did it! Ah, but I gotta go. Catch ya later!

Percy: Bye, Tether! (watch him run off) He seems nice. I hope the other monsters are nice, too.

They weren't.

Like the humans before him, he was also chased by the monsters. But unlike them, Percy was getting some unexpected help. From snowballs mysteriously flying at the monsters to seeing them being directed away from him, he was grateful to his mystery helper. At times, he had ran into Tether in the snowfields and was often asked about what he writes in his notebook. Percy was willing to share his findings and observations with him when he's not trying to dodge monster attacks. While he was getting afraid of the monsters' actions, he's begun to trust Tether. Tether wanted to show Percy around Snowdin, but knowing that the monsters and the Royal Guard are actively hunting the human down, they didn't have much time to do so. Once they did manage to reach town, they had to sneak around to avoid the searching monsters. As they did, Percy tried to take as many notes as he could, causing Tether to question his insistence in writing as they hid behind a restaurant.

Tether: You're writin' again. Why do ya do that? Is that what humans do?

Percy: Not all of them, but it's what I do.

Tether: Really?

Percy: Yep! I love history, and I want to learn about everything that happened in the past and how it shaped our future.

Tether: But why did ya come down 'ere?

Percy: Because I wanted to see if there was any truth to the legends I've heard of, mainly the Monster-Human War. (frowns) But it looks like I won't be able to get any answers from everyone here since they're chasing me...

Tether: Hmm...Maybe ya should talk to m' Papa! He's old enough ta know stuff 'bout that!

Percy: He does?

Tether: Yeah! He's a scientist, so he's smart!

Percy: Good idea! I wanna meet him!

Tether: We betta go then!

Leaving their hiding spot, the duo snuck their way out towards the snowstorm out on the outskirts of Snowdin. Realizing it was time for him to go, Percy was about to leave Tether but not without giving him a gift.

Percy (hands Tether a blue covered notebook): Here.

Tether: A book?

Percy: A notebook! I wanted to thank you for helping me so far.

Tether: Err, welcome! Thanks fer the notebook! Oh, ya goin' through Waterfall, ya gotta watch fer the Head Guard!

Percy: The Head Guard?

Tether: Yeah, ya know those Royal Guard dogs? The leader is 'round Waterfall. He's a horse.

Percy: Okay, I'll watch for- a horse?

Tether: Of course.

Percy: Oh, that will be easy.

Tether: Huh?

Percy: I'll be able to hear him coming from a mile away. See you soon!

Tether: Eeer, okay. Bye.

Once they separated, Percy entered into Waterfall. This sent Percy into a writing frenzy as he documented everything he came across. The gem-encrusted walls, the flower bridge, even the waterfalls. As he traveled, he didn't realize he was being followed. He noticed a few stone panels on the wall and studied them. He noticed they had the story of the Monster-Human War engraved on them. From what he read, Percy begin to question the truth behind the legend and whether or not the monsters were even bad in the first place. As he was thinking, he was startled by a shout from nowhere, turning to see a horse-headed monster clad in black armor and cloth with chains. That was what Tether meant by the leader being “a horse”. Percy dodged the spear thrusted at him and took off running. Along the way, he had run into areas where there are stone panels on the walls. Whenever he felt safe enough, he would read them and get even more disturbed by the story. He realized they had notes of the legend he had heard of, but not in the way he was taught. Something about Souls and the way they're handled between monsters and humans. Percy was feeling like the war wasn't a war. Rather than the monsters attacking humans out of evil intentions, the humans were attacking the monsters out of fear of their power.

Percy: “Not a single Soul was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust...” It wasn't a war...it was a...what's that word....massacre..? No way..... (writes in his notebook) This isn't right... The legend was wrong...

Percy was bothered by this revelation during his walk. He definitely has to get this information out. Distracted, he found himself in a room full of blue flowers and Tether was standing among them.

Percy: Whoa, I've never seen flowers like these before..

Tether: I 'eard they're Echo Flowers. They can repeat anythin' ya say to 'em. We monsters use 'em to make wishes!

Percy: Ooh, I want to make a wish. (crouches by the closest one) I wish I can tell the truth of the monsters.

Tether: Eh? The truth of the monsters?

Percy: Yes. I found some wall panels and they told of what really happened to the monsters. I'm beginning to understand why you all are wanting to leave. I want to bring this truth out to people on the surface.

Tether: What if they don't believe you?

Percy: Then I'll find a way to make them believe it! That's a promise!

With that declaration, Percy made his goal: he will escape the Underground and bring the true story of the monsters to light. Percy decided to explore more of Waterfall and had discovered more stone plaques, found a cracked statue, dug around in the trash area (he realized a lot of it came from the surface and figured it was how the monsters got their things), played around with the mushrooms that lit up the ground, and escaped from more monsters. He even discovered a little village with little dog creatures that he found were called Temmies. He had a bit of a field day with that one, but was a little disappointed when trying to get the “rich history” from them. Most of the them were saying strange things or just “Hoi, I'm Temmie!” and the like. At least they were cute, if not for the strange feeling he got from them. Leaving the village happy yet confused, Percy pressed on. At one point, he ran into Tether again and they wandered through a rainy area. They chatted for a while before reaching an area where they can see a distant castle.

Tether: That's where the king lives.

Percy: A king? Really? Is he nice?

Tether: Real nice! Papa works for him as the..uh..the Royal Scientist, yeah!

Percy: So cool! You think he'll let me talk to him?

Tether: If ya can get past the guards, but I'm sure if ya can show 'im yer notes, he'll let ya through!

Percy: I hope so! Hey, maybe I can show you what the surface is like. You wanna come with me?

Tether (lowers his head): I can't..

Percy: Why not?

Tether: Papa says there's a barrier and no monster can leave through it. We're stuck 'ere...

Percy: Oh... I hope there's a way to get rid of it so you all can come out.

Tether (looks at Percy happily): Actually, Papa's workin' on somethin' like that! I don't know what or how, but I know he is!

Percy: Awesome! Can't wait to see it working!

Tether: Me too!

As this went on, in the laboratory, Aden was taking a break from studying the human Souls when he was hearing about a new human roaming around. He also heard some disturbing rumors about a monster helping the human.

Gadwyn: What utter nonsense. Who in their right mind would ever help a human? (looks at the clock) I suppose I should check on my boys, see if they're doing all right. Especially Catena, I worry that the Royal Guard might be a bit too much for him. Tether should have been back by now, unless the guard needed him for something, too.

Figuring his colleagues can carry on the tests without him should he fail to show up on time, Gadwyn left to go to Snowdin to check on Catena and Tether. He found Catena and Darius heading towards the station outside the Ruins with supplies. When he got close, he noticed Darius acting strange upon spotting him and Tether nowhere to be seen.

Gadwyn: Hello, Darius, Catena.

Catena: Hi, Daddy!

Darius (nervous): H-Hi, Dr. Gadwyn...

Gadwyn: Is something the matter?

Darius: No, sir! Everything's good..

Gadwyn: Right... (turns to Catena) Are you doing all right?

Catena: Yep, we're takin' supplies to the Ruin post!

Gadwyn: Is that right? Have you seen your brother? He was supposed to be back to the lab by now.

Catena: I dunno. I was with Mr. Darius. We were s'possed to meet him here when we came back.

Gadwyn: And he wasn't here...?

Darius: He was. I told him to wait, but maybe another guard called for him while we were gone?

Gadwyn: Hmm, I suppose if that's the case, I'll ask the sisters.

Darius: Okay..

Catena: Bye, Daddy!

Gadwyn: See you soon. (walks away) Something's off...

While Gadwyn searched for Tether, Percy was having problems of his own. When he found a series of panels describing how a monster's soul disappears after death, except for a Boss Monster Soul, and how a human can absorb that soul, Percy was startled by an echoing voice.

???: And another....

Percy: Ah!

???: Another Soul brought to us.... Yours is the fourth we need....

Percy: Wh-What?! (turns around to see the equine Royal Guard behind him) AAAHH!!

Keldin: You will not escape from me this time, human.

Percy: W-Wait! The fourth? What's that mean?!

Keldin (aims his spear at Percy): Three human Souls we have so far, you will give us yours.

Percy had heard of this. Three kids had disappeared into the mountain over the past several decades, never to be heard from again. And now, he was about to become the fourth child to disappear in the Monster World. He did not want that. He had a promise to keep. As he saw the monster prepare to pierce him with his spear, Percy felt something rise within him and he screamed.

Percy (eyes glowing purple): STOOOOOP!!

Keldin (freezes): Agh?! What...I can't move!

Percy: Huh..?

Keldin (struggling): What...did you do to me...you....damned...ergh!

Percy: I...It works on him, too? All right! All right, put away your spear!

Keldin (feels his body move and watches his spear vanish): H-How...you...!

Percy: Turn around.

Keldin (struggling but turns around): How are you doing this?!

Percy: Um...Go back to Snowdin!

Keldin (feels his body moving): What?! No...stop!

Percy: Faster!

Keldin (running): Gaaaah!!

Percy (watches him disappear further away): …..That was close... I better get out of here quick... But at least it still works!

With a newfound confidence, Percy kept going. He felt he was close to leaving when he found more panels. When he read them, he was becoming more fearful. The monsters had surrendered to the humans and were sealed underground by seven powerful magicians with a magic spell. That barrier Tether told him about kept them all here. The only way anyone can leave is with a powerful enough Soul and if seven of them comes together before the barrier, it will break.

Percy: ...No human could come here? ....Is this why the monsters were chasing me? ...Those kids disappeared...? Are they trapped here? This is.....What's going on..? No entrances or exits...but I came in through the ruins....Am I trapped here, too?

His confidence now turning into confusion, Percy wandered. He managed to write down the words, but the sentences were becoming even more unnerving. He trudged past the field of Echo flowers and spotted a single panel.

Percy: “But there is a prophecy.” A prophecy...? “The Angel...The One Who Has Seen The Surface....They will return. And the underground will go empty.” The Angel....am I...? (shakes his head) No...I don't think I am. I hope that empty part means everyone will escape here... Seven Souls...If I find the kids..err, maybe they're adults by now? Then maybe we can help the monsters go free!

Percy rushed across the bridge towards an opening and he can see a glowing red light up ahead. Once he passed through the path, he can feel the heat increasing as he entered a new area. He was shocked to see lava under the bridge ahead of him, but was also spotted by a guard manning the station by it.

Guard: A-A human! A human is here!

Percy: Uh oh! Uh, stop!

Guard (freezes): Guh, what?!

Percy: Run to Waterfall!

Guard (runs away): Huaa!

Percy: Gotta keep going!

Percy took off running across the bridge, spotting a large white building ahead. He had stopped but he felt something bad about the place and went north. He found an elevator and used to escape the now pursuing monsters. Once inside, he pressed the L3 button without questioning why it was labeled “Left Floor 3”, he didn't really care. He just had to get away. From a moment's peace to being determined to escape, Percy ran the moment the doors opened. He found himself running past an area where he spotted some cobwebs and into a large area where there are many arrow panels on several rocky platforms.

Percy: How do I get through here...? (steps on a panel, gets launched) WAAAAH!!! (lands on his side) Ooww... I guess...that's how...

Percy had to do this several times while noticing the monster guards standing nearby, watching him struggling with the puzzle. They commented on how he'll never get past the puzzle and that he might as well give up and surrender. Upon hearing this, Percy decided to prove them wrong. Once he calmed himself, he studied the areas and the arrows, planning out the course and adjusting as he went. To the amazement and horror of the monster guards, Percy made it through. He kept going as the cobwebs increased in number, until he reached a dark area where he noticed his movements were slowing down.

Percy: Ugh, why am I moving so slow...? (looks down, sees the floor covered in white threads) What is this stuff? (tries to lift his foot but it barely moves) I'm stuck? (hears sounds of skittering) What was that...?

(giggling is heard)

Percy: Laughing? From where...? (looks down again to see spiders crawling around) Gah! Spiders! No! (tries to kick them away) Go away!

???: There's no use struggling, dearie! You might as well relax while you're here~.

Percy: Who..?

Percy watched as a monster descended down on a silken thread. With an arachnid grace and polite poise, she curtsied before Percy.

???: My name is Kæde, the spider queen. I've heard of a human roaming around the Underground, but I never thought I'd get to meet one~.

Percy: Um, hi, I'm Percy, uh, can you let me go?

Kæde: Let you go? Ahuhuhu~! Why should I let you go?

Percy: Because I have to get to the surface! I have something to do!

Kæde: Aww, but why not stay a while and have some cider? You must be famished.

Percy: I am kinda thirsty...but I don't want anything right now, thank you. Just...let me go!

Kæde: Huhuhu... I'm finding it hard to let go of you, human.

Percy: It's not working..?(eyes glow) Let...me...go...

Kæde: Maybe I will. But let's have some fun, shall we? (snaps her fingers)

The area around them went dark, save for Percy's soul, which is of a purple hue. During the battle, Kæde sent spiders, various pastries, even a giant muffin monster tried to eat him. Percy had to study and dodge them all while running and climbing the spider webs that covered the battlefield. He also discovered why his power didn't work on her; her Soul was purple, too, although mostly white. His power may have been canceled out by hers. He was beginning to grow exhausted, but his desire to leave, the desire to accomplish his goal, kept him going. He had to escape, he just had to get his discoveries out there to the world, to tell the monsters' true story. Even as he was getting ensnared by the threads, nothing was going to stop him, nothing at all-

???: I see you've captured the human, Miss Kæde.

Kæde: Oh! Dr. Gadwyn? I wasn't expecting you to be here.

Gadwyn: Yes... (approaches Percy) So...this is the human that was causing trouble.

Percy: A skeleton monster..?

Gadwyn: Hmph, you don't look as tough as I had imagined. I was expecting something worse. Pathetic.

Percy: You're Tether's dad, are you?

Gadwyn (glares): I am.

Percy: I'm Percival. I'm trying to leave the place so I can-

Gadwyn: I do not care who you are or what you want to do. Your life ends here, human.

Percy: Wait! Why will my life end? What did I do wrong?!

Gadwyn: There are many things that you've done wrong. You exist. You tried to escape. You even went so far as to poison my son's mind with your words.

Percy: Poison his mind? I didn't-

Gadwyn: I had a feeling something strange was going on when Tether didn't come back to the laboratory today. I heard rumors of a human being helped by a monster. I thought it was just absurd. But then I talked to the Royal Guards and my other son, Catena. Then it hit me; Tether must be the one helping you. My own son, brainwashed into protecting you.

Percy: I didn't brainwash him! He wanted to be my friend- (gets choked) Aagh!

Gadwyn (choking Percy with one hand): You may have been able to do it with the other monsters, but I will not allow you to trick me with your poisonous words. There is no way a monster can ever become friends with a human. You are all heartless, lying, bloodthirsty betrayers, and I will not allow my sons to become tainted with your disgusting ways.

Percy: Aggh..b..but..I want...agh..to...I want to...tell the..truth...

Gadwyn: The truth? (loosens his grip) Ha! The last human who did that paid with her life after she took one of our own.

Percy: Wh-What..?

Gadwyn: She thought that telling the truth would let us spare her. It didn't work, so we took her Soul as I will do yours.

Percy: But...that means she's...

Gadwyn: Yes, she is dead.

Percy felt the dreadful weight of terror crash onto him. The previous humans who fell in the mountain were now likely dead in his mind. This threw him into a panic as he violently tried to break free of the spider web cocoon.

Percy: NO!! I can't die!! I don't wanna die!!

Gadwyn: Cease your screaming, no one will come to your rescue. I made sure of that.

Percy: Please!! I can't die yet! I promised I would leave to get the truth to the surface!

Gadwyn: You promised? Promised who?

Percy: Tether... I promised him that I.. (notices his notebook on the ground) ..I would take what I found here and tell everyone what really happened. I learned in school that you monsters terrorized humans to where you had to be sealed up in the mountain. But it's not true! It was us who hurt you! The humans must have started the war because they were scared of your power! If you can let me go, I can at least tell your story! Please, at least let me do that!

Gadwyn: Hmm...So he was telling the truth... You would do that much?

Percy: Yes! That's why- (felt the hand tighten around his neck) Guh! Wha-

Gadwyn: I can't say I believe you. You could be lying for all I know. And besides, your Soul is needed for the project, so it would be pointless to listen to your deceitful droning.

Percy: No...Pl-please...I can...help...free...

Gadwyn: Yes, you will. With your Soul. That way, you will never trick my son again.

Percy: Ugh...Te..ther...

Upon hearing his son's name, Gadwyn squeezed the boy's throat hard enough to audibly break his neck bones and cut off his air, choking him to death. Kæde watched this with fear as she hadn't realized how capable Gadwyn is in simply ending another person's life. She made a mental note to not get on his bad side whenever possible. Gadwyn drew out Percy's Soul and demanded the spider girl to release his body so he can take it to the laboratory. He also took the boy's notebook to read through it once he returned. Unbeknownst to him, the whole exchange between Gadwyn and Percy was seen by Tether. Before Gadwyn met Percy, Tether was found heading towards Hotland to meet the boy by his father and was taken back to the lab. They argued, Tether told him about how Percy was not as bad as Gadwyn made humans out to be, and Tether was locked up and guarded so he wouldn't escape. The scientist hadn't counted on his son learning how to teleport like him. Tether only managed to escape through the door, but it was enough for him to rush past the guard by his door and to the elevator. Once on the lobby level, he almost made it to the exit past the monitors when he saw Gadwyn with Percy. He watched as his father broke the boy's neck without hesitation after telling him to not trick his son again. Tether was unsure of what happened afterwards, but he could have sworn that everything went blurry and it all went to black.

Four Souls down, three to go.

TO BE CONTINUED

#ABGadwyn

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