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zer0gone · 9 months

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Painting a Red Cross On a White Door

Sometimes tragedies are out of our control, even if they’re foreseen.

TW: Blood, gore, mild drug use, death, animal death

> Word count: 6,833

> Wanted to make a fic for Shmorp-mcdurgen’s Alt au. I started this in March.

All it took was a calm spring day for it all to go wrong.

Not entirely, Casey knew this was possibly over a week in the making. It was just one day when the pieces finally fell into place.

Their little brother always tended to run off and do his own thing, that’s just how he was, but he hadn’t been gone for this long before. And with the reports of kids going missing or being found dead, there was cause for concern.

Casey wondered when they should’ve spoken up.

Was it when Andy had gone out? It was early enough to see the trail he left in the grass, the dew giving everything a paler tint except where it had been disturbed. The mourning dove coos and gentle breeze made the day seem perfect.

Was it when their mum had made lunch? It wasn’t unusual for him to skip meals. To any kid his age playing is more important than food. Their mum just shrugged and put Andy’s portion in some Tupperware for him to eat later, like she always did.

Was it when mid afternoon was reached and they still hadn’t heard anything from him? He did tend to lose track of time, Casey remembered the times they both played in the woods on the property long enough to give their mum a stroke. That always earned them a scolding from their dad.

Andy couldn’t have lost track of time for that long by himself, but he had been spending the last few days talking to an imaginary friend. When a kid’s imagination gets like that it’s like time doesn’t exist.

Was it when their mum started calling neighbors, and their dad went out to search the property? They hadn’t seen either of their parents much throughout the day, but they had so many chances to say something. And yet they kept quiet, letting the weight on their tongue keep them from speaking.

Maybe Casey should’ve said something before today even started.

Maybe they should’ve mentioned what they saw with the chicken’s bodies. They weren’t just being caught and dragged by some wild animal, animals don’t do all of that and not eat them.

Maybe they should’ve mentioned when Andy was staying up past his bedtime, saying he just wanted to keep talking to his friend. Some nights he even snuck through the house. Casey could hear more whispers than there should’ve been whenever he passed their door.

Maybe they should’ve mentioned the things they were hearing inside and outside the house, sounds of things being moved around and calls they couldn’t connect to any animals to.

It was sunset when their dad returned, their mum had already left for the police station to report Andy missing. She was already tearing up when she left the house, nobody she called were of any help.

Now she’s probably shrieking at whichever poor soul that was working the front desk. Casey couldn’t blame her, they’d do the same.

But they aren’t there, they’re at home, sitting on the couch, doing nothing.

They looked up at the sound of their dad getting up from the dinner table. Looks like he just finished the leftovers. They got a sour taste in their mouth, those were for Andy.

He walked over to the sink, dropping his fork and turning on the water. Casey could feel the weight on their tongue get heavier. If they said something now it wouldn’t change much, would it? It’d be too late to do anything if what they thought happened was true.

It didn’t really matter how the chickens were dying anyways, something was still eating them. They didn't know how big it was, nobody had seen it.

What if it was big enough to consider Andy prey?

Casey’s stomach dropped. They looked at their dad again.

He had grabbed the sponge on the counter and was cleaning the Tupperware. He hadn’t made a sound since he’d come back to announce that he hadn’t found anything.

Casey’s fingers found the hem of their shorts, messing with the fabric. They swallowed, preparing themself for their dad’s reaction to the question in their mind.

“Dad?”

Their dad hummed, still cleaning the container.

“Do you think… the thing that’s been getting the chickens-”

They startled at their dad slamming the plastic into the sink. Their anxiety already beginning to spike.

“Do Not Finish That Sentence Casey,” he said, tense. “We ain’t thinking about that.”

They looked down at their hands, still on their shorts. They tried to calm down but it didn’t stop the pit forming in their stomach.

The sound of a car door slamming shut signaled their mum’s return from the station. The sound of gravel crunching quickly changing to the wood of the porch meant she was probably speed walking to the house.

“Don’t you bring that up to your mom either.” Their dad turned off the sink. “She’s already scared enough”

Casey swallowed. They felt like they were going to puke.

The front door opened, their mum practically slapping the keys onto the table next to the door. Casey didn’t look up, they didn’t want to see what state their mum would be in from her visit to the station. Knowing the police’s reputation, she wasn’t told anything good.

She sped past them to the hallway, they could hear her looking through the cabinet. The rattle of pills told them exactly what she was doing. Casey wished she wouldn't get high right now, this wasn’t the time for it.

They looked up as she walked to the kitchen, past their dad who had already sat back down at the dinner table.

“You find anything?” She sounded tired.

“Is he here?” Their dad gestured to the room. “No? Then there’s your answer”

“Can you not be like this right now?”

Their mum turned to the cabinet, opening it and taking out a cup. She put the handful of pills on the counter as she turned on the sink. She sighed.

“The station wasn’t much help, but at least he’s officially reported”

She filled the cup with water and turned off the sink. She turned around, leaning against the counter.

“Was so close to grabbing that cop’s pretty, white hair and ripping it out. Maybe then they’d spend less time blabbing about protocol and paperwork and actually do something”

She scooped the pills off the counter, and took them all at once. Lifting the cup to her mouth and drinking. Casey felt both anxious and tired at the sight.

Their dad huffed.

“Doing paperwork and following protocol does more than sitting around popping painkillers”

“Oh really? Like you did anything, how long have you been sitting there? Don’t think I didn’t notice the Tupperware you left in the sink”

“I told you I didn’t find anything,” their dad growled. “I spent hours going through these woods and all I found was some more chicken corpses”

Their mum sat for a second, then paled at a realization.

“Oh god wait, that thing that’s been eating the chickens, what if…” She turned to Casey, making eye contact with them. “What if it got Andy?”

So much for keeping that thought to themself.

“God dammit, we can’t think about shit like that right now!” Their dad raised his voice louder. “How many times do I gotta tell the two of you! Thinking about shit like that gets nothing done!”

“Sitting on your ass doesn’t get shit done either!” Their mum shrieked. Casey bit their tongue. Fighting doesn’t get anything done, but if they said that out loud their parents would turn their anger to them. They didn’t want that. A sound from outside got Casey’s attention.

“Momma! Help me!”

Casey felt their throat close up. That was a kid’s voice outside.

“Hey, mum? Dad? I- I think somebody’s outside” Casey winced at the stutter, hopefully their parents wouldn’t focus on it.

They both stopped arguing.

“Mom! Dad! Help! It hurts!”

Andy?

“Mom! Please!”

There wasn’t any denying it was Andy’s voice but…

Something felt wrong.

“Diane wait-”

Their mum rushed outside, the front door rattling from the force of it hitting the wall.

Casey stared at the open door.

“Shit-” their dad sped to the front door. “DIANE, DIANE DON’T JUST RUN OUT THERE”

They were still staring at the door as he ran out to follow their mum. Something about this whole situation made dread pool in their gut. If he’s hurt, then what hurt him?

They heard their mum scream.

“CASEY GET THE GUN!”

Casey startled at their dad’s yelling, panicking for a second before processing what he said. Their mum was still screaming. Something else was screaming with her.

They ran into their parents’ room, scrambling to grab the rifle leaned against their mum’s vanity. The metal was cold against their hands. They knew it was already loaded, their dad was always paranoid about situations like this, so he didn’t really care about gun safety.

They tried not to trip on the carpet as they sprinted back into the living room. Their heart raced as they ran to the front door.

They slipped when they turned, panic filling their veins when they almost fell. They can complain about running with socks on wooden floors later, when their mum isn’t in danger and they’re not running with a gun.

Goosebumps spread across their skin when they finally got outside, the night air chilling them. Casey ran across the porch, trying not to slip again. They could see their dad racing toward them. When did their mum stop screaming?

“GOD DAMMIT, GIVE ME THE FUCKING GUN ALREADY!” Their dad sounded even more panicked.

Running down the porch steps they held the rifle out for their dad to grab. Their heart raced as it was pulled out from their grip, their dad already turning around and aiming at-

Oh god.

It was too dark to see fully, but there was enough light from the porch to get the picture.

Something was hunched over their mum, straddling her as it tore at her still body. It was humanoid, clad in dark clothes, but the sight of it latching its teeth into what remained of their mum’s neck screamed otherwise.

Dark fluid, Casey assumed blood, surrounded the two of them. They watched as it wrenched its head back, the ripping of flesh being loud enough for them to hear from nearly twenty, no, thirty feet away. Its arms moved as it used its claws to tear at their mum’s stomach and chest, blood already covering the areas.

Casey could barely believe what they were looking at. How long had it been since their mum had ran outside?

They were brought back at the sound of a gunshot.

The thing flinched at the sound, turning to their dad as he moved to eject the empty shell casing from the rifle. The lack of it reacting in pain meant that their dad missed, at 20 feet. When did he even get that close? Casey would’ve made fun of their dad’s aim but now was not the time.

It scrambled to its feet, running at their dad. Shit he’s too close, he’s not going to have a new bullet in the chamber in time-

A second gunshot rang out. The thing stumbled, a horrifying wail coming from it.

Their dad backed away. It’s too close for comfort. He turned around, running towards Casey and the house. One look at him told them he was panicking.

“GET IN- GET IN THE FUCKING HOUSE,” their dad almost screamed.

Casey was already turning to go inside, nearly tripping on one of the steps. When they passed through the front door they turned around.

The thing was still going after him. The shot didn’t do anything except slow it down for a few seconds.

It shrieked and cried as it chased him to the house. Casey slammed the door shut as soon as their dad got in, frantically locking the door with the hope that it’d do something. They could hear it get louder and louder the closer it got to the house.

Their dad turned around and aimed the rifle at the door, his breath still panicked. Casey went away from the door, and out of the way of the gun, as soon as he made eye contact with them. They held their breath as they waited for it to get to the door.

The image of it mauling their mum kept appearing in their head. They couldn’t wait to see their dad blast the thing’s head off-

The sound of glass shattering brought their thoughts to a halt. They stared at the living room as they processed what just happened. Shards scattered onto the floor, the thing groaned as it lifted itself from the carpet, it’s breathing ragged.

It jumped through the window.

The thing growled as it turned towards the two of them. Its face was… like somebody shoved a horse skull into a human head. Blood covered its elongated teeth, some of it mixing with its spit, dripping onto the carpet.

Casey was snapped out of their daze when the thing charged their dad, letting out a shriek. They turned and ran into the kitchen, they could hear something slam into the wall during the scuffle. They yelped when a gunshot rang out, crawling into the nearest cabinet. They hoped the sounds of pots being shoved would be ignored.

They could still hear the fight, backing as far as they could against the wall as they listened to the thing’s screams and their dad’s yells.

They flinched at the second gunshot, covering their mouth and nose in an attempt to hide their breathing. They heard a loud thunk, followed by a dragging noise that slowly got louder.

Whoever won had to be in the kitchen now, they could hear their breathing. It had to be their dad, whoever fell was after the gunshot. Casey was hoping he would call out to them, say it’s safe to come out or something.

Maybe he was processing everything? They wouldn’t blame him, mum’s dead and Andy probably is too. They put their hand on the cabinet door, ready to push it open.

A squelch made them stop. There was another, and another. They were mixed with tearing sounds. It wasn’t like fabric or paper, it sounded… wet. Dread pooled in their gut.

Casey put their hand back on the door and began to push it open, bracing themselves for whatever could’ve been on the other side.

The smell of blood flooded their senses. They fought the urge to gag, they couldn’t risk making any sound. Not while they still don’t know who won. Although with the sounds they were hearing, they might know the answer.

Casey wanted to puke at the scene before them.

Their dad was dead, no denying that, the thing that had killed their mum killed their dad too. It was practically feasting on his body, ripping and tearing at anything it could get in its mouth. There was blood splattered everywhere, a pool forming underneath their dad and the thing.

They felt like they couldn’t move, like even breathing would bring its attention to them.

Blood was all over the thing’s uniform, it’s wearing a fucking police uniform, soaking into the fabric and adding to the stains it was already covered in. It had bleached hair that was partially tied back and its hands looked partially elongated. They couldn’t see its face, they didn’t want to. If they could see its face, then it could see them.

Casey tried to avoid looking at their dad’s face.

They flinched again when a particularly loud squelch sounded, whatever it was chewing on popping and splattering more blood on the kitchen floor. They needed to sneak out while it was distracted, it’d probably rather go for them when it was done with their dad than go back to their mum.

Casey began to slowly crawl towards the back door, staying on their feet just in case they needed to run. They tried not to cringe at the feeling of their socks soaking up the splatters of blood that had reached their side of the kitchen.

They didn’t want to stare at their dad’s body while it was being consumed, but if they wanted to run as soon as it turned around and saw them, they had to.

They slowly crawled behind the thing, avoiding the few shards of glass, bullet casing, and the rifle. Shit, it probably caught it in its mouth going off the damage. The metal was partially crushed, it's a miracle the thing fired. Guess they aren’t using that.

Casey flinched when they heard a loud crunch. It’s probably reached his bones now, is that even an alternate? They doubted it. Alternates didn’t maul people like wild animals.

They were almost to the door, deciding to go just a little further to get the dinner table between it and them. If it detected them it’d struggle over or under the chairs and table, and that would give them important seconds to get away.

They glanced at the thing, still feasting on their dad. God they hoped they could get out of this alive, maybe they would’ve had better chances of surviving if they stayed inside the cabinet. Maybe if they-

A loud clack sounded from a chair their leg bumped into. Their stomach dropped, their lungs stopped working. The thing stopped eating. It quickly turned around and made eye contact with them, blood dripping from its maw.

As soon as it began to move Casey bolted to the back door. Thanking god and their dad’s habit of leaving it unlocked, they swung it open as fast as they could without letting go. They heard the thing practically yowl and its teeth snap as they ran out, slamming the door shut behind them.

They didn’t look back, they refused to look back, as they ran into the woods on the property. They could still hear the thing as it started wailing again.

Maybe they should’ve slowed down when the wails became fainter, letting the sounds of the leaves crunching under their feet and the wind in their ears become the only things they could hear. They kept running, they couldn't risk it.

A feeling of something quickly sliding over their foot is the only warning they got.

Something yanked on their ankle, hard. Falling hands, then face, first into the forest floor, their eyes teared up as stinging pain bloomed all over.

They whimpered at the pain on their tongue and ankle. The fall had made them scrape their hands on the small rocks and dirt, blood already leaking from one of them. Their jaw slamming into the ground had made them bite their tongue. They looked down at their legs, both knees being irritated, but the problem was the snare trap that was wrapped around and digging into their ankle.

Tears welled into their eyes as they tried to move their ankle. Pain pulsed through their foot and up their leg.

Casey felt like an idiot. Finally remembering the snares their dad has set up to catch whatever was killing the chickens. They’d helped set the damn things, but they still forgot.

They couldn't take it anymore. Their body shook as tears ran down their face, trying to cry quietly. They quickly turned into sobs.

What were they crying over? Casey didn’t know. They were stuck in a snare, they were chased by some fucking thing, their mum and dad were mauled, Andy was missing and probably dead.

They knew something weird was going on!

They could hear Andy talking to something.

They knew it wasn’t an imaginary friend, they could hear its voice.

They knew it was going into the house and moving things around, they could hear its footsteps.

They knew the chickens were being killed by someone, they saw the three with broken necks tucked away near the garage. They hadn't even been eaten by anything.

Why didn’t they say anything! Their dad would’ve at least believed the chicken one, they were right there!

Casey curled into themself as they sobbed, they wished this was another fucked up nightmare. That they’d wake up and everything would be normal. Andy wouldn’t be missing, their mum and dad wouldn’t be dead, and they wouldn’t have to worry about the thing that killed them both being real.

They didn’t hear the leaves rustling at first, crunching as something stepped closer. When they did, over their own sniffles and sobs, they tried their hardest to silence themself. But all they could manage was turning their cries into stuttered gasps, lungs spasming from the effort.

They did their best to stay still as whatever approached got closer. They could hear its breathing at this point, or was that their own? They couldn’t tell.

Casey closed their eyes as it seemed to finally get to them, knowing their breathing was still too erratic to go undetected. The leaves crunched and shifted behind them, they prayed that whatever it was it’d leave them alone.

A hand touching their side made them scramble onto their hands and knees, breathing through their teeth as the stinging worsened. They needed to get away, they needed to run-

The snare tugged on their ankle, reminding them why they were on the ground in the first place. They glanced back at it, more tears forming in their eyes, and noticed a hand, clad in a black fingerless glove, holding the snare wire. Their eyes followed the arm, wanting to know who was keeping them from being able to at least get a few feet further.

Dread pooled in Casey’s stomach as the arm just seemed to keep going. It was longer than their dad was tall, and was bent at several points, as if it was full of joints. A second arm with the same features was near it.

If that didn’t confirm it wasn’t human, finally processing the rest of it did.

It had ripped jeans that didn’t reach its ankles, probably cause its legs were in a similar state to its arms. Its shoes were worn down black sneakers and a black hoodie with yellow letters where the breast pocket would be, they read ‘BPS’. Casey felt like they’d heard of that before.

Its neck was long, too long, and it had a point in the middle that looked broken. It had blonde curls on its head, cut in what they guessed was an undercut.

Finally making eye contact with it, it smiled.

“Hey,” it spoke gently, “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Its face looked wrong. Its smile was too wide, borderline baring its teeth. Each pupil was blown wide, nearly taking up the eye. If Casey squinted they could see white dots in the middle of them. They felt wrong looking at-

Did it just fucking talk?

Panicked, they kicked their leg at the hand holding the wire, mind filled with a mantra of ‘what the fuck’.

That was quickly ended by it grabbing their other leg. It dragged them towards it, mouth closing but still smiling. Their stomach lurched as they were lifted off the ground.

Casey clawed at the forest floor, blood from their palm mixing with the dirt. They were raised just high enough to barely touch the ground beneath them, only able to scrape at the soil with their fingertips.

“I said I wasn’t gonna hurt you,” it sounded less friendly. “How hard is that to understand?”

Casey wanted to snap back, but the throbbing in their tongue from when they ate shit had them not wanting to speak. This… noodle thing was already upset with them too, they didn’t want to make it mad. Why was its voice familiar?

Looking back up at it, Casey saw that it had craned its neck down to them. Probably to get a better look at their face. It showed its teeth again when it noticed it regained contact with them.

“Hey”

“... hi”

Why did they respond? This thing clearly isn’t human, why are they entertaining it?

“What’s your name? Mine’s Adam”

“... Casey”

Its- Adam’s smile somehow got wider as it raised them higher. They were getting woozy from being upside down already. They could feel the snare lightly tugging on their leg.

“What’s got you so scared? You’re really freaked out”

Why is its voice so familiar?

It looked Casey up and down, pausing at their feet. They wondered why it was staring before they realized. Their socks were still bloodstained. Adam chuckled.

“Ohhhh, you did something didn’t you? You did something you weren’t supposed to,” it giggled.

Casey heaved, their head swam. They didn’t want to cry again but it wasn’t wrong. The still fresh memories of their mum and dad being mauled flashed in their head. They caused this, or at least didn’t try to stop it when they could’ve. Everyone was-

“Hey! I know you can still hear me. What’s going on in there?” It tilted its head again, craning its neck lower.

Okay they’re getting sick of being upside down. Bending their other leg, they took a second to aim, and kicked it in the side of the head as hard as they could.

Pain exploded in their ankle, the snare snapped even tighter around their leg. It made a startled sound, dropping them on the ground. Casey was sure they heard its neck crack, or it could’ve been one of their joints. They weren’t paying too much attention.

They scrambled onto their knees and away from it as it seemed to stumble. They didn’t really kick that hard, maybe they caught it by surprise?

“OW! What the hell! What was that for?” it shouted, clearly upset.

Casey flattened themself on the ground, trying to get the lightheaded feeling from being upside down to go away. They didn’t care if it was mad at them, if it didn’t want them to lash out, maybe it shouldn’t have held them up in the air.

They stuck their tongue out at it, ignoring the fact that they just licked the ground.

“Andy was so much nicer than you, he let me pick him up all the time”

Wait a fucking minute.

“You… What do you mean..?”

Their lungs felt heavy, head still swimming from being upside down.

Adam cocked its head at them, smile spreading across its face as it leaned forward on its arms. Are they supposed to even call them arms? It used them more like legs.

“Andy! You live in the same house as him, right?”

Casey pushed themself off the ground, moving to sit on their knees. Their hands still stung, but they ignored them. This thing knew Andy.

“Yeah…” Casey could feel dots connecting in their head but still couldn’t figure out how they had heard its voice before. Maybe this is an alternate and it’s mimicking a voice-

Holy fucking shit.

Holy Fucking Shit.

“YOU- YOU WERE IN THE HOUSE.” They heard a bird startle and fly off from a nearby tree. “YOU WERE TALKING TO HIM”

“I was!” it spoke like it was admitting to something amazing, and not breaking into their house to play with their little brother. Then again this thing probably thought that was something amazing.

The two of them fell into silence. Casey couldn’t figure out what else to say and Adam seemed to be okay with just watching them think. Maybe… If it was spending time with Andy, maybe it knows where he went. They made eye contact with it again.

“Do… do you know where he is?”

“No, I don’t.” he frowned. It looked so wrong on his face, Casey would pay money to not have him do that again. “He ran off a while ago and I haven’t seen him since.”

Casey felt themself wilt at that. If Andy’s secret noodle friend didn’t know where he was, then he definitely was lost. Adam tilted its head again, staring at Casey.

“I have an idea” it tilted its head the other direction. “We could play a game, maybe that could cheer you up?”

“I- okay,” Casey sighed. Cheering them up won’t help but it’s clearly not human, might as well hear this thing out.

“How about, hmmm… tag? I count down and you run, doesn't that sound fun?”

“That’s hide and seek”

“Same thing, are you gonna play or not?”

Casey was quiet for a moment, weighing their options. If they refused, he'd probably just keep manhandling and hurting them, since it's not like they can run with this snare on their ankle. But if they play his game, they have a good chance of getting away, and maybe even finding Andy.

“Yeah, I’ll play,” they pulled their leg out from underneath themselves, reaching for the wire around it.

Just looking at their ankle told them that running wasn’t going to be enjoyable. Casey was surprised it wasn’t bleeding, but the bruises were already forming. The welt stung in the cold air.

Adam pulled on the snare again, when’d he grab it? He was surprisingly gentle as he reached for their ankle with his other hand-

Casey yelped as he yanked their leg up, forcing them back to the ground, the wire tight around their ankle again. They take back the gentle thought. Adam giggled. Jackass.

“Rules are easy,” he pulled on the slide, loosening the snare. “I count down from twenty, you run. Make it to the road and I’ll let you go, don’t make it, and I can do whatever I want, okay?”

He pulled the wire loop off of their ankle.

“If I’m feeling nice I’ll even help look for Andy.” Adam let go of their leg, letting it drop to the ground. Casey pushed themselves up to stand. Their legs wobbly from the earlier running and then sitting on the ground.

“Okay,” they turned toward Adam. “How are we doing this?” Its face stretched into a wide smile.

“Twenty… nineteen… eighteen-”

Casey didn’t wait any longer to get the message. Turning away from Adam and bolting. They pushed their body to go as fast as it could, doing their best to ignore the worsening pain in their ankle.

It surprised them how they still had the energy to run like this, leaping over roots and weaving between trees. If they weren’t running for what they assumed is their life, they’d relish in how wild and free they felt.

Rocks and branches stabbed into their feet, their lungs stung from the cool night air. Their limbs already stung at the exertion, they could feel something wet starting to drip down their leg. They could deal with that later.

“READY OR NOT!” Adam’s voice echoed through the trees. That was not twenty seconds, bastard. They could hear maniacal laughter that was already getting louder.

Andy played with this thing? This shit is terrifying!

Running through the forest, Casey was quickly realizing how hard it is to both run in a straight line while also weaving through trees to lose Adam. This thing was fast, they might not stand a chance.

They noticed a particularly thick area of underbrush. That could work.

Casey’s ankle protested as they took a sharp left. They felt air rush behind them as Adam zoomed past them. It was much closer than they thought it was.

They ducked their head lower as they reached the denser foliage, avoiding the larger branches. If this worked then they can get more distance between them and Adam.

Refusing to look back and see if it was slowed down, they kept running. Casey was quickly realizing how this path affected them too. The large amount of plants and lower hanging branches kept snagging on their shirt, some branches breaking off and trying to hang on their clothes before falling.

Casey’s vision was already starting to blur. What happened? They were running just fine earlier. They chose to try to ignore it. The underbrush was already becoming less dense. Both a good and bad thing. They hoped Adam struggled through it. They could barely hear it now, but they wanted to be completely unable to hear it.

They finally got out, one more branch hitting their now bleeding knee. They inhaled from the pain, but kept running. They’re not slowing down just yet.

The area after was much clearer, only making them have to leap over a few roots and uneven ground. Casey was gaining distance here, they couldn’t hear Adam anymore. The only sounds they were hearing were their own footsteps, breathing, and the wind in their ears.

Their stomach dropped when their foot slipped on a tree root, everything else following.

They tried not to yelp when they fell. Their legs were so sore, they could feel the muscles under their skin spasming as they collapsed. Shit, shit- why now? Why now for the sudden muscle weakness? They hadn’t been running that much had they?

Casey winced as they put their arms out in front of them, their already scraped and bloody palms exploding in pain. The impact made their jaw clack, spit dripping out of their mouth. They abruptly inhaled, bringing a glob of saliva down their throat.

Pain filled everything, making their body quiver as they choked on their spit. Feeling it run out of their mouth and run down their chin as they gasped for air. They pushed themself to sit on their knees.

They leaned back, tilting their head upwards and putting their hand behind them for support. They felt something boney and wet under their fingers. They snapped their head back to look at it.

Oh that’s gross. Casey had accidentally put their hand on another dead chicken, looking at her told them she had been here for a little while. They fight the urge to throw up as the sight of the maggots wriggling through what remained of her flesh and internal organs. They still heave.

Her neck had been broken, but there were no signs of her having been eaten in any way. They scooted away from the corpse. They didn’t need to worry about that right now.

They reached up with the hand that hadn’t touched the chicken and wiped the tears off their face. They looked up again, trying to breathe more clearly. God their ankle hurt. Goosebumps formed as they heard something moving through the brush.

Shit, Adam was already near, and they’re making a lot of noise.

They could hear it moving through the forest, bushes and branches shifting as it pushed past them. Casey could hear its steps getting louder as it got closer.

Fuck, shit, SHIT. Casey felt dread pool in their gut, panic making their lungs stutter. Something about Adam winning made them afraid.

Looking around for something- anything to defend themself, Casey saw a stone in the dirt. That could work. They didn’t give a shit about playing fair anymore. This is terrifying and they don’t want to know what happens when they get caught.

Casey clawed at the dirt around the stone, pulling it out of the ground as soon as it was loose enough. It was bigger than they anticipated but they didn’t really have too many other options. They’ll use what they can get.

The sounds of Adam sprinting through the foliage got louder as it approached.

Their dad showed them how to deal with coyotes that were trying to get into the chicken coop when they were younger, hopefully there’s nothing wrong with using that now.

“Caught you!” Adam’s voice was distorted, like there were multiple speaking at once through a radio. It looked insane, the laughter coming from it sounding deranged. It surged forward, trying to grab them.

Casey didn’t wait for it to grab them, throwing the rock as hard as they could at its face. They were rewarded with a sickening crack as the stone hit Adam’s neck instead. It recoiled violently and screamed. Casey pushed themself to stand while it was recovering.

Their legs were shaking but at least they were working now. Stumbling and nearly tripping over more exposed roots and uneven terrain, they pushed themself to run as fast as they could again.

“You’re so mean!” Adam yelled. Casey could tell they were gaining distance from how quiet it was compared to seconds earlier.

Burning filled their lungs as they strained them again. They heaved again, more spit running out of their mouth and down their chin. Adam probably won’t be slowed down for long. Their vision blurred.

Casey didn’t know how much longer they could keep running. How big is their family’s property?

They noticed a gap in the trees ahead, where the ground was grey and sand colored gravel instead of the normal soil of the forest floor.

There! The road! Just a little more and they can make it!

Their body screamed at them to stop running. Everything burned. But they’re so close to winning, just a little further.

Their legs buckled again when they stepped into the ditch next to the road. The unkempt grass made the ground look not as low as it actually was. They could feel the sharp stickers and seeds try to stab into and stick to their skin.

Casey nearly collapsed when they felt the gravel stabbing through their socks and into their feet. They won. They leaned down on their knees, trying to get more air into their lungs. The blood all over their hand and knee was still leaking but had mostly dried.

Reaching up with their hand they wiped the spit that had collected off their chin and neck. They stood there for a few seconds. If they sat down now they won’t be able to get up. Looking left and right only showed them the road stretching onward.

Now what?

Maybe they could walk to town? Yeah, they can walk to town. There’s more people there, and the police station. They can go there, maybe they’ll help.

They chose a direction and began walking, ignoring their sore limbs except their ankle. Not gonna make any progress if they stand around doing nothing.

Casey heard something walking through the leaves behind them. Turning to look, they watched Adam emerge from the tree line. It was silent, staring directly at them. They stood still, watching it approach them before stopping about five feet away.

They swallowed the lump in their throat. Adam was probably mad at them about the rock. “I won.” Casey was surprised their voice was audible, after today they might just not speak again. Silence stretched between them. They turned and started walking along the road again.

“You were mean,” Adam finally spoke. They could hear the gravel crunching as it began to follow them. “You were mean first.” A shoddy excuse, but Casey really didn’t want to know what would’ve happened if they lost. They kept walking.

“Where are you going?” They tried not to jump when Adam’s voice sounded so close so suddenly. The thing had craned its neck down to get closer to their ear. Looking at it now it seemed like the stone hadn’t done much if any damage to its neck.

“The police station, dunno what they’ll do but hopefully I’ll be taken care of.” Having to report their own parents’ deaths won’t be fun. They’re technically homeless now too, maybe they could move in with one of their cousins. The foster system doesn’t sound fun.

They flinched as something brushed against their injured ankle before it was clasped by a gloved hand. Casey looked down to see that Adam had grabbed their leg and began to squeeze, hard. They yelped and tried to pull their ankle out of its grip. Adam pulled in response, bringing Casey down and knocking their head on the gravel below.

Casey thrashed when it kept pulling them towards himself. its other arm snaked underneath them and tried to wrap around their body as it lifted them off the ground. They bit and scratched as it slowly coiled its arm around them, its other joining after it ensured it wasn’t going to drop them.

Tears began to pool in their eyes as Adam smiled down at them.

“I won!” they screamed, “You said you’d let me go if I beat your game!”

Adam giggled. It squeezed them as its hands slowly snaked up to their head. Casey’s breathing quieted down as its hands almost gently cradled their jaw.

They stared into this thing’s eyes as he readjusted his hands, trying to get the perfect position.

Adam looked into their eyes, before smiling so wide its face seemed to nearly split in half, its grip on their neck abruptly tightening and-

. . .

The body of a 12 year old child had been found on the side of a rural road in Mandela County. Cause of death appears to be a broken neck. Police are still investigating the incident.

#tmc #tmc alternate au #alt thatcher #alt adam #blood tw #gore tw #tw character death #zero writes

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