Chapter Text
Dylan awoke to the sound of rustling leaves and birds chirping outside the window of the shitty motel he was staying in. The bed sheets he spent turning on all night were itchy and offered little comfort. Groaning at the early hour, he grabbed his phone to see the time. Sighing to himself, he got up off the bed he would not miss and got ready for the day. Today, he was starting his job at Hackett's Quarry Summer Camp, a job that sounded truly daunting and unamusing. He wasn't sure why he applied for the job, or for that matter, why they accepted him. 'Dylan Lenivy' was nobody. A young man with an insignificant employment record, a clean criminal record, and a low credit score. If you asked anyone who went to school with Dylan, they’d rack their brain trying to recall the quiet boy, for he never existed until recently. A new identity, a new personality, someone who hasn’t endured as much as he truly has. Who he used to be, Jackson Van De Kamp, William Scully, had died three years ago.
Dylan walked towards the bathroom and turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on his face. The water dripped down his chin and onto the countertop as he lifted his head up to stare at his reflection in the mirror. Another night of restless sleep left him with dark circles beneath his eyes. Eyes that had lost their shine long ago. He tamed his hair as best he could and looked at himself again. Taking a deep breath, he smiled to his reflection in some effort to convince himself he was perfectly put together. It quickly fell and he sighed walking away.
He gathered his belongings and caught the bus just outside of the motel that would take him to the summer camp.
࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆
Knocking on the door, he didn't hear anything back but then heard shuffling behind him. Turning around, he saw who he assumed to be Chris Hackett, leader of the summer camp, though glancing at the camp uniform, it was obvious. Beside him was a girl around Dylan's age, quietly talking in his ear.
"Oh! Hello, you must be Dylan, right? We spoke on the phone," Dylan smiled and nodded back, coming down the stairs of the lodge. "You're pretty early, even beat me and Kaylee!" Hackett laughed.
"Yeah, I was already in the area, so I figured I'd come early." Dylan replied.
"Oh right! This is my daughter, Kaylee. She'll be helping out almost as a part-time counsellor." Dylan nodded in reply and greeted Kaylee warmly.
"Well, I suppose since you're here, and my son Caleb is running late, would you be able to help set up before the other counsellors arrive?"
"Of course." Dylan smiled again, similar to in the motel, except it wouldn’t fall flat.
࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆
Underneath the lodge, Ryan sat against one of the lodge's support beams and turned up the volume of his podcast, placing his earbuds in both ears. Clicking play, the familiar intro to 'Bizzare yet Bonafide' played. It was an older episode he hadn't listened to yet when Grace and Anton were just getting their footing.
"So Anton, what are your thoughts on... supernatural abilities?" Grace began after the intro.
"You mean... like what, moving things with your mind?" Anton chuckled slightly puzzled.
"Yeah, among other things. I'm only asking because today's episode features some unexplainable cause and consequence."
"All the episodes we do are unexplainable." He deadpanned.
"No, not all. Just most. Anyways are you going to answer my question?"
"Well, 'supernatural abilities' haven't proven to be real. It'd be cool if it were real though. Y'know, having superheroes and stuff. Well, on second thought, I wouldn’t want Superman sending an alien through my window," Anton laughed.
"Well, you are going to have an absolute doozy with this one then," Grace beamed, "Today's story took place a while ago, before we even started the podcast. Sent in by a fan submission, we have the story of Jackson Van De Kamp, alternatively, ‘The Boy of Shattered Minds’, as the internet calls him," She said elegantly.
"Never heard of him," He added.
"Well, me neither until I researched and got some insider knowledge," Grace began, with notes shuffling in the background, "So this story begins in Washington D.C., 2018. The Van De Kamp family consisted of a mother, a father, and a teenage son, Jackson. They were an ordinary family, upper-middle-class, picture-perfect. However, it seemed that Jackson struggled growing up, he was actually adopted by the Van De Kamps as a baby, but growing up, uncovered records show he moved schools many times and saw multiple therapists during his teen years."
"Hm. Why did he need so many therapists?" Anton questioned.
"Unfortunately, it was not disclosed due to patient confidentiality. Continuing on, one faithful night would change that picture-perfect image. Two gunshots were heard inside the Van De Kamp home. Interestingly, two FBI agents, only referred to as M and S in my research, were already on site. It's not confirmed, but the theory is Jackson was going to be brought in for question to another case, involving his two girlfriends."
"The guy had two girlfriends? Rather unfair for the rest of us," Anton jokingly grumbled.
"Yeah, I would dive into their story as well, but that's for another episode," Grace chuckled, "Anyways, the agents entered the home, finding the bodies of Mrs. and Mr. Van De Kamp in the living room," She paused, letting the information sink in. "The agents then heard a third gunshot upstairs. The son, Jackson, was quickly found upstairs with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Once police arrived, they wrote the crime off as a murder-suicide. The police's theory was that Jackson murdered his parents, then heard the FBI agents and was scared of being captured, thus killing himself."
"Yeah, I don't believe that for a second. Why would the police assume that had to be the case?" Anton retorted.
"Yeah, when I first read this, my mind totally jumped to the cops being involved somehow. But let's see if your suspicion is correct," Grace followed with the story, "So, the bodies of the Van De Kamp family were sent to the morgue, where not long after, one of the bodies disappeared. Jackson, once clearly seen to be dead, fled the morgue. Video evidence showed that he exited through a closet window," She paused again, "Freaky, right? Imagine working there and just seeing a corpse sit up and walk out no problem."
"God, I think I'd crap my pants," He joked.
"Dude, I'd probably pass out right there," Grace laughed, "Anyways, he visited his girlfriend, sorry, pural, girlfriends in the hospital, but was found by 'a fuck ton of suited men,' said a witness."
"Damn, two girlfriends, and the FBI after him."
"Let's not assume, we actually have no clue who those guys were, since the witness doesn’t recall them holding badges," she chimed, "So, Jackson, knowing the suited guys were after him, tried to escape. With found security footage, it's seen that many of the suited men shot and killed each other. The FBI agents, M and S, were also caught on camera, watching as Jackson ran from them. Interesting that they let him get away like that, right?"
"Okay. So, following your introduction, I’m assuming the guy has superpowers?"
"My thoughts exactly. Conspiracy theorists on the internet suggest that Jackson mind-controlled those men into attacking each other, as well as allowing himself to walk out of the hospital."
"One hundred percent agree. Anyways, sorry, continue," Anton apologized.
"So, after the hospital massacre, he's caught not long after on gas station security cams. And he was talking to none other than one of the FBI agents!" Grace marvelled.
"Definitely one of his abilities. I mean, no way the agent didn't know who they were talking to," Anton retorted.
"Totally. So after talking to the agent, he disappeared for weeks. Until he was spotted at a gas station all the way in Tennessee. From employee statements, Jackson won the lottery, even guessing the correct lotto numbers before he bought it and offered half the cash if he won. Which of course, he did. Then, he disappeared again. Quite a slippery guy, always evading someone," She joked.
"Still totally lost on who these suited guys are and why they were so hell-bent on getting him. The FBI, government officials, don't even seem all that invested."
"Wish I could tell you, man. So disappeared yet again, and reappeared yet again, this time in Norfolk, Virginia. He was tracked to a motel, where he paid for a room in full cash, probably all that lottery money. Witnesses say they saw Jackson let a man in. Do you want to take a gander at who it might've been?" Grace queried.
"The FBI agent," He deadpanned.
"Yep! See, they might have more to do with Jackson than we all know. Witnesses say Jackson opened the door and let him in. But, guess what?" She paused again, building suspense but not long enough for Anton to offer an answer again, "The suited guys showed up again. Along with that, a car was found allegedly belonging to one of the suited guys. Well, whoever was in there was blown to bits, covering the car in blood and the man's face stuck to the car window."
"Ew, what?" Anton groaned.
"And inside the car, the passenger seat held the outline of the perpetrator, the only area of the car not drenched in blood."
"I see where the whole 'shattered mind' part comes from now. Though is it his mind that's shattered or the people he's killed?" He asked inquisitively.
"Probably both. After all the shit he's been through? And we're not even finished yet,"
"Geez how much stuff happened?"
"We're nearing the end, don't worry." So," Grace took a deep breath, "Three suited men and a woman burst into the motel room, Jackson and the FBI agent still inside. Witnesses didn't see what happened in the room, unfortunately, but did hear loud, blood-curdling screams. Witnesses did, however, see Jackson run out covered in blood and a shocked FBI agent slowly walking out not long after. After both fled the scene, police reported blood all over the wall with little pieces of flesh stuck onto them. All four of those remaining were found missing their heads."
"Umm, a little warning next time would be appreciated," Anton blurted out.
"Sorry, man." Grace replied, sounding not particularly empathetic, "After that, Jackson disappeared again, and the two FBI agents who were looking for him resigned. Not the best ending, but to be realistic, there's a ton of details and information missing. All that I've said is just what I've found from sources."
"So, that's it? We never get to know how he got those powers, or about the suited men, or the FBI agents?" Anton spoke, slightly upset at the outcome of the story.
"Yep, sadly enough. But there's always-" Grace’s voice was cut as Ryan pulled out his earbuds.
"Hey, where's Ryan?" He finally looked up to see everyone gathered in front of the lodge, all ready to leave. He paused the podcast, saving the theories for the drive home.
“Oh, he’s probably somewhere out here, being all brooding and mysterious,” Dylan joked.
“I’m right here.”
࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆
The summer was also more enjoyable than Dylan first thought. Sitting around the glow of the fire, listening to music and laughing with his newfound friends, he couldn't have pictured the summer to be any better. But still, through his laughs and the chatter amongst the group, he couldn't shake his tension. Like someone was watching him through the foliage. Could those people from years ago be back? Surely not. A new identity and the presumption of his death were enough to get them off his back. He tried to ignore the possibility, but still couldn't shake the feeling.
Kaitlyn, whom he shared the closest bond to, noticed his sudden reclusion from the conversation. Putting a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, is everything okay?" She asked quietly.
Dylan quickly breathed out, not realizing he'd been holding it in, "Yeah, of course."
From the other side of the fire, Emma groaned, "I'm bored, let's do something."
"Okay, new idea. Party game!" He switched back to his usual persona, returning to his constant task of entertaining, and to distract from the discomfort and worry he felt.
Apparently, it did not have the proper effect as almost all of them groaned in reply.
"C'mon, people, we might never see each other after tonight. Let's make some memories, or whatever," He tried to encourage.
"Or whatever?" Ryan laughed, which caused pink to flush over his cheeks. If anyone noticed, he could blame it on the heat of the fire.
"Ok, what do you have in mind?" Kaitlyn calmly asked. She always had his back, even if she didn't notice. It helped always having someone you could rely on.
"How about the ultimate game of truths and lies, Truth or Dare, but Dylan style," He began to explain the rules with no 'Dylan style' adjustments made.
"So normal truth or dare."
"Yes."
"So we can like, make people kiss," Kaitlyn stated rather than asked.
"Yeah. I mean, as long as everyone consents, of course."
They began the game after no qualms from everyone, starting with Dylan asking Abi, then Emma asks Ryan.
"Ryan - truth or dare?" Emma's face has a scheming expression plastered on.
He thinks for a moment before answering, "Dare. Gimme what you got."
Emma's smile grows a little wider, "Okay, Ryan. Your dare comes with a choice."
"Can she do that?"
"I can do whatever I want," Emma quipped, to which Ryan rolled his eyes, "And I dare you to kiss either... Kaitlyn... or Dylan."
Dylan looks at Kaitlyn with a confused expression that she perfectly mirrors. Both of them like Ryan, that's for sure, and they agreed that if anything happens, the other won't get upset. But it felt awkward to make Ryan choose. And of course, Emma was the one to ask such a question. It's not like he didn't like her, but she had a tendency to try to push people in the direction she saw fit, whether or not it had a positive effect.
Before Dylan could spiral further, it seemed like Ryan had already come to a conclusion, "Dylan. Let's go," Despite his unbothered, brooding attitude towards literally everything, Ryan seemed satisfied with his answer.
Dylan tried to resist a smile, to no avail. He got up and walked only a few feet toward Ryan, with Jacob's annoying cheers in the background. Dylan leaned in closer to Ryan, meeting him in the middle as they shared a kiss. It was small, no more than a peck that held for a second too long, really. Even so, Dylan wished it wasn’t so insignificant. He smiled at Ryan before returning to his seat next to Kaitlyn, who smiled at him, nudging him with her elbow.
"Always happy to please," Ryan grinned back at him.
Jacob's dare was kind of a blur. With the mix of Ryan’s lingering kiss and the fact that he couldn't yet brush off that eerie feeling. While everyone else was focused on Jacob, he slowly looked around the trees that surrounded them for any sign of a disturbance. Nothing immediately caught his attention, but he could swear he heard a low growl in the direction just past Abi.
"Emma, so you have to kiss... Jacob or Nick," He turned to Kaitlyn, broken from the trance he was in.
"Uh, sorry Nick, this isn't even a dare. Obviously, I've got this-" Jacob goaded before Emma cut him off.
"I choose Nick," She said with full malicious intent, which took the group by surprise, especially Nick.
While Ryan remained stoic, the rest of them looked at each other with shock and confusion.
"Em, seriously?" Jacob protested to no avail.
Before another word could be said, Emma took the dare more seriously than Kaitlyn wanted or expected. She was making out with Nick, who Emma knew very well had eyes for someone else and right in front of her freshly broken up with ex. The air suddenly felt tighter, filling with seething and tension breaking through the group. Even Ryan was staring in their direction, utterly confused.
It was only till Jacob yelled at her to stop that Emma stood back up. Dylan looked to Ryan and Kaitlyn to see a guilty-looking reaction from Kaitlyn and an uneasy expression from Ryan. Emma sat back down and whispered something to Abi that Dylan couldn't hear but it sent her over the edge enough to quickly storm off. Jacob, on the other hand, was arguing with Nick, who didn't have a clue what happened either. The remaining, mainly unaffected, three all looked towards each other awkwardly as Jacob stormed off soon after.
"I should probably go after him," Emma muttered, "and you should probably go find Abi," she added, eyes looking at Nick.
The two left to look for Jacob and Abi, leaving just him, Kaitlyn, and Ryan alone. The tension dissipated as Kaitlyn tried to ease the mood. It seemed like the other two had the same idea as him, to bring up a different subject, or whatever Kaitlyn was ranting about. Despite the attempts to stay engaged in the conversation, Dylan couldn’t help but stare into the bushes and trees that surrounded them.
"Hey. Dylan!" He turned quickly to look at Ryan, "Uh, you okay? Kinda just blanked on us there," Ryan had a perplexed but worried look on his face. He turned to Kaitlyn, who wore a similar expression.
"Yeah, uh. Yeah, n- no, I'm fine," He faltered slightly. Kaitlyn and Ryan clearly saw through his lie, and it seemed like Kaitlyn was going to press a little further before they heard a scream. It was high-pitched, it sounded like... Abi? It hadn't been too long since Nick went after her.
"Is that Abi's voice?" Kaitlyn voiced as she got up, he and Ryan standing as well. Dylan's mind shot to the people who pursued him for weeks. Chasing him all over the city with not a moment's peace. Did they find him again?
No. That'd be impossible. He was dead. Fled across the country with a new identity. He destroyed that old part of himself.
The sound of rustling grew louder, and someone quickly emerged from the foliage right where he had just been spacing out.
"Help! Please! Nick, help him!" Abi sounded utterly terrified. He hadn't seen such fear in someone’s eyes like that before. Blood covered her left shoulder, some of the fresh blood dripping down her arm. In the darkness, Dylan was able to faintly see what caused all that blood. A huge wound with multiple puncture points that ripped up her sleeve.
"Shit, Abi." Dylan gasped.
"Where's Nick?" Ryan questioned while looking around them for any danger or a sign of Nick.
"I-I... back there," She spoke, still gasping for air. It was clear that whatever they encountered, it still hadn't fully registered. Something they now had in common.
Kaitlyn shoved the shotgun into Ryan's arms, urging him to go find Nick. With a semblance of confidence, Ryan ran into the forest, and Dylan worriedly watched him, eyes lingering even when Ryan was out of his sight.
Kaitlyn slowly brought Abi to the log benches and tried to calm her down enough so she could tell them what happened.
"Breathe with me, Abi," Kaitlyn gently spoke, softening her tone.
Together, Abi and Kaitlyn breathed in and out until Abi was able to stop shaking.
"Okay... Abi, can you tell me what happened?" Kaitlyn comforted her, putting Abi's hand in between hers.
"There was this thing - god, it was huge. It jumped at Nick and attacked him. And it also tried to attack me, but there were gunshots."
"Gunshots?" Kaitlyn asked.
"I- I mean, I think so. I don't really know. It all happened so fast," Abi tensed and Kaitlyn continued trying to help her, rubbing her hand in hers.
"Abi, can you tell us about your shoulder? You look pretty badly hurt," He asked worriedly.
"Um... So after the thing bit Nick.. and the gutshots, I got away and started running. But it chased me through the woods. I tried hiding, but it found me and..." Abi shivered, recalling what she was still processing.
One hand holding Abi's hand and the other gently rubbing her uninjured shoulder, Kaitlyn consoled her, "Hey, it's okay. You’re safe now."
Footsteps broke his concentration on Abi, and he looked up to find Nick with an arm draped over Ryan’s neck, with most of his weight supported by Ryan as they both struggled to make it over to the firepit. “Shit,” Dylan whispered to himself, closing his eyes hard as if this would all go away. That he would wake up in his cabin, the sun shining through the window and hitting his face with warm comfort. The dream faded quickly when he opened his eyes again, still finding himself in this nightmare.
Dylan ran over, supporting Nick opposite to Ryan and brought him to the firepit. Nick layed weakly against the log. His eyes drew to Nick’s legs.
“Oh shit!” Nick’s calf looked gnawed on, blood continued to seep out down his leg, and upon closer inspection, there was black stuff slowly oozing out of the wound and spreading to his veins, “That-that black stuff, that’s infection. Oh, this is bad,” Dylan paced in a panic, stepping away from the other two.
Why didn’t he see this would happen? Why didn’t his mind flood with images of a nightmare as it so often does? Why didn’t he predict this? Stop this? His ears were ringing again, and his head hurt with a painful familiarity to that motel three years ago. His mouth felt dry as he swallowed hard, breathing deeply until his ears stopped ringing.
“We should amputate.” He spoke with a sudden amount of clarity.
“What?” Ryan replied, looking at him like he was delirious.
“Look at that black stuff coming out, dude!” Dylan pointed to Nick’s leg, attempting to prove his point, as Nick groaned. Dylan quickly sat on the bench next to Nick, putting his best supporting hand on his shoulder.
“Wh-what do you think it is?” Ryan questioned in a frustrated tone.
Dylan shot him a confused expression, “Do I look like a doctor?” This was no time for jokes, he noted to himself.
Ryan sighed with defeat and exasperation in his voice, “I can’t.”
Rustling was heard from the bush right in front of the three boys. Everyone quieted and tensed up, staring at the bush, waiting for whatever had attacked Abi and Nick to come out and finish the job. Ryan raised the gun, pointing directly into the center of the bush. Dylan stayed silent next to Nick, too scared to move. Though, ringing flooded into his ears again, and he knew that if it came down to it, he knew he had to do. Kaitlyn, however, quickly yet quietly moved behind Ryan.
“What if it’s Emma or Jacob?” she cautioned quietly, urging Ryan not to sporadically shoot into the bush.
“What if it’s not?” Ryan whispered back. The bush rustled again, “Yeah, you better run!” He called out to the person or thing in the bushes. Atagonizing the thing in the bush. Very good idea. Whatever bravery displayed when Ryan ran into the woods was now gone, replaced with uncertainty. Why this guy was so captivating to Dylan was beyond him.
“So, lodge is sounding pretty good right about now?” Dylan chimed in.
The group calmed just for a moment, but things never seem to go his way. The rustling continued and grew louder. They all prepared for the worst.
“Wait, wait! No! No! Don’t shoot!” Jacob emerged from the foliage, hands raised in a defensive position. Now, without clothes, Jacob looked rough. There was crap all over his face, and small cuts and dirt were scattered all over his body.
“Jesus! What the fuck happened to you?” Ryan dropped the shotgun while staring into Jacob's eyes for answers.
“Where’s Emma?” Kaitlyn questioned before Jacob could speak.
“Ok,” He took deep breaths, exhausted from running in the woods, “So I heard Abi scream and I went to find you, only to get caught in a fucking trap! It like, snarred my leg and I just got hoisted halfway up a tree. Just- zoop. Got hung upside down! And so I’m hanging there, half-naked, and this guy with a fucking machete comes right up to me. Looks me right in the eyes. But I taught that guy a lesson and booked it back here,” Despite all things thusfar, Jacob’s explanation felt like the most unbelievable part of the night. Maybe it was his weirdly cheery tone.
“We gotta get Nick and Abi back to the lodge. They got attacked by something in the woods,” Kaitlyn added with seriousness, sparing Jacob the details of what Abi recounted.
“Also, why are you covered in what I hope is strawberry jelly?” Ryan asked with a mix of disgust and concern.
“Oh yeah, um, I’m pretty sure it’s blood. The guy back there had this like bottle. I don’t know, it’s a long story. Yeah, no, super fucked up,” Jacob laughed lightly.
“But wait, what happened to Emma?” Kaitlyn responded, sparing him the details of what Abi recounted.
“Oh. Um, I don’t know. I left her at the lake when I heard Abi. Oh my god, the lake. You won’t believe this. I found a fucking body in the lake!”
“A dead one?”
“Oh yeah, no, I think he was a part of the varsity swim team, but he got lost or someth- Yes, a dead one dumbass!”
“Of course you did, Jacob,” Kaitlyn sighed, not believing a word he said.
“No, for real! I figured it must’ve been one of the counsellors who didn’t show up, but I couldn’t really get a good look. It being all bloaty and gross,” He protested back, but was only given Kaitlyn’s raised eyebrow.
They stayed silent for a while, and Dylan almost believed that it was over and they would all head to the lodge together. But, if only.
“I gotta go get Emma,” Jacob quickly realized, muttering to himself.
He tried to grab the shotgun in Ryan’s hand, causing him to quickly recoil.
“Uhh, excuse me?”
“Hey, I need this, okay? It’s not safe out there,” Jacob stayed unfaltering, grabbing at the barrel of the gun.
Ryan shot him a bewildered look, “Dude! We need to protect Nick and Abi!”
“Yeah, and I need to save Emma! She’s out there alone!”
“You don’t even know if she’s in trouble,” Ryan stepped forward, glaring through furrowed brows.
“You don’t know if you’re in trouble!” Jacob quickly retorted.
“Are you trying to piss me off?”
“No, I’m trying to save my girlfriend’s life, asshole!”
Ryan scoffed, “Yeah, I don’t think she’s your girlfriend, dude.”
Dylan watched on the sidelines as the situation escalated. He, Abi, and Nick were watching by the firepit while Kaitlyn remained next to the two fighting. Jacob tugged at the gun, the barrel pointing directly at Jacob’s feet as they both tried taking the gun for themselves. They looked like children fighting over a toy, and if not for the current situation, he would’ve laughed.
Acting purely out of annoyance and the fear of someone getting shot, he forced Ryan and Jacob off the gun, making it fall to the ground between them. His ears stopped ringing, and Dylan didn’t even notice they were ringing until Ryan and Jacob stared at the dropped gun with similar shocked looks.
“What-” Jacob started, looking at the group who shared the same puzzled look. Distracting his friends from what he did, Dylan stood up, walked over to the gun and picked it up.
“Okay, calm down guys. Jacob, we need the gun to protect Nick and Abi. They’re hurt, and whatever attacked them might come back,” He sighed, questioning why he’s even doing this. “Also, it’s stupid to go out there alone. With a gun or not. Always a shitty idea to split up.”
“So, what? You suggest we just leave her out there?” Jacob argued, though more calmly than earlier.
“I’m not saying that. I mean, it’s a really shitty idea, but if you’re gonna do it, at least have someone go with you. Safety in numbers,” The reason why he was now acting as team leader was beyond him.
“Okay, fine. I’m going to find Emma. If anyone wants to come, you’re welcome to tag along,” Jacob reluctantly agreed, crossing his arms over his chest like a petty kid.
Dylan looked at Ryan and Kaitlyn, who stood to his left and right. Ryan looked at Jacob but didn’t speak up, still indifferent to their argument moments prior. Kaitlyn, however, awkwardly looked to the ground. Before Dylan could groan at the fact he’d just been involuntarily volunteered, Kaitlyn spoke first.
“I’ll go,”
Dylan breathed a silent sigh of relief. Despite his unknown heroism of stopping the fight, he was not nearly that heroic to run into the woods with no protection. Even if he did have undisclosed abilities.
“Okay, so glad that’s settled. The rest of us will go to the lodge. Meet us there, we can use the phone in Mr.H’s office to call for help,” Dylan announced.
Kaitlyn nodded back, moving to stand next to Jacob, “Be careful.”
Dylan only nodded back, the realization he’d have to walk through the woods with multiple threats looking for them settling in. Jacob nodded back as a way of saying ‘stay safe’ before following Kaitlyn out to the docks, where they hoped to find Emma.
He looked over to Abi and Nick, inspecting their wounds. Both of them were still bleeding from their wounds, and Nick was in no shape to walk. How were they going to get him to the lodge? Dylan offered Ryan back the gun, to which the latter quickly took back. Looking around the firepit for anything useful, his eyes landed on the wheelbarrow. Good enough, he sighed.
࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆
The trail from the firepit to the lodge was relatively short, but when monsters and hunters are chasing after you, it feels never-ending. He and Abi were in front, he holding the gun in case anything tried jumping out at them. Dylan was tasked with wheeling incapacitated Nick, following a little behind them. He looked back briefly. Dylan seemed to be pretty strong. He didn’t even look tired.
“So,” Abi spoke up, breaking him from his thoughts, “Maybe I was seeing things, but how did you and Jacob just let go of the gun like that?”
A question he didn’t know the answer to either. With everything going on and keeping an eye out for the group, he didn’t even have time to think about it. “Uhh, not sure,” Abi looked at him puzzled, “I was pulling the gun pretty hard, so was Jacob. And then I just felt a weird push backwards, and I was so confused, I guess I must’ve dropped the gun,” Ryan shrugged.
“What do you mean by push?” Abi gently probed.
“I don’t know, honestly. It just felt like a force that made me move backward. It’s kinda stupid,” He mumbled and started walking slightly faster.
Abi nodded and pursed her lips like she didn’t quite believe him. But he couldn’t blame her, “Huh, weird.”
Now inside the lodge, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they were better off than outside. Abi offered to bandage Nick while he and Dylan went to call for help.
“Come on, let’s go call for backup,” He spoke to Dylan, who seemed to be in a bit of a trance, walking in the opposite direction from the office.
Whipping his hand to face Ryan, he quickly nodded, “Right. Sorry, I could’ve sworn I just heard my name.”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
‘Yeah, it’s nothing,” Dylan shook his head to brush it off, walking quickly to the door.
Now inside Mr. H’s office, Ryan reached for the telephone while Dylan picked the gun off the wall they bickered about a few hours ago, “Who should I call?”
“Uhh, Mr. H?” Dylan replied while inspecting the weapon in his hands.
“The only number I have is to this phone.”
“Okay then, ninety-one-one.”
Ryan shot him an incredulous look, “You mean nine-one-one? Who says ‘ninety-one-one’?”
Dylan shrugged back with a guilty look. “I don’t know.”
“Anyways, what should I like ask for? Police? Ambulance?”
“Uhh. Cops. With a lot of guns, preferably.”
“Yeah, okay,” Ryan agreed, calling 911 and putting the receiver to his ear.
“911, What’s your emer-” Just as the dispatcher was about to finish, it cut off. He dropped his arm from his ear, annoyed.
“What’s wrong?” Dylan asked.
“Dead,” Ryan pulled his lips to a tight line.
“Huh. Well, that’s weird.”
“It’s the woods. Phones go dead out here sometimes,” Ryan tried to offer a reasonable answer.
Dylan, unimpressed, replied, “Right as you're about to call the cops though?” He paused for a moment, “Did you try the hang-up thingy?”
“What?”
“Here,” Dylan took the phone from Ryan's hand and furiously tapped at the switch hook.
Confused and a little amused, he asked, “What are you doing?”
“I dunno. They do it in movies. Tap on the thingy,” Dylan offered, still tapping on the switch hook as if it would do something.
Ryan, now completely unimpressed, “We are not in a movie.”
Dylan hesitated slightly, “Okay, well, how do you know that?” He gave him a rather annoying look before continuing, “Maybe that’s just what they want you to think.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. As annoying as he was, it was hard not to find him even a little funny. Is charming the word for it? “Okay, well, the phone's a no-go. No signal either. Is there anywhere else at camp that has a landline?”
Dylan looked around the room, thinking of a solution, “Well, not a landline… but the radiohut has some old broadcast gear.”
“Wait, where you do your announcements?”
“Where I curate my sweet summer jams, yes- and where I do my PA announcements,” Dylan corrected, “It just has some old equipment. I think we could fix something up, get a message out,”
“Okay yeah, let’s head over there,” Ryan glanced down at Dylan to see him still holding the shotgun, “Put that back, Dylan.”
Dylan raised his eyebrows, “Yeah no, you gotta be crazy if you think I’m going out there without something to protect myself.”
“Seriously, dude?” He did not want to argue, and to a degree, he agreed that a second gun would be helpful, just maybe with someone a little less reckless.
“I’ll be fine. Promise,” Dylan offered a reassuring smile.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the lights went out.
“Okay, what the hell?”
“Umm… It’s- it’s probably the weather,” Ryan tried to reassure Dylan- and maybe himself too.
Dylan was very much unamused, “What weather, Ryan?”
“May- maybe it was the bears,” The reassuring words did not seem to work, a slight voice crack appearing in his words.
He sighed and grumbled back, “Bears. Why does everyone always blame the bears?” Dylan paced a little, “Okay, so for the sake of argument… what if that ‘bear’ that cut our phone line… and just cut all the power… what if that bear is waiting for us outside in the hallway?”
“...Fair point.”
“Thank you.”
He and Dylan loaded some shells into their guns and agreed to tell Abi and Nick where they were going before they left.
Returning back the hallway, Dylan was, what could only be described as, irrationally and sporadically pointing his gun at every shadow in the main hall.
“Okay, yeah, we’re not leaving that with you. Give it to Abi on our way out.”
Dylan replied, “Does she need it though?”
“She needs it just as much as we do.”
“Well, yeah, but we’re going out there. She’s staying in here.”
Ryan gave him a baffled look, “You literally just said something might come in the lodge.”
Dylan, slowly recounting what he said prior, responded back, “Well… that's because I really wanted a gun.”
Ryan getting a little frustrated, “Just give her the gun, man.”
Looking down at his gun, Dylan contemplated before replying, “No, fuck that. I’m keeping it.”
Ryan scoffed, absolutely bewildered by how Dylan could be so stubborn about something so inconsequential, “Dude! If those hunter guys come back, she’s basically a sitting duck! I can’t believe you're being so selfish right now. It’s not a good look on you.”
“No… I’m just being safe.”
“You’re being such an asshole right now,” Ryan spoke harshly in exasperation.
The words came out before he actually heard them. Dylan just stared at him, and for the first time, Ryan couldn’t read him. He wishes he didn’t speak at all.
Dylan paused to close his eyes and sigh, “Look, you don’t tell me what to do, man. Okay? I’m sorry, but it’s not gonna happen.” Dylan looked at him again with a blank expression, “You finished?”
Ryan opened his mouth to react, but then paused to think if it was really worth the effort, “...Yes. But seriously, please give her the gun.”
“Well, since you asked so kindly this time,” Dylan spoke sarcastically with malice in his eyes.
“Okay, we should go check on Nick too,” He tilted his head towards the nurse's office, gesturing to Dylan, who didn’t look his way before walking ahead.
“Hey Abi, how’s he doing?” Ryan quietly asked while he watched Dylan sit and talk to Nick.
“Well, I bandaged him up the best I could, Kait would definitely do it better. It’s pretty bad, though. That black stuff Dylan mentioned?” Abi moved closer to Ryan so not for Nick to hear, “It looked like it was going through his veins.”
“...Shit. We really need an ambulance out here. The phone cut out before I could call for help. Same with the power,” Ryan took a length exhale while his hand slowly pulled over the side of his face in exhaustion, “And are you okay? Let me see your shoulder.”
Abi wordlessly stretched her shirt to allow Ryan to see the wound. She bandaged it, thankfully she had enough for herself and Nick. Blood seeped through the bandage a little, and maybe it was the lack of light in the lodge, but the blood looked darker than it should be. During his years helping out at the camp, he’s seen too many kids trip on the wet deck and need to go to the nurse's office. So, seeing the normal colour of blood was customary, came to the job even, but this blood was darker, like the colour of dried blood.
“Do you mind if I lift the bandage a little? I just wanna see if you have the same thing as Nick. It bit you too, right?” Ryan asked in a soft tone.
“Uh, yeah. Go ahead,” Abi spoke with tiredness in her voice.
Lifting the bandage just enough so he could see, the wound didn’t look as bad as it did back at the firepit. In fact, the deeper parts where its teeth sank into actually looked shallower, healing, even. What made him grimace, though, the same black veins Abi noticed on Nick were spreading on her too. It was pulsating up and down her veins, inching towards her neck and her arm. Ryan didn’t want to scare her, but he’d be an idiot not to tell her.
“It…um, sort of looks like it’s already healing.”
“What do you mean?” Abi sounded with a mix of confusion and skepticism.
“Like… new layers of skin are forming over some of the deep parts,” Ryan took a deep breath, “Um, and not to freak you out, but your veins are also black. Also, it’s travelling down your arm,” He said the last sentence quickly, as if the faster he said it, the less likely she would be to care.
With fear and shock in her eyes, she stared at her arm, dark veins slowly moving past her elbow. Abi quickly covered her arm with her other hand, as if to say ‘out of sight, out of mind’, though it certainly was not out of either of their minds.
Ryan, not knowing what to say to Abi, looked back at Dylan, placing a comforting hand on Nick’s shoulder. Nick mumbled something about being hungry, to which Dylan lightly chuckled. At least he still had a little humour after what just happened to him. Dylan looked like he was going to say something back when his head whipped over to the door of the office. He continued narrowing his eyes at the door even when Nick concerningly asked if he was okay.
Ryan looked on with bewilderment until he heard the opening and loud creaking of the lodge doors. Then he too, whipped his head around to face the door, as did Abi and Nick.
Dylan quickly whispered, still sitting next to Nick, “Ryan, the gun!”
He nodded, grabbing the gun from where he propped it up against a cabinet and aiming at the door. Abi, originally standing next to him, was now behind him, and Dylan had also grabbed the second gun they just argued about prior. They had more pressing issues than whether or not Dylan could be trusted with a gun. They should probably start with, were they safe right now?
The door they all stared at slowly creaked open, and Ryan aimed the gun higher and focused his eyes as best he could for what might appear behind the door.