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Harbinger Motel, North Kill, New York

June 25th, 2021

5:35 AM

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 not at all comfortable, hence the tossing and turning. 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 practically off the record, a small bank account that wasn't accessed often, a tiny run-down apartment, and no friends or family, besides the old lady that he shared the apartment floor with. He was very inconspicuous because it wasn't really him. His old self, Jackson Van De Kamp was dead, or at least missing, for 4 months now.

He's become a new person now, and that's all that mattered. He is safe from the past, no longer needing to run. With his new identity, easily winning lotteries would certainly spark questions from the police, so Dylan supposed he could use the job. He had been carefully getting money in not the most legal practices for quite some time, getting a regular job after the summer and becoming a functioning person of society was probably in order.

After getting ready, he gathered his belongings and walked out to try his hand at flagging down a car to take him to the summer camp. Would've been along easier if the place had a bus stop but the only one was at the motel. 

Luckily for him, the citizens of North Kill are very generous and he got a ride fairly quickly. Graciously thanking the older couple, he got out of the car ensuring he didn't leave anything with them and walked over to the gates of the lodge. 

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!" Mr. H 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 though for whatever reason, something in him told him to be cautious of Mr. Hackett. He chose to brush it off, probably just jitters of meeting new people. 

RYAN EZRAHLER

Camp Lodge

August 22nd

6:35 PM

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, telekinesis?" 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 was real though. y'know having superheroes and stuff. Well, actually all that property damage would ruin the economy, " Anton laughed.

"Interesting take Anton. 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 The Boy of Shattered Minds," She said elegantly.

"Never heard of it," 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 Van De Kamp. 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 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, luckily two FBI agents, only referred to as M and S in my notes, 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 elaborate, but that's for another episode," Grace chuckled, "Next thing isn't so funny though. 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, killing himself,"

"Yeah, I don't believe that for a second. Why would the police assume that had to be the case? Suspicious if you ask me," 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. Evidence showed that he exited through a hallway window," She paused again, "Freaky right? Imagine working there and just seeing a corpse sit up and walk out now 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 government after him," 

"Let's not assume, we actually have no clue who those guys were," 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 were also caught on camera, watching as Jackson ran from them. Interesting that they let him get away like that right?"

"Okay. So, pretty clear he has superpowers. Therefore, using those powers he could've somehow manipulated those guys into shooting each other," Anton quickly addressed. 

"My thought's exactly. He could've also done the same to the FBI agents, tricking them into thinking it wasn't him or that he wasn't there at all," 

"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 two whole 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 in which he paid for a room in full cash, probably all that lottery money. Witnesses say they saw Jackson let in a man. 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 deadpan 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," 

"Yikes, brutal. Kind of feel bad for him," 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 sighed, "The suited men and an undisclosed 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. Four suited people were seen entering, but only one body could be recovered. That would be the undisclosed woman from earlier, whose head was missing," 

"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 probably a ton of details and information were missing. All that I've said it 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 our favourite part of the episode, Twisted Thinking!" Grace cheered.

"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,”

DYLAN LENIVY

Camp Firepit

August 22nd

8:40 PM

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, who he shared the closest bond to, noticed his sudden reclusion from the conversation. Putting a hand on his shoulder, "Hey is everything okay?" She quietly asked to not alert the other's attention to them.

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 one, to return to his constant task of entertaining, and two, 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. To most of the group, it was obvious who liked who, so no surprise Kaitlyn was preparing to play matchmaker. 

"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 smug expression like she's planning something no one else knows.

He thinks for a moment before answering, "Dare. Gimme what you got," 

Emma's smile grow 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 if anything happens the other won't get upset. But it felt awkward to make Ryan choose. They didn't even know if he liked either of them back. 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 and push people in the direction she saw fit, whether or not it spread tension in the group.

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 felt like it lasted a lifetime, even if it was just a second or two. Leaving Ryan's lips left him only wanting more but he instead, he opted for a simple smile and sat back on the log that got uncomfortable if you sat on it for too long.

"Always happy to please," Ryan grinned back at him. 

Jacob's dare was kind of a blur. With the mix of Ryan and the fact 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 caught his attention but his instincts pointed him 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 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 had eyes for someone else and right in front of her freshly broken up with ex. She always was quite theatrical, but this was crossing so many boundaries. Even Ryan was staring at Nick, both 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 leave. 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 both 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. Even though they all saw the strong display of emotions in front of them just moments ago, it would be weird to talk about such a sensitive subject without the rest there. 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, um... 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 sort of 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, Dylan and Ryan standing as well. Jackson's 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 anyone'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 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, lingering for a bit 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. Even if she was level-headed, a leader, and slightly scary most of the time, Kaitlyn had a hidden softer empathetic side. 

Walking past the Cabins after checking that his kids were all accounted for, Dylan heard soft voices behind one of the other cabins. He heard sniffling and a gentle voice soothing the other person. Quietly going to investigate he saw Kaitlyn kneeling in front of one of the younger kids. 

"It's okay to have nightmares, I get them too. Everyone gets them you know. Nothing to be ashamed of,"  Kaitlyn sympathized. The little girl continued sniffling. "Don't listen to those older boys. I bet you they also got nightmares,"

"Boys are stupid," The girl quietly grumbled.

Kaitlyn gently laughed and held the little girl's shoulder, "Yeah, boys are stupid," 

Dylan smiled to himself, returning to the guy’s counsellor cabin.

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 was 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, "Hey, it's okay. You’re safe now," 

Dylan looked up to see Ryan supporting Nick with his arm supporting him. If he thought Abi was in bad condition, Nick would be considered entirely and completely fucked. And maybe he was because he was drenched in blood to the point it was difficult to see the cause of all of it.

Ryan brought Nick over to the neared bench, laying him on the ground with his back supported upright by the log bench. Taking a closer look at Nick’s limbs, a ripped-up pant leg caught his attention. 

“Oh shit!” Nick’s calf looked gnawed on 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 Nick and Ryan until quickly regaining his rationale.

“We should amputate,”

“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 a supporting hand on his shoulder.

“Wh-what do you think it is?” Ryan questioned in a frustrated tone.

Dylan shot him a confused expression, deadpanning, “Do I look like a doctor?” 

Ryan sighed with defeat and exasperation in his voice, “I- I can’t,”

Rustling was heard from the bush right in front of the three boys causing everyone to quiet and tense, staring at the bush, waiting for whatever it was to come out. They seriously could not catch a break for more than 5 minutes. Ryan raised the gun, pointing directly into the center of the bush. Dylan stayed silent next to Nick, too fearful to try his hand at being brave. Wasn’t ever really his thing anyway. 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, “Yeah you better run!” He called out to the person and or thing in the bushes. Atagonizing the thing in the bush. Very good idea. The bravery displayed when he 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. Suddenly without clothes, Jacob looked rough. There was crap all over his face and small cuts and dirt from branches scattered his body. 

“Jesus! What the fuck happened to you?” Ryan dropped the shotgun while staring into Jacob for answers. 

“Where’s Emma?” Kaitlyn questioned before Jacob could speak. 

“Ok,” He took deep breaths, clearly exhausted from running in the woods, “So I heard Abi scream and I went to go 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,” For some reason, Dylan highly doubted that Jacob ‘taught the guy a lesson’.

“We gotta get Nick and Abi back to the lodge. They got attacked by something in the woods,” Kaitlyn added, 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 dont’ know it’s a long story. Yeah no, super fucked up,” Jacob laughed at the dark reminder, trying to cope with what’s been happening.

“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!” He pointed with his hand extended towards the direction of the docks. 

A body? Could those suited fucks really be back. Were they hunting him down again, and now his friends? Maybe, he’s seen the extent they went to try and catch him. But it doesn’t explain the thing Nick and Abi encountered in the woods. But shit, Emma’s alone on the island and the thing that attacked Nick and Abi is still out there somewhere. Along with the small theory that the suited guys are back. 

“A dead one?” Ryan, fascinated asked.

“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 cynical glances from the group back.

They stayed silent for a while, and Dylan almost believed that the conversation 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 staying 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. 

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. Thing is, he was still next to the bench. Dylan didn’t even realise he had used his ability 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, trying to stay rational and question why he’s even doing this, “Also, it’s stupid to go out there alone. With a gun or not. Ever seen a horror movie? Always a shit idea to split up,” 

“So what you suggest we just leave her out there?” Jacob argued, though more calm than earlier. 

“I’m not saying that. I mean it’s a really shitting 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 heroic was beyond Dylan. Though, being the only rational person in the conversation was a small boost in his ego. 

“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. 

Dylan looked at Ryan and Kaitlyn who stood to his left and right. Ryan looked at Jacob but didn’t speak up, still indifferent from 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 superpowers. 

“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 awkwardly announced. 

Kaitlyn nodded back, moving to stand next to Jacob, “Be careful,” 

Dylan only nodded back, the realisation 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 when his eyes landed on the wheelbarrow. After not long of consideration, he deemed it to be good enough. 

RYAN EZRAHLER

Trail to Lodge

August 22nd

9:25 PM

The trail from the firepit to the lodge was relatively short, but when monsters and hunters are chasing after you it feels never-ending. Him and Abi were in front, him holding of the gun in case anything tried jumping out at them. Dylan was tasked with wheeling incapacitated Nick, following a little behind them. To Ryan’s surprise, 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 cause of blood loss or something, but how did you and Jacob just let go of the gun like that?” 

It was 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 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 pull away. It’s kinda stupid,” He mumbled and started walking slightly faster, trying to escape the questioning. 

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 more protected than outside. Abi offered to bandage and get some food for 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 of 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,” 

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 a perplexed look, “You mean nine-one-one? Who says ‘ninety-one-one’?”

Dylan shrugged back with a guilty look. 

“Anyways, what should I like ask for? Police? Ambulance?” 

“Uhh. Cops. Yeah, I mean those hunter guys are trying to kidnap us,” 

“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, confused as to why he looked so disappointed.

“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 your 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 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 man,” 

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 phones a no-go. No signal either. Is there anywhere else at camp that has a landline?”

Dylan looked around the room, thinking for 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 in confusion, “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. But also there’s always room for error and not once did he spot Dylan at the shooting range during camp.

“I’ll be fine. Promise,” Dylan offered a reassuring smile. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the lights went out.

“Okay,” Dylan shuddered. 

“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 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 irrational 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,” Yeah, sometimes Dylan could just be plain annoying.

“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 stiff 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.

Dylan's face darkened, changing from determination to sadness. Maybe he waas being a little harsh. Sure his point still stands, but maybe he shouldn’t have added the selfish part- or the asshole part. 

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,” 

“What-what are we even talking about? Just give her the gun, Dylan!” 

“No dude!” 

Ryan groaned, tired of the back and forth, yet he persisted, “We don’t need it! We already have a gun!” 

Dylan looked at him 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 mocked. How Dylan could always switch from negativity to cracking jokes was beyond Ryan. After a while, Ryan gave up attempting to read him. It was impossible to know what he was thinking. 

“Great, let’s go check on Nick too,” He tilted his head towards the nurse's office, gesturing for Dylan to follow. 

“Hey Abi, how’s he doing?” Ryan quietly asked while he watched Dylan sit to 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 to not let Nick 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 was 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 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 shallower parts where it’s teeth sunk into already had the bottom skin layers filling it in. What made him grimace though, the same black veins Abi noticed on Nick were prevalent on her too. It pulsating up and down her veins, reaching her neck and half of her arm. Ryan didn’t want to scare her, but he’d be an idiot not to tell her about her symptoms. 

“It…um, sort of looks like it’s already healing,” 

“What do you mean?” Abi sounded with a mix of confusion and skepticism.

“Like… the skin layers are forming over some of the shallow parts,” Ryan took a deep breath, “Um, and not to freak you out but your veins are also black. Also it’s travelling up 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 opening. 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 at the second gun they just argued about prior. They had more pressing issues though than whether or not Dylan could be safe 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 best he could for what might appear behind the door.

Chapter Text

DYLAN LENIVY

Lodge

August 22nd

9:48 PM

“Jesus Christ! Jacob! I almost shot you!” Ryan’s yell echoed through the lodge. 

“Sorry! Geez. Maybe next time don’t point a gun at the first guy you see!” Jacob quickly protested. Standing just behind him was Kaitlyn and Emma. Thank God. If it were anyone else he’d likely blow their head clean off. That would result in some difficult conversations down the line. His biggest goals tonight was to one, get the fuck out and two, not do anything too hasty and stupidly reveal a major secret. Dylan took a deep sigh of relief, feeling the tension in his shoulders relax. Whatever they were dealing with would soon be over, him and Ryan would call for help and they will never have to come back to fuckass woods again. 

“Maybe knock next time?” Ryan retorted back, his brows knitted and eyes glaring at Jacob. 

“Wha- Who the fuck knocks at a situation like this?” Jacob said in full disbelief. 

Sighing, needing to intervene once again, Kaitlyn spoke, “Can you guys shut up for even one second?” Both Jacob and Ryan reluctantly grumbled and went silent. Updating the rest of them, “Ok, we just got chased by those,” She stumbled over words, trying to put a name to what she saw, “...things. Luckily, we’re all fine. Also, why are the lights off?” 

“Don’t know. Lights went out not long after we lost connection to the phone. Me and Dylan were about to go to the radio hut. See if we can get a message out for help,” Ryan spoke calmly despite clearly still being annoyed at Jacob. 

“Both the power and the phone went out?” Emma groaned and crosses her arms, “We are so fucked.” 

Kaityn gently nudged her arm, “Hey, have some optimism, hm?” To which Emma rolled her eyes. Typical, despite the far from typical situation they were all in.

As nice as the group reunion was, they really needed to get out of these woods. How many more people needed to get bitten and chased before they actually found a way home? Dylan entered a gap in the semicircle that surrounded the bed, “Ok, so Ryan and I will go to the radio hut, Jacob can find some clothes in the van, and you guys can stay here in hopes the power comes back. Yeah?” 

Kaitlyn sucked in a breath through her teeth, clearly not what she was hoping to hear. Still, she agreed, “Well, certainly not the best plan, but it would be a lot safer if the majority of us stayed in one area.” 

“Great. Let’s go.” 

Walking along the path continued to have him on high alert, even with the gun Ryan had slung over his shoulder. Maybe his constant looking into the shadows of bushes and tree caught the attention of Ryan because he quickly initiated a conversation.

“So the radio hut has like, an actual radio? I thought it was just for your morning announcements,” Ryan asked as they both walked next to each other.

“Oh, yeah. It actually used to be more of a radio station. Uh…” Dylan found himself questioning if he should continue.

It was good to talk to Ryan. Try and shake off some nerves. And it served as a nice way to get to know him better, despite the bleak situation they were in. Even with all Dylan’s efforts, he never got to fully understand or get very close to Ryan. But talking to him might distract him from anything lurking in the shadows. They still weren’t even sure what it was they were being chased by. Even with all his worries, Dylan continued.

“Uh… Y’know, I mean it still is, technically. But no one really brings their radio to camp anymore.” He continued on, speaking of whatever crossed his mind. Sure, it was distracting him, but it was a way to breathe a little. 

“So, it that like something you want to get into?” Ryan curiously asked.

“Camp radio?” 

“No, like uhh… DJing, music. Y’know something like that,” Ryan spoke, turning his head back to look at Dylan. He was slightly behind him now, the talking probably slowed him down. 

“Oh! Uh… Yeah, no I like music,” He paused quickly, wondering if he should still keep up the personality. “But, I think I actually wanna major in um… Quantum physics.” 

Well, if he was able to afford going to college. Cheating at lottery tickets could only get him so far, and it was just to survive on the streets. Now that he had a small apartment, he could barely save up over 2 months without having to use the funds for something else. But hey! If he makes it out of here, he could go on the news, write a book, start a podcast, y’know, something like that. Then, money wouldn’t even be an issue. 

Ryan didn’t speak for a while, making him question if being honest was the best play here. After making Dylan’s blood pressure rise a substantial amount, Ryan said, absolutely perplexed, “Wait-what?”

Dylan hesitated, “...Yeah.” 

“You just don't really seem like a science guy.” 

“Oh, yeah. I mean, you know. Not here,” He tried reasoning. 

Ryan and he walked across a small bridge before he stopped. “I-I’m sorry, I’m just so completely fascinated by this.” A small laugh left Ryan’s lips. “What do you mean, not here?” 

Now he was really starting to regret continuing this conversation. “Not here… at camp.” 

Ryan gave him a puzzled look, which he absolutely despised. 

“I do that at home, and um… here, I’m–” Dylan wasn’t sure how to finish his sentence.

Ryan finished for him, “You’re a wise-cracking smartass?” He joked. 

Dylan huffed a laugh. How often was it that Ryan made an effort to be humorous? “I mean that a little harsh, but–”

“Really?” Ryan stared.

“Okay, so maybe I was a little nervous when I arrived in an uncomfortable social situation and I overcompensated a little by making a ton of jokes,” He reluctantly admitted.

“You played into it.” 

Dylan was looking all over the place as if it would help to escape the conversation, “Yeah, I mean, people kind of enjoyed the blasé Dylan,”

Ryan curiously tilted his head whilst crossing his arms, “And do-do you enjoy the blase Dylan?”

“No, yeah, like, y’know, it’s whatever man. It’s cool… fine,” He wanted to slap himself across the face. 

Ryan shot him an amused look before lightly laughing. 

“Um… I like Dylan Dylan,” He hesitantly spoke. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dylan Dylan. I’m Ryan Ryan,” Ryan smiled.

Dylan awkwardly looked down but smiled as well. 

“Well actually, I’m, ‘let’s get the fuck out of here Ryan’.” 

“Yeah, no. I like him. He makes a lot of sense.” 

The radiohut was dark and dingy, every shadow felt like a beast ready to jump out at any second. Wasting no time, he made his way over to the radio equipment, partially to not think about his newfound fear of shadows. Ryan made a comment about the condition the place was in, Dylan brushed it off, a little annoyed knowing he spent hours to get the place cleaned.

He got to work on setting up the equipment while Ryan looked around for anything useful. As he turned on the knobs and switches he noticed a slight shake in his hands. He gripped his wrist to keep them still. It wasn’t like he hadn’t faced anything like this before. In comparison, Ryan was serving far better than he was.

“So, how far does it go?” There wasn’t a hint of fear in his voice when he spoke. Dylan pushed down his thoughts and spoke with the same casualness as Ryan.

“Well, it was designed to just broadcast to the PAs around camp for announcements and portable radios. So, I think the range is about… a mile?” 

The old knobs gave him a little pushback or jammed up as he was getting everything to the right settings. Ryan and he continued talking while his hands kept trying to get the knobs to budge. 

“Technical stuff has always been a little hard for me to get a handle on,” Ryan spoke a little unsure of himself. 

“Well, if you want, I could always show you the ropes,” That is, if he succeeds in getting Ryan’s elusive number. 

“Like a class?”

“Yeah. It’s easy. Like climbing.” Ryan smiled fondly, “Anyways, using this signal booster we should be able to get something out,”

“So, we can actually talk to people with this thing?” Ryan walked closer, inspecting the booster. Dylan pretended the proximity didn’t suddenly make him more nervous. 

“Well, it’s not a two-way radio. So, the best we can do is talk and hope for a response from the receiver. Which is unlikely,” Dylan sighed.

“It is what it is, I guess,” Ryan responded with little optimism.

“So, what should I say?” 

“Just, make it sound urgent,” 

“Hello! How’s it going out there? This is uhh, we need help. Uh- we are counsellors at Hackett’s Quarry Summer Camp and there’s been a horrible accident. Some bad stuff here. We need your help! Uh, there’s a swarm of bears, maybe,” They really didn’t know what was attacking them but a bear was the only logical explanation he could muster. “and they’re everywhere! And there’s these hunters too and they seem to be shooting at the bears, but also us! Um, which is not good. And a few of our friends are hurt. Um, we are in desperate need of help. So please- There’s vicious bears and, uh we don’t know what to do, so please,” In retrospect he did have an idea, blowing the bear's head off would suffice. “Come help us. S.O.S. this is an emergency. Save our ship. Come on down, please help us,” Dylan glanced over his shoulder to see Ryan looking at him, incredulously with judging eyes. 

“Was that? Did I do good?” He questioned staring into Ryan's expression. 

“Swarm of bears?” He monotoned.

“Yeah…”

“Herd of bears,” 

Now Dylan was looking at him incredulously, “Yeah I’ve heard of bears,”

“Oh my God,” Ryan groaned, giving up on whatever he was trying at. 

“Uh, alright I guess I’ll switch it over to the receiver. See if we get anything back,” Dylan began moving around the switches and knobs. 

“Okay, yeah I’ll look out while you do the techie stuff,” Ryan motioned towards the window that faced the camp cabins. 

Dylan moved quickly, the was still a light shake to his hands, but there was really nothing to worry about. If luck was on their side, someone would respond and get them help within the next hour or so. If not, the lodge was still the most suitable place to hole up in till Mr. H came back in the morning. This would all become a funny story for them to laugh about one day. 

A voice came in through the receiver. “I got a ping on the radio but no response. I’m gonna-” Radio static cut through the sentences.

 “Where are the other counsellors?” 

“Two males in the radio shack near the cabins. The rest of them are all in the lodge.”

He wasn’t sure what to think. Looking to Ryan, he wore a similar fearful, shocked expression. Okay, so a bear-adjacent creature, and hunters, along with the lingering fear of the suited men. Perfectly fine. He wasn’t panicking at all.

“Holy shit, they’re talking about us!” 

“What the fuck,” He muttered.

“How-?” Ryan spoke like he couldn’t muster up any other words. 

“Because we just told them! On the fucking radio, fuck!” He tried to relax, running both hands through his hair as his elbows planted on the desk. 

Ryan spoke, “We can’t stay here,” 

Dylan was halfway to a breakdown. He narrowly escaped being chased for weeks on end just a few months ago. That was out the the city at least. And there was no one other than him to catch. But now, he was out in the middle of nowhere New York, with a group of people he had grown to care about. He felt his rapid breaths and tried to manage by closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. 

Ryan through his panic, tried to help, speaking calmly, “Okay, let’s stay calm. Um, let’s go find Kaitlyn and everybody, okay?”

His rapid breaths turned into deep inhaling breaths that hurt his diaphragm, “Okay. Yeah,” In quick succession, he stood up and hastily walked towards the door. 

Behind the door, was a creature. Decidedly not a bear. As quickly as he opened the door, he shouted and slammed the door behind him. The fear nearly caused him the shatter the windows. 

“Why didn’t you tell me there was something out there?” He whispered angrily. 

“I- I wasn’t sure…” Ryan responded quietly. 

Dylan held his chest tightly with his hand, feeling his chest rising and falling. A coping mechanism of sorts. “Fuck, what the hell was that thing?” 

“I have no idea,” Fear overcame Ryan’s face.

A guttural growl stopped their frightened conversation. They could hear it stalk back and forth of the entrance of the radio hut. Neither of them dared to look out the window. Then, with a soft landing, it was on the roof, above them. 

“Um, Ryan?” Dylan spoke quietly. 

“Shh…” Ryan silenced as he tried to listen to the beast's footsteps. 

Well, if not proved earlier, it jumping on a roof certainly confirmed it was not a bear. What bear can jump on top of a roof? And so silently and effortlessly at that?

It continued to stalk them, moving back and forth again. It was intelligent on some level too. It knew the advantage of high ground. As their fear grew stronger, Ryan removed his shotgun from his shoulder and held it to the ceiling. He pointed the gun, following the noise. Then the stalking movement subsided as it leaped down the roof into the bushes by the cabins. 

Ryan quickly glanced over to the window and saw a large group walking towards them. “Fuck. Kaitlyn, Emma, and everyone are coming up the path,” 

“Oh shit,” 

“They’re coming toward us. We gotta warn them. Uhh, what about the PA?” Ryan panically spoke. 

Dylan quickly nodded back, “Yeah, okay,” 

“Yeah, tell them to hide or something,” Ryan spoke looking out the window. Dylan sat down about to warn them, before the creature loudly leaped back on top of the roof. 

A yelp left his mouth as he practically jumped out of his seat. The noise scared him so bad the windows might’ve cracked a little. Ryan stepped up to warn them instead. 

“Kaitlyn, get into a building now! Don’t come up here. There’s an animal outside the radio hut. Get in a cabin!” 

Their friends quickly shuffled into the nearest cabin while Dylan frantically paced in the small radio hut. Ryn continued aiming the gun towards the ceiling as if it would suddenly drop down in front of them. 

“What now?” Dylan quietly whispered. Both they and everyone else were trapped inside with few resources. And how could they forget that the hunters were aware of their location and likely on their way. 

Ryan breathed out a long exhale, “Okay, is there anything we can do? It’s just an animal, right? Can we scare it off somehow?”

“Uh, yeah. I mean if it has hearing like a dog, we could play a really high frequency. It’d hurt like hell though,” Dylan nervously spoke as he paced around the small room. Anything other than his last resort was a good plan in his mind. 

Ryan looked up at him with determination and trust, nodding for him to play the frequency. It was that trust that Dylan feared would be lost if he were exposed for who he truly was. A liar, a killer, dangerous. One that brought misfortune everywhere he turned, someone always became hurt in the process. He prayed the night wouldn’t result in his friends or Ryan getting hurt directly from his recklessness. 

He turned on the radio equipment at its highest volume, expecting a loud screech to flood his ears. Instead, he was left with nothing. Not even white noise. 

“I- I don’t get it. Everything’s right. It should be working!” His frustration grew as each step on the roof got louder. Impatient and angry. He and the monster both. 

“Hey, Dylan, it’s okay. Breathe, I’m sure you can figure it out,” Ryan spoke calmly, as he always did. Something Dylan never understood. Ryan smiled warmly, looking at him with trust in his eyes again. This time however, it gave him hope. 

“Okay. Okay, something has to be missing,” Dylan muttered to himself, looking over all the equipment again. His eyes followed a wire that trailed up to the ceiling, which connected to the transmission tower just outside. 

He disappointingly closed his eyes and sighed as he realised, “Shit. It cut the wire.” 

“Can you fix it?” Ryan worriedly looked over his shoulder, wielding the shotgun towards the ceiling. 

“Uh, I think so.”

Ryan nodded again, perhaps as a way of convincing Dylan everything would be fine, “Okay. I’ll cover for you,” He spoke determinedly as he focused his attention on the thumps of the steps of the creature.

This was not how the simple radio transmission was supposed to go. But when did anything ever go how Dylan wanted? He never wanted to hurt those girls, he never wanted to cause his parents' death, he never wanted to kill all those people. He had just about accepted the fate he was given by the Gods, right as something broke through the weak wooden boards of the roof. 

Something wet and sharp latched into his wrist. It sent excruciating pain down his arm like venom had been injected into his wrist. Then he realised. It’s its mouth. It's teeth. It was biting his fucking wrist. Infecting him with something inhuman. Something wrong. The thing tried with incredible strength and force to pull him up through the roof. Trying to bring home its entire meal. All he felt was pain. He couldn’t even tell if he was screaming. 

But he knew he wasn’t going to go out like this. Get dragged of by some creature and get half-eaten in the woods. Dylan closed his eyes, breathed in a shaky breath, and focused intensely on the creature’s brain. 

He pried through its brain, looking for its blood vessels to rupture. However, the creature’s mind clouded his own. Loud ringing pulsed in his ears, and painful flashes of blurry images he couldn’t quite make out flooded his mind. 

The creature must’ve felt the pain he felt, as it let go of his wrist, roaring angrily before fleeing into the woods again. Dylan stumbled down from the desk, falling to his knees and gripping his wrist, just below his wound, in agonizing pain. It was mangled beyond recognition. His skin was torn, revealing bright red, lumpy flesh. Beneath the flesh, blood spewed from his veins. 

Equally, if not more concerning, was the black venom entering through said veins, quickly travelling up his arm. It burned. His entire arm felt like fire. He couldn’t feel that pain in what was left of his wrist, protected by adrenaline. Adrenaline didn’t protect him from whatever was climbing up his limb, though. It seared through him and he struggled on the floor in torturous pain. 

He needed the pain to stop. To prevent the infection. Without much more thought, he yelled, “FUCK IT’S SPREADING! YOU HAVE TO CUT IT OFF! CUT IT OFF! RYAN, CUT IT OFF!”

Ryan looked at his disfigured wrist in horror, then back at Dylan, “I’m not gonna cut your fucking hand off are you crazy!” Ryan yelled back, “Y-you’re gonna bleed out!”

Dylan tried to breathe through the pain, inhaling sharply through his teeth, he groaned in his suffering, muttering a curse under his breath. 

Dylan stared down at his wrist as Ryan focused on bandaging it with the dusty first aid kit he had found. It was silent between the two of them as Ryan continued wrapping the gauze around his limb. 

He began bouncing the leg that propped up his arm. A distraction, likely from how close Ryan was or the pain, with the adrenaline wearing off. Either way, it wasn’t working.

In the silence, he blurted, “I still think you should’ve cut it off.” 

Ryan didn’t look up from taping the gauze in place, “No. That would be significantly worse,” He had trouble placing the tape with Dylan’s leg bouncing rapidly. “And stop doing that.”

Dylan immediately stopped, awkwardly sucking on the inside of his cheek in a bad attempt at not bouncing his leg again. 

“Ok, all set,” Ryan said as he slowly stood up. 

“Thanks,” Dylan smiled, inspecting the tightly wrapped bandages. He looked up to see Ryan anxiously staring into the gaping hole left in the roof, as if it would come back and slash their necks in an instant.

“I always thought this place could use a skylight,” Dylan joked in an effort to lighten the grim mood. 

Ryan gave him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, offering zero comfort for either of them. “We should probably go back out. See if the others are okay.” 

“Yeah.” As soon as he agreed, Ryan opened the door and was already walking down the steps. Dylan looked at the mess on the floor left from blood-soaked gauze pads before turning away, following Ryan.