Interactive Fiction

  • Halloween 2021 IF,  Interactive Fiction

    Halloween I.F – “That Which Lingers” – Day 49

    [ Please read the kickoff post before commenting! ] 

    “I think it’s probably smarter to go into the balconies upstairs first, then straight into the heart of things later, if we don’t find what we need,” Webb said slowly. “It’s much easier to be loud after being quiet rather than the other way around, right?”

    Faraday nodded. “It’s early in the night, too, so it’s maybe more likely that those we’re looking for are still in their rooms, at least until the party is really getting started.”

    “I can also sneak around a little,” Lore pointed out quietly. “To help cover ground more quickly.” They paused. “You could always try to stay out of sight and let me do all of the snooping…”

    Webb shook their head. “Absolutely not.”

    Lore’s cheeks puffed slightly, and they exhaled smoke. “Why not? I can go around without being seen…”

    “One, we’re on a time limit. What’ll we do if Jenny was safely in one of the rooms, but before you get to her, the vampires decide to kick it up a notch? And two—” Webb faltered slightly. “We’re in this together. And I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

    “Also, I don’t think there’s any place that’s necessarily any more safe than anywhere else,” Ariadne pointed out lightly. “Not up here.”

    “That really makes me feel better, Ariadne, thank you,” Webb said dryly.

    “By the way…” Lore trailed off, looking around. “Why… are there scratches all over the gondola?”

    “Giant evil birds,” Webb said promptly. “Big white-feathered things with seven eyes and four wings. Ring any bells?”

    Lore looked very concerned. “Not… really, no,” they admitted softly. “That… doesn’t sound very vampiric, though, so…”

    “So either a random act of nature—unlikely—or… other involved parties deciding to come out to make themselves known.”

    “Why, though?” Ariadne murmured, looking thoughtfully out the window, her breath fogging up her reflection. “Is it just that they’re still after you? The same… situation? After all this time? It seems a little…”

    Webb felt their anxiety rising like steam in a teakettle again. They shifted restlessly, feeling claustrophobic and pinned under the weight of their three companions, the glass walls around them, and the inescapable sense of being trapped—emotionally, physically, and otherwise.

    “I don’t know,” they said roughly. “And I don’t—I don’t think dwelling on it right now is going to help anything, so let’s just… let’s just not, alright?”

    Ariadne looked worried, but just nodded. Faraday gave Webb’s leg a firm squeeze but shifted back, as though he’d picked up that Webb wanted space.

    Lore started to unravel themself, fading back into shadow and weightlessness. Webb felt a light touch against the back of their neck as Lore seemed to attach themself to Webb’s shadow again, close enough that their soft voice could still be heard.

    “Let’s just keep an eye out,” Lore murmured. “Whatever we do… you’re not alone.”

    Webb knew that should feel reassuring, but once again, remembering that they had people to lose this time rarely brought them reassurance.

    “Look,” Ariadne murmured, nudging Webb and pointing ahead. “There it is…”

    In the distance but rapidly getting closer was a sprawling multi-storey chateau, lighting up the peak with warm lamplight pouring out of its many arched windows. It looked both cozy and grandiose—rustic, even—with log beams and pointed peaks.

    Webb stared up at it, then back at Ariadne. “Do the vampires… night ski?” they asked slowly.

    Ariadne made a face, nodding. “Sure, sometimes. There are some slopes all lit up, but on a moonlit night, vampires don’t need more than that. Others go out during the day in full gear and helmet, like I do when I’m riding.”

    “What about the windows?” Webb asked, not because they really wanted to know, but because they were somehow offended by the idea that vampires might be hoarding a view like this and not even using it.

    Ariadne shrugged. “You get a pretty nice view at night,” she said softly, then wrinkled her nose. “Also, curtains? You learn to be pretty creative when the sun makes you go up in smoke.”

    “Seems pretty rough,” Webb said dryly. “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring the sun with me.” A little pause. “Or a silver weapon, for that matter. Fuck. Do crosses work?”

    “Only sometimes,” Ariadne said. “Not on most. Why, did you bring a cross?”

    “No.”

    “As much as I hate to interrupt this thrilling conversation,” Faraday murmured, “we’re just about here…”

    Webb grimaced, making a face as Faraday and Ariadne positioned themselves to either side of the door, but didn’t protest. They knew by now to just give up on trying to stop them from trying to play protector. They just hoped nobody would end up regretting that by the end of the night.

    The blast of cold air as the gondola doors slid smoothly open made Webb shiver. They tugged their hat down a little further over their ears and cautiously followed Ariadne and Faraday outside.

    As Lore had reported, nobody in particular seemed to notice or care as they stepped out onto the wooden platform. Partygoers were quickly sweeping away up the cleanly-shovelled wooden walkway towards the entrance of the chateau. Even from this distance, Webb could see revellers mingling on covered balconies under the canopies of cheerily blazing space warmers.

    “It looks so… normal,” Webb murmured as they fell into step beside Ariadne.

    Ariadne shrugged. “Vampires are normal,” she pointed out, unoffended. “We just also, you know. Drink blood.”

    “And host elaborate parties with captive human bloodbags as entertainment?”

    Ariadne sniffed. “That’s not because they’re vampires, it’s because they’re assholes. There are humans like that too, you know.”

    “Point taken,” Webb whispered back.

    The walkway continued up to the front doors and the entrance hall. As the doors opened to allow other partygoers inside, Webb could see a roaring fireplace, a curved wooden banister, and dozens of people chatting, dancing, laughing…

    An unpleasant sort of bitterness curled in the pit of their stomach. Glancing at the others, they saw that feeling reflected in Ariadne’s narrowed eyes, the hard line of Faraday’s mouth.

    “This way,” Ariadne said softly. “The walkway continues in a perimeter around the chateau.”

    “It’s busier than I thought it would be,” Webb muttered. “And… better lit. Are we sure the balconies are the best bet?”

    “There are back doors, too,” Ariadne said. “Probably locked, but between us, I’m sure we can get in, especially if Lore can scout ahead to make sure the path ahead is clear.”

    “I can scout,” Lore agreed quietly. “I can pick locks, too.”

    “What can’t you do?” Webb grumbled appreciatively.

    Lore, of course, didn’t bother to answer that one, but Webb felt a whisper-soft brush of lips against their neck. Webb shivered, not from the cold this time, but felt a little better about things.

    The woods were thick and dark, even up closer to the peak. Webb kept an uneasy eye on them as Ariadne led the way around to the back of the sizeable chateau. Somehow, the bright lighting and the sound of chatter and clinking glasses from inside made the forest seem even more foreboding.

    They caught that thought as it crossed their mind and let out a soft laugh.

    Faraday glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow. “Hmm?” he murmured. “Something funny?”

    “I was just thinking,” Webb said. “We’re sneaking into the den of one of the most feared vampire clans, and here I am getting nervous about trees.”

    They gave Faraday a wry grin, but Faraday didn’t return it. He looked thoughtful, gaze scanning the woods, before he slowed his steps a little to walk closer to Webb.

    “I’m nervous, too,” Faraday said quietly. “Something feels strange in the air tonight.”

    That didn’t make Webb feel better, either.

    As they approached one of the back doors, keeping an alert eye out, Webb felt their hair stir as their shadow elongated, stretching out towards the doorknob. A moment later, Lore seemed to vanish in, reforming with their hand against the keyhole, hair swaying as if caught in the cool breeze.

    With a soft click, the door eased open.

    “The coast looks clear,” Lore murmured after a moment, slipping in through the gap. “Quickly, now.”

    Exchanging a look with Ariadne, Webb gave a little nod. They scanned the line of trees one more time, then stepped into the chateau after Lore.

    The hallway they were in seemed to be some kind of back hall for staff. Several heavy coats hung on hooks near the door, next to a shovel propped up against the wall. Around the corner, they could hear the banging of pots and pans, and the occasional burst of chatter.

    Lore had swooped on ahead, their shadowy form solidifying halfway up a narrow stairwell. “This way,” they whispered, beckoning. “Quietly…”

    Ariadne took the lead, with Webb behind her and Faraday carefully taking up the rear.

    “Once we’re up in the area with the guest quarters,” Ariadne murmured, “let’s still try to stay out of sight, but if anybody sees you, just… pretend like you belong. It’s not like everyone knows who everyone else is, here.”

    “Classic strategy,” Webb agreed under their breath. “And when in doubt, make out?”

    Ariadne bared her fangs in a grin. “Yeah.”

    Although their heart was still beating like a rabbit’s inside their chest, Webb found themself slowly relaxing as they quietly made their way through the halls, following Ariadne’s hazy recollections and being mindful of Lore’s instructions to pause or stop or duck out of the way.

    More than once, Lore heard someone coming and ushered them all into an empty room until the person had passed. At a few unavoidable intersections of people, they had to take Ariadne’s advice, chattering brightly to each other as they walked along like hotel guests who had simply decided to take a friendly little detour and were absolutely where they meant to be.

    “I’m shocked that worked,” Webb muttered.

    “Were you?” Ariadne demanded under her breath. “Why did you decide to do it, then??”

    At Ariadne’s prompting, they headed up to the top floor. “Grimm always liked to keep his… guests… close by,” she whispered. “So his rooms will be up here, as well as some of the suites. They’re not guaranteed to be here, of course, but…”

    “It’s a good place to start,” Webb agreed, then frowned. “Will there be guards?”

    Ariadne nodded. “At least a couple wandering around, at least in this area.”

    “Between us, I’m sure we can deal with them,” Faraday said. “Quietly,” he added after a moment to Ariadne. “Leave it to the rest of us unless necessary, love.”

    Ariadne wrinkled her nose, but seemed to find this sensible, and didn’t object.

    The air seemed cooler up here. Webb wasn’t sure if it was simply that the halls weren’t as well-heated this far from the central rooms, or if they were imagining some sort of ominous miasma the closer they came to danger.

    “There’s two guards around the corner, here,” Lore whispered. “On either side of a really big door.”

    “Grimm’s chambers,” Ariadne murmured.

    “Before we deal with them, Lore, can you check to see if there’s anybody inside?” Webb whispered. “There’s no point in us busting in there if To Grimm Or Not To Grimm is just waiting there with his dick out…”

    A bit more smoke than usual poured off of Lore before they folded it back into themself. “I’ll go,” they agreed. “I’ll be right back.”

    They vanished. A few moments passed. Webb tried to count the seconds, but their heart had begun to beat so quickly and so loudly that it kept interrupting them and they lost count.

    Abruptly, they heard two soft thumps from the hallway ahead, then heard Lore call out: “Come on. The coast is clear.”

    Webb immediately beelined around the corner to find the two guards slumped against the wall, deeply unconscious but visibly uninjured. Lore stood in the open doorway, peering out with earnest curiosity.

    “You said you were just going to scout…!” Webb hissed.

    “I made no such promise,” Lore said with gentle, passive stubbornness.

    “Help me drag these two inside…” Faraday muttered to Ariadne, who looked slightly put-out, but obligingly helped Faraday haul the guards inside the rooms.

    “Be gentle with them,” she said softly. “I was Unnamed Guard #1 once upon a time. You never know what anybody’s going through, you know?”

    Grimm’s suite was lavish and grandiose. On the far wall, peaked floor-to-ceiling windows were covered by dark, heavy velvet curtains. The main area was an elaborate sitting room with gold chandeliers, currently dimmed, hanging from high beamed rafters. The stone was a cool, mottled stone, and plush throw rugs sprawled in front of the enormous, unlit fireplace.

    “Lore, try to keep an eye and ear out from the hall,” Webb suggested quietly. “Faraday, Ariadne, let’s split up and try to take a look around. We’re looking for anything to help identify this guy, if he isn’t Grimm after all. Papers, electronics…”

    Ariadne nodded. “I’ll take the main room.”

    “I’ll go to the left,” Faraday said. “Seems to be an ensuite bathroom. I’m not great with that type of sympathetic magic myself, but if there’s a hairbrush, that could come in handy…

    Webb took the opposite side of the room, peering into what seemed to be the bedroom. Like the rest of the suite, it was lavish and stately in every way. There was a huge four-poster bed with a mattress unimaginably larger than king-sized, piled high with red and gold pillows. Somehow, it still seemed appropriately-sized for the room, which said an uncomfortable amount about its dimensions.

    A rack full of wine bottles lined one wall; several shelves of books lined another. Webb let their gaze pass over both, then headed towards the far corner where they spied a television larger than some cars, a plush seating area, and most importantly, a computer monitor on a vast mahogany desk. Behind it was another floor-to-ceiling window with deep red curtains, heavy and still.

    “Oh, just great,” Webb muttered under their breath, running their fingers lightly along the desk. The cords that would connect the monitor to anything—presumably a laptop—lay unplugged on the desktop. They crouched to test the desk drawers, but found them locked, rattling them quietly with frustration.

    Rising up, Webb turned back towards the door, intending to go grab Lore or Faraday to deal with the locks—and stopped short, a sudden chill prickling at the back of their neck.

    The room looked exactly as it had moments before, but they still scanned it uneasily. After a long moment, Webb realized that they were feeling an actual chill coming from the window behind them—they heard, after a moment, the dull flap of the curtains shifting in the breeze, and saw their next exhalation come out, frosty and visible.

    “Oh, no…” Webb breathed out. “Fuck you. I’m not turning around.”

    A laugh came from behind them, bright and cold, and Webb knew they’d been caught—but that alone wasn’t what turned Webb’s blood to ice.

    They knew that laugh.

    “Oh, I did miss how you made me smile,” said Jasper—who, as Webb’s long-dead ex, really shouldn’t be standing behind them right now. “But come now, let’s be reasonable. After all these years, you’re leaving me again already?”

    [Please suggest or +1 an action in the comments.

    As a reminder, it can be thoughts, words, deeds, or curiosities!]

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  • Halloween 2021 IF,  Interactive Fiction

    Halloween I.F – “That Which Lingers” – Day 48

    [ Please read the kickoff post before commenting! ] 

    All Webb could think of to say under the circumstances was: “Fuck!”

    Ariadne had put herself between Webb and the sliding doors, but the gondola was, unfortunately, almost entirely made of windows. Great for sight-seeing, not so great for being harassed by malevolent birds.

    Birds was the best descriptor Webb could manage, but that fell woefully short. These were snowy-white, raven-shaped, and enormous—each one easily half the size of a fully-grown adult. They each had four wings, a wickedly sharp beak, and what appeared to be seven bright blue eyes: three up each side of their face and one splitting it vertically down the middle.

    In other words, “What the hell are those?” Webb demanded.

    “Bad??” Ariadne yelped, taking an offensive stance and baring her teeth out at them.

    Something from the other side, clearly,” Faraday said in a low voice, crouching down next to Webb. “Stay in the center of the car, Ariadne.”

    “I want to fistfight a bird.”

    “I know you want to fistfight a bird, but I think things will go very poorly for us if we open the doors,” Faraday said with teeteringly tense patience.

    “I think the birds are going to have a say in that whether we want them to or not…!” Webb said, their voice raising in alarm as one of them rapped loudly at the glass with a wickedly sharp beak, causing it to splinter very slightly. “Isn’t that stuff, like, massively reinforced?”

    “I haven’t really researched it personally but I would assume so!”

    “I’m calling vampire OSHA!” Webb hissed back, wincing and ducking down as another one of the not-ravens swooped down, smashing bodily into the side of the car and making it bounce unsettlingly on the steel cable.

    “Is that—I don’t think giant evil attack birds are a result of lax application of workplace safety regulations—”

    Please,” Ariadne hollered. “Am I gonna pry this door open and brawl with the birds or not??”

    “No!” Webb and Faraday yelled back.

    That said, it wasn’t like Webb had any better ideas. Faraday already said that his magic wasn’t particularly well-suited to combat, and as far as Webb knew, Ariadne wasn’t well-suited to being suspended on a wire hundreds of feet in the air, vampire or not. Which left—what? Trying to talk to the birds? Trying to convince the birds to leave them the fuck alone like they were some kind of one night stand that had overstayed their welcome?

    It was worth a shot.

    Hauling themself up, Webb leaned up against the glass, pressing their face close to one of the creatures who had perched on the rail outside, making eye contact with its many, many eyes.

    “Fuck off, bird,” they said. Then, when nothing seemed to happen, they added more forcefully: “What do you want? Leave me alone—!”

    There was a raucous chorus of calls and croaks, followed by the reverberating thud of another not-raven smashing against the side of the gondola. Up above, Webb started to hear a rhythmic pitter-patter of sharp beaks against the metal roof.

    Faraday looked up, expression growing even more concerned, brows drawn heavily. “Are they—going after the cable attachment?”

    Ariadne looked up as well, clawed fingers flexing. “Faraday, we have to do something—”

    Webb turned back to the window again. This time, rather than trying to say or ask anything, they just focused all their energy—their fear, their anger, their frustration—and willed as hard as they could. It’s not going to happen. Don’t even fucking think about it.

    For a moment, they were sure this had failed again, and they felt a humiliated sense of bitterness welling up in their chest, burning their throat. What exactly had they been expecting to happen, there? With useless borrowed abilities that they didn’t even want—

    Then the not-raven in front of them abruptly seized up, its wings freezing mid-stroke. No longer being held aloft by anything, it toppled directly backwards, sinking with rapid finality towards the ground far below.

    A splitting pain pierced Webb’s temple, and they clutched their head with both hands. All around them, the not-ravens suddenly burst into a flurry of croaking screams and beating wings.

    “Webb?” That was Faraday’s voice, concerned and startled, warbling into focus like a poorly-tuned radio. Faraday’s warm hands gripping Webb’s shoulder. “Webb, what happened?”

    “They’re leaving…!” Ariadne gasped.

    Webb looked up, their vision still swimming slightly, and found that she was right. The not-ravens, still croaking and cawing loudly, were peeling off and soaring away towards the treeline. Webb wasn’t sure what had happened to the one that had fallen, but it seemed to have set something off in the others.

    As they scanned the darkened woods below, though, they thought they saw it again—a hint of movement between the trees. A large shape. The sensation of someone watching them. Patient. Waiting.

    This time, they didn’t say anything to the others.

    “Webb!” Ariadne’s voice this time, as she flung her arms around Webb from behind. “What did you do? Are you alright?”

    “I’m fine,” Webb said with a shaky sigh, tugging at them both and sinking back onto the bench again. “I don’t… know. I just—looked at them really hard? I guess?”

    “That sounds really dubious but I don’t know enough about your magic to argue,” Ariadne whispered, kissing at Webb’s temple. Webb grumbled a little, but didn’t pull away. Their head still hurt, but it was fading to a dull background throb.

    Faraday still looked concerned, eyes scanning the skies around them, but eventually he relaxed a little, giving Webb’s hand a squeeze. “Just take it easy for now,” he said softly. “But let’s keep an eye out. That was… lucky, but we don’t know if anything else is going to be on the lookout.”

    “What do you think that was about?” Webb asked, tilting their head back, eyes closed. “If they were sent by the vampires, I don’t exactly see why they’d try to harry us on our way to gently and politely deposit ourselves into their open mouths…”

    Ariadne shook her head. “That wouldn’t make any sense…” she agreed. “Besides, I’ve never seen anything like those things in my life.”

    “Then it was either a random event, or…” Or something and somebody Webb really didn’t want to think about. They especially did not enjoy the idea of that person being aware that Webb was back in the forest. Despite what had just happened, they felt somewhat relieved, for a moment, that they were this far up in the air where creatures on foot probably wouldn’t be able to reach them.

    Faraday seemed to pick up on that stress, giving Webb’s hand a little squeeze. “Try not to think about it too much for now,” he suggested quietly. “One thing at a time. We’ll deal with whatever’s waiting for us at the chateau, and worry about what’s lurking in the woods later.”

    “If it’ll let us wait that long,” Webb pointed out dryly.

    Ariadne sighed, flopping against Webb and sticking her legs out in front of her, wiggling her feet back and forth. “Now I’m all riled up without a release,” she complained. “My adrenaline’s just—AHH!

    Both Webb and Faraday jumped as Ariadne let out a shriek. Following her gaze, Webb felt their own heart give a little leap in their chest as they saw a face looking back at them from the darkened glass.

    A moment later, Webb heaved a sigh, thrusting their arms out in front of them. “Lore,” they scolded, cranky. “Do you have to do that?”

    The face in the window faded away into nothingness, but a moment later, shadow and smoke unfurled at Webb’s feet, taking the shape of a body filling up their arms, a weight on their lap. “I’m sorry,” Lore murmured, looking genuinely apologetic. “I didn’t mean to…”

    “I know, I know,” Webb sighed. “You’re just naturally spooky.”

    Ariadne grumbled, reaching out to pinch Lore’s cheek. “Welcome back,” she said begrudgingly, then continued more fondly, clearly forgiving them instantly for the momentary fright. “How was everything? What did you see?”

    Lore looked a little shy at the touch, then more serious at the question. “Nothing we didn’t really expect,” they said slowly. “It’s pretty lively. Lots of lights, music. There are what appear to be guards around, slick-looking vampires in dark suits standing around in pairs, but nobody is getting identified or checked out on their way off the gondola.”

    “What about the chateau?” Faraday asked.

    Lore nodded. “Some guards at the door there, but they didn’t seem to be paying much attention to anybody coming or going—more like just keeping an eye out for trouble.”

    “So we could pass on through, if we went in the front door,” Ariadne mused. “Unless they are looking out for Webb, or Faraday and I, in which case…”

    “We could do Operation Makeout if someone looks at us too closely,” Webb drawled. They grinned at Faraday’s expression. “What? It worked for Captain America.”

    “I’d prefer to have some kind of alternate plan in mind…” Faraday said, polite but a little pained.

    “Do you know another way around?” Webb asked Ariadne. “Any side or back entrance, or anywhere you think it would be more likely to find… prisoners? Unwilling guests?”

    Ariadne made a bit of a face. “Grimm always liked to keep his… guests… in the guest quarters, not thrown away in a dungeon or anything. Taking care of people properly makes their blood taste better.”

    “Gross, but go on.”

    Ariadne shrugged. “It might be different now, but there’s definitely big balconies on various levels of the chateau, what with the view and all. Grimm always stayed in the highest rooms—there’s a balcony there too, of course, but…”

    “He, or whoever, is not likely to be in his rooms during the party,” Faraday pointed out. “If we wanted to take a look around. But it depends on our priority, here.”

    “Some of those missing people might honestly be in the middle of things,” Ariadne said. “As… entertainment? In which case…”

    Gross,” Webb emphasized again, with a grimace of a grin. “Right. Our original plan here was just to gather some information and figure out who’s in charge up here these days—Grimm, or some kind of imposter. But now, obviously, we need to figure out where Eli and Jenny are being kept, and try to spring them as well…”

    There were a couple ways about it, and they’d obviously adapt as they went along. As for what they tried to do first…

    [Please suggest or +1 an action in the comments.

    As a reminder, it can be thoughts, words, deeds, or curiosities!]

    previous | next

  • Halloween 2021 IF,  Interactive Fiction

    Halloween I.F – “That Which Lingers” – Day 47

    [ Please read the kickoff post before commenting! ] 

    “Why do you keep wanting to go on ahead?” Webb complained. “At this point, it almost seems like you want to leave me—mmph.

    Webb fell silent as a shadowy hand clamped over their mouth. “Shhh,” they felt Lore exhale next to their ear, tone gently chiding. “You know it’s not like that. I just… want to do what I can to help protect you. To make sure things are successful.”

    Webb tried to open their mouth, then found themself flushing heatedly as shadow crept in, pooling against their tongue. They made useless little noises instead until Lore released them. “Fine,” they grumbled, exhaling in a plume of smoke, glaring at Faraday who was trying not to laugh. “You’ve got a point. If you can get up there safely and scope the place out, that would probably be smart.”

    “I like that you’re concerned about me,” Lore says softly. “I haven’t… felt this way before. Having anybody who was worried about what happened to me. That is to say—I’m still not sure the concern is needed, but it’s still… nice.”

    Webb felt a light pressure wind around them, tightening briefly. A soft squeeze, then a slithering whisper as Lore vanished into the night. Webb watched in that general direction for a long moment, quiet, chafing their arms although they weren’t really that cold.

    Ariadne bumped up against their side. “They’ll be alright,” she murmured. “They’re a grown up big scary monster shadow. For all we know, they might be able to wipe out a whole vampire clan without breaking a sweat. Er, a smoke? You know.”

    “I know,” Webb said, huffing as they glanced back at her. “Maybe I’m more worried about me than I am about them, did you think of that?”

    Her eyes glittered, flashing reflectively like a cat’s in the dim light. She flashed her fangs in a big grin. “Of course not,” she said confidently. “Why could you possibly be worried, when I’m here to protect you?”

    Webb spluttered a little, giving her a little shove towards the gondola. “Oh, I wonder.”

    “Not a very elegant comeback,” Faraday mused, strolling along with his hands behind his back. “You’re getting soft. Compromised…”

    “Make yourself useful!” Webb grumbled. “Weren’t we talking about disguises? Plans?”

    Faraday nodded, looking at Webb sidelong, with a thoughtful smile. “I think I can manage something for you,” he said. “Nothing fancy, but we can convince your hat to help make your face a little less… remarkable.”

    Webb stared back at him, then huffed, tugging their hat off and handing it over. “Your magic is weird,” they informed him.

    “All magic is strange,” Faraday said lightly, unbothered. “That’s what makes it wonderful.”

    Webb didn’t know what to say to that. They took their hat back when it was offered and yanked it back down over their ears.

    Boarding the gondola was remarkably easy. The ticketing attendant ran Faraday’s card and handed over three paper ticket stubs, waving them along. “Keep it moving,” she said, sounding bored. “Don’t make a mess in the cars.”

    “What kind of rule is that?” Webb whispered sidelong to Ariadne as they made their way up to the boarding platform behind a small cluster of would-be partygoers who were taking an endless array of selfies.

    She shrugged. “One that they probably put in place after servicing vampires day in and day out. Night in and night out…?”

    Webb rubbed their face, sighing, and winced a little as they caught sight of their reflection in the glass of one of the enclosed gondola cars as it glided to a stop. They had to believe Faraday that their eyes were obscured and looked a little different to anybody else who was looking at their face—to Webb’s gaze, they saw their own narrow freckled face staring back at them, their eyes unusually bright and their expression looking scared and small.

    They looked away, gaze drifting towards the edge of the woods—

    They froze, tensing up suddenly, certain that just for a moment they’d made eye contact with… something. Someone. It was over in the blink of an eye, but Webb’s heart was racing, their palms sweating, their breath suddenly coming fast.

    “Webb…?” Ariadne moved a little closer to them, concerned, sniffing at the air. Faraday turned as well, wondering why Webb had stopped as the other group had gone ahead and an empty car had stopped in front of him. “What is it?”

    “Nothing…” Webb said uneasily, under their breath. “I—no, wait. I’m not going to tell you that it was nothing. That’s way too victim-in-a-horror-movie. I saw… something. I felt like I was being watched. But I didn’t get more than a glimpse. Fuck.”

    Ariadne worried at her lower lip with her teeth, eyes narrowing as she moved a little closer to Webb. “Should we turn back?” she asked uncertainly. “That doesn’t sound good…”

    Webb hissed out an irritated breath between their teeth. “Of course we should go back, but we’re not going to. If we were doing the safe and sensible thing, we wouldn’t be here at all.”

    Ariadne considered that, then just made a face, shuffling after Faraday as the next empty gondola car began to glide to a stop. She reached back to take Webb’s hand, squeezing. “Onwards and upwards?” she suggested.

    “Anything to get this night over with.”

    Webb sank heavily down onto the padded bench inside the gondola car, continuing to stare out the window as the doors slid noiselessly shut and sealed with a click. With a little rumble of the engine, the car began to slide upwards along the cables, rising up off the ground and rapidly beginning to leave the town behind.

    Webb had to begrudgingly admit that the view was impressive. During the day, they imagined they’d be able to see mountains all around in the distance, and the vast expanse of trees. In the darkness, the town of Shadewick and even nearby villages were visible the higher up they rose, glittering clusters of gold and silver lights amongst the trees.

    “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Faraday murmured.

    “It’s fine,” Webb said quickly, turning back to face the two of them, a little flustered. “I’ve just never… been up here before. Or seen anything like this.”

    “Not at all?” Ariadne looked surprised. “You lived so close, though.”

    Webb rolled their eyes, crossing their arms over their chest and sinking down a little in their seat. “I just never had a chance when I was younger. My family wasn’t really… well, I just didn’t. And then later on, when I was on my own, I developed, you know, a crippling fear and paranoia of that which lurked in the woods, so…”

    “That’s… fair,” Ariadne said, wrinkling her nose.

    “I can see how that would get in the way,” Faraday added lightly.

    Webb looked out the window again, exhaling softly. “I’m… glad you two are with me,” they said quietly. “Thanks… for everything, tonight. I mean, other than the part where you waltzed into my life and turned it completely upside-down—”

    “I think it was better than the alternative!” Ariadne protested. But Webb figured that she saw them grinning a little, because her tone was mostly fond.

    Faraday extended a leg and tapped his foot lightly against Webb’s ankle. “I used to come here a lot as a kid,” he said. “My grandmother lives not far from here. A little cabin on the lake.”

    Webb raised their eyebrows. “Oh, is that how you ended up as vampire prey? Just plucked like a ripe fruit from grandma’s house?”

    “Oh, no,” Faraday waved a hand. “I went up there all on my own.” He paused. “That was obviously a mistake, but you know, when you’re young…”

    Webb gave him a scandalized look. “And here I thought you were just a victim of circumstance! Serious and reliable…!”

    Ariadne snorted, leaning over to kiss Faraday’s cheek. “He was,” she said, sticking her tongue out. “He was a big nerd in over his head, and he was very lucky he was charming.”

    “… it sounds like you were both pretty lucky to find each other,” Webb said quietly, then flushed deeply as both of them turned to look at him, expressions touched and startled. “Don’t—don’t get weird about it, I was just saying—”

    “I’ll take you to the cabin one day, Webb,” Faraday said warmly. “I think you’d like it. Give you a chance to relax.”

    Webb opened and closed their mouth a few times, then tugged their hat a little further down. “Right. Yes. As we were talking about, my love for all things wilderness—”

    Ariadne rose up, balancing carefully as she sank down next to Webb, wrapping her arms around them and pulling him close. “You’re right,” she said seriously. “We can take you wherever you want, after all this is done. You’re not going to be facing any of this alone, is all we’re saying.”

    Webb hadn’t thought very much about what came after this. They’d made it this far without necessarily thinking there would be an “after this.” The thought struck them as a bit chilling. They’d always planned for contingencies, gathering information, playing it safe… and here they were, just flying into the open fanged maws of uncertainty—why?

    Because it’s the right thing to do, they thought. Because there were people that needed help, and people that had been wronged, and people that they’d come to care about that wanted to see this done. It was important to them. And they were important to Webb.

    Absolutely disgusting.

    Webb clonked their head against Ariadne’s. “If I was alone, I’d have less of a headache,” they sighed. “Come here, Faraday, you’re making it weird sitting over there by yourself.”

    “You were the one sitting by yourself to start with—” Faraday protested, but obediently rose up and came to sit on Webb’s other side, wrapping his arm around their waist.

    Webb grinned lazily, leaning their head back to look up at Faraday, their head on his shoulder. Ariadne let out a pleased sound and leaned forward a little, resting her head on Webb’s chest. “Don’t try to poison my mind with your… mmh, facts and truths…” Webb said.

    Faraday snorted, nuzzling a little against Webb’s temple, where just a few curls had escaped Webb’s hat. “I know you try very hard to stay in denial,” he murmured, voice low, breath warm against Webb’s ear.

    Webb drew in a breath then found themself startled into a laugh, surprised to find how much their breath hitched. “I’m just so very good at it,” they murmured. “Hey, how long is this gondola trip…?”

    “Oh, you know,” Ariadne said mischievously, nuzzling at Webb’s neck on the opposite side. “Long enough…”

    Then, abruptly, she sat up straight, eyes flashing and nostrils flaring in alarm. “Something’s coming,” she said urgently, shoving Webb down onto the bench—just as something large and pale impacted the glass hard enough to make the car sway and bounce on its cable, hundreds of feet off the ground.

    Webb found themself without the best view, startled and a bit winded. Through the slightly fogged, frosty windows, they could see half a dozen white shapes starting to take form, many-winged and many-eyed and ghastly. And over the sounds of the gondola’s mechanism humming, they heard the heavy sound of wingbeats, and the rasping, raucous calls and shrill shrieks of something monstrous as they began to peck and tap and try to get inside.

    [Please suggest or +1 an action in the comments.

    As a reminder, it can be thoughts, words, deeds, or curiosities!]

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  • Halloween 2021 IF,  Interactive Fiction

    Halloween I.F – “That Which Lingers” – Day 46

    [ Please read the kickoff post before commenting! ] 

    Niall was giving Webb a thoughtful, suspicious look over the rims of his glasses. Emboldened by the thought of giving the man a migraine out of spite, Webb found their lips curving in a tired little challenge of a grin as they shoved their free hand in their pocket, rocking back onto their heels.

    “I have no idea how things are gonna go, but we’re not about to give up on them when we’re this close,” Webb said.

    Artem’s brows creased in confusion. “What… do you mean?”

    Niall grimaced. “I was afraid of that.”

    “Listen,” Webb said. “We’re not big damn heroes or anything. In fact, I distinctly would like to be literally anywhere other than here, in this specific situation. But I didn’t come up this mountain to go whoops, oh well, guess the vampires got ’em and we’re just gonna let that happen.”

    To Artem, they added more seriously: “We’re going to go try to find out what happened to Jenny and Eli. If the logic follows, it’s unlikely they just killed them, so they’ve got to be somewhere…”

    Artem’s eyes lit up a little with a faint hope that made Webb feel uneasy. They didn’t do well with people having expectations. They were allergic to optimism. Still… it was better than the dull, defeated look he’d had moments before.

    “You have no idea what you’re getting into,” Niall warned.

    “We have some idea,” Webb said. “Not a lot of idea, but less than zero. And besides—like you said. Who else is going to help?

    Niall sighed, glancing aside at Artem, then gave Artem’s shoulder a little squeeze. “You rest up,” he told him. “That’s about enough excitement for today.”

    “But I should go with them—” Artem protested.

    “Absolutely not,” Webb said firmly. “You’re staying here.”

    “I’ll give you my cell number,” Ariadne offered. “We’ll keep in touch with you.”

    “And if anything happens, you need to be prepared to train and become a dark knight in the future,” Webb suggested.

    No,” said Niall.

    “Like that one anime where the cute goat’s family gets killed by wolves and then he grows up to be a vicious killer—”

    “Absolutely not!”

    Webb held both hands up to their head like horns. “An avenging were-Bambi.”

    Niall was scowling heavily, but Artem’s expression had moved from distressed to helplessly amused, his shoulders shaking. Webb gave them both a little grin, then dropped their sunglasses back down onto their nose, turning and gesturing for Faraday and Ariadne to follow.

    “I don’t think you should actually become The Punisher if we don’t come back,” she murmured.

    “The Fawnisher,” Webb suggested.

    “Webb!” Ariadne scolded. Webb would have bet good money that she was grinning behind her helmet visor, though. To Artem, she continued: “The best and most important thing you can do is try to live a good life. Don’t let the past eat at you too much.”

    “Maybe get a good therapist,” Faraday suggested lightly.

    “You two are going to make me feel self-conscious,” Webb complained. They sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “They’re right, though. I spent the last decade blaming myself for shit that was out of my control because… because I didn’t have good people around me to shake me and tell me to take care of myself. Or even for those who tried in their own way, I was too stubborn to listen to them.”

    “You got away,” Ariadne said gently. “Don’t leave your heart behind with those that meant to harm you.”

    Artem dropped his gaze, weakly squeezing Ariadne’s gloved hand when she offered it to him. “Good luck,” he said hoarsely. “Try to come back safely, okay?”

    “We’ll try,” Ariadne promised, which was more than Webb was willing to do. They’d used up all their energy and had none left for reassurances, just lingering quietly by the door as Ariadne gave Artem her phone number and chatted briefly with him and Niall.

    They all made their way out into the entrance hall. Niall joined them after a moment, dimming the lights in the infirmary again and shutting the door all but a crack.

    “I don’t suppose there’s any talking you out of this?” he sighed.

    “Why, do you still want to?”

    Niall scowled, shrugging one shoulder. “Don’t like to see people putting themselves in danger unnecessarily, and I know what those vampires can do. But you seem pretty set on what you’re doing, and it’s not like I don’t want to see those kids rescued.”

    “There’s more to use than meets the eye,” Faraday assured him.

    “Artem gave me more specific details on where exactly they got jumped,” Ariadne said. “So we can always try there first. But… it’s awfully close to the gondola up to the peak, which one way or the other, is where I suspect we’re going to end up going.”

    “Honestly, if you have any advice for a bunch of people about to do something terminally stupid, I’m all ears,” Webb told Niall, spreading their palms wide.

    Niall looked very put-upon. “Other than don’t, no. But nobody ever listens to me, anyway.” Webb decided they were growing a bit fond of the lines that furrowed in Niall’s brow when he seemed concerned about the absurdity of those around him, which seemed often. “… did hear something about a party going on up at Sharp Pines tonight, though, if that’s relevant to you.”

    “Sharp Pines is the chateau…?”

    Niall nodded. “They have… revels, often enough, let’s put it that way. Shadewick isn’t the only town that has a gondola leading up to the peak—we’re just the closest to Hallow Point. There’s another village a ways up the road that’s a bit more popular with the partying crowd. Some people come up this way for the nature and the sports, obviously, but ever since the vampires moved in up there, it’s been worse and worse every year.”

    “And people just go up there knowing that it’s run by vampires?” Webb asked.

    Ariadne shrugged. “When I was there, it happened a lot. A lot of people were actively into it, you know? Horny for the thrill of it, enjoying the occasional bloodsucking and getting charmed… some were enthralled, some chose to stay, some chose to go and return, some chose to get turned. Some, I assume, went back to their normal life as accountants or Ph.D candidates or whatever…”

    Niall gave her an odd look, but didn’t comment. “Exactly that. So… it’s not too strange for you to show up and just pretend you’re there for the drinks and all the rest.”

    “Great,” Webb said dryly. Then, more seriously: “No, actually, that’s helpful.”

    “Do you mind if I leave my helmet here for now?” Ariadne asked. “It’ll probably stick out more than hide anything at a party, and it’s dark now, so…”

    Niall stared at her for a moment, then sighed. “Go ahead,” he said. “Just try to come back to claim it, alright?”

    Ariadne pulled the helmet off, shaking her hair free, and gave Niall a little toothy smile. “We’re going to do our best,” she assured him.

    “You’re sure nobody’s going to recognize you?” Webb murmured quietly to Ariadne as Niall went to set the helmet aside.

    Ariadne shrugged. “It’s been a long time. And I look very different. And if anybody does, then we get to have a very fun conversation.

    Webb couldn’t argue with that. They did, however, cup her cheek in one hand and lean in for a quick kiss.

    “Mmph—” Her eyes widened, startled, but she leaned back into it after a moment, her expression softening. “What was that for?”

    “Are you doing alright energy-wise?” Webb asked. “Bet the clinic here has some blood bags, if you need one.”

    Ariadne’s eyes brightened. “Oh, great point. I’ll ask Niall.” She paused a bit, still with her forehead pressed to Webb’s. “That—still doesn’t explain why you kissed me?”

    Webb grinned. “Just reminding you of what you’re missing out on.”

    Ariadne gasped, pinching up and down their sides. “Rude! Rude, rude…!” Her red eyes were bright, her cheeks a little flushed, her hair rumpled still from her helmet.

    Webb knew that they were grasping onto the last moments of levity before heading into a menacing unknown, but they wanted to let it linger, just a little longer. They weren’t exactly keen on heading into danger regardless—but now it felt extra bitter, now that they felt like they had something to lose.

    They glanced uneasily outside through one foggy window, looking at the shadowed shapes of the trees in the distance, and swallowed.

    “You’re not alone,” whispered Lore’s soft voice next to their ear. “We’ll be fine, Webb.”

    “We’ll see,” Webb muttered. But it did make them feel a little better.

    A few of the stores in the village were still open, so at Niall’s stern recommendation they took a few minutes to pick up some additional gear and winter clothes before setting out. Travelling with a helpful witch meant that Faraday could keep them warm enough, but even then there was only so much he could do with dark woods and what was likely to be a snowy mountain peak.

    After a quick meal, with night truly starting to fall, they headed out along the path through the woods that led towards the gondola.

    Ariadne was rubbing her hands together, exhaling a puff of frosty breath as she looked around. “It really is beautiful around here,” she said softly. “I kind of missed it.”

    “I think I prefer the city,” Webb said lightly. “In fact, I’d prefer to be on an island, maybe? Out at sea? In a desert. Anywhere except a frozen-ass murder forest heading up to Vampire Fuck Mansion.”

    Ariadne wasn’t wrong, though. The clouds had started to break up a little throughout the evening, letting through faint glimmers of starlight from a sky darker than any Webb was ever able to see from within the light-polluted city. Behind them, the warm streetlamps of the village cast pools of light onto the snow-frosted cobblestones. Ahead, a foggy mist hung over the trees like jewels, lending an ethereal quality to the woods.

    Webb, obviously, was absolutely miserable about it.

    They heard a crunch of boots on snow, then felt Faraday’s arm wrap around their shoulders.

    “Ready?” he murmured.

    “Absolutely not,” Webb muttered back, letting their head fall against his shoulder. “Why would you ask me that?”

    Faraday laughed, soft and low. “I have faith in us,” he said lightly. “… anyway, the gondola’s nice, if you’ve never taken it before. It’s a beautiful view, even at night. Romantic,” he added with a bit of mischief.

    “Don’t get any ideas,” Webb grumbled. But it did feel a little better to walk into the woods with Faraday close to their side, Ariadne up ahead and visibly on alert. They felt a little whisper of air as Lore shifted against their hair, and saw their own shadow elongate strangely for a moment as Lore seemed to vanish on ahead, keeping watch.

    The trip to the gondola was disappointingly uneventful—some part of Webb wanted to be jumped in the woods by vampires, just so they’d have something concrete to deal with. But no, it was just the long, thin stretch of cable leading up to the peak of Bloodstone Mountain to contend with, and the knowledge that they had very little idea of what was waiting for them at the top.

    “So what’s the plan?” Ariadne asked quietly as they approached, dropping back to walk a little closer to Faraday and Webb. There wasn’t much of a lineup at this time of night—just a handful of people wandering around, some with snow gear, some dressed up under their winter clothes—but there was still someone selling lift passes.

    “I don’t think we need to have much of an excuse to go up there, right?” Webb said. “Unless this is like, an invite-only deal…”

    Ariadne shook her head. “It shouldn’t be. Should we give you a disguise, though? And like… once we’re up there, do you just want to… walk in the front door? Or sneak our way around? I mean, we can talk more in the gondola, probably, but…”

    She had a point. They’d have a bit of time heading up on the gondola to hash things out in terms of plans, or as much planning as they could do before they were able to scope things out. Then again, maybe they shouldn’t stress out and over-plan, and instead just enjoy the last time alone they had with a cute witch and a vampire…

    They flushed, feeling their hair stir. “I can also try to go on ahead,” Lore suggested softly. “I know you don’t want me to get into trouble, but under the circumstances, maybe I could see something useful or dangerous if I scouted ahead…”

    [Please suggest or +1 an action in the comments.

    As a reminder, it can be thoughts, words, deeds, or curiosities!]

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  • Halloween 2021 IF,  Interactive Fiction

    Halloween I.F – “That Which Lingers” – Day 45

    [ Please read the kickoff post before commenting! ] 

    Niall’s expression immediately turned stormy, which Webb took as very much not a great sign.

    You’re responsible for what happened to those kids?” he growled.

    Webb raised both their hands immediately, then followed that up by extending an arm to prevent Ariadne from immediately putting herself between the two of them. “Yes and no,” they said hurriedly. “Yes, in that I’m aware that there’s been a compromising situation, but—I didn’t think they’d get hurt. I didn’t get them in trouble on purpose.”

    “We learned that there were some… bad-faith actors,” Faraday cut in calmly, moving in to stand a little closer to Webb. “Webb here has been quite desperate to find Artem and his friends. We’d hoped to try to catch them before something happened, but…”

    “Obviously we fucked that one up,” Webb said roughly. They’d been trying to keep their gaze steady on Niall’s, like they read you were supposed to do with, like, scary dogs—but something twinged unpleasantly in their chest, and they felt their eyes sting, their breath coming a bit fast. “But if he’s still okay, and if there’s still any chance of rescuing Jenny and Elijah…”

    Niall didn’t say anything for a moment, and Webb let the silence linger.

    From the other room, a voice called: “… Niall? Is everything alright? I heard raised voices—”

    “It’s fine, kid,” Niall called back, mostly sounding tired. Webb flicked their gaze up to see Niall with his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. To Webb, he said: “I don’t know that I believe that completely, and my responsibility is to those under my care, but… you stay here, and I’ll ask him if he wants to talk to you. And if he says no, you get the hell out of here, you understand me?”

    Webb grimaced, but nodded. Even if Artem said no, there could always be a way… As always, there was an uneasy sort of tug towards the various ways that Webb could make it happen, but—

    They had something they were committed to doing. But at the end of the day… especially being around Faraday and Ariadne and Lore, and seeing what those around them had been willing to do to help them along their way, Webb was feeling this unsettling urge to be a good person about all this. It seemed like a dangerous, unpleasant, and very uncomfortable idea, but…

    “Wait here,” Niall instructed, letting his gaze linger for a moment before he stepped back into the infirmary area and approached Artem’s bedside.

    Webb felt Faraday’s arm wrap around their waist, giving them a little squeeze.

    “Hey,” Faraday murmured softly. “There’s still a chance the others are alright.”

    “I wasn’t—” Webb started to say, then just fell silent. What was the point of protesting? They turned into Faraday’s embrace, pressing their face against his chest, breathing in against his coat. Faraday seemed surprised for a moment, then just lifted both arms, squeezing them tightly around Webb and kissing the top of their head.

    Footsteps, then the sound of a throat being cleared. Niall leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, still frowning, but looking a little thoughtful as his gaze travelled over them. “Artem says he’ll talk to you,” he said. “Come with me. And nothing weird, you got it?”

    “Nothing weird,” Webb agreed, pushing away from Faraday and following Niall into the other room, the others closely behind them.

    Artem was sitting up in bed, wearing a faded, oversized t-shirt and clutching at the sheets. Webb was relieved to see that he didn’t appear to be angry, nor grievously injured, though one arm was bandaged from hand to elbow. As Webb had remembered, Artem was a freckle-faced young man in his early twenties with a mop of light brown curls and a skittish sort of attitude. His gray eyes were wide as he looked around the group—from sunglasses-wearing Webb, to Faraday in his vivid coat, and Ariadne still in full motorcycle gear.

    “Mx. Webb…” he said uneasily, a bit breathless. “What… what are you doing here?”

    Webb stared back at him for a long moment, unsure how to answer that question. What were they doing? What did they want? What had they done?

    They settled for cautiously sitting near the foot of Artem’s bed, fingers curling in the sheets, and lowering their gaze.

    “I’m sorry,” they said. “I had no idea I was sending you out into a dangerous situation. I thought it would be clean and easy. But I found out that someone had been using me to lure in innocent people just looking to do a bit of good and have some adventures—and that probably you were in danger.”

    They drew in a deep breath. “We came as fast as we could, which… obviously wasn’t fast enough, but… I never meant for anything to happen to you, and honestly, feel really fucking shitty to learn that something did. And I’m not good at this kind of thing, but—just… what did happen? Where are Jenny and Elijah? Please, tell me as much as you can.”

    Webb fell silent and found that they were staring at their own hands, rather than at Artem. They didn’t really want to look at his face, but snuck an uneasy glance up at him, preparing for the worst.

    Artem seemed grim, sober and thoughtful, his breath coming a little fast—but he seemed more worried than anything, looking up at Webb with a pleading gaze. “We headed up this way like you had suggested,” he said in a trembling voice. “You know, part of the job said that there was a little cabin about ten minutes’ walk through the woods that was having some trouble with jackalope infestations in their garden…”

    Webb grimaced, just nodding along. They remembered. Small, benign… “Yeah. And you got ambushed, huh?”

    “Almost as soon as we went into the woods,” Artem nodded. “It was after dark, but still early evening, so we figured we’d check in once we got there to make sure the work was still needed and it was worth staying the night here. It was a pretty well-lit path, and Eli prefers being out at night, anyway, so… we thought it was fine. Then—we got jumped.”

    “By who?” Webb asked. “… or, I guess, by what?”

    “Vampires,” Artem said miserably, surprising absolutely nobody in the room, but serving as an unpleasant confirmation, at least. “There were at least six of them, and they moved so quickly. Eli and Jenny put up a bit of a fight, but they…” His voice wavered.

    “It’s alright, Artem,” Niall said, voice low and reassuring. “Take your time.”

    Artem shook his head as though to clear it, rubbing his face with both hands. “They didn’t seem to want to kill us. I saw one of them tie Eli up and sling him over his shoulder. Jenny tossed up a barrier, but it wasn’t strong enough, and she told me to run, so I…”

    Webb had already been feeling sick to their stomach, but at that their chest clenched unpleasantly with memory and distress.

    Niall reached over and squeezed Artem’s shoulder as the young man shuddered, his eyes prickling with unshed tears. “It’s alright,” Niall repeated, slow and steady. “You’re doing just fine. There’s nothing wrong with running away. You did the right thing.”

    Webb looked down at their own hands again, clenching and unclenching them against their knees. “You—” Their voice caught in their throat. They tried again: “Niall’s right. You were set up, outnumbered. At least now… we know for sure what happened.”

    Faraday had turned to Niall. “Did you report this to anybody?” he asked. “If we have Artem’s word that vampires ambushed and kidnapped his friends…”

    “Who am I going to tell?” Niall shot back. “Artem’s going to let their friends and family know, but if it’s the Grimm clan that did it—they’ve had a grip on this whole area for years. Nobody is going to confront them about it. Best we can do is just try to keep people from wandering off where they can run into too much trouble. Once they’re gone…”

    Artem let out a little sob. Webb, heart beating like a rabbit’s inside their ribcage, rose up and began to pace restlessly.

    “Did they say anything to you?” they asked Artem. “The vampires—either when they were grabbing you, or when you were running away?”

    Artem swallowed, shaking his head miserably, then paused to consider, hesitating. “I don’t… think so,” he said slowly. “I mean, they were talking a lot between themselves, but they were just—sort of bantering. I wasn’t really paying a lot of attention. They said—something about us being a nice catch.” He hesitated. “One of the vampires seemed… a little worried? Like he kept… looking over his shoulder and telling the others to hurry up.”

    Webb exchanged an uneasy look with Faraday. “Did you get an idea of what he was concerned about?” Faraday asked.

    “No,” Artem said. “I’m sorry… just… a vague sort of “them” that kept getting referenced. It sounded like the vampires had been really, uh, pissing someone off lately.”

    “Well, isn’t that interesting,” Webb said slowly. “… well, it sounds like you were pretty damn lucky, Artem.”

    Artem’s cheeks were blotchy with feverish color, and he grimaced. “I… I shouldn’t have… I mean, I’m—I’m a were-deer. I was able to transform, and I ran, because… that’s what I do, that’s all I can do, but I should have stayed with her—”

    Letting out a deep, sharp exhalation of breath, Webb came back over to the bed and leaned over it, pushing back their sunglasses and looking directly at Artem, hand braced against the mattress.

    “Listen to me,” Webb said. “It’s not your fault. None of this was your fault. You and your friends… yeah, you agreed to do something a bit stupid and reckless, but that’s… that’s okay. We’re all just out here living our lives. We’re not always making the perfect, safe decisions. Sometimes that goes great, and sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, that’s just life. You’re not responsible for the shitty things other people do that end up hurting the people you care about. And in that moment… your friend Jenny told you to run, didn’t she? It’s fucked up, when you can’t save the people that you care about, and survivor’s guilt is a real damn thing, but… you’re allowed to be here. You’re allowed to be alright… even though it’ll probably take some time.”

    The room was quiet. Artem stared back at Webb, then let out another shaky sob, leaning his head back against the headboard and closing his eyes. “Maybe,” he said softly. “I’ll think about it. I just…”

    “Good,” Webb said, trying to keep their own voice from shaking. “And, I mean, definitely think about that and everything, but also…”

    They hesitated. They didn’t want to tell Artem that they were going to try to go rescue Jenny and Eli, and get his hopes up unnecessarily, in case they fucked up. On the other hand, maybe it’d help him feel a little better in the moment. And maybe Niall might have something else to offer or suggest, if he knew…?

    One thing was for certain: Webb was going up there. Tonight. Immediately. Glancing at Faraday, they could see the same determination on his face. Ariadne, beside him, reached out to take Webb’s hand, giving it a firm squeeze. If there was still a chance that Jenny and Eli were alive, every second wasted could be precious time sliding between their fingertips.

    [Please suggest or +1 an action in the comments.

    As a reminder, it can be thoughts, words, deeds, or curiosities!]

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    Thanks for sticking with me on this, everyone! I hope you’re enjoying the story despite it making itself a liiiittle longer than we originally planned ♥ I’m most likely looking to wrap up within the next 3-5 sections this week. Looking forward to seeing it through to the end with you!