Chapter Text
?:?? | ???? - YOU
ELIZA'S VARDO
Smug laughter rings through the room as you blink away dark spots, regaining consciousness. Eliza stands behind her desk smirking.
As the oil lamp on the desk flickers, the crow sat perched on the seat behind her and the skulls that lined the walls seem to stare at you, following your every movement.
“Thought you were clever, didn't you?” She crosses her arms, her smug look remaining. Eliza seemed proud, certainly not of you, not after what you'd almost made Laura do. “I knew my boy would be okay, with me watching over him.”
Her smirk drops and she locks eyes with you. They're dead and cold, and it's the most danger you've ever felt in her presence. “I'll never forget what you tried to do.”
The air goes impossibly still and starts thinning, as if Eliza could draw all of the oxygen from the room through sheer willpower alone. A chill goes down your spine, and you can just tell that whatever happens to you won't be anything good.
“I've been with you all night, y’know… and I'm not about to stop because the night's come to an end. No.” She leans over the desk as if to share a secret.
“Whenever you hear a noise in the dark, a whisper from the shadows, The breath on the back of your neck. That's gonna be me.”
It's getting harder and harder to breathe, and you know that you won't be able to stay conscious for much longer.
“I'll be there.” She sneers. “I'll never leave you.”
Eliza draws back, smirk back in place, watching as you get pulled back into dictating the lives of those in Hackett's Quarry.
“I'll never leave you.”
5:27 | AUGUST 23 - RYAN
ROUTE 919
Ryan watched in horror as Silas swiped Laura's head clean off her neck before dashing past him into the woods. Raw guilt churned his stomach as he touched his face. If he hadn't used the vial of blood on himself instead of Laura, she'd still be alive.
Instead, he was the one covered in blood, both werewolf and human, standing alone in the middle of a forest next to two fresh corpses and a cage.
If only she'd have shot Silas, like they'd originally planned to, instead of shooting the creep-ass cop. He understood why she'd done it, but he personally didn't think it was worth her own life, or the chance of more people being infected by Silas.
What the fuck was he supposed to do now? He was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a fucking werewolf still on the loose… and was he supposed to just leave Travis and Laura's bodies there?
Ryan paced in the small clearing, careful not to get too close to the corpses at his feet. What the fuck had Laura just done? Silas was still free, and now there was no one to hunt him down and end the fucking curse.
They could've at least saved Caleb. But instead of waking to find at least his uncle alive and the curse finally lifted, the poor boy would find his entire family wiped out in a single night, and still have to deal with turning every full moon.
Ryan was the only other person left who knew the Hackett’s history, the only person who had an inkling of an understanding about what Caleb would be going through and why it had all happened.
In his pacing, Ryan had thought about taking Caleb in, but what was he supposed to do on full moons? He didn't have the right facilities to cater for his needs, and there was absolutely no way Ryan was ever going back to Hackett's Quarry after all that had just transpired.
But yet again, who else could look after him? The poor boy had no family. He knew the other camp counselors thought Caleb and Kaylee were weird, and it just didn't feel right to leave him with anyone else.
With his mind resolute, he knew he wasn't going to be taking that animation course in the Fall.
After a good ten minutes of panic, Ryan stopped pacing to take stock of everything. He had his phone in his pocket - now at 19% charge and still with no signal, an empty vial in his other pocket, the shotgun with maybe one or two shells left, the keys to the cop car they'd arrived in, and the radio still clipped onto Travis' chest.
He took the shotgun from beside Laura's head, putting the safety on before slinging it over his shoulder. He then crept toward Travis' body, noting that the radio was still intact.
He hesitated before he even thought of reaching for it, remembering the last time they'd tried to radio for help. He was even less sure there'd be anyone on the receiving end then he was the first time, and the first time had already been a long shot.
He was contemplating giving it a shot anyway, maybe one of the others had picked up a radio from the other Hacketts? It was highly unlikely, as he and Laura were the only people who knew the Hacketts had even died in the first place, but Dylan also knew about the radios.
Didn't he pick up a walkman earlier that night? But did he take it with him?
No. It was unlikely… and even if he did, why would he keep it this late into the night?
Ryan should just take the keys to the car and make his way back to the quarry. The others were probably wondering what was taking so long. He should make sure they were all okay.
But again, he could check the radio first. There was always a chance someone was listening. Someone who could help.
Attempt to use the radio first
OR