cqlebrvrs

[cqlebrvrs]

destruction.

(a solo thread of caleb rivers vs. the stranger ;; tw: violence, tw: alcohol )

He hated every moment of this. It was like every part of him was screaming to turn around; to run back to the school and never look back. But he knew he couldn’t. Not with Hanna at stake.

He would do anything for her. And this was further proving it... as long as she understood that, things would be okay. They had to be, right? Hanna would understand that when all this was over, it was to keep her safe. It was to keep her, and everyone else he cared about safe.

Let’s just hope that sweet pea understood that, too.

he adjusted the beanie on his head as he watched from his hiding spot in the trees behind the wrym. right now it was just a waiting game. a game of being patient; waiting for the moment toni and sweet pea left the building. he had been in there just hours prior; he knew they were the only ones working that night.

just have to wait.

his pockets were empty, save for the few things he managed to snag from the lockers at school. it wasn’t asked of him, but he had to plant evidence somehow. Anything to get the blame off him. Anything to keep him from being exiled.

He even went as far as to snagging the bulldog jacket, with a last name emblazoned on the back. That’d be the finishing touch.

He heard the keys rustling before he saw the duo leave. They were laughing; bantering back and forth like he’d seen them do so many times. It made his heart sink further into his gut. Man, he hated this.

With them gone, and getting further and further away from the wrym... it was time for him to move. He didn’t have much time. He had to get in, do his thing, and get out.

As he approached the door, he slid the black gloves onto his hands.

His instinct was telling him to pick the lock. It would be easy; a quick bobby pin in and he’d be set. But this stupid stranger wanted the place to be destroyed. So once he knew his friends were out of earshot, he took out the hammer from his bag and broke the lock clean off, making quick work of the mechanics to allow him to inside.

If that alone was painful... he hated to think about the rest of it.

He let out a sigh as he stepped into the place that was now his own. The back room; the kitchen area, the dining area... it was all too much. He had to destroy it all.

So he started with the first room: the kitchen. He flipped the tables, threw around the cutlery, snapped every knife and tool he saw in half. Left open the freezer, breaking boxes of food and everything else. By the time he was done, the kitchen alone was a mess of broken plates, glass, and metal. He did the same to the back room, and pocketed the money he found in the safe after he broke that open, too.

If he was going to commit a crime... might as well go all out.

The stranger didn’t have to know what he planned on doing with the money, anyways.

Next was the bar.

He scanned the products, taking a few swigs of whiskey before storing a few bottles in his bag for later. He was going to need it after this, especially as he ran the hammer along the shelves, letting bottle after bottle fall to pieces on the floor. Whatever he saved, he threw the bottles across the room, letting them shatter against the other walls. He took the hammer to the bar itself, breaking the wood and smashing holes into it. The glasses fell, joining the bottles in a sad pile of broken glass and spilled alcohol. Erasing all the memories he shared at this very bar. The registers were smashed, the rags torn.

He didn’t even give the alcohol enough time to settle in before he moved to the dining area.

He snapped the barstools, dug into the booths, ripping out the stuffing inside. Flipped the tables and smashed them with the hammer. He snapped the pool sticks, threw the balls around the hardwood floor, creating dents that wouldn’t be saved.

He saved the pool table for last.

The table where he sat against right after completing initiation. The table where Hanna kissed him on the cheek, wishing him a congrats. Where he played with Joaquin, where he talked with peaches.

Where sweet pea himself welcomed him into the serpents.

Taking another drink from the bottle in his bag, he pulled out his switchblade and leaned forward, dragging it across the green felt from top to bottom.

It only felt right, before he laid the hammer into it.

That one hurt the most.

He planted his evidence before he left; tossing a jacket onto one pile of rubble; a torn lanyard on another. And last but not least, he dropped the school ID of Reggie Mantle behind the bar, just visible enough under the broken glass to be noticed and identified.

The last thing he did on his way out was throw one of the broken stools through the front window of the wrym.

His fingers moved quickly across the screen, sending a quick “it’s done” message off to this stupid stranger.

If word got out... he just hoped pea had it in him to forgive him.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- HANNA/CALEB

Hanna: I know I'm stupid, but you don't have to treat me like it. It's clearly something.

Hanna: I feel like I don't even know you anymore.

Caleb: okay. It’s something. But it’s something I really don’t want you to get involved in because it isn’t safe.

Caleb: I’m sorry.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- CALEB

STRANGER: that's life. Difficult decisions. Destroy it, or I'll destroy you, your friends and your loved ones.

CALEB: fine.

CALEB: I’ll do it.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- HANNA/CALEB

Hanna: At the moment? No. I don't. Because you didn't deny that it was something.

Caleb: it’s nothing, Hanna, okay?

Caleb: this guys bluffing.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- CALEB

STRANGER: You won't have any days if you continue.

STRANGER: You're going to do something for me. If you don't want people finding out just what you've been up to, you're going to trash the Wyrm. I want it destroyed.

CALEB: that’s suicide!

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- HANNA/CALEB

Hanna: do you want the truth or a lie?

Caleb: the truth.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- HANNA/CALEB

Hanna: Looks pretty clear to me and I'm not even that smart!

Hanna: I don't even want to know.

Caleb: I swear I’m figuring it out.

Caleb: do you trust me?

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS ✉︎ CALEB & MONA

Mona: What the HELL is the Stranger on about?

Mona: Speak now or forever hold your piece because if you hurt my best friend, I'll make absolute sure that you regret it, Rivers.

caleb: I’m going to tell you the same thing I told her.

Caleb: I’m figuring this out.

Caleb: I won’t let her get hurt.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- CALEB

STRANGER: This town is built on lies, its streets run with poison and everyone here as plenty to hide. You're going to do what I ask, otherwise, I'll let everyone know what you've really been up to.

CALEB: again, what do you want?

CALEB: I don’t have all day.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- CALEB

STRANGER: You know what I love about Hanna? She sleeps with her window open. So trusting.

STRANGER: Care to reevaluate your attitude?

CALEB: ...what do you want?

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- CALEB

STRANGER: I knew you would be a tough one. Best keep that attitude in check before I tell little Hanna everything. Or maybe someone a bit *higher* up.

CALEB: please. You don’t know shit.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- CALEB

STRANGER: Naughty, naughty. What's the ransom price for my silence?

CALEB: go to hell, prick.

[cqlebrvrs]

SMS - 📱- HANNA/CALEB

Hanna: What the hell was that?!

Hanna: CALEB?!

Caleb: I swear han that it’s *not* what it looks like

Caleb: let me figure this shit out

[cqlebrvrs]

riverwoodaria‌:

Aria had been at the football game with Emily, feeling the obligation to show up and at least act like she was supporting the Bulldogs since it was her senior year. she hadn’t really been paying attention to the Vixens routine ( even if it was clear that Emily was ), but the lights certainly had her glancing around. maybe it was part of the show? a way to get them all hyped up?

but any hope that it was something planned went crashing down as soon as the lights were up, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she couldn’t take her eyes away from the scoreboard. Aria didn’t know them personally, easy enough to tell by the leather of their jackets, but it was a sight she knew would never fully leave her memory. neither would the screams of her fellow classmates.

rushing out of the bleachers she somehow lost Emily in the mayhem, making her way to the edge of the crowd so that she was out of the way and not trampled by someone who didn’t even see her in the first place. she didn’t realize how far she had wandered until a voice made her jump, only slightly relieved to see it was Caleb. who looked…destroyed.

“I was just trying to get out of the way,” Aria admitted honestly, no more of an explanation to it than that. “you can just act like I’m not here, I’ll be gone as soon as I find Emily.” since that’s what most people tended to do now anyway. still, she hesitated before asking, “you haven’t seen Hanna, have you?”

he shook his head -- now that he thought about it, he had lost most of the serpents after everything went down. he was sure the lot of them were either at the field still, or even at the worm, preparing, consoling each other... mourning. caleb had just wanted to be alone. he wasn’t good with mourning in a group. at least, not yet.  “no,” he replied, hands falling to his sides. he didn’t need to be defensive -- at least, not with aria. everyone was worried, scared -- they didn’t deserve him lashing out at them, too -- “I... gotta be honest, part of me thought she was going to follow me but she didn’t. have you tried calling her? either of them?”

[cqlebrvrs]

emilyxfields‌:

It was after the football game and Emily didn’t know what to do. Her mom was blowing up her phone after she heard what had gone down. Most of her friends had left the football game and she was panicking. Emily left her car in the school’s parking lot and just took off. The deaths of Peaches and Joaquin were triggering and was bringing up Alison’s death again. She claimed that she would never miss Alison, but that was a big, fat lie. Emily missed the blonde every day and wished that she could take their fight back, yet here she was hating herself and anxiety ridden once again. 

Emily ran through the grass and landed up near a tall tree. She was becoming out of breath and decided that sitting in front of the tree would potentially calm her down and help her catch her breath. Just as she was about to plop down, she heard the voice of Caleb asking her what she wanted. 

Startled, Emily nearly jumped back. “Caleb… Hi… I’m sorry. I was just…. I uh… I was just getting away from the school. I’m sorry. Are you okay?” She asked curiously. Though, Emily took a moment to reevaluate her question and figured he wasn’t okay. After all, no one was. “I’m sorry… That was probably a dumb question.” 

“No, no I’m not okay,” 

he wasn’t just upset, he was pissed. none of this was making sense. they were fine just a few days ago, the last time he saw them -- 

but then they disappeared. he remembered the texts from Sweet Pea, wondering where they had gone. This... This is where they went. It sent another wave of anger through him, but this time, he held it back. He may be a Serpent now, but.. Emily was one of his friends. At least, one by extension. 

“Are you okay? Why didn’t you go home?”

[cqlebrvrs]

beaniebabysister‌:

jellybean had only come to the park to sit on the swings and drink her anxiety away, but when she saw another person - brandishing a new leather jacket with a snake on the back - she felt her chest tighten. she knew how serpents were and she was certainly not looking for a fight, she hoped she could sneak behind the other and head over to the rusted playground, but was stopped in her tracks when the other snapped.

her head turned over her shoulder slowly, hands raised in surrender, to prove her innocence.

“ nothing, nothing … i was just going to head over to the swings for a while, ” she looked at the half-empty bottle of ten-dollar vodka, holding it out for the other, “ you … want a drink? ”

he swallowed, glancing over to the playground. it was empty; not a shocker. he hadn’t drank since the lock-in, and maybe -- maybe a little bit of alcohol would calm his anger. (or make it worse, but...) 

“yeah... yeah sure,” he brushed off his hands, getting rid of the tree bark and debris... how long had he actually been out there, beating the shit out of a tree? “...how did you even get that?”

[cqlebrvrs]

hxnnxmxrin‌:

Hanna was weary, she’d never seen this side of Caleb before and she was scared to her core on top of everything else she felt. “You didn’t mean to, but you did anyway.” she replied, voice still raspy from her earlier cries and screams. Even as he approached, she took a step back slightly. 

She clocked the bruises on his knuckles when he held out the hand, the mix of fear and pity filled her. “You’re hurt.” she commented, ignoring his offered hand and instead folded her arms across her chest. “It’s not okay, but nothing really is right now anyway so forget it…” she continued, choking back her tears. She sniffed, rather unattractively, her cheeks stained with tracks. 

he winced as she stepped back -- he had scared her, without a doubt. he kept his hands back, instead running one through his hair. it hurt, yes, but... the physical pain blocked out the emotional ones. and at least this way, he didn’t spontaneously combust from emotions. 

“han,” he tried again, taking another step forward. he wanted to fix this -- no, needed to fix this. he couldn’t have her being scared of him. the world was scary right now.. he wanted to protect her from it. 

“you know I’d never hurt you, right?”