#then i meandered after it was the quality dropped until i finally fell off

[coolspacequips]

Begins to tremor... Don't do it........... U don't need to check in on playchoices.......

[partyanimal167]

The Informant PT 5- Miguel x F!Reader

Jumping right in~

Part One Prev Chap

CW: fem reader, mdni, author knows some Spanish, some action, non-descriptive violence, Afro-Caribbean reader in mind, cussing

The alarm bells were ringing. Miguel had a gut feeling that was telling him things needed to be done now.

The knocking on the door persisted, and Miguel knew that he couldn't ignore it any longer. He had gotten home late after patrolling a couple boroughs, and he just needed to stay in bed. He had the day off. The Peters were holding down the fort with anomalies decreasing for the time being. If Miguel didn't take this time to rest now, he'd regret it later.

But the banging continued.

So he grumbled as he climbed out of bed, put on a shirt with his eyes closed, and meandered over to the door--barely awake.

A splash of water was a rude awakening that did the trick.

Miguel immediately wiped his face and peered down to see the small older woman glaring up at him. Now he was confused.

"Miss Pat-,"

"Where's deh girl?" she huffed out. The plastic cup in her hand crushed easily and trembled. Her chest rose and dropped quickly; fumes were nearly visible from her head.

"What-,"

"Raul nah see her, and me know she was with you." her voice trembled a bit. "She hasn't been home in three days." lips quivered, and it was hard to tell if the older woman wanted to cry or kill.

Miguel immediately stiffened at the news. The two of you had been going back and forth texting, so there wasn't anything that had caught him off guard. However, the old woman wouldn't be here if it wasn't true.

"I don't know." Miguel almost didn't want to say it. The woman's face immediately fell, and tears ran down her face.

"She a smart gyal. She know too much, but she mean well." her head dropped. "God please bring her back to me."

...

Miguel immediately threw on his suit and searched for footage of any and ever place that could be Kingpin's hideouts. He had some he knew about, but he couldn't waste time. Who knew what was happening to you? He wanted to be quick, so involving the other Spiders would take too much time in his opinion.

He switched over to city surveillance near your job and caught a black SUV at the edge of a frame. He could barely make out the license plate, but its position near an alley was suspicious. He changed the cameras and watched as identical cars split off and went in varying directions. You had to be in one of them; he knew it.

Three locations all distant from one another. But all utilized either by Kingpin or Alcehmax in some way.

It took him a couple hours, and luck was not on his side. Each building was filled with odd boxes and machinery or hidden labs, but Miguel didn't care. He had Lyla send those locations to HQ and kept going until he was at the third place--an old warehouse yard. He webbed his way inside one and hung from the ceiling to find a bloody scene with an empty chair in the middle. His heart immediately sunk. There was no way that Kingpin would do that to you. His heart rate increased, and he was ready to tear the place to shreds when he noticed two men walking up the stairs with takeout bags.

"I don't understand why the boss is treating this broad so nicely. I say we rough her up and get her talking." one goon grumbled on. He was immediately added to Miguel's shit list.

They went up the final set. "She stubborn and smart. No need to do all that extra work."

"Yeah, but the boss isn't always so patient. Time is running out."

~~~

You sat stiff and pretty as the man across from you filled your glass with wine. There was a restaurant-quality meal laid out between with white tablecloth and candle to complete. Kingpin ate enthusiastically--easily going back and forth between bites of food and his drink.

"Please, eat. There's nothing wrong with the food." he gestured in front of you. "You saw me unpack the food. I didn't do anything to it."

You didn't move. "That doesn't mean your men didn't."

Kingpin tensed for a second. "Then they would be going against my orders."

Wouldn't be the first time. "Maybe they're getting inpatient."

"Well, let them. I know how to work with people. And while things can be...unsavory, it's not how I like to handle my business." He wiped his face with a linen napkin and sighed. "So, still have no idea how to get in contact with your friend?"

"Not a clue."

Kingpin grunted and stood up. The chair groaned as it scrapped against the floor. He made his way to his desk. "Dear, I know you have family wondering where you are. I wouldn't want people causing some racket." he took a seat before pulling out a cigar. "But then again, people go missing all the time--running away."

"My family knows I wouldn't do that." you argued through gritted teeth.

"Wouldn't take much convincing. I mean, you've been in the city all your life. Got you a degree, but you're over helping the old woman. Maybe you got fed up, ran off with a boyfriend and got a new job." the large man made a show shaking his hands. The sound rumbled through the room "Rid yourself of those responsibilities. Easy, no?"

You didn't say a word.

"But then again, those islanders can be stubborn. Tch, well it wouldn't take much to get your grandmother to come. She-,"

"Don't you dare!" you barked out while jumping to your feet. "You leave them out of this. Do whatever you want with me, but bring them here, and I'll make sure you regret it!"

The Kingpin stared at you for a moment before starting a fit of laughter. "Ooof, watch it girlie. For a moment, I would have taken that threat seriously." his face quickly tightened up, and the air grew tense. "And we wouldn't want to see how I handle those."

You gulped before returning to your seat. To be honest, you were still trying to find a way to run out of here. The warehouse you were in was too deep in the yard to get far before they realized you were gone. Kingpin spent the day working with you in his office, and if he wasn't there, there was definitely someone making sure you stayed put.

You were stuck, and your stubbornness was soon going to start more problems for you.

...

"Wake up. Come on hermosa, wake up. It's time to go."

The whispers made you gasp out of your sleep as your eyes snapped open, and you looked up to see Spider-Man towering over your sleeping form--the dim lighting casting a halo around his body.

You tensed as you sat up. "Shit! What are you doing here!?" you whisper-yelled.

Spider-Man tilted his head. "That is not normally how people react when being rescued." he took your hand for you to stand, but you pushed it away. "What is wrong with you?"

"You need to go! Kingpin is looking for you. If he comes-,"

"Don't worry. We can leave now. I took care of those guards outside. We can-,"

The room lights came on, and you both turned to see the boss man filling the doorframe with a smirk on his face. "Spider-Man, so glad you came by. Though I will say these aren't my normal business hours."

You two stared with large eyes. "Run!" you agreed in unison.

Spider-Man chucked a office chair at the villain then the ceiling before pulling you towards him and webbing you both through the broken glass.

"Hold on!"

He ran on the roof before launching off and webbing to the next building. You screamed as you guys dropped before reeling back up. You were certain you were nearly choking the man with your arms wrapped around his neck, but you couldn't be bothered.

The sound of a car screeching caught your attention. You lifted your head and saw the blacked out SUV following you guys. Fuck! The sunroof opened, and Kingpin stood through it with a gun pointed out. Double fuck! "Uh...we have trouble!"

Spider-Man turned back and cussed. "Lyla!"

"What?"

"Not you, Lyla!" you saw a flash of light before a hologram of a woman appeared on the hero's other shoulder.

The woman perked up when she saw you. "Oh you got her back! That's great! Hi, I'm Lyla." she waved.

"Yeah, fantastic! We need help!" the hologram turned around and gasped. "Oh wow, an angry Kingpin--not fun. I'll send your location. Jessica and Peter 24 should be close by." a stream of bullets passed by you two. "Ooof, we're gonna need an army."

"Lyla, this is serious!" Spider-Man yelled back. "We need to get out of here!"

"Okay, okay jeez." she paused for a moment as if thinking. "Turn left! You're almost out of the yard, just scale the building. The police are already on their way."

"Thank you."

There was a pause in bullets which was a relief until you looked up again and groaned. "Uh miss hologram lady, do you know what that thing he's holding is?"

Lyla turned. "That- appears to be some sort of military grenade weapon. It's used to deliver electric shocks to vast areas. Very dangerous and good for dealing with large units of soldiers."

"What!" Spider-Man called out. "Direct it to the watch!"

The sphere was thrown passed where you guys swung by. It landed on the ground before pulsing and seemingly making the ground bounce. Spider-Man groaned as he had grabbed a rusted crane just as the shock carried on.

"Spider-Man!" you gasped as you felt only a quick shock.

"I'm fine! We're almost there."

He swung out of the yard, and you could saw the high-rise quickly coming closer. Police cars rushed by to the entrance of the yard, and you saw Kingpin's vehicle swerve away.

You sighed in relief, before gasping when you felt skin under your hands before the feeling of fabric return. What the heck?

Soon, there was a strong pull, and you squeaked in the air before being caught in Spider-Man's arms. You two were on top of the building by the spherical mass damper. You jumped to your feet panting hard and trying to catch your breath. "Oh my god, that was crazy! What the hell is wrong with that man?" you rested your hands on your knees and inhaled deeply. "Well at least, he's not following us, right Spider-Man?" you looked back at the man and gasped seeing him sitting against the wall while groaning.

You rushed over and noted how both red and bright blue static popped and cracked sporadically on his body. He was definitely in pain. "Spider-Man! Hologram lady! What happened?"

The woman appeared from the shocked watched and groaned. "It's -Ly-a, he- suit- too much of- shock." she was glitching and fading in certain spots. "Help- soon. Suit- messed-"

You took note of the random patches of skin that appeared and reappeared. There were bruised and nearly burned marks. The hero groaned and rolled his head down.

You caught it and held his cheeks tenderly in your cheeks. You tried to stay calm. "Fuck, it's okay, Spider-Man! Help is coming! Or I can call the ambulance. But fuck, how are they going to get up here?" more static red flashes appeared as fabric came in and out of existence. "Don't worry. It'll be okay! We'll-," you paused your frantic rant when you felt skin beneath your palms instead of fabric.

You looked down and gasped. Brown-red eyes were half-lidded as they fought to stay open and looked at your own.

"Miguel!?"

~~~

Whew! We're saved! (Kinda)

But what else do we have to deal with now? We shall figure it out together! Thanks so much for reading~

Next Part

[black-quadrant]

at long last, i give you chapter 2 of my demon AU! not as thrilling as chapter 1, unless you like a bunch of exposition! we’ll get to the juicy stuff soon enough. thanks for the interest and motivation to build out this AU!

He could have sworn he hadn’t consumed a drop of alcohol last night. Even a skeptic like him could assume spirits and real spirits would mix as well as oil and water, but ultimately he was staying sober for his friends in case they got themselves into some kind of actual real living trouble beyond their impulsivity to raise the dead, or... whatever.

So why did he feel completely hung the fuck over? Every muscle in his body ached, even ones he didn’t know he had, or hadn’t used since he was forced to play team sports in school (those were the days... not).

Nevertheless, he peeled himself out of bed, bracing himself for the morni-- er, afternoon. After... noon? With a soul-deep groan, Neku dragged himself into the shower, using that time to scavenge his memories of last night, picking up every mental fragment until he'd reached the end of the evening, where he crashed into bed. And the next conscious anything was a disturbingly vivid dream about being assaulted in said bed by what vaguely looked to be an arguably pretty boy packing a full set of gnashing teeth and ultraviolet whorls for eyes. The kind of nightmare vision appeal that made you hard for danger, the kind of unnerving midnight visitor that people wished would steal in and violate them in the comfort of their own room. And what followed... that made Neku stop everything, and crank the shower dial to blast himself with ice water.

He did not have time to indulge sordid fantasies. That was a hell of a dream though; he couldn’t recall the last time he’d dreamt so vividly. He’d have to... circle back around to that one later.

Right now he needed to rejoin society, and hopefully the flood of city stimuli will dilute and filter out this undercurrent of indistinct eeriness.

A cup of coffee was a good start. That, and an apology, both for bailing on his friends, and for, well, his friends. Taking to the streets, armed with his headphones (he never left home without them), he cranked up the volume until he could no longer hear Shibuya and meandered the all too familiar path to Wildkat Cafe.

He’s taking a gamble here at the shop being open, as it’s known for its proprietor’s inconsistent (putting it lightly) hours, but he’s in luck; it’s open, and Mr. H, upon spotting him, waved him in.

“’Ey, Phones!” He didn’t need hear him to read his lips and know he’s greeting him by his exasperating nickname. He used to think Mr. H simply forgot his name, but after countless attempts to try to replace it with his actual name, and even going without his headphones for a week to train him out of it, he’d resigned himself to his unchanging fate. But such was the nature of nicknames, right? You don’t always want them.

“Hey, Mr. H.” Draping said `phones’ around his neck, Neku strolled in, making his way to the counter where the barista was stationed, currently cleaning down the counter. “I, uh... wanted to say sorry for last night. I--”

Neku paused abruptly as a shadow fell over Hanekoma’s expression, smothering the air of congeniality he had about him. It’s the first time Neku’s ever seen him look so aggravated. It’s not until Hanekoma spoke that he realized he was staring past him.

“Does he know you’re stalking him, J?”

“You’re always ruining my fun, Mr. H.”

Neku spun toward the source of the undeniably snide tone, finding himself gawking at the face that starred in his tawdry dream last night.

“Hello, Neku.” He smiled with normal human teeth. A small comfort.

“... what the fuck?! Where did you come from? There was no one here a second ago.” Neku cast Hanekoma a wide-eyed glance full of disbelief. “...was there?”

Hanekoma barked out a laugh and shook his head.

“Who the fuck is this? Why do you know my name?” Something deeply, disturbingly intuitive Neku refused to acknowledge told him he knew the answer.

“I’m hurt. We met just last night.” It’s then that Neku noticed the petite violet horns seated atop that fluffy head. They couldn’t be bigger than two inches. It’s not like it’s out of place for the season, but it’s a bit too campy for Neku’s taste. Just as he was about to mock them, something brushed his arm.

A legitimate demon tail, complete with spade tip.

“Seriously? You’re wearing that out in public?” He swatted it away, eliciting a squeak of alarm from the little weirdo.

“Gentle. It’s not a costume prop.”

Neku backed himself up to the counter, again looking to the barista for help.

“You know damn well you’re not supposed to be in the RG.” He regarded said little weirdo with such familiarity that he was chastising him. RG? Too much is happening at once. Neku slammed a hand on the counter. "Hello?? I did not meet you, not last night or ever.”

The blonde simply smirked.

“Joshua... that ring a bell?”

The name, combined with his tone, struck him like lightning, and all at once the image flashed back into his mind. Horrorterror teeth, clawed hands, unmistakeable purple eyes--

“...holy shit.”

“There’s nothin’ holy ‘bout him--”

“Mr. H, would you like me to spill your secrets?”

“Which one?” The barista countered with a grin, and Neku literally and figuratively stepped out of their crossfire and snatched Joshua by a horn, cringing at discovering that it’s fixed to his skull. Joshua hissed, but didn’t move.

“Tell me now.”

“Don’t you remember? Your friends didn’t close the door. But don’t worry, I closed it behind me.” Neku released his grip and took a step back, finally understanding. It wasn’t a fever dream. Wasn’t even a normal dream. It had happened, it--

“You were in my bedroom--” Neku’s face went beet red. Joshua giggled knowingly.

“No, we didn’t do that. That was me feeding you some... prospects. Or perhaps it was a premonition?”

“You’re fucking gross.”

“Anyway,” Hanekoma interjected, “Joshua here is, I guess what you would call a demon.” Joshua huffed at being outed.

“This,” Neku gestured vaguely at the `boy’ “is not what I saw last night. Last night I would believe what I saw was indeed a demon. This is just a campy ruse.”

“Well, technically, you’re spot on.” Joshua affirmed, his sinuously long, slender tail swaying behind him, not unlike a cat’s. “Clearly you’re not a demon enthusiast or you’d know that we can take human shape, so that we can walk among you...” Joshua slunk over to the counter, tapping an empty mug in a silent entreaty for coffee. “Just like angels...right, Mr. H?” Hanekoma ignored him for the espresso machine.

“... okay... okay, okay, this has crossed over from fucking weird to goddamn cursed. I have so many questions I don’t even want the answers to, but I’ll summarize all of them: what do you want?”

Joshua, leaning casually against the counter, turned to Neku with a delighted grin.

“You. I like you. You’re a one in a million find in this city.” Behind the counter, brewing Joshua’s cup, Hanekoma scoffed. “You’re sensitive on an energetic level. I’d like us to spend some quality time... and I have been so bored. I was drawn to you because I can see you are bored, too.”

Neku opened his mouth to protest, but he instantly thought better of it. He’s not sure how Joshua could smell the utter ennui on him, but he’d chalk it up to Demonic Shit because he was getting a massive headache from information overload.

“As fun as hanging out with you and being tormented at night sounds, I’ll pass. I’ve got a life to live that I’m not going to piss away entertaining a demon masquerading as a human. The horns and tail are doing nothing for you human passing, by the way.”

“You want to send me back then, Neku? Do you even know how?” This motherfucker. Neku grit his teeth, biting back the urge to slap the pretty off his face.

“Besides, you won’t even see me during the day. I’ll make myself absent to the eyes.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I can hop between... dimensions. We’ll say dimensions. You won’t even know I’m there.”

“So you can stalk me some more?”

“Alright, boys, simmer down. `I’ll make your cup a’joes for the road, an’ you can go out an’ get acquainted.”

“You’re not off the hook.” Neku said sharply. “You’ve been suspiciously quiet about this the whole time. Obviously you two are acquainted. What is your relationship to this little cryptid?”

“I’ll tell ya all ‘bout it later, Phones. You have my word.” He pushed the cups forward. “On the house.” Hanekoma never offered free coffee. This did not bode well for Neku, who could tell he’d have to put up with a pet demon until he learned how to slam dunk him back to his own dimension.

“...fine. Are you gonna put away the costume props?”

“No one but you will see my very real extensions of myself. There’s my compromise.”

Neku rolled his eyes.

“You have to get the hell out of here if I go see my friends. I am not explaining you. That’s my compromise.”

“Brr... so cold.” Joshua cozied up to Neku’s side, clearly intent on testing his boundaries (and his wrath). “Take me out to lunch, and I will tell you anything you want to know.”

“I can’t believe this...”

Those purple eyes, for a split second, flare with the glow of last night.

“Oh, Neku... you will. You will.”

[thefantasticalcoyote]

For @promptis-fanweek Day 6, with the prompt “Noctis spoiling Prompto.” Was initially gonna do a different prompt for today but I didn’t have enough time, so I’m saving it for the free day.

What kind of random pitstop has ice cream crepes? I dunno, but that’s the only food item I could think of, so yeah. 

Title: Lick Clean the Mirth You Made Rating: T Warnings: Slight food issues, though nothing major Summary: Prompto has a hard time accepting Noctis’ need to spoil him when life on the road is a little lean. 

Prompto was dying to finally stretch his legs after what felt like forever in the car.

He was mostly used to long stretches of driving, but for some reason today he’d been even antsier than normal, so when Ignis finally agreed to pull off and park at the nearest pitstop, Prompto practically launched himself up and over the door before he managed to fumble the lock open.

He promised he wouldn’t stray far as he popped out of the car, joints in his knees popping as he finally got a chance to stand. Prompto liked exploring new places, even if they were tiny little pitstops, and especially if they looked promising, as this one did. Noctis seemed fairly content to follow in his tracks, trailing him through to one of the buildings branching off from the gas station that, by the signage in the windows, looked like it sold food.

The inside was nothing fancy, but the dusty rose walls and white tile floors looked clean and neat enough to be promising. Prompto browsed the aisles of colorful snacks, commenting on the packaging and wondering at the taste with intermittent commentary from Noctis, until he noticed a counter placed near the back of the shop with a couple large glass cases dimly lit up from within.

Prompto meandered closer, boots scuffing against the tile as he peered inside of the main case, eyes wide and shimmering.

Three shelves separated the case, each occupied with a different types of treat delicately molded from shiny plastic. He placed his hands up against the glass, audibly gasping as his eyes fell upon the top shelf. The clear tray sported four shiny red risers, each presented what looked like a classic crepe—except these were folded over one another and stuffed with fruit, chocolate, and even ice cream sculpted so realistically he could already feel his stomach growl.

“Oooh, dude, these look awesome.” Prompto fawned over the displays at Noctis sidled up besides him. They might be plastic, but his mouth was already watering.  

Ice cream wasn’t exactly common on the road, even at fancier stops like this one, and ice cream in crepes? Forget about it. Prompto had never even thought of that before, but now the combination just made so much sense. The sight of the pretty treats had Prompto’s heart leaping.

He really wanted it.

But they’d already eaten this morning when packing up, and things had been fairly tight lately thanks to a couple unexpected but unavoidable repairs to the Regalia. They’d really have to tighten their belts—literally too—until they found another means of raising money.

Prompto slumped his shoulders, trying not to feel too disappointed. It wasn’t like he hadn’t gone without food before, even when they had had the money for it. Even with the variety and quality of food they had on the road thanks to Ignis, even with the constant trekking and battling they engaged with on the near-daily, Prompto still tried to be mindful of what he was putting in his body. It wouldn’t do if he got lazy and sluggish and slowed them down.

He was only trying to think of the whole group and not just himself. That was it!

“Gonna end up losing you to that crepe if I’m not careful,” Noctis started, arm sliding over Prompto’s shoulder. “Want one?”

Prompto reluctantly pushed himself away from the case, suddenly hyper-aware of how openly he’d been ogling the treats there. Great. Now Noctis felt like he had to get it for him. He honestly felt a little guilty whenever the prince gave into his whims and suggestions, even at the cost of the day’s itinerary.

“Eh, they look kind of expensive, don’t you think?”

“You sure?” Noctis pointed at the price listed on the menu. “It’s not that bad.”

Prompto snorted lightly. Sure, the crepe wasn’t exactly worth its weight in gold, but there was really no need to splurge on something that’d be gone in like what, a couple minutes? And what if he ended up dropping it like an idiot, or not liking it? Nuh uh. Not worth it.

“Nah, it’s fine, I’ll live. We should probably be saving our money, it’s not like I need it anyway…”

He tried to protest, but Noctis wasn’t buying it. He was, instead, buying the ___ with some gil he’s scraped up from his front pocket. Prompto let out a small whine, briefly trying to grasp at Noctis’ elbow and insist he was fine, really, he didn’t need it—

Before he could protest further, Noctis’ lips quickly pecked against his own, effectively shutting him up as his cheeks pinked. He fidgeted in place, watching as the clerk took the gil and passed the order ticket down to the prep counter.

He pulled at a loose seam of his glove as he watched the employee expertly groom a fresh crepe on a large, circular pan before topping it high with ice cream, whipped cream, and fruit before folding it up and placing the last, finishing touches of toppings. He hesitated when she handed it over the counter with a cheerful smile, prompting Noct to grab it with a low thanks and pass it over into his hands.

The crepe looked even more loaded with sweets than the plastic models in the display. Prompto felt like a bride holding some kind of bouquet, except stuffed full of cream and strawberry sauce and a ton of fruit including a couple types Prompto wasn’t sure he’d ever seen before.

The scoop of buttery yellow ice cream nestled on top had even been molded into the head of a chocobo, complete with little blue candies for eyes.

“It’s…it’s huge…” And adorable, and smelled amazing. He could probably eat the whole thing on his own, but he faltered and awkwardly glanced over to the prince.

“Help a guy out, please Noct? I don’t think I can pack all that in…” He patted his stomach with a grimace. Noctis shot him a short disbelieving glance before shrugging.

“Suppose it’s better to split the blame if Specs gets mad at us.”

Prompto tried to get Noctis to take the first bite, but the prince staunchly refused until the ice cream started to get slightly runny and Prompto finally sighed and gave in, getting a mouthful of warm crepe and ice cream and a dab of whipped cream on his nose. He wrinkled his face and lifted his hand, about to rub it off when Noctis suddenly leaned in and lapped it off of the tip, causing his cheeks to flush pink.

“Ew, dude, haven’t washed my face in days,” Prompto groused, scrubbing his hand over his nose with a frown as Noctis snagged another bite of the crepe. “You’re probably gonna get some kind of disease or something from all the stuff we’ve been fighting.”

The prince rolled his eyes as he chewed, a bit of strawberry pulp clinging to his lips. Prompto almost wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine, but then Noct started to move towards the shop’s exit, drawing Prompto along with him.

“That’s for being weird about letting me spoil you.” He nudged the crepe back into Prompto’s hand, mindful of the trail of melted vanilla slowly trickling down the side. “Come on, this thing’s gonna melt if you don’t start eating like you mean it.”

Prompto almost never ate without overthinking, but maybe Noctis was right. Maybe he needed to let it go every once and awhile and let his boyfriend do something nice in those precious moments they had that didn’t involve life-or-death.

So this time he took back the crepe a little more eagerly than before, licking off the ice cream leaking down the side before taking a bite that was way too big for his mouth.

“Just saying,” Prompto started halfway through chewing, the sweet treat making him forget what manners he had, “I get sugar high from this? Your fault.”

Noctis smirked, pushing open the door to the shop, breeze fluttering around them both as they stepped back out into the warm sun.  

“Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility for you.”

[katrandomtiger]

We’ll Meet Again

Listen. I don’t know either just take it. Read it on AO3

Jack is visiting his grandma in Kentucky when he learns an important lesson about listening to your elders.

Warning: It’s got ghostys. 

Visiting grandma Lori in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere Kentucky was most definitely not at the top of Jack’s to do list. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his grandma, oh no, he adorned the woman, it was just that spending the first week of summer vacation at grandma’s house with mom is not a 17-year-old boy’s favorite thing to do.

Jack sighed melodramatically as he hefted the last of their suitcases out of the suburban. His mom had, of course, decided to take everything but the kitchen sink with her making the unloading process more difficult than it needed to be. Slowly, he slogged up the driveway to the front door of the house.

Grandma’s was just what you would expect from a small rural town, a well-cared for lawn and garden, and a pristine looking house from the 50s. Against the sides of the house were flower beds that were almost choked with ornaments; pinwheels, signs, flags, and most notably was a rather terrifying cement gnome statue that had been sitting by the steps for so long that the paint had almost completely been weathered away. His name was Herbert.

The garage was packed with grandpa Jeff’s old tools and workbench. Cabinets that lined the plain plywood walls were covered in vintage collectables and filled with out-of-date chemicals and potting soil. An old stove sat in the corner next to the cabinet of assorted junk. Grandma’s van took up one half of the floor while the area grandpa’s truck once took up was now occupied by an ancient grill, the picnic table, and an assortment of lawn chairs.

Jack trudged up the stairs and into the kitchen where his mom and grandma were already gossiping as they started supper. Names of people he had met maybe once in his life were being thrown around as he dumped the luggage into the guest room and collapsed onto the couch in the living room. He listened to their banter before he finally fell asleep.

--

A figure watched the blond boy walk up the driveway. Brown eyes skimmed over the familiar broad shoulder and gold hair. A tear escaped as the figured turned from the window and walked into the kitchen.

--

The trip was going better than Jack had anticipated. The trio had spent the day a few towns over shopping in various clothing stores and shopping centers. They met up with one of Lori’s old friends and Jack was treated with some high quality old lady banter over lunch. The women folk had ended the day with a few bags stuffed with their treasures and Jack had also come away with more than a few items for himself. He was inevitably dragged off to church and a meal at the golf course that he was hard-pressed to say was ‘ok’ before they finally returned to grandma’s.

Jack collapsed on the recliner as soon as they made it in the house and pulled out his phone, desperately sending Terry and Russell pleas to save him. He was met with sarcastic replies and a gif of a man running out to his car and running face first into the door. Jack snorted before sending sad face emoji’s and opening a random puzzle game app.

“Jack, we’re going to Carroll’s house,” mom called from the kitchen.

“OK,”

“You coming?”

“No,”

“Jack.” His mother drawled his name in a warning tone causing Jack to sigh.

“I’ll walk down in a few minutes, I need to finish a couple things, ok?”

Mom shook her head before grabbing her jacket and making her way out to the garage. Jack listened for the van leaving the driveway before bolting upright and making his way into the bedroom where he proceeded to dig through the mess in his suitcase.

“Where the hell- AHA!” Jack exclaimed as he pulled out his headphones. He flipped them around and turned the power on as they synced the Bluetooth to his phone. The headphones beeped softly before music began blaring out of them, Jack paused it before meandering out to the kitchen. He walked over to the ancient looking radio that sat on the baker’s rack next to the counter.

For as long as he could remember, even before grandpa passed away, the radio played in the kitchen almost 24/7. The only exceptions were when a lot people were over, when the TV that sat below it was on, or at bed time. Even when they were in the living room watching TV or when they left, the radio stayed on.

Jack glanced out the window that sat over the sink to see if the van was gone, even when he was younger, grandma would warn him not to touch the radio, if anyone turned it off she would go right behind them and turn it back on. That was just the way it was.

He shrugged to himself before hitting the power button and sliding his headphones on. Jack worked his way around the kitchen, tidying the table, washing the few dishes that had collected by the sink, and hunting down his travel mug (it was in the garage). All the while, not noticing the fog building in the corner.

After a while Jack went back to the bedroom and took off his headphones. He ruffled his hair as his stepped out into the living room. It was dead silent apart from the windchimes ringing out front. All the lights had been switched off, leaving the dying sunlight to light the house. Jack stopped abruptly; something wasn’t right.

He stood in the doorway a moment, unease working through every line of his body before he noticed something sitting on top of the TV that hadn’t been there before. Cautiously, he stepped forward picked up the ancient cardboard picture frame. Two men in WWII uniforms stood with their arms wrapped around each other, their features were obscured by age.

Static from the TV broke the silence, the silver light from the screen was suddenly the only source of light in the house. The radio squealed from the kitchen before crackling to life. Jack dropped the frame as he spun around to face the kitchen doorway.

“~We’ll meet again, Don’t know where, Don’t know when~”

“Hello?”

“~ Till the blue skies, Drive the dark skies, Far away~”

“Grandma?”

“~They’ll be happy to know, That as you saw me go, I was singing this song~”

“HELLO? ANYBODY?” Jack’s calls bordered on frantic, he didn’t dare move from his spot in the only bit of visible light.

The light in the china hutch flickered to life before a horrendous screeching flooded the room, forcing Jack to drop to the carpet with his ears covered. He closed his eyes tight and yelled in pain before he passed out.

“~Next take, Billy, have the trumpets stand at uh- uh- at 37 as well as uhh- in the introduction~”

The sudden lack of harsh noise brought Jack back to consciousness. Jack laid there a moment, unwilling to open his eyes until he heard shoes shuffling past him. He looked up hesitantly only to find the room around him in brown and white, like the vintage photo. A man in slacks and a dress shirt stood in the archway between the kitchen and living room.

“~E 30000 211 take 11~”

The man was beautiful. Dark skinned, goatee, perfectly brushed curls, and a wicked grin curling his lips. The man’s face softened as another person stepped out of the bedroom. The new arrival was barely colored by the browns of the room, something about him was familiar. Jack stared wide eyed at him; he had no face.

“~I found you just in time, I found you just in time, Before you came my time, Was running low~”

They turned to each other and the darker man smiled as he slid an arm around the other’s waist and slowly pulled him into a dance.

“~Now you’re here, And now I know just where I’m going, No more doubt or fear, I’ve found my way~”

Jack watched in fascination as the two shuffled around the kitchen to the sounds of the ancient radio. He slowly stood and followed them into the room. The kitchen was different than the one he remembered, it was smaller, the carpet had been replaced by laminate tile and the appliances were even older than what his grandma kept. Jack glanced at the corner and dread filled his chest; the radio was the same.

“~For love came just in time, You found me just in time, And changed my, Lonely life that lovely, Lonely life that lovely, Lonely life that lovely day~”

The world twisted under Jack’s feet, the walls warped, the painting over the table seemed to melt down the wall, the only thing not affected by the sudden corruption was the radio. The dancers continued across the rolling floorboards as Jack scrambled across what was left of the floor, wood splintered and broke under his feet as he ran for the radio. He managed to grab the counter just as the floor dropped out from under him.

Desperately holding on for dear life, he looked over his shoulder to where the dancers had been only to see the darker man in the corner sobbing over the bloody corpse of his partner, a gun in his hand. Jack scrambled up the cabinet when the man spotted him, an inhuman scream escaped his throat as he fired at Jack.

Blood spattered Jack’s vision and he dropped into the void below, he fell for what felt like an eternity before he landed with a thud in the middle of the living room again, the radio still playing. He shot into a seated position and frantically patted himself down, checking for bullet wounds.

The radio crackled as the music warped and cut out. Jack hesitantly stood and tiptoed back to the kitchen, fear coursing through his body. The fog that had been building in the corner spit static and buzzed when Jack poked his head through the doorway. Jack jumped and stared wide eyed as the fog contorted into a semi-human shape, hissing pitifully as it went.

Sinatra sputtered back to life on the radio as the figure approached him. Jack stood frozen in fear as the foggy creature wrapped a gaseous arm around his waisted and tugged him closer. He couldn’t make out the song through the ever-warping speakers of the radio.

“J-Jaj-Jaaaaaaaaahhhh- CK-,” the creature spit as it forced him into step with the nonexistent tempo.

Tears spilled down Jacks cheeks as he was dragged through whatever dance the thing was trying to do. He shook violently in its arms, trying to keep in step for fear of the repercussions. They made their way around the kitchen until they were back by the radio.

“J-Jaaaaahh- C- Ck- ieeeee,” it screeched, “L-l-oOOoo-vve yOooU. S-s-sooorrRyyy,” a staticy sob burst from the cloud, “FffforrgiVe g-gaabbi?”

Jack gawked at it, trying to understand it’s words, before he nodded jerkily, “Y-yes, I forgive Gabi.”

The fog screeched again and Jack found himself face to face with the dark man. His body was slightly transparent and his legs disappeared below the knee. Tears ran down his face as he gripped Jack’s arms and pulled him into an embrace.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Jackie. Jack. I love you. It was an accident. Jack, I’m so sorry,” the man repeated over and over, burying his face in Jack’s hair.

“I-it’s ok,” Jack stuttered, awkwardly patting the man’s back, “I forgive you. I’m sure your Jack forgives you too. You should go to him. Please, go.”

The ghost pulled back after a moment and looked him in the eye, “Thank you.”

The room blurred and Jack woke up on the floor in front of the TV. The house was quiet and the kitchen light was on. He crawled out to the kitchen to turn the radio back on, only to find it was gone. A small carving of a barn owl with two rings around its neck sat in the radio’s place.

Jack stood and picked up the carving and turned it over, reading the inscription on the bottom.

Jack Morrison & Gabriel Reyes ~ 1954

He slumped into the chair next to him and rubbed his eyes. After a moment, he got up and put his shoes on before heading out the door to Aunt Carroll’s house.

[ecotone99]

[HR] Stay Away From the Blue Ridge Parkway

My girlfriend gifted me a drone for my birthday this past April. I’d wanted one for quite a while, but I coudln’t justify spending that much money on myself. I had one picked out that I wanted, but had no intention of dropping a few week’s pay on what ultimately amounts to a toy. The one she ended up getting me was even better than the one I’d had my eye on. I was ecstatic, but I also felt a little guilty knowing she’d spent that much money on me.

Like the drone I had picked out, this one could be piloted by using only my iPhone. Or, I could attach my phone to the included remote, which would allow the phone screen act as a live feed from the camera on the drone. Where she splurged, however, was by upgrading to the model that included a set of VR goggles. With these, you fly the drone from a first-person perspective. It’s like you’re sitting in the cockpit of the drone.

I spent that afternoon flying the drone around my neighborhood, mostly just circling the property around my house. Having never actually piloted a drone before I was afraid to fly off too far. With my luck, I’d crash it someplace where recovery would be next to impossible. Or, I’d go beyond the range of what the signal would allow and I’d lose by brand new present. I’d be unhappy, and my girlfriend would be furious.

Over the coming weeks, I got a little more confident and a little more courageous. I would fly to the outer limits of the drone’s capabilities. I could get as far as the middle school almost two miles away with no issues. Once I flew all the way to Freedom Park. I would hover at 100 feet or so, watching the dog walkers and bike riders as they made their way around the paved loop that weaved around and through the park. Some kids started punting a football, trying to knock my drone out of the air out of sheer meanness. I thought about doing a high-speed flyby to taunt them, but decided that losing my drone wasn’t worth the effort. So, I flew home.

By mid July I’d grown bored with my neighborhood flights. I live less than an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway. There, I could easily find a more scenic route to pilot. A quick google search told me that drone flights are prohibited on the Parkway. But, the place I had in mind is rarely traveled. The likelihood that I’d encounter a park ranger was so slim that the legality of drones didn’t really matter.

The Tuckaseegee Balds are a series of large, open fields on the ridge line of a mountain between Blowing Rock, North Carolina and Grandfather Mountain. The hike to the balds isn’t hard, but it is long. I had planned for at least a four hour hike to get to the First Bald. The trails are rarely used, and the balds go mostly unvisited. Hikers generally flock to spots with easier hikes with better views, so it’s uncommon to meet anyone atop Tuckaseegee. I didn’t care about the views on the balds anyway, they just happened to be where I’d take off. I could fly to more popular destinations Rough Ridge or the Linn Cove Viaduct, but still be far enough away to avoid getting caught. I didn’t care if a park ranger saw my drone. I’d be a mile and a half away on top of a mountain all by myself.

I packed a few extra batteries to keep myself in the air as long as possible before heading off to the Parkway. After hiking most of the morning I made it to the top of the balds just after One. At the edge of the First Bald, about two hundred yards from off trail, was a large, uprooted tree that had fallen over. It was mostly covered in shade from the forest, but still in the open enough that I could take off without catching any of the overhanging tree limbs. I set up my drone in the clearing and sat down, using the fallen tree as a backrest. I slid my goggles on and took off.

I spent the next hour and a half flying around and videoing the scenic peaks that dot the Parkway. Well, those that were within my range, anyway. I could only fly for just under 30 minutes on each battery, so I had to make periodic trips back to swap them out before taking off again. After loading my fourth and final battery into the drone I decided that I should at least get some video of the balds themselves. Sure, there are better views throughout the Parkway, but that isn’t to say that the Tuckaseegee Balds aren’t beautiful themselves.

The balds essentially dot the ridge line, with a patch of forest separating each from the other. From a hiker’s perspective, they’re a series of large, open fields that seemingly pop up out of nowhere as you hike through the forest, and the trail passes through each one of them. For this reason, the balds have been numbered and named based on the order you pass through them. From East to West, there’s the First Bald, followed by the Second Bald, and so on, all the way through until the final, Seventh Bald. From a Drone’s perspective, the balds look like a giant skipped a large rock along a mountainous ridge line, skinning the earth each time it made contact in progressively smaller areas.

As I flew from my position against the tree in the First Bald I passed over the thicket of trees separating it from the Second Bald. The heads up display in my goggles told me I was flying at a little over 150 feet above the ground. Just as I passed over the tree line and entered into the Second Bald, my heart fluttered as I saw what I thought was a person walking along the trail heading in my direction. In my moment of panic, I removed my thumbs from the controls on the remote, causing the drone to stop and float in place. As I looked closer, it was apparent that I was not looking at a person. What I was looking at, exactly, I still do not know.

The creature had the legs of a deer or an elk but walked upright, bipedal, standing at least twelve feet tall. It’s upper torso and arms where somewhat humanlike, but not quite. They were, different. I honestly don't know how else to describe it. I could see its ribs. I don't mean that it was lean and that a rippled outline could be seen under the skin. I could literally see the bones of the rib cage, like the fur-covered skin that was supposed to conceal the that portion of skeleton had rotted or been torn away. The head, which was looking directly at my drone floating in the sky, also appeared to be that of a deer, only considerably larger. It, too, appeared to have portions of uncovered bone, as I could clearly see a large swath of skull revealed along most of the right side of its face. Tatters of skin and fur hung from the opening, like the animal, if that’s what it was, had been partially flayed. Giant antlers meandered from the base of its skull, twisting up and backwards from its head. The antlers were dark brown, and they pointed towards the ground while the creature’s head remained tilted upwards towards to sky to stare to where I was watching.

I don’t know where I got the courage to not immediately fly back to where I was seated, pack up, and run back to my car. Instead, I lowered my drone to get a closer look at whatever I had caught passing through the meadow. When the display on my goggles informed me I had descended to 50 feet, I again allowed the drone to hover in place. The creature took a step forward, unfolding what looked like wings from its back. The wings had no skin or membrane between the bones. Instead, it looked like a bird whose wings had been plucked of all of its feathers. They fluttered without every fully expanding, and then tucked back behind the creature again. Had they opened completely, I’m certain they would have been at least eighteen feet, tip to tip.

When the creature began to move again, it did so quickly. I don’t know whether to describe its movement as a jog or a gallop. I suppose that entirely depends on how many human qualities you choose to give to whatever the being was. But, I could tell that regardless of the speed the creature was moving then it could move much faster. And it was headed directly towards my drone.

I immediately picked up altitude, quickly climbing to 200 feet. The creature had dropped its gaze from the drone and was instead focused on the trail ahead. Its strides were long and deliberate as it chewed up the distance, traveling directly towards the First Bald. Directly towards me.

Fortunately, I had developed a decent bit of skill and confidence in flying the drone since the times when I was afraid to fly if off the property at my house. I turned the drone back towards where I was seated and pressed the thumb stick all the way forward. I passed over the tree line almost immediately, and then began to speed over the half mile of open expanse of the First Bald. I followed the rut of the hiking trail so I wouldn’t lose my bearings, knowing I was seated a few hundred yards just off of the trail. As I neared the end of the First Bald, I turned slightly to the right to fly directly to where I had taken off. I could see my body leaning against the fallen tree at the edge of the forest, and stopped when I had the drone positioned just overhead and began my descent. I positioned the camera to look forward as the drone dropped to land in front me. In my goggles, I could see the tree tops come into view as my drone descended to land. As the camera angle became level with my body I could see over my shoulder into the forest behind me. Twenty feet behind the fallen tree where I sat stood another, slightly smaller creature.

I ripped my googles off as I rushed to stand. My legs were cramped and nearly useless from being seated in the same position most of the day and I nearly fell. I grabbed a broken limb on the fallen tree to pull myself up, and turned just in time to see the monster charging towards me.

I’d love to tell you what happened next, but I have no recollection. Maybe it’s best that I don't recall. I struggle enough to cope with the portions of the story I do remember. What I can tell you is that a team of rescuers found me five days later after my girlfriend reported me missing. Luckily, I had told her where I had planned to go so the search party had a good idea of where to go looking for me. However, that isn't the search party who found me. I was found twelve miles South near the Linville Gorge by a group working to locate an injured hiker, which, naturally, they thought they had found when they came across me. From what I’ve been told, for hours the only response I would give to any questions was “Asgina.” When I did begin to talk, I had apparently explained that I hadn’t been lost at all, that I had been traveling with the Aniawi.

My drone has never been found, so neither has any of the footage of whatever it was I saw in the Tuckaseegee Balds. I wish it had. I suspect that perhaps then people would believe me rather than discounting my story as the result of some head injury. I know what I saw, and I know that I’ll never step foot on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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