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that-innovating-artist · 2 years

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TITH || Chapter One: The Hellfire Club

Synopsis: A new evil rises and a simple DnD game unleashes a terrifying chain of events. An adult woman and a teenager are gruesomely slain. | Total number of words: 1.3k.

Navigation Key: §§§ = continuing from previous scene; still takes place in the same location. ☆☆☆ = location change. (The place will be stated.) ~~~ = POV shifts.

~ OFFICIALLY PROOFREAD! ~

**Please do not transfer or translate my writings anywhere! However, you may Repost, as that would help me out a lot!**

Hawkins, Indiana • Forest Hills Trailer Park [Zonoff Trailer]

March 21st, 1986

Early morning sunlight filtered through the shutters. I groaned, pivoting in my bed. I already knew I had a restless night, so I thought, fuck it, proceeded to unshuffle the covers, and got dressed for school. My room was chaotically disorganized. On my desk, piles of paper stacked several millimeters tall. The lamp was on, as I must’ve forgotten to turn it off last night. I draped my bookbag over the side of the wooden chair and my Walkman was waiting for me on my oak wood nightstand, plugged in and ready.

A pink Lava Lamp circulated its bubbles, and I tapped the off button. On the far side of my room was my partially open closet, where I mostly littered articles of apparel on the ground in a heap. I only had a few clothes actually hung up like they’re supposed to be. I was notorious for throwing things on the floor and not doing anything about it.

My violet-colored walls stood out against the Bon Jovi posters, the Nightmare On Elm Street poster, some mother-daughter pictures, and a compilation of Polaroid photographs with Eddie, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Mike, and Will splayed across in clustered masses hung by yellow sticky notes with the handwritten date of the snapshot. I scrutinized the one with Eddie. It was the Summer of ‘84. The photo was of us in our swim gear at the local Quarry, hanging upside down from taut branches with our knees, sticking our tongues out at the camera. I was giving the lens the middle finger with my two hands.

The other one with him was of us at the Fourth of July parade in downtown Hawkins when he snuck in a surprise kiss on my cheek while his other arm wrapped around my waist. He was wearing a Metallica logo shirt, and I was wearing a red, white, and blue tie-dye crop top with pale blue jean shorts. I thought nothing of it as I thought it was just a cordial gesticulation, but looking back, I think he was trying to tell me something, such as, “Hey, I think I love you.” To others, it might appear that we don’t get along, but in actuality, beneath the surface of the “we’re just friends” façade, hides something else. Unrequited passion. For now.

Dustin has continually told me Eddie speaks admiringly of me and has, in the Henderson boy’s own words, “A major crush on you.” Every time he says that, my cheeks tone the shade of a red pepper and I get all flustered. He ships me and Eddie. It’s pretty obvious. I hustled out of my room and into the kitchen, where I made myself breakfast. After eating, I put my dirty plate in the dishwasher and headed into my Mom’s room silently.

Her morning shift at RadioShack didn’t start ‘till 8:00AM and I had a bus to catch at 6:45AM, so she rarely wakes until 7:15AM. I leaned over her bedside and embraced her for a minute, relishing the security I felt when I hugged her or when she hugged me. “Love you, Mama,” I whispered. “See you later.” I planted a kiss on her hair and walked out of the room, positioning my headphones on my ears and pressing the play button on my Walkman. Unbeknownst to me, that would be the last time I saw my mother alive.

☆☆☆

Hawkins, Indiana • Hawkins High School [The Gym]

“Good morning, Hawkins High!” Jason Carver declared into the microphone. The surrounding students cheered, and I glanced at Max with a look that said, “Why the fuck am I here listening to this moron?” Jason and I’s rivalry is another thing that is well known around Hawkins HS. We despise each other, and the last thing I wanted to do was to be stuck in a gym listening to him give some stupid speech. I stood there, glaring at the basketball player.

He was six feet with dirty blonde hair curved to the side and a little curl that touched the eyebrow of his left eye and had blue-gray eyes. His athletic outfit was that of green jogging pants with a white stripe running down both sides of the pants, the standard colors of Hawkins High School. His tank top had his number on it - 12 - with the embroidered letters that spelled H-A-W-K-I-N-S.

“Thank you,” he said. “It’s been a tough year for Hawkins. The mall fire last year. All those people we lost in that disaster. Think of Melissa. Think of Heather. Think of Billy…”

At the third name he listed, I glanced at Max. Her face fell, and I put an arm around her. We didn’t notice that Jason gave Max a repentant look when he mentioned Billy’s name, and on the contrary, I gave that asshole credit for actually caring. Or at least pretending to care.

“Think of our heroic police Chief, Jim Hopper…”

Please stop, I thought, glaring daggers at the basketball player. You’re so annoyingly pathetic.

“Last night, when we were losing, I looked at my team and I said, think of them. Think of what they would want. They wouldn’t want us to just sit around and not fight to honor their names. They would want us to win, to win this championship game that is happening here at home tonight!”

I don’t think their last thoughts were whether we’d win a championship game. That means nothing. The students caterwauled, and I stood there yielding my wits. I was going to be DOA by the time lunch rolled around if I didn’t get out of here any sooner.

☆☆☆

Hawkins, Indiana • Hawkins High School [The Cafeteria]

The bell rang, and it was finally time for lunch. I zoomed out of sixth period and went straight to the cafeteria. I glanced around. The Hellfire Club boys were sitting at their usual table, as were the Cheerleading and Basketball Team. The line to get lunch was dreadful. It took forever. “But, as long as you’re into band,” Eddie’s voice rang across the room. I rolled my eyes. Here we go again.

“Or science, or… parties,” he continued sneeringly, walking on the table with conviction. His gaze drifted from the party clique table to Jason. “Or a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets!”

An orchestra of boos sounded, and I just stood there with my arms crossed. The Carver boy stood up from his spot next to Chrissy, jeering, “You want something, freak?”

Eddie stuck his tongue out and imitated the Devil horns on his head using his fingers, and Jason muttered, “Prick.”

It was going to be a long, long day.

☆☆☆

Hawkins, Indiana • Forest Hills Trailer Park [Zonoff Trailer]

“Mom, I’m home!” The keys jangled in my hand as I struggled to close the entrance. “Goddamn it,” I muttered, shoving myself against the entryway. “Just fucking lock!”

The key finally twisted and latched the door, and I threw my fob on the counter and into my bag. A fly buzzed around me, and I flinched as I realized what it was. Flies were always encroaching on the trailer, so it was no surprise one greeted me. I tried smashing it in my hands, but all it did was evade my palms. The tiny insect flew into the living room and I paused dead in my tracks.

There my mother was, bones twisted and eyes removed. I gasped in horror, tentatively approaching the body. She was killed. I stood there in stupefaction, my brain firing. What happened to her?

Who could do this to another human being? The realization finally dawned on me and I collapsed to the floor, sobbing and screaming a blood-curdling yell. “No!” I screeched as I tugged her close to me. I pressed a finger on the back of her neck to check for a pulse, but found nothing. “No! No! No! Mom, wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Please! Please! Please!”

By that time I knew she was gone, but part of me annulled to believe that. Drops of her blood coated my crop top, but I didn’t care. I wailed loudly, ultimately succumbing to quietness and never letting her now defenseless body go. What I thought was my mind playing tricks on me but would later on find out it wasn’t, I could hear the distorted, muffled noise of a grandfather clock chiming five times…

@danni-fangirldoodles

#Duffer Brothers #Hawkins Indiana #Lydia Zonoff #My writing #Netflix Original Series #Netflix #Stranger Things 4 #Vanessa Zonoff #Writers on Tumblr

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neptunoidporridge · 2 years

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Violets from Plug Street wood,

Sweet, I send you oversea.

It is strange they should be blue

Blue, when his soaked blood was red,

For they grew around his head.

It is strange they should be blue.

Violets from Plug Street Wood,

Think what they have meant to me:

Life and hope and love and you.

And you did not see them grow,

where his mangled body lay,

Hiding horror from the day

Sweetest it was better so,

Violets from oversea,

To your dear, far, forgetting land,

These I send in memory,

Knowing you will understand.

#testament of youth #our love #love #painful #war #the first world war #light acadamia aesthetic

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my-kind-of-poetry · 2 years

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Violets from Plug Street Wood,

Sweet, I send you oversea.

(It is strange they should be blue,

Blue, when his soaked blood was red,

For they grew around his head:

It is strange they should be blue.)

Violets from Plug Street Wood

Think what they have meant to me--

Life and Hope and Love & You

(And you did not see them grow

Where his mangled body lay

Hiding horror from the day;

Sweetest it was better so.)

Violets from oversea,

To your dear, far, forgetting land

These I send in memory,

Knowing You will understand.

- Roland Leighton

#poetry #poem #vera brittain #violets

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littlesugarwords · 4 years

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Walking Dead Game FanFiction - “Missing More”

Title: Missing More Characters: Ericson Kids Summary: When Clementine and the Ericson crew drive to Clementine’s childhood home, they get to relive her last few moments with Lee again from a found video recording. Takes place after episode 1. Author's Note: Okay so the premise of this is going to be a little wonky to give this plot an opportunity to happen so let’s pretend that the Stranger wasn’t killed and continued to stalk Clementine after she left with Lee okay bye enjoy. Sequel to this fic Requested By: Anonymous support me with ko-fi ♡ ---------♥️♥️♥️----------

For years, every time her birthday rolled around, Clementine asked for the same thing: “Just once, I want to go back to my childhood home and get some closure.”

Little did she know that, since she first started making that wish, the crew had been working on exactly that.

In one of the back garages, Marlon had found a busted old van. It only had a sliver of gas in it, and was in rough shape, and the following years were spent scavenging for gas, and attempting to get the van working again.

As Clementine’s 19th birthday lingered on the horizon, they’d done it: Mitch had replaced the final busted part of the van, and the crew had managed to fill and find a total of 8 gasoline tanks.

“How many do you think we’d need for a road trip?” Violet had asked.

Marlon had only shrugged. “We might as well be safe and take all 8.” They had no idea how cars worked — hell, only a few of them even knew how to drive — but they were going to try their best regardless. For Clementine.

The first half of the drive was filled with excited chatter and blissful conversation. To keep watch over the school, Omar, Aasim, Brody, and Ruby decided to stay back at the school. Marlon, Louis, Violet, Clementine, AJ, Mitch, Willy, and Tenn were the group that hit up the van.

“We’ll be back in a few days.” Marlon said, already having worked out himself how long the drive would be. “Keep hold of the fort until then.”

Everyone nodded, hugging and wishing each other well, before venturing off.

Then, the fun began.

“Pass me the crackers.”

“You’ve already eaten like half the bag.”

Willy scoffed, snagging the bag out of Mitch’s hands and shoving another scoop into his mouth. “How long until we get there?”

Marlon adjusted the rear-view window, casting a harsh glare the child’s way. “Still a few more hours.”

“Ugh. We’ve been driving all day.”

“That’s why it’s called a roadtrip, Willy.” Louis said, smirking into the back. “We need to travel a distance to get there.”

“What Louis means,” Violet said through a sigh, “is shut up, Willy.” Her head leaned against the back of her seat, eyes closed, body tense.

Clementine, sitting in the passenger seat, smirked into the open, empty highway. It was familiar to her in the strangest way. She’s never driven the highway before today, but it felt warm somehow. Familiar. As though it was a shadow of the life that used to dwell there; along the sides of the road and off into the distance.

By the time they actually hit the city, the feeling of warm nostalgia took a dark, quick turn. The abandoned homes, eerie streets, and haunting a sense of life made Clementine’s skin crawl.

“Left here,” she whispered, voice haunted and scared. Still, despite the heartache she felt seeing her old hometown in ruin, she still knew her way home. Her parents had taught her to memorize the ‘important streets’ so she always knew how to get home if she ever became lost. If there was ever an emergency.

She gave direction the entire drive home, her code wavering and her hands forced into her lap, wound tightly together. She had braced herself for the worst — for her home being unrecognizable — but this somehow she hadn’t prepared for.

She hadn’t been prepared for the extent of how different everything would look.

By the time the car rolled to a stop, everyone bouncing with the weight of the breaks, Clementine was hesitant to lift her gaze from her lap.

“Clem? Is this the place?” Marlon asked. Realizing she didn’t have a choice, she gulped and looked up.

Her eyes immediately grew teary, studying the cracked windows and worn wooden panels. “Yep.” Was all she could muster, cracking her door open and stepping outside. The grass was dead, the building tattered and beaten by the elements, and the door was cracked and splintered. Apparently, someone had once jimmies a knife into the lock to get inside the house, clearly unaware that the back door had been left unlocked.

But, what brought Clementine the biggest moment of pause was the full mailbox.

She frowned, drawing closer to the door, running her fingers over the tattered and tarnished wood. Inside, she found a package, wrapped and labelled, her name scrawled on the front in messy black ink. Her heart leapt into her throat, freezing there.

“Clementine?” Louis asked. Clementine said nothing, only tore open the end of the package and slipped out a flash drive with a slip of paper taped to it. Louis, peeking in over the girl’s shoulder, held his breath. “Oh my God.”

Suddenly, all the Ericson kids turned, brows raised, drawing closer to the duo. The note was short, and simple, but haunting.

‘Something I think you’d like to see. - your friend’

Clementine closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then pushed open her front door. She slipped through her house, ignoring the overturned and tattered furniture, the haunting, dried pool of blood in the kitchen, and the dead body of her babysitter, abandoned by the back door.

She ignored it all and made her way toward the computer tucked into the back corner. All she could do was pray, that somehow, it still worked. She opened the laptop, her fingers crossed and strained, then hit the power button. Luckily for her, it came to life, thanks to being plugged in until the last moment electricity was active in the world.

By the time that nostalgic glow smacked her in the face, she realized the battery was at a dwindling 10%. Urgently, she slapped in her father’s password and jammed in the flash drive.

“What are you doing?” Marlon asked, arms crossed in horror. “You can’t just check to see what’s on it.”

“Why not?” Violet challenged. “Are you not curious about what’s on it?”

Clementine huffed, as though frustrated at how long it was taking the old laptop to register the flash drive. “I haven’t lived in this house in years, and yet, somehow, someone sent a package here addressed to me.” She turned, flashing Marlon a harsh glare. “I’m watching it.”

When she turned back to the screen, after silencing the room with her statement, she noticed there was only one file on the drive. It was fairly small, a single video file titled ‘the end’. With a deep breath, and with a shaking hand on the track pad, she moved towards it and clicked.

A security camera video popped to life, hauntingly similar. Clementine squinted, adjusting the brightness on the computer, aware it was going to drain the battery even further. Then, as two figures fumbled into the frame, Clementine’s breath caught in her throat. “No.” Was all she could muster.

It was her and Lee, entering the jewellery store, Lee’s lower arm missing, Clementine shaking and sobbing from spotting her dead parents roaming the streets.

“What’s going on?”

“Clem?”

Clementine stumbled away, ignoring Louis and Marlon’s panicked questions. She turned away, studying the corpse of her babysitter on the floor, decayed and unrecognizable.

It had been the Stranger. She knew it. She could feel her gut twisting at the mere thought.

After Lee had rushed her out of there after beating the man senseless, he’d come to and hadn’t stopped. He’d followed them to the jewellery store, watching as Clem was forced to kill Lee, and then stole a copy of the security tape, hoping and praying to prove to Clementine that... what? She had someone ‘watching out for her’?

“Clementine, what is this?” Violet asked, refusing to take her gaze off of the haunting image before her. AJ, creeping forward to get a better glimpse, felt his heart race at the sight of the child and older man.

“That’s me and Lee.” The room went dead-silent, as much also that everyone could hear a pin drop. “And I’m about to kill him.”

The group grew silent. Mitch, Louis, and AJ were the only ones who could look away, glancing nervously at the girl rather than studying the clip. Inevitably, all except Louis turned back to watch. Louis couldn’t stomach the sight.

There was muffled speaking — so quiet that the mics couldn’t quite pick it up — and shuffling around the room. The group watched as Clementine secured Lee to the radiator, as she lifted the gun to his head, as they made their teary goodbyes.

Then, the gun shot.

The room was silent and still, watching as the battery continued to drain from the small device before them. Clementine said nothing. She didn’t react, she didn’t flinch, she just stared dead-ahead at the bloody puddle in the kitchen, longing to be anywhere else but there.

Her eyes glossed over, feeling closer to Lee than she had felt in a long time in her home, before flicking away a single ear and starting for the door. “I think I’m ready to go home now.” She whispered.

“Home?” Willy hushed. Mitch set a hand on the child's shoulder, hoping to pause him from asking further questions.

“Real home.” Clementine clarified, refusing to look their way. She didn’t want to sneak an accidental glance at the computer scene. “Not here.”

Louis stepped forward, his heart heavy and weary, throwing his arm over her shoulders and guiding her toward the exit. “We can do that.” He cast a glance back at everyone else — daring and challenging — before exiting the room and starting for the van.

The group stood silent, heart weary and heavy, stomachs fragile and depressed. Without a word, all of them retreated to the van, silently getting in, remaining silent for the first chunk of the drive home.

Then, when Clementine grew teary-eyed in the passenger seat, Louis began loudly screaming ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’.

Then, Clementine knew she was home.

Then, Clementine knew what home actually felt like. It wasn’t a place. It was a group of people, a tiny, busted van, and throwback songs from a better life. ---------♥️♥️♥️----------

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sarah--adel · 4 years

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Violets from Plug Street Wood, Sweet, I send you oversea. It is strange they should be blue, Blue, when his soaked blood was red, For they grew around his head: It is strange they should be blue Violets from Plug Street Wood Think what they have meant to me-- Life and Hope and Love & You And you did not see them grow Where his mangled body lay Hiding horror from the day; Sweetest it was better so. Violets from oversea, To your dear, far, forgetting land These I send in memory, Knowing You will understand.

#TestamentOfYouth

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teenytinystorage · 4 years

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Click Click - A Sanders Sides Fanfic

Words: 2786

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: Food mention, Deceit (lmk if I need any more warnings!)

Pairings: None

Enjoy! :)

Click click.

The dreaded noise of a locked door.

Patton lowered his arm that was tugged down to the Earth with two grocery bags dangling from it. He was planning on putting a bag in each hand once he entered, since two trips would be inconvenient, but clearly, he was not getting inside anytime soon. So, he decided it was best to let his arm receive circulation again.

Patton exhaled loudly and turned his back to the door. He forgot his keys when he went out to do errands, and he knew none of the others were home now. He slid down until he sat against the doorframe. He crossed his legs and set the bags down to his right side. He set his hands in his lap.

“Now what am I supposed to do with the groceries?” Patton thought out loud. He turned his head to the two plastic bags that sat beside him, anxiously awaiting for the door to welcome them inside as they melted in the heat. “Ice cream isn’t good as a melty bowl of soup, and Logan and Roman won’t be happy to have thawed Crofter’s.”

Patton sat, watching the breeze blow through the tufts of grass on the ground. He knew Logan would be home soon enough from his break to go to the library, and Logan had his keys on him, Patton was sure. Logan wouldn’t leave his keys at home.

“It appears someone doesn’t need my assistance now,” a bitter voice rang through the window.

Patton leapt up and turned his head.

Two cloaked arms sat on the windowsill as Deceit leaned over curiously, staring down at Patton.

“Ah, Deceit! Good timing! Could you.. let me in?” Patton asked, leaning over to pick up his grocery bags.

“I’ll take the groceries in,” Deceit answered.

“..But will you let me in?”

“What didn’t I just say?”

Patton shook his head as he mumbled to himself while picking up the grocery bags. “Well, I suppose that’ll be good enough. This stuff needs to get into the fridge. I can wait. Logan will be home soon anyway.”

Patton looked up toward the window again and yelled, “So, how are you going to get these bags in, anyway?”

Deceit tossed a rope over the windowsill. “With this.”

“A pulley system? I like your thinking!” Patton chuckled as he tied the rope onto both of the handles of the plastic bags.

Deceit rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m totally not doing this to steal the Crofter’s or anything.”

Patton scowled at Deceit as he walked away from the rope. “Deceit, what did I tell you about stealing Logan and Roman’s Crofter’s?”

“I can do it as long as they don’t find out,” Deceit walked backward as he started tugging the bags up into the window.

Patton gasped, holding his hands over his heart playfully. “You know that’s not what I said! I’m ashamed of you!”

Deceit tugged the bags up the rooftop until the glass jars inside clunked against the windowsill. “That’s totally what you said.” He started to untie the bags from the rope.

Patton crossed his arms. “Well, if I see an empty jar lid and a spoon in there once I get inside, you’re not going to be let off so easy this time, mister!”

“Oh? And what are you going to do about it?” Deceit held the bags mockingly out the window in his hands, dangling them over the roof.

“Two words: No. Musicals.” Patton pointed his finger at Deceit.

Deceit growled, “Fine. No promises, though.”

Deceit set the bags down on his bed and grasped his hands on the window’s shudder strings.

Patton nodded. “Mhm! And that threat is real this time. No ifs, ands, or buts!” Patton childishly snickered to himself at his immature remark. “‘Buts’..”

Deceit rolled his eyes.

“Thank you! Put Virgil’s ice cream in the freezer please!” Patton shouted as Deceit slammed the window shut and pulled down the shudders.

“Well, I tried. Sorry Lo and Ro, there’ll be less Crofter’s for the week,” Patton muttered to himself as he sunk down against the door once more.

He felt more relaxed, since he didn’t have Virgil’s ice cream or Logan and Roman’s Crofter’s on the line anymore. He would just have to wait until Logan got home, then.

2 minutes passed.

Patton twisted and fidgeted with his cardigan sleeves, dozing off from sitting by himself for so long. He pulled his phone out to check the time.

3:34 P.M.

Patton heard swishing behind him. He turned his head to see Virgil strolling toward the door distractedly, his hands shoved in his hoodie pockets and headphones on his ears plugged into his phone.

“Hey Virgil!” Patton excitedly smiled and stood. “I didn’t know you’d get home so early!”

“Hey Pat..” Virgil noticed Patton and pulled the headphones off of one side of his head. He shifted his hand that was shoved into his pocket to pause the audio on his phone.

“So, are you feeling better now since..” Patton clumsily fumbled with his words, “..the incident?”

Virgil snickered. “Pat, you don’t have to call it ‘the incident.’ I just got a little overwhelmed with video making and stuff, that’s all. Not too big of a deal. Happens a lot.” Virgil exhaled as Patton frowned slightly. “And to answer your question. Yep, I’m feeling more chill now.”

“Oh goodie!” Patton clapped his hands eagerly. “What’d you do?”

“I went on a walk and listened to an audiobook.” Virgil turned his head as Patton’s smile widened, “y’know, since you and Lo were saying I should do that to calm down. It worked real well, more than I thought. Didn’t even realize I was walking when the audiobook was playing,” Virgil tapped the side of his headphones with his left hand.

Virgil took a relaxed breath in, swaying and shifting his weight between his toes and heels as he looked out toward the street. “The fresh air was great for my nerves,” Virgil admitted as he shoved his hand back into his hoodie pocket. “Who knew, exercise is helpful.” Virgil shrugged, turning his head back toward Patton and smirking.

“I’m glad to hear our advice worked!” Patton smiled.

“Mhm…” Virgil nodded. “So, any reason why you’re sitting outside in the heat when there’s a perfectly good house inside?” Virgil tilted his head.

“Locked myself out. Care to join me?”

Virgil’s hand flipped the metallic violet and black, stormcloud-shaped keys in his pocket as the metal clinked and jangled around for a few seconds. He shrugged.

“Got nothing else to do.”

Virgil strolled over to the door and sat down next to Patton. He sat with his knees to his chin and held his arms around his legs. He slid his headphones on once more, pulling his phone out of his pocket and continuing his audiobook. He leaned his head down onto his knees and closed his eyes.

Patton’s smile faded as he turned his head from napping Virgil back toward the street. He tapped his feet on the grass as he kept waiting for Logan to return home.

10 minutes passed, and Logan had not returned yet.

Patton was getting restless, but at least Virgil was sitting next to him and waiting as well. That made him feel a bit better, especially considering that Virgil had keys on him and could very well have gone inside already. That made him feel a lot better.

Pat eventually conceded to use his phone to pass the time, despite wanting to observe the outside to keep himself occupied. He had watched the grass and leaves on the trees sway back and forth and back and forth for a while, but he found it hard to focus because of his jitters and fell victim to the tension of not checking his phone.

Patton scrolled distractedly for a few minutes, until, in the distance, he saw a side approaching from the park toward the house. Had Logan finally returned?

Shielding his katana back in its holder that was slung across his back, Roman waved once his hand was free. His logo-embroidered ruby and gold shield was suspended across his left arm with the help of two gray sequins-encrusted leather belts strapped across his forearm.

He proceeded back home at a quicker pace upon seeing the others. Patton’s smile returned when he saw how ecstatic Roman was.

“Greetings!” Roman announced as he stood in front of Patton and Virgil, a bit weary from the running.

“Hi Roman!”

Virgil looked up, sliding the headphones off of one side of his head once more. “‘Sup.”

“How was dragon hunting?” Patton was practically bouncing from anticipation.

“Alas, no devious creatures were found roaming the woods this evening. I was disheartened to find out I had spent my all my time prowling with no avail!” Roman cried out dramatically, sweeping his forehead with the back of his palm.

Virgil rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out of his pocket to mindlessly scroll social media.

“Well, at least we can rest assured knowing there’s no dragons out there that’ll come to attack us, right?”

“I suppose that hopeful news will have to satisfy me with my lack of findings,” Roman glanced away and slouched. He pulled off his shield and held the top of it, leaning it toward his side.

Roman then glanced back over and a puzzled look came over his face. “Say, why are you two sitting outside the front door, anyways?”

“I locked myself out!” Patton proudly proclaimed.

“I got nothing better to do,” Virgil shrugged, staring down at his phone and scrolling through what appeared to be Tumblr.

Roman pulled back his hair and shook his head. His burgundy, sword-shaped house keys locked onto his belt clinked upon each other as he shifted backward. “I suppose I have no other option but to accompany you two in your loitering. Someone has to stand guard to protect you both from danger.”

Roman crossed his arms and sat down on the wall of the house to the left of Virgil, who sat in the middle. He leaned his humongous, shiny shield on the wall to the left of him.

After a brief moment of pouting, Roman turned toward the other two with enthusiasm.

“While I did find no dragons today, I still do have some thrilling tales! Would you guys like to hear my story of the hieroglyphics I found while searching?”

Patton turned his head and gasped cheerfully. “Yes! Can I hear it? Please? Pleaaaase?”

“Since you asked so kindly,” Roman chuckled. “So, I was on my way to the dragon witch’s cave.”

“When I followed the creature’s footsteps, I found five symbols on the wall: A sword, a sun, two crowns, and a dragon scale.” Roman drew out each symbol while he described them.

Patton listened intently, enticed with the story.

Virgil glanced up, noticing the symbols Roman was making with his finger. Virgil hadn’t been listening this whole time, but these motions were enough to make him slide his headphones down to rest upon his neck.

“They looked suspiciously like claw marks,” Roman pointed a finger up to the sky declaringly, “so I knew they must have been made by the!-”

“Mind explaining to me why you three are outside, in front of the door, when we pay adequate rent each month for an apartment?” Logan stood above the three sides, dangling his house keys in his hand. There were two locked upon the metal ring, one shaped like a pencil with similar metallic colors and the other like a pen, complete with a cap. The three sides glanced over at him.

“Hi Logan!” Patton waved his hand. He paused, stricken with forgetfulness upon the excitement of seeing Logan again (what a dork). “What was the question?”

“Why you three are outdoors was the query I proposed and expect to receive an answer to in the near future.”

“Oh, right! I locked myself out since I forgot the keys. So, I thought I’d wait here until you got home to unlock the door!”

“Not an entirely unexpected response,” Logan darted his eyes between Roman and Virgil. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you two must have your keys on you. Why are you both not inside yet?”

“Pat was just sitting here, so I joined him so it’d look like we were just hanging out.” Virgil shoved his phone back into his pocket. Patton smiled upon hearing Virgil’s answer.

“I had to protect these two innocent citizens from the dreaded dragons of the forest! I’d be breaking prince honor code if I wasn’t!” Roman gasped, offended that Logan would even suggest him leaving the two sides outside by themselves. Virgil scoffed and exhaled quickly through his nose, stifling a chuckle.

“But you found no dragons today-” Patton started.

“Shh!” Roman irritatedly shushed him. Virgil shook his head, looking down at his phone once more.

“That’s why I’m not inside right now,” Roman nodded.

Logan exhaled through his nose annoyedly. “Then, I assume I shall be the one to grant you all access to the apartment.”

Logan fumbled through his keys and stepped in front of the door.

Patton stood and strolled to stand beside Logan.

Virgil scooted over and sat next to the door.

Roman stood, picking up his shield and holding it horizontally on his arms as if it were a dinner plate.

Logan slid his keys into the lock and twisted them.

Click click.

Logan turned the handle. A creak and an open house awarded them.

Roman stared at Logan confusedly as he approached the door. “Hey, you’ve said before that being outside is good for the mind, and we’re usually cooped up inside most of the time anyway. Why are you so intent on getting us inside?”

“I have acknowledged before that being outside is important. However, I am not being contradictory. We have a house right here, and we’ve been out all afternoon. Shelter is vital, especially in this recent temperate weather. You do not wish to receive a heatstroke, do you?”

“Okay, Nerdlock Holmes, how am I supposed to get a heatstroke from a few minutes of lounging?”

Patton pushed himself between the two, uneasily trying to break up the argument and change the subject. “Well, maybe a heatstroke isn’t the only thing you’d have to worry about if you stay outside too long.”

Logan squinted his eyes and tilted his head upward. “And what else exactly would we have to fret about in that figurative scenario?”

Patton shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, chuckling to ease the tension. “Dee might be eating both of your Crofter’s as we speak.” He glanced down and quietly mumbled, “sorry.”

Logan glared upstairs at the window to Deceit’s room. “How did he get his hands on it again?”

“I miiiiiiiight’ve let him help bring the groceries inside so the jelly didn’t melt.”

“That MONSTER!” Roman cried, unsheathing his katana and wielding his shield on his arm. He rapidly sprinted up the stairs and to Deceit’s room, the thump thump thump of his speedy steps echoing through the apartment.

The three paused for a moment, stunned by the outrageous overreaction. Logan was the first to break the shocked silence.

“Patton, you must recognize that, despite your best efforts to incorporate him into our group, Deceit is not and will never be reasonable when given our personal belongings. You remember what happened last time, don’t you? We didn’t have any Crofter’s in the house for a week,” Logan remarked.

“I know, I know. But he still seems like he could maybe be—”

“Deceit, unhand the Crofter’s now, or face my unbridled wrath!” Roman’s yells echoed from upstairs.

Virgil violently burst out snickering, failing to stifle his amusement behind his palm.

Patton leaned inside and shouted, “Play nice, please!”

Logan shook his head. He sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “While I am discontented with this thievery, I am not going to react that erratically.” Logan gestured to the stairway with his free hand when referring to Roman’s ridiculous reaction. “I presume I should follow Roman upstairs to make sure him and Deceit do not have a jousting-esque confrontation that extirpates-” Logan irritatedly altered his wording once he saw Patton and Virgil’s puzzled expressions, “destroys the whole mindspace.”

Logan lifted his head and trudged inside, marching up the stairs behind Roman, who had already made his way inside Deceit’s room to hear the confession of villainous theft.

Virgil slid his headphones back over his head, snickering to himself. “Drama queens,” he mumbled to himself before treading inside.

Patton strolled in behind Virgil. He closed and locked the door behind him.

Click click.