🧃#1 Neighbor fan 🔮

Two days have passed since Nicholas finished packing in. Even though the nightmares still didn't stop, he felt like he's slowly getting used to the place.

His home.

The air felt thick and heavy every single time he took a breath, but it's just the environment yet, he thought..

The man avoided looking at the direction of the burnt house. It made him feel uneasy, wondering if someone will ever just take those planks away, or it'll be the wind that blows the ruins in all the directions of the compass. 

If he was honest to himself, the whole town was as dead as the lot on the other side. 

On the third day, the impossible happened. At least he thought it was impossible. A part of his past - a really big part, to be precise - unexpectedly returned while he was hurrying home with the groceries. It was about to rain and he knew so well, thunders in Raven Brooks weren't joke level.

The plastic bag gave in and the apples…the nice red apples decided to roll down the small hill where the spiky haired man just cut the way on.

He successfully collected them together, but when he looked up, scared of the first lightning striking in the distance..he saw a shadow. 

A figure. 

The figure of his Neighbor.

The figure was quite deformed. The shape is similar to the runaway apple Nicky still held. 

But he recognized.

He recognized him immediately.

The figure didn't move, it just observed him. Holding something sharp and big in hand, it kind of started reminding him the grim reaper, while his brain knew it was in fact much worse. 

Now, Nicholas did move. With the speed of sound, escaping as fast as he could, towards the opposite direction.

Basically an entire street away, an old man sighed. 

“Why are you running? I know where you live”

…

The thin man swung his own door open and dashed to the kitchen. he dropped the groceries and froze.

The conclusion which the other man has come to ten minutes earlier, has striked into Nicholas’ head, like lightning into an old building. The same lightning, which came closer and closer, with the dark angry clouds. 

As if it was looking for revenge.

What did he do?! What did HE do?

Nicky looked up from the kitchen desk, which he probably accidentally forgot his gaze on, while visibly panicking, and focused on his own door, which in fact he forgot to lock up in such big hurry. The stormy wind played with it at that moment, but then it probably got tired and gently shut it behind itself while leaving.

The sound of clanking metal which suddenly broke the shrieking wind’s noise made the approaching storm even worse, it felt like a horror movie…he wanted to move, take a leap and just shut the old piece of wood, but he couldn't move. Maybe, he even grew roots in the process.

Nicky heard his own gasping and the metal noises suddenly stopped. right at his door. 

Gentle knock. The old piece of wood  gave in and with a weird creak, it opened, while almost falling off of it's frame.

The same figure he saw earlier,  stood at the door. Dark and menacing. With one raised hand.

It was him.

Him .

His shape like an apple, indeed. Chubby a bit, yet his legs as thin as in the young man's memories. His chin covered in stubble, his mustache and hair fuzzy. more gray colored, than brown. The yellow shirt now almost white, as if it was forgotten under the sun, hardly folded and torn, the old blue argyle vest just missing at multiple places on the man's chest, hanging from him like pieces of clothes, sewed together loosely. He held that ugly giant shovel in his left hand…like a nightmare.

His very own neighbor, Theodore Peterson stood at the door, blocking all the way out, right hand still raised and formed into a fist for knocking.

-Woops. I'll…I guess it needs to be fixed.

He looked up from the wood that just gave in from a knock. 

- Just like that.

The man was shaking. No. In reality, Nicholas’ view was shaking, so was his body and everything else.

If he didn't hold onto the desk, he would've collapsed. 

-Nicky…-the Neighbor began. 

Nicky shook his head, vision blurry, he was on the edge of crying. 

The universe indeed played a dirty game with him, just at the moment he thought he's over the trauma.

-May I come in? - the man asked on low, tired tone. Lower, than in those memories…

Theodore slowly raised and hit the shovel’s edge at the concrete three times, to shake off the dirt. 

-No…no…-Nicholas gaped. Somewhere, he still hoped it's just another nightmare…no. He knew it wasn't. And no voice came out on his mouth. It got lost somewhere near his sore throat.

Theodore rolled his eyes. 

-I take it as a yes. Ya know, kid…-he stepped in, slowly and calmly. With the same speed, he took his wellingtons off. Yes, he was wearing wellingtons…and no gloves. What an upgrade, Nicky thought, before he collapsed on a chair, realizing that he's unable to kick his unexpected visitor out. 

He cannot do it. 

-Don't mind the shovel, I know it looks horrible, but it's my walking stick and I'm…-the man's gaze somehow wandered behind himself when his muscle memory told him to shut the door,  and he took a quick look at the ruins of his home - This house looks fucking ass now, holy fuck.

This was the sentence which made the younger man snap out.

He didn't remember hearing Theodore cursing, ever. But something deep down told him… he did.

And this thought dragged him back to reality.

While the Neighbor slowly but surely made his way to the couch, which was placed halfway between them, indeed using the shovel as support, the voice returned to the spiky haired man's mouth. 

Delayed, but it was there again.

-No! 

-No what. - the older man leaned against the sofa, visibly tired from such amount of walk.

-You…you aren't real. This isn't happening. 

Theodore took a deep breath and sighed.

-Of course not. Wait until you discover the console. Waiting for your input……for fucks sake. Act like an adult, please. 

Nicky processed none of the words. He heard the man talking, but he couldn't understand anything.

-Before you come to your senses again, I'll tell why I'm here. Because I owe you the truth, at least.

…

The next time Nicholas was aware of his surroundings, they were sitting at the lunch table. On the opposite sides. Neighbor, not letting the shovel go. And Nicky..well, he still had that red apple. 

-I'll tell you how and why things were…then ya can throw my ass out. I don't want to do anything bad..-he looked in front of himself, voice breaking- I never did, kid.

-I'm 32. 

The older man looked up, allowing himself a slight smile.

It disappeared as soon as he closed his eyes, trying to keep the tears in. He stayed like that for a second.

And then…he told it. 

He told him everything .

The how and the why.

How he lost everything under hilariously small amount of time. How he was forced to bring decisions he never would have, if things…if things didn't happen the way they did. And why exactly did Nicholas have to sit in a basement for months, which seemed years for the both of them.

He shared his loss and grief. Finally, there was someone to share it with.

Someone who…who was there. Who knew the details, but at the same time, not. 

What a selfish act, Theodore thought, to share decades of weight he was carrying..with such young man. Now, the both of them carried it, him and the boy.

No. Nicky was a man.

A man.

When he finished the story, he sighed, and kept a long break. As if he needed air. 

He looked at the other, waiting. 

Only now did Nicholas realize, that Theodore is done. He finished it.

-That's the full story.

There wasn't a single question anymore. Everything the man told, was told from experience. every word, every tragedy, every point of the story…it was part of a painful memory, much more recent and accurate than the thin man's, a burden Neighbor carried for so long, straight back to Nicky's house. 

-I don't expect you to forgive me, Nicky. but I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry for everything.

The younger man didn't reply anything. He thought back of his own memories, even the recent, perhaps twisted ones, where he saw the man, stuck with fear. grief. regrets. Trapped by the shadow man...

There it was. 

But the giant figure, the big shadow man with glowing white eyes…Nicky did not see it. Not anymore.

he wanted to ask if Theodore has ever seen it…it all seemed so silly. everything at that point seemed unfitting and stupid. There were no fitting words in that scene. 

Neighbor slowly pulled himself up from the chair, relying on his shovel.

-Theodore…-Nicky surprised himself. He went on regardless. - Where will you go now?

The man slowly turned a back at him. He shoved something off of his old and faded vest, not doing a full turn this time. 

The vest was covered in dirt and dark stains, so it didn't matter. 

But the green eyes…Nicky was a child again, when he looked into them. Because the way the man looked into his dark brown eyes…that was the very exact same. 

And then. he just shrugged. 

He slowly began walking towards the door. 

-Don't go to the woods. 

-Why?

-There's some creature running around like crazy. Just stay away. -He stopped, leaning on his shovel entirely - Please . 

Nicholas didn't exactly know, what's the best thing to do now…let the man walk out and put the door back to it's frame? or…

And then, his brain seemingly restarted. He could think again.

-I forgive you.-he said, and sincerely, he hoped he doesn't have to repeat it, because first the man didn't even turn back, just stayed as he was.

Then, he did, just slowly.

-Thanks…..I guess….-He grabbed on the shovel a bit stronger and sighed from turning so many times, carefully making his way out.

-It's…it's good to know the truth. -Nicky now stood up, unexpectedly feeling light like a cloud. So light, his legs felt like he was floating. He went after him on his own . It was easy to catch up with the man - the tables turned. 

He gently touched the old vest, and, his shoulder.

-Be careful…okay?

The man looked up to him. And then, back in front of himself. 

-You're a good guy, Nicky. Wish I had a son like you. -his voice broke at the end.

Who knows, why. 

He slowly put the wellingtons on, they were so old, so dried up, he just had to step into them. 

Nicholas just..stood there and watched him, leaving with the rumble and the storm which miraculously showed them mercy this time.

Theodore hit that horrible shovel against the asphalt every time he took a step. 

And then, the man just disappeared in the distance.

As if the landscape swallowed him..

Nicholas looked around in his house.