Among The Moss

@nervousleaderr from here

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Lawrence hadn’t been thinking about consequences. He rarely ever did when he started to see red. Dwight wasn’t the only one being bothered by the person downstairs. Staring when he went to get his mail, making comments under their breath, trying to make conversation with backhanded small talk. Not to mention, he could hear them on the phone all the time through the floor. Yelling at someone, acting like the piece of shit Lawrence knew them to be.

But what they’d done to Dwight? When we heard about it, he was livid. He tried to hide it, though probably not very well, until the time was right. 

When Dwight came home in what seemed like a state of panic and told him what happened, that was the end of Lawrence’s rope. The next time he saw them, he invited them up to his apartment for some tea. But once they were inside, while they were busy already making more inappropriate and annoying comments, Lawrence was locking his door. All of the locks.

At first he wanted to just strangle them, but they’d started to realize that Dwight lived in the apartment with Lawrence. Started talking about how hot he is, how they’ve been trying to get in his pants, all of that disgusting rot that struck Lawrence to his core. He’d known liars like this before. He’d known people who would do just about anything to get what they wanted.

So he didn’t just strangle them. He leapt on them with unbridled rage. A feral, haunting, rage-fueled beast. When he’d killed people before, he wanted it to be painless. This time, he wanted them to hurt. So he knocked them out. Tied them up and put them in his tub. Blood was easier to wash down that way.

They’d ended up cut to ribbons by the end of it, guts spilled every which way, flesh peeled open like a blanched tomato. He was exhausted by the end, but satisfied. That’s when Dwight had come home.

It was only when he saw the look on his friend’s face that the guilt set in. He shifted, looking down at his blood-stained clothes and hands like a child who broke a lamp.

Dwight’s eyes widened in complete short as Lawrence described his taste of death. At first it seemed impossible, for someone to be able die and come back. But Dwight knew there was a hidden world, unknown to common people. He was unfortunate to stumble across the reality of different realms and Eldritch beings seeking to harvest him. Having someone escape death didn’t seem to outlandish, especially since Dwight has gone through it plenty of times. “I’m so sorry.” Dwight says, gazing up at Lawrence with genuine sympathy. “It must been horrifying to go through that.” He frowned at Lawrence.

Dwight felt a mixture of grateful and anxiety brew in the pit of his stomach. He was glad he didn’t have to worry about finding shelter, he had nothing on him that would help. But he also hated to burden Lawrence like this, to take up space in his house. “I will repay you for this.” Dwight says firmly, as if it was already decided. “I can’t thank you enough, for patching my wounds and letting me stay. I’ll help around the house too, I’m more than happy to do that.” Another genuine smile broke out.

“I wouldn’t call you a freak, but yeah.” Dwight chuckled a little. “I guess guys like us should stick together. We’re a small bunch who know that things aren’t what they seem.”

He knew better than most how to read people. The horror in Dwight’s eyes was genuine, despite what he’d also been through. The apology was a strange thing to hear. People didn’t apologize to him. People didn’t care about him. He was fine with that, or he thought he was. Evidently he was wrong, because he didn’t know how to respond. So he didn’t. He shrugged.

His apartment already didn’t have much space. He could get an air mattress or a sleeping bag. Extra pillows, an extra blanket. It did get cold in his apartment... or maybe that was just him. He was told that the air conditioning was fixed. Then again, they said the fridge was fine too.

“It’s fine. I... I don’t have a lot. The only food I have is freezer food sometimes, but my fridge is bad so I just get gas station food or fast food.” He knew that how he lived wasn’t comfortable for normal people. It’s not how people were supposed to live. He just wanted to live in the woods.

“Did something kill you?” Dwight asked. “I mean, how did you even die?” He imagined that coming back from the dead would be surprising, but dying in the first place might be even worse. He frowned slightly. “I’m sorry, was that personal of a question?” Dwight was sitting back up, drawing his knees to chest. The tightness and sore spot in his chest had gone.

Unknown to Dwight, his wounds were healing fast, inhumanly fast. He didn’t realize how quick the pain was fading and dismissed it as the drink that Lawrence had given him. What was it anyway? Why did Lawrence have such a liquid prepared? Was he was expecting a stranger to fall out of a wormhole like some sort of rain dance?

“Thank you again, for letting me stay.” Dwight looked around the house, then down at Lawrence’s bed. There was only one. “…You know, I’m fine with the floor. A pillow and blanket can make the hugest difference, besides in the realm I slept on the cold, dirt forest floor.”

Lawrence sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, the first time... It’s really fuzzy, a-and I try not to think about it. It wasn’t great... I woke up in a body bag. But my mom told me it was just a nightmare. I hate liars.” He shook his head.

“After that it was just... Accidents. Weird things would happen. It’s like I attract it, like everything wants to kill me since I came back,” He frowned. “Plus, I... Don’t have the best sense of self-preservation.” He could swear his job killed him once, but everyone thought he was fine because he woke back up.

He fidgeted, leaning against the table of plants by the window. He couldn’t help but glance at Dwight, wondering if where he’d come from had changed him physically at all. Falling out of a portal might have some strange effects, it could be interesting to— No. Stop that.

“I think I could find some extra blankets so it’s not as hard on the ground... I don’t have to tell my landlord, either. Not that he’d care even if I did tell him.” He took a deep breath, trying to mull it over in his head. “I’ve only met one other person who’s been through something like I have. I-it wasn’t the same, and... She died a year after I met her, so it doesn’t... It doesn’t matter.” It obviously mattered.

Dwight wished he was more shocked. He wished he was more horrified at the idea of someone coming back to life. But after what he’s been through, he was desensitized to this sort of thing. He just simply stared at Lawrence, as if he was trying to figure him out. “You’ve…also came back from death.” Dwight says, more to himself than anything, as if he was confirming what Lawrence had said.

“…That must have been horrifying..dying and then coming back to life.” Dwight frowned. “When I first came back, I was relieved. I thought my death and imprisonment was just a bad dream. But then I kept dying and I kept coming back to life.” Dwight looks at the ground. “Sometimes I wish I stayed dead..” He mutters to himself.

Dwight perks up slightly at Lawrence’s offer to stay, but frowns slightly. “I would only stay if you’d let me, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything.” Dwight said. “You helped me with my wounds, so I think I already like you. I mean, I think anyone else who saw a stranger fall out of a portal would run away.” Dwight managed a friendly smile.

“But you helped me, and that was very kind of you.” Dwight nodded in agreement. “Yeah…I have a lot to think about it. I’m…I’m free…and I have no idea what to do now. I guess it’s just nice to know helpful people still exist.”

Lawrence scratched his stubbled jaw, trying to think on the situation. At least he knew Dwight wouldn’t freak out at the idea of resurrection. Two kindred spirits, two people knowing similar pains. It was relieving. It was something he hadn’t felt in so long. He’ll keep out the awful parts of himself, hide them as long as possible.

“It wasn’t that scary,” He shrugged. “At first, I didn’t even know that’s what happened. I always thought the first time was some sort of weird dream, but then I... I sort of.. Kept dying. So I didn’t really have a choice but to figure it out.”

He took a breath, tracing circles on the table behind him. “I’ve seen a lot of weird things, I guess. I’m not sure what to do to help, though,” He said. “Sorry...”