#horror elements

You walked down the dimly lit hallway til you made it to your room. Yuuta and yuuka were busy making dinner while yuuken was busy fixing a leaky faucet in one of the bathrooms in the dorm.

For the past 7 months, you’ve been nothing but the quiet shy little lamb of ramshackle. People still talk to you, but they never take it to the next level, a friendship level. The only friends you do have are the four people you came here with in this strange world and also grim. But even then you still feel lonely. Those four are always busy with their new friends they made here.

You don’t hold any kind of resentment towards any of them, obviously not their still very kind to you and offer you help! But, you do get lonely at times and wished you had at least someone who you can call a true friend. Or at least someone you can go out and eat with, plan sleepovers or even some shopping with the little allowance that Crowley gives you guys.

You sit down on your comfortable bed, you thank the sevens for Kalim's kind character. He surprised you guys with comfy bedding and pillows for Christmas and you couldn’t be any more grateful to be able to sleep in some nice and comfy sheets. You finish the last few things needed for your assignments before letting out a sigh of relief. You were finally done after two stressful nights! And on time too because then you heard a knock from your bedroom door.

It was yuuken

“Dinner is ready” He says.

“I’ll be down in a few!” You get up and slide into your comfy slippers. A gift from Yuuken, who got it from deuce’s hometown. You do a couple of stretches after days of hunching over trying to get work done. You leave your room and walk downstairs.

The delicious aroma of dinner hits you. Your stomach growls and you quickly rush to the dining room.

“Yay you’re here! Now we can eat!” Yuuna says excitedly. You noticed that Ace wasn’t around.

“Riddle came and dragged him out. Poor guy, he's definitely going to have a sore neck for the next few weeks.” Yuuta sighs as he shakes his head. Feeling bad for the first year.

You chuckle before taking a seat. The five of you then begin to dig in as you talk about your days and what you guys have planned for tomorrow. You found out through yuuka that riddle has invited them over for an unbirthday party tomorrow.

And unfortunately for you, you were not invited.

Well, more so you were forgotten…again.

You ignored their pitiful stares. You all know riddle met no harm, it’s just that the boy actually forgets that you are also there too. You jokingly said it was because you barely talk to the boy- well anyone actually and that you’re always so quiet.

You noticed yuuken open his mouth to talk but you quickly cut him off.

“It’s okay! Besides, I have to finish this magic history paper for professor trien class anyways! But you guys have fun” You lie through your teeth. You don’t want them to know how much it actually hurts and bothers you about not being invited to fun events.

It’s embarrassing

And that was that.

-

It was the day of the unbirthday party. The four yuus have already left, yuuna still insisted for you to come but you politely declined. You didn’t want to make it awkward and make him feel bad for accidentally forgetting to invite you…again.

And so they left. Now you were all alone in this big dorm. Grim has been staying over at the heartslabyul dorm for a few days now after the adecue duo lost a bet against yuuka.

You sat quietly on your bed thinking back on the last couple of mouths. You miss your home. Your family and the small number of close friends that you have made.

So now being in a place where you’re all alone and lonely even when you have people with you sucks. You just don’t feel like you belong.

You tried to hold it. The pain about being in some unknown world with no one by your side. You let the tears you were holding fall as you cried about the last couple of months of being here.

You tried befriending the first years how the other yuus have. Though for some reason some of them were awkward towards you. Well, it was more of your fault since you didn’t know what to say or even talk about. What do people in this world even have to talk about? You don’t know the history, the different cultures, languages, trends, movies, books, celebrities- YOU DONT KNOW ANY OF THAT.

You tried with the others too! But they either…politely brushed you aside or just awkwardly smiled before sprinting away to one of the yuus.

You have never felt so embarrassed.

You slowly look down at your hands.

Small cuts and permanent bruises due to the overblots you had to face.

You remember experiencing the overblots for the first time. How scared you were the first few times before growing completely used to it. You look down at the big scar on your arm. No one knows that it was from one of the overblots. Not even the yuus! Well…besides yuuken.

You bite the inside of your cheek. Trying to hold back a sob.

Back home. When you would feel useless or stressed. You always did the unthinkable.

You slowly lift up your sleeves. Old and new marks litter your skin like a canvas. Some faded and others slowly recovered.

You just hate how awkward and introverted you are.

You closed your eyes before pulling your sleeve down.

Not today

You can’t

You lay down as you quietly cried in the comforts of your own bed as you closed your eyes.

Maybe a nap will make you feel better.

-

The next couple of months was starting to become hell for you. You thought you would get better, continue being the forgotten lamb of ramshackle and living your quiet and somewhat normal life here- but no.

You don’t know how or what you did, but you’ve started to feel worse than before. Like a heavy weight sitting on your shoulders.

You have been starting to get dreams. Weird and strange dreams that would torment you all night to the point that some nights you don’t even get any rest.

It was horrible

And then…there were the voices. Voices that kept whispering your name. It was small at first. Barely noticeable until it slowly started growing louder and soon they even started talking to you.

You ignored it at first. To the best of your ability as you continue to try to live your normal life.

But it didn’t stop. In fact, ignoring it just made it worse.

It keeps trying to lure you into the woods that stood right behind ramshackle. It was all weird.

And of course the others have noticed. They saw how sleep deprived you were along with being very jumpy. They remember you getting scared when epel came up to you to ask a question about something regarding one of Mr. Crewel's tests. You quite literally jumped out of your skin as you stared at him with wide eyes.

They did come and ask if you were okay, but you just smiled and told them that you were fine.

But in reality both you and them knew something was wrong.

And you weren’t the only one who thought that too.

Lilia has been watching you for some time. He’s never really talked to you but he has greeted you once or twice in the past, which is why he also saw the change that happened to you. For a month now he senses this weird and sort of….evil presence near you.

He tried speaking to you once. But for some reason you would run away from him when he appeared. Which made him frown.

You never ran away from him

He knows something is wrong, and he’ll make sure to find out what it is.

-

The bell rings for the end of the day. Everyone gets up and rushes out to the already crowded hallways to go back to their dorms or hang out after classes with friends.

You walk out of class sweaty. A few kids bump into you on the way out, not even bothering to say excuse me.

The halls are filled with a bunch of rowdy and loud students as you sluggishly try pushing your way through to go back to your dorm.

For the whole day you weren’t able to concentrate in any of your classes. Since this morning you have been burning up with a bad fever and so you were just ready to go back to ramshackle and get some rest.

You kept pushing yourself as you walked down the crowded halls. At one point you collided harshly against another student. Without bothering to look you let out a small “sorry” before continuing to walk.

Jack looks at you for a moment as he watches you walk away. The moment he had accidentally bumped into you, he was ready to apologize but stopped when a strong and strange smell hit him.

It was coming from you.

But it was strange because the smell that came off of you, had a strong smell of magic.

He continues watching you until you turn a corner.

Strange

On the whole walk back you couldn’t help but look over your shoulders every now and then. You were sweating like crazy and your whole body trembled. You uncapped the bottle in your hands and took a big sip of water.

That's when you heard it.

A quiet, comforting voice

Y/n

You quickly turned around. But there was nothing. No signs of students, teachers, or anyone in sight. The sun burned rather harshly on your skin and uniform. You felt like you were being cooked alive.

You gulp down the remaining water before quickly running back to the dorm.

You made it to the dorm before anyone. You rushed to take your shoes off before making your way upstairs. Though, as you were walking towards your room, your vision started to get blurry and you swear you feel like your whole world around you was starting to feel loopy and disoriented.

Y/n

Y/n

You quickly turn around. But again, nothing.

You grab onto the doorknob as everything soon feels unreal and the last thing you hear before you faint is the now loud and angry voice.

Y/N

And it goes black

-

It seems like there was more than one voice talking around you. It was muffled but you can tell that whoever was talking sounded panicked and worried.

You slowly opened your eyes. You wince at the raging headache and the voices around you growing louder before someone shushes everyone up. You feel a rough but gentle hand stroke your cheek and say your name.

Y/n

Y/n can you hear me?

“Y/n are you okay?” You open your eyes to see Yuuken look at you worriedly. Behind him was yuuka, yuuta, yuuna, and grim staring at you in worry.

“You’re finally awake! What happened?” Yuuna quickly asks. She helps you sit up as she hands you a cup of water.

“H-huh?”

“You fainted. When we came in we saw you on the ground outside of your room"Yuuka says with a worried tone. Her brows were furrowed as she motioned Yuuta to bring you the soup he made. He also looked worried.

“Yeah you had grim worried sick when he touched you and said you were hot to the touch- here I made some soup”

You fainted?

“I-I don’t know what happened”

“Are you sick? Jack mentioned seeing you looking uncomfortable and sickly, asked me to check up on you”

Y/n

That what it kept saying

Your name over and over and over again.

“Y/n?”

“Huh?” You turn to yuuken. For a split second, he had a look that you couldn’t quite understand before he sighed and let go of your hand.

You weren’t even aware he was holding it.

“Get some rest. I’ll tell Crowley to excuse you from class tomorrow and I’ll make sure to bring you any assignments from class”

You just nodded as you finished the remaining water in your cup.

“I hope you get better soon” yuuta says. The rest nod and bid you goodbye before walking out of your room.

You don’t know why, but deep down you feel like it’s just the beginning to something…sinister.

-

“Is it just me…or has y/n been acting kind of…strange lately?”

Everyone turns to look at grim. He was currently munching on a can of tuna while the rest were busy with cleaning up Crowley's office.

“Yeah Ive noticed it too”

“Do you think it’s the dreams again?” Yuuta asked.

“She’s said she hasn’t had them in over a month, I doubt it could be that…right?” They all look at each other. They knew that you weren’t fully honest about how you’ve been feeling lately, but it saddens them to know that you are deciding to deal with this alone rather than telling them and asking for help.

“She’s been getting sick almost every week now, even Jack is starting to get concerned”

“Then what should we do? Shouldn’t we tell Crowley?” yuuken shook his head.

“Already did, all he said was that it’s just dreams and that she’s still not used to twisted wonderland” Yuuna frowns.

“Do you guys think….that we adjusted a little too fast in this world?” Silence. Even grim stops eating.

“I mean, we were all scared and confused coming here! We didn’t even know each other back then but being from the same world brought us together”

“Do you think she’s still scared and wants to go back home?” Yuuka and yuuta both look at each other.

“T-that could be possible”

“I mean we already met and made so many friends here while also gaining a reputation. And the last time we heard about Crowley finding us a way back home was 3 months ago!” She sighs. She made a mental note to rough up Crowley again for more information about going back home.

“She’s probably tired of waiting”

“That’s enough” everyone turns to yuuken.

“We should hurry so we can head back”

“Besides, she hates being alone”

-

It’s been a month since that weird encounter. You thought it would’ve been a one time thing but now, wherever you go that same voice keeps calling out to you.

When you're studying in your room, when you're alone in the kitchen, in the shower, when you’re getting ready for bed or school.

It’s always. Saying. Your. Name.

And you feel like you’re going crazy.

It always calls when you're alone.

“Y/n?” You scream and yuuken immediately throws his hands up in surrender.

“It’s me! Yuuken!”

“Sevens you scared the shit out of me!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you” He walks inside your dark room. You pat the empty spot next to you and he sat down. For the longest time you were something yuuken has always cared about and admired.

He remembers the first time he saw you.

It was cold. He doesn’t remember how he got here and what happened, all he knows is that he was heading back home after kendo practice before a black carriage came and almost ran him over.

Now he’s here

The doors to the box swing open, he coughs at the dust and steps out. He opens his eyes and he sees that he’s not the only one here.

“H-huh? What is this place?”

“Did I just get kidnapped”

“Am I dead?”

He looks over at every single person before soon locking eyes with you.

Your face said it all. Scared and confused.

“W-where are we?”

“Hello? Earth to yuuken!” He quickly snaps out of it and his ears instantly go hot.

“S-sorry- um” You smile. You nudge his arm before pointing at the clock.

“Well whatever you want to tell me you better be quick, the party is almost starting”

Ah right

The party

“Oh yeah. Um Kalim wanted to see you, said he wanted to thank you for helping him study for that history of magic test”

“O-oh…I would love to but, you know how I haven’t been getting any sleep recently I would much rather just stay in and try getting some rest” You awkwardly play with your hands. Ignoring yuuken stare.

“Right…well if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me”

“Okay”

“I’m serious” You look up at him. There it is again. That look he always gives you and it’s only reserved to you.

You smile and grab his hand.

“I promise I will call if anything happens” You interlock your pinky’s together, a promise to him. You were unaware of how flustered he was and how much that affected him.

“Hey are- ohhhh” He immediately shoots up from his spot and turns to see yuuka. She shot a smirk his way and he instantly went red.

“A-anyways, I think it’s getting pretty late. Let’s go yuuka”

“Totally” She waves you goodbye as they both leave.

The two of them walked down the stairs and he tried his best to ignore yuuka who was currently teasing him.

“Ohh so is prince charming finally going to confess and have his happily ever after with his bride?~”

“Very funny”

“Ouuu what’s this I hear! Yuuken finally confessed?”

“What? How’d it go?! Are you two dating now!”

“Quiet down! She’s upstairs you know” yuuka laughs as she swings her arm over his shoulder.

“Seriously, you need to hurry up and get her before someone does”

“True, some kid in my class lately says how pretty y/n is-“

“Sevens let’s go before we’re late”

Everyone laughed as they began to tease him.

-

When they say Scarabia knows how to throw good parties. They know how to throw good parties. Upon arriving, the yuus knew immediately that at least HALF of the school was here.

“Damn did he invite the whole school?”

“Knowing Kalim, he probably did”

“That’s a Scarabia party for you”

“Hey! Over here” They all turned around to see Jamil. He walks over to where they were and greets them.

“Jamil!” Yuuna gives him a hug as he stumbles back. He awkwardly gives her a hug back, careful to not spill his drink on her.

“Hey where’s Kalim?” Yuuta asks curiously.

“He’s on the dance floor” Yuuna and yuuta both turn to see Jamil. He nods over to Kalim's direction and they both look over to see Kalim and other students dancing. The two giggle.

“You guys can talk to him after. He’s excited to have you guys here again”

“Thank you for the invite, means- oh don’t tell me that’s grim” they all turn around to see Ace and deuce trying to get grim off the buffet table. Yuuka sighs before excusing herself to go take care of it.

“I hope you made enough food for everyone, seems like grim won’t be leaving that table anytime soon” Jamil sighs as he rubs his temple.

“Luckily for you, I did make enough to feed a whole village…”

“Is that fruit punch?” Yuuna asks excitedly. Jamil nods and tells her where to get it. She thanks him before quickly sprinting to get some fruit punch.

As the three began to talk, yuuken was suddenly pulled back by his arm. He turns around to see who it was but was met by Lilia's horrified face.

“Wheres y/n”

“What?”

“Y/n where is she?” He gives him a confused look before answering his question.

“She’s back in ramshackle, she didn’t feel like coming-”

“We have to go”

“What? Wha-”

“She’s not safe ! We have to go now before it’s too late” Now this has already started causing a scene. Yuuta quickly walks up to Lilia with a confused yet panicked look.

“What do you mean? Is something bad going to happen to y/n?”

“I’ll explain on the way, but right now we have to go to ramshackle”

-

Back in ramshackle

You woke up to the sound of the wooden floors downstairs creaking. You turn to the clock to check what time it is.

11:29 pm

They left an hour ago.

You sigh before laying back down and sleep.

*THUD*

You jump at the sound of something falling downstairs. You froze and held in a breath, trying not to make any noise and listen.

…

….

Nothing

“No, it’s all in your head” You whisper to yourself. You took a couple deep breaths as you tried to clear your mind.

You waited again.

Yet nothing

“It’s all in your head” you cuddle up closer to your bed and close your eyes.

You knew that ramshackle is an old dorm. So you tried not to think too much about it every time you heard a creak coming from the wooden floors. Or the sound of the curtain fabric swinging from the window, or the sound of the leaky faucet from the bathroom again.

You ignored it all until you heard it

Y/n

Your name

But this time it sounded much closer

Like, it was inside your room. You already feel tears threatening to stream down your face.

No no it’s all in your head

You closed your eyes again and tried to ignore it. Which was a mistake on your part.

Y/N

It’s screaming at you

Asking you to look at it.

But you can’t, you don’t want to

A shiny green light suddenly appears in the middle of your room.

Y/n

It’s calling to you

You made a mistake by accidentally looking at it. Now your whole body lost its control as you become hypnotized by the green light.

And you were lured by the comforting voice that was calling your name.

You slowly raised up from bed

And followed it.

Your door opens which then the light soon leaves the room and lures you with it. You follow it down the stairs, through the ramshackle living room, into the kitchen and to the back door.

It was dark outside and cold. You only had on your oversized t-shirt along with shorts and you were barefoot. But that didn’t matter since you couldn’t feel anything other than hearing the strange yet comforting voice calling out to you.

Y/n

You follow it as it takes you into the dark and eerie woods behind the dorm. The small green glow being your only source of light throughout the dark night.

As it took you farther away from your dorm, it knew you wouldn’t be able to come back.

“That thing! All those night terrors and dreams she’s been having along with her sickness, it’s all its fault!”

Lilia and yuuken quickly left the party after what Lilia had said. He told yuuta to stay and watch over the grim and the girls as him and Lilia ran back to ramshackle.

“I don’t understand, who is it?”

“A entity”

“It seems like y/n has grown super strong emotions during her stay here. It’s like an overblot! But the difference is this entity isn’t from here, it’s from another dimension and it hasn’t been seen or active in over a millennium”

An entity?

“What does it want from her?”

“It wants her! Her emotions, pain, everything was strong enough to manifest itself back!”

“It won’t stop until it has her”

It feels like centuries before it soon takes you inside of a cave. A cave that has never been seen in centuries.

The green light then stops in the middle of the cave. It glows bright and green as it slowly shrinks back til it’s nothing.

Finally

Your mine

The voice says before you feel something lunge at you. Impaling you. You quickly broke away from its mind control and screamed. It pinned you to the ground as you tried helplessly to get it off you. You began to choke on your own blood as it squeezed and pulled on your insides.

The last thing you see is a cloud of what looks like colorful smoke before you give up.

“No one will remember you”

“You will always be ramshackles forgotten lamb”

The grief, anger, and pain you have felt all this time has helped to manifest an ancient twisted being that hasn’t been seen in over a millennium.

Now it finally has you

-

Erm anyways, leave any comments if you guys are interested in me writing horror pieces! Especially for this upcoming October !

Leaving the Empty feels like squeezing himself through a quarter-inch pipe. Unbearable pressure on all sides. Crushing. Suffocating.

And then—

Light.

At first, it’s just another void. A glowing, white version of the same place they’d been in before, endless and still. But then Castiel’s many eyes adjust, and he sees it for what it is.

They’re not in Heaven. They’re just outside, suspended in the veil that separates it from Earth and eases the transition of newly untethered souls from one plane to another.

It’s not a physical space, and contrary to the beliefs of some on Earth there is no particular gate between here and Heaven, but that’s only because the gate is everywhere. Once a soul is ready, the veil parts around them like a gossamer curtain, and they find themselves in whichever version of paradise has been awaiting them.

For many, it’s always been some deeply treasured memory, but just as often, it’s rest.

Castiel is surprised that Jack has brought him here instead of directly into the heart of Heaven. Jack notices. Or perhaps he just knows, now that he’s God.

Perhaps Castiel will never again have a thought that isn’t overheard by this boy he’s tried so hard to raise.

“I thought you might want to visit Sam and Dean first,” Jack explains. “Before we begin.”

Something swoops in Castiel’s chest at the suggestion, but he shakes his head, the memory of Jack’s words to the Winchesters fresh in his mind.

“You told them you wouldn’t interfere.”

“It’s not really interfering to bring you back to Earth,” Jack argues.

Castiel raises his brow.

“Bringing me back from the dead—”

“You weren’t even dead, though! You were just… away for a while. It’s basically the same as if you were stuck on an island and I sent you a boat.”

“That is definitionally interfering,” Castiel tells him.

“Well. Maybe. But I still think it’s okay,” Jack says, then squints. Tilts his head to the side. Castiel feels like he’s looking into a mirror. “Wait. Do you not want to go back?”

“That’s… complicated.”

It’s not really. It’s difficult, yes, but it’s not complicated. It’s actually incredibly simple: Castiel suspects that the manner of his leaving may have hurt Dean too profoundly for a mere visit to do anything but cause him more pain.

If he were returning for good, he might feel otherwise. If he were returning for good, he could perhaps see a chance of repairing some of the damage he’s done.

But to return only to leave again?

No. That would be selfish. Cruel. As much as he wishes things were different, it’s better if he stays in Heaven where he can’t do any more harm. It has to be.

And if he stays in Heaven, he’ll still see Dean again. Eventually. It’ll just be a long, long time from now, when Dean’s had time to move past what Castiel told him. When he’s had time to understand it. When he’s found someone to love. When he’s lived out the rest of his years happy and fulfilled.

Then, Castiel will be waiting to greet him in the afterlife, and enough years will have passed that Dean’s pain will have faded. A bruise long-healed.

The distance of all the years between them will soften the edges of their last parting, and he’ll meet Castiel as an old friend. A brother in arms.

Castiel can live with that.

He doesn’t think he can live with less.

“Alright, listen up! Some of this stuff is dangerous, so don’t touch! And yeah, you break it, you definitely buy it!” Stan barked as he started to lead the crowd around their haunted artifact room. Ford let out a sigh through his nose. He really wished Stanley wouldn't add the smoke and mirrors aesthetic to their very real, very serious line of work.

Stanley should know better, after all. He was the one with the ‘gift’ though he never saw it as such. Stan had inherited their mother's psychic ability and flair for the dramatic. Ford watched from the corner of his eye as the people trundled behind Stan as he pointed out certain things and gave a long-winded explanation, lying about the lesser terrifying things.  Adding more details than needed, playing fast and loose with some of the facts.

He never understood it. But it paid their bills and allowed Ford to carry on his research here in Gravity Falls so he couldn’t be too put off by Stan’s way of doing things. After all, Stan’s gift, his rules. Ford often wondered if it was all a coping mechanism, having those abilities couldn’t have been an easy feat. Stan always passed it off as nothing.

But he could tell when Stan felt or saw something. 

Like right now, as Stan led the crowd, the way his shoulders tensed and he adjusted his hearing aid, setting it to off as he cleared his throat, his attention was drawn to the glass case in the corner, something he refused to talk about. The true story of that artifact would have been a great story to tell. Yet Stan said it wasn’t that interesting, laughed and hurried everyone past it.

Ford watched Stan, looking over his shoulder, eyes fixed on the encased item with a grimace on his face. Stan had gotten better with his poker face over the years, Ford was just good at reading him. He recalled that mission, the case had seemed easy, straightforward, but it had challenged them both and the spirit within still called out to Stan, whispers and curses when he was close enough to it.

“That's a wrap folks! I’ll take you to the gift shop next! Be sure to pick up some great merch!” Stan went back to his loud and boisterous self as he turned his hearing aid back on. The bright grin spread across his face as he led the herd to the gift shop section.

Ford sighed, louder this time, to himself as he looked around the room. He wondered how many things spoke to Stan, which still gave him the feel of unease. Ford sometimes found himself wishing he’d also been blessed with their mother's gift. It might have helped him feel closer to her, to Stan. 

He knew it was really more of a curse than a gift and he didn’t think it would have been worth sharing in the pain.

The room was silent for him. Just a room of objects. Maybe it was better to be numb to these things. He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his work, the sketch complete. He tittled it and made a few notes before he jumped, hearing the phone.

“Pines residence, Stanford Pines speaking.”

“I think we got a devil in our house,” came a thick southern accent. “Can ya help us?”

Ford smiled. This was what he lived for. Helping people with their problems was a nice bonus in furthering his knowledge and research.

“I’m sure we can arrange something!” Ford pulled out his notebook, jotting down the details.

–

Stan had just finished with the tour group, having closed up the Shack for the day and was counting the money at the register when Ford came barging in, manic grin plastered on his face and notebook gripped tightly in his hand. “Stanley! We have another case!” he tossed the small notepad on the counter, hands on his hips, looking pleased with himself.

He quirked a brow and looked down his nose at the pad, putting the whad of notes into the register and closing the drawer. “Did we just get that call?” Ford nodded and he hummed in thought as he looked over the details.

“That ain’t too far from here,”

“Yes! We can simply take the camper van an-” “Did ya tell them we had a fee?” Stan cut in and Ford blinked, derailed from his excitement. “Of course I did, Stanley.  They weren’t sure they could afford it but I said the price is negotiable.”

“Is it now?” 

“We’ll talk about that later. The case seems very interesting! I’ve not heard about a haunting of this level. It might not just be regular ghosts!” Ford opened and closed his hands, a habit he’d picked up when his emotions were overwhelming. 

“When we headin’ out, Sixer?” “Tomorrow!”

- 

Tomorrow rolled around and the campervan was packed with everything they needed. “Think ya can handle it, Soos?” Stan looked at his assistant who saluted him with a determined nod. “I’ve been training all my life for this moment dude,” Soos said, dead serious which made Stan chuckle. He pats Soos on the shoulder.

“Atta boy,”

He handed Soos the keys before he walked to the camper seeing Ford sat in the passenger seat, a grim expression as he balled his hands into fists. “Ya look like you're about to shit, Sixer.” he laughed as he got into his seat, putting on his seatbelt and turning the key, hearing the van splutter to life. “Don’t be so crude, Stanley, it’s not that it’s just…” Ford trailed off and looked out the window as they peeled out of the car park. The van lurched and Ford huffed.

“It’s just what?” 

Ford gripped the belt across his chest, knuckles turning white as he noticed Stan’s gaze was on him, not the road. “It’s nothing!” Ford’s voice was getting higher as Stan hit the main road, a horn blaring as he switched lanes.

“Spit it out!”

“You're driving! Heavens! You just ran two red lights, almost hit a bird and you are in the wrong lane!” Ford cried out. “Why didn’t ya say so?” “You always get defensive when I mention your appalling driving skills! How you have remained alive till this day with how bad you drive baffles me!”

Stan was about to snap at him, protest and yell. To start a fight when his gaze returned to the road and he had to dodge to avoid an oncoming truck. Ford glared at Stan and with both arms gestured to the road as if ‘See!!??’ and Stan just chuckled awkwardly. “Arlight, I getcha point, damn.”

“No more bitchin’ about my drivin’ an’ I’ll keep my eyes fixed on the road, hows that?” “Lovely,”

–

He liked driving, it always cleared his head, his own private space away from everything. Even when Ford was with him, he still basked in the open road. Music was playing softly on the radio while Ford softly slept in the passenger's seat, too stubborn to go lie in the back and rest properly. Stan drummed his fingers on the wheel and stared ahead. The world was dark outside the van, their journey brought them to small country roads.

The vans bright lights illuminated the road and the trees on either side of it, the shadows dancing and being chased, causing the imagination to run wild in his peripheral vision. His imagination was never as vivid as the things he really could see.

His hands gripped the wheel tighter as he saw a woman ahead, waiting at the side of the road. Long hair cascaded down her shoulders as she watched the van. Her clothes were drenched in blood as her arm reached out. He kept his focus ahead as they passed her, a scream echoing behind him.

He’d become accustomed to the horrible things, living and dead, everything the world had thrown at him but every so often, something, someone would still chill him to his core. He blinked his eyes a few times as he carried on. He coughed loudly on purpose, hoping to rouse his brother from sleep, a secret sigh of relief when it worked.

“Are we there yet?” Ford mumbled, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. “Grown ass man asking me that, I’ll turn the van around,” Stan replied gruffly but was thankful for the company again.

“About an hour left, was thinkin’ of hittin’ up the next roadside stop we see and gettin’ some grub. Sound good?” Ford just nodded in reply and stretched his legs out, blinking his tired eyes at the open road, seeing the horizon start to lighten up with the first glimpss of the day.

“Yes, that way we don’t arrive at the crack of dawn and bother our clients.”

“You’ve never been a door-to-door salesman and it shows,” Stan smirked as he turned off the narrow and spooky country road at the first signage of a rest stop.

Pulling up to the sleepy rundown rundown-looking roadside diner, Stan sighed, tired. He hoped he could get a few hours of sleep before they met up with the family they were helping. He watched Ford open the door and climb out, grabbing something from the back, probably the journal that was permanently attached to him, just like that damn red turtleneck he wore like a second skin. He got out of the front and followed Ford into the diner.

“I can feel my stomach hurting just from reading the menu. I might just have a coffee,” Ford says, looking over the menu while Stan sat across from him at the booth. Stan felt a chill running down his spine, feeling the static of something pricking the hairs on his neck. He turned off his hearing aid, Ford catching this telltale sign and setting down the menu.

“What is it Stanley?” Ford asked, watching as Stan picked up the menu, acting nonchalant as his eyes scanned over the greasy breakfasts. Stan can feel the creature looming behind him as he uses his pinky to clean out his ear. “Run of the mill trapped where it died ghost, might have a grudge based on the axe sticking out its head.” Stan watched as Ford flipped open his journal, pen in hand.

“Where’s the axe?” “In his head? I just said that? Do you need hearing aids too Sixer?” Stan scoffed.

Ford sighed and slapped his hand on his face, shaking his head. “You're so vague it’s a wonder I get anything correct for my studies,” Stan shrugged, arms folded over his chest as he glances at the ghost shuffling up and down the diner, looking lost.

“Right in the center, I could go and measure by inches if you prefer?” Ford’s gaze flicked over to him, looking unamused by the qip. “I wouldn’t bother drawin’ this one. Like I said, run-of-the-mill dead guy, unremarkable.” Another shurg.

“Stanely! What if someone said that about you? Have some respect for the dead.” Ford chided. “People say it about me while I’m alive,” Stan cut in and Ford’s expression changed. It was true, people were cruel about his brother, especially their late father.

“Stanley…”

“Can I get you fellas anything?” the waitress interrupted.

“Coffee and breakfast 6, toots.” Stanley paused before adding. “Please,” Ford smiled a little at that. It had taken Stanley a while but he was learning, thanks to their great niece and nephew. “Oh, just a black coffee for me, please.” Ford smiled as she noted it down.

“So, tell me about this job.” 

Ford shuffled around in his coat pocket and brought out his notes. “The McGucket family, they’ve been seeing apparitions at night, lights on and off, standard haunting things, but something that calught my attention is how the entity has a habit of erasing memories.” Ford paused and watched Stan, seeing Stan’s eyes follow the axe ghost still, out of a morbid sort of boredom.

“Are they sure they just ain’t losin’ their minds?”

“Well, if it was just one of them, maybe but it’s all three family members. For a few days, Mr. McGucket forgot he was married or had a son and acted like they were strangers. That, combined with the other series of events, I don’t think it’s simply a class C haunting.” Ford saw the confused look on Stan’s face. Ford flipped through his journal and showed Stan the page with the details. Stan rolled his eyes, sitting up as his food was set down in front of him.

“So… whatcha thinkin’ we are dealin’ with here?” Stan asked, mouth full of a forkful of pancake, much to Ford’s distaste. “A demon that’s acting like a class C to hide itself,”  Stan grumbled. “Great, demons, they really fuckin’ hurt. I get a headache for a week.” 

“I’m sorry we overuse your powers.” 

Stan paused mid-chew as he watched how Ford rubbed the back of his neck, clearly feeling guilty for the nature of their work. “Hey, don’t sweat it, alright? It feels good to be useful. I just like to bitch about shit.” Stan shrugged, smiling at Ford and hoping his light-hearted tone would pick his brother up. Ford nodded, a shadow of a smile at the corner of his lip, which was enough for Stan.

“I get to keep most of the money, so I don’t mind ya workin’ me.”

“Thank you, Stanley,”

–

The house was on a farm, fields of green and yellow out both windows as they followed the address. “He’s a hick, ain’t he?” Stan commented as they drew closer to the farmhouse, big barn and all. “Shouldn’t judge others but based on the evidence, I’d say yes.” 

Stan pulled up and watched Ford get out, heading to the door when he realised Stan hadn’t gotten out of the van. He gestured to the porch and Stan just leaned back in his seat. “I’ll be out in a sec, go do your yapping bit.”

Ford pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He didn’t make a fuss; now wasn’t the time. He pressed the doorbell, waiting, nothing, he tried the silly little rooster-shaped knocker and the door opened. A man, taller than himself with long limbs and a slender frame opened the door. His hair was messy and his eyes were bloodshot. “How can I help ya fella?” Fiddleford asked, his clothes seemed messy, like he’d woken up from an unrestful nap.

“You called us. I’m Stanford Pines and that’s my brother Stanley,” Ford nodded behind him where Stan was now outside the van, leaning against the side as he stared into the many windows of the property.

“Oh gosh! I forgot I did that,” a sheepish chuckle as he rubbed his arm. Ford remembered one of the core details that stuck out about the phone call, this demon, spirit, whatever it was that lurked in this home was responsible for making them forget things.

“Names Fiddleford!” he offered his hand for a shake, Ford glancing down. He never liked this form of greeting, he hesitated moving his hands from behind his back and Fiddleford calught on. “Not much of a shaker?” Ford chuckled awkwardly, “No, sorry.”

“God created us all different. Who am I to judge?” Fidds smiled warmly and opened the door further. “My Emma-May is bakin’ in the kitchen before night hits, can never get nothin’ done once the sun goes down,” he mumbled. Ford stepped in, following Fiddleford. His satchel at his side held his journal and tape recorder, all the tools he needed ready to go.

Stan was still outside, hand in his pockets as he stared at the windows, seeing faces and movements. He narrowed his eyes before he pushed off the van and walked up the steps. “How many of you live here?” he asked, not bothering with the formality of a handshake.

“Me ma wife an’ ma son, why?” 

Stan just hummed as he watched Ford pull out his notepad from his pocket. “Three alive and at least two dead that I’ve seen so far,” Stan explained and Ford nodded, jotting Stan’s words down. “M’sorry what?” Fidds laughed.

“Ah, Stanley is the one with the gift,” Ford explained as they both entered the house. The smell of freshly baked cookies was a nice distraction from how cold the place was. Stan winced the moment he stepped into the house, like walking into a freezer, the others didn’t seem to notice. Stan rubbed his arms and felt the heavy oppressive air.

“Somethin’ big lives in here alright, every step feels like I’m draggin’ my feet through snow,” Stan mumbled and turned off his hearing aid, the static that was present when the entity wasn’t even active was all too much for him. 

“You said this thing only comes out at night? Fuck.” 

Fiddleford frowned at the swear but said nothing as he led them into the kitchen where Emma had set out the cookies, their young son Tate playing in the back garden, door open wide to keep an eye on him. It seemed like such a quaint slice of slice of Americana though tinted with a dark presence.

“This here is ma lovely Emma-May,” Fiddleford wrapped an arm around the woman who could only smile and wave. “They made her forget how ta talk, it comes an’ goes. Tomorrow it’ll come back an’ be somethin’ else.” Fiddleford sighed and kissed her on the cheek.

Emma smiled weakly before gesturing to the kettle. “She asks if ya want a cup of tea?” 

Ford was already sitting at the table, writing notes about the family having memories taken from them. “So the memory loss isn’t permanent?” Ford asked, not looking up from his notes as Stan sat down next to him. 

“Well, I don’t think so but then again how would I know?” Fiddleford mumbled as he sat across from the two. Ford nodded and Stan frowned. He looked over Fiddleford’s shoulder. “What?” Ford and Fidds asked at the same time as Stan’s brows furrowed.

“This place is full of ‘em, I don’t think I’ve felt this many since I broke into that morgue as a kid for a bet,” Stan mumbled, looking uncomfortable in his seat before Emma set down a cup of tea in front of him. “Thanks,” 

“Is it really that bad, Stanley?” Ford asked, placing his hand on his shoulder, with a worried expression as he stared ahead, following his gaze. He was worried for Stan, he recalled that night, he’d gone in with Stan, not wanting his brother to get into worse trouble; his being there would soften the blow when their father found out. He remembered watching Stan's seizure, the overwhelming amount of negative energy and the faces of the dead had been too much.

Ford could feel a lump in his throat forming; he had to cough out his thanks as Emma set a cup down for him. Fiddleford shifted in place and risked a look over his shoulder. He saw nothing yet there was an unshakeable feeling in the air of someone standing just behind him. 

“We’ll need to spend the night inside the house to get a more informed insight into what is happening on your property. We are happy to take the living room if that would be less of an inconvenience for you both?” Ford offered as Emma sat next to Fiddleford. 

“I reckon that’ll be alright, won’t it, hun?” Emma nodded in agreement.

“Will ya need to set up a bunch o’ fancy bits an’ pieces?” he asked and Ford shook his head. Stan grunted, amused as he sipped his tea.

“No, Stanley's all the equipment we need most of the time.”

Polite conversation happened over tea and cookies. Ford explained what they were looking for, what they could do to help them. Stan interjected with the fact that they could do a payment plan if needed, to which Ford elbowed him, hard, making him double over at the table.

“Well, thank the lord for both for comin’ to our aid,” Fiddleford smiled as he glanced out the window, seeing Tate playing with his toys out on the grass. His brow furrowed when he noticed the sky no longer blue, morphing into the beginnings of sunset. It would all start again soon.

“He ain’t got nothin’ to do with it. Most religious thing about us is our lack of a turtleneck,” Stan laughed and got another less than gentle nudge from Ford. Making him oof and shoot Ford a glare. “What Stanley means is, we aren’t part of a faith, we just know how to get the job done depending on the haunting.” 

Fiddleford and Emma exchanged a worried look, and that was when Ford noticed the various obviously religious iconography around the kitchen. Ford sipped his tea and decided to shift gears, knowing this sort of conversation could be the start of disagreements, especially with someone as blunt as his brother. 

“So, shall we prepare while we still can?” Fiddleford nodded and pushed out from the table, going to find blankets and pillows for the two to use while they stayed the night. Ford was grateful Stanley's remarks hadn’t cost them any of this man's hospitality.

-

The living room was set up so they could be comfortable if they decided to sleep. Stan stretched and mumbled as everything groaned and creaked, his body a haunted house in its own right. Ford was ready, tape recorder at his side, ready to press record the moment Stan showed signs he was seeing something. Fiddleford hung out with them, nervous, he had the feeling bringing more people into the situation might piss the spirits off even more, he was convinced a demon roamed these halls, gobbling up all their memories and stealing their nights of sleep. 

“We got it from here, Fiddlesticks,” Stan said as he flopped on the sofa, getting comfy. Ford sat on an armchair. “Thank you, Fiddleford. We shall begin our research now.” Fiddleford nodded, taking one last look around the room before leaving. He didn’t like to leave Tate and Emma alone when it got dark. 

“Alright, good luck.” 

They watched as he left, closing the door behind him. Ford settled into his chair, reading over his notes and comparing them to his pages of research. He could tell Stan was suffering in silence, how he was bundled up in the blankets, a bitter cold that only someone with sharp senses could feel. Ford frowned as Stan tossed and turned, trying to settle.

At some point Stan had managed to drift off, tired from the long drive and the emotional energy the haunting was already draining him of, not that he would ever admit it. Ford would stay up and keep watch, repaying Stan for letting him sleep on the drive.

Ford was deep in his reading when the lamp light flickered, he didn’t move, didn’t react. This was an old house, an aged hand-me-down lamp. He needed more than that to wake Stan from his sleep. He glanced at the clock. 11 pm.  He made a note lights flicker at 11 pm duration a few seconds.

Nothing seemed to happen again until 2 am when all the doors in the house started to rattle. Ford stood up, getting his tape recorder ready as the doors started to open and close, slamming loudly. Stan woke with a start, wiping the drool from his chin as he came too with his surroundings, trying to remember where he was, 

“What fuckin’ bills are you playing to be making this much noise this late? Jeez.” Stan’s gravely voice barked out as he rolled over slowly, annoyed at the rude awakening. 

Fiddleford had rushed down the stairs and into the living room, avoiding the swinging door. “I told you!” he proclaimed as Ford and Stan stood from their seats. “Let’s go,” 

Stan led the way, the house even colder than before and he was shivering, the other two seemingly unbothered by the further drop in temperature. “I’m feezin’ my nuts off…” Stan mumbled gruffly as he walked down the hall. Fiddleford rolled his eyes. Was this man really going to save them?

The guy who was standing in the hallway itching his ass? Was that really going to be his family's savior? He was starting to doubt if these two had powers at all or if they were just here to flimflam him. Stan, mid-asscrach paused and stared down the hall.

“What is it, Stanley?” Ford turned on the recorder and stepped closer to Stan.

“Big, mean fucker. Has to duck under the doorframe,” there was a tremble in Stan’s voice as he described the being. The symbols all over its body and the robe it wore, the way he described them. Ford perked up. “I know those….” he said and dropped to his knees, pulling out his journal and flipping to the correct page. “Stanley, do any of the markings on the demon match these?” Stan turned and squinted and the hall light went out.

“Damnit!” Ford called out, frustrated. “Don’t worry none, I gotcha,” Fiddleford crouched and pulled a flashlight out of his pocket, turning it on. “The ghosties don’t much like us havin’ lights on, so I came prepared,” he explained and Ford gave him a grateful smile. 

Stan sat down cross-legged and stared at the open journal pages before looking back at the entity, which was gone. “Fuckin’ Christ,” Fiddleford glared. “Fudgin’ chrust?” Stan offered instead with a shrug, it was obvious he wasn’t going to get a tip for a job well done.

“It must know we have information to stop it,” Ford stood, holding the pages open, Fiddleford keeping the light pointed at the book as Stan grimaced, standing up slower than the other two, the cracks in his knees being the loudest sound in the empty hallway.

“Is there a particular area the spirits congregate?” Fiddleford furrowed his brow at the question and Stan sighed. “He means, where does the spooky shit happen the most?” Stan translated for Fidds who nodded. “That’ll be the upstairs.”

“Of course it’s upstairs, couldn’t be somewhere easy on my joints huh?” Stan sighed and Ford rolled his eyes, letting Fiddleford lead the way. 

The stairs creaked with each step of the group, even louder than the pops in Stan’s knees. Stan came to a stop, causing Ford to run into him. “Stanley!” “Sixer, shut up and show me the book,” Stan demanded as he looked at the top of the stairs where the figure was looming, a warning for them to turn back.

Ford brushed off his annoyance and held up the pages, Fiddleford being his light. “That one, that one..” he pointed to the symbols in Ford’s journal, looking back each time to confirm he was right.

“That’s the demon's name. We can beat it now that we have that information.” Ford grinned. “Wait, wait,” Stan waved his hand pretty much in Ford’s face until Ford slapped it away. “He’s got more.” 

I will not rest until the fields run red

“Well… that just ain’t right,” Fiddleford whispered when Ford read it from his notebook. “Well, that explains why there's so many ghosts around,” Stan murmured as he eyed up the demon.

“Any bright ideas, Sixer?” Stan called. “Give me a….” Ford was flipping through his pages. “Ha! We need to find the totum this demon is tied to, Fiddleford. Do you remember anything strange being brought into the house?”

Fiddleford hummed in thought, rubbing his chin as he tried to think. The hauntings hadn’t started until they brought something back from a yard sale. “We got an old book that looked real fancy, thought it might be worth somethin’,” Fiddleford shrugged. 

“Where is it?” Ford asked, tone urgent as Stan continued to shiver and stare at the thing only he could see. Fiddleford rushed past Stan and into his room. He brought back the book. The cover had a triangle on the front with one eye, fire all around the image. The cover also looked like it had survived being burned, and something that looked like a bullet hole. This had to have been it and others had failed to prevent the evil trapped inside.

Ford took it from him, their fingers brushed and Fiddleford noticed in the flash of his light that Ford had six fingers, but now wasn’t the time to bring it up, Ford was trying to ignore it as he flipped through the book, finding the correct page. “Stan! You need to sign this page. “What? Why?”

“You're the one with the gift! If anyone else does it, they’d be bound to this book and the demon in a sacrifice.” Stan rolled his eyes and snatched the book. “So dramatic,” he clicked the pen a few times, eyes flicking between the sepia-toned pages and the demon in front of him. He shrugged and was about to sign when Ford shouted, “Your real name!” Stan muttered as he wrote his name.

Blue fire filled the hallway, licking across every surface and yet did no damage. Even Fiddleford and Ford could see the flames, panicked that the fire engulfed them until they realised it didn’t hurt them. The fire covered the spirit and pulled it back into the pages of the book. Stan gripped harder as the book shook and he wobbled on his feet.

The book's pages slammed shut and the lights in the house all turned back on. The world around Stan was no longer cold. “Hun?” Emma called from their room. Fiddleford ran to his wife and child, holding them close. “It’s all over now!” he cried happily.

Stan and Ford looked at one another, smiles on their faces as Stan handed Ford the book. “Well done, Sixer.” “Well done, Stanley.”

–

The trip back was comforting, music on the radio, light rain beating down on them as they were parked at a rest stop. Cups of hot coffee and cookies from the McGuckets sat on the table. Stan hummed to the music playing as he curled up on one side of the table, eating cookies and watching the rain.

Ford sipped his drink and turned to a fresh page in his journal. “That was some adventure,” Ford spoke for the first time since coffee had been brewed. “Yeah, not in a rush to do that again, can’t believe we only charged them half price, I’m gettin’ soft,” Stan sighed and picked up another cookie.

“Going to need to put that thing behind glass when we get home,” Stan nodded to the book with the triangle on the cover. Ford nodded, picking up his pen and writing the title of his new page.