Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If memory serves me correctly, it started the way it always had:

With a nightmare.

-

I’m curled up in a ball, vision spinning.

The white walls around me seem to twist and bend.

A distorted sound breaks through my delirium, and I jump.

It sounds like a telephone...but it could just as easily be a siren.

As soon as the thought crosses my mind, memories of blood fill my head.

I did something.

Something terrible...

My heart aches, even though I can’t remember what it is.

The noise comes again, and I can’t bear to stay put any longer.

My limbs protest as I try to make them move, to lift me up and onto my feet.

It feels like it takes ten-million years.

But I do it.

Feeling like I’m going to collapse with every step, I rush over to the door.

I have to get out!

The cops need to know what they’re up against, even if it kills me.

But when I try to turn the handle, nothing happens.

I can hear the sirens getting louder.

More insistent.

I search the frame for anything that might be jamming it closed.

Anything at all.

 Blood gushes from my one, good eye.

Something...burns...inside of me.

They must be here by now...

Yet...

Everything’s gone quiet.

...Why didn’t it occur to me before?

Of course, the door is going to be locked, you idiot!

I spin around, a new objective taking over my need to escape:

Finding that key.

I look, and I look, behind the dresser, under the bed...

It’s not there.

Then I check the IV machine in the corner.

Something is trapped under one of its legs.

Could it be...?

It’s not difficult at all to push the file cabinet out of the way so that I can take a closer look.

My fingers close around the smooth metal of a key.

I insert it into the lock, and pull open the door.

An infinite black space greets me, and I can physically feel my own horror.

There’s nowhere for me to stand.

I hang onto the handle for dear life, but the entire thing cracks off in my hands.

The sickening sensation of free fall invades my senses as a colorful rip appears in the void before me-

-

That's how it ends, yes?

Yeah.

Okay, then...

The next thing that should’ve happened was for the new tenants to arrive.

-

“Lisa? Can you come down here a minute?”

Putting aside her current duty of mopping the 1^st-floor hallway, she responds:

“I’m already there Mr. Addison! What is it you need?”

“It’s 4:10. The Fishers were supposed to be here two hours ago”.

He sighs.

“Can you go find out what’s going on with them? It’s supposed to get real bad later tonight, and I would feel awful if they were stuck somewhere when that big storm hits”.

The resident janitor answers in her usual plucky manner:

“Don’t you worry! I’ll be on my way in a jiffy, just as soon as I get my car keys from Larry”.

“Alright then. Have a nice trip!"

"Thanks, I will!"

 "Oh, and if you would be so kind, could you bring them up to their room, as well?”

“Of course! I’d be happy to do it”.

“Great! Thanks, Lisa! I knew I could count on you”.

-

I should have specified ‘safely’.

Chapter Text

Sal jolts awake, the memory of himself plummeting into the abyss still fresh in his mind.

Beside him, his dad is snoring away.

“You alright back there?”

The cabbie who graciously agreed to drive them to their new home is nice, but a little weird.

His eyes are practically bulging out of their sockets with worry.

(Then again, since they’ve met him, they’ve seen him drink five whole thermos’ of coffee. And in the span of an hour, as well).

“Yeah...”

“You sure?”

He jerks the steering wheel to the right, and it’s all the boy can do to not go flying into the window.

'

“You were sweating something awful! And don’t get me started on that stuffyou were spouting-“

His face warms beneath the mask.

“I...spouted stuff?”

“Yeah!

Things like: ‘Where am I?’ and ‘Where’s the key!?’.

You even said: ‘Oh my gosh, the cops!!’ at one point, scaring the bejeebers out of me!! I actually thought they were there trying to pull me over!”

That’s...really embarrassing.

“Bet you’re glad your dad wasn’t awake to hear it, eh?”

He couldn’t believe it.

This guy must read minds, or something.

“Nope!” he counters cheerfully “Just extremely intuitive”.

The cabbie chuckles.

“You kind-of have to be to survive raising two-year-old twins.

Get into any and everything if you aren't careful, and can't anticipate their moves!”

At that moment, the car shook violently.

“Crikey!”

“Hm?”

Henry Fisher stirs at the jarring motion.

“Hang on men, I think we’ve got a flat tire!”

Rubber screeching, he wrenches the wheel to his other right.

This time, Sal can’t stay still.

Both father and son are tossed into the car door!

“Whoa!”

“Sorry, Mr. F.-!”

It opens.

Rainbow light flashes into his eyes, and for a moment, he is blind.

Unable to see that he is sloooowly sliding out of his seat to his doom.

“Dad!!”

Fingers grasp at the fabric of his shirt and hold fast.

“It’s going to be okay, Sal!! I promise!”

He has to shout to be heard over the noise of the engine revving.

But it’s not.

He is hanging on as hard as possible, but the force of the world whipping by outside is tugging on Henry with greater strength.

He can’t...keep it up...

The cab rocks to a stop an inch from the curb, and the last bits of blue cotton escape from his grasp.

Chapter Text

Thank my lucky stars...!

His back aches from the impact of his spine slamming into the pavement, but he’s alive.

And that’s all that counts.

“Larry?”

“Yeah?”

He looks up from the blank canvas, and brushes his overlong hair out of the way so he can see her properly.

“Do you have my car keys buried in here someplace?”

...The one time he doesn’t clean his room...

“Uh...hold on...”

He starts to rummage through various piles of junk.

Geez, I can’t remember the last time I actually used them.

Finding no sign of them, he moves on to a mound of laundry.

I swear, if I left them in my pockets...

“Are you going out to pick up those two guys?”

His mother smiles.

“That’s what I’m planning to do...”

“Wonder what held them up?”

Something metal jangles as he roots around in last week’s jeans.

Wow. Guess I know what I’ll be doing for the rest of the night...

“Well, if I had to guess, I would say that they ran out of gas. It is an awfully long drive-“

“Here you go, mom!”

Lisa’s eyes light up.

“Thanks a million, Lar-bear!”

He cringes internally.

“You’re welcome...”

Sal’s heart stutters in fear.

He’d just watched his father disappear into a technicolor haze!

For all he knows, his dad is gone, lost forever in a giant rip in the ground.

THUD!

“I’m okay, son! Don’t worry...”

“Your father must have nine lives”, the cabbie deadpans.

He’s too busy being relieved to care.

Unfortunately, the damage is worse than a simple flat tire.

“Well call me a monkey’s uncle! I’ve never seen anything like this before in all my years as a cab-driver”.

It’s a gutted transmission and burned-out under-carriage as well.

“Probably from that gas explosion we just drove over”.

Henry shudders.

“If it wasn’t for your quick-thinking, Mr. Lovett, I’m afraid we would be...”

He can’t quite bring himself to say it.

“It’s nothin’ you need to thank me for, Mr. Fisher!”

The man flashes them a cheeky, unfazed grin as he pops the trunk.

“You would’ve done the same for me”.

Two hours and forty minutes later, a sedan pulls in to the curb right next to the totaled taxi-cab.

The mysterious driver rolls down the window, and a fluttery feeling enters his breast.

“Hello there! I’m Lisa Johnson from the Addison Apartments”.

“I’m Henry Fisher, and this is my son, Sal”.

It’s a miracle he’s able to tell her that without tripping over his words.

“And I’m Harold Lovett”, the failed mechanic calls out.

He waves a greasy wrench in the air, and winks.

She gathers up something from the passenger’s seat, and then opens the door.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all”.

They shake hands.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Johnson”.

“Oh, just call me Lisa. Everyone else does”.

Harold climbs out from under the car, and moves to join them.

“Well, Ms. Lisa, I suppose you’re here to give these two a lift?”

“You got it!”

“Fantastic”.

“Although, I could help you with the repairs if you’d like” she offers, holding up a toolkit roughly the size of a small island.

“No, no it’s fine”, he protests “I’ll put in a distress call or something, and a tow-truck’ll show up sooner or later”.

He nods at the Fishers.

“You’ve got to get these guys settled in soon”.

At their looks of confusion, he explains: “There’s hurricane-type weather in store for Nockfell overnight. Real nasty wind, rain, etc.”

Lisa glances at the wrecked vehicle.

Henry can see the gears turning in her mind.

“Okay...how about I take you boys over to Addison’s and then come right back to help Harold out with his cab?”

“Sounds good to me”, Harold says.

“Same here”, Henry agrees.

“Okay then!”

Her kind, brown eyes focus on him, and Henry knows he’s in trouble.

“ Let’s do it!”

Chapter Text

You fool.

What have you done!?

I can see something through the static.

It’s the rift in the road-the one that almost claimed my dad’s life.

You should never have changed your own Fate!

My head...aches.

As the colors glitch in and out of focus, I struggle to fight off an all-consuming darkness.

Is this...?

Death.

What looks like a giant arm rends its way out of the ground, and rakes its sharp claws across my face-

I wake up on the road, breathing heavily.

It’s raining, and the wind is threatening to blow me away.

It’s all I can do to keep myself rooted to the asphalt.

Nonono this isn’t me what is going on-!

I have to get out of here.

My arms drag me over to the sidewalk in a matter of seconds.

I don’t know why my legs aren’t working-

They trail behind me as if they were made of rubber.

There’s no feeling in them at all.

What kind of a dream is this!?

When I’ve been at it for what seems like forever, a terrible hunger attacks my stomach.

I had soup out of a can for dinner, so I shouldn’t feel this ravenous.

But I am.

And what’s worse, is...

I smell something.

I want to go to the apartments, to my dad, but that fire won’t let me abandon this new path...

I track the delectable scent down, a new energy filling my limbs with each push.

A faint sound is whisked away by the tempest.

For some reason, I feel like I’ve heard it before.

I get even closer...

No.

NO.

Gizmo...

When the car door opened he must’ve been thrown out too...

...

I can’t do this.

I’d rather starve than do this...

He looks so weak, so helpless.

How could I even consider eating him...?

...

A stronger, more painful surge of hunger hits me.

It’s so bad, that I want to scream.

I can’t do it.

I can’t do it-

My fingers gently curl around his rain-savaged body, and I lift him up until we’re eye-to-eye.

His yellow gaze is begging me for mercy-

Does he know...who I am?

A third pang hits-

And I can’t-

control myself-

anymore-

My teeth bite into his neck:

Crounch

Grind

Snap

I wake up with blood on my hands.

I feel so sick...

What even was that!?

My mouth feels sticky, and my teeth are clotted with something I don’t have the mental fortitude to deal with right now.

I still force myself to get up, and go to the bathroom anyway.

...

I don’t know why I’m surprised.

I don’t know why I’m shaking.

It’s fur.

It’s flesh-

Voices.

By the door.

Oh crap, what time is it!?

If my dad’s up...

...How do I explain this to him!?

I rush over to the door, and open it just a crack.

I need to know what’s going on out there.

It looks like...

A lady with purple hair, and Lisa...

They’re talking to my dad.

They’ve got a burlap sack in their hands...

He’s looking in...

The way his eyes grow wet worries me.

I f that’s...what I think it is...

A limp paw dangles out of a hole in the bottom, and all the breath is driven out of my lungs.

Chapter Text

The moving van honks outside.

It’s two hours since Sandy and Lisa stopped by.

 Henry rubs his bloodshot eyes.

Time to wake Sal.

Oh Lord, how am I going to tell him-!?

Wonderful, Henry. Just wonderful.

It is now noon.

He has yet to inform his son that Gizmo has permanently left this earth.

You’d better hope he doesn’t find that bag you hid before you can properly explain yourself.

“Hey, Sal?”

He looks up from transporting an especially heavy box.

“Yeah?”

His father wipes some sweat off his brow.

“We’ve been at it for quite a while now. Why don’t we take a little break?”

“...Okay”.

Best to rip it off quick. Like a band-aid.

“I have to go through my email, see what my new boss has left for me to do over this next week. While I’m doing that, how about you go introduce yourself to our new neighbors?”

...You coward.

Chapter Text

Poor dad...

I can’t believe he has to go through this again.

He shuts the front door with a soft click!

Gizmo was like a part of the family...He might not retreat into himself like when mom died, but he’ll probably get pretty darn close.

Guilt churns in his stomach.

Eventually...I’ll have to explain what happened as best I can.

Even though the most proof I can give him is a bunch of bloodied tissues.

He is not looking forward to it at all.

But how can I look him in the face otherwise?

I know that his death was my fault.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

There’s no doubt about it.

Apartment 401 is undeniably empty.

Whoever lives there will probably be back later today...

He walks past Apartment 402, the one he’s just moved into with his dad, and the elevator.

The placard above it reads ‘4’.

The room immediately after it, Apartment 403, is a disaster area.

Its doorway is plastered with neon-yellow police tape, and several deep scratches bite into the apple-green paint.

Standing at attention is a scowling police man with the most extra handle-bar mustache he’s ever seen in his life.

“Excuse me, but what happened here?”

His eyes narrow.

“That is for me, and me alone to know, you nosey little midget!”

‘Midget’?

Sal tamps down the dragon fire rising up the back of his throat, and asks:

“Are you going to be there all day?”

“I just got done telling you that this isn’t any of your business”.

I thought police officers were supposed to be helpful.

This guy is the exact opposite.

“Can you at least tell me who you are?”

“I’m your flipping knight in shining armor...What are you stupid!? I’m the head of police in these parts, missy which means that you better give me a little respect in the future! Now get out of here, do I look like a nanny to you!?”

He has to keep his teeth clenched tight as he slowly and purposefully turns on his heel and presses the ‘call’ button on the elevator.

If he doesn’t, ‘I hope not. I’d feel sorry for all the children you’d traumatize” would ‘accidentally’ slip out.

His goal is to make friends with the people in this building, not enemies.  

Ding!

He decides to go up to the last level, first.

May as well start at the top and work my way down since I’m only a floor below it.

When the doors open, he steps out into the creepiest place known to man.

The striped wallpaper is peeling, the beige floor is covered with water stains, and loose boards are strewn all over the place.

This is the fifth floor?

It looks like something out of a horror movie.

His eyes catch sight of a mounted sign to his right:

NOTICE

This floor is

currently being

renovated.

For your safety,

please make

your way to the

nearest exit.

That explains why everything is so aged and messy up here...

...

...Well.

He may as well get to it.

Apartment 503 turns out to be locked.

But the one right next to it...

  It’s open...

Grasping the handle, he turns it and mentally prepares himself.

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t know anyone was in here...”

A man sits in a nest of old newspapers, his arms cradling his knees.

His hair is unkempt, his clothes are ragged and full of holes, and his eyes are hidden in shadow.

“...”

Even so...Sal can feel them boring into his own.

“...Are you alright, sir?”

“You shouldn’t have come here”.

His voice is dry and gravelly, like he hasn't had any water to drink in days.

“I know, I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t missing anyone-“.

 “Shadows lurk here.

...Other creatures, in this building.

You.

You , are the cause-“

An ominous feeling creeps into his chest.

“Me? What do you-“

Rattle! Rattle!

Startled by the noise, Sal turns to look over his shoulder.

Is there somebody else living up here too?

When he looks back, the man is gone.

Chapter Text

How did he-?

He steps closer to the nest, perplexed.

...It’s like he vanished into thin air!

Aside from a door that is completely boarded up for some reason (and therefore impassable), the only other object of interest in the room is...

Sal’s nerves are on high alert as he approaches the bathroom door.

Grasping the handle, he braces himself as he turns it...

Click!

Click!

The door won’t budge.

It’s locked?

He steps back.

But I could’ve sworn I heard something...

The other apartments on Level 5 are also locked.

Well, I guess there’s nothing left to see here.

...Or so he thought.

Wait. Is that a...

It was.

Huh. A peephole. Weird.

Out of curiosity, he put one eye to the opening-

A staring, milky-white orb glares back, its surface marred by countless cataracts.

..!!

He couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

...I must’ve imagined it.

The elevator dings and its doors seamlessly part.

I must have.

His first impression of Level 3 is that it looks just like the other two.

Same wallpaper, same flooring, same-

His sneaker slips out from under him, and he falls flat on his back with a THUD!

For a moment, black stars cloud his vision.

...What just happened?

“Oh, dear! Are you alright!?”

The sound of hurrying footsteps reaches his ears, and, a moment later, a familiar face leans into view.

“I’m okay...It’s good to see you again, Ms. Joh-Lisa!”

“It’s good to see you again, too, Sal”.

She smiles at him warmly, and helps him up with her free hand.

“Does your head feel okay?”

There’s a dull throb at the back of his skull, but that’s all.

“It hurts a little bit, but I think it’ll go away by itself”.

Lisa lets out a weary breath.

“Oh good. I don’t think I could live with myself if put you in the hospital on your first day here”.

He suddenly notices the dark circles under her eyes.

“...Is something wrong?”

“Well for one thing, I clearly overdid it with the water. Usually I don’t use so much, but I suppose I’ve been rather distracted as of late...I just can’t stop thinking about that poor cat!”

A cold pit of dread forms in his stomach.

“I should’ve realized that something was off, y’know? The moment I saw all of that cat hair on your overnight stuff...”

She shakes her head, disappointed with herself.

“It should’ve occurred to me right then and there that you guys were missing a family feline”.

She sighs heavily.

“But no, I went on with my day after dropping you guys off none the wiser. And again, once I helped that man fix his cab. But later on, when I was throwing out the trash...By the time I figured out what a fool I'd been it was too late for the poor thing”.

“You don’t need to blame yourself for that...” he cuts in “No one knew he was gone, not even my dad and I!”

Her eyes are watering slightly.

“Thank you, Sal. That’s very sweet of you to say”.

But he could tell by the way she’s barely holding it together that she doesn’t believe those words.

Chapter Text

“I really mean it!”

The truth he has to share clots his throat.

But there’s no way I can just let her keep thinking that this is her fault!

“I know you do, dear!”

The sadness in her voice breaks his heart.

“Yeah, but I have to-!”

At that moment, Lisa’s radio crackles to life:

“Er, Lisa? I hate to bother you when you’re so hard at work, but we’ve got a situation out back...”

“Say no more, Mr. Addison! I’m on my way!”

Smiling apologetically, she picks up her mop, and heads to the elevator.

“I’m sorry, Sal. I have to go”.

Before he can protest, the chrome doors swish closed.

...Darn.

The first apartment he sees on Level 2 is empty, but the one to its right...

Is very weird.

Sal stares in consternation at the locked doorway as unusual noises seep through its cracks.

RRR...

Baaa!

BANG! BANG!

What’s going on in there!?

Hesitantly, he raises a fist...

KNOCK-KNOCK!!

Complete. Silence.

“...Hello?”

No one answers his tentative greeting.

Okay then...

The second he starts walking back the other way:

RRR...

Baaa!

BANG! BANG!

KNOCK-KNOCK!!

The quiet of Apartment 203 is nothing like 201’s (to his relief).

Moving on to its neighbor, he gets an actual response this time!

“...You the pizza delivery guy?”

“No, I’m one of the new tenants. I thought I would go around and introduce myself”.

“Huh. Wonder where he’s at. Feel free to get on in here, at any rate...”

The smell of serious body odor hits his nose as he opens the door.

And the closer he gets to the obese man in the well-worn armchair, the stronger it becomes.

“Hi, I’m Sal! My father and I got here yesterday evening”.

“Charley”.

The cushions loudly complain as he hikes himself forwards so he can get a better view of this 'new tenant'.

“What’s that on your face?”

Anxiety begins to rise in his chest.

“It’s-“

“-A self-expressive thing, right? Don’t worry kid, I’m not gonna rag on you for it. I was your age once, you know. I understand the feeling...unless it’s for a gang or some crud. That I’m not down with”.

Sal quickly shakes his head.

“No, it’s not for that”.

“Good”.

Charley’s beady eyes look him up and down.

“Good. Don’t touch my collections and we’ll be fine”.

He jerks his head to the nearby shelves.

“These guys are like family to me. So if you mess around with ‘em, it’s personal. Capice?”

“Capice. You won’t get any trouble from me, sir!”

“I’d sure hope not”.

On his way out, Sal stops to check out something that has captured his eye...well, actually, a lot of somethings.

“You like it huh?”

Charley’s proud voice booms from the other end of the room.

“S’my complete set of Glitter Ponies! Took me most of my life to get ahold of ‘em all.

Look to your heart’s desire, but don’t you dare try to sneak one out of here!”

That’s fine with me, but...

“What’s a Glitter Pony?”

The disbelieving stare that cut through him right then sent shivers down his spine.

“...You don’t know what a Glitter Pony is”.

All he could do was shake his head again.

“No...”

“And you’ve never seen ‘My Glitter Ponies: Rainbow Spectacular’”.

“No”.

That stare again.

“The most highly-revered T.V. show ever created by the great Coryn Klaus”.

One, final: "No”.

“...You need to get into it. It has all the components of the best films ever made: genuine hilarity, star-crossed love, nail-biting adventure, devastating secrets, I could go on and on!”

His cheeks suddenly flushed.

“And the ponies themselves...oh yeah, they are so worth watching!”

This is getting really creepy...I’d better bail.

“Uh...I’ll have to look into it sometime after we’re fully settled in”.

He begins to edge toward the door ever so slowly...

“You’d better. Once you enter the Glitterdom you’ll never want to leave”.

Chapter Text

As soon as he shuts the door, his uneasiness fades.

Man. Charley is one strange character. Then again, I’m not exactly the Golden standard for ‘Normal’ myself.

His next-to-last stop is Level 1.

Just like all the others...so far...

Apartment 102?

Nothing.

Apartment 101?

Something.

The door swings open so fast that he has to quickly move out of the way, or risk having his nose shaved off!

“Well!? What is it?”

For a moment, he can’t think of what to say.

From the crack between it and the frame is an elderly woman clothed in nothing but pink lingerie.

Her eyes focus on his face with disapproval.

“Bit early to be wearing a mask don’t you think?”

...

An awkward silence descends upon them.

“...”

SLAM!!

He hears her mumbling something from the safety of her room, but her voice is too faint to tell what it is.

...That’s probably a good thing.

‘Mr. Addison’ is spelled out on the mail slot of Apartment 103.

That must be where the owner lives.

“Oh my! What on earth-um-forgive me, please. Can we try that again?”

“Sure...”

The mail slot clangs shut.

Is he going to open the door this time?

The mail slot clangs once more.

“Hello there, Sal Fisher, and welcome to Addison Apartments! Is there anything that I can help you with at this time?”

...Guess not.

“Not really-wait. How did you-?”

 “-Know who you were so soon?”

The peering eyes shine with pride.

“I know every little thing that goes on in this building young man, and don’t you forget it!”

“I’ll be sure not to...will you mind if I come in?”

“Yes, I will mind!”

The sudden sharpness in his tone was a stark contrast from his previously jovial demeanor.

“I take my privacy quite seriously”.

“Oh. Well...sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, or anything”.

“It’s quite alright, Sal. I suppose I’ll be seeing you later”.

Just like 204, 104 is also a strikeout.

It’s like half the people who used to live here just decided to up and disappear one day!

He gets an idea as to why that might be when he sees a detective’s badge glinting on the lapel of a man nearby.

“Um, excuse me sir? I don’t mean to be a bother, but could you please tell me what’s going on? The officer upstairs didn’t really give me much information about what happened there”.

He looks up from his notepad.

“Oh, hello there. I presume you’re the son of Mr. Fisher?”

“Yes, sir”.

“Could you please direct me to your Apartment? I need to speak with your father about something”.

“It’s on the fourth floor, number 402”.

“Great! Thanks. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a statement to collect”.

...Did I hear that right?

“A statement? For what?”

He sighs as if he’s gotten this question many times before.

“I am, unfortunately, not at liberty to say”.

Left with no choice but to let the matter be, Sal returns to the elevator.

What floor have I not hit yet?

He’s been to four, five, three, two, and one...

Hm.

A card-reader is placed below the regular panel of buttons.

It’s simply labelled ‘B’.

For ‘basement’ most likely...But where can I get a keycard for that?

...Well.

He could always ask Mr. Addison.

“Well, hello there Mr. Fisher! Back again so soon?”

“Yeah. Do you know where I could find a keycard for the basement level?”

The recluse’s head bobs.

“Why yes, I do! Lisa lives down there with her son, Larry, so if you’d like to pay him a visit, she’s the one to go to!”

“Okay, thanks!”

“No problem, young sir”.

To reach the back where Lisa is, he has to exit through the front door and circle around the side.

“Lisa? Are you out here?”

He steps around the corner.

Lisa is not.

A man-sized, anthropomorphic bird, is.

Chapter Text

“You’re too late. They’ve already left”.

“...What?”

“...I didn’t mean to attack him. You’ll tell them that, right?”

The bird drags itself over to him, just as it had done in his dream-turned-nightmare.

Clawed hands grip his shoulders.

“Right!?”

“...Attack who?”

He doesn’t get an answer.

“Just tell them! Please!! ”

Its rather human-like eyes dart from side-to-side, as if he’s on the alert for someone.

“Are you okay?”

He shakes his feathered head.

“I’m-“

He leans in as if he’s suddenly noticed something.

“It’s you ”.

Me?

Huge, purple wings rip out of his spine with a hideous skrnncchh!!

“I have so many questions...”

With one flap, Sal is bodily lifted into the air!

“HEY!!”

The birdman acts as if he didn’t hear him, and continues flapping.

“What are you-Where are you taking me!? Put me down -“

“Not. Yet”.

His flying is choppy, and ragged.

They soar up, and up, only to fall a little ways, and then repeat the cycle again.

Sal’s stomach plummets over and over...

“Stop it already!!”

“Just...have to get...a bit...higher...”

He can see the creature’s muscles straining.

With one hand, he sets free his right shoulder, and frantically grasps for the edge of the roof.

...Do not look down. Do not look down-

He looks down.

Oh my gosh...

Sal’s pulse   skyrockets.

They’ve got to at  least  be four stories up.

If I fall from here, I will be very, very dead.

Its claws finally catch with a shnk! after what seems like an eternity.

The bird pulls Sal up next to him, and heaves him onto the roof!

Pain erupts in his hands and knees as they collide with the concrete.

He gets to his feet just in time to see the purple-feathered beast haul itself up there with him.

“Wh...WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?”

The bird exhaustedly lifts its head from the puddle it had collapsed into.

“I needed to talk to you...in private ”.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t understand how I got here. I really don’t”.

The irate fire in Sal’s veins cools down some.

It has a desperate look in its eyes that is making it impossible for him to stay angry.

“Where were you before?”

The legs that won’t move...twitch.

“...I can’t talk about...everything...”.

It squeezes its eyes shut, as if the memories dancing in his mind are too horrific to dwell on.

“But...I will say that there was a revolution of sorts, going on”.

“A revolution?”

“Yeah. During a skirmish, this...crack opened up in the middle of town, and...”

“And?”

“I was in a field, starving. I didn’t know if I would survive the night, until something guided me here.

And I’m pretty sure that it was you”.

Chapter Text

Sal struggles to wrap his head around everything the bird has just said.

...It wasn’t a dream?

No.

No way...

But Gizmo had died.

“...How do you know that it was me?”

The bird sighs.

“In the eyes of that furred creature...I didn’t see my own reflection...

I saw a tiny kid with blue pigtails and a two-toned mask for a face”.

“What!?”

“I know this sounds like something I just made up, but I swear to you that it’s the truth”.

“But that...I mean...”

Sal struggles to speak.

What does that even mean!?

“I don’t get this! I...”

He swallows hard at the weight of what he’s about to say.

“I had a dream like that too...only...”

“Only what?”

“I didn't see you...I was you! That is, I woke up in the middle of the road, and I couldn’t walk, so I had to drag myself onto the grass, and then I was so hungry-“

“That is exactly what I went through to a T”.

He furrowed his brows in thought.

“And then...did you race after that predator?”

“Yes! And it wasn’t a predator!!”

Sal’s heart squeezes tight with the memory of how things ended-

“It was my cat”.

The birdman looked at the ground in...shame!?

“...I did not know that. If I had...I wouldn’tve-“

“...I couldn’t control it”.

He looks at his trembling hands.

 “Where I went, what I did...It was automatic. I didn’t think about any of it”.

They clench into fists.

“It felt like I was a puppet being jerked around on a bunch of strings”.

“You were living my arrival...”

The purple-feathered being suddenly heaves himself up from his puddle of exhaustion.

“I’m sorry I killed your pet”,

He takes shaky, crawling steps over to the boy, and again puts his hands on his shoulders.

“And I’m sorry that I kidnapped you up here”.

The fingers dig into the fabric of his shirt once more, but this time, it’s not out of a desperate fear.

“But I am glad that we...had a chance to talk about this”.

Sal hesitates a moment before he nods.

“...Yeah”.

“Sure didn’t figure out much, did we?”

It catches him by surprise.

“-Hah! Yeah, we didn’t”.

“...I hope you never have to feel like that again”.

That also catches him by surprise.

Chapter Text

“So!”

The bird scans the flat, concrete surface of the rooftop.

“Is there like, a door up here somewhere?

‘Cause I’m pretty sure these ragged things aren’t going to be able to take another flight”.

Sal looks as well.

“There’s one at the far end, but...it’s probably locked...”

At that, he flashes a smug grin.

“I wouldn’t worry about it, if I were you”.

He extends one finger, revealing a two-inch, steel-sharp talon.

“With this baby, I can get in anywhere”.

KNOCK-KNOCK

Privately hoping that it was either his son or Lisa, Henry opens the door.

“Hello-“

It’s not them.

“Officer?”

The no-nonsense police operative flips to a new page in his notepad.

“Henry Fisher?”

“Yes, that’s me...”

...What’s this about?

“Where were you at 7:15 A.M. this morning?”

“I was in my bedroom, asleep”.

At least, he’d tried to.

“Why? Did something happen?”

The man’s stern expression gives away nothing.

“...I’m not at liberty to discuss that”.

He nods in understanding.

“Of course. Police confidentiality, and all that-”

“However”.

Using the tip of his pen, he indicates the ravaged doorframe of Apartment 403.

“I’m finding it very hard to believe that your slumber was deep enough to avoid being roused by the sounds of someone or something breaking into the room next door”.

...He doesn’t know what to say.

I wore myself out rushing around the place looking for somewhere to hide Gizmo without Sal stumbling across him by accident!

I ended up deep in dreamland the second my head hit the pillow, and didn’t hear a peep from anything until the moving van came by at 8.

Would he believe that, though?

...

The steel gaze currently boring into his own screams ‘absolutely not’.

“You hid a dead cat from your son”.

Henry sighs.

“I know how awful that sounds, but-“

“Most parents wouldn’t do that, yes?”

His guilt over it drives the knife in deeper...

“Oh, absolutely not...but he’s just lost his mother, and...wait a minute”.

Something about this line of questioning...doesn’t sit right.

“This has nothing to do with the break-in”.

His interrogator shrugs.

“Maybe, maybe not”.

He shoots a knowing look towards someone out of Henry’s line-of-sight.

“But you have to admit.

What you’ve just told me can be seen as incredibly incriminating.

Especially  since it would appear that you and your son are the only ones who live on this floor aside from Mrs. Sanderson.

And neither of them are here right now to corroborate your story”.

Tink! Tink! Tink!

...

...

...

Click!

Sal is impressed.

It had only taken ten seconds for him to pick the lock.

Cr-e-e-e-a-a-a-a-k-k-k...

The door swings open, the unearthly sound emanating from its rusty hinges a clear sign that no one's used it for a looooong time.

“How did you do that so fast?”

He grins.

“Let’s just say I’ve had a ton of practice over the years”.

He drags himself through the narrow opening, and flops onto a pile of newspapers.

Something about it tickles Sal’s memory.

That looks a lot like the nest the mysterious man was squatting on.

Could this be the same room?

Then he sees that the only other door nearby is the one that undoubtedly leads to the fifth floor hallway.

No, it isn’t.

There’s no extra bathroom barred from the inside.

Chapter Text

“Phew!”

The bird closes his eyes.

“After this, I think I’m going to take a major siesta”.

“...Do you want me to get you anything?”

He shakes his head.

“Nah, I’ll be alright for now...”

Sal nods, and begins to head for the door.

“Okay. I promise that I’ll be back later with some food”.

...And maybe a doctor.

Before he opens it though, he asks:

“Hey. Do you...have a name?”

“Zzzz...”

He smiles.

Henry is just unpacking the last box when his son returns to the Apartment.

“Well don’t keep this old man waiting!”

He says.

“How did it go?”

Sal can immediately tell that something's off.

“Okay...I guess”.

There’s an undercurrent of worry in his voice that no amount of forced cheerfulness can hide.

Could  ever hide.

“A lot of the neighbors weren’t home”.

“Oh”.

For a few seconds, Henry doesn’t speak.

It’s like he’s not sure where to go from here.

“ Well...that’s a shame”.

He’s gotten used to the stilted conversations by now.

That doesn’t make the awkward silence that follows easier to bear.

“...Do you mind if I raid the fridge?”

...Mind if I raid the-

Henry’s heart grows cold.

...Please don’t say-

He doesn’t, and all the anxiety bottled up in his chest drains away.

“Not at all. Go right ahead!”

I haven’t eaten since eight in the morning.

The realization hits him as his fingers brush the handle.

No.

No.

Don’t think about it.

He pulls open the door, shoving down thoughts of Gizmo’s brutal demise.

Just get the food, and get going.

“Off so soon?”

Sal finishes tying a knot in the handles of a re-purposed grocery bag, and slings it over his shoulder.

“Yeah”.

He heads for the door.

“That’s a lot for one boy to eat by himself”.

He stops cold.

“I...found a stray. On the fifth floor”.

Henry raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“ Oh, really?”

“Yeah”.

He chews on that for a minute.

“Huh”.

His eyes meet Sal’s, and, for a terrifying instant, he’s sure that his father has seen right through him.

Please don’t pick right now to ask me if something’s wrong please...

“Is it a squirrel? I remember Lisa telling us on the ride there that they basically ‘ruled the roost’ where the outdoors were concerned...”

I don’t remember that at all.

Then again, I was kind of...not paying attention at the time...

“Uh, not really...”

“Hm.

Is it a stray cat then? Or perhaps a dog...”

Crud.

How do I keep him from finding out about the human bird living under the eaves without blatantly lying to him!?

“...Yeah. Something like that”.

That was not how to do it.

“Sal...”

Here it comes:

“...Is everything okay?”

“Yes...”

He tries to ignore the slightly worried look on his father’s face as he prepares to leave.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Right”.

Click!

Upon leaving, he finds that the belligerent P.O. from earlier is still parked in front of the crime scene.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing”.

“Yeah, you’d better be”.

Nice to see you’ve still got a chip on your shoulder...among other things in other places.

He takes care to set his bounty down gently.

Here you go...enough rations for the next two weeks.

Or two days, depending on how much of an appetite you have.

He can’t help but notice how peacefully his ‘stray’ is sleeping...

Hope you’re having good dreams.

Wish I could say the same for myself.

Chapter Text

“Well, hello again young sir! Did you find Lisa?”

“No, I didn’t. I...”

How much do I tell him!?

“I heard she’d left the Apartments for something...”

Mr. Addison raises his eyebrows.

“Really? That’s odd.

Do you know what for?”

“Uh...”

Sal starts to sweat.

When this guy said he knew about everything that went on around here, how serious was he being?

“I think someone got attacked...or something”.

The response is almost immediate:

“Oh dear!! But if that’s the case, then why hasn’t an ambulance been called for the poor dear!?”

“I don’t know”.

Mr. Addison flushes a deep gray in frustration, and then exhales.

“Okay...Was there anything you wanted?”

“Well, I was kind-of hoping you would know where she’d gone”.

“Oh”.

He sighs tiredly.

“Hence your earlier remarks...Sorry, young sir, I’m afraid I don’t know”.

That night...

I didn’t dream of anything.

There was just...static, and then...

I was awake.

I was awake, and...something else was there, besides me!?

Chapter Text

Its eyes are terrifyingly familiar.

No way.

I had seen one peeking out at me through a peephole on the fifth floor.

“Who are you?”

...That’s funny.

I thought you knew me already...

“No, I don’t...think so...”

I rub my eye.

Drowsiness still clings to me despite the creepiness of this situation.

You saw me.

“I saw...”

What time is it, anyway!?

“I saw one eye”.

Regardless, I cannot let you drift back to slumber.

I am the Watcher, and you  must come with me.

A cold, bony hand grips my wrist in a vise.

Not this again...

I pull free.

“No”.

‘No’?

“You’re not taking me against my will”.

I’m whispering as loudly as I dare so she knows I’m not kidding.

...You wouldn’t go if I asked nicely.

“How do you know that!? You never asked!!”

Alright then.

She clears her throat, and it is the ugliest sound I have ever heard.

If I were to describe it to you, the closest I would be able to get is a backed-up drain.

Small boy with blue hair, and gnarled face...

I try not to feel too insulted.

May you accompany me to mine own corner of the fifth floor where your feathered invader is currently resting?

“Sure”.

Thank thee kindly.

I can’t shut off the endless loop of you shouldn’t be doing this you’re supposed to be asleep!!

I want to.

But I can’t.

Are you going to open the door?

“Yeah”, I reassure her.

You’re taking an awfully long time of it...

Yeah.

Mainly because I’m working on shoring up my courage.

If I get caught sneaking out of the Apartment...

I swallow the lump of fear in my throat, and sllloowwly turn the handle.

Please don’t squeak, please don’t squeak, please don’t squeak-!!

Click!

My tense muscles relax.

“Thank goodness...”

I close the door with an even quieter click!

“Okay...Here we go".

Chapter Text

My first step out, and I already want to go back in.

It is dark.

I can barely see two feet in front of me!

The Watcher’s eyes seem to penetrate mine.

Where to, from here young one?

I wince as her ragged voice cuts through the silence like a knife.

“Um, can you bring down the volume a bit?

If somebody wakes up, and catches us doing this, we are going to be in a lot of trouble!”

‘Trouble’?

“Yes!”

In other words, all the humans aside from you will believe that we are up to no good if spotted.

“...Something like that”.

Ding!

I nearly jump out of my skin-!

Is that a bell...?

It is very tinny.

She ends up in the elevator ahead of me as I stand there, frozen.

Nobody heard that.

Nobody heard that...

How did nobody hear that!?

...Are you coming?

My heart pounds in my chest as the doors slide open to reveal what looks like an empty vacuum.

Oh, man.

Wish I had a flashlight...

Come.

The Watcher brushes past me, and I shudder at the sensation of her sheer robes flowing over my bare arms...

“Hey-Wait up!!”

He’s still asleep.

...

I can’t kick him out of here.

I just can’t.

But I know that that’s what she wants me to do.

I can see it in the way those glowing eyes of hers pierce me from the doorway.

She was here first.

This is her home.

Not his...

But I can't do it.

I hope she won’t be too  mad...

Chapter Text

“Can’t you two just...share the space for right now?”

The Watcher’s milky eyes glare at me.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know that you’ve been living here for way longer than he has, but he’s really injured, and-“

How dare you appeal to my heartstrings.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea to move him right now”.

Be that as it may, I cannot inhabit a space that is being occupied by another.

“...Why not?”

Her teeth grind together, until actual sparks are produced!

Do you not remember my name!?

I am The Watcher!

I lurk in empty corners, keeping a vigil over the most sacred of spaces.

They remain inviolate thanks to me!

I don’t see what that has to do with letting somebody room in one’s Apartment for the night.

It must show on my face or something, because she then adds:

...This space used to be the home of many important artifacts before-

“Before what?”

Before nothing...it is not a place for alien outsiders to collapse whenever they feel like it-!

Her voice rises on the last word, and the birdman awakens.

“...Hey...What’s going on...?”

Chapter Text

This bathroom used to be hers.

It was a lonely existence, but a stable one nonetheless...

Now, something else is in there with her.

Something dangerous.

A desperate fire burns from it at all times!

It’s the reason why she can never quite make out who it is.

I certainly feel bad for them, though.

I can’t imagine carrying around that much fear for days on end.

Chapter Text

Oh...

Crud.

This...may or may not go well.

The birdman’s hazy eyes look my way.

“Oh...hey Sal.

You came back”.

“Yeah”.

I pick up the bag of food from where it lies, and hold it out for him.

“I got you some food.

You know, in case you were starving when you woke up”.

His eyes grow wide.

Whether it’s in hunger or disbelief, I don’t know.

“You packed all of this for me”.

When I nod, he mentally explodes.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you did this”.

He lunges forward, eager hands pawing through various fruits, a couple cartons of cheese, and as much sealed meat packages as I could fit in there without my dad getting suspicious.

“You are a one-of-a-kind, kid!

Thanks a billion!!”

Grroowll...

He grimaces, and my own stomach clenches in sympathy.

Only a few short hours ago, I was feeling those pains first-hand.

...What is wrong with him?

The birdman starts at the unfamiliar voice.

“Wh-Who said that!?”

“Uh-“

As I rifle my mind for a good explanation, he looks up, and off to the side.

Where the Watcher is currently slumped against the wall.

“What the-!!?”

“DON’T FREAK OUT!!”

My own volume scares me, but it has the desired effect:

His beak snaps shut, and her frosty gaze moves from him to me.

I wave my arm in the shadowy figure’s direction, and say:

“This is the Watcher.

She lives here, I guess-“

“Oh, pardon me ma’am!

I had no idea this place was occupied before I passed out-“

“And you are...?” I cut in, desperate to keep the diplomacy going.

“Alistair.

Alistair Breckinridge, heir to the-“

It matters not who you are.

You must leave immediately.

No, don’t say that-

For a moment, he looks annoyed at her interruption.

But that annoyance is quickly replaced with something else.

Understanding.

“Yes, of course.

After all, you were here first, weren’t you?”

Indeed.

I was.

“Well then!”

He begins to drag himself toward the door, the bag still clutched tightly in his hand.

“Ah, wait-!”

I want to tell him that he doesn’t have to do this, that it shouldn’t hurt anything if he were to keep resting there for a while.

That sharing the space would be better than moving around while injured, and making everything worse.

But with a well-placed shove, he’s out the door, and gone.

Chapter Text

...That ended well.

The Watcher smiles, revealing a mouth full of stained, and foul teeth.

I must say, I half-expected him to insist on staying.

“Yeah, me too”.

Personally, I wish he had.

Spine cracking as she slid off the wall, the eldritch woman shuffles into the corner; right where the peephole is.

Thank you for your services, boy.

Now leave me.

I must rest.

I can feel my temper flaring at how dismissive she sounds.

But I have better things to do than go off on her right now, so I nod her way and quickly rush out the door.

Oh no...

Unfortunately, it’s easy to tell where he’s gone.

A thick, bloody trail occasionally plastered with feathers leads from the Apartment I’ve just left to the one on the opposite side of the hallway.

You’re still okay, right?

You’re not flipping bleeding to death as I think this-

Right!?

I can’t get to 504 fast enough.

Chapter Text

There he is.

Lying in the corner, his arm flopped over his face.

She really should’ve let him stay...

I hate to do this to him, but-

“Hey. Are you awake?”

Dropping to a crouch, I lightly shake his tattered wing.

I don’t think he ever tucked them back in since the nerve-wracking flight we shared.

“Hm-wha?”

Blearily, he opens his eyes.

“Oh...hello again.

I would’ve thought that you’d left by now”.

“Not without checking up on you first!”

I point to the bloody trail.

“And I’m awfully glad I did!”

He winces.

“Yeah, that doesn’t look so good.

I think my legs are a little bit upset with me”.

“...In 504, there’s a ton of empty space, and another nest.

It’s just like 501, only less oppressive.

If you wanted to, you could sleep in there”.

I sincerely hope that he says ‘yes’.

A tired smile blooms on his face.

“Sure, why not?

At any rate, it’ll do wonders for my poor aching limbs”.

Internally, I sigh with relief.

Externally, I open the door with one hand, and help Alistair inside with the other.

Chapter Text

I remember pulling up to the curb outside the Addison Apartments, Mr. Mansfield’s pizza in hand.

He was one of Blackjack’s regulars, and had earned a reputation for tipping handsomely as a result.

Thinking of the Rainy Day jar that had been neglected for far too long, I opened the car door and stepped out.

I guess my first mistake was that I had assumed that this was going to be an ordinary pick-up.

Upon reaching the front door, I was about to knock on it, and thus ensure that the delivery would go through as planned when I heard something strange.

Grrrowwl...

“Hello?

Is someone there!?”

I said.

Grrrowwl...

What is that!?

I wondered.

Grrrowwl...

That does it!

I’m going to go see what that is!!

In my defense, I believed at the time that these unusual noises were coming from either a poor, stray animal, or a voraciously hungry child.

Thus, the last thing I expected to see as I rounded the corner of the building was a shivering mass of violet feathers.

Before I could do or say anything to the odd creature, it lashed out with a beak full of razor-sharp teeth and lethal claws!

A sharp pain grew in my arm then.

An intensely sharp pain.

In a state of shock mixed with horror, I looked down at myself:

A red waterfall of blood was cascading from a ravaged stump-

I fainted.

I think...

And when my conciousness had returned to me, a woman in a handyman’s uniform was leaning overhead.

Clearly quite distraught.

Chapter Text

When Mr. Addison had paged me to check out the back of the Apartments, I had assumed that the ‘situation’ was something ordinary.

A homeless person camping out for the night, or perhaps a raccoon.

What I found instead...

It was horrific.

A man in a BlackJack’s uniform curled up on the ground, surrounded by a puddle of blood!

I knew that I had no time to waste!

He needed help, and he needed it right then!

Taking off my jacket, I wrapped it around the stump of his butchered arm.

“Sir?

Sir, are you alright!?”

He didn’t answer me, and my heart sank.

Oh dear...

I strongly hoped that he was just unconscious.

The next step was to get him up and into my car.

At the rate he was bleeding, taking any time to call for help would only end in his death.

If he wasn’t dead already, that is...

I slung one arm over his shoulder, and the other around his waist.

Lifting him onto his feet turned out to be much easier than I expected.

From there, I was able to carry him back around the side of the building.

I unlocked the passenger’s side-door, got him snugly strapped in, and was out of the driveway and off to the hospital within seconds!

Chapter Text

‘Anyhow Larry, I won’t be back for a long while so if you could just run that up to Apartment 402 that would be a big help’.

“Sure, mom”.

‘Thank you, Larry, you’re always such a sweetie!’

“You’re welcome”.

I sigh.

She’s never gonna stop calling me that...

Setting the phone back into its cradle, I look down at the keycard clutched in my hand.

I haven’t actually met Sal yet, but from the way my mom described him, he sounds like a pretty cool guy.

Still, though, this task feels beyond awkward.

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

When the door of 402 swings open, I’m met with a guy that I’m assuming is his dad.

“Hello, sir...”

I hold out the keycard for him to take, and try not to let my voice crack.

“My mom-I mean Lisa sent me-“

“She did?”

Oh man, did his eyes light-up just now!

...I can already tell.

You have a crush on my mom.

Pushing those thoughts aside for the time being, I say:

“She told me to give this to Sal so he could come and visit?”

I try to peek over his shoulder at the room beyond just in case the new guy is hanging out there, but see nothing.

“Oh, how nice!”

He smiles, and takes the keycard.

“I’ll have to show him this as soon as he gets back”.

“Back?”

Did I hear that right?

“Back from where?”

His smile drops into a frown.

“I don’t know...I woke up this morning, and he wasn’t here”.

Scratching his head in confusion, he continues on:

“I would assume that he’s up on the 5^thfloor with that stray animal he found yesterday, but I have no idea why he would leave without telling me”.

...I have no idea what to say to that except “...He’ll probably turn up eventually”.

My heart pangs in sympathy at the worry on his face.

“I sure hope so...”

Chapter Text

Sal wakes up on the floor.

What the-?

How’d I fall out of bed!?

I don’t remember having any falling dreams...

Confused, he sits up.

This isn’t my room.

Comprehension slowly dawns on him as his bewildered eyes take in the water stains, and loose boards.

Oh...crap, I fell asleep up here-

The sight that confirms what he’d hoped wasn’t true is the curled-up bundle of violet fur shifting around nearby.

I can’t believe it!

I legitimately stayed up here the entire night!!

Guilt mixed with a sense of urgency fills him.

I have to get back to the Apartment before dad wakes up!

Chapter Text

Before he even opens the door, he knows that he’s too late.

It’s gut instinct, and it is-

He grasps the handle.

Turns it.

Almost jumps out of his pajamas when his dad appears framed in the doorway!

-Right on target, as always.

“Uh...good morning, dad”.

“Good morning, Sal” he answers evenly “And where have you been?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was getting up early to check on the...stray”.

They’re both seated at the table now, eating a strained breakfast of cold cereal.

“I was just...really worried”.

“Worried?”

Of course, his dad immediately grew concerned.

“Is the cat alright!?”

“Uh-“

“Why would you leave it up there if it was injured!?”

“Dad-“

Why is it I can never get a word in edgewise!?

His father stands, hands splayed on the table.

Ready for action.

“After you’re finished eating, we should go up there right away!”

Chapter Text

Sal’s heart almost stops.

“W-what!?”

“I said we’re going up there”.

His blue eyes hold a hint of something he can’t name.

“If the poor animal is badly hurt, we can’t just let it languish alone and suffer!”

‘I know-‘

How do I talk him out of this?

‘I just...it’s very...’

‘Very what?’

‘Very...shy...?’

He’s unable to keep the question mark out of his tone.

If he could, he would be kicking himself.

I don’t even sound like I know what I’m saying!

And, truth be told, he doesn’t...but...

I can’t let him go up there.

‘Shy?

‘Yeah, he’s super skittish around new faces...took me forever to grain his trust’.

Henry deliberates.

‘...How long did it take you?’

Sal tries not to let his agitation show.

‘A couple of hours went by before he would even try to sniff my hand’.

‘Well that’s not surprising, really...’

But he still frowns nonetheless.

‘However-‘

There’s a knock at the door.

‘-Who could that be?’

Getting up from his seat at the table, he heads over to where their unknown caller is waiting.

With a click! he opens the door.

‘Detective?’

Sal cranes his neck to see the officer from the lobby who'd needed directions to their apartment.

‘Good morning, Mr. Fisher’.

There’s a sound of flipping pages.

Sal guesses that he’s still got the notepad from yesterday on him.

‘Sorry to bother you this early in the day, but according to the evidence, it seems that you are the one who murdered Mrs. Anderson’.

Chapter Text

“M-me?”

He can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“Yes, I am afraid so”.

His heartbeat pounds into his ears.

“But…but you have my alibi-“

“I do. And unfortunately…”

The ominous flipping of more pages.

“We looked at the cameras, and discovered something a bit strange-

At 7:15 the day the crime occurred-“

But-

“We saw what appeared to be a dark shadow cut off the film, then resume a couple minutes later. With blood all over your door”.

Bl…blood!?

“Yes, blood. You can come out here and see it, if you’d like”.

He obliges.

Sal’s stomach drops in realization.

All of a sudden, he knows exactly how this is going to end-

“…I see. So…”

“I regret to inform you that you are under arrest”.

My dad didn’t make those prints.

And we would've noticed blood if it had been there earlier.

I don't understand what's going on...unless what's out there now is from me from when I was the Bird Man this morning-

He stands up from his chair.

I have to tell him.

I have to tell him everything.

I have to do it now.

Or-!

He looks from his shaking palms to the crack of light in the hallway.

Father and son lock eyes.

He already knows.

A slight shake of the head.

A mouthed word:

 ‘Don’t’.

“It’s a shame you caught me out, officer”.

Don’t?!

“I was this close to getting away with it, you know…”

He’s spun around.

The silent click! of hand-cuffs…

He’s also, ignored.

“You have the right to remain silent…”

He didn’t do it.

My dad didn’t do it-

He makes a run for the door, but it’s shut in his face.

“Wait!”

Throwing it open, Sal tries to stop them-

“Mr. Detective, wait!! I can explain-“

He’s blocked by the P.O.

“Not surprised he’s related to you, kid”.

“Let me through!!”

“In a perfect world, I would. But this ain’t it”.

“He’s not the culprit, I left the blood-“

“You!?”

.  .  .  .

For one hopeful instant, he wonders if-

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! Don’t make me laugh”.

“What-but I did-“

“You’re too scrawny to have cracked her skull like that”.

Cracked-

His stomach churns.

“Now go back to your apartment before I give your father something else to worry about”.

The threat is clear.

“…”

He backs off.

Shuts and twists the lock.

Because the man is watching, and it’s only after he disappears from peephole view that the guy leaves.

His hands tremble.

Okay…I didn’t expect this to happen.

I didn’t expect this to happen-

But there has to be something I can do.

A way to find out the truth.

To keep my dad from going to jail.

I just have to-

Not-

Panic-

A glinting from the counter.

A keycard.

He finishes his breakfast.

Gets changed.

Goes into the elevator.

Fingers gripping the edges of the plastic rectangle so tightly they leave purple indentations in his skin.

Please be down there.

He slides it in the slot, and is rewarded with a ding!

Chapter Text

The only indication he’s in the right place is the row of washing machines to the side.

Not that it helps:

There’s no one around.

Don’t panic…

He peeks around the giant vending machine to see a door.

1B.

It’s a nice place.

Carpet’s clean, and the family photos are dusted to perfection.

“…Lisa?”

He doesn’t get a response, but-

“Lisa…”

His ears can just faintly pick up someone…humming…

Inside the kitchen?

Peering in, he expects to see the friendly lady, maybe fiddling with the dish washer or something.

What he finds instead.

Is a tall, black shadow.

With wide, red eyes.

What-!?

It shrinks into the corner and vanishes before he can even blink.

“What the h* was that!!?”

He backpedals.

I don’t know what I just saw.

I don’t know, and I don’t have time to think about it.

KEEP OUT

Proclaims the sign on the door.

He knocks anyway.

“Uh…hello?”

“Yeah, who is it?”

“It’s…”

He swallows.

“Sal Fisher? I just moved into 402 with my dad…”

“Oh really? Cool. You can come in if you want”.

He does.

Art supplies are strewn everywhere, from a full-fledged easel, to several tubes of paint.

On the walls are tons of old horror movie posters, 'The Dead Within', the 'Creeper'-

The guy at the far end fits the room completely with his dark-shadowed eyes and SF t-shirt.

Plus, he has an unmistakable resemblance to-

“Whoa, neat mask!”

Oh.

“…It’s a prosthetic”.

“S*…sorry man”.

Sal shrugs.

“It’s fine. I used to get much worse from people. I’m glad you like it”.

He seems relieved.

“So…do you have no face under there? What happened?”

“I don’t…really want to get into it”.

“Okay, change of subject”.

Phew.

“I’m Larry. You’ve probably met my mom already-“

“Lisa?”

“Yup. We live down here”.

“Looks like a nice apartment. I’m Sal. My friends call me Sally Face-My dad and I just moved here from New Jersey”.

“Sally Face?”

“…My friends weren’t ‘friends’, if that makes sense”.

“Oh…man, that’s rough”.

“It’s okay. I ended up owning it so they wouldn’t be able to use it against me”.

He looks at him thoughtfully.

“You’re a complex dude, aren’t you? A little strange. I like you. I think we’re gonna get along great”.

“Me too”.

Now.

“Larry…”

“Yeah?”

It’s now or never.

“Do you know anything about the murder next door-403?”

“SHHH!!”

His eyes dart from one side of the room to the other.

“Not so loud, dude”.

“What? What is it!?”

“The killer is still in the building!”

“…Who do you think did it?”

“Charley. I was there when it went down”.

“You were!?”

“’Scary s*’ doesn’t even come close to describing what I saw”.

“Can you tell me anything more?”

“I was helping Mrs. Sanderson unclog her toilet at the time. Minutes before I finished, I heard him burst in and start yelling like he’d been tripping on something-bad”.

He sounds 100% serious.

“‘I know what you did! Herman sold you out, you jealous liar!!’

She was like: ‘Wait a minute, what are you saying-‘

And then he just-cut her throat”.

Larry pauses, remembering.

“…I was shocked. I couldn’t even move. All I could do was stare out the crack in the door and hope he didn’t notice that I was there, too”.

“Did he notice?”

“No…he zoomed like he was human speed and cleaned up like that”.

Finger-snap.

“Then he left”.

He gulps.

“I haven’t even told my mom about this…but I trust you”.

“Thanks”.

First time I’ve heard…

“…Why do you think he did it?”

“I bet it’s ‘cause she got that rare horse he couldn’t. I tried to tell the detective, but he wouldn’t take my word for it without proof”.

“Sounds like something he’d do”.

“You’ve met him?”

“Yes”.

He takes a breath.

“They arrested my dad for the crime, but I know he didn’t do it”.

“They did what!?”

“They thought it was him. I tried to stop them, but-“

He finds it hard to take a breath.

“That’s messed up!!”

Larry’s fists clench.

“We can’t let them do this”.

“Yeah…I came here trying to ask your mom to help because she seems like a nice lady-"

“My mom hasn’t been in since last night”.

“Oh”.

“But I’ll help you”.

“Larry thank you-I was hoping you’d say that”.

“Anytime, man”.

He nods, a determined fire in his eyes.

“In fact, I think I know just the way we can get your dad off the hook”.

Chapter Text

“I have this scanner-“

Larry nods to a cumbersome machine sitting on his dresser.

“I bet if I call in, the remaining officers will leave the scene and then you can get inside to find the evidence that will lead them away from your dad!”

“You think it’ll work?”

“Yeah, man! Just a quick little in-and-out”.

Awfully fast to sign me up…

-But I don’t have time to suspect anyone of ulterior motives right now.

“I’ll tell them there’s a creep trying to break in-behind this place, armed and dangerous. That’ll lure them away for sure.

For a few minutes, at least”.

He withdraws a pair of walkie-talkies from his pockets.

“Here-we can use these to communicate during the whole thing, and make each second count”.

Sal takes one.

It feels heavy…

“I’ll also be able to give you a heads-up when they come back”.

“Thanks”.

“No problem”.

He smiles.

“Press ‘Y’ when you’re in your room, and the mission will be on”.

“Sounds good”.

It’s a short walk back.

Okay.

Letting out a breath of pent-up stress, he hits the button.

“I’m in my room”.

“Alright. Give me a few seconds…”

He waits…

This has to work.

This has to work-

“-Heard a bunch of hustling up there. Might mean they fell for it. You should be able to sneak in now with no issues”.

...Sliding gently past the police tape, he’s met with a grisly sight:

Blood spatter over the couch, a crushed side-table, and a chalked-out imprint of the fallen woman’s body.

A crescent of red staining where the neck would be.

Wow.

Seeing all of this…

It’s not just someone’s story anymore.

My dad could be killed-

His fingers clench.

Press ‘Y’.

“The table’s broken, with some strewn books”.

“Anything look important?”

“Junk, so far”.

“That’s fine. There must be something else here, something we can use”.

Walking further into the nightmarish room, he narrowly avoids stepping in any of the crimson run-off.

“How twisted would someone have to be-“

“A lot twisted. For real”.

But nothing particularly interesting to note.

Until.

“There’s a set of three Glitter ponies? Although one more could’ve fit up here, and it’s coincidentally by a gap in the spray”.

“One more, huh…That’s it!”

Larry’s voice comes louder through the speaker in excitement!!

“Come back to the basement, I know how we can nab this guy!”

“The only reason I know about the horse thing was because Mrs. Sanderson told me about it while I was fixing her toilet”.

He talks a mile a minute, the pieces all fitting together-

“I bet you anything, that the extra spot you found belongs to the one he wanted, but she won”.

“So he killed someone for a horse, and then stole it right out of her room without the cops noticing?”

“Yup-that’s my theory. You have no idea how wild it can get around here when they argue over those things”.

“I mean, I guessed as much when Charley told me about them to begin with, but-“

“Yeah. Just…yeah”.

“We have to catch him”.

“Truth. That’s why you’ve gotta get into his room and track it down”.

-I have to do the sneaking?

It dies on his tongue…

“I’d go myself, but the one time I went in, he chased me out. Claimed I was stealing his snacks, for crying out loud! His snacks!!”

“Yikes…”

“So, you’ll do it?”

“In-and-out, like you said”.

“Awesome”.

He withdraws a plastic baggie.

How much space does he have in those pockets?

“This is for the toy, to avoid leaving our fingerprints on it, and whatnot”.

“Thanks”.

I’m starting to get the feeling he’s done this in the past.

“It’s amazing what the TV will teach you”.

I’m starting to get the feeling he’s a mind-reader.

Up on the third floor…if I’m remembering correctly.

He punches the elevator button, baggie in hand.

Hope this doesn’t end with my throat slit.

-I picked the wrong one.

The elevator door opens, and he slips in the same puddle that got him only a day prior.

Uh…

We’re just gonna pretend that didn’t happen…

Still new here.

Floor 1.

Let’s try this again-

I mean 2.

I-

Am so sorry.

Finally!

He stops at his Glitter Ponies display, eyes searching…

“They’re so cool, aren’t they?”

-He nearly jumps out of his skin.

“Yeah…”

...

The pink one in the top-middle has suspicious red paint on its hooves.