Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A small town is filled with mysteries. In a big city, things happen so often, so fast. Eyes see these things and gloss over them. Secrets aren’t secrets because they are kept, it’s because no one cares to think about them, even a moment after they happened. 

But how many times have you walked through a cemetery, wondering how each person died. Why is the double gravestone half empty? 

There are love notes with wax seals scattered around the local college campus. And old college rings for sale.

It’s romantic at a glance. Boring at a longer look. Each day is the same but under the surface, things bubble. People work to keep these things under lock and key. 

A house burns down but the news does not report it. You’ll hear sirens five times in one day and then a month will go by, causing you to forget until it happens again. 

There’s no noise from the church, they never try to recruit new members.

If you listen when they think no one is around to hear, there’s a lot to learn. 

The gate had been inactive for years, although no one can pinpoint the day that it finally stopped spitting Abominations into the Monongahela National Forest. Most people, even long term residents of Kepler, were unaware of the danger they faced on cold nights every couple months.

Not everyone has secrets, not secrets worth knowing.

But the one place where all secrets are on display is The Cryptonomica. It’s better to showcase the information you want the world to know instead of hiding it all. Their claim to fame is a grainy footage video of Bigfoot fighting a mountain lion. No better footage has ever been found so The Cryptonomica has managed to make a place for itself in the cryptid world. The owners, Kirby and Billy Strand published a weekly zine, The Lamplighter, well known in the cryptid community. But if you look a little further you’ll find another employee who knows more than they should.

Chapter Text

Our story starts in the Cryptonomica. Look past the exhibits, we’ll get back to those later. Follow me into the backroom, but be quiet, our unassuming hero is busy at work.

Cam (L/N) was stacking boxes in the backroom. The Cryptonomica wasn’t really busy unless it was the weekend, so he tried to find something else to do other than dust the exhibits or community college homework. It was a good job, for a nineteen year old with a high school diploma. Kirby was a good boss, he’d inherited the place from Ned Chicane, who had gotten it from Victoria, the original owner. Kirby told Cam that if he stuck around long enough, it'd be his. Cam laughed it off, he’d been working there for three months. It was nice but it wasn’t for forever. 

As he lifted the box up to place it on top of the stack, the bottom managed to finally break the yellow tape holding it closed. The contents clattered onto the concrete floor, making a loud thunk noise. “Shit.” Cam was holding the empty box, looking down at the mess on the floor. “Kirby?” He tentatively called out. No answer. Cam breathed a sigh of relief as he began to gather up the contents of the box. Instead of the box being filled with old tax returns or a stuffed bigfoot, the things scattered on the floor had nothing to do with the Cryptonomica or seemingly each other. A nerf gun, fake oscar and a particularly cool but worn forest green cargo coat. The oscar’s head had snapped off after hitting the ground but Cam pushed it aside as he reached for the jacket.

Cam wasn’t a thief, he didn’t consider himself one. But you pick up certain survival skills after a while. Kepler wasn’t the first place Cam would have chosen but being in the national radio quiet zone made it pretty hard for anyone to find you. “This coat isn’t doing anyone any good stuffed in this box.” He reasoned with himself. Cam held up the coat, slipping it around his shoulders. It was big, certainly oversized. It hit midthigh and engulfed his hands. As he started to discard it, his fingers brushed past a patch sewn on the inside. On the right side a patch was sewn in, a pine tree with three stripes behind it, yellow, orange and red. Stitched below it was the words “Pine Guard.” Cam traced his fingers over the patch, feeling a shiver go up his spine. 

Fingers itching, he opened up the next box. Journals upon journals filled it to the brim. The one on top was entitled “Pine Guard 1996-2001”. Cam opened it, brushing his fingers down the paper. The first page only had the names Mama, Barclay, Duck, Aubrey, Ned, and Arlo, scrawled down on it. Cam stared at it, mouthing the names. The sound of the door opening creaked through the empty Cryptonomica. 

On instinct, Cam quickly wrapped it in the jacket. He emerged from the backroom, returning to the visitor’s desk as Kirby came back in, soaking wet. 

“It’s pouring out there.” Kirby shook the water from his hair. 

“That must be why we don’t have any customers.” Cam’s heart beat fast in his chest, the jacket shoved into a cubby in the back of the desk.

Kirby laughed. “Yeah, that’s why.” He sighed. “You can head home early if you want. I’m planning on closing up anyway. Anyone all day?”

Cam shook his head. “Maybe we need another Bigfoot video.” He offered up with a smile. It was a joke but Kirby’s shoulders visibly tightened and then relaxed as he turned back around to face Cam. Cam noticed everything about everyone. He could tell if one of the high school kids was planning on stealing by the twitch of their fingers and the shift of their eyes. Kirby was acting weird.

“Yeah. If you ever see Bigfoot in those woods, you tell me alright?”

“You got it.” Cam pulled the jacket from over the counter and tried to slip it into his bag, unnoticed. Kirby looked over. “I’m telling you, it’s cold, rainy and windy out there. You better wear that jacket. I don’t want you calling out from work tomorrow cause you didn’t.” 

Cam nodded, slipping it on. Cam waved goodbye, praying Kirby didn’t recognize it. It was raining much too hard for him to look at the journal. His fingers kept grazing over the pages, tucked safely away. 

Once in the apartment, Cam discarded the jacket and put some soup in the microwave. Settling down in his armchair, Cam opened the journal.

Unbelievable things filled the pages. Stories of monsters in the forest and a group of people who fought them. Mama, Barclay, Duck, Aubrey, Ned, and Arlo. Cam had always been fascinated with mysteries. Any sort of unexplained phenom was perfect. That video of Bigfoot had led him from Oregon to West Virginia and then to a job at the Cryptonomica. Not because he believed in Bigfoot, mostly ‘cause he needed somewhere to escape to. But Bigfoot didn’t hurt. 

An empty bowl sat on the table next to him. The blinds were open but the sky was dark. Cam’s mind scrambled to put the pieces of information together. Each entry wasn’t more than a couple pages. It said the type of monster, what day it appeared, what day it was killed and who killed it. The names Duck, Aubrey, and Ned didn’t appear until late 1997 and Ned was replaced by Arlo in 1999. Sometimes the name “Indrid Cole” would appear. He was more commonly known as “The smiling man”, one of the lamer Virginian cryptids. 

In 1999, the entries started having more time between them. January 2001, was the last entry. Technically the last entry. Scrawled on the next page was “Baby found outside of the gate. No more exit or entry. Infant was given to Barclay and Stern.” The handwriting had even changed. Cam flipped through the empty last pages. Nothing else. If this was fake, why wouldn’t there be more information? If this was some sort of joke, why was it hidden in the back of the Cryptonomica?

Cryptids were fun to think about in theory, like “if bigfoot was out there, what do you think he’s doing?” But of course, bigfoot was not out there. Cam stared at the journal. If he returned it tomorrow, that would be that. He could forget all of it or dismiss it as Kirby writing the plot outline of a fanfiction about his boss and friends. Focus on his own problems, he had plenty. Keeping the journal felt like a decision he couldn’t take back.

Cam grabbed a sticky note from his desk and wrote down the dates of when Duck, Aubrey, and Ned’s names started appearing. Kepler was a small town. Cam was sure Ned was Ned Chicane, the owner of the Cryptonomica before Kirby. That would explain the jacket too. He didn’t know about Duck or Aubrey but he intended to find out. 

Cam was exhausted the next day but Kirby didn’t seem to notice. There was an exhibit of old newspapers that showed the most interesting things that happened that month throughout the years. Tourists could even buy one if they felt so inclined. That meant that there were boxes upon boxes of old newspapers. The newspapers were sorted by month and not years which made it harder. 

“I’m going to get the newspapers ready for next month.” Cam told Kirby as he shrugged off his coat.

“Isn’t it a little early to do that?”

“Eh. Today feels like the perfect rainy day to do it. What else do you pay me the big bucks for?”

“Since when do I pay you the big bucks?”

“We’ll talk about it later.” Cam smiled a sort of lopsided grin.

There was one entry that returned something promising. May 1998. It was the second entry that mentioned Duck, Aubrey, and Ned. A newspaper article with the headline. “H2whoa destroyed in freak accident.” It lined up with the journal entry about an abomination that possessed water. The journal mentioned something about the water being contained and then destroyed at a water park, though none was ever mentioned by name. “Calvin Owens” was mentioned as a witness and a target for the monster. He was again, in the newspaper, but not in connection to H2whoa, instead he had a separate section about qualifying for a state swim competition.

Cam clutched the newspaper to his chest, the indescribable feeling of reaching for a memory that was close but inaccessible. Having a word on the tip of his tongue but being unable to spit it out. He pulled the front page out, folding it small enough to fit in his back pocket. 

“Who’s Calvin Owens?” Cam asked Kirby, trying to seem casual.

“Hm?” Kirby looked up from the papers he was working on.

“Calvin Owens. He was mentioned in some of the articles. Did you go to school with him?”

“Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. I think he was a freshman when I was a senior. Why?”

“I swam in high school,” Cam lied. “It would be cool if the community college had a team. I thought he could maybe help with that, you know if he’s still in town.”

“Oh. Well he goes to meets at the high school sometimes but I believed he moved away. He was quite a successful swimmer, not olympics, mind you but still impressive…” Kirby continued to ramble on but Cam tuned him out. 

“Thanks.” 

The newspapers for the other abomination dates weren’t as helpful but he still carefully folded them up and slipped them into his bag. Another article mentioned the Pizza Hut sign falling onto the general store and almost killing the three people inside. Duck Newton had been inside and managed to save the store owner, Leo Tarkesian and a woman named Janice. It had to be the same Duck. Kepler wasn’t big enough to have two people named John, much less Duck. 

Spreading the newspaper out on his bedroom floor wasn’t enough. Things weren’t adding up. Cam grabbed a small tin of thumbtacks off his table and grabbed the “H2whoa destroyed in freak accident” article and pinned it in the middle of his wall. Technically, he was not allowed to do that but the safety deposit was a small price to pay. He stared at it, willing more information to appear. Even if this amounted to nothing, Cam had to know. 

Sticky notes with the names of who had been involved in each attack were scattered around the article. Finally he pinned up two notes with the Cryponomica and Pine Guard written on them. 

Was the Cryponomica where they met up? If it was, Kirby must have known about it, he had been working there since 1996. Who the hell were Mama, Barclay, Duck, Aubrey, and Arlo? They were all members of the Pine Guard but were there others? There must have been, considering how many other journals filled the crates. Aubrey, Ned and Duck joined in 1998 and he wrote that down on their sticky notes.

“Okay,” Cam said, taking a deep breath. “This is certainly something.” 

It was late at night, which meant the stores were closed. After searching around in the apple crates that made up his nightstand, Cam found a twisted skein of sage green yarn. It wasn’t red but it would do. Painstakingly, he curled the yarn around the thumbtacks, connecting names and places together. A few more notes were added, including the high school (first known sighting of the water monster), the name Dani, Kirby’s name and “Sylvain”. Cam wasn’t sure if it was the name of a place or a person but it was mentioned, so it meant something. The school had swim meets every Thursday, which meant that was where he was going next.

Chapter Text

“You didn’t get the newspapers ready yesterday,” Kirby said.

“I got distracted, sorry.”

Kirby laughed. “You were back there for a while, what were you doing?”

Cam’s mouth went dry, caught without a lie prepared. “Have you heard of the Pine Guard?” Cam asked. Kirby froze as he refilled the vending machine.

“No, why?” He definitely knew something.

“I saw it written down on one of the boxes when I was cleaning up yesterday.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, it was a gang.”

“A gang?”

“Like the hornets.” There it was again. The right side of Kirby’s mouth raised slightly higher than the left when he lied. Assuming he was lying about the Pine guard.

"Seems like a weird name for a gang." Cam pushed. “Are they still around?”

“Nah, they were short lived. What’s this got to do with the newspapers?”

He didn’t know why but Cam had expected Kirby to give him an honest answer. After publishing the bigfoot video and running the Cryponomica, you'd think Kirby would want to talk about stuff like this. “Nothing I guess.” He sighed, returning to the task at hand. Maybe it wasn’t the best time to ask but it would change the subject. “Do you mind if I leave early today? I want to go to the swim meet and see if Calvin is there."

“You know you never mentioned swimming before?”

“Why would I?” Cam shrugged.

“True. Yeah alright, go have fun. After you sort those newspapers.”

Cam nodded, headed over the exhibit.

The only picture of Calvin that he had ever seen was in the yearbook. Kirby kept a couple of his old ones in the town history section of the Cryponomica. The photos weren't very good, but he figured if he saw a middle-aged man who looked anything like the photos, it'd be Calvin. 

Cam had debated asking Kirby with him, just so he would have someone there that he knew. What kind of creep goes to high school swim meets when he didn’t go to the high school. Still there he was, sitting on the bleachers, trying to cheer at the right times and avoid eye contact. He strained his neck, looking for the reddish blonde hair of Calvin. If he was a teen during the attacks that would make him in his late thirties now. Unfortunately, at least half the parents were in their late thirties. The meet was ending soon, and Cam was desperate. If Calvin was here, he had to know.

“Hi,” The swim coach turned around at the sound of Cam’s voice. “I’m looking for Calvin Owens.” She was a taller woman, dark brown hair in a tight ponytail with a whistle hanging around her neck. 

“What?”

“I was told he’d be here.”

“By who?” The coach's brow crinkled in confusion. “You trying to serve him papers? Kid I-”

“No, his dad sent me.” The words slipped out of his mouth before he could bite them back. What the hell was he thinking?

“Zeke?”

Cam nodded. “He said Calvin would be here.”

“Oh, alright.” The coach pointed over to a man sitting on the last row of the bleachers, far back left. “That’d be him.” She still looked confused, opening her mouth to say something else.

“Thanks!” Cam cut her off, practically running away in his efforts to talk to Calvin. Calvin was about as far away from the rest of the crowd as he could get. Cam made his way up to the top of the bleachers, sitting next to him. Swim meets weren’t quiet but it wasn’t like a football game, where you couldn’t hear yourself think over the roar of the crowd. 

“Enjoying the meet?” He asked.

“They’re doing a pretty good job so far. Do you go to school here?” Calvin looked over at him. 

“Uh no, sir. I go to the community college. I wish they had a team.” There now he hadn’t technically lied to Kirby.

“So you’re a fellow fan.” Calvin’s demeanor changed slightly to a more welcoming one.

“I’ve read about you, you know. Seen some older articles. I work at the Cryptonomica.” He explained.

“Hate to disappoint but I don’t swim anymore. I have a stable job now.” He smiled at Cam.

“Still, do you think I could ask you a couple questions?”

“Sure.” He shrugged.

“May 1998.” Those two words changed everything. Calvin’s full attention was on him now and it wasn’t kind.. Cam faltered with what to say next.

“What about May 1998?”

He lowered his voice. “You saw something in this water, and then you went to the Pine guard. Please, do you know where I could find them now?”

“What’d you see?”

“Nothing but-”

“There is no more Pine guard.”

“I just need a member, Aubrey or Duck or Barclay.”

“Let it go.” His voice was harsh. “I should have.” He shook his head.

“What happened? I read about H2whoa but it didn’t tell me a lot.”

“I’ve never been more scared in my life.” Calvin muttered. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I do!” Cam pulled out the journal. “This says it all.” 

“Leave it be. The last thing this town needs is more of that.” He pointed to the journal. “The day that those “things” stopped appearing was the best day Kepler has ever seen. Poking around is just going to bring back trouble.” Calvin grabbed ahold of the journal and tried to pull it away from Cam. 

“Hey!” Cam yelled, yanking back. Calvin suddenly let go and the force of it all caused Cam to slip off of the bleacher seat and into the walkway. Calvin’s eyes darted around at the attention of nearby parents that they had gathered.. 

“Is everything alright?” A woman asked Cam.

“I’m fine.” He stood up, brushing any dirt off his coat. “Thanks though.” He told both her and Calvin. The meet was over, which meant everyone was preparing to leave. Cam slipped out the doors and took off running.

Calvin was entirely unhelp and so was Kirby. And Calvin knew he worked at the Cryptonomica. If he told Kirby he’d be asking about the Pine guard, that he had the journal, that was the end of things in Kepler, West Virgina for Cam. Three months was short lived, even for him, a kid who’d been running since he was seventeen. “Fuck.” He clutched the journal to his chest. Maybe Calvin wouldn’t tell? He ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. If he found Aubrey, Duck or Barclay, this all wouldn’t have been for nothing. Any proof he could take back to Kirby so that everyone would stop lying to him.

The town didn’t exactly have a yellow pages, since it was in the national radio quiet zone. Cam flipped through the journal again, looking for anything he had missed, home addresses, known aliases? Ned actually had a few aliases listed but that was unhelpful, considering he was dead. The last entry caught his eye again. “Baby found outside of the gate. No more exit or entry.” The gate. It was where the abominations came from… or stopped coming from. In those last empty pages there was actually a drawing. It was lightly done in pencil but clearly depicted two large stone pillars, curving and connecting together in an odd, unnatural way. There were rough stairs leading up to the opening in between the pillars. He couldn’t tell if they were also stone or manmade. The scenery around it was drawn too, a large walkway surrounded by trees, leading to a clearing with the gate right in the middle. There was one place that gate could be, the Monongahela National Forest. The swim meet had been at 4 and lasted about a half hour. Which meant it wasn’t too late to go look around but he had better be quick.

Cam was still wearing the forest green cargo coat. It was much too big for him but being able to feel the Pine guard patch made this feel real. Like he was getting somewhere. And he was grateful that it kept him warm. He was so close, it was almost overwhelming. 

The gate wasn’t there. After the last entry and the sketch in the journal, there were still blank pages. Cam assumed that meant that no abominations came after that. But he didn’t think it meant that the gate was destroyed. “Huge gray stone pillars, curving into each other, connecting it all. Stairs leading up.” Cam muttered to himself, looking at the book. “How could I miss this?” He turned to leave, only to see the gate, in all it’s glory, standing in front of him. It was massive, taking up the clearing. It was a wonder he hadn’t walked into it after all his pacing. The book slipped from his hands as he took a few steps forward, stumbling over the now apparent steps. 

He raced to the top, standing right in front of the entrance. In awe, he stuck his hand through. It came through the other side. He felt kinda foolish. But that didn’t last for long as a huge gray wolf came out of nowhere, slamming into Cam and knocking him onto the ground. Pain bloomed through Cam’s back and fear coursed through his blood. The wolf was on top of him, snapping at his neck. Cam used his forearms to push against the wolf’s neck. His jaw was rotting, black fleck falling onto his face. The eyes, oh god, the eyes, milky and white, utterly lifeless. Cam tried to push the wolf off of him, but it wouldn’t budge, nails scratching at his skin. Cam managed to knock a back leg away with his foot and rolled out from underneath.

He searched his jacket for the pocket knife he carried with him. The blade was no more than two inches in height and a half inch in length but it wasn't nothing. The wolf was close enough that a strong throw would do. The knife landed with a dull thud in the skull, handle sticking out. The wolf growled circling Cam, preparing to leap again. He could see it in the way it moved. This thing wasn't alive and Can was going to die, alone in these woods. 

He lunged first, taking the wolf by surprise. Cam latched onto the back of the wolf, holding onto the horrible black-gray fur. It was wet and smelled like death. It thrashed under his grip, tossing him off. Cam hit the ground again, the sky going dark above him. Shadow fell over him and the wolf. An angel, he thought. A tall humanoid creature landed onto the soft dirt. He had wings, stopping about a foot above the ground and two feet above his head. They were massive. His hair was stark white, and then black at the ends. Furry ears popped out at the top. He wore a long black thin trench coat and rings adorned every finger but one. In his arms was a girl. Small in comparison to him, with curly black hair, one side shaved. He smoothly let go of her. They stood to the side of Cam, focused on the wolf that snarled at them. The girl smiled, her hands lighting on fire. The wolf jumped, landing on the man. He slid back, one foot in front of the other, grappling it as the girl placed her hand on the back of it. 

Cam scrambled back as the smell of burning fur filled the air. The corpse collapsed to the ground, whatever had animated it was disappearing like black smoke into the night sky. His back hit the stone pillar, definitely causing a bruise, along with everything else. The girl and creature turned around to face him. The girl was unassuming, light brown skin, tattoos and a jean vest covered in patches. But the boy, if you could call him that, was something else entirely. His wings looked like moth wings, white with spots mimicking eyes. They also had the general shape of moth wings. His hair was stark white like his wings and two large moth ears stuck out. He was pale but not sickly looking. His face… it was human. Completely and utterly human. Gorgeous too. Cam couldn’t stop staring.

“Vaughn,” The girl elbowed him. “Put on your ring before he faints.”

The boy reached into his coat, which was more of a cape at this point, adorned with sliver chains and slipped on a ring from his pocket.. As he slid in on his finger, the moth wings disappeared and his hair became brown, ears disappearing as well. His skin regained some color, cheeks flushed.. He looked shorter as well but Cam couldn't tell if it was from the lack of wings or he was actually shorter.

His focus was solely on Cam. “What are you doing out here?” His voice wasn't accusatory but it wasn't dripping with sympathy either.

Cam stared, the last few minutes contained information that contradicted things he had known his whole life. His head and back and weirdly enough, tongue ached. His journal was sitting a few feet behind him, where he had dropped it.

"Hey," The girl snapped in front of his face. "Are you doing okay?" She asked sweetly.

“I’m part of the Pine Guard.”

“No, you’re not.” Vaughn said.

Cam stood up. He pulled open the jacket to show his patch. “Yes, I am. Barclay sent me.” He walked past them to grab the journal. As he bent down to grab it, he almost fainted, swaying and feeling unsteady on his feet.

“My dad sent you, a defenseless human to check out the gate? Unless… No.”

“Barclay is your dad?”

“Yeah? Are you shocked because he’s bigfoot? I’ll have you know-”

“He’s bigfoot?”

“Shit.” The girl knocked him in the shoulder. “Your vision didn’t tell you not to tell him your dad is bigfoot?”

“Vision?”

He glared at her. “Your brain didn’t tell you to shut up?” He turned his attention back to Cam. “What are you really doing out here?”

“I’m part of the Pine Guard.”

“No, you’re not.”

Cam stood up. “Yes, I am. Barclay was a member too.”

“I know that. It disbanded years ago when the Abominations stopped appearing.”

“Well, what would you call that?” Cam shot back.

“If you're part of the Pine guard, you'd know that Barclay is bigfoot."

Can hung his head, suddenly feeling very tired.  "I am part of the Pine guard. It's just that… no one knows. I found this journal went to check out the gate and-"

Vaughn moved closer to the journal in Cam's hand, reaching out to take it. Cam pulled back, stopping mid-sentence. "Come on. I'm not going to steal it. If I wanted to, I'd already have it." He reasoned.

Cam wanted to protest but Vaughn's wings had provided an imposing silhouette. "Don't mess it up." 

Vaughn flipped through the pages. "Yep, Barclay definitely wrote this." He gestured the girl over. "Your mom is mentioned too."

"Well duh." But still she peered over his shoulder, standing on her tiptoes. 

“Is Barclay like you? Where he puts on a ring and suddenly he’s human?”

Vaughn handed the journal back. "I suggest you return this wherever you found it and forget about it. MJ and I will take care of this.”

“I won’t.” Cam wanted to say. But he held his tongue. Fucking mothman and a girl who controlled fire just fought off an undead wolf. And he stabbed it with a small knife. "At least I have proof," He thought. He pulled the knife out from the corpse, which was smoldering skin and fur. The knife slid out clean, no blood or black flash clinging on. He flipped it back into the case and stuck it back into his pocket.

Chapter Text

The bulletin board in his room looked more and more serial killer as he tacked up MJ and Vaughn’s name and wrapped the sage green thread around it.

Barclay was Vaughn’s dad, which meant he had at least stuck around Kepler. Cam flipped through the newspapers he had stolen. “Man in Bigfoot costume never found.” It happened ten years before Aubrey, Duck and Bed joined so it didn't seem related, but he'd grabbed it anyway. In 1988, the Kepler forest service went on a manhunt for a man who had stolen a car from a couple kids while wearing a bigfoot costume. “Barclay,” Cam muttered. The man was never caught. When sixteen year old Stephanie MacDuggins and eleven year old Griffin Mcelroy were interviewed, they insisted the car was never stolen, despite being impounded after being wrecked. It also talked about a store owner who was caught for embezzling. That also didn't seem related but it was the eighties so… The article ended with “Police searched Amnesty Lodge after seeing a suspicious man enter but found nothing.”

Amnesty Lodge. He'd heard that name before. Kirby had mentioned it once, talking about French onion soup. It was at least a place to start.

Amnesty Lodge was gorgeous, with wooden architecture that dated back to the 1800s, when it was first built for lumberjacks who worked in the Monongahela National Forest. The inside was cozy, filled with natural light and wooden beams that traveled the roof. However, the first thing Cam noticed about Amnesty Lodge was Vaughn. He was sitting alone in an oversized chair, head back with headphones in. He was in human form and his brown hair fell over his forehead. A book was folded in his lap, his fingers tucked in between the pages so as to not lose his place. As Cam stopped in the middle of the lobby to take everything else in, his eyes landed on a woman, practically marching towards him. 

“Where did you get that?” She asked. Her voice was loud, echoing back at him.

“What?” Cam was taken aback. She was shorter than him, but that didn't stop her from intimating him. She looked similar to MJ, darker skin but the same curly black hair. The ends of it were dyed red though. The same eyes too, orange or amber or red, depending on how the lights hit them.

“Your jacket. Where did you get it?”

“I uh I,” Cam stumbled over his words. Vaughn had taken out an earbud and was watching them curiously. His arm was on the armrest of the chair, looking casual but Cam could see by the tension in his body, he was ready to leap up at any moment. Whether that would be to protect Cam or the woman, he couldn't tell.

A younger woman came up and put her arm around her. She had long blonde hair, with a green bandana folded over it with eyes that matched. “What’s wrong, Aubrey?” Her eyes traveled down Cam's body, assessing him.

“That’s Ned’s jacket!” She said.

“Ned Chicane? I work at the Cryptonomica. That’s where I got the jacket.”

“I can’t believe Kirby would give away Ned’s jacket.” Aubrey fumed.

“He didn’t! I stole it.” The room went silent as Aubrey and the other woman stared at him. “And this too.” Cam sheepishly pulled out the journal. Aubrey reached out to take it but Cam quickly pulled back. “You’re Aubrey Little right?” They nodded at him. “I need to talk to you. And Duck.”

“When I was cleaning up the backroom, I found this jacket and journal. I’m sure you already know what it says, it’s about you all after all.” Cam was seated in a wooden chair in front of a coffee table. Aubrey, Duck and a woman who wasn't mentioned in the journal, Minerva, sat on a couch across from them. “And then I kept looking. I looked up the dates of the attacks in Kirby’s newspaper collection. There was one about what happened at H2Whoa: That Was Fun. Did you know Calvin sometimes goes to swim meets at the high school? He wouldn’t talk about it, except to tell me I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. And I saw an article about the Pizza hut sign falling and Duck saving two people. You guys did a remarkable job staying out of the newspaper." Cam nervously laughed. They did not. He cleared his throat. "I… I just wanted to know what was going on. It felt like everyone around me was keeping a secret. When I confronted Calvin yesterday, I was afraid he was going to go tell Kirby. And then I would be fired, because I stole the journal and the jacket. But I thought if I could find proof, see the gate or meet one of you, he'd stop lying. And maybe forget about firing me. While I was at the gate, something attacked me. It was like a wolf but it was dead, or dying. Like rotting away. I stabbed it and it didn't falter for a second."

"Well, Kirby's probably not going to be happy you skipped work today but I don't think he'd fire ya. He did something just like that when he was your age." Duck said, shifting in his seat. "Now about this abomination," He settled forward as the door opened. Cam turned around in his seat to see MJ and Vaughn enter.

"What do you need sweetheart?" Aubrey asked.

"Who's this?"

"This is Cam," Duck answered. "He was telling us about a new abomination."

"Duck!" Aubrey swatted him on his arm.

"What? They're old enough to know."

Minerva spoke up, "You defeated this abomination all on your own? Very impressive Cam."

“Uh, I had help.” He gestured to Vaughn and MJ who were still standing at the door. “I know it’s not my place to fight these creatures, I’m not strong like you Duck or have powers like MJ. But I can help, I swear. Y’all let Ned fight with you. Don’t send me home, don’t tell me to forget this, I won’t.” Cam could hear the desperation falter in his voice.

“Aw kid, we’re not gonna send you home.” Duck said.

“Yes, we most certainly are.” Aubrey cut in. “And you too, MJ. And while you’re in my care, Vaughn, you won’t be stepping into those woods again.”

“They’d like that I’m doing this.” A smile flickered across Vaughn’s face. “If I get a vision again, I’m going to follow it. Cam and MJ, you’re welcome to join me.”

“What? Vaughn, you-”

“Now Aubrey,” Duck placed a hand on her shoulder. “I was the last chosen so I think that gives me the right to choose a new chosen.”

“Duck Newton, you are the last chosen that will ever be.”

“Aw hell Minerva, there’s not much I can do with it now. This kid seems ready to take on the responsibility, something I wasn’t.” Duck stood up and pulled off his curious belt, revealing a sword. The blade was a gray color and curved. It seemed to move on its own as it straightened up. The chinks in the blade made it clear that it could continue to curve in many different ways. The hilt was a large mouth, dark brown in color. The grip was worn leather, clear fingerprints where Duck’s hands had held it. Cam stared in awe. 

“Duck, that sword was made for you and you only.” Minerva protested in her loud booming voice.

“Well go on, take it.” Duck held it out to Cam, ignoring her.

The moment Cam’s hands wrapped around the handle, a deep voice rang out. The hilt began to move as it clattered to the floor. “This is my new owner? Duck, take me back at once.”

“My bad. I should have told you he did that.” Duck picked the sword back up off the floor. “Be nice, Beacon.”

“Be nice?” The end of nice almost sounded like he was hissing. “To-” Even though the sword didn’t have eyes, Cam could feel the sword looking them up and down, taking them in. “Them? The child standing in front of me?”

“I’m nineteen.” Cam offered up.

“I’m thousand of years old, existing long before I took this form.”

“Duck, it's okay. You can keep the sword. I don’t need to fight. I could take notes like this.” He tapped the journal.

“Do you wanna fight?”

Cam hesitated for a second before answering. “Yes.”

“It’s either this or a nerf gun. You’re gonna need a good weapon to fight these abominations. You see this chunk missing?” Duck’s fingers brushed lightly over the blade where there was a clear indent. “This would have snapped a regular sword in half and I would have been dead. These abominations-”

“Bom-Boms,” Aubrey cut in.

Duck sighed. “These Bom-Boms do not have a soul, they do not feel pain the same way you and I do. You saw that. They will fight until they die and it will not matter to them. I don’t want you to take this lightly. Many members have died. The only reason Aubrey and I survived as long as we did is because we had outside, magical help.” He gestured to Minerva and Aubrey summoned flame into her hand. MJ summoned flame into her hand as well. "Vaughn is from Sylvain and so was Barclay. We used to have more from Sylvain livin here but since the gate closed up, things changed."

"Was Vaughn the baby left outside the gate?" Cam asked, things connecting in his head. "Is Sylvian on the other side?"

"How do you know that?" Vaughn asked and as Duck said, "You don't know anything, do you?" At the same time. He handed the sword to Cam again. "He's difficult but a good sword. He'll protect you, you just gotta show him who's boss."

"How do I do that?" 

"If you figure it out, you let me know alright?"

Cam grabbed the sword again. "Many times I have asked Duck for a new owner, one who wanted to fight, who knew how to use me. Now I am stuck with you, a mini Duck." It said.

"You can shut him up by wrapping him around your waist."

Cam hit Beacon against his waist like a slap bracelet. Amazingly it worked.

Aubrey stood up. “Let’s go Duck. Kids go home. Cam, I'm going to take you to the infirmary because you're not looking so good but after that you're going home too.”

Duck stayed put. “Aubrey, I’m old. Too old to fight and you’re getting there too.” Aubrey looked at him, shocked. “I know, I know.” He waved her off. “You were close to their age when you started to fight. Let ‘em have a chance, they already fought off one abomination. I’ll help in any way I can but I won’t fight.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Mama’s gone. But they’re gonna need somebody like her. You think you can do that?”

Aubrey sighed. “Yeah.”

“Really?” MJ squeaked.

“I’m agreeing we need a new pine guard. Not that you can be on it. You are children."

"I'm twenty one!" MJ protested.

"Not for another week."

"Cam's human. He's not actually a chosen like you, Duck."

"Like Ned."

"Ned died!"

"It was his choice. You can't protect everybody forever. At least this way we'll know what they're doing and not worry about what'll happen when the abomination comes out that gate. You know more is coming, it's starting over."

Aubrey looked exhausted as she sighed. "I'll think about it. I wish mama was here."

"Me too." Duck said. "Me too."

“Alright Cam, let’s get you checked out. Vaughn, could you get me some… I don’t know what I’m going to need. You can just come with us.”

The infirmary was in the basement, which made Cam nervous. If you were going to kill someone, this would be the place to do it. Cam sat in a plastic roller chair as Aubrey shined a light in his eyes. “Now look to the left,” She said. Cam did as he was told. She smiled. “You don’t have a concussion, which is good. Is there anything else that hurts?” He shook his head. Aubrey rolled her eyes. “Vaughn, where did he get hit?”

“He was laying on his back when we got there.”

“No, I wasn’t! I was sitting up against the gate.”

“Bullshit.” The faintest twitch upward of his lips portrayed a grin.

Cam opened his mouth for another witty reply but Aubrey cut him off. “Okay, take off your shirt.” 

“What?” He squeaked.

“I have to see the damage.” She motioned at him. Cam stood up and slipped Ned’s jacket off. His hands gripped the hem of his t-shirt as he pulled it off. He begged his eyes not to flick over to where Vaughn was standing. He was looking at him intently. Aubrey’s eyes widened as she saw Cam’s back. “This is… not good.” She muttered. “Cam, you lay down on your stomach. I’m going to get some salve.”

“What’s wrong?” He asked as Aubrey hurried out of the room. 

“You have a pretty nasty bruise.”

Cam winced as he twisted around, trying to see it. “I figured. I had to sleep on my stomach last night.”

Vaughn led Cam over to a table pushed up against the wall. There was a cushion covered by a blanket on top and a mirror above it. He could see part of his back, a deep purple gray spreading out. It had hurt like hell when the wolf tackled him. He was lucky this was all he walked away with. Or all that they knew at the moment. 

“You need some help getting up?” Vaughn asked.

“No, I know how to lay on a table.” Cam laughed.

Vaughn shook his head lightly. “Then do it.”

He was laying on the table, arms propped under his head. Vaughn traced the blooming bruise on Cam’s back. His fingers were ice cold but it felt nice. He lightly pressed two fingers along his spine. Cam sucked in a gasp. “Does this hurt?” He asked. Cam nodded, biting his tongue. Then the light touch was gone.

“God, that Bom-Bom really gave you a beating, huh?” Aubrey asked, walking back down the stairs.

“You should have seen him getting thrown around like a ragdoll.”

“Hand me that cloth and then tell me what you and MJ were doing in those woods.”

“I had a vision.”

“You’re supposed to come to me when you have a vision so we can find out what triggers them.” 

“I was standing around, joking with MJ, when it just hit me. I saw the gate and that undead wolf thing. I didn’t see Cam but I felt his presence. Like he was standing directly behind me or something.”

Aubrey hummed as she rubbed the salve on Cam’s back. “I see. You can sit up now.” He returned to an upright position. “I want you to go home.” Vaughn and Cam began to protest. “So you can get some sleep and come back tomorrow. I’m still not sold on the idea of you, Vaughn and MJ fighting those Bom-Boms but since you already know about this, it wouldn’t hurt to add another ally to the team. I’ll talk to Kirby about you keeping your job and missing work tomorrow.” She handed Cam his shirt and jacket. Her hand stayed on Cam’s for a moment as she gave him the jacket. “Ned was quite the thief himself. He once told me he stole George Clooney’s Oscar. I think he would like that you have his jacket.”

“Do you miss him?”

“I used to think about him everyday. We had a complicated history but he was a good guy.” Aubrey sniffed and wiped away a tear trailing down her cheek.  “Vaughn, do you mind taking him home?”

“I’m fine, really.”

Aubrey silenced him with a look. “I would have him fly you home if I could. But I can’t. So, how about you take your dad’s truck instead?” Aubrey fished a pair of keys out of her pocket and tossed them to Vaughn. “You remember how to drive a stick?”
“Can’t forget.”

Barclay’s trunk was a large, old red Ford pickup. Vaughn yanked at the passenger door to open for Cam. “We never keep it locked because it’s so hard to open.” He left his own door open, started the truck up, rolled down the window and closed it from the outside. 

“How old’s the truck?” Cam picked at the worn seats. His seat belt was missing.

“Older than me. It never starts on the first try.” He patted the steering wheel. “Must like you. Everyone does, you know? I know Aubrey can come on strong but she’s nice I swear. And Duck, he’s head over heels for you.”

“What about you? And MJ?”

He took his eyes off the road for a second to look at Cam. “Are you going to come back tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

“Then I like you too.”

Chapter Text

Cam found himself wishing that Vaughn had come by in the morning to pick him up. Amnesty Lodge wasn’t too far away, Cam had walked hundreds of miles in his life, what was five more? It had been a few months since he had to walk anything more than the short trip to the Cryptonomica or general store. Walking to Amnesty Lodge the other day had been difficult, but he’d been running on mostly adrenaline. Not like he had a choice though, he promised Vaughn he’d come back.

Aubrey was sitting at the front desk, smiling at him as he walked in. Vaughn was in his same chair, headphones in, head back. Cam pulled at his t-shirt, trying not to sweat through it. The jacket had been discarded about a mile back.  

“You made it.” Aubrey walked out from behind the desk. Her brow furrowed. “Did you walk the whole way here?”

“Yeah. It was no problem.” Cam waved his hand dismissively, trying to regulate his breathing. 

“Vaughn could have picked you up.”

“I um forgot to ask. But really, I like walking.”

“Okay… Let me go grab Vaughn.” She walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. He didn’t jump or look the least bit startled as Aubrey approached him. No reason to be scared when you're mothman, Cam supposed.

“I guess the first thing that needs to happen is to catch Cam up. Why don’t you go show him Arlo’s computer?” Aubrey asked Vaughn when they had made their way back over.

Vaughn led Cam into an office behind the front desk. It was a little messy, pens strewn across the heavy wooden desk. There were paintings decorating the walls, along with a picture of an older woman. She had straight hair, graying at the top but brown at the tips. She was smiling. “That’s Mama.” Vaughn commented.

“Who?”

“The woman in the photograph. She painted all those paintings too.” Vaughn was digging around a drawer until finally he pulled out a block of a laptop. “That journal doesn’t tell the full story. The Pine Guard was established after the abominations first started appearing in Kepler back in 1978. Some concerned citizens around town found out about the monsters, and about Sylvain, that’s where Barclay, me, Dani and most of the other residents of Amnesty lodge come from. They took it upon themselves to start fighting back in secret. Mama was with them from the very start, but she was trying to fight them alone for such a long time before she found Barclay. He joined around 1987. This laptop used to belong to a guy named Thacker. He was with The Pine Guard from the start, too. He kept notes on everything they ever fought, in this… the oldest functioning computer on this fucking planet.” He sort of slapped the top of it. “Then he went missing in the wilds of Sylvain. For a while it was just Mama and Barclay. Then enter Duck, Aubrey and Ned. Aubrey can control fire, Ned was a great thief and Duck was the chosen, at least until you.” He smiled.

“What’s the chosen?”

“I think I’ll let Duck explain that one.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t really understand. It’s got something to do with Minerva though.. Anyway, then Mama left to find Thacker. Barclay started writing the new entries but they weren’t scientific like her or Arlo’s. They were more like letters to her. He wanted her to know everything that happened while she was gone.” He tapped the mouse pad, trying to get the computer to boot up. “Those are the entries worth reading.” After unlocking it, he slid it over to Cam. The entry that was pulled up was the second entry that mentioned Duck, Aubrey and Ned. “H2whoa that was fun.” This entry was completely different than the one in the journal. It was detailed, mentioning every encounter with the water monster, how Ned took Calvin to distract it and then the entire fight. As soon as he had finished reading that one, he dove into the next. It was so much information for his brain to piece together but it felt good. Like wearing glasses for the first time, before you knew you needed them.

“Who’s Indrid Cole?” Cam finally looked up from the computer.

“Mothman actually.”

“Like you?”

“Yeah, kinda. He gets visions all the time, of all the different possibilities of every future. My visions have to be triggered but I don’t know how.”

“Oh. Are you related?”

“Maybe."

Cam winced at his tone. “You probably get that a lot huh?”

Vaughn rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I'm from Sylvain but I’m not like the rest of the residents who got to live there before they were kicked out. I was left outside of the gate as a baby.”

“Why?”

"I don't know."

"Why's anybody kicked out? How do you guys get the rings that make you human?"

"I don't know why people are kicked out, Sylvain's weak or at least it was when people were still allowed to enter or leave. As for our accessories, Indrid Cole makes them. They give us a human form, mostly just taking away the things that make us Sylphs in nature. Dani looks the same, only without her sharp teeth and a bit more color to her skin. I lose my wings. Any more questions?” Vaughn asked.

“Can I see your ring?” Cam blurted out. Vaughn pulled off his ring but instead of huge wings unfurling from his back, he stayed human. “Is that not?” Cam asked.

“It is. It keeps my human form but I’ve got several other accessories that do the same. I grew up with humans, going to human school, so my dads made sure there would not be “mothman” slip ups.”

“Which ones are they?”

“I’ll never tell.” Cam twirled the ring around his finger, slipping it on. Nothing happened. “I would have been really surprised if something had happened.” Vaughn reached out and pulled it off his finger. It was surprising the ring had even fit. Vaughn’s fingers were long and slender. Cam examined his own hands. “Can I see your sword?”

“Beacon?”

“Yeah.” Vaughn reached out to grab the sword from his belt loops. Cam scrambled back and out of the chair. Vaughn leaned back, confusion creasing his forehead.. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Cam’s hands were shaking. He took a deep breath to calm down. “Nothing. Beacon is particular about who holds him.”

“You’re going to let the sword tell you what to do?”

Cam sighed, pulling Beacon out. Before he could completely unfurl, Cam quickly handed him over to Vaughn. He confidently gripped the hilt of the sword, not struggling with the weight at all. Beacon’s lips curled into a smile. “Yes, a worthy wielder. Where shall we go? Who shall we slay?” Cam sat back down.

Vaughn laughed. “Calm down. Cam is the chosen, I’m only borrowing you for a second.”

“Cam, you let another hold me? Never have I been more betrayed, more disappointed.”

“You just said you wanted him to wield you!”

“I do. But I am yours.” He hissed out the last word.

“Alright, I’ll take him back.” Vaughn handed Beacon back to Cam. He tried to act like the weight of the sword was nothing. An odd look came over Vaughn’s face., his eyes glazed over slightly and his body swayed back and forth, just barely but he had definitely lost some control. “Minerva wants to talk to you.” His voice was even deeper.

“What?”

Vaughn shook his head like he was clearing his thoughts out. “I don’t know. It was like a mini vision, I saw Minerva mouth your name and I knew that she wanted to talk to you.”

Cam stood up. “Couldn’t hurt to check.”

Vaughn led Cam through Amnesty’s hallways, back down to the basement but a different section. This room was more welcoming, with two couches facing each other. There was a table in between them, a pack of cards sitting on top. Aubrey and Minerva were arguing by the doorway.

“I told you and Duck no.”

“You do not have authority over me or Duck. Cam has made the choice to answer the call. Vaughn’s fathers have given him permission. I do not even understand what we are arguing about.” Cam cleared his throat. “Ah, he is here.”

“What are you doing here?” Aubrey asked. 

“I had a mini vision.”

“At least you came to me this time.”

“I didn’t know you would be here. I only saw Minerva.”

“You wanted to see me?” Cam asked.

“I did. Cam, answer me honestly, is this something you would like? To fight the Abominations, with Vaughn and MJ?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation this time.

“The chosens do not usually get to choose, their destiny is chosen for them the moment they are found. But maybe we can give the name a new meaning. I can’t give you the full power of the chosen but perhaps I can give you something. Duck is really rooting for you, so I am as well.” She placed her hands on Cam’s shoulders. Warmth spread through his body, the odd sensation of being the same temperature all over. As she pulled her arms away, the warmth faded but the feeling stayed. “How do you feel?”

“Different.”

She smiled. “Now you will be able to take a hit. And perhaps wielding that sword won’t be so hard for you.”

“Shit! I forgot Beacon in the office.” Cam took off running. It felt effortless. He wasn’t out of shape but running felt the same as walking. The tiredness that had settled into his bones after walking to Amnesty Lodge was gone. When he slowed to enter the doorway, his breathing remained the same. As he gripped the hilt of Beacon, he didn’t strain to lift it. It wasn’t weightless but it felt like lifting a can of soda or soup. 

“You may be worthy.” Beacon spoke. “Now that you can wield me. I sense a great partnership in our future.”

Cam was too entranced to answer. He lifted Beacon up and lunged forward, stabbing the sword solidly into the wooden pot of a small tree in the corner of the room..

Vaughn entered behind him. “That was impressive.”

“Thanks.” Cam felt heat rising to his cheeks. “I didn’t mean to do that, I don’t know what I was thinking.” Beacon stayed stuck in the pot, hanging there.

“You better pull him out before Aubrey sees,” MJ’s voice sounded from behind Vaughn. “She will not be happy.”

Cam yanked Beacon out the pot with surprising force, he slipped out like a knife stuck in butter, sending Cam stumbling backward. Dirt spilled out onto the carpeted floor.

“What’s wrong with him?” MJ whispered to Vaughn.

“I don’t know.”

“Minerva has blessed him.” Beacon answered. 

MJ’s cheeks flushed pink. “Sorry, I didn’t mean, you know, that there was anything wrong with you.”

“Trust me, I’m just as surprised. Did your mom say you could fight yet?”

MJ crossed her arms, a pout settling over her face. “No. Just because Vaughn’s twenty-two, it means he can do whatever he wants.”

“You’ll be twenty-one in a week right?”

“Yeah.” A smile spread across her face. “We’re having a party here next week if you want to come. You’ll probably be here anyway but,” She shrugged. 

“Then you’ll be able to fight with us?” Vaughn nudged MJ’s shoulder with his elbow. She was considerably shorter than him. 

“I better. I agreed to sit this week out, but that’s all I agreed to.” Cam watched them talk, so clearly comfortable with each. Vaughn wanted to look like he seemed comfortable everywhere, but Cam noticed the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers rested on his rings or fiddled with his necklace, a large shard of crystal, wrapped in metal. He did seem considerably more relaxed around MJ. And he noticed now as Vaughn clutched his head, falling into MJ. She struggled with his weight and Cam rushed over. His indecision paralyzed him as he reached out for Vaughn and then pulled his hands back. MJ was struggling to hold Vaughn up and all Cam could do was watch. Then it was over, Vaughn was on two feet again, hair messy but seemingly intact. 

“What the hell was that?” MJ asked. Cam didn’t know if she was asking him or Vaughn. Luckily Vaughn answered.

“Another vision. You know how they’re usually fuzzy around the edges and I can’t really tell what’s going on? Like in my last vision, I didn’t even see Cam. This one was sharp and clear. Someone is in the woods, looking for the gate.”

Chapter Text

They were gathered in the same room that Cam had first met Duck and Minerva. Only this time Vaughn and MJ were sitting across from Aubrey, Duck and Minerva with him.

“They know the gate is there?” Aubrey asked.

“I didn’t recognize them from the lodge. But maybe they’re like Cam and are looking for it without really knowing about it.”

“Shit.” Duck said. “I knew we shouldn’t have let Kirby keep track of all the journals.”

“Hey now, he's done a pretty good job up until now. It’s not that big of a deal.” Aubrey said. “It’s probably some teen wandering around. You’re sure they were looking for the gate?”

“I could feel their intentions, if that makes sense.”

“Alright, we’ll deal with that later. If it’s a person like you say it is, you better take the truck again.” Aubrey tossed Vaughn the keys. “You might have to bring them back here.”

“Can I go?” MJ asked.

“I think they’ve got it handled.” MJ looked like she was going to protest but Aubrey lifted her hand to silence her. “You promised me a week.”

"Fine," She huffed.

Vaughn led Cam back out to the old Ford. He reached to open the passenger door for him again, but Cam stopped him. “Let me try it again.” It still took some work but he was able to pull it open this time. A smile spread across his face. Vaughn smiled back from the driver’s seat, reaching through the window to close the door from the outside. 

“You ever thought about getting the truck fixed?”

“Any repair would be more than the truck is worth. It’s got a certain charm to it anyway.”

“Right. My bad.”

“Says the guy who walked five miles to get here this morning.”

“No, you’re right. This truck is like cloud nine.”

Vaughn laughed. “That’s more like it.” He slowed the truck down as they got closer. Shutting the engine off, they coasted until they reached the edge of the woods. He then shifted it into park, jolting Cam forward.

Vaughn was in his human form but as they stepped out of the truck, Cam noticed his eyes were no longer brown but instead almost a deep red. “The gate’s not far from here.” He said.

Cam was acutely aware of every branch that crunched around them. His ears perked up as they got closer. The hair on the back of his neck and arms was standing up. Without even thinking, he put out one arm in front of Vaughn’s chest, stopping him in his tracks. The sound of footsteps became clear and got louder, almost unbearably so until someone appeared in the clearing. Cam and Vaughn were at the edge of the trees, providing some cover for them. There was something unnatural about the way the person was walking. Cam’s heart was in his throat as the body stumbled around. One of the arms was at the wrong angle. The fingernails were completely black and the skin was an unhealthy yellow. His arm remained over Vaughn’s chest, his voice was low and nothing but his lips moved as he spoke. “Vaughn, that is not a person. That is a thing, a very scary, dangerous thing.”

“I know.” Cam heard the waver in his voice. His hand moved to grip the hilt of his sword, slowly. 

“Don’t take off your ring until I say so. We don’t want to attract unnecessary attention until we have to. Beacon is going to be loud, so maybe we can go at the same time and confuse it.” They stood absolutely still as the creature turned its head, looking around. Cam caught a glance of its face. Definitely not human. It was the rotting head of a goat on a human’s body. The eyes were only sockets, dripping black goo down its face. The black goo created rivlets through the fur. It was wearing clothes but they were torn and stained with small, ugly black spots. “I don’t know if anything can get through the gate but I know we can’t let it try.”

“Don’t let it touch you.” Vaughn said. Cam nodded.

“Okay. Okay.” His thoughts were moving slower than he wanted and every fiber of his being was telling him to run. “It would be nice if we had someone who could shoot fire right now but we don’t. so,” He took a deep breath. 

“I’m going to take off my ring and distract it. Without letting it touch me. I need you to attack from the back and cut its head off. Can you do that?” Vaughn asked. Cam nodded. Vaughn’s ring slipped off, landing in the dirt with a soft thud. In an instant he was in the air, looking menacing as he flew towards the creature. Without thinking, Cam reached down and picked up the ring, slipping it into his pocket. His hand gripped the hilt of Beacon and pulled him out, unfurling midair.

“What are you doing, standing here? Go fight.” 

Cam felt like his feet were stuck to the ground as he watched Vaughn duck and weave as the abomination swiped at him, getting closer to him. He broke his gaze away from the goatman for a second to look at Cam. The goatman swiped at him, barely grazing the fabric of his t-shirt. The black gunk clung to it. Vaughn grabbed the collar of it, completely ripping it off. It smacked the creature in the face, sliding to the ground. When it hit the ground, the fabric had almost disintegrated. 

“Go!” Beacon hissed. He’d been talking the whole time, and Cam hadn’t heard a thing but the rushing in his ears. He snapped out of his stupor, hands shaking as he willed his feet forward. Vaughn’s eyes stayed trained on the goatman, so as not to give Cam away. When he got close enough, he swung Beacon, connecting solidly between the shoulder and neck. With unknown speed, the goatman whirled on him. Up close it was so much more horrifying. Skin and fur sagged off of the face, exposing bone. As it turned, bone cracked against Beacon, the right arm almost falling off. It was already at an odd angle; no way was the creature using it now. Its left arm was fine, and it reached out for Cam. He scrambled backwards, almost tripping on uneven ground. Vaughn threw a rock, pelting the goatman squarely in the back of his head but it didn’t even slow down. Cam was running now, towards Vaughn, towards the gate, anywhere that wasn’t within the abomnation’s grasp. Vaughn launched himself into the air, landing squarely behind it, and grabbed Beacon from the dirt. With one swing, the head was disconnected from the body. Cam and Vaughn watched silently as the body collapsed next to it. They disintegrated into a puddle of black sludge and then evaporated into black smoke. 

Vaughn looked over at Cam. “You froze.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You can’t do that.” His voice shook. “I can’t do this alone. I wish MJ had been here.”

“Me too.”

“She wasn’t though. You said you wanted this! Cam, this isn’t make believe anymore. You could have died.”

“I swear it won’t happen again. I won’t freeze up like that again.”

“How can you be sure? You-”

“Have you ever seen shit like that?” Something inside of him broke. “Even the wolf wasn’t like that! Forgive me for faltering in the face of abject horror!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

“Fuck! I’m only human. I promise you, the next time I see something like that, I’m going to start swinging and I won’t stop until it’s dead.”

“Good.” Vaughn handed Beacon back to Cam. Beacon stayed silent as Cam wrapped him around his waist. 

“Here’s your ring.” Cam held it in his palm as Vaughn grabbed it. He definitely grew shorter when he put on the ring. His height in his Sylph form must have been close to seven foot tall. He looked less menacing, just a regular boy, shivering in the cold night air. Cam looked away. “Let’s go tell Aubrey. What was that?”

“I have an idea. But god, I hope it’s not true. I don’t know what that black shit that’s been possessing the creatures is but I have an idea who it possessed this time.” They walked quietly back to the car. Cam was on edge as he heard branches snap and leaves crackle all around them. Cam breathed a sigh of relief as he yanked the truck door open. 

Vaughn spoke again once they were a good amount of distance away from the forest. “You know Kirby’s husband, Billy?”

“I think I’ve met him a few times, why?”

“He’s a goatman. And he’s the only one that I know of.”

“Oh god.” Cam covered his mouth with his hands. 

“We don’t know though. Let’s not assume the worst. Do you know the phone number for the Cryptonomica?”

“Of course.”

“You should call Kirby as soon as we get inside.”

Aubrey and MJ were hanging out by the front desk as they walked in. 

"Everything go okay?" Aubrey asked.

"Y'all look like shit." MJ commented. At least she sounded concerned. Cam ignored them and made a beeline for the phone. It was an old rotary phone that you had to spin to dial. He felt incredibly foolish as each spin echoed through the lobby. Duck had joined them as Vaughn explained the situation while the phone rang. 

They all waited with bated breath as Cam called Kirby. After what seemed like forever, Kirby’s voice answered. “This is the Cryptonomica, Kirby speaking. How can I help you?”

“Hey Kirby, it’s Cam. Have you seen Billy lately?” Cam paused, listening to the answer. “Uh huh, thanks. I know. I gotta go now.” He hung up the receiver. “Kirby says Billy has been with him at the Cryptonomica all day, filling in for me.” Cam slouched leaned against the desk., feeling very tired and grateful.

“If it’s not Billy, then it might be Vincent,” Aubrey said.

“Aw damn, you might be right.” Duck shook his head like he didn’t want to believe it.

“I mean how many other goatmen do we know?” She paused. “Was he wearing a scarf?” Aubrey’s voice was quiet, almost unintelligible. 

Cam looked at Vaughn. “I think he was. When I hit his shoulder, there was some sort of cloth covering his neck.” Aubrey buried her face in her hands and Duck placed an arm over her shoulder to pull her in. 

“I think it’s best if you go home now.” Vaughn told Cam.

It felt like a knife to his chest. To stand there and watch Aubrey cry, to be completely useless, now and in the fight. Vaughn was sending him away. He nodded, a lump in his throat keeping him from speaking. Vaughn pulled the keys from his pocket. “It’s fine, I can walk. I need the time to clear my head anyway.”

“If you know how to drive a stick, you can bring it back tomorrow.”

Cam took the keys from Vaughn’s hand. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I know today was rough. But you better come back.”

Cam discarded his shirt as he got ready for bed. He went unbutton his pants and noticed Beacon still tucked through the belt loops. “Huh.” He slipped it out, and it unfurled, righting itself in his hands. 

“Hello Cam.” If the sword could have sniffed with disdain, it would have.

“Do you need to eat or… drink?” Cam asked the sword.

“No. I need to be used. You are going to be a lot of work. Let us go practice right now.” The sword had a deep gravelly voice but spoke in a sort of whimsical manner.

“Can you see me?”

“I see your form when you hold me. And I see what you see.”

“Then can you see the huge bruise on my back. And feel how exhausted I am. You were there for the fight today.”

“I was. Would you like to see the jaws of an undead abomination close around your head or anyone else’s? How about if that goatman had managed to lay a hand on Vaughn and you got to watch him disappear into nothing before your very eyes? Have you ever seen someone you love die and know you could have saved them?”

“No.”

“You almost did. You need to practice. You can barely hold me.”

“I’m tired.” Cam protested. “And I can wield you just fine.”

“If your anxiety doesn’t get the best of you.”

“I take meds Beacon, I’ll be fine.”

“You are the weakest person who has ever held me. I was wrong when I said we could have a great partnership. You are nothing.”

Cam hurled the sword into the wall. It went almost all the way through, the tip of the blade emerging on the other side of his wall, into the bathroom. 

The mouth of the hilt was sticking out on his side. “Use that anger next time. Greatness does not come easy. Just ask Duck.”

“Fuck you.” Cam spit out the words. He crawled into bed, fighting back tears. His mind was battling his body, swirling with thoughts as physical exhaustion threatened to overcome him.

Chapter Text

Cam woke up with a pounding headache and an ache in his back. Beacon started yelling at him as he stumbled into the bathroom. Okay, it wasn’t so much yelling as it was saying things harshly in his already loud voice. "Get me down right now, you've had your fun."

"Trust me that was anything but fun."

"I only said those things to motivate you last night. But perhaps you are not the type to be motivated by those sort of words." Cam sighed as he pulled Beacon from the wall. This was the closest he was going to get to an apology. "You messed up yesterday. That does not mean you will do it again. You have learned and you will continue to do so."

“Should I even go back?”

“Yes. If you want to quit, you must return me to Duck at once.” 

Cam shoved Beacon deep into his bag. “You’re lucky I’m bringing you along at all.” After he got dressed, he slung the bag over his shoulder and headed out to the red truck. A parking spot came as a perk with the apartment but this was the first time he had ever used it. Beacon was tossed into the backseat, perhaps a bit rougher than necessary. 

Aubrey was outside when he arrived, waiting for him at the parking space. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a cup of tea in her hand. “Cam.” She said as he stepped out of the truck. “I heard what happened yesterday.”

Cam handed her the keys. “Yeah, about that-"

“The same thing happened to me.”

“What?”

“You know about the pizza hut sign, right?” Cam nodded. “I’m the one who knocked it down. The wind was threatening to blow it over onto Leo’s general store. I tried to cut through it and have it fall the opposite way. I failed. When I saw it fall, I fainted. I thought I had killed Duck.” She must have seen the confusion on Cam’s face. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to freeze up or be scared. What you’re dealing with is much more serious than I thought. I know Vaughn gave you a hard time yesterday. He was scared too.”

“Aubrey, he could have died and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”

“You did though, you stabbed it. You don't always have to deal the big hits, anything helps. It’s difficult now but it gets easier. I’m letting MJ join you and Vaughn. The first rule is to keep each other safe, the second is to hurt the Bom-Bom.”

“Why do you call them that?”

“I thought they were from Sylvain at first, and that it was rude to call them Abominations. Some of them did end up being good guys, like Billy.” She wrapped an arm around Cam, the blanket falling over his shoulders. He tensed up for a second and then forced himself to relax. He hoped Aubrey hadn’t noticed. He was taller than her but she didn’t seem to mind. “You’re one of the good guys.”

“I want to believe that.”

“Then believe it.” She led him into the lobby. There were a few people sitting at the tables and looking at the sky. Cam was sure that he recognized them from visits to the Cryptonomica.

“I wanted to talk to you for another reason, Cam. While you were here, Vaughn had two visions in one day. Technically three overall, if you count the first one where he saw you at the gate. That’s more than he usually has in a month. And you’re the common factor. How would you feel about moving to Amnesty Lodge?” She looked at Cam expectantly. “If it’s nothing, you are certainly welcome to continue staying here. Mama offered me a room the first night I arrived and I never left. It's free.” She offered. “You don’t have to decide right now. Something to think about, hm?”

Cam nodded, trying to calm down his thoughts as they speedran the pros and cons of living at Amnesty lodge. It was further away from the college, but he’d already missed most classes this week and it looked like he wouldn’t be going to many next week. Also further away from the Cryptonomica, but who knows if he even still had a job there. It was closer to Vaughn, MJ and everyone else he’d gotten to know. It was also free, probably the biggest draw of living here. “Do you rent out rooms to nonsylphs?”

Aubrey laughed. “We wouldn’t make a bit of money otherwise. Most slyphs don’t have jobs or prefer not to remain in their human forms for long periods of time. Peak season is not for another few months, so the lodge is fairly empty right now.”

“What do you do when the lodge is fully booked during peak season?”

“Keep the guests away from the hot springs and make sure that everyone else stays in human form. And when we had the gate to worry about, the Pine Guard was a bit more discrete.”

“Yeah… We haven’t exactly been subtle.”

“Vaughn told me more about the Bom- abominations. It doesn’t sound good. Duck and I faced some scary things, but nothing like undead goatmen that could disintegrate things with a touch.”

“What about that Bobcat that Barclay and Ned fought? Or the bear that Duck tracked in the woods? That was kinda like this. Possessing corpses and stuff..”

“Yeah… If that water monster we fought was a strong version of a flame monster the people before us had fought, this could be a stronger version of that.”

“What's the next step?” Cam asked.

“Well, we can set up patrols around the gate and wait for Vaughn to get another vision. I already talked to the others and set up shifts. I don’t want you, Vaughn or MJ patrolling in case you get pulled somewhere else. You three are on research duty for now.”

“Ready to head to the Cryptonomica?” MJ walked in with Vaughn, spinning a set of keys around her pointer finger.

Aubrey fished the keys back out of her pocket and handed them to Cam. “You can keep these, we’ve got extras.”

"I'm driving!" MJ said. "So, don't even think about it." Cam slid the keys into one of his many jacket pockets and then showed MJ his empty hands. She smiled. "Good. Let's go!"

It wasn't a far drive to the Cryptonomica but MJ got to the Cryptonomica in almost half the time. Even Vaughn looked frazzled as he stepped out of the truck. Cam lingered by the entrance, unsure of how Kirby was going to react to him. Vaughn walked behind MJ, briefly stopping by Cam. "You can't stay out here forever."

"I know."

"The worst isn't going to happen." Vaughn lightly placed a hand on his back, pushing him forward.

As soon as he was through the doorway, Kirby's eyes were on him, and he was approaching him fast. Cam tensed in anticipation.

"My boy," Kirby pulled him into a hug, his voice was soft and kind instead of stern or angry. He embraced Cam for a few seconds and then pulled him away, hands on his shoulders. People were touching Cam a lot more lately and he never knew how to react. Kinda made him want to cry when it happened. He pushed those thoughts away and looked at Kirby. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"I stole the book and jacket? And lied."

Kirby laughed. "I'm not happy you did either of those things, but I knew what I was doing when I let you leave with them. If I had known that the wolf was going to attack you, I never would have let you go to the gate."

"You knew? That I took the journal and jacket, I mean." The shock was evident on Cam's face.

"I'm not the smartest guy around but I'm not oblivious. You walked out of here wearing it. And those questions about Calvin and the Pine guard. How little do you think of me?" It was a joke, but Cam hung his head in embarrassment, ears burning. He thought he noticed everything but this time he was too stuck in his own world to look past it. 

"Sorry."

"It's alright. You came to work today and even brought two friends to help catch up on what you missed."

"Actually," MJ started. Kirby looked at her, eyebrows raised as if asking her if she wanted to continue. "Yep, that's right. We'll start with the goatman exhibit."

"Why did you call and ask about Billy yesterday?" Kirby asked. Cam explained the situation in the woods. He watched as Kirby's face slowly drained of color, the smile and light-hearted expression disappearing. "That's not good." His eyes shifted around the room. "Do you mind watching the store while I go get Billy?"

"I think he'd be much safer here." Vaughn said.

Kirby quickly grabbed a large key ring and slipped one off. "If anything happens, you can lock the door with this." He placed it in Cam's palm. "I'm trusting you." Cam nodded.

"Don't freeze up." Vaughn joked. Cam flicked the key at Vaughn. 

"If you want it, you can have it." Vaughn effortlessly caught it and tossed it back. 

"Nah, he chose you."

MJ rejoined them. "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing. Kirby had to leave for a few minutes."

"Nice! Cam, do you know where the goatman exhibit is?"

"I don't think we have one… which makes sense now that I know about Billy."

"Is there anything that can help us here?"

"There's a computer up front and we could look through old newspaper articles. Kirby has a bunch."

"I'll use the computer." Vaughn said.

"I pretty much already looked through all the newspapers though..."

"Hey, wait, doesn't Kirby publish a weekly zine? There's gotta be a back catalog of those somewhere."

"Maybe in the Chicanery."

"Lead the way."

The Chicanery was actually just a very large backroom. There were a few empty display cases, lots of boxes and trash on the floor. 

MJ ran her hand along the top edge of one of the display cases. "Duck told us he left Beacon here for like a decade with Ned. I wonder if he was in one of these display cases."

"It must have been so cool growing up hearing stories like that."

"Your parents didn't tell you stories?" MJ asked, moving on to open one of the cardboard boxes. 

Cam did the same. "There wasn’t anything to tell." Cam lied.

"Oh. Well, maybe you can ask Beacon. Duck would tell you too."

"Shit, I forgot Beacon in the truck. I have to stop doing that." He moved onto another box.

"Yeah or Vaughn's going to steal it."

"What?" Cam looked over at MJ. Her face was still buried in a box so Cam couldn’t see if she was joking or not.

"He used to ask Duck to hold it all the time. He always said no. Vaughn was practically obsessed."

"I let him hold it." 

“I bet you’re his favorite person now.”

Cam felt his cheeks flush as he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

They searched in silence for a bit before they heard the doorbells chime. They left the backroom as Kirby entered the Cryptonomica. "Find anything?" 

Vaughn answered but Cam wasn't listening to him, instead looking at the man Kirby had walked in with. Billy? Cam thought. The man standing next to Kirby looked exactly like Ryan Gosling. Ryan Gosling with a beard. So much so that Cam briefly considered that he had hallucinated all of this. MJ got back up to her feet and elbowed Cam out of stupor. "You're not going crazy." She whispered.

"Uh nice to meet you," Cam walked over to shake his hand. "I'm Cam."

"Cam." Billy repeated, voice warbling a bit. It did sound like if a goat could speak English.

"Sorry I didn’t warn you Cam. The whole Ryan Gosling shocks everyone when they first see him." Kirby wrapped an arm around Billy's shoulders. "I didn't want to take the experience away from you. Did you guys find anything?"

"No." MJ shook her head.

"I reckon you'd have better luck at the gate."

Vaughn looked up from the computer. "I think we're looking in the wrong place. It's not goatmen that we should be looking for, it's black goo that possesses things."

Cam raised his eyebrows. "Did you find anything about that?"

Vaughn sighed. "No."

"This is hopeless. I think Aubrey is still trying to keep me out of the action." MJ said.

"I won't say anything if y'all want to go to the gate."

"Really?" Cam asked.

"Sure. Billy will help me out." He placed a kiss on his cheek.