Archive of Our Own ^beta

The house reeked of death. It wafted up from the floorboards, through the walls, swirling around Ryan like a mist. It was sour and smelt like blood, and he hated that he could even smell it at all. It pumped out of the two creatures in front of them as they tore into the Hackett’s. The giant was sprawled out a ways away from him, a pool of blood forming around him as it spilled from his throat.

Ryan watched as Chris- or the creature that resembled him- sprang forward, teeth clamping down on his own parents. Ryan let out a small cry, hands tightening around the shotgun he held. He should be doing something, should be pressing the barrel against Chris’ skull and firing away. But he couldn’t bring himself to lift it up. It hung his arms down like it was made of lead. Ryan stumbled backwards until his back hit the wall, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The older man screamed and trashed in the monster’s teeth- clawing at its thick, waxy skin. It tore into his skull, ripping away at the thin layers of skin there. His wife lay dead next to him, body limp and eyes dark. Deep cuts ran across her torso, scarlet seeping into her faded pink dress like spilt wine. A sickening pop echoed through the room, and Ryan felt something hard roll against his foot.

With a shriek, Ryan kicked it away from him. The sheriff’s head slammed against the wall with a squelch, sliding down the wooden panel in a trail of blood. The other creature froze from where it was standing, lifting its disgusting head and turning towards him. Its lips pulled back into a snarl, legs rearing to leap.

Ryan didn’t fight back. He didn’t pull the shotgun up and become the hero. He didn’t even think. The shotgun hit the floor with a bang, his legs pumping beneath him. He heard the thuds of the creature behind him, panic seizing his muscles. Ryan weaved through the house, knocking over dressers and slamming doors- desperate to create space between him and the monster. He needed to find an exit. He needed to run.

Like a guardian angel, Ryan caught sight of the door. He practically ripped it off its handles, barreling his way outside. He didn’t waste a second before bolting into the treeline, the sounds of the creatures fading into background noise. 

He didn’t stop running. He couldn’t stop running. The smell of death still stung his nose, dried out his eyes, seeped into the threads of his clothes and the hairs on his scalp. Eventually, when the Hackett House felt like an eternity away, Ryan’s legs gave out beneath him. He plummeted forwards, face slamming against the muddy ground. Ryan staggered up, body trembling. The forest around him was brighter than he’d ever seen it at night, he could smell every flower and make out every creature sitting in the branches of the trees. He could identify what they were just by their heartbeat. 

His head hammered with each new thing he caught. The new flowers, the eyes peering down at him from the leaves, the stench of blood, the taste of iron in his mouth, his sticky, blood soaked clothes, the pulse of Laura’s bite in his forearm, each breath he took becoming clearer and clearer- the feeling of his rib no longer being forced against his lung.

Ryan let out a choked sob. He was going to die, cold and alone in the middle of a monster infested forest. He was hallucinating, wasn’t he? He was going to die a coward who couldn’t even protect the one person he promised he would. Ryan clawed at his scalp until it was raw, blood caking beneath his nails. He was going to die. Hot- burning hot- tears fell from his eyes. It scorched his cheeks, and he wiped at them furiously.

A shadow stalked in the corner of his eye. Ryan’s head whipped to the side- torn from his haze. His chest tightened, lungs shrinking down. He could barely make out the thing in front of him, but he knew what it was all the same. It smelt just like the others, sour and disgusting, and horribly familiar. Ryan wondered which of his friends this was. It wore a tattered t-shirt, claw marks torn through the back- clearly an attempt to get it off was made. Adrenaline pumped back in him, the familiar fight or flight instinct returning. He knew what he’d choose. Ryan’s eyes scanned for the nearest escape. The beast’s eyes didn’t waver. They were bright coals in the darkness, piercing and intense. They bored into his face, inspecting every fiber of him.

It took a step forward. Then two. Ryan scrambled back, his legs kicking mud beneath him until he was standing up again. Even while standing, the thing was tall- taller than any beast he’d seen that night. It paused its movement, head tilting curiously. Ryan took this chance, it was the last one he’d get.

He stumbled away, leaping down stone stairways he’d gone up to save Nick just hours ago. His legs shook, threatening to snap under his own weight. Ryan was exhausted and terrified, but the need for survival overtook everything else. It was only human nature, he supposed. Ryan heard it sprinting towards him, claws tearing into the ground. He was going to die, he was going to die, he was going to die.

Ryan let out a scream as he was tackled. He kicked and thrashed, pulling away from the beast above him.

”Get the fuck away from me!” He yelled, sliding back on his aching palms. It was useless, he knew it was useless. The creature continued to stalk forward every time he managed to worm away, plummeting into him.

He fought until his shoulders burned, and the only thing he could do left was hold his arms up to protect himself. It was a pathetic barrier, he knew the strength the thing held- his arms would be twigs to it. Ryan braced himself, eyes squeezing shut. He felt its hot breath against his skin, the tickle of its nose.

He was going to die before he saw Sarah again. He was going to die before he saw his mom out of the hospital, before he tasted his grandmother’s cooking again or heard his grandfather’s laugh. He was going to die before he saw Dylan okay- alive and warm, before he saw Kaitlyn again. Or Abi, or Emma, or Nick. Ryan sobbed, he cried for the life he was going to lose, he cried for the one he forgot to live. 

The bite never came. The claws never tore into him just as they did to so many before him. Ryan held his breath, counting those agonizing seconds in his head. One, two, three, four. He waited for the other shoe to drop, for the monster to finish its toying and finally finish him off. It never happened.

Its nose buried into his arms, prodding them open until his face was fully revealed. Ryan almost gagged at the sight of it. It was too human to be a wolf, but too canine to be human. A thick layer of matted fur ran from the top of its head down its spine. Its nose was cold and wet against his bare skin. Ryan froze- a deer in headlights. The beast stared down at him, head tilted curiously. It bent forward again, prodding along his neck and shoulders, sniffing softly. Ryan craned away, breaths heaving out of his mouth and nose. He could feel every bit of moisture and the warmth the creature’s mouth held. He should be up and running, not frozen like an idiot.

It pulled away carefully, head trailing down to his forearm. The beast sniffed along the bite mark, rumbling curiously. Ryan tensed, eyes wide as it inspection. He should be dead, why wasn’t he dead? The beast was shockingly hesitant, like one wrong move would scare him off- which wasn’t really wrong. But he’d seen what they could do, Ryan has seen the carnage it can inflict- why was this one different?

Or why was he different? This creature was the same as all the others, it was Ryan that changed. He was bitten, he was going to turn into one of them soon. They didn’t see him as a threat anymore. They saw him as a comrade. Dread sunk into his stomach. He was going to be one soon. He needed to get away from here, away from the others. He needed to find a place to lock himself up, to keep him far away from everyone else.

Ryan pulled himself up with a groan. The beast reared back as though it’d been burned, ears pinning back. For an instant, he felt that panic seize him, expecting it to lash out. But it just stood deathly still, watching his movements carefully. It was too doglike for Ryan’s sanity.

”If you aren’t going to kill me,” he murmured. “I’m going to go.”

It didn’t respond, obviously. It just stared blankly at him, rumbling lowly. Ryan took it as a sign of acceptance. He took a few steps away, checking occasionally behind him. After the fourth look back, he finally decided that the thing truly wouldn’t kill him, and set off down the trail. He didn’t know exactly what he was doing, he just knew he needed to find somewhere to hide. Far, far away. Down, in a deep hole where he wouldn’t be found, preferably. 

“Find a hiding spot,” he whispered. God, he was talking to himself, he really was going insane. “Find a-”

A small huff cut him off. Ryan stilled, turning around. The creature stood a ways away, still as a stone. After it realized it had been caught, it quickly looked away, head burrowing through the brush in an attempt to make it seem like it wasn’t following him. It acted like Dylan, Ryan thought. He quickly kicked himself for the idea. Dylan wasn’t one of those things, he was alive and safe and at the lodge, fixing the van with Kaitlyn.

”Are you going to follow me the entire time?” Ryan called out. The creature stopped, head pulling from the leaves. It barreled toward him, almost tripping over its own lanky limbs. “Leave. You have better things to do. Go find a boar to decapitate or something.”

The monster didn’t budge. It inched forward quickly, making Ryan jump in surprise. It let out a huff, leaning forward to prod at his cheek. Ryan took a large step back. He was actually going insane. This was a massive hallucination he was having. He was probably bleeding out on the cold wood floor of the Hackett House. Or he died ages ago and this was his purgatory. The monster shifted again, far too close for Ryan’s comfort.

”Okay,” he needed to stick to the plan. And if a massive man eating creature was going to be part of it, so be it. “Okay.”

Ryan began walking again, feet scraping along the gravel. The beast lumbered beside him, occasionally wandering to the side to inspect something that grabbed its attention. Ryan didn’t wait to check on it- it always caught up eventually. Soon, the two came across a sign. One sign pointed right, towards the lodge, the left pointed to the meadow. Ryan took the left sign, stumbling down the slopes. The remaining adrenaline his body had left was waning, and Ryan became far too aware of how little time he had left before he turned. Every inch of his skin itched and burned like a horrible sunburn. Any remaining water on him blistered his skin. The beast would sometimes poke at his neck or cheek, much to Ryan’s annoyance. But no matter how much he tried to swat it away, it persisted in its inspections.

The meadow was surprisingly calming. The flowers were strong, but pleasant. Ryan found his way into a clearing, a singular stump placed in the center. A large axe was rammed into it, the initials B.H. carved into its handle. Ryan tried to ignore the disgust that curled in his stomach. The infection hammered up his arm, numbing the tips of his fingers. Ryan glanced down, wide eyed at the veins that bulged under his skin. His blood was as black as ink. Ryan let out a small cry, any coherent thought going out the window. He really was going to die. Even if his body would remain, he would never be himself again, would he? Ryan went completely still, grasping his forearm tight. The beast stopped, turning on its heel to sniff at him carefully.

Ryan looked up at it. In the moonlight, he could make out its features more. The fur on the top of its head was a dark brown, and curled inwards on its forehead. The tattered shirt was grey, a faded band tee he only knew belonged to one person. A pair of blue jeans were ripped at the thing’s knees. He could recognize the loose leather necklace that hung around its neck anywhere- he had spent hours wondering if he’d be able to see more of it the past two months.

”Dylan?” He straightened. The beast- Dylan- made no sign that he understood him, but shifted happily on its paws. “Dylan,” Ryan repeated. His voice went up a few octaves. He was the biggest idiot on this coast for not noticing it sooner. Everything about this thing was so much like Dylan.

Again, Dylan made no attempt to understand him. Ryan was fairly certain that he just heard the change in tone, and took it as a good thing. Ryan’s hand came up carefully to its skull, and Dylan happily bent down to accept the touch. He stilled immediately, bright gold eyes furiously inspecting him. Ryan trusted him enough not to kill him, he’s gotten this far anyway.

”Dylan,” Ryan smiled. The sour smell cleared in his sinus’, replaced with something floral- familiar and calm. The hammering of his heartbeat faded into the back of his mind.

Quickly though, Ryan questioned why exactly Dylan was here- and whatever it was he turned into. His mind quickly went to the radio hut. He could’ve cut off his hand. Ryan let him turn into this because he couldn’t bring himself to cut off Dylan’s hand. The smile he wore fell, hand falling back to his side. This was all Ryan’s fault. Dylan being this thing, it was his fault.

”Oh my god,” he couldn’t bring himself to cry. He was too exhausted to. “Dylan, I’m so sorry.”

Dylan inched forward, breath fanning over his face. A small huff came from him, questioning why he had changed. When Ryan didn’t move, Dylan bent down and pressed his head into Ryan’s hand. If he tried hard enough, Ryan could take it as forgiveness. It didn’t matter anyways. He was going to turn soon. Ryan’s palm rested back on Dylan’s hair, running through the mussed up locks carefully. It was surprisingly well groomed. Dylan pressed further into the touch, eyes closing. He almost looked like he was smiling.

Ryan’s knees buckled. The infection had spread downwards, worming its way through his veins like poison. It didn’t hurt anymore though. Ryan wasn’t afraid as his muscles twitched beneath his skin, or as the itching grew so intense it felt like his skin was on fire. He wasn’t afraid anymore. His eyes stared up at the sky in a quiet acceptance- that there was a chance he wouldn’t come back after this. He wondered if this was how Nick felt, like a ghost watching its body be lowered into the ground. He was numb, but still felt the weight of Dylan’s body around him, the feeling of his skull on his ribs. Ryan could only hope it would be quick. 

Ryan was going to die, but at least he wouldn’t be alone.