Haunting Me, Haunting You

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ARC 1 - THE SUBURBS

CHAPTER SONG - Bugbear by Chloe Moriondo
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"So lemme get this right, while you were walking around the checkpoint you encountered this person-" The boy points to your sitting figure. "- and then they saved you from potentially being viscera on the floor. They then flung something at the beast under the door the two of you escaped out of and then grabbed you and ran out the building?"

"Yeah, that's basically what happened." The boy you saved earlier nodded.

"So after awhile they asked if you knew the area, and you said yes?"

The boy nodded again.

"Then they asked you to take them to the city and you also said yes?"

"Yeah?"

"So WHY DID YOU BRING THEM TO YOUR BASEMENT!"

"Don't yell Raichi!"

"You don't even know their name Isagi! Can they even be trusted? You don't just bring some kid who was hanging around an abandoned checkpoint home with you!"

"Who are you, my mom?!"

"HUH?"

You zoned out after that, taking in your environment instead of the two boys arguing about you. It's a normal room, concrete walls, flooring, ceiling, one corner near where you entered is full of boxes and decorations. The door you entered from is like the ones used at outposts or towns in the Outlands, old cellar doors repurposed from old world homes. You can't live on the surface in the Outlands after all, "It's too dangerous, too risky." your mom would tell you. The surface is only useful for scavenging, growing food, or getting yourself killed is what your father told you. It's funny really, considering he left to live on the surface.

On the opposite side of the room from the doors where you sit is an open space with the only two things in it an old couch with a pullout bed, something your quite familiar with, and an odd flat black rectangle resting on an old table. The floor of the area is littered with bedding, blankets, and bags. Your currently sitting on the pullout bed, back pressed firmly against the back of the couch and knees pulled as far as they can go against yourself, your bag sits within reach next to you incase you need to run. Across from you sits another boy, his legs crossed over each other with his hands resting between them.

He's been staring at you since you arrived. 'he hasn't blinked in awhile...creepy..'

The boys got chin length brown hair cut into a bob with bangs and from time to time you can see some yellow poke out from behind the brown in his hair. His eyes that are drilling holes into your soul are also a shade of yellow that mix into a dark gold at the top, and gosh are you glad you have your mask on or this would be hella awkward. Also, why don't these guys have masks on? You thought the surface air was toxic, or well that what your mom drilled into your head.

"OI! Gas mask!" The boy that was screaming earlier pointed towards you.

You move your head to the side and give him a small nod.

"Who are you? What's your name and why were you in the checkpoint? If you don't answer in the next 15 second I'll punch ya!"

Getting punched is a bad thing right? Wether it is or isn't you really don't want to find out.

"I'm [Name]. I'm looking for my dad."

The boy gives you a confused look. "The hell did you say? I can barely hear you through that mask."

"They said that their name is [Name] and that they're looking for their dad." Bob cut states for you. 'he's still staring'

"I wasn't asking you Bachira! Anyways, where are you from?"

"The Outlands."

The room goes quiet at that, and after what you said registering inside all the boys heads all hell breaks loose.

"SEE! I TOLD YOU THEY COULDN'T BE TRUSTED ISAGI! YOU PROMISED TO BRING AN OUTLANDER INTO THE CITY! WHO KNOWS FOR WHAT!"

"I didn't know they were an Outlander! Plus they said they're looking for their dad!"

"Ne Ne! Whats the outside world like? Have you fought any monsters? What's with the gas mask? Isagi said you-"

You cannot register what is all going on, in one ear you hear the yelling of the two boys and in the other you hear the rapid questions coming from the boy sitting on the pullout bed with you. Closing your eyes you hope to at least block off one sensory overload from occurring, and then you move your hands to rest flat on the bed to ground yourself in some sort of reality.

'your fine! if you can't see anything, then nothing is happening!' Delusional, but it's what your mom taught you.

A few second later you can feel the weight on the bed shift and when you open your eyes the bob cut boy is in a crawling position right in front of you, looming over your scrunched up position. He's observing you up close, too close in your opinion, and it's at this point you realize you've never been this close to another person before. Sure you held that other boys hand earlier but he was still a good two arms length away! But you and this boys noses would practically be touching if you had your mask off! You can hardly register anything else thanks to the rapid circulation of blood that has taken over your ears.

Its when his eyes trail down from your mask to your sides that you get real uncomfortable, you had weak sides. "Ticklish, you've got ticklish sides [name]. Being ticklish isn't a weakness." Is what your dad would have said. You hated when he said it.

The boys eye's zeroed in at your right side, his pupils dilating in response. "Eh? Are you hurt?" He moved his left hand to go poke at the rips in your shirt, you retracting back a little as his hand got closer.

A loud creaking stops the boy from continuing with poking your side, and the four of you in the basement look towards the door leading outside and the person who walks down the stairs to greet you all is possibly the most beautiful girl you have ever seen.

This is probably a really odd predicament she has walked in on. You've got two boys about ready to duke it out in the corner and a boy trapping someone on a bed. If you were her, you would have walked right back up the stairs.

After slamming the door closed the girl turns around. "I'm back, are you guys leaving to get Isagi soon....What the fuck?"

"Chigiri! Help me tell Isagi how stupid he is!"

"Why?"

"He brought an Outlander into the walls." The boy with sharp teeth points to you and it's then he notices the position you and bob cut are in. He stares for a few seconds before stomping his way over to the two of you and lifting the boy away from you by his armpits.

"And what the hell are you doing, Bachira!?"

The boy-Bachira-kicks his feet as he's being pulled away, and it's not until his feet are touching the rugged floor beneath him that he speaks up. "They're hurt! There's a huge claw mark on their shirt."

'ah shit, forgot about that'

Scrambling into a position where you could sit on your knees you nearly face plant onto the bed when one of your hands slips, and when you do make it up to your knees you fling your hands around in panic. "No! I'm not hurt, It's an old cut see!"

You gesture to your right side, and sure the dry blood on your shirt around the cuts might not be the most reassuring thing but you promise its old!

"There's blood on your shirt..."

You let out a whine. "It's old! Weeks old! You try cleaning your clothes in an unfamiliar environment!"
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not edited