Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Dreamer
Chapter Text
The harsh rain pours down outside the quiet home. Droplets hitting the closed windows with harsh thuds one by one in a rapid yet steady rhythm. The noise outside is the only thing audible from inside.
In the darkness the home looks like any other. Pictures hanging loosely on the wall, a small flower vase placed nicely on a kitchen table.
Almost homely.
Then there’s a baby crying.
The sound ringing through the halls of the dark home. Thunder crashing down as the rain fell a little bit harder. A twisted symphony of mystery all at the same time.
Footsteps step closer to the sound, the intruder’s shadow visible in the moonlight as he walks through the hall. The wailing of an infant growing louder the deeper he steps in.
He reaches a room. The door slightly opened, barely hanging by the hinges of its frame.
The crying continues and the man steps inside.
‘It is like walking on literal eggshells’ He thinks, careful not to step on anything. There is blood all over the ground, splattered on the walls and curtains. Two bodies lie lifeless, eyes open but with a distant fog to them.
Their neck slit perfectly through, and the man walks over them.
Right in the center of the room is a crib, somehow not a splatter of blood in sight. The crying continues.
In the crib is an infant, a small and defenseless one, tiny fists clenched tightly just like their eyes. Chubby face red in fear and distress calling out to anyone, hoping someone would hear.
And someone finally did.
*
The first thing Arthur feels is pain. A hard pounding in his temple and an ache in his side making him groan.
“Arthur? Arthur you’re awake!” The voice in his head welcomes him. Arthur hums trying to open his eyes.
“Where…where are we?” His mumbles tiredly, fighting off the sleep still clinging to his body.
“We are in a hospital. Everything is fine, try to take things slow.” The voice advice soothingly, as if calming him back towards the bed. Yet Arthur relented.
“What happened? The boat…Kellin.”
“After you passed out on the boat, I managed to pull us to a nearby road. Thankfully someone saw us and brought us to this hospital where you’ve been ever since.” Arthur’s mental friend updates, his words slowly registering in his head. His mind was still foggy, though he tried to fight through it.
“Where are we then?” He asked again, lifting a hand to rub at his heavy eyelids. The entity moves inside him in confusion.
“I already told you.” His friend responds in a matter-of-fact tone. Confused by his question. Arthur huffs.
“No…no I mean, where are we?” He asks again, emphasizing what he meant.
“Oh, we are in Harper’s Hill.” The entity answers. His words cut through the fog of Arthur’s mind instantly. Dread running through his veins.
“We need to go.” He huffs, groaning as he tried to sit up, hand fisting the thin sheet with effort.
“Arthur relax, there is-”
“We need to move. We need to find Amanda Cummings before…before he does.” Arthur cuts him off, tugging at the sheet on top of him which strangely wouldn’t budge.
“Before who does? Arthur, you’re not making any sense.”
“Adam. He’s this…thing. This entity wanted more information on her. He wanted me to tell him where she was.” Arthur continued frantically, his movements continuing as he tried to move out of bed. His body felt like led, difficult to lift and move around. Why was he so exhausted? Why was it so hard to pull the blanket out of the way?
“Arthur,” The entity tried once more. This time with a stern tone to make him listen, pull him from his urgency.
“What?” He huffed, the fog returning to his mind and making it difficult to understand what was happening.
“We’ve been in a coma for a month.”
Oh.
Well.
“Please try to calm down,” The entity advised once Arthur began to hyperventilate.
“I just…wow I just can’t believe it.” He gasps out, trying to control his breathing, fingers fisting the sheet covering the lower half of his body, a heavy pressure preventing him from tugging it further up.
“What’s…what’s this?” He asked, tugging the sheet harder once more.
“Yes…about that. When I dragged us to the road someone found us.” The entity told him, tone sounded a bit more cautious. As if not knowing how Arthur would take the news.
“Yes. You said that already. What- “Arthur gets cut off by a soft groan and a shift in the bed. Arthur remains silent, lips shut as he waited for any more movement.
“The person who found us was a young girl, no older than 17 maybe 18. They brought us here and has been visiting ever since.” The entity informed quietly. Arthur’s breath hitched in surprise and confusion.
“Why?” He whispered back, not knowing what else to say.
Why would a kid visit a stranger? Let alone visit one for an entire month while unconscious?
The child groans once more. There’s more shifting and suddenly the pressure is lifted from the hospital bed. Arthur closes his eyes and leans back on his pillows, pretending to be asleep once more.
There is a soft yawn and the sound of muscles popping. She must’ve been here for a while. Sitting, sleeping.
The girl looks up at the clock and huffs. It was well past midnight.
“Shit, I overslept again.” She mumbles tiredly, rubbing her eyes before turning back to him, “Hopefully Ms. Harrison isn’t too upset this time.” They chuckled as they stood up from their chair.
“Well, I must be off then Mr. John Doe. I’ll be back tomorrow, sleep well.” She says quietly, aware of how late it was at night. She gives him a gentle smile before grabbing her coat and walking out, closing the door behind her.
Once the door was firmly closed Arthur finally opened his eyes and sat up.
“Who was that?” He asked again, still surprised at the odd interaction.
“Her name is Rue. At least that’s how she introduced herself the night she brought us in.” The voice informed, still looking in the direction the child left through.
“She’s been visiting us the entire time we’ve been here?” Arthur says skeptically.
“Every single day, most of the time at the same hour. Unless she’s running late.”
“John Doe, she called us?”
“Yes. The nurses didn’t find any identification on us and so they’ve been calling us John Doe for the time being and…” The entity trailed off, wanting to say something else but not knowing how Arthur would take it.
“And?”
“I kind of like it. It feels…fitting in a way that I can’t explain.”
“So what? You want to be called John?” Arthur asked, making the entity tremble in a way that Arthur could only assume was his way of an eye roll.
“It seems strange I know- “
“No! No, that is great to hear! I’d like to finally have something to call you other than just ‘friend’.” Arthur cuts him off once more, a small smile warming its way to his face. His chest feeling a bit lighter for the first time since he had woken up.
“Now about this dream you had…”
*
The way back was always calming. The town wasn’t as eventful at night, everyone tucked inside their homes fast asleep and ready for the new day. Something Rue learned quickly the first few days of staying in the town. The streetlamps illuminating the sidewalk a soft yellow as she walked the path back to the apartment building.
The young girl hummed a soft tune as she climbed up the building’s stairs.
“Goodnight Mrs. Baker.” Rue said softly as she reached the second floor, waving at an elderly woman who sat in front of one of the apartment doors. The elderly woman didn’t respond, at least not with words. She simply smiled wide and gave Rue a nice wet chuckle and a wobblily nod. Rue pursed her lips in a fake smile and quickly opened her front door and stepped inside the apartment.
‘Someone needs to check on that poor woman.’ She thought judgingly once she was inside the apartment. The room was dark. Lights off as it was the middle of the night, Rue sighs as she squinted to see the time on the clock.
2:00 AM
Shoot.
With a wince, the young girl gently removed her shoes and placed them down in front of the door. Careful not to make a sound as she moved around the small living room. Removing her coat and hanging it on the coat rack.
Once everything was put away, Rue slowly creeped her way to her bedroom, careful not to make a sound. She was just about to open her door when a voice startled her.
“Took you long to get back.”
Rue winces and turns around, looking sheepishly at Ms. Harrison, “I might have overstayed my visit.” She whispered in embarrassment, Mrs. Harrison simply hummed, arms crossed over her chest unamused.
“If you are going to continue to sleep here you will need to respect my curfews dear. I cannot keep waiting for you into the late hours of the night.” The older women said sternly, looking at the younger expectantly which made Rue look down in embarrassment with a nod.
“I understand ma’am, it won’t happen again I promise.” Rue replies sheepishly.
Ms. Harrison kept her gaze before it slowly softened, “Any news?” she asked eventually.
“He’s still unconscious. Nurses still don’t know if he’ll wake up but there’s still hope for him, they say.” Rue updates as she opened her bedroom door. The older woman nods to her words.
“I still don’t understand why you bother seeing him still.” She mumbles as she slowly walks back to her bedroom. Rue sighs in agreement.
“Believe me ma’am, I ask myself that very question every day. Goodnight.” Rue dismisses before closing the door behind her. Finally, alone.
The room was small, Ms. Harrison had it as a storage room before she began renting it as a spare room. A few boxes of old items are still inside the room placed in a spare corner or inside the closet. Rue didn’t complain really, as long as she had a place to rest for the night. It was better than sleeping under the train station back in New York.
Once she was ready for bed and under the nice warm blanket Mrs. Harrison kindly gave her, Rue reaches for a journal on top of the small bedside table. The journal was small but visibly used, the edges worn down and starting to peel off, a makeshift ribbon acting as a bookmark on one of the pages.
Rue takes out a pen and begins writing where she left off.
‘-voices are quieter now.
-a wet laugh
-a morgue
-maggots
-a bad smell (someone dying? Maybe rotten food?)
-a melody
-water (maybe the sea? A siren?)
-voices say “Follow”?’
Rue sighs, head leaning back to rest on the pillows. None of those words made sense, and frankly none of them seemed to connect with each other. Nevertheless, she continued to write down everything she remembered.
Everything she dreamt.
Her eyes looked up at the ceiling, the darkness making it harder for her to see but easier to drift off too. Whatever she dreamt about didn’t make sense and hasn’t made sense for the past 10 years and she didn’t expect anything to change now.
At least…she thought so.
Chapter Text
She was in the water this time around. The deep blue surrounding her as she sunk deeper and deeper below. It was slow at first. As if she were simply floating around, as if she weighed nothing.
Rue looks around and sees nothing, only the bubbles of her breath and silence around her.
She was alone.
They always start in whispers. Soft mumbles that you’d need to really force your ears to listen to. Hard to understand but noticeable enough to know it was there.
Too focused on trying to hear what and where it is coming from, Rue doesn’t have time to react to being pulled down deeper into the great below.
She yelps at the sudden grip on her leg and rapidly pull downwards. The whispers grow louder. Chorus of voices echoing around her the deeper she’s pulled into the water.
She looks down and sees a shadowing tentacle wrapped around her leg. Followed by another arounder her waist that pulls on her harder.
Rue winces, shoving and kicking and trying to pull the tentacles off her body more seemed to appear and coil around her. Gripping tighter, pulling her deeper. She was getting frantic, trying to swim up or shout for help but to no avail. Sea water fills her lungs as she calls for help, the voices getting louder, more insistent.
“Follow”
“Follow”
“Follow”
“Follow”
“Follow”
Rue whimpers in fear, it was getting harder to breathe and as she looked up the sunlight was simply a small speckle in the ocean now.
“Follow”
“Follow”
“Follow”
“Follow”
Her eyes drop as the world turns dark. The voices continue as her vision goes black.
Until it doesn’t.
From a rainy scene, a ship going down and someone in an underwater diver suit with a gun. Flashes of something pass her by.
Then a gunshot.
*
Rue gasps awake. Eyes open wide as she looks up at the ceiling. She’s sweating, clear as she feels the dampness of her sleep shirt and the back of her neck.
‘What the hell?’ She thinks as she tries to catch her breath. Heart beating rapidly, as if trying to come out of her chest.
She sits up slowly, running a hand through her auburn hair. A mess from what must’ve been a night of tossing and turning. A usual night then.
A different dream, different nightmare.
A small ray of sunlight shone through a crack in the curtains indicating the start of a new day. Rue didn’t hear any movement in the halls or the kitchen, which meant Ms. Harrison must’ve left already. Which meant she still had a few hours before she had to head down to the bookshop as well.
With a sigh and a long stretch, Rue got out of bed and got dressed for the day. Humming to herself as she fixed her collar and brushed her hair, trying to brush down the stray hairs that never liked staying put before wrapping her green ribbon on her head. Taking one last look in the vanity mirror with a smile she stepped out of the spare room.
The home was empty as Rue imagined it would be. It wasn’t dark like last night. The sun lights up the home brightly and warms it up nicely. Rue passed the kitchen and looked down at the small dining table where a note was lying.
‘Opening up shop today. Eat breakfast, don’t be late. -Harrison’
Rue huffed a chuckle at the note, Ms. Harrison was always straight forward with her words. Eat breakfast, Ms. Harrison wouldn’t mind if she went to the diner before meeting her. She’ll even buy her one of her favorite muffins on her way over.
Rue looks up once more at the clock before walking over to the front door a putting on her shoes and messenger bag. Out the door the girl yelps as she almost bumps into an old lady in a wheelchair. Covering her mouth and sending the women an apologetic look which only resulted in a sickly wet laugh in return.
‘Someone really needs to check up on her.’ Rue thought as she walked down the stairs and out of the building. She was greeted by the bright sun and busy street.
Harper’s Hill wasn’t a big town, completely opposite to New York but not a bad one. The people were nice when they weren’t judgmental, which was fair since everyone seemed to know everyone. She was lucky that most folk tolerated her now once Ms. Harrison took her in after dropping the man off in the hospital.
She didn’t have anywhere to go and didn’t want to spend what little money she still had left on a hotel room for who knows how long and so she sat outside on the curb just…waiting. Until an older woman; no older than mid 40s saw her and asked her what she was doing. One long explanation and a deal later, Rue was following the lady to her home and here she was a whole month later. She really is grateful to her.
Which is why a banana nut muffin is the perfect peace offering if Rue ends up being late for work as she always ends up doing.
*
“If you are running away from something or someone who wants to kill you, you normally wouldn’t tell anyone.” John adds once they are out in the streets. For a small town it was very lively early in the morning.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right, plus the killer didn’t even know her name.” Arthur replied defeatedly, crossing the street as the entity who decided to name himself John guided him safely across. The sound of cars driving passed and distant chatter around him as he walked. It almost reminded of him Arkham, if he was able to see that is.
“So she wasn’t running away from something nor was she afraid of what she discovered.”
“So it seems,” John interjects.
“Which means that if she hadn’t realized what she discovered was dangerous, asking her wouldn’t have helped us all that much.” Arthur continued with a sigh. It was a bit chilly out, pulling at his suit jacket a bit closer.
“And yet someone still killed her.” John said in thought, he looked up at the building they were walking towards.
It was a small building with a bright sign that read “Happy Harper’s Diner” in big bold blue letters and a smiling clock character. The peculiar design made the entity huff in amusement.
“There’s a diner is just up ahead, what would you have asked her?” John informed curiously, Arthur thanked him once he stepped closer to the restaurant. The thought of food makes his stomach growl with interest.
“Probably what she remembers of that night, maybe the name of her friend. Whether she knows anything about the symbol from the book you came from.” The English man continued as he pulls at the doors and steps inside.
John looked around the place for an empty table. Preferably a secluded place where the two could talk without prying eyes looking at them weird or well…look at Arthur weird for talking to himself. They don’t want to draw attention and a stranger mumbling to himself really wasn’t what some might call discreet.
The diner was buzzing with guests chatting amongst each other or eating in comfortable silence. Almost every booth and table were filled with at least a pair or a family or just a single person, starting the day with a nice meal and company. It was…homely, John let himself think. The thought brought him a small and sudden but not unwelcome warmth.
And yet the entity pushed the feeling deep down for the time being. They needed to focus if they wanted to find a way to separate themselves from each other. He looked around once more before seeing an empty table in a corner at the very back of the restaurant, ready to tell Arthur before his eyes noticed something or…someone. An oddly familiar tuft of reddish hair and a silk scarf around her head.
“John?” Arthur called out, he’s been trying to get his attention since they entered the building, standing awkwardly in front of the doors as he waited for his invisible companion to say anything. John shook himself out of whatever thought he was in after the third call of his name, his new name.
“Sorry, yes there’s an empty table at the very end of the restaurant it’s just that…” He trails off again, as if deep in thought though he didn’t think of anything was just looking curiously. Arthur had no way of knowing since the entity was literally seeing through his eyes.
“What? What do you see?” Arthur asked instead, moving his head slightly as if imitating looking as well.
“Its…the girl. The one from last night.” John finally answered with eyes never leaving the figure. From afar it seemed like she was still waiting for something, maybe her own meal or someone. Eyes from one side to the other as she also scanned the room before looking back down at her own table. She had a small book on top of the wooden surface; it was hard to tell what it was but with the way the girl held it and began writing it seemed like it was a diary of some sort.
“The girl? The one who you said found us after Kellin?” Arthur questioned; brows raised curiously as his head to that direction. Ever since John mentioned how they ended up at the hospital and who found them and took them to get help, Arthur’s mind was filled with questions though one was louder than the others.
Why? Why did she help? Why did she stay after so long?
“Yes, she’s sitting two tables away from where we are-Arthur what are you doing?” John asked confused as he felt Arthur begin to walk across the small diner in the direction he mentioned. Away from the secluded corner and to the center of the area.
“Right here?” Arthur asked quietly as he stopped exactly two tables from where he remembered her entered, hoping his sense of direction was still accurate.
“Yes, you’re exactly in front of her table. Arthur what are you doing?” John jested again but sounding more annoyed and confused than before as to why he wanted to walk over here, to the, in every sense of the word, a stranger.
“Hello miss.” Arthur announced brightly. Not too loud to have people staring but audible enough that he’s sure the girl must have heard.
The girl looked up from her small book at the sudden voice next to her.
“Hello?” she replied awkwardly, noticing an odd but nicely dressed man in front of her table. Looking a bit rugged around the edges with a few stray hairs sticking out which must have been from running his hand through it multiple times. A noticeable stubble and eyebags that screamed ‘I had a rough night’.
Everything that should’ve made the young girl scream and run for the hills and yet despite this the man seemed…familiar?
“Arthur we’ve been unconscious for over a month, how are going to explain how we know who she is?” John whispered harshly, desperate for Arthur to realize and walk away.
“So sorry for interrupting, I just thought I’d pass by and say hello.” Arthur said instead, not giving anything more than that lest this was the wrong person, and he just made an utter fool of himself, which is something he should get used to now that he can’t see what’s in front of him.
She narrows her greyish blue eyes in confusion for just a moment before everything clicked a bit too suddenly. Mouth slightly open in a silent gasp.
“Mister Doe! You’re awake!” She said just as enthusiastically. A growing smile joining which somehow made her freckles shine just a touch.
Arthur’s smile grew slightly at the noticeable brightness that he didn’t need his eyes to know, was there though John’s description was certainly helpful.
“Yes well, I woke up a few hours ago and the nurses said I was fine to go.” He explained simply, a small fib wouldn’t hurt anyone. It’s not like the townsfolk knew who he was anyway.
And from what John described it seemed the young girl believed it, nodding in understanding. Bright grin still shining. “That’s great to hear then! I was going to pass by the hospital after breakfast, but it seems you saved me a few hours.” She joked, chuckling at her own comment which Arthur returned with his own chuckle. “Well then you are welcome,” He teased playfully which made the girl grin at. John noticed the way her hands, which were placed nicely in front of her, were playing with the rings on her fingers, a fidget of sort.
“Would you like to sit down? I’m still waiting on my own meal.” She offered, stretching out a hand and gesturing to the empty chair in front of her, smile never wavering which made it harder to decline.
“Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your meal.” He replied at the same time John spoke to him.
“Arthur, we don’t have time for conversations! You need to eat and we need to get answers!”
“Oh it’s no trouble really! I normally eat alone so I wouldn’t mind the company!” She insisted curtly, eyes drifting to a passing waitress coming over with her breakfast.
“Arthur…”
“Well, if you insist.” He muttered pulling out the chair and sitting down slowly which made the girl grin once more. “I truly do,” she replies before looking up at the waitress in thanks before asking Arthur what he’d like to order.
“Oh yes um, blue plate please. Tea instead of coffee.” He ordered politely as the waitress wrote down his order and walking away from the table.
The two of them sat in awkward silence for a few seconds, the young girl keeping her eyes trained on her small tower of pancakes and taking small bites while Arthur leaned against his chair, hands resting on the table as he waited for his own plate.
This was more awkward than he thought it would be and he knew the entity in his head was glaring at him in annoyance. Hopefully the strange tension will die down once his own food was in front of him and he wasn’t just…sitting.
Yet it seemed the universe heard his thoughts once he heard someone clearing their throat.
“Now sorry if I sound rude but…how did you know who I was?” The young girl asked quietly, and her face scrunched as if she just bit into a lemon.
“I told you Arthur! You can’t tell her about me.” John pointed expectantly, eyes drifting back to the girl once more, cheeks full of food, she reminded him of a small rodent. A chipmunk. The girl was a small chipmunk. Comical.
“Well, I couldn’t see you, but I did hear you.” Arthur started; it wasn’t a lie. Not really.
“Once I woke up, I asked the nurses if there was anyone in the room and they mentioned that the person who found me and took me to the hospital has been visiting me for an entire month.” As he continued, the waitress returned with his own plate that he was thankful for, stomach growling quietly under the tabletop.
“Come to my surprise when they told me that person was a child.” The comment made the girl stop mid bite. Raising her gaze to look at him sheepishly, as if she was caught red handed.
“Which left me with more questions than answers. For what reason would a child have for visiting a stranger in the hospital for so long?” He asked with a raised brow, intrigued more than ever.
“I’m not really a child,” She mumbled under her breath. Eyes down on her plate in embarrassment but needing to clarify. “I’ll be 18 in three months.”
“A child nonetheless.” John remarked.
“Doesn’t really answer my question.” Arthur responded expectantly, not meaning to interrogate her. More so trying to understand.
She didn’t respond instantly, taking another bite of her pancake instead, which Arthur saw as his own queue to take a bite of his own meal. He restrained himself from wanting to moan at how delicious it was. His stomach thanking him for finally something into his system after who knows how long. Careful not to stuff his face into the plate of delicious pork and vegetables and instead take a careful drink of the steamy cup of tea next to him.
“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t just save a serial murderer quite honestly.” Arthur choked on the hot liquid. Instantly, having a coughing fit which resulted in a few drops of tea hitting his front and the girl yelping and passing him a few napkins to help clean the mess she accidentally caused.
“Jesus Arthur! Control yourself!” John said unhelpfully as Arthur continued to cough.
“Fuck you.” He wheezed in between coughs so the girl wouldn’t hear.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for you to react that way!” She exclaimed apologetically; face flushed in embarrassment as the man slowly regained his breath. He lifts a hand and waves to her dismissively.
“No need to apologize, I was just caught off guard by the…the honesty.” He replies still out of breath. “If you would even call it that…” John comments to himself.
“It silly I know but at least now I know I was wrong!” She exclaimed, her brows furrow suddenly, body leaning a bit closer across the table. “You aren’t a murderer. Are you?” She added carefully, which Arthur would admit sounded playful instead of the intimidating tone she was going for which almost made him chuckle.
It would have.
If his mind didn’t wander to Kellin, and the lake…and the head…and-
“Arthur, she is waiting for you to answer. She’s looking at us in concern now.” John alerts loudly, cutting his wandering mind before it spirals.
“No! No, I am not a…I was just uh,” He trails off, not knowing how or what to say that wouldn’t give too much away, or at least what he’d say to convince her he wasn’t a killer but also not not a killer. Shit.
“Just a person with bad luck it seems.” He ends up going with. John tells him the result; her brows are still furrowed and eyes still trained on him, but she doesn’t say anything about it.
“I wouldn’t say it was bad luck,” she says with a mouthful of pancakes. Looking like a chipmunk once more. “I mean, you did end up getting help instead of dying on the middle of the road.”
Arthur huffed out a laugh, amused by her way of speaking, “I have you to thank for that.” He points out making her grin brightly.
“Rue Lenore. Pleasure to meet you.” She finally introduces herself, extending a hand across the table for him to shake which John helpfully told him.
“Pleasure to meet you as well Rue, Arthur Lester.” He introduces himself as well. Shaking her hand with him. It was smaller than his, but he felt a few small cuts and calluses in her palm. It wasn’t rough but not as smooth as he expected either.
Their introductions seemed to open the gate of conversations between the two of them; or well, Rue did most of the talking while Arthur sat and listened in odd fascination as the young girl spoke about…anything.
From him being the second English man she’s met(The first was a shop keeper that gave her free candy but had to stop when he realized the hard candy he was actually giving her were cough syrup candies for his sore throat), to a story of how she saved a cat from a tree which resulted in a broken arm and plenty of scratches, and why she will never eat blue berries again.
Rue was a peculiar teen, she spoke with interest and looked at him with wide eyes that made her blue grey irises shine brighter than he expected. She could talk for hours, and Arthur wouldn’t mind listening. If he didn’t have an entity trapped in his mind he needed to separate from him.
“Christ I’m going to be late!” She hisses suddenly. The sound of a chair sliding away and a rustle of a few bills that she places on the table. The sudden actions giving Arthur and John whiplash. “Late?” Arthur cuts in perplexed, trying to catch on to what was happening.
“Work. Promised the owner I’d be there to help tidy up the place before it opens.” Rue says as she gets up and grabs her bag. “It was very nice meeting you sir, I’m glad you are awake and well. Don’t be a stranger!” She smiles and walks away with a wave. Leaving a very confused Arthur and an amused John.
“She eats like a small rodent.” John comments which makes Arthur chuckle. “Does she?”
“Annoyingly so.”
“She was nice, a sweet child.” Arthur added simply, taking another bite of his plate now that it was just him and John. The entity hummed in agreement. The two stayed in comfortable silence before John spoke up once more.
“There was something strange about her.”
“What do you mean?” Arthur asked, sipping from his tea.
“I’m not quite sure. There was just an…aura, around her.” John explained further, tone indicating his discomfort at not being able to figure it out.
“Do you think it is something we should be worried about?” Arthur reasoned. Not fully knowing where John was getting at but willing to hear him out.
“She forgot her book.” John replies instead, Arthur’s brows furrowed. He stretches his arm across the table to reach out and take the hard cover book. From how his hand moved around the edges, it was a small book, corners soft and beginning to peel off from use. John said it was a dark olive color, the texture was leather, and it had a makes shift bookmark which intrigued him. “I wonder where she left off…”
“You want to look inside?” Arthur repeats at him, sure he was curious as well but it sort of felt intrusive. Reading something that belonged to someone else, especially someone they just met and quite frankly enjoyed their company. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to Arthur, I just think it might have something of importance.” John replied after a while, still sounding almost amused.
“What do you mean of importance?”
“Like I said, I have no explanation for it I just…” John trails off again unsure.
“You have a hunch I presume.” Arthur adds helpfully which the entity replies with a hum in agreement.
Arthur exhaled deeply, if he was honest with himself, John was right. There was something off about that girl. She was kind and joyous but that didn’t quite answer his initial concerns. He still didn’t know why she stayed during his coma, or why she considered staying at all. Sure, she said it was to make sure he wasn’t a criminal but even that was questionable. Nor did it explain anything. She also didn’t explain who she was. Didn’t mention her parents or where she lived, if she even lived in Harper’s Hills at all.
Despite talking as brightly as she did, Rue Lenore ended up being more confusing than comforting.
Curiosity, getting the better of him, Arthur moved to where he felt the silk ribbon was placed and opened the book. “Alright, what you see?” He mutters quietly for only John to hear.
“Its…it looks like a list of sorts. Words are listed down but not in a comprehensive way.” John explains though Arthur can hear the entity’s tone and know that he sounded confused and even a bit…disappointed? “What does it say?” Arthur asked, trying to understand.
“Tentacles, Rotten, Boat, Gunshot, and Follow.”
“Follow? Follow what?”
“I don’t know, it simply says follow.” John says simply though he was intrigued as well.
“Maybe she was trying to remember something.” Arthur tried to reason.
“Perhaps,”
“I don’t know John, let’s just figure out what happened to Amanda before we get into another mystery. We’ll give the book back to Rue if we cross her again.”
“Agreed.”
*
The soft ring of the bell above alerts the bookshop owner of a new presence inside. With her back turned she can already tell who it is; the smell of a nice banana muffin hitting her senses. She can’t help but smirk in amusement.
“Just two minutes to spare. That must be your new record.” Ms. Harrison praises.
“I know I am so sorry! I was just grabbing a bite to eat and was planning to get here early but then something unexpected happened and I lost track of time, but I did get you something as a gift.” Rue rambles as she pulls out the small pastry out of her bag. A small smile on her face in apology.
Ms. Harrison huffed as she carefully climbed down the ladder and finally turned to look at the young girl with a stern but amused look, slowly taking the muffin from her hands and taking a bite out of it. Delicious as always. “Mind getting started on the display case?” She asks kindly, head tilting to the box near the display window labeled ‘Magic Books’. Rue nodded and headed over, rummaging through the box, most books were spell casting books, others were magic act for magicians and others were fantasy novels all catching the young girl’s attention.
“A magic sale, are we?” Rue asks jokingly, cleaning the display table before placing some books neatly on top. The box also included a magician’s cape and top hat and even a wand which Rue held up and began spinning around playfully.
“Careful with that. I paid good money for all this.” Ms. Harrison warned from her position on the ladder again, adding a new light bulb to the ceiling. Rue sighed and put the wand down and continued the display. The two ladies were silent for a while, the two focused on their task as well as helping customers that entered the shop everyone few minutes to hours.
It was a nice routine; one Rue grew to enjoy the past month she’s been living here. The customers were nice save for a few that left disappointed when a book they wanted wasn’t in the shop. From there the day passed as smoothly as it always did. “I saw him at the diner today.” Rue said after saying goodbye to a customer. Getting started on cleaning the counter of dust and specks of dirt.
“Who’d you say today” Ms. Harrison asked, eyes trained on the book she was reading. She always read when it was a smooth day. Which was everyday if you asked Rue. “The man in the hospital,” Rue replies. Making Ms. Harrison look up from her book and at her. Eyes wide in surprise.
“Did he? How is he then.”
“He looked…alright. He was a mess quite honestly but he was in a coma for a month so that might be why.” Rue told her as she filled up the jar of free candies. “Well that’s nice to hear.” Ms. Harrison congratulated but she could tell that there was more that Rue wasn’t telling her. “What else?”
Rue frowned, thoughts going back to their encounter at the diner and then the weeks she’s spent at the hospital and even before that…
“I’m not sure.” She finally says, sounding a bit dazed. Still in thought. “There was just…something about him that felt, strange.”
“Strange like he’s a creep? Or strange as in he escaped from the looney bin?” Ms. Harrison asked which made Rue chuckle awkwardly.
“Strange as is…he has an aura to him that makes him seem off. Like some weird entity has put a claim to him.” Rue tried to explain which only resulted in the older women looking at her strangely. “I think those horror novels are getting to you.” She teases which makes the young girl laugh.
“Come on, lets clean up and close shop. Maybe we can stop by Harley’s for a milkshake on the way home.” Ms. Harrison says with an amused raise of her eyebrows which make Rue’s own eyes widen in excitement.
After an hour or two, Rue and Ms. Harrison close the shop. “We’ll go home first to drop off our stuff and then we’ll head to Harley’s. Sound like a plan?” The older women says as the two cross the street. Rue hums in agreement as she fixes the strap of her bag when she realizes how much lighter it feels. Brow furrowing in confusion, Rue opens her bag and notices that something was missing which made her eyes widen in distraught.
“My book.” She gasps out. Looking up at Ms. Harrison, who looked back at her in confusion. “Did you leave it back at the shop?” She asked the teen, already taking out her store keys but as Rue thought back on her day, she doesn’t remember taking them out while she was working. The last time she remembered having it was back at-
“No, I must have left it at the diner during breakfast. I left in a hurry, and I must’ve forgotten it.” Rue explains. Already deciding to head over there and grab it quickly. “I’ll grab it and meet you at Harley’s.” Rue adds as she starts heading in the direction of the diner.
“Alright, don’t take too long!”
“I won’t!”
*
It seems that Rue would take long.
A while longer.
Turns out the book wasn’t at the diner, and no one had seen it or given it to the owners. A waitress did say however that she remembered seeing the man Rue was speaking to leave with something under their arm which resembled a book and that gave Rue a small form of relief.
Which then quickly made way for disappointment because that meant that Mr. Lester had her book and she had no way of knowing where he was or where he could be. Sure, they had breakfast and had a nice chat, but he didn’t really speak much. Let alone about himself. He sort of just…listened. Stood there staring at her. Which was fine, not many people enjoyed listening to her talk, so he was a nice change of pace. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t give her a strange vibe.
First of all, his eyes.
At a glance they seemed to be a sort of soft brown color, almost matching his hair. However, when he sat right across from her, Rue could tell they were an almost golden yellow hue. Not a bright yellow, more so a dandelion color.
From there it was just the way he watched her. Like he knew she was in front of him but didn’t really see her. Like he was pretending to see. It was subtle, he must’ve practiced it before the coma, but it was noticeable enough to her.
And now he takes her book.
Great.
Rue sighs in defeat, not really knowing what else she could do but hope that she stumbles across him again and ask for her book back. The sun was beginning to set, soft blue long gone and making way for a soft orange. It made Rue smile a little, lifting up her sour mood. Disappointed, Rue began her walk back home, she’ll clean herself up and meet Ms. Harrison at the milkshake parlor. She still had time.
As the teen walked across town, her ears caught voices near the dock. Turning to the sound she noticed two police officers speaking two an older man who was visibly upset. Hands moving left and right in anger. Curious to see what was going on, Rue walked closer to the lake. The man’s grumpy voice clearer the closer she was.
“That maniac must be long gone by now! Do you know how much it cost me to repair that boat? How much it will cost me to make a new one?”
“I hear you sir, we’ll get him don’t worry, can you tell us where he was headed?” One of the officers asked, he was older and taller than the other officer. A squared build while the other was lean and seemed a bit skittish. Two skittish to be an officer.
“That fool wanted to go over across the lake, said something about a friend of his owning an island.” The old man scoff, “As if I’d believe that.”
Rue’s brows furrowed. An unknown island on the other side of the lake? Rue didn’t think there was anything after the lake. There was always thick fog in the far distance of the body of water which made it difficult to see what was on the other side. As if it was hiding something from the town.
Still the more she heard the more she grew curious, especially when they asked for the man’s description. The older man said he was a tall man, lean figure but not scrawny, hair and clothes a mess.
An English man.
Well shoot.
“Alright sir, we’ll go take a look and we’ll get your boat back. I doubt he made it far.”
“Excuse me?”
The three men’s heads turned to the new voice and were met with a young girl in green walking closer to them “I’m so sorry to bother you officers, I was wondering if may have seen my uncle per chance?” She asked shyly, small smile on her face and hands fiddling with the rings on her fingers. The older officer raised a brow skeptically. “Uncle?”
“Yes! My uncle is a very imaginative man, lives like he’s in a fantasy book you see. Sometimes his imagination runs faster than my own two legs.” The girl chuckled at her own words, none of them laughed along and Rue cut herself short, embarrassed rushing to her cheeks turning them red.
“Anyway, I heard you are looking for a man who stole a boat? Looking for an island of sorts?” She asks instead which catches the men’s attention. “Laurence Holder is your uncle?” The older officer asked suspiciously which made Rue clench her jaw.
Well fuck. You can’t back down now Lenore.
“Yes he is! He’s my uncle from my mother’s side; thinks he’s a pirate of sorts.”
“Did you know he bought a gun just a few hours ago?”
Holy fuck, who is this guy?
“He get’s too into his imagination. It’s a habit we are trying to break honest.” Rue tried again though it was clear that none of them believed her. She sighs, eyes down casted in defeat.
“I know it is hard to believe, and I understand that this is not the best situation, but I am being honest when I say that my uncle is a good man. He’s never hurt anyone and never would. Its…just been hard, after my mother passed.” Rue told them sadly; eyes became glassy the longer she spoke.
“She was his best friend and without her he’s been…it’s been hard. On all of us.” Rue sniffles, wiping a tear with her sleeve. No one said a word, simply allowing her to speak.
“Just let me go with you to get him. He needs to know I’m not upset, just worried. Please.” She looked at the officers with pleading eyes.
The younger officer frowned but didn’t respond at first, only looking up at his superior officer for guidance on what to do. The older simply stared for a while until sighing. “Alright, you’ll help us get him back safely. If everything goes smoothly there will be no charges alright?” He said which made Rue smile wide in relief. A long sigh escaping her.
“Thank you so so much officers.”
*
Maybe Rue is the one with bad luck. Maybe she should’ve just let it go and went straight home. She could get another book; it was all nonsense anyway. But no, her curiosity always got the best of her, her optimism leading her to ruin. On the boat she was hoping, praying that this was all a big misunderstanding and it would all end smoothly.
That was mistake number one.
Because nothing would have prepared her for when they reached the lighthouse and were met with an even more rugged, and very bloody English man.
And all Rue could say was,
“What the fuck uncle.”
Notes:
Second chapter yippie! thank you for reading again it really means alot! Next chapter might take a while since we're officially heading into canon territory with Part 9 "The Boat". Kudos and Comments are deeply appreciated once again! See you all next time! :)
Chapter Text
“Curiosity killed the cat.” was a phrase Rue heard plenty of times throughout her life. One of the nuns would say it every time Rue was caught reading through the restricted sections of the library or when she was punished for trying to escape. Ms. Harrison said it once playfully when Rue was a bit too interested in reading about dreams and their meanings.
So yes, maybe Rue had a curious mind and liked sticking her nose into places she didn’t belong.
She just didn’t expect her curiosity to lead her to be in the middle of a potential murder case.
It was quiet for a long time; Rue was back on the boat with the two police men and Mr. Lester who has been muttering to himself since they’ve returned to the boat. Sitting in front of him, Rue noticed the way his brows furrowed as if upset at something or someone, but his eyes remained glaring at nothing. His gaze and mannerisms somehow made the younger officer paranoid, the younger fidgeting and turning to look at him every few minutes.
It caught the older officer’s attention, and he walks towards the muttering man, crouching down to be at eye level with the man.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Like what?” Mr. Lester asked in return, his tone tired. Emotionless.
“You’re staring but you aren’t looking at anything. You’re making my partner uncomfortable.” The officer states, head tilting towards the younger man on the other side of the boat. At the cautious look he gave the three of them.
“I’m blind.” Mr. Lester replied, and all Rue could do was stare at him in shock before dropping her head into her hands.
‘What the fuck.’
“You’re blind?” The older officer repeatedly unamused, not believing him for a second as he waved a hand over in front of him. When Mr. Lester didn’t react; when his eyes didn’t move in the direction of his hands, the officer huffed. The officer rose up once more and called out to the younger man. “He’s blind Cadwell.” He said before turning back to the girl.
“Did you know about this?” He asked which made Rue gulp and stutter out an excuse.
“N…no. I mean yes! I remember my father mentioning something about him being blind I guess I just sort of forgot.” Rue winced in embarrassment, shoulders up to her ears as she spoke which only rose higher the longer the man stared at her. “You forgot huh?” He repeated eyes never leaving hers. His stare made her sink deeper into the seat.
“I-“
“Collin! Come look at this!” Officer Mitchell called out to him.
Finally, taking his eyes away from hers and stepping away to see what his partner needed.
Rue was nothing if not grateful for no being interrogated anymore, she sighs in relief. Leaning more into the side of the boat she looks up at the sky. It was hard to tell with the growing fog that covered most of their surroundings, but Rue would guess the sun set hours ago. The cool lake air, an ominous but welcoming contrast to the thick fog around them.
Her eyes then drifted to the man in front of her and she suddenly felt uneasy once again.
The teen wanted to speak, wanted to ask him…she didn’t know. Anything to fill the silence that was growing by the second and swallowing her whole. She clears her throat and leans forward slightly. “Mr. Lester?” She asked softly before biting back a yelp at the sudden way he looked at her. His almost golden eyes as if staring deep inside her soul.
Now she knew how the younger officer felt.
“It’s Rue? From the diner? We had breakfast this morning.” She explained further, trying to capture any sense of recognition from the man.
Mr. Lester’s brows furrowed before they quickly rose. A single nod sent her way. “Rue, yes. Yes, I remember you.” He replies, straightening his back as he does so. He looks calmer before his brows furrow in clear confusion. “Wait a minute, what are you doing here?” He asks her which makes Rue wince once more.
“I meant to go back to the restaurant to get my book but when the waitress told me you took it I saw the officers and well…”
“You followed them?”
“More so I told them I was looking for my uncle who stole a boat?” His brows raise in what Rue hoped was amusement and not shock that she basically lied to the police.
“You lied to the police? Don’t you know you could get arrested for that?” He whispers frantically, which made Rue roll her eyes with a snort. “Oh please, as if you didn’t lie to them as well. ‘Mr. Holder’. Or is it Mr. Lester? Is that accent even real?”
Arthur scoffs at her accusation, trying and failing to think of a comeback or explanation. “This is my real accent I’ll have you know. And I didn’t lie I- “He falters for a moment before recovering. “At least not all of it.”
“Not all of it?” Rue looks back at the two officers. They were still speaking quietly to themselves. The fog was growing thick, and it was difficult to see, the lighthouse was far behind them. Along with the body.
Mr. Lester was still covered in blood.
“Did you really kill- “
“I didn’t kill anyone.” He cuts her off firmly. Fists clenching where they sat handcuffed.
Rue nodded quickly though she doubted he could see her so instead she looked back down at her hands. Fingers grazing the thing metal band around her middle finger. “What happened then?” She whispers softly, grey eyes drifting back up to his distant ones.
It was hard to think that the man in front of her was the same man that she met this morning. The man at the diner was pleasant. He kept to himself but was still kind enough to speak with her. And yet in just a few hours, he seemed to become cold and intimidating.
Her eyes couldn’t stop drifting down to the dried crimson still covering his hands and most of his shirt.
“I- “Before he could say anything, the boat shifted which made Arthur and Rue move harshly in their seat.
Rue looked up in the direction of the two officers, the fog blocking most of their vision, but Rue was able to see the silhouette of was she’d guess was a bigger ship. The younger officer said something she couldn’t hear before moving forward and climbing the side ladder and up the larger ship.
“Rue what’s going on?” Mr. Lester asked cautiously, his head moving slightly and eyes darting from one side to the other.
“There's an old ship in the way. One of the officers went up to check it out.” Rue explained gently, eyes never leaving the ship or the direction Officer Mitchell climbed up from.
“Something isn’t right.” She heard Mr. Lester say as he shifted in his seat and turned back to see him try to get up.
“Woah what are you doing?” She asked looking from him back to the other officer. Not knowing whether to stop him or not, where would he go anyway?
“We need to leave now.” He says frantically, trying to remove the handcuffs. “Leave? We’re in the middle of the lake where would we go?” She retorted in bewilderment.
She should’ve listened to Ms. Harrison, now Rue’s stuck with a lunatic and will probably be arrested for lying.
“Now where do you think you two are going?” The older officer asked once he approached the two, his sudden appearance causing Rue to jump in her seat. Her nerves were getting the best of her until Mr. Lester spoke up again.
“Sir, we are making a grave mistake. We need to leave now.” He states once more at the officer, who simply stares back at Rue unamused.
“Is this one of his fantasies again?”
“I- ’’
“Listen to me! There is something wrong with this lake, this fog, this area. Whatever is in here it weakens your mind and now your partner is in danger.’’ The last few words caused the officer to turn to him seriously. Whether he believed the English man or not, it was clear that he cared about his work partner.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth!” Mr. Lester exclaims in frustration, moving his handcuffed hands from side to side in desperation. Rue winced silently at the cuffs hurt his wrists, already seeing the red indents in his skin.
“You need to understand, I did not kill that man back at the island and I don’t know who did but whatever did has been tracking me. Hunting me down and is now after your partner. He was already losing his mind and now he’s-”
“Alright I’ve heard just about enough.” The officer says loudly, cutting him off as he began walking away. Heading toward the direction of the ship’s ladder, calling out to the younger.
Mr. Lester growled in frustration and stepped in front of him, blocking his way. “No, please listen to me! This thing i-it weakens your mind until you-’’ He’s cut off again by a sharp punch in the gut that has him recoiling forward and Rue gasping.
“Keep your uncle in check you hear me?” The officer tells her firmly before going back to call out to the younger officer. His footsteps getting softer as he steps out of the boat and onto the ship.
“This has to be a dream.” She muttered to herself, hands on either side of her head as she sat back down. The fog was growing closer, and the soft rumbling of incoming rain was not helping with her worry.
“Rue you must listen to me. There is something in this lake, we need to leave.” Arthur tried once more. He sounded like a broken record by this point and Rue was starting to feel bad for him. He looked ragged and tired, the bags under his eyes deeper than they were this morning. She bit her lip, contemplating her options before nodding to herself.
“Let me see if I can find the keys to those cuffs.” She offered before walking towards the small cabin of the boat.
As she did, she could hear Mr. Lester begin to speak to…someone. Himself? Rue would definitely think so.
It was just that-
“You killed my partner.” She heard him say from inside the cabin, which was an odd thing to say out in the open.
But Rue heard something. It wasn’t the wind, and it wasn’t the fog, it was like a muffled whisper. Like someone was speaking with a hand over their mouth, but it was there.
Something.
As she stepped deeper inside the cabin, Rue began looking around. It was a small space and difficult to see with the lack of light from the inside and outside thanks to the fog. She raises her hand up to the top surface feeling around for a light switch. With a small tug, the small room lit up.
There were a few supplies inside, some lighters, a flashlight, but no keys. Rue sighs in disappointment, she continues to look around anyway. Maybe there was something useful she could use and so finds a small item next to a box. It was a thin metal item and with a flick on the side, a sharp point popped out at the same time a loud bang was heard.
Then another, and another.
*
“What was that?” Arthur asks out loud, head moving from one side to the other hoping to hear anything else.
“It sounded like something was shooting up on the boat.” John replied simply.
“Shooting what?”
“The fuck should I know?” John snarled, which only caused Arthur’s frustration to rise higher. “Listen! I don’t care if we don’t see eye to eye now, but we need to focus if we want to get out of here alive,” He trails off, mind drifting to the other passenger on the boat. “Rue, where is she?”
“She hasn’t left the cabin yet.”
“Rue! Are you okay?” He calls out to the teen. Who in return calls out as well.
“I’m okay!” Arthur releases a long sigh, some tension leaving him for a moment as he hears a shift and the sound of footsteps approaching them.
“Look, we need to work together on this. It’s not just us we need to think about now.” Arthur spoke to John quietly as Rue got closer, not wanting her to worry about a mad man longer than she should.
John stays silent for a while, the words floating around them for a few extra seconds. Eventually the entity sighs, “Fine.” John agrees simply.
“Thank you,” says Arthur as he begins to stand up from his seat, tugging his handcuffs as he did so.
“Did you find the keys?” Arthur called out once he felt Rue was in ear shot.
“I couldn’t find any, they must have taken the keys with them in case we thought of running away.” Rue joked which made Arthur huff out a small chuckle. “Well, they weren’t wrong.” He muttered to himself and John who simply hummed unamused.
“So…what now?” Rue asked after a beat.
The fog was closer now, blocking any direction from view. The only thing in sight being the vessel they found and the front of their feet. With no keys and no direction to go, all they could really do was wait.
Arthur didn’t really like waiting though.
“What do you think you’re doing?” John asked at the same time as Rue did. The young girl following behind them as Arthur walked towards where he felt the side ladder, ready to climb up.
“Well, they don’t seem to coming back anytime soon and there’s not much we can do handcuffed.” Arthur replied simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world which only made Rue scoff in disbelief. “So, what? You plan on climbing up with both hands cuffed together?”
“Better than waiting around I’d say.” He grunts back, trying to pull himself up the latter in the process.
“Arthur, the child has a point.” John adds cautiously, “Let’s just wait, or find a way to move the boat. I’m sure there’s something here we could- “
“You want me to wait?” Arthur asks in disbelief, hands holding onto the bars as he listened to the both of them. By this point Rue has gotten used (or maybe ‘tired’ would be the right word) to his one-sided conversations and just looked up at him nervously.
“I just want you to think for just a moment.” John offered gently, which made Arthur shake his head.
“We can’t wait around any longer John, it isn’t just us here anymore.” Arthur repeated and John sighed as he took a glance at the girl in question who simply stared back. From where Arthur was standing, she looked small. Blue grey eyes looking up at them like a child looking at their parents.
Strange.
“So you’re really doing this.” Rue huffs unamused. Eyes never left Arthur’s ascending form, arms crossed over her chest that tensed every time she noticed him struggle with his cuffs.
‘This guy is seriously insane.’ She thought.
“I’ll just be a moment, you stay here.” He grunts back at her, pulling himself the entire way until the fog covered him as well.
Alone she remained on the boat, Rue began to pace once she lost sight of him in the thick fog, biting her nails in anxiety. She should remain in the boat, it was safer and if anything went bad, she guesses she could swim back home. She was a decent swimmer, she knew how to float, holding her breath was a bit tricky but she’d manage.
The girl looks back up at the ladder of the ship, taunting her. Telling her to follow, to not stay behind.
Like the voices in her dream.
Follow
Follow
Follow
Rue sighs once more, frustration mixing in with her worry. Mind drifting to Mr. Lester. Should she have let him go on his own? He said he would be fine, but he was a blind man. How would he be able to look for the keys? Let alone know where the ladder was? He was also in handcuffs, what if he fell on his way up or down?
Nope. He told her to remain on the boat and that is what she’ll do. If that mad man with a voice in his head wanted to get himself killed that is not her problem.
And yet…
Follow
Follow
Follow
“Damn it Rue.”
Notes:
First cliffhanger of the story yippie!
Sorry this chapter was a wee bit uneventful but i'm already working on the next chapter so it should come out soon! Thank you again for reading!
Chapter Text
Arthur huffs as he struggles to pull himself up the metal bars. His cuffed hands making it harder for him to climb up, and with the lack of sight Arthur’s heart beats a bit faster at the thought of one misstep causing his demise. Still, he persisted. His grip tighter and body tensed, ready to climb once again.
Until he heard a thud below him.
“What the hell was that?” He whispers towards John. Golden eyes wide as he grips tighter at the bars and looks down, hoping it wasn’t too dark for John to see.
“It…Jesus Christ.”
“What?”
“It’s the girl.”
“What?” Arthur exclaims dumbfounded, brows furrowed in exasperation and confusion.
Rue grunted, knuckles white as they held onto the ladder for dear life. This was a stupid idea really, climbing up an unknown ship in the middle of nowhere is probably up there in her lists of stupid things she’s done. Probably up there with following a complete stranger but who’s really counting.
She was spiraling again. Useless thoughts swimming around her head like a lake. A lake just like the one she was in right now except her head wasn’t foggy like it was in real life. No, she could think clearly, know what her mind was trying to do right now as she pulled herself higher and higher up.
Or maybe her mind was getting foggy like outside, it was getting harder to think. Well not hard but her mind was getting quieter, dull, numb was a better word she’d say. That was weird, her thoughts were never this quiet. Normally they get louder at this point chanting, screaming, anything but remaining silent. It was almost pleasant, nice. Yes, Rue could get used to this-
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!”
A voice cuts through the silence of her thoughts so loudly that it makes Rue outwardly gasp. Foot missing the bar and almost slipping. Gripping tighter at the bar she takes multiple breaths, eyes closed as she tried to calm her rapid heart.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Rue shouts up once she regains her composure, glaring up at the man just a few steps above her.
“You shouldn’t be up here! Go back to the boat!” Arthur shouted.
“Says the blind man!”
After another minute or two of bickering, the two safely reach the top of the ship. Once on sturdy ground, Rue leaned against the railing and took some giant gulps of air, inhaling and exhaling every few seconds. Arthur stood waiting, arms awkwardly out not knowing what to do.
“Sorry,” Rue gasped after a moment, taking one final breath before turning back to the man with a small thumbs up. “Alright, I’m good now.”
“I told you to stay on the boat.” Arthur scolded, realizing now what had just happened. Rue nodded dismissively, breaths still uneven but better than a few seconds ago.
“Yeah, well I thought about that.” She huffed out dusting off her skirts, “then I realized the person who told me that was a blind lunatic and so I thought; “If he dies, I’ll have no way of knowing and not only will I be stuck waiting for who knows how long but I’d also have no way of getting help” so,” She shakes her hands dramatically, John could almost hear the ‘ta-da!’ in her movement.
“So, she’d rather die up here than stay safe.” John muttered unimpressed. “Impressive.”
“Okay well hold on, no one is going to die here.” Arthur responded with an awkward chuckle which Rue returned with a tight smile.
“Right.” She replies, though it’s clear by the way she fidgets with her rings that her tone is doubtful.
“Any sign of the two officers?” Arthur changes the subject, his gaze moving from the railing to the rest of the boat.
From John’s point of view the top of the ship is empty, dark for the most part, the only light coming from the moon up above. The loud whirring coming from somewhere in the boat that John can’t quite pinpoint.
“Not that I can see.” He states which he earns with a sigh.
“Maybe they went inside the boat?” Rue offers, head tilting towards an open door a few steps away from where they stood. “Those doors might lead to the cabins?”
“Right, let’s be careful then.” Arthur responds, he turns back to Rue, face in a stern yet cautious expression. “Stay close behind me, alright?”
The girl nods, her hand goes to grip the closed pocketknife in her pocket. The smooth metal easing her nerves as the two head towards the doors and deeper into the ship.
Inside, John describes the scene. A bloody pathway leads down into the dark hallway; some splatter along the walls of room as well. Dark and dried blood, almost as if painted onto the ship. The deeper they walk the pathway becomes shorter and leads them into what looks like a dining area.
The buzzing of flies is audible, and Arthur and Rue are hit with a strong and grotesque smell. Rue grimaces, lifting a hand to cover her nose and mouth. “Oh what the hell is that smell?” She exclaims through her hand.
Arthur grunts in disgust, for a moment, grateful to not have his sight and yet wishing he couldn’t smell either. “Oh fuck, something has been rotting in here.”
“Where’s the crew?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Rue said jokingly. John huffs in amusement.
“And the blood? Do you see where it leads?” Arthur continues, looking deeper into the room. There was a small passageway towards the bridge and a cabin near their left that John wanted to investigate.
Thunder rolled outside the ship, Rue shivered. Then lightning made her jump slightly. The lightning illuminated the rest of the hallway. Further down was another open cabin. From a distance it didn’t seem important, though Rue heard the rustle of wind and paper.
Rue turned back to where Arthur was still mumbling to himself. His body faces the cabin on the left. She really shouldn’t wander off, not in a place like this.
And yet…
*
The room is dark, like most of the ship is. The little moonlight that breaks through the fog and lightning is enough to help her see inside and get a good glimpse at what the hell was going inside.
There’s a wooden trunk by the entrance, ‘Captain’ it read.
Rue didn’t think anything of it until she looked up.
“Holy fuck.” She whispers in shock.
The entirety of the room was covered with images upon images. Sketches roughly drawn on paper, as if someone was digging the pencils onto the sheet. Drawings placed on top of each other, all showing the same exact image.
Eyes.
A whole bunch of them, in every corner of the room. Every crevice and on every surface. Eyes covered every wall. As if the room was watching whoever was inside it.
Rue lets out a shaky breath, taking a glance down and was somehow not surprised when she found even more eyes looking up at her.
“What the hell is going on in this ship?” She whispered to herself, glancing to a corner where a bunk was placed, though it looked rough. Blankets and bed sheets a mess, mattress to the side. As if someone had trouble sleeping.
Rue feels a sudden pressure on her shoulder which makes her jumps in fright. Shouting as she turns around and finds Arthur behind her, looking just as startled by her scream.
“I told you not to wander off!” He whispers harshly.
“I…I’m sorry! I just-“ She cuts herself off, gesturing instead to the room they’re in.
“Something happened on this ship. Something horrible.”
Arthur didn’t respond, trying to calm his nerves as he thought about what to do.
“We need to find the officers and get out of here.”
‘Arthur,’ John replies after a while, eyes trailing over a path of blood.
Fresh blood.
The man and the young girl follow it out the room and back down the hall. Thunder rolling just outside the ship the deeper they went. None of the said a word until Rue spoke up, “This might not be the time, but I must know, or else it will bug me for the rest of the night. What’s a blind man doing all the way out here?”
Arthur and John halt at that, eyes wide and turning back to where he believed she was. Though the turn was a bit too quick and Rue had to lean away or else she would’ve bumped heads with him.
“What?” they say in unison
“I mean…” She sighs in thought, trying to think of the right words. “You were in a coma for a month; how would you know to go out into the lake and towards a light house? Furthermore, how did you row that distance without any way of knowing where you are heading? Or why you were even headed there.”
Arthur stammers, fumbling over his words as he tried to think of an answer.
“I-well…you see I’m-“
“Think Arthur! You were an investigator and you’re telling me you can’t lie to a child?”
“Shut up John!” Arthur hisses under his breath, not catching the strange look Rue gives him afterwards.
‘Fuck, I forgot he’s insane.’ She thinks.
“The truth is,” Arthur sighs, “I’m a private investigator, before my uh…coma, I was working on a case that led me to Harper’s Hill. The light house keeper was my only lead, at the moment.”
‘Nice save.’ John hummed.
Rue nodded along, taking everything in. “So, you killed him.”
“No-I did not kill him!” Arthur groaned, running his chained hands down his face in frustration. “Something else did. Something…something I’m investigating.” He tried once more.
Rue looked at him again, at the bloodied hands, the rumpled shirt, bags under his eyes, he looked like a mess. Like a wet cat almost.
“Well,” She sighs, looking down the dark hall, rubbing a hand up and down her arm nervously. “It can’t get any worse right?”
*
They find the older officer not even a few minutes after she said that. Shot right in the head. Dead.
But hey, at least they found the keys.
“So glad I don’t have to wear those ever again.” Arthur sighs in relief once Rue unlocks the cuffs, running a hand over his wrists. They were red rimmed from where the cuffs bit into his skin, Rue couldn’t stop staring.
“Unfortunately, these don’t seem to have the key to the boat.” Rue continues, swinging the chains around her finger. “The other officer must have them.”
Arthur nodded, still rubbing at his wrists. He lifts his head, giving John a better angle to look into the corridors. "We need to find the other officer and get out of here." He response.
She nods, "Well we’ve checked the dinning area, the sleeping rooms, the captain’s bunk with the creepy eye decorations and the rest of this hall.” She lists down with her fingers, the movement almost comical to John in this situation.
Arthur hums in thought, they’ve covered most of the top deck as she said, however…
“How about the lower deck?”
“She’s staring at you with an unimpressed look Arthur,” John describes, “As if she’s just starting to accept that wild idea is just about normal for you.”
“You want to go down there? Deeper into this ship. A ship that is starting to look ghost ship?” She asks bluntly, aloof though skeptical.
“Look, if we can find the other officer then we can get the keys and get out of here.” Arthur explained, trying to reassure the kid once again. “Maybe he went down to investigate further.”
Rue didn’t look satisfied with that answer as John told him, arms still crossed in front of her chest and looking all the more disappointed but…what else could she do? She can’t just leave; there’s no way how.
But the man…for a blind man he definitely had a way of looking as if he were staring into her soul. But not in an intrusive or creepy way, as if he was serious about what he meant. Determined she’d say, like she could trust him.
“I understand you’re scared but I swear to you that I will get you out of here.” He says after a while, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze.
And there was that whisper in her head again. Telling her to follow.
*
The two make their way through the ship, until they reach a final corridor that led down to the lower decks. From John’s perspective, the door looked like it was covered in rust. If he would’ve guessed it was probably from the humidity that was down there.
However, as Arthur struggled to get the door to open, it was visible that what covered the door was not rust.
And as Arthur and Rue finally get the door to open it is clear something horrible is hiding behind that door. Something so awful, the moment the door is open, it releases a grotesque smell, causing Arthur and the teen to recoil in disgust.
“What is that smell?” Rue says, mouth muffled as they covered their mouth.
“It’s awful,” Arthur adds.
Rue chokes on a cough as she tries to keep from gagging as the smell hit them.
Arthur tried to get a grip on his senses but this, this was a horrible kind of foul.
He was trying to think of what it was when John piped up, “Flesh.”
Arthur froze, and Rue screamed as they saw what was inside.
Inside the door were two bodies, already beyond decomposition, with their eyes gauged out. “Jesus fucking Christ.” Arthur gasped out before gagging, vomiting at the stench and description John gave him.
Rue on the other hand simply turned away, covering their eyes at the image. She clenched her jaw as tight as she could to stop herself from letting out a sob. Or a loud scream, either felt really good at this point.
The two stayed like that for a few moments, both trying to recover from seeing the terrible sight.
Arthur wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket, his eyes watering from the acrid smell of rot and death.
Once the two returned back outside, Arthur and Rue eventually composed themselves. "Okay, forget about the officer, we need to go now." Arthur states, already looking for the side ladder but the fog was too thick to see beneath them.
However, John notices a line running from the side of the ship and down towards the sea. Arthur leans closer, hearing movement under the water.
“Something moving around under there.” He guesses aloud, Rue perks up and gets closer, noticing the moving line as well.
“Should we pull it up?” Arthur asked, causing Rue’s eyes to widen. “Are you insane?!” They exclaim.
“He is child, he is insane. And regardless of what we say he’s going to pull it up anyway.” John responds, causing Arthur to frown.
“Does that supposed to mean?” He asks the entity.
"It means you're not going to listen to me anyway." John grumbled in response, clearly miffed at the prospect of another one of Arthur's recklessness.
Arthur rolled his eyes at the mental commentary. "Shut it!" He said to John.
Used to the man’s one person arguments Rue decides to look around the top of the boat. Rain began to drop down on them as Rue tried to pull the line back up. It was a struggle but slowly but surely, she pulled it up. As she did it began to grow harder to pull up. With a loud grunt, Rue pulled it all the way and lifted what was stuck in it.
“Holy fuck!” Rue exclaims, cutting Arthur and John’s spat and causing them to turn their way.
“Rue what happened-“Jesus christ Arthur.” John cuts him off.
Rue just pulled out a man, or at least the top part of a man, face covered in a diving mask and a diving suit. His lower body part was missing but organs and ribs were visible and when they removed his mask maggots wormed their way out of his mouth and eyes.
“Jesus christ!” Arthur exclaimed, almost gagging at the horrible sight.
Rue was frozen, eyes wide as they stared at the decapitated body of the man they just pulled up. John notices Rickon's frozen state, glancing at them with a furrowed brow.
“Arthur... the kid.” John says simply, not knowing what else to say.
Arthur's eyes widened as he reacts, moving closer to the teen.
"Rue, you alright?" Arthur asks, stepping closer. Rue doesn't respond, doesn't even look up at him. Too shocked to move or say anything.
"Rue-" "Did you see it?" A voice cuts him off.
The two look up to the voice. The young officer stood in front of them, a gun pointing in their direction.
Arthur lifts both of his hands, noticing the gun aimed right at him. “Officer-“he began, trying to placate the man.
“Did you see it!?” The officer asks again, raising the gun higher causing Arthur to step back, blocking the gun from Rue’s view.
“See what?” She whispers at him, voice trembling with unshed tears.
“The eyes.” The officer responds. Voice void of an emotion, eyes having a sort of haze in them.
“I saw them.”
“I feel like they’ve plagued my dreams since I was a little boy. But I’ve only just seen them with newborn eyes today.”
“Officer, are you alright?” Arthur tried again, arms still raised. He steps just an inch closer, John’s sight never leaving the gun.
The young man doesn’t seem to notice and simply hums.
“I’ve heard the voice. His voice, I felt it. Black stars, cloudy depths. He wanted more but didn’t push. He simply, unlocked the dark.” He continued.
“Arthur,” John tried again.
“But those eyes,” The officer’s manic eyes widened once more, pointing the gun directly at Arthur this time. “They stare at me.”
The young man lifts up his other arm, hand holding a diver’s helmet. He gestures to Arthur with the gun.
“Put on the helmet.”
Arthur looks up at him, eyes widen in disbelief. "I'm sorry, what?" He asked.
“Put on the helmet,” the officer orders again.
“Why?” Arthur asks, at this point Rue has tried to regain their sense of awareness. Looking between Arthur and the officer.
“I want you to see them too. The eyes.” The officer explains.
“Please officer,” Rue tries, tone soft but tearful near the end. Her hands raised up just like Arthur’s, rings shining in the rain. The tremors were barely noticeable. “We just want to go home. I just want to go home.” She begs. Tears mixing with the rain drops that stuck and rolled down her face.
“Arthur, go for his gun, just move and I’ll guide you.” John says shakingly, try to assure the three of them.
“Put the helmet on,” the officer says again, grip on the gun tightening, before eyes move to the young teen. He points the gun at her. “Or she does.” Arthur’s heart drops and Rue begins to panic, shaking uncontrollably now. “She has nothing to do with this.” He hisses at the man, blocking the gun once more.
“Arthur move.” John urges.
Arthur glanced back at Rue, taking in how scared the poor kid was. Something in him screamed for him to move, to do something. To shield her from the situation.
“Arthur.” John repeated, the voice in his head was beginning to sound like a panicked cry.
Arthur took a deep breath, shifting his weight and preparing himself. “Fine. I’ll do it,” Rue’s eyes widened, looking up at him in shocked concern and most of all. Fear.
“Just don’t hurt the kid.”
The officer nods as Rue begins to shake her head.
Arthur slowly moves to retrieve the helmet, his hand shaking as John guides him towards it. He tries to control his breathing by telling himself that this is all part of the plan, a plan that he is still working on but knows that will work. Hopefully.
His hands hold the helmet, it’s heavy, smooth yet wet as the rain begins to pour harder above them. John says there is a crack on the glass, not broken but still noticeable. Arthur hears the cock of the gun and tenses, lifting the helmet quickly and placing it on his head.
He starts to breathe heavily now, heart beating rapidly inside him as he tries to focus. Especially as he hears the officer order him to walk towards the railing of the ship. He pulls himself to walk towards it, suddenly his legs feeling heavy. Every step becomes harder and harder to do. He can hear John trying to call him, trying to think of way to get out of this situation but Arthur’s thoughts muffle his voice. He just hopes the end comes sooner rather than later.
However, the end didn’t come. Instead, Arthur hears a fearful yelp and a loud squelch as a body was ripped in half. He hears Rue gasp in the back and Arthur tenses again, turning around quickly (It was a good thing he couldn’t experience whiplash anymore).
“John! What happened?” He huffs, trying to remove the helmet as quickly as he could.
“Arthur, there’s giant tentacles surrounding the ship! The officer was sliced in half!”
“And Rue, where's Rue?”
“She is running this way!”
Arthur sighs, successfully removing the helmet off but like always, the timing was awful. For in that moment a tentacle wrapped around one of Arthur’s legs and pulled him over the railing and down the watery depths of the lake.
“Arthur!” Rue shouts. Running to the railing and looking down. Hoping to see any movement down under but the fog was too thick, and the rain was pouring loudly.
More tentacles began rising onto the ship, getting closer to the teen. She needed to get back to the boat and find Arthur. A thought popped into her head, “The keys!” She says, running towards the mutilated body of the officer and taking his keys.
Before she could even think about celebrating the small success a tentacle wrapped around her waist, pulling them up and tightening around them. Rue grunts, trying to get free as the tentacle squeezes even tighter, beginning to cut her air flow.
The teen grunted once more, kicking and hitting it but the tentacle did not let go. It squeezed tighter and Rue clenched her fists. Her fingers felt something smooth and hard in her pocket and Rue gasped as she remembered what she had. She wiggled around, trying to loosen the tentacles grip on her just enough for her to pull out the object. With one last yelp, Rue flipped open the pocketknife and stabbed the tentacle. Stabbing it until it let go, dropping her back down with a loud thud.
Rue groaned, the drop was so hard she was sure there would be bruises later. Regaining her strength, Rue gets up and books it to the side of the ship and climbs down the ladder and onto the officers’ boat. The rain was still pouring, and the ladder was slippery, but Rue persisted.
Once Rue got inside the boat, she put the key into the ignition and tried to turn on the boat, but it was no use. Rue tried a second time, but the boat didn’t move. She whines desperately before looking back into the foggy lake.
“Arthur!” They shouted. They didn’t see the monster nor any of the tentacles. Most of them are making way on to the other ship.
“Arthur!” They tried again hoping to see or hear the man.
For a few seconds Rue didn’t hear anything, only the sound of the rain and water hitting the boat.
“Please, please, please, please.” She whispered to herself
Suddenly she hears a thud on the side of the boat.
“Rue.” A voice calls out, it was deep and strained, almost weak.
Rue quickly looked down and there Arthur was, clinging to the boat with all his might.
"Arthur!" Rue exclaims in relief. Pulling the other man up with all their might and onto the boat. The two panted, trying to catch their breaths, both equally in disbelief that they just survived whatever just happened.
Arthur turns towards Rue, placing a gentle hand on their shoulder, his voice low. “You alright?”
Rue’s chest rose and deflated for a few more seconds until she turned to him. Face a mix of shock, confusion, anger and exhaustion. And yet all they do is give him a small thumbs up and a nod.
He was about to console the teen when suddenly a loud thumping noise echoed around them. “Arthur, we need to move now before that thing catches us again.” John says firmly and Arthur couldn’t agree more.
He gives one final squeeze on Rue's shoulder before heading over to the engine of the boat, moving the key and trying to turn on the boat.
But it was no use, the boat didn't move and the sound was getting louder. "Come on you stupid-“ Arthur grunts, turning the key one more time and giving it a hard kick. The boat refused to start, not even revving.
With one final kick in frustration, the engine came, taking Arthur, John, and Rue out and away from the ship.
As soon as they were a solid distance away from the ship and the monster, Rue allowed herself to finally exhale a breath of relief and drop down onto a seat. Holding her head between her hands. She couldn’t wait for this to be over.
The rain had stopped, and the fog disappeared. Moon shining down on them all. If it weren’t for what they just endured, she would say it was all quite…peaceful.
There was silence for a long while, the sound of the boat moving through the calm, placid, waters were heard.
“What’s the plan?” John chimes in after a while. His tone louder in Arthur’s head than normal.
“I…I don’t know.” He replies honestly.
“Arthur we can’t take her with us,” John says with dismay.
“I know that!” He hisses under his breath. He doubts Rue can hear him from where he stood, however he wouldn’t be surprised if she had her suspicions. “I know that John but what other choice do we have? We don’t even know in what direction we’re headed towards.” He turned back to the open lake. The fog was cleared completely but there is no sign of the docks in Harper’s Hill. He doubts they’ll find an actual direction of where they are until sunrise.
*
Rue stared at the small fire Arthur had made once they reached the shore. The boat was long gone at this point, Arthur said something about it, leading the monster to them if they kept it.
The girl was too tired to question it.
She pulled the blanket tighter around her; Arthur found it with the rest of the equipment and handed it over to her. The warmth of the fire was a small comfort for the first time since this morning.
‘Holy fuck it’s only been hours.’ She thinks to herself. So much has happened tonight felt longer than it did. Dread filled her chest as she remembered Ms. Harrison. Oh god she just left her waiting. What if she was worried? Scared? Called the police? Would she call the police? Was she-
“You alright?” Arthur’s voice cuts through her thoughts for what felt like the fifth time tonight. She looks up from the flames, watching as he sits down across from her. His gaze on her, concerned and tired.
She nods once, not trusting her voice at this point, she can still feel the sob deep in her throat, trying to claw its way out.
Arthur sighs at the silence, head tilting down in thought. The moment he woke from his coma, he didn’t expect his day to go this way, he didn’t expect to drag another person into this mess as well. A child no less.
“Look kid I… I’m sorry.” Rue looks back up again, not knowing how to respond. “You shouldn’t have to have endured what happened. I promised to take you home, but it seems like it’ll take longer than expected.” He chuckles humorlessly, trying to lighten the mood. Rue hums in response, smiling just a little but still silent. Lost in her own thoughts.
Understanding he won’t get another response, Arthur gives a small nod before making himself comfortable on the soft sand below them. “Try to get some sleep alright?” He says eventually as he closes his eyes.
“Home is…complicated.” He hears Rue say aloud, she’s facing away from him and the fire. The blanket covers most of her form. Arthur wants to ask what she meant but can’t.
“I don’t think they miss me very much.” Rue’s silent once again, the soft crinkling of the fire and the crashing of the waves audible around them. Maybe she could pretend she was in bed if she thought hard enough.
“Goodnight, Arthur.”
“Goodnight, Rue.”
And that was that.
Notes:
This took FOREVER to write and I'm not super proud of it bc I'm not the best at writing nondialogue scenes. However, I do hope I did this right bc it is one of my favorite episodes in the series. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!