Virgil didn't like this. He didn't like it one bit.
The walk back to the apartment after their little supply run for the medicines kept at the school three days ago hadn't been a good one. Oh, they'd made good time and hadn't lingered anywhere too long when resting, but it still hadn't been good. Sterling and Lyla had conducted themselves well and hadn't lagged behind at any point, but it still hadn't been good.
It had been fucking awful, because Virgil was almost certain he felt like he was being watched as they'd walked back. If anyone else felt it they didn't say anything, but given how shifty Cygnus was acting and how often Sterling looked over his shoulder he was certain they'd felt it as well.
That by itself wouldn't have been too much of a problem, even if it did mean he'd stayed up all night waiting to hear the creature make its way back to their door, but what was perhaps worse was that the creature had never showed up.
That was three days ago now, and Virgil still felt like he was being watched.
He was getting jumpy, that much was obvious, and not even Cygnus' words were enough to calm him down at this point. The fucking thing knew they were here, so why wasn't it fucking moving in on them? What the fuck was it doing?
He hated this. He hated the waiting. He could deal with the terror, he could manage the ice-cold chills that came when his anxiety spiked, but he couldn't bring himself to deal with the fucking waiting. Anticipation roiled in his mind and in his gut, and he knew that sooner or later it would drive him mad.
"V? You there, love?"
He snapped up to face Cygnus before nodding shakily.
"Yeah, I'm here Cyg. Why, what's up?"
His partner frowned a little at his obvious unwillingness to answer that last question at the moment, but said nothing. Virgil was glad the man didn't push; there would be time enough to address his feelings at some point, but that didn't mean that it had to happen now.
"I was coming to ask if you would be willing to come with me down to one of the stores a few blocks away. It wouldn't be a long journey, we'd only be out for just over an hour or two, but I understand if you wish to remain here today. There's no pressure on you to come with me."
He shook his head and tried for a smile.
"Nah, don't sweat it. I could probably use the fresh air to be honest; I'm going stir crazy stuck in here."
Cygnus raised an eyebrow at the obvious lie, but said nothing about it.
"Alright, dear. Let me know if you're uncomfortable at any point while we're out and I'll be happy to come with you back home, okay?"
His boyfriend's voice was soft and, in a warm and kind way, concerned. All his partner wanted was to try and help make sure he was okay, even if that meant going out into the city alone or dropping what he was doing to get Virgil back to the apartment.
"I know you've been on edge recently, and there's no shame in wanting to remain at home until the feelings pass. I was just thinking that, as you said just now, a little bit of fresh air might do you some good. If you're willing to come with me then may I suggest you make yourself ready to leave in half an hour? Your pistol is ready, though of course unloaded, and your backpack is empty. Seeing as it's the early afternoon and we've already had lunch I wasn't going to take anything with me to eat whilst we're out, but if you wish I don't mind grabbing something for you."
Virgil shook his head and rose to his feet.
"Nah, I'm good Cyg. Thanks for checking though. I'll be ready to head out in half an hour, so make sure you're not late!"
His partner smiled and rolled his eyes at the finger-guns Virgil shot towards him, and when he spoke there was an enduring fondness in his voice.
"I'll be ready, Virgil. Let's hope to make this trip as quick as we can, shall we?"
"Yeah Cyg, that sounds good. Just a quick little trip out. Hey, maybe it'll settle my nerves a little, maybe not. It's not like I'm losing anything from trying this, is it?"
"Indeed not, or at least not in my estimations. I'm glad to hear that you're willing to go with me, dear. Who knows, perhaps I may even find a ring of my own while we're out?"
Virgil, as if on instinct, looked down at the ring on his finger. He'd hardly taken it off since finding it, and he knew that Cygnus very much liked how it matched his eyes. To be fair, Virgil also liked the mental image of Cygnus with a ring that matched his partner's eyes as well, so he wasn't exactly immune from a little flustering.
"Yeah, that'd be nice. Here's hoping!"
----------------------------------------
The day hadn't really gone on for that long, to be honest.
The two of them had walked out a few blocks away, where some of the nicer stores were, and with a little bit of cutting away ivy and fiddling with locks they'd entered a couple of shops. Virgil had actually been able to break into a clothing store and snag himself a new hoodie, one that screamed 'emo' but looked extremely comfortable. He doubted he'd wear it that much, not with how inseparable he was from his favourite hoodie, but it would be nice to have this to wear as a backup when that one was in the wash or needed repairs.
Aside from that they'd mostly stuck to the usual. Non-perishable foods, a few cuts of meat, a few herb and spice containers, and of course a bottle of red wine. Virgil wasn't a fan of the stuff, but he knew that Cyg and Madison both enjoyed it so it was fine enough to grab by his reckoning. Sterling had started drinking it as well a few weeks back, though at a much slower pace than the two oldest members of their group. Virgil doubted that the youngest amongst their group of six really enjoyed it; knowing Sterling he was probably only joining in on drinking it to appear more 'grown-up' and mature by mimicking Cygnus.
Apart from the fact that he'd felt anxious back at the apartment, nothing was really different. It was all... it was calm. Nice. The feeling that he was being watched, having weighed on his shoulders ever since he'd gone to the school with the others to pick up the medicines, had finally disappeared. It was weird; the feeling of being watched had intensified to a terrible degree as he'd walked away from the apartment, but just as he was about to turn to Cygnus and tell his boyfriend that he'd changed his mind and wanted to go home it had vanished. Not lessened back to where it had been earlier, but completely vanished. Maybe it had just been a mixture of imagination and hysteria causing him to think he was being watched? It was always a possibility.
"Hey, Cyg, what do you think about hitting that shop next door?"
"What, the liquor store?"
Virgil nodded, a grin on his face. What, he'd been stressed recently, there was no harm in a few drinks!
His partner gave him a look that was somewhere between exasperated and excited before nodding his assent.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Well, I don't see why not. I could do with a bottle of port I suppose. What about you, love? What are you hoping to find?"
"Something sweet, preferably. Like peach schnapps or something. I don't really know, I just want a drink to be honest, and your sour grape juice isn't really my idea of a good drink."
Cygnus huffed out something about 'ungratefulness', but Virgil could hear the amusement in the man's tone.
"Alright then. Help me get these last couple of small bags into my backpack and then we'll see about breaking into the liquor shop next door. Remember to get something for Lyla and Wesley as well, you know they both enjoy a drink. But-"
"Nothing too strong for Wesley, I know, don't worry. Just like you, I don't want to mix his constant tiredness with strong alcohol either."
His partner smiled and conceded the point with a nod.
"Alright then. I'll have a look for something me and Madison will like, then I'll make sure to take a bottle of rose wine for Sterling. Seeing as he isn't the biggest fan of red wine he might prefer something a little lighter."
Virgil shrugged.
"That makes sense to me. Not that I'd bother drinking it, but to each their own I guess. I don't think there's anything else we need to grab today, is there?"
He received a shake of the head from his partner, signalling that no, there was nothing else they needed to pick up for the group today.
"Good, in that case we can stop of for some booze and head back home. You were right, this is gonna be a quick day! Let's hope the others haven't managed to burn the apartment down when we were gone!"
Cygnus snorted out a laugh at that, a mirthful sound, and Virgil couldn't help but smile in response. Yeah, getting some fresh air today had been a good idea.
----------------------------------------
Cutting their way into the liquor shop hadn't taken long, the ivy here seeming less thick and woody than that which had covered some of the other shops they'd been in that day. Inside it had been a paradise of shitty and overpriced booze, but they didn't have to pay a penny for any of it!
He'd picked up a bottle of schnapps for himself and another for the twins. It was sweet enough for them to like it without being all that strong, so he reasoned it was a fair enough pick for the two of them as well. He'd also picked up a bottle of malt whiskey for his partner as a little bit of a surprise gift, knowing as he did that Cygnus had a liking for stronger drinks to be enjoyed in moderation. It would make for a nice surprise, well, he hoped it would anyway. Yeah, he was sure that it would. Cygnus seemed to like just about anything Virgil brought him, and had always said it was the thought that counted. Virgil hadn't believed the man for quite some time, but then it was equally possible that Virgil was just a kickass gift-giver. He was going with that one; it was the one that made him seem better.
Cygnus had spent a fair amount of time looking through bottles as well, hemming and hawing at which one he wanted to pick out. Virgil wasn't sure why he didn't just grab a bunch if he wasn't sure on what to get, but then his boyfriend had always had better self control than he had.
The actual walk back to the apartment complex was quiet. Sedate. There was no real conversation to be heard, nothing dangerous to be on the lookout for. It was peaceful. The journey itself didn't take long, perhaps twenty minutes at the most, but it was a nice part of the trip nonetheless.
The two of them trudged up the many flights of stairs when they were inside the building, heading up to Cygnus' old apartment which the rest of them had basically taken for their own on the eighth floor. The windows were all almost completely covered in moss, dappled sunlight shining through despite the clouds overhead. It wasn't true sunlight, for none of them had seen the sun in months, but it was as close as they were likely ever going to get from now on. It was nice nonetheless though, the mildly green-tinted light reminding him almost of what it was like to walk through the woods in the evening at high summer. Something like that anyway.
When they reached the eighth floor the two of them set off down the hallway, careful to avoid the rudimentary can-alarms they'd had set up. Virgil got to the door and knocked, then waited a moment. No answer. He tried again, and waited a little longer. No answer.
That's weird, he thought to himself, they're all normally falling over each other to be the one that lets us back inside.
He shrugged to his partner, who passed him the key with which to open the door. He did so and stepped inside, and was immediately greeted with a display of chaos.
There were cushions and blankets strewn across the room from where Wesley's small 'nests' had been all but torn apart, there were d, and most damningly of all there were perhaps a dozen shell casings on the floor. Nine millimetre. The same rounds used in all their pistols.
Virgil heard a sharp intake of breath from his side, his partner no doubt coming to the same conclusions he had. Still, before he allowed himself to be given over completely to fear and despair, he tried calling out for his friends. Maybe they'd scared whatever did this off and were hiding?
"Hello? Guys? Hello?"
Silence. He tried again.
"Guys? It's us! It's me and Cygnus! We're back from the town! Guys?"
He jumped a little when Cygnus put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head slowly.
They'd been taken. There had been a struggle, and they'd been taken. Virgil knew he shouldn't have headed out today, he fucking knew he should've stayed back and-
"And done what? You'd have been taken as well, love."
Virgil hadn't realised he'd spoken aloud, but he was grateful to hear his boyfriend's voice nonetheless. Cygnus was still here. Cygnus was still with him.
"We're gonna fucking get them back, Cyg. We're gonna fucking kill that thing."
His partner, with an uncharacteristic level of anger, flared his nostrils and nodded.
"Yes, we will. We're going to kill that creature, that malformed mimic of humanity made of blood and shadow. We're going to kill it, and we're going to get our friends back."
Virgil smiled despite himself. The two of them hadn't even needed to discuss whether or not it was the same creature they'd encountered at the school that had taken them. The two of them just sort of knew it had to be that fucking thing.
"Then we'd best prepare."
Cygnus smiled and pulled him in for a hug, which he gladly reciprocated.
"You ready, V?"
He smiled and nodded at his partner.
"Born ready. Now it's just a waiting game, right?"
Cygnus nodded, and the two of them sat themselves down at the kitchen table to begin cleaning and maintaining their weaponry.
They were in danger, yes, but so was that fucking creature. Why? Because it had taken their friends, and he and Cygnus would go to fucking war to get them back.
----------------------------------------
Weapons were ready, well cleaned and maintained. They'd totalled up all the ammunition they had and distributed it amongst themselves. They'd put up more tin-can alarms in the hallway and slept in shifts to make sure they would never be caught off guard.
They were ready for this fucking thing to find them.
After a few days of waiting Virgil, against his better mind, had wanted to go out into the town and find the others. Cygnus had pointed out that such a move would do nothing other than mean the two of them would have to fight the creature on its terms, whereas if they stayed put it would come to them. Virgil had, through gritted teeth, admitted that his partner was right. There was no way they'd be able to tackle that thing when it had an entire town to run wild in. It would be better for the two of them to let things play out in an area that they knew rather than one they didn't.
Well, after making supply runs across the city for so long Virgil was pretty sure they both knew the town like the back of their hands, but the point remained the same. There was absolutely no way that they'd be able to track down that creature out there, but it would be able to find them just fine. Better that they stay here so that, when the fighting started, the two of them knew exactly where their foe was at all times.
He went through the motions day in and day out that week. He and Cygnus hadn't really talked much recently, for they hadn't a great deal to talk about. They still sought comfort in each other, but... well, the silence was deafening at times. The silence was deafening, and yet Virgil couldn't bring himself to break it by making conversation. Cygnus must have felt the same, else he would surely have spoken a lot more recently. There was no mystery behind their silence; their friends were gone, and it felt like there was a hole in his chest filled with anger and sadness and guilt in the wake of their disappearance.
But the two of them couldn't afford to give in to negativity and anger right now. They needed to be strong and keep themselves together, both individually and as a duo. They needed to make sure they were together, because if their friends truly were gone and not just taken and held in captivity somewhere then the two of them were the only humans left.
God, that was a sobering thought. The only humans left.
He shook his head bitterly, swirling what was left of his coffee in the bottom of his mug absentmindedly. It had gone cold almost half an hour ago, but he hadn't been able to move from this spot. He stayed there, sat at the kitchen table, and watched the apartment door.
Sooner or later that thing would come for them. Sooner or later something would happen. Sooner or later they'd have to face down this demon again and kill it, or else their friends would be lost forever.
Sooner or later he'd hold that fucking creature at gunpoint and blow whatever it had in place of a brain out the back of it's skull, and then he'd find his friends and hold them tight and never let them out of his sight ever a-fucking-gain.
The two of them just needed to wait a little longer.