Chapter Text
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
-Dylan Thomas
"Legundo. You have one minute to start explaining or we're going to have some unpleasant loops coming up soon." Scott flexed his claw, feeling his mouth contort in between a smile and a frown of rage.
"I escaped. Twice. Both on the vampires' side." Legundo didn't look up from where he stared at the ground. "Every time I made it past the shattered beacon wall, they would instantly send me back to 'Deadhurst'. I was hoping that you being here might point me towards another solution…but…" He laughed as he sat down on the bloodied grass. "I don't think that's working."
"But you knew I was trying to escape Oakhurst this whole time."
"I did. It kept you out of my way sometimes, at least."
"And you didn't tell me that we can't escape." Legundo finally locked eyes with Scott.
"I didn't. I didn't know what you would think if you knew. So I never told you." The doctor never moved an inch. "Honestly, with how you act, maybe part of me thought you didn't deserve to know."
"So it was just a game to you?"
"Don't pretend that you haven't acted the same." Legundo gestured to the mess behind them. Scott stayed silent. "Besides..I still got what I wanted. Things changed. To have another variable…it's made things different after all this time." A small laugh slipped out of Legundo's throat. "I've lived for so long in these loops now. I didn't know what else to do."
"Hm. Ha. Funny." Scott took a few steps backward. "Very funny. Haha!" His tone turned dangerous. "Oh, you're too funny, Doc! So you dragged me into a timeloop knowing damn well that there is no way out of it?" Scott threw his hands into the air, laughing loudly as he slowly spun around. "Great! Wonderful! We're doomed, absolutely doomed! I don't know if you've noticed, dear doctor, but we are the worst people to be in this situation! I don't want to be stuck with you forever!"
"Fuck you too, okay."
"Exactly!" Scott pointed at him, eyes burning with hatred. "Exactly! Fuck you, too! Fuck everyone! Fuck this stupid motherfucking Oakhurst and fuck these godforsaken BEACONS!"
The silence that surrounded them stretched on as Scott glared at the night sky with his arms out and claws still quietly dripping with blood.
"Got that out of your system?" Legundo asked dryly.
"No." Scott sharply pivoted towards Legundo. "No, I have not-clearly this is the first time we've met before-I have absolutely not gotten this 'out of my system'."
"You have years to start getting used to it." Legundo barely had the chance to finish his sentence before Scott was on top of him, slamming his head into the ground.
"I-"
Slam!
"Hate you-"
Slam!
"So much-"
Slam!"
"-so why don't you just die already!?" Scott screamed as he slammed Legundo's head into the ground one last time before he heard the sickening crack.
He slowly looked towards the night sky as the maddening ticking noise filled his ears.
Tick, tick, tick, tick…
He wouldn't feel bad.
Not now.
˚₊‧ⴵ ‧₊˚
Scott barely had time to react before Legundo slammed his finger on the clock and started another loop.
It was fine.
Scott found himself giving up. Perhaps, if he did nothing for a loop (and therefore going against the doctor's wishes) he could escape. Perhaps there was a chance. So, Scott immediately moved and fixed up his castle, paying no attention to the town. As the months dragged on, Scott would sometimes see people pass by or even try to go into his castle, but they never stayed for long. Not even Legundo stopped by to check on him.
He was on his own. Despite how limited he knew his time was to be, he was almost content.
It was a lie he told to himself. Every night, he would fly out to the beacon wall and stare at it hopelessly. If he was feeling cross enough, he would slam himself against it over and over until the sun rose.
He didn't care if he died anymore. Either he would rise again as a vampire or be sent back to the Deadhurst. Either way, he would still wake up good as new.
Scott had started to try and recount the number loops. 20, 50, 70-he usually got to over one hundred every night, but could never remember the numbers that were missing. Stupid vampire quirk and it still somehow failed him.
And despite all of this, despite all of his not-trying, the loop still reset.
Scott appeared in the Deadhurst sitting on the same rock that Legundo always perched himself on. He turned his head slightly to see the doctor staring at his own hands. "What? Hurled yourself off another cliff because you missed me so much?" Scott questioned with as much sarcasm dripping from his words as physically possible.
"No-A mistake. I was too hasty in finding the books." Legundo rubbed his temples slightly. "I was stabbed in an accident during the town's confrontation, because of course."
"Awww, good for you. I spent my time doing nothing because clearly there's nothing else we can possibly do!" Legundo's eyebrow rose in surprise.
"I thought you would've accepted that by now. You took it so well the first time."
"That was when I had a solution. Now, I'm completely blind." Scott jumped off the rock, landing perfectly in front of Legundo. "It would be nice if someone worked with me here."
"Oh, really?" Legundo crossed his arms. "I wonder what that feels like!"
There was nothing left for either of them. Nothing left they could do except be stuck together in the mind numbing lands of Oakhurst. So Scott let all of his sharp knives finally spill out of his throat.
"I don't know, Legs-it's almost like I'm not the same person anymore. It's almost like we're both changed. It's almost like we come from the same breed of sin." He spat out the last word with as much ire he could muster.
"Don't say we're the same." Oh, he had struck a nerve there.
"Aren't we? You said I've done the same things as you." Scott grabbed the doctor's collar, snarling into his face. "You said you played on the vampires side. Does that mean you killed everyone in Oakhurst, too? How many times have you done it, Legs?"
"That is none of your concern." Legundo shoved Scott off of him, every muscle twitching with pent-up energy. It's been a long time since he's allowed himself to explode. Scott felt his back bump harshly against the ground, a thrill going through him.
Scott Goldsmith didn't care if he died anymore.
"That's not an answer, Legs!" Scott sing-songed as he laid on the burnt ground, getting soot and mud into his clothes and he found him not giving a single damn about any of it. "How many times have you killed me, hm? How many times have you just been overjoyed to see the life snuff out of my eyes?" He watched as Legundo stalked closer to him, silent fury following him like a dark cloud. "And how many times have I killed you? I remember the first loop. I killed you so many times!" A sudden realization dawned on him. "Why don't the humans come back anymore, doctor?"
"The saints no longer allow it. I figured that out the hard way." Legundo muttered before kicking a cloud of ash over to Scott. The elder vampire simply laughed and choked through the cloud, the ash irritating his throat ever so slightly.
"Aww! Poor doctor!" Scott laughed some more, shaking ever slightly. "You know, all that time ago, back at the cliff, I actually liked you for a bit. I was going to try, for your pathetic self. Isn't that-" He let out another laugh so harsh it caused tears to spring to his eyes. "-so funny? I guess a man about to sacrifice himself does that to you!" He rolled on his side while on the ground, still shaking with the force of his emotions. "I suppose it's contagious!"
A sharp, blinding pain across his face stopped him from continuing. He reached up to his face and felt the blood drip down. "Stop mocking me. I've been here longer than you. You have no idea what it's like."
"But I bet you had to enjoy it at some point, right? Killing me over and over? If you're not sure, you should do it again just to find out!"
"I'm not-"
"Do it." Scott managed through gritted teeth. "I'll just come back, right? Just like you always do."
"I don't want to kill you!" Legundo shouted. "God-just stop talking!" He began to pace around the expanse, hands opening and closing. Scott stayed where he was, waiting for his face to start healing while he waited for Legs to stop having his crisis.
But it didn't.
Legundo continued to pace, but Scott's wound still bled.
He wasn't healing. He closed his eyes and realized that the power that thrummed inside of him was similar to that of a level one vampire. And there was no way to get blood here.
"Legs." Scott's voice was smaller than he had meant for it to be. "I know…how we can get out."
"What?" Legundo snapped, turning on his heel. "What idea could you possibly have-"
"This place has fuel, right? Since it burned down once before." Scott started to do big leaps around the area, finding what they needed as he talked. "This is the place we get sent back to when we die. We don't heal here. We're functionally level one. What if-"
"No, you're not-"
"We burn ourselves alive." His signature grin was back on his face. "There's no other way." He took one look at Legundo's face and his grin dropped. "You already knew it could happen, didn't you. That's why you didn't kill me in here."
Legundo's eyes went wide with panic before he slammed his thumb on the button that reset the loop.
Tick, tick, tick, tick...
˚₊‧ⴵ ‧₊˚
Scott was back in his coffin.
Instantly, he slammed against the wood and splintered it. He grabbed the longest bit of the remains and aimed it towards his heart.
Before the stake could go through, his hand stopped. Scott groaned and let his hand drop from his chest. He had forgotten he couldn't stake himself. Quickly, he shifted into his bat form and headed towards town. When he spotted brown and white peppered hair, he slammed down into the ground.
Renhardt jumped, throwing up his hands for defense like it would help with anything. Scott lifted up the wood before putting it into Ren's left hand. "Stab me through the chest right now or you're not going to like what will happen to the rest of the town."
"What?" Ren's mouth dropped open with shock. "Laddie, trust me, there's so much in this here world to-" Scott stomped his foot, almost feeling like a toddler.
"Stab. Me. Through. The. Heart. Now. Or you and this town is going up in flames and I'm taking you with me." Ren glanced at the stake before solemnly nodding.
Scott closed his eyes as he felt the silver of wood pierce through him.
"Thank you."
˚₊‧ⴵ ‧₊˚
"You can't run from me forever." Scott started as he and Legundo reappeared back in Deadhurst. Legundo spun around, clearly disoriented.
"How did you die already?"
"It's 'none of your concern.'" Scott couldn't help but snark.
"I don't have to give you answers." Legundo was already reaching for the clock.
"Oh, Doctor, we can do this forever. We have nothing but time. So save us a couple years and just stand here and tell me why you don't want to die."
"Everybody wants to live. It's natural."
"Except for you. You never wanted to be immortal, so why the sudden change in heart?"
Legundo gritted out something incomprehensible before he instantly reset the loop.
˚₊‧ⴵ ‧₊˚
This time, Scott wasted no time in getting out of the coffin and heading to town. He found Legundo just in the outskirts of it, running towards one of the far beacons.
He didn't get far before Scott pounced onto him, causing both of them to roll into the dirt. "There's no other way, Legs. You know that. We both know that."
"You don't! What if there's another way?"
"There isn't." Scott gripped the man's shoulders tightly. Legundo wiggled out of his grip, slamming a hastily made stone axe into his side. Scott buckled down in slight pain as Legundo continued to run towards the beacon.
He can never be easy.
Scott transformed into a bat again, only slightly behind Legundo as he made up the distance. When the doctor ran up to the beacon, he grabbed his axe and threw it into the beacon's glass exterior. When it didn't give, he snatched up the handle and continued to hit it.
Then he hit it again.
And again.
And again.
Tears slid down the doctor's cheeks as he continued to hit the beacon in vain. "I don't want to die." He rasped. He kept hitting the beacon as he spoke. "I don't-that would be giving up on them. The town. I have to stay for the town." He slowly slid down to his knees, staring into the beacon's buttery glow. "It's been so long. I don't know how to understand death anymore. I haven't faced real death in so, so long. I don't know how to change. I don't want to die."
Scott walked over and sat next to him, letting the silence stretch out between him.
"I don't want to die, either." He murmured, despite knowing it was a lie.
"Liar." Ignoring that comment.
"But it's the only way I think everyone can be free. If we're not here…maybe the loop doesn't continue." Scott's gaze drifted towards the axe. "Either way, I will die. It's your choice to stay in the loop or go on without me."
"No." Legundo started shaking his head. "You're the only person that has felt real in so long. You can't-"
"I am going to." Scott stood up, steady on his feet compared to the shaking doctor below him. He had found his solution. "I'm not doing this song and dance for eternity, Legs. Either you're with me or you're not."
It wasn't a good solution. Scott knew that and he knew that Legundo knew that. But it was their only feasible option. Legundo looked back and forth between the beacon and Scott. It took a few minutes for him to lift up the ticking clock and prepare to push the button. "Okay. Okay, Scott."
"You can rest, doctor. Like you wanted at the beginning. Think of it as a gift." Scott nodded towards the clock. Legundo took a deep breath as he hit the button one last time.
˚₊‧ⴵ ‧₊˚
"Are you ready?" Scott asked as he prepared the flint and steel in his hands. He and Legundo had prepared a circle of kindling from the remains of what was once Oakhurst-this was the real Oakhurst now, wasn't it? Any other version was now lost to time because of them.
"Almost." Legundo answered softly as he took the clock out from his back pocket. Scott tensed, prepared to start another loop of chasing after the doctor. But Legundo simply dropped the golden object to the ground, the dim light making it shimmer slightly. He stared at it for a bit, a solemn expression on his face. "May I never be forgiven." He whispered as he crunched his boot into the beautiful clock, repeatedly smashing it into the dirt until it was fully broken into pieces.
Scott's shoulders dropped, a thrum of relief going through him. They were never going back now.
He could rest. There was nothing left for either of them.
They could rest.
Together.
It only took one spark to set everything alight. Legundo and Scott laid themselves down on the pile of kindling, watching as the fire grew closer and closer to them. Scott turned on his side to see Legundo staring straight at him.
God, the doctor was a mess.
Tears were running down Legundo's face as his pupils shrank from fear. It was almost terrifying, to see Legs so stricken by his end. A slight sense of pity ran through him, causing Scott to reach out a hand and awkwardly wipe the tears away.
The fire was getting closer. Scott couldn't help but smile as he felt the pain of the burn spread through his back.
"I told you, Legs. I was always going to get out of your stupid time loop."
"And that you did." Legundo let out a shaky laugh as he cried. "I'm…sorry."
Scott watched as Legundo shifted closer, grabbing onto Scott's back. His claws scratched the skin and the flames licked his fingers, but Legundo held on. It hurt but Scott found himself craving the contact and reaching back out to Legundo in an intimation of a hug. His hands wrapped themselves around Legundo's back, keeping them both close to one another.
Despite the fire, Legundo felt so cold.
Scott could feel the flames actively burning his skin now. He held his tongue as the pain increases, only focusing on the man in front of him as they clutched onto each other.
There was really anyone he would rather be with, yet Scott couldn't bring himself to care.
As the flames overcame them, Scott finally let go of the doctor, allowing himself to fall into the darkness forever.
˚₊‧ⴵ ‧₊˚
Oakhurst.
The town-Oakhurst-they found themselves in was strange. They all knew this as soon as they entered, yet none of them had the right mind to turn tail and leave.
It had been a mistake when they accidentally consecrated the beacon, causing both joy and terror to echo out into the town. Little did they know that the beacon would trap them there until the end.
Owen watched as the people mingled. It was causing a strange sense of deja-vu to wash over him, despite only being in a hole for the past two hundred years. He ignored it in favor of sniffing out potential people to siphon off of for food.
All of them were human, it seemed, and it had been a long time since he had eaten. But he would be kind and allow them a choice. Maybe even a chance to run. There were more of them, so he would have to be careful.
"Hey, Owen, was it? Come on, you have to see this!" Shelby-or maybe it was Sydney?-dragged him over with a smile to where two town members were goofily balancing on top of two downed tree trunks.
"I bet I can beat you! Ha! I may not have grown up in the woods, but I used to ride horses! With diamond-encrusted armor and saddles on them!" The blond one boasted, noticeably wobbling more than the other man. "It's basically the same thing!"
"Uh huh! I grew up in the woods! I love the woods! I got this more than you, rich boy!" The man named Avid(?) laughed as he watched the blond guy struggle. It made fury go up Owen's spine.
"Oh, please. I can do better than both of you." He pushed everyone aside, striding towards the trunks.
The sun shone down on the group as they laughed and screamed, a unionized group.
Maybe things would change for the better.
Maybe they wouldn't.
But things would be different this time, and, well...
Isn't that what the doctor always wanted?