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1.)
Shane had always been a little different, odd even. He had strange sayings that no one else had heard of ("If you see something, say nothing and drink to forget" he once said after a particularly long shoot, with a quick wink to Ryan), seemed to react with shock at normal occurrences (why wouldn't he go to the library?), had strange phone calls where he discussed faceless old women and hooded figures, not to mention the strange list he had titled 'Things to ask Carlos about'. Yes, Shane had some weird habits, but Ryan had almost just accepted them as part of Shane's personality, his self-proclaimed mid-western abnormalities. But lately the overt weirdness had begun to distract Ryan, and he couldn't stop asking himself what was up with Shane. He even considered that Shane was doing a bit, a really really long bit which didn't make any sense, but hey it wasn't the most outlandish theory Ryan had come up with.
Ryan recalled one of the first of many strange phone calls Shane had made, this one at the office in a darkened meeting room. He had the phone close to his face, eyes scrunched in confusion as he began talking.
"It's just so... different here. They don't know what I mean sometimes, and they seem to react differently to me. Like last week, Jen asked me what my favourite national holiday was! Why would I have a favourite? I barely survived valentines day last year, and Christmas is horrifying."
Shane had sighed then, listening to whoever was on the other line. Ryan was confused, at first he didn't mean to listen in, but Shane offhandedly mentioning almost dying? That intrigued him.
"Yeah dad I know, you said they would be weird and they are. I'm glad you tried to prepare me. The rest of the world is just wrong, weird. I don't get it."
The rest of the world? Ryan was even more confused, surely Shane's hometown culture wasn't that different. At least it was the same country, it wasn't as if he had to prepare for going from America to France or something like that.
"You know, they haven't even heard of Sumerian here. I said a phrase in it, y'know the joke that pops loves telling? Well nobody got it, Ryan even asked me if I made up a language. None of them knew Sumerian was a language! Isn't that crazy? How do they communicate with the yellow helicopters as children."
Shane laughed then, presumably at whatever the response was. Ryan remembered what Shane had said, what he had said. He truly thought Shane was just spewing some made up language, and when he asked where the supposed Sumerian was spoken Shane had just looked at him incredulously as if it were obvious. But yellow helicopters? This was new to Ryan, and it didn't make any sense.
"You know dad, someone here mentioned interning at a radio station a few years back. It really got me thinking. Remember Dana? She interned for pops, before disappearing and then becoming Mayor. And Kareem, he survived! I always admired him for that, it seems like he was the only one. Heck, I remember when I used to hang out at the station sometimes, chatting with the interns. Never got to know them properly of course, though they knew what they were signing up for."
Shane laughed at that, though Ryan couldn't see what was funny about that in the slightest. This was getting out of hand. Maybe Shane knew Ryan was listening, so was pulling his leg, trying to freak him out. And it was definitely getting stranger, now Shane was laughing about the few times he had died or vanished, only to come back at a later date. Ryan finally admitted defeat, pushing the door open so Shane could see him.
"Oh hey Ryan, hey dad my friend Ryan just walked in. Ha yeah, no I won't be writing poems about his glorious hair any time soon. Though I suppose it is quite nice. Okay, yeah I'll talk to you later. Text me when time is aligned or whatever. Adios!" Shane hung up the phone, turning to Ryan with a smile on his face.
Ryan looked serious, surprisingly unsure about what was going on.
"Uh, Shane? Who were you talking to?"
"Oh, just my dad. He's a scientist!"
Shane looked excited at that, and stupidly proud, as though he had been told it was the best job ever (little did Ryan know that Cecil had actually told Shane that multiple times, with an elated expression on his face).
"Oh um okay, cool. It's just... I couldn't help but overhear that your conversation was a little different? You talked about death a lot there buddy."
"Oh yes. An inevitable part of life. As my pops used to say, 'Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you'."
Ryan looked confused, eventually just nodding his head. "Okay. We've got a meeting in five, just thought I'd warn you."
That conversation had stuck with Ryan for a long time, with Shane seeming unusually philosophical about death, but in a very offhanded way. Maybe all the jokes about dying on Buzzfeed Unsolved had desensitised him. Or maybe his sense of humour had always been that macabre. Oh well, Ryan shrugged it off, just rolling with his friend's quirks.
2.)
Ryan recalled the first time he had been actively worried about his tall friend. It was a cool day in June when Shane had stumbled into the office, face white and hands slightly shaking. His face was pale, he looked on edge and ready to bolt at any second. Ryan had immediately gone up to him, prepared to comfort him. They were good friends at that point, even though they hadn't known each other for very long. But Ryan had never seen his friend like this before, he was almost scared.
"Shane! Look at me man, what's wrong?"
"Huh? Oh its you. I uh... Well I didn't know... unexpected..."
Between each word Shane had looked around, glancing at something on the streets outside. He had his phone in his had, and was constantly checking it as though waiting for a message. Suddenly, Shane grabbed his coworker's shoulders, bending down to look him in the face.
"You need to listen to me, Ry-Guy, this is serious. I don't know what they are doing here, maybe they came after me or maybe they operate across America! It doesn't matter, all that matters is that they are here. Now. I saw them on my way here, just down the street... they were so obvious, out in the open! And no one even noticed. Listen, I've got a plan, I've dealt with them before. We have to - "
Shane stopped, abruptly cut off by the ping of a new message on his phone. Letting go of Ryan, he grabbed his phone and peered intently at the screen. His lips half-formed words as he read the message, before he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Sh-Shane? Are you okay man? What's happening?"
The tall man looked at him intently, as if considering telling Ryan a big secret. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion as his shoulders relaxed and a weak smile came to his face.
"Nothing Ryan. Ignore me."
Ryan was shocked, his mouth open. Had his best friend seriously just gone from full on paranoia and fear to nonchalance? And all that had changed his demeanour was one text?
"Look Ryan, I have to go. I'll be gone a few days, but I'll be fine. Apparently anyway," he seemed to say that last part to himself, "just relax. I need to go now." He began to walk away, still glancing outside but with no fear this time.
"Shane! You can't just do that to me! At least explain, please?"
Shane hesitated at his friend's words, the 'please' seeming to halt his departure. "It's just... I saw something I thought I'd never see again. Never have to survive again. But it's different this time. There's no threat." Shane smiled, as though he expected his words to comfort his little friend. In fact, his words had done the opposite - now the words "threat" and "survive" were running through Ryan's head, and he could think of little else.
As if sensing his friend's imminent panic, Shane smiled in a calming way and patted his shoulder. "Street cleaning day, huh?" Shane said, as though that explained everything.
"Don't change the subject." Ryan was still half-panicked and didn't appreciate Shane's random comment.
"See you later, have fun without me little guy." And with that Shane had walked out the office, with a wave over his shoulder to his friend.
Shane returned days later, his coming back perfectly aligning with the end of street cleaning, though Ryan didn't realise this. Shane had just smiled at his friend, firing off a stupid joke which never failed to make Ryan laugh. Ryan tried to broach the subject, but each time Shane brushed it off. Eventually, Ryan took the hint and he never mentioned his friend's strange episode ever again.
3.)
The strange incidents kept occurring, though with less frequency as time went on.
Once, at a Friday night impromptu party, Shane had laughed about getting his first tattoo at 14. Shane rolled up his sleeve, showing the intricate purple tribal band around his upper arm. Everyone looked at it in shock.
"I'd never expect you to have something like that, you don't seem like a tattoo kinda guy." Someone in the back finally spoke up.
"Didn't your parents mind? If you were only fourteen..." Ryan ventured, questioning what kind of parent would allow that for their child.
"No of course not!" Shane laughed, as though the idea was absurd. "Why would they mind?"
"Well, it is kind of young... and it is permanent."
"No, my father was pleased! He was so happy the day it showed up, it matches one of his you see. Apart from he has tattoos all over his arms."
The rest of the group was still shocked, taking in his statement. Eventually, Shane rolled down his sleeve, looking uncomfortable. Internally, Shane cursed at himself - he would have never revealed something like that if he was sober. Ryan clued onto his shift in mood, and changed the subject.
"I think it's cool, it looks good buddy. Now, who wants shots?" Ryan smiled at his friend, rewarded with a grateful look from Shane. Ryan vowed to ask his friend about it later, surely there was a story behind getting a tattoo at fourteen? It wasn't even legal. But, with all the alcohol and fun, he forgot to ask.
4.)
Throughout the years, Ryan brushed off a lot of his friend's weird behaviours. But the comments he made always stuck in the smaller man's head. Only Shane would laugh about mysterious hooded figures, announcing that that was "perfectly normal, another Tuesday afternoon" and then move on quickly. He also seemed to have a warped view of what the government could actually do: "The government, man" he had responded to a peculiarity in a case, as though that explained everything. It was never questioned at the time, the viewers just assumed it was a bit or a throwaway comment, but Ryan knew that Shane had genuinely meant it. He had genuinely thought that it was within government powers to do whatever, and that everyone knew that.
Once, Ryan had reached across his desk to see what Shane was doing, grabbing a list out of the other man's hands. The list was named "Things to ask Carlos about" but that wasn't the weird part. Compared to the rest of it, the title was almost normal.
"Things to ask Carlos about:
- wheat and wheat by-products. snakes?
- permanence of death
- government surveillance
- disappearing here? how common
- guns kill people?
- dragons? people? maybe anatomy of people here, can they have tentacles etc? 'monsters'? what do they think is real and what they think is imaginary, preferably a list
- invincible architecture? and moving buildings
- clocks. keep on being late because time is different
- moving tattoos
- angels. people say they don't exist but they were recognised?
- mountains. seems to be more than one?
- a lot of mirrors here
- bloodstones.
- most people have two (human) parents of different genders? some think this is correct and two dads is wrong? idk doesn't make sense
- voids and space and stuff. someone invited me stargazing? and there was no void to yell at?
- faceless old woman. tried to talk to apartment one but couldn't find it? better at hiding here?
- boy scouts. different levels here: dark scout and fear scout confirmed to NOT exist here
- telepathy and mutant powers? idk how mind control works out here"
The list was long, and confusing. Ryan didn't understand it at all, the words seemed to have no connection to reality. Ryan only had time to scan the list before Shane snatched it back. He had a weird expression on his face, as though he was almost scared to see Ryan's reaction.
"Dude, what the hell?" Ryan side-eyed him, watching as Shane quickly folded up the list and slipped it into his notebook.
"What?" Shane said, defiance in his tone.
"What's the list? Who's Carlos?"
"Nothing. Nobody. Why do you want to know?" Shane had turned to look at him now, his eyes hard and his expression firm.
"It's just a bit weird, y'know. I didn't mean to grab it. You okay big man?"
"Yeah, just a ... personal list. I'm not meant to talk about it."
"I mean, okay I guess. Let me guess, if you tell me you have to kill me?" Ryan meant it as a joke, smiling as he expected his friend to return his statement with a quip and a laugh. But Shane just looked serious, his eyes considering his friend before he nodded gently and turned back to work. Maybe he wasn't in a joking mood, Ryan thought, he had seemed pretty possessive over the list.
5.)
Ryan and Shane were walking through New Orleans, having some down town before their shoot later. Ryan was stressed out, they were going to a supposed demon house later and he always hated those. Shane, however, was completely relaxed as they walked down the sunny sidewalks around the city. Soon enough, they came across a secondhand voodoo shop. Partly in an effort to distract his friend and partly because he loved quaint little shops, Shane suggested they go in. He even offered to buy his friend something to keep the demons away. With a glare at his stupidly tall friend, Ryan strolled into the shop. It was surprisingly quiet, especially given the everyday business of New Orleans. A bell jingled as they went through the door, peering into the musty shop. It was immensely crowded, with shelves full of strange occult items. It was also dark, the grimy windows barring any of the sunshine outside from entering. Ryan looked hesitantly around, not wanting to touch anything. Shane on the other hand was bounding through the shop, peering at everything and anything within his vicinity. He picked up jars and frames, even strange jewellery which looked suspiciously like a talisman.
Eventually Ryan began looking around, and boy was there a lot to look at. There were objects scattered on every surface imaginable, piled on top of each other in disarray. Glancing over, he noticed Shane absorbed in a circle of stones. He walked over, wondering why some dirty stones would fascinate his friend so much. They looked like they had specks of mud on them. No, not mud, Ryan thought. This was too red. The had strange runes and symbols carved into them, the red substance seeming to flow in the lines. Hold up. Is that blo-
"Can I help you boys?" Ryan's head snapped upwards to locate the voice. He looked around the shop before his eyes fell on a small man behind an overwhelming desk. The man was wearing drab greys and browns, almost blending into the shop itself. How hadn't he noticed him before, Ryan questioned.
"Uh, no we were just..."
Ryan was cut off as Shane began talking. "Yes actually. I want to buy these." Both Ryan and the shop owner went over to Shane. Surely he couldn't be talking about the stones?
There was a sharp intake of breath over Ryan's shoulder, causing him to flinch and look over. The shop keeper was standing next to Shane, somehow surpassing Ryan even though he had been at the back of the shop moments before.
"I'm not sure you want those. You don't know what they are." The man's voice was insistent yet gentle, almost condescending. Shane looked at him shrewdly, and then back at the stones.
"Oh I definitely want these. I know exactly what they are for. I know how to use them. Bloodstones"
This seemed to mean something to the shop keeper, because he nodded understandingly before smiling at Shane.
"Why didn't you just say so boy?" This was weird, Ryan thought. The first time the shop keeper called them 'boys' it had sounded patronising, almost rude. This time however, it was almost endearing. Ryan couldn't make head or tales out of it.
"When did you leave then?" The shop keeper asked.
"Oh, it's been two years for me. Though the Glow Cloud only knows how long it is over there." And with that both men laughed, leaving Ryan to look at them in confusion.
"All hail!" Both Shane and the shop keeper cried out in unison, before splitting into peals of laughter.
Ryan looked up at them almost faintly, wondering if this was an elaborate hoax or practical joke from Shane. But no, it seemed genuine. What made it even weirder was that Shane looked so comfortable with the man, in a way that Ryan had never seen before. He was instantly relaxed, his shoulders back and arms open. It had taken time for him to act like that with Ryan, and yet here he was with a complete stranger. Suddenly, both men seemed to realise Ryan was there as they quickly stopped laughing and tried to look serious again.
"Can't have the Sheriff's secret police after you, eh?" The old man muttered at Shane, a loose smile on his face. "I'll just get this packaged up for you and you can be on your way then." He grabbed a box from one of the shelves and cast the stones into it. Oddly enough, they seemed to resume their place instantly as a circle, despite the change of location.
"That would be great thanks, how much?" Shane inquired.
"Oh for you boy, it's on the house. Consider it my going away present."
This mystified Ryan. Shane hadn't mentioned going away anywhere, and why would a random shop keeper know about it out of everyone? Looking up, Ryan realised that Shane was already making his way out of the shop and back onto the street. Silently pondering, he quickly followed his tall friend.
Once they were outside again, Ryan asked about the events in the shop.
"Will you tell me what that meant? Or is it one of those things I'm meant to forget?"
"I'm sorry Ry, but this is one of those common occassions wherein it is better to forget. I'll explain it all someday, if we don't die at the demon house tonight."
And with that, the conversation was closed.
+ 1.)
The Ghoul Boys walked up to the front door, staring up at the decrepid house. This was Ryan's one demon sacrifice per season. And he was not looking forward to it. He already felt the familiar pang of fear, just from looking at the building. Shane, on the other hand, seemed almost jovial. He was sauntering along as though on his way to the cinema, not to a terrifying house of sin and creatures from hell. Or maybe that was just what Ryan saw. Shane just saw another house. He wouldn't tell Ryan this, but he knew there were more incomprehensibly horrifying things in his hometown than at any of the locations they had visited.
Shane unlocked the door. Immediately, Ryan felt something pull down in the pit of his stomach.
"Shane," he whispered in his friend's ear, tugging on his shirt, "I have a bad feeling about this place."
Shane looked down at his friend. "Aw come on Ryan. Not scared of a little ghosty-wosty are you?" Ryan glared back at him, well aware that the cameras were catching their every move.
"No." He muttered under his breath, head down.
Shane had a kind look in his eye. "Hey, Ry-Guy. You said it yourself, you're the baddest ghost hunter in the USA! If anyone's gonna beat this house, it'll be you. This can't be worse than the asylums and prisons we've visited. It actually looks like quite a nice house. You know, if you ignore the murders and cult sacrifices."
At that, Ryan giggled, the fear gone from his face. Shane smiled back, he always knew how to make his little friend smile in places like these.
"No seriously, could you imagine being a real estate agent?" Shane put on a posh voice. "Oh yes, here's the deluxe second bedroom. It has lots of great closet space, though you have to ignore the rumours about the portal to hell in the wardrobe." Ryan giggled some more, fuelling Shane. "Ah and this is the bathroom! Isn't it great. It's been re-tiled since the previous owners sacrificed a man in here. What a lovely job."
"And here's the basement! Now you have to remember, despite the pentagrams and numerous demon sightings, it real is a great open space." Ryan quipped. Even the cameraman smiled at that, before gesturing for them to head inside.
They walked through the house, with the usual routine. The normal creaks and small noises freaked Ryan out, and Shane uttered his usual rebutals and explanations. It all went wrong in the basement. Whilst researching, Ryan had come across the stories of strange looming hooded figures, unexplainable occurences and disembodied voices. There had also been the numerous summonings, played off as cult worshippers searching for demons. The house also had no record of a basement on the official documents. It wasn't in the blueprints for the house's structure, and the builders had no recollection of digging the area for it. Mysterious basement? This place had it.
Going into it, Ryan immediately felt unwelcome, a shiver going down his spine as he breathed in the cool musty air of the basement. Shane, it seemed, didn't feel anything peculiar so bounded down the stairs into the darkness bellow.
"Shane, slow down man. It's dark down here."
"Aw little Bergoo-goo scared of a little darkness." Shane grinned, panning his torch so it rested on his face, light deepening the smile and casting shadows over his eyes. Ryan couldn't help himself, he let out a small shudder as he descended into the basement.
"Oh my, it's really something down here huh?" Shane breathed out. It was true, the basement seemed too large for the house. There was an oversized summoning circle on the concrete ground, surrounded by smaller red pentagrams. The walls were uneven and jagged, giving the whole place an unnatural feel. Faded silver sigils and symbols lined the walls, seeming to move in the corner of your eye. Ryan let out a harsh breath as he took it all in. Even the desriptions he had read of this place hadn't prepared him for what it would actually be like.
"Oh" Ryan said, mind blank as he struggled to think of something to say.
"Individual investigations?" Shane winked at his body cam, anticipating his pals reaction.
Ryan paled as he looked at his co-host. "Fuck you man. Even you can't deny this place is creepy as fuck."
"I mean I guess. Though it kind of reminds me of home." Ryan smiled at that, thinking it was a bit Shane threw out for the fans. But as he looked at his friend's face, he began to question how serious Shane was.
"You're not serious?"
"Hey man, my hometown's a bit different to LA. So yeah we had a couple sigils strung up around the house, nothing out of the ordinary."
Ryan's eyes widened, but he could tell Shane was completely serious.
"Fuck. I didn't mean to say that. I try not to say anything about my hometown really. It's not allowed. And my dads said it would be a bad idea." Shane looked shocked, as though he truly couldn't stop himself talking.
Ryan thought for a second, before deciding to take advantage of Shane's impromptu truth session.
"So, your hometown really that weird huh? The libraries are weird, that list of things? Is that normal for you?"
Shane nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He opened his mouth before suddenly stopping, eyes wide. He reached a hand up to his head and seemed to recoil at what he found. Inhumanly quickly, he rushed into the shadows.
"Shane? What's going on?" Ryan was scared now, if Shane was freaked out then something was truly wrong. He couldn't hear his friend's reply though, just listening to the mutterings of curse words streaming out of Shane's mouth. "Shane?" He tried again.
"Ryan. You need to leave."
With that, Ryan's heart went cold. He began sweating, yet shaking simultaneously. His mouth was dry and a bad taste was on his tongue. But, to Ryan Bergara's credit, he didn't run away. He slowly drifted the beam of his torchlight into the shadows, searching for his friend. He almost dropped it when he found the man.
He could barely recognise Shane. The man he knew as Shane Madej now had red horns twisting out of his head. His eyes were a glowing shade of purple, illuminating the dark basement. The shadows seemed to curl away from him, almost like creatures in their movements. His tattoo, formerly a delicate purple band, was now writhing around his wrist, coiling like a snake around his forearm. Shane seemed inhuman. Not much had changed, but he gave off an indescribable air of something else. A cryptid, was Ryan's last thought before he passed out.
When Ryan came to, his friend was crouched by his side. No, he thought, his former friend. He wasn't friends with whatever that was. Ryan glanced up at Shane, hsi eyes squinting. He was met with purple glowing eyes and horns. Ryan scurried backwards across the floor.
"Wha- What the hell is going on?!" He slurred, glaring at Shane.
Shane just smiled at him sadly. "You may as well find out. So, I'm human. I know you were wondering that. But let's just say I have a bit extra too. This, by the way" he gestured at his eyes, horns and moving tattoo, "is normal. Where I'm from at least. And yeah, my parents are like me. At least, my dad, that's Carlos, is totally human. And my pops, Cecil, is a bit like me. He had three eyes though, amongst other... unusual body parts like interdimensional tentacles."
"I- I- what" Ryan stuttered, he couldn't comprehend what Shane was saying.
"Yeah my hometown is a bit weird. That list you found? That's a list of discrepancies between here and home. You can have a look at it sometime. As long as you don't tell anyone."
"Are you gonna hurt me?"
Shane looked devastated. A resigned look came over his face, as though he had been expecting Ryan to ask but had sincerely hoped he wouldn't.
"No, Ry, I would never hurt you. I couldn't do that. You're my friend."
"Oh okay then. Can we get out of here?" Shane nodded, a smile on hsi face as he reached down to help Ryan up. "This doesn't mean you're off the hook by the way, I expect an explanation later. Just once we're out of this basement. Why here, by the way, why tell me here?"
"Trust me Ry, it wasn't intentional. This place, it's sort of connected to my hometown. It's like its a weak spot, dimensionally speaking. So I couldn't help it really."
Ryan smirked. "So the great Shane Madej was bested by a basement? I think that counts as a win for the boogaras." A strange look came over his face, almost like enlightenment. "Wait. Does this mean ghosts and demons are real?"
"What? No! Just because humans with a little extra exist, it doesn't prove demons and ghosts!"
"Oh, okay. But you will admit, on camera, that some things are unexplainable?"
"I am the proud son of a scientist, Ryan, which is more than you can say. So yes, some things are so far unexplainable. And truly, you have no idea what is on that scope. I do." A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "You should come to my hometown sometime. You would hate it."
With a smug look, he ascended the stairs, leaving Ryan to follow him. Ryan looked scared for a brief moment (was Shane threatening him?) before realising he was alone in the spooky basement, causing him to run up the stairs into the light above.