Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ruth knew she shouldn’t have went to that house, Thatcher had told her not to, and hell, THATCHER themself was the one who broke the ‘no helping alternate calls’ rule the most, and yet, she’s here, face to face with an alternate, which Ruth had deemed a type one.

Ruth glared at the alternate, reaching back for the gun as it lunged at her.

Ruth shot at the alternate, she swore she could hear a voice speak out;

Uh-Oh! Bad Descion Weaver!

Ruth yelped as the alternate (unbothered by the gunshot) pushed her to the ground, standing on her shoulder, pulling her arm up and continually tugging until…

.

.

.

Ruth’s arm came off .

Ruth bit back a scream as she felt her tendons snap, and her arm muscle be pulled from her body, hell, this thing even got THE BONE, Ruth felt herself begin to squirm under the creature, much to its amusement.

Ruth was determined to keep fighting, she needed to help Thatcher, she knew that her and the false blonde were the last hope for this county, she couldn’t die here.

She refused to die here

With newfound determination filling her body. They bite their lip and swiftly(and harshly) kick the alternate in the chest, causing it to stumble back, as it didn’t expect the hit. 

Ruth (with one arm) pushed herself off the ground and swung again, blood spilling from her open wound as she landed her hit, right where they assumed the alternate’s face was.

The alternate growled, slightly stumbling back from Ruth’s hit, Ruth grinned and swung again, this time?

She missed .

The alternate caught her arm in its mouth and bit down, its razor sharp teeth tearing through Ruth’s uniform and then through her skin, Ruth struggled to get their arm out of the things teeth, to no avail of course, Ruth knew she stood no chance the second she lost her first arm, but damn it, she refused to go down without a fight.

The alternate broke Ruth out of their thoughts, it’s teeth piercing the rest of its way through the brunette’s bone, tears of pain swelling in Ruth’s eyes, but they refused to let them drop, she would never give this thing the satisfaction of letting it know it’s won, letting it see her cry.

And now she’s down an arm and a half.

The alternate quickly advanced, forcing Ruth to the ground, knocking the air out of the female’s lungs.

The alternate sadly didn’t stop there, the alternate unsheathed its claws, digging them into Ruth’s remaining shoulder.

“ Stay STILL ”

The alternate loudly growled at the squirming cop underneath it as it forced its claws deeper into their shoulder, forcing them through the bone, leaving the female practically helpless, Ruth choked back a sob and shut her eyes tight, trying to focus on anything but what was going on.

She was being dismembered.

Ruth forced her thoughts away from the excruciating pain, which to her mind’s credit, wasn’t SO hard because her life had started flashing before her eyes.

From her birth.

To how she met Thatcher.

A younger Ruth waddled into the classroom, the child scanning the unfamiliar room Ruth had just moved all the way form Yonder to Mandela, and to be honest? It was terrifying, Ruth had already had trouble getting along with the other boys, and all the girls thought Ruth had cooties.

Ruth’s eyes landed on a brown haired boy who seemed to be just scribbling away on a peice of paper, wasting time for class to start, the child gently sighed and nervously shuffled their way to the brunette.

“Hey..” Ruth nervously greeted, the brown haired boy looked up, curiousity sparking in his eyes.

“Hi! Wanna color?” He excitedly asked.

“Huh- oh- yeah-“ Ruth stuttered out in shock.

“Oh- I’m Thatcher by the way! Nice to meet you!” Thatcher chirped.

“Oh- uh- I’m-“ 

The memory jumped to another, how Ruth and Thatcher met Dave.

Thatcher sighed in annoynce.

“Weaverrr, this dumb walkie talkie’s broken!” Thatcher complained, slamming his locker shut.

“Well- maybe we can fix it!”

“Be real Weaver, none of us know Jack shit about tech-“

A timid voice cut Thatcher off.

“Uh…I can help?”

The voice sounded, causing Thatcher to jump and spin on his heel to the person.

“Who- what-“

“Oh- right- uh I’m Dave- and you two are-?”

“Well, I’m Thatcher and-“

“And I’m-“ Ruth was about to cheerfully greet when she was knocked out of her memories by a voice.

Ruth snapped back to reality, gosh everything was dizzy, but then again, she WAS laying in a pool of her own blood so, uh, maybe she could be more concerned about that.

The alternate growled. 

“I asked for your last words human!”

It snarled peices of Ruth’s….

Ruth’s fucking FLESH flying out its disgusting mouth as it demandingly spoke.

HAD THIS THING BEEN… EATING HER? It’s worse then she thought oh god-

Ruth calmed her thoughts before shakily speaking.

“… every day gets br- brighter….don’t froget that, okay you two?”

She spoke as if Dave and Thatcher could hear her, the alternate pulled back, confused, before it burst into laughter.

“ HAH! You still care? Feeble human, when wil you learn? No one cares, no one is going to help you!” 

It laughed.

Ruth growled quietly and with her last bit of strength she spit in the things face out of spite, before allowing herself to start to give into the fuzzy feeling in her head.

Thatcher and Dave being her dying thoughts, nothing in spefic, just crumbled up memories of the three of them and their time toghter.

This of course, was put to a stop by the alternate entertwining it’s claws in the females hair, before harshly tugging, applying more and more force… until Ruth’s head came off , blood spilling out her neck.

The alternate grinned and placed Ruth’s head atop her armless (and almost legless, the alternate was merciful enough to let Ruth keep a singular thigh luckily) torso, grinning widely at its work before proudly strolling out the house.

Chapter Text

Dave nervously coughed to clear the tension in the silent car, Ruth hadn’t come home last night, which is odd, because Ruth always came home at the EXACT same time every night, on the dot.

So now, Xe(along with a very concerned and very emo) false blonde lieutenant were practically speeding towards a potential CRIME SCENE.

Thatcher pulled into the house, Ruth’s car still in the driveway .

“That’s not a good sign” Thatcher begrudgingly muttered.

“Maybe she fell asleep?”

“On a call, Lee? In a stranger's house?” Thatcher asked, opening the door and getting out the call.

“Thatch please! Let me look on the bright side- I don’t want to think about-….” Dave trailed off, following the false blonde.

“Well, we’re about to find out.” Thatcher sighed, pushing the still open door all the way open,

Dave gulped and followed.

“I’ll take downstairs, you take upstairs, got it?” Thatcher commanded.

Dave nodded and started to venture up the stairs, noticing a singular open door down the hallway of doors, although it was only open a creak, Dave still found it suspicious.

Dave shakily sighed and reached an equally as shaky hand for the doorknob.

“… Ruth? ” He asked, pushing the door open, eyes widening at the sight infront of xem .

“ Oh my god.” Dave breathed, a hand covering his mouth, tears threathening to spill from his eyes.

Dave dropped to his knees, hand overing out in front of him, he quickly choked out a sob, pulling what was remaining of the female's torso close to his chest.

“Oh god- Ruth- I’m so-“ Dave choked out, breathing becoming difficult.

A gunshot heard from downstairs, much to Dave’s dismay as all it did was shake up the poor male even more.

Dave clutched Ruth’s corpse closer as xe sobbed harder, almost passed out from lack of breath when Thatcher rushed into the room, grabbing the grieving man by his collar and rushing out the room, infact, Thatcher dragged him all the way to the car, throwing him in as he pulled a stun-slid-over-the-car’s front, practically forcing himself through the window, speeding off still hyperventilating.

“ We’re not going the fuck back there” Thatcher rasped out.

Dave shakily nodded in agreement before mumbling a light “ Ruth- she- she’s-“

“Gone?” Thatcher cut the other off.

Dave shakily nodded.

The rest of the drive home was silent, only interpreted by Dave’s soft sobs filling the room.

Once they got home, Thatcher helped Dave to the couch.

“ Tea? ”

Dave sniffles, looking up to Thatcher before looking back to his feet, quietly nodding.

Thatcher sighed and walked into the kitchen, making tea almost as if they had MEMORIZED how Dave liked it.

Thatcher sighed, gently placing the tea on the coffee table, holding back tears of his own at the sight of the broken man infront of them.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! Thatcher needed to make everyday get brighter, like Ruth had always done, how easily she had always done it too. Thatcher could never be as great as she was, but he had to try for the sake of Dave…and whatever’s left of the county.

“… what’d ya see? ”

Thatcher asked after a minute or so.

“…I saw- H- I saw her body Thatcher, mangled- hell! her HEAD was ripped from her body!”

Dave forced out.

Thatcher’s eyes slightly widened, a look of ‘what the fuck’ spreading across his face.

“ Thatcher, listen to me, whatever killed her? It’s not human. ” 

“ I know Lee, I know, I think I saw what did it- “

Dave sighed, placing his tea down in favor of hugging his knees to his chest.

“I just want to forget today ever happened”

Dave sorrowfully mumbled.

“…. me too Lee, me too.”

Thatcher mumbled as Dave flopped back on the couch, pulling a nearby blanket over his figure, snuggling into xemself.

“ Maybe I can just sleep It off.”

Dave tiredly replied.

“… you try that, I’ll be in the basement. ”

Thatcher mumbled, standing up and doing that.

.

.

.

He had an idea.

Chapter Text

Hiatus…er…..I don’t know if I’ll ever contuine this…maybe, maybe not

Chapter Text

Thatcher paced the basement, ideas filling their head, ideas I can’t get into because this is only a pg 13 fic.

Thatcher let out a slight laugh, one that almost sounded INSANE as they dug around in the basement, finding one of Dave’s old prototype robots.

He had an idea

A horrible no good…BAD idea.

Yet, Thatcher’s JUST crazy enough to pull it off.

So, he set to work, customizing the dumb thing, making it look exactly like…

Her .

Thatcher shakily sighed as Dave slowly ascended down the stairs, coming to see what xeir friend had done.

His jaw dropped.

What type of PHYSCO was he living with.

“ Davis, WHAT THE FUCK.”

Dave said, his sunglasses dropping to the ground.

Dave covered his mouth with his hand as a…spitting image of his once sane…level headed friend turned to him.

Dave felt sick .

“ Nonono- what- WHY ?!” Dave asked.

Thatcher, who was shaking at this point…couldn’t find the words to say.

“…. why not ?”

“This- This is fucking INSANE Thatcher- you- you’ve gone MAD.”

Dave backed away from his ‘friend’, if you can even call them that anymore.

“I know, Lee.” Thatcher said calmly, not stepping towards the other in attempt to keep xem comfortable.

“Just…hear me out, alright?”

“ Hear you— NO! ”

“Good point…but ya kinda are stuck with me for abit longer atleast so might as well try.”

Dave bit the inside of his lip, fucking Thatcher was RIGHT.

The house market in this county SUCKED, and Dave would…well, Dave would quickly meet Ruth once more, with the alternates running around.

“Just give her a chance, okay?”

Dave shakily sighed. 

“ One chance.”