Work Text:
Logan walked through the grand rooms, briefly admiring the decor, but mostly focusing on the footsteps of his friend. He didn't know why he was here. Well, he did. Janus invited him over to talk about something but that was supposed to happen this evening. What he didn't know was why he was doing what he was doing. If he had concerns, the right thing to do would be to call local authorities. But he had been friends with the owners of this luxurious mansion for a while, and he knew they wouldn't be caught so easily.
He shouldn't be trying this. If he failed, everything would go wrong. It would hurt him, his friends, and his boyfriend. He should just turn back, it was the logical thing to do. But lately Logan hadn't been feeling very logical. His anxieties started taking over, and he chose to do something he knew was wrong. And Patton, if Patton ever found out, it would destroy him. He shouldn't be doing this, couldn't be doing this. It was a mistake. But yet here he was, standing in front of the open bedroom door.
Janus was humming something to themselves, probably one of Roman's songs, and appeared to be dusting off some plant pots. Logan crept up behind them, as quietly as he could, doubting himself every step of the way, but continuing to move forward instead of back. The sunlight pouring through a large, open window would've been his demise had he not been quick enough. Janus had seen his shadow moving across the room, and at last minute, turned around to try and grab Logan's wrist.
The snake was quick, but unfortunately for them, Logan was quicker. The knife plunged into their throat, spraying blood all across the nice and orderly room. Janus gasped little, and looked at Logan with shock in their eyes. Then their body fell to the floor. They surely didn't expect Logan to be the end of them, that was clear. Shaking, Logan pulled the knife out, and cleaned it off on the nearby bedsheets. He knew it was risky, not wearing gloves, in case the knife was ever found, but he didn't want to ruin Patton's only pair.
Logan stared at the body for a few moments, realizing the gravity of the situation was much bigger than the gash in his former friend's neck. I have to get out of here. The only real thought he had, Logan finally listened and hurried down the elaborate staircase through the grandiose rooms and into a clean kitchen. He stopped. He recounted something Virgil had told them a couple months ago. Janus had installed security cameras in their house to monitor for any attempted burglaries.
Rushing back up to the top of the house, Logan searched Janus' office for a pass code. He had to get rid of the evidence. He had to. He was a monster, but he couldn't let anyone see that. He couldn't be allowed to hurt anyone else. Finally finding it on a sticky note, Logan logged into the computer. With a few clicks, he successfully managed to delete all the security footage from today, as well as uninstall the entire system. Now he could get out, go home, and try to rest.
While focusing on the security of the grand manor, Logan hadn't heard the front door opening, or the footsteps that hurried upstairs past him. After the demolition of the system, a shriek from the bedroom alerted Logan that he wasn't alone anymore. He quickly got up and peered at the entrance of the room from behind. Roman was standing there, frozen in shock. He had dropped what looked to be a gift basket, with the contents spilled everywhere. Logan internally sighed.
He didn't want to do this. He had eliminated a threat towards his love, but he didn't want to kill his other friends as well. But he had to. He couldn't let him go and tell people what had happened. He couldn't let Roman leave now that he had seen. He could hear muffled gasps coming from Roman, who was devastated about the loss of his partner. He didn't want to do it, but he had to. There was no other choice.
Roman had fallen on his knees, and was shakily trying to pull out his phone, supposedly to call out the police. Logan couldn't let that happen. Quickly, he lunged, and the knife stabbed Roman in the back. With a yell, Roman fell forward, struggling to turn around. Logan bent down to pull the knife out and stabbed Roman again, this time in the side of the neck. His aim was off it appeared, he must've gotten lucky with Janus.
For one final blow, Logan rolled Roman over, who was covered in blood and tears. One last look showed Logan the betrayal in Roman's eyes as the knife shot down into his skull. With some difficulty, he managed to retrieve it from the prince's forehead, and left for the kitchen. He had spotted some antibacterial wipes by the stove, and grabbed the whole container. His anxiety had been so strong before, he completely forgot to cover up his fingerprints on all that he touched.
Feeling much calmer now that both threats were dead, Logan wiped off the bodies best he could, as well as the computer. He slipped the knife in his back pocket, and snuck out the back door towards his car. He discreetly changed into a fresh shirt that was waiting for him in the passenger side, and drove back home, where he would try to get some work done.
~
Patton quietly sobbed beside him as they stood in the breeze, with the overgrown grass tickling at their feet. It wasn't a large group of people, he knew Janus wasn't much for making many friends, but still, more showed up than expected. Logan himself hadn't cried, but seeing Patton this upset did hurt him. It was done for a reason. They had to die. He kept telling himself that.
It's not like he did it. He wasn't the one who killed them. He would never do something like that, it was messy and just a downright horrible thing to do to do many people. But Patton was safe at least. They both were, and now they could go and live their lives without fear of something happening. Logan knew Patton would never think of it that way, but it was true.
He had seen the way that vicious reptile had been looking at his boyfriend, and if the rumors were true, it wasn't a good thing. They were taken care of, as well as their husband, who probably would've done anything Janus wanted him to. The funeral was over shortly, and Logan took them home, quietly comforting his devastated popstar.
Once they got home Patton quietly walked over to the couch and laid down. When their bodies were eventually found, it had come as a surprise to everyone. Especially Logan. He didn't realize they were dead, murdered. He knew he would never do something like that though, and he had other things to do than mourn the passing of two individuals that could've hurt his love.
Speaking of his love, he saw how much this had hurt him, so Logan needed to do something about that. Pulling out a rather wide book, Logan set it on the island and got to work. He had never had much practice in the kitchen, that was more of Patton's talent. But all it was was a simple recipe. He just had to follow the instructions. A lovely smell filled the air as they baked in the oven, and Logan looked over to see how Patton was doing.
Tears were dripping down his face as he lay on the couch in their living space. While he waited for the cookies to finish baking, Logan sat down beside him. "Hey there." He murmured soft and comforting things, gently brushing the others hair until the timer went off. He got up, brought them out of the oven, and arranged them on a plate to cool. He motioned for Patton to get up.
Patton walked over and leaned against his side. "Listen my love, I know what's happened is just…awful, but there's nothing we can do about it. I know it hurts, I miss them too, but as Roman would say, 'The show must go on.' Just take it easy the next couple days, and we'll try to keep going forward." He handed Patton a cookie, which he took, but didn't eat.
Patton simply nodded and sighed. "I know dear. I know we can't do anything, but it's just so terrible. They had so many years left. I can't believe anyone could do this." He took Logan's hand in his. "I'm glad you're doing better though, it's been a while since there was a gap in your prescription." He reached up and kissed Logan on the cheek. "I'm gonna go make a sign for the bakery, okay?"
Logan nodded. "I'll clean up here." Patton gave him a teary look, and went into their office. Logan started to clean up, but while he was washing the bowls in the sink, the plate of cookies crashed to the floor behind him. Logan turned around and saw them all laying on the floor by his feet, with the plate broken in two. He cleaned everything up carefully and then tried to think about what might have caused them to fall.
He probably just set them on the island's edge. Finishing the rest of the dishes, Logan went down the hall to see how Patton was doing. It appeared he was in AdobePhotoshop, creating a new closed sign. The old one was rather old, and it had been needing to be replaced for months. He had better get some work done as well, so Logan sat at the desk besides Patton and got busy.
~
The following week had been hard for both of them, but things were starting to get back to normal. Patton was still grieving of course, but not at such an intense level anymore. Logan was worried about himself, but he didn't want to let his partner in on it. It seemed lately he was forgetting things, more and more often. Misplaced keys and books and hard drives. It was very aggravating.
At least he had Patton to keep him in check. The soft little puffball of his ran a bakery like nobody's business, so it wasn't a surprise when he made sure everything was good with Logan too. He was lucky to be by his side. Waiting for his love to come home, Logan sat down at his computer to get some work done. It wasn't too bad really, just some reviewing and revisions along with a report.
Analyzing the data he was given Logan quickly put together a little mess of a rough draft, beginning to have an idea on how he would form the report. A couple clicks here and there, and one graph was done. He really loved this job, being able to put together so much knowledge and numbers.
This was the dream job he had never known he wanted, and now that everything was falling into place, he was living his best life. Logan felt lucky to have a home, a great job, and an even better boyfriend. The best thing he loved about his life was his dead friends.
~
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~
That wasn't right.
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He was just as sad as Patton when they heard the news about Janus and Roman.
~
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He would never treasure the murder of his friends. That wasn't him.
~
A knock at the door distracted Logan from a stray thought, and he got up to go see who it was. I hope it's a Girl Scout, he thought. Patton loves them. It wasn't. When he opened the door, no one was there. He looked briefly for a package or a mail truck, but with no sign of anyone, Logan shrugged and closed the door.
He must've been imagining things. Logan got back to work, focusing solely on his work, trying not to get distracted by anything else. He was almost finished when he heard a familiar sound of keys unlocking the front door. Patton was home, Logan could hear him slip out of his shoes and set something down on the island.
"I'm home, darling!" said Patton cheerily, as he popped into the office. Logan turned around and gave Patton a hug. "How was work?" he inquired, giving Patton a kiss on the cheek. "It was good! Not too busy to be overbearing, but busy enough!" He smiled, which made Logan's heart melt away.
Looking at Logan's report, Patton pushed up his glasses. "Your work's been good too?" His love asked. Logan nodded. "It's been pretty productive. I've gotten a lot done." Patton grinned, glad to hear it. "That's great! I'm going to go get dinner started." He moved to rush off, but Logan stopped him.
"Now hang on a minute. You've been in a kitchen all day. Let me cook this time." Patton laughed, and playfully gave Logan a little shove. "You don't know how, silly!" "Fine. We'll do it together." Logan decided. That way he could make sure Patton didn't exert himself as well as learning something new.
They made dinner together, but the process was much more enjoyable than the meal. Getting to play and cook, and just share a wonderful memory with his little lamb was so much to Logan. It was amazing. Soon after dinner, Patton, with Logan's help, started creating the spreadsheet for the month.
About an hour in, Patton slumped over, and tried to lay down in Logan's lap, which was rather hard to do in office chairs. Somehow it worked, and his love was fast asleep. Running his fingers through Patton's hair, Logan finished the spreadsheet himself. Investment wise, it hadn't been a bad month, but it still wasn't as great as he thought it should be.
Logan gently lifted Patton upright so they both could get out of the chairs, and then set him down in what was hopefully a comfortable position. Now I just need to empty the dishwasher. He strode down the hall, turning off the light behind him. The dishwasher was only partially open, they had unloaded some during dinner.
Click.
He looked over his shoulder. The light in the office was on. Oh weird. Logan assumed he had hit it, just not hard enough to go all the way down. He went back and shut it off, making sure it was completely down before heading back to the kitchen. He grabbed a clean dish towel and started unloading. He had just started to dry off one of their bowls and the lights began to flicker.
It wasn't a lot. It wasn't as if they were strobe lights, the flickering was very subtle. Logan only noticed it because the shadows were acting funny. It was strange, all of it was strange. They had never had any problems with the electricity before. He decided to talk to Patton about it, but they probably wouldn't call anyone until it became an actual problem.
He was mildly annoyed, but still finished up the rest of the dishes. He turned the lights off, and waited a moment to make sure they stayed off. When Logan was sure they were good, he went to the office to pick up Patton. Gently, Logan picked him up, and then carried him to their bedroom. Setting him down on one side, Logan brushed his teeth, and then collapsed in bed, ready for tomorrow.
~
They had talked, and made the decision to not call an electrician. It had been two weeks since the incident and nothing had happened. Logan was reading in the living room while Patton practiced his bakes in the kitchen. Logan allowed himself to be enveloped by the fine pages of literature, and half listened to the tune Patton was humming.
It sounded familiar, like he had heard it recently, but he couldn't put his thumb on it. Rather than trying to figure out what it was, Logan got absorbed into his book. Page after page he read and enjoyed. The tone was stuck in his head, so when reading the dialogue, it seemed as if every character was humming as well. A shriek sounded from the kitchen.
"Dear?" Patton called for him, but Logan was too deep within his story to hear. "Darling?" He kept reading his paragraph, unable to sense anything outside its world. A hand touched his shoulder, surprising him. Logan looked up, and saw Patton's worried face looking at him. "Oh! Sorry, Pat." He set the book down and marked its place. "Do you need something?"
Patton nodded, and took Logan by the hand, leading him to the sink. "What is it? Are you okay?" He queried as his boyfriend guided him in a nervous fashion. Patton faced him and spoke softly, with an edge of fear creeping into his voice. "So, I-I went to rinse off the spatula, and- and I see that." He pointed to it.
Logan peered inside, and there was what appeared to be a dead rat. "Holy moly." Logan breathed, adjusting his glasses. Patton whispered behind him, "I don't know how it got there, one moment the sink was clean and empty, and the next-" His voice broke off.
"Alright, um- I'll take care of it. Don't worry about your pastry for now, maybe go to the bedroom and relax." He gave Patton a kiss on the cheek, trying to calm him down. With a face going pale, Patton nodded and left. Logan knew how much he cared for everything, and that dead animals really upset him.
He got two trash bags and some heavy duty gloves, as well as some tongs. Using the tongs, Logan carefully picked up the rat and double bagged it. The smell was horrendous, and he went ahead and threw away the tongs too. He could buy Patton another pair later. Logan took the whole thing out to their big garbage can, and then the matter was done with, for the most part.
Preparing himself mentally for the task of cleaning the sink, Logan took a deep breath, and went back inside. But the sink was empty. It was as clean as it ever could be, and the smell remnants had disappeared. Now that was odd. But he couldn't worry about that right now, he had to check in on Patton.
He entered their bedroom, where Patton had curled up. "Hey honey. You alright?" Logan asked, sitting down beside him. Patton gave a half-hearted nod. "I think so. I just- I just feel so bad. I don't know where it came from, but it still didn't deserve whatever had happened to it. The poor little thing." He put his head between his knees.
Logan gave Patton what he hoped was a comforting hug, and told him, "I know. It was a poor little creature, but it's taken care of now." Logan still felt a bit shaky. He led Patton to the living room so they could watch some television to calm their nerves. Patton seemed to pull himself back together after a couple episodes.
He went back to the kitchen to finish the pastry, and when it was done, a lovely aroma filled the air. They ate dinner, and then the pie, which Logan tried to savor as much as possible. With a full stomach and a rat-free house, they went to bed, hoping to get some sleep.
Patton fell asleep almost immediately, but was taking Logan a while. He'd noticed he'd been having trouble sleeping lately. A couple months ago it only took him about half an hour, but now, he had to wait around two hours. He didn't mind unless he had had a really tiring day.
Logan had the time to think about anything he wanted as he listened to the soft breathing of Patton. Focusing on it, Logan cuddled up close to his beloved and listened. As time passed on, Patton's breathing seemed to become more and more ragged.
Logan sat up. Was everything okay? He tried to roll Patton over to see what was wrong when he took another listen. Now that he was sitting up, it didn't seem like the breathing was coming from Patton. It sounded like it was from his office. Should I go check on that? It could be a burglar.
He debated whether to go and check. It could be a potential problem, but at the same time, he was so close to falling asleep. No, he had to. After all the work he had gone through to protect Patton, an itty bitty burglar wasn’t going to be a big deal. Sighing, Logan got out of bed and crept towards the office.
Very carefully, Logan peeked around the entrance, expecting to see someone going through their files. But nobody was there. He could still hear the ragged breathing, but this time there was a pattern to it. It sounded…like music. Like…the tune Patton was humming earlier. But where was it coming from? Did one of them leave a computer on?
He stepped into the small room. There was nowhere anyone could hide, and everything was off. He checked and double-checked the monitors to make sure the power light was off, but when he bent down to look at the pc, he realized it sounded as if the noise was coming from the vent.
Had a raccoon or squirrel gotten into the ventilation? It still wouldn’t explain the humming. Logan couldn’t figure it out. I’m probably just tired and imagining things. He turned around, not expecting anything, but saw just the glimpse of somebody disappearing behind the doorway. He couldn’t make out who it was though. Curse his horrible need for glasses.
“Patton?” he called, barely above a whisper. Peering out into the hallway, Logan saw the same shadow vanish into their bedroom. Speeding up, Logan hurried over to check on Patton. Everything seemed normal. Logan checked every hiding spot possible. The closet, the bathroom, and under the bed. No one. Exhausted and puzzled, Logan climbed back into bed and fell asleep.
Right before his eyes closed for the last time that night, Logan saw a short, blurry person looking emerge from the closet. He didn’t even have time to think about it before he was swept into sleep. While dormant, he wasn’t given the opportunity to see the shadowy figure’s gloved hand tip its hat, and disappear.
~
The next morning, Logan awoke to the sound of Patton getting up, and laid there a couple more minutes. Patton got dressed and ready for the day. It was a Monday, and so that meant Patton had to go to work today. Logan wished he had a stay at home job too, so they could spend the whole day together, but what they had right now was okay too.
He had so much time to himself to make surprises for his love, and Patton had the best time at the bakery. He sleepily trudged towards the kitchen after Patton, where he had started to prepare them some toast. Patton smiled when he walked up and hugged him. "I love you, darling."
Patton sighed happily. "I love you too darling. I wish I could just stay home and cuddle with you all day." Logan laughed lightly. "But then you couldn't make so many people smile. It's like your super special skill." "Yeah, sometimes I just don't want to leave you alone." His puffball replied, hugging him closer.
"I don't know if I'd be alone," Logan said not very seriously. He told Patton about last night, and the shadows he saw. Patton untangled himself from Logan's arms and got the toast on a plate. "Maybe it's Casper the Friendly Ghost!" He joked, munching on his crispy breakfast. "There aren't such things as ghosts," Logan mumbled softly. "Ah, I know that's what everyone says!" Patton grinned, gave Logan a kiss on the cheek, and rushed out the door.
"I love you…" Logan trailed off, still standing there as Patton went to the bakery. Pat loved his job, and he had always tried to be early, so he could get it done for the day, but Logan knew based on the traffic at this hour and Patton’s fear of the speed limit he’d get there late again. Just like always. But Logan was distracted by other things. Patton’s comment had caught him off guard, and he knew it was silly, but the thought wouldn’t leave his head.
Ghosts? Entities, spirits, demons, and ghosts he had all heard of, and they were especially popular through media, but were they real? It was unlikely. Death was final, no one could press rewind. While interesting, the concept was completely ridiculous. The idea of ghosts being real defied the laws of physics and life itself. If they weren’t just a myth, someone would have figured that out and proven it by now. He scoffed at himself for even considering it and went back to eating his toast.
Logan did his daily chores that morning, the thought of ghosts haunting him all throughout. He cleaned the kitchen and did their laundry, occasionally checking in to see if he had any work updates. This was one of the perks of having a good, set schedule. He worked efficiently and got things turned in before deadlines, which gave him room to do other things in his free time. Like murder his friends. And attempt to bake Patton a birthday cake. He wasn’t very good at baking yet, but he was getting there. Practice makes perfect after all.
He made himself lunch, which was nutritionally balanced, Logan was proud to say. Healthy meals keep a healthy lifestyle after all. A healthy lifestyle killed people. Would that happen again?
Logan stopped chewing suddenly. He had zoned out, and wasn’t paying attention. Why were his thoughts all messed up? He wasn’t messed up. He hadn’t killed anyone. Why was his brain all wrong, and dead set on telling him untruthful things? He didn’t like it. Okay, Logan. Focus on the task at hand. Not allowing himself to think those ridiculous thoughts, Logan fixated on his sandwich. He pinpointed every detail on the bread, the lettuce, and other ingredients. Perhaps it would be best to distract himself and work, even though he didn’t have much to do.
Logan sighed. That wasn’t going to happen. He was much too distracted to do anything. His thoughts would just wreck his performance on anything. What could he do that would be productive yet unimportant? He searched around the house. Puzzles, coloring, and even trying to crochet all seemed like good ideas, but they just wouldn't do. He didn't want to ruin their brand new set of crayons, Patton wanted to work on the puzzles together, and they didn't have any items needed for crocheting.
He tried to think about what his other friends did. Virgil relaxed by playing the guitar, Remus watched documentaries, and Remy just slept all day. Logan internally groaned, and was starting to become frantic with frustration and inability to find an activity. A flurry of movement caught the corner of his eye. Startled, Logan looked out the window. A squirrel had jumped onto the bird feeders Patton set up last spring.
That's it. He knew what he was going to do. Thanks to the squirrel Logan remembered something that needed to be done, but wasn't necessarily vital to their living situation. He was going to do some gardening. Glad to have finally found work, Logan went out to the shed, put on Patton's gardening gloves, and dove into the flowerbed.
He knew Patton had been wanting to replace the perennials, so Logan might as well get started on removing the old flowers. He dug each of them up with some ease, though they had been planted in very firmly. With nothing but dirt and ants and flowers on his mind, Logan finally began to relieve some of the early morning's stress. He hummed the tune he had been hearing so often, with the only break being one to rehydrate. After his glass of water, Logan moved on to the final plant.
There were a lot of weeds, but bit by bit he had cleared those away with each section. Now he had one area left. He pulled up the lighter plants quickly, but soon found that the flower, which was right in the middle of a circle of weeds, was held down tight. He supposed the roots must have grown into the siding of the bed, and continued with the weeds first. Finally. Just one left, and then I can go inside.
Though it had felt like a chore he was forcing himself to do at first, Logan realized, now that he was at the end, he had had fun. Not that getting a nice cold shower and a snack sounded like a bad idea either. He tugged and pulled and prayed but the flower would not release. Logan would have to dig under it and bring up the whole thing. With a spade in hand, he got to it.
After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes of effort, he was able to see what the flower had attached to. It looked to be a big white rock. Only it wasn't all white. There were some red stains, and this dark brown…hairy stuff. Logan assumed it was just the thinner roots. He hoped it was just the thinner roots. Still not able to manage it free, he realized he'd have to remove the entire rock. This was definitely going to be a chore.
Using all his energy, Logan dug trenches on either side of the rock, gripped it firmly, and tugged. Doing his best to hold on, Logan pulled on the rock with a flower attached to the top, and with a small pop, the rock was free. He had pulled harder than he needed to, and fell backwards from the force. Giving a small, "Yes!" of triumph, Logan held the rock above his head like a trophy. He didn't care if the dirt sprinkled on his face, or that this was a petty stupid thing to celebrate.
He had done it. He set his mind to it, and found a solution for every problem, and in the end, achieved his goal. This proved that hard work paid off. Looking up, Logan saw there were some more strange patterns on the rock, but the sun's glare made it too hard to tell what they were. The left side of it also felt…bad. It felt wrong. Like something that wasn't natural. Not natural to rocks anyway. It was squishy. And not in a mossy way. In a fleshy way.
Suddenly feeling a tad ill, Logan sat up to further investigate. He gagged in horror and disgust, dropping the rock. It was flesh. It was hair. It was bone. What he had tried so hard to dig up in his own flower bed was not in fact a rock, but a head. A very familiar head. Logan took a glance back and saw whose head it was. "No." He breathed. "No. No. No. No. No." He got up and stumbled backward. He threw off the gloves and ran inside.
It wasn't possible. They were buried. Logan went to that funeral. How could Janus' head get in the backyard? No. That wasn't right. He had to calm down. He rushed to the bathroom and turned on the water. Frantically, he splashed the cold running water on his face. When that didn't work, and his heart was still racing, he turned on the shower and jumped inside.
It was unpleasant, having all his clothes sticking to him at once, but the chilly water that poured on him from above seemed to help him think. After a couple moments of sitting in the tub and letting the water wash away his worries, Logan's breathing slowed down, and he turned off the water.
As he changed, he began to recollect his thoughts in what was hopefully a logical sense. It was most definitely not Janus' head out there. It was buried with the rest of them. The most probable thing that happened was that Logan was in the sun too long and started imagining things. He knew that was what happened. What would have had to have happened. Still shaken and a bit unsure, Logan reluctantly walked back towards the door to check.
He paused. What if he was wrong. It was rare when he got things wrong, but not never. What if that was his old friend's head lying in their backyard. He suddenly didn't want to see. Logan inched away from the door and back to his room. He would take a book, and read it. That's what he would do, he would read. He wouldn't think about the thing that wasn't but was a head. A head of someone he knew. He would read.
Not caring what he chose, Logan grabbed a book off the shelf and laid down comfortably on his bed. He knew beds really should only be used for sleeping, if one wanted to have an easier time with a sleep schedule, but one time couldn't hurt. The pages started going in and out, and Logan only noticed he fell asleep when he woke up three hours later.
~
It was time for Patton to be home, wasn't it? Was there bad traffic, or…had something happened? Logan tried to speak, but it seemed his voice didn't want to be heard. His eyes slowly crossed the room, when they landed on the bathroom. He heard something move. He heard whispering and coughing and the most horrible sound of all, leaking. Not water running, but as if thick orange juice was dribbling out of the peeling wallpaper.
The sludge-like sound drew closer, and Logan realized with horror that whatever was in there was coming out. He didn't know what to do. If he ran, it might get him. There might be more. He should just play 'possum. It'll think he's dead. Yeah. That's what he'll do. He'll stay still. The oozing started to burble and the thing emerged from the doorway.
Logan couldn't breathe. He was crazy. He was crazy or dead or dreaming. The thing was Roman. Or whatever Roman had become. Blood was pouring out the wounds on his head neck, that was what was causing the dribbling Logan heard. His whole face was obscured with the thick, red substance. The thing that was Roman but wasn't looked in Logan's general direction.
It trudged over, until it was right in front of him. Logan hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until he felt the Roman thing stuck it out of him. Jack and Jill ran up the hill~ The thing sang to him, and Logan could sense it grinning underneath its veil of blood. Jack fell down… It got closer, starting to crawl up the bed frame.
And broke his crown… Logan remembered reading recently about how the nursery rhyme was about the deaths of Mari Antoinette and King Louis XVI. He didn't know if it was true, but that was all he could think about. And Jill… The Roman-like thing approached. Logan couldn't get up to stop it if he tried now. It chuckled, much like how Janus used to when they played cards, and they had a winning hand.
Well Jill… Logan could see below the blood mask now and instead of normal teeth, it had rows and rows and rows of fangs. Viper fangs. Jill came tumbling after him~ It leaped, much faster than a normal person could. Not that it was a normal person. Roman was dead. This thing was some sort of entity, a demon, bent on giving Logan the same kind of horror it felt that afternoon. The afternoon nothing happened. The afternoon Logan didn't do anything.
Logan yelled out, finally finding his voice, and Patton ran into the room. He blinked, and the entity was gone, but Patton was at his side. "Are you okay!?" His face was filled with worry. "I came home and you were asleep, but you look really pale. Did you have a nightmare?" Logan was breathing quickly now, the air was going in and out, in and out. He struggled to sit up. When he was able to pull himself up, his shaking hand somehow found Patton's.
"I'll go get the thermometer. You don't look very good." Patton squeezed his hand and went to the medicine cabinet. Logan tried to tell him, to warn him about the thing that was in there. But Patton was fine. He came out as quickly as he went in, and found Logan stumbling out of bed. "Hey, hey hey hey now, dear. Patton took his temperature as his thoughts tried to relocate and find out what was going on. "I saw some dirt and rocks outside. Did you dehydrate or get heat exhaustion? Calm down darling." Logan was barely aware of the anxiety pouring down his forehead, and was gazing at Patton.
"Th-thing." He got out. He grabbed Patton's shoulders. "There- there was a-a th-thing. It-it-" Patton brushed his hair and sat him back down. "Look at me." Patton said softly. "You had a nightmare, and you seem to be a little sick. It's okay my dear. It's okay." Logan sat there, looking down the hallway as Patton rushed down it. All he could do was sit and stare. All he could think about was the gushing of the blood. The way it dripped down out of the peeling, split skin. If it even was skin. Logan didn't know anymore. He didn't know anything.
Patton's voice drifted down the hall, and caught Logan's attention. He was the most attentive he could ever be, trying to keep away the unwanted images of the Roman thing. "Yeah. Uh huh. He's been acting off the last couple weeks, but I figured it was just his grief. Yes- wait no. A little bit before there was a lag in the system and we ran out for about two weeks. Mm-hm. I'm really worried." The voice drifted out again. Was Patton talking to the thing? Were they working together? Logan had to find out. He couldn't not know. But he also couldn't trust the not Roman. He had to ask the real one.
Logan stumbled quickly down the hall and grabbed his car keys, unaware that he shook off Patton's pleading grasp to keep him indoors. He had to ask. He got in the car. He turned it on. Unaware of Patton coming out after him wondering what was going on. Logan was only aware that he was going to ask. To find out. If Patton and the Roman thing were in cahoots. He knew all along. They all knew all along. They were playing with him. Cat and mouse. It was all a game. He had to go.
Driving towards the road to the cemetery. Not paying attention to anything except his destination. Only his destination. Almost. Well then. A shadowy whisper came from the passenger seat. Once glance and Logan saw a snake sitting beside him. A snake in a crown. Quite a predicament you find yourself in, hm? I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see how this turns out. Unlike the Roman thing, the blood slipping out of the gaping smile of the neck was silent. It slid and oozed and trailed all down the seats and ceiling of the car.
It bubbled and steamed with anger. Logan could feel a burning sensation near his legs where the red liquid seeped down towards the pedals. Logan gasped for air. His foot pressed harder and harder on the gas. He had to get to the cemetery. He had to get away. He had to find out. He had to say sorry. But are you?, the Janus thing hissed. Yes. Yes. Logan was sorry. He was sorry he didn't think to hide the bodies. To let the anger and blood and crime fester beneath the ground, where it could never be found.
Logan glanced over one more time to see the normally green eyes of his ex-friend glowing red. His eyes switched back to the road, and they found the Roman thing standing in front of the graveyard gate. It was waiting. Waiting for Logan to come. He swerved to miss it, to get away from it. The last thing he saw was a shadowy smile appear beneath those angry, revenge thirsty eyes.
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He woke up in a bright room, and could faintly smell flowers. Logan groaned. How long had it been? He didn't know.
Logan was more often unconscious than not, but sometimes when his eyelids were allowed to open, Patton would be at his side. Other times, it'd be shadows and things that leaked.
Patton softly cried beside him, but Logan somehow found his hand, and they stayed like that until sleep took him once more.
The shadows were there again. Would Logan be a shadow?
He woke up.
It was a bright and early morning, Patton was sitting next to him, with a fresh vase of flowers. Logan rolled over to face him.
"Hey baby." Patton held his hand.
Logan fell asleep.
He woke up.
Patton wasn't there.
The shadows were.
They whispered to him.