Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They did it.

“Holy shit… is it over..?” Kaitlyn slowly lowered her weapon after trapping the werewolf in the freezer with the help of Dylan and his… lack of one hand.

They could hear sirens in the distance, help finally arriving after so many hours of torture.

“Fuck… holy shit…” Dylan breathed out, lowering himself down into a crouch as he took a moment to collect his thoughts. “This… is the last time I’m ever signing up for work at a summer camp. I swear, I need to go back to studying quantum physics.”

That got a laugh out of her, which lightened Dylan’s mood just a little bit. At least he still had a funny bone in his body.

“C’mon… let’s go explain ourselves.” Kaitlyn sighed, setting aside her weapon on a nearby table to head out the lodge, prompting Dylan to slowly stand once more. As he forces himself to walk, his eyes steal a glance at the clock just above the door.

5:59 A.M.

“Damn, wasted the whole night running around… and all I have to show for it is having one less limb to deal with.” He let out a small tsk, shaking his head at the floor before heading out of the lodge himself.

Pushing open the door, his eyes squint as the early morning sun shines brightly upon him.

6:00 A.M.

Dylan’s body gave a jolt of surprise, forcing him to abruptly stand from the bed he was lying in. “Fuck!” He inhales sharply, eyes darting around as he takes in his familiar surroundings, including a very confused looking Australian to his right.

“Uhhh, Dylan? You good, man?”

“Yeah I’m fine, totally fine, definitely doing fine.” Dylan reassured quickly, forcing his body to settle as he let out another exhale. “I had the shittiest dream ever…” He mumbled, looking down to his right arm that still held a phantom pain. Oh, thank fuck. No more being Mr. Stub…

Despite the weak reassurance, Nick didn’t look all that convinced. If anything, he somehow looked even more confused than before. “Uhhh… how long was your dream exactly? Because you were just talking to me a couple seconds ago…”

“Huh…?” Now it was Dylan’s turn to be confused, his right eyebrow raising just a little and his head tilting to the side. “Really? Huh… weird, dreams are usually short, right?” He mumbled to himself, his mind spinning a little as his thoughts became chaotic. How long was his dream? Or was it some kind of hallucination?

“Ooh, was it one of those dreams that makes you think you’re falling? I hate those.” The Aussie snickered, sitting up from his own bed as he started to toss some things into his bag.

“Y-Yeah.. a falling kind of dream… that’s definitely it…” Dylan lied quickly, rubbing the back of his neck with a weak smile. He wasn’t about to talk about how he just dreamed up a night full of running away from some werewolves.

“Soooo…. Did you get his number yet?” Nick asked, a light attempt to start up small talk as he tries to shove his clothes into a very small luggage bag, and failing.

“His… number? Whose number?” Dylan was thrown off guard by the sudden question, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he took a moment to process it.

“Whose number would I-“

Oh.

Ohhhhh.

“Uhhh… I’m guessing the only guy who you’ve been blabbering on about since he started opening up to you?” Nick gave a small scoff, shaking his head. “Who knows if you’ll ever see Ryan again after today, y’know? Gotta shoot your shot now or… I dunno.” His shoulders raised to shrug.

Dylan’s face dusted with pink, his expression becoming just a tad defensive. “Hey, I’m not that obvious … a-am I?”

He’ll admit, it is rather embarrassing to know that he was that predictable. It’s not like he was head over heels for Ryan or anything, he just… happened to have a small (read: large) crush on him.

Nick shot him a look that says otherwise, which is then followed up by someone knocking on their cabin door. Dylan nearly jumped out of his skin, still on edge from his dream. He shakes off the feeling quickly and reaches over to slowly open the door just a tiny crack, enough to poke his head out as he’s graced with the sight of Jacob, luggage tucked underneath one arm.

Déjà vu, am I right?

“Hi.” Way to play it simple, Dylan.

Jacob looked… tired. Probably the most tired Dylan had ever seen him in comparison to any prior year that he had been going to Hackett’s Quarry. “Hey.” He gave a small wave, shifting from one foot to the other. “Are you guys gonna help with the bags or what?”

His question breaks Dylan’s awkward staring streak, and he quickly goes to blink. The words fall from his mouth almost automatically as he begins to slowly close the door. “Oh, um... y'know I was actually just working on fixing... uh, the door. It's... It's broken.”

Yeah… that got a raised eyebrow from Jacob. He let out a soft sigh, rolling his eyes a little before tilting his head to the side. “Fuck, man. With this again?? ”

… Again?

Dylan blinks once more, the déjà-vu only growing stronger. This… wasn’t a dream, is it? This all... happened already. Right..? Unless he somehow gained weird ass psychic powers in a matter of minutes…

“I’m…”

He didn’t have a response to Jacob’s annoyed statement, and it took him a moment to collect himself. “Y’know what- yeah, yeah I’ll help with the bags.”

Jacob’s expression almost softened a little. Huh… “Oh… seriously? No excuse or anything?” He stared at the other man blankly for a moment, as if he really hadn’t expected that response out of him.

But of course, that look came and went. “Good.” He lightly punched Dylan in the shoulder, the action followed by a quick step back. It seemed that he had quickly returned to his usual cheery and energetic self.

“Well, c’mon, don’t just stand there like an ass.” He gave a small scoff as he lightly kicked his foot against the door. “There’s more luggage to bring to the van, y’know..”

“Yeah yeah, I know…” Dylan slowly closed the door, a small exhale leaving his lips in the process. He shook his head to himself, trying to clear his thoughts as he pushed back any intrusive ones. It was no use worrying about weird time-fuckery. Maybe it was a dream after all, and this is a false memory. Or maybe he was becoming  psychic, and he would use the power for evil.

… is cheating the lottery considered evil? Fuck it, no time to think about that now.

He’s snapped out of his thoughts once more as Nick hauled his bag over one shoulder, letting out a small huff. “Can’t believe you actually wanna help out. Kinda thought you’d go the ‘bullshit excuse’ route.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know, I actually have morals.” He retorted as he followed Nick out of the cabin, grabbing his own bag beforehand. “Even I can’t be that rude all the time, y’know?”

“Wow! Huge step up for you.” Nick laughed, earning himself another eye roll as he heads over to the lodge. “Hey, I’ll be right back. I gotta go wait for Mr. H to give us back our cell phones.” He did a quick little head gesture to the larger building ahead of them.

“Right, right…” Dylan waved him off, watching the other man go. Now on his own, his thoughts were once again in a state of chaos. Everything had been going relatively similar to his dream up until this point, so what were the chances that it was an actual time-traveling dream?

… yeah, he’s probably just going insane, huh?

His mind was once more interrupted by the sound of someone else calling out to him, the sound of his name being called out causing him to look up. He quickly spotted Emma, who was heading towards him with a pep in her step.

“Dylan! Hey, can you do me a favor?”

Okay, this was new….

“Sure, sure… whaddya need?” He was a little taken back, but tried to act like everything was normal. Which, clearly, it wasn’t.

She slowed to a stop as she reached him, placing her arms on her hips with a small huff. “I was supposed to meet up with Abi at her cabin a few minutes ago, but my damn phone’s in the lodge. Can you do me a huge solid and go get it for me?” She lightly tapped a finger into the palm of his hand.

He took a few seconds to stare blankly at her, still not completely used to her using him as a personal-assistant of sorts. “Uhhh… I mean- I guess I can…? Where’s Abi’s cabin again? I kinda forgot.” He lied through his teeth.

He took a few seconds to stare blankly at her, still not completely used to her using him as a personal-assistant of sorts. “Uhhh… I mean- I guess I can…?” He should probably be in the lodge by now anyway…

“Great!” Her face lit up, a sweet smile coming onto her lips. “It’s on one of the tables, you should see it when you go up the stairs. Thanks so much, you’re a doll.” She started to turn away, but quickly spun back around. “Oh, and if you do run into Abi, send her my way!”

He didn’t bother saying ‘no problem’ before she quickly headed off, leaving him standing by the lodge. A small sigh left his lips as he shook his head, and he started walking over to the lodge…

For the second time in a row. (Allegedly)

He’s at least a bit late this time. Because if he remembers correctly, Nick should’ve gotten the phones back by now and—

… oh.

Oh no.

His head turns to stare up at the balcony instinctively, and he’s then graced with the sight of Nick holding Jacob’s phone in the air like Baby Simba. “Hey, Jacob!”

The jock turns his attention away from his conversation with Kaitlyn for a moment, eyes widening.

“Oh, hey! Gimme.” Nick threw the phone towards Jacob with a little smirk, who barely managed to catch it in time. “Oh! Oh man, good save.” The Aussie cheered, quickly heading back down the stairs as Jacob did a little victory dance.

“Freak.” Kaitlyn mumbled.

As he watched them banter, Dylan’s thoughts slowly returned to a chaotic state. In his ‘dream’, he was up on that balcony with Nick, taunting Jacob together. But the thing is, Jacob never caught his phone in time… and it ended up shattering onto the ground.

… so how the hell did he manage to catch it this time??

Did him not making it to the balcony on time cause that to happen instead?

He didn’t realize that he was staring at them until Jacob started to turn, the jock’s eyes locking with his. That cheerful smile faded ever so slightly, and in came that same look of confusion as before.

“… what, got somethin’’ ya wanna say?” Nick asked in a teasing tone, nudging the taller male with his elbow.

Jacob only tore his gaze away from Dylan to look at Nick for a moment, before looking back at the man downstairs for a little bit longer. He seemed… slightly unsure about something. “Uhhh… no. No I’m… I’m fine. Just…” He slowly shrugged his shoulders, looking away. “Nothing. Just a bit bummed about this being our last day together.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” Nick lightly patted his shoulder, giving him a warm smile. “Hey, we’ll still be in touch, yeah? It’s not like we’re gonna never see each other again. We got phones, dumbass!”

“Mmm, y’know that’s not exactly what I meant, moron.” Jacob rolled his eyes, a small scoff leaving his lips as he lightly punched the other man’s shoulder back. Though that frown remained on his face.

“Oh, what, you gonna miss me? You’ll miss my handsome face and wonderful personality?” Nick flashed a big grin as he gave a soft scoff, dramatically placing a hand to his heart.

That prompted a laugh out of Jacob, a lighthearted and yet soft sound as a small smirk came to his lips. “Oh don’t be so full of yourself, you’re not the one with the handsome face.”

He quickly shoved Nick’s hand away, still snickering a little at his egotistical antics before glancing back over to steal a glance from Dylan. “The nerve of this guy, am I right?”

“Hey, there’s no one more gorgeous than me-“ Nick’s response was quickly cut off by a hand lightly flicking the back of his head. He jumped with a small yelp, the words dying on his lips as he quickly spun around and shot a playful glare at the one who did it. “Kaitlyn!”

“Shut up and give me my phone already.” she held her hand out, which then prompted him to reach into his back pocket to hand the cellphone to its rightful owner. “Here you are, meanie…”

“Oh thank God, I mean I get the whole 'no technology' thing, but take me back, world!” Kaitlyn pumped a fist into the air before she starts looking through her socials.

“You would've thought Mr. H could have like charged up our phones like a little bit.” Jacob grumbled under his breath.

“Nothing's ever your fault, is it?” Kaitlyn shot back with a long sigh.

The jock let out a dramatic scoff, his hands raising up. “Well excuse me! I’m an innocent little bean. Nothing bad ever happens on my watch!”

Kaitlyn slowly raised an eyebrow, giving him a long look of doubt before glancing over to Nick. “You believe that?”

“Not for a second.” came the Aussie’s quick response.

His shoulders slumped as the two of them doubted him, his expression becoming comically offended. “Betrayed by my so called ‘best friends’!” He dramatically placed a hand over his heart, slowly bringing over his other hand to hold his weight as he ‘reeled back’ with a scoff. “Oh, you wound me.”

….Okay, this was also new. Jacob is a lot less… pissy about things. That’s good..? Maybe? Dylan didn’t really know. He could barely stand still without dissociating right now.

Dylan felt his entire soul sink into the bottom of his gut the second Jacob tried turning on the van with very little success. And by very little, he means none.

“What's the problem?” Chris frowned, hands on hips as his expression grew considerably more concerned as the seconds ticked by.

“The van won’t start.” Came the simple and obvious response as Jacob leaned back a bit, giving an awkward shrug.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Chris mumbled almost bitterly.

“Alright lemme try.” Ryan spoke up, taking a small step forward before being stopped by Jacob. “What? Dude, I'm telling you, alright, it's busted!”

“Well maybe you're doing it wrong-“

“No, I swear to-“

“Alright, alright, enough you two.” Chris stepped in before things could escalate.

Jacob huffed, a scowl on his face, but didn’t try to interrupt him any further.

“So you're telling me that the van, which has been in prime condition this entire summer, just so conveniently gives out on it's last day of use?” Chris questioned, raising a skeptical eyebrow once more.

Dylan watched them from behind, biting at his bottom lip. He knew the van wasn’t going to work, because it didn’t work last time. So why would it work now? He felt nauseous more than anything. Nausea and dread.

Chris tries to start the van again, but all the vehicle does is sputter from its engine like a dying horse. “Dammit! I thought I told you kids to check everything!”

“We did! It- It should be working..” Kaitlyn stammered out nervously.

“Yeah, well... coulda and shoulda doesn't mean it is, does it? Dammit!” Chris then angrily slams the hood down with force, causing even Dylan to flinch despite him knowing how he’d react.

Jacob took a few steps back, as if trying to remove himself from the conflict entirely. He had a look of unease plastered all over his face, similar to Dylan.

“S-So what, do we just stay here for another night..?” Kaitlyn suggested, and Chris immediately whipped his head to face her. “NO. No. Hold on. Let me think.”

Chris stood there for a few moments in thought, running a hand down his face in the process, taking a deep breath to calm down. “Okay. Dammit. You're right. You're right, yeah. Yeah, you're right.”

“What??” Ryan starts to frown, looking weirdly betrayed as Mr. H headed over to his own car. “C’mon, I need to talk to you.” The boy raises a brow at him, yet follows him over anyway.

Jacob just stares after the two with a blank look, and Dylan could almost see the gears in his head turning.

Emma let out a huff, her arms crossing. “Ugh, this sucks.” Nick nodded in agreement, but didn’t chime in any further.

Kaitlyn was silently gnawing on her thumbnail, her nerves getting the better of her as she shot a concerned look in Ryan and Chris’s direction.

They all flinch and turn their heads after Jacob goes and claps his hands loudly together. “Alright, alright, alright, Hacketteers! Party planning committee. Let's do this! Um, okay. First things first, Nick and Abi... you go get some firewood. Uh... Emma and….” His voice died out a little, which immediately grabbed Dylan’s attention.

Emma looked over to him as well after hearing the pause. “Huh? What, you can’t remember my name already?” She asked with a scoff, but that didn’t seem to cause any kind of reaction from the jock. He was still staring blankly in their direction with a stoic expression, and Dylan felt his brain short circuiting.

Why did he pause when saying her name? What was happening? If memory serves him well, which it always does, he should be assigning himself and Emma to go to the store for supplies…

So why isn’t he saying it??

Emma was now staring with a confused expression, slowly stepping forward. “Are you okay, dude-“

Jacob quickly snapped himself back to reality, shaking his head. “I’m fine! I’m fine, I’m good. I’m fine…”

“You don't look fine…?” Nick commented with a raised eyebrow, stepping over to him.

“Shut up I look perfect.” The jock insisted, his tone having a bit of an edge to it as he went ahead and put his hands together once more. “As I was saying… Emma will figure out how to charge the phones or something…”

“What, am I supposed to use my woman powers to magically fix it or something?” Emma huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she gave Jacob an unamused expression.

He let out a soft sigh, running a hand over his face to keep himself calm. “Look, just… try whatever you can, figure it out or something. Um…” His eyes darted around the group again, like he’s contemplating his choice. “Dylan and I will check out the store for supplies.”

Wait WHAT.

Hold up.

That’s a new one.

Because PARDON??

Dylan immediately felt a rush of panic course through his veins, almost taking an involuntary step back. Okay, now this… this is new territory. He and Jacob had never been paired up together in his ‘dream’, so what the hell was gonna happen this “second time around”?

“Sounds good to me.” Nick shrugged, and it didn’t take long for everyone else to get on board with the plan.

Aside from Dylan of course, who’s still in the middle of internally panicking.

“Alright then, great! Awesome!” Jacob gave a small clap of his hands again, his smile being a little more forced this time around. He definitely seemed a little out of it, but at this point who in the hell cares, right?

Kaitlyn was the first to head off, and Nick was right behind her. Emma gave a small scoff and shook her head. “Good luck with those two together…” She muttered before also heading off, leaving Dylan alone with Jacob.

The two of them didn’t say anything for a few moments…

They made brief eye contact for just a moment, which made Dylan’s heart rate spike, before looking away almost immediately. This felt so surreal to him for some reason. It felt like he was watching a scene from a movie that he’s seen for the 15th time already, but this time there was a brand new extra scene tacked in for the thrill of it.

“So… um….” Dylan finally broke the silence, his eyes darting in every which direction to keep himself from giving out.

“… is this a bonding moment or something?”

“Yeah… I think this is my version of a bonding moment.” Jacob half-jokingly replied with a small nod, shoving his clenched fists into the pockets of his jeans.

He silently stood there for a moment, his eyes flickering to glance at Dylan before being averted again. “We should… probably, uh, get going?”

“R-Right! Yeah, right, that is… good plan..” Another nervous chuckle left Dylan’s lips as he gave a small nod in agreement, taking a tentative step forward.

Dear god, what the hell is happening?

Chapter Text

Dylan… honestly had no idea what to do or say right now. Hell, he’s never even experienced this outcome before. But he’s standing aside as Jacob struggled to unlock the door to the store using a hair clip he probably got from Emma.

“Stupid freaking… door’s jammed.” He huffed, glaring at the door as if it personally angered him.

Dylan shifted a little on his feet anxiously, eyes darting around to keep himself busy, and not awkwardly silent. It felt like an eternity before he finally spoke up. “Here, um… maybe I can try…?”

Jacob paused for a second, then slowly looked over to the other man with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah? You think you can pick a lock with a hair clip, too? I dunno man, it took me a lot of practice.”

He took a step back from the door, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the slightly taller man with a skeptical expression. “Sure you’re not just gonna get it jammed even more?”

He let out a flustered huff at the implication, narrowing his eyes at the other man as he snatched the hairclip out of his hands. “I’m not an idiot, I can definitely… pick a stupid lock with a hair clip..” He grumbled under his breath, feeling like he was on the spot now. No pressure.

He gave another look at the door, and then back down to the hairclip he was holding. His brain was going into overdrive thinking of a game plan… “I’ll have you know that i’ve picked many locks during my high school days. In the halls they’d call me… the picker.”

Jacob couldn’t help the small laughter that erupted from his throat, taking a step back and crossing his arms over his chest. “The picker, huh? You sound like a cheap knockoff of a superhero or something.”

“Ahah, very funny.” Dylan rolled his eyes sarcastically, clearly unbothered by his little joke.

“Yeah…” Jacob’s laughter slowly died out as he awkwardly cleared his throat, realizing that maybe he could’ve toned it down a notch. “Uh, right… do your thing, uh, picker.”

“Wow, I feel so encouraged all of a sudden..” Dylan muttered sarcastically as he went over to the door. He kneeled down and started to fiddle with the hair clip. His eyes would dart to the door handle, and then back down to what he was doing as he made little adjustments here and there.

It wasn’t too long before he started to… get really frustrated. “D-Damnit, c’mon..”

Jacob was watching him closely, his head tilted to the side. “Hey, hey, hey, chill out, man. If you rush you’re gonna get something messed up..” He walked over, crouching as well and gently put a hand on the other’s shoulder.

The gesture caught him off guard and he almost lost his grip on the hair clip at first. He took a second to compose himself before responding.

“I’m… I’m fine. I just…” He was struggling with finding the right words, and Jacob’s hand on his shoulder wasn’t helping.

“I’ve… never been good under pressure, okay? Not sure how much that really surprises you. My confidence can only go so far, Jacob.”

Jacob’s hand slowly tightened its grip, a frown coming onto his face. “Wait… not good under pressure? Dylan, you’re, like… I’m pretty sure you’re one of the most confident people I know.” He paused for a second, looking off to the side, before realizing where he was keeping his hand.

He quickly brought it back, clearing his throat. “Sorry.”

Dylan let out a soft exhale as he gave a quiet shrug. “Being a confident person comes with its own pressure too. People wanna know why you’re so… confident. And when you tell them you’re confident because you don’t care, they just look at you weird.”

He took a small breath, collecting himself. “Anywho, this door hates me. And the feeling is mutual.”

“If I had a nickel every single time a door hated you.” Jacob snickered, before quickly shutting himself up after seeing the unamused look Dylan gave him. “You know what, you’re right. Not the time.”

He leaned back a bit, his hand going to his chin. “Hmm, well… I think I might have an idea how to get in.”

Dylan’s eyes immediately darted to him. “… you do?” He raised an eyebrow, his grip on the hair clip tightening ever so slightly. “Well, spill the beans, Jacob. Tell me your grand idea.”

“Well it’s not exactly grand, but…” He got up from his crouch, taking a few steps back. “You think if we both kick at it, the door could come flying open?”

For a moment, Dylan just sat there and stared at him. It took him a moment to process the idea, and when he did, he just gave a deadpan look to the other man.

“…. Yeah, alright. Break down a decade old door that’s probably been up for generations.”

Jacob just shrugged his shoulders, throwing his hands up. “Hey, it was just, like, a thought. Trust me, I have a good feeling about this!”

“And I have a bad feeling about this.”

Despite this, Dylan put his weight onto one leg, lifting the other. “But, hey, I guess it can’t hurt to try…”

Jacob gave an enthusiastic nod in response, a grin plastered onto his face as the two got into position. “On the count of three, alright? One..!”

Alright, they’re doing this.

Dylan nodded along, his eyes remaining fixated on the door.

“Two!”

“Three!” Jacob wasted no time in charging towards the door, giving it a good and mighty kick when the time came.

A resounding THUNK echoed out from the door as it shook on its hinges, the wooden frame nearly bursting off as the door swung open and slammed against the wall.

It took Dylan a second to comprehend what the hell just happened, but eventually he shook himself out of his trance.

“Okay, that… that worked.” He muttered under his breath, turning to Jacob as a tiny smirk appeared once he saw the beaming smile on his face.

Jacob was basically bouncing on his feet, an incredibly smug smirk of glee on his face as he looked back at Dylan. “Told you that would work.” He had a certain pep in his step as he headed inside, clearly feeling quite proud of himself.

The fact that it worked left Dylan a little more baffled than he expected, but at least they were finally in.

He followed along silently, his eyes darting around and taking in the store. His brain was going into chaotic, analytical mode with his surroundings, but he was only brought out of it when he ran face first into Jacob’s back. He stumbled backwards before looking up at the other man, confused on why he was just standing there.

“What, what is… why’d you stop-“

Jacob didn't immediately turn, just standing there for a little longer. When he finally did face Dylan, there was a hint of uncertainty in his expression, as if he wasn't too sure about what he was about to say.

"Oh, it’s- it’s nothing. Just uh, got hit with a little something.” He clears his throat and goes to look away, an unreadable expression on his face. “Okay, so, if I were a beer, where would I be hiding?”

Well, that was a sudden topic change…

Dylan paused to think for a moment, before letting out a huff; forcing himself not to think about it too hard.

“Well, considering this doesn’t have a freezer section, I’m guessing either the back storage or in the cooler by the cashier.”

“Great.” Jacob nodded, immediately heading to the storage room door and jiggling the handle with a hand. “Shit- right, right. It’s locked. Forgot.” He grumbled under his breath, reaching back into his pocket to grab the hair clip again, kneeling in front of the lock as he got to work.

Dylan took the chance to look around again, his eyebrows raising when his eyes landed on a row of shelves covered in dust and junk food. “Oh. Well, if this isn’t a sight for sore eyes.”

He headed over, running a hand over the shelves as he eyed up some of the junk food. “You know I’m surprised they weren’t taken already. I kinda expected the kids to clear out every shelf.” His eyes catch a glimpse of a cartoon squirrel on a bag, a cheery little smile on its face.

“Woah hey, isn’t that Peanut Butter Butterpops?” He pointed out.

That grabbed Jacob’s attention, and he turned around to look as well. “Oh, dude, you’re right! Damn, talk about a blast from the past. I haven't seen those since like, 8th grade.”

A small sense of warmth settled on Dylan’s face as a smile curled on his lips. “Same here,” he admitted, a small laugh following suit. “I used to try and convince my mom to buy me a bag whenever i’d go shopping with her. Of course, she’d uh… never let me. But that’s alright, I probably dodged major diabetes.”

“Haha, no kidding. You probably saved your own life with that, dude.” Jacob snickered before going back to unlocking the storage door. Surprisingly, it didn’t take him that long.

The brunette slowly stood up properly again, giving Dylan a look of pride. “Check it out! Still got it.”

“Did you seriously already pick the lock?” Dylan rose an eyebrow, a smile on his lips. He was a little amazed that he managed to work it out in such a short amount of time. “Nicely done, Custos! Defeated yet another door.”

Jacob grinned rather smugly, his expression full of pride as he gave Dylan a small bow. “Why thank you, that’s something I get a lot.” He straightened back up, taking a step back as he pushed the large door open fully. “After you, my dear-“ the words died in his throat before he could finish that sentence, replaced by a small cough. “..man. After you, man. I gotta.. keep the door open, otherwise it’ll latch shut again. There should be a case of beer somewhere, if memory serves me well.”

Dylan gave his own dramatic bow before heading into the storage room, looking around at all the supplies.

“Thank you kind sir!” He called out jokingly, turning his head back a bit to give him a smug. He was taken aback by the interior a little, but his eyes quickly scanned the room. “Geez, they left a lot of stuff behind..”

“They probably couldn’t be bothered bringing all of this crap with them.” Jacob shrugged, staying by the door to actually keep it open as he leaned against the frame, his arms crossing.

One thing caught his eye though…

“Holy shiiii, look at all that beer!” His tone switched to one of pure amazement, a childish grin stretching across his face as he took a step closer to look at the rack full of alcohol and beer. “Oh my god, it looks even better than in my dream…!”

“Wow, beer really does it for ya, huh?” Dylan asked jokingly, watching Jacob gaze at it intensely. “Seriously, you dream about beer of all things?”

Jacob’s face went red as he glanced over, he coughed and looked away with a small huff. “Hey.. shut up. It’s the only thing I could find to keep me sane during the night. It’s better than having… having some stupid nightmare. Being chased around in the woods or whatever…. i’d take beer over that any day!”

The comment caught Dylan a bit off guard, but he quickly shook it off. “Yeah, I guess that’s a fair point.”

He fell silent for a moment, his eyes wandering until he saw the other side of the room. There was a rather thick tarp laying a few meters away from them. “Hey, what’s that doing here?” He asked, gesturing to it. “Camp equipment?”

Jacob took his eyes off of the rack to see what Dylan was talking about, and his eyes widened a bit as he saw that tarp. “Ohhhh no.” He slowly inched his way towards it, an expression of fear written on his face. “Please don’t be what I think you are… Please don’t be what I think you are…”

Dylan had a bad feeling just by the way he said that. “…What do you think it is…?” He asked quietly, almost in a fearful manner.

Once he got close enough, Jacob hesitated to move any further for a moment. The next few seconds were silent… almost eerily silent. Until finally, he worked up the courage to lift a corner of the tarp.

Torn up camping equipment and sleeping bags, obvious claw marks and dried blood littered the fabric.

“Oh, shit.” He breathed out, his mind going straight back to what’s supposedly going to happen tonight… again. The werewolves… the running… the screaming…

He stayed silent for a moment, as if trying to collect his thoughts. “I-I’m sure it’s from something else… maybe the kids just got a little paint on it..?” He stumbled over his own words, his eyes darting back and forth from the carnage to Jacob, who looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack. He couldn’t know, right? Jacob couldn’t be aware of the loop. There’s no way. Because why would he know if no one else knows?

He didn’t react when Dylan was talking to him, his eyes just fixated on the claw marks, clearly in a trance. He didn’t even flinch when Dylan gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

After a few moments of quiet silence, save for Jacob’s shaky breathing, he let the tarp drop to the floor again, turning away from it. “Let, um… let’s just… grab the beer and go…”

Dylan wanted to say something else, try to lighten the mood or something, but his words just got trapped in his throat. He took in a small breath, before nodding slowly. “Yeah, let’s, uh.. Let’s do that..”

Jacob took a moment to recollect himself before clearing his throat, giving Dylan a forced smile. “Y-Yeah… let’s go do that!”

He awkwardly walked over to the rack of alcohol, kneeling down to grab a case or two of beer.

Dylan didn’t seem convinced, but he wasn’t one to push boundaries, so he let the situation fizzle away for now. He watched Jacob get a case before crouching down by him. “Here, let me grab one too.” He grabbed a case as well, the two of the lifting their cases up. Jacob’s smile had slowly gone away, but he kept pretending like nothing was wrong. The both of them did.

Jacob and Dylan made their way out of the storage room, the brunette having a bit of trouble keeping his case at first. He almost dropped his case at one point, but luckily he managed to hold onto it.

Once they were both out, Jacob kicked the door shut, quickly dropping his case on the floor and letting out a sigh of relief as the door locked back in place.

There was another moment of uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, before Jacob looked over to Dylan. “W-Well…! That went better than expected.”

It was almost impressive how good he was at concealing his inner turmoil, because it still looked like nothing was wrong with him. But Dylan knew.

“..Yeah, uh..” Dylan managed to get that out, a soft exhale leaving his lips as he put the case he was carrying down too. “So uh… you aren’t gonna bring along the bag of Peanut Butter Butterpops?”

Jacob’s eyebrows raised. “Huh…?” He seemed confused for a moment before he realized what Dylan was referring to, letting out a huff. “Oh… right… that.”

He shook his head, leaning back against the door. “Nah, I… I’m not that hungry right now. Plus we already got beer, so… that's kinda like… the same thing, right? Also, that shit is probably stale as hell by now.”

That was… a very unenthusiastic response.

Dylan awkwardly looked down at his feet, not really knowing what to say next. It felt like Jacob had totally zoned out, which really worried him. He let out a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his neck before speaking up.

“…Hey Jacob? Can I ask something a little… odd?”

Jacob was brought out of his thoughts almost immediately, looking back to Dylan.

“Uh… sure? What’s up?”

It took Dylan a long, agonizing second to reply. And even then he sounded like he was struggling with his words.

“… How’ve you be- uh… no, that’s- how have you… “ He paused in his sentence, clearing his throat. “Do you… feel weird, tonight?”

Jacob gave a confused chuckle, raising an eyebrow. “W-What? What do you mean? Like in what way..?”

“I-In any way, really…” Dylan hesitated, not really knowing how to word what’s running through his mind. He really didn’t. “..Never mind, it’s- its stupid. It’s nothing. Forget it. I just- I had this super weird dream earlier and it’s just been… fucking with my head all evening.”

Jacob was silent, his expression unreadable. After a few moments, he took a deep breath, his eyes darting to the side. “I… I’ve been feeling kind of off, I guess… but, dreams… they get weird when you’re tired. So don’t be like, freaked out or anything.”

There was something about the way that he said it, though, that made it not feel all that assuring. “They’re just dreams. I’m sure of it. I mean, I had the most craziest daydream ever earlier! It felt… surreal.”

Something felt… off. Dylan didn’t know what, but just… something. But still, he just shook his head and gave a small smile with a quiet exhale.

"..Yeah, sure. You’re probably right, dreams… dreams are just dreams. Right?" He tried assuring him. "Just don't let them get into your head too much, okay? You’re better than that."

He paused. "..So is it weird that I keep getting.. memories mixed in with reality? Like.. things that haven’t happened, but feel like they did."

At that, he watched as Jacob’s face paled.

“….Yeah. Something like that.” He nodded and swallowed nervously, his hands clenched into fists. “C’mon, we gotta… meet back up with the others at the fire pit.”

It was clear that Jacob was itching to get away from the present conversation. But that was understandable. He’ll just… let it go for now. Dylan gave a small nod after a few moments. “Yeah, you’re right… let’s get going."

Oh god, truth or dare is gonna suck balls…

Jacob nodded back without saying another word, taking a deep breath as he bent down to pick up the case of beer.

It was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

The familiar sight of everyone sat around the campfire did not bring Dylan joy.

If anything, he felt on edge and nauseous. To his surprise, Jacob looked just about the same. He’s zoned out… again, staring into the flames of the small fire the others lit for them.

“Alright Ryan, truth or dare?” Emma spoke up, a mischievous smirk plastered on her face as the other teen perked up ever so slightly.

“Huh? Oh. Uh… dare, I guess.” He gave a small shrug, a timid smile on his lips. Probably filled with anxiety, no doubt.

And oh, Dylan already knew where this was headed.

“I dare you to kiss either… Kaitlyn or Dylan.” Emma smirked, knowing damn well what she’s doing.

“Aw, what? I can’t kiss them both?” Ryan sighed, expressing mild disappointment before rolling his eyes. “Fine, fine… I choose….”

God, please not-

"Dylan."

He immediately tensed up, a flustered look on his face as he looked over to Ryan. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, and a small pout formed on his face.

“Uh… what?” Dylan’s voice raised an octave, his eyes wide in disbelief as he kicked his legs around nervously. Even despite knowing what happens, it still felt nerve wracking.

Ryan’s face was slightly red, but he managed to keep his calm expression. “You heard me.” The boy then got up and headed over to him, momentarily taking a seat on Dylan’s thigh.

Dylan didn’t know how he was managing to be so calm in this situation. He might’ve fainted right then and there.

He was hyper aware of everyone’s eyes on him. And… he couldn’t help but notice that a pair of eyes in particular were fixated on him especially hard.

He took in a small breath, mentally preparing himself. “Alright.. alright… let’s, uh… let’s get this over with..”

Ryan chuckled softly at his nervous demeanour and nodded. “Yeah.. let’s.”

He leaned in slowly, and in a matter of seconds he felt a pair of lips connect with his. It felt all too familiar, all too fake. Cheers erupted from around them, hands clapping like they just did something revolutionary.

Except Jacob was silent the whole time, his eyes focused on the two. Normally, he would’ve been all for a little flirting and messing around, but he’s simply just staring blankly. And as Ryan pulls away to go take back his seat on the log, he resumes his seemingly endless staring into the fire.

Dylan’s eyes darted over to Jacob, his lips slightly parted in concern as he took notice of his… demeanor. He wanted to say something, to address what was going on with him..

But Kaitlyn interrupted his thoughts by punching him on the shoulder, earning a small wince from the boy. "Congrats, dude! You had your first kiss!" She exclaimed.

Dylan was momentarily taken aback, and he turned to her with a surprised look on his face. “Uh, one: ow, and two: it wasn’t my first kiss. Nor will it be my last… I hope.”

Her jaw dropped open in disbelief to his answer, crossing her arms over her chest. “You mean to tell me you’ve kissed other guys before? And you didn’t tell me? I thought you were a hopeless gay!”

Dylan let out an indignant scoff, his face heating up a smidge. “A hopeless gay?? What am I, some kind of rom-com stereotype??”

“Uh, yes? That’s exactly what you are! You’re the best gay best friend who gives the best advice but never takes any of it for himself!” She pointed at him accusingly.

That… was a fair point, actually. But he’d never admit it.

He let out a dramatic scoff, crossing his arms. “How dare you. I am not a rom-com stereotype! I am, like, a million other things!” She shook her head in disapproval at him before smirking. “Whatever. I see hopeless romantic, and therefore it’s gonna be that. Anyway! Emma!” The girl in question perked up, turning her head.

“Truth or dare?” Kaitlyn grinned.

Emma rose an eyebrow, the smirk on her face making her seem almost devilish. “Dare.”

Kaitlyn rubbed her hands together, as if plotting the most devious dare imaginable. And in Dylan’s rightful opinion, it sort of ends up being just that.

“I dare you to either kiss Jacob or Nick.”

Dylan immediately turned his attention back to Jacob, half expecting him to act all confident about who she’s gonna choose between the two.

But he didn’t.

Instead, his face got this unreadable expression to it, like he just got struck with sudden realization or remembering something. For half a second, it almost looked like he was about to say something until a quiet, barely audible sigh left his lips and he looked away.

Emma rose an eyebrow, her lips curved into a smirk as she glanced between him and Nick.

“Hmmmm~ I choose…. Nick.”

Nick almost immediately sat up straighter, his eyes widening ever so slightly. A small flush appeared onto his cheeks as he nervously grinned at Emma.

“O-Oh… you’re picking me?”

Emma gave a nod, letting her arms fall back to her sides as she got up from her spot. “Yep, I’m picking you. Let’s do this thing.” She bent down and quickly locked lips with the Aussie, letting out a soft groan in the process.

Dylan shifted in place, growing increasingly uncomfortable by the second as he watched Jacob grow more and more irritated, white knuckling his beer bottle in hand.

Here it comes…

“I can’t fucking TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” Jacob shouted, chucking his beer bottle to the side as both Emma and Nick froze, Kaitlyn holding her hands up slowly.

“Woah- woah, Jake. It’s just a game—“

“NO!” The jock snapped, whipping his

head to glare at her. “That’s not what i’m talking about! I mean… I mean.. i’m talking about THIS!!” He waves a hand around the group in a frantic manner, body visibly shaking. “We’ve DONE THIS shit before! All of it! How are you guys not aware of this!? How are you all not scared shitless!?”

Oh. Holy fuck. Okay. Definitely wasn’t expecting this kind of lash out. One that Dylan can actually understand and relate to.

Abi furrowed her brows, slowly taking a stand. “What are you talking about?”

“YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!” Jacob snapped, his eyes darting between each and every one of the Hacketteers. “I… I don’t know how to explain it, but- but we’ve lived through all of tonight already! Once! And now it’s gonna be twice goddamnit!”

This time everyone except Dylan shared confused looks amongst themself, and slowly started to stand up as well as they slowly inched away from Jacob.

“Dude, what the hell are you talking about??” Ryan interjected, a slight tremor in his voice.

Jacob clenched a fist, his whole demeanor almost on the verge of a tantrum or breakdown. His eyes darted from person to person before he finally stopped on Dylan, almost locking gazes for a second..

And he suddenly seemed to calm down a bit, a silent breath leaving his lips as he tried to collect himself. Instead of the frustration or anger present before, he now just looked.. exhausted.

“Can… can I talk to you, Dylan? Like just.. just you.”

Dylan paused for a second, feeling the eyes of everyone else on him. He was… genuinely taken aback. He just sat there for a moment, a mixture of emotions going through his own mind before finally getting up.

“U-Uh… yeah. Yeah, I-I… okay.” He stuttered, taking a couple of steps away from the fire pit.

Everyone watched as the two of them left, all giving each other worried and confused looks. Jacob led Dylan over to the forest’s edge, around the lake, turning to face him once they were far away from the fire, away from the others.

They stood there in silence for a moment or two, Jacob not exactly knowing how to get started. He glanced away, looking down at his feet with an almost shameful expression.

“Listen…. I-I know this is prolly weird as hell, and.. and you’re probably thinking that I’ve lost my mind..” he spoke quietly.

Dylan was silent for a minute, just looking at the other boy as he avoided his gaze. He took in a small breath, deciding to break the silence.

“Actually… I don’t think you lost your mind. I-I.. I think you’re completely sane. Because I shit you not, that’s exactly what i’ve been going through today too. Like, word for word.” He took a breath, struggling to find the words to explain his own thoughts. Everything felt… wrong.

Jacob’s eyes widened a bit, and he slowly looked up to Dylan, his lips parting in disbelief. “You… wait, really…?”

Dylan nodded, his own lips parted in disbelief. “Yeah, I-I’ve… felt all wrong today. Things just keep… happening.” He paused. He tried to collect his tangled up thoughts. “It’s like… it’s like living through déjà vu, except you know it’s not déjà vu. You know it’s.. it’s something way more.”

Jacob listened intently, his expression completely serious as he nodded. “Yeah, you’re totally right…. I keep telling myself it’s all just a big coincidence, but the fact I can predict everything before it happens just makes it all worse…!”

He rubbed his neck, letting out a small tired sigh. “Is it just me, or do you… do you feel like we’re not supposed to be here? Because I sure as shit don’t wanna be in this situation AGAIN, Dylan!”

Dylan had so many things that he wanted to say… but it was like his brain was too scrambled to think of an answer to that question. So… he opted just to nod his head. He looked out into the distance, staring at the lake momentarily.

“The last thing I remember from… the previous ‘loop’ was heading out of the lodge with Kaitlyn after help arrives. I looked up at the clock and it said 5:59 A.M.” he swallowed dryly, tapping his foot impatiently against the ground. “The second it turned seven, I…. I found myself back inside my cabin, with Nick. Exactly at 6 P.M.”

Jacob nodded, running a hand through his hair as he thought that over.

“Y-Yeah.. that happened to me- uh… that happened to me too. I kinda just… appeared right in front of the van with Kaitlyn. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, do you…?” He paused for a moment before shaking his head and raising a hand up.

“Stupid question, we’re literally having the same experience. Of course it's  not a coincidence.”

As if that’s any form of comfort right now.

Dylan gave a small sigh, his shoulders dropping. “… I’m guessing no one else is aware? About… about the loop. They all kinda looked at you like you grew another head.”

And Jacob winced, letting out another heavy sigh. “Yeah… yeah nobody else is… is aware. Everyone… all of them think I’m a total idiot.”

He started to rub his forehead, staring at the ground momentarily. “And… and I don’t blame them. I’m sure I sounded like a madman back there… and it was… it was stupid of me. I shouldn’t have lashed out like that.” A small pause.

“And, to be completely honest with you.. i’m really glad you are aware of… all of this. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was going through this on my own…. Like, dude, I feel like i’m going crazy.”

“You and me both.” Dylan muttered under his breath, letting his shoulders drop.

It felt… relieving to have someone else he can share this with, after thinking he was alone in this. And to his surprise, it felt.. comfortable talking about it too. Even if he’s feeling a mess of so many emotions.

He let out a quiet exhale, his shoulders tensing.

“…What the hell do we do? I mean, we can’t just stop a bunch of fucking werewolves! They’re gonna come no matter what, and we still don’t know exactly when. I mean, you’re usually on the pier right now with Emma.. right?” He gestured a hand to the body of water nearby.

Jacob’s lips pursed into a grimace, and he let out a small sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, yeah that is where I’m usually at this time…. But what if we just… don’t do what we did before?”

He raised an eyebrow at Dylan, a plan brewing in his head. “What if… we just change it up a bit?"

Dylan paused at that, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean? You’re suggesting we… change up the whole plan?”

He scratched the back of his neck a bit, his tone hesitant. “I… listen, dude. I don’t mean to be a pessimist but… do you really think that’s a good idea?”  He asked, his expression skeptical. “Shouldn’t we be… oh I dunno, maybe warning our friends about the inevitable werewolf attack??”

Jacob sighed, his expression becoming more serious, a grim look on his face. “Alright, so maybe it’s not the best idea… but, dude, think about it. What if we warn them about it? What good would that do?”

His tone was serious, even a little… frustrated. “They’ll just write us off as insane, Dylan! Like, we’ll look like lunatics to them! What choice do we have other than… than changing up the events we’ve already gone through.”

Dylan was silent for a moment, taking in his words. And… he did make a point.

It was just… they were playing with fire, in a sense. Every change they make, every moment that didn’t go the way it was supposed to before… every change was a risk. And that was scary.

He rubbed at his temples, feeling a migraine coming on. “I dunno, man… what if we mess shit up even more?”

Jacob couldn’t help the almost nervous chuckle that left his lips. He took in a deep breath, almost looking just as stressed as Dylan.

“What else are we supposed to do, Dylan? I hate to say it, but… but I don’t think we have much choice. And plus, if we are stuck in a loop… of some fuckery bullshit, then why would it matter if we mess things up more than before? It’ll just… restart. Boom. Fresh slate.”

“But what if there’s no fresh slate? What if… what if things happen that are set in stone? Or… are there different outcomes? How does this all work? What the hell even is this? It’s… just so…”

Dylan couldn’t explain it. It was just so much to take in. Nothing made sense to him anymore, and at this point… he wouldn’t be surprised if what they experienced tonight was just some sort of insane dream all along. He shook his head, rubbing his face.

Tension was practically written on his face.

“I’m fucking terrified, Jacob.”

Jacob’s own expression immediately softened, a small frown on his face. He gave a small sigh, his own anxiety slowly leaving his face.

“….Yeah. Yeah, same here.” He admitted quietly, his expression sad as he looked away. “Just… promise that whatever we do, whether it’s the same as before with the… with the werewolves or not… just please stay by my side.”

It was an almost… pitiful request.

“I kinda don’t wanna lose the only guy who understands my situation here…”

Seeing him look so sad… it was honestly heartbreaking. Especially what he saw. The guy was known to never be afraid, always keeping a strong and confident aura about himself. But now he looked… vulnerable. And Dylan really never thought he’d get to see this side of him.

After a silent second, he… gave a small smile.

“Promise. I’m not going anywhere, alright?” He reassured him. “It’s just you and me, Jakey Jake.”

And god, watching Jacob smile almost instantly just from that nickname alone absolutely did things to Dylan’s heart that he definitely will not be thinking about anytime soon.

Jacob nodded, letting out a small sigh of relief. “You and me against… whoever or whatever is doing this.”

God, his smile.

As stupid as is it to call his friend’s smile ‘pretty’ in his head, god damn his smile was just that. It really lit up his face, making his dark brown eyes almost dazzle in the moonlight.

Oh god. This is the last thing he needed to be thinking about right now. But hey, if it calmed one of them down at least some, it did its job.

And.. it felt nice to have both of them working together to handle this issue. He gave a small but sincere smile too.

“Yeah.” He replied, still smiling. “You and me.”

After a moment or two of calm and comfortable silence, Jacob sighed.

“So.. I guess it’s too late to go back now, huh? Everyone is probably going to think we’re both insane. Sooo…” he turns his gaze to the lake, a mischievous smile beginning to form. “…. Shall we partake in a little dip?”

It took a second for his words to register in Dylan’s brain. And once they did, he just… froze in place, his brain short circuiting.

“W-Wait, I’m sorry? You wanna do what now?” He blurted out, eyes wide.

A sly smile crept onto Jacob’s lips as he slowly looked over to Dylan. “You heard me. A little dip in the lake is the perfect way to cool off after a stressful night, don’t ya agree?”

The way he said it, the way he emphasized certain things…. It was like a teasing challenge.

“C’mon, you look like you could use a little fun, buddy.”

His brain was just.. fried. Fried, fried, fried.

All he registered was that smile, and the tone of voice in his words. It had his mind going absolutely bonkers. And his heart too, for that matter.

He just… stood there. Frozen. And he kept that way for a solid few seconds before speaking.

“…I- uh… you..” he paused, taking in a small breath to calm himself down. “You’re…. you’re serious?” He managed. “What if we get jumped by a pack of werewolves mid swim??”

Jacob just gave a small shrug, looking out into the lake. “Maybe we’ll never have to find out. Or maybe we will. Who knows?”

He smirked, still looking at the lake. “But I doubt any of this is gonna even matter come six A.M. So…”

He took a step towards the body of water, looking back to Dylan with a teasing smile.

“Are you gonna join me?”

Seeing him walk off… that really made Dylan realize the reality of the situation. He could either stay out, in the cold, while Jacob had the time of his life. Or he could man up, and have the opportunity to spend more alone time with him.

Damnit. That, and he really did need a little fun after that previous stressful night. He had to, so…

With a small, quiet exhale, Dylan spoke up.

“Well… who am I to say no?”

Jacob’s smile instantly widened, giving a nod. “That’s what I thought. Now come on!” He broke into a light jog, already pulling his shirt up and over his head like he had no shame.

And if Dylan wasn’t freaking out before, he sure as hell was now.

He wasn’t sure if he should be glad that it was dark out or not, seeing how… unbothered Jacob was about literally getting undressed in front of him, but…

Well, he wasn’t gonna make a big deal about it. He just got his shoes, socks, and shirt off before hesitating for a minute and letting out a sigh.

And off went his pants.

Chapter Text

Jacob was at the edge of the lake by the time Dylan was in nothing but his boxers, watching him walk down towards the lake with a smile.

And maybe just a bit of admiration.

Once he got over to the edge of the lake, he stretched his arms out into the air, yawning. “God, this is gonna be amazing. "

He then turned back to look at Dylan, and his smile widened. “What?” He snorted. “No cannonball to announce your arrival to the water?”

Dylan rolled his eyes, a small smirk on his face, but he was very, very aware of his shirtless state.

It was… a lot warmer out than he expected.

“Nah, I’m uh… not a big fan of cannonballs. I… prefer to just take my time.” He muttered quietly, wading into the water with a small gasp.

It was… cold . Christ, he could feel his nuts shriveling up. “Ohhhh… that’s not pleasant.”

“What?” Jacob grinned, turning to face him. “Isn’t it nice to let loose? To just…..”

He paused, and in that moment Dylan thought he was going to back out. Instead, he just smiled mischievously as he suddenly turned away from Dylan.

Uh oh.

Oh fuck—

Then that thought was interrupted by the sound of Jacob sprinting forward before jumping into the water.

He almost jumped out of his skin, a squeak slipping out of him from the sudden splash of water. It was cold.

So.

Fucking.

Cold.

He winced as he felt himself slowly adjust to the sudden temperature change. With a shaky breath, Dylan spoke up. "O-Oh, you jerk… goddamn it..!”

Once he reemerged, Jacob broke out into a fit of laughter, clearly pleased by the results. “Sorry, you should’ve seen your face dude! You were like- like a cat that got wet!” He laughed harder, swimming towards Dylan and treading the water. “I wish you could’ve seen yourself!”

Dylan let out a sigh as he gave a half-assed pout, wading in the water himself. “Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.. haha very funny. I get it.” He shook his head with a sigh, wading a little further in, stopping once the water reached his waist. He looked up at Jacob, a small smirk across his face.

“You better watch out. Payback is gonna come when you least expect it.”

Jacob had a smile on his face, leaning back and letting himself float. “Oh yeah, I’ll be waiting. I’ll be watching over my shoulder every few seconds for the rest of my life.”

He chuckled quietly, opening one eye to look over at Dylan through the water. It was a peaceful moment…. Well, until he looked over at Dylan’s face with a teasing smirk.

“…What the hell’s with the grin?”

It took him a second to realize that he was, in fact, smiling. And when he came to that realization, he quickly tried to conceal it, clearing his throat and looking away.

“Uh, n-nothing. Nothin’.” He shook his head with a small shrug, wading in the water slowly. “Just thinking, is all..”

Jacob raised an eyebrow, a smirk slowly crawling across his lips. “Oh yeah? What about?”

He knew exactly what that smile meant.

He pushed himself back to the surface and began to wade towards Dylan. “C’mon, you can tell me dude. I won’t laugh. I’ll be nice, I promise.”

Dylan had to bite his bottom lip to try and fail to subdue the smile tugging at his lips at his persistence. He crossed his arms, still looking away. “Mmmm… I don’t know..” He looked back over at Jacob. “You’re gonna have to come a little closer for me to tell you…”

“Oh yeah? How close do I gotta be?” Jacob glanced down after a second, realizing that the lake’s water was a bit more transparent than he thought in the dark, and he quickly snapped his attention back up to Dylan’s face, swimming a bit closer. “C’mon, man!”

Dylan could practically hear the urgency in his voice, which made it even harder to suppress his stupid little smile. He pretended to sigh in defeat, giving a half-assed shrug. “Alright, alright….”

He looked him dead in the eye. The world around them completely dead silent for just a moment.

And then, he lunged. Arms wrapped around Jacob’s neck and legs wrapped around his waist in a matter of seconds. He presses his chest up against the jock’s back, who’s currently in the process of squealing and splashing around like a startled animal.

Jacob started to sputter out water as he stumbled around in the water, trying to regain his composure while also trying to make sure the other boy didn’t fall off.

“DYLAAANNN!” He whined, spinning around and almost tripping in the process.

Dylan busted out cackling, squeezing his thighs around Jacob’s waist and clinging tightly onto him, water splashing around them. After a second of Jacob stumbling around, he came to a stop, hands propped underneath his thighs for support.

“Haha! Got ya!” He grinned, resting his chin on Jacob’s shoulder. “The master of surprises strikes again!”

The jock let out a small growl, looking over his shoulder at the shorter boy with a dramatic pout. “Dude! You’re-you’re too heavy! I can’t hold you like this forever, y’know!” He whined out, trying to sound angry rather than annoyed. And he was failing miserably.

“What are you talking about? You’re like.. a thousand times stronger than me, dude.” Dylan giggled, resting his cheek against his shoulder. “You’re just mad because I caught you off guard.”

Jacob huffed, letting out an annoyed sigh.

“You- You did not catch me off-guard!” His pout only grew more dramatic. “I was… totally ready for that.”

Dylan looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? You were so ready that you were squealing like a little kid, huh? Maybe you’ll be more ready next time.” And here he was, already planning what to do during their next loop.

Jacob huffed, crossing his arms underneath Dylan’s legs with a pout. “I wasn’t squealing like a little kid!… shut up.”

He glanced down at the water, which was beautifully shimmering thanks to the moon in the dark sky. “Next time… next time you won’t catch me off guard. I promise you that…”

Jacob huffed, crossing his arms underneath Dylan’s legs with a pout. “Hey, I wasn’t… squealing. I was… I was screaming manly-ly.” He glanced down at the water, which was beautifully shimmering thanks to the moon in the dark sky. “Next time… next time you won’t catch me off guard. I promise you that…”

Dylan snickered, wrapping his arms a bit tighter around his neck. “Yeah, suuure bud. Whatever you say.”

He was just teasing him, of course. He’d probably get caught off guard again by some stupid thing or another.. but hey, at least Dylan found his weak spot.

It was silent for a moment before Dylan decided to break it.

“Hey..”

Jacob stayed silent for as long as he could, his entire body tensed. But soon afterwards he sighed and glanced back over his shoulder.

“….What?” He asked quietly.

Dylan’s expression faltered at his tone, and he bit his lip nervously. He didn’t even know why he was nervous. All he asked was “what”.

He took in a deep breath, his tone quiet.

“I uh… don’t know where to go from here. I mean, we’ve more than absolutely gone off script at this point, so who knows how that’ll affect the others… and the werewolves could be here at anytime.”

He felt Jacob’s shoulders tense, watching as he sighed and looked away. “I… I don’t know either, man. I really don’t know…”

He fell silent for a moment.

“….Do you think this was a bad idea…?”

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t at some point in the back of his mind. But looking at Jacob right now… he didn’t think it was that bad of an idea to begin with. Sure, they were risking quite a bit, but… it wasn’t awful either. Dylan simply shook his head, hugging the other boy a bit tighter.

“No… I don’t think it was bad idea. I… I think we needed this. And honestly…  do bad ideas even matter now..?”

This whole… rewind time situation made all of it seem so insignificant.

Jacob gave a small smile, looking up at the sky and the moon. “Yeah… yeah, you’re right. I mean… what’s the point of trying to follow everything anymore? This night- hell, this situation is literally going to reset in… less than eight hours. This is… this is our chance at total free will.”

Something about the way he phrased that… it gave Dylan literal chills, and the smile that found its place on his face soon was replaced with a serious expression.

He never really considered they now had total free will . What they did didn’t matter, because it would just reset anyway…

It was a.. frightening thought. But one that excited him just as much.

“Yeah.” He agreed quietly. “Yeah…. It is. Like, we’re totally living in one of those low budget groundhog day movies. Y’know, the ones that don’t sell good in the box office but still end up getting a sequel somehow.”

A smile cracked onto Jacob’s face and he shook his head, laughing quietly. “Yeah… a shitty groundhog day movie is a good way to describe everything that’s been going on tonight.”

Yeah… he could definitely hear a shitty indie movie-esque soundtrack in the background right now. Something along the lines of a slowed-down and distorted version of some upbeat pop song.

Dylan snickered quietly, closing his eyes. “Just need a crappy B-list director and we’re all set. I would like to nominate myself.”

Jacob chuckled, shaking his head.

“Yeah, you… you would.” He had this teasing little grin on his face. It was almost like they weren’t in as much danger as before, like they were… like they were just friends going for a swim.

It was… a nice feeling. Almost as if all the stress and all the fear of what’s to come suddenly melted away.

Dylan just… leaned his forehead into Jacob’s shoulder, a small sigh leaving his lips. It was… peaceful, just floating there in the water together. He almost forgot that a werewolf attack could possibly happen at any moment. Almost .

But he knew it could come, and that’s the only thing that killed his mood. The smile on his face turned into a frown.

“Ugh… I hope Ryan will be okay.” He mumbled against the brunette’s skin.

Jacob didn’t respond instantly, as if what Dylan said pulled him out of some daydream. His small smile fade, and instead a faint scowl took its place.

He let out a small exhale, letting his gaze drop down to the lake. “Are you usually with him around this time?”

The question almost confused Dylan, and he pulled away from his shoulder to look at Jacob, his eyes locked on the back of his head.

“…Yeah, me and him head off towards the radio hut to try and get some help. The others are probably in the lodge right now, tending to Nick-“ the words die in his throat momentarily, his grip on Jacob tightening momentarily. “Ah shit, I forgot about that part…”

Jacob just stood silent in the water, his gaze dropping even more as a frown overtook his face. “….Yeah.” He echoed, voice much quieter now. “How- How exactly does it happen? Do you know?”

Dylan paused for a moment, taking a second to compose himself before talking again. “Uh…. Yeah… yeah, I do know… and it’s…. Not pretty.”

He looked down at the water, watching the ripples travel across it as water slowly flowed into a stream.

“It sounded like an argument at first, between Abi and Nick. But then he started to get more and more… cold towards her? Huge fucking red flag. But uh, as shes trying to calm him down, he just… grabs her by the arm and chucks her across the room. Like she weighed nothing.”

He didn’t like the fact that he might have to see that again during one point or another…

“After she gets up, she goes to grab a gun. And then she just… shoots him. Like, boom. He’s down, right? And then he just starts… squirming. Fuck, man… his body made the nastiest nose when he transformed.” He stares up at the night sky in hopes of getting rid of the sudden wave of nausea that hit him. “After that, he sorta just leaped out the window and ran off into the woods…”

“……” Jacob fell silent again, not even really looking at anything. He didn’t even flinch when a small breeze blew past them, sending small chills across his wet body.

After a moment, he let out a small deep exhale, his shoulders dropping. “..God that’s…. That’s rough. Really, really rough. Fuck, poor Nick dude….”

Dylan nodded in agreement, unable to form any words. He really didn’t know what to say to that, or at that moment.

What they went through the first time was rough enough, and trying to explain it to him made it feel even more…. Real. This whole situation was real.

They stayed silent for a moment, just floating in the cool water. Almost… almost made them forget the danger they were in.

“…. We should probably get out, actually. I mean, if Nick… headed off into the woods by this point, and.. we’re practically right next to the woods….” His voice trailed off, giving Jacob a look.

Jacob was silent for a moment, but eventually he nodded, letting out a sigh.

“Yeah… Yeah, you’re right. Plus we don’t want to freeze our sacks off in here anymore than we have to…” He glanced up, realizing just how cold the water actually was as he shivered. “Could you maybe… dismount off of me?”

It took Dylan a minute to register he was saying that, but when he did he felt like a dumbass, letting out a small noise of embarrassment.

“O-Oh, uh, yeah, yeah sorry…”

He unwrapped his legs from around Jacob’s waist, and then carefully slid his arms out from around his neck, letting out a small gasp when his upper body submerged itself back under the water. “Agh. Christ. Alright.” There’s no way he’s walking around with hard nipples from the cold. No fucking shot. He swam back over to the dock, grabbing the ledge as he pulled himself out.

Jacob was silent as he followed, climbing out of the lake and letting out a small sigh, wiping the stray droplets of water from his face. “God, I feel like a goddamn waterlogged raisin…” he muttered, shivering a bit.

Dylan had no argument against that, actually because that’s pretty damn accurate. His soaking wet hair was plastered to his face, and his body was practically dripping water. And he wasn’t gonna talk about the fact that he was freezing his balls off right now.

He pushed his fingers through his hair to push his hair out of his face, looking over at Jacob. “There’s… probably a towel or something in those sheds, right? It’s gonna take me forever to wiggle my way back into my clothes if i’m looking like a soaked rat…”

Jacob nodded, letting out a sigh and pushing a hand through his hair, walking towards a nearby building. “That’s the utility shed right there. I’m-I’m sure there’s…. Something in there that’ll help. I mean, i’m pretty sure Emma did this before.”

He was visibly stiff from the cold, and he was trying his best to hide it as he went towards the building, giving a small shiver that sent a small ripple through the water that was dripping from his body.

Damn, it was really cold. But hey, what was he supposed to do? Just walk around like he was fresh out of the shower? Yeah, nope, not happening. He followed after Jacob, giving a smile as his voice teased.

“Aw, is little mister Jacob mad cold?” He grinned, crossing his arms like a little kid. “You’re already shaking like a leaf. If you keep shaking any harder, you’re gonna vibrate out of your skin.”

“Sh-Shut up, you’re no better. A scrawny punk like you probably feels the cold way more than me.” Jacob crossed his arms as well, trying to give a stern look but really just looked like a wet puppy. A very fucking adorable wet puppy.

Dylan was about to argue back, but then remembered how much he was actually shaking. He was probably getting goosebumps too, and he didn’t have a shirt on, so that made it worse.

He sighed, looking away. “A-Okay, you’re not exactly wrong there.” He admitted quietly. He rubbed his arms, walking towards the shed. “Let’s just hurry up and find something. The cold’s freezing my balls off…”

“Tell me about it..” Jacob grumbled, letting out a huff. He rubbed his arms too, hurrying inside the shed.

He poked around, quietly rummaging through the shelves as he looked for anything that could be of use. He did find some towels, reaching over to grab a couple for himself and Dylan. “Here ya go. No need to freeze on me now!”

Dylan muttered a small thanks, taking the towel and immediately starting to dry himself off. God, he didn’t think a towel could feel so good . It was almost like stepping into a hot shower after taking a long walk in a cold rain.

“Ah… thank god, I was starting to turn into an actual ice cube, man. My dick’s practically shriveled into nonexistence right now.” He said sarcastically, rubbing at his skin vigorously.

Jacob snorted, shaking his head as he began to dry himself off as well. His lips had a teasing smirk on them, looking back at Dylan. “That’s why I called you a scrawny punk, dude. Thin people can’t handle the cold like me. I can literally feel my muscles doing their job right now.” He smirked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Dylan rolled his eyes, flipping him off sarcastically. “Oh yeah, shut up. At least I don’t turn into a little shaking chihuahua whenever it gets a little colder out.” He teased him back, grinning. He was still shivering, of course. His eyes drifted down, the sight he’s gifted with nearly taking the wind out of him.

“Well, your muscles clearly don’t do much for a cold crotch.”

Jacob’s eyes widened and he quickly looked away, his face turning bright red as he coughed. “W-What the hell, dude?! Don’t-uh…. Don’t look at that.” He grumbled sheepishly, turning his body away from the taller boy as he tried to dry himself a bit quicker. “Regardless of… that. They do plenty! I’ll have you know that girls go crazy for this…”

He gestures towards himself. “Hot bod.”

Dylan snickered, trying his best to not to laugh fully. That reaction was gold, and he’s gonna treasure it. He couldn’t help but grin widely, shaking his head. He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. “Uh huh, sure. I bet everyone just thinks you’re a real beefcake.”

That and a lot more… He shook his head a bit, not letting his mind go elsewhere. God, nows not the time.

He resumed drying off, looking down at his own soaked briefs momentarily before sighing. “Ugh… i’m gonna have to go without underwear for a while, huh? I bet that’s gonna feel real great while i’m walking around in skinny jeans…” he grumbled sarcastically.

Jacob nodded in thought, continuing to dry himself off as well. “I mean… better than nothing. And, hey! At least I’m gonna be able to wear my clothes again. I spent the entire night running around in only my briefs last loop.”

Dylan cringed, feeling second hand embarrassment just listening about that. “Dude, that’s-.. that’s rough. I can’t even imagine what you were going through man.”

He shook his head, chuckling quietly.

“Bet your little ego was a bit shattered after that. Especially with Emma.” He added jokingly with a teasing grin.

Jacob let out a small gasp, his ego visibly hurt. “You take that back right now, that is a personal attack and I will NOT stand for it.” He gave a dramatic pout, crossing his arms and looking away. “And don’t bring Emma into this.”

Dylan went to put his hands up, mock surrender. “Sorry, sorry. Still a touchy subject. Got it.” He exhaled gently, heading out the door to go grab his clothes from the dock.

Jacob exhaled and shook his head, following behind him. “It’s-It’s fine man. I’m just messing with ya.”

He stretched a bit as he walked outside, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean… it was pretty stupid of me to assume she would stick with me even after summer break is over… but god, it still kinda stings.”

He could practically hear the sadness in his voice, and it kinda hit him right at his soft spot.

Dylan sighed, turning to look back at him as he walked. “Hey… y’know….” he paused, stopping by the docks and crossing his arms. “Maybe… I don’t know.. maybe you two can work something out, dude.”

He smiled softly. “You never know.”

Jacob let out a soft chuckle, a bittersweet smirk on his lips. “Yeah, maybe… I mean, you’re an optimist, so if you think something might happen, then there might be… some hope.”

He let out another sigh, stretching his shoulder. “I.. I just wish it didn’t have to feel so… temporary and doomed, you know..?”

He knew what he meant, and god he understood that feeling.

Dylan picked up his clothes, beginning to get dressed, looking back at him. It was kinda…. Weird hearing him talk about his insecurities like this. Weird, but also nice. “Yeah… teenage relationships are usually never lasting…. You should’ve seen me when I was a senior. I was crushing hard on this one guy. He threw house parties, and I DJ’d for him.” He shrugged. “He didn’t even have to pay me. I just wanted to be in the same space as him.”

Jacob listened, a pensive yet intrigued look on his face. “Oh really? What happened with that, he turn out with someone else or something?” As he asked the question, he sat down on the edge of the dock, beginning to put on his shirt as well.

He nodded, a small snicker erupting from his lips. “Yeah, pretty much. Started going out with this one girl from the football team. I guess that’s what you get for being into a straight guy, huh.” He grinned, chuckling under his breath. “That’s high school for ya. The land of teenage hormones and broken hearted queer kids.”

“You don’t need to preach that to me. I mean, look how my thing with Emma ended up.” Jacob shook his head, almost like he was trying to get that thought out of his mind.

But… Dylan got him talking about that stuff again. Huh. Maybe Jacob was more vulnerable and emotional than he thought…

“Regardless…. This whole looping business and… and everything else is really throwing these problems with me and Emma into perspective… like, I’m really just not destined to be with her, huh?”

It was a rhetorical question, but Dylan hummed in response.

“Yeah, seems like it… but… I’m sure you’ll meet someone.” He hesitated, putting on his jeans. “Someone bettersuited for you that is.”

He glanced over his shoulder, smiling. “Maybe you won’t be as into Emma when you catch feelings for someone else.”

Jacob let out a small laugh, shaking his head as he looked away. “I…. I doubt that. Emma’s… she’s amazing. Hell, I can’t even imagine myself with anyone else. Not after her, at least…”

He glanced up at the sky, watching the moon. “But… now.. I don’t know. You seem to be right about a lot of things so…. I’ll keep what you said in mind.”

Dylan hummed, and something in his tone of voice when he spoke about Emma made him… uncomfortable.

It was hard to explain, but Dylan felt like he wasn’t a fan of it… but why? He’d have a lot to think about tonight, that was for sure.

“.. yeah.. you do that.” He said quietly, his eyes flickering downward.

Awkward silence… not great after a talk like that. He cleared his throat, trying to ease some of that awkwardness in the air between them.

“Glad I can be your relationship advisor, man.” He teased. “You come to me for any of your troubles, and I’ll get you sorted out.” He grinned.

Jacob smirked, his eyes still on the sky. “Oh yeah? You’d be my little advice buddy? Give me all the answers, huh?”

He shook his head, looking over at Dylan and grinning. “Hey, I’ll admit, it’s a nice change of pace. You’re a good listener.” He glanced down for a second, then back up.

“And… a good person, too. I guess.” He smirked, a teasing smile crossing his lip.

The compliment took him a bit off guard. “Ah.. Uh… thanks man.” Dylan said quietly, surprised by how much a simple compliment could cause him to stumble and stutter.

He gave a small, nervous laugh, shaking his head. “You got it easy.. I guess I’m just good for giving my two cents, huh?” He grinned, scratching the back of his neck and sitting down on the dock.

“I could go on and on all night, until six a.m. hits and i’m suddenly back inside my cabin with the friggin Aussie…”

Jacob chuckled, shaking his head as he turned and scooted himself closer to him on the dock, their knees brushing against each other slightly. “Hey, as long as you keep it interesting, then by all means. Go for it. I’ll listen. I’m a great listener, too, remember?” He grinned, his eyes teasing as he looked up at Dylan. “You’ve got an endless amount of commentary in that pretty little mouth of yours.”

It took a second of Dylan stumbling on his words, and a small breath, before he was able to form an actual sentence.

“Pretty? My mouth..?” He looked at him, unsure if he had heard him properly. And by the looks of it, it seemed like Jacob wasn’t expecting himself to say that either.

His face turned bright red as he looked away, clearing his throat.

“I, uh…. I-I meant..” the jock struggled to explain anything for a second, but he eventually just shook his head with a deep exhale.

“I don’t know, man. I.. I don’t know what I’m saying anymore.” He mumbled quietly. “My brain still feels all jumbled from this whole groundhog day situation we’ve got going on…”

Dylan’s breath got caught in his throat for a second, staring at him dumbfounded.

He called him pretty?? Jesus… Dylan didn’t know what to say. His brain was basically short circuiting from this situation, eyes blinking away any confusion and his mind racing for something to say.

He gave a small, nervous laugh, his voice just about a whisper. “Well… I’ll have you know that this pretty little mouth only spouts bullshit half the time.” He gave a sheepish grin, crossing his arms.

Jacob exhaled a deep breath, bringing a hand up to run it through his hair, and to rub his face. “Yeah, I’ve definitely realized that. You’re a real chatterbox.”

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Dylan, his face still red as his eyes darted between the sky, the lake, or anything besides him really. “….God, this whole loop thing is…. God. I think the real world and… everything is like… miles away when you’re here with me. You’re my fucking anchor, dude.”

Dylan’s eyes widened, and he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. There was a feeling in the pit of his stomach, like those butterfly’s people always talks about, but at the same time he was scared shitless.

He didn’t know why either, and that scared him even more, and it was driving him insane. He cleared his throat, trying to get that feeling to go away. “Don’t get mushy on me now, dude. You help ground me too, in a sense.”

Jacob smiled, letting out a deep exhale. “…Good… good that I’m not the only one that feels like they’re about to float away on a cloud…”

He looked down, letting his hands hang over the edge of the dock slightly. “This whole situation has been… I don’t even know what it’s been, honestly. It’s been a lot… and it’s also been really nice.”

He bit his lip, looking at the water. “Nice in… a weird way, at the very least. Even before the looping, I…. Didn’t know you that well… but this whole thing has kinda… put us in a new light, y’know?"

It really had. They knew each other for months now, and in just one night, they both learned a lot more about themselves and each other than they would’ve known if this hadn’t happened.

Dylan looked down at the water as well, his legs swinging slightly. “Yeah.. I guess it has..” he grinned suddenly, giving him a teasing nudge. “For example, I learned that the big and bad Jacob can get really vulnerable pretty easily.”

Jacob rolled his eyes, letting out a small huff as he bumped him back with his shoulder. “Hey, don’t rub it in, man. I get the impression you tend to have that kind of effect on people, so it was bound to happen to me eventually…. And uh… for the record, I-I’m not that big and bad.”

He crossed his arms, a pout on his face. “I’m not- i’m not a bad person.”

Dylan grinned, crossing his arms back with a small laugh, shaking his head. “Relax, dude. I’m just teasing. I’m just teasing.”

He looked back at the water, going silent before his voice turned quieter, more serious. “You’re the farthest thing from a bad person..”

Jacob looked down at the water, letting out a small sigh. “..yeah, well… sometimes it’s not that hard to question whether or not you’re…. You know… a good person or not. Like… I’d like to think I’m a good person. A good dude. But… you can never really just… know that without doubt, y'know?”

Dylan nodded, understanding what he meant by that. “Yeah, I know that one too well.”

He sighed. “I guess.. I guess you just kinda have to…. Stop doubting yourself. Stop thinking about what kinda person you are and just… well, be it.” He grinned, nudging him. It was… advice he wished he would’ve heard a few years ago.

Jacob smiled, exhaling a soft chuckle. “God, you really are gonna give me a pep talk every time I’m feeling a bit off, huh?”

He shook his head, pushing a hand through his wet hair. “….You know, you’re…. You’re better at that than I expected. I think i’m starting to understand why Ryan spent his time around you all summer.”

The comment came out of nowhere, and Dylan had to take a second to process to. But once he did, his eyes widened, and he felt his face turn red.

He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn’t know why his comment had made him so flustered, but… well, he needed to say something back.

He grinned, trying to mask his flusteredness with teasing confidence. “That’s because I’m just that good at talking. Even on topics I don’t talk about… much. Hell, I nearly got Ryan’s number! Hence the… nearly part. It uh, happened during the previous loop.”

Jacob’s head turned so quickly in a double take, he nearly strained his neck. “Wait, what? You-you nearly got his number?”

Dylan grinned, feeling a little more confident now after seeing the surprised look on his face. “Yep, I was just that close… almost there.” He said, pinching his thumb and index finger together. “But. Y’know.”

He shrugged, looking away. “Like I said. Nearly did it. But… I guess it just… wasn’t my time yet.”

Jacob just stared at him with wide eyes, shaking his head incredulously. “What-Why- how-“ He sputtered out several incoherent words, eventually letting out an exasperated breath

“Dylan Lenivy, smooth talker trying to slide into a relationship at the last minute! Why wait for the last day of summer camp?? You had, like, MONTHS!”

Dylan rolled his eyes, giving his shoulder a weak push. “Oh please, I didn’t just decide to do a last minute confession. I’ve been meaning to talk to him about it, but… I just kept procrastinating and pushing it off, I guess. And like the fool I am, look where I ended up. I’ve procrastinated myself into internal conflict.”

Jacob snickered, lightly punching his arm with a smirk. “That, my friend, is what you call “shooting yourself in the foot”. You were on the right track, but you waited too long to make that final lap, huh?”

Dylan chuckled, rubbing his arm. “Yeah.. Yeah, that’s pretty accurate… but in all honesty, I still don’t even know if it’s completely off the table.”

He leaned back, his hand supporting himself to stay propped up. “I could always try again.. I guess. If shit loops again, which I HOPE it doesn’t. I’ll take the L on that relationship over having to go through this night again.. if I have to.”

Jacob nodded in agreement, letting out a grunt as he looked up at the sky, tracing the outline of constellations with his glance. “Yeah, yeah I-I getcha there. That would seriously be hell.”

He let out a scoff as another thought came to him, a smirk crossing his face. “…Hey, that doesn’t mean you can’t practice on someone right now, huh?”

Dylan looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. “Practice on who, you?”

He said it in a joking way, of course.

Jacob’s smirk only grew, bringing a hand up to his chin and pretending to think.

Oh. Oh no.

He really should’ve seen this one coming. But then again, why ponder on the thought of a straight man agreeing to be a practice dummy?

He isn’t serious… right? Dylan thought. He knew they were just kidding… right?

But before he could even stop himself, he was already opening his mouth, his words not registering as he said them. “Well..” His eyes darted away. “I guess I could… just… pretend you’re Ryan, right?”

Jacob’s smirk only grew wider, his gaze remaining on the stars above. “Yeah, yeah that seems like a good idea. You’ve got a good imagination, right?”

He let out a small scoff, yet made no attempt to turn his head and look over in Dylan’s direction. “Go for it, man.”

Dylan was suddenly filled with regret for the words that left his mouth. Why even suggest that? But there was no backing out now… Jacob was literally sitting, waiting for him to go ahead and do something.

He looked at him, his mouth suddenly dry. What are you suppose to say to someone who you’re trying to pretend is someone else? He took a shaky breath to calm himself, and then he opened his mouth to speak.

“Uhm-… well..” Think, you moron! Try and think of something. Or do something! Catch him off guard.

And so his arm goes to extend outward, reaching a hand up to cup the side of Jacob’s face in a stiff attempt to get the guy to face him. And oh god, he shouldn’t have done that. His fingertips could feel the very second Jacob’s face erupted into an impossible shade of red, nearly the same color as a stop sign. His eyes widened by an ungodly amount and he froze up, staring back at Dylan with an unreadable expression.

He suddenly felt like the biggest dumbass in the entire world. This was one giant mistake… but he couldn’t stop now..

Dylan let out a shaky exhale, continuing to push his luck. His hand moved into Jacob’s hair, combing through his short and damp strands, trying to control what was happening.

“Heya…” Damn, he was already cringing at himself, despite his voice still retaining a somewhat suave tone. Ew, ew, ew. Stop. Immediately.

“Did- Did you know that there are around 78 organs in the human body? Wanna bet and see if I can fit one of yours in me by the end of the night?” His free hand immediately went to slam down against the dock, pulling away to scream into his own shirt.

The choked sound coming from Jacob is all he needed to hear. He didn’t even WANT to see his reaction.

“That was awful. That was horrible, and i’m going to jump back into this lake and sink to the bottom. You’ll never see me again.” Dylan gagged, the whiplash of his previous words coming back to hit him hard.

There was a pause, a silent second of disbelief and absolute surprise. And then, Jacob lost it, and let out the loudest and most boisterous laugh he’s ever had for a good few minutes, doubling over a bit and wheezing to try and catch his breath.

Dylan would’ve laughed along if he didn’t feel so embarrassed by this. He sat there, face burning, as all he could hear were Jacob’s laughs. He was going to make an attempt for a comeback, but he was shut up by a small snort.

He groaned, letting his head hang down. God, that had been the worst thing that had just come out of his mouth in a hot minute.

“Uugggghhhh….”

“Gah… hah… oh my god, o-oh my god….” Jacob wheezed, shaking his head and looking over to Dylan, a smirk on his flushed face. “That-That was genuinely the worst pickup line I’ve ever heard in my life. Worse than all of em’ I’ve ever used, and that’s saying something. Where the hell did you even get that from?!”

Dylan buried his head into his arms, wanting to sink into the ground. “ I don’t know , man. It just came out. My brain short circuited, okay? I’m out of my element and I was going to just wing it and I-I…”

He groaned again, trying to hide the fact that his face was redder than a tomato. “Just- just forget about what just happened. I’m never gonna say something like that or do… that again. I’m gonna shut my stupid mouth. Ugh… that took me back to my high school party days..”

Jacob couldn’t stop a grin from growing on his face, reaching over to shake Dylan by his shoulders. “Oh noooo, you don’t get to act all embarrassed now. You just delivered that absolute gem of a line with a straight face. You gotta own that now, that was golden man.”

Dylan groaned again, shaking his head and swatting away his hands. “No, no, no! Stop! I am not gonna own that! It was terrible! It’s worse than anything Nick and Abi have said, okay? I’m never gonna say something like that again..” He said, his voice turning into a grumble.

He then let out another groan, scrubbing his hands over his face. “God, you must think of me as the world’s worst flirter or something, huh? I swear to god I’m better drunk off my ass.”

Jacob chuckled, shaking his head and crossing his arms. “I don’t know man, that might actually make you worse. You said it yourself, you’re a rambling drunk. You’d definitely say even more ridiculous things than that one.”

He smirked again, nudging his shoulder. “Besides, it’s not like I’m any better at flirting. Trust me, I’d be the last one to judge you.”

Dylan rolled his eyes, shaking his head, his face still feeling warm from embarrassment. “I’m just not used to flirting, alright?? When i’m a few beers down, my mouth is usually already occupied with something else.”

Jacob sputtered, needing to cough into his arm real quick as he steadied himself. “Wait what?! ”

Dylan shrugged, giving him a grin. “What? A drunken tongue has more uses than slurring words. I’ve learned from lots of experience.”

As Jacob continued spitting nonsense, Dylan’s ears picked up on the faint sound of rustling coming from behind them, near the edge of the forest. His head whips around, slapping a hand over the jock’s mouth.

Jacob’s noise of surprised confusion was stifled, muffled by Dylan’s hand. He immediately went silent as well, his eyes widened with surprise and suspicion. He slowly looked back to where Dylan was looking, and tried to stay completely still.

Dylan strained his ears, trying to listen carefully for anything else.. and there it is. Branches snapping. Leaves cracking. Someone or something is coming their way.

He felt Jacob’s breathing through his mouth, feeling his bottom lip twitch against his skin. “We’ve been out here for too long. I think- I think Nick is coming. Wolfed out Nick.” Dylan whispered, slowly standing to his feet as his hand moved down to grab Jacob’s arm instead.

Jacob winced slightly from the tight grip, slowly rising to his feet afterwards. He nodded at the assumption, keeping his voice to a whisper as well. “Yeah… Yeah I think that’s right.”

He looked back again, seeing if the source of the sound was getting any closer. “Should we try and run for it?”

“Run where? Into the woods?” Dylan replied, his grip on his arm tightens. “We can’t outrun him, dude. And we’d be in the open.” He glanced around for a quick escape. “We… need to.. wait for one of the Hackett’s to show up. Where.. where are you usually at around this point?”

Jacob shook his head in response, also looking around frantically for a hiding spot.

“I mean… I’m usually trapped in a cage somewhere, I think.” He bit his lip, trying to look over the property at his surroundings. “At the Hackett’s house, there’s a bunch of human sized electrical cages.. in the bunker or whatever. I get knocked out by this bulky ass guy… dickwad.” He spat under his breath.

He could hear the rustling getting louder. Closer.

Dylan was growing more and more panicked, his heart felt like an alarm bell going off in his ears. He could feel Jacob shaking a bit. “Dammit…” his voice wavered as he looked around.

No matter where they went, they’d be like sitting ducks. He felt himself start to panic, but his brain suddenly lit up with an idea.

“Okay- okay. This is fine. We’re gonna be all nice and chill about this, alright?” He goes to swerve his body around, facing Jacob completely before grabbing him by his shoulders.

“Just follow my lead, alright?”

Jacob looked a bit more than a little confused, his face looking like a deer caught in headlights. His body was shaking a bit, and he exhaled slowly.

He looked back over at the forest, and nodded. “Yeah… yeah, okay. Got it, man..”

The werewolf finally came into view, hopping out of the forest like a large, four legged spider with a thirst for blood. Its beady yellow eyes caught sight of them both, the creatures limbs springing into action as it starts to lunge.

The werewolf roared as it’s body lunged forward, and Dylan had no time to hesitate. He wrapped his arm around Jacob’s waist, quickly pulling his body close to his as he tried to not think too much about what he’s doing.

“Hold your breath.” He ordered. “Also, sorry.”

“Waitwhat-“

A loud shriek came from Jacob’s mouth as Dylan forced them both backward, free falling into the lake water behind them. His vision went completely blurry for a moment, a fresh wave of coldness completely submerging them both. He could feel Jacob’s hands frantically moving around to grab at his body and he instinctively forces down a weird feeling that threatens to come forth, focusing on rising back up for air.

The werewolf roared, rearing up at the sudden change in scene. It stood up on its haunches above the edge of the lake, its nose twitching as it tries to smell the boys underneath the water.

Jacob’s head broke the surface first, his eyes widening as he began hacking up water. “Jesus Christ, dude!”

Dylan’s head soon followed, gasping for breath as he tried his best to keep them both above the water. “Yeah… I know, I know..”

He let out a shaky breath, using all the strength he could muster to keep hold of Jacob while he slowly began swimming backwards. “But it was the only thing I could think to do at the moment. I wasn’t about to have my ass handed to me by a werewolf. Lucky for us though, they hate water. They’re like, hydrophobic or something.”

Jacob nodded, still panting and coughing a bit. He looked back and saw the werewolf glaring at them from the shore, whining lowly in distaste.

He gave a short scoff at the fact, still trying to regain the air in his lungs. “That’s.. That’s really… convenient.” As he finally caught his breath, he wiped water off of his face, looking at Dylan. “Wait hold on, how in the actual fuck do you know that?”

Dylan began swimming backward, keeping his focus on the werewolf while also keeping a tight grip on Jacob. “Uhhh, right.. right, you weren’t there during.. that..” he mumbled under his breath, bringing a hand up to push away wet bangs.

“Okay so, me and the others went to the Pool House while you and Emma were off… doing whatever, and Nick started to go off on Abi about something. He was bitten at that point, so i’m pretty sure it was just the wolf instincts talking for him, but uh.. Abi ended up pushing him into the water and he just… started freaking the hell out, yelling in pain like she shoved him into lava or something.”

Jacob followed behind him, looking back at the werewolf as it started pacing back and forth on the shore, whining and huffing in frustration at not being able to pounce on the two boys.. “Oh.. God, that sounds rough…”

He stayed quiet for a bit before another thought crossed his mind. “Jesus, I feel like I missed a lot during all that.” he chuckled lightly.

“Yeahhh… yeah you did.” Dylan gave a short, dry laugh. “Just a teensy bit. It was… eventful, to say the least.”

He continued to swim backwards, trying to keep a mental check in his head of where the dock was and how far away they were. He just had to keep this up as long as possible, until the damn thing loses interest.

“Uhhh… I’m guessing you aren’t aware of half the shit I had to go through? God, I don’t think we even had a proper meetup last time, huh?”

Jacob shook his head, still trying to keep his head above water. “No.. no not really. There were a lot of things that happened that I haven’t completely wrapped my head around yet. It feels like every few hours, I just find out about something else that went down..”

He glanced behind himself, trying to see how far away the dock was. “..and now that I think about it, no. I don’t think we ever met up one on one, huh?”

“Yeahhh.. which is a damn shame, because you’re actually not that bad to talk to. It’s… kinda nice, actually.” Dylan said with a scoff, still swimming backwards. His legs were starting to burn and his limbs were feeling heavy, but he couldn’t stop. He just needed to hold out a little more… just a few more minutes…

They needed a new conversation starter…

“I lost an arm, last time.”

Jacob looked over at him, his face turning into an expression of pure horror. “… What ?”

He started swimming a bit faster, trying to make things easier on Dylan. “What do you mean you lost an arm ?!”

Oohhhhh boooyyyyy….

Chapter Text

He knew that was gonna get a reaction out of him, but he still wasn’t ready for the sheer look of horror on his face. He gave a shaky laugh, still swimming backwards.

“I mean… I lost an arm, dude. Like, a werewolf bit my hand back in the radio hut. There was one blocking the door, so uh.. I had to do some quick thinking, y’know? So I deduced that maybe.. their hearing is similar to that of a dog.” He gave a small shrug afterwards, not wanting to pat himself on the back just yet. “So I decided to try and play a high-pitched feedback loop on the speakers to scare it away. But then I noticed one of the wires all janked up and hanging from the ceiling, so I tried to fix it.”

He goes to glance back over at the werewolf, who seems to have finally lost interest in them both. It howls loudly into the dark night sky before scampering back off into the forest.

“….Uh, it ended up being a big mistake on my part. Because then the fucker broke through the ceiling and started gnawing at my hand like a chew toy. After it freed my hand, I had it chainsawed off.”

He laughed dryly. “Not my favorite evening.”

Jacob could only sputter out half-incoherent noises of shock. His mind probably racing with different questions. He swallowed, glancing back at the edge of the water. “That.. Jesus, man. That’s… I just.. how are you so casual about this?!”

Dylan shrugged again, now noticing the dock is only a few more feet away. “Eh, I’m a trooper, man. I’ve dealt with more than I could imagine. I kinda got used to being able to… handle these situations without completely freaking out. Not a therapist in sight for me, y’know?”

He laughs at his own comment, his legs and arms feeling unbelievably heavy, but they’re almost there. “That, and I was completely in shock for the rest of the night. So uh.. I pretty much survived off of adrenaline and vibes alone.”

Jacob shook his head, his chest rising and falling as they slowly approach the dock. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand how you do it, dude. I.. I would’ve completely lost it if I was in your shoes.”

He helps haul him onto the dock, rolling onto the wood with a grunt as the taller boy scooted back a little to make more room. “…You are the strangest, most Dylan-y person I’ve ever met.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Dylan laid his body out against the wet wood, completely out of breath and limbs feeling like jelly. His mouth was dryer than a dry erase pen, and he was suddenly aware of how heavy the weight of his sodden clothes was.

“And… I think you’re pretty weird too, Jacob.”

Jacob chuckled, rolling so he laid on his back. He stared up at the sky, his breathing fast and heavy.

“Yeah… yeah, well it doesn’t really take being looped to figure that out, huh?” He smirked, tilting his head to look over at Dylan. “But you…”

He went silent for a second. “You’re the weirdest goddamn person I think I have ever met.” And Dylan could’ve sworn he heard a hint of fondness in his tone.

“What can I say? I live to defy the status quo.” Dylan could feel the exhaustion slowly creeping its way into his body, the adrenaline was starting to subside. He let out a sigh, feeling a cold shiver running across his shoulders, but he was too tired to care enough about it.

“Dude, I wanna nap so bad right now. But I also really don’t wanna wake up with a werewolf on my ass.”

Jacob nodded, letting out a groan as he forces himself to stand up. “Yeah, yeah… sleep sounds amazing right now, but it’s also way too damn dangerous…” He holds a hand out to Dylan, hoisting him up with his help. They stood awkwardly beside each other for a moment, both exhausted but still hyper-aware of how close they are to each other.

“Should we head over to the Lodge and see if… everyone is still okay?”

There goes the mood. Dylan groaned, running a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, yeah we should… I need to check on Ryan, see if he’s even still around..”

Jacob nodded in silent agreement, pushing a hand through is wet hair, letting out a huff. “Let’s… Let’s go see how things are there, then.. and hope for the best.”

“Yeah….” He nodded, slowly beginning to walk towards the trail that lead back to the camp with tension stuck in his body. His eyes darted around in every direction, suspicious of every noise.

For some reason, he was almost dreading this. He just… had a bad feeling.

Nothing horrible could’ve possibly happened because of his absence. Kaitlyn probably already has the gun, and Ryan probably already went off to go find Chris with.. Laura. God, he nearly forgot about her. The fact that she just comes out of nowhere and sweeps Ryan away like that just…

It leaves a bad taste in his mouth. But maybe it won’t happen like that this time.

Jacob apparently caught onto the sudden tenseness in Dylan’s shoulders, noticing his increased paranoia and unease. He let out a soft scoff, and shook his head.

“Dude, calm down. Things are gonna be fine, okay? We’ll get there and everything will check out. We’ll just have to-“

A guttural scream suddenly sounded out in the distance, cutting the boy off. Jacob jumped, looking in the direction where the sound came from.

Dylan’s body was instantly washed over with dread, a cold shiver running down his spine as the scream rang in his ears. He slowly looks over to Jacob, whose face seemed to be reflecting the same horrified expression.

They stood there, silently listening to the silence for a bit, both waiting and dreading another cry or noise. But nothing came. Not even a single howl or shuffling of brush. It was… eerily quiet.

“Oh, fuck.” Dylan booked it for the Lodge, running as fast as his tired legs could carry him even as he hears Jacob yelling for him in the near distance.

“Slow the hell down, man!”

Dylan’s lungs were burning, adrenaline surging through his body once again but this time it wasn’t because of a werewolf.

The Lodge was within sight, and nothing came out of the woods to attack them so far. But he just didn’t know…

He didn’t know what to expect, and it scared him. He could hear Jacob’s panicked voice right behind him, but it sounded muted. Not because he couldn’t hear him, but because his own blood was pounding in his ears.

The duo had finally reached the lodge, and Dylan nearly smacked face first into the door as he forced it open.

Jacob managed to catch up, nearly doubling over as he stumbled into the foyer, his breathing ragged and heavy. “Jesus… Christ, man… y’gotta… slow down a bit, you almost gave me a damn heart attack..”

Dylan’s blood ran cold as he took in the sight of their ransacked surroundings, along with the blood splattered across the floor. Chairs and shelves had been either tossed to the side or flipped over by something inhumanly strong, one of which most likely being the cause of the broken window near the entrance.

There was a struggle.

A loud thud came from upstairs, forcing him to tear his eyes away from the floor for a second before being greeted by a literal beast leaping down the stairs, snarling at them both with fresh blood caked in its gums and sharp teeth.

“SHIT!” He went tumbling back, frantically looking around for any sign of a weapon nearby.

“Son of a bitch-“ Jacob’s eyes darted around the broken and ravaged space, looking for anything he could even remotely use as a weapon. He backed up a little, glancing at Dylan for a split second before looking back at the snarling beast. “UH. UH. UH.” He bends down to grab a vase, holding it like a football as he reeled back and tosses it directly at the werewolf’s head.

The vase hit the beast in the nose, causing it to stumble back and howl in anguish. While it was distracted, Dylan quickly grabbed a glass mug off the ground and slammed it against the werewolf’s legs, hoping to make its body topple over. The cup had some sort of liquid in it, which causes the monster to scream out in pain before making a leap for it towards the broken window, whimpering.

“Okay. Okay. Okay.” Jacob takes a step back, trying to keep away from the blood staining the floor. “Now that the danger is gone, we gotta figure out what the hell happened here.”

“I think I have a pretty good idea.” Dylan was still standing, but he was shaking. He stood there for a moment trying to control his breathing, before he slowly moved over to the staircase, looking at it with a sense of dread. “Stay.. stay down here. Lemme check this out.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow in concern, his face betraying his growing nervousness. “Uh… you sure, man? I mean…” He takes a step forward, trying to move to follow him up the stairs. “I don’t think going alone is such a good idea… I’d rather stick together, dude.”

Dylan turned to him, shaking his head and firmly placing both his hands onto his shoulders. “No. No, just… just stay right here. And.. don’t follow.” He gave him a light pat on the shoulder, before pushing away from him and slowly stepping onto the first stair.

Jacob let out a noise of protest. “Dude, you can’t just-”

He let out an exasperated huff as he realized Dylan wasn’t going to budge on this one, rubbing his face in frustration. “Damn it… fine. Just- just be careful, okay..?”

Dylan nodded, his expression stern. “I will.”

The floorboards creaked as he made his way up the stairs one by one, his hand gripping the broken rail tightly. With each step, the sick feeling in his gut worsened.

The upstairs hallway looked like a tornado blew through it twice, with broken furniture and splinters scattered about. The carpet was littered with holes and tears, the pictures that hung on the walls ripped and shattered. Dylan took in a breath, trying to control his rapidly beating heart before cautiously moving forward, taking each painful step slowly.

When he passed by the first room, he didn't even dare to peak through the open doorframe. He was afraid to see something he didn't want to see.

But as he looked onward, he noticed a trail of faint, crimson red footprints leading from the room to the middle of the hallway.

He swallowed, following the trail until it ended in front of the last room. He took a deep breath, gently grasping the door knob and turning it open.

The first thing his eyes landed on was Kaitlyn’s limp hand, her arm sprawled out on the floor.. along with the rest of her mangled, bloody body. Deep claw marks were etched into her face, making her barely recognizable at first glance.

A chill went throughout his body as he stumbled back in horror, eyes wide and breath quickening as bile threatened to rise up from his queasy stomach. He wanted to scream, to run down the stairs and alert Jacob of the nightmare he just witnessed. But his legs refused to listen. He was left trembling as the image of the bloodied body was forever marked in his imagination.

It had to be a dream. It had to be a terrible hallucination. It was all fake.

He finally managed to find his voice. “K--Kaitlyn.”

He forced himself closer to her form, slowly crouching down. “K-Kaitlyn.. C’mon.. wake up..”

He reached a trembling hand out, hesitantly placing it on her arm. But of course, there was no response. Why would he fucking think she’d wake up? Her blood was everywhere, and he could’ve sworn she had to crawl herself in here because the door was shut.

How the hell did this happen…? She was supposed to be in the Hackett junkyard at this point, not in the Lodge without a weapon! What went wrong? What could she have done without him by her side to cause this much of a reaction?!

And better yet, where the fuck was everyone else? Did they also get taken away and massacred by murderous teeth and claws? Or was he about to find their scattered bodies in the next room? Quite frankly, he didn’t want to know.

Because right now, he’s trying to figure out how to tell Jacob about this. How to explain that his childhood best friend has been mauled to shreds without any remorse.

His body was trembling, trembling so much it hurt. He was fighting so hard to hold back his tears.. but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them at bay. He suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here, stuck in this nightmare.

He wanted to be with Jacob, back at the lake, before the werewolf attack..

But that couldn’t happen.

None of that could happen. Not while he was currently staring down at one of his close friends.

All while his other friend was probably worried sick downstairs.

Fuck, this night better actually loop again. He needed a do-over, a fresh slate. Not this.

His mind was racing, running through all the possibilities, all the questions, all the ‘could haves’ and ‘what if’s. He was trying to think of any solution, any answer, anything, something to make sense of this..

But there was nothing.

Just a dead body and his trembling hands.

He was starting to lose his breath, his vision growing blurry. He couldn’t break down now. There was still one more thing he needed to check.

He needed to check the rest of the rooms. See if anyone was in there. But he just… didn’t have the will to.

He really didn’t want to. He did not want to stand up and get a clear look at Kaitlyn’s blood spattered, disfigured face. He did not want to walk down this hallway, see one of his friends possibly ripped in half or hanging from one of the ceiling fan strings or something.

But he had to. Not for himself, but for Jacob and everyone else downstairs. He needed to find the answers to his questions, the truth laid out on gory display. He needed to suck it up and face the brutal consequences.

He reluctantly stood to his feet, letting go of her arm as his eyes remained glued to the body. He took a shaky breath, rubbing his face with his hands before letting them fall to his side. It took so much damn will power, but he forced himself away from her limp body, heading out the door.

And then being met with a face full of Jacob’s damp shirt, causing him to tumble back a bit. He immediately went to block the doorframe with his body, holding both arms out.

“I told you not to follow!”

“Hey- Hey, dude! What-” He tried to crane his head over Dylan’s shoulder, trying to get a look inside the room, but Dylan just kept getting in his way. He let out a noise of disbelief, trying to get a better angle.

“Jesus- dude, what the hell is in the room?!”

“I’m not letting you go in there.” He pushed his body harder, stopping any chance Jacob had at getting through. His words were firm, even as they came out slightly trembling from dread. “Jacob, go the fuck back downstairs.”

Jacob raised his voice, looking even more concerned. “Dylan, I swear to god, if you don’t let me see what’s going on in there, I will push you out of the goddamn way.” He tried to get another good look in through the cracked doorway, but Dylan just kept getting in the way.

“Back up, now.” He forced Jacob back against the wall, looking him dead in the eye and letting his tone go stern. “Jacob, I swear, you will not go inside that room. You will not go in there. You will not see what’s inside. Do you understand that?”

He knew he was overreacting. But everything in him was screaming to keep Jacob as far away from this scene as possible.

“Being away from the others was a horrible goddamn idea, Jacob.”

Jacob was about to argue and shove Dylan out of the way, but he went silent as he looked into his eyes. He immediately knew that, based on the tone of Dylan’s voice, this was non-argumentative.

He took a step back, holding up both his hands up in surrender. “ Yes. Yes- I understand. I’m not going to go in there, alright? I won’t.”

There was a brief period of silence before Dylan nodded, letting out a shaky sigh as he slowly lowered his arms. He was trying to keep himself from hyperventilating, but it was getting increasingly difficult to keep himself together.

God, he just… he just needed some comfort. But he couldn’t ask for that now, he needed to have a clear mind. He needed to focus on staying strong.

“Good, alright. Good… we- we need to go. Somewhere. Anywhere.”

“…Uh..” Jacob shook his head, pushing aside the need to grab him and hold him close. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, okay. Sure,” He nodded, taking a step away from the wall and the closed door. “Let’s go downstairs, yeah? We.. we still need to find the others.”

Dylan nodded again, slowly tearing his eyes away from the room and heading to the landing. He descended the stairs, holding onto the broken railing as his limbs were still trembling.

His head was spinning, his heart was pounding, it was getting harder and harder to think straight. He felt so sick, and he just wanted the entire night to end on a snap.

By the time he reached the bottom, his legs carried him to the front door automatically, stumbling out the door before kneeling against the smaller steps and coughing up bile.

Jacob let out a noise of surprise, rushing forward and kneeling down next to him. “Dude? Dude. Holy… Jesus..” He awkwardly pats Dylan on the back, trying to keep his balance as he does so. “Are you okay- No, goddammit, that’s a dumb question. Of course you aren’t okay, look at you!”

Dylan couldn’t catch his breath, a wave of nausea and dizziness running through his head as he hunched over, gripping the wooden steps tightly. It took a moment of ragged breathing before he managed to make semi-coherent words.

“M’fine..” he let out between gasps. “I’m… I’m fine. I… I just… need a minute…”

Jacob wrapped an arm around him, supporting most of his body weight with ease. With his free hand, he awkwardly tried to fix Dylan’s hair and dab at the corners of his mouth, trying to help him to the best of his ability.

“Hey, dude. I think you need more than just a ‘minute’. You look like dogshit on the sidewalk.”

Dylan leaned in close to him, unable to even protest at how shitty he felt right now. “Thanks for pointing that out…” He coughed, resting his head on his shoulder as an attempt to ease his spinning mind. He tried to block the images in his head by squeezing his eyes shut.

Jacob rolled his eyes, giving the nape of his neck a small, comforting pat. “You’re welcome,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I have a special talent of pointing out the most obvious things.”

He sighed, his expression and tone softening. “Seriously, though, dude. Are you sure you’re okay? Y’know, like, actually okay. I can see you’re not okay, but I just need you to tell me. For my sanity. What the hell did you see in there?”

It took a lot of effort to keep himself from bursting into tears there and then. Dylan was just… he just needed a damn break. This was all too much, and way too sudden. But he bit down on his lip, forcing himself to swallow down the lump in his throat. “I… I…”

He had to tell him. This was Jacob. He just needed to get it out. He had to force it out.

“Kaitlyn’s.. in there.”

The arm that was around his waist tightened. Jacob let out a sharp intake of breath, his eyes widening.

“…What?”

He shook his head, his mind racing. “What do you… I’m sorry, what do you mean she’s in there?”

Dylan couldn’t bring himself to say it; the words caught in his throat. He could remember it too vividly, how the life drained from her already pale skin, the expression of agony forever carved into her face..

“She’s dead, Jacob.”

His breathing was hitching, his eyes staring distantly at the ground.

“She’s dead. She’s.. in there. And I saw the body. I just… I just saw it with my own eyes. And I keep imagining it and it’s just… God, it’s just horrific, and it won’t get out of my goddamn head!” He gasped for breath, and suddenly he was crying. He was crying and he couldn’t for the life of him stop the tears that were streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks.

Jacob went silent, the blood draining from his face.

“She… what… there’s no way. I-”

He shook his head, his own voice going shaky. “You’ve… you’re just… you’re just lying. This is- no. You’re lying, right? You’re screwing with me? This- this has to be one big joke, because there’s no goddamn way-”

He abruptly went to take a step back, heading back toward the Lodge’s entrance with a panicked look stuck on his face. “KAITLYN!!! K-KAITLYN!”

That snapped Dylan out of his crying fit. He suddenly grabbed onto Jacob, yanking him backwards and back into his grip. “Jacob, for the love of god, you can’t go in there. You can’t see it. You can’t see what’s in there.”

His eyes pleaded for him to stay put, his hands gripping hard onto his forearms. He could see it in Jacob’s panicked eyes that he was about to do something stupid, and that couldn’t happen.

Jacob tried to move forward, but Dylan’s grip on him was tight. “Let go!” He tried to jerk himself free, his voice cracking, “Get off of me. I’ll do whatever the hell I want! She’s MY best friend, Dylan!”

He took another step, this time almost breaking free, but Dylan’s grip on him tightened once more. That didn’t stop him from straining, trying to get to the entrance. “No, no-no-no-no, let- let me go! I have to- I have to see! If what you’re saying is true, I have to see for myself!”

“Jacob, she’s dead! What part of that don’t you get!? Her body’s in there and you don’t need to see that! I don’t even need to see that, but I did! And I don’t want you to witness her body in the state it’s in. I do not want you to witness your best friend with her goddamn face ripped off.”

Dylan’s voice was loud and cracking, both in the verge of tears and panicking. “You can’t see her like that. You can’t look at her in that state because you won’t forget it, and it’ll eat away at you. I’m not letting you go in there, I am not letting you hurt yourself like that!”

“SHUT UP!” Jacob shouted, his voice cracking.

He tried one last time to wrench himself free, but Dylan’s grip remained firm. His breaths came in quick, his eyes watering up, his head spinning.

“I don’t give a DAMN what her body looks like, I don’t care, she’s my BEST FRIEND! My best friend, who has been there for me since the start, who has been by my side when no one else was, and if she really is dead, then I HAVE TO SEE FOR MYSELF!”

“I’m saying no, Jacob!”

Dylan grabbed him by the shoulder’s, shaking him a bit to try and knock some sense in his head. “Look at me, goddamn it! Look me in the eyes and try to tell me you’re going to be able to walk out of there with a straight face! If you do this, you’re not going to be able to handle it! I know you, Jacob, you’re not going to be able to handle seeing your best friend’s lifeless body. Stop . Fighting .”

Jacob’s face was flushed, his eyes watering up as the weight of Dylan’s words finally seemed to hit him. He still tried to pull away, but it was half hearted, and it was only for a few more seconds until he finally gave up.

“F-..fine-“ he managed to squeeze in between his heavy breaths. “I’m- I’m not- fine- I’m not going in there. I won’t. ”

Dylan just exhaled as the built up nerves in his body finally gave out. His grip softened, turning into a less aggressive, more comforting hold on his shoulders.

He felt relieved, if only a little, that Jacob had actually listened to him. “You need to catch your breath, dude…” He softly murmured, shifting his grip to the nape of his neck again, his thumb rubbing soothing circles in an attempt to relax him. “I don’t know where the others could be… or if they’re even still alive. I don’t know anything anymore.”

Jacob’s entire body slumped, his eyes going glassy as he looked down at the ground, his face going blank in a way that looked almost robotic. Dylan could recognize that look from anywhere, considering he’s experienced it a million times himself.

He swallowed another lump in his throat, pulling Jacob in for a gentle hug, his hand coming up to the back of his neck again to softly thread through his hair.

He could feel his body shaking under his touch, and honestly he wasn’t in much better shape himself. He was so exhausted, both physically and mentally, he couldn’t tell which was which anymore.

“You’re okay…” he murmured, his voice just as shaky as Jacob himself. “You’re gonna be okay… we both are…”

Jacob’s body slumped against Dylan’s, making him seem so much smaller as he buried his face into his shoulder, his fists weakly clinging to his hoodie in a way that was desperately trying to ground himself.

“A-… are…? Are we? Are we okay, Dylan?”

His voice was small, shaky, and completely broken. He didn’t sound like himself at all.

“Yeah,” the taller man breathed out, his hand still running gently through his hair. “Y-Yeah, we’re okay…”

This was… hard to witness. Jacob was someone that was always trying to be strong, he was always the one trying to keep himself together. He’d never seen him this shaken up before, and it was so foreign to him.

Dylan kept his voice low, in an attempt to keep it as soft and as calming as possible. “We’re both okay… I’ve got you, dude. No matter what.”

Jacob’s hands tightened their grip, his breaths coming in ragged and shaky. He was really having a hard time keeping it together. “This-.. This can’t be real-“ He whispered, just loud enough for Dylan to hear. “T-this has to be a dream… or a nightmare, or- or something-“

He took in a sharp intake of breath, tears staining the fabric of Dylan’s shirt. “I-I can’t d-deal with this- over and over again…”

“Hey,” Dylan gently murmured, rubbing his thumb across the nape of his neck in a comforting way. “Hey, I know. Look at me, Jacob. Look at me, please.”

His voice felt shaky all over again, but he swallowed it down, trying to keep his own panic at bay as he coaxed Jacob into looking up at him. “I know,” he repeated, his voice low and gentle. “I can’t do this over and over again either. But we’ve got this, you can do this, alright? You’re doing well, dude.. and we’ll make sure everyone ends up alright next time, o-okay?”

Jacob shook his head the slightest bit, his grip on Dylan’s shirt shifting to clutch onto his arms as he lifted his head up to look at him. There were tears in his eyes and on his cheeks, and his face was flushed.

He opened his mouth to speak, but he was only able to let out a shaky breath before falling silent. He stayed like that for a few seconds, frozen and overwhelmed.

Finally, in a hushed voice that came out sounding so small, he said,  “No….i-i-i can’t, Dylan-“

“I know… I know you can,” Dylan murmured, his hand that was combing through his hair shifting to rest on his jaw, thumb gently rubbing against his cheek. “You can do this. Breathe.”

In, and out.

In, and out.

In, and out.

Slowly but surely, he was able to sync Dylan’s gentle wiping with his own breathing. It took some effort to keep the breaths going, they still came out shaky and ragged, but at least he wasn’t hyperventilating anymore.

Dylan continued to rub his thumb back and forth along his cheek, nodding in a coaxing way. “There you go.. you got it, okay? Just keep doing that.”

His other hand came up to brush the tears off his face, rubbing along the corner of his eye. He felt his own breaths get more shaky, that knot in his throat returning, but he swallowed all of it down. He needed to stay calm for Jacob’s sake.

His breathing stabilized, for the most part. The jock was still breathing pretty fast, but it wasn’t to the point where it was concerning. He could manage, for now.

He stayed silent, taking in deep breaths between shaky ones. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he leaned into Dylan’s touch tiredly.

Dylan gave a small nod of approval, letting out a soft sigh of relief as the panic finally seemed to simmer down enough. There was only so much more of this he could manage, and it seemed Jacob was in the same boat.

He shifted, readjusting his hold on the other, pulling him a little bit closer. “There you go.. that’s it. Just keep breathing. We could probably hunker down in one of the cabins for the time being, probably…”

The motion made him cling onto Dylan a little tighter, and he let out a quiet sigh as he buried his head into Dylan’s chest. He gave a slight nod. “Mmn…yeah, probably. Sounds like a good idea…”

It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. At least he didn’t seem like he was seconds away from passing out anymore. He squeezed Jacob gently, giving a small nod. “Alright-.. come on…” He murmured, shifting a bit. “You think you can walk?”

Jacob gave a slight shrug, slowly pulling away from Dylan enough for him to see his face. He looked pretty roughed up, to put it lightly; his eyes puffy and his cheeks flushed from the crying.

He nodded. “Y-yeah. I think I can manage..”

Jacob took a step back, testing out to see if he could keep himself upright without support. Surprisingly, he’d only stumbled slightly, and caught himself quickly after.

Dylan gave a small nod once more, letting his hands slide off of Jacob completely. He still kept himself close in case he needed support again, but he wasn’t going to hover over him until he fell over.

“That’s good,” he murmured, a hand coming up to rub his face. His head was starting to hurt now that all that panic had settled, both from the alcohol and from the overall situation itself. It hurt a lot more to think about it. “C’mon, I don’t think I ever ended up locking my cabin door, so we should be able to get in without busting the door down.” He chuckled lightly.

Jacob attempted a smile, but it ended up looking a lot more like a grimace. He tried to laugh, but it came out sounding hoarse and forced.

“Yeah- let’s-“ He winced at how sore his own throat felt, and he had to stop for a second to clear out his voice before speaking again. “Let’s get going.”

Jacob started to walk, his footsteps slow and heavy in a way that showed he was physically and mentally exhausted.

Dylan followed after in relative silence, keeping next to Jacob incase his steps got too slow or his legs caved in from fatigue or shock or both. He stayed close, taking in a ragged breath as the two of them headed for the cabins.

It was all quiet - aside from the crickets and cicadas and other bugs. The walk was long, and there wasn’t much conversation between himself and Jacob. Honestly, though, he wasn’t in the mood to talk.

Chapter Text

As they entered the dimly lit cabin together, Dylan is the first to collapse onto his twin sized mattress near the right side of the room. The left side was Nick’s, but clearly he won’t be needing his bed until he’s done wolfing out wherever. He let out a weak sigh, pushing his face into the small pillow that was given to him near the beginning of the summer as he heard Jacob close the door behind him, walking on over to sit down near the edge as the mattress creaked under the new weight.

Finally, in a tired and quiet voice, he said, “Dude… this just doesn’t seem real …” He let out a sigh. Jacob sounded so out of it, like he’d completely lost touch with reality. Which, in this case, would be a valid coping mechanism.

Dylan gave a short cough, his own voice just as tired and raspy. “Yeah… definitely feels like it’s just a crappy dream that could end at any point now. But…”

His eyes opened up lazily as he adjusted his head to look at him. “I’ve pinched myself like a million times today, and I feel no different. If anything, this is starting to feel more and more real by the second…”

Jacob slumped over on the bed, leaning forward with his forearms resting on his knees as he buried his face in his hands. “I never thought-“ He started talking, but his voice failed him, coming out sounding choked and strangled.

When he spoke again, his voice was strained. “God, I really wish this was a dream, Dylan. Just- something, anything, to take the fact that this is all happening away…”

“You and me both…” Dylan felt his own throat start to tighten up, his breaths growing shallow as memories of the night began to flash across his vision again.

“How-..” He swallowed a lump in his throat, finding his own voice beginning to fail him as well. His hands found their way to his hair, gripping onto the strands to keep his body from shaking. “How did this happen? I mean-...”

He shook his head, his breathing starting to get heavier with his words. “How did it end up like this?.. I mean, why us specifically?? What kind of sick supernatural entity decided to stick us into groundhog day like a bunch of chumps and just have us hash it out somehow?”

Jacob gave a humorless scoff. “I don’t know, I’m not a-“ His breath hitched, a hiccuped sort of sob getting in the way before he could manage to finish his sentence. “I’m not a god or-.. or a wizard-“

He then shook his head, his body slouching down as he continued to grip his face in his hands. He was barely holding it together, the words coming out between hitched breaths and sobs; the pain too much for him to handle. “I have no idea.”

“Yeah… me neither…” Dylan shifted, turning to his side to face him on the bed, his own breathing and heart rate picking up at an alarming pace. He couldn’t stay calm anymore, especially with the memory of what he’d had to witness.

The image burned into his mind and no matter how much he pinched himself or slapped himself to snap out of it, it was still there.

“….Being a wizard sounds kinda sick though… not gonna lie.”

A choked chuckle worked it’s way past Jacob’s lips, and he let his hands fall away from his face, taking in deep breaths as his breathing started to grow shallow. He stayed silent for a couple minutes, just staring blankly down at the floor.

“Yeah, it would be.” He finally muttered. “I’d give anything to be a wizard right about now.” He let a breath go with a sigh, his eyes shutting. “Not- not the Harry Potter kind.”

It was only a bit, but the tension from the room seemed to lift slightly - at least for Dylan, in a sort of bittersweet way.

He gave a weak, tired smile. “Preach. I’d rather not be wrapped up in that. I was thinking more along the lines of… Gandalf.”

“Seriously? You’d want to be an old guy with a long beard?” Jacob gave an amused scoff- “I’d personally go for a spell caster from D&D.”

“Hey, at least he’s an awesome old guy! Plus,” Dylan added, his grin widening the slightest bit. “He’s got the sick ass robes. Can’t go wrong with a good set of robes.”

He went to sit up a bit, repositioning himself so that he’s pressed up against the wall, making more room beside him. “C’mere, there’s no heater in here and i’m still cold from the whole lake fiasco.”

Jacob gave a short chuckle, shifting along the bed so he was closer to Dylan, and eventually laying next to him. The mattress creaked under the shift in weight, Jacob’s body sinking into the old and uncomfortable mattress in the most pleasant way possible.

“I guess he has got the sick ass robes.” He murmured. Jacob adjusted so that his head was resting on Dylan’s chest, his eyes shutting.

“Damn right he does.” He agreed, his smile slowly growing wider as he felt a sense of warmth return to his chest at the weight against him. Dylan wrapped an arm gently around Jacob, and his fingers eventually found themselves running through his hair in a gentle combing fashion. At this point, he wasn’t really thinking about anything, and he let the silence fill the room.

Eventually, after what could’ve been ten minutes or two hours, Jacob gave a tired mumble. “This is hell, but at the same time…”

He shifted a bit, pulling himself closer. “This is nice.”

Dylan’s fingers stopped combing for a moment, but then continued their steady motion, feeling the gentle movements of his head rising and falling against his chest as he breathed.

“Yeah… it is.” He murmured with a soft sigh. A little chuckle left his lips. “I mean, it’s not hell .. more like purgatory.”

Jacob’s breathing slowed, and his body slackened against Dylan. A tired sigh escaped his lips, eyes drooping. “Purgatory sounds… more accurate.” He murmured.

Dylan’s fingers continued to comb through Jacob’s hair until his breathing finally evened out. He felt himself starting to drift off as well, his eyes slowly closing.

“Yeah…” He breathed out, exhaustion making it harder to keep himself awake. Dylan’s arm tightened around him weakly as he shut his eyes. “I’m gonna take five… gotta recharge my brain ‘n stuff..” Jacob murmured incoherently, his fingers clutching at the front of Dylan’s shirt as he settled in, getting more comfortable.

There was a moment of silence, the only sound in the room being the quiet chirping of crickets from outside along with the occasional sound of bugs buzzing nearby.

As the room settled in a warm, and dare he say, comfortable silence, Dylan let his eyes close, his breathing starting to fall into a steady pattern as sleep took over his mind, and he ended up dozing off with Jacob in his arms.

4:45 A.M.

“DYLAN! JACOB! I CAN- I CAN LITERALLY SEE YOU GUYS IN THERE!” A familiar voice boomed from the other side of the door outside, an anxious fist knocking against the old wood that causes Dylan to stir in place. He sat up groggily, squinting at the person in the window with blurry vision at first before he reaches up to wipe his eyes.

“Uggnn… who the hell…?” As he slowly lowered back down his hands, blonde hair came into view, along with someone standing beside her. Ryan, with a shotgun in both hands. It’s probably not his, if he were to guess.

“Laura?” He mumbled, wiggling himself out of Jacob’s sleepy arms to head over to the door and unlock it, poking his head out.

“Do you have ANY idea what’s been happening around here all night!?” The blonde woman exclaimed right in his face, causing him to stumble back some from pure whiplash. He winces, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Uhhh… yeah..? I think i’ve got a pretty good idea, actually…”

She immediately scoffed, shoving past him and inside the cabin. “Well then, enlighten me, why don’t you.” Her eyes scanned around the room, landing on a still-sleeping Jacob on the bed. “Damn, you two really got some nice shut eye, didn’t you? Bet you guys could sleep through a tornado with no issue.” Ryan gave a small scoff, making his way inside as well. “So have you guys seriously just been… hunkering down in here the whole time?”

He couldn’t even get a word out, the sleep was still in his system and it was a pain to even keep his eyes open to even form a sentence. He sighed, closing the door behind them as he nodded. “I guess you could say that… We needed a break after seeing what went down in the Lodge.” An unwelcome shiver ran through his body at the sheer memory, making him feel nauseous.

“Yeah, we saw.” Laura grumbled, propping herself up against the wall. “Not a lot of survivors by the looks of it.” Ryan gave a weak frown, scratching the back of his neck. “Don’t tell Jacob, but we found Emma’s body out in the woods, next to the lake.”

Dylan rubbed a hand over his face, trying to get his brain to work for a moment. “Oh, Jesus…” He mumbled, his head and mind hurting at this point. “Anyone else?”

Ryan shook his head. “Not that we know of. We’ve been pretty much combing the woods since midnight and not much luck.”

Laura scoffed again, crossing arms over her chest. “At least you two were able to catch some sleep. I was stuck out there, all night, with that jerkass.” She jerked her head over at Ryan, which prompted a tired groan in response from him.

“Oh, don’t give me that right now. We’re all just tired and stressed out of our minds, and you aren’t making it any easier.”

Dylan sat back, head in hands as he rubbed at his temples. Okay, okay… how did they get to this point? Something must’ve happened that caused them to come looking for the others. All he needed to do is tie up the loose ends of their stories…

There was the sound of rustling from the bed, and then a sleepy thump as Jacob sat up, wiping sleep from his eyes with a disgruntled expression. He seemed to have trouble staying upright, his head tilting to the side and his eyes staring blankly at nothing.

“Dude… dude… what in the hell is going on…?” He mumbled, looking dazed and confused as he looked around the room.

“Oh, would you look at that, Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake.” Laura deadpanned. “You got some wonderful timing right there, don’t you?”

“Oh, bump off his funky flow.” Dylan mumbled, rolling his eyes as he looked over. “Hey, man. Ryan and Laura found us. No need to start uh, swinging.”

Jacob didn’t respond, his eyes widening as he finally seemed to register the fact that they weren’t alone in the room. His face went a bit pale, and he sat up properly, shoving the sheets off of him. “Ah… uh… hey guys.” He murmured, shifting uncomfortably.

Laura rolled her eyes, but it wasn’t as rude or sarcastic as earlier, which was a good sign of progress. Ryan, on the other hand, gave a tired smirk before responding. “Hey. You good? You look about ready to puke, dude.”

Dylan readjusts his sitting position, clearing his throat. “Well you see, one would feel like puking after finding out their childhood friend is dead.” He bluntly stated, and Ryan cringes. “Poor Kaitlyn, man…”

Jacob looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah… right.”

There was an awkward silence before Laura spoke up again, her face going grim. “So, what the hell was going on in here? You two just… what, decided to take a good long nap while we were all running around this shithole?”

Dylan grimaced at the accusatory tone as he crossed his arms across his chest, looking up at her. “Yeah, actually. We needed a minute to just fucking breathe for a moment. You know, process the events? Deal with it in our own way??” Was it even worth trying to explain their situation to them?

Her eyes narrowed again, but she stopped and thought about what he said for a moment. Surprisingly, she let out a sigh and crossed her arms. “You know what? Fine. That seems fair…”

Ryan gave a short nod in agreement. “Yeah, considering everything that went on tonight… we probably all could have used some rest, to be honest.”

Dylan sighed, but he nodded in understanding as well. “Yeah, exactly. Sorry, it wasn’t like we were just sleeping for no reason. We had… stuff happen, earlier. But it doesn’t matter. Just…” He groaned, running his hands through his hair as he stood up, trying to clear his head. “What have you guys been doing this whole time?”

Laura crossed the room, leaning her hip up against a table by the wall. “Mostly searching the woods, a bit of screaming and running around… you know, the usual in shitty situations.”

“Yep.” Ryan chimed in, shoving his hands into his pockets. “It wasn’t a good night for anyone, but at least we’ve come out in one piece-“ He went quiet, and he gave a nervous sigh. “Almost in one piece, anyways.”

Laura gave a firm nod. “More specifically, we’ve been trying to find the Hackett’s. There’s this sheriff, Travis, who locked me and my boyfriend up in a cellar for the whole goddamn summer-“

“I know, I know. You both got bit by a werewolf, the weird sheriff guy kept you two in cells, you lost an eye and that’s why you look like a pirate…” Dylan gestures a limp hand up to the blonde’s confused face.

“… and now that you’ve both escaped, you’re trying to regroup and find Chris because you think he’s the one who wolfed out and bit you both.” He deadpanned, looking over at a stunned looking Ryan before turning his attention back to Laura.

“Did I get that right..?”

Laura was wide-eyed, her expression stunned. “Uh, yeah, actually. That’s… that’s scarily accurate.”

Ryan, on the other hand, was absolutely flabbergasted. “Dude, how the hell do you know any of that-?!”

Dylan shrugged, looking away from the two. “Lucky guess.”

Laura’s gaze narrowed. “Yeah, a really lucky guess.” She took a step forward, grabbing the shotgun from Ryan’s hands. “What the hell do you know?”

Jacob sat up straighter, quickly putting an arm out between the two. “Woah, woah! No need to take any shots here.” He interjected, eyeing the weapon wearily. “We have a perfectly valid explanation.”

“Oh, no. Don’t tell me… is this about the whole “night repeating itself” crap you were ranting about back at the fire pit??” Ryan frowned, shooting Dylan a confused look.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence as Dylan and Jacob looked at each other, both mentally debating whether or not it would be a good idea to tell them the truth.

Finally, much to his chagrin, Dylan nodded. “Yeah… that’s the gist of it. This night has already happened once, I shit you not. Except there’s a lot more… death going on for some reason.” He put a hand up to his chin, squinting at the ground as he tried searching for a valid explanation for that.

Laura looked dumbfounded, her mouth slightly agape as she stared blankly at him. Her face paled, and her grip on the shotgun loosened.

Ryan’s mouth had dropped open as well, his eyebrows raised in shock. “You… what ? You’re being serious right now, aren’t you..?”

“How else would he know about that stuff?” The blonde murmured, shaking her head at the ground as she tried grounding herself back to reality.

Dylan nodded once more, his expression solemn. “I’m deadass serious. There’s not any other logical explanation for how I’d know any of that stuff.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes weakly. His head was already starting to hurt again. “But for some goddamn reason, only me and Jacob are aware of what happened… and that part has been kinda driving me a bit nuts.” He gave a weak chuckle, the smile not reaching his eyes in the slightest.

The pair’s eyes darted over toward Jacob for a moment. He was sitting awkwardly on the bed, wringing his fingers together and keeping his gaze fixated upon the floor.

Ryan and Laura gave each other a look before turning back over at him, both their eyes narrowing. The air was definitely a lot more tense all of a sudden.

Laura was the first to speak. “…Heh. I… yeah. That’s certainly one hell of a claim.”

There was an even more awkward pause. Ryan cleared his throat, his gaze still stuck to the two boys. “So… you’re saying that you two.. knew the future? You knew what was gonna happen?” There was a disbelieving air to his voice. “So why the hell didn’t you two do anything about it? You could’ve at least warned everyone about the werewolves!”

“It’s not that simple, Ryan.” Dylan tried to keep his tone leveled, but he couldn’t help but to feel annoyed. “It’s not like we can just go up to everyone and just say, “Oh, by the way, did you know you might die tonight??” We’d get thrown in a nuthouse within a matter of minutes.”

Laura scoffed. “Yeah, you two would. They’d think you were nuts…” She sighed, shaking her head. “I’m just trying to wrap my goddamn head around this. And you’re both completely serious, right? You didn’t do any drugs or drink anything?”

“I’ve never taken a single drug in my life, thank you very much!” Jacob huffed, crossing his arms stubbornly like a confident child.

“No, we’re definitely not on drugs.” Dylan groaned, rubbing his face with one hand. “I swear to God, if I was on acid or something, I’d be doing a lot more than sitting here talking to you two. I’d probably be talking to… a raccoon or something. Maybe a bear.”

Laura raised an eyebrow. “That’s not at all how acid works, dude.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure acid just makes you hallucinate, not hallucinate sentient animals…” Ryan chipped in.

Jacob’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. “How do you guys know so much about the effects of… you know. Drugs? And acid apparently…”

“Hey, man… drugs are a part of growing up. You’ve never even taken a puff of weed, like, ever in your life?” Dylan asked, raising his eyebrows at him. “Seriously, man?”

Jacob’s eyes widened, and he shook his head wildly. “What? Why would I!? Weed is bad for you, dude! I need to keep my bod healthy for sports and shit. Can’t go ruining my lungs over something stupid…” he gave a tiny pout, looking back at Dylan like a disappointed puppy. “Have you done any hard drugs?”

Dylan chuckled a bit. “Me? Hah-!” He smirked a bit, giving a small nod. “Yeah, man. Been there, done that. I’ve done… a lot of things. My late high school years are pretty… blurry to look back on, actually.” He squints, staring down at the floor momentarily while Laura sighed. “Ugh, enough about drugs! No more drug talk. Me and Ryan are going to go back out there and call for help in the radio hut, in case no one did earlier.”

“Wait, you guys haven’t done that already?” Dylan questioned, his head tilting to the said in confusion. “Jesus Christ, me and Ryan should’ve gone down there and done it hours ago!”

“You both look like you’ve just been sitting around all night.” She muttered with a scoff, “sounds like neither of you did anything productive.”

Dylan groaned, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Well, excuse us, I guess. We’ve been, you know, trying to process a nightmare situation-“

She rolled her eyes. Laura looked like she had more to say, but Ryan’s hand clamped down on her shoulder, effectively cutting her off. “Let’s go.” He nudged her forward. She looked as if she was about to protest, until something in his expression stopped her.

She huffed, turning around and exiting the cabin. Ryan paused at the door, looking back at them for a moment. “Don’t… go anywhere, I guess. We’ll be back.”

It was then that Dylan and Jacob were alone once again. Jacob’s shoulders slumped, and he let out a weary sigh, his head rolling back against the bed frame as he shut his eyes.

“Good to know that Ryan, of all people, seems to be the smarter one when it comes to situations like this.” He muttered. “Asshat…”

Dylan chuckled, shaking his head. “Can’t say he’s wrong, though. We have sat around and kind of just… done nothing.” He rubbed the back of his neck, shifting into a more comfortable position on the mattress. “Hey, what’s your beef with Ryan anyway? It seems like you’ve sorta hated his guts since the very beginning…”

Jacob sat up, crossing his arms over his chest in a stubborn sort of manner. “It’s nothing personal. He’s just… annoying.” He mumbled.

“Annoying?” Dylan repeated back, grinning. “How so? Is it his brooding behavior around large groups of people? Y’know I find his mysteriousness to be kinda hot.”

Jacob gave a scoff. “I can’t stand that-... that ‘lone wolf’ act he has going on, it’s so irritating!” He huffed. “He thinks he’s so cool, just cuz he doesn’t ‘need anybody’…. It’s bullshit.”

Dylan chuckled, laying back as his hands went up behind his head. “Heh… well, he kind of is cool. He’s all mysterious and dark, and he probably looks great underneath those baggy clothes he wears-“

“Oh shut up, dude….” Jacob was starting to look a little annoyed. “You’re just saying that because you have a thing for the ‘brooding-lone-wolf’ type who are really just softies on the inside.”

Jacob shot him a glare, his eyes narrowing. “Dude, seriously, stop it!” He huffed, crossing his arms stubbornly. “Stop gushing over him, it’s making me sick. Especially when you’re on the verge of cuddling me!”

Dylan snickered, gently shoving his shoulder. “Hey, I’m just messing with you! Relax…” He chuckled a bit more, grinning as he turned on his side to face him. “You’re a hell of a lot more cuddlier than Ryan, that’s for sure.”

Jacob stuck out his tongue in an immature manner, then let out a defeated sigh, his shoulders going slack as he slumped back against the bedframe.

“You know, one of the worst things about you is your ability to go from serious to completely lighthearted in the span of two seconds. It’s annoying as hell.”

Dylan rolled his eyes, a sly smirk stretching across his face. “Oh come on, you looove it. I have amazing multitasking skills, my dude. I know a lot of things, and I can go from super serious to super silly in a second, and that’s what makes me special.”

“Sure, dude, whatever.” Jacob huffed out. “Sounds more like you being annoying to me…”

Then in a softer tone, he added: “It’s not… it’s not like you actually meant what you said about Ryan anyway, right..?”

Dylan raised an eyebrow. “Huh..? Dude, I was telling the truth; Ryan is hot. I like dudes with a bit of that ‘lone wolf’ edge to them.”

Jacob went quiet for a moment, his eyes narrowing further, his face turning sour. “Right, right… can I go back to sleep now..?” He asked, his voice sounding strangely flat, like he was trying to keep his tone neutral. “Still kinda tired.”

Dylan’s eyebrows raised, his expression quizzical. “Uh… sure, dude. You can go ahead and nap. I’ll wake you up if anything happens, or whenever Laura and Ryan get back.”

“Right, okay. Great, thanks…” Jacob huffed out, laying down and shifting until he was comfortable. He gave a tired sigh, shutting his eyes and doing his best to ignore the churning knot of discomfort that was forming in his stomach for “some reason”.

Chapter Text

For whatever reason, Laura and Ryan didn’t come back. It’s been five hours and not even a knock from their window was heard. It got Dylan theorizing, staring blankly up at the ceiling as he tried to think up a valid reason behind what happened.

He never made it back to the group near the beginning of the night, having been with Jacob for the remainder of the time. He and Ryan would’ve gone to go radio for help after the whole Nick incident. But since he wasn’t there, nobody even suggested it to begin with? How could that be?

And after that, he and Kaitlyn would’ve gone to the junkyard to try and find a spare part for the van. However, that didn’t happen either due to his absence. Meaning whatever werewolf was lurking around there made its way to the main lodge, resulting in Kaitlyn being… well, mauled.

And as for Jacob, his absence caused Emma’s death because he wasn’t there while she was near the lake. Or maybe something else happened and Dylan just isn’t aware of it yet. He honestly wasn’t entirely sure.

So where is Abigail in all this? Was she safe? Was she dead? There wasn’t really any point in checking since six a.m. is only half an hour away. And yeah, he’s nervous. Because what if they aren’t set back and everything stays the same? What if they both have to just… live with this new reality of death and destruction forever? He doesn’t have the money for therapy! His insurance couldn’t cover that!

His thoughts were interrupted by the creak of shifting, turning his head to look over. It seemed that despite his efforts, Jacob had yet to fall asleep, instead lying on his side with his back turned towards him, eyes open and staring blankly at the wall.

Fucking mood.

The silence in the room was loud and uncomfortable, and Dylan was at a loss of words. What do you say to in a situation like this? “Hey, it’ll all work out in the end”? Would that really be a good thing to say at this moment? Because Dylan doesn’t even know if that’s the case or not.

Jacob eventually let out a sigh, shifting and turning on to his other side so that he was facing Dylan. His eyes were shut, but his expression made it clear that he was just as wide awake as he was. “They aren’t coming back, are they?” He asked quietly.

Dylan shifted in place, propping himself up on one arm as he looked over at the other boy in the dark. He let out a sigh and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’ve been trying to make sense of all of this in my head, but there’s just… so many loose strings that don’t tie in together. Maybe.. maybe we’re just overthinking it? I don’t think they’ve been gone for that long..”

For a moment, Jacob was quiet, staring at the wall behind Dylan with a blank expression. “It’s been… almost six hours, Dylan. They’re not coming back, we both know that,” he let out another sigh, his shoulders slumping tiredly as he shut his eyes. “They aren’t…”

Dylan let out a dejected sigh in agreement, sinking back down into the bed. “Yeah… yeah, I guess so.” They sat in a thick, uncomfortable silence for God knows how long before he spoke up again. “I think the werewolves might’ve dog piled on them.. or something. There’s probably too many out there to fend off.”

Jacob shifted again, laying onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. “I… yeah. Yeah that’s probably it.” He murmured, though he didn’t sound very sure of himself. “They’re probably… trying to fight them off. Or running. Or something…”

Dylan nodded despite Jacob not being able to see it right away. The words felt dry and useless as they crawled out of his throat, but he said it anyway. “Yeah… maybe they’ve just got themselves stuck in a really crappy situation.”

Another stretch of silence passed. It felt like the air in the room was getting thicker. “Or…” Jacob shifted so that he was laying on his side again, staring blankly at the wall. “Or maybe they’re…” He trailed, his voice fading away mid-sentence as if not daring to finish his thought.

Dylan’s stomach churned. He knew what Jacob was going to say, but that didn’t make it any less unbearable to hear. He let out a weary sigh. “Or maybe what, Jacob?” He murmured, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the ceiling. “Maybe they’ve been turned into werewolf chow? There’s no point in beating around the bush, all of them are probably dead.” His eyes flick up to look over at the clock. 5:45.

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was that of their soft breathing. Then it was interrupted by a shaky exhale and a “Yeah… they’re probably all dead,” from Jacob. He curled up tighter, his hands gripping the sheets in a tight fist. “They’re all… they’re probably all…” His voice trailed off again, words failing him.

Dylan’s throat felt closed up, and he could feel a familiar tightness creeping up into his chest, the same lump tightening the back of his throat that he felt earlier all throughout the night. “This was a total failure on our part. We shouldn’t have just goofed off like nothing mattered anymore.”

Jacob let out a scoff, his lips twisting into a bitter frown. “Why bother trying to save anyone? They’re all just going to end up dead anyway. Nothing we do is going to make a difference,” he let out another shaky breath, his voice wavering a bit. “We… we were just trying to make the best of it. Not our fault that people unintentionally got hurt!”

“That doesn’t make it right, Jacob!” Dylan snapped, sitting up straight and glaring down at him, the tightness in his throat becoming even more unbearable. “It doesn’t make it better that we just stood by and sat on our asses while everyone around us was dying!”

Jacob sat up as well, his frown turning into a furious scowl, his entire body tense with anger. “And what exactly were we supposed to do, huh?!” He growled, his eyes narrowing. “What were we supposed to do? Defeat the werewolves with our bare hands?! I’m not a damn superhero, Dylan! Neither are you!”

“We could’ve at least tried to do something!” Dylan shot back, climbing off of the bed so that he could start pacing along the floor. “But no, we just sat around and did nothing the whole night because we’re both goddamn useless!”

Jacob’s anger faded, replaced by shame. He averted his gaze from Dylan, staring down at the floor like a scolded child being lectured by their parent. He crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly, his shoulders slumping.

He didn’t have any valid argument, so he didn’t say anything.

Dylan went quiet for a moment, gripping his hair as he paced across the room. “We just… we just stayed at a cabin the whole night because we didn’t have the balls to go out there and, like… I dunno, try and do something?” He let out a bitter chuckle. “I guess we’re not as brave as we thought we were, huh?”

5:50.

Jacob wrapped his arms around his midsection, curling up into himself. “Way to make a guy feel better… yeesh.”

“Oh, shut up! This isn’t a time to play the victim!” Dylan snapped, his voice raised. “We deserve to feel awful over ourselves, alright? Because we screwed up- badly. People are DEAD because of US.” He shoved a finger right up against his own chest, jaw clenched.

“Well we couldn’t know that would happen!” Jacob retorted, his voice rising in a mix of anger and fear. “How were we supposed to know that they’d die?!”

His hands went up to his hair, yanking at his locks in frustration. “This is stupid…” He snarled under his breath, his shoulders slumping. “It’s not fair for you to go and guilt trip me like this!”

“Not fair?!” Dylan repeated, disbelief filling his words. “Not fair?! Are you kidding me?!” He turned around, staring him down with a fury that Jacob had never seen in him before. “This is just as much your fault as it is mine, so you don’t get to put the blame on me alone!”

“I’m not putting the whole blame on you, jackass!” Jacob growled back, sitting up straight and rising to his feet to meet Dylan’s gaze head on. “You’re the one guilt tripping and yelling! I’ve been trying to stay calm and just go with the flow!”

He gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Dylan and let out a harsh huff. “This isn’t all just MY fault!”

“Oh, so it’s just all mine, then?!” Dylan retorted with the same level of ferocity, his hands balling into fists at his sides as he stalked forward. “Because as far as I remember, I’m not the one who suggested doing nothing about the werewolves! YOU were the one who suggested that we go off and do our own thing since none of it fucking matters anyway!”

“Yeah, and look at how wrong I was!” Jacob snapped back, his face twisted into a furious scowl. He held his ground instead of backing up, standing with his arms crossed stubbornly. “What else should we have done, huh?! Run around like a bunch of chickens with our heads chopped off?! I just wanted to have fun!”

Dylan scoffed at that. “And have fun we did.” He replied venomously, an angry sneer pulling at his lips. “We had a nice chat, didn’t we? Maybe even a good little heart to heart in the lake. That sure as hell counts as having a fun time, right?”

“Yeah, so what?!” Jacob snarled, raising his chin defiantly. “So we spent maybe an hour or two having a nice time- at least a little bit of us enjoying ourselves! Why the hell are you so pissed about that?!”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Dylan replied sarcastically, throwing his hands up in the air. “Maybe because we took time to have fun while people were DYING in the woods? Maybe because we spent the entire night dicking around instead of trying to stop it?!”

5:55.

“We didn’t know they would die!” Jacob protested, throwing his hands out to the side and balling his hands into tight fists. “And it’s not our responsibility to try and stop it! We’re teens, for christ’s sake!”

He pointed at Dylan accusingly, his jaw clenched. “Why in the hell should it be our responsibility?!”

“Because we’re the ones who know about this stuff!” Dylan snapped, shoving one of Jacob’s accusing fingers out of the way. “Because they’re our damn friends who we watched die and we just… stood by and, and sat there with our thumbs up our asses and did nothing to stop this!! Why is that so hard for you to understand?!”

“Because it’s stupid and it’s not our responsibility!” Jacob huffed, his voice raised in a mixture of anger and fear. “I didn’t choose to deal with this, and neither did you! If the world wants to put us in an impossible situation for the rest of time then so be it!” He roughly shoved the latter away, arms stubbornly crossed.

Dylan had to lean back against the wall in order to not stumble, catching himself just in time. If he wasn’t bristling with rage before, he sure as hell is now. “Fuck you, Jacob.” It came out as a low, venomous spat that’s never been uttered before by him.

Jacob had an almost smug, haughty expression on his face. He placed his hands on his hips, looking very satisfied with himself. “Aww, are you hurt? What happened, Mr. Tough Guy? Finally get something through that thick skull of yours?”

Within the span of zero seconds, Dylan’s hands were on him, fists balling up the front of his shirt, and shoving him back.

It happened so suddenly, Jacob was caught off guard, letting out a startled gasp as he was roughly pressed up against the wall, his head smacking against the wood before a fist collided with his nose.

The wind was knocked out of him and he let out a sharp grunt of pain as he brought his hands up to try and pry Dylan off of him. “Ow!” He exclaimed, pushing at his chest. “Get… off you jackass…!”

He didn't, in fact, get off. Instead, he shoved him harder into the wall hard enough to draw a whimper out of him. His jaw was clenched tightly, knuckles turning white from gripping the fabric of his shirt with a vice grip.

"You're such an absolute douche !" He sneered, his eyes narrowing with unbridled anger as he went to swing again. Knuckles collided with the side of Jacob’s face. “I’d rather be stuck with a million rabid bears than have YOU as my only source of companionship!”

Jacob cried out again, bringing a hand up to try and cover his face. “Stop it! You- ow! ” He cried out, trying to pull away from the latter. His body was tense, his eyes screwed shut. “Shut up, you jackass! I’m tired of your bullshit too!”

Dylan let out another scoff. “Oh, I’ll shut up when you actually start saying something that doesn’t piss me off!” He snapped, shifting so that he pinned him harder against the wall, his other hand grabbing his chin roughly and forcing it upwards so that he was glaring at him down. “You really thought I was just gonna let you say that and NOT do anything about it? I’ll say it again: fuck you, Jacob!”

The words stung, but Jacob wouldn’t back down. Instead, he twisted around and grabbed a fistful of Dylan’s shirt, yanking him forward. “Yeah, well… f-fuck me yourself!” He snapped viciously, returning his furious glare. “You’re just as bad as I am… you don’t get to act all high and mighty with me!”

“Oh, you can fuck right off with that!” Dylan snapped in reply, gripping the other’s hip in a bruising grip. “How is any of this-?”

Jacob’s face is twisted into a sneer of anger and hurt. “Because you keep on blaming me for everything that went wrong tonight, dickhead!” He spat hatefully. “You keep acting like it’s completely my fault that everything happened! It’s not! We’re in this together, remember?? Or are you just gonna ignore that too?” He stuck his tongue out at him, like a child at their last line of defense.

He doesn’t know if it was the overwhelming amount of anger building up or the fact that his emotions weren’t being properly controlled… but as his eyes drifted down, Dylan’s teeth locked around Jacob’s tongue in a rough bite.

A shriek came from the latter’s open mouth, and Dylan could taste blood. Copper.

6:00.

Things got a whole lot brighter as Dylan jolted up from his bed, no longer standing over Jacob like a guy looking for vengeance. The boy wasn’t even in the cabin with him anymore. Instead, Nick was at the opposite side of the room, lying on his bed comfortably with a curious glint in his eye as he eyed Dylan. “Uhh… you good, Dyl?” The Aussie spoke, a voice he hasn’t heard in a good while but didn’t mind in the slightest.

For a moment, Dylan just sat there in bed, staring blankly at him. And then, he let out a long, deep sigh before slowly nodding. “Y… Yeah..” He replied, his voice a bit raspy. “Just… just dozed off for a bit.” His eyes flick up to read the clock on the wall, squinting.

6:00 p.m.

Back to square one.

Nick raised a brow at him, shifting so that he could sit up further. “But we were talking just a second ago. How do you just… fall asleep?” He pointed out, though his words were meant more to be caring rather than judging as he set aside his luggage bag.

“Guess I was just that tired,” Dylan muttered. “And, y’know. It’s been a long, stressful ass day. I guess it just, y’know… caught up to me.”

Nick gave a small nod of understanding, leaning back. “Yeah, I feel ya on that one. I’m guessing you haven’t gotten Ryan’s number yet?”

The question caught Dylan off guard, still caught up in what he had done only a few minutes prior. “Uh, what?” He blinked, raising an eyebrow at the random change in topic. “Ryan’s… number…?”

Nick nodded again, a puzzled look on his face. “Yeah. You’ve been babbling on about wanting his number for like, most of the day. How can you forget? I’ve pretty much had it drilled into my brain!”

“Ah… crap. That’s right.” Dylan muttered to himself, running a tired hand over his face. Great, now he has to try and flirt his way into Ryan’s heart all over again. Joy. He let out a sigh, sitting up and throwing his legs over the edge. “Guess I better go do that now then, huh?” He slipped out of bed and stood to his feet, a bit disoriented. Shit, he didn’t feel good at all.

Nick nodded, his expression shifting into one of concern as he looked over at him. “You okay, man? You look a bit pale…”

Dylan shook his head, waving a dismissive hand at him. “Oh, just tired, is all. I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.” He said, giving a little smirk. “I’m a tough dude, remember?” His hand reaches out to grab onto the door handle, turning it slowly before swinging open the door. He half expected to be blasted with evening sun rays poking out from behind the trees nearby, but instead… he’s met with Jacob. A very… all over the place looking Jacob.

Jacob looked as if he was a deer in headlights, his fist raised as if he was about to knock. His eyes were wide open, and he looked completely stiff. “Uhh… D-Dylan?” He began, his voice quivering slightly. He didn’t have Emma’s luggage tucked under his arm this time, so there’s a good chance he made a beeline for Dylan’s cabin as soon as he could.

Dylan’s heart ached in his chest as he stared at him. No fighting, no screaming, no anger. Just a whole lot of uncomfortable tension. A clean slate for the both of them. It felt like he was going to be sick.

He forces himself to take a step outside, closing the door behind him before sucking air in through his teeth. “…. Okay. New loop. That’s… fun.” He began sarcastically.

Jacob was quiet for a moment, his gaze flickering down to the dirt path. His arms hung loosely at his sides, looking as if he was trying to debate on what to say next. “Uhh… yeah. I guess so.” He muttered, his voice was soft-spoken and… meek.

He ran a hand through his hair, his gaze rising back up to meet Dylan’s. His expression was still tense, but there was a hint of… something else. Nothing that Dylan could put a finger on.

“Did- did you bite my fucking tongue?” Jacob finally asked in a shaky deadpan.

It took a moment for the words to hit him, and then Dylan went absolutely stiff. His face drained of all color, and he stared at him with open mouthed surprise. “Excuse me..?” He spoke, trying to feign ignorance.

How the hell could he just casually mention that? Out in the open?!

Jacob’s face remained unmoving, eyes narrowed into a suspicious glare. “You heard me, dipshit. I said, did you bite my tongue?” He questioned, repeating himself.

His hands went onto his hips as he puffed out his chest. “I got my memory back as soon as this loop started, and first thing I noticed was that the right side of my tongue has a weirdly numb ache to it!” he said, rolling his tongue against his cheek. “Not pain, just this… numbness.”

Dylan could feel his knees starting to wobble, and he let out a breath. “I… I…” He tried to find the words to answer, but to no avail. “Y-yeah. Yeah…. yes, I did..” His eyes flicked back and forth from the dirt below their feet to his shoes, avoiding eye contact with a burning passion. “I wasn’t exactly thinking when I did it, alright?”

Jacob’s eyes widened, and he took a half step back. “…you bit me. You- you really bit me.”

He let out an angry huff of air between his teeth as he glowered at the latter. “What in the hell possessed you to do that, huh?! There’s like a thousand different ways to put me in my place, and you chose to bite my tongue?!” He jabbed a finger against Dylan’s chest, shoving him back. “C’mon, man! You could’ve at LEAST slapped me! I would’ve taken a slap!”

“What does it matter how I put you in your place?!” Dylan retorted, his anger starting to return. “You’re lucky that’s the only thing I did!” He swatted Jacob’s hand away from his chest. “And while you probably would’ve taken that slap like a good boy, I still wanted to make it hurt somehow!”

“Well, congratulations, dickhead. You definitely made it hurt.” Jacob snarked, his arms crossing in a defiant huff before faltering hard. “Wait what was that last part?”

“Huh? What last part?” Dylan raised a brow, the corners of his mouth twitching into the beginning of a smirk. “I didn’t say nothing.”

“Bullshit! I definitely heard you say something sus, man.” Jacob shot back, his face going red in embarrassment.

That was enough to break Dylan’s resolve, and his smirk spread across his face into a full on grin. He leaned in a bit closer towards Jacob, tilting his head to the side. “Oh? What did I say, Jakey? Hmm?” His voice took on a teasing edge to it. “Care to repeat it?”

“S-Shut up.” It sounded more like a reflex than a command, a knee jerk reaction to his face turning even more red. Jacob’s gaze darted down to the side in an attempt to avoid looking at him. “I’m just- I misheard, or something. I don’t know.”

“What are you two talking about over here?” A voice cut through their conversation, causing both boys to turn their heads. And for a second, Dylan went completely stiff when he saw Kaitlyn walking towards them. She looked alive.

She is alive. A stark contrast to her face looking mauled and nearly unidentifiable.

She took one look at Dylan and her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Dude, you look as pale as a ghost. You okay?” She asked, coming to a halt a couple of feet in front of them.

His first instinct was to dismiss the concern, to say that he’s fine, but he found that all he could do was just stare at her with wide eyes. “Y-Yeah, I’m…. totally fine..” He muttered, shaking his head briefly. In actuality, he felt a small wave of relief wash over him. It was nice to see her again.

“Kaitlyn!” Jacob exclaimed, arms out before they go to quickly wrap around the girl’s middle without hesitation, trapping her in a bear hug. “Gah! J-Jesus, Jake! What the hell?!” She yelled, lacking any actual annoyance since she looked more confused than angry.

Jacob ignored her protest, continuing to basically crush her in a tight hug. “Shut up and take the hug, it’s for my benefit, not yours.” He muttered, his grip on her was a bit desperate.

She rolled her eyes, yet didn’t make an effort to push him off. “Pfff. You’re a loser.” She scoffed, lightly thumping the back of his shoulder. “A clingy loser.” She eyed Dylan curiously, quirking a brow. “Any idea what this is about?”

Dylan shook his head and let out a sigh. “No clue.” He replied nonchalantly, stuffing his hands into the pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels. “Probably saw a spider earlier or something.”

Jacob’s arms loosened slightly, but he didn’t let go entirely. Instead he rested his chin on the top of her head, letting out a breath. It was almost like he was soaking in her presence, as weird as that sounds. However, Dylan didn’t blame him.

A beat of silence went by before the clingy loser in question opened his mouth again. “Yup! Saw a big ass spider in the bathroom earlier. Nearly killed me, I swear. They’re conspiring against me!”

She rolled her eyes again, and she gently patted the top of his arm. “Of course they are, idiot. Everything is out to get you, sure.” A smirk curled up at the corner of her lips. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to get back to loading up the van. Mind helping out you two?”

Dylan faltered ever so slightly, already taking notice of the bittersweet feeling that struck him right in the heart. Despite everything, they still had to load up a van that was never going to work in the first place.

“Yeah, sure.” He said after a moment’s pause, shoving those thoughts deep in the back of his mind. If he let himself dwell on thoughts like that, it’d just cause him to waste time. There’s still stuff that needs to be done.

Jacob scoffed as his grip loosened fully, and he let go of her completely. “Yeesh, don’t be so bossy, Kaitlyn. I already had a stressful day, and it definitely won’t get better now that I’m going to have to lift heavy ass bags into a van!” He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest with a bitter expression.

She rolled her eyes again, letting out a groan. “Oh boo hoo! The athlete doesn’t want to lift some bags for a few minutes. I bet your whole world’s ending just thinking about it.” She grumbled sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips.

“Get a move on, man. The sooner we do this the sooner I can get to Ryan.” Dylan said, swiftly reaching down to swat lightly at Jacob’s ass before gracefully moving past the two.

Jacob let out a rather undignified screech, his eyes going wide as redness flooded his face. He quickly spun around, both hands going back to cover the back of his shorts. “Dude! Watch where you’re swatting there! Those fingers of yours are weapons of ass-ualt!”

A smug grin spread across Dylan’s face as he looked over his shoulder. “Not my fault you’re built like an actual snack.” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and turned his attention back forwards. “Don’t get your undies in a bunch!”

There was a brief but noticeable stutter in Jacob’s brain. His reaction was delayed by a moment, and he sputtered out a weak retort. “Dude, shut- shut up!”

“How did you two somehow get weirder…?” Kaitlyn murmured under her breath.

Chapter Text

This time, Dylan finally got to follow Ryan into Chris’s office to charge their phones. Not that it really mattered to him or anything, he just wanted to have another shot at trying to rizz Ryan up.

And so he took a seat in the big spinning chair and ignored the trapdoor hidden underneath his desk. There wasn’t any use for him to point it out this time around, so he chose to ignore it for now.

He settled into the cushy chair with a contented sigh, spinning around in place a few times before stopping to look over at Ryan. He took in the sight of his profile, eyes flicking from his face down at his body. He bit down on his lip, resisting the urge to make some kind of innuendo.

“Soooo… got any numbers on your phone?”

Ryan let out a huff of air through his nose, glancing at him with a raised brow as he leaned back against the desk. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe I do, why do you wanna know?” He asked, his expression looking almost suspicious, like he already knows the answer.

Dylan rolled his eyes, feigning indifference as he leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable. “It’s called making small talk, dude.” His feet were placed on the desk, crossing his ankles in an arrogant manner. He let his gaze drift down, looking him up and down. “I’m just thinking that maybe… you could add one more to your contacts?”

Ryan was unimpressed, his expression hardly changing. He hummed in thought, pretending to ponder for a moment. “And who exactly would that new number be from, hmm?”

A confident smirk tugged at the corners of Dylan’s lips, and he leaned back in the spinning chair just enough for it to move slightly. He had to resist the urge to run his tongue across his sharp canine.

He shrugged nonchalantly, as if they were talking about the weather. His legs were crossed, and he gestured towards Ryan with a wave of his hand.

“Oh, no one too important. Just a… rather popular DJ that the kids dig.”

This got Ryan to snort out a laugh. He shook his head in disbelief, raising a brow ever so slightly in amusement. “A DJ, huh?” He asked, an eyebrow raising in a questioning manner. His arms remained crossed over his chest as he pushed himself off the desk to get just a little bit closer. “Does this rather popular DJ have a name? Or is that top secret information?”

Dylan felt his heart thump a little painfully against his rib cage. Having Ryan right within grabbing range was testing his self control. He had to swallow down the lump in his throat before answering, keeping the smirk on his face as he tilted his head to the side.

He let out a dramatic hum, pretending to think for a moment. A part of him was tempted to say something dumb like, “Why does it matter to you, pretty boy?” But he held back. For now.

“You’re looking at him right now, Ry.” He stated confidently.

Ryan let out another laugh, a genuine one this time. He was amused, that was obvious. “Oh, really? I’m standing in the presence of the one and only? I feel so honored.” He let out a mock gasp, raising a hand to dramatically place over his heart.

Dylan leaned back in his chair, the smirk still on his lips. “Damn right you are.” He said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze drifted down from Ryan’s face to his body again, taking in every minor detail.

Ryan noticed where his gaze was going and his expression turned smug. He took a few strides forward until he was right in between the spinning chair and the desk. He leaned back against the edge of the desk, right in front of Dylan.

“Are you checking me out, DJ?”

Dylan felt his face go red at being caught in the act, but he stubbornly kept up his smirk, trying to pretend like he wasn’t affected. He leaned back even further in the chair, trying to seem nonchalant as he placed his hands in his lap.

He shrugged nonchalantly, feinging innocence. “Maybe. Can you blame me though? The view is damn good from here.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest again. He seemed very pleased with himself. “You’re pretty straightforward, aren’t you? Man, I could never be like that.”

Dylan let out a scoff, leaning forward in the chair to place his hands on his knees. He was practically eye level with Ryan’s mid section now. He could just reach out and touch… and damn, he wanted to touch. He could feel his self control slipping, but he pushed down those thoughts. He could save those for another time.

He let his gaze trail up from his mid section all the way up to his face, his smirk growing.

“I don’t like to beat around the bush.” He said simply. “What you see is what you get.” His mind drifted for just a second back to Jacob as he peered out the window behind him. Since they’ve gotten to the point where everyone has been made aware of the broken van (again), he’s probably off with Emma… scavenging the Camp Store. Maybe he’ll get his Peanut Butter Butter Pops this loop…

Ryan nodded, his expression becoming slightly more thoughtful. “And what if what I see is a flirty, shameless smartass?" He asked, a hint of a teasing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Dylan felt a small wave of heat rush to his face at the way Ryan looked at him, but he kept his composure the best he could. He let out a huff, feigning annoyance even though he secretly loved every second of the attention.

He smirked up at Ryan and raised his chin, the confidence seeping out of every pore.

"The hottest, most shameless smartass you've ever seen." He retorted smugly, his eyes drifting to Ryan's hips once again.

“Soooo… can I get your number?”

Ryan laughed, shaking his head at his shamelessness. “You are unbelievable." He said, but he didn't seem genuinely annoyed. He was… amused? Even maybe slightly impressed? Despite himself. “Nice try, Dylan.”

Dylan deflated like a balloon.

"Oh come onnn…" He whined, pouting childishly. "Come on, man. I'm trying really hard here. Just one number can't hurt…" He pleaded, giving him the best pair of puppy dog eyes he could muster.

Ryan rolled his eyes playfully, placing a hand on his hip. "Stop looking at me like a kicked puppy. You're not getting my damn number." He said, tone firm with a hint of humor.

Well, shit.

Jacob felt… strange, being here again. It was an odd sort of deja vu, and he could feel his fingers twitch with anxious energy as he walked around gathering cans into the wheelbarrow outside.

His eyes kept darting around, like he was expecting one of the werewolves to leap from the trees at any moment. But, of course, all he got was nothing but silence. Not even the sound of the occasional songbird chirping could be heard. Just… silence.

The wolves don’t come out just yet… as long as the sun is shining, nothing will tear into him… or Dylan.

The silence was almost unbearable. It felt as if the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for the moment the sun dipped below the horizon. Each second of nothingness, every breath taken, everything was so damn quiet.

Jacob hated it… but there was nothing he could do to fix it. So, with a bitter huff, he continued stuffing cans of beer into the wheelbarrow, trying his damn hardest to focus on anything but the deafening quietness. He just wanted to get this whole ordeal done and over with already…

His eyes caught sight of the Peanut Butter Butter Pops bag on the shelf, which brightened his mood just a bit.

Without a second thought, the wheelbarrow was abandoned in favor of snatching up the bag of Peanut Butter Butter Pops. He took off the cap and popped one into his mouth with a soft hum.

God DAMN, did this bring back good memories. The way the sweet, peanut buttery goodness melted in his mouth instantly made his mood lighten. He quickly ate another, and another, and another-

“Oh god, that’s probably expired.” Emma’s voice cut through his newfound peace like a bullet, and he could’ve sworn he felt his right eye twitch.

He held the bag to his chest protectively, like a mother protecting a child. “Shh! Shut up! They haven't expired yet, okay?! Let me enjoy this for a moment-“

She held her hands up defensively, her expression morphing into a pout. “Okay, okay, fine- enjoy your probably expired junk food all you want. Just don’t come crying to me when you have food poisoning or something.” She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.

Jacob huffed, sticking out his tongue at her in retaliation before cramming another handful of Pops into his mouth. He chewed obnoxiously, making sure to make direct eye contact with her the entire time. “I have very little to lose, Emma. Getting food poisoning is the least of my worries.”

She gagged at his obnoxious eating habits, her hand going to cover her mouth in an exaggerated display of disgust. “Ew! Do you have to chew with your mouth open?! You have absolutely no table manners, you know that, right? You’re like a child.” She reprimanded, narrowing her eyes in disapproval.

Jacob finished shoving the remaining Pops in his mouth and let out a loud, exaggerated “Mmmmmh~” of delight. He swallowed before responding to her, a smug grin on his face. “Yep, I am definitely aware! And I don’t care.” He stuck his tongue out again, his expression taking on a somewhat childish air to it. He glanced back over to the wheelbarrow outside, narrowing his eyes at the dozens of beer bottles inside. It was probably enough for a small party…

…..And then, an idea.

“We should have a party in the lodge!” He whipped his head back around to face Emma, who now had a puzzled expression on her face. “A… party.” She echoed slowly.

He nodded enthusiastically, his earlier annoyance with her all but forgotten. “Yeah, why the hell not?! We’ve got booze, we’ve got snacks- hell, I think there’s even a stereo in the counselor's office! We have everything we need to throw a kick ass party. It’ll pass the time, AND it’ll be fun!”

And… and! It’ll be a way to ensure the protection of everyone from the inevitable. If everyone is kept in one place, then there’s no way they can get hurt by any werewolf or hunter!

Emma just gave him a flat look. “And how exactly are we going to make sure the others go along with this little party idea of yours, genius?” She asked dryly, raising a single brow. She certainly didn’t look very convinced by his plan.

Jacob rolled his eyes at her, his hands going to sit on his hips. “Ugh, you’re acting like they’re a bunch of stubborn mules or something. Just let me worry about convincing the others, okay? I can be very persuasive.” He boasted proudly, puffing out his chest.

Emma looked him up and down incredulously. “You... you seriously think any of the others are going to pay any attention to you? Dude, most of us don’t even think you have the braincells to tie your own shoes without instructions. No one is taking any of your ideas seriously. Not even me. You are the last person any of us would consider listening to.” Her words were blunt and biting, and even though it was probably true, it still stung like hell.

“You… are VERY mean to me.” Jacob grumbled.

She merely shrugged nonchalantly, a sly smile plastered on her face. “Just telling it like it is, buddy. Besides, I’m just trying to save you from getting laughed out of the cabin when you try to pitch your idea to the group. I’m doing you a favor, really.”

Jacob rolled his eyes again, letting out a heavy sigh. He knew she was right… as much as he hated to admit it. The likelihood of convincing the others to go along with his idea was slim to none. After all, why would they listen to the resident dumbass?

He crossed his arms and pouted, looking off to the side. This was going to be difficult…

He was going to need Dylan’s help.

With Dylan on his side, it was possible- no, certain- that the others would go along with the idea. Hell, Dylan could probably do all the convincing on his own. He’s the perfect guy for the job of persuasion. He knows just what to say and what to do to get people to listen to him…

Fuck, he was so cool.

“You’re really quiet all of a sudden.”

Emma’s voice cut through his thoughts, drawing his attention back to the present. He snapped out of his thoughts, a bit startled by the sudden sound. “Yeah… sorry, I was just… thinking about something.”

She let out a scoff. “Thinking? You? I didn’t know that you were capable of thought.” Her tone was clearly mocking.

“MEAN!” He pointed an accusatory finger at her. “You’re a MEAN woman!”

8:00 PM

As Dylan left the lodge with his phone in hand and a look of defeat on his face, he could already see Jacob with his bag of Peanut Butter Butter Pops in hand, running straight at him like a man on a mission. For a short second, Dylan was worried he wasn’t going to stop. “Woah! Where’s the fire, man?”

Jacob skidded to a stop in front of him, grabbing onto his arms and shaking him around. “Dude! Dude dude dude! I have an amazing idea that I need to talk to you about. Like, right now. It’s really important. It’s brilliant! You have to hear it, you just gotta! And you know what else? It’s gonna benefit both me and you. Mostly me, but still, you just have no idea how genius this idea is-“

Dylan tried to keep himself from stumbling as he was shaken like a ragdoll in Jacob's over-excited grip. "Woah, woah, okay, settle down!" He managed to sputter out through his disorientation. He gently reached out to grab Jacob's wrists to stop him from shaking him around. "Slow down, man, what the hell are you going on about?"

Jacob stopped his vigorous shaking and finally let go of Dylan, but still looked absolutely pumped up on adrenaline. “Sorry, sorry! It’s just… I have an amazing idea that I need to share with you! I need you to promise to hear me out, okay? Just hear the idea before you shoot it down, it’s great, I promise!”

He inhaled slowly, exhaling out through his nose. “Okay, okay, so I was thinking… in order to make sure EVERYONE is safe this time, I was thinking of throwing a small party inside of the lodge. Y’know, something to keep everyone busy with while avoiding the outdoors!”

Dylan stared at Jacob with utter bafflement for a moment. Of all the things he expected Jacob to bring up, the idea of a party was probably the absolute last thing he thought. "Uhm… a party? Are you seriously suggesting having a party during all of this? With the huge ass werewolf risk looming in the horizon?”

The latter nodded enthusiastically, the grin on his face showing he was completely serious about the idea. He held up a hand, counting off his fingers as he spoke. “Yeah! It’s a great idea, alright? For a few reasons: 1, it’d keep EVERYONE inside the lodge, so no one would be outside wandering the camp. 2, it’ll help us keep track of everyone all at once. Everyone will be in one location, safe and sound together. And 3-“

He paused to jab a finger in Dylan’s direction. “It’ll stop us from going crazy for a while. And plus, maybe this is what breaks the loop! What if saving everyone is what fixes everything??”

The more Jacob talked about his idea, the more Dylan's skepticism began to vanish. And god, seeing him so excited about the idea was adorable. It was difficult to say no.

He let out a long sigh. "I don't know…" He said, mulling things over in his head. "This is completely insane, you know that, right? A party, during all of this-“ He began to protest, a hint of doubt in his voice.

Jacob quickly stepped closer, grabbing onto his hands and looking him in the eyes with complete confidence. "Dude, please, you have to see things my way here. I know it sounds crazy at first, but you have to trust me on this. I promise that it'll work, alright?" He pleaded, his grip on his hands tightening slightly.

Dylan felt himself melt a little at the touch, his heart skipping a beat. He quickly shoved those feelings down, trying to focus on the matter at hand.

He let out another sigh, his resolve faltering. "Damnit," He murmured, a small hint of fondness seeping into his tone. “You’re gonna kill me one day, Jakey. And I don’t think I have any life insurance.”

Jacob let a small grin pull up at the corner of his lips. “I promise to pay for the funeral then, okay?" He teased, giving his hands a slight yet gentle squeeze. "So, is that a yes then? You'll help me convince the others?"

Dylan rolled his eyes in feigned exasperation, but he couldn't help a small smile from creeping onto his face. He nodded begrudgingly. "Yeah, I'll help you. But if this blows up in our faces, I won't hesitate to say 'I told you so'," he grumbled half-jokingly, giving Jacob's hands a quick squeeze in return.

A bright smile appeared on Jacob’s face. "Awesome." He breathed, his eyes darting over Dylan's face, studying his expressions and taking in each little detail. "You're the best, man." He murmured. "I'm… really glad you're here… especially right now. You have no idea."

Dylan felt a pang of affection in his chest, his cheeks lightly dusted with a subtle blush. "You sap," he replied, rolling his eyes to play off his flustered feelings. "You just like having me around because I'm the voice of reason to your impulsive dumbassery."

Jacob smirked, a mixture of affection and playfulness gleaming in his gaze. "Maybe." He teased back, lightly tugging on his hands to bring him closer. "Or maybe I just like having you around because you never fail to put me in my place, smartass." He stuck out his tongue.

Dylan laughed softly, allowing himself to be pulled closer. He gave Jacob a playful shove. "Sounds like bottom behavior to me." He retorted, trying to keep himself from melting at the proximity.

Jacob let out an indignant gasp at the shove, his face turning red as he quickly retaliated with another shove in return. "Sh-shut up, I do not behave like a bottom." He protested, his face heating up even more from the teasing. “Don’t even go there, man!”

Dylan just smirked, the teasing glint in his eyes intensifying. He stepped closer, his voice lowering to a playful purr. "Oh, really? Because you seem pretty easy to pin, you know. I can picture it now..." He leaned in closer, his hand coming to rest on Jacob's hip.

Jacob's face went straight up scarlet red at the sudden closeness, his breath hitching in his throat. He managed an annoyed glare and a petulant huff. “I’m… gonna go find Nick and Abi. Y-Yeah…” he practically stumbled backwards, away from Dylan’s grasp.

"Are you running away, Jakey?" Dylan called out, a playful edge to his voice.

"No! I'm not running away!" He protested, trying desperately to regain some semblance of control over the situation. Jacob took a couple more steps backwards, his eyes darting around the area to avoid looking at Dylan directly. “It’s a strategic retreat, asshole!”

Dylan blinked, skepticism grazing his face. “Seriously??” To be fair, he really didn’t want him walking away just yet. But if they wanted things to start moving along, he’d have to let him. “Fine, fine! Go find those two lovebirds. I’ll talk to Ryan about it, and maybe Kaitlyn if I run into her.”

Jacob took one more glance at Dylan, his cheeks still very much flushed red. He grumbled out a quick ‘alrighty’ before turning around and half-walking, half-sprinting away.

Dylan shook his head fondly before turning his attention toward the lodge. "God, he really does have golden retriever energy…” he muttered to himself.

Chapter Text

Throwing a party required music, and Dylan was pretty damn experienced in that field.

The room had been decorated to the best of their abilities, some streamers thrown up and lights strung along the walls, and a table filled with snacks courtesy of a scavenging expedition with Nick and Abi.

He was leaning against the wall, eyes focused on the door, waiting for any new attendees to enter. He had a hand to his pocket, fingers absentmindedly fidgeting with something as he kept an eye out. Mostly for any Hackett’s or even police.

The most he needed to look after was eight, if he’s counting correctly. Ryan, Kaitlyn, Abi, Nick, Emma, Jacob, and maybe Laura and Max.

And like clockwork, people began filing into the room. First came Ryan, then Kaitlyn, the latter looking very suspicious of the whole idea. Abi was next, looking a little unsure herself, and soon followed by Nick, who looked more relaxed than the other three, then Emma. And of course, Jacob appeared last, practically bouncing on his feet with anticipation.

He approached him with a mix of playfulness and eagerness, sidling up next to him. "Hey there, party planner extraordinaire." He teased, nudging him gently with his elbow. “Told you they'd take it seriously!”

Dylan let out a quiet scoff, rolling his eyes playfully. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in. You were right, I was wrong, etcetera." He said, waving his hand in a flippant gesture. "I had to promise Kaitlyn to give her a few extra beers in return.”

Jacob snickered quietly, elbowing him again with a smirk. "Oh man, you're such a pushover, I can't believe you caved to her so easily!" He teased, playfully nudging him with his shoulder. "I'm sure you could've found a way to sweeten the deal without giving up the booze."

Dylan let out another huff, narrowing his eyes at him. "First of all, it was not an easy cave! She practically guilt tripped me into it by giving me those puppy dog eyes." He defended, crossing his arms. "Secondly, how else was I supposed to bribe her? Offer her money? We’re both broke bitches, Jacob.”

Jacob stifled a laugh, trying to keep a straight face as he shook his head in mock disappointment. "Dude, you could've at least tried to negotiate! You're the smart one, remember? You're supposed to be the master of persuasion. But you got played by puppy dog eyes?" He tsked, feigning disappointment.

"Oh, shut up," Dylan grumbled, his face flushing slightly as he avoided eye contact. "You don't know how convincing Kaitlyn can be! And also, I owed her for flunking out during my shift last week.” He sucked in a breath, arms at his sides. “Alright, here’s the game plan. No one leaves this lodge and no one finds out about the werewolves.” He stared the latter dead in the eye. “I’m counting on you tonight, Jacob.”

Jacob met his gaze, his expression turning serious. "You can count on me," he said firmly, holding eye contact to let Dylan know that he meant it. "I'll keep an eye on everyone and make sure no one does anything stupid."

He took a step closer to Dylan, his voice dropping to a lower volume as he leaned in slightly. "And you can bet your pretty ass that I won't let any of those werewolves get anywhere near any of us either."

Dylan felt a heat rise to his cheeks, but he quickly tried to suppress it. This was not the time to be swooning. He cleared his throat and nodded. "You better not." He said, his eyes darting around, checking on the others. "And don't do anything stupid either, got it? No reckless bullshit."

Jacob rolled his eyes, his previous playfulness returning. "Fine, fine, I promise I won't do any reckless bullshit. But hey, can I at least have some fun?" He protested, pouting playfully. "You gotta let me have a little bit of fun, man! I swear I won't do anything too stupid."

Dylan hummed in thought, folding his arms over his chest. "Depends on what kind of 'fun' you're talking about, Jake." He replied, raising a brow. "Just don't do anything that'll get you killed." He said sternly. "Or anyone else." He added as an afterthought.

9:15 P.M.

“Hey, er… Dylan? Did you happen to add any uh… slow songs to that playlist of yours?” Nick asked, nervously wringing his hands as he leaned against the wall beside the latter.

"Uh, yeah… I think I've got a few slow songs in there somewhere. Why d'you ask?" Dylan replied, raising a confused eyebrow. His gaze followed Nick’s, which then drifted it over to Abi, seated on the couch with her sketchbook. “…Oohhhh…” his eyes flicked back over to meet Nick’s, giving him a knowing look.

He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, refusing to meet Dylan's gaze. “Shut up," he muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His eyes drifted back over to Abi, who was completely oblivious to his gaze and sketching diligently in her book. “Do you think… I should ask her to dance?"

Dylan smirked, nudging him with his elbow.

"Why are you asking me? Go for it, dude. The worst she could say is no, eh?" He teased, glancing over at Abi before looking back at him. He had to help his boy out, right? He’s been through so much already, forgotten or not.

He reaches out to place both hands on each shoulder. “Nick. Nick, dude. Hey. I got you.” He whispered, nodding slowly as he looked the latter dead in the eyes. “Don’t you worry your handsome, cool, super sexy, Aussie ass tonight, ‘kay? I got this.”

Nick looked up at him, his cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink. "I… Yeah, okay," he mumbled, trying to steady his nerves. He took a deep breath, running a hand through his messy curls. "You really think I have a shot? I-I mean, what if I screw up?”

"Dude." Dylan rolled his eyes, patting his shoulders. "She likes you, dude. What are you so nervous for? I think I see your brain starting to steam from overheating. Relax, man, she's not going to say no, I promise. And if she does, you can sulk about it and I won't complain. Just ask her. It'll be fine, I swear." He says, keeping his voice low. If memory serves him correctly, Abi is most likely crushing hard on Nick too.

He sees a free win right here. “I’ll go change the music, gimme a sec.” He gave the Aussie a wink before strutting on over to Emma’s speaker and grabbing his phone from off the top.

Now which one of you bad boys will secure this win…

He could play it safe and go generic hetero with this and choose Line Without a Hook or full send it with Stolen Moments by The Vamps. Decisions, decisions.

After a moment of debating, Dylan came to one simple conclusion.

Full send. Full send it all the way.

He scrolled through his playlist to find the song, and there it was, the perfect weapon of love. He tapped on the song and the soft, melodic sounds filled the room. He knew the song kicked up eventually, which is why he needed to work his magic fast.

Dylan watched and waited. He wanted this to work for Nick like the love obsessed, hopeless romantic he was. He glanced over at the Aussie again, seeing him standing there, looking rather unsure of himself.

So, he decided he would give him a little push in Abi's direction. He nudged him lightly with his elbow, motioning with his head for him to take the initiative. "Hey, c’mon, go ask her to dance. It's the perfect moment, you got this buddy, I know you do." He whispered, a reassuring smile upon his face.

With one last deep breath, Nick pushed off the wall and walked over to where Abi was sitting, sketchbook in her lap.

Abi looked up from her sketchbook as Nick approached, a curious but friendly expression on her face. "Hey," she greeted with a soft smile, her fingers resting on the edge of the book. She noticed the subtle look of nervousness on his face and tilted her head to the side. "Is everything okay? You look a little tense." She asked gently, setting her sketchbook aside.

"Yeah, everything's fine," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I was just wondering... if you'd like to dance?" Nick’s voice cracked slightly as he spoke, and it looked like he inwardly cursed at himself for it.

She closed her sketchbook and gently placed it on the nearby table before standing up from the couch. “Sure," she answered, reaching out to gently take his hand. "I'd love to dance with you." She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

The soft glow of fairy lights strung up around the room cast a warm, romantic ambiance. He wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him as they began to move to the music.

Dylan couldn’t hold back the smile that was starting to form, taking a few steps away from the makeshift dance floor as he mentally gave himself a pat on the back.

“Color me unsurprised.” Kaitlyn mumbled from behind him, which nearly had Dylan jumping out of his own skin. He yelped and spun around. "Jesus Christ!" He exclaimed, nearly dropping his phone in the process.

"What is it with people sneaking up on me??” She held back a shit eating grin and took a swig of her beer, eying the two lovebirds on the dance floor. “Took them long enough. They were pining over each other all summer, it was kinda getting annoying.”

"Yeah, tell me about it," Dylan huffed, his heart pounding from the startle. He took a breath to steady himself before looking back over his shoulder. He watched as Nick and Abi danced together, the latter letting out a laugh at something the former said. A small smile curled up at the corner of Dylan's mouth as he looked back over at Kaitlyn. "You should've seen how Nick would talk about her. Dude was whipped." He shook his head with a snicker.

“Eh, I think i’ve seen that enough when you’re talking about Ryan.” She countered, arching a knowing brow.

Dylan's cheeks went flush, his eyes widening before narrowing. "Pfff, what?" He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's completely different, I'm not whipped." He protested, trying to act nonchalant despite the color flooding to his cheeks. “And besides, he basically rejected me earlier when I asked for his phone number.”

Kaitlyn frowned, looking a bit more genuine and sympathetic than usual. “Aw, Dyl. I’m sorry. That sucks ass.”

A small sigh escaped Dylan's lips as he shrugged, trying to mask his disappointment. "It's... fine. I mean, I kind of expected it, you know? It's not like it was a surprise or anything." He downplayed the situation, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just thought... I don't know, maybe there might've been a chance or something." He admitted quietly. “I guess there’s always next time…”

She cocked her head in slight confusion. “Next time?”

Dylan shrugged again, still trying to sound nonchalant, but he couldn't help the hint of dejection in his voice. "Yeah, maybe... maybe next time, things will be different. Maybe he'll change his mind or something." He paused, letting out a dry, cynical chuckle. "Or maybe I'm just fooling myself. Who knows." He knew those words were total bullshit, but he was trying his best to push away the bitter disappointment.

Kaitlyn blinked slowly. “Like… next summer? I didn’t think you’d be doing this again…”

Dylan bit down on his tongue. Right, right. Blissfully unaware. He quickly regrouped, trying to come off nonchalant as he leaned against the wall. "Well, yeah, you never really forget your first crush, you know? Even if it's just a silly little summer thing." He replied indifferently, but his words felt hollow even to himself. "But hey, it's no big deal. I know things won't change. I'm just fooling myself by thinking differently." He let out a self-deprecating snort. Hey, do you know where Jacob went?" He asked suddenly, clearing his throat.

She gave him a sidelong glance and sighed, shaking her head. "Beats me." She said, taking another swig of her beer. "I swear, that dude's got the attention span of a goldfish. He probably saw a butterfly or something and ran off after it." She joked, a touch of sarcasm in her tone. "But if I had to guess, he’s probably talking to Emma upstairs. Trying to make amends with her or whatever… I dunno.”

Dylan chuckled, trying to brush off his earlier somber vibe. "Yeah, that sounds exactly like him." He rolled his eyes affectionately, pushing away from the wall. "I'm gonna go find him, make sure he's not causing trouble. I'll catch ya later?" He said with a wave of his hand, giving her a brief smile. He headed for the stairs, awkwardly passing Ryan who was just heading down.

He didn’t stop for him.

Jacob felt the urge to tug at his hair in frustration, his hands clenching into fists as he tried to keep calm. "God dammit, Emma, why are you always like this?! I'm literally trying to apologize to you right now, and you're just gonna keep being an ass about it?!" He exclaimed, his voice rising in frustration.

Emma stood with her arms crossed, standing her ground. "Oh, I'm the one being an ass now? I'm not the one who can’t get over a summer fling! Do I really have to spell it out for you? We were just a summer fling, nothing more.”

Jacob clenched his teeth, his eyes narrowing. "Maybe that's all it was to you, but it wasn't to me! I actually have feelings for you, you know! I care about you, and I thought… I thought you cared about me too." He retorted, his voice cracking slightly with emotion.

Emma's face softened for a moment, her expression becoming guilty. But she quickly shook her head, trying to maintain her tough exterior. "Well, maybe it seemed that way to you. But to me, it was just... casual. Just some fun. You need to understand that.”

Jacob's heart sank, hurt washing over him. "Casual, huh? So all those moments we shared, all those times we spent together, it was all just 'casual' to you? You didn't feel anything for me in all that time?"

Emma let out a frustrated huff, her eyes hardening. "It wasn't as deep as you thought it was, okay? It was just fun and easy, nothing more. Why can't you understand that? Look, i’m not trying to hurt you, okay? But you need to let go of this.”

Jacob's jaw set, teeth clenching harder. "But I don't want to let go of this! I care about you, dammit, and I know you have feelings for me too, even if you won't admit it! You're just too stubborn to admit that you care!" He shot back, his voice rising again.

Emma's face contorted into anger, her voice growing harsher. "You're delusional, you know that? You're just chasing after something that isn't there! You’re setting yourself up for disaster, Jacob!"

Jacob clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles turning white from the force. "Maybe I am delusional! Maybe I'm a fool for thinking you could care about me. But do you know what? I'm tired of trying to make something work with you when you just keep pushing me away. I'm tired of trying and failing. I'm tired of chasing after you when you're just going to reject me again and again." He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

“I shouldn’t have to do that, Jacob! One rejection should’ve been enough for you.” Emma frowned, shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Jacob's eyes welled up with tears, frustration and anger mixing with his hurt in a confusing cocktail of emotions. "But it wasn't enough, okay?! I can't just stop caring about you because you told me once that you didn't feel the same!" He exclaimed, his voice cracking. "I can't just turn off my feelings like a switch, damnit."

Emma's expression darkened, her frustration turning to annoyance. "And that's not my problem! It's not my responsibility to cater to your feelings! You're the one who's being stubborn and clinging onto some fantasy of us being together. Why can't you just accept the reality and move on?!" She snapped back, her tone sharp and unforgiving.

“Get it through your thick skull, Custos! We. Are. Done.”

“Hey, guess who found the chip bag!” Dylan announced as the bedroom door swung open, a bright smile on his face before he’s smacked with the sulky atmosphere that the room held. He nearly dropped the bag in his other hand, eyes flicking from Jacob to Emma. “….. oof.”

Jacob tried to compose himself as best he could, but the lingering hurt was still visible on his face. “Hey, Dylan. Yeah, we, uh.. we were just, you know… talking." He replied, his voice lacking enthusiasm. He shot Emma a quick glare before shifting his focus back to Dylan.

Emma sighed, running a hand through her hair tiredly. "Great timing, Dylan...." She muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Dylan grimaced at the cold reception he was given, awkwardly closing the door behind him as he slowly stepped further into the room. Something was clearly going on here, and he could feel the tension in the air. He could practically cut it with a butterknife.

He swallowed hard, the plastic bag of Doritos crunching in his hand. “Yeah, I can kind of tell. Mind if I join… or am I walking in on something?” He asked tentatively. “Actually, you know what? I should probably go… restock the fridge with beer… or some bullshit like that.”

Jacob shot him a pleading look, silently begging him to stay. He didn't want to be left alone with Emma, not right now. "No, wait! You can stay. We're just… sorting some things out, that's all." He blurted out, glancing back at Emma.

Emma rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "I’m not being the third wheel here." She mumbled, her voice cold and distant before heading to the door, sliding past Dylan.

"Jeez, what got her in such a mood?" Dylan asked, setting the Doritos bag down on the nearest bed before stuffing his hands into his pockets. He looked over at Jacob, his gaze filled with concern. "You good, dude? You look… pretty bummed. Like I interrupted something serious… which I probably did.”

Jacob slumped down onto the bed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah... you could say that." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I was trying to talk things out with Emma, convince her to give me another shot. But of course, it just turned into another argument, and she rejected me... again."

He let out a frustrated huff, his shoulders slouching. "I'm just... tired, man. Tired of feeling like... like I'm not enough, you know?" He admitted quietly.

Dylan's expression softened, his shoulders drooping as he took a seat beside him on the edge of the bed. He placed a gentle hand on Jacob' shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "Hey, you know that's bullshit, right?" He asked, his voice filled with sincerity. "You're worth a million Emmas, man. Don't let some girl make you think that you're not good enough. You're amazing, dude. You deserve better."

Jacob's eyes watered as he let out a shaky sigh. "I just wish she could see it, you know? I care about her so damn much, and it hurts to have my feelings rejected every time I try to talk to her about it." He leaned into Dylan's touch, finding comfort in his presence. "And it just feels like I'm chasing after something that's impossible."

Dylan's heart ached for his friend, and he scooted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to pull him into a tight side hug. "I know, dude. I know." He said softly, rubbing his hand up and down his back in a soothing gesture. "It sucks… but you can't force her to feel something she doesn't, you know?" He paused for a moment, a thought crossing his mind. 

"You know what you need?"

"What?" Jacob mumbled, his voice slightly muffled against Dylan's shoulder.

Dylan gave him an affectionate squeeze, his hand still tracing comforting circles on his back. "A distraction." He began, a sly little smirk slipping onto his face. "Something to get your mind off of her." He pulled away slightly, keeping his arm around Jacob's shoulders. "And I've got just the thing to help you take your mind off things."

Jacob's curiosity piqued, and a glimmer of hope flickered in his tired eyes, drifting down to the latter’s lips momentarily. "A distraction, huh? You've got my attention. What did you have in mind?" He inquired, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and hope.

Dylan's smirk widened, grabbing the chip bag and shaking it like he was trying to tempt a dog with treats. “Open wide, dude. This’ll require some precision.”

He could’ve sworn he saw Jacob’s pupils dilate once he put two and two together, an excited grin forming on his face. “Oh, hell yeah!” He opened his mouth widely, unable to sit still without tapping his foot on the ground rhythmically.

Dylan grabbed a Dorito from the bag and held it between his fingers, aiming it directly at Jacob's open mouth. "Alright, here goes... three, two, one..." He gave the chip a gentle toss, aiming to land it right on Jacob's tongue.

Jacob sat still, his eyes following the trajectory of the chip as it sailed through the air towards his mouth. He stuck out his tongue slightly to help catch it, looking more dog than boy. The chip landed perfectly on his tongue, and he eagerly closed his mouth, crunching down on it with a satisfied grin. "Hell yeah! Nice shot, dude!" He exclaimed, his earlier tension slowly fading.

Dylan let out a smug laugh, feeling a sense of satisfaction at his successful aim. "What'd I tell ya? Perfection." He said confidently, grabbing another chip and readying it for another throw. "Alright, let's try for two in a row. Open up, pup."

Jacob's eyes shone with excitement as he eagerly obeyed, opening his mouth once again and sticking out his tongue, anticipation radiating from his entire body. He either ignored the nickname or didn’t even process it. "Ready and waiting, dude!”

Dylan aimed with precision once again, feeling a rush of confidence as he launched the chip into the air. It arced through the air and landed right on Jacob's waiting tongue, bouncing once off his lip. "Bull's eye! Two for two, baby!" He exclaimed proudly, a wide grin spreading across his face. "You're a damn natural, I'm telling ya."

"Hell yeah, man! I'm a chip-catching machine!" Jacob exclaimed cheerfully, opening his mouth for another throw. “Gimme another! C’mon!”

Dylan laughed at his excitement, amused by his eagerness. He grabbed another chip, taking aim with a teasing smirk. "You sure you can handle another one, Jakey? Don't want to tire that tongue of yours out." He joked, averting his gaze momentarily to the window as something flashing red and blue caught his eye.

He nearly dropped the chip as he took in the police car outside the lodge, with someone already walking up to the front door. “Holy shit-“ Dylan whispered, nudging the latter’s shoulder. “You seeing what i’m seeing?”

Jacob quickly looked toward the window, his eyes widening as he noticed the police car parked outside. Panic set in, replacing the excitement he had felt just moments ago. "I-I see it. What the hell are the cops doing here?" He exclaimed quietly, shifting his gaze back to Dylan. "This… hasn’t happened before, right? Not in the previous two loops..?”

"No, no, it hasn't. This is definitely new." Dylan muttered, his eyes still fixated on the police car, a wave of unease washing over him. "And judging from how fast they're approaching, I'd say they're here for a specific reason..." He trailed off, his heart rate picking up.

The faint knock sounded from the front door, and Dylan flinched involuntarily. “Fuck, okay…” he quickly got up from his spot on the bed and rushed out the bedroom door to head downstairs. Thankfully, the music was loud enough to keep the others blissfully unaware for the time being.

Jacob reached the bottom of the stairs just as Dylan opened the front door, standing behind him and peeking from behind his shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of the officer.

Dylan tried to plaster on a friendly smile as he faced the man, his heart pounding against his ribcage. The cop was a tall man, with a stern expression that did nothing to quell Dylan's worries.

"Hey there, officer. Something I can help you with?" He asked, doing his damn best to keep the nervousness out of his voice. The older guy had the eyes of someone who hasn’t slept in weeks, yet there was a hint of confusion laced within those dark orbs somewhere. “Are you responsible for this… commotion?” He asked, almost sounding hesitant.

Dylan quickly nodded, still trying to maintain his innocent act. "Uh, yeah, I guess so, officer. You know, teenagers with nothing better to do, I'm sure you can understand." He chuckled nervously, his eyes darting around to see if any of the others were coming down the stairs. "Is, uh... there any particular reason you're here? Is everything alright?" He asked hesitantly, knowing damn well everything was not alright.

The man straightened himself and cleared his throat, eyes darting from Dylan to Jacob, who was still sorta just hiding behind the latter.

“Can you two boys step outside with me for a bit? We need to have an important chat.”

"O-okay, sure..." Jacob replied tentatively, his voice wavering slightly as he stepped out from behind Dylan.

He shot a sideways glance at Dylan, trying to silently communicate his concern. What the hell is this about?

Dylan returned the look, his heart rate steadily increasing. I have no clue…

The officer's eyes shifted between them, studying their expressions closely. He let out a sigh, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. "Look, boys… I'm just gonna cut right to the chase here." He said bluntly, his eyes fixated on the two.

“How did you two break the cycle?”

The two shared a bewildered look, their faces morphing into matching looks of absolute bewilderment. How the hell did he know?

Dylan's mouth went dry, and he struggled to form a response. "I... what? Break what cycle?" He managed to stammer out, his mind racing a mile a minute, trying to make sense of the situation.

The officer raised an eyebrow, his expression hardening. "Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. The loop, groundhog day, whatever the hell you wanna call it.” He waved a dismissive hand around.

Jacob’s voice shook as he managed to speak up, his eyes growing wide with disbelief. "How... how the hell do you even know about that?" He stuttered out.

The man let out a frustrated sigh, his patience starting to wear thin. "Because i’ve been in this same goddamn loop for years, that's how." He retorted bluntly.

Dylan wanted to scream.

Chapter Text

Jacob's heart nearly stopped, his breath catching in his throat. "Y-you... you're trapped in the loop too?" He managed to stutter out, an arm reaching out to cling onto Dylan’s.

“Wait a minute, this shit has been going on for longer than we’ve been aware of..?” Dylan whispered out, unable to muster up his usual energy anymore. It’s like everything had been deflated inside him, leaving only a void of what he once knew as reality.

The sheriff nodded grimly, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied the two teenagers before him. "Yes." He confirmed bluntly. "And if I'm being honest with you, this is the first time anything has changed during these loops."

His eyes flicked over to Dylan, then back to Jacob. "You both are the anomalies here… you're not supposed to be aware of this."

Jacob frowned, pressing up against Dylan’s back for support as his hands fiddled with the latter’s shirt. “Could’ve probably said that a little bit nicer, Mr…. Uh…” he trailed off slightly, giving the older man a puzzled look.

The man scoffed, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice. "Sheriff." He finished the sentence for Jacob with a gruff tone, his eyes narrowing slightly at the teenager.

"Sheriff Travis Hackett." He clarified firmly, as if daring either one to say anything else in retort.

Dylan nodded absentmindedly, his mind reeling. "Anomalies..." He echoed faintly, the word tasting bitter in his mouth.

He swallowed hard, trying to gather himself together enough to form a coherent thought. But the shock was overwhelming him like a wave about to swallow him whole. His chest felt tight and he had trouble breathing properly as anxiety washed over him like a tsunami, knocking all rationality out of reach..

“W-Wait, you’re the guy… that locked Laura and Max up all summer, right? She’s uh… talked about you. Not all of them being positive things.” He glanced away awkwardly with a weak shrug.

Travis's face darkened, his expression hardening into a scowl. He clenched his jaw, visibly bristling.

"Yeah? Well, I'm sure she painted me as some kind of villain." He bit out sarcastically, his eyes flashing with a mix of anger and defensiveness. "She wouldn't be the first one to do so, nor will she be the last. Although she always ends up coming around eventually, the process went stale a long time ago…”

"Can you blame her?" Jacob managed to speak up after a moment of hesitation, trying not to provoke the man anymore than they already had. “She got locked up by you for an entire summer… and lost an eye because of werewolf bullshit.”

Travis's expression hardened further, his jaw clenching even tighter.

"Watch your tone, boy." He snapped gruffly, his eyes flashing with a warning look. "You have no idea the kind of pressure I've been under trying to keep everyone safe from that… werewolf bullshit."

Jacob flinched back, his grip on Dylan's shirt tightening even more.

Dylan gently placed a hand on top of Jacob's, giving it a reassuring squeeze before looking back at Travis. His expression was guarded now, but there was still an undercurrent of anxiety running through him.

"Alright." He said firmly, trying to keep his voice steady. "Let's just… take it easy here for a minute and try to stay calm. Travis, do you have any idea of how to… potentially stop this all?”

Travis sighed heavily, the tension in his shoulders visibly easing just a fraction. He nodded slowly. "Yes." He said simply, his voice still gruff but not as hostile as before. "I have some idea of how to stop it... or at least try to break the cycle. But the reason for me not acting on it is because it all requires more than one person.”

Dylan's heart skipped a beat as hope began to surge through him once more. "So... there's a way out of this." He muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What… what is it? What does it require us to do exactly?" Jacob inquired urgently, his grip on Dylan's shirt loosening slightly but still clinging onto him like a lifeline.

Travis ran a hand through his hair, his expression turning weary. "It requires us to find death marks and.. tarot cards." He explained bluntly. “A death mark is where someone can potentially die at during a specific time in the loop. Once we find those, it’ll lead us to a tarot card. I have a feeling collecting all of them is going to be of great importance.” He went silent for a moment, glancing out into the distance with a less than determined expression plastered on his face. “Now here’s the thing. Some of these may require… sacrifice, and we definitely can’t get them all in just one loop alone.”

Dylan's heart sank, and he felt a sense of dread settle in his stomach. "What kind of sacrifices?" He asked quietly, dreading the answer. “Like… sacrificing one of our friends during a specific loop to get what we need..?”

Travis nodded solemnly, his expression solemn and grim. "Yes." He said bluntly. "It will require at least one sacrifice to achieve the goal we're looking for."

He paused for a moment, studying their faces intently. "Now I understand that may be… unsettling to you both but..." His voice trailed off momentarily as he shifted his gaze away from them, taking a deep breath before continuing on with an even firmer tone than before. "... I assure you it is absolutely necessary if we want any chance of getting out of this loop for good. And if it makes you feel any better, none of the deaths fully stick. It all gets reset eventually.”

Jacob shook his head quickly, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke up. "There... there has to be another way, right?" He stuttered out, his grip on Dylan tightening again.

"Trust me, I've looked for other ways." Travis responded gruffly, his eyes hardening as he looked back at the boys. "But there simply isn't any other option. We either do this, or we're stuck here forever. And frankly, I'm not willing to accept that fate." His voice was firm, leaving no room for debate. "In the nicest way possible, your friends will have to be our pawns… for now.”

Dylan clenched his jaw, his expression hard and determined. "I... understand." He murmured quietly. "I don't like it... but I understand the reasoning. And you're right. If there's a chance that this can save us..." His chest felt heavy, thinking of all the sacrifice they'd have to put other through.

"Are you’re certain it'll be worth it?" He asked, a hint of doubt creeping into his voice.

Travis nodded, his expression softening slightly. "I'm certain." He said earnestly, his voice firm but lacking its usual gruffness. "I've been trying to solve this riddle for years, going through the same damn loop over and over again. I've had a lot of time to analyze the situation and come up with a plan of action. This is the best possible way to go about it."

He took a deep breath, his gaze flickering over them both. "And trust me when I say, I don't like the idea of having to use your friends in this way any more than you do."

A tiny noise of distress came from Jacob as he tugged on Dylan’s arm. “Hey uhhh… Dyl? Can we group huddle for a sec?”

Dylan turned at the sound, his gaze falling on Jacob's troubled expression. He quickly picked up on his distress and nodded. "Yeah, for sure." He looked back at Travis and gave him a brief nod before leading Jacob a few steps away for some privacy.

Jacob inhaled deeply, gathering his thoughts for a moment before speaking in hushed tones. "Dude, this… this is nuts." He blurted out, his expression a mix of fear and frustration. "Travis is literally asking us to sacrifice our friends… and he acts like it's just another Tuesday." He exclaimed.

He ran a hand through his hair, the anxious movement betraying his nervousness. "I just… is this even right?" He whispered, a hint of guilt in his voice. "Playing god with our friends' lives?"

Dylan let out a long sigh, his jaw clenching and unclenching. "I don't know, dude." He muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Part of me is saying that this feels all kinds of wrong, but at the same time..." His voice trailed off, his gaze dropping down to the ground. “What other choice do we have…?”

Jacob sighed, a frustrated groan escaping his lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, I know... It's just..." He let out another huff, his expression pained. "I feel like we're making a deal with a damn devil here, man." He looked up at Dylan, concern and fear evident in his eyes. "What if it doesn't work ?"

Dylan's face fell at the question, his mind flooding with the same thoughts. What if it's all been for nothing? What if they sacrificed their friends lives for absolutely no reason? The very thought made him sick to his stomach.

He shook his head fiercely, shoving those thoughts away. "It has to work." He muttered, his voice firm despite the tremble that threatened to break through. "We have to believe it will."

Jacob nodded, his expression mirroring Dylan's determination. He let out a shaky exhale, his gaze hardening. "Yeah, you're right." He agreed, a flicker of resolve flashing in his eyes. "It goddamn better work."

He glanced over at Travis, his gaze lingering on the man's weary face. "I just hope he's got a damn good plan, or else we're royally screwed…"

Dylan followed his gaze, watching Travis as well. The man looked tired, like he hadn't slept in days. He could see the dark circles under his eyes, and the bags that weighed them down. "He does look pretty damn worn out." He agreed quietly.

He gave Jacob a sidelong glance, studying the latter's expression for a moment before speaking up again. "You okay?" He asked, his voice quiet and filled with concern.

Jacob let out a soft huff, a small, sad laugh escaping his lips. "Do I look okay to you, bro?" He asked, shooting Dylan a wry grin. He fidgeted with the sleeve of his shirt, his gaze flickering towards Travis again. "This situation sucks major ass…." He admitted, his voice soft but firm in its conviction.

He let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. "This isn't how I expected my summer to go, dude… not at all."

Dylan chuckled weakly, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I feel ya bro." He murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "I sure as hell didn't sign up for all this supernatural bullshit either."

He let out a weary sigh, his expression growing serious again. "But hey, we're in this together now, you know?" He said firmly, his eyes meeting Jacob's. "We gotta have each other's backs, alright?"

"Yeah.. yeah, you're right." Jacob affirmed, managing a tiny smile. He felt more reassured by the knowledge that he wasn't in this alone. "We got each other, man."

He took a deep breath, trying to push some of the tension out of his shoulders. "Just hope we don't end up being the sacrificial lambs ourselves." He added, his voice tinged with a hint of dark humor.

Dylan let out a dry chuckle at that, managing a weak smile. "Yeah, wouldn't that be a plot twist." He quipped, shaking his head slightly.

His expression then turned slightly more serious, his eyes narrowing as he studied Jacob's face. He gently placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Seriously, though… don't do anything heroic, okay?" He said firmly, his eyes locking with the latter's. "Promise me that. Don't be a goddamn hero."

Jacob's initial smile faltered slightly, his expression turning a little sheepish at Dylan's words. "Aw, you know I can't make promises like that, dude." He quipped, the hint of humor in his voice betrayed by the anxious glint in his eyes.

When their gazes met, he let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging. "I'll try.. for your sake." He eventually relented, offering a small nod. "I won't do anything stupid... Probably." He added, the corner of his mouth tugging up into a smirk.

Dylan let out a long suffering sigh, shaking his head in mild exasperation. He knew there was no point in trying to argue with Jacob, he was just as stubborn as he was. "Probably..." He echoed with a slight huff, the smirk on Jacob's lips causing him to smirk as well.

He gently shoved him. "Idiot." He muttered affectionately.