Work Text:
It was supposed to be a day like any other. Waking up, getting dressed and hurrying to that part-time job down the street you neither hated nor liked, but paid for the bills. The routine you had gladly settled into over the last few years, after a botched attempt in community college. You liked that routine, always sticking to the same path. It comforted you, especially in this world where things changed too quickly for your liking.
You feared change.
But on that early morning of march, you felt something different. Not yourself, but the air. Something in the air felt very wrong, very uncanny and nothing like you ever knew. It sent shivers down your spine as you trudged to the window, ready to swing the curtains open and see if anything was amiss. You were expecting the very same scenery that greeted you each morning, the cold streets of Montréal sprawling around the building.
But your hand hovered near the curtains, your gut churned. You probably shouldn’t open them. You pondered why, everything seemed perfectly normal, besides that ominous feeling creeping down your back. But your gut rarely, if ever, betrayed you, it had saved you more than once from perilous situations. And so, you slowly stepped back, trusting it as you should.
“... What the hell is happening ?”
A great question that would remain unanswered for the time being. You had to get ready to work.
Hence, you followed that usual routine : putting on your favorite clothes, petting your beloved pet currently asleep on the couch, eating on the go as coffee slowly poured down into a cracked mug you never threw away. Too important, too sentimental. You checked the time on your phone, 8 AM, right on cue, you weren’t going to be late.
Ready to venture into another predictable day, you stepped into the quiet hallway. Nobody else was around, quieter than usual. The ominous feeling grew tenfold with each cautious step you took towards the elevator. Was someone observing you from afar, lurking around the corner ? Obviously not, you could get a bit paranoid sometimes, like pretty much all of your friends.
But as the wait for the elevator to ascend dragged on, that sensation lingered, stronger than ever. Someone was definitely observing you !
You quickly looked to the side, towards the hallway’s end where the staircase would be. And as suspected, a silhouette hurriedly retreated into the shadows. You froze, torn between confronting this creepy stalker, just waiting for the damn elevator to show up, or run back into your flat.
But thankfully, that problem quickly solved itself when the silhouette reappeared, walking confidently in your direction, a knife in hand. He was smiling, too widely for your comfort. You were actually pretty sure his face shouldn’t be stretching that much. The man, whom you finally recognized as Christopher, a neighbor you met sometimes in the elevator, called out to you, raising his knife with a deranged grin.
“Hello neighbor, fancy meeting you here, isn’t it?!”
“... Yes, hello, hi. Can you please put the knife down, that’s creeping me out.”
“Oh, I can see that! I can see more than that, actually!”
He chuckled, like he’d just told the joke of this century, while you cursed inwardly at the elevator taking its sweet time. What the hell was happening?! Why was Christopher looking so strange, why was he brandishing a knife?! He always seemed the calm and collected type whenever you exchanged pleasantries.
This assumption definitely vanished when he suddenly plunged his knife into his stomach, slashing it open in one expert move. Blood splashed out, landing a few inches from your shoes. Horrified, you staggered against the elevator’s door, hopelessly praying by that point. The ominous feeling turned into outright dread.
“Let me show you just how much I can see!”
If Chris opening his stomach hadn’t been traumatizing enough, the giant eyeball sprouting to life like a cursed bud certainly did it. You screamed in sheer terror, which only amused the neighbor more. This couldn’t be, could it?! This wasn’t normal, not in the slightest!
“I saw it outside, it was so beautiful! And now I can see everything!”
Christopher then charged. This broke your trance and you fled right back into your apartment. You slammed the door right in his face, or so you deduced by the loud thud against the panel, followed by a pained grunt. Panic rose, you scrambled for your phone, you should call the police ! And tell them about the psychotic neighbor who almost tried to stab you, the one with the giant eyeball lodged in his stomach!
No, that was ridiculous, who in their right mind would believe that? Besides, there was no signal, for some reason. Probably just a minor inconvenience on the network, like every so often. Nothing worth reporting. Behind the door, Christopher pestered but didn’t try to open. A disgruntled bang, and he walked off, leaving you shaking like a leaf.
“... Holy shit, that was scary. What’s wrong with him? I’m going to be late for work now…!”
Should you actually be thinking about your job? That weird man just attacked you, a blinking third eye staring into your soul, and all you were worried about was getting there on time? Now that you actually took a second to reflect, this was definitely unwise, if not outright stupid.
He had mentioned looking outside, just like you had been tempted before listening to your voice of reason. The ominous atmosphere grew stronger when you saw him approaching, like the world itself jeered at your expense. You couldn’t be sure, but this incident seemed to confirm what your gut had predicted. Looking outside would be a terrible, irreversible idea.
Getting to work was out of the picture now.
You took a deep breath to stabilize your heart, pounding like rarely before in your chest. This was bad, but manageable. Probably. As long as you avoided whatever was lurking outside, you should be alright. Christopher seemed completely out of it, he didn’t even as much as flinch when he cut himself open. Just like your parents always told you, stay clear of creepy strangers outside.
“... Oh god, mom and dad.”
You scrambled for your phone again, desperately hoping at least a tiny bar of signal would’ve come back by then. Nothing. Your parents weren’t the type to use social media, but you tried Whatsapp, at least.
You left your mom on read yesterday, how terrible. Just another message of her saying how she missed you, and how they hoped you’d come spend a weekend back in your hometown soon. She even took a picture of her dinner. Lasagnas with a ton of tomato sauce, just like how you loved them. And yet, you left her on read, unsure on what to reply. You were tired, you told yourself. A half-baked apology, and you knew it.
And now, you certainly wished you had.
“Mom, are you alright? please don’t look outside. I don’t know what’s happening, but things are weird.”
A beat, and the message was sent. You hesitated for a few seconds…
“I love you”’
You turned the phone off. That was the most you could currently do without leaving your apartment’s safety, lest you’d meet with Chris again, or whoever else was roaming those sinister halls. If more people had peeked behind their curtains, death was pretty much guaranteed.
You didn’t have many friends here anyway. Old college acquaintances living a few blocks away, childhood buddies back in the south, maybe a coworker you tolerated more than the others.
Wait, you had Lyle here. Living right below you. You liked the little nerd, he was your one friend in the building. He had finally found someone else indulging in the same hobbies as he did, and you were quite happy to have someone to play Mazes and Wizards with.
Your stomach churned again, dread paralysing your muscles. Not that Lyle was the type to go out much, but he sometimes went on the rooftop to take pictures. And if he had witnessed the otherworldly horror outside…
You bolted out of your apartment before you even realized it. No way, no way you wouldn’t check on Lyle.
“Fuck, I hope he’s alright. Please let him be alright.”
Back in the corridor, Christopher had vanished, although the crimson trail he left behind hinted he wasn’t that far away. You made sure to walk in the opposite direction, towards the staircase. As you walked past all of your neighbors’ closed doors, you could hear shuffling behind a few. Poor souls, probably already condemned, but you weren’t about to check. A particularly wet shuffle disgusted you, and you hurried to the stairs.
Thankfully, or not, the door was open, and you shuffled inside the staircase.
“Please be alright. Please don’t be changed into a weird thing with too many eyes…”
The second’s floor landing revealed even more blood, and albeit the lights were turned off, you could almost swear the little chunks here and there looked like flesh. For your already damaged sanity, you didn’t linger more than necessary and merely prayed whatever had torn this thing into a gory mess would stay as far as possible.
Hugging the walls, on edge, the second floor felt even tenser than the third. The air itself seemed to constrict around your throat. Malevolence, or maybe primal fear, almost oozed off the walls. Quietness only troubled by your soft steps on the floorboards, then you stopping before Lyle’s door, apartment 21.
“... Please be okay.”
You slowly raised a hand, feeling the cold doorknob in your palm. An almost eerily normal feeling, after this short journey through hell. You pushed it down…
The door didn’t open, locked on the other end.
Nothing alarming, Lyle often locked his door. You fished for your keys, finally utilizing the spare Lyle had given you a few weeks ago, trusting you to water his plant while he took an exceedingly rare trip across the country for a con.
“There we go… I hope he won’t mind the unexpected visit…”
The key inserted itself perfectly, and you unlocked the door. A second later, you heard loud paddling in the living room, like a dozen or so tiny feet scuttering away from the door. Worry gnawed at your mind and dread seized your heart. You had a bad feeling about this, your gut said.
“... Lyle, it’s me, don’t worry ! I just want to check on you…”
You announced yourself, silently entering his living room. Praying for the best but expecting the worst. It was always the worst. Lights were off.
“... Lyle ? You there ?”
You called out, and nobody answered, yet the paddling clearly hinted at someone, or something, hidden in the apartment’s depths. That something that could very well be your friend, turned into some insane, godforsaken monstrosity. With too many eyes.
A first cautious step, then another, and you finally spotted him. Or it?
A large silhouette was trembling, draped in a large curtain, hidden behind a couch that did a terrible job at concealing. Your blood ran cold and you froze, breath hitching. Was it already too late?
“... Hey Lyle ? Are you alright?”
Despite all of your good will, your voice came out strained, shaking, anxious. The silhouette shuddered, but finally acknowledged the name, and two round eyes slowly peeked out. Pearly white, with a single black dot. No longer human, that was for sure.
“Hey, hi… Y-you scared me there, b-buddy…”
“... Lyle ? Is that you…?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I t-think so, at least…? I don’t know man, everything’s been weird lately…”
Lyle slowly stood up, desperately trying to keep himself buried under the makeshift curtain-cloak, and stared nervously into your eyes. You were still frozen, and his voice grew shakier.
“... Hey, can you say something ? R-really, anything…”
“... Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
These were the first words that left your throat. Lyle’s eyes widened in surprise and probably a bit of self-hatred. Why were you apologizing to him?
“Why are you apologizing ? Y-you’ve done nothing wrong, I swear ! Oh god, did I do something bad, did I scare you…?”
“.. I was too late.”
Too late. You hadn’t seen his body yet, but these nervous eyes, the scuttering you heard before, this strange curtain he was wearing to hide his features… Even if he was shy, he had never resorted to such extreme measures ! He had transformed, he had looked outside, before you could stop him.
You failed him. Worthless, everything. He had changed.
And Lyle sensed your distress, as he slowly approached, tightening his cloak. You heard the soft scuttering again, under his robe, and it made you curse yourself even harsher. Just how much of a poor friend could you be, leaving Lyle to be transformed by the embodiment of death outside ?
“Hey, I’m alright… P-please, don’t blame yourself…”
He knew you knew. Or had guessed, whatever was more accurate. Your eyes slowly rose back to his worried face, and your throat tightened in a cold, vicious grasp. His face turned a bit blurry.
“But I failed you ! You looked outside, whatever happened, and now you’re…”
“Hey, hey ! It’s not your fault, please don’t cry, I’m alright !”, he insisted, gesturing with trembling hands at himself.
“No, you’re not ! I wanted to check on you, I thought… I thought I’d be there on time…!”
As simple as your words were, they struck a cord in Lyle’s heart. The care you felt for each other was nothing new, but every mention made his fragile soul shudder. Even in this form.
Lyle sighed and dropped the curtain, revealing himself to his single audience member. The lump lodged in your throat was near impossible to ignore.
Next to him, Chris had barely turned. Lyle’s whole body had horribly transformed, morphing into some sort of spider-like creature covered in eyes, a large camera appendage somehow hanging from his side. His hands were the last part of him even resembling anything human-like. Too hard to ignore now, the blurriness overcame your senses. Failure, you failed.
“Oh god, oh god, I’m so sorry Lyle…”
Lyle softly shook his head, all eyes quietly looking down.
“It’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself. It started hours ago, you were probably even sleeping…”
“That’s not an excuse, maybe I could’ve prevented that ! Maybe I could’ve saved you…!”
Lyle’s own face twisted painfully at the anguish piercing your words. He knew, probably even expected this type of reaction, but it didn’t make it any less very difficult to endure.
“No, you couldn’t have… I think. I went on the rooftop to take photos… T-that must be when it began…”
“Just what is outside..?! What the hell turned you into this?!”
Your words turned angry, Lyle recoiled slightly, tears kept falling. Angry at yourself, angry at the world. At that world that had changed far too quickly for your liking.
“I d-don’t know, I really don’t…! It just took photos of the sky…”
More curses, how could you ! You let that awkward but sweet nerd you played with every weekend or almost turn into this thing ! Yes, he somehow retained his sanity, but still! How could you ?! How-
The words died on your tongue when you felt his long arms closing around your chest, then Lyle’s whole figure huddling against yours. A safe place. God, you had missed his hugs. Always the best ones.
“There, please don’t cry…”, he insisted, voice breaking just like yours.
You kept crying, but quieter this time, squeezing him so tight, which he reciprocated. It didn’t take long for him to join in this anguished chorus, his entire body shaking softly. You desperately clawed at his back, you needed more of that warmth.
“I’m sorry Lyle, I’m still sorry…”
“I know, I really do… I’m sorry too. But I’m glad you’re still yourself…”
Damn idiot, hitting you right in the chest. But you know he meant every word with utmost sincerity.
Neither broke the embrace for a while, soaking in the other’s presence as the apocalypse had started outside these walls. When Lyle finally pulled away, his main eyes were puffier and still a tad tearful, even after his useless attempt at swiping them.
“I’m still me, I promise. And as long as you’re still yourself, it’s alright, you know…?”
His voice was softer, almost tender. You nodded wordlessly, wiping your own tears off as best you could.
“Yeah, yeah I know… But God, I was so worried…! What the hell is happening to us…?”
“I have no clue, sorry… but it spared you so far, and that’s great ! It’s like you got a mana shield or something ”
A poor attempt at a joke, just like how you loved them. You managed a small chuckle and a smile, in spite of it all. The tears had ceased, but the emotions stayed. Lyle joined his hands and looked at the door, a soft sigh pushing past his… lips?
“Whatever it is, it’s bad. I was worried it was only me at first, you know…? But then I heard all the screaming outside…”
“Shit, just what did you see…?”
“... A lot. I’d-d rather not talk about that. I just hope Sam’s alright up there…”
You didn’t press, for both of your sakes, and Lyle was silently grateful.
“... So what happens now ? We’re stuck inside.”, you asked, unsure on how to move onwards.
“I’m not sure… Maybe we just haul up? I’m sure it’s gonna be over soon, y-yeah?”
Neither of you believed that, you weren’t idiots. Lyle’s new appearance said enough. But you needed a goal, a semblance of normalcy to cling onto. Hauling up didn’t sound too bad, all things considered, especially with Lyle.
“At least we’ll have time to play that campaign now, won’t we…”
Lyle almost scoffed at how true that was.
“Yeah, yeah we’ll have time… Let’s go to your place then we’ll see, yeah ?”
“... You sure ? I know you like your little cozy space…”
Lyle nodded vigorously, pointing at the bathroom door in the corner. The ominous vibes from the corridor were piercing through the gap at the bottom…
“Y-yeah, I’m sure right there! Something got in my bathroom from the first floor an hour ago, and I’m not really excited to see what it is..!”
More than fair, you could always come back anyway. Hence, you observed Lyle grabbing a few belongings, including a medkit, tossing them into a large bag, then slinging it over his shoulder like it was nothing. Maybe that new body did have a few perks, but it’d take a while to get used to it…
“Okay, let’s go…”
Lyle’s apartment fell back into silence, two sets of footsteps drowning in the distance. Rushing to safe haven, a fixed point in this world changing far too quickly for their liking.
At least they had each other, for now. Hopefully, it’d last.