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Loop 9. Day 13. Hour 19.
Legundo watched the walls burn. He watched the flames jump from flint and steel held by no mortal hand, he watched them spark and gutter and rage, he watched them consume the town's meagre protection until there was nothing left but ash and a ring of fire.
This was—including the actual first time—his tenth time seeing this occur. The first few times it had been mostly the same, perhaps a day or two earlier; once it nearly hadn't happened at all, he thought he'd been making progress that time; and once he'd watched it burn as a vampire. Granted, he hadn't actually seen much of the burning on that go around as the tears falling red and bloody from his eyes had blinded much of the view.
He didn't like to think about the casualties in that loop, didn't like to wonder about what had happened to make Owen turn him that early, what things people had said or done differently due to his attempts to improve things that had enraged him so.
He didn't like to think about Loop 7.
Well, that wasn't quite right now, was it? Loop 7 had been an important one. In Loop 7 he'd had realized that there was someone else looping with him.
Someone else trapped repeating these few weeks again and again and again and again and- Legundo took a deep breath. It smelt of ash.
Someone else was stuck doing this, aware of the looping time, aware of the consequences (or perhaps lack of consequences) of both of their differing actions. That person had hurt more people. Made the situation worse. Legundo was not a vindictive man but the first, the second, the third time innocent people were found dead he longed to break his oath to put his repeating companion in their place.
As Legundo watched the vampires—fewer than usual at least, given the handful of people he'd kept safe, kept human, this time around—burn the walls down, he considered his evidence and hoped he was wrong.
Whilst he'd been attempting to use these repetitions to improve the outcome of the Loop, he had come to the unfortunate conclusion that his partner in time was not. Based on the vampires drastically different movements and their increasingly antagonistic actions towards the humans over the latest loops he was reasonably certain that they had been part of the castle in the Original. Additionally, given the fact that it had taken him seven loops to even be certain that there was another person aware, they had to be a skilled liar.
A few people were quickly ruled out, with these two limitations: Shelby, Pearl, Ren, Avid and Apo most notably among them.
A solitary bat flew from the chaos, hovered for a moment—perfectly silhouetted by the bloody red moon (It was more difficult to picture it's usual colour these days.) hung like an eye in the night—to watch him in the tree line then flew in a direction that made Legundo's heart sink.
At least it wasn't Scott.
The thought was bitter in his mind as he turned toward the lake, but when confronted with all the facts, he couldn't claim to be surprised.
Despite the dramatic call to the lake, Legundo wasn't certain that Owen knew why he was acting strangely, perhaps he just wanted to attempt to turn him again… Legundo grimaced as he bit down on a clove of garlic from his pocket. 'Better safe than sorry' he thought as he strode into the woods, away from the inferno behind him.
"Doctor."
Legundo had long-since stopped being surprised by Owen suddenly appearing at random. He turned around, arms crossed, and the scar on his neck itched. Given he knew Owen was also looping and therefore aware of every time they'd done it, had it been really necessary to go through with allowing Owen to drink from him on this loop? Almost certainly not, and yet… It reminded him of the Original, those few brief days where things had seemed almost hopeful. Those few days where he'd traded a kiss along with blood, where eye contact from opposite sides of the bridge had felt electric, where the quiet and the dark was full of comfort rather than paranoia.
He filed those days under the same category as Loop 7: Do not think about unless necessary.
He wished his brain would comply.
"Owen."
He didn't look well. He looked exhausted, angry. Scared. A stab of sympathy jabbed into Legundo's heart.
The vampire launched himself at Legundo, claws and fangs bared in a snarl. Okay, no time for sympathy.
Legundo crouched low, raised his shield and moved toward him, Owen collided hard with the wood and silver, momentum carrying him over the doctor's head; a hand dropped to Legs' shoulder as he spun, claws ripping fabric, skin, muscle to bloody ribbons.
He cried out. His sword was in his hand and he was moving. Needed to run. Needed to get away. Needed to turn and face him.
Owen's claws curled tighter into Legundo's shoulder, gripping sinew and bone as a boot slammed into his leg with a horrific crunch.
Either he was getting rusty or something had changed; regardless Legundo grit his teeth to muffle another scream and dropped his shield, his newly freed hand reached up to enclose Owen's wrist and tear his hand free. Okay. Breathe. Take a breathe don't panic and just- just don't panic.
Step one.
Legundo planted his uninjured leg firmly and turned, taking the brief moment of surprise to charge—grateful that in this loop he'd found that particular book a few days ago—forward, slamming Owen against a tree.
Step two.
Take stock. He had a moment to think, maybe one more to breathe. His right leg was needled with pain and he loathed to think of the damage. His left arm was going numb from the shoulder down, only a dull throbbing agony remained there, but still he gripped his shirt tight.
Step two.
Legundo raised his silver sword to Owen's throat, his one small bit of leverage in this situation and let out a snarl of his own. His heart was beating against his ribs like it wanted to escape, to return to Owen, to return to those few days in the Original, he- No. Not now.
Step three.
"Owen, what's this ab-"
Owen head-butted him, forehead to nose, blinding crying pain and in a flash the world turned upside down- was he on his feet? On his back? Owen was all he could see in front of him blood was all he could smell a ringing and his heart smothered his hearing.
His head rolled back and hit- a tree? A tree. Okay. He had his back against a tree, he was pinned, trapped, like a rabbit caught by a hawk with no escape.
Take stock, take stock, take stock- Everything hurt, everything spun, he felt nauseous—dizzy—and maybe he had a concussion because Owen looked concerned, afraid of something. Worried about him?
"What's wrong with you?!"
Probably not then. Time passed like molasses as Legundo took a breath, slow and immensely grateful that none of his ribs had been broken this time around.
"A lot, but I'm not the one who attacked someone in the middle of the woods at night.."
Owen scoffed. Legundo noticed a faint smile pull at the corners of his mouth for a moment before the vampire growled. "That's not what I mean. You're acting different, between-" he stopped himself, "You're acting weird,"
Oh.
Owen hadn't figured it out.
He didn't want to say it.
"Owen…" Legundo hadn't meant for his voice to soften like that, fondness and care and exhaustion that had been left behind nine loops ago.
Fangs bared in his face shut him up.
"Maybe I'll just go ask the humans, see what they can tell me, they don't have their walls anymore, nothing to protect them."
The threat only made Legundo's heart race faster.
"What do you want, Owen?"
"You know something, doctor, you know things about me you don't have any business knowing, so tell me or I'll go find the nearest human and rip their throat out."
"I-" Legundo sighed and nodded. He would've raised his hands in surrender but he was almost certain that until the next loop his left one would be rendered useless due to the chunk of shoulder missing. "Okay."
He knew he sounded tired, knew he looked tired. He'd expected rest, hoped for oblivion, he should've known that was too good for a monster like him, but dear whoever was responsible for this he longed for just a few hours peace.
"I know that this is not the first time we've done this. Not this fight specifically, this is new; but here- us- the beacons and barrier and all-" his voice caught in his throat, "-all the death and blood. This is the tenth time we've done this, the ninth repetition; I've been calling them 'Loops'."
Owen's grip loosened slightly, but now he'd started talking the relief choked the part of his mind that wanted him to shut up, be stubborn, stay strong. He was glad to finally talk to the only person who may understand.
It was dire straights if Owen was that person, but perhaps he'd always been that person: monsters together, even after death. Again and again and again.
"They seem to start as we all come somewhat close to town, and end when either one of us reaches our end or a point shortly after I died in the Original, I believe when the barrier fell. Our actions do impact these Loops, but only until they end, we… have both seen that this is the case, unless we interfere events proceed close to the Original. Nobody else appears to remember, if they are then they're a better liar than you," Legundo couldn't resist the jab, but he paired it with a wry smile and Owen's arm was now more resting against his chest, hand laying on his uninjured shoulder, than pushing him into the tree.
Owen scoffed, but there was no anger behind it. "Anything else?"
Legundo, for a moment, considered indulging in the part of him that hadn't been murdered several times, that hadn't been turned into a monster twice, that hadn't seen people die again and again. He considered raising a hand to cup Owen's face and run a thumb along his cheek.
Another part of him—jittery and aggressive and threatened—wanted to take the moment of weakness, of distraction, to shove him away and run back to town. To recover and lick his wounds and try to catch up to the events he'd missed to protect those he had left to save.
Neither part won.
"I didn't do this to us, and I know you didn't either."
Owen stepped back and the pressure left Legundo's chest.
It was a strange feeling, to have died and not. He wondered how much longer they'd remain like this? For eternity? He'd so loathed the concept of immortality for himself, was this not exactly what he'd feared? To revert before each death as though it never happened. Was this better than eternity as a vampire? More moral? He kept track of every death, how many more were to come? How many would there have been if he'd lived?
"I know, Legs." Owen sounded as tired as he felt, and it was with a start Legundo noticed he'd intertwined their hands. "But why did you keep letting me drink from you? Ten times I've become more powerful thanks to you, why?"
"I want to help; you needed blood, so I gave it to you. I'm… trying to do better than the first time,"
Owen dropped their hands.
"This will all be over faster if everyone in Oakhurst is dead. That's my goal. You try and help all you want, but people can't escape their monsters, I guess if we're stuck here you'll learn that soon enough."
"I'll let you drink again, Owen,"
Owen rolled his eyes and stepped away. His cloak billowed as though he was about to transform into a bat again but… well, Legundo was still a little dizzy, getting a bit light-headed actually; blood loss and shock were the simple explanation, maybe this loop would be over soon and he wouldn't have to deal with it for much longer. Except… Owen was still standing there, hesitating.
The world spun a little as his weight shifted to Owen's support, the vampire with one arm around his waist, the other holding his good arm in place, and began walking without a word. Legundo, to his credit, followed beside him as best as he could.
Time was becoming a fickle thing to hold- it could've been hours or seconds later, but they were back in the treeline by the town, the fires were burning low, it was quiet.
"Go rest, doctor, and don't make promises you won't keep."
Loop 9. Day 13. Hour 23.
Legundo stumbled into his clinic—the door closed and locked behind him—and set to work patching himself up. His leg was only fractured, rather than completely shattered; but his arm… well he'd just have to hope he didn't need a shield again for the rest of this loop.
His goal was clear: help Owen, stop him from making things worse, then save everyone else.
As the ash settled around the town, Legundo got what little sleep he could, already preparing for the interventions he'd need to take tomorrow.