Chapter Text
5:00pm.
The creak of the branches sung out softly, the wind brushing their leaves as the sun set below the horizon, golden-orange light hitting the trees.
The air in the cabin was quiet. The hum of someone snoring and the flip of a page echoed, as each person inside was involved with their own activities, the warmth exuding from the structure being comforting. Branches rustled outside, not betraying anything wrong with the scene.
As Cypress napped on his bed, Eldred managed to sneak a third paper crane onto his forehead, barely concealing his cackles as Hollyhock watched, unamused. Coral had been drifting in and out of sleep whilst Maelys read on the couch, a little bored. They occasionally glanced at Cory, who was drawing in their sketchbook, appearing zoned out to them.
“You’re immature, you know that?” Hollyhock muttered, and Eldred laughed, causing Cypress to blink an eye open. He groaned, sitting up and brushing the cranes off of him.
“Awwh, my streak!” Eldred whined, poking Cypress teasingly before standing up, who rolled over in the bed with a grumble. He walked over to the kitchenette, preparing a drink while Maelys stood up to put their book back.
“If anyone wanted, we could go grab food from the main kitchen. Bring back dinner.” Maelys said, tilting their head as they bent over to look for another book. Coral woke up properly, perking up to this.
“Can I come?”
“Of course,” Maelys responded, grinning at her. “The more people who come, the more food we can bring back.” Coral nodded, slipping on her shoes and her glasses as she stood up, stretching. Eldred finished making his drink, sipping it and almost spilling it on himself, laughing a little awkwardly since he knows they both watched him do that, before placing it down on the counter.
“I’ll come too. You’ll probably need someone as bright as me to light the way.” Eldred joked, to which Maelys and Coral looked at each other with minor confusion, before shrugging. The three walked out of the small cabin, Maelys jumping down the stairs and Eldred following, to which Coral followed by walking down them normally. Eldred and Maelys were several paces ahead of Coral as they left the clearing, bantering with each other until they eventually decided to race.
“I bet that I’ll make it to the kitchen before you.” Eldred said, and Maelys grinned. “Game on.”
The two started sprinting off, laughing all the way, as Coral watched them and decided to not join in, taking in the sunlight, the beautiful outside.
Then she stopped, and she turned to look at the sun, using a hand to block the direct light.
She could have sworn the sun wasn’t blood red before.
~~
Maelys and Eldred had kept running, still laughing and making jabs at each other, before it slowly died down as they both came to a pause, panting. Maelys looked around, not seeing the path out, but a thick, dirt path. The trees looked foreign, twisting much further up than they remembered.
“Eldred.” They said between breaths. “The trees. They’re off.”
He looked around, brow furrowing, teasing smile gone. He looks back to Maelys, almost concerned.
“They’re too tall.”
Maelys nodded in agreement, before they both froze as someone came running towards them, out of the trees.
“Coral?” Maelys said, almost bewildered as she ran up to them, panting.
“We have to go back.” Coral said, almost desperate. “We have to go back now.” She tugged on Maelys’ sleeve, panic in her eyes. Maelys immediately starts to walk back, but Eldred pauses.
“Where are your glasses?” He asked, remembering she wore them earlier. She stared at him, her gaze unrecognisable, before she pulled them from seemingly nowhere.
“Right here,” She said, eerily calm, slipping them onto her face. “On my face.”
Maelys turns to look at Eldred, confusion across her face, as Coral starts to breathe heavy again.
“Please, come on- those things. They’ll get us.”
“What things?” Maelys asked, serious now. Coral seemed to pause, as if she couldn’t remember, before sighing as it turned into a snarl, and her jaw seemed to unhinge. Maelys screamed, instincts kicking in as she punched ‘Coral’, who scrambled back, body morphing into something pale and ghostly, on four legs and snarling, red eyes gleaming as Maelys started sprinting the way they came, followed by a very panicked Eldred.
“What the fuck was that? Maelys?!” Eldred yelled, horrified, and Maelys shook their head, not knowing what.
~~
The sun was still gleaming, a dim crimson colour. Coral hadn’t looked away, mesmerised by the bloodied gleam it casted. She had lowered her hand, staring directly at the sun, not noticing a constricting feeling around her ankles, slowly rising, rising, rising -
“-Coral!” The sound of panicked voices calling her name brought her back, and she looked down, eyes widening in horror as spiked vines coiled around her knees. Eldred reached her first, hugging her as Maelys started to hack at the vines with a rock.
“Are you okay? We saw another you, it-”
“-Why’d you stop? Holy shit, we-”
She stared in shock. Another one of her.
“Another me?”
“Yeah, but it's like… morphed into something. It was white and smokey.” Eldred explained, very rattled. Maelys was still cautious, if this was another one of those things. Coral blinked, before hugging Eldred tight, fear creeping into her throat.
“..I think this is the real Coral.”
“I’ll take your word on that.” Maelys muttered, hacking the last vine as Coral scrambled away from them and Maelys stood up.
“Let’s head back. Now.” Maelys said firmly, brow tense, and neither of the other two argued.
~~
Cypress had woken up to Cory shaking him awake, face twisted with concern, with Hollyhock sitting on her shoulder.
“Whaaat.”
“They’re still not back..” She said softly, a little worried, and he frowned, moving to roll back over.
“Please stay awake. I’m worried something happened.” She said, and he groaned, sitting up and stretching. Hollyhock had jumped down and positioned herself on the windowsill, watching with a weird intensity, ears pinned back.
“...The sun is too red.” She stated firmly, and Cypress glanced outside, brow furrowing. The gleaming scarlet light cast strange shadows across the foliage, which seemed to be growing in front of him. His brows slowly raised, before he was joined by Cory, who seemed just as confused.
“...Is the tree growing?” He asked, and she nodded. “Yeah… I think it is.”
“Are you both thick?” Hollyhock muttered. “Of course they’re growing, nothing is-”
The crashing through the canopy alerted them both to the three arriving back, panting and panicked. Maelys yanked open the door, running in, followed by Eldred who was half-carrying Coral.
“What happened to you guys.” Cypress stated, phrased like a question as he closed the door, the three caught their breath for a second, before the story came out in jumbled words.
“The forest is endless-”
“-Doppleganger to Coral-”
“-Growing vines-”
“-Red sun-”
They collapsed onto the couches, and Cypress casted a skeptical look at Cory, who was visibly shaking. He goes to say something, but something cuts through the panic, causing everyone to fall silent.
“This is a broadcast from the Clearview News Centre. The surrounding area seems to be covered in giant, growing plants. They don’t show any signs of stopping, and a large amount of new flora has been discovered.”
A radio sits on the bedside table. One that definitely wasn’t there before. Hollyhock hissed at it, jumping onto Cypress’ shoulder.
“A new group of entities has been discovered, called ‘outsiders’. Two kinds have been identified, though more can emerge - called Wraiths and Wendigos. They will shift into people they find, and try to enter your home or gain your trust. Do not let them in.”
Cypress looks to Maelys and Eldred, who are staring at each other with realisation. The broadcast goes on, the crackle of the man’s voice irking Cypress a bit.
“Ways to identify outsiders go as follows - Wraiths have a subpar memory, and Wendigos will whisper to themselves behind doors when they think no one hears them in foreign languages. If you find a wraith, a hammer could kill it, but if you find a wendigo, run. Run or gun it down.” His voice seems to get a bit more persistent, more panicked, before he coughs, regaining his professional atmosphere.
“Please stay safe. More information will be coming out tomorrow. I’m Rob, and this has been Clearview News Centre.”
The air in the cabin was still after that, as the information sunk in. Cory was the first person to break the silence, with a fearful sob. Cypress looked to Maelys and Eldred.
“Is that what you meant by doppleganger.”
“Yes, I think- she had memory problems, so she was probably a wraith.” Maelys said, thinking, as Eldred smoothed out his expression.
“Well, this just got interesting, eh, guys? Was beginning to think this place was boring.” Eldred said with a grin, and Cypress frowned.
“Well, something is at play here.”
“Really.” Eldred said with mock surprise.
“I don't own a fucking radio, Eldred.”
Eldred put his hands up in a surrender, still smiling, but Cypress was pacing now.
“Get a grip, child.” Hollyhock murmured from his shoulder, though she seemed a little wary too. As Maelys went to speak, the cabin fell silent once more.
The windows were pitch black, but there could be a shape made out at the door.
A person, knocking softly, fear written across their face.