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Something is coming.
Apo can’t stop thinking it. She can’t push down the feeling of anticipation in her chest, in her stomach, that’s been festering ever since… ever since the crypt, really. The awful, gnawing sense that something terrible is just around the corner, and Apo has to prepare right now. But she doesn’t know what’s coming, so she’s just waiting, waiting, it’s coming, it’s coming-
God. Anything could happen. The castle could attack the town. The town could try and attack the castle and fail and lose someone else. Everyone could decide that it’s easier to get rid of Apo, wild card that she is. They could all decide that maybe the castle’s not so bad after all. She could run out of chances to kill Scott and have to turn the humans. Or worse, go back to Owen’s plan.
Too much. Any of it. All of it. Apo feels like she’s on the edge of a cliff, and someone’s stepping up behind her. And in this world, Apo can’t just fly away.
Distraction. That’s what Apo needs right now. They need to distract themself before that feeling in their chest turns to pure hunger. And there’s someone still left in town who’s always reliably distracting.
Martyn is outside of his house. Apo leaps to him, calling his name, the shape of it so familiar in her throat. “Martyn!”
There’s a violent flinch from Martyn, a scream, a haphazard grab for his silver sword. Apo reels back and holds her claws in front of her chest.
“Geez!” Martyn drops his hand once he recognizes Apo. It takes him a good second to do so. “Don’t do that! I thought you were coming at me! I coulda stabbed you!”
The tension in Apo’s bones hardens. “I’m not gonna hurt you! Jesus, Martyn.”
“Yeah, look, it- I’ve been taken out a lot, okay? Just-” Martyn breaks off, his eyes darting around the decrepit town. “Wait, come into my house. I don’t trust this.”
The other humans are elsewhere in town. Hopefully. Unless one of them, probably Legs or Pearl, ran off on their own again. If there’s any vampires around, they at least can’t get into Martyn’s house. If the other humans are smart, they’ll stay inside, too. Apo has to trust that, because she can’t be everywhere at once.
Okay. Alright. Apo sighs into the invitation, easing their posture. “Right.”
The house, with its little unwelcoming sign, is one of the few things unchanged about Oakhurst. It feels strange to see it standing.
Martyn leads Apo into the house, shutting the door behind them. He stretches, shaking his bad leg out with a wince. He slides to the ground with his back against the wall, rubbing at the leg.
Apo sits beside Martyn, noting the pallor in his face. God, Martyn doesn’t look good. But Apo can’t say anything, because she’s a fucking vampire, for crying out loud. She must look worse. Not that she can check.
Honestly, Martyn’s always looked a little disheveled, comfortably so for someone who claimed to be rich. Apo doesn’t really buy that, but it’s the story Martyn’s sticking by, and Apo doesn’t really see the point in pushing it. They have more serious things to push back on.
Anticipation still hums under Apo’s pale skin. With a huff of frustration, she pulls out a strip of wood and a knife. Practiced strokes slowly cut the shape of a stake into the dark oak.
Martyn watches them work for a moment. “Hey, can you spare me one?” he asks, letting his leg go.
The more stakes the merrier, that’s a guarantee. “Sure.”
Apo easily hands over some wood. Martyn has his own knife, a worn thing. He settles into a rhythm beside her, and the dual sounds of bark curling away from the center are pretty satisfying. Hopefully, one of these will find their way into Scott’s heart.
If Apo can count on the people she fights beside, that is.
“I’m on your side,” Apo blurts.
Martyn glances at Apo. “Yeah? I know that?”
Apo shakes her head and keeps her eyes on the stake forming in front of her. “You reached for your sword when I called for you.”
“You startled me!” Martyn defends himself. “Of course you’re with us now. But you slashed at me earlier, so no shit I’m gonna be jumpy!”
Apo scrunches their face. “When did I slash at you? I’ve done nothing to you, Martyn.”
Martyn scoffs. “You’re still on that, huh? Come on, at the crypt! You raked your claws into me, you killed Sausage, you clawed Ren…”
“I sent Sausage back to town, okay? That’s not killing!” Hunger claws at Apo’s insides.
It sounds like Martyn’s knife catches in the wood. “You’re serious? It hurt, Apo! And what about what you told me- I guess I lied? That- That wasn’t you acting, like you said, you were trying to hurt us!”
Boiling, Apo feels like something in her is boiling. “But I didn’t kill you. I could’ve, but I didn’t.”
“Yeah, but it still hurt! Why don’t you get that?” Martyn groans, and Apo’s trying to ignore him, but she catches him toss his head up. “What’s with you? Why aren’t you sorry?”
“I am sorry!” something in Apo whines.
Martyn’s voice is surprisingly firm. “Then why aren’t you saying it!?”
Hurt. Hungry. Apo drives the knife behind her into the low wood paneling.“I don’t know!”
It pulses in the air, ripped out of her, filling the room with the stench of decay. No more sounds of carving, just Martyn panting, and Apo wishes she still needed to breathe. Even so, she keeps exhaling like the argument knocked the wind out of her, the instinct not drained from her yet.
Apo can’t look at Martyn. They turn the half-finished stake over in their hands, and realize what was torn from their mouth.
God. Oh god.
Why… Martyn’s right, why did they act like they did nothing wrong? They thought they’d have to kill all the humans, they swore to, because Owen… They thought it was the only way, but here they are, trying a different one. Apo meant to betray the humans at the crypt. It wasn’t soft, it wasn’t an act. They hurt their militia. Their friends. They failed. Jesus Christ, and then they acted like it didn’t happen, just like-
I’ve done nothing to you.
You wanted this.
Make it stop, make it stop, no, no no-
“Why am I doing this?” Apo utters, voice raw. “Why am I acting like-” Can’t say it. Choking on the name.
The tools fall from Apo’s hands. Too dangerous. She is dangerous. She could’ve hurt Martyn. Hungry enough to take from him, to end up alone again, to have no one, truly no one this time-
“I… I am sorry,” Apo whispers. Then, louder, “I’m sorry, Martyn. I- I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, oh god, I- I didn’t mean to hurt you, or- or Sausage, or Ren, I- I swear, I didn’t want to kill you, I thought I had to, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-”
Hands on their shoulders. “Woah, woah, woah,” Martyn interjects, bringing Apo to face him. “Easy. I more than believe you when you go on like that, geez.”
“Are you okay?” Apo asks, something opening up deep inside of them. Something alive and wriggling and real. “I- Oh god, you- Are you safe? Did I hurt you too bad?”
“I’m okay,” Martyn answers. “I mean, it hurt, and I felt a lot weaker after that fight. We all died a lot that day, and if Doc hadn’t patched me up, I- I don’t think I had much more in me.”
“Humans… can still die here,” Apo mumbles. “If you… If I… Oh god. And it still…”
Of course, of fucking course. Owen was the one to describe it as sending them back to town, Owen was the one to tell her there was no other way out of Oakhurst- Why the fuck did she keep listening to Owen?
"So you thought you had to kill us?” Martyn asks, leaning back from Apo. “But not anymore? If we can take out Scott?”
“Yeah. Or turn all the humans into vampires. The barrier, it- it needs something like that, I don’t know. Whatever keeps me alive, I’ll do that,” Apo explains.
“Well, I don’t wanna be a vampire, so let’s hope we can slay Scott,” Martyn replies.
If only. “Yeah. Yeah, we go for Scott. I- I want to be human again. I want to go home, but if I can, I want to do it human.”
Martyn shakes Apo’s shoulder. “I’d say you’re doing a good job staying human. Better than others, anyway.”
The side of Apo’s mouth quirks upwards. “Thanks, Martyn.”
One of Martyn’s hands leaves Apo to rub the back of Martyn’s neck. “I didn’t really help with that, did I? When I told everyone about you?”
Apo huffs. “No. But you… you let me come back to town, so I appreciate it.”
“Yeah. Sorry.” Then, Martyn grins. “See? It’s not hard to say, is it?”
“Oh my god.” Apo socks Martyn in the arm.
“Hey, come on, let me have that!” Martyn laughs, and Apo can’t help but follow suit.
“You can have it, but I’m still gonna shove you,” Apo decides, and she keeps true to her word. Push, push back, devolving into strained laughter that lets some of that anticipation out of Apo’s belly. Bodies moving, real, real real and warm-
Martyn shoves back until he makes a unique counter move and pulls Apo inwards, nearly in a headlock. Apo slows down in his hold, dipping their head against his collarbone.
Arms properly wrap around Apo, and the body they belong to shivers.
“You’re freezing,” Martyn notes.
Right. “Sorry.” They nearly pull back, but Martyn keeps them in the restraint.
Peach fuzz tickles her forehead. “Hey. You didn’t make yourself into a vampire,” Martyn says smartly.
The trembling strengthens, and Apo realizes that she’s the one shaking now.
Worry. “Woah, woah, what is it?”
“Nothing,” Apo mutters into Martyn’s chest. This close, she can tell that Martyn’s heartbeat is weirdly slow for someone so on edge all the time. “It’s just… nice to hear someone say that.”
“What, that you didn’t want it? Like that’s some kinda question?” Martyn chuckles in surprise. “I mean, I figured that was a given, like…”
“Not everyone thinks so,” Apo grumbles.
“Eh, fuck ‘em,” Martyn states. “You know what you wanted. You, uh, you make that difference for yourself.”
With a snort, Apo wipes at their eyes. “Uh… Thank you. Can we- I didn’t finish my stake.”
Martyn releases Apo and retrieves the tools. “Right. We’re gonna need those for Scott, yeah?”
It gets another smile out of her. “Yep.”
It’s a lot easier to settle next to him. The woodworking is numbing in a calm way.
Not long into starting up again, Martyn starts talking. “How did it happen, anyway? I know Scott turned you but…”
“Oh yeah.” They actually have a moment to talk, despite everything. “Um, Owen- This was after the town meeting. Where Owen gathered us all. Owen went with me to turn the crypt beacon, and he… he led me to Pyro and Scott. And those two drank from me, and I- I had to bargain for my life. I said I’d bring someone else a day later to, like, buy myself time, you know? They told me if I didn’t, or if I told anyone, they’d just kill me. Permanently.”
Martyn hums to show he’s listening. Can’t tell how judgemental of a hum it is.
Apo swallows. “Uh, so I went to kill them all, starting with Scott. But he just kept coming back.”
“Right, you said that. We both couldn’t take him out with the silver,” Martyn notes.
“Uh huh. So I had to let him turn me, because if I didn’t, he could just go for someone else,” Apo explains carefully.
Martyn whistles lowly. “Jesus, yeah. Wait, so you were turned… When was Cleo turned?”
“After me. Not long after, really. So… lot of good my deal did,” Apo croaks, sharpening the tip of the stake. Apo hopes this will hurt its target.
“So… You got turned, and then you saved my life?” Martyn asks. “Geez. You don’t half ass anything, do you?”
“I guess not,” Apo replies. “Um… But that’s it. That’s how I got turned. But then Scott kept saying afterward that I wanted it, so… Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if that spread around.”
“Yikes,” Martyn exhales. “Well, don’t worry. We’ll get Scott, and once he’s gone, we can, like, set the record straight.”
Apo glances at Martyn. He’s focused on his stake, something determined in his panicked disposition. “Thanks.”
“Least I can do.” Martyn gives the stake a hearty slash. “But you’ll do the same, yeah? You won’t let me get killed again or nothing?”
“No, yeah, I… I’ll protect you as long as I can. Least… Least I can do,” Apo echoes. It feels far, far better in their throat to echo Martyn than the man they didn’t even realize they were parroting.
Martyn gives a cocky smile and tilts his stake towards hers. They clink stakes as if they’re drinking glasses.
Once they’re done with the stakes, Apo rises and pulls Martyn to his feet. Now that she’s looking, it’s clear he has a limp. God, hopefully that leg is looking better than it did under the bridge. Martyn leads them out of the house and back into the ruined streets of Oakhurst, and he glances at his leg when Apo does.
“Are you gonna explain the blood thing, by the way? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be alive, but am I gonna, like, transform into a vampire as soon as this is over?” Martyn asks idly. Guess that day is on both of their minds.
“No?” Apo pauses. “I don’t know, actually. I just thought it would heal you, and it… it did. Oh god, I hope not.”
Martyn hisses through his teeth. “I never mentioned it to anybody, so… Yeah, we might wanna do that.”
“No kidding.”