Chapter Text
Apo ff because I can’t function without writing about her.
Apo walked down the overgrown path in the forest. She was dispatched by the military here, as some recent events caused her to want to be alone and stay in a town called Oakhurst. She was told it was a tourist trap, however she highly doubted anyone would be there though, as, according to her research, it’s been abandoned for a good amount of time now. She was told she had to build a watch tower there and make sure the tourists didn’t litter. As she trekked through the forest, going over the tower blueprints in her mind, she picked up some wheat and carrots randomly growing around the forest. She glanced at the mushrooms that seemed to vary in size and shape and wondered if they could make you loopy. She munched on a carrot and her mind drifted to her lover waiting back at home. She swore to herself the day she left that she would return healthy to her love. She had no intention of breaking that.
A sudden glow through the leaves scared her out of her thoughts. As she walked, the forest was beginning to thin, opening to a wide plane of…grass. And flowers. And random carrots, potatoes, and wheat. She dropped the remains of her carrot she was eating and squinted. She saw a wooden, raggedy wall in the distance, barely seen through the fog. She looked down to the worn path and saw that it was leading straight towards the wall.
'This must be it.' She thought to herself as she walked forward into the sun, its rays warming her black dress. She felt a soft breeze blow through her curly maroon hair. She continued forward, blinking the sunlight from her eyes, and found the entrance of the village. She walked in and immediately agreed with the sites she looked at before she came. It was completely destroyed. Nothing here but ruins and muddy ground. No way people lived here. As she walked around, she suddenly heard voices. She ducked behind the ruined remains of a building and peaked around the side. There had to be at least five people there, talking.
“Augghh” She groaned to herself, pressing her back against the ruins and sliding down, hands over her eyes. “I came here because I thought I would be alone for six months. So why are there people here??????” She groaned again, so done with everyone already before approaching the circle. Some dude with a strange accent was talking. She slipped into the circle they created, and someone looked over to her.
“Who are you?” She looked at his old fashioned rich clothes, his teal hair almost glowing in the sunlight, and immediately felt uneasy.
“Wait, me? Oh, yeah I’m Apo.” She waved, voice monotone and face not moving an inch from her frown.
“And do ye live here?” The strange accented man asked. She shook her head.
“No-”
“Nobody lives here it seems!” Someone exclaimed, and she jumped a bit. Why are these people so loud?
“I was dispatched by the military to be here.” She raised her hand, and eyes turned to her.
“Wait actually? Why?”
“Because they said this was a tourist trap-”
“No way. This? A tourist trap? It’s an abandoned town!” Before she could even get in a half shrug at this cut off, someone else spoke.
“Nah, it's cuz Big Foot’s here!” The girl who spoke had bright red, curly hair, bangs, and thick black glasses. She wore a pale plaid skirt, and a white blouse along with a green shawl over it. She had pale skin, a bandaid on her knee, and a bag slung across her shoulder. She was holding a book to her chest, a pencil pushed through one of her buns on her head. Apo took a second before her mind caught up with what this girl said.
“What.” Apo couldn’t help but deadpann. There was a collective sigh throughout the group, everyone obviously already aware of this girl’s ridiculous claims.
“Yeah! The military wants to be here because Big Foot is here. I knew it!”
“What- no. Big Foot isn’t real. I only agreed to come down here because I thought this would be an abandoned town. Not for Big Foot, and not for the other mythical creatures I know are swirling through your head.” At that moment a boy with a British accent walked towards their circle. His blond almost yellow hair glared in the sun, and a black headband sat just above his eyebrows. His eyes were a bright green, his clothes obviously from a noble family.
“Why are you all talking of Big Foot? Who has big feet?” He asked, eyes scanning over everyone. Apo couldn’t help but feel judged by his sharp eyes. She glared right back, red challenging green. He grinned at her before turning to Big Foot girl, who was talking of some random creatures that don’t exist to some poor man dressed in a ragged wedding dress. Or was that a doctor’s robe-
“..Just like how Santa is real!” She finished, and everyone looked at her. The boy stared before opening his mouth. Apo approached and whispered to him.
“This one believes in anything. Just go with it.” She looked at the shorter boy who nodded in response, an amused grin on his face.
“Hey! Santa is real! I know! I’ll see him one day.” She grinned. Apo squinted at her.
“If Santa were real, then why do I not notice anyone breaking into my house? I’m in the military so I’d think I would notice someone breaking in, especially because my girlfriend and I sit in the seats in front of our fireplace throughout the night, and the christmas tree is set up right by it.” The girl gave her a pitying glance. Apo frowned in annoyance. The boy was trying not to laugh.
“You must be naughty throughout the year. It’s cuz you're part of the government. Your part of the problem with non-believers.” She shook her head. The boy was now shaking with laughter. Apo sent him a glare that would stop a dragon in its tracks. He only grinned at her.
“Ok, first off, just because I work for the military doesn’t mean I like the government! I was drafted in.” She crossed her arms, instantly regretting telling two strangers how she got into the military. They might think she’s weak. I mean, she is an architect, but they don’t need to know that fighting isn’t her main specialty.
“Sure.” She shakes her head.
“Oh my Gosh, what the actual f-”
“VAMPIRES!!” A girl with orange eyes screamed. She was sprinting into the center of town, not far from the circle Apo was in. She wore brown cargo pants and a black simple shirt. Her mouth was open wide, screaming. “They’re real! Everyone listen! We must be safe and protected from the vampire-”
“Shut. Up!!!!” Someone responds, yelling over her and effectively shutting her up. The person who yelled had bright orange, curly hair with a few purple flowers woven into the sides of her head. She had blueish green eyes, and wore a teal dress. She had a frustrated and annoyed expression, which Apo silently thanked her for yelling, otherwise she would have done something… more likely to get her kicked out.
“B-but, vampires! I’m protecting you all-” The girl protested, shifting towards the circle.
“Nobody cares.” The person spoke again, strong british accent filling Apo’s ears. She looks and sees her closer to her than before, stalking over to the four standing. The boy next to her whispered "we should probably leave.” and Apo couldn't help but agree.
“What’s your name, by the way?” He asked as they walked from the slowly getting louder argument.
“Apo. Yours?”
“Martyn Woodhurst.” He grinned. She nodded once, ignoring the similarities between his last name and the name of this village. Wood and Oak. Those similarities, no matter how hard she tried not to think of them, surfaced to her mind when she looked at him. She burst out laughing. His face contorted to shock, then confusion.
“What’s so funny?” He asked, slightly offended.
“Y-your last name is w-wood- and the town is Oak-” She burst out laughing. This was ridiculous. She should stop laughing, she was making other people turn to her. The boy, Martyn, flushed.
“I- I am from a noble family, so I expe- stop laughing!” He yelled, and she clamped her hands over her mouth, trying to stop, but the thought kept on surfacing. She was loopy. She knew something was in the mushrooms in that wretched forest!
“I- I want to stop laughing- but- I can’t-” She managed out, and an older man with greying brown hair tied in a pony tail and large gold rimmed glasses stepped forward. When he spoke, she realized he was the man with the strange accent no one could place.
“It’s ok. You're ok.” He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her laughter started to slow down, and after a couple more agonizing seconds, she stopped and she straightened her face. She turned to Martyn and nodded to him.
“I’m sorry.” She then walked away. She heard the Big Foot girl behind her say
“There’s something in the mushrooms, or a fae or spirit possessed her!” Apo ignored her, and once she was out of view, she sprinted into the forest and collapsed against a tree. What is wrong with her? It felt as if she was trying to laugh all her stress away, and that man must have heard it in her slightly manic laughter. She sobbed into her hands, wishing Cherri were there. She stood gathering herself. No matter how much she didn’t want to be there and missed home, she knew she had to power through. She dried her face before approaching the tower in the middle of the town. She saw a few people crouching around a beacon in the middle of it, the vampire lunatic in the center. As she got closer, she heard,
“All hail the mighty beacon.” in a monotone voice. That’s when the people walked away.
“Nope, i’m not doing that, nope.”
She approached the beacon and immediately felt a warmth wash over her. The remaining tear tracks on her face dried. She felt as if her very being got lighter. Someone approached her from behind. It was Martyn, with a man with brown hair following behind him, feather behind one ear.
“HEy, Apo, look what I found.” He proudly showed her a glowing book.
“Cool.” She looked at it. “Can I hold it?” She asked. He allowed her to. She opened it and looked through it, before shoving it in her bag and smiling evilly at him.
“Thanks.” She sprinted away, and he yelled, before pursuing her. He drew a sword.
Wait.
Ah shit.
“Woah! Stop! It’s a joke-” She was cut off as she felt the cold of his stone blade hit her arm, leaving a small cut. She started to sprint faster, managing to lose him. “What in the hell?” She panted, catching her breath before studying her cut. It wasn’t deep, and was barely bleeding. Thank goodness for the dull stone swords people carry with them.