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Ross bit the inside of his cheek for nearly the millionth time that night, he could feel the ‘mouth-scab’ tear as he ripped through it once again with his teeth. He was sat on his bed, Rob at the other end with their legs grazing each other, and Roy on the floor leaning his head against the duvet.
Two weeks ago they, Susie and those two halloween kids went missing in the forest.
And just like the times before:
The monster with hundreds of eyes,
That freaky talking doll,
The brush with that serial killer,
And the demon that possessed Roy.
They didn't talk about it.
They’re guys! They don’t talk about emotions, or well Roy didn’t talk about emotions and got nervous when he and Rob did.
Ross hated that, he didn’t hate Roy, but hated feeling unaware. He wanted to know if his friends were still as affected as he was, if they were having just as many nightmares as he was having. Nightmares where the first snowball was never thrown and they all died, left laying limp on the floor with no parents or police finding them.
“So-” He coughed the nervousness away as Rob looked up at him, “So… Aspen Moor, she uhh- y’know…”
What was he meant to say??
‘So guys are you also still as scared shitless as I am? Haha yeah, scarred for life probably!’
God please someone else talk. Ross focused on Rob in front of him, his curly hair was covering his eyes as he lowered his head further.
“Um yeah, she’s very… memorable.”
Oh Dear Lord, if there was any a time before where Ross wanted to thank Rob for anything then may this time be worth a million of those.
“As memorable as a tree can be.” Roy said apathetically, shutting the conversation down just as Ross predicted he would.
He didn’t even look up at them when speaking, his head still staring blankly forward.
He and Rob shared a look.
Rob's hand went up to mess with his hair as he spoke again.
“Well It’s kinda worse, like, y’know there’s trees everywhere. I kinda can’t.. really… look out at the forest anymore.”
“No yeah, It feels like she’s still watching us! And those stupid birch or whatever type tree they are - look like, like eyes!” He butt in immediately, half because he was glad to finally be able to get this off his chest and half to block Roy from ending the conversation again.
“The time after the court or whatever she made us do; yeah, the walls I swear they had eyes! Like genuinely!”
“No the court was weird as fuck dude, like, what was the deal with like multiple of her? Why were there more of her when, like, when there was only one.. of.. her…” He can’t even blame Roy for killing that. They were finally airing their worries out when he had to open his big fat mouth and put it out there that he was afraid that there were more of her and that there might be more of her out there.
As he trailed off he went back to chewing his inner cheek, trying to think of a less worrisome part of their time with Aspen.
Rob had also seemed just as nervous about his idea, seemingly freaked out, pulling his legs away from their slight touch and pulling them up to his chest.
The curtains covering his bedroom window have been practically nailed permanently closed but he can suddenly still feel the eyes of the trees outside staring at him through him.
Roy shifted in the corner of his vision.
“... Aspen is the name of a type of tree that looks like a bunch of trees but ’s actually just one tree, it’s all like one tree buried beneath as the roots while what looks like trees is actually th- its branches.”
…
“So there’s only one of her, right?”
“There was only one of her, now she’s dead.”
He reached a hand out and rested it on Roy’s head. A thank you, that in any other circumstance Roy’d probably take as patronising to his height.
He said it like he ripped it straight off the wikipedia page - the first part anyway - Roy had this funny way of studying where he remembered the first information by adding his own spin onto it, like the whole ‘actual tree is the roots and the trees are branches thing’ he was smart like that.
Stupid in all the other ways though, like the emotional ways.
Rob also seemed to appreciate this, tilting his head back up and showing his face once again.
“Thanks man… like, I know it’s a bit late ‘n all but sorry for not checking on you during the first few hours with her. Y’know like when you threw up and fainted.”
Aw crap, right! Roy like totally passed out after the second round or something. Jesus he’s a piece of shit for not checking on him.
He sucked air through gritted teeth, “Shitttt, sorry Roy-dude. There was so much going on I forgot about it. It’s literally a miracle you didn’t choke on your vomit ‘cause we were all still passed out…”
The sight of Roy stood wobbly with that bright pink dust around his mouth, eyes, and hands and even more vibrant pink and chunky vomit dried on his sweater just before they were found flashed in his mind. The walk back out the woods was basically a blur but he vaguely remembers the other police officer (the one with dark hair) having carried Roy out the forest like how Skid was being carried by his mum.
He must’ve been more affected than Ross thought.
Ross pretended to absent-mindedly twirl a strand of Roy’s hair around his fingers, God he felt guilty.
“Nah it’s all good, she put me back to sleep literally straight away anyway - so like, y’know, whatever I guess..” He trailed off at the end like he gave up halfway through his sentence or he suddenly felt like he’d be judged for what he said. He started doing that more often after- the.. the thing with his uncle was revealed…
“Back to sleep? What are you talking about dude?” Robert questioned.
That same question suddenly sprang to Ross’ mind as well, he was so preoccupied with his own thoughts he nearly missed the most crucial detail: Roy had woken up?
“Wait yeah- what? You passed out and fell off your podium,” He and everyone else was kinda a bit more focused on the fact that Pump and Skid had lost an opportunity for them all to go home, “Then like Aspen just kinda stared and stood over you I think… or like it was another Aspen- I couldn’t keep track of her at all.”
“No yeah, it was another one, the main one or like the leader kept talking at the front while another one like picked you back up, I think.. And like held you in place until you like woke up again. What- what happened, like what d’ya mean you woke up?” Stated Rob, now Ross feels even worse he didn’t even look past his periphery to see what was going on.
Roy kinda shifted slightly under Ross’ hand. He obviously didn’t mean to bring the conversation to what he thought and how he felt. It’s progress enough that he’s letting Rob and Ross vent out and discuss what happened but directly including him on it might be a bit further than he’s willing to let it go.
“...Like how we all woke up after finding the exit door but I woke up alone and saw all you guys… asleep… and then she- the tree grabbed me and made me breathe in more of its spores ‘nd put me back to sleep..” Roy muttered.
Robert scooted forward and sat next to Ross, closer to the conversation.
“So that’s why you shoved all those cookies away - you realised they were like ‘disguised mushrooms’. Why were you like nice to her- why didn’t you say anything!?”
Ross could tell Rob was trying to sound as unaccusatory as possible but Ross had the same question.
“I don’t knowww…” Roy slid down the side of the bed as he spoke, covering his face with his hands in defeat.
They all sat in silence for a moment.
Ross lifted his leg and threw it down off the side to rest, touching Roy now that his hand couldn’t reach him.
Rob pulled his phone out of his pocket and began messing with it.
So much for talking about it. Ross rolled his eyes across his bedroom to try to pull a different topic out of thin air but he just locked onto the closed curtains of his window. Aspen was dead and she was the only one. She is dead and can't come back to get him.
He tried to focus on that.
A bump on his shoulder got his attention back to Rob, holding his phone out towards him with the yellow of the notes app lighting up the screen.
‘Think its same thing like with uncle
he got freajed out nad all quiet and
acting wierd‘
He and Rob shared a grimace after he finished reading. He hated that Rob was probably right.
Roy’s description of ‘grabbed’ and ‘made’ sounded awfully similar to how he talked about his uncle.
Getting information from Roy especially if that information made him feel any kind of negative emotion was like trying to get blood from a stone, there was no chance he'd keep talking about it now.
Think about the bright side, c'mon, what was semi-okay during their stay with Aspen?
“...I did like the snowball fight with her at the end though.. Like..! Roy you managed to spike her right in her stupid tree nips!”
Roy and Rob had obviously not been expecting him to completely u-turn the conversation and the inclusion of the word ‘nips’ seemed to have broken them completely as they both suddenly burst out laughing.
Roy’s head tilted all the way back up on the bed showing tears of laughter as Robert clutched his stomach and curled in on himself. Ross couldn’t help but start giggling too.
Robert huffed through his laughter “Why did she have hah- boobs hah- she- she had BOOBS in every outfit!”
That really got to Ross as the image of Aspen, completely green and creepy witchy vibes, suddenly with the largest rack he’d ever seen while they played that racing game. He started cackling.
Roy had turned around kneeling up against the bed and playfully smacking Ross’ arm in his fit of giggles.
“The LOOK on her haha- oh- her FACE when Pump ‘nd Skid rolled twenties on the six-sided dice AHAH!!” Roy fought through laughter, running out of breath at the end to get it out.
It only made Ross and Rob howl even louder.
Ross could feel tears of his own begin to slip out his eyes.
Roy clutched onto his sleeve as Rob fell onto his side, leaning against him.
This’ll be over soon and then they’d have to go back to awkwardly talking about or avoiding talking about their fears and how scary the whole thing actually was.
But they’re all laughing right now, maybe they can keep laughing a bit longer.
“Ha- Wait did you guys see her Freddy FazBear reference!!”