This is my fic, I'll do what I want!
New chapter. I haven't been meaning for these to be so infrequent, but I just haven't had much ambition to write lately. Other things in life are taking priority at the moment, but I'll still try to find time and motivation when I can.
Chapter 5
“So this is the place?” Hunter asked, apprehension clear in his voice.
“Yeah, two-twenty-four, county route seventy,” gh said, checking the GPS on his phone. “Unless we got the wrong address, we're here alright.”
gh and Hunter stood outside an old, dilapidated house out in the middle of the sticks. It looked like it hadn't been inhabited for years, with the exterior paint having been weathered away long ago, leaving the hardwood siding almost totally exposed. At least half the windows were cracked, with a few having no glass whatsoever.
It wasn't a place that the two would normally visit, needless to say. The only reason that the RAFian couple stood outside this lonely house was because of a text that gh received. He scrolled through his phone to check the message from a number that he hadn't contacted in years.
D, it's me, gh’s text read.
Logan. Look, I know we left on a sour note, to say the least, but if you're still around, I just want to talk.The reply had only one line of text, consisting of the address of the building that gh and Hunter made their day-long pilgrimage to. By the time they reached their destination, it was well past midnight, and the only sources of light were the half moon in the sky and a flashlight that the duo had brought with them.
“Is it just me,” gh said, breaking the thick silence, “or does this seem like the setup to some horror movie?”
“What, you mean the classic Dracula or Frankenstein stuff?” Hunter asked in reply.
gh shook his head. “Nah, I mean like all those found-footage Blair Witch ripoffs.”
“Wouldn't know,” Hunter said with a shrug. “Haven't seen ‘em.”
“Me either. I'm assuming it's a cliche, though. It's gotta be.” gh paused, drawing a breath of the cool, damp air. “Then again, abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, that ****’s not nearly as creepy as people might think.”
“Of course,” Hunter said with a nervous chuckle.
“Right? Like, I'm totally not about to run away screaming right now. This is practically a normal night for me, if not for the fact that I'm trying to talk to my ****ing dead ‘best friend.’”
Hunter put a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “We can still go back home, you know. Forget this ever happened.”
“I'm tempted, you know.” gh removed his jacket’s hood from his head. “But I came here for a reason. I'm probably just freaking out over nothing.”
Hunter nodded slowly, not entirely convinced that gh was ready. Nevertheless, he withdrew his hand. “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” With that, he placed his hand on the doorknob.
To their mutual surprise, the house was left unlocked. gh and Hunter cautiously entered into a pitch-black room, shutting the door behind them. gh’s flashlight danced around the room until it landed on a lamp on a small side table. “I doubt this place still has electricity,” he says, pulling the chain on the lamp anyway.
Immediately, the room filled with a dim light, illuminating the sparsely decorated space. The only furniture was an old dusty couch next to the lamp and another small table with a folded sheet of paper resting on it. On the far wall from the entrance were two wooden doors, each with a large number “1” carved into them.
“Inviting,” gh mumbled sarcastically before picking up the sheet of paper.
“Logan,” gh read, straining his eyes to read the messy handwriting in low light. “I'm glad to see you came to speak with me. Unfortunately, it's not going to be as easy as you thought.”
“Nothing ever is,” Hunter grumbled, taking a seat on the old couch.
“Ahead of you is a series of eight challenges to test your resolve. I need to know you're serious about this. If you can complete these trials, then you will find what you came here for. You will start by taking the door on the left. If you brought anybody with you, they will take the door on the right.”
“Oh ****,” Hunter said, laughing. “He's got our number.”
“If the challenges prove too difficult, you can go back the way you came. You are free to end your trial at any time, but there will be no second chance. Good luck. Signed, Dimitri.” gh set the paper back on the table. “He definitely wrote that. I'd recognize that handwriting from a mile away.”
Hunter got up from his seat. “So, what do we do?”
“I guess we do what he said.” gh crossed the room toward the door on the left. “After all, what's the worst that can happen?”
“Decapitation?” Hunter offered.
“Not helping,” gh said, pulling the anthro wolf into a hug. “We got this, I'm sure.”
“I hope,” Hunter said, breaking the embrace with a small but certainly present smile.
“I'll see you on the other side,” gh said, turning the doorknob in front of him.
