search within (searchwithin) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-08-21 08:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | #december 2017, #group scene, brianna, jen, ophelia, sebastian |
Who: Brianna, Phee, Sebastian, Jen
When: Morning, Thursday, December 28th
Where: The McCarthy Home
Status: Complete
Brianna was more than fed up with the weather. She couldn’t get in touch with James, and honestly had no idea if he was even attempting to make it home yet. She loved being home, but it was significantly less relaxing when she was more or less stuck there. Especially with three teenagers, one of whom was the sheriff’s daughter. Thankfully they weren’t being too much of a nuisance, so Brianna’s stress was caused solely by her own doing.
When she woke up early Thursday morning the fog didn’t seem to have let up at all and it seemed as though the internet and phone service was still down. The kids were still sleeping, as far as she knew, and Brianna finally decided to try and get some work done that didn’t require an internet connection. She had a couple of contracts she could type up, and maybe working would take her mind off of the fog, and her husband.
She went downstairs to start some coffee and it was then that Brianna remembered her work bag was in her car, still out in the driveway. Why hadn’t she just pulled it in the garage Wednesday when the fog came in off the ocean? Now she would have to go out in the bitter cold. Maybe the work could wait.
The coffee began to percolate and she stared at it for a moment before walking over to the back doors to peer outside. She could see the first few feet onto the deck, but then… nothing. This town. Really, maybe it was time to consider moving. Maybe to Bar Harbor. It was a beautiful town without all of this… horribleness.
Since the coffee was taking its sweet time to brew, Brianna grabbed her car keys and headed outside, shoving her feet into her sneakers and grabbing her coat on the way even though it was only a few feet to the car and back. The bitter cold blasted her as soon as she stepped outside and Brianna cursed it loudly before jogging to the dark outline of her car through the fog. It took only a few seconds to unlock it and reach into the back seat for her work bag and she shut the door to lock and head back inside.
The sharp pain in her left shoulder was unexpected and momentarily stunned her. Brianna looked down at her coat to find it torn open and the smell of blood wafted into her senses quickly. That was when she heard something move behind her. Brianna turned around just as something dark and thick flew by her face and slammed into her car window, shattering the glass. For a split second, Brianna could only watch as it pulled back, an arm of some kind with spindly fingers, and sharp claws. She thought she caught sight of scales but this thing was too large to be a reptile.
It was then Brianna screamed, though she didn’t quite realize that the sound was coming from her. Her entire body grew hot and she felt the insane urge to project fire but nothing happened. There was nothing but the burning sensation from whatever that thing had done to her arm. God, did she even still have her arm? There was a horrible clicking sound, like teeth coming through the fog and it was then Brianna finally found the strength to run.
She dropped her bag on the way back to the house and didn’t care. But she was thankful that the front walkway lights were still on. She followed the path up to the porch, nearly falling onto her knees. And then she was inside, slamming the door behind her and panting as she locked it.
Brianna wanted to scream for the kids to wake up, but she was distracted by the feel of something wet dripping down her arm onto the floor. Blood. She shrugged carefully out of her coat and let it fall before realizing that thing sliced through her coat and her shirt into the top of her arm near her shoulder. A gaping wound was there and bleeding and Brianna was suddenly feeling a bit queasy and she began to stumble through the foyer to find somewhere to sit.
Phee hadn’t slept well. She was glad that Jen was over, it was nice to have company in her bedroom while the fog continued unabated outside, but she’d still had bad dreams and woken up quite a few times at odd hours, her heart racing and everything just feeling wrong. Every time she’d peeked outside, the world was still blanketed in fog. It was even more unsettling at night, the streetlights barely penetrating at all. She was worried about Greg, of course, but she was pretty sure he was safe at home. She hoped he knew she was thinking about him.
It was too early to be awake, but Phee was up anyway. She’d used her bathroom and was on the way back to bed to try and read herself to sleep again when she heard a scream from outside. It had sounded close, too. Trying not to wake Jen, just in case it was nothing, Phee hurried out of her room on her toes. She was halfway down the stairs when the front door slammed. Phee froze for a beat, but all she hard was rustling and heavy breathing. “Mom?” she called as she ran down the rest of the way and padded toward the foyer. The first thing she saw was the blood -- so much blood -- and Phee gasped, her eyes going wide. “Ohmygod, Mom?! What happened?” Phee rushed forward to try and help, though she had no idea what to do.
"I'm okay," Brianna told Phee through gritted teeth because it felt like the right thing to tell a child to try and ease their worry, even if it wasn't true. "Something attacked me outside. I'm just... it's just a scratch. I just need to sit down and put something on it to stop the bleeding." The sharp pain was spreading through her shoulder and she didn't dare look to see how bad it was just yet. The last thing she needed to do was faint in front of Phee, even though Brianna usually had a pretty strong stomach. "Can you get me something?" she asked her daughter as she moved into the living room to collapse onto the couch. "A towel or something."
Sebastian jolted awake at the sound of his mother’s scream, unsure exactly what woke him. He wasn’t even sure when he’d fallen asleep, propped up in bed as he attempted to fight off the feeling of the walls closing in around him. Eventually, exhaustion had won and the panic had subsided just long enough for him to get a couple hours of rest. Now, though, a feeling of dread spread through him as he tried to place the sound that woke him. The door slamming a moment later was what he needed to pull himself out of bed, and he rushed down the stairs just in time to see his mother slump down onto the couch, drops of blood marking her path from the door. “Shit,” he muttered, but sprung into action, hurrying to the kitchen to grab something to soak up the blood.
Phee had followed Brianna into the living room, horrified and kind of in shock over all that blood. “Something attacked you?” she asked in a reedy voice. She heard Sebastian behind her and looked around just in time to see him dart off into the kitchen. Since he was doing that, Phee rushed to kneel at her mother’s side. “What was it?! Where did it get you? Let me see it.” Her hands were shaking and there were already tears blurring her eyes, but she still wanted to try and help.
It was difficult to explain what she saw while struggling to endure the pain in her arm. She didn't want to snap at Phee, who looked upset, so Brianna focused on breathing in and out, her free hand clamped over the wound to try and staunch the bleeding. If she had been thinking, she would have just moved to the floor as not to get blood on the couch. But oh well. That's what steam cleaning was for. "I don't know what it was," she said finally after exhaling slowly. She had to slow down her heart rate. "It was large, and it had claws. It came through the fog. I don't want any of you to go outside." Brianna licked her lips and carefully pulled her fingers from her arm. They were sticky with blood so it pulled a bit at the torn flesh and she hissed softly. "I didn't even know it was there until it attacked me. Then it broke my car window. I don't know. There's something bad out there."
It was hard to keep sleeping through all that commotion and Jen came downstairs, hesitant and wide-eyed. She heard some of what Brianna said and it made no sense. She stood still in the doorway for a few seconds, just staring at the scene unfolding in front of her, then forced herself to come farther inside. "Can I do anything?" she asked and her first aid training seemed woefully insignificant now that she was faced with real injury.
Sebastian moved with a sort of wild intensity that was almost as frantic as it was purposeful. He grabbed the towels and swiftly returned, banging drawers and doors in his wake. In his head, a voice with more authority than he thought he possessed seemed to guide him, providing information that he could only guess he’d learned from watching movies. “We should put pressure on the wound. To stop the bleeding,” he sputtered, handing the towels to Phee and his mother. “I think we have a first aid kit in my parent’s bathroom,” he told Jen. “Under the sink.” For all the good that will do you, the voice clipped and Sebastian ran a hand through his hair. He was losing his shit. Lack of sleep, claustrophobia, and all that blood had finally gotten to him. “Do we have any ginger?” he asked, hands shaking as he paced, torn between heading for the kitchen and staying with his mother. “We need ginger. And—and cumin.” And poppy seeds. “We don’t have poppy seeds.”
There was a lot going on, and her mother was too calm, in Phee’s opinion -- wasn’t that a sign of shock? Was she losing too much blood? Phee grabbed the towels that Bash threw at them and hurried to fold it and push it against the wound that had soaked Brianna’s shirt with blood. She was crying even though she was trying not to, swiping at her cheeks and the useless dampness there while she tried to staunch the bleeding. “What are you talking about?” she asked her brother, a bit shrilly, not following what he was asking for at all. He didn’t know healing spells, did he? Fuck why wasn’t their father home? Phee glanced at Jen but hardly saw her at the moment, too caught up in frantic worry. Something had attacked her mother, what the hell did she do with that?
Brianna wasn't entirely sure what Sebastian was going on about either. She barely heard him, trying to focus on breathing through the pain instead. It was difficult not to jerk away when Phee pressed the towel to the wound, but it hurt and Brianna's head fell back against the couch cushion. Goddamn James for taking one of his trips so soon after Christmas. He should be here. When he got home she was going to give him a black eye he wouldn't be able to hide from his stupid country club friends. "Vicodin," she groaned before opening her eyes and rocking her head toward Phee. "In my bathroom cabinet. I need some. Please." Otherwise, she was going to chop off her arm to stop the burning pain that was spreading.
"I'll get it," Jen said hastily, already heading that way to get the first aid kit. Fetching things, she could do that. She'd always thought she'd be better equipped to deal with emergency when it arose but right now she just felt like she was in the way. Phee and Sebastian were taking care of Brianna so Jen didn't know what to do. Maybe if everyone else had frozen she would have stepped up, she wanted to believe that but she wasn't so sure. She darted out toward the bedrooms, glad she had been here before and knew roughly where everything was. It was a little weird to go into the master bedroom, like it was forbidden zone she really should never see. It was weird enough to have friends, dealing with their parents was even weirder. Dealing with an injured parent was not something she'd ever thought she'd have to do.
If Sebastian were a little more with it, he might have wondered why his mother just happened to have Vicodin on hand. Instead, he could only think that that wasn’t good enough, wouldn’t be near as effective as something magical, and that any witch worth their salt would’ve had poppy seeds on hand, or at least dill or sandalwood. “Dill,” he murmured, placing that as an actual spice that might be in the kitchen, as opposed to sandalwood. “I think we have dill.” Internally he felt a sigh of impatience, the voice in his head growing annoyed at his lack of action. Go get it, you idiot. It was so clear that it should have been alarming, but all he could think about was his mother bleeding on the couch and what he could do to help. Anything was better than standing there like an idiot and for some reason he was sure, absolutely positive, that if he could find what he needed it would be better than any pill that came from a bottle in the bathroom. “I’ll be right back,” he said, then hurried off towards the kitchen once more.
Jen was going to get pills and first aid, and Sebastian was ... well, Phee didn’t know what Sebastian was doing, but he seemed to have some kind of purpose. Maybe he’d been studying more than she’d known about and he had some brilliant idea to fix this. Phee sure hoped so. She climbed up onto the couch next to her mother, settling on her knees as she tried to keep steady pressure on the wound, in spite of that pain in Brianna’s face. “It’s coming, Jen’s going to get it,” she said, her face tense with worry. “It’ll be okay, we’ll take care of you.” Phee didn’t sound at all confident in that, but she had to say it anyway, because she wanted it so badly to be true. She’d left her useless phone up in her bedroom, but she wished she had it on her -- 911 was supposed to work no matter what, right? Not that an ambulance could probably get to them in all this ... “What was it, did you see it?”
"Yes, I saw it Phee," Brianna said sharply, though her ire wasn't at her daughter, but at the pain in her shoulder. She exhaled and dialed back the urge to take out her pain and frustration on her children. "I told you. It had claws. It was large. Maybe scales, but that's all I saw. It happened so fast and the fog made it difficult... to see anything until it was already there." It wasn't an animal, she knew that much. At least not an animal that could be found around there. "I just need to get patched up and I'll be fine. I don't want anyone going outside until this fog is gone."
Jen was a little surprised at how fast she could be when she was this stressed. She didn't normally run but today apparently she did, like the wind too, darting up the stairs and possibly breaking some records. She grabbed the first aid kit and found the pills in record time - at least Brianna didn't keep them hidden so that was something - then found a clean towel to take with her just in case before darting downstairs again, all but sliding up against Phee and her mother. "I brought a towel and pills and bandages and-" she blurted out and god she wished her dad was there, that he had gotten stuck right outside the house and had to come in when the fog first came. He would know what to do and everything would be okay if he was just there.
The few minutes that Sebastian was in the kitchen felt like forever, but he was moving as fast as he could, pulling out ingredients and setting them up on the counter. His movements were frantic but exact, his focus so intense that he blocked out everything else. A pinch of this, a dash of that, a splash of water to make a paste, stirred seven times counter clockwise, no more, no less. He didn’t understand why knew this, but it was clear in his brain, imprinted there for just this occasion. With the bowl in the palm of his hand, he heated up the mixture and invoked the elements, feeling magic rush through him as the balm bubbled to life. In any other circumstances, he would have been elated, but this time all his success earned was a tiny smile before he bolted back to the living room. He’d missed what had happened, whatever his mother had said was out there, but Phee could fill him in later. “Use this,” he said, crouching next to his mother and offering the bowl. “Just--Just smear it all over the wound.”
Brianna’s sharp tone stung the part of Phee that was still a child, and she stopped talking and just tried not to cry for different reasons than seeing her mother injured. By something with claws and scales? It sounded like a dragon or a dinosaur or something, and that was just crazy. Some big mutant alligator? But it was so cold out, that couldn’t be right, right? Jen’s arrival with supplies thankfully cut off her brain’s scramble to find explanations, and she focused on getting a rag ready with antiseptic. But then Sebastian had arrived with his bowl of fragrant stuff, and Phee was confused and a little concerned, glancing between her brother and her mom.
Brianna took the pills Jen had brought with a murmured thanks, but was momentarily distracted by her son returning and offering her a bowl of... something, telling her to put it on the wound. Brianna peered into it and then looked up at her son, confusion evident on her face. "What? Bash, what is this?" Honestly, she was in so much pain in that moment that she was willing to try anything, but she also didn't want to do anything that might risk an infection.
Jen, feeling useless and just sort of in the way, moved to kneel next to Phee, lightly setting her hand on her back in a way she hoped was reassuring. She always felt like she sucked at dealing with people but she wasn't an idiot and Phee had every right to be upset. Jen was upset and this wasn't her mother bleeding after an attack by some unknown creature. Things just got weirder when Sebastian returned with something that smelled more like the world's worst salad than medicine. He was a witch so that sort of made sense, she just didn't know he had learned any of this stuff. Phee certainly hadn't talked about it but maybe he was still going behind all their backs and going to that other witch. That sounded like it could lead to a conversation Jen did not want to be present for and she gave Phee a little look, eyes wide and her expression uncertain.
“It’s a healing salve,” Sebastian said, annoyance and exasperation creeping into his tone. “It’ll cut the pain and seal the wound from infection. We don’t have the ingredients to make one that would heal it completely.” As soon as he stopped talking, his expression smoothed out, his frustration replaced by confusion. He didn’t remember learning the spells he was talking about, yet he’d been able to perform them without even a reference. It was a red flag in his mind, one he’d have to bring up with his father, but now didn’t feel like the right time to tell his mother that he was in some way cursed. “Please, mom,” he said softly, more himself than he’d been seconds before. “Just trust me on this.”
Phee was glad that Jen was there, even if she couldn’t blame the other girl for wanting to be a million miles away. The light physical touch was reassuring, at least it felt like somebody was there for her. Her own expression was uncertain as they momentarily locked eyes. Nibbling on her bottom lip, Phee glanced uncertainly between her brother’s face, her mom’s face, and the bowl of stuff Bash was holding. This was definitely weird, but if it was really going to help ...
How did Bash even know any of this? Brianna supposed she shouldn't have been surprised, because James was probably still teaching him magic. Brianna had been pushing back on it, only giving into her curiosity when she was alone. She enjoyed drawing the fire out of her, feeling that heat race through her. At the same time, it felt dark and dangerous and she wasn't sure yet if she wanted to embrace it or not. Maybe if she had she wouldn't have been so vulnerable outside for that thing to attack her. The ache in her shoulder and arm was immense, but the burn added something pleasant to it all. That didn't mean she wanted to stay sitting there, bleeding out all over her couch. She just wanted the rest of the pain to stop. "All right," she said finally. Brianna licked her lips and slowly pulled the towel from her arm. "I need help."
Jen shuffled forward, ready to be of assistance if Sebastian didn't have it all in hand. He looked like he did and that didn't really surprise her. He was outgoing and the kind of go-getter type from what little she knew of him and having magical abilities probably fueled that fire. She took the bloody towel away from Brianna, giving Sebastian a questioning look. She could play nurse to his doctor if she had to, but she'd need to be told what to do. Right now all her instincts just said to wrap that wound up tightly but if Sebastian was right then they needed to apply that salve somehow.
Sebastian felt a rush of relief that his mother was actually listening to him, but also a surge of anxiety over whether or not it would actually work. He had faith in his abilities and what the spell was used for, but he knew nothing about what had actually attacked her. “This might sting a little,” he said as he scooped some of the mixture onto his fingers. “But it’ll help, and then we’ll wrap it up tight.” It wasn’t supposed to hurt, but there was always a chance that putting anything on an open wound would hurt, right? He glanced at Jen, who had the first aid kit by her side, and Phee, who looked like she was providing emotional support. If this backfired… He didn’t want to think about it. “Help wrap it up after?” he asked, then began to carefully smear the magical goop over the open wound.
“Yeah, of course.” Tears were still rolling down Phee’s cheeks every so often, but she felt more angry than sad. Angry and afraid. She wanted to scream at her father at the moment, shake him and ask him where he was, why wasn’t he ever there when they needed him the most? It was maybe an unfair feeling, there was no way he could’ve known something like this would happen, and it was probably just a result of all the tension in her needing to go somewhere, but it was intense all the same. Phee got out of Bash’s way so he could apply whatever he’d put together onto their mother, and her hand found Jen’s to cling to.
To say it stung was a bit of an understatement. It seemed to amplify the pain, as though something inside of her wanted to reject the healing attributes of the salve. Brianna clenched her eyes and grit her teeth hard to try and fight through the pain. Maybe it would just hurt until the magical properties, or whatever the hell Bash had done, started doing their job. She nearly yelled at him to stop, but it was too late now. Her entire body felt clammy and overheated, but Brianna did her best to breathe through the pain. Finally she lifted her free hand to clamp around his wrist. "That's enough," she panted. "Just wrap it up now. Please."
Jen had dug up bandages from the first aid kit and unwrapped them from the plastic they came in. She didn't really want to be the one to do the wrapping, it felt weirdly intimate and she didn't know Brianna well, but she also didn't feel like Phee should have to be the one to do it. She knew she'd be freaking out if this was her mom so she could step up. "It looks like it's enough," she said, even if she had no way of knowing since it was some magic goop and not actual medicine. Maybe there needed to be more. Brianna had said enough though so she shuffled forward and started applying the gauze. "Do you guys... do you have weapons in the house?" she asked and it felt like such a crazy thing to ask but if there was something out there she'd feel safer with a gun around.
Sebastian could tell something was wrong as soon as he started, his mother’s reaction one of pain rather than relief. He hesitated, fearful of making things worse, but then a voice in his head scolded him. Do it, you stupid, ignorant child. Jaw clenched shut tight, he forced himself to keep moving, to cover the wound as best as possible. Blood oozed onto his fingers, mixing with the ingredients, but as far as he could tell it wasn’t doing it’s job. It made him sick to think he might’ve put his mother through this for nothing and he was relieved when she asked him to stop. Even if it did work, he wasn’t sure he could keep going when she looked like that. Sebastian sat back, letting Jen wrap the wound as he wiped off his hands. “You mean like a gun?” If they did, he didn’t know where it was. Again, he wished his father was home. He’d know what to do.
Phee felt useless, especially with Jen doing the wrapping, so she picked up the tape for when the bandage was in place and waited for Jen to need a few pieces of it. Jen did a good job, at least, probably better than she would have done, and soon enough they were finished patching Brianna up. She sat back and gave her mother some room, idly picking up the trash and crumpling it. “I don’t ... think so?” she said in regard to the weapon, looking at her mother uncertainly. If there was a gun in the house, she didn’t know about it. James wasn’t any sort of hunter, and if he had one for protection, Phee had never seen it.
The gauze around the wound seemed to help ease up on some of the pain and Brianna sunk deeper into the couch as her muscles began to unclench. "There are no guns in this house," Brianna said, closing her eyes as whatever Bash had slathered on her arm began to work its magic. If James did have a gun, she didn't know about it. But he knew her feelings on the matter, so she was fairly certain he wouldn't have hid one from her. Why would he need it anyway? "And frankly," she continued with a sigh, "I don't think a gun would do much damage against whatever is out there. The safest thing to do right now is stay inside, and away from the windows."
The thought of whatever was out there making it in through the windows crossed Jen's mind and she automatically huddled her shoulders, glancing at the living room windows. They were pretty big and she too easily imagined something crashing through them, feral and huge, ready to tear them to shreds. "Maybe we should move upstairs," she said quietly and while Brianna probably didn't want to move anywhere right now, it seemed like it would be safer. She thought of Liam and how he'd nearly set her on fire the first time they met. Could Sebastian or Phee do something like that? Fireball something that came after them? She really wished her dad was here, or even Phee's dad who was at least a stronger witch than his kids. It didn't feel terribly feminist to wish for a man around but she thought it was warranted this once.
With his mother all taken care of, Sebastian was left with his thoughts-- of the creature outside, of the walls closing in, and of how they’d defend themselves if whatever attacked Brianna got in the house. They were a family of witches, but were practically helpless. Sebastian knew there were things he could do, but he’d never tried them and he didn’t feel equipped to deal with the situation. And who knew what would actually work against the thing that had attacked his mother. He’d only caught snippets of her description to Phee, but it was enough for him to understand that they were truly trapped inside. And Jen was right, they should probably move upstairs. Except all he could think about was how much smaller the house felt, how they really and truly couldn’t leave. Sebastian pulled his knees to his chest and focused on breathing, his lungs feeling tighter. Up till now, he’d been able to distract himself, running on adrenaline and the current crisis. But now the problem was the space, the windows, and the threat outside, things that only amplified his claustrophobia. He’d move wherever they wanted, but if they didn’t do it soon he was likely to be in the middle of a crisis of his own.
Phee’s brain was running on similar tracks. They were stuck and fairly defenseless. None of them had honed their magic very much, not in any defensive way. What was Phee’s talent with plants going to do for them if something with huge claws got through the windows? She felt exposed out in the living room as well. Was it just sitting out there, watching them? Had her father put magical protections on the house? All the fear hurt her stomach. And then there was Greg to think about, out there with no magic at all ... fuck, she hoped he’d been at home with the fog hit. If she started to think about him too much she was going to freak out as much as Sebastian looked like he was starting to freak out. Somebody had to take charge. “Okay,” she said, clearing her throat and straightening her shoulders a bit. “Let’s go upstairs. We need more doors between us and outside. The game room is the biggest ... do you think you can make it up there?” Phee directed this unsure question at Brianna, reaching out to give Bash’s arm a little squeeze.
"No," Brianna said sharply, straightening on the couch to look at the three teenagers there with her. They all looked frightened, which eased some of her own frayed nerves. She was the adult here, a mother, and she was going to protect her children. Not to mention Sheriff Barrett's daughter. "There are windows upstairs. I want you all to go downstairs into the den." The intense, throbbing pain in her arm had subsided quite a bit, making it easier for Brianna to focus and try to come up with a game plan. "Whatever is out there... it was big. Being upstairs isn't going to make any of us safer. Please, just go downstairs."
Basement sounded good to Jen, bunkers and safe spaces were in basements for a reason. She felt a little stupid for suggesting upstairs now, like a horror movie cliche running up the stairs only to get trapped or break her leg trying to get out a window. She almost offered Brianna help before thinking better of it, Sebastian was strong, he could probably carry Brianna down there if it came to that.
Sebastian watched them all with wide eyes, pale as a ghost, his breathing labored enough to make him lightheaded. Downstairs, downstairs, downstairs. Underground, like a coffin. We’ll be buried alive, the fog on the outside, monsters on the outside, us on the inside, the walls closing in, getting tighter, tighter. He forced himself to his feet and didn’t even consider if his mother needed help, the effort it took to move zapping all his energy. It felt like he was going to suffocate before he even made it to the basement, like his lungs were going to collapse. He stayed close to Phee as they headed down into the basement, that little reassuring squeeze feeling like a lifeline. If he passed out, at least she would be close.
Something in Phee flinched a little at Brianna’s tone, feeling like that sharp word was directed at her. Going upstairs hadn’t even been her idea. Down was better, she guessed, it just hadn’t occurred to her. Her brain wasn’t clicking along as well as it usually did. But she didn’t miss that Sebastian was struggling. Phee knew he didn’t like tight spaces, and while the house wasn’t exactly small, it did feel pretty enclosed at the moment, even to her. She helped her mother up. Giving Jen a couple of worried glances as they all shuffled downstairs, Phee moved to take her brother’s hand. “Are you okay?” she murmured to him at the bottom of the steps.
Brianna allowed Phee to help her up from the couch, and she trailed behind the three teenagers to the door leading down into the basement area. There was plenty for them to do down there, if they wanted to distract themselves from all of this. But she stayed at the top of the steps, trying to resist the urge to touch her arm. It was feeling better, though she could still feel sharp sparks of something akin to electricity flowing through her arm down to her fingers. It was uncomfortable, but better than the acute pain that had tore through her initially. "I'm going to stay up here and keep an eye on things," she called down to them. "I'll be down in a bit."
Sebastian gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head in response to Phee’s question and squeezed her hand back, unable to let go. It made him think of when they were kids, so close in age that they were sometimes mistaken for twins, when they were told to hold hands and stay together. He’d thought of himself as the big brother then, there to protect his little sister. Now it was reversed and he was pretty sure Phee was the one protecting him, keeping him from sinking into the ground where there was no air left to breathe. He looked up at his mother, shocked that she wasn’t joining them, but when he opened his mouth no words came out. There were just panicked, confused gasps accompanied by a shake of his head. If it was dangerous up there, then she needed to be down there with them. And if it was safe up there, then why the fuck was he down here?
Her brother’s grip on her hand was worrisome, and Phee really wasn’t sure that being in the basement would make him feel any better. It made her wish Trip was there as well as their father -- he’d always been good at playing biggest brother to them both. She would do her best for him, though. And for poor Jen who was stuck with all of them, not knowing if her dad was okay. Brianna distracted her from her thoughts and she turned to look up the stairs while Bash gaped upward. “No, Mom!” she cried, the words more whiny than she wanted them to be. “Don’t-- don’t you think we should all stick together?” Because what if she didn’t come down in a bit and she just disappeared and they never knew what happened? With as scared as she was, Phee didn’t want to let any of them out of her sight for more than a bathroom break.
"I'll be fine," Brianna assured them, aware of how not fine she had been walking outside. But that had been before she knew what was in the fog. Her voice softened at the look on Phee's face. "I'm going to keep an eye on things up here. I'm going to keep trying to reach your father too. Maybe something will go through. Just watch out for each other, and I promise I'll come down soon. I'm going to check the windows and doors, and the garage. Just get comfortable. I'll bring some food and drinks down too, okay?" She didn't want her kids to worry, but Brianna needed to know what they were dealing with. And since they didn't have a gun, she wanted to find something to use as a weapon, even if whatever she found ended up being useless against whatever was out there.
Jen's eyes had gone wide when Brianna said she was staying upstairs because why would she do that? It was dangerous and Phee was right, they should stick together. "Sebastian and I can check the windows and doors if it really needs to be done. You're hurt." She didn't sound as sure as she felt, not really used to attempting to boss around somebody's parent. It was all upside down today, the wrong way around, but no, she did not think Brianna should be upstairs alone, not after seeing that gash on her arm.
Sebastian nodded, even though he was practically useless at the moment. Maybe if he had something important to do he could move past this stupid, suffocating fear. He didn’t understand why his mother wanted to be upstairs, alone, after being hurt, how she could worry about them being comfortable when she was the one in pain. Food and drinks were the farthest thing from his mind right now. “Mom, please,” he said hesitantly. “We’re worried about you.” And scared for themselves, but also worried. He knew she was the adult, but all they wanted at the moment was to stick together.
Phee was sure her mother was just trying to protect them somehow, but splitting up with only one person alone felt like such a bad plan. Especially when that one person was injured already. She wanted to scream and ask Brianna what she thought she could do if something did try to get inside the house. What if that thing was attracted to the smell of blood or something? “It’ll go faster if we help you,” she insisted. Still holding onto Sebastian’s hand, Phee started going back up the stairs. She was pretty sure giving him a task would help keep him calmer, too. Something distracting. They weren’t a bunch of babies anymore, and Brianna couldn’t stop all of them. “Bash can help check doors and windows, me and Jen can get stuff from the kitchen.”
"No," Brianna said again, less sharp than before. "Phee, stay downstairs with Jen and your brother. I'm fine. I'm not having any of you near the windows. Do what I ask you to do, please." Gods, who was the adult here? Didn't they see she was trying to keep them safe? Brianna clutched at the doorframe, unwilling to move if Phee tried to leave. "Stay downstairs. Stay together. I will be down as soon as possible. Please don't make this any more difficult for me." She was wasting time arguing with them. If James had told them to go downstairs, they probably would have done it without a second thought. "Please," she added again, a bit more desperation seeping into her tone now.
Jen hated the idea of Brianna being up there alone, especially since she was wounded, but something about the weariness in her voice and her posture told her she was likely to snap if they kept pushing. She reached over to tug on Phee's shirt, not quite pulling as more than a gesture but that was the meaning behind it. The pleading only sealed the deal for her. She wouldn't push it and she hoped the McCarthy kids wouldn't either.
“Okay,” Sebastian said, even though he didn’t like it. He gave Ophelia’s hand a squeeze and pulled her back, away from the stairs. They could listen for now, but if they heard anything that sounded like a scream then she wouldn’t be able to stop them from coming up to help her. “Don’t be long,” he added and he hoped she understood that her absence worried them more than anything else. In his case, almost more than the walls of the basement. Almost. He looked at his sister and Jen, his breathing still labored, his lungs still tight. “I really, really need a distraction. Anything or I’m going to hyperventilate.” Knowing he was doing it didn’t help. The more he thought about it the worse it seemed to get.
Phee glared up at her mother even though tears blurred her vision, frustration and fear making her chest feel tight. It wasn’t like the goddamn basement was windowless either, there was a whole patio and everything. They could be around those doors and windows, but not the ones upstairs? She supposed Brianna wanted them all to go herd into the gym or the workshop. She didn’t say anything else, because apparently everything she did was wrong, and just let Sebastian pull her away from the steps. Brianna could go get sliced up again for all she cared. That was what she told herself, anyway. Phee tried to focus on Bash and something to help him, even though she would probably fuck that up too somehow. “We can ... let’s check everything down here, make sure it’s locked,” she muttered, really not sure what else to suggest as she swiped impatiently at her eyes.
Brianna knew Phee was upset with her. But now wasn't the time to placate. She was their mother, and she needed them to listen to her. And Brianna needed a moment to herself, just to breathe and refocus and try to figure out what to do without her kids, and the Sheriff's daughter, looking at her. "Just stay together," Brianna said. "I'll call for you if I need help." Nothing had tried to get into the house yet, and maybe whatever had attacked her had moved on to someone else. Brianna closed the basement door and closed her eyes as she exhaled slowly. As much as Brianna had grown used to James's out of town trips, she found herself wishing he was there. Not only because he would likely take charge and know what to do, but because she craved his comfort. At least his brand of comfort. But he wasn't there, and she had three kids she needed to keep safe, so Brianna pushed away from the basement door to start checking the house. Keeping busy would at least keep her mind occupied.
Jen felt more confident stepping up without a parent around which was possibly the only upside - if she could even call it that - to Brianna leaving them alone. Both Phee and Sebastian looked upset as hell and that fueled something in her. "Okay," she said firmly. "We need to check all the windows down here and draw the curtains, Sebastian, you do that. We'll give your mom five minutes to herself, it really sounds like she needs them. Sebastian, Phee told me that Greg gave you a drone for Christmas. You should find it and charge it in case we need to do recon, which yeah, super military shit but there's something out there and I've watched enough horror movies to not wanna go out and check in person. Phee, are there any drinks and food down here? We'll need to go together to get some if not."
Making sure they were properly locked in when he was already feeling trapped wasn’t exactly what Sebastian had in mind when he asked for a distraction, but if he kept moving he thought he could probably keep breathing and Jen spoke with such authority that he didn’t see a reason to question her. “On it,” he said softly, then gave Ophelia’s hand a squeeze before heading towards the windows. If he could hurry and get that done, then he could go find the drone and they could see about running some monster recon. Yes, it sounded a little over the top, but he was curious about what was out there himself and that was the only way they might get a glimpse at what had attacked his mother. It was something to do anyways, and that was better than sitting and fretting about the walls closing in, something he knew wasn’t really happening, no matter what his brain said otherwise.
Phee still wanted to cry, in a half-angry mostly-terrified way, but Jen taking charge was somehow comforting. She sniffed and tried to think about what sort of food was downstairs. “Uhm ... mostly just snacks and sodas, and the sink and cups,” she said, glancing toward the bar where all that stuff was stashed. Brianna had ordered them to stay downstairs, so she supposed that would have to do for the moment. She did want something to do though, unable to stop worrying about what they would do if their mother just didn’t come down. Phee briefly hugged Jen, because she needed to, then did her best to focus. “Let’s see if there’s anything useful in the workshop,” she suggested. Maybe they would find a weapon of some kind. Phee hoped they wouldn’t need it, but it would be good to be as prepared as possible. She hooked her arm through Jen’s and headed that way, determined to be useful somehow.