rylee mears (itsjustafeeling) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2020-06-16 14:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | #january 2018, nic, nic x rylee, rylee |
Who: Nic and Rylee
When: Early, early morning, Thursday January 25th
Where: Rylee and Carson’s apartment
Status: Complete
Rylee was worried. And worried was probably a vast understatement of the emotions that were currently churning in her stomach. She knew the plan that Carson and the others had put in place. She didn’t like it, but what they did or didn’t do wasn’t for her to decide. She just had to sit tight and hope that their plan worked and that Carson returned home unharmed.
When the windstorm kicked in a little after ten o’clock, Rylee curled up on the couch with a blanket, staring at her phone, trying to resist the urge to constantly text to make sure he was okay. And then the power went out and that slow, spreading sense of dread inside of her began to intensify. She waited… and waited... around midnight, Rylee called Carson, but got no answer. It didn’t even ring. It went straight to voicemail so Rylee hung up and texted him instead. No answer. It was becoming harder to breathe and she got up from the couch to pace, staring intently at her phone, willing Carson to call and tell her he was all right. She called again and left him a message, begging him to call her back.
Deep down she knew something had happened and finally the fear and worry built to an unbearable crescendo, pushing her out of her stasis until she was shoving her feet into her shoes and grabbing her car keys. She wasn’t exactly sure where Carson and the others were enacting their plan, but she knew it was off Witcham Road somewhere. She would just drive until she found him, that was all.
Rylee was frantic as she swung open the apartment door to leave, but the sight of Nic standing in front of her startled her and she inhaled sharply as her chest seized. Nic. Exhaling, Rylee felt like she might burst into tears from the relief.
“I was… god, I was just about to try to find you guys. Where’s Carson?” Rylee expected to see him at any moment, coming up behind Nic, or ambling down the hall. It didn’t occur to her that he wasn’t coming home. Perhaps her mind refused to allow that outcome to be a possibility.
Nic’s shoulder was throbbing by the time he arrived at Rylee’s apartment, sending constant waves of pain down his arm and into his neck. He’d thought about going home first to tend to it, but knew he couldn’t leave Rylee waiting to hear from Carson, no matter how much he dreaded telling her. Anything he did between Witcham Road and her place was just stalling, so he went straight there, but then sat in the car for a few minutes before getting out. Every way of telling her felt wrong in his mind and he doubted he’d ever get it right, no matter how long he sat. His feet felt heavy as he made his way up to her door and was just about to knock when the door opened. “Rylee… Can I come in?” he asked, growing pale. “Carson’s gone.”
Carson's gone. It was like being doused in ice water. Rylee stared blankly at Nic, willing some kind of explanation to continue, something to reassure her that he didn't mean dead. Gone. What did that even mean? Gone. She realized she wasn't breathing and Rylee took a step back from the door, her purse sliding down off of her shoulder, down her arm and to the floor. It landed with a soft thump beside her foot but she paid it no mind. "What the hell does that mean?" Was that her voice? Rough and strained as she pushed the question past her lips. "What the fuck does that mean, Nic? Where is he?"
Nic sighed heavily and gently pushed her back so he could come inside, aware that she’d likely have the conversation right there in the freezing air. He didn’t mind the cold, but it was late and he had no idea whose apartments were on either side of hers. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have with anyone else but her. “We lost him,” he said, slowly shutting the door. He didn’t move beyond that though, aware he might not be welcome. “Things got bad really fast. Everyone affected by the fog came, but when Jules opened the portal, the fog came too. We’d hoped that whatever was controlling them would get sucked in, but instead… things were coming out, those creatures… A guy attacked Jules and tried to drag her into the portal. Carson shifted and went after him. I don’t… I don’t even know how to explain. He shouldn’t have shifted. But he pushed them back in, and they were shooting at us, flinging trees and fire and…and we had to close the portal. He might be alive, but he’s not here anymore. We lost him.”
Rylee was trying to grasp everything he was saying, even while she was noticing the blood on Nic's shirt. She blinked rapidly, finding it difficult to form a coherent thought. Her hands made their way into her hair and she clutched it, wondering if maybe she would just hyperventilate herself to death. Or maybe just until she passed out, which would be just fine with her too. Then she wouldn't have to think about this. "I don't understand. He shifted? It's not the full moon, Nic. That makes no sense." Was Nic lying? Maybe they did something to Carson and are using the shifting as an excuse... maybe. "Okay, so... you had to close the portal, but... you can open it again. Get Jules and open it again," Rylee breathed. It seemed like the most logical answer, didn't it? "You can't leave him there!"
Nic knew how extremely shitty the situation was and didn’t blame her for wanting them to try and get Carson back, but there were too many unknowns in opening the portal again and the most likely result was that they’d just let more bad things out. “We don’t know where he is,” he tried to explain. “It’s not like you open a door to a room and everything’s right where you left it. It’s a whole other world. Even if she opened a portal in the exact same place, the fog creatures are still a problem and the chances of him being right there are slim. Plus, in that form he’d just kill us. I don’t know why he shifted, but he almost killed Jules.” Except he hadn’t. He’d attacked the guy with her, but even then he hadn’t torn him to pieces on the spot. Nic might have guessed that he had control, but that went against everything they knew about werewolves.
Even though Nic's words sounded somewhat logical in her ears, she still didn't understand. But Rylee didn't understand how any of this was supposed to work. All she knew was that Carson was supposed to be home now, whether they had succeeded in helping those people or not. How had he shifted? Hearing that he had nearly killed Jules turned Rylee's stomach and she turned away from Nic, walking with numb feet over to the couch where she sunk down into the cushions and buried her face in her hands. "I don't understand how this happened," she mumbled. She had begun to rock softly back and forth to try and keep the nausea at bay. Rylee looked up at Nic was bleary eyes. "He's just gone? Just like that. There's nothing you can do? You're a witch, Nic! Tell me you guys have a plan... something. You can't leave him there."
“I… I dunno. It happened so fast. I need to—to call some people. See if they have any ideas. He’s not the only one we lost out there. But… this is so much bigger than anything I’ve ever dealt with. I can’t open portals,” Nic said, moving closer, but hesitant to comfort her when he was partially responsible for her loss. “I can’t make any promises, but if there’s anything I can do, I’ll try it.” Witches had limitations, but there was an entire coven of witches in this town that he could tap into if he had to. The problem was that he didn’t think this was something magic could solve. If he’d had a plan, he would have led with it, but Nic hadn’t been able to think of any way to get Carson back except re-opening the portal and he knew how bad an idea that was. They’d have never shut the others inside if they felt they had any other choice.
A sound of exasperated disgust escaped her. He needed to call some people. Hunt for ideas. All the while Carson was somewhere else, possibly as a werewolf. Possibly already dead. Rylee surged forward and lowered her head down between her knees to try and quell some of the nausea. Of course Nic couldn't make any promises. He had no plan. Knowing how lost Carson and the others had been about this whole thing, Rylee knew she couldn't depend on him to save Carson now. Pushing her hands through her hair, Rylee closed her eyes tightly, torn between crying and just allowing herself to sink into complete numbness. How could they have let this happen? "Please leave," she whispered, unable to look at him now. "Get out of my apartment, Nic."
Nic had moved closer, the drive to comfort her fighting hard against the shame of knowing he was responsible for the anguish she was feeling. They hadn’t wanted this, any of them, and Nic had never really believed their plan had worked. But he hadn’t seen it going the way it had, successfully ridding the town of soul sucking leeches, but at the expense of family, friends, and loved ones. It made him question if they’d done the right thing, or if they’d just waited a little longer someone else would’ve figured out a better solution. He’d always thought of himself as a capable witch, yet he’d failed to keep them all safe. When she asked him to leave, his eyes dropped away as well and he nodded. “I’m sorry, Rylee,” he whispered, then turned back to let himself out the door.
Rylee barely heard him. All she heard was the door close behind him. Only then did she exhale. Her stomach rolled uncomfortably but she grabbed her phone again and dialed Carson's number. Her hand was trembling as she brought the phone up to her ear. This time there was nothing. No ring. No recorded voice informing her that the number has been disconnected. Dead silence. Rylee licked her lips and texted him instead. I love you. I'll find you. Rylee waited but there was no response. It didn't matter. She would find Carson. She had to.