5.A Witch With A Hint

The Hotel was massive, larger than anything Wyatt had ever seen. The men had put their horses away and were grabbing buckets of paint to finish the job. It was to be red and purple, Wyatt assumed as he watched them dip large brushes into the white buckets. Valentine told him that the hotel was five stories high; The Spencers wanted to make a name for themselves by having the biggest hotel around.

“Sure is impressive-” Wyatt said as he got off Bolt. “You helped build that thing?”

“Nah, that was for the real workers. My jobs over here, come see.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder as he walked away.

After finding someplace to keep Bolt, Wyatt followed. 

Valentine was standing near some smaller buildings, putting on his tool belt and grabbing two buckets of paint. “I’m working on some of the smaller houses. Me and the twins- Michael and Levi-” and seeing Decker’s face of confusion “Michael is the taller one and Levi is the shorter one. He doesn’t talk but he sure is mean as hell-” He laughed and smiled in a peculiar way as he bent down to grab another bucket, this one full of nails. “Anyways we’re working on these buildings. Supposed to be more private houses for visitors, if they don’t want to be in the hotel sharing walls.”

“Need help with that?” 

“Nah-” Valentine had managed to grab the third bucket, and Wyatt was surprised a small man like him could carry so much. “We’re finishing the building  and painting today. Need to finish before tonight's carnival. As you see we got a lot goin on. Construction and paint crew for the Spencer’s hotel and cabins, crew for the carnival,” He nodded his head towards the ferris wheel that was now fully erect and spinning slowly, “And you. Are you joining us tonight for the carnival?” Wyatt realized that Valentine's head movements mirrored that of a curious bird, turning this way and that almost as if to get a better look at him. 

“Er- I’m not sure. Monster hunting can cause some trouble sometimes. And if the monster doesn’t show herself tonight, I may have to stand guard.”

“Pity-” Valentine said, his shoulders sagging ever so slightly. Wyatt tried to make himself believe that it was the weight of the buckets and not disappointment. “Well it starts at twelve, if you can make it.”

“Twelve???”

“Yeaaa, they wanted it at midnight for whatever reason. Seems like fun to me-” he said with a shrug. 

“Well I’ll see if I can make it.” Wyatt felt like he might melt as Valentine grinned at him. 

“Sure thing, Wyatt. Feel free to hunker down in one of the houses while you wait. Good Luck!” And with that he turned around and left, walking down to the last house. 

Wyatt thought it’d be a good idea to scope out the scenery, walking around the different construction sites, asking a few questions, and even being allowed a tour of the hotel.

“Unlike most of the other buildings-” Garrett, the tallest of the construction workers with the buzz cut said, “this is totally done. Furnished, has electricity. Did you know this is the first building in the town to have electricity?”

“I didn’t even know this WAS a town. It’s so small.”

“Yes, but that’s why we’re building. To make it bigger and have a name for ourselves.”

“I see. What is the town's name anyways?”

“Red.”

“Red?”

“Yes sir-” Decker Wyatt realized the man tended to look at him out of the corner of his eye, never directly. “Why do you think all the new buildings are red?”

“But isn’t this here hotel red AND purple?”

“Yes, well, that’s Mrs.' favorite color. A hard woman she is and Mr. Spencer would do anything to please her.

“I see.”

They walked throughout the rest of the hotel, completing the tour. Wyatt liked the way the dark brown leather chairs complimented the, again, purple and red textured wallpaper. There was a little bit of the couple everywhere you looked. He enjoyed the pictures and paintings, and LOVED the coffee colored hardwood floors. He tapped his boot on it again, he spurs jingling slightly. 

“Expensive stuff, huh?”

“Yeaaa, everything is expensive here. They wanted to have the nicest hotel around. You’ll hear that a lot; it’s basically their slogan.” 

“I see.” Wyatt promised himself to stay there one day, as a little vacation maybe. He’d never been on a vacation, and he wondered if he even could be, as a monster hunter, or would the monsters just follow him here?

“I like the floors,” he said quietly, still wondering if he could ever rest. There was a monster here already- “The hotel got a name?”

“Yea, Red’s. Red’s Hotel and Saloon.”

Wyatt sighed as he tapped the hardwood floor again. It was so nice.

The pair completed the tour, walking through the rooms, everything was so luxurious that Wyatt could barely wrap his head around the entire idea. Garrett laughed once when he let him sit in a chair, and Wyatt immediately jumped up, not used to the cushion and comfort.

After the tour Wyatt walked around some more, getting to know some more of the workers. Even with his conversation with the others, either to get more information on the monster or just to be friendly, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Valentine. He seemed to have a radiant glow about him, always smiling as he hammered nails and painted the trim on the door.

Wyatt’s thoughts were disturbed by a shadow that now loomed over him.

“Hey-“ he said with a lopsided grin, trying not to shake.

The man was big, one of the biggest Wyatt had ever seen. His face was defined by the hairline scar that ran down his forehead, eye, and cheek. It wasn’t too bad, in fact it made him more handsome than his brother. 

“You’re Levi, right?” The man glared down at him but nodded, but he did not move. “Sorry, uh, do you need something?” It was hard to have a friendly conversation with someone who didn’t talk back. “Uh-”

Levi grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him to the side, grabbing the red, metal toolbox behind him.

“Ohhh, uh, sorry-” Levi grunted, but again didn’t move. He crossed large arms with even larger gloved hands, staring down at Wyatt, toothpick now in his mouth.

“Uhm-” Wyatt said softly. “I’m Decker Wyatt-” He really didn’t know what he was doing. “I heard that there was some old town around here, where the monster came from. You wouldn’t-”

“Down about a mile back past the last house where golden boy works” he signed, looking down at Wyatt still.

“Golden boy? You mean Valentine?”

“Yea, hair like an angel, heart purer than gold? Golden boy.” That’s when Levi’s eyes went large, he seemed almost afraid of a man that was half his size. “You understand sign language?” He signed, his gloved hands almost shaking.

“Know it too.” Wyatt signed back, smiling. “I was friends with an older woman who was hard of hearing. She and my mother taught me when I was young. I’m a little rusty.” He gave a shy smile as he dragged two fingers across his thumb for the final sign.

Levi’s cheeks brightened with a blush that a mother would call “adorable”. He looked away, embarrassed as he signed, “I thought only my brother knew.”

Wyatt smiled and put his calloused hand on his arm. “Well now you know someone else," he said quietly. 

Levi carefully removed Wyatt’s hand and took off his work gloves. On his wrists were multiple red bracelets with pearl and gold charms. “I make them in my free time” he signed after he had placed one on Decker’s wrist.

“Thank you,” He signed, smiling like the sun. “Do you know of any of these cabins I can stay in till nightfall?”

“Yes, the one right behind you will work fine. They’re like doll houses, nice and painted on the outside, but empty and bare on the inside. Kind of uncomfortable. Will that be okay?”

“Just fine.” Wyatt signed, “Thank you, again.”

Levi helped Wyatt move all his gear into cabin 13 of 20, moving Bolt from the tree he was tied to to a hitching post at the side of the cabin. They conversed for a while longer till Levi had to go back to work.

Wyatt had a couple hours till the moon was up, spending the time reviewing his family’s journal. He lit the kerosene lamp as he laid down on the dusty cold floor, killing some time by taking a nap. As he began to drift off he laughed as he remembered his promise to Levi to not accidentally set the cabin on fire.

Ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψ

It was barely audible, the shifting of small pebbles and dust outside.

Decker Wyatt’s eyes opened slowly, his blue-brown eyes adjusting to the slow burning kerosene lamp near his face. The warmth tinted his cheeks a rosy pink. But the sound came again and Wyatt realized that it wasn’t from the movements of his body. It was from something else. Something outside.

He got up slowly, careful to make as little sound as possible by not dragging his legs or boots. Once sat up, thankfully without his spurs making too much noise, he shifted so that he sat on his knees. He raised slowly then, again, careful to not make much sound. He hoped the sound was just some of the walking by or maybe from a small mammal like a mouse or rabbit, maybe even fox. But as he slowly braced himself against the window sill he knew it’d be neither, the men had moved to another location hours ago and none of the animals he thought of were big enough to make the sounds he heard from beyond the wall.

He held his breath as he peeked through the window, his mind sharpening and preparing himself for…? He truly couldn’t believe what he saw as he looked through the dusty glass. It was worse than anything he could draw or even imagine. It was terrifying, even more horrific than the men had described. She was whiter than snow- so white that it almost blinded him. What the men had failed to mention was that she had peculiar red markings or maybe even tattoos wrapped around her body like a red thread. The thing that they had gotten right was that she was weirdly bent like many of the acrobats Wyatt had seen during his circus days. It seemed inhuman, like her spine was made out of wire instead of bone. 

Wyatt felt for the lamp beside him, bringing it up slowly to the window, trying to get a better look at her. She seemed to be sifting through the dirt with her hands, looking for something- two hideous red eyes turned towards Decker, the only noticeable facial feature, if you could call it a face- it had been spooked by the light, Decker grinding his teeth at his own stupidity as it slowly started to back away towards the shadows. Wyatt knew that it was now or never, and without much thought, stood up, ignoring the pain in his joints, and ran through the door. Untying Bolt as fast as he could, Wyatt got on quickly, lamp still in hand, and followed the witch. Bolt could sense the urgency of the situation, quickly picking up speed, ears pinned back as he galloped. As Wyatt rode away from the cabins he could hear Valentine’s voice; “WYATT! WYATTTTTTTTT!”

He paid no attention to the calls, insteading yelling at Bolt “FASTER, FASTER!!!” as they ran down the dirt road. The thing was wicked fast, probably the fastest monster he had ever dealt with. At times like this he wished he had a race horse, but knew they would never be as strong as his Bolt. Once or twice Wyatt got close, but the thing would get even faster, taking the lead once again. 

The dirt road they had been on had ended long ago, now all running on grass covered hills. Levi had said it was a mile towards the old town, which was now becoming closer and closer. Wyatt counted Bolt’s crazed strides, never taking his eyes off his target. He was taken aback when the thing sped up, also probably sensing that it was near its… home? Wyatt wasn’t sure but it was going so fast that it was basically a white blur in the night, and it was getting away.

Bolt was snorting with effort, Levi’s lamp swinging wildly, casting eerie beams of light and shadow across the fields. He had to catch this thing, for the Spencer’s- for Valentine- but then it was gone. It had made it into the town. Still, he and Bolt pushed forward till they made it to another dirt road. Wyatt slowed his horse down as they rode towards the abandoned town, Decker Wyatt noticing that the dirt road would soon become one of cobblestone. 

He stopped where the dirt did, sitting as upright as a soldier, his horse's neck mimicking his movements. Bolt didn’t want to go on, or maybe, couldn’t. 

Wyatt slid off, trying to silently land on the ground. “Be good and stay here.” Wyatt whispered to his horse, gripping the kerosene lantern harder now, “I’ll be back in a bit”. At least, he hoped. 

Standing just before the cobblestones, Wyatt took the sight in. The buildings were of darker colors, what seemed to be blacks, grays, and purples. Dead plants seemed to have erupted at random, a few bones littering the street as well. From what he could tell, it looked like a haunted house they would have up during october. He laughed, even though he was deathly afraid. Something told him this was a lot bigger than it seemed. As he raised his foot, he realized his mistake. He was being sucked in, like he had broken some sort of barrier as he stepped on the cobblestone, the last thing he heard before being dragged in was “WYATTTTTTT!!!”

He opened his eyes slowly, one at a time, bracing himself. What he first noticed was the drop in temperature. It was much colder than the surrounding area, and a strong wind threatened to blow him over. The second thing he realized was the aching in his chest. He wondered if he had misstepped and fallen; it felt as though he had broken every one of his ribs. He doubled over, shivering and gasping, at least that was good, he was still able to take in air. He clutched his crushed ribs, trying to open his eyes even as they watered with pain. At first he thought he was seeing things, the tears blurring his vision, but still, he couldn’t mistake what he was seeing. The light. 

In his pain he had forgotten about Levi’s lamp, and had accidentally dropped it on the ground. Thankfully, it was for the most part, ok. There was a hairline crack that reminded him of the man's hair thin scar. The issue was that the light produced was no longer a burning yellow but instead an unnatural, evil green. For a moment he forgot his pains, watching the flame dance to an unknown tune in the wind, rising and falling, dimming and brightening. He picked it up gingerly, afraid that it might react to his touch, it seemed to be some sort of magic after all- 

The reaction was something that Wyatt didn’t expect. Lamp posts on either side of the street burst with the same green light, showing the way, like they were guiding him. “That’s… funny-” he said, sounding out of breath. He turned to look behind him, and met with a wall of darkness. He couldn’t see Bolt, or hear a thing. It was like a black hole, one that he was standing on the other side of. “Well-” he said slowly “I guess I’ll just have to go forward-” The tiny flames seem to all flicker in agreement. 

It was odd, walking in that place. Decker Wyatt felt as though he weighed twice as much, working hard to barely lift a booted foot off the ground. But the deeper into the ghost town he went, the lighter his steps became, so light in fact that now he felt the opposite, as if he was half his actual weight. “What-” A piercing scream kept him from voicing his thoughts. It was like the men had said, so horrible that it grounded you, took your breath away, made you feel frozen in time. What broke the silence was the single breath from Wyatt, followed by a roar as the flames went from green to purple. 

His ribs ached again, even more than before. They felt as if they were incased by ice, as if his lungs were frozen by the cold air he now inhaled and exhaled. “Have to- keep going-” He shivered, wrapping his arms around his chest as if he were trying to physically hold it together.

Again his steps became sluggish as gravity seemed to increase. What was this place? This was a stronger magic, something almost as powerful as whatever had been in his caravan the night at the dead circus. He must’ve done it. He thought as he trudged along, He must’ve taken her. Killed her. Austin and Ringmaster too. He’s taken all of them. Wyatt’s eyes were becoming heavy, tired of the effort it took to walk, to breath. This is what it must feel like to be trapped in tar he thought, all that would remain would be his bones. His eyes started to blur, he could barely pull in enough air, it felt like his lungs had been squeezed like lemons. He gurgled and gasped for air, getting barely any oxygen. It sounded as if he were choking on water, his heart beat drumming louder and louder in his ears even as the wind howled like an animal in pain. The lights went from purple to pink as they seemed to slowly beat in time with his heart, a growing length between each beat. This was the end- This place, whatever it was, was going to kill him. Why- 

And suddenly, a flash of white dashed across his vision, something so unmistakable quick that Wyatt forced himself like he had Bolt to pick up speed. He worked with the last remaining shreds of oxygen in his lungs as he walked towards the open door which the monster had run through- his heartbeat now a roar in his ears. As he crossed the threshold he fell as if he were falling through the sky, the door shutting with a *BANG*! behind him.

He woke only a few seconds later, gripping his head that swirled with dizziness as he propped himself up, only to shy away from his aid- a wall soaked with blood. Wiping his hand on his chaps, Decker Wyatt surveyed his new surroundings with wide eyes. The lights had changed in color again, this time from pink to red. Actually, everything in the entrance hall seemed to be a shade of red- the blood on the wall, the red yarns and threads that zig zagged like spider's thread across the ceiling in a dizzying pattern. The only things that were different colors were the white taxidermied animals that had been mounted on the walls, and the coffee colored wooden floors.

“What-” As Wyatt bent down to touch the floor, he was stopped by faint music. It seemed to be coming from somewhere deeper inside the building, a few more flames flickering to light as the crackling notes reached his bejeweled ears. He noticed the tune, one he had heard earlier that day, on the RED’S Hotel gramophone. 

He stood up quietly, scared that the music may end if he was too loud. As he readjusted his jacket he noticed that one of the many red threads he had seen on the ceiling was poking from beneath his rumpled shirt. Annoyed, he pulled at the string, only to hiss at the pain after he had done so. The music still played as he lifted his shirt, growing in volume as the shirt rose higher and higher, past his stomach and over his chest, soon bearing sight that would’ve made a lesser man faint. His veins rippled and squiggled like live worms beneath his skin, throbbing with the beat of his heart which seemed to almost break the thin amount of skin left in the middle of his chest. The surrounding area around each vein was black with bruising, quickly spreading to cover his whole chest like a blanket. The thread seemed to be attached to his heart, blood slowly dripping from where it had pierced and gone through his skin like a crude sewing job. Wyatt winced again, putting extreme pressure on his teeth as the thread was pulled by some unknown hand, increasing the blood flow. The only way to relieve the pressure and pain was to go forward, Decker Wyatt being led like a well trained dog. 

As he walked down the, what seemed like, never ending hallway, Wyatt would peer at the items hung on the wall. Every time new red lights would mysteriously and magically light themselves, Wyatt was met with a new section of horrors. At first, the white animal taxidermy hadn’t been too bad; white goats, sheep, wolves, weasels, hares, and any other albino animal lighted the bloody walls. The next section was full of paintings, gold frames surrounding wads of chewed up and spit out bright red flesh. Wyatt looked away at the next secession, different human appendages nailed to the walls like an unholy crucifixion. The last section reminded him, again, of his own chest pains; hearts still encased in their rib cages nailed with beautifully carved black plaques to a purple and red textured wallpapered wall.

The thread began to slacken as Wyatt neared a brightly, yellow lit doorway. He cautiously stepped through, holding the door frame, fearful that he may fall again-

But he didn’t. In fact the room was normal. Wyatt quickly bunched up his shirt again to his collarbone. His heart and veins were no longer showing but his chest was covered in dark bruising a red cuts that would definitely leave some nasty scars-

Pulling his shirt back down, Wyatt slowly and quietly walked through what he imagined was some sort of lounge area or sitting room. He walked to the red, gold, and wood gramophone, gently lifting the needle off the turning disk to stop the music. He then walked to the large stained glass window, trying to look out, but all he saw was blackness behind the rose tinder glass.

“Why’d you turn off the music?” A woman's voice asked, husky and soft without even trying.

Wyatt turned quickly, only to turn back again, hands shading his eyes. The woman was completely naked, fair skin covered in red thread and tattoos, silky and wavy dark hair framing a piercing face that reminded Wyatt of a spider. Only the way she sat with her arms and legs slightly crossed gave her some privacy, but Wyatt had a feeling that she preferred to be- without clothes-

“Excuse me ma’am-” He said, looking down at the ground, hands still covering his eyes.

She laughed, a sound smooth as warm butter. “Even in my state of undress, you're still courteous, huh Wyatt?” He nodded, making her smirk. “What do you think I am?”

“A succubus, though many believe you’re a witch.”

“Maybe I am a witch.” She countered. If Wyatt had been any other man and had turned around, he would’ve noticed that she had needle-like canines like a vampire. “The problem with you is-” she said softly, getting up from her velvety chair. “Is that you don’t find me attractive, do you?” Her thin arms wrapped around his chest, squeezing softly around the sides while her hands navigated his pectorals till both rested over his heart.

“No- I’m not-” He said quietly.

It was evident to her by the way his heartbeat seemed to slow instead of quicken, like he was bored. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m on a mission to find the one that killed my family.” He didn’t have the strength left to lie.

“But didn’t you already kill the beast? Ripped it to shreds like the man you are?” She whispered in his ears. Only now his skin prickled.

“How do you know that?” He asked, spinning around and gripping her shoulders.

She smiled. He was very different. “I just know” she said, and lifted his big hands off of her. “But why don’t you like me?” She asked teasingly, putting and ice cold hand on his cheek.

“Because I don’t have time for women. Or anybody at all.” He took her hands and pressed them back into her chest.

“But you must love some woman, right?” She asked as she turned, hips swaying as she walked back to her chair.

“Yes, my mother and my sister. No one else. No other woman”

“No other woman…” she repeated quietly and slowly, as if she were tasting the words on her long tongue. “Why?”

“You know why. I thought you were all knowing.” He felt as if his tongue had become loose, but he hadn’t lost all control yet.

She smiled up at him from her chair “I like you Wyatt.” she finally said, two fingers propping up her chin. “I’ve never met someone quite like you.”

“And I haven't met someone quite like you either.” Unlike the story of the swan princess, she resembled more of the story of the beauty and the beast. 

“Why do you fix me with that icy yet warm gaze?” she asked, each one looking into the other's eyes.

“What do you know?” he asked.

Her grin transformed into a face splitting smile. “I’m glad they named a town and hotel after me-” She said, her eyes no longer focused on him but her brightly painted nails instead.

“So your name is Red?”

“No-” she said quietly and she rubbed a polished nail. “I’m just a fan of the color.” she looked up at him and smiled. 

“So then what shall I call you then?” He asked, hands held together in front of him.

“So respectful yet again! I see your mother raised you well.”

Wyatt smiled at the compliment, “She did the best she could.”

“Do you respect death?” She asked as she picked at the red polish on her ring finger.

“It comes for us all.” Wyatt said simply, yet his grasp on his own hands tightened. 

She smirked, being able to feel the growing pressure on his hands. “Then why do you challenge it if it comes early?”

He sucked in a breath and held it, unable to answer at first. “Because it’s cruel.”

“Isn’t death cruel? It takes from all of us, even the richest of men-”

Wyatt’s brow furrowed with a growing anger. “It shouldn’t take from a child! It shouldn’t break love- it shouldn’t-”

“Do you not love your mother?” The question was so insulting Decker Wyatt stood in silence for a moment.

“Of course I do.”

“Then it hasn’t broken your love. In fact” she tapped her pearly chin in a comical way, “I think it made your love for her stronger. You even love a little girl you never got to meet.”

Wyatt’s knuckles cracked with the mention of his unborn baby sister. “Don’t-”

She laughed, tossing her hair and putting her legs up onto a well cushioned footstool, crossing her ankles. “You’re mad because it was violent. Because there was nothing for you to stop it-”

“I can stop it now!” He said with a puffed chest, his tone of voice like that of a rebellious teenager.

“Oh?” She said, her pencil thin eyebrow now arched. “And how would that be done?”

“I-” He started, but his voice fell short. “I don’t know.”

She smiled at him the way a mother does, one full of pity yet slightly entertained. “You know-” she started, red eyes holding his, “there are people who would do more than you to avenge their loved ones, to-” she sighed for dramatics, “get them back.” The sigh worked.

“Get them…back?”

“In one way or another.” As she smiled with all her teeth the room shook. “He’s not happy,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Who?”

“You know who.” her smile stayed plastered across her face as the shaking ceased. “He’d do anything, ANYTHING. To get her back. The love of a husband is way stronger than you may think.” She winked at him as the room shook again, a light bulb breaking overhead.

“What-”

“Where did it first begin?” She asked, like she didn’t even notice the shaking around her.

“What- my parents house, WHERE THEY DIED!”

“No,” she said calmly, “try again. Where did the trouble begin? You’ve been fighting just monsters for a while now, so where did it start?”

“Where did it-” He thought back to the black wall keeping him in this…realm, the darkness of the caravan. “THE CIRCUS!” he had to scream to be heard over the crashing.

She nodded her head like a proud teacher. “And where did that begin?”

Wyatt thought for a second. He had only met Ringmaster, or who he thought had been Ringmaster, at the train station. He had been looking at his poster. Why were the posters at the- “THE TRAIN STATION” he screamed, more out of joy and relief than to be heard. The floorboards were starting to split open, leaving him to stand on splinters. 

The shaking started to take on a rhythm, one of pounding, not that of a heartbeat but of “footsteps?”

She smiled at him as she blinked as if to agree. “Bless your angel,” she said in a laughing voice, “Wyatt, I am glad you can resist temptation!”

Ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψ

“Wyatt? WYATT?” He was shaken awake by abnormally warm hands.

“Wha- What?” he croaked out, eyes still blurry.

“Oh my god you're okay!” One of Valentine’s arms propped up the larger man while the other was against his chest in meak prayer. “Thank the-” 

“Valentine-” Wyatt asked softly.

“Yea, Wyatt?”

“What time is it? Is it even the same day?” 

Valentine smiled. “Well, you made it to the carnival!” Wyatt’s face was again screwed with confusion. “I followed you to the old town. It was hard, bad weather there or something I don’t know-” He readjusted his hold on Wyatt because he heard what he thought was a gasp of pain. “But when I followed you into that house I couldn’t find you. Eventually I came back here. Garrett was the one that found you here. Are you okay?”

“Yea-” he said slowly. “I got a few nasty cuts but I think I’m okay.”

Valentine smiled. “We’ll get ya cleaned up and good as new. But if I may ask, did you kill the monster?”

Only then did Wyatt realize his hand was in a fist. Uncurling it slowly, Wyatt realized he held ten red nails in his hand.

He smiled up at Valentine and nodded, “I think I might’ve gotten a clue too.”

Valentine took Wyatt back to his tent to clean and disinfect his cuts. “That’s gonna leave a nasty scar-” he said as he tied the roll of bandages around his chest. Wyatt just sat quietly and watched Valentine's hands do the work. Using two fingers, Valentine pressed them firmly against Wyatt’s sides. “No broken bones. Just bruised real bad, but not broken.”

“Are you a medic?” Wyatt asked as Valentine gave him some water.

“Nah, it’s just after having a million and one odd jobs, you learn a thing or two.”

“Jack of all trades, huh?” he smiled as he drank from the glass.

“Yea, something like that.” He said quietly. “Now come look, I want to make sure the bandages are up to your standards.” He helped Wyatt up and led him to a large mirror in the middle of the camp. “Look good?”

“Better than anything I could’ve done by myself.” he turned slightly in the mirror, “Thanks.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Valentine, eyes holding Wyatt’s.

“Nothing-”

“Wyatt- What’s wrong?”

“It’s just-” he turned again, craning his neck so that he could see the reflection of his back. The injuries from the Spiny-Bush-Rattler had healed, thick scabs now peeling away to expose fresh, pink scars below. “I’m covered in scars. My father was- untouchable-”

Valentine smiled, spinning Wyatt back around so they both faced the mirror. “I see them as scars of glory. You won all those battles, killed all the monsters right?” Wyatt nodded. “Then there’s nothing to be upset about.” He clapped Wyatt on the shoulder. “Now, do you wanna go to the carnival with me, or rest in my tent?”

Wyatt smiled down kindly at him, “Sure, why not? I haven’t had fun in a while.”

They barely made it, only able to watch as Mr. Spencer cut the red ribbon, hordes of people running into the carnival. Wyatt and Valentine stayed behind, taking it slow. They mostly just walked together, commenting on the beauty of the many lights. Eventually they met up with the others, Wyatt mostly talking with Valentine and Levi. Michael took a liking to him, that someone else could actually converse with his brother.

“I’m sorry I broke your lamp.” Wyatt signed, sitting on a picnic table with Levi.

“It’s okay, I was going to give it to you anyways.” Wyatt smiled and turned to watch the others. They were trying to bob for apples, Garrett winning so far, but Miachel was close behind. 

Valentine was laughing and clapping his hands. “C’mon Michael! You can beat Him!” he looked up, feeling two pairs of eyes on him, smiling and waving at the men. Wyatt and Levi smiled and waved back.

“He’s really nice you know,” Levi signed, looking down at Wyatt. “He tries to include me in everything.

Wyatt chuckled. “He said you were meaner than hell.”

Levi let out a little puff of breath that might've been a laugh. “I don’t think I’m mean, I just… I don't have a lot to say.” They both laughed silently together. “But really, he’s very nice. He’s been worried about you all day. It’s like…I don’t know, like he can look straight inside a person and see you for what you really are. It’s easy to open up to someone as warm as him.”

“Tell me about it.” Wyatt mumbled.

The two got up as Valentine called them over. A few of the guys wanted to go play some drinking games and Valentine wanted to take Wyatt on the ferris wheel.

“Will I ever see you again?” Wyatt asked as he slowly hopped off the table.

“Maybe,” Levi signed, shrugging his shoulders. “I have lots of cousins, you’re bound to meet one of them at some point.” he smiled sadly down at Wyatt. “Goodbye for now, monster hunter.” His hand drifted from Wyatt’s shoulder to his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before walking away.

Valentine nudged Wyatt as he walked up to him. “He likes you.” He said quietly, nodding his head in the direction of the iron wheel, silently asking Wyatt to follow.

“He- he does?”

“Yea, you treated him like a normal human being. What’s not to like about that?” Wyatt now understood Valentine’s peculiar smile from earlier.

The two walked together, talking about the little things as they made their way towards the ride. Wyatt got popcorn and Valentine a candy apple, sliding onto the sticky seats of the ferris wheel. They were both quiet for a moment as they were carried heavenward.

“Are you going to stay?” Valentine asked quietly, taking a gentle bite out of his apple. “The town could use someone like you. You could settle down, have a place of your own. No more tent life, I know your back must be hurtin’.”

Wyatt chuckled as he threw a few pieces of popcorn in his mouth. “You know I can’t stay Valentine. That's not how this job works.”

“But if you could, would you?”

Wyatt thought of Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, of the construction guys, of lvi, and the angel that sat beside him. “Yes, I would.”

“Then why don’t you?”

Wyatt’s mind now flashed from his newfound friends to his parents' bodies lying dead on the floor. “Because it can’t be that way.”

“But, Wyatt-” Valentine’s hand now rested on his shoulder the way the gloved hand of Levi’s had.

“It’s dangerous-” Wyatt said softly but firmly. “I don’t want to see any of you die.” Tears showed in both the men's eyes, catching the light as the first rays of sunrise caressed their faces.

“Won’t I ever see you again?” Valentine barely whispered.

“Sure you will.” Wyatt smiled sadly. “Just maybe, in a different life-”

Ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψᨒ↟↟𖤣𖥧ψ

“YOUR LEAVING???” Mr. Spencer could barely believe what he was hearing. The scissors from the night before still sitting on his desk.

Decker Wyatt nodded, hands in his jacket pockets. It was much colder than that day, and he was thankful for the heater that Mrs. Spencer had turned on, sad that he was about to give up that comfort.

“But why???”

“My job here is done.” he said plainly, trying to make it as painless for himself as possible.

“But- you can’t leave! What do I gotta do son? What do I have to pay to make you stay??” 

Wyatt’s heart ached all over again at the word “son”, trying to push his heart down into the acid of his stomach.

“It isn’t safe.” he said, his voice now wavering ever so slightly. ‘It’s bad luck to have me around.”

“Bad luck??? YOUR THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO THIS TOWN!” He was sweating profusely, dabbing his forehead with a silky purple cloth. 

“Monster’s follow me if I don’t come to them-” he said slowly. “I’m on a mission anyways, one that I need to do, alone.”

“But couldn’t this be your base???” he was frantic, leaning over his desk, looking for something. “The plains are full of monsters, more than enough for you to kill. And we-” he found what he was looking for; a map. “We’re right in the middle of it all!” Taking a red pencil he made a little dot and wrote “RED’S” in big, bold letters.

“Monster’s aren’t the thing I’m hunting for. It’s something more personal. Plus, the train station isn’t around here-”

“Then we’ll build one, right here! Anything you’d ever need or want will be right here in Red’s. You're everything we need and want, why can’t we be that to you.”

“You are everything to me-” Wyatt said softly, “that’s why I need to leave.” He started to push Mr. Spencer’s outstretched hands down back onto the table.

“No, take it.” Mr. Spencer said. He handed Wyatt the pencil he held in his hand. 

Wyatt thanked him, gently rolling up the map and pencil together and put it into his inner jacket pocket.

“I need to go now,” he said gently, eyes cast down. “It was good to know you Mr. Spencer, it was good to know all of you.” he turned and walked away slowly, booted feet making the floorboards creak.

“Wyatt, son-” Mr. Spencer asked slowly, quietly as if he were speaking to a frightened animal. Wyatt had made it to the opened office door. “Won’t you stay?” 

It was a desperate last plea.

Decker Wyatt shook his head sadly, not looking back while trying to force down the rising lump in his throat, gripping the door frame as if he may fall. 

“Sorry Mr. Spencer. I can’t stay here. I can’t stay anywhere-”

You can find me on my: 

instagram: @rottingbonesboy.j

YouTube: @ROTTERBONEWORKS

Feel free to email me with questions, comments, or concerns at rotterboneworks@gmail.com