Work Text:
“Burrowing owls are often found in grasslands, agricultural areas, or other dry, flat lands with low vegetation. They build their nests underground, some becoming several yards long. But many times, they only go about three feet deep despite their name. Living up to six or eight years-”
A click of the front door being shut sounds throughout the house as the video on the screen keeps playing. A gentle hand ruffles his hair and Tommy grumbles in discontent, and bats it away. His older brother chuckles and leaves him be, heading to the kitchen. Pots and pans bang around as the fridge opens and closes. As Tommy continues to watch, the sound of soft humming and the sizzling of food floats in the background. The narrator’s voice lulls Tommy into a strange half-sleep.
“What are you watching?” comes a voice behind him. Tommy looks up slowly to find Wilbur leaning against the back of the couch spatula in hand, brown hair hanging low over his eyes. He pauses the video and reaches for the spatula, licking it. Will scrunches his nose in disgust as Tommy hands the utensil back, looking at it dubiously.
“Gross,” he says as he walks back to the kitchen. Tommy shrugs and turns the television back on, listening to the narrator’s monotonous voice.
“They come out at night and meticulously pick off small rodents as their nighttime treats. They have excellent hearing and vision for capturing their prey. But another creature also owns these lands. The r̷̖̐̕ą̶̔̂̇͝b̶͕̻̟̫́̈͝l̸̝͙̪͈̃e̷͕̔̓ț̴̛̻̋̅̉ú̵̖̈́̓å̶̻̼͇r̸̨͕̯͋̔͝ḏ̷͉̮͇̏ĭ̵͕͆n̸̮͉͑͆͝e̴̤͍͚͔̐̍s̶̰̙̮̒͒ is well known for-”
Tommy pauses the video, confused. He rewinds the clip, but once again, the name of the creature is warped and distorted. On screen, an image appears. A large, black pod-shaped object with long, stick-like tentacles on all sides sits in a grass field as the narrator continues.
“Despite its innocent look, beware, this is no harmless plant. This creature is the master of camouflage, becoming a variety of different plants and animals to lure in its prey. Although found all around the United States, from forests, to plains, to even in cities and populated areas, these hunters are natural predators. They will eat anything they can scavenge. And when they can’t…well, let’s just say that things…get a little ugly.”
The screen goes black as the video ends, leaving a stunned Tommy on the couch. That…sure did take a strange turn at the end. Wilbur calls him from the kitchen, and he gets up. The smell of cheap tacos fills his nose as he takes his seat. His plate is set down in front of him, taco meat, lettuce, cheese, and salsa all packed into three, neat taco shells. Will sits down across from him , his own plate with the same meal. He also brings over an extra plate of fruit and puts it between the two of them.
“So, how was school today?” He inquires as he begins to eat. Tommy shrugs. “The teacher was being weird again. She kept going on and on about how much she hates her job,” he recounts, “It’s like, why bother being there if you hate it…what about you?” Wilbur picks a grape and pops it into his mouth. “A few drug dealers got caught by the local police that always hang around the coffee shop.”
“I wonder how much I could make in the drug industry,” Tommy offhandedly comments, and Will whips his head up, bewildered. “Toms! You can’t just say things like that! Oh you absolute child!” he scolds as Tommy snickers into his food. And with that, their usual, playful banter ensues, Tommy egging Wilbur on and the older falling for it every time. Their laughter rings bright and warm through the apartment as the food on their plates slowly dwindles down to nothing.
As house lights start to dim and the neighbourhood goes silent, the two get ready for bed. Will ritualistically dusts the shelves, fixing up the many tacky, vintage knick-knacks they had bought from the thrift store a few blocks down. After both of them are washed up and dressed, they climb into bed. Their one bedroom apartment isn’t much, the twin mattress barely fitting the both of them, but it’s what they can afford. As the lights turn off, Tommy drifts off into sleep, missing the way a tall, dark creature stands in their window.
-
From the the National Emergency Alert System, 1978:
Authorities and officials alike are warning of a sudden rise of missing persons cases. Be careful when going out alone. Bring something as protection. Always have someone else with you when out at night. A message directly from the President himself:
Please be aware of strange, black plants in your yards. Eradicate all sightings with fire immediately. All sightings of neighbours with sudden and unnatural deformities, eradicate with fire immediately. If anything larger seems strange or out of place, please call the authorities. Thank you.
-
A week later, Wilbur comes home late.
As he stumbles through the door, Tommy once again looks up from his place on the couch, having just watched the national warning sent out. Will looks a little dishevelled, but not so out of place enough for anything to tip Tommy off. And yet, an eerie feeling continues to creep up his back. Regardless, he puts on a hesitant smile, greeting his brother with a, “H-hey, Will. How was work?”
Wilbur looks up from taking off his shoes, seeming a little fatigued. “It was okay,” he sighs, “just work as usual. My boss was being harsher with sales today. Oh, did you hear about the new neighbour a few doors down?” Tommy shakes his head. His eyes follow Will as he heads to the kitchen like normal, setting down his bag and rolling his sleeves up to start on dinner. But by now, it’s far too late for that.
The clock reads 11:25 pm.
“She’s an old lady, but somehow talked me into the ground. You would think that she would let you actually talk to her,” he groans, pulling the pan down from the cabinet. Tommy takes a seat at the table, sitting quietly with his eyes focused on the grooves of the wood. As Wilbur continues to pull this and that out of the fridge, Tommy starts to worry. He hasn’t asked how school was. He always asks when I sit down.
But Wilbur still seems fine, laughing and talking as he always does. He still hasn’t asked. As they sit at the table, their normal banter continues, but something is wrong about the whole situation. Maybe it’s the fact that they're eating dinner at midnight. Or that Will hasn’t asked him how school was yet. It’s not like him. Wilbur likes consistency and schedules. He wouldn’t just ignore their daily trade. But regardless, Tommy smiles. Tommy laughs. Tommy shouts. He acts as normally as possible. Even as the hair-raising feeling continues to creep through his mind, he ignores it as best as he can.
But when they finish their food and Wilbur takes his plate to wash, Tommy stands up. With a shaky voice, he says, “Your…not my brother.” Will’s smile falters, but only for a second. His eyes flash darkly for a second as he tilts his head. “What do you mean?” he questions. Tommy takes slow steps back, aiming for the bedroom and bathroom, legs starting to quiver beneath him. “Y-you…you never asked how school was.”
Wilbur smiles, but something about the stretch of his mouth doesn’t look human as he says," Aw, Toms. How was school?”
And Tommy bolts.
The creature follows after him with a snarl, and he quickly slams the bedroom door shut, effectively locking himself in and the monster out. A harsh bang rings out as the thing on the other side attempts to barge its way in, but stuck in Will’s weak body, it cries out in frustration. Tommy moves the dresser in front of the door for extra protection and flips the mattress up against the window. He’s too big to escape out of the small excuse for a dormer anyways. The creature beseeches him to open the door, but Tommy just pulls out his phone with quivering, panicking hands. He dials 911 as the banging on the door increases.
“Y̶O̴U̴'̵R̸E̸ ̶S̴K̵I̸N̵ ̷̷I̸S̵M̶̛̜͗́I̵̬̎͌̕N̸̠̈́̿̽͠È̵͂̔”
“̴I̷ ̸N̴̡̈́̐̿Ë̷͈́̒É̷̤̲̤͊D̸̥̈́ ̴I̷T̵.̴”
“Y̴O̵U̷ ̷W̸I̷L̶L̸ ̴F̵A̴L̴L̸ ̸J̸U̷S̴T̵ ̶A̶S̴ ̷Y̵O̷U̴R̵̷̰̿ ̶̞̦̾Ḅ̴̽̓̎͝R̸̹̬̓͝Ô̴̯͇̹͛Ţ̵̣̉̊ͅH̴̟̘͛͆͊̂E̴̪̺̊̊̏R̸̻̀̓̇̆ ̷̞͔̍Ḣ̵̱̎Â̴͇S̷̥͊͛͜.̸̪̦̈́͝”
Every time he calls, the line gets sent straight to voicemail. No, no, no, no, NO!
Tommy is pretty sure the being is also omnipotent, shouting warped words into his head, the voice getting louder and louder with each pound on the door. All he can hope to do is cover his ears. When the door finally breaks, Tommy shrieks, his voice filled with terror as his ̶b̶r̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ slowly walks up to him. He flinches as the thing places a hand against his cheek and lifts his chin so they are eye to eye. And yet, all he can see is a worried Wilbur looking back at him, face flushed, sweat dripping, tears dripping from his eyes. Tommy can feel his own start to sting in the corners.
“Toms, are you alright? What happened? I was talking to you and suddenly you freaked out? Are you okay-” Will starts, but doesn’t finish as Tommy crashes into him, pulling the other into a tight hug. “‘M sorry, Will. I didn’t mean to…” He mumbles, Wilbur's shirt muffling his words further. His older brother returns the hug, his hands gentle and kind.
“Of course, Toms. Of course.”
But “Toms” never sees the face-splitting grin on “Will’s” face.
-
MISSING: William G. Innes
AGE: 23
ATTRIBUTES: Male, Caucasian, 6 foot 4 inches, brown hair, brown eyes, 172 lb
LAST SEEN: Bayard’s Shopping Mall
WEARING: Glasses, white shirt, black pants, red beanie, black shoes
IF FOUND CONTACT: 94 87 15
MISSING: Thomas S. Innes
AGE: 17
ATTRIBUTES: Male, Caucasian, 6 foot 1 inches, blond hair, blue eyes, 155 lb
LAST SEEN: San Alimas High School
WEARING: Red shirt, blue jeans, green backpack, white shoes
IF FOUND CONTACT: 94 87 15