The tent flapped in the wind, rattling as if it was being shaken by a might god himself, as if it was a piggy bank that someone was waving to get that last penny out. That's the problem with tents, everything sounds more dramatic once you're inside them. A little splatter of rain? It's a rainstorm. Shadows? It's slender man coming to get you. Slight wind? It's a motherfucking tornado.
And so, as Phil was reading, his eyes flickering across the page, he was distracted, his head looking upwards after every sentence, checking the door. Was there a fox? Was death outside with his scythe, ready to clasp his skeletal hands around his throat? He didn't know. In fact, he didn't even know why he was there, trapped inside a thin sheet of fabric, surrounded by leering trees and howling winds. And he was alone. It was practically textbook for how to get murdered.
At the time it had seemed fun, a good way to get away from his increasing list of work, to get away from stress and study. He had envisioned campfires, the flames flickering bright, snapping into the air, marshmallows sizzling as their edges gradually grow darker. He had imagined ghost stories leaking into the air and stars shining brightly above. But Adam had 'forgot' to tell him that it would just be them two, and he had 'forgot' to tell him that actually he couldn't make it either. Phil sighed, some friend he was.
He flicked the page of the book again. He wished he had thought to bring something cheerier, something upbeat, something to whisk him away from the darkness that crept closer to him with every breath, rather than something to poke holes in the tent to let the darkness in. The woman in black. That's what he had brought, and that's all he had brought, except his phone, but there was no Wi-Fi in the back of beyond. And so he turned each page with regret, absorbed each word with remorse, the hairs on his arms elevated, his heart beating just that fraction faster.
"I stood absolutely helpless in the mist that clouded me and everything from my sight, almost weeping in an agony of fear and frustration, and I knew that I was hearing appalling last noises of a pony and trap, carrying a child in it…"
And then it went dark. A shadow fell over the tent. The light from the moon disappeared, blocked out by a black outline, sharp and large, against the outside of Phil's tent. He wanted to scream but the breath from his throat had been snatched. He wanted to move, but his legs had oozed into the tent floor. And then the banging began.
Bang. Bang. Bang. The figure began hitting his flat palm against the fabric, making the tent quake in fear, and Phil joined in, quivering too, his eyes wide. The figure tried to speak, but his words were seized by the wind. At least Phil assumed the creature was a he. And he sounded human. Somehow the elimination of a bear or a wolf or a hideous three-headed monster didn't soothe Phil. Death was death, whether he was mauled by a bear or a six foot man brandishing an axe.
The figure moved, jutting around to the front of the tent and fumbling with the zip. Phil backed into the corner.
"What do you want?" he shouted but the figure didn't seem to hear, slowly unzipping the tent door, the noise grinding into Phil's heart, making it leap out of his throat in fear.
"Who are you?" he yelled, but by then the door was open, revealing a boy.
The boy was not much younger than Phil himself, his face, although having dropped the plumpness associated with children still looked childlike somehow, they eyes sparked with fear and the mouth open just slightly, gaping and afraid. His hair was matted and messy, not swept in any one direction and his skin, Phil could see even the pale light, was aureate and defined. He was crouched down in order to look through the, now open, door and Phil could see that he was only wearing underpants, his arms crossed across his chest timorously.
"Will you please let me in?" the boy said, his voice gnawing at the bone of desperate, arching high.
"No!"
"Why not?"
"I'm in the middle of the woods late at night, vulnerable and afraid."
"So?"
"I don't know who you are! You could be an axe murderer for all I know!"
"But I'm scared." The boy paused, "I think I saw a bear!"
"I don't care."
The boy started to clamber into the tent, pulling himself in with his gangling arms and zipping the door behind him.
"I said no!" screeched Phil.
"There was a bear!"
"I don't think bears even live in England, didn't they become extinct here like a thousand years ago?"
"Well what was that, then huh?"
"Probably just the wind."
"The wind, the wind? I'm telling you that was a motherfucking bear!" Dan ranted, his face getting redder, Phil struggling to stifle outright laughter.
"Go on then, name a bear that lives in the great isle of old Britannia?"
"Paddington." Dan imparted. Phil burst out laughing, bending in half.
"Paddington?"
"Yeah the one with the marmalade and the sandwiches and the hat."
"I know who Paddington bear is." Phil sighed, "Paddington is from Peru."
"Well I am sorry I don't know all of my bear trivia. Doesn't stop me from knowing that something is fucking out there."
"There's nothing out there, go back to your tent."
"Nuh-uh"
"No? You're not going? This is my tent man get out!"
"It's cold," the boy wined, sitting down on the floor.
"Do make yourself at home, then." Phil declared sarcastically but the boy didn't seem to notice it.
"Thanks," he said, shuffling into Phil's sleeping compartment.
It was silent for a few moments, the boy staring down at his hands and Phil pretending, idly, to read his book. The boy looked up, his eyes darting around the tent, connecting with Phil's briefly before flitting away. He stared at Phil's lamp, poking it.
"So you have a lamp then?"
"Uh-huh" Phil muttered, not looking up.
"Could have done with one of those." Phil looked up,
"You didn't have one?"
"Nope. Would have been helpful though."
"What are you even doing here?"
"I don't really know." The boy said, gazing down at the floor. "I was just at my parents for the holidays and they had this big old tent in their attic, never been used, and they asked me if I wanted it. And so I thought fuck it, camping might be fun." He laughed, "Clearly I was wrong."
"You've never been camping?" Phil exclaimed, cocking an eyebrow.
"No."
"And you came on your own?"
"Yeah."
"Dumbass" he said, shaking his head.
"Hey!"
"What? Look at you, practically naked having forced your way into a stranger's tent, shivering with no way of keeping warm. Did you even bring a sleeping bag, warm clothes, something to cook food on?"
"I wasn't expecting it to be so damn cold." The boy muttered sheepishly. "Anyway, you're not so tough, you nearly had a heart attack when I came in."
"You were shaking the tent!"
"I was being chased!"
"And now we're back to the start." Phil said, exasperated, although he didn't mean it, really it was the most exciting thing that had happened all day. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Dan." He said, and his smile was so warm that it almost thawed at the cold in the atmosphere.
"Phil." Phil said, extending a hand, letting his book drop onto the floor.
"Can I sleep here?" Phil rolled his eyes,
"You'll freeze."
"I'll be fine."
"No you won't."
"Look please, it's scary out there, there's dark and trees."
"Fine. " Phil said, switching off the lamp and settling into his sleeping bag, feeling the air, that was only slightly warmer than the exterior wrap itself around him. He pulled a hat onto his head, and curled up, trying to get to sleep.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty minutes.
Forty minutes.
An hour.
Phil didn't know how long, what he did know was that the cold had settled into his bones and was now attempting to freeze him from the inside out.
"Phil?" came a noise.
"Yeah?"
"I can't sleep." Phil exhaled,
"Me neither."
"I wish they made see-through tents" Dan said, wistfully. Phil spluttered,
"What?"
"You know, so you could see the stars."
"Oh. The stars. I see."
"I like the stars."
"Hmm"
"Much better than clouds."
"Hmm"
"And they make you humble don't they, I mean the world is nothing, I'm nothing, you're nothing."
"Dan?"
"Yeah."
"I'm trying to fucking sleep."
"Too cold for sleep" Dan sighed and Phil sat up, looking over at Dan. He did, indeed, look cold, his body trembling and curled up into the corner.
"Fuck it. Come on, you can sleep in my sleeping bag."
"Really?"
"Yeah, quickly before I change my mind."
Dan scuttled over, trying to shuffle into the sleeping bag.
"Why are sleeping bags so- fucking- hard to get into?" He tried to wriggle himself downwards.
"Whoa, whoa. Hang on." Phil said, turning his head away. "Your erm underpants are falling down."
"Oh. How about we both stand up and try and get into the bag together?"
"I am not getting out."
"Bastard." Dan paused thoughtfully, "Well how about I unzip it and roll in?"
"Just get in already"
"You know if anyone walks past they're gonna think we're having sex."
"Shut the fuck up."
"Imma unzip it and roll in."
"Oh yes that sounds so sexual doesn't it?"
"Shut up." Dan unzipped the sleeping bag, rolling in,
"Ow!"
"What?"
"You're so cold!"
"It's your fault for not letting me in sooner"
"Well get your skin away from me!" Dan pressed himself against Phil and Phil shuddered. "Get the fuck off me! Fuck that's cold." Dan laughed, "Sadist." Phil spat.
"Goodnight Phil." Dan said, fumbling with the zip to get it to go back up again.
"Goodnight Dan." And despite his moaning and his sarcasm and his quick temper, he really was glad that someone was there with him, someone to clutch onto when the howling winds got too loud, someone to cuddle with for warmth, and someone new. That's what Phil needed in his life. Someone new.
idek what this was, I was bored and procrastinating okay and I wanted to write a super adorable au, not sure I achieved it, but whatever. Thanks for reading and please review or else the woman in black will come for you... shit now I've scared myself. Just do it, thank you :)