Rythian felt the phone buzz in his pocket and so he reached down to check who the message was from.
He instantly regretted this as he saw it was a text from his publisher, saying the same thing she had been saying for weeks now.
"Hey Rythian! Just wanted to check in on how the manuscript is coming! Remember, the deadline is in two months!"
He slid the phone back into his pocket and slumped in his seat, wondering just how things had gotten to this point. His first book had gone so well! He had written it within six months and it had been published and well received. Feeling confident that he could do the same thing again, he had signed on for another book, with the deadline being just six months from the signing. However, nothing had worked out as planned.
No matter how hard he tried, he just could not seem to find any inspiration. He had tried all of his normal processes: reading his favorite series, listening to music, going on walks around his neighborhood and town, but nothing seemed to be working. He had begun to panic. How could anyone write a book in just two months, let alone someone whose creativity seemed to have vanished?
So when his brother had offered to let him use his cabin for the summer, Rythian had jumped at the chance. He had hoped the drastic change of scenery would spark his old creative juices and that the secluded location of the small house would keep him focused.
His brother had warned him that it was just a small house; one room with a bathroom, but Rythian didn't mind. After all, it was only himself and his pet gecko Teep, who would be staying in the cabin.
His gecko sat watching him from his small travel cage by the window as he mulled over these thoughts. The tiny lizard was the perfect travel companion, he never talked nor did he require the care and attention that dogs and cats needed. Rythian had owned the lizard for about a year now, and had grown quite fond of the little thing.
He was pulled from his musings as the train began to slow and the attendant's voice sounded overhead: "Now arriving at Blackrock station, all passengers exiting at this stop please gather your belongings and wait till the train has come to a complete stop before exiting the train. Railbrothers Rails thanks you for riding with us today!"
Rythian looked out the window and took in his new town for the next couple of months. As his brother had warned him, there was really nothing to it. As far as he could see, it was just a one-lane town surrounded by a ring of hills covered in forests. The station, and the town itself, were named after the crumbling ruins of an old castle that sat next to the lake just past the town. No one knew the original name of the castle, but it had been dubbed "Blackrock" because of the strange black stone that had been used to build it.
The train screeched to a halt, and Rythian grasped his belongs and exited the train. He walked out onto the platform and was greeted by the small building that acted as Blackrock station. It wasn't much to look at, but this was where he had been told he could meet the man who would be able to give him a ride out to the cabin.
"Hello there! Are you Mr. Enderborn, sir?"
Rythian turned around and saw a black haired man wearing glasses waving at him from the grass by the station.
"Yes, hello. Are you Mr. Pool?"
"Just call me Nilesy." The man said, shaking Rythian's hand "Everyone does. Now then, are you all set to head out to the cabin?"
Rythian nodded
"Perfect! Just hop in here and we will be on our way!"
The cabin was set in a small clearing about a 15 minute drive outside of town. His brother had arranged for Nilesy to drive him out there to spare the walk.
"It's a good thing your brother did as well." Nilesy said, pulling out of the main road in town and onto the dirt road to the cabin.
"Oh? Why?"
Nilesy looked around edgily "There has been some strange rumors about these here woods, Rythian."
"Strange rumors?"
"Aye, rumors of a wild banshee that only comes out after dark and eats human flesh!"
Rythian snorted, "Let me guess, it lives at that old castle?"
"Aye! Rumor has it that a couple of kids saw it climbing around on the ruins just a couple of nights ago."
"Well, I am sure I will be just fine in my cabin."
"I suppose so, but I would recommend not going out after dark, you never know what you might find."
"I will keep that in mind," Rythian said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"You best, if you know what's good for ya." Nilesy said, "Ah, here we are!"
He pulled his car up in front of the cabin. It really was just as small as his brother had descried it. It had a small wooden door with a window on either side and a metal chimney rising up from its wooden roof.
"Do you need me to show you around?" Nilesy asked, grabbing his suitcase out of the backseat.
"No, I think I will be just fine. Thank you for the ride."
"No problem. If you ever need anything, I'm just a short jog up the road. I don't expect that your phone will work out here."
"No, I doubt it as well."Rythian said, secretly glad to be free of any painful reminders for the next couple of months.
"Well, I'll be getting on then. Have a nice stay and I will be back in two months time to give you a ride back to the station."
Rythian waved goodbye as Nilesy drove off down the road and then turned back to face the house.
"Well, Teep," he said to the lizard by his feet, "Shall we see our new home?"
The lizard gave no reply, but instead looked off into the trees to the right of the house. Rythian followed his gaze, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Ignoring a slight prickle on the back of his neck, he picked up Teep and his suitcase and walked through the door.
The smell of mothballs and wood assaulted his nose as he walked in, causing him to sneeze rather violently before taking in the room before him.
It was going to be tight; to his right was a small kitchen with an iron stove and a small sink squeezed right up next to a small corner table and chairs. To his left was a small couch and one chair that faced a fireplace and shoved in the back left corner was a double bed and nightstand. There was a window on the wall next to the bed and a door leading to the tiny shower/toilet bathroom in the right hand corner.
Yet, despite its size, Rythian found the cabin cozy. It was a place that looked like something out of a story and that was just what he needed. He placed Teep's cage on the small table that stood next to the couch and opened up one of the front windows to try and let some fresh air in.
The little cabin had running water, electricity, and air conditioning but no heating or means of talking to the outside world. Rythian was more alone in the little house than he had ever been in his life.
Except for the small gecko, he would have almost no one to talk to for the next eight weeks.
Exhausted after his journey, Rythian fell down onto the couch and closed his eyes. He would just sit for a minute and then unpack and start writing…
Creeeek
Rythian woke with a start as the creepy sound cut through the evening's dying light.
He looked around, disoriented, wondering what the sound was and why it was so dark in the room. He glanced down at his watch and realized that it had been nearly two hours since he had sat down and the day was giving way to night.
Crreeek
The sound cut through the air again, and Rythian whirled around, searching for the source, his head flooded with thoughts of the tale Nilesy had told him earlier that day.
He could see nothing though, just the window he had left open earlier. However, as he watched, a breeze blew against the window and elicited the very noise that had awakened him. Cursing his jumpiness, he walked over and shut the silly thing, before flipping on the single light in the cabin and flooding the dark room with sparse light.
He then went about packing his things away into the chest that stood between the bed and the bathroom door. As he was crossing the room however, he saw a strange thing on the ground.
Upon further inspection, it turned out to be a bit of stone braided into a woven grass necklace. It was a strange rock, the shape somehow reminiscent of a mushroom, and Rythian wondered how it had gotten into the cabin.
He once again felt a strange prickle on his neck and looked up and out at the forest. The shadows were long now, their pointy hands clawing towards the cabin and threatening to engulf everything in their path. He shook his head, the lack of sleep and Nilesy's story were just getting to him. Everything would look better after a nice shower and rest.
He quickly put the rest of his things away and, after a quick shower, lay down in bed to try and sleep off whatever was messing with him.
He lay in the sheets and listened to all the night sounds; the settling of the house, Teep burrowing down into his shavings, the various bugs and frogs that sang outside. It was calming to the man and shortly after closing his eyes, he was asleep.
He never could explain what had awoken just a few hours later: be it some sound, the fresh air from the window, or just simply the feeling of there being someone else in the room, all he knew was that he was awake and he wasn't the only person in the cabin anymore.
He watched through half closed eyes as the figure moved slowly around the room, obviously searching for something. He couldn't make out much in the small amount of moonlight that crept into the room, but the figure was definitely human.
It came closer and closer to him, being careful not to make any noise, and Rythian felt his heart rate increase with each step it took.
His hand carefully reached out to the book lying on his bedside table. He picked it up and slipped it under the covers, ready to defend himself lest the intruder try anything.
The creature came to a halt just before the end of his bed. Every muscle in Rythian's body was tense as he waited for it to move close enough for him to do something.
The thing seemed to sense that going any closer would not be good, however, and crept around the bed getting no closer to it. It reached his bedside table and then seemed to become very excited.
The shadow quickly grabbed the stone necklace off of the wooden surface and slipped it around its neck.
Then it quietly turned to go. Rythian spotted his chance and jumped out of bed with a wild yell.
The creature gave a start and raced for the open window. Rythian ran after it, brandishing his book like a sword.
The creature jumped out of the window and Rythian followed suit. It ran towards the woods and down a small deer trail.
Rythian tried his best to keep up with it, but it obviously knew the trails much better than he did and the branches and roots kept tripping him up as he went.
Finally, after what felt like miles, he burst out into an open area. He stopped to catch his breath, having lost sight of the shadow, and looked around. He stood at the edge of a grassy meadow that had what looked like a large boulder on the side across from him. Yet, on closer inspection, he figured out that it was in fact the remains of Blackrock castle.
A chill went up his spine as he remembered what Nilesy had said, "Aye, they say it lives in the ruins of Blackrock."
Could this thing that had broken into his house be that creature?
He scoffed at himself; surely it was just a myth. Nothing lived in the ruins except for wild animals. No human in his or her right mind would live there.
He crept closer to the rocks, as if trying to convince himself they were empty. He came close enough to touch and then stopped. He looked around, half expecting something to pop out at him, but nothing happened.
With a sigh, having given up on finding the creature, he turned to go.
"AYYYEEEE!"
Rythian crashed to the ground as a rope snapped his feet out from under him. He had just enough time to roll onto his back before a large form landed on top of him.
"What the –" he was cut off as he felt something sharp press against his throat.
"What do you want?" A voice questioned
Rythian was shocked to find that the voice was female. He squinted, trying to make out any features, but all he got was that she was wearing her hair up.
"Umm-"
"I said, what do you want!" the girl poked his neck again, leaning down over him.
"You- you broke into my house! That's what!" He cried
"You stole from Barry! No one steals from Barry!"
"Who is Barry? I found that necklace in my house and-"
"Hush!" She said, cutting off his attempt to speak by pressing her knife closer to his throat. She then raised her head, looking around her alertly. Then, without another word, she jumped off of him and raced back into the trees.
Rythian scrambled to his feet, and raced back towards the house. The shadows seemed to loom out at him as he ran, and he didn't feel safe until he had shut and locked all the doors and windows in the house.
He collapsed on the couch, wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into by moving to the cabin.

Authors Notes:

So, yesterday on Tumblr the best AU ever was invented. If you want to see the post it came from, here it is: post/56…
And here are some more posts on it: post/56998…
post…
Anyway, so I basically fell super hard for this AU and have decided to try my hand at writing a fic on it. Here is the first of multipul chapters I hope you enjoy
Thanks to Midnightlupus for betaing!