A/N: The following story is based off the works of Hannah Davis AKA Quoth143, the writer of the comic, Don't Starve: Resumptus. We were given permission to use her characters and she is a contributor to this story. Please give her some love for all the hard work she does. Now, without further ado, Resumptus Shadows.

"ALBERT!"

He could see him again. His brother reaching his hand out to him, the man stuck fast to a black sharp throne. Tears were streaking his face, a look of desperation in his eyes.

Albert tried to reach out to him as well but was being held back by black hands, more appearing as he tried harder and harder to reach his brother.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE! I BEG YOU! PLEASE!" his brother cried out. "HE'S INNOCENT!"

"Ah but he's just what we need to break you." said a chorus of voices. "Behave and we'll leave him mostly unharmed. Don't behave, he will pay dearly. The choice is all yours, King Wilson."

Wilson looked to Albert, pain his deep blue eyes. Albert wasn't sure what was going on but he wanted to stop whatever was tormenting his brother. He tried to move, even if he was now being held tightly by all the black hands that had merged together in a solid mass.

"Al…" Wilson said, practically whispered. "Stay safe… and if I do something stupid because… because of Them. Please forgive me." Wilson bowed his head. "I accept my fate."

"Good boy… Hm… As promised, he will remain mostly unharmed. We think… a curse would be most suitable for this man. Just so you don't get any ideas. Understand, King Wilson?"

Wilson bit his lip.

"Just let him live… Let him go… AND KEEP HIM FAR AWAY FROM ME!"

"So be it."

Albert was pulled away, his brother starting to fade from view as things began to go black.

"NO! WILSON! WILSON!"

Albert's eyes snapped open as he sat straight up, looking around him quickly, panting. He was back under the tree he had decided to rest under, not a person in sight. Just him and whatever smaller creatures were wandering around the area. He sighed, bringing a hand to his chest, steadying his breathing.

That nightmare again… Why do I keep having it?

He lowered his head, running a hand through his hair. As of late, nothing had been making sense for him.

He looked at the area around him. He had been wandering for about a few days now in what was a completely unknown world to him and he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do. There were some things he figured out that were, more or less, the rules of this world.

One, stay out of the dark at all costs. Something lied in wait when the night came and if you were caught, it would be your end… or at least, that's what he assumed after being attacked by some creature or… force that left him limping for a day. He was thankful for the torch he had on hand that night.

Two, always be ready for a fight. The world may seem serene at times but you never knew what could come out of nowhere.

And third and final rule, don't starve.

Albert's stomach growled.

Speaking of… He sighed, getting up, grabbing his backpack and spear. Better go find breakfast.

oooooo

The madness of the situation Albert was currently in, as far as he was concerned, all started on one fateful night. A night that was a bit off compared to others he had dealt with while being a policeman on the force.

Albert took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he readied his pistol, his fellow policemen doing the same as they neared the door of an apartment. It was supposed to be a quiet week for him. Sure, he had the usual trouble makers to set straight but he was hoping it would be just that and looking over a case file that had caught his attention. Not what was going on now.

He looked to the lead officer, Whitney, who had his free hand hovering over knob of the door. He looked to Albert and the others.

"Ready?" he whispered.

Everyone nodded.

Whitney braced himself as he opened the door as quickly and quietly as possible, everyone filing into the apartment as soon he entered. They looked around the place, a bit disgusted with the state of it all. Furniture was smashed and turned on its side or upside down all through out the apartment, the stench of alcohol mixed with blood was strong in the air and on the walls… the police and Albert weren't sure what to make of what they saw. Names were scratched into them. By what methods, they weren't sure they wanted to know but it was clear that with some of the names, dry blood was present.

Albert shook his head, trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

Okay, point blank, the neighbors were right to send in the reports. This guy seems out of his mind.

They all stiffened as the sound of a gun going off was heard.

"STAY BACK!" someone shouted. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

They followed the source, entering a room that made the rest of the apartment seem orderly. The wallpaper of the room had been torn entirely by the amount of names and other nonsensical things that had been scratched into it, scratched in deep enough that the wood that made up the walls was also damaged. Any furniture in the room was in pieces and fresh blood was present all over the place. All eyes focused on the man huddled in a corner with a film reel held close to his chest in one arm and a smoking gun pointing at one of the corners of the room. The man's hair was long and matted and his body was filthy and covered in blood from the fresh wounds. His eyes had a beady look to them, glancing around quickly before focusing on the corner again, the gun in his hand trembling.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He shouted again.

Albert looked to the corner, not really understanding what the man was looking at but made note of all the bullet holes that were present in that corner in particular.

"Mr. Warner." Whitney said, approaching the man cautiously, his hand on his weapon. "We're not here to hurt you. Put the gun down."

"I SAID, STAY AWAY!" He shouted, his eyes wide as he raised his weapon, his hand shaking even more so.

Albert doubted that if he fired it would hit either of them but he wasn't willing to take that chance.

"We said, drop your weapon. Hands in the air, gun down." Please don't make me forcibly disarm you. I REALLY don't want to touch those walls.

"No… I can't… I can't!" Mr. Warner looked around the room, panting. "They'll get me if I do… Just like they got Maxwell… and everyone else!"

"Maxwell?" Whitney asked, confused.

"The magician… his assistant… during the earthquake. Hehehe…. That's what happened. He was doing his magic act and then They… THEY attacked. They snatched up and destroyed everything in Their path! They want to kill us all so They can eat! The earthquake and fire was just one of the best cover ups ever! No one would suspect a thing!"

Magician… Maxwell…? Albert's eyes widened. As in the Cursed Case of Maxwell Carter and Charlie Walters?!

"They'll do anything to get Their way. Anything… Anything." Mr. Warner looked down at his weapon. "And I need to do anything to keep Them away. Keep the voices quiet so They stop."

"Sir, please. We can talk about this. Just put down the weapon."

"Never! I'll wind up like all the others you see in this room!" Mr. Warner gestured to all the names scribbled on the walls. "They won't take me! No sir!" He then pointed his gun at Whitney. "And I won't let you help THEM!"

Albert didn't think twice before jumping front of Whitney, taking the bullet that fired off. Albert cried out as the bullet drove into his shoulder, the wind being knocked out of his as he fell to the ground.

"Albert!"

"Detain him!"

The other policemen worked quickly, grabbing Mr. Warner and wrenching the gun out of his and pinning him to a wall.

"Gregory Warner, you're under arrest for disturbing the peace and the assault of an officer." said one of the policemen as they cuffed him. "Now you're going to come with us quietly and we'll get this all sorted out."

"NO!"

Mr. Warner tried to squirm his way out of their grasp but to no avail. As he they began to carry him away, he made eye contact with Albert, the man currently being held in Whitney's arms. He glared at Mr. Warner who just stared at him as he walked by, before whispering something under his breath.

"You look like him… The scientist they had Maxwell trick… Just like him… I wonder if They will get you too."

Albert's eyes widened.

"W-What? "

Mr. Warner just gave a crazed grin.

"They did. It was all Them. Many say it's Maxwell since he's the king but in truth he's nothing but Their pawn. He's never been Their king… and he never will be. They took the scientist… They took him far away to The Constant… I wonder if he's still alive… They just want everyone dead after all."

Albert tried to get up, only to have Whitney hold him back, the younger man crying out as his injury was jostled.

"Wil's not missing he's fine! He's at home… He's…You're insane! How do you even..?"

Mr. Warner just laughed as he was hauled away.

"They know everything and They LOVED telling me everything!"

Albert shuddered, closing his eyes.

I need to write Mum. She keeps the most contact with him she would know if he's okay.

Whitney lifted Albert into his arms.

"It's over now, Albert. Let's get you treated." Whitney eyed the film reel Mr. Warner had been holding earlier, deciding to pick it up as well, having Albert hold on to it. "We'll probably have to see what this contains. I'm rather curious as to why he was hanging onto it."

Albert nodded, keeping a good hold on it.

"Sounds like a solid plan."

The two soon headed out, Albert taking one more look at the room, a cold chill passing through as he saw the name of his brother, last name and middle name included, scratched into the corner Mr. Warner had been found in.

Wil… Please be okay.

oooooo

Albert was rushed to the closest hospital. Thankfully, the bullet hadn't hit any vital organs and the damage was minimal. The extraction of it was fast and mostly painless. After a quick stitch and patch job, Albert was allowed to leave, heading straight back to the police station with Whitney.

"Albert, you really should go home and rest." Whitney said as they walked into the police station. "We can look at the film tomorrow. It'll still be here when you get back."

"No, that loon had my brother's name on the wall. I need to know what he saw."

Whitney sighed.

"I see your point… but just promise you will rest after we look at it."

"I will. I just… need to see if this thing has anything."

Whitney nodded.

"Very well."

The two made their way for a projector room. They set everything up before popping the reel in. They sat in silence as the reel began to play.

"The Amazing Maxwell, San Francisco, April 17, 1906" a title card read.

"The Amazing Maxwell." Whitney crossed his arms. "I haven't heard that name in over 15 years. I remember he was a huge talk of the city with the circus he was part of. Never saw any of his shows but I know some of our men did. He was apparently as good as the advertisements said he was."

"So, how does that involve the nut?" Albert asked, watching as the man on screen bowed, the woman beside him holding a book in her arms.

"Well, I'm sure we'll find out from whatever our men find on him and whatever this reel has to show."

The men watched on, seeing Maxwell perform his tricks, title cards appearing here and there to act as narration.

"AND NOW I WILL PULL SHADOW'S INCARNATE FOR THIS MYSTERIOUS TOME" another title card said before Maxwell reached his hand into the book. He dug around in it but to his shock he was getting pulled in. His assistant gasped in horror as a shadow hand came out, grabbing at his head. She dropped the book, Maxwell falling to the ground with it. He broke the grasp of the shadow hand, panting as he hunched over the book. His assistant knelt next to him, making sure he was alright.

What happened next made Albert and Whitney's eyes go wide as dinner plates. A figure of a shadow appeared before the book had shadow hands come spilling out, grabbing everything in their path, Maxwell and his assistant included as the whole building began to shake. Maxwell passed by the camera one more time, the man screaming before the flim cut off entirely.

"... The heck?" Albert was the first to break the silence, his hands gripping his chair's arms tightly. "What the heck? Where…?"

"This… This can't be real."

"It couldn't be… This… This has to be something fake. I've read over the reports of the Cursed Case of Maxwell Carter and Charlie Walters. There was never anything like this reported. It was just said it was most likely that they were crushed and burned alive yet people didn't believe it since bodies weren't found and so they were deemed missing but..." Albert ran a hand through his hair. "I mean… I've also heard weird stories of the theater they performed in, which is now in shambles, was haunted but… this… this couldn't be…"

Whitney frowned.

"I'll make sure the men are thorough in their background check with Mr. Warner… Let's agree not to speak of this to anyone?"

"A-Agreed." Albert frowned. "Besides, who would believe us anyway?"

"You'd be surprised."

Besides… I can't tell Mum about Wil's name being on there.

"Now, you should go home." Whitney gently patted his shoulder. "Get some rest and I'll give you details on Mr. Warner when they are all in order."

"Right."

Albert headed out… though couldn't help himself as he snuck into the archive area for a moment. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. He pulled out a file, looking at the label.

"MISSING CASE: MAXWELL CARTER and CHARLIE WALTERS"

I need to be sure.

oooooo

A few days later, it was found that Mr. Warner used to be a filmmaker. Which explained how he was in possession of the reel Albert and Whitney had watched. He was in charge of filming the acts that would take place at the theater Maxwell performed at. That was apparently his last job since after the disaster that was the 1906 earthquake he fell into a state of insanity and blew his money on alcohol, most likely to cope.

He was convicted now and some things were explained… but not everything.

To make matters worse for Albert, a letter from his mother had arrived on the same day, making the fear that had been sitting in the back of Albert's mind about his brother in regards to what Mr. Warner had said a reality.

"I haven't heard from Wilson in two months. He's been busy before but he's usually consistent with his letters and some of the packages I sent got returned. I'm worried, Albert. I'd go check on him myself but he always insists on no visitors and work hasn't been too kind. I just… hope he's okay. If you find anything out, please let me know and please… be safe.

With love,

Cecelia Higgsbury."

That's how Albert found himself in the town closest to Wilson's home. A place that he knew Wilson did all his errands in regards to food and whatever else he needed. Much to his dismay, everyone he talked to mentioned they hadn't seen him in quite awhile.

That's it! Whether he likes it or not I am coming up there!

Albert marched his way up to Wilson's home, cringing at it. He had only been here once and had sworn to secrecy to not inform Cecelia about what it looked like or where it was, not wanting to worry her. Both knew the place was a horrible house but it was all Wilson could afford.

Albert knocked on the door as loud as he could, trying to make sure the wind didn't drown him out.

"Wilson? You in there?"

Silence.

He gave another knock.

"Wilson?"

Albert started tapping his foot as he was greeted by silence again. After a minute, he let himself in.

"Okay, Wilson, this isn't funny. Where are you?"

Only silence greeted him, the house looking like it hadn't been lived in for at least a month or so.

There were letters in front of the door from the mail slot and it looked like he had left everything neat and tidy. Everything just had a layer of dust now.

Wil…

Albert looked around the house frantically, trying to find any sign of his brother but… he was nowhere to be found. He was at the last place to check, the attic. There… unlike the rest of the house, everything was a mess. Books and papers were scattered, along with equipment and a strange contraption sat in the corner of the room.

Albert shook his head, looking at the state of what he knew was Wilson's lab.

Brother… what in the world were you doing?

"They took the scientist… They took him far away to The Constant… I wonder if he's still alive… They just want everyone dead after all."

Albert shook his head, trying to forget what Mr. Warner had said. That couldn't be right. His brother… He… He just has to be somewhere. Maybe he wandered off or… or…

Albert's eyes shrunk at the sight of a knife that had dried blood on it that was lying on the floor.

No… No!

Albert rushed over to it, lifting it up. "You didn't…" He looked around before rushing to the window, looking downward.

You wouldn't. BROTHER YOU WOULDN'T DO THIS!

Albert backed away from the window, trying to hold back any urge he was feeling to cry out or scream at what he had found. It couldn't be true. He wouldn't got that far.

Wilson… You better not have you idiot!

"You poor thing."

Albert whirled around, seeing another person was present in the room. A young woman with dark hair and amber eyes, dressed in a red and black cloak. She stood in front of the strange contraption in the room, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"Worried sick about someone you care about and finding answers that are hard to swallow."

"N-No. I know he wouldn't do this! He's not suicidal!"

"Hm… Are you sure? Accident after accident? Failure after failure?"

"No!"

The women remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"It all started with a case of two missing people… and then others followed after in this past decade. People that others cared about and would've given anything to find them. You being among them."

Albert growled a bit.

"Are you on something? What does that have to do with my brother possibly… possibly…" Albert lowered his head. He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"I can help you find him."

His head snapped up.

"What?"

"I can help you. If you really want to see him again."

"You… You know where he is?"

"I do… but are you willing to sacrifice anything to see him again?"

Albert narrowed his eyes.

"He's my brother. We're supposed to look out for each other."

She smirked.

"Sometimes brothers don't get along."

"He's still mine. Even if he's an accident prone knucklehead sometimes."

"I see… Very well… Then I hope you can forgive me at some point for what I'm about to do."

ooooo

After that… Albert couldn't remember anything. Things went black… and here he was.

I swear if I ever see that woman again I'm giving her a piece of my mind.

Albert sighed, biting into his meal. He didn't have time to dwell on the past or figure out what had happened after he conversed with the mysterious woman. Right now, he had to focus on getting out of this place and finding his brother.

I'll find you Wilson.

No matter what or how long it takes.

I will find you.