Stardew Valley had become a ghost town. Aside from the mist everywhere, the strong winds had blown trash around, uprooted a few unfortunate trees, and utterly destroyed Evelyn's well-kept gardens. The slight outpouring of monsters did not help at all. Walking aimlessly around town were Shadow Brutes and Metal Heads while more Cave Bats flew overhead.
Faye jumped off her horse. "Pippa, go home. It's too dangerous here. Go back to Shane and the others. If they get the message, bring them back to the farm." And Pippa turned around and galloped away, leaving Faye to face the town armed with just her pack and her sword. She turned towards the first building: Sam's house. And quiet guitar jamming was coming from inside it.
Her stomach churned. She always found Sam kinda cute. In all the times she hung out with him, Sebastian, and Abigail during their band practices, his awkward mannerisms were somewhat charming. Of course, she never let anyone on about her thoughts. Their history together, along with Penny, went way too far back for her to compete with, and given that she was still a relatively fresh face here, that was fine with her. If she had to deal with a possessed Sam, she prayed for nothing unpleasant.
Upon opening the door, she had to blink a few times out of disbelief. She found herself stepping into a lush field. The skies had become clear blue, and the stormy winds had died down to a pleasant breeze. The air itself was thick with the light smell of flowers that carpeted the field, a welcome scent after being clogged with smoke and haze. In the distance, she saw two figures sitting on patches of grass. Real quick, she glanced back at the front door she came through before running off to see who they were.
Jodi was relaxed on the grass, fingering some of the lavender and daisies on the ground. Nearby, Vincent was sprawled out on the ground, breathing deeply as he drifted in and out of sleep. Faye slowed her pace, still keeping an eye out for either Sam or Kent.
"Jodi?" she inquired tentatively, coming up behind her. She did not stir, and Faye began fearing for the worst, her head becoming fuzzy as she took a closer look. Jodi's eyes were glazed over trance-like, yet her expression was serene. Faye prodded her gently and received only a blank smile and stare. Faye shuddered as she turned to Vincent. Every step she took became heavier and heavier. "Vincent?"
He, too, was not stirring. It seemed like he was taking a peaceful nap as the flowers around him tickled him to sleep. Faye fought off the glare of the sun overhead and the fuzzy edges of her vision as she searched hard for Sam. Finally, she spotted him and staggered over to the tree in which he sat in, playing his guitar. He was zoned out and definitely in his own world.
"Sam!"
To Faye's slight relief, he looked around until he finally spotted her.
"Oh. Hi Faye," he greeted warmly, flashing a smile, "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Faye answered shakily, trying to keep her composure, "How did we end up here?"
"I thought I could give my mom the rest and relaxation she's always wanted while providing a place to play for Vincent," Sam explained, "My old pop might not make it back from the war. It would be up to me next to take care of my mom and little brother." Faye flinched hesitatingly. She knew Kent had already returned. But yet, he was nowhere to be found.
"But Sam...Your dad DID come back." Sam shook his head as he went back to jamming on his guitar.
"Since my mom's letter from him, we haven't heard from him again," he said nonchalantly, "It's been so long. We've all assumed the worst."
"Sam, just come with me," Faye said gently, an encouraging look on her face a she gestured towards the front door she came in, "Wanna go look?"
"Nah. I think we're fine here," Sam vigorously shook his head. Faye's eyes narrowed as she looked desperately around for any sign of Kent.
Soon enough, the flowers of the field began striking her as odd. She plucked one off the ground, and after some observation, her mental alertness spiked through the haze. The dandelions she held seemed to amplify the hallucinogenic effect everywhere she went. She quickly shook her head, yanked Sam out of the tree by the arm, and sprinted for the front door.
"Where are we going?!" he yelled frantically, fighting to pull back. They were already a few feet away from the door.
"Let's go out Sam! We have to!" Faye answered curtly, "It's not healthy here!" Sam yanked her backwards and caught her by her arms.
"No, I can't! You're my friend, Faye, but I owe this to my family!" he cried, looking at her tearfully. He ducked to run back, but Faye held him still. His eyes were flashing milky white, and his skin and usually-fabulous hair were becoming slimy to the touch.
"We can bring them too! Let's GO Sam!" she urged, egging on the monster inside, "Your dad wouldn't want you to feel like you have to take care of them on your own like this."
"He would rely on me to keep them safe! I can do this on my own!" Sam protested angrily, shaking Faye by her arms. Frustration shone on her face at his stubbornness when she had an idea and sprinted out of his grasp.
She felt him chasing after her, and she pushed faster towards the tree. There was no time to turn around and taunt him. She grabbed Sam's guitar and promptly smashed it as hard as she could upon the tree.
I'll buy you a new one, Sam. I promise.
As an added bonus, another Stardrop appeared where the fragments of guitar landed. Frantically, Faye grabbed it and stashed it in her pack.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
Sam's voice was now gravelly and distorted as he screeched after her. Readying herself, Faye unsheathed her sword. A monster had replaced Sam's form and was immediately charging after her. After looking back to make sure Jodi and Vincent were well out of their way, Faye headed for the front door again.
"Come get me!" she taunted, grinning wickedly as she ran, "Kill me and you can get a new guitar."
"With pleasure."
At once, Faye felt multiple somethings snap against her skin like snapped strings. She stumbled from the shock as gigantic welts began appearing on her skin, some of them reopening old wounds. She awkwardly rolled to the side as she missed another attack by a pouncing Sam. With a swing, her sword struck him in the abdomen. Green blood spurted everywhere, and Sam's frustration refreshed as Faye fought back to her feet and ran again for the door. To her great delight, it was thrown open.
"Faye! Run!"
Kent had appeared at the door, surprisingly alive and well. He was beckoning to them as frantically as he could. It pushed Faye faster until Sam, who had unsheathed a small knife, grabbed her by the ankle with a vine as thin as a guitar string. It cut through like it threatened to slice it off. Blood was slowly drawn as Faye hacked through the vine, receiving a slash to the arm too dangerously close to her wrist from Sam. Effectively, she lost some feeling in her arm and foot.
Kent reached into the door and yanked Faye outside. The beautiful flower fields immediately disappeared, the sunny blue skies returned to sickly green, yellow, and black, and the stormy winds whipped her hair around once again. Catching her breath, she scrambled to look back into the house.
It had returned to normal, almost. Kent was wrestling with a demonic Sam in their living room. To her horror, Jodi was stroking a Grub in the process of becoming a Cave Fly, and Vincent was surrounded by Metal Heads. Faye lunged and struck each of them as hard as she could, and bug guts and ore littered the once-clean carpet. Her ankle ached from being near amputated, and it buckled from the weight of her body. Another swing of her sword this very moment, and she was bound to lose her balance.
"Kent! Catch!"
She tossed her sword at him, which he caught with one hand. Faye reached up and locked Sam's arms back, and with tears in his eyes, Kent shanked Sam in his open chest.
The familiar black essence did not dissipate like smoke from Shane and Leah, but pooled onto the floor in a slimey puddle. With Sam's dead weight, Faye collapsed, holding him on the ground as Kent hovered over him, eyes red from tears and shock. Her heart pounded uncomfortably. She never thought of facing, let alone holding, Sam like this. She steadied her hitched breathing and felt a weak pulse in Sam's neck.
And finally, a few sputtered coughs from Sam and he woke up, nearly unscathed now that the demonic essence had disappeared. Kent chuckled in teary relief as he scooped Sam into a hug, which he returned with equal thankfulness.
"I thought I lost you all, Sam," Kent cried into Sam's shirt, his voice muffled, "I leave for Zuzu for a bit and then all this happens."
"I don't know what happened, pop," Sam choked, "I was just taking care of mom and Vince while you were out and-." Faye, feeling incredibly awkward, shifted attention to her ankle. She ripped off a piece of her white shirt to bandage it up before she quietly turned to Jodi and Vincent. They were coming to, and when their vision cleared, they were soon all in one large family hug. Faye smiled to herself. They were lucky to be alive and together. She could not remember the last time she had hugged her own parents. It now seemed ages upon ages ago.
Her arm throbbed, reminding her of the near-fatal slash on it. Ripping off another piece of shirt for bandage, she found herself having awkward difficulty getting it tied.
"Here. Let me get that."
Sam had approached and took the scrap from her, tying it up securely around the wound.
"Impressive. Didn't know you could tend wounds," Faye chuckled, trying to keep cool amidst her feeling incredibly flustered.
"He taught me," Sam admitted quietly, jerking his head in Kent's direction. He was tending to Jodi and Vincent.
"Sam, go with her and check on the town. I'll take care of your mother and brother," Kent said curtly. Sam's eyes widened.
"Pop! Really?" In reply, Kent threw him a pistol and a cutlass.
"You're ready Sam. I've taught you enough before."
"Kent, if you want, head over to my house on the farm with Jodi and Vincent and stay out of here a while," Faye offered, "Stay safe."
"Thank you. And you two as well," Kent smiled weakly, "Now get going." Faye and Sam nodded and headed out into the town. Upon sight, Sam just stared at the town still descending into complete shambles.
"What happened here?" he asked quietly. Faye sighed readily, relaying the story in her head.
"I'll fill you in eventually, but how confident are you with that blade?" she asked him, a weak smile as she put up with her bandaged joints. Sam gave a few test swings.
"Pretty confident, I think," he answered, "If anything, I won't let you go through this alone if I can help it."
"Thanks. Let's go."
A/N: Gonna see about maybe expounding the subdued feelings later on :) In the meantime, gotta keep to juggling online classes and writing to keep this up. Hope you enjoyed! :D
