alvinlee1670: Shit, I'm glad I have a least one person who reads both stories, lmao.
A Cabin In The Woods
The snow began beating down harder on the group of heroes the longer they walked. It had gotten to the point that Peter had to compress himself as tightly as possible in order to stay warm as he trudged through the snow. Qrow lead the pack as he wobbled back and forth after taking another swig from his flask. Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Oscar were behind the older huntsman. And Yang brought up the rear carrying Maria on her bike. "How are you holding up?" Yang asked.
"Quite well, actually." Maria replied, "A little cold won't stop me right away." she cheered.
Yang rolled her eyes, "Not you, him." she said as she nodded to Peter. "Hey, Spidey, you holding up well?"
Peter rubbed his hands together before folding his arms and putting his hands under his armpits. His whole body shivered like an electric toothbrush as he let out a shaky breath, "Fine." he replied, "But you may have lost a boyfriend and gained a girlfriend." Yang chuckled which led the vigilante to do the same, "It's weird, we're hit with blizzards at least once a year, sometimes twice, back in New York. Yet for some reason, I've never been this cold before." the wind blew and Peter stopped dead in his tracks shivering before retreating back and wrapping his arms around Yang, "Oh, you're so warm! This must be what it was like when cavemen discovered fire!"
"Cave...men?" Yang asked.
"Prehistoric age of human civilization. A group of humanoids such as neanderthals would live in familial tribes and use caves for shelter."
"Knee-anderthal?" Ruby asked, "Did they have strong legs or something?"
Peter shook his head in surprise, "What the hell? Did you guys not have cavemen on Remnant!?" Peter was completely dumbfounded, "What about dinosaurs, surely you guys have discovered dinosaur bones."
"Dinosaurs?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, dinosaurs. They're like big lizards the size of a three story building. They eat other lizards similar in size or ate plants if they were herbivores."
"Okay, now I know he's making things up." Weiss groaned.
"I'M SERIOUS!" Peter complained as he wrapped tighter around Yang, "Oh...so warm."
The snow began to beat down on the group harder, leading Qrow to try and block his eyes from the small cold flakes, "Damn, it doesn't look like this'll die out soon." as he said this the wind started blowing harder causing the group to be pelted by snow drift.
"I just want to get this stupid relic to Atlas." Blake groaned as she rubbed arms together.
"Hopefully we won't have to WALK all the way there." Weiss added.
"Yeah, I thought trails led somewhere." Yang said with a hint of snark directed towards Maria.
Maria groaned, "Don't you have anything better to do than harass an innocent old lady?"
Peter pat Yang on her shoulder, "Come on Yang, try to lighten up. This is literally the only choice we have."
"Yeah? And what happens if we don't find a place for shelter?" Yang asked, slightly annoyed, "Are we just gonna freeze out here?" The other teens looked down and frowned, it wasn't as if they hadn't thought of it. It was always a possibility that they'd get stuck in the cold. Qrow simply scoffed and took a another swig from his flask.
"If push comes to shove, then I guess we'll make our own shelter." Peter nodded, "If Weiss is skilled enough with Dust to make a small igloo." he chuckled causing Yang to roll her eyes.
"Sometimes I don't get you." Yang sighed, "Here we are freezing our butts off and you're still trying to make jokes." she shook her head and let a grin purse her lips, "How can you smile right now."
"I told you, didn't I?" Peter asked, "It's been months since I've seen you guys, I couldn't be happier being with you. No matter what the situation may be."
"Quiet!" Ruby whisper-yelled, "Do you hear that?" the group became deafly silent as they tried listening in to what Ruby was talking about. As Peter listened he could hear the howling of the wind, the tweeting of the birds and then, faintly, he heard a creaking sound. Focusing on the creaking, it was almost like an old swing, or one of those broken stall doors in the public bathroom. "I think whatever it is...is pretty close by." The group continued to walk forward, now at a faster pace since Ruby began jogging. To compensate for her increased pace, Peter went ahead and began pushing Bumblebee (the bike) since he was stronger and didn't get the tires stuck in snow like Yang did earlier.
After a couple of minutes of jogging the group saw a split path, one that continued into the woods, and one that led up to a small family farm. The farm had a large two story cabin...or cottage, Peter wasn't exactly sure what the difference was. It also had many sheds for what he assumed were various animals...or they were greenhouses, since it seemed rather cold all the time up here. The teens also discovered the source of the creaking: an old metal gate blowing in the wind. The gate served as the entrance to the farm and just above it was a large sign that told the group where they were. "Brunswick Farms." Peter read out loud, "Brunswick? The guys who make the Billiards supplies?" he chuckled.
Yang shrugged as she caught her breath, now much warmer after jogging a bit, "At least one good thing happened today."
Weiss cringed as she looked at the semi-rundown building, "It looks abandoned."
"Good." Peter pointed out, "Then we don't have to explain to the owners why we're trespassing."
Weiss shook her head, still not liking the idea, "Well, it's better than this." Ruby mentioned as she pointed to the tons of snowfall that surrounded the group.
Qrow looked up at the teens and then to the cottage, and then back to the teens. Nodding slowly Qrow opened the gate as far as it could go, "C'mon, I'm sure you're all tired." he let the teens go in front of him. Once Peter walked through the gates he felt his Spider Sense go off so hard it sent a shiver throughout his body, a motion that did not go unnoticed by Maria.
"Are you alright, deary?" she asked.
"Yeah." Peter nodded, "Just...you know, shivers is all." he lied.
Qrow waited until Oscar finally entered through the gates before walking through and letting the gate slam behind him. Damn, our luck can't get worse. he thought. The group continued walking down the path as the vicious snow storm raged on until they reached the front door of the cottage. Peter looked around and realized that what he initially thought as sheds or greenhouses looked a little more...habitable than he initially thought. Everything, for the most part, looked perfectly fine...maybe a little run down, but the place looked to be in generally good shape. "I don't get it." Ruby sighed, "All the towns I went through were damaged or unfinished...but this place looks fine."
The group all stood at the front door, waiting for Qrow. They were actually unsure whether the place would truly be abandoned or not considering how well everything looked. Weiss shivered as she leaned against a wood pillar, "Maybe they left in a hurry? Before things took a turn?" she suggested. Qrow walked passed the teens and tried to open the door, only to find out it was locked.
"Stay on guard." Qrow warned signaling to the others to get their weapons ready. He looked to Ruby and nodded and went to kick the door in when it suddenly flung open causing Qrow to nearly kick Peter in the gut. "What the hell? How'd you get inside?" Qrow asked, perplexed as to how the teen got into the home without them noticing.
"Chimney." Peter said as he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Qrow looked over Peter's shoulder to see a large open room, a central hub of sorts. There was a stair well next to a door, inside the door Qrow saw another room that looked to have a fireplace inside.
Qrow groaned before pushing past Peter and walking inside, "Whatever." The group quickly followed with Maria walking inside last.
"We found shelter, but it's still freezing." Weiss complained as she closed the door.
Blake nodded, "Well...Peter did come down a chimney, so that means we can make a fire."
"Great idea," Weiss nodded, "I'll go find some blankets." Weiss went upstairs and Blake went to investigate the study room where the fireplace was, hoping to find some wood.
Qrow sighed, "Yang, why don't you go with Weiss." Yang nodded and walked upstairs with Weiss. Qrow then went outside to check the other buildings.
Oscar, followed Blake and Maria inside the side room that had the chimney in it, "Huh, looks like some sort of study...or library." he mentioned.
While they were in there, Ruby stayed in the front room and looked around. She noticed the couple of pictures on the walls and assumed they belonged to the family that once lived here. She stared at the picture intently and noticed the huge family. She could only guess that the farm had been with them for generations judging by the oldest family members that were in the photo. "What do you think?" Peter asked, now with his mask off. Ruby took a look at her friend and saw how pale he had become from the cold.
"I should be asking you the same thing." Ruby nodded, "What's that six sense of yours tell you?"
Peter hummed lightly, "I have a bad feeling about this place. My Spider Sense goes haywire whenever I'm outside. I don't know exactly what that means, but I think it's safe to say we need to stay on guard around here." Ruby opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of screaming coming from up the stairs, "YANG/WEISS!" Peter and Ruby shouted. The duo rushed up the steps and dashed down the second floor hallway before getting to the opened room where they found Yang and Weiss on the ground. Weiss was clutching Yang in fear as the two stared wide eyed at the bed.
"Guys, are you--oh..." Peter said as he looked to what the two were staring at. "Ah, crap." Peter groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. Ruby could only hold her hands to her mouth in fear at what she saw. In the bed were the corpses of, presumably, the two people that lived in this house. The corpses themselves looked like gray husks, like either they had been dead for a few weeks or had their life force sucked dry. Ruby turned around and quickly wrapped her arms around and dug her face into his chest. Peter pat Ruby on her head and led her out the door, he then went back to Weiss and Yang and helped them to their feet. "We can't exactly bury them right now. I think we should just lock this door up." the other two nodded and they soon walked out the room. Peter stayed back only for a second to web the door shut.
The group went downstairs to rest in front of the fire that Oscar, Maria and Blake put together. "That's awful." Blake said as she shook her head, "Sorry you guys had to see something like that." Blake rubbed her head, she wasn't exactly sure what to say. Ruby opted for not saying anything and grabbed Weiss a blanket who happily accepted it while wrapping it around her body as she sat in front of the hot flames of the fire place. Maria, sat on the other couch on the other side of the room and seemed to be in deep thought after hearing what the girls had told her.
Oscar looked down with an upset look on his face, "I can't believe these people were just...dead in their own home. Doesn't that seem a little weird to anyone?"
Peter groaned as he took off the top of his costume and hung it in a makeshift clothesline to dry. He shivered slightly before letting out a deep breath, "Of course it's weird, we all know it. But this whole place is weird. Like Ruby said, nothing is run down or destroyed. There doesn't seem to be any sign of a struggle and even the couple looked like they had they're life force sucked from their bodies." Peter rubbed his head, "Worst of all, this whole place sets off my Spider Sense like crazy, but I can't see or hear the danger anywhere." he walked over to Weiss and crouched by her so he could also get warm by the fire.
The group heard a loud slamming sound and they turned to the doorway to see Qrow come in with an upset look on his face. He took one look at the teens and sighed, "I'm assuming you all saw the bodies."
"I'm...guessing you're saying it's the same in the other buildings." Oscar mentioned, causing Qrow to nod.
Qrow walked through the room and crouched by the fire himself in order to warm up himself, "Dead bodies in beds in every single home. It's as if the whole estate went to sleep and never woke up."
Weiss scoffed, "Then, we aren't actually going to stay here are we!?"
"We don't exactly have much of a choice." Peter mentioned as Yang pulled out his clothes from her bag, "Storm is raging harder than ever right now and if we leave now at least one of us will freeze. And uh...I'm expecting that person to be me first. I already have a weaker aura and I'm currently using as much of it as I can to keep my leg from blowing out on me."
The group was silent for some time before Maria got out of the couch, "Welp, may as well get comfortable." she said as she began searching through the many books that lined the shelf.
Yang rolled her eyes in frustration, "Yeah, fat chance." she looked up to Peter who just seemed to nod in understanding.
"Well, if that's the case," Ruby started, "let's do something." she suggested, "If this place wasn't actually abandoned then it very well may have supplies we can use."
"Oh yeah," Oscar chimed in, "Maybe we can find a car. Good idea, Ruby." Oscar sounded...a little too enthusiastic when he agreed with her. Peter thought.
Qrow sighed and stood up, "I guess I'll have another look around the grounds."
Peter got up quickly and put on his jacket, "I'll go with you."
Qrow groaned slightly and looked at the teens. He then sighed again before nodding, "I hate to admit it, but that's probably for the best. Alright, from now on nobody goes anywhere alone." Qrow stated before he and Peter walked out the door.
Blake clicked her tongue slightly before patting her lap and standing up, "Well then Yang and I can go search the other buildings for vehicles."
Yang sighed, she didn't know why but she just felt so...disinterested. Like ever since she got here she just felt less and less motivated to do anything. "Yeah, whatever. As long as I get out of this house." she groaned. She got up and both her and Blake walked out the door into the raging snow. Ruby got up and watched them go out into the cold and sighed as she wondered what she should do. Just then she heard the clicking of heels, turning back to the entry to the study Ruby saw Weiss staring at her with the blanket over her shoulders.
"F-Food always makes me feel better," Ruby smiled, "just saying." she finished with a slight shrug.
Weiss looked up and nodded, a small smile forming, "Right."
Back in the study, Oscar was left alone with Maria. He let out a loud sigh as be walked back and sat on the couch in front of the fire. "Oh pish posh," Maria hummed, "Quit that moping will ya'? Tell you what, if you keep the fire fed, I'll find us a nice story before bed." she hummed as she began reading through a book she found on the shelf.
Out in the snowy filled landscape, Yang and Blake trudged through the snow, "Hey, over there." Yang pointed behind the house, "Looks like a shed or a garage. I don't know, we may find some tools or even a truck."
The wind blew hard causing Blake to pull her ears down to avoid the cold, "That's a good idea. I'm right behind you." the two began walking towards the shed, both covering their face so they didn't get too much snow in their eyes, "Man...I am not built for snow. I mean, I'm from like a tropical climate and I've lived in places with moderate snow fall. This...this is Hell."
"Yeah, well, if Hell is frozen over does that mean it's bad luck for us, or bad luck for the guys that run it?" Yang asked.
The wind blew again causing some snow to hid Blake's midriff. Blake yelped in surprise and tried to close her jacket but realize that it didn't button or zip together, "What kind of stupid design?" Blake mumbled, "I'm starting to think it's bad luck on us."
Yang smirked as the two reached the door, "Well, at least we both agree." The two nodded to each other and Yang slid the door open, exerting a little more force than she expected because of all the snow that was on the ground. Finally the two were able to get inside the shed and close the door. Shivering slightly, but thankful to be shielded from the wind, the two turned around and got a good look at the shed. It seemed to be a multipurpose shed, a lot of tools for farming or mechanical work full of shelves and tools. Not a sign of a vehicle though, well except for the tractor but Yang just ignored it an kept walking deeper in the shed.
"Something tells me that isn't street legal." Blake joked. Yang didn't laugh but she did smile at the attempt. "Despite it's namesake, I suppose in this weather it wouldn't have much...uh...trac-tor-shin?" Yang stopped dead in her tracks and looked back to Blake with an almost disgusted look, "What!?" Blake's ears drooped and she folded her arms as her face became red with embarrassment, "You didn't say anything...it felt empty."
Yang smirked, "That's 'cause I only make good puns, Blakey."
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
The two continued walking towards the back all the while seeing different work benches or storage items likely belonging to different families, "What do you think happened here?" Yang asked, now being somewhat serious again.
Blake sighed, "Who knows? There's that well in the middle of the square, maybe water contamination?" she suggested.
"Yeah...maybe." Yang let out a deep breath before clutching her head in pain.
"What's wrong?" Blake asked with a worried look, "Are you okay?"
Yang nodded, "Yeah...I mean, no...I don't know." she said as she slumped her shoulders, "I'm just tired. Nothing seems to go our way and..." she looked at Blake before shaking her head, "It's nothing, nevermind."
"Y-Yeah." Blake replied, not to convinced with Yang.
Yang continued walking to the back of the shed and smiled as she finally saw something useful, "Check it out, I found something!" she called out to Blake. It was a flat bed trailer, probably used for hauling trees that were cut down or hauling other large materials. Yang placed her hands on her hips and smirked before looking up. She gasped and nearly fell over in surprise when she could have sworn she saw the figure of Adam Taurus standing outside. She realized after the fright that it was just a tree but it looked...so real.
"What is it? Are you hurt!?" Blake asked as she rushed over.
"No I...I'm just seeing things." Yang said with an upset expression, "I'm sorry, I still have flashes and nightmares from that night...it feels like since you and Peter came back they've been more vivid." Blake winced at the comment and noticed Yang's arm trembling. Yang quickly gripped her arm with her prosthetic and took a deep breath, "I can still feel it...the pain in my arm...the right one." Blake gulped as she looked at Yang's prosthetic and how she opened and closed her fist. "Do you still think he's out there?"
Blake ears drooped slightly as she recalled her last encounter, "I don't know. Peter fought him and broke his arm...he let him go, almost seemed enthusiastic they'd meet again. I'm...worried." she sighed, "But, Adam abandoned his brothers and sisters. If he were to return to the White Fang, I have no doubts there'd be consequences." Blake patted Yang on her shoulder, "Adam is strong, but his real power comes from control. I know what it's like for him to get in your head...make you feel smaller than you are. But...then I realized that you just need to remember the people that lift you up. People like Ruby, Sun..."
"Deadpool..." Yang added.
Blake cocked an eyebrow, "I...was gonna say 'Peter' but...um, sure?" the two chuckled. Blake then reached out and cupped Yang's prosthetic between her hands, "Me and Peter...we're here now. I promise I won't leave again. Before I was scared of what might happen, but I realized that I need you, and all of RWBYS with me. And, I can't say anything for Peter, but I'm certain he doesn't want to leave your side either. Eeeeven if a bird gets in between you two." she smirked getting in a slight jab at Qrow.
Yang let out a light snort, "Thanks." she nodded, "Oh and...don't tell Peter...you know, about 'my problem' I don't want him worrying more than he does." Blake nodded in response, "Good, now let's get the hell out of this shed, I'm half expecting a crazy dude with a chainsaw to pop out of the floor."
With Ruby, as she had promised, her and Weiss were searching for food to eat. The actual kitchen was a no go so Weiss suggested they try the door in the back of the main room. She thought it could be a cellar of some kind. Ruby opened the door slowly with her scroll's flashlight on. The only thing she could see were what looked to be bottles of wine on a wooden shelf on the wall to her right. "Mm...it's dark." she whined.
"Here." Weiss said as she rolled her eyes. She took out Myrtenaster and switched the revolver to Fire Dust. She then held the rapier in the air as the fire spread throughout the room and lit all the candles, completely illuminating the room from its darkness. Once the room was lit up it revealed a bar, more booze and even a cash register, "Were they...charging family for alcohol?"
"Someone has to pay for all this I guess." Ruby nodded. The two looked towards the back of the room and saw another door that led even deeper. As Ruby looked around at the bricked lined room she had a a sense of realization and frowned, "Maybe...maybe we should lock this room up."
"Hm?" Weiss asked as she cocked an eyebrow.
"I just...I just don't know how my uncle is taking all this." Ruby replied with a sad expression.
"Oh...yeah." Weiss nodded, realizing what her leader was implying.
Ruby nodded now having a face of determination, "Well, c'mon. We can't fly to Atlas on an empty stomach." As she said that Weiss could only look down in disappointment at what she was saying. Atlas... Weiss thought with a frown.
"Ruby..." Weiss started as Ruby opened the door to the next room. The leader looked back to her teammate and saw her frowning. Weiss her arm lightly and fidgeted in place, "It's just...are we really still going to Atlas?"
"Why wouldn't we be?" Ruby asked, looking quite puzzled at the question.
"Well, you heard Jinn, right!?" Weiss pleaded, "I mean, we can't kill Salem, so what's even the point?"
Ruby shook her head, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Weiss, you can't honestly be serious."
Weiss looked up and blinked a couple of times, "No, you're right. I'm sorry it's just..." she gripped her head in pain, "I'm just tired and I really...really, hate this place." Weiss shook her head, "Anything in there?" she asked, gesturing towards the other room.
Ruby turned around and shone her flashlight around the room, again see more booze lining the shelves in the room, "Mooore alcohol." she sighed, "Well at least we won't have an issue starting a fire."
"What's that?" Weiss asked squinting, "There in the middle." Ruby shined her flashlight on two doors that lead underground, so probably an actual cellar. "A wine cellar? Ugh, great." Weiss groaned as she folded her arms. Ruby turned to her left and looked passed Weiss, squeaking in surprise before dashing over to a different shelf. "What, what is it?" Weiss asked.
"FOOOOD!" Ruby yelled excitedly as she held a can of beans.
Weiss looked to Ruby, then to the food and cringed, "Canned food?" she asked, she could already feel herself starting to vomit.
"Eh, put enough salt on anything and it'll be fine." Ruby assured with a sly smiled and a wave of her hand.
"Well it's...better than nothing. I suppose." Weiss said with a sigh before letting out a slight smile. Ruby returned the gesture and the two began gathering the canned food together. "But I still seriously hate this place." Weiss complained as they walked out of the room and back into the main house.
Qrow walked around the grounds with Peter, albeit regrettably. "Why'd you come with me, kid."
Peter shrugged as they checked a shed, "Eh, you said we shouldn't be alone anymore. If I wasn't with you, who would?" Qrow groaned, unsure if Peter was taking a jab at him or not. The two wanted to get further into one of the sheds, but it seemed to be blocked by a door. Qrow tried the knob, but it was locked. He then tried to kick it down, but it was as if it was barricaded. Peter and Qrow looked at each other before nodding. Peter punched and Qrow kicked trying to knock the door down, however, Qrow ended up jamming his foot and Peter punched through the door. "Oh..." Peter reached his arm further down and unlocked the door, then, by instinct, he twisted the knob and pulled open the door, revealing a single wooden board nailed on the other side.
Qrow recoiled back in bewilderment, "Why?" he asked, "Why would they barricade the wrong side of the door? It doesn't make sense!"
"Honestly, I'm not even surprised at this point." Peter groaned as he pushed the wooden board off the wall. The two walked inside to see a man sitting in a chair with a bottle in front of him on the table. The man was leaned back in the chair with a large hole in his head. Just underneath him, by his hanging left hand, was a pistol lying on the ground. Peter put two and two together and and nearly threw up.
"Must have hid himself in here to get away from whatever got the other ones." Qrow mentioned as he grabbed the bottle, "Huh, capped it. Real champ. Thanks for the drink." he said as he held the bottle up high. Qrow took the cork off the bottle and poured some out in front of the dead body before taking a swig, "Oh, good year." he mumbled, "C'mon, let's get outta here. Faster we find a vehicle the faster I can stop interacting with you."
"The hell did I ever do to you?" Peter asked.
"Nothing, I'm just realizing how much of a nuisance you are." Qrow said as he took a swig from the bottle, "Plus you slept with Yang. Needless to say, I just don't like you." Qrow began drinking more of the bottle and before Peter knew it it was already halfway gone.
"Hey," Peter started, "Maybe take it easy on the drinking right now, huh? You're no good if you're all toasty."
"Shut up. Don't preach."
"I'm not preaching." Peter groaned, "I'm just saying that if we get attacked, you being drunk would only be a detriment to us."
"Hey!" the two looked up to see Yang and Blake walking back inside the home, "We found a ride! You guys can come back in!" Blake yelled.
"Well, guess it doesn't matter." Qrow chuckled as he began walking back to the house.
Peter followed closely behind and as he past the the well it felt like his head was going to explode, "AAAAH!!" Peter shouted as he collapsed from his Spider Sense. Yang and Blake quickly rushed to his side as Qrow only glanced back.
"Peter, are you okay?" Yang asked as she and Blake helped him to his feet.
"Y-Yeah." Peter winced, "It's just...Let's just go inside, I don't want to be out here anymore." Blake and Yang helped Peter walk to the house before entering. Peter took one last look at the well, clutching his head again, "Hopefully we leave soon."
To be continued...
A/N: Hey, we're at the cabin. You know, I actually like this group of episodes...for its ideas. The execution isn't great. Like, Yang initially blows up at Blake, and I get it it has been awhile and you are uneasy, but she gets tilted at the dumbest thing. Like, Blake just says 'oh, I'll be there to help you' as a way of saying she isn't leaving again, and that she'll stay there and fight. Yang takes that as Blake saying she's weak, like??? The grimm they show are also kind cool too, if only because the representation of depression in grimm form is a humanoid, lol.
Anyways, just had my birthday the other day. Got Cyberpunk and Yakuza Like a Dragon pre-ordered. Also got two vinyls, so it was a pretty lit birthday.Anyways, have a nice day you guys, I'll see you next chapter. Remember to Follow, Favorite and Review.