I don't own RWBY or Call of Cthulu.
In the green Mountains after midnight
Tommy POV
I was walking through the woods. Tree's that were once green had turn to yellow and sickly. No woodland creature made a noise. Not even annoying insects flew by me. Rather the walk was just eerily quiet. As I walked through the sickly green forest, I couldn't help but notice a secret trail. Without the lush vegetation from the forest, it was quite easy to spot. For some reason, the road just called to me. So I walked down it, with every step down the unused road I noticed how sicker the greens have become. They become wilted and frail the further I go down the road. Eventually, I came to what looks like a lake. Bellow the surface, something glowed in a spectral of beautiful blue and yellow lights. Course, beautiful wasn't exactly the right words. More hypnotic. As I start to walk towards it my thoughts were broken at the sounds of screams, coming from down the lake side. I could see a camp on the other side, people were running and screaming as they were being pulled into the lake. As I tried to run but they suddenly went silent. All except for a snapping of a twig behind me. I quickly turn around, only to feel a sharp pain through my stomach by a darken figure. Looking down in agony I suddenly heard the words of Marty as blood oozed from my chest.
"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!"
3rd POV
Tommy's eyes suddenly open as cold sweat dropped from his sides. By his side was Marty, shaking him awake It took a moment for Tommy to gain his senses before realizing that Marty was trying to tell him something.
"What?" Tommy asked as he wiped the rheum from his eyes.
"Ruby you shmuck! Someone is shooting in the woods; she ran to check it ou-Bang!" Before Marty could even finish, a loud blast can be heard nearby. Wide eye in horror, Tommy quickly got to his feet just as Ms. Winchester wakes up in a cold sweat.
"Huh, what was that?" She said as she grabs her pistol.
"Ruby's in trouble!" Tommy shouted as he grabbed his flashlight. Acting quickly Ms. Winchester grabs her own before following after Tommy into the woods with Marty reluctant to follow.
"You know when there's gun fire you want to stay away… fellows?" Marty called out to them. They were too far to care. He stood around for a few moments before giving a small sigh. "(Sigh)… God damn it."
He then ran after them. He could have left but a few things kept him with this group. One of them is having the chance to put a bullet between Phil's eyes was worth the jail time. Specially since he can make it look like self-defense. The three quickly ran into the woods, following the light till they found on the ground a cracked light. Tommy quickly picks it up and shouts out with fear in the back of his tone.
"RUBY!" Tommy shouted as he looks around in desperation. The two looked at him with mix feelings before a voice came from behind.
"Get Down!" a voice called out from behind a rock. The three looked at each other in confusion. Before walking behind the rock to see Ruby with a shocked look on her face.
"… Ruby, why are you behind a rock?" Ms. Winchester asked with a brow raised.
"Someone was shooting at me. They could still be out there." Ruby remarked.
The three looked around. There was nothing, not even bugs to add to the forest ambience. After a few moments Marty spoke up. "Yeah… I don't think so. Ain't no advantage point to get off a shot."
"I wouldn't count your chickens just yet. Take a look at this." Ms. Winchester said as she shines a light on the footprints. They look fresh, and it seemed that they ran as shortly after. Closer inspection the they noticed a piece of cloth on a nearby branch. Seems it was snagged when the perpetrator ran. Marty grabbing it the group gathered around.
It was blue cotton, Part of the collar. On the side in fading stitches was the words "Prop U.S." Part of the P at the end was missing and bits of an A next to the U.S was showing. Either way it was clear that it was part of a union soldiers uninform. Strangely, the inside of it had traces of a strange green mold. As they inspect it a little closer, Tommy notices a piece missing was the brass button.
"Huh, maybe Phil did find Joshua's corpse." Marty remarked.
"Or it could have been Joshua himself." Ms. Winchester remarks before giving a sarcastic ghostly. "OOOOOOHHHHHH."
"Not funny. Story use to give me nightmares when I was a kid." Marty remarks as he shivers.
"I don't think we should take the possibility off the table." Tommy states as he shines the light on the ground.
"Oh, why's that? There something you holding back Tommy boy?" Ms. Winchester said with some interest.
"Bullet casing. I can't find the bullet casing. So unless these hoodlums tried to bushwhack Ruby with a flintlock I wouldn't take the possibility yet." Tommy remarks as he stands up. He didn't really believe in ghosts or ghouls. But after the incident that led Ruby to him, he kept the possibility open.
The two looked at each other. The idea that Tommy is suggesting was ludicrous. Before either one could speak Ruby interrupted them. "Actually… that is possible."
"Huh?" Ms. Winchester and Marty said at the same time.
"This was the thing that almost hit me." Ruby said as she hands over the bullet. Upon closer inspection it was a Minié ball. This points more towards the idea that it was the civil war ghost. As far fetch and crazy as it sounds. The four remained silent for a full minute. Taking in the shock of the idea. After that minute, Ms. Winchester spoke up.
"… Well, this has been an evening, and quiet frankly it will be one hell of a morning if we don't get some sleep." Ms. Winchester said before motioning the three to head back to camp.
"Yeah… I think I'll take the night shift." Marty said as he followed her back to camp.
"Heh, how kind. But no, I think I'll take the shift. Young men need their sleep." Ms. Winchester remarked.
"No, no. I insist. I'll take first watch." Marty shot back.
The two then continued to argue, while Ruby and Tommy followed behind. Regardless who was going to take watch, there was a feeling of discomfort and suspicion among the four. They felt that every tree had eyes, all watching them as they make their way back to camp.
The Next day
The sun had risen early the next day, with it the four had a simple meal before continuing up the mountain. They were all sleep deprived with the exception of Ruby. Nightmares had plagued the three since last night, to add insult to injury they hadn't packed any coffee for the road. They grumbled a bit as they walked up the mountain. By this time tomorrow they should be able to reach the peak. While walking Colt slowed down to talk to Ruby in private.
"Hey Ruby… what really happened last night?" Tommy asked before pulling out cantina.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked as she looks for any sign of wild life.
"When we found you. You claim to nearly be shot by your attacker. Which means you could have done that little flower trick of yours and chased after him. So why didn't you, unless that didn't happened." Tommy explains.
"Oh… well I might have lied when I said he missed." Ruby remarked as she rubs the pack of her head painfully. "But, it was because they wouldn't believe me if I told them I was shot in the back of the head."
This causes Tommy to spit out the water as he turned to her. He then hissed loudly in an irritated tone so the others couldn't hear him. "What! You were shot."
"Um yeah, but my semblance can deflect these bullets easily." Ruby said as she makes a mussel. In irritation Tommy tugs her cheek.
"That doesn't really fill me with confidence. Specially when you could have been hurt." Tommy said in a gruff before letting Ruby go. "(Sigh) Well, tell me exactly what happened last night."
"Ow… well, like I said. I was shot in the back of the head. However, after the shot I recovered and quickly sweep the leg of my attacker." Ruby remarks as she makes whiplash sound at the end.
"Ok, did you get a good look at your attacker?" Tommy asked.
"Um no not really." Ruby said as she twiddle her fingers. "It was super dark but I did get a good look at his clothes. They looked like old civil war uniforms. The um blue ones, the confetti's? Except they looked like they have been sewn back together."
"Union. Union soldiers wear blue… regardless. What happened after?" Tommy remarked.
"Aw well, after sweeping the leg the guy bashed me across the face with his pistol before running into the dark. I would have chased after him but you guys were running and well. If I chased after him, I would have exposed my Semblance" Ruby explains, before saying in an impression of Tommy's voice. "And you said not to unless it was an emergency."
"(Sigh) Yeah, I did say that." Tommy said as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Regardless, next time wait for backup. Really rather not see you hurt."
"Awww, thank dad." Ruby said jokingly but in a sincere tone.
"… Please, don't. Last thing I want to be is a father." Tommy said as he reaches for his cigarette.
Before he could even light it, Ms. Winchester calls from up ahead. "Ruby, Tommy Boy! Get over here! We found something."
The two look at one another before quickly racing down the road. They had caught up with Ms. Winchester and Marty as they looked down at the side of the trail road. It seems that there was disturbed foliage, along with a trail of blood. While it's possible that it was an animal, closer inspection revealed it to be human foot prints in the dirt.
"Could it be the guy who shot at Ruby?" Tommy asked.
"Only one way to find out." Ms. Winchester remarked as she pulls out her colt 1903 pistol.
Ruby pulls out Crescent rose while Tommy pulled out his snub nose pistol. Tommy not wanting to fight without a weapon, or show he's armed found a decent size stick to use as a club. The four then slowly walked down the path, following the blood trail. After a few moments they came upon what had left the trail. A John Doe in the bushes. He had on a yellow plaid shirt, blue jean overalls, and a huge gaping wound on the side. His corpse was probably a few hours old by the look of the skin. Maggots and flies would have been on the body if there were around.
"My god." Marty remarked.
"Sheash, don't think this guy attacked you Ruby. By the looks of the trail he was coming down the mountain, not up it." Ms. Winchester remarked.
"Yeah, question still remains. Who is this John Doe?" Tommy asked aloud.
Ruby then pushed the man over before searching his pockets. While doing so Marty remarks. "Do cops have any respect for the dead?"
That response got Ms. Winchester, Ruby, and Tommy to give the exact same deadpan stare. After a few moments, Ruby returns to searching the corpse. She found a few things, paint brushes, pencils, and a black book. No Wallet or anything to ID the poor man. Looking inside the book, it turned out to be a sketch book. Though the owners name wasn't inside, it did had written on the front, 'Property of Harvard's Art Class.'
"Huh, Marty. Didn't you say that a few Harvard kids come up here to paint?" Ruby asked as she flips through the book, looking at the sketches inside.
"Yeah… wait, are you saying that someone killed an artist?" Marty asked.
"Well it seems likely the Phil gang. Poor boy was stabbed in the side by a rather big knife." Ms. Winchester remarks as she examines the body.
"They could be using them as hostages. (Sigh) and just when things can't get anymore difficult." Tommy remarks as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Just as he said that Ruby lets out a loud gasp and nearly drops the book.
The three looked over at Ruby as she was nearly trembling with the book in hand. In it was sketch of a young woman with long flowing hair and in strange attire. There were a few more smaller ones, some of them showed her right arm was metallic, others without an arm. However, the final one really caught the attention of the group. In it, she was kneeling before a crystal on the banks of a river with a soulless look on her face. The word etched above her filled poor Ruby with dread.
"Who, am I?"
Feeling slightly bad, Tommy removed the book from Ruby who was crying a few tears. It's been years and seeing these sketches must have crushed Ruby's soul. While she silently cried with Ms. Winchester trying to comfort her, Tommy begin flipping through the sketches. With each page he turns he found that they were more horrifying then the last. Sketches of stones, shadowy figures, and landscapes that don't exist anywhere nearby. However as he got to the end he found the most haunting of the sketches. In it was a sketch of a long winding road, similar to the one he had a dream about. Another was of a house in the woods with a darken figure emerging. The final was a of glowing rock, with a darken and horrifying creature looking down upon it.
"I think it's best that we move on." Tommy said as he closes the book before pocketing it.
"Yeah. For once I agree Tom." Ms. Winchester said in a serious tone as she hugged Ruby.
Marty was giving a silent nod. It's been a month since he'd seen Yang, but that looked exactly like her. The way Ruby was crying certainly hit his conscious, but he didn't say anything. This could be a ploy to get him to spill his guts out. Course if it was then this was to elaborate, even for cops. After leaving the body, the four continued on the trail. Silently walking along with slightly disturbed looks on their faces. As they continued on they soon come to a stream where they decided to take a break. While sitting, Tommy decided to speak up.
"… So, did anyone had any nightmares last night? The same ones that were also found in here?" Tommy asked the rest of the group.
"Um… define nightmares?" Marty asked not wanting to open up.
"He had a nightmare about drowning in a lake filled with the dead." Ruby said with a deadpan tone.
"Ruby! I told you that in confidence!" Marty shouted. As the two argued and got into a childish fight, Ms. Winchester commented on her strange dreams.
"Well Tommy Boy, if you want to know my dreams don't involve you. However there was this one where you were in the corn…" Before Ms. Winchester could finish Tommy interrupted her.
"I mean related to last night." Tommy said in an irritated tone.
"(Sigh) Alright, my dream wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows." Ms. Winchester remarked as she leans back recall the dream from before. "I was on the outer banks of a lake. It wasn't a normal lake either. It was glowing Blue and Yellow and I thought I saw an entire city at the bottom."
"What like Atlantis of the lake?" Tommy asked as he pulls out a smoke. Slightly annoyed Ms. Winchester grabbed his cigarette and tossed it aside.
"No, but that's not the point." Ms. Winchester states.
"Alright. Well what is?" Tommy asked.
"Well, while looking down I heard the sound of a door creaking. Quickly turning around I notice this cabin hidden behind some tree's. It was the afternoon or something because the four people that walked on out were hard to see." Ms. Winchester continues as she pulls out her cantina and takes a quick swig before continuing with her story. "Anyways, while my mind told me to run my mussels refuse to run. The lead figure walked towards me. Couldn't see his face but his clothes, were a union soldiers' uniform. With the exception that it was torn to hell. The figure then spoke some words about joining them to bask in an eternal glory or some hogwash like thing."
"I see. And what did you say?" Tommy asked somewhat interested in the story.
"Didn't say anything. Rather I got to look at his face. Defiantly not a pleasant thing." Ms. Winchester remarks with a shudder.
"What did they look like?" Tommy asked with a brow raised.
Ms. Winchester remained quiet for a few moments before speaking. "His face barley had any skin, what little skin and mussel showing had cracks. Some kind of moss grew out of his eyes, mouth, and cracks. Suffice to say it was quiet graphic, even after the air dropping into Luxemburg with my squad."
"Heard it was bad, you were the sole survivor of Helios squad, right?" Tommy said as he vaguely remembered a news article about the first successful paratrooper raid that pushed the German line back.
"Yeah… that is something I much prefer to forget. Anyways that's when the dream ends and well, we then went on the wild goose chase." Ms. Winchester concluded.
"Hmm, you and every other Doughboy." Tommy hummed. The two then enter a silent agreement to end the conversation then and there. After a few moments of watching Marty and Ruby fighting, which Ruby won by placing Marty into a headlock, the four continued on there journey up the mountain.
It was two hours later when they came upon a clearing with a cliff overhead. Ruby deciding to have a drink before climbing up pulls out her cantina. As she takes a quick swig, a gunshot goes off with the bullet putting a hole through her cantina. Another few shot's went off and the four quickly retreat back behind the tree's.
"You won't take me! You hear me you freaks! YOU (Bang!) WON'T (Bang!) TAKE (Bang!) ME!" A voice calls out with multiple shots from a 303. Savage.
"Who the hell is attacking us!" Ms. Winchester asked as a round clips the tree she was hiding behind.
"That's John Percy, the fuckers got us pin." Marty yells as another round goes off.
"Not for long." Ruby said as she pulls out Crescent Rose. "Get to the cliff side. I'll cover you."
Before anyone could interject Ruby begins to open fire, acting quickly Marty and Tommy made a break for it while Ms. Winchester pulls out her colt and fired as soon as Ruby was reloading her riffle. Back over with Tommy and Marty, they had made it to the cliffside just as Percy had fired back. Noticing the two he was about to fire when a round from Ruby hits his arm causing him to drop his Savage 99.
"Ahh! Shit, shit, shit!" Percy said as he made a bolt for the woods.
Not wanting to let the man get away, Tommy quickly snatches the gun and made sure that there was a round in the chamber before running after. Marty close behind, the two spot the man running for the tree line. Taking a deep breath, Tommy takes careful aim before taking a deep breath. Just as Percy was about to make it, Tommy exhales and fires. The bullet was sent straight through the kidnapper's leg send him flying to the ground.
"(Impressed whistle.) Damn, you missed his head." Marty whistles.
"I was aiming for the leg." Tommy remarks as he discards the used rifle.
"Well, let me tell yah. Percy may not be the leader but he definitely had more brains. Son of a bitch could trick an angle into giving up its halo." Marty remarks as he walks towards the criminal with Tommy.
Over with Percy the poor kidnapper was still trying to flee. Bullet missed an artery but he isn't going to run for some time. As he crawls away, he can hear the footsteps get closer. With wide eyes he quickly turn around and points a M1917 colt revolver at the two.
"STAY BACK YOU ABOMINATIONS!" Percy shouts as he waved the revolver around.
"Put it down Johnathan. You are under arrest for kidnapping, assault, and murder. Drop the gun and I might just forget the part where you try to bushwhack us." Tommy said as he points his snub nose at his head.
"BUSHWHACK! You son's of bitches gave no warning shots when you attacked us last night!" Percy shouted as he struggled to stand. Clearly delirious from the amount of dirt and tears his clothes had sustained prior to this event, Tommy didn't want to run any risk.
"I'm going to give you one chance to walk away from this alive. Drop the gun, or I will shoot." Tommy commanded as he cocks the hammer.
Feeling threatened, Percy was about to turn and shoot when a bullet ranged out. Ruby who had just made it up the hill saw the gun in kidnappers' hand. So, with a carful aim, she fired off a shot that hit the kidnappers hand, knocking the gun out of it and putting a hole the size of an American silver dolor straight through him.
He screams in pain and was quickly jumped by Tommy and Marty. As they wrestled with the injured gangster, Ruby and Ms. Winchester quickly ran over to help aid in his capture. During the midst of the scuffle, Percy manage to grab the gun but was struggling to aim it at the two men who were on top of him.
"Just give it up Johnathan!" Tommy said as he struggles to get him to drop it.
"No, I'll die before you freaks take me away. You might have gotten Phil and that bitch, but you won't take me!" Percy yelled as he realized something. He quickly turn the gun on himself, and before anyone could do anything, a 45 ACP ripped through his head. The man killed himself. Splattering his brains all over Tommy and Marty.
"Ugh, god I think I got a bit in my mouth!" Marty shouted as he quickly got off the corpse and wiped tried to wipe the bits and pieces that splattered around his mouth.
"God, what was wrong with him?" Ms. Winchester asked in horror at the sight she had witness.
"Jail isn't that bad, isn't that a bit dramatic?" Ruby asked with an equally horrified look on her face.
"I think he wasn't in his right mind." Tommy remarks as he pulls out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his face before passing it to Marty. "He mentioned about being attacked last night, as well as something nabbing Phil and Lanai in the night."
"Probably scared and sleep deprived." Ms. Winchester remarks as she looks at his feet. He was missing a shoe and by the blood clots on his socks, it's clear that he was running all night. "Question is, what makes a man run all night out of fear?"
"Doubt it's ghost. Like I said, Percy was the brains of the group and a skeptic as well." Marty said as he spits a piece of hair wrapped brain out of his mouth.
The four honestly couldn't give a reasonable answer to why he did it. However it seems that there is now one less kidnapper to deal with at least. Yet that thought didn't put anyone to ease. If anything, it worried the rest about what is at the heart of this mountain.
Hours later
After the incident with John, the gang continued on. Making their way up the mountain till the night sky took over. The three volunteered to take first watch while Ruby was more then happy to go to sleep. As they fought each other to stay up, Ruby simply laid out her bedroll and fell asleep then and there. As she slept, her dreams started off normally. The first she was with her sister, reunited after all this time. Then one of her meeting a Chibi version of herself, then another where she kissed the baker boy from down the street. Admittedly he somewhat reminds her of Jaune… she has been having that last one for a while now. Then her fourth dream came.
She found herself in an underwater cave of some kind. Looking up, she notices the stars in the sky were actually part of the cave. As she stared up she suddenly feel the rising of water reaching up to her waist. She takes a deep breath before her head was fully submerged beneath the water. Once underwater a prism formed around her, like a glass cage. The cage soon sank deeper till she could see through the murky water an entire city. It didn't look human, or friendly. There was a foreboding setting about it that made her shudder. As she stared at the city, she had failed to notice the supposed rocks behind her moving.
As she stares at the city, she senses a presence and slowly look behind her. Her eyes goes wide and she open her mouth just to let out a few precious air bubbles that she quickly scrambled to stuff back into her mouth. The creature before her was massive, shadow of a creature. It slithered and swam around her with eyes on the end of tendrils the size of a car constantly eyeing her. Eventually it came to a stop before speaking to her in a language she had not heard of. It's gravely and dark tone sent shivers down Ruby's spine as she tried to correlate the monster's speech.
"Y' ymg' kadishtu gn'th'bthnk. Ymg' ephaipay llll ahf' ymg' half sister mgep hup mgepmggokaog ya!" The creature roared before opening its mouth revealing rows of millions of razer sharp teeth. It was like looking into the mouth of a slug. It then lowers its jaws and swallowed the crystal with Ruby still inside. The tiny teeth were like needles in a sack doll. Slowly tearing away at the crystal till finally it allowed to chew the person inside. Before that happened. Causing Ruby to wake screaming in a cold sweat.
That scream was silenced when a loud explosion happened in the far distance. This woke the rest of the group who were sleeping. Up on the mountain side, smoke begin to surface as the sound echoed across the green mountains. After a few seconds, a light begins to glow with the early morning light. It was faint from where they were now, but it was a hypnotic color of blue and yellow.
Hello everybody, Wombag1786 here.
Well… that's fucked up. Two dream sequences and a suicide. What do these dreams mean, do they predict the future? (If so please don't start a shipping war. It's to early in the story to beg me for ships. I have something plan that nobody will see coming. *Que evil laugh and flash lightning.) Tune in next time for the continuation. For now, I'll be answering your comment and questions.
From Black cross0: I'm interested in knowing.
Heh, I did not realize that. Have to ask FEV. Grim on that one.
Maybe, maybe not. Something tell me she will go for a short haircut. The Boyishbob, Eton Crop, the Shingle, and Finger wave are a few styles that were popular and short.
Looking to be two hundred by my count. That's why I'm going to split the story into two parts. Help keep things organized and also give me some breathing room.
Heh, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Thanks for writing Black cross0
From Dasgun: … Again, is that Morse code for something? All I got out of that is an I
Thanks for writing Dasgun
From FEV Grim: Thanks. Here's hopping the next arc will just be as exciting.
Thanks for writing FEV Grim
Alright, So due to midterms I figure I release this chapter early. We are a few chapters to the mountain summit. Does anyone know what is causing these nightmares? Please submit your theory down below. Along with that Fav and Fol the story, leave a comment or question down below as well.
This is Wombag1786 signing off.
