I wake up from another nightmare…I entered the bathroom and a little cthulhu was waiting for me. At least that's what I thought…it was just a hallucination…a year and a half since leafmore and the scars haven't healed. Every time I look in a mirror. I see this emotional wreck of a 20 year old man. when a year and a half ago, there was a bright eyed 18 year old ready for his final year of high school looking at himself with a smile. I attend fallcreek university. Along with most of my friends. stan didn't due to him spending time in the slammer. Instead he now makes deliveries as a full time job. I strike up a conversation on an update of what's happening with everybody when he delivers stuff to me. One of the first being stuff to soundproof my walls.

It's obvious a lot of these morons got in here not by being academically gifted. But rather having the cash. Because these jackasses are living proof that man descends from the ape. And that evolution does not always lead to progression. Everyone around here is really not focusing on their futures and only concerns are getting drunk high or laid. It's why I had to soundproof my walls. So that the late night sound of moaning screaming and a bedframe losing its will to live didn't keep me awake. And it's not just the students. A professor was fired for stealing the female students' panties. No, I'm not making that up. And yes, that alone cost me a big chunk of my faith in humanity.

As for my friends. Well most of them now have to start taking medication to keep the spores in their blood. Well except me and shannon. Our bodies adapted to them in our own ways. So we didn't need the medication. Not sure what her adaption has given her. But I know what mine did. I'm able to transform into a monster at will. I lose the ability to speak when I'm a monster. But the most important thing is that my mind remains intact when I'm a monster. And i'm able to turn back at will. Transforming is painful as hell. But sometimes you need that kind of monstrous strength to survive a sticky situation…like when me josh and ashley returned to leafmore.

The whole incident was brushed off as a hoax. And urban legend. So josh and ashley went there to reveal the truth. Even though the place was rubble now and we didn't encounter any monsters…there was still a danger lurking in the halls of leafmore. And that was a chainsaw wielding deformed hillbilly freak. It was then when i discovered my new found form. I managed to badly wound the freak. And send him running. Josh and ashley agreed to keep my secret safe.

I'm in good relations with my old friends…well everyone except kenny. Ashley broke up with him. Can't blame her. After all, it was because of that idiot that we lost our innocence and had to deal with these spores in our blood. A sensable person when hearing inhuman noises coming from a ladder leading into a dark place would say "fuck it" and leave. But not kenny who takes a gun and goes down. And because of that boneheaded decision. We saw shit we shouldn't have and have to deal with these spores in our blood.

I've taken up a study course in botany. In hope that one day I'll be able to find a cure for us. To get these damn spores out of my blood. My family are trying to find a cure as well. My brother will went to africa in hopes of getting some info on mortifilia. The very plant that these spores came from. Maybe even he'll find a different type of plant. One that's the antithesis to mortifilia. And don't worry…i'm not going to go down the same road that Herbert did.

I'm not entirely dead on the inside…i still have my hobbies. Like my gun nut tendencies. I kept the firearms we got from leafmore…mainly because i don't feel safe without a gun around me anymore. And i still play my guitar and gather an audience when i do…though my songs became much more dark and lamenting of my loss of innocence.

Though i wasn't the only one playing music at fallcreek. There was also "lacey and the jammers" if they wanted a more up beat song. The band was three close friends of girls. Those three being lacey rocio, maisie asop and jay yani. Their music was good. The lyrics are very childish. Like something you'd hear in powerpuff girls or something similar. But i didn't mind it. It brought me back to the days I used to sing childishly like that. About simple things like having fun or about looking forward to summer. One day while I was playing my guitar. I happen to get the attention of lacey.

"Your a really good guitar player. I know this is sort of out of the blue. But could you please join our band!" lacey said. I stood up and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You want me to join your band? My songs are dark and edgy. This is gonna be like a writer for criminal minds trying to write for a disney sitcom." i said.

"I know. But the audience has been claiming that our sings have been too childish lately and we need your expertise. Please?" lacey asked with puppy dogs eyes…oh I couldn't say no to that. So i joined lacey and the jammers…i made the songs a bit more mature while keeping that jammers soul in there. I remembered what band i was a part off. Not only that. I got along fairly well with these three girls. Maisie had a massive interest in astrology and astronomy. A real star girl if you will. We'd end up in heated arguments about plants and constellations which also ended in us laughing with how dumb the argument was.

Jay was a skater tomboy. She would show me her skating tricks which I was impressed by. She also had a rivalry with another skating fallcreek student named corey wilde. Apparently calling a girl a "bro" or a guy a "bruh." is a declaration of war for skaters. Though i'm pretty sure jay already beat him long before this rivalry started because of her skating stunt that made her a legend among fallcreek. Hell even among skaters around the world. Which was riding her skateboard across rooftop buildings. Tall buildings too. Because of the black stripes on a part of her hair that gives her her unique look. I started calling her "tiger."

But the one i got closest too was the leading lady herself lacey. She has quite the few career paths when she graduates. Fashionista. Restaurant owner. Petshop owner. Makeup artist. Her cooking is fantastic. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Considering people have come and paid her to cook them food. It was cheaper and better than the stuff at the cafeteria. I'm sure the lunch ladies despise her though. I'm sure I've seen one give her the finger while she wasn't looking at some point.

That's not the only thing she gets paid for. Whenever a guy or girl needs to look good for a date with their significant other. They go to her. Not only because of her fashion and makeup expertise. But because of her ability to get a good understanding of the person she's prettying up. She's also really good with animals if the way she treats her dog puddles is anything to go back.

I got an idea of the kind of person she is. Lacey is a fun loving girl who loves a good adventure. She can be a bit of an airhead sometimes, but she's very determined and has lots of friends. She really likes fashion and to listen to all her favourite songs in her MP3 player. She reminded me so much of myself before leafmore. Before that part of me died so that I could survive the horrors that lurked in the halls of leafmore. She was fun to be around. And more ever…she made me feel warm again. Back when life was beautiful…so i confessed to her and she accepted my feelings.

When we started dating. Heads at fallcreek university turned. The edgelord and the bubbly airhead being together was a surprise to many. But it's true what that song with the human woman and cartoon cat said. Opposites attract. But soon after. Things got scary…because my girl was in the crosshairs of a stalker. And not the "pathetic nerd desperate to get laid" kind…no this was a stalker that was so batshit insane. That you'd lock up everything and stay awake until the next morning holding a shotgun. It started with a phone call. A number I didn't recognize called me. It started with heavy breathing.

"You…took her. Give her back. Lacey is mine." the guy said. His voice was creepy.

"Umm…no she's not. She's my girl. So…" I replied.

"I know which room you live in. room 150. I can see you right now. Through your window. Give lacey to me otherwise I'll gut you like a trout." the stalker said.

"Oh yeah. Do you see what's in my hand?" i asked. Grabbing a hold of my old friend. Mr Colt python. "Leave me and my girl alone. Otherwise i'm blowing your brains out creep!" i yelled as i hung up. I then looked out my window and saw someone wearing a black hoodie making a run for it. "That's what I thought bitch." I said. Though this wasn't the end of it for either of us. One day lacey came to my room seemingly scared out of her mind. The creep sent her texts messages and a gift…one of those heart shaped chocolate boxes except in it was the guts of something instead of chocolate. And another phone call. Coming to my room tonight was a wise decision. considering he was apparently at her dorm room at the moment. He demanded that she open the door. Even yelling at her to open the fucking door. She hung up and held onto me tightly.

"I'm not letting you go lacey. You can stay with me until this situation is taken care of. Okay?" i asked she looked at me with a grateful smile.

"Thank you dave. I love you." she said kissing me on the lips. I held onto her as we watched cartoons. She fell asleep in my arms. I put her dark blue hair behind her ear. I was enjoying having this beauty sleep in my lap. That was until i heard something. My window opening. I saw the creep opening up the window. I saw his face. He looked more like a drug addicted monkey than a person. Before he could start climbing to my room. I quickly pulled out the beretta I had under my couch's pillow and shot the bastard. He screamed in pain as the shot knocked him back to the outside. Of course the shot startled lacey awake. Giving me the opportunity to run over the window and fire a few more shots. Of course I couldn't see because it was dark but I hope a few of those rounds hit the creep.

"Fucker tried to break in…sorry to wake you lacey." I said.

"Why do you have a gun?" she asked.

"It's a hobby." i replied. Of course i'm leaving out the fact that i have pistols hidden everywhere in my apartment. And also the other reason thanks to my leafmore trauma. The police soon came after. Someone else must have heard the gunshots and called the cops. I explained to them what happened. And if lacey didn't have enough of a reason to not leave my side for the time being. What the cops told us about this stalker. Lacey wasn't the first girl this sicko has stalked. But the other girls….well they met a grisly end considering the only thing they found of them was the upper part of their torsos. The lower half arms, legs and heads were never found. With the cops searching the place i don't think we had to worry for the night.

After a few week of keeping our guard up. It seemed safe. Maybe the psycho bled out or the police easily found him and arrested him by following the blood trail. So I went on a date with lacey now that the coast was clear. A picnic, a trip to the zoo and shopping mall. All the places she loved it got dark by the time we were done. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and soon saw that same hideous face sticking out from a black hoodie as knife was in my gut he pulled it out.

"Dave!" i heard lacey yell. The stalker approached her as she walked back slowly…i didn't have a choice…if i don't do this…i will die…lacey will die…i can only hope she won't think of me as a freak.

Lacey pov.

"Once i've eaten your remains. We'll be together forever. I love you lacey." the stalker said as the tears streamed down my face…i don't want to die like this! His approach was soon halted when dave started to scream. His scream twisted into something…inhuman. The stalker turned around only to only to see a monster. A hulking brute that looked like dave that stood over him by a few fate. It had a massive blade for an arm. And it's head…it looked like dave. The monster grabbed my stalker by his arm holding the knife. And lifted him with no effort. It looked at me and took took the stalker a few feet away before slicing him in half and throwing his upper half at a nearby tree with enough force to splatter on it. Becoming a mess of blood guts and shattered bone fragments against that tree. The creature then turned to me. And i thought i was going to die another way. But soon the creature screamed as something dark came from it. It started to shrink and it's screams starting sounding human. It's blade arm turned into a normal human arm. Becoming dave…that beast was dave. And to my relief the stab wound was no longer there. He was breathing heavily…

"Are you alright lacey?" he asked. I nodded not being able to speak through the fear and confusion. "I guess i have a lot to explain huh?" he asked with a sigh. After returning to his room. And getting us both a soda. He explained what that was…i've heard of leafmore. And thought it was just an urban legend. But it was true. My boyfriend was someone who survived it. And the existence of monsters is true. I'm just glad that the monster in question was one that wanted to protect me instead of wanting to rip me in half. It's also why there's so many guns in his apartment. After what happened in leafmore. He doesn't feel safe unless he has a weapon nearby…after tonight i'm probably gonna be the same.

"Lacey…will you stay with me even knowing how screwed i am both physically and mentally?" dave asked. My response was to kiss him on the lips.

"Of course i will…and thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this. And don't worry. This is one secret i won't tell Maisie and jay." i said. Dave wrapped his arms around me.

"Thank you lacey. I love you." dave said. I giggled and held onto him. We both fell asleep on the couch in each other's arms.

(author's notes: for those of you wondering why dave didn't heal from that stab wound. It's because his healing factor is busy suppressing the mortifilia. When dave turns into a monster 75% of the healing factor is told to stop focusing on that which allows it to mutate dave into his monster form. The other 25% is enough to keep dave's mind intact through it all. And yes. The three ladies introduced here were inspired by ghosttundras lacey games horror series. Fans of that series may also notice the choice of last names. And yes. Lacey and jays last names came from rocio yani. It seemed fitting due to her being their creators and lacey is closely tied to her in the series. And maisie's last name is the same as graces. Mainly because it seemd maisie was based off of grace if the fluffy hair as anything to go by. Anyway. It'll be back to other stories for a while. Back to project moon next week. Bye for now :D)