twenty five | Tadaima

[strike_you_out]

Graveyard 
[As the dead rise from the earth after being abducted and placed in their graves, so does Lil' Slugger. He burrows his way up from the ground and begins to shamble through the graveyard, grinning in a most unhinged manner. One arm reaches out ready to ensnare a victim while the other wields a baseball bat unsteadily above his head. He'll wait for a moment for the rest of is family to emerge, then begin to search for his dear friends.]

The streets
[Something is watching you. Something is stalking you. A ghoulishly pale, grinning boy may be peering into your window or hiding behind the bushes, just waiting for the right moment to jump out and snag his prey.]

502 Ricardo Residence 
[Pokey will receive an unexpected visitor in the night. The sound of fingernails scrape against a bedroom window pane and if Pokey looks, he may catch a glimpse of a familiar grinning face.]

Comments

[502 Ricardo]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[Pokey shifts and wakes up immediately. He was tired, but sleep very rarely came easily to him. Even more rarely did it bother to stay with him, and he turns to look at the window.

No. Impossible.

He was sure, so sure...that they were really gone? Was he really? In part he knew the town was screwing with him? But what if it wasn't?

It's him. He goes over to the window, just staring. Slowly walking.]

Slugger?

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Slugger has receded into the darkness, but he's still there, waiting and watching as Pokey makes his way closer to the window...]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[Pokey stops. And hesitates. This could be very bad. Especially if it't he beginning of him just hallucinating.

But he needs to know.

He'll go to open the window, and look out it.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[It's silent... until Slugger rushes forward, coming face to face with Pokey.]

Boo.

[For unknown reasons, he's dressed in black evening wear with a cape and his face appears as though it's been painted for some gothic ghoul party. Other than that, he doesn't seem hurt and looks rather excited. Breathing like a monster, Slugger begins to climb up through the opened window.]

I'm back!

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[Pokey lets out a startled little yelp as he backpedals, glancing in disbelief for a moment.]

...Slugger....?

[He should have known it was the town screwing around, that they were really dead. But after all that had happened and he'd heard this week and the emotional strain, he'd been stretched to a breaking point. He was willing to believe it, to believe anything at that point.

But he's here. He has to be. And Pokey tries not to let his relief and happiness show.]

What is that crap you're wearing?

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Half-way through the window, Slugger stretches a hand toward Pokey with fingernails that come to sharpened points. A few of his teeth seem a bit sharper than usual as well.]

I woke up in it. We all did.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[His senses are dull, but even in his weird, broken little state, Pokey recognizes danger. Although, in this instance, a sign of what should be danger? He has a hard time willing himself to run from it or flee. So he just backs upa little more.]</small. Is that a fact.... So, what? You're a vampire or something?

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

Pfft, no. I'm still a monster.

[Once his feet are on the floor, he stops trying to grab at Pokey for a moment and instead looks into his face. Slugger's hand lowers and his grin fades. He has no recollection of what happened yesterday or after he was abducted by the lights in the sky, but something must have happened to make Pokey look so drained.]

What happened?

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

You know that a vampire is a monster, right?

[Okay. He's smiling a bit at that. He knows what Slugger actually meant, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to screw with him even if he just came back from the dead.

His friend is alive. By god.

His best friend is still alive.

His smile falters a little at that though.]

It.....

You don't remember anything?

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

No. Aside from digging out of a grave.

[Some of the dirt from which is collecting on the floor beside the window.]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

...Yeah.

That happened.

[He didn't think he was going to see you again. He didn't think he was going to see anyone of them again for a moment at least.

But here you are.

Please. Don't let him be hallucinating.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

Did you visit me?

[He's sort of joking. He doesn't fully understand how long he was in the grave or the effect it had on you.]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

You wish.

[He keeps his smile up, but just barely.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[You may deny it now but he has a weird feeling that you probably did come visit his headstone, at least for curiosity's sake. Slugger reaches out a hand, not trying to snag Pokey this time, but in a friendly way.]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[What can he do? He recognizes why Slugger's holding out his hand. Or at least he hopes he recognizes the correct reason Slugger's holding out his hand.

Slowly, Pokey reaches to take it, or at least touch it. To make sure his friend is truly there.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[His fingers clasp lightly around Pokey's hand. Yes, he's truly here and his own hand is solid to the touch. But the significance of the gesture serves a dual purpose.

Pokey will suddenly find himself being tugged forward and subsequently scooped off of his feet. Surely, no hallucination could manage to do that. Despite his smaller size, Slugger seems to have no trouble lifting someone heavier than himself off the ground.]

Got ya.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[Well, he should've seen that coming. And kind of did. But really, whatever's about to happen next? Pokey's kind of fine with it, if it means Slugger really is alive and-

So alright. The scooping him off the ground and carrying him thing he didn't see coming, but hey whatever.]

What are you doing?

[He sounds more curious and somewhat annoyed than scared.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Honestly, he's not entirely sure himself. It was just an inexplicable urge.]

Taking you to... my grave.

[Once again he's wearing a playfully menacing grin, one that shows off his growing fangs. He turns now toward the window as if to exit with you in his arms.]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Aw, what's the matter? Jealous I didn't go visit it earlier?

[If he's scared? Pokey's doing a good job not showing it. Really, in a weird way he's still riding the high of having his best friend being shown to be alive.

How much longer that's going to last, who knows.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

You're going to see it. Up close.

[He makes as if he's going to toss you headfirst through the window. This, of course, won't do so he'll set you down instead, climb out, and attempt to pull you through with him.]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[...Okay. Yeah, he's going to try and pull in the other direction now.]

...You know something? Pretty sure I don't need to see it that close.

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

You didn't visit. Now you'll pay.

[And he just keeps pulling you back to him. He's got a pretty good hold on the back of your shirt. Not only that, but at the first opportunity he gets, he's going to try and bite your head... which results in failure but you still might feel a tooth graze your hair.]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[Oh, okay, now he's scared. He'll keep trying to struggle back, and the failed attempt to bite his head/ Just gets even more of a reaction out of him. He tries to start kicking, which really just results in him falling to the ground.]

But I did visit! I did!

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Aha! You admit it! Slugger lets go and peers down at you from the window sill, still with one knee placed in the frame.]

That's what I thought!

[He seems content with this for the moment and sits there grinning. Well, he never counted on being dead and buried before, but it's nice to know if your friends come to visit.]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

....

[Oh man. He is scowling. He is just scowling. And that leads to him just shaking for a moment, tilting his head down before he yells.]

It isn't funny!