Chapter Text
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Eowyn had been sitting in the driver's seat of his van for several hours now, watching the sun set over Tampa's skyline. He was beginning to lose faith in the concept of online friends. He'd known them for two years now, and they couldn’t even be bothered to turn up on time!
The friends in question were three people he’d met in some obscure forum, buried deep in an academic site about human psychology. They’d all been looking for answers regarding an unusual mental condition and had found each other. He scrolled through past messages, trying to put together a concrete image of his friends’ personalities.
There was Iona, who adored birds and ended every sentence with an excessive number of exclamation marks. Her profile picture showed a young girl with short red hair wandering through one of those great northern forests, which Eowyn had taken to mean that she was an avid adventurer. Her presence online was somewhat erratic- sometimes she would send thousands of messages a day, sometimes there would be radio silence for weeks on end. She was often argumentative, mostly picking fights with Eowyn (which she always won). He was a little afraid of her, honestly.
When Iona was online, she would chat fervently with Mari. Mari was a rather quiet and soft-spoken girl who lived on a farm somewhere near Tampa. She was the only one to send pictures to the group chat- mostly outfits and cute pictures of the barn cats, as well as the occasional “Is this meningitis?” accompanied by a grainy photo of a rash. She adored emoticons, adding them to every message like her life hung in the balance. Her full name was Marina- She’d named herself after a famous singer, from which Eowyn had deducted that she probably had an apt knowledge of popular culture.
Then, of course, there was Hugo. He almost never came online and didn’t say very much when he did. His messages mostly consisted of little snippets of poetry or garbled symbols and numbers. The only image of Hugo was an overexposed shot of him climbing a large piece of industrial machinery, eyes half- open and short hair plastered to his face by rain. For whatever reason, it made Eowyn rather uneasy. He had never really got on with the guy- none of them had. Still, the chat felt empty without him and so he was an irreplaceable part of the group anyway.
A sense of camaraderie had quickly developed between the four, though whether it was the product of shared experience or good chemistry between them was unclear. They got on really well-so well, in fact, that he’d suggested that they take a road trip together. He’d offered to supply transport in the form of his van, and the others had chosen to bring food and money. Eowyn was sure that this was the right thing to do.
Only he knew the real reason for the journey. It almost made him feel guilty.
The caravan was small and thoroughly battered from years of its previous owners' abuse, but Eowyn had decorated it in such a way that it was charming and cosy. He had repainted the outside with whatever he could find in his garage- mostly blue, with red lines like veins on top and a black star on the roof. It probably wasn’t the right kind of paint, but he didn’t care much because the van looked good. Really good. The inside was tastefully decorated as well - soft carpets tacked down to the floor, cheap string-lights draped over weathered furniture, an old radio quietly playing 80’s music on the dashboard. There were two beds- one neatly folded into a sofa by the wall, draped in a thick blue blanket and the other tucked away under the front seats.
They’ll love it, he thought.
As and when they show up, of course.
He took a break from lamenting his friends’ absence and decided to watch the people passing by.
First was a tall blonde boy with very long hair, wearing a big winter jacket and turtleneck jumper. Not a smart choice, especially in the Florida heat.
Then a couple of slightly older men, one pretending to wield a gun and shouting enthusiastically while the other just smiled and nodded. They were shouting about some video game.
Then a girl with roughly cut brown hair, wearing a lab coat. She was carrying a vial of something blue. Behind her trailed another teenager with a sparkling necklace in her hand.
Weird people, but not who Eowyn was waiting for. He decided to sleep for a while. Maybe they'd be there when he woke up.
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Something hit the van with great force, making everything shake. Eowyn’s heart beat so hard that he feared it would burst. He pressed himself into the chair as hard as he could, fumbling for the gun in his pocket and praying that it was just the wind. It was not. The van jolted again, and the radio clattered to the floor. A voice yelled at him from outside- something completely unintelligible but clearly from a place of annoyance.
The radio chattered, crackled and stopped playing.
He sat in the seat for a good few minutes, anxiously fiddling with the gun’s safety catch, before deciding to get up and face whoever was outside. He crept towards the door, but halfway there his knees buckled and he fell. The door, he quickly discovered, was not locked- in fact, it was slightly ajar. It opened and he toppled backwards. He did not hit the ground, instead falling against the two people gathered outside the van, knocking them and their piles of luggage to the ground. One of them let out a squeal of annoyance. The other just sighed in a pained manner.
Eowyn pulled himself to his feet and leant against the side of the van. His heart was still racing, and something warm and wet was running across his forehead and into his eyes, but he still managed to get a good look at the pair he had knocked over. There were two of them- a small girl trying desperately to rectify her messy bangs and a taller redhead shooting him withering looks while she hauled the others’ luggage into the van. He just shuffled away from them and dragged an apologetic noise from his throat. His heart had not stopped racing, and his eyes burned with repressed tears.
Instead of dwelling on his fear, he decided to focus on the people. These were definitely his friends- the tall, lithe girl with the enormous hiker’s backpack was Iona. The short one wearing a cardigan so big it seemed to swallow her whole was Mari. And the one who had somehow avoided being knocked over, standing a few feet away and smiling lightly at him, was Hugo.
By this point, Eowyn had deemed himself calm and rational enough to talk without stammering. He greeted the others politely and offered to carry their bags into the van. The only one to accept the help was Iona, who seemed to feel that a great injustice had occurred between herself and Eowyn. She strode past him, walking nonchalantly into the van as if it was her own and mumbling something rude under her breath about “clumsy idiots”.
Mari stared at the cut on his forehead, a worried look on her face.
“Will it be ok? That could be a real risk for infection, and it’s bleeding so much...”
Eowyn tried to console her by spewing some nonsense about head wounds bleeding a lot and sepsis being very treatable if caught early.
Mari looked unconvinced but picked up her bags and hauled herself into the van nonetheless.
Hugo gently patted him on the shoulder and threw what he assumed was intended to be a pitying glance in Eowyn’s direction. It did not look very much like one. There were far too many teeth involved for it to feel remotely sympathetic.
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Eowyn drifted off to the bathroom with the intention of staunching the rapid bleeding from his head. Hugo followed him, saying something about ‘first aid training’ and being a ‘Perfect student’. On a typical day, he wouldn’t have let anyone, let alone his shady online friend, anywhere close to his injuries. However, Eowyn felt very tired and Hugo did sound really convincing so he just sighed and let the guy deal with it.
Thankfully, Hugo was not lying. The guy was a remarkably adept medic, taking time to carefully clean the wound. He did not whine when blood got on his fingers, nor did he scold Eowyn when he flinched. The only problem, Eowyn thought as he examined the neatly placed band-aid, was that Hugo had a hungry sort of look in his eyes the whole time. He also decided to pretend that he hadn’t seen Hugo licking blood off his fingers like a total freak.
It took a great deal of time to coax everyone to sit down. Mari seemed intent on checking herself for signs of illness or injury (there were none of any concern, but trying to convince Mari of this fact was a futile exercise). Iona didn't want to sit because it “ruined her aura”, and Hugo kept on looking at him funny. This was not a good start. It did, however, give him time to examine his friends properly.
Iona was clearly athletic- her long limbs were well-muscled, and she hauled heavy luggage around with alarming ease. Her red hair hung in two neat braids down her back, and her pale skin was peppered with freckles. She had well- defined cheekbones and small grey eyes which flashed with contempt whenever she looked at him.
This was in direct contrast to Mari, who had a far softer face and darker skin. Her eyes were a bluish colour, and her hair was light brown with cute blonde streaks. Any semblance of musculature was hidden under clothing, and she certainly didn’t look dangerous, but beneath her gentle eyes was something sharp and bitter.
Hugo was much shorter than Eowyn, with half-open warm grey eyes and little cuts and bruises all over his skin. Half of his dark hair was tied up behind his head by what appeared to be a bandage, and the rest fell in choppy bangs that framed a square face.
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“Right. What's the plan?” Two faces turned to look at Eowyn. One was already watching.
“Tampa to Missoula, yes?” Hugo spoke calmly with an unidentifiable accent.
“Yes. It's a very long journey. Many days, I think.”
“Right. Which of you brought dinner for tonight?” Iona was clearly irritated by such unproductive conversation. Mari reassured her. “I did. It's pastries.” “What kind?” “Meat and vegetable.” “What kind of meat?” Mari just gave a tired sigh in response.
The four ate in silence. Hugo finished quickly and sat watching Eowyn with that unsettling smile on his face. It was Mari who decided to break the silence.
“So, what’s the plan for sleeping?”
“There are two beds. The sofa folds out, and so do the two front seats-”
Iona was decisive. “Well, Me and Mari will take the sofa- bed. Won't we, Mari?”
Mari nodded quietly in agreement.
“The sofa bed is the most comfortable, and since we are, of course, the superior members of the party”-Iona threw a triumphant glance at Eowyn and Hugo- “we’ll sleep there tonight. Besides, I don’t want to share a bed with Hugo.”
Hugo just smiled at Eowyn.
Eowyn shivered.
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Eowyn excused himself from the table and set about preparing the van for night. He locked every door, put up curtains over the windows and tidied away food and baggage. While he worked, He thought about his friends. They’d bonded over being different, for sure, but some of this behaviour was a little too odd. Iona was a little... excessive. She was very loud and overly cocky, which he did not like. Mari seemed to be rather anxious around her health- he'd seen her fret over a rash that was an unusual colour, then over a slightly inflamed scratch. Hugo, of course, was a little unsettling. Even now, he could feel the guy’s eyes boring into the back of his spine. He briefly considered turning around to object but quickly threw that idea to the wind. Telling people off had never been his strong point. Besides, Hugo really didn’t seem like the type to listen to anyone’s words.
Still, he couldn’t deny that he liked the group. They were the only people like him he’d ever met. The only people that shared his not- so – human urges. Of course they were going to be a little odd. He smiled like an idiot at the thought.
“Ayyyyy-Ohhhhh-Wynnnnnn! ". Eowyn turned around to see that Hugo was carrying their bedding, looking at him with that odd smile. “Thanks... Hugo.” Hugo looked delighted and quickly set about making the bed. Eowyn disappeared off to the bathroom to get changed, passing by Mari and Iona who were somehow already asleep under a mountain of blankets and duvets.
He stared at himself in the mirror- his long greasy curls, hollow grey eyes and pale, angular face. Blueish veins barely concealed beneath dull skin. Body peppered with insect bites and spots. He was not an attractive person by any measure- in fact, he came off more so as uncanny. Not entirely human. On normal days, the irony of such a thought would have, at least, earned a chuckle or a wry grin. Today had not been remotely normal, so he just sighed wistfully, changed into his pyjamas and pushed the thoughts to the back of his weary mind.
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When he went back to bed, Hugo was lying flat on his back and staring calmly at the ceiling with his arms crossed over his chest like a corpse. His hair sat around his head like a dark halo, and his eyes were half-open with very constricted pupils. “Hugo?” The man did not respond. “Hugo? You good?” Hugo sat up immediately like a dog hearing a whistle and turned to face Eowyn. The sudden movement made him jump. “Sleep now?”
He somewhat reluctantly climbed into bed, and Hugo settled back down with a large sigh. Eowyn just lay calmly, turning his back to the other and trying to ignore the goosebumps creeping up his neck. He could hear the soft rhythm of the girls’ sleepy breathing from across the van. Hugo did not seem to breathe at all.
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Eowyn woke up at about 2:35, according to his phone. He felt very thirsty, and his head hurt. God, it hurt. He rolled over to look at Hugo, only to find him wide awake and staring right at him with that awful smile on his face. It was decidedly terrifying. Eowyn’s breath caught in his throat. He tried to kick at Hugo, but his limbs refused to cooperate and the two of them just ended up tangled uncomfortably amongst the blankets.
(“Whu wuzzat foooorrr?”)
(“You were staring at me! All evening! And probably while I was sleeping! That isn’t normal!”) Eowyn struggled to keep his voice to a whisper. ("It's a wonder I hadn’t done it sooner!!”)
(“But you're soooooo interesting...”)
There was something of a laughing tone in Hugo’s voice.
(“This isn’t funny, you bastard!”) He tried desperately to writhe away. Hugo did not seem to care, judging by the way he was giggling like a maniac.
(“I swear to God, Hugo, I-”)
Hugo turned to face Eowyn, staring dead into his eyes, faces barely apart. He smiled sweetly.
(“I waaant to know everything about youuu, Eowyn~”) That was the last straw. Eowyn kicked Hugo very hard in the ribs, throwing him into the dashboard. Hugo did not retaliate.
“Hugo, if you pull that bullshit again, I will seriously make you sleep on the floor!”
He made sure to stress the seriously so that Hugo understood that he wasn’t joking.
Eowyn wrested the duvet from Hugo’s grasp and buried himself under it. The other guy was still laughing in an obnoxiously grating manner. So much for him being quiet.
By this point Eowyn was far too tired to try and shut the other guy up, or even to get up and quench the thirst that had woken him in the first place, so he just covered his ears and prayed that Hugo would shut up sooner rather than later.
His prayers were answered when a rather irate Iona punched the man in the stomach.
{end of chapter one!}