[BL] Trick or Treat!

Eyeshine

by Zaiakuma

 

Premise Tags: Cryptids, Paranormal,

Mystery, Nonlinear Narrative,

Flashback, Long-Distance Relationship,

Camping, Possession, Secret Society.

Content Warnings: just horror genre.

 

 

For the record, Nico had most definitely had prior commitments – prior engagements, so to say. But as ever, Nico’s friends seemed to think that Nico did not have much of a social life outside of them and work. It might have seemed like that, yes, but that was not the truth – not the entire truth, at any rate. Nico did have friends, though he had not met all of them in real life, or even face to face at all. He also had a boyfriend, with whom he had intended to play online games over the weekend.

Long-distance relationships were hard, especially those that stretched across not just distance but also multiple time zones. Because what was just 7 p.m. to him was already way past midnight for Alex. As such, Nico generally tried not to drag things out whenever they talked, despite really wanting to do so. Because unfortunately, much like him, Alex had a job to go to, and unlike his, it was a fairly good one as well; good enough to move halfway across the world, apparently.

Nico had been the one to drive him to the airport. About six months had passed since then. Six months, five days and seventeen hours, to be more specific. It would have been more, had the flight not been delayed due to a storm. At the time, Nico recalled wishing that Alex’s flight would end up getting delayed indefinitely; that it would end up cancelled altogether, and that Alex would see this as a sign that he should stay. But what would he be staying for, honestly – besides Nico, that is? His family had apparently made it quite clear that they wanted nothing to do with him unless he agreed to change his sinful ways.

Not that most of Nico’s own family had taken the news much better, but their reactions had certainly been less inflammatory.

In any case, Nico realised then as well as now that it would have been selfish to ask Alex to stick around merely for his sake – the job offer had been good, much better than anything he had ever dared hope for, probably. Nico had a job, sure, but while it paid the bills, it was certainly not something Nico would miss if he ever did get a better offer.

Hell, at this point, if Nico suddenly received a decent-sounding job offer from abroad, he would take it. It did not even have to be in Finland, just closer to it.

Finland sounded like such a strange place. Good schools, allegedly. Strange cuisine, weird candy, strange customs, cold. Similar to Canada, allegedly, but full of people that said little, kept a respectful distance and rarely ever looked one another in the eye. Nico found that he could relate to that, sometimes.

“Come on, Nico. Lighten up! Who’re you texting? Give me that!”

With practiced ease, Nico dodged Maddie’s attempts at taking his phone. “No one. I’m reading a story. Screw off.”

Still laughing, she tried again. Nico resolutely pushed her away.

“Niiiiicoooo,” Nate trilled from the driver’s seat. “Is that any way to treat a lady, much less my girlfriend?”

Nico scoffed. “If you’ve got a problem, then let me out. There’s a bus stop right up ahead.”

Helpfully, he pointed it out to Nate, who made a face. His girlfriend made an even more exaggerated face. In the passenger seat, Leo turned around to point his cell phone at them.

“Are you filming?” Nico asked, already fairly certain of the answer.

“I’m live-streaming actually,” Leo said. “Won’t you guys smile and wave to the audience?”

With practiced ease and great enthusiasm, Maddie did so. Nico meanwhile pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering if it would be worth the risk to make an escape attempt at the next traffic light.
 
“So yeah,” Leo said, turning back around, speaking not to them but to his other live audience. “That was Maddie and Nico, and as you probably heard, Maddie’s already taken, but I’m happy to announce that Nico’s single and ready to mingle!”

Nico wasn’t single. And he was getting ready to strangle, honestly. “Screw you, Leo, I’m in a committed long-term relationship. The only single ready to mingle in this car is you!”

There was a scandalised gasp at that, followed by peals of laughter. Leo, far more amused than offended, readily moved on after that, narrating their trip and where they were headed while responding to questions and other comments from viewers. Apparently, quite a few people were watching the stream. Considering the date and the time of day, did they really have nothing better to do? Then again, Leo did like to boast about having a significant international audience, so it might just be related to that.

With a sigh, Nico looked out the window at the scenery passing by. Once Maddie was distracted enough, he would have to quickly type up a message for Alex and explain that he would not make it tonight. Alex would hopefully understand. He too had after all had experience with the Maddie-Nate-Leo trio’s boundless enthusiasm and seeming inability to take no for an answer.

To think that it had been six months already. Six months, five days, eighteen hours and fifteen minutes. Even so, while distant, some memories remained vivid; the feel of Alex’s body pressed up against his, the feel of his arms hugging him tight, the feel of his lips pressed up against his own. The feel of Alex’s warm hands, of his fingers carding through Nico’s hair. The people over at the airport had stared, with greatly varying degrees of warmth.

‘Time sure flies,’ Nico privately thought, leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes.

 

🎃🎃🎃

Every story had its beginning, and theirs was at Nate’s family’s lakeside cabin. It had not been their first meeting by any means, but it had been the one that really mattered.

Nate had insisted that they – Leo and Nico – should come out for a weekend of hanging out and fishing over by the lake. Without consulting either of them, he had also invited Alex along. And, despite never having gone there or known any one of them for long, Alex had accepted.

That weekend had ended up changing his life; both of their lives.

 

🎃🎃🎃

 

“Hey, Nico? Hey, wake up!”

Nico opened his eyes, some part of him expecting to see the lake adjacent to Nate’s family’s lakeside retreat miles away from any sizeable outpost of human civilisation; no reception, no power grid, no nothing really, save for fresh air, beautiful scenery and unpleasant company. Because really, with friends like these, who even needed enemies?

But what met his eye was not that scenery but another altogether. There was a lake, sure, and a fair bit of forest as well, but it was one entirely unfamiliar to him. There was also reception, which Nico knew both from checking his own phone and from the sound of Nate and Leo walking about near the shore, still livestreaming.

This left Maddie and him to unload their tents and other supplies, because for some reason, Nate had decided that the weekend of Halloween would prove absolutely perfect for camping. Knowing Nate as well as the guy’s primary enablers though, Nico naturally knew that there had to be more to it. This was probably the location of some supposed haunting or mysterious incident, and Nico had likely been brought along for two reasons: To provide another pair of helping hands and potentially some comic relief. Because apparently every group needed one member to be the opposite of the rest; to cause some friction, making things more interesting for the audience, and probably to become the victim of some prank, knowing the people involved.

In any case, Nico would be sleeping in the car, and he would lock said car from the inside. Because going to sleep in a locked space only to leave Nate with a key to get in was just asking to get a bunch of dicks drawn on his face in permanent marker. And Nico was a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them. He finished off his message to Alex and hit send, then put his phone away as there was a startled squeak.

“Maddie, you need any help in setting up the tent?”

Maddie had not been there for that weekend. She had entered the picture sometime in the aftermath, inadvertently slipping into a position in the friend group that Nico was not even aware he had even had and much less vacated. She was a decent person though, whenever her enthusiasm did not get the better of her. Unlike Nate and Leo who were mostly in it for the entertainment, Maddie was a staunch believer in the supernatural, readily embracing any remotely appealing concept of the occult. As such, she had definitely found her element when Nate and Leo had decided to start some amateur paranormal research society, all in order to have some excuse to go around on road trips to attain some ‘tangible’ evidence of supposed hauntings.

Considering how mercilessly the pair had once taunted Nico for his own paranormal experiences, it was all quite ironic, really. Because there were creatures in the lake next to Nate’s family’s cabin. Nico had seen one, but by no means as clearly as he had felt it; sudden movement in water stirring up sediment, and clawed and webbed fingers closing around his ankle. It had not been some submerged branch or underwater weed, but rather a vicelike grip, jerking him downwards.

Even now, remembering it gave him chills. Nico had been so certain that he was going to die then, even after he had broken through the surface. He had been sure then, sure that it would just grab him again and pull him down under and−

Those eyes, those strangely fishlike eyes. He would never forget them, never forget how they gleamed with refracted sunlight before vanishing back into the murky depths. Nico had honestly not been able to get out of that water fast enough.

It was only years later – only last year, as a matter of fact – that something finally occurred to him; that the creature had let Nico go much like a fisherman threw back fish deemed too small to eat. Nico was obviously grateful that it had, because if not, then Nico would obviously have missed out on some things.

In any case, that particular close call had left him irrationally fearful of swimming in lakes, or really any body of water where the water was not clear enough. Over the years, this had earned him a fair amount of ridicule, from Nate among others. Worse yet, it had even resulted in a few allegedly well-meaning attempts to cure him – by means of exposure therapy, apparently.

And when Nate had pulled some of that shit during the supposed fishing weekend, Alex – normally quite aloof – had blatantly informed him that if he ever tried that again and Alex found out about it, then Alex would shoot him in both legs and leave him alone out in bear country.

Alex had grown up in a family of hunters. He was not exactly one to flaunt it, but he most definitely knew his way around guns. But while he was quiet, he was also kind. He had held Nico’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly once the story had come tumbling out of Nico’s mouth. He had also accompanied Nico when Nate – the bastard – had sent him out into the dark to gather more firewood. Together, they had seen the eyeshine from the lake; multiple pairs of eyes reflecting the light of their flashlights.

Alex’s words from that night; they still haunted him.
 
“You’re right to stay out of the lake. Those things can breathe on land, but they move slowly. As long as you don’t get yourself cornered, you can probably outrun them.”

It was sound and at the same time absolutely terrifying advice, uttered in the quiet yet steady and calm manner of someone who most likely had some experience. Nico, remembering clawed, webbed fingers and slimy fishlike skin and gleaming fishlike eyes, had taken those words to heart, notwithstanding the implications.

“Stay out of trouble,” Alex had told him, back at the airport. “Stay away from lakes and forests, especially after nightfall.”

It was sound advice. Nico had followed it religiously, followed it right up until now.

Nico was in his sleeping bag, staring up into the darkened car ceiling. The car key, fob included, was lying in the passenger seat. From the look of disappointment that had crossed Nate’s face when Nico had demanded it, Nico knew well that he had made the right decision to do so.

He checked his phone one last time. It was just past 2 a.m. now, and even later over where Alex was. Nico did consider sending him message, but ultimately refrained. Alex had probably gone to sleep hours ago. Hell, he might even be getting up for work soon.

‘I miss you’, he thought, putting the phone away and closing his eyes.

 

🎃🎃🎃

 

There was a tap on the window, startling him awake.

It was still dark out, so Nico could not help but be annoyed when he heard the muffled voices of Nate and Maddie and Leo. Mentally congratulating himself on having the foresight of turning down the brightness of the screen, he picked up his phone to check the time. “Ugh, 3 a.m.? What the Hell?”

There was another tap on the window, and Nico turned his head towards the source of the sound, noticing the shadowed outline of Nate.

“Niiiiicoooo,” the latter whined, like he had half a dozen times today already. “Unlock the car already. It’s cold out here.”

It honestly could not be that cold, and if it was, then the inside of the car could hardly be much better. Because yeah, it was a bit chilly now that Nico thought about it, but he had a sleeping bag and so did Nate. Why would the latter be here when he could be with Maddie in their shared tent? Not only did the pair have their own mats and sleeping bags, but they had the option of sharing body heat and whatnot. Was this just a ruse; an attempt to get Nico to unlock the car?

“Niiiiicoooo,” Nate whined. “It’s cooooooooold.”

Nico reached for the car key but paused midway through. His instincts screamed at him. Something was wrong.

Then his phone went off, and not just from some push notice but due to someone actually calling him. Aborting the motion for the key, he instead picked up the phone.

Then there was another tap, this one louder. It was also coming from behind him.

The phone was still buzzing. The number was withheld.

Nate and the others had to be screwing with him again.

Nico opened his mouth to tell them off when there was a loud thump of something – of someone – hitting the front of the car. He looked up, and in the faint light from the screen, he saw a body sprawled on top of the hood and a face pressed up against the windshield, and also−

The phone lay on the backseat, buzzing away, and in the light of the screen, Nico saw it; the unmistakable glimpse of eyeshine. Nate definitely had it, and Nico did not feel the need to check if it was the same with the others. He felt sick. He wanted to escape, but there was no way out. He was surrounded; trapped. He was−

The phone stopped ringing. Instead, there was the chime of an incoming text.

With trembling fingers, Nico picked up the phone to read the message. It was from Alex.

Pick up. Please.

There was another call. Moving mostly by instinct, Nico picked up.

There was silence on the other end – No, silence and static. Then there was a voice. It was female, and most definitely did not belong to Alex.

“Which is more important to you – your phone, or your life?”

The voice was unfamiliar, yet the accent proved vaguely familiar somehow. Thrown off, yet strangely compelled to answer, Nico did. “My life.”

In many ways, his phone was his life, or at the very least a very important part of it. He could obviously get another though.

“Well, that’s great then,” the voice said. “Aleksi, your boyfriend, saw what your idiotic friends were up to and decided to call in an expert. Apparently, I’m that expert. Also, I’m technically on break, so I’d rather get this over with quickly.”

Nico did not know how to respond to any of that. Was he even expected to respond? What was this?

In the background, Nate and the others – possessed as they apparently were – kept making noise, trying to gain entry. Strangely enough though, Nico found himself focusing less on them and more on the call.
Maybe this was all just some weird dream? Yeah, coming to think of it, this did seem quite plausible. Like, yeah, why would Nico go with these guys to some stupid and supposedly haunted location? And on Halloween of all days? For some random camping trip?

Huh. “This could just be a dream.”

It could also be a hallucination if those guys had added something to the food. This was, unfortunately, not an impossibility. Then again, neither was the whole scenario of those guys having actually managed to summon something really, really bad. Not that Nico would know of course. He was not an expert. Fortunately, he did seem to be on the phone with one.

“I’m honestly impressed though,” said the alleged expert. “Those damned amateurs really did it. Shame they probably won’t last the night unless someone breaks them out of it.”

Nico did not like the sound of that at all. Still− “How do I do that?”

“Well−” There was a snort on the other end, followed by slight crackling. “Depends on how much you’d be willing to risk for those friends of yours. If they catch you... yeah, you don’t want that.”

That, Nico could definitely agree with. He most definitely did not want that.

“So,” the alleged expert said. “I was thinking of sending you some additional protection. I’ve done this over similar distances before, so it should work. Your phone probably won’t be of much use afterwards though.”

Well, that did explain the whole question of which he treasured more – his phone or himself. “I’d like some additional protection, please.”

 

🎃🎃🎃

 

Nico slipped out of the car, phone running hot in his hand. The eyes followed him, and they were hungry; Nico realised that now, and the realisation made his chest tighten, throat constricting until it was much too tight to allow air to pass by unobstructed. He forced himself to remain calm though; to retain faith in his supernatural protection. He only had about seven minutes, according to the voice’s estimate. It was not much, but hopefully, it would be enough.

He walked, making use of the light from the screen to navigate in the dark. The camp was not far, but it felt like it was much farther away now than earlier in the night. There were perfectly understandable reasons though; Nate was stalking him, Leo watching, Maddie scurrying about in the dark. It was undeniably creepy – unbearably creepy even. Even so, Nico could not help but consider just how absolutely hysterical it would be if he actually managed to catch some of this on film and show it to them afterwards. It would serve them right, honestly.

Holding the phone, he walked. Running would have been faster, but Nico was obviously not about to risk stumbling and dropping his additional protection and potentially getting injured on top of it all. Because yeah, Nico was a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them.

 

🎃🎃🎃

 

The camp was in disarray, as though some wild animal had been rummaging through it. One thing remained perfectly untouched though; the Ouija board the trio had apparently started screwing around with the moment Nico had turned in for the night.

Grabbing a nearby blanket, Nico used it to cover the board, planchette and all. Then, slipping his phone back into his pocket, he lifted the board, careful not to touch anything with his bare hands.
Steadily, he made his way over towards the lake, steeling himself against the noises and eyes and shadows trailing behind him. They were saying his name though, whispering it over and over and over, and Nico had to steel himself to refrain from both looking and running. Eventually, he had made it to shore, and once he did, they seemed a lot closer to him. He took another step and then−

Something struck him in the head; a rock, and not a small one either. Apparently, one of these possessed idiots was apparently smart enough to figure out that while they could not get close to him, the same did not necessarily apply to inanimate objects.

Nico toppled over, falling forward. The covered board – somehow still in his grip – hit the water first, Nico falling on top of it. Blearily, he took in the sound of something breaking, but whether it was the board or one of his bones, he honestly could not tell. But what he could tell was that it was not good. Darkness was closing in, but even through it, he saw glimpses of it; eyeshine. Where was the light source though? Where was the−?

There was water beneath him, around him. The lake was shallow this close to the shore, but in the end, it mattered little. If he blacked out now, then it would be fairly easy for him to drown. But if he did not drown first, then he would undeniably fall victim to them.

But then, the light grew brighter. Nico could feel a strange heat vibrating against his skin. The phone?
The eyes watched him. Familiar faces full of strangeness sought out his own. But then, as if spooked, they all scattered. Vanishing back into the dark, they left Nico in the shallows to face whatever had appeared. Honestly, possessed or not, they were acting surprisingly in character.

Blearily, he thought: If I manage to survive this, then I’m definitely getting new friends...

His odds were not looking all that great though.

 

🎃🎃🎃

 

There was a bright light. It moved in front of his eyes, from one eye to the other.

There were also hands, voices, warmth, cold, and there was, most definitely some pain there as well.

“Looks like a concussion,” an unfamiliar voice noted.

Nico blinked, and as the light stopped stabbing him in the eyes, he blearily took in his new surroundings. He seemed to be wrapped up in some cloth and lying in the backseat of some... car? Not Nate’s though. The interior was completely different. The company also.

“Huh?” Not his most intelligent response, but given the pain in his skull, it was surprising he managed to say anything at all.

“You’re Nico, right?” a voice above him asked. Apparently, Nico was resting his head on their lap. Huh.

“Yeah?” he eventually managed, before promptly losing consciousness again.

 

🎃🎃🎃

 

Next time Nico awoke, scenery had changed quite a lot. He also felt significantly better and was able to sit up from the couch he had apparently been lying on without nearly passing out. Judging by the interior, he appeared to be in someone’s living room. Weird.

There was a window behind him, and he turned to look. There was someone out there in the yard, yanking at what appeared to be Halloween decorations.

“Oh good, you’re finally awake,” someone said, making Nico snap his head around. The voice proved vaguely familiar, belonging to a slightly rugged-looking man, standing there with two cups of tea in his hands. “If you hadn’t woken up by now, we’d had to drive you to the hospital.”

One of the cups was promptly given to Nico. Then the man took a seat in a nearby armchair, flashing him a slight smile.

“I’m sure you have questions,” the man said. “Not sure what to tell you though, except that your boyfriend is coming to pick you up.”

Nico’s heart skipped a beat. Then he resolutely reined himself in. “Boyfriend?”

The man’s lips quirked upwards. “Yes, ‘Alex’, wasn’t it? His flight should be landing in a couple of hours, so I’ll be sending someone from my team to pick him up.”

Team? “Huh?”

 

🎃🎃🎃

 

A couple of hours later, Alex was there. It was surreal, honestly.

It had been six months, six days, and sixteen hours. Too long. Much too long.

Alex did not say much, just hugged him tight for the most part. Nico was much the same though, although he could not muster up much strength to return the embrace.

It was strange, really.

“I nearly died, you know?”

“I know,” Alex mumbled. “It won’t happen again.”

That sounded awfully confident coming from someone that would likely not be sticking around. But Nico just sighed, burying his head into the crook of Alex’s neck, just breathing him in. He had missed this. How would he ever again survive without it? “When are you leaving?”

“In three days.”

Huh. “That sucks.”

“Yeah, it does,” Alex agreed. “I’d leave today if I could.”

Oh. Ouch? “Then what’s the delay?”

“The paperwork needs to be processed,” Alex said. “Even Satu’s people can only speed things up so much. Also, we need to pack.”

Huh. “Satu?”

“My partner, from work. You spoke with her on the phone.”

Nico pushed against Alex’s chest and Alex loosened his arms just enough to allow their eyes to meet. Nico wanted to ask about that earlier comment, but−

“I’m not leaving you behind,” Alex clarified.

Was Nico really that easy to read? Oh well.

Nico smiled. Then, gradually realising the implications, he sighed.  “I really need to start learning Finnish, don’t I?”

There was a huff of breath at that; an expression of amusement, but no further comment. Finnish was after all a notoriously difficult language to learn. But it would hopefully prove worth it in the longer term.

“So?” Nico said at last. “When were you planning on telling me that you hunt cryptids for a living? And that you work with some absurdly influential witch?”

There was a guilty shift at that. Good. Likely NDAs aside, the guy should feel some semblance of guilt. Speaking of guilt though− “What happened to the others?”

Alex snorted. “They’re fine, relatively speaking. Cuts and bruises and soreness from having been taken for a ride, but no lasting physical damage.”

Huh. “What about mental damage?”

“Well...” Alex actually smiled at that. “They seem to think that they might’ve accidentally drowned you out in the lake, and we – or the members of the local team to be exact – haven’t actually gotten around to correcting them yet.”

Hah. “Let them squirm.”

Nico was a lot of things. Petty was among them.

 

🎃🎃🎃

 

Nico was a lot of things. Stupid was not one of them – under normal, less stressful circumstances at least. Also, maybe it was because he no longer had his phone to serve as a distraction, and because the documentary he had picked for the initial leg of the flight had ended up featuring scenes and subject matter that brought recent events to mind. In any case, Nico ended up having a whole transatlantic flight to contemplate things. He also ended up kind of jet-lagged, but that was beside the point.

Alex was very quiet throughout the flight, and remained quiet even after their arrival at the Helsinki Airport. They got their remaining luggage, and after that, Nico followed Alex towards the exit.

A couple of minutes later found them getting into a car parked close to the exit.

The person in the driver’s seat was a blond woman. She was wearing sunglasses in spite of the skies being overcast. Nico stared at her from his place in the backseat, and her lips visibly quirked upwards in the rear-view mirror.

“That was a test, wasn’t it?” Nico said. Beside him, Alex noticeably stiffened, and that was really as good a confirmation as any.

The woman – Satu, probably – twisted around in her seat, thrusting out a hand in Nico’s direction. Nico felt vaguely tempted to slap it away, but then he grasped it, immediately feeling the strange energy running through it. She hummed mildly, thoughtfully, before finally letting go and turning back towards the wheel, turning the keys in the ignition.

In hindsight, it just seemed so obvious. Nico could have driven the car all the way over to the camp, picked up the board, gotten back in and then driven all the way over to the edge of the water and chucked the board in without facing much danger himself. In hindsight, doing anything besides that just seemed so... dumb.

“You lack experience, but you’ve got untapped potential,” Satu said. “They sense that, and so do I.”

Right. Nico opened his mouth to ask, but Alex squeezed his hand and resolutely shook his head. Nico asked anyway. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

There was a mild shrug at that. “Why do moths fly into fire? Why do fish chase after lures? If a lone firefly flew past you, then wouldn’t you want to catch it?”

Nico did not know how to respond to that.

“There are no fireflies over here,” Alex said, leaning forward to put on the radio. “Only glow-worms.”
Glow-worms?

“They’re a type of beetle,” Alex said, grabbing his hand and giving it another reassuring squeeze. “I’ll show you when we get home.”

Home, huh?

Nico smiled.

 

🎃

 

Author's Account:

Zaiakuma (SH).