Monsters in the Closet

The car hadn't even come to a proper start before the door had been flung open and River had dashed out, collapsing onto all fours as he attempted to do the impossible and force back the shift. When the feeling only grew stronger, he resorted to attempting to knock himself out, knowing that it worked a treat, however horrendous the process was to get there.

However, whacking his head against the ground was fruitless, proving much less useful than hitting his head against the sink had been the previous night. Every second he wasted attempting it was a second closer to transforming, and once realising that, he jolted up onto his feet and glanced around for the nearest place he could theoretically transform and be hidden from public view. Fortunately, they hadn't seemed to have escaped the vast woodlands that made up the area and while he didn't want to run off too far in fear of losing Josef and effectively losing any chance he had at a friend and a good life, he really didn't want him to witness what would happen next.

"...Don't follow me. I-I...I enjoyed meeting you, you were great," he nodded as he rushed in for a hug, making it as brief as he could without losing the genuine emotion he felt for the other. He figured this was the last time they would meet, of course, determined to run deep into the nearest forestland in order to avoid anyone stumbling across him and being torn apart in the process. With a last smile, he gathered as much strength he could to run at full speed into the woods, ignoring the branches and twigs that cut up his face in the process.
 
It was no surprise that Josef was left speechless, everything moving way too quickly for him. Frozen as he was tugged into a hug, the Russian only really came through when he was left alone on the side of a mountain. Despite the cold and the heavy snow that began to come down, Josef decided he would be an idiot and try to run after River.

"Listen, s-stop!" He called, trudging through the thick snow and branches as quickly as he could... which wasn't very quickly, evidently. "River, come back! W-What is happening?! Please talk to me!" He begged before wheezing, the cold and his general out of shape body disagreeing with him. "Fuck - can you hear me?! I'm not letting you out here to freeze!"
 
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It was only when he disappeared among the mass of (luckily) tall trees that the shift kicked in, his agonised screams that were provoked as a result not being dramatic in the slightest. The process of changing had always been painful and the memory of the pain hadn't dulled in all the years he was safe from transformation, yet he had failed to properly brace himself for it, making the abrupt pain of every bone in his body breaking without warning all the harder to deal with.

It was also fortunate for him that it seemed to be over relatively quickly, so instead of Josef being greeted with the sight of him mid-shift, the Russian would come face to face with a literal monster, standing well over 9 foot in height and, from the uprooted tree beside him, as strong as his formidable frame suggested. The all-black creature, unfortunately for Josef, had exceptional hearing, his head turning the moment he heard the Russian, which would be a good minute or two before he even arrived upon the scene.

Despite how much River liked Josef, the monster was hardly him. He didn't feel anything when his eyes fell on the human, despite a very brief moment of hesitation, during which the solid black eyes took in the smaller figure. Ultimately, the hesitation barely mattered, the monster immediately adapting an offensive stance and making a move to attack him. The only thing that stopped Josef from instantaneous death was the tree that got in the way, getting smashed to pieces in the process of blocking the attack, which elicited an angry snarl from the monster in response.
 
"Oh - Jesus fucking Christ!" He blurted in horror, stumbling back in the snow. Falling back, he scrambled back as best as he could before starting up to run once again straightening up. Through the heavy snow and the steep dips, Josef was struggling to keep on his feet while avoiding the monster that singlehandedly destroyed a fucking tree.

Unfortunately for Josef, he did shave his arm catch on a sharp rock, tearing at the skin on the top of his hand to his elbow, the cut pretty deep and leaving deep red to trail in the snow as he tried to run faster, hissing in pain.
 
Unfortunately for the other, the steady stream of blood marking out where he was running didn't help conceal him - though the monster could have sense d him regardless of the blood; it just made it a hell of a lot easier for it. With every intent to follow behind and tear the human apart, it would only be a second later that he stopped and turned direction, opting instead to follow the sound of several humans in the distance, their loud, booming laughter attracting him. It made more sense to go towards a group of humans, having the potential to feed off a few, than track down and feast off just the one.

What happened next wouldn't be remembered by River, though he could make an educated guess that things had gotten out of hand when he woke up in the snow, covered in blood. If it wasn't the sight that made him shiver, it was the fact he had been laying in the freezing cold for an indeterminable amount of time, completely naked, that would do it. He spent the next ten minutes tracking down the spot he had left his neat pile of clothes in, somehow managing to find them and, luckily, a small stream to clean himself off in.

His next point of action was to find his way back to the motel. He assumed the blood was Josef's, despite having no bodies to determine that given the complete lack of them, but he guessed the other followed him and paid the price for it. The grief hit him instantly, knowing that Josef was the only friend he was really going to make and, without someone looking out for him, River knew he wasn't going to get very far. He knew next to nothing about the world and had been reliant on Josef to teach him - and now he felt like all that had gone because of him, even though he really wasn't in control of what happened when he changed.

It wasn't difficult to find some charitable stranger to assist him. He found the small diner in no time and instantly, the waitress that had served him rushed over to see if he was alright. The boy was a state, the bruises from whacking his head on the ground now a dark purple and growing darker by the second. It made him feel dizzy and woozy, though he also knew the grief played a part in that. His only request was to be taken to the motel, ignoring her desperation to find him medical assistance. As nice as proper treatment would be, it would only land him in trouble when they dug deeper into his story and tracked down his parents. Instead, he trailed into the motel room, barely recognising the car outside as Josef's - and the truth only sunk in when he heard the other in the bathroom. The smell of blood wasn't unmissable, but the fact Josef was here was a good sign.

"...What happened to you? Are... you alright?" He attempted weakly as he wandered to the doorway, unable to hide the emotion on his face. "I thought-- I thought I'd never s-see you again, you have no idea how happy I a-am to see you here, Josef."
 
The next hour and a half - hell, perhaps more - was a blur to Josef. He had waited in the snow for quite a bit, biding as best he could, until both the heavy flow of blood and the cold motivated him to move. He was determined to live and while he was equally just as lost, he managed to at least wander back to his car.

The drive was miraculously successful despite him being half aware of his surroundings, half on the verge of passing out. Thanks to just how abandoned the small highway was, he had somehow only bumped the curb pulling into the motel which was enough to wake him up just a bit to focus and press into the motel room.

Once inside, he had actually collapsed on the floor for an immeasurable time from the lack of blood, laying there just for a bit to regain his consciousness and stop his dizziness.

Once the blood began to stop a bit, Josef immediately got up and was on the search for a miniature sewing kit a lot of old motels seemed to carry. He was in luck, evidently, because a small little kit sat in the corner of one of the drawers where the television sat.

That was about when River had come in, having been halfway through sewing up his arm, tears staining his face as he bit hard onto his lip to avoid the pain. He had friends who were hardened criminals, who had been in knife fights and car chases, but Josef wasn't a hardened person and it had always been easier said than done when it came to hiding his emotions, hence the soft sobs and whimpers that came from his lips as he forced the needle through his arm over and over again. He only paused once hearing the bathroom door open, immediately assuming it was the police and that he was fucked; that all the effort he made was for naught. To see River instead in just as a beat up state as him, he couldn't help but begin to full on sob as he pulled the other close with his one arm.

"I should be asking you the same," he eventually murmured once calming down a bit, keeping the hug for quite awhile. He only pulled away to finish up the sewing, trying his best not to show just how much pain he was in now that River was there. He had other scratches and cuts along his body that could use some bandage, too, which he realized he needed to add to a list of things to buy.

"Hold on, I... I have to finish this," he urged becore tying off the thread neatly, his face covered in sweat and tears as he checked over his handiwork.
 
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When River approached, he was almost certain that Josef somehow knew that he had been the monster and would recoil in horror at his presence. He was relieved in more ways than one, then, when he was pulled into a hug, that immediately comforting him. In no way would Josef willingly hug someone he thought was the monster that had scared him out of his wits. Eventually he would find out, of course. If River continued to head on the run with him and his transformations continued to take place, it wouldn't be long before Josef put two and two together, realising that the monster was appearing whenever River disappeared. That, however, was a headache for another day.

"Did someone hurt you?" He asked as he inspected the wound with a grimace, the sight of blood making him feel queasy, especially in the thought that he might have been the one behind it. He liked to disassociate himself from his transformed state, which was fair given he didn't remember a single thing and had no control over the actions. That said, he always found himself taking the guilt on when he discovered what he had done and who he had hurt. He detached himself, claiming the monster wasn't him, but he always took the guilt and blame on for the victims of his actions, if only internally.

"I... I'm fine. I...I think my brain is just scrambled a little, everything went blurry and... I just-- I don't know, really. I've spent years in confinement being drugged up, it's... not healthy, right? I guess I'm just a little unbalanced right now," he laughed weakly, eyeing his bruise in the mirror. "I guess I must have scared you-- stopping the car and running out like that. I... I'm sorry."
 
"It's fine - I'm fine. There was... I don't know how to describe it. It was... I don't know, I might have been just freaking out and going crazy. Just - I cut my arm on a sharp rock," he explained, babbling his words as he tried to keep himself from stumbling from the lack of blood. Instead he grabbed the closest wash cloth to soak up the blood to keep the sink from staining. Holding his head, he frowned the longer he took in the other. Grabbing another wash cloth, he moved to run it under cold water before squeezing it out and pressing it against River's head.

"I don't want to think or talk about this right now," he admitted in a mutter before moving to flop on the bed, wincing when his arm hit it. Nonetheless, he accepted the bed eagerly to try and get himself back to pumping blood. "I'm just glad you're alive. I thought you would have headed out and froze to death or something yet you're here. Listen, the next time you decide to freak out like that you should let me talk to you first. I mean, I can't handle the emotional roller coaster of that, aha..." he whispered, covering his eyes with his much better arm.
 
"...Okay. I'm sure I won't freak out again but... but you can talk to me next time if I do. I just panicked and felt hot and needed to get out," he murmured as he took a seat on the bed, emptying his pockets of everything the waitress at the diner had given him when seeing he was in such a bad state. It wasn't much -a handful of dollars, some butterscotch candies and a few plasters- but he appreciated the kindness immensely, eagerly reaching for one of the sweets.

"So when are we going to go? When your arm is better? I can try driving if you like?" He offered with a naive nod, glancing out at the car. "It can't be too difficult-- or we can get the waitress to help? She said she wanted to help me, I could ask her to drive us somewhere new. She was super nice. She gave me all this, said she'd bring by some food for lunch too 'cos she said we both needed to eat, so... we could always ask her."
 
"I'm not letting you drive nor are we getting that waitress involved," Josef replied easily without a second thought, going as far as to laugh at how ridiculous the suggestion was. "We're going to stay another night. Everything hurts right now and I think I might have sprained a few fingers too so... your parents aren't going to find us. If that waitress does come, I'll ask her to park my car somewhere further away so that if they see it that it was far enough for them to have at least some trouble finding their exact room.

"I'll be better in the morning. I lost a lot of blood, River, I can't just hop to my feet and head out. We still need to get you some clothes but I have enough for you to change into. You're covered in dirt and so am I, so I'll change later. Right now I just want to be able to rest a little, watch some television and whatnot."
 
His happy demeanour, in spite of everything that had happened, disappeared the very moment he was laughed at. He didn't realise his idea was a stupid one, being too naive to really acknowledge the idiocy of it, and even if he did realise that, he hoped the other might have held back on making it abundantly clear that River knew very little about the world. Being laughed at, even if it wasn't designed to hurt him, only made him feel incredibly insecure - how was he supposed to hold a conversation if anything he said might be considered daft and resulted in him being laughed at?

"...Don't laugh at me. I don't like that. How about I laugh at you for-- for slicing your arm open? It wasn't your fault but I could say you were stupid for tripping and laugh at you and that'd hurt your feelings, right? So don't laugh at me. I was trying to help," he muttered angrily as he glanced at the door, tapping his hands against his knees to control himself. For all he knew, his transformations might be provoked by intense anger, so calming himself down seemed a good strategy, however difficult it was.

"It's too quiet, let's watch TV," he decided as he leaned to turn the small television on, smiling quietly. "I know I say silly stuff but I'm only making suggestions, Josef, I... I feel useless letting you decide everything."
 
"You're right, I shouldn't have sliced open my arm. I should have been more careful running from something that probably didn't even exist. I mean, withdrawal can do some fucked up shit to you, right?" He replied, sighing. Peeking an eye open, he looked over at the other.

"I know you were just being helpful. Yeah, turn on the television, I agree with you - it's far too quiet," he nodded. "Turn on some cartoons, you might like them. Not to loud, though, I don't want to get a headache - fuck, we should pick that up, too. The painkillers, I mean. We seem to get beat up a lot, might do us some good."
 
"...You were running from something?" He questioned nervously, even if he knew without a doubt what the other was referencing. He had hoped, only slightly, that there was a possibility Josef hadn't seen the transformed state, though his remarks all but confirmed that he had. It was probably for the best that River not even mention the 'monster', but he didn't like seeing Josef think he was crazy. Establishing that he had also seen something would relieve the other of that, however utterly stupid it was for him to bring it all up.

"I saw something-- in the woods, I mean. I... I thought I was hallucinating. I didn't see much but... but it wasn't an animal, it was too big and... and I hid so it didn't see me, but... but it looked like a monster, but-- but I thought it wasn't real, but you said you were running from something, so... did you see it too? What did it look like?" He murmured, not having to fake his curiosity. He hadn't actually heard descriptions of what he looked like in that form, other than he looked like a monster, which was hardly descriptive enough to be helpful. "...It was scary, right?"
 
"For starters, it was huge. Must have been taller than most of the trees," he began, not admitting to his occasional instances of hyperbole. "It was black and... and had giant teeth. It looked hungry and so I bolted. I heard it run away towards some people who were listening to music in the other direction so I didn't stick around to see what happened," he explained, sighing in relief to learn he wasn't hallucinating.

"How didn't you see it?" He laughed in disbelief. "I... don't know what it was but I know that we'd probably just be considered crazy if we hypothetically called the cops - not like we could," he reminded sternly. "... well, unless we find a payphone. Then perhaps we could but... it doesn't matter. I don't want to think about it much longer."
 
"I told you, I was hiding. I... don't want to talk about it either," he smiled weakly, holding his knees to his chest as he fixed his attention solely onto the TV. Even if some elements were hyperbolic, it was still enough to make the boy hate himself more than he already did. He had successfully scared his parents enough to lock him in a basement for years, and now he had already started to scare the only person he could call a friend. The only good thing was that he hadn't been discovered as the monster yet, but he could only imagine that when that was revealed, he'd be treated like his parents treated him: with abhorrence, fear and disgust.

"Maybe we're both hallucinating? Who knows," he shrugged with a quiet chuckle, returning to counting the cash out. It was only around six or seven dollars, but that was more money than he had ever had before in his life. "I can buy some snacks or something with this-- maybe I'll buy you a meal when we go for food next."
 
"There's a vending machine a few rooms down, maybe you can get us something quick to eat if you're really hungry," he suggested quietly. "It should be enoughto even get something sweet, yeah? Treat yourself. If you need more money, I got you," he reassured before rummaging through his pocket, holding out a pocket knife.

"Hold this, yeah? Just in case someone tries to start something. It's only a few rooms down, yeah? Shouldn't be a long walk but you can never be safe," he reassured, offering a smile of reassurance. "God... I'm just glad you're safe, River."
 
"I'm glad your safe. I only have a few cuts and bruises, you-- you could have died!" He emphasised with a nervous smile, rubbing his arms absently to ease the pain. He was in agony, understandably after the shift he had to go through, but communicating how badly he hurt would only arose more questions; ones he just wanted to avoid to prevent accidentally saying something he shouldn't.

He had no idea what a vending machine was, but if it got him out of the room to get his composure back and provided him with a few snacks to keep his energy up, he was happy to head out and investigate it for himself.

"I'll be fine," he insisted as he stared in horror at the knife, reluctantly pocketing it just in case something did occur. He could hardly defend himself all that well with body force and his fists alone, after all. Clutching the handful of notes tightly, he offered another smile to reassure whatever worry the other might have about him before heading out to examine the vending machine for himself.
 
The quiet of the practically empty motel parking lot was eerie to say the least but the sudden snow storm certainly didn't help with the uncomfortable ambiance. Unfortunately, Josef was oblivious to the strange vibes that seemed to surround the place, and instead was sleeping peacefully... or rather, he passed out.

It was lucky that the storm hit. After all, River's parents would have noticed Josef's car. Instead it was almost too difficult to see even in front of them let alone anything on the side of the road.
 
It was true that the couple failed to notice the car sat outside the motel despite driving past it slowly to check. The storm concealed their vision enough to protect the two from discovery... albeit for an additional half hour. They had spent most of the day scouring the woods and the latter part driving around, stopping at shops and the gas station for any clues. Eventually, their search led them to the nearby diner and, because of River's interaction with the young waitress, gave them the exact location of the duo, right down to the room number River had obliviously confessed to her.

Neither Graham nor Mary wanted to hurt Josef, but they had prepared with them a gun nonetheless, just in case they needed to force the other to hand River over. Neither of them were going to use the gun, of course; they really didn't think it would come to that. They believed at this point that Josef was aware of what River was - the news of the murdered group in the woodlands had already reached the ears of many in the area, and it didn't take River's parents long to figure that their son was behind it. They could only guess that Josef was aware of who was the cause. Either that, or the poor boy was already dead - a possibility they reluctantly had to consider.

River was at the vending machine when his parents arrived, too busy trying to work the buttons out to notice them inching the door open to the motel room and slipping inside. They only saw Josef, of course, passed out on his bed and, checking every room, Graham let panic take over when no sign of River could be found.

"Where is he? You-- You tell me right now where he is, Josef. I... I don't want to use this," the man exclaimed as he nudged the boy awake, shakily holding the gun out as his wife tugged at his arm, clearly desperate for him to put it down in case an accident occurred. "We-- We want our son, where is he?!"
 
He didn't expect to be woken up to the stressed expression of two people he had become to enjoy, somewhat because he didn't even realize he had fallen asleep. When faced with the barrel of a gun, he sat up quickly with a growing frown.

"N-No way. You both are monsters for the way you treat your son. H-He's skinny and weak a-and... can barely walk without swaying. Why? Whyvthe hell are you doing this to him?!"
 
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