Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She was late. The house rating competition was going to start in an hour and Shelby wasn’t here. Neither was Scott. Panic surged through him, and Avid tried to stamp it down. Maybe she just went to explore again? She did that last night. Yeah, that…that made more sense. Still, he worried. Looking around, he saw the perfect person to call over.

“Owen! C-can I talk to you?”

The lumberjack walked over. “Yeah?”

Avid swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. Something about Owen just felt off to him. 

“Uh, do you know where Scott is? You…you and Pyro went out with him and only you two are back…”

Owen hummed. “Ah. Yeah, he said he wanted to take a different way back.”

What?! 

“And none of you found that to be suspicious?!”

Owen glanced away, slight embarrassment on his face as he raised a hand to the back of his neck.

“I thought he’d go straight here. To be honest, I’m surprised he’s not back by now…”

Oh god. That wasn’t good. That wasn’t good at all. 

“He- He could be anywhere, and Shelby’s gone too. Oh god what if she's with him?! She might be hurt, or..or...”

Or worse, he didn’t say. Didn’t want to say.

Owen rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Oh god, don’t say Scott murdered her again or something.”

“I wasn’t going to say that! I just-” Avid began to pace. “I need to find-”

“Who’re you looking for?”

Avid screamed, twisting around. Scott was standing there, an armful of logs in his hands, and a sly smile. Owen chuckled, and Avid sent him a sharp glare before turning back around.

“S-Scott, heyyy. W-what are you doing here?!”

“Uhh, Shelby told me to get some wood to fix our floor. Duh.” Scott said, jostling the logs.

Avid eyed him. “I thought you said you didn’t do manual labor?”

“I typically don’t, but I want our house to look nice for your stupid contest.”

Scott began to head towards his house. Avid tensed. This was it, if Scott really was a vampire then the silver block would stop him from getting anywhere close. Scott moved closer, walking right up to the door and trying to-

Wait. What?

He took a step back. “H-how?…”

That..that shouldn’t be possible. Scott shouldn’t have been able to get to the front door, silver was supposed to stop vampires. That was just a fact. 

Scott glanced back at him. “What? Am I not allowed to go inside my own home?” 

“I- you..…nevermind.”

Scott clicked his tongue and looked away, shifting awkwardly as he tried to get the door open. Moving from his side, Owen stepped towards Scott, offering a hand and taking some of the logs.
“Here, let me help you.”

“Aww, thank you Owen! Nice to see that someone-” Scott shot a glare at Avid. “-has manners around here.”

“H-hey! I do too!”

Scott rolled his eyes. “Sure you do. Last I checked, people with manners don’t accuse others of murder.”

Avid nodded, eyeing him warily. “Uh-huh, yeah, sorry. Hey, speaking of that, where's Shelby?”

“God, shouldn’t have said anything.” he heard Scott mutter.

Scott, with a roll of his eyes, gestured to the path that led to the lake. “Said she was getting sand. We’re going to have fancy glass windows. Unlike you peasants.”

That did sound pretty nice. But glass was easier to break than wood, and resulted in a lot more shards. A good idea in theory, but not in practice. Although, looking at the house, maybe they should work on the roof first. That was a serious hazard. Honestly, they were exposed to the elements and anything, or anyone could enter through it!

Owen coughed.

“Well, uh, I’m gonna go. Sausage wanted me to get some last minute stuff for the contest.”

Avid glanced at him. Oh. That’s right. He did call the man over suddenly to ask for his help.

“Ah, sorry, good luck with that!” 

“Goodbye Owen.”

The man nodded, and walked off towards the other side of town. He needed to keep an eye on him later. Turning towards Scott, Avid stared him down.

“Listen, you better be telling the truth about Shelby going to get sand. Or else-”

“Or else what?” Scott smiled, leaning casually against the wall. “I told you the truth, go find her if you don’t believe me.”

“Yeah, w-well, I might just do that!”

Avid marched towards the gate, stopping when he reached it. Turning back to Scott, he signaled that he was watching him, a glare on his face. The man merely smiled and gave a little wave. God why did he have to be such a cocky jerk?! He was planning something, Avid knew it! And he was going to figure out wha-

“Um, Avid could you-”

He yelped, turning around to the gate.

“S-Shelby! How uh…how long have you been standing there?”

She looked at him oddly for a second, then smiled. “I just got here, but uh…do you mind?” 

She held up her hands, each of them carrying a bucket of sand. Oh. So Scott was telling the truth.

“Yeah, sorry just a second-” He fumbled for the gate latch, swinging it open so Shelby could get inside the town. 

“So, you guys making glass windows?”

Shelby smiled. “Yeah! It’s gonna look so nice, I’m looking forward to it! Scott said people are gonna be so jealous, but honestly I think other people have way better houses than us, so they shouldn’t be.” 

He must have made a face when she mentioned Scott, because Shelby’s smile fell.

“Avid…Scott’s not that bad of a guy once you get to know him. Just…maybe give him a chance?”

He didn’t want to. Avid didn’t like Scott, and Scott didn’t like him. They both made that perfectly clear. He’d be civil to him yeah, but he wouldn’t go out of his way to be friends with the guy. Being friends with a vampire never ended well. Still, this was Shelby asking him. And he didn’t want to make her upset.

“I…I’ll try, Shelby.”

The tension seemed to ease out of her, and her smile felt more natural.

“I appreciate that.”

Turning away from him, she walked towards her house, towards Scott. 

He called after her, “A-Anyways, good luck!. Don’t forget, contest starts in less than an hour!”

Hopefully it would go well.

******

Avid slumped down in his chair, exhausted. “Well that went…”

“Horrible?” Drift suggested. 

Avid winced. “Yeah..I- I just wanted everyone to get along, and this contest was supposed to help! I don’t understand what went wrong.”

Drift took a seat next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, your judging was biased and the way you scored the houses was….not the best.”

Avid groaned, putting his face in his hand. “It’s not my fault these people need to be educated on vampire safety!”

He felt Drift tense beside him, her muscles going taut. “Avid…maybe give it a rest with the vampire stuff?”

He looked up at her, eyes widening. “I- I thought you believed me?” His voice came out small, and he hated how weak he sounded. 

“I do! Somewhat. It’s just…” she paused. “It just seems to be stressing people out, y’know?”

She had a point. He saw the looks people gave him, how they rolled their eyes or scoffed, or looked at him like he was crazy. Even Shelby looked uncomfortable at times, and she was supposed to be his best buddy. Something was off about her today. It worried him.

“Avid?”

He shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts.

“Y-yeah?”

“Try and promise to take it easy with the vampire stuff?”

He winced. That was going to be difficult. He had managed a little bit during that trip into the forest, but that was only for an hour or so. How was he supposed to ‘take it easy’ with the vampire stuff when more and more evidence was popping up?! There were just so many things going on in town that he knew were because of vampires and it was infuriating that people didn’t realize! You could only apply logic for so long before holes started to form, before you found something you couldn’t quite explain. He needed them to realize that, needed to be able to protect them. But it seemed no one really wanted his help, nor did they realize the danger they were in. 

“Avid...” 

He sighed. “I’ll try.”

Drift raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not making a promise I won’t be able to keep Drift. I said I’ll try, and that’s the best I can do,” he said.

“Alright, if it’s good enough for you then it’s good enough for me.”

She stood up from her chair, an easy-going smile on her face as she reached out and pulled him out of his. 

“Now, how do you say we go and explore? We could search for some beacons, or those books Sausage was talking about.”

That did sound nice. They’d need all the protection they could get at this point, if he was right about vampires. But…

He winced, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, I think I might stay home tonight.”

Drift’s smile fell slightly, and Avid quickly added, “But, maybe you could see if Shelby wants to go? Get some of the other girls and make it a fun outing?”

The smile was back, and he saw a playful mirth in her eyes. Drift leaned forward.

“Sure you’re not scared?” she teased.

“N-no! I’m not scared, I’m a monster hunter, remember? I- I just want to fix up the place, make it a bit nicer.”

Partially true. The interior was lacking and he got some ideas from looking at the other houses during the contest. It would be nice to make this place feel a bit more like a home, a bit cozier. It would be nice to organize his thoughts while doing so. With how busy he was, he hadn’t had much down time. 

“Aww, Avid, that's so nice of you!” She slung an arm around his shoulder. “You’re the best roommate I’ve ever had.”

Avid chuckled. “Pretty sure I’m the only roommate you’ve ever had.”

“Exactly!”

The two laughed, and Avid removed her arm from him. He looked at her, face soft worry and concern.

“Just, be safe ok? And not because of vampires, but just…in general.”

“I will, Avid.” Her eyes softened.  “You be safe too, don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

“I won’t.”

And he wouldn’t have to, if everything went according to plan.

******

Avid watched as Drift left the house, and he waved to her from the window. He hoped she would have a good time. It would do them both some good, to be away from the other. As much as he loved her company, Avid could tell he was starting to get on her nerves, was affecting her with how stressed he was. 

Decorating would probably do him some good after all. Get his stress down.

Avid looked around, trying to see what could be improved upon. He liked how Sausage’s house had had barrels and more storage on the walls, so that was a good place to start. Their storage system was pretty cluttered and having extra space would solve that issue. 

He got to work, using some of the leftover lumber to create a shelving system for the barrels and chests to rest on. He wasn’t as skilled an architect as some of the other people here, but he knew a thing or two. After some time, and a couple of bruised thumbs from accidentally hitting them with the hammer, Avid was proud to see he had done a somewhat decent job. He put his hand on the shelf, testing its strength as he pushed down with all his might. It held. He sighed with relief. The last thing he wanted was for the thing to collapse once he started putting the actual storage on it. Ok, next task was to actually get some storage. He had used quite a bit of wood for the shelf, but maybe they had some extra lying around? He backed up, and paused. There people near the edge of town, could vaguely see them through the window. He got closer and peered through, eyes widening.

It was Scott, Owen, and Pyro. 

He didn’t like that. He knew Scott was a vampire, or at least highly suspected, and Owen’s story didn’t quite add up either. There was no way that man was older than 40, and the fact he kept appearing out of nowhere was just so ominous and creepy. Another suspect to add to the board. Considering the three had gone out the other night as well, Pyro was starting to become a suspect too. He didn’t like that Pyro had started spending so much time with them out of the blue, and it was obvious that something had happened between the three men.

 All of them were suspects. He just had to prove it.

 Avid waited, hovering by the window as he saw the group walk off towards the woods. 

This was it. 

Both Shelby and Scott had left, thankfully not with each other. He walked out the door and began making his way to their house. As he did so, his thoughts wandered back to the events of this morning. Scott had gone inside. That shouldn’t be possible. Silver was supposed to ward off evil. Avid desperately wanted to believe that it hadn’t worked, that possibly the silver had impurities that prevented it from working, or... or maybe Scott was too strong a vampire for it to work. 

That last idea terrified him. 

Shaking his head, he quickly looked around. He wasn’t sure who exactly had left to go out into the night, but he didn’t want any stragglers thinking he was weirder than he already was. 

The coast was clear.

Kneeling down in the soft grass, he picked up the placemat and froze.

The silver block was gone.

Fear coursed through his veins, and he felt his heartbeat pick up, his breathing quicken. That…that wasn’t good. When was it broken? It had to have been before he saw Scott, since that was when he walked in. But everything he’d read and seen indicated that vampires couldn’t touch silver, it hurt them. Maybe Scott was a special case, and broke it? But that was impossible since Scott didn’t even know about the block, the only people who did were him, Drift, Ren and…

Shelby.

A horrible thought appeared in his mind.

Scott couldn’t have broken the block, but Shelby could have.

But when would she have had time to? He saw her enter town, she couldn’t have broken the block then. Unless….what if she and Scott doubled back to avoid suspicion? It was a wild theory, but it was the only plausible explanation. Shelby was roommates with Scott, spent a good amount of time with him. The fact the two had been gone this morning was suspicious. And Shelby had been acting off since she got back, and had seemed nervous during the contest when he mentioned vampires. She’d never been nervous when he did that before.

That, combined with the silver being gone, painted a horrible picture.

Scott did something to Shelby.

Either he was taking advantage of her, she was his thrall, or….or she had been turned. One of those was worse than the other. The others were fixable. 

He just needed to get her away from Scott for a while, talk with her face-to-face. He needed to properly investigate what was going on with her.

And if his investigation bore fruit then…

He’ll figure out what to do as he goes.

Chapter Text

Avid didn’t sleep. Couldn’t sleep. Panicked thoughts ran through his head, keeping him up as he waited for Drift to return from the woods. He needed her, needed her calm rational mind to tell him he was blowing things out of proportion, that there was another explanation. Ok, think Avid. What would Drift do? He took a deep breath. She’d run through the facts.

He could do that. Just, try to put his anxiety aside and think logically. Yeah, he could do that. Maybe there was a better explanation? Maybe he just missed something? Yeah. Yeah. Avid took another deep breath, running through the events of today, or…technically yesterday in his mind. 

Fact number one, Shelby and Scott were both missing, then returned to town with one another.

Fact number two, Scott went inside the house.

Fact number three, Shelby defended Scott.

Fact number four, Shelby was uneasy whenever he mentioned vampires, despite never being so before.

Fact number five, the silver block was gone.

Fact number six, vampires couldn’t touch silver.

His breathing quickened.

Fact number seven…only he, Drift, Ren and Shelby knew about it.

He spun on his heel. This wasn’t working! All the evidence pointed to Shelby breaking the block, of Scott doing something to her. There’s no way she would just help a vampire!

Right?

He startled as the door opened.

“Avid I’m- woah, are you ok?”

He didn’t want to know what he looked like to prompt that response. A mess, most likely. He wondered if he had eyebags. There was a high possibility he did, with how shot his nerves had been recently. Any sleep he had gotten was either too short or filled with memories and nightmares. What would the appropriate response for this be? He didn’t want to worry Drift, but lying and saying he was fine or telling the truth would have the same result. 

“Could be better.” he settled on. “Just some nerves, you know how it is!” 

How he was.

“So, how’d the outing go?” he asked, perhaps a bit too forcefully considering the odd look Drift just gave him. He hoped she didn’t push him. Could see he didn’t want to talk about it. Thankfully, after a few seconds, the odd look vanished.

“It was relaxing, we found some of those books and just chatted.” she smiled at him “I’ve got haste now!”

Oh wow, that was a good book to have. Not as powerful as some others, but being able to move faster meant she could defend herself quicker with a sword. He was happy she had a good time, and he hoped the others did too.

“Drift? Was uh,” Avid glanced away. “Was Shelby acting odd when you saw her?”

Drift paused, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. 

“Kinda? I thought the trip was nice but she seemed pretty jumpy, kept rubbing her neck like she was nervous.”

He frowned. Was it truly nerves, or was she rubbing her neck because it hurt? Was she hiding a bite? He needed to find out, to get Shelby somewhere alone and truly speak with them.

“Ah, I know that look. What’re you thinking about?”

Avid blinked, looking up at her. “Just…worried.”

Drift sighed, moving closer to him. “About Shelby?”

Was it that obvious? Who was he kidding, he practically wore his heart on his sleeve. He wanted to ask Shelby what was wrong, to find the right words to say and the right time to do it. An idea occurred to him.

"Is it ok if I invite Shelby to dinner tonight?” he asked.

Drifts eyes widened. “Avid, that’s a great idea!” He smiled in response. It was a good idea. He's be able to ask Shelby questions without Scott there and she'd be able to calm down. It would just be the three of them, they were all friends. It would be fine.

"I just don't want her to be nervous anymore, with...everything going on." he explained. And by everything he meant vampires. Scott specifically. Drift seemed to know what he was implying because she looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s not nervous because of Scott.” she said.

“I-I didn’t say she was!”

“You didn’t have to.” she sighed, “You keep blaming him for everything wrong here.”

“I don’t blame him for everything.” Avid protested.

Drift gave him a look and he flinched.

“Ok, maybe I do, but I have good reason to!"

Drift sighed, her eyes softening as she placed a warm hand on his shoulder. “I get that you’re worried about her. You’re her friend, Avid but you need to remember that Scott is too. Yeah he’s…odd, but I don’t think he’d hurt her. If you keep pushing her about him, you might just end up losing her.”

His eyes widened. She was right. Drift was right and he hated it. He just…he didn’t like the idea of Shelby slowly drifting away from him. How they had started looking at him with a slight nervousness in her gaze. He knew it was because of Scott, and he wanted to ask Shelby about it but..

“I…you're right, Drift.”

She had a good point. He just needed to play it cool. Ask some questions about her and Scott, but make it seem casual. Do his best to try not to arouse suspicion. Yeah, he could do that. He could do casual.

Now to actually invite them for dinner.

****

“Hey, Shelby!”

She looked at him, and Avid couldn’t help but feel hurt at the slight nervousness in her gaze.

He cleared his throat. “I uh, was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with Drift and I? She said you were kinda stressed last night and I was thinking this might help? ”

A quick flash of guilt crossed Shelby’s face. “Sorry about that.” they apologized. “Dinner sounds nice. What were you guys thinking?”

“Do you like steak and potatoes?” he asked.

He hoped they did. The town had a lot of produce thanks to Cleo’s farms so Avid figured they’d better use it before it went to waste. But what if Shelby had gotten sick of potatoes since coming here? Should he suggest an alternative or-

His thoughts were interrupted by Shelby smiling at him. “That sounds nice. Do you guys want me to come over early to help or..?”

God, she was such a nice person. He hoped that never changed, that this town, or the people in it, didn't change her.

Avid shook his head, recovering from his anxiety. “No, you’re fine, you're the guest after all! Just uh, show up around 6?”

When did Shelby normally eat dinner, actually? Was 6 too late? People usually eat dinner around 5 or 6 so maybe it was fine. Avid just tended to eat whenever he had time or remembered to. Calm down Avid, it’s fine.

“Got it, see you then!” Shelby replied. He relaxed. See? Everything was fine. He was overreacting. Again.

He smiled with relief. “Y-yeah, see you then!”

Ok, step 1 inviting Shelby was a success! Now on to step 2; actually making dinner. Avid didn’t have much experience in cooking, but hopefully it would go well.

*****

God why did cooking have to be so stressful?! Wasn’t this supposed to be calming? To follow an exact recipe and watch it all come together? And yet Avid’s mind kept drifting to everything that could possibly go wrong, his thoughts spiralling as they dragged him deeper and deeper into the abyss that was his anxiety. He needed to focus, he was holding a knife for gods sake! Avid closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Everything would be fine. He just had to dice the garlic. Just had to prep dinner. Opening his eyes, he carefully put the knife to the bulb. 

Chop.

One slice done, many more to go.

Chop.

He could do this.

Chop.

This was easy.

Chop.

Dinner would go fine.

Chop.

But….what if Shelby didn’t show up?

Chop

What if Scott prevented her from leaving?

Chop

What if she changed her mind between now and dinner?

Chop.

What if-

“Ouch!”

Avid dropped the knife and yanked his hand back, hissing at the pain. Some of the skin on his finger was ripped open by the blade, crimson beads were forming upon it. Glancing at the knife, he saw his blood on the edge, staining the silver metal.

“Avid, are you ok?!” 

He winced. “I-I’ll be fine. Just need a bandage.” And to clean and get a new knife. There was no way he was using that one again. Thankfully he had a decent supply of medical gear, had come here prepared.

“Are you sure Avid? I can finish your work if you need me to.” Drift asked. Avid was already opening his medkit, grabbing the desired bandages.

“No, no, I got it! It’s just a little scratch.”

She nodded, face still holding concern. “If you say so. Just try not to get blood on the garlic.” she joked, returning to preparing the potatoes. 

Avid sighed internally. He didn’t want Drift to become worried about him as well. Tonight was about helping Shelby, not him. He grabbed a small bottle of disinfectant to clean the wound and hissed softly as he felt its sting. Putting it away, he grabbed the roll of bandages and ripped off a small piece, wrapping it twice around his finger. He took care to make sure it wasn’t too tight as to lose circulation. 

He needed to be more careful. He couldn’t afford to get hurt. The pain stung, but it helped him focus, gain some clarity. Grabbing a new knife, Avid resumed his work. Dicing the garlic wasn’t that bad, now that he was properly paying attention. The job was done soon after.

Avid carefully added the seasoning onto the steak. He didn’t want to add too much, didn’t want the taste to overpower the meal. If Shelby was a vampire, and he really hoped she wasn’t, hoped he wasn’t too late, then it would make them slightly sick. He didn’t want to cause her harm, but this was the easiest way to find out. If they denied the garlic, that was also cause for suspicion and if she got sick, then that was further proof. Of course, if she ate the garlic and wasn’t a vampire, then at least it would prevent her from becoming one. 

For tonight, at least.

“How are the potatoes coming along, Drift?”, he said, glancing over at her. She was standing by their small cauldron, a small pile of washed potatoes on the counter. 

“I think they’re good to be baked soon. It won’t be as good as we’re used to, given the limited resources, but it should still be edible.” she joked.

If they both didn’t mess up, he thought. He couldn’t mess up. Not just with the food but with finding out what happened with Shelby. He wasn’t the best at asking people things like this but… Drift was a detective, after all.

“Drift, I know you don’t believe in the whole vampires thing, but you agree that Shelby’s acting off right. Could you try and help me figure it out? Ask some questions?” he said.

Drift paused in her work, the tray of potatoes balanced in her hands. “I..you’re right that she’s acting odd, but it’s been two days Avid. It’s probably just regular stress, but-” she sighed “I am worried about her too, so I’ll help.”

Avid smiled. Good, one more person to help. Well, it was only really the two of them doing this, but still. It helped to have Drift be on board. 

****

A soft, repetitive knock on the door signaled the arrival of their guest. Avid hurried to the door, practically tripping over himself. Standing in front of the door, he smoothed himself down before opening it.

“Shelby, it’s nice to see you!”

It really was. Shelby looked a bit more at ease than she had this morning, and he was glad to see that. She looked happier too, a small smile on her face.

“Nice to see you guys too!” she said as she walked inside.

“Dinner’s still not quite done yet, so feel free to have a seat.” Drift explained, gesturing to the table around the corner. 

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” she asked.

“No, no we’re good!” Avid waved his hand for emphasis, and Shelby's eyes widened.

“What happened, are you ok?!”

Oh, she was looking at his hand. Avid turned it over, inspecting the bandage and was shocked to find it was slightly bloody. He didn’t think he had bled that much.

“I uh..accidentally cut myself while making dinner.” he explained. Shelby’s eyes furrowed in concern and a small pout appeared on her face.

“Avid...you need to be careful!”

“Sorry, sorry! I’ll do my best!” he promised. “How about we sit down while we wait, Drift’s got this handled.”

Shelby nodded, and the two turned the corner to sit at the table. He had gotten plates out for everyone, silver of course, it was the only metal they had in such abundance.

Shelby looked down at them. “Silver plates?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah, we have a lot of it around after all. And I don’t think wood plates would be quite as nice.” he explained.

He watched Shelby’s eyes widen in slight realization. “Ah, good point.”

Now was the perfect time to ask. Subtly, of course. “Speaking of silver, you still have that block I gave you, right?”

Shelby stared at him, and an emotion crossed her face, too quick for him to register. “Y-yeah, I still have mine.”

Lies. Avid saw it was gone with his own eyes. And if Shelby was telling the truth, if the block had been merely moved instead of broken, then Scott still would have been unable to go near the house. But he did. So why? Why lie? If Shelby knew Scott was a vampire, and she had to know at this point, did she suspect Avid knew she knew? A horrible thought occurred to him. Was Shelby….afraid of him? It seemed ridiculous, the idea of it. Avid knew he didn’t pose much of a threat right now, was more bark than bite with all of his talk about vampires and monster hunting. Did...did she think he might hurt her? Or Scott? He would never hurt Shelby, not intentionally, would never dream of it. And while Scott was most certainly a vampire, Avid hadn't done anything to him. Yet, that is. But still….the capability to cause harm was there. And Shelby must have realized that. 

“That..that’s good” he weakly replied. The two sat in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. Should he speak up? Call her out on the lie? But wouldn’t that make her more defensive? After all, Shelby didn’t know he snooped around her house and wow that would be a concerning thing to admit. He didn’t want her to think he was weird too. But he should say something, to clear the awkward tension in the air. 

He coughed. “Shelby, I-”

“Alright, potatoes are done!” Drift called from the other room. “Avid, can you get the steak?”

He nodded, getting up from his seat and retrieving them from the other room. Drift was holding the tray of potatoes and wow they looked good. Golden skins glistened in the light and Avid felt his mouth water. He wasn’t much of a big eater but this was a meal he was looking forward to. Carrying the tray of steaks, the two brought them to the table and took their seats, Avid across from Shelby and Drift on his right.

“Let’s eat!” Drift said.

Avid carefully grabbed a piece of steak, bringing it to his plate. He saw Shelby do the same, but a bit more hesitantly.

“Hey Avid?” Shelby asked.
“Yeah?”

“Um,” they poked at their steak. “What’s on this?”

Why was she asking? Did they suspect something was up? He took a breath. Calm down Avid, it’s just a question. He waved his hand, trying his best to keep a casual tone. 

“It’s garlic. Classic seasoning for steak, after all!”

Shelby glanced back down at their food again. “Ah, right.”

She brought her utensils down, fork stabbing into the meat. The knife sliced into it, oozing some of the red juices. He watched with bated breath and she raised the slice to her mouth, eating it..

No reaction. No grimace, no trying to spit it back up. They actually ate it. 

She wasn’t a vampire. 

Wait, no. It was too early to call that. Maybe they were good at hiding it? He hated the idea of Shelby hiding something from him, but she clearly was. He’d have to keep an eye on them then, just in case there were symptoms. Shelby looked at him oddly, tilted her head ever so lightly, and he realized he was still staring at them.

“Ah, is- is it any good? I haven’t prepped steak like this in a while.” That was a good save, right? Play it off as anxiety about the food and not about their questionable vampiric status? Yeah.

She smiled. “It is! You’re gonna have to give me the recipe sometime.”

“I hope you like the potatoes as well. I wish I had more seasonings here, it’s not as flavorful as it could have been.” Drift added, spearing a piece of it on her fork.

“I’m sure it’ll still taste good!” Shelby replied.

****

Dinner felt normal. The three were chatting and laughing like nothing was wrong, nothing had changed. And yet a sense of unease grew in Avids gut. 

“Oh, Shelby, I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s having Scott as a roommate?”

Good, Drift was asking about him. Shelby would have been a bit suspicious if he had. Understandable given how he treated Scott, but it still would have hurt. Shelby looked up mid-chew at Drift, pointing to her mouth. Shoving the steak to the side of her mouth, she replied,

“Pretty good! He’s been helping out a bit more around the place, which is nice.”

“He said he was an insomniac right?” Avid added. “Is that ever annoying?”

Like having to deal with him walking out in the middle of the night to feed. Or worse, feeding on her. Shelby paused, and that odd expression was back again. Then it vanished, as if it was never there.

“Not really?” they shrugged. “He’s pretty quiet honestly.”

“Oh wow, that must be nice.” Drift said. She gestured to him, “Avid over here snores pretty loud.”

Avid whipped his head around to face her. “Wha- I do not! 

“Yes you do.”

He crossed his arms. “I do not snore, you’re probably just waking yourself up.”

Drift’s eyes widened in mock offense. “Avid, are you suggesting that I, a lady, snore?”

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.”

Avid heard a soft giggle and glanced across the table. Shelby was looking at them with a soft, genuine smile, laughing. His eyes widened, and he smiled and laughed a bit too. It was nice to see Shelby smile, and even if it had only been a day since he’d seen her do so, it felt like a lifetime. He felt himself smile too, a soft chuckle leaving him. Soon, all three of them were laughing, and he found himself enjoying the peace it brought him. This felt normal. The laughter died down, and as they regained their breath, Shelby looked around the room.

“I’ve been meaning to say, I love your guys’ house. The storage shelves are a nice touch.”

Drift smiled. “You can thank Avid for that, he worked on this while we went out last night!”

Shelby’s gaze flicked to him. “You did a good job with it, then! I wish Scott and I had this much space in our house.”

“I mean, you could always expand?” Avid suggested, doing his best to hide a wince at the mention of the man. “But uh, thanks, I got some ideas from seeing people's places during the house contest. Speaking of, what’d you think of it?” he asked. 

They paused, a hesitant expression on her face. “It was okay,” she said. “It was nice seeing everyone's houses, they’re all so cool! But uh..” Shelby glanced away from him for a split second. “I think you went a bit far with the vampire thing.”

Avid shot a glance at Drift. She had said the same thing. Did he really come off that strong? “Maybe I did, but..” he trailed off. Was he allowed to talk about vampires? Drift told him to tone it down. But Shelby mentioned it first so…

“I just want people to be prepared in case something bad happens,” he explained. Yeah, that was a good workaround. He didn’t directly mention vampires, but it was implied. 

Shelby picked up on it. “What if it doesn’t though? What if…what if some vampires were good?” she asked, quickly adding on, “If they existed, that is.”

He scoffed. “There’s no such thing as a good vampire.”

There really wasn’t, vampires were monsters. Once turned they were no longer human, harbored something dark within them. They couldn’t be trusted, all they brought was pain and misery. Their very existence was defined by the suffering of others. Even if they didn’t want to, didn’t intend to, they’d end up hurting someone. That was just their nature, just how they were. It was pointless to think they could be anything else. 

Shelby flinched, ever so slightly. “But…” she began slowly. “What if there was, and you just haven’t met them yet? Or what if they’re not as bad as the stories make them out to be?”

“I thought you didn’t believe in vampires, Shelby.” Drift questioned.

“Not…entirely.” they added. “But I’ve read a lot of books about them and there are good vampires in those.”

Avid groaned. “The books are inaccurate, those writers are just going off of their imagination, I highly doubt any of them have actually met a vampire.”

He hoped they never would, honestly. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

“Oh, and you have?” Shelby asked, a cold edge creeping into their tone.

His eyes widened, surprised by the sudden shift, and he saw Drift tense up in his periphery. He swallowed dryly, felt like some of his meal was lodged in his throat. Memories came to his mind, unbidden, of her. He glanced down at his plate.

“Yeah…” His voice came out nearly a whisper, filled with sorrow. It wasn’t a conscious decision to speak, but he did nonetheless. He wondered if he should explain, try to make Shelby understand. He felt Drift reach for his hand, rub calming circles into it.

“I- I’m sorry.” He looked up at Shelby and met her gaze. “I didn’t mean to-” she trailed off, guilty eyes glancing away from him. Silence hung over the table, thick and heavy like a fog, the once jovial atmosphere now gone. Fuck, why did he push her? Why didn’t he just drop it?! Stupid, stupid, stupid. He picked at his plate, no longer feeling hungry. The idea of forcing himself to eat one more bite made him feel sick, caused his stomach to churn. 

Avid heard the clink of silverware and metal and glanced up. Shelby had straightened in her chair, gaze still avoiding him.

“I uh…think I’m gonna head home.” she said softly, getting out of her chair. Avid startled, and sharply rose.

“W-wait Shelby it’s fine, I know you didn’t-”

“Thanks for dinner you two.” she said, walking for the door. She passed his chair and Avid panicked, grabbing her arm. She froze, head turning toward him. Her hair shifted slightly and Avid froze as well. There, partly hidden by the collar of her shirt, was a small, bruised pinprick. He didn't know how he missed it before.

Shelby wasn’t a vampire, she had been fed on, and she....didn’t tell him. He tried to rationalize it; maybe she couldn’t have, maybe she was ordered not to. But...she had lied to him earlier as well. His grip loosened, and Shelby stepped back towards the door, looking at him with wide eyes.

“I-...stay safe, Shelby.” he said half-heartedly.

He knew she wasn’t completely safe, she lived with Scott for gods sake. But hopefully the garlic would be enough, would kick in and protect her. He didn’t even know if Shelby still had a stake, had anything to protect herself with if she needed to. The garlic might be the only thing to save her life, if something happened tonight.

Shelby nodded. “You too. And you too, Drift.” she added, glancing at her. And then she was gone, the door softly closing behind her as she stepped into the night. Back to her house, to Scott. Avid stared at the door and felt tears building in his vision. A soft hand landed on his shoulder, and he glanced up, seeing Drift looking at him with kind eyes.

“I’ll clean up, ok?”

He shook his head, blinking tears out of his eyes. “N-no. I will. I..I need something to do.” He needed to move, to take his mind off of the disaster that just occurred. Dinner had been going so great and now…now he had messed up. Like always. 

Despite saying he’d do the work, Drift accompanied him back to the table, picking up silverware, plates and half-eaten meals.

“At least we’ll have leftovers.” Drift joked. He said nothing, just followed her back to the sink. The two did the dishes in silence, Drift washing and him drying. Every once in a while, he caught Drift staring at him. The sound of silverware clinking and water sloshing was nice, in a way. The rhythmic drying of plates comforting. Domestic. He would have enjoyed it if not for what just happened. He stared at his reflection in gleaming silver. 

He looked horrible.

He wasn’t sure how long he stared, because suddenly the sounds stopped and Drift was beside him.

“I’m gonna go to bed, you coming up?” she asked softly. He glanced away from her, didn’t want to see her pity.

“..I think I’ll stay down here, if that’s ok.”

“..ok.” Drift stared at him for a while before going to the ladder, sparing him one last glance before she ascended. He stood there for a while, before slowly making his way back to the kitchen table, collapsing in the chair. He had one simple task to do today. Get answers from Shelby, repair the tension between the two. And he failed, completely and horribly. 

He couldn’t help anyone. He couldn’t save his partner, couldn’t save the one person who meant the world to him, was his world. 

He failed her, and now he failed Shelby.

You might just end up losing her.

He felt like he already did. But, this was still fixable, as damaged as it had become tonight. The only way he would lose Shelby was if he did nothing. If he continued to wallow in this pathetic state. He was a monster hunter for gods sake, he needed to do something.

You could get rid of Scott, his mind whispered. 

Avid’s mind froze. He…he could. Scott was the reason for all of this. He saw the bite marks on Shelby’s neck, knew she was being fed on. And garlic didn’t last forever, so who knew if Scott would try something once it did? Maybe…maybe getting rid of Scott was the best option, the only option.

But Shelby would hate you. Scott’s her friend too.

Avid shook his head, he’d rather live with Shelby hating him than wallowing in guilt and regret for doing nothing, for being too scared to take action. Hate was temporary, she’d forgive him in time, but the guilt?

The guilt would stay with him forever.

Avid glanced over at the shelves and made his way over. Taking his crossbow, he knew what he had to do.

Chapter Text

He needed to find Shelby. Or Scott. Either one was fine, he just needed to find them before something bad happened. Before something that couldn't be fixed happened. The town was quiet, and Avid wondered if everyone was out exploring, trying to sleep, or both. Most likely both. He hoped those who went out exploring found something good. Spirits know they’d need all sorts of tools and tomes to fight off the obvious vampiric threat. Despite there not being a lot of people in town, Avid would have to be quiet. He didn’t want to attract a big crowd and mess things up. More so than they already were, of course.

He made his way to Shelby’s house, just like he had days ago. She said she was going home, and Avid hoped to find her there. He wanted to properly explain himself, to apologize. He didn’t mean to hurt her feelings, to make her feel trapped. But he did. And he felt awful about it. Shelby probably felt awful about it as well, had likely stewed in misery just like he had. Or maybe she hadn’t. After all, she had Scott to talk to about everything. Avid didn’t like Scott, hated him in fact. But he also didn’t want Shelby to be miserable, so if the man helped her not be then maybe that was a good thing. It still left a sour feeling in his gut, of Shelby turning to Scott for comfort, but he put it aside. He needed to find her.
There was also the possibility of running into Scott, and while Avid was certainly prepared to run into him, he didn’t like the idea of actually doing so while Shelby was there. That could get messy. He just hoped that, somehow, miraculously, Scott would be gone. But that idea made him feel more sick. Because if Scott wasn’t there, and Shelby was, then that meant he could be turning someone right now. God, he needed to make up his mind; did he want to see Scott or not?

Avid stood in front of the door to Shelby’s house, suddenly finding himself filled with nerves. Hesitantly, he knocked.

“Shelby? Are you there?” There was no answer. Maybe she was trying to sleep? The windows were too dark to see anything, and he didn’t like the idea of peering into them. He didn’t want to seem like a creep on top of being the town weirdo. 

“I don’t know if you’re in there but if you are…” he began, trying to find the right words to say. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. I wanted dinner to be this nice event but I….I messed up. I was a real jerk during it, and I shouldn’t have pushed you. It’s just that you’ve been acting weird and avoiding me and I wanted to try and fix things.”

Silence greeted him. Was she even home? Avid knocked again, a bit more forcefully, and stumbled as the door swung open. No one was inside. Shelby wasn’t home. And neither was Scott. Shit. Avid tried to think of where they could have gone, looking around the area, and paused. The gate leading to the castle path was slightly ajar. Anyone could have gone through it, he reasoned. But it was the closest path to Shelby and Scott’s place and it led to the castle that he was positive belonged to the man. It was highly likely the two, or maybe just Scott, had gone down there.

Gripping his crossbow tighter, he headed through the gate and out of town. Avid walked through the dark path, only the harsh red moonlight illuminating where to go. It was a bit difficult to see, he could barely make out his own feet in front of him. This entire situation made his hair stand on end. He wasn’t used to this, had never gone on a hunt before. Maybe he should have joined her at some point, been a bit more useful instead of hanging around the base the entire time. Maybe if he did that he wouldn’t be so afraid right now. Nerves and poor lighting aside, Avid knew he had to keep going. Stealth and time were of the essence when hunting a vampire. And he likely didn’t have much time left. He knew the garlic was still in his system, still in hers, but it wouldn’t be long until it ran out. 

He had to make this quick. Avid wasn't even sure if he'd be able to kill Scott. It was ironic. He came to Oakhurst with the sole purpose of hunting them, and now that he had the opportunity to do so, he was getting cold feet. He shook his head. He needed to do this. Needed to save Shelby, needed to save the town. He wasn't sure how long he had been walking for, only just realized that he was starting to get deeper into the woods. He shook himself out of his thoughts, ready to keep moving when he heard it. Voices. Very faint ones, but voices nonetheless. He moved off the path, going a bit towards the forest's edge. He’d need the cover. He crept closer and closer, and eventually was able to see and hear the two better.

Scott was talking to Shelby at the edge of the woods, his back turned to him. Avid crept closer, keeping to the bushes in order to not be seen. Scott's back may be to him, but Shelby's wasn't. He just hoped that with the darkness and cover, she wouldn't be able to see him. It was unfortunate that Shelby was here honestly. He didn't want her to see this, to see someone she considered a friend get shot right in front of her. It would be traumatizing. And yet, Avid wasn't sure if he'd get another opportunity. He supposed he could get Scott to follow him into the woods, try to fight him off that way, but he was here now. Just a few steps closer and he’d have a better shot. He..he had to take it.

Avid took another step forward, feeling something crunch under his feet with a loud snap. The two turned in his direction and Avid froze. Scott’s eyes were blood red, nothing like the crystal blue he had seen the day prior. It terrified him to his core. He had suspicions before yes, but this was absolute undeniable proof. Scott was a vampire. There was no other reason for the eye color change, something only explained by a vampire getting more of their fill. Scott was still staring at him, and Avid realized he needed to move.

He swung the crossbow towards Scott and tried to ignore how badly his hands were shaking as he walked closer. 

“S-step away from her.” he said, wincing at how his voice cracked. Scott stared him down, completely unbothered by the weapon being aimed at his chest. Avid spared a glance at Shelby, who was staring at him with wide, terrified eyes. He looked back at Scott, feeling guilt grow in his chest. Was...was he smiling?

“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” the man chuckled. “No. You’re too much of a coward to do that. Especially with someone watching. Now, put that down before you hurt someone.”

Despite the sheer terror filling his bones, Avid held firm. “No. I- I know what you are! You’re a vampire and you’ve done something to Shelby, I know it!”

Scott smiled. "Done?" He laughed, "I haven't done anything to her. Not yet, anyway."

Avid gritted his teeth at the thinly veiled threat. The man was an asshole and a liar. He did do something to her.

"I saw the bite marks, you fed on her!” Avid yelled. Was doing something so horrible as that really an afterthought to the man? Although, knowing Scott, it probably was. Who knows what horrible things the man had done in the past.

Scott rolled his eyes. “And? She offered. Was I just supposed to refuse?”

W-what? His aim lowered for a fraction of a second. That couldn’t be right. Avid shook his head.

“No, you charmed her or made her your thrall! I know you did!"

Scott sighed heavily. "Is it so hard to believe that she's helping me out of her own free will?"

Yes, yes it was. Avid couldn’t imagine ever agreeing to such a thing, of being used like that. It was disgusting and degrading. And while Shelby was more enthusiastic and naive about the supernatural, he couldn’t imagine her agreeing to such a thing either. No. She had to have been tricked, had to have a charm on her or- or something.

“Avid.” Shelby spoke up. He startled. He had gotten so caught up in his anger at Scott, he had forgotten she was there for a moment. She looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Scott’s telling the truth. I offered to help him.”

No. No, no, no, that couldn’t be the truth. There, there had to be something. He lowered his crossbow, the weapon hanging at his side, and turned towards Shelby. He didn’t fully turn though, wasn’t stupid enough to let Scott out of his sight. He looked at them, panic and desperation in his eyes. He needed her to understand.

“Shelby, I need you to listen to me. I- I lost someone to vampires. Someone I cared about. I don’t want to lose you too. So please,” he begged. “Please step away from Scott.”

Shelby’s eyes softened slightly and while she didn’t outright move away from Scott, Avid noticed she took a small step towards him.

“Avid, Scott’s not going to hurt me. He hasn’t hurt me.”

She didn’t get it. Scott was a monster. Even if he hadn’t hurt her, and Avid highly doubted that, he saw the bite marks. It was only a matter of time until she got harmed, until Scott went too far and either killed or turned her.

“Not yet,” he said. “Shelby, vampires will always hurt people eventually. They can’t be friends with humans, with us.”

“Speak for yourself,” Scott scoffed. “Shelby and I are.”

Avid shot a glare his way. He needed the man to shut up and stay out of this. He didn’t want Scott to say anything, to try anything to undermine him. The last thing he needed was him ruining this. Surprisingly, Scott backed up a little. Huh.

Avid focused his attention back to Shelby, taking a small step towards her. “Shelby, he’s using you. You’re just food to him.” She flinched, and Avid considered it a win that she didn’t outright back away.

“I..I might be giving him blood but that doesn’t mean he sees me that way!” she countered.

Avid highly doubted that. For a vampire as old as Scott seemed, humans were likely nothing more than food and playthings.

“Did you really agree to do that? He didn’t trick you or anything?” Vampires were known to be very cunning creatures, using any manner of loophole to get their way. He wouldn’t put it past Scott to do the same. He watched as Shelby glanced away for a moment, her face heating up.

“Well…I..I may have made a deal with him. But he only suggested making one after I offered him my blood! He didn’t trick me into that.”

Ah. Avid understood now. If she stopped giving him her blood, Scott might go back on whatever deal they made. Shelby was bound by fear, even if she didn’t fully realize that. It wasn’t a charm. Good. He could work with this.

“What was it?” he asked. Maybe she didn’t even need the deal. Perhaps Scott had promised them something he couldn’t even fulfill. 

“I….I didn’t want him to hurt you. I..I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Shelby explained, her voice soft. 

Oh. Of course Shelby would try to protect him. It was such a kind sentiment, and in any other situation he would be glad. But right now, it just made him terrified. If a contract had been made between them, one that promised his safety, then the second Shelby stopped upholding her end it would be broken. Scott would be free to hurt whoever he wanted. She had no clue what she had truly gotten into. But still, he could work with this.

“Shelby, he’s not going to hurt me or anyone else. Not if I have anything to say about it.” He took another step forward, looking at them pleadingly. “Let me help you. Once he’s gone, things will go back to normal.”

Shelby’s eyes widened, darting to the crossbow Avid still held by his side. “Gone? Y-you mean you’re going to kill him?!”

Shit, no. He wasn’t going to...oh who was he kidding. He came here to confront Scott, went by himself and took a crossbow loaded with the one thing that could kill a vampire. His intent was clear. But he needed to regain control, needed to convince her otherwise. Avid knew he was a horrible liar, but maybe, just this once, he could work something out.

He put a hand out placatingly, like how one would calm a startled animal. “Shelby I’m not going to-”

“Then why did you bring that?! You aimed it at him earlier!” she yelled.

“I-..” he faltered. “I was worried he’d hurt you! He’s a monster Shelby!”

She stepped forward, an angry, pained look in her eyes as she jabbed him in the chest. “Scott’s not a monster, he’s my friend! I won’t let you hurt him!”

Avid stumbled back. This…this wasn’t going to plan. None of this was going to plan. Shelby was supposed to listen to him, he was supposed to save her.  

He had to.

Scott stepped forward from the side, finally speaking up. "Please, as if he could even kill me with that.” He flashed a cruel smile, fangs and all, in Avid’s direction. “He’s probably never even used it before.”

Avid grit his teeth. He had helped create weapons that killed vampires like him, knew exactly what their weaknesses were. Granted, Scott had a point. He had never used it before, never killed a vampire like Scott before, had only- he squeezed his eyes shut. No. He couldn’t think about…about that. He had to focus on the now, on saving Shelby. He glanced down, the moon casting a soft glow onto the weapon gripped in his hand. He had to finish what he started.

She’d forgive him, eventually.

In one fluid motion, he aimed his weapon at the vampire's heart. 

"AVID NO!"

The crossbow fired.