Mythical Road Trip

What's worse than a world of mythical creatures that want to eat or use you? The zombie apocalypses on top of that. This is a Sanders Sides AU. All sides will exist in this AU and be sympathetic. This is an ask blog. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like!

[haunted-van-au]

Atlas

Summary: Logan, Roman, and Patton are three orphaned humans in a world where humans and the mythical creatures around them have a tentative truce. They’re living their lives and trying their best in this little make-shift family they made… but then there is a problem: zombies. On top of all of the vampires, werewolves, and sirens trying to use and kill humans now there are zombies. At least the others could be reasoned with! In fact, the zombies don’t seem to care what type of magical being you are or aren’t, they’re going to eat everyone with a heartbeat including all of those pre-existing magical creatures.

About me: My name is Adriana. My main writing blog is @snowdice. Feel free to visit me there! Please direct any personal asks/ask memes to me there.

Story: I divide the story into two pieces. One is necessary story progression and one is more answers to questions that fit into the story, but aren’t needed to understand what’s going on.

(These apparently aren't working on mobile for some reason. Click on the matching tags on this post instead. That should take you there.)

Haunted Road Trip: all parts of the story

From the beginning 

Latest

On the Road: main story progression

From the beginning

Latest

Itinerary: extra parts of the story

From the beginning

Latest

Background Posts:

Character facts

Universe facts- “lore”

Mythical creature facts

Character tags:

hv logan

hv roman

hv patton

hv virgil (none yet)

hv janus (none yet)

hv remus (none yet)

hv thomas

Little Fairy Askers:

Little Fairy Asker Masterlist-anon tags that are taken, feel free to request one if you’d like! This is also where we keep track of collectables!

little fairy askers- Discussion of askers (who are fairies in this universe). You can block this tag if it’s annoying to you.

little fairy askers- Things that have been submitted to me

boop the child- The askers have found out they can physically interact with Patton in small ways. Send help.

Haunted Van Phone Game Scores- The fairies ran over a man and stole his phone. Now they play phone games.

Little Fairy Faces- tag for artwork of the fairies (say thank you Winter Pixie)

Blog Indexing:

Blog Organization- tag for blog organization

hv edit- Tag for update when posts are edited for typos

hv map- Tag for different maps (click here for the current map)

Story Achievements

[haunted-van-au]

Oh, shit, be careful, Logan!

If shadowy figure person does anything to hurt Logan, there will be a hoard of angry fairies about it >:(

Despite his attempts to ward off the strange feeling the silent woods elicited by thinking about real stressors, Logan felt himself get more and more anxious as he walked on.

After about 20 minutes of walking, he began to second guess himself, though that was irrational. He'd been careful to keep one eye on the sun and the other on the map. With his chalk drawings there was no way to get turned around. He knew he was moving slower through the foliage than he would have on a road, but he still thought he should be able to hear the sound of the stream by now.

Then again, he was institutionally walking slower than usual, conscious of every noise he made in the silent forest.

The Shadowy Figure in the Forest is partially open for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

You are free to explore the forest.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

Hello- shadowy figure? I can feel you watching me, where are you? *What* are you? ...are you gonna eat me? You're probably gonna eat me, aren't you, I should keep my distance...

((The Shadowy Figure cannot hear you, though in less stressful times it could likely sense you more than a human could. It is of the forest if not of the fae. It certainly cannot eat you.))

[haunted-van-au]

Hello, who are the you?

((Hello! I assume you are talking about the last ask I answered, but correct me if I'm wrong! (You may be talking to the mysterious figure? If so, feel free to clarify and send again! Just say whatever character you're talking to and they'll answer the question instead of me meta answering.)

On this blog, everyone who sends asks is part of the cannon of the story. I call them Little Fairy Askers and they are fairies that can travel along with Patton, Logan, and Roman. The cannon is they are on a slightly separate plane of existence, so the boys can't see them, but they can slightly influence the boy's thougths. They can, however, go on mini adventures of their own and explore the nearby area, collect things, and ask about the lore unconnected to the story.

Usually when I'm talking to the "fairies" (so the askers), I will use "you" and surround the info I'm giving in double parenthesis. It's kind of like I'm DMing in DND when I do this.

It's just a fun extra part of the blog. You can see information about our Little Fairy Askers here. Any asker can pick a name (useful if you want to send asks on anon but still be able to track what you've asked because I tag your asks with your fairy name), pick a place to live, and go around exploring. It is not, however, a required part of interacting with the blog.))

[haunted-van-au]

Also remember that I don't only allow, but I encourage mutliple asks from the same person (especially in time like this where there are a couple of story threads going on.)

Also I currently only have one ask left which I'm saving for a conversation when we get back to Roman and Patton so...

[haunted-van-au]

Oooh, I’d love to explore the forest~

Can I make it to the water without a map? If not, probably sticking around Logan, maybe a little ahead to see if there’s anything interesting or dangerous.

((You explore the forest a bit ahead of Logan and you can find the source of water he is going towards after glancing at the map. However, you notice that the map is slightly wrong or outdated. The geography is mostly correct, but you can sense more than mortals as a fae creature. The different colored lines marking out different territories are incorrect. Sometime since the map was made, the nearby werewolf pack's territory had shifted or expanded. Logan's path will take him directly into it.

They... probably shouldn't have trusted a map Thomas already had in the van. Thomas died a good while ago.

Also, you are not alone.))

The Shadowy Figure in the Forest in now partially open for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

You are free to explore the forest.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

Knowing you, Logan, I bet you’ve been considering things and planning what you can. Do you have any sort of goal or plan you’d like to get to if things go well for a while?

The trees closed around Logan quicker than expected. After only a few minutes of walking, he couldn't see the van when looking back. Maybe once upon a time one could have heard cars driving along the once busy highway nearby, but other than their van and likely some military vehicles, there weren't many cars these days.

He was careful to mark his trail by using a piece of chalk to mark trees every so often so as to not get lost. It would be very easy to get lost in these woods.

The forest was eerily silent. He didn't hear any birds chirping or small animals rustling through the leaves. On one hand, this was good. Zombies made a lot of sound just by moving around let alone when they started vocalizing. With how many twigs there were to snap and how few things there were to do so, Logan would hear any zombie coming from a mile away.

Yet, there was some irrational, very human part of himself that saw the lack of noise and abundance of foliage for predators to hide in a threat. The instinctual fear made his chalk symbols get increasingly shaky.

To distract himself, he decided to turn his mind to an actual danger, and one he could maybe confront by thinking up a solution. (If there was a solution.)

Winter was coming. He could feel it in the crisp fall air and could hear it in the crunch of leaves beneath his feet. Most leaves were still on the trees and a significant were still green, but it was a harbinger of a danger humans had long thought they'd eradicated.

Thomas had a heater which was probably an advantage many survivors did not have, but there was more to survival than a heat source. They did not have enough supplies to survive the winter in the van. Even if they filled up the van with supplies (if they could find that many), it wouldn't be enough for 3 people to survive the winter. So, supply runs would be necessary. Logan couldn't imagine taking his current trip in snow.

And snow was another issue in itself. Their survival strategy so far had been to keep moving and drive away from any groups of zombies that were too large (the fact that larger and larger hordes were forming were another issue likely not related to the oncoming winter). But with snow came poor road conditions and there was no one to clean off the highways let alone the back roads. What if the van got stuck in a snowdrift? Thomas could help them by making sure they didn't need gas or oil, but could he make the car walk over snowdrifts? It was unlikely.

There were two possible solutions: drive south to hopefully avoid the snow or find somewhere to park for the winter that was both securable and near food and water. Both posed their own problems. Human instinct said to go south in the pursuit of warmth, but logic reminded him that even the south of the continent sometimes got a significant amount of snow. Also, he had started to notice a pattern with the free walking hordes they saw. Many of them, especially the larger ones seemed to be wandering south themselves.

If Logan's human instincts were urging him south and zombies were things that had once been human but now had no logic to think of, was it possible they were being pulled south as well?

Logan is open for questions.

You are free to explore the forest.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

Is the plan for just Logan, then, to be the one venturing out to get water?

It was Logan's turn to get supplies since he and Roman took turns. It would be safer with two (almost) adults going on supply runs, but if the worst happened, they couldn't leave Patton alone. Thomas was a help, but he couldn't do things for Patton like providing food, and Patton was the priority.

So, Logan got ready for his trip alone. He tore the map of the area out of the atlas Thomas had, leaving the rest in the van so it didn't get lost.

He kissed Patton on the top of the head, only at that moment realizing Patton looked a bit off, but he didn't have time to figure out what was wrong. Then he set off to go get water.

There is no map, but you are free to explore the forest.

Thomas is now closed for questions.

Roman is now closed for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

Happy to see everyone again! Thank you for reviving the story! I don't remember, do the boys have any kind of weapons on them? - Moth Fairy

Logan grabbed a collection of their makeshift weapons. Unfortunately, they were not particularly great. The range weapon they'd made consisting of a broomstick with a knife duct tapped to it had been less than useless in a fight. The knife couldn't pierce a zombie's skull without far more force than the broom allowed; the one time Logan had cause to use it, he'd mostly just used it as a blunt force weapon. They'd replaced it with a baseball bat, but it still wasn't great. He also still had the hammer and he'd recovered the knife from the broom failure.

Thomas is open for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

Roman is open for questions.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

"I agree Logan, the woods sounds like it might be best. On another note, I also think Patton requires love." Puts her ballista bolt down to hug Patton's shoulder. - Titania Wyvern

Logan and Roman eventually decided on an area for Logan to get water. It just skirted the edge of werewolf territory according to the map. The walk was longer than Logan would have liked. If they'd picked an area within werewolf territory, they could have parked relatively close to a water source. This choice meant Logan would have to walk about a mile to get to water, but it was a good distance from town and he wouldn't go through werewolf territory.

((You hug Patton, but he's too upset to pay attention. The others still don't notice how upset he is.))

Patton is now closed for questions.

Thomas is open for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

Roman is open for questions.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

Patton? You feeling okay?

Patton feels very upset by Roman and Logan's argument. He already has been feeling pretty bad after being stuck in the van for so long and snapping at Roman.

Some part of him knows it is silly, but he thought Logan may leave them and never come back. Roman already hated Patton for being mean so he'd probably leave too when he realized Logan wasn't going to come back and then he'd be alone.

He pressed his face into his bear, trying not to cry. He managed to not make any sounds, but his tears soaked the stuffed bear.

[haunted-van-au]

Map Sneak Peak

I'm trying out a real map maker for the next map location of our journey. (Not this arc.) It's going to be a huge map! Here's only the floor-plan of one with limited labels. Can you tell what the structure is?

[haunted-van-au]

Werewolves might be More friendly? Cause they’re also scared and trying to Not Become Zombies/attacked by zombies?

It’s possible they’d be willing to help other survivors in return for information/ a supply of something you guys could give up and they need for reason.

Logan slammed into the side of the van with a grunt, but he could acknowledge that Thomas was right to drive away. They'd been parked just inside the town for a while and a horde of zombies were starting to surround them.

Logan glanced back out of the rear-view window. As nearby zombies noticed the sound of the van honking and then moving, more and more came. Thomas was moving quick enough that they couldn't catch up, but by his quick count, there were over 2 dozen coming after him. That just proved him right more. If they'd decided to find water in the town, he would have stepped out of the van in that area or one like it.

Thomas continued to drive away from the more populated area. Unlike Roman, Logan was open to the possibility werewolves were not as dangerous as they'd always appeared. He'd been reading up on them and other mythical creatures and while werewolves did have some history of violence, they were not mindless. Most violence seemed to come from people insulting or stealing from them.

Maybe, especially now with this new threat in the form of zombies, some may be willing to help (or at least tolerate others). It certainly seemed a better option than throwing himself into the horde of mindless zombies disappearing into the distance behind them.

"Let's compromise," Logan finally said. "I refuse to step out into the middle of town, but we'll drive a bit to try to get out of werewolf territory and I'll go find water in the woods."

Thomas is open for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

Patton is open for questions.

Roman is open for questions.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

"Aaaah! What was that for Thomas?" She pauses to catch her breath, while hugging one of her bolts. "Logan, since it's your turn to go on a supply run, what do you think we should do?" - Titania Wyvern

Patton had curled up into a ball with Barnaby on his lap, hiding his face as Roman and Logan's argument got out of hand. Thomas could tell he was not only disturbed by Roman's description of people being mauled and killed, but also by the way they were talking to each other.

There was also the concern of a group of 5 zombies slowly surrounding the car and more in the distance. The hordes really were getting larger and more dangerous as autumn continued. Thomas was unsure if they could tell humans were in the van when it was all closed up (maybe they could hear Logan and Roman's raised voices at the moment), but Thomas wasn't going to test it.

Everyone was too preoccupied with the argument to notice the zombies, so Thomas took initiative. He honked once as a warning. The two kids not sitting down had just enough time to stop arguing and grab a hold of something before Thomas accelerated suddenly away, swerving to avoid crashing into two zombies.

Thomas is open for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

Patton is open for questions.

Roman is open for questions.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

What is it you think of werewolves, Roman? Obviously they aren’t safe.

But say you imagined a singular werewolf person, maybe one about your age? What do you think they’d be like?

"But werewolves are evil!" Roman insisted.

"They are obviously... different," Logan replied, "with different cultural norms, but evil is perhaps a strong word."

"No it is not!" Roman said. "They eat people!"

"How many instances of werewolves eating people have you actually heard about, Roman?" Logan asked with a frown.

Roman opened his mouth to tell him of the many different instances he could think of but Logan cut him off before he could.

"Real stories," he said. "Not just legends you've heard on the internet or ones in fictional television shows."

That was... a bit harder. "I can't think of one right now," Roman admitted, "but I can think of maulings and killings by werewolves. Like two summers ago when one ate that man's hand in a park in Rustenville. Or that string of deaths on the coast when I was a kid. They thought a wild animal had done it until the one survivor turned into a wolf during the full moon and killed three nurses before being shot!"

Thomas blared the horn at them making them both jump in surprise.

Thomas is open for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

Patton is open for questions.

Roman is open for questions.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

Roman, would stopping for water be safer in daylight? Or are werewolves and vampires likely to be out at all times?

"It is the middle of the day," Logan said. "Werewolves are nocturnal, so maybe..."

"Werewolves are mostly nocturnal," Roman stressed. "They aren't like vampires, they don't get weakened or burnt by the sun. If a pack lives there (and considering the WRP, one most certainly does), they probably have guards roaming around during the day."

"Zombies don't sleep at all," Logan argued.

"They also aren't territorial fuckers who are probably actively guarding their water source." There were all sorts of mythical creatures in the world and Roman was wary of all of them, but there were three factions that had the most conflict throughout history. Those were humans, werewolves, and vampires. Roman had his own history in the conflict between human and vampire populations, but just because he'd never met a werewolf, did not mean he hadn't heard stories.

The best members of their species only got violent when a human or other non-werewolf creature invaded their territory. The worst actively hunted humans (and vampires, not that Roman minded that).

There was a reason everyone had thought the first few zombie attacks were silver drunk werewolves. That's just how werewolves are.

"The hordes are getting so thick in town though," Logan pointed out and the dams are specifically designed so no one can steal water. Sure, the defenses that need power like electric fences are likely off, but the lack of maintenance may have made the structures even more dangerous."

"More dangerous than werewolves?" Roman asked.

Logan just looked at him contemplatively. "Werewolves can talk," he said. "Which means they can be reasoned with."

"No according to all of human history," Roman scoffed.

"All of human history we've been taught," Logan replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Logan shrugged. "I don't know. Just... I've been reading the book The Curator gave me about mythical creatures. I think I'd rather take my chances with the werewolves."

"And I think that's a crazy thing to say."

Logan frowned at him. "Well, it's my turn to go on a supply run anyway. So, it's my decision."

Thomas is open for questions.

Logan is open for questions.

Patton is open for questions.

Roman is open for questions.

Read the story in order.

Read the important bits of the story in order.

[haunted-van-au]

Call For Ask

I will have time to answer asks this weekend, so the Ask box is open! Don't feel bad about sending multiple asks since I currently have none. They also dont have to be anything special. Just a "What are you doing next" or "What do you think about X" directed at a specific character is plenty.

The more asks the merrier. (You can even create multiple characters to anonymously submit if you want. That way, no one would even know if you submitted more than one.)

As a reminder, Logan, Roman, and Patton are currently looking for water near werewolf territory. We'd just started this arc when this ask blog died before, so if you want a refresh, just read the last few asks. (Start with the one from November 5th, 2022.)

I've gotta go work, so I won't be back until later tonight, but hopefully will be answering a few tonight!