Request: Sorta a sequel to your first story with Markus, a few months after where some thieves try to steal from Reader’s garden/farm. And Markus gets protective.
Warnings: Blood, cursing, dismembering
Your farm was flourishing.
The gardens were thriving and producing deliciously huge produce. You even had a nice flower bed growing alongside your house. With roses and pansies and daisies. It added some beautiful colour to your dry, dirt covered land.
The herd of goats were few, but they were some of the best animals you’ve cared for in a while.
Thanks to your little Boogeyman that is. Who, the night you made the arrangement with him, went out to “scout” the competition.
He came back a few days later with two goats and a body of a farmhand, wrapped up in vines and dragged the entire way to your garden.
“Look, dollface, It’s good fertiliser.” Markus explained as he started to dig up your once neat and tidy, but very empty, vegetable patch, with his roots. Dragging the body of the young man deep into the earth. “Don’t worry about nothin’, alright? If you’re serious about letting me stay, then I’m serious about making sure you ain’t caught. Go put those goats with the others and I’ll deal with the rest.”
You were too shocked to even form an argument.
You hadn’t, entirely, been serious about killing the next door rancher. But killing his ranch-hands?! That sickened you to the core.
“Aye! Doll, don’t wing out on me now.” The talking pumpkin that was now patting down the soil neatly over the buried body. “I know it’s a shock, but if I kill ya rival right away, it’ll be suspicious. Let people think there’s a monster. Let them blame one another. And then, strike. Cause then, it’ll be the norm to be taken by the Boogeyman.”
You could only nod. You grabbed the goats’ leashes and led them into the barn. They didn’t seem at all fazed by the creature that led them here. Nor the body of their care-taker being dragged across large fields of grass.
You patted them down, made sure they had water and food, and returned to your bed. You didn’t sleep that night, nor the nights that followed. But within a few months, your life with Markus did in fact become the norm. And it became a common thing for you to wander out during the night to fetch water, and find the Pumpkin man tearing apart a human body to use as fertiliser.
“Ya don’t need to watch this, doll.” Markus said to you one night as you joined him by the vegetable garden. “I know how sickenin’ it is to ya. Especially when you’ve never killed before.”
“I’ve skinned goats and hunted pheasants.” You replied softly, bending down by the tangled mess of vines that was Markus’ somewhat human form. You used a small spade to dig a little deeper into the earth and Markus sprinkled some fingers into the hole.
You planned to plant more pumpkins tomorrow. So Markus could lay in the open without seeming to be out of the ordinary.
“It’s not the same, love. And you know it.” Markus said. But didn’t bother to try to usher you away. If you wanted to help, then there was no time like the present to become immune to a little death.
“I know. But I wanna make sure you do it properly. Since last time you left the villager’s boots on the body.” You couldn’t help but tease. And Markus sighed dramatically. Dipping his head, as if in great despair.
“The one time I do something wrong.” Markus murmured. Irritation biting at the edge of his words. “Instead of all the good things I do for you; you instead tap-dance on the one mistake.”
You shrugged and flicked his head. Chuckling at the way tried to slap your hand away, even as the hollow echo radiating from his carved eyes.
“You know I am grateful for your... help.”
“Funny way of showin’ it, doll.” Markus grumbled. And suddenly his form collapsed in on himself. His human form untangled itself into a mess of green vines and dug himself into a softer patch of the garden.
You knew he was immediately absorbing the nutrients from the carcass beneath the ground.
“I’ll cook you a nice roast when I get a cow next.” You suggested. “Maybe with some herbs and spices.”
Markus hummed in delight at the thought. The sound rippled through the hollowed out pumpkin and the carvings cracked and formed an expression close to dreamy.
“That, my dear, would be fucking amazing.”
After you returned to your house and blew out of the candles; Markus settled down in the dirt to rest.
He couldn’t sleep entirely. But if he stayed still long enough, with his eyes closed and his head looking like a regular pumpkin, Markus could almost imitate sleep.
And as he did, his vines stretched out far throughout your land. Only to the fence of the gardens and your home. Spreading the nutrients he absorbed from the carcass and distributing it about your estate.
It wasn’t much, but Markus enjoyed a little green. Especially when it brought a soft smile to your face whenever you see your little colourful petals bloom.
Finally settling in for the night, Markus started to let his mind drift.
It didn’t go far, much to his irritation. Since his vines sensed movement on the far side of your home.
There was only one set of footsteps. But they were heavy, and Markus felt the distribution of the person’s weight on the pads of their feet.
They were sneaking.
Pushing through your few lanes of corn towards your house.
And Markus didn’t exactly like how this person seemed to be carrying something on their back.
Too lazy to move, Markus shifted his vines beneath the soil. The person looked down, feeling the earth tremble beneath his boots. And then, the ground exploded and a thick black vine captured the Human in Markus’ grasp. And he knew instantly who the trespasser was.
“Oh, (y/n) will love this.” Markus smirked. And with a hard tug, the vine slithered into the ground. The man clawed at the grass, screaming and begging as his body started to sink beneath the surface of the earth.
His last breath was cursing your name, and his hand dragged down a corn stalk in a last attempt to save himself from this unknown monster.
You barely even stirred that night.
In your dreams, you heard whispered pleas and wet paper being shredded. But you slept soundly, and witnessed nothing.
Until early in the morning you felt cold tendrils wrap around your leg. They were gentle and soothing, until the sharp pricks of their thorns pierced into your skin.
“Ow! What the fuck, Markus?” You grumbled. Kicking away the Being’s vines as he loomed over you by the side of the bed.
“I have something to show you.” Markus cooed excitedly. Practically bouncing on his vines beside you.
You mumbled softly and pushed back the blankets. Dragging yourself up into a sitting position to rub the sleep from your eyes.
“Couldn’t it wait when it’s more morning?” You asked, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.
“No. Because the crows will be all over it! Come on, doll-face. Let’s go.” Markus, growing impatient, grabbed you around the waist and hurled you over his head. You yelped, but the vines around your torso held you firm as the Pumpkin on walking tendrils exited the house.
You smelled it before you saw it. And you didn’t want to see it, but Markus’ excitement was a little too contagious... for your liking.
But as he set you down by the corn stalks, you noticed two things. First, there was a stalk missing.
Secondly, there was now a scare-crow standing where the missing stalk once was.
And you didn’t need to ask. You knew who was nailed to the post, bloody and torn. Straw stuffed into his dismembered arms and legs. Stitched together crudely enough that you could see your old rival falling apart before you.
“Oh my God.” You whispered. So many emotions burst through you.
Fear.
Disgust.
Satisfaction.
Nausea.
So weird emotions entangled themselves in your gut that you felt your blood run cold.
“He was sneaking towards the house last night.” Markus said. Choosing to ignore the horrified expression you were wearing. “He was carrying an axe. Sharpened and heavy too. Didn’t much like how that looked so I killed him.”
You stared up at the farmer. After hearing that, you weren’t feeling as bad for such a fate. But there was still that little bit of disgust.
“Are you going to take him down before he starts rotting?” You asked. And Markus shrugged.
“To be honest, doll. I don’t think the gardens would like someone like that in their soil. He’s rotten to the core. I was thinking of tearing him up some more and throwing him in a river for the nymphs to eat,”
That didn’t sound too bad. And you admitted to yourself that you didn’t like the thought of your old rival being in your garden.
It just didn’t feel right. Even though the thought of some amazing produce being grown from him, and sold to the markets, would be a good final fuck you.
“Ok, do you need help?” You asked and Markus looked down at you with a curved eye socket. Cracks formed the expression of doubt as he tilted his head towards you.
“No, doll. You stay here and do the farming thing. I’ll deal with the body. I just wanted to show you that I could decorate... a little.”
You chuckled and shook your head.
“Are you suggesting you wanna start decorating my farm with bodies, Mark?” You asked and the pumpkin looked at you in horror.
“By the Gods, no! I didn’t mean it like that. Just... I don’t know. Maybe some hedges. Or stones. Something other than plants. Some actual trees would be nice.”
You looked around your farm. It was very bare of trees and anything other than small plants and produce. Maybe you could use a few shapely hedges or rocks to fill in the space you had.
“Alright. I can understand that. How about, I leave you in charge of decorating. But if I don’t like it, it has to go.”
Markus was obviously excited by that notion. He tried to hide it. But the little wiggles his vines did as he pretended to think over your proposal was both adorable and not very subtle.
“Alright. Ya got a deal!” Markus finally replied. And you nodded, deciding to just leave him to take down the scare-crow and begin his work on covering up the scene.
Though you were glad that your rival was gone. Some part of you loathed the idea of the village finding out. But until then, you could get his animals over here and use them as you could.
Maybe even get Markus to make it look like a big monster had attacked the next farm. Anything to make it seem like you didn’t just murder him to save your hide from losing money.
If anyone has been wondering why I haven't been posting, I've been on another account of mine
It's just an OC Roleplay blog that I made to interact with a KIY askblog, but I'm kind of switching back over to my main due to the fact that I am growing too frustrated with how uninteresting my character is. If anyone is interested, it's -> @markusmacharwin
I've drawn some art I guess? Of ocs only, and I'm planning to maybe turn it into a blog where I post OC art so I don't flood this one with stuff no one might really care about :')
Although, I also do want to keep it as a roleplay blog still incase I ever come back to it! I love roleplaying ok do NOT slime me out for potentially being corny pls I beg.
