haha I disappeared for almost four years only to yeet this at you and run away
The first draft of the story is complete and this should be updated (hopefully) monthly, with the completion of the 2nd draft. Tags and additional warnings will be added at the beginning of each chapter as we go on so please make sure to check these notes.
Another beautiful day. The weather was always perfect. Sun shining, not too hot, not too cold. A gentle breeze and the smell of flowers in the air. Union was perfect. Your only complaint was maybe that the weather was always the same here, always “perfect.” You had never seen snow, and only occasionally seen rain. But you didn't mind too much. Not to mention things were nice here. You had wonderful friends, a nice job, a nice house. Life was great in Union. Because Union was great.
You finished eating your breakfast and left your house to start the day. Today you were hanging out with friends, then going to work in the evening. Generally this was how everyday went. You never had to put much thought into it. Either hang out with friends around town, go to work, or both. Easy.
As you got closer to the theater your small group of friends came into view. Among them, joking around, was an unfamiliar face.
Upon spotting you, your friend Dana waved you over. Her raven hair was curled into a loose bun and her outfit was showing probably a little too much of her golden brown curves to fit the weather. It was warm, but you didn’t think that warm. You couldn’t help but laugh a little to yourself and waved back to her as you picked up your pace. When you reached them, Dana grabbed the person next to her, the unfamiliar one.
“Y/N this is Taylor.” Dana began as this new person sheepishly brushed their short hair out of their face. “Taylor, this is Y/N. The friend I was telling you about.” Taylor held out their hand for you to shake. It seemed that Dana was trying to set you up with someone. Again.
“Nice to meet you.” You took Taylor’s hand and offered a small smile.
“Likewise.” Their blonde bangs fell back into their face. Dana looked back and forth between the two of you, a wide smile beginning to spread across her face. You fought not to roll your eyes.
“Babe, come on, we need to pick out our seats!” Miriam, Dana’s girlfriend interjected, her cute lilac braids bouncing as she grabbed Dana’s hand. Dana must have done the braids, as Miriam had been a lost cause at that sort of thing even before they had started dating, and that had been almost an eternity ago. They had grown to fill in the gaps, fitting together like two puzzle pieces so that where one was lacking in certain skills, the other excelled. Really they were the perfect couple, and you could only dream that one day you would have someone that completed you so well.
“Okay, okay.” Dana started walking into the theater with Miriam. “We’ll get the seats, you get the snacks!” Dana told you over her shoulder. You rolled your eyes, making your way in behind them.
“So… how did you and Dana meet?” Taylor asked as you got inside.
“Middle-school. She wasn't paying attention and walked into me during lunch. I spilled all of my food on myself. She felt awful and helped me clean up. But of course, that was only after she finished laughing at the mess and her own clumsiness. We've been inseparable since.” You laughed. “You?”
“We work together over at Juke’s. I'm in the back though.” Taylor brushed their bangs behind their ear.
You nodded, “I thought I’d seen you before,” before getting into the line for concessions.
“Where do you work?”
“Devil’s Own Taproom, just down the block.”
“Well, you’re certainly pretty enough to be a bar girl.” You weren't sure how to take that, but you assumed it was a half-assed compliment.
“Thanks.” You said, your gratitude sounding a bit flatter than you had intended, and you could see Taylor’s mistake dawning on them. The two of you reached the front of the line. “Two large popcorns, please.”
“I’ll pay.” Taylor pulled out their wallet and handed the money to the cashier.
“Thanks.” You smiled. Taylor smiled back.
Well, they were nice enough, but you weren't sure if this relationship was gonna make it to a second date.
“Here’s your popcorn.” The cashier handed you both a bucket of popcorn and you thanked him.
“So, I guess now we find Dana and Miriam.” Taylor suggested as you began walking upstairs.
“They're probably sitting somewhere in the center, knowing Miriam.”
When the two of you walked in the double doors Dana immediately stood and waved, drawing the attention of everyone in the theatre. You wanted to roll your eyes again, but this was pretty normal. And, as you had guessed, they picked seats near the middle. You found yourself sitting between Dana and Taylor, and handed Dana the popcorn.
“Uh, I'm gonna go to the restroom before it starts.” Taylor stood and squeezed their way back out to the center aisle. Dana waited until Taylor had left the room to nudge your arm.
“So…. What do you think?” She wiggled her eyebrows. "They've got a nice butt, huh?"
You playfully hit her and she feigned shock. But you should have expected this question, so you shrugged.
“It’s fine, I guess, but what am I supposed to think? We just me-”
“I asked Dana out the first time I saw her.” Miriam cut in with a mouth full of popcorn. Dana vigorously nodded her agreement whilst pulling candy out of her purse, fulfilling her role as the group’s designated sugar smuggler.
“Okay, well, I don’t think it’s like that.” You sighed. “Really, guys, I’m fine by myself.” They both raised an eyebrow at you.
“Nope.” Dana told you.
“Nuh-uh.” Miriam added.
“Not happening.” Dana sighed, reaching back to grab Miriam’s hand.
“You're gonna have to find someone soon because I don't want you to go alone to--” She and Miriam shot each other giddy grins for a second, squeezing each other’s hands before turning back to you-- “Our wedding!”
The women each held up their left hands to show you their engagement rings.
“Woah, woah, woah, WHAT.” You asked, grabbing their hands to look closer at the rings. “This isn't something you tell your best friend before a musical. I need details!” You complained.
“Well, we were gonna tell you at lunch," Miriam elbowed her fiancé, her grin never faltering, "But Dana brought it up so I guess, here we are, telling you now.” Miriam shrugged.
“Basically, you are not going to our wedding alone. So you better find someone. Or I will for you.” Dana pointed at you for emphasis.
“Our neighbor is pretty cute.” Miriam suggested.
“Ugh, no, he’s weird an-”
“Who’s weird?” Taylor asked, standing in the aisle next to Miriam's seat.
“Our neighbor.” Dana explained.
"Is that the one you were telling me about, with the loud classical music late at night?" Taylor asked, and Dana nodded. "Oh he is weird."
“He’s not weird!” Miriam paused. “Just a little… Okay, maybe he is a little.”
“Then why are you suggesting-” You weren't going to finish that sentence, since Taylor, your date at the moment, had just sat next to you.
“So what brought this up?” Taylor asked.
"Oh, you know, just figuring out who to invite to our wedding.” Dana smiled, showing off her ring.
“No way! Congrats, guys!” Taylor smiled, looking at the ring a little closer. They looked like they were going to say something else, but the lights in the theatre began to dim and the overture began to play.
~*~*~*~
“That was really good.” You exclaimed as your small group made their way out of the theater. Miriam was still crying and Dana was comforting her as the four of you walked.
"H-He just wanted somebody to l-love him!" She sobbed and blew her nose. Having seen the musical before, you couldn't help but give a sympathetic smile as you laughed to yourself.
"Okay, but killing a bunch of people and kidnapping someone, twice, is not exactly a good way to do that." Taylor argued, making a good point.
"Stockholm syndrome is a thing, my dude." Dana reminded them. "Oh, hun, you're ruining your makeup!" She stopped walking to pull another tissue out of Miriam's purse and gently wiped the black smears off of her cheeks. You had to admit, the two were cute. Like something out of a romance movie.
"Please tell me you're not justifying scaring someone into loving you." You laughed a little as you said it to show you weren't trying to start an argument.
"Nah, man. I'm just saying at least he had a plan." Dana laughed.
"But he loved her so much!!" Miriam cried again.
"But he was like twice her age!" Taylor cut in making another completely valid point.
"Plus, she had that other guy she was gonna marry, and he escaped death so in the end I think it all worked out okay." You shrugged and Miriam sniffled, giving a small nod. You turned to start walking again and hadn't even noticed you were almost to your lunch destination. Juke Diner, of course, since two out of the four of you could get an employee discount.
You walked up the familiar concrete stairs and Taylor held the door for the group. Jazzy music and casual banter filled your ears as you walked in to join the lunch crowd. The owner waved to you and your friends as you took your usual place at a booth in the corner.
"Even if the main dude was a little skeevy, the music was insane." Taylor eagerly exclaimed, "And those actors had huge vocal ranges."
"I honestly didn't know we had such talented people in Union." You joked.
"Hey, Union has its fair share of artsy-fartsy people. I mean, hello?" Dana gestured to herself and all of you laughed. Dana was fairly talented with sewing, but you wouldn't really consider her 'artsy'. Honestly, Miriam's love of cooking and baking made her more of an artist in your mind.
"Taylor, do you do anything 'artsy'?" You asked, giggling at yourself for saying the word.
"Eh, not really. I play a little guitar and dabble in picture taking, but those are just things to pass the time." They shrugged.
"Picture taking? So, photography?" Miriam asked.
"Oh, hardly. More like just seeing something I like and taking a picture. No, there are real photographers in Union and I certainly am not one!" They laughed and the owner came by to ask for your orders.
It was only after you got your drinks that you realized something was missing.
"Hey, Miriam, wasn't Zander supposed to be joining us?" Miriam looked up from her milkshake.
"Oh, yeah." She pulled out her brightly colored phone and checked for notifications. "He hasn't texted me back."
"Probably slept in." Dana laughed, grabbing the cherry off of Miriam's milkshake and popping it into her mouth. She was probably right. Alexander wasn't exactly known for his punctuality.
"I guess. But he was acting pretty weird the last time I saw him." Miriam sighed.
"Who's Zander again?" Taylor asked.
"Oh yeah, he's probably the most awkward guy in town. Practically lives behind the counter at Pit Stop, dark hair, piercings. I'm sure you've met him."
"Ooohh. Yeah, seems like a nice guy." Taylor nodded. A little annoyed with the interruption, you got the conversation back on track.
"Acting weird how?" Miriam looked you straight in your eyes. Her brown ones showing only concern.
"He said he was being followed."
This surprised you. You had known Zander for longer than anyone else here. The two of you were practically siblings. Yeah, you hadn’t talked in a little while because of conflicting schedules. But why didn’t he tell you about someone following him?
"Did he say by who?" Taylor asked.
"A tall woman with long black hair covering her face. He said he didn't recognize her but she was always singing, and he saw her everywhere he went." You could see Miriam tearing up from fear and could hear the concern in her voice. You couldn't blame her, but Zander's claims were a bit ridiculous. Was he losing it?
Sensing the tension, Dana cut in.
“Listen, I'm sure he's fine. Zander’s been doing a lot of double shifts at Pit Stop. Probably just exhausted… you know, he’s always been a horror movie buff.” Dana put her arm around Miriam. "And this sounds like a great plot for a horror movie."
“I guess.” Miriam sighed, looking down into her shake.
“I’ll stop by his place on the way home from work and check on him.” You offered.
“Thanks.” Miriam smiled at you and took another sip of her shake.
A/N: Just cutting in to say that if you've read The Evil Within graphic novels, this is not the same Dana and the name and likeness is coincidence. I read the graphic novel after I had written most of this fic and didn't feel like changing it.
Next Chapter
A/N: "I'll try to update once a month!" I said optimistically yet unrealistically. I still stand by that, but what happens, happens. Life is hard and my editor and I both procrastinate a lot lmao
Chapter One
Fic on Ao3
His Last Masterpiece on Ao3
Work was normal. It was a Friday night, so it was pretty busy, but nothing you couldn’t handle. It helped that your boss and the owner of the bar, Marshall, was sharing the workload with you, keeping things from getting out of hand. And by this point in the night, things had mostly calmed down. Marshall was a large man, who would probably scare most people, but honestly he was the nicest person you knew.
“Hey,” Marshall put his hand on your shoulder. “Stepping out for a smoke, you good?”
You smiled and waved him off. He smiled back and walked around the bar out of the building. As the next few minutes passed, you wiped down the counters, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, with the quiet of the rock music of the jukebox playing in the background.
The door opened and Marshall re-entered, bringing with him the stench of cigarette smoke and a man you had never seen before. He was fairly average sized, but in comparison to your boss he seemed almost small. His pale skin seemed to glow in the dim light of the bar, sharply contrasted by his dark hair and clothes. Marshall had his arm around him, and brought him to sit at the bar. The stranger’s hair hid one of his eyes, but when the visible blue eye met your e/c gaze, you could have sworn you felt your heart skip a beat. You cleared your throat and looked to Marshall.
“My new friend here just got into town a few days ago. Anything he wants is on me.” He patted the man on the back, who then nervously laughed and adjusted the scarf around his neck.
“Really, you’re too kind.” He smiled at Marshall. His voice was heavily accented but you couldn’t quite pinpoint where he was from.
“Nonsense. What’ll it be?” The man gave a defeated sigh.
“A red wine, if you have it. But really, not too much— I have a project I need to get back to.”
You were tempted to inquire about his “project” but Marshall waved for you to fetch the stranger’s drink. You didn’t often serve wine, as most people were content with whatever shitty beers you had on display up front, so you had to go to the back to grab it. After looking over the shelves for a second you found what you were looking for and brought it up front. When you came back, Marshall was still talking to the man, but the stranger didn’t seem to have any interest and kept glancing at you. You offered him a small smile as you poured his drink and he smiled back, showing off his perfect teeth.
God, everything about him seemed perfect, the way he spoke, his eyes, his smile and you found yourself wondering if everything was just as stunning.
Feeling your face getting warmer, you quickly looked back at the glass you had poured and realized you had poured the wine all over the counter instead.
“Shit!” You set the bottle and the glass to the side and grabbed your rag from earlier, quickly wiping up the mess. The man and Marshall laughed.
“Y/N, girl, what am I going to do with you?” He took the wine and poured it himself, handing it to the stranger then grabbing another glass for himself. “Can’t possibly let you drink alone, can I?”
You rolled your eyes, wishing that you could drink on the clock. “To new friends. Welcome to Union, we’re glad you’re here!” The two clinked their glasses and each took a sip.
While they had their fun, you went to check on Pete, a regular who had been sitting in the corner, silently watching, this entire time. He was glaring at the pair at the bar and didn’t look up when you walked over.
“Everything okay over here?” You asked. He looked up at you and gestured for you to come closer. You did so, not wanting to be rude.
“I wouldn’t trust that guy. He just don’t look right.” You both glanced at the stranger who was nodding along to whatever Marshall was talking about.
“You say that about all the new people in town.” You pointed out. In the past week you had seen more new faces than you could count, and every single one of them Pete glared at, just like he was doing now. He looked back at you.
“Y/N, you’re young, and sweet,” You smiled at the compliment. “But you’re dumb as a pile of rocks. Don’t get yourself caught up with bad people.” Gee, thanks.
“I believe the saying is box of rocks, but hey, I’m just here to serve alcohol. Speaking of, do you need a refill or anything?” You asked dryly, wanting to change the subject. He waved you off and you were happy to go back behind the counter.
“Thank you, again.” The stranger said, standing from his bar stool. Marshall patted him on the back again, earning a glare from the man.
“Hey, anytime. Hope you enjoy your stay in Union.” The man smiled over at you.
“I do not plan on leaving anytime soon.” He replied with a chuckle and left.
“Real nice guy.” Marshall told you, watching the door. “Guess he’s some kind of artist.”
“Did you even ask him his name? I know you didn’t ID him.” You asked. Marshall looked back at you in surprise.
“You know what- I didn’t.” You laughed and shook your head.
“I’m surprised he even got a word in.” You joked.
“Hey, now-”
“Hey, Marshall!” Pete yelled at him, raising his glass. Marshall nodded, grabbing Pete’s whiskey of choice and walking over. You smiled and decided to work on some pre-closing tasks.
~*~*~*~
Union was always much colder at night, but your attire probably didn’t help. A tank top and shorts weren’t really warm in any weather and even with the addition of a jacket, you were covered in goosebumps. You pulled your jacket tighter around you as you walked, listening to the quiet buzz of streetlamps, crickets chirping and the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. You were almost to Zander’s house by now— you checked the time and noted he should’ve gotten home a couple hours ago from his shift at Pit Stop. You walked up the familiar driveway, noting that his car was there, and knocked on the door.
“Hey, Zander, you there?” Silence.
You knocked again. “It’s Y/N.”
No response. Maybe he was asleep? You checked your phone to see if you had any missed texts or calls from him explaining his lack of response, but there was nothing. You decided you should text him, just in case.
[Y/N 2:57 AM] Hey, text me when you get off work.
While you were at it you also shot Miriam a text, giving her the rundown of the current situation.
[Y/N 2:58 AM] I went by Zander's and he didn't answer. Maybe he is asleep?
Miriam usually went to bed early, since she had to get up at the crack of dawn to start her shift at a local café, so you knew she probably wouldn’t see your text until morning.
Satisfied that you had done your due diligence, you took a short walk down the block to get home, and went through your typical evening routine. Laying back on your bed, your eyes drew shut, and you drifted off almost immediately, exhausted after your long day.
~*~*~*~
Your phone buzzed with a text, waking you up. You groaned and picked it up, noting the weather was as sunny and “perfect” today as ever—not that you expected any different, but it would nice to someday get some rain or something. You checked your texts.
[Miriam 10:28 AM] Who???
What was she asking about? You scrolled back through your latest texts. Zander? Who was that?
[Y/N 10:30 AM] Maybe I was sleep texting. I don't know
[Miriam 10:30 AM] Oh. Okay
You looked through your other recent texts to see if you had accidentally texted anyone else. No, you seemed to be in the clear, besides this unknown number you had recently texted, and you had texted them a lot apparently. Maybe that was this Zander person? But why would you talk to a stranger so much and have no recollection of who they were? It didn’t help that any of the pictures sent between the two of you wouldn’t load. Reading back through some of the conversations, you noted that this person worked at Pit Stop. Maybe you’d go there for lunch today?
~*~*~*~
Your trek up the hill to the small building felt familiar, but didn’t at the same time. How odd… you couldn’t even remember that last time you had been up here. You pulled open one of the large double doors and were greeted by a bell and a woman at the counter.
“Welcome to Pit Stop, sit anywhere you like!” The older woman went back to her work at the counter and you found a seat by the windows. Something felt off about the place, but you couldn’t put your finger on it.
“My name’s Bekka, I’ll be your server– What can I get for you?” Your waitress asked, setting some silverware and a menu down in front of you, pulling out her notepad, and a pen from behind her ear, causing some of her blonde hair to fall out of place.
“Uh… just water for now.” She nodded and started to walk away.
“Uh, hey, did someone named Zander or Alexander ever work here?” You asked.
The waitress looked confused.
“No. Why?”
“Just wondering.”
A/N: I am happy to announce I have created a discord server for us weirdos! A place where we can talk about this story(And His Last Masterpiece), share art, and share our love of these games. (Mostly this story though and the ones connected to it) Here is a link for anyone interested! https://discord.gg/bmq7m92c8r
