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The morning is warm. Soft lights of the sunshine beam down against the sidewalk, illuminating crystalized ice that had settled on the glittering icicles hanging off the occasional building nearby. It's still cold, but it's not as cold as it could be all things considered. Sulli's hand brushes against old brick houses as they walk, tracing the rays of light with their feet, and trying not to replay what happened yesterday and in the early hours of this morning.

We all miss you, you know.

They can't fight back the smile that crawls over their face at the memory. Although it does worsen the emotional dilemma they've been facing ever since leaving Club Lore, it's nice to know that someone misses them. Even the members who seem more than a little emotionally constipated.

To be loved is to be missed.

It's a little after nine now, which they thought was a decent time to show up at Yaşru's. They'd woken up earlier from yet another unsettling nightmare, but it hadn't felt as frightening the second time around. Sulli had even texted Yaş to let him know they were coming over soon. It's not that they were surprised that they hadn't received a response, but it did make them a little paranoid.

Nothing happened Sulli, Yaşru can take care of himself.

Sulli knocked on the door gently, anxiously waiting for a response. While the seconds ticked by, they rocked back on their feet, looking up towards the doorway. There wasn't any sign of the decorative lettering here like there was in the Club Lore meeting room, although there were birdlike scratches along the edges. Sulli's frown deeped on their face, tilting their head upwards to it, before glancing back at the door. Hesitation brushed their thoughts before they pressed their ear to the door, listening. There wasn't a sound. A moment later, there was a soft, muted bark.

Erlik.

Yaşru must have gone out then, for the ingredients for the cookies. Unease settled in the pit of Sulli's stomach, instincts screaming that that's not what was happening at all. Still, Sulli's instincts had been wrong on more than one occasion, especially recently. Although they can't be found at fault for all of it, they wouldn't have guessed about the otherworldly traits regularly - and probably wouldn't believe it completely unless they saw it with their own eyes.

There was another soft bark, and Sulli's hand hovered over the doorknob. That would be an invasion of privacy, wouldn't it? To go into the apartment without being let in? Still, something dreadful was beginning to coagulate in their stomach. Pressing down the paranoia, they retracted their hand, crossing their arms over their chest instead of giving in to their insatiable curiosity. After all, that was what had gotten them here in the first place. They wish they could just turn it off at times like this. Because nothing had happened - certainly nothing could have happened to him.

Sulli's fingers twitched, and instead of giving in and opening the door, they reached for their phone, scrolling back through their messages towards Club Lore's contacts. An internal war debated in their head, pushing and pulling on the argument of whether or not to give into that debilitating paranoia. It felt different this time, like something was seriously, seriously, wrong. Not the same kind that followed Sulli in the darkness of their nightmares, not even close.

This was worse.

Sulli called Yaşru first, but almost immediately it went to voicemail, and Sulli's heart sunk deep in their chest. That wasn't possible- just this morning he'd picked up, and everything had been fine. Controlling their breathing as best as they could manage, they scrolled down further. Madden.

Voicemail.

Adelaide.

Voicemail.

Kelsey.

Voicemail.

Cassiopeia.

Voicemail

Julian.

Voicemail.

Magnus.

Voicemail.

Sulli could feel their heart beating in their chest, thrumming with rapid anxiety. Consuming dread enveloped them all at once, and Sulli reached for the doorknob, knowing that it would open without much difficulty at all.

Unfortunately, they were right.

The door swung open a beat later, and Sulli was immediately greeted with the face of Erlik whining up at them. It did little for the disquiet that had clogged their lungs with suspended emotion. Sulli reached for his head, ruffling the fur atop it as eyes scanned the room. Perfect. It was perfect. Their face contorted, eyes analyzing every aspect they possibly could. It was sickeningly put-together, everything set exactly where it should be. Sterilized, almost. An eerie feeling crept up their neck, turning to look at Erlik. "Now why would they leave you?" Sulli squatted beside the Irish Wolfhound, looking around at his level. "Were you hiding?" Erlik's head tilted at that as if Sulli had said a word he recognized. Realization brushed over their features, and they tilted their head back. "Hide." Erlike's head tilted again, in the opposite direction before getting up, and trotting towards the wall where a stacked bookcase was. Erlik pressed his nose into a corner on the ground, and the bookcase slid over soundlessly, revealing some kind of hallowed-out closet.

A coffin?

Erlik sat inside, and in another moment, the bookcase had gone back to where it had been before, placed without imperfection. Sulli walked towards the bookcase, squatting down beside it instead and letting their fingers brush over the corner. Fingers caught on an etched-out rune, easy to miss if you didn't know to look for it. They reached back for their notebook in their bag, digging through it before sitting back, crossing their legs as they carefully sketched the rune back out in the book. Underneath it, they scribbled a short description of what had happened, finishing in time to look up to watch the bookcase slide back against the wall. Beneath their fingertips, the rune glowed dimly, not quite enough to be noticeable.

Sulli got up, peeking to see that the rune inside the coffin matched the one on the floor. Erlik trotted out, taking a seat next to Sulli's leg again, pushing his snout against their leg. They set aside their notebook, looking back at him, "What is it, Erlik?"

The Irish Wolfhound trotted over to his food bowl, whining, and Sulli's face shifted. "He didn't feed you before he left?" Sulli patted the dog's head, thoughts whirring. "So, whatever happened must have happened before 8-ish.." They opened the notebook again, scribbling that down before finding Erlik's food to feed him properly. Ruffling his fur again, Sulli's mind wandered back to the now-closed coffin, "But why wouldn't Yaşru hide too?"

As much as their snarky side wants to say pride, they don't believe Yaşru would let his pride get in the way of escaping something much worse.

"Unless...he wasn't here at all when whatever happened, happened." Gaze turning to the kitchen, Sulli rushed in, searching for the ingredients for the cookies. If they weren't here, then it's likely that whatever did happen to him happened on his way to the store. Guilt pooled in their stomach, but they bit it back as best they could, trying their best to detach their thoughts from emotion.

This was an investigation.

Sulli couldn't afford to have feelings right now. They had to separate it. Things would only get worse if they let emotion infiltrate their judgment. Like a slingshot, their thoughts darted back to the task at hand, individually scanning each shelf.

None.

No doubt Yaşru had some hidden stash of alcohol somewhere, but the other ingredients were nowhere to be seen. Sulli shut the cabinet doors, looking back over at the bar at Erlik, who was currently preoccupied with his delayed breakfast. "None of them are answering me either, and I could believe some of them blocking me, but the fact that all of their phones have gone to voicemail is uncanny." Sulli was perfectly aware of course, that Erlik had no idea what they were talking about, but talking out loud about it was always helpful.

The Devil of Dublin.

Sulli's thoughts screeched to a halt, eyes rapidly darting across the room as question after question poured from their mind. Footsteps trailed up and down the room, letting Sulli move as their mind did. "Why would Club Lore be scared of a human serial killer? I mean yeah, obviously it's a murder, but I'm sure each of them could have taken them without much difficulty at all." They shook their head, "The only reason they might be scared is because the Devil of Dublin knows about them." Their feet pulled to a stop in the center of the living room. "Oh my god, the Devil of Dublin isn't a serial killer, they're a monster hunter."

Of course. That would explain why the bodies had to be cut up and mutilated. Why people's remains were found months after their disappearance? Why some bones were distinctly missing.

Erlik barked at Sulli, and they nodded, "Sorry, you're right. Otherworldly hunter? Supernatural hunter?" They walked back towards Erlik, to the cupboard where they had found the food, and began fishing out his leash and harness. "I suppose they are still a serial killer, but I think it makes sense, don't you? They must have been searching for supernatural creatures all over Ireland, and as they got closer to Cork, they must have found out somehow."

Sulli supposed it could have been through Samhain. As the members had said, Adelaide's family was important to the community, so it's possible that the Devil of Dublin had overheard about the Samhain party, and had gone from there.

They sat down next to Erlik, fitting on his harness and leash without too much struggle. He really was a well-trained dog. Sulli smiled for a moment, letting themselves smile at the idea of the members of Club Lore training Erlik. "We're going to Kelsey's. We're gonna stop to check the other's rooms too." Sulli's mind dwindled, looking out towards the promising day out the window, before looking back to Erlik. "How hard do you think it is to hot wire a car?"

⋯

Honestly, not that hard apparently.

Difficult, for sure, but when you're staring at the fact that your friends might be being tortured to death, or already dead, you figure out things pretty quickly. Besides, Magnus had shown him how to do it once when Kelsey and he had invited Sulli to join in on a prank on Madden.

"You know Erlik," Sulli was careful as they drove down the roads. It was different than it was in America, and they didn't have their license to drive here, and getting pulled over right now is genuinely the last thing that they probably need, "Madden will probably kill me knowing I let you sit in the passenger seat of his car." He wouldn't, but it helped Sulli to make light of something that was so utterly terrifying right now. Deep, resonating fear echoed out of his chest, reverberating against the trees that loomed over the road that Sulli traversed down.

Sulli wished they would have been wrong, but they expected the other dorms to be empty, picked perfectly clean. They would have really liked to be wrong.

The canopy of the trees opened up, and Sulli glanced up, expecting to see a glorious blue sky.

Instead, they saw deep, billowing smoke. Their heart stopped dead in their chest as they pressed on the gas pedal, speeding down towards Kelsey's house, only to skid to a stop moments later, and in horror watching as the fire crackled against the old wood. Beside them, Erlik barked, and it startled them out of whatever stupor they were in.

Sulli darted out of the car, rushing towards the door as Mebh stumbled forward, one of the girls in her arms.

Saoirse.

She was screaming hysterically, and although her skin looked untouched by the fire, her yelling carved out what was left of the silence. Sulli reached Mebh in a moment, placing their hands on her arms, frantic, "What happened-"

"I don't know- I don't-" She shook her head, "I woke up, and there was suddenly fire everywhere," Tears brimmed her eyes, "And Corinne is still in there, I couldn't get to her."

I couldn't get to her.

Sulli looked at the blazing home, mind whirring.

She's still in there.

"Save her!" It's a scream, and it takes Sulli a moment to realize it's Saorise, writhing in Mebh's arms, thrashing against her grip.

I can get to her.

And then Sulli's running towards the house, skittering in just in time to hear the beginning collapse of the front archway.

Well. There goes that exit.

Blaring warmth sears their arms, and Sulli can nearly feel the hair on his arms burning off as they duck through the house. Smoke chokes their lungs, grasping their throat with fire-freckled hands. They duck under a blazing timber of wood, blinking tears from their eyes so that they might be able to see where the stairs are.

The bedrooms are upstairs. Sulli knows that. Based on the decorative curtains that they'd seen on the outside the first time, Corinne and Saorise must have been on the left of the house.

Why weren't they together during the fire?

Sulli located the stairs, looking up to find steps of burning wood. A grimace ran over their face, and they sprinted up the stairs about as fast as they could, doing their best to step on the patches of wood that seemed mostly untouched.

It did work for most of the stairs, but Sulli's foot broke through the wood on the second to last one, and they half dropped, feeling broken splinters dig into their skin. Palms slammed again overheated wood, threatening blistering agony if they stayed there long.

Get up, Sulli.

They groaned, pressing their elbow into the warmth, and pushing upwards, scrambling back to the second floor, turning back to watch the rest of the stairs crumble into shattered pieces of wood.

Oh God, that hurts.

They scrambled up again, coughing as thick haze dug into their lungs, blinking through dense smoke in search of Corinne. They choked again, covering their mouth as they dropped closer to the ground, drawing in a deep breath, and holding it, listening for any sort of sound.

There.

Sulli's head snapped towards the left, where the door was shut, half barricaded by smoldering pieces of the ceiling. It was soft, but it was a scream nonetheless, frantic and muffled. They dove towards the door, shoving the remaining pieces of scalding wood before shoving their shoulder into the fragile door. It must have been weakened by the fire, but the pain still shot through their shoulder as it gave way. 

"Corinne!" Sulli's eyes anxiously scanned the room, their chest tight with dread but there was that same muffled scream, buried under a pile of blazing debris, and Sulli forgot every drop of pain they had in their body. Because it didn't matter now. They rushed towards it, shoveling off fire-kissed timber, and finally finding the weak, barely conscious body of his beloved friend's daughter.

Desperately, Sulli lugged her into their arms, backing up from the pile as crackling sounds echoed in the room. She was burned, badly so, but not quite as bad as Sulli would have expected.

Fae.

Shaking their head, and clutching Corinne tighter to their chest, they watched as the ceiling began to crumble down on them. A way out. They needed a way out. In a moment, teary eyes were drawn to the balcony outside their room. The one that hung over the cliffside and dropped almost straight into the ocean.

Fuck.

Sulli began backing up slowly towards the balcony, trying not to think about the rapid spiderwebbing of the floor beneath them both. "Corinne. I need you to stay awake a little longer, okay?" They kept their voice as calm as they could manage, drawing in a deep, trembling breath as they moved Corinne's arm around their neck, holding her to his chest tightly. "You need to stay as close as you can, any more friction with the water could hurt both of us."

Sulli stepped outside, and the cold air stung the burns that must have lined both of their bodies because Corinne let out some kind of choked sob.

They glanced over the edge, staring down at the churning seas beneath the balcony, and sucking in another sharp, shaky inhale. "And when I tell you too, you need to hold your breath, okay?"

She sobbed again, but she nodded, and Sulli felt the floor under them rumble. They turned to the sea as calmly as they could, letting Corinne latch onto them as they stepped over the railing, handing to the edge.

"Don't worry kiddo, when your dad gets back, you can tell him we went cliff diving."

It drives a shaky laugh from the young girl holding onto them, and Sulli lets go of the railing, leaping as far from the cliffside as they can manage, as they plummet towards the waters far beneath them.

Sulli hears Corinne draw in her breath at the same time they do, and they hold her tighter, hitting the cold, icy water with a sharp, wicked second. It sears across their burns, and they know it's doing the same for the child they're holding. Exhaustion seizes their arms, prompting them to simply let go of it all, to die in these unforgiving waters just as so many had before.

Get up, Sulli.

So Sulli surges upwards, praying with whatever strength they might have left they'll be able to get Corinne to safety. They breach the surface just as they feel their lungs give out, and choke on the seawater that stings each wound on their body. Corinne is still clutching to them, but she's crying again, and Sulli lets out a deep, relieved sigh.

Alive.

They would have never forgiven themselves if she'd died, especially if she had died such a painful death all alone. Fatigue grips his limbs, but Sulli shoves forward, reaching for the edges of the shore. There's a small cove, and they set Corinne on it before hauling themselves up, settling up against the rocks. Without a word, the young girl crawls back over to them, curling next to their side, and clutching Sulli's arm like her life depends on it.

Sulli sets a hand on her head, combing out a wet, tangled matt. "You're alright, lovebug, you aren't going to get hurt anymore."

She didn't say a word, and honestly, Sulli doesn't blame her. Instead, they tug her closer, rubbing her delicate arms in an attempt to keep her warm. She doesn't look nearly as burned anymore, so Sulli draws the conclusion that it wasn't magical fire, it was normal fire that must have caught on the house. They drop their head back into the rock, closing their eyes in an attempt to catch their breath and process what just happened.

Unfortunately, they're interrupted by a bright, sweet-hearted voice, "Oh, look Chase! A human!"

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WYN

fourteenth chapter </3

I have the best cast. I really, really do <3 thank you to those who gave me those sweet messages and checked in on me.

I'm gonna be honest, the past two-three days I didn't even get out of my bed (basically), so this is the first day I got up and decided to do shit, and because I'm proud of myself, I'll tell you what I did. I woke up this morning and had a crisis for about two hours before I told myself I needed to do something. So I went for a short walk (even though there's a snowstorm that's been three days long??) and then picked up my school supplies from campus. Then I came back to my apartment and went to the clubhouse and did almost all of my homework - I have three assignments left for the week I think. and then I decided to write because I felt like I could today.

The point is that I felt like I wanted to die the past two days, and everything was worthless - but it's not! It's not hopeless, and yes there's shit going on all the time, and yeah, this world needs a fucking win, but if we can't have a global one, we'll have to settle for the small kind. I got up this morning, and so did you.

So drink some water, have something to eat, and remember to be kind to yourself bc you're human and yeah humanity sucks sometimes, but some of us are pretty fucking cool.