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We'll keep you safe.

Sulli's mind wandered as they jabbed forward with their foil fencing blade, narrowly avoiding slipping on their narrowly placed steps. They were sparring against one of the other club members, Rowan. He was two years into his schooling now, and already well-experienced in how the fencing worked in the club. They often held mini-tournaments at least once a week where each of the players would advance after winning their round.

We'll keep you safe.

Sulli parries the next blow, scurrying back a couple of steps to recompose their defense. The foil felt more technical at times, because of the smaller target area, but it also was a smaller area to defend. Not to mention, it was the lightest blade to use in fencing. It was fortunate enough that Cork's team had recently become co-ed, stopping Sulli from feeling outcasted by one of the only things that had kept them going in the States.

We'll keep you safe.

It was still hard to be on the fencing team back at their high school, but it was a way to be away from home. Drawing and cosplay were their other escapes, but Sulli didn't trust enough in the economy to completely commit to an art career, so they did the next best thing.

We'll keep you safe.

They'd started listening to crime stories around the same time their parents told them about the divorce. There's probably some correlation there, but Sulli refuses to look too much into it. They listened to true crime often and found deep fascination in cold cases and the technological advancements in crime fighting. They'd always been good at figuring out puzzles, at analyzing a situation, and putting the pieces together, so why not?

We'll keep you safe.

Sulli parried again, taking another step back as Rowan advanced on them. Another moment, and they felt the prod against their torso, and their opponent stepped back, removing their mask. Sulli sighed to themselves, doing the same before setting aside their fencer and shaking their hand. Rowan's grin was wide as he reached for theirs, shaking it once. "Well, you seemed distracted today, Sulli."

"Do I?"

"It's good for me too, it's been a while since I've beat you." Rowan set aside his own equipment before running a hand through his hair. "What are you thinking about anyway?"

Their hands hover over their mask for a second, before picking it up and putting it away. "Nothing. Just something one of my friends said."

Friend.

Rowan raised his eyebrow, "You have friends?"

"You're hilarious, Rowan."

Rowan laughed again, and Sulli ignored the sensitive pricks in their heart at the comment. Rowan of course didn't mean it, so they shouldn't take it to heart. They shake their head, rubbing their shoulder before stretching their arms above their head. Distantly, the register Rowan's eyes on them, staring for a beat longer than he should have. "Do you want to go grab dinner, Sulli?"

Dinner?

"Dinner?" Sulli repeats, looking back at him, "Right now? It's almost already dark."

"Don't tell me you're scared of the dark, Sulls." Rowan's grin is back in full force, but his voice is lighthearted as he reaches over to pat their arm, "C'mon, I'll protect you, I'm very capable." He pulled his hands back, stripping off the rest of his guard, "We have to walk back to our dorms anyway, so we can wait a little bit longer."

They hesitate again, looking back to Rowan. A Club Lore is meeting later tonight, and Sulli needs to make Yaşru those whiskey cookies.

We'll keep you safe.

"Okay, let's go get dinner." They need to think about something else, anything else except Club Lore for the moment. Not because of the friend thing, because of course, Sulli wants to be friends with them, but because they still feel like something is very very wrong.

Yaşru doesn't even like them, they've made that pretty clear, so what made them stop Sulli? What was the hug for? Did he really just want more triple-threat cookies? Was it because he loved the others so much?

And what the hell did that 'oh' mean?

Sulli has a lot of questions, but they've always had a lot of questions about everything. This is different though, because this feels like something is deliberately being hidden from them. They hate the feeling, and they know they're just overthinking this. Which is exactly why they need to think about anything other than the club.

Rowan's grin widened, and he pulled on his shirt, glancing down at his watch "I guess we don't have much time to shower, do we?" He grimaces, looking back up to Sulli a moment later, "UCC central should still be open, and it's close, we can be done by like five." He looked back to Sulli for confirmation, "I know it's early for dinner, but I'm starving."

Sulli feels their anxiety smooth over, and they nod. "That's good- I'll have plenty of time afterward then."

"For what?"

"Cookies. I'm making them for a friend."

Friend.

We'll keep you safe.

Again, Sulli represses the thoughts, falling into step beside Rowan. He's pretty, Sulli thinks. Curly ginger hair, and a rapid smattering of freckles all over his skin. He works out a lot, obviously, and Sulli knows the only real reason they beat him so often in tournaments is because Sulli's more dextrous than he is. Dark cinnamon eyes pair nicely with the rest of his features.

He's handsome and nice from what Sulli has seen, but he's not Magnus or Yaşru.

It doesn't take long for them to get to the UCC, and it takes an even shorter time for them to find a place to sit. Sulli isn't all that hungry, they had a large lunch, so they figured just a salad would tide them over just fine, despite Rowan's persistent teasing over it. Sulli actually likes salad, contrary to their family's beliefs. Of course, their family believed a lot of things about them were wrong, so it wasn't surprising that they also felt the need to constantly comment on their eating habits. For the most part, they're pretty healthy. They eat three meals a day, sometimes skipping breakfast out of necessity, and some snacks throughout. They are healthy, at least physically, and sometimes Sulli gets really sick of their family assuming they aren't because of what they like to refer to as their "condition".

They shake their head again, reaching up to run a hand through their own hair, again becoming vaguely aware of Rowan staring at them again. Looking up to meet his eyes, Sulli frowns slightly, "What?"

"Nothing, I just think you're pretty."

Pretty.

Sulli rapidly feels heat eat across their face, and they duck their head, "You're being an ass, Rowan."

Rowan laughs again, and the sound is husky, "You are pretty, Sulli - but admittedly, I had ulterior motives for inviting you to dinner."

Sulli forces their eyes up again, reaching for their water, "Well don't keep me in suspense. I figured you did though, you don't invite me to hang out in general, Rowan."

"Other than fencing, what do we exactly have in common?"

Sulli has to give them that because they don't have anything in common with Rowan other than the fact that they're both fencers. Not that Sulli really minds, they probably wouldn't go out of their way to hang out with themselves either, especially if they didn't have anything to talk about. "What did you want?" They're anxious to change the subject, still desperate to avoid thinking too much about Club Lore.

"You're friends with Adelaide, aren't you?"

"Adelaide Kwon?"

Rowan nodded, picking up their sandwich, "Yeah, her." He took a bite, setting it back down before crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm interested in her, romantically, you know?" He sighed, "She's in the same social circle as my family is-"

"Is she?" Sulli doesn't mean for it to come out as skeptical as it down, but they press their lips together after Rowan regards them for a moment.

"Yes. She is." His voice doesn't sound as friendly anymore, and a deep pit of uneasiness has settled in their stomach. "She's been ignoring my advancements, so I thought maybe if you could put in a good word for me..." Rowan trailed off, looking over at Sulli expectantly.

"No." The word is out before they even really get a chance to register it, and Rowan looks surprised at the response.

"Excuse me?"

"No." Sulli set down their fork, ignoring that deep sense of dread in the pit of their stomach. "Listen, if Adelaide doesn't like you, you have to just accept that."

"She doesn't even know me, how could she not like me?"

"I know you just fine, and I don't like you very much right now." Reminding themselves to breathe evenly, they fight back the heavy fear that's begun to settle over their table. The atmosphere feels thick with tension suddenly, but Sulli isn't going to just roll over and play dead, or just ignore this either.

"What did you say?"

"I said I don't like you either." Sulli knows that the longer they hold eye contact, the more likely they will be to relent to their own emotions, so they glance just past him, towards the clock. "I'm not helping you harass my friend, Rowan. If she said no, she means no, Adelaide doesn't just change her mind." Sulli stands up, their appetite diminished, and Rowan stands all the same, towering over them.

"She did for you."

"What?"

"About her stupid fucking club, you changed her mind, why can't you do it for this?"

"Because this is harassment, Rowan. You aren't her friend, you aren't even a suitor, so why don't you stop pretending a girlfriend is something you can buy, and work on gaining more personality than you have money?" Sulli grabs their bag, picking up their plate to throw it in the nearby trash, before hurriedly ducking out of the cafe. They can hear the rapid footfalls behind them, and they feel that sense of disquiet consume them.

They brace for it right before they feel the grip on their arm, and Sulli is shoved backward into the wall of the empty corridor. "What the hell is wrong with you? Just do this for me."

"You really need a lesson on how to take no for an answer, don't you?"

Sulli knows it's going to happen before it does. Because they've been here before, shoved up against a wall for simply being who they were. Of course, they thought high school was over, but some people never truly grow up.

It's only a second before Sulli feels Rowan's fist make contact with their face.

Pain darts up their face, deep into the back of their throat and nose at the contact, and Sulli listens for a crack. Thankfully, it never comes, and although it stings, it's much easier to deal with if their nose isn't broken like this.

They're dropped a second later, and pain sears through their nose as blood drips in dark red streaks down onto their mouth. Reaching up to cover their nose and mouth from where they sit, Sulli draws a deep breath in. The metallic taste lines their mouth, and that sickening drop in their stomach churns over. It's familiar, and Sulli hates it more than anything.

"You change your mind yet?"

Sulli winces, squinting up at them, "No, not really."

"Are you stupid?"

Well. Sulli chokes back some blood, the underlying sensation of metallic liquid crawling down their throat. "Go to hell, Rowan."

"Forget it. You're useless." It brings Sulli some sort of satisfaction to see Rowan so angry, especially over something so childish. It makes the pain a little sweeter, and while it doesn't take the nauseating feeling of blood sinking into their mouth away completely, it certainly helps to see him throwing a tantrum like some naive simpleton.

What are you?? Some kind of comic book villain?

Of course, Sulli doesn't say that, instead blearily looking up in time to see Rowan shake his head in disgust, before turning on his heel and heading outside, back towards his rich-prick dorms.

"Fuck." They lean back a little more into the wall, keeping their nose and mouth covered. The blood is already clotting, so it didn't break their nose at least. They scrounge for their jacket, picking it up and holding it against their face before reaching for their phone to check the time.

It's a little before five, so they should still have time to make the cookies before Club. They had to go now. Adelaide would want to know about Rowan, wouldn't she? It'd be wrong to keep it from her, at least Sulli thought so. He didn't want to lie to his best friend about anything like that.

It's already dark by the time Sulli gets up, scrubbing most of the blood off their face. It'd probably be a bad idea to walk around with it dried all over, especially since a serial killer was rumored to be in town right now. They'll have to hurry home then.

They've never really liked walking in the dark. Being alone makes it even worse. Soft fog has started to roll in down the streets of Cork, and an unsettling presence hangs in the air. It feels darker than usual if that's possible. Clouds cover the sky, and that deep haze crawls over old buildings, hiding things. They don't like it. The way they feel as if they're being watched, followed by a pair of eyes hidden between pairs of ancient dark trees.

We'll keep you safe.

Even if it took a punch to the face, at least Rowan kept Sulli busy enough to not think about the Club. But now, they didn't have much of an option to let their thoughts wander. They want to tell themselves they're just being paranoid, but something else tells them there is something very real about the fear that hangs over them with each hollow step. It's so quiet here. Earrily so in fact, goosebumps trailing over their skin as a bitter wind trails through the open alleys.

We'll keep you safe.

Sulli just wants to pretend they know Yaşru meant what he said. But they don't know. Because Yaşru is a good liar. So they can't get over the feeling that something else is going on there. It's embarrassing enough they had a full-on breakdown in front of the entire club, it feels worse somehow that they have to go tonight with the cookies that they promised.

A short, echoing sound shatters the silence of the dark, and Sulli pulls to a stop in their steps, turning back to look into the night. It's empty. Everything is empty. It sounds again, wailing almost, and Sulli narrows the direction towards the beginning of the forest not far from where they stand.

Not wailing.

Screaming.

It's stupid. Sulli knows it's stupid, but they drop their bag and run towards the trees. Someone is being attacked, that's what it sounds like. Someone is being murdered in those woods, and if Sulli can't get there in time to save them, then at the very least they can get a glimpse of the killer. They keep hold of their fencer blade. It's enough of a weapon that surely it could do something.

Maybe not much if the Dublin Devil has a gun.

The woods are even darker, and it feels as though Sulli has vanished into an abyss. There's still screaming, and it feels loud enough that they have to be close by. It's not coming from one direction anymore, once Sulli gets far enough within the trees, it's all over. Encompassing and consuming the forest as fast as the darkness is.

It's overwhelming, and they nearly trip over an exposed root, scrambling for balance. And then, all at once, it's quiet again. There's nothing but that hollow silence, deeper than it was before somehow. Sulli blinks rapidly, chest heaving as they glance around.

They don't dare speak for fear of being found. By the Devil of Dublin, or whatever else is out there waiting in these woods for human flesh.

It takes a moment for their eyes to adjust, but once they do, Sulli has to clasp a hand over their mouth, biting on their tongue to stifle a scream.

Bones.

Fresh ones. Stripped from muscle, but stained with deep red residue, and sinewy pieces of meat. They're scattered about, in a circle almost, surrounding Sulli, and they have to fight back the urge to vomit up the half-salad that they had been able to get down earlier. They won't even bother to look down as they move a step back, hearing the squelch of whatever mixed in with the dirt under their feet. They already know exactly what it is.

The grip on their fencer blade tightens, and they whip around, expecting something - someone -to be there. But there's nothing. Nothing at all. No trace of whatever made that horrible, screaming sound.

The wind rustles against the branches of the tree, but there's still not a sound out here. The aftertaste of blood and mucus still lingers in their mouth, and Sulli is becoming increasingly hyper-aware of the fact that they're out in the woods on a dark night, with a serial killer lurking somewhere.

I'd for sure be the first to die in a horror movie.

It was a stupid idea, to run towards it. Who runs towards unholy screaming in the middle of the night? It wasn't even the middle of the night, it was - fuck - it was almost six now, and Club started in an hour.

They wouldn't have time to make cookies, would they? Not unless they booked it back home, and didn't make a single misstep from where they came.

Sulli takes another trembling step back, breathing deeply. They still can't help but stare at the blood-soaked bones in front of them, mutilated and scattered. It's one thing hearing about these things, it's a whole other seeing them in person.

"Oh. Well. Who do we have here?"

Fuck.

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WYN

kinda crazy that we're already on the seventh chapter-

hope you enjoyed it! sorry about the cliffhanger ^^, I'm heading back up to Idaho tomorrow, so we'll see if I update sooner rather than later. I'LL FIX IT IT JUST TAKES TIME (maybe!)

Hope sulli doesn't die!! that would suck :(

I don't have much more to share other than some family drama (my asshole brother and his wife) so for now, keep on it ya'll <3

you got it, sunshine!