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The cozy, autumn breeze blew across the lone path of the forest, as animals skittered and ran about, and leaves flew in the wind. A perfect setting to take a relaxing walk in, especially if you were a a young man who was easily frightened.
"This is just what I needed..." Breathed a person of such description, Damien, as he walked across a dirt road, leaves and twigs crunching under his feet. "What was I even worried about anyways? Finals for this year? I got that! Plans for college? I got that too!" He told himself, adjusting his jacket. "Winning season three of the Total Drama reboot? I definitely got that!" He confidently told himself, not noticing the the shadowy person behind him.
"I mean, unless it was cancelled without them telling us.." A high-pitched voice informed, one that sent a chill down Damien's back as a chill ran down his spine.
"Oh no..." He squeaked, turning around to see none other than Lauren, AKA Scary Girl behind him, a purple satchel in her hands. "Ah!" He yelped, nearly falling backwards.
"Ah-ahhh, Scary Girl! Didn't think I'd run into you here." He tried to say, forcing a smile to hide his fear. "" Wh-what brings you here? Near where I live?" He inquires, stepping away from her.
"Oh, I was just on my way to the old cemetery near here." She answered casually, the boy across from her ready to bolt at a moment's notice. "There's something I've been meaning to do..." She said, an ominous lilt in her voice.
"And I hope you have good luck with it, and do not bring the dead back to life!" Damien told her in a hurried manner. "Nice seeing you again! By-" He says, ready to take off, only for her to suddenly appear in front of him when he turned around. "Eep!!"
"Actually, I'm not entirely sure where the cemetery is myself." Lauren admits, twiddling her thumbs. "You live in this area, think you can show me?"
"I-I mean, I know the p-path t-to avoid it." Damien stuttered, nearly falling over, right until Lauren grabbed him by the collar.
"Pleeeeaaaaaaase~" Lauren begged, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief, and glowing unnaturally. "I'd hate to be left all alone, lost in the woods.... Although, actually, that might be fun.." She admits, tapping her chin near the end.
'Say no! Say no! Say no!' Damien's brain yelled at him as he stared into the unblinking blue eyes of Lauren, which seemed to be just a few centimeters apart.
"W-well, who am I to leave a girl alone in the woods.... Even a Scary Girl..." He says as she let go of his collar.
'YOU *BEEP*ING MORON!" His brain shrieked, Lauren's smile growing wider in the process.
"Yay! Then lead the way, buddy!" She cheered, turning him around, and giving him a shove forward. With a careful glance at her, he began to walk forward, leaves crunching under his feet as he headed to what he hoped was not his end.
"So much for a relaxing time..." He sighed, moving ahead, and leading her onto a more worn out path. As the two pressed forward, the road to the cemetery began to look more unkempt with shrubbery and dusty. The trees around them appearing more withered and decayed, with the sky beginning to become filled with grey clouds. While he was becoming stiff with nerves and anxiety, Lauren would keep close by, occasionally skipping, doing cartwheels, and singing an eery tune as they marched on.
"... In the dead of night she came to him, with darkness in her eyes, wearing a morning gown, sweet words as her disguise~" She sang, picking up a random stick off the ground, one that had a sharp point at the end. "Ah, what a lovely day for this, don't you think?" She inquired, as he shuffled along the ground. "Do you come here often?"
"No, again, I avoid this area.." Damien explained, unnerved by the sounds of owls hooting, and a wolf's howl.
"Oh yeah, you did say you'd rather not use toilet paper after all." Lauren recalled with a teasing giggle. "Honestly..."
"Again, I can wash myself!" Damien yelled, glancing back and forth along the road. "What do I do about a haunting!?"
"Well, you'll have to find out eventually!" Lauren chirped, twirling and tossing the stick with excellent precision, until stabbing it into the ground. "But that can wait!" She adds, glancing around as well. "Are we getting close?"
"W-we'll be there soon... I hope." Damien assured, shivering in terror, and the speeding breeze as they kept their pace up. "I swear the walk's usually not this long..." He comments, closing his jacket. "Why do you even want to go there, anyways?" He questions, noticing she seemed to be caught slightly off guard, and then dig into the satchel. "Wait, I was just asking! Please don't kill m-"
"I collect tombstone rubbings." She admits, a few pages and a piece of black wax in her hand. "I know, not exactly the most 'normal' hobby out there." She rambled, cringing midway through. "But, I like doing it, and it hasn't had the cops called on me yet." She smiled, handing him one of the pages so he can take a better look at it.
"Huh, not bad..." Damien observed, gingerly handling the paper. "Jennifer Bradour Mancini, 1899 to 1963 ." He reads out, feeling himself begin to relax.
"She was an infamous serial killer who turned her victims' body parts into puppets, and then sold them to find her next victims." Lauren explained, the paper then back in her hands.
"And I do not want to damage it." Damien states, glancing at the page as if it were a cursed object. "But, I guess that's not so bad. I mean, so long as they're not ALL violent murderers, right?.... Right!?"
"Of course not!" Lauren nods, putting the page back in her bag. "Do you know how rare it is to come by a serial killer's tombstone? Especially one as dangerous as Mancini!?" She asked, letting out an annoyed sigh. "I was lucky to get it before they dug it out."
"I'm...Sorry to hear that." Damien responds hesitantly, with Lauren shrugging.
"Eh, it's no big deal. Just means I have something of high value!" She points out, patting her bag again.
"Yeah, so long as you keep it away from MK and Julia." Damien said with a snicker, Lauren laughing at the comment.
"Oh, I'd like to see either them try! Heheh, hehehehe! Kyahahaha!" Lauren cackled, picking up a rock, and squeezing it into a fine dust. "Ahahah.... Hehe.. Anyways!" She finished, looking back at him. "What about you? What does Damien like to do for fun?"
"M-me? Um... I like to do DnD." Damien answered, rubbing the back of his head. "You ever play it before?"
"No, but I watched you play a few online games from your closet! Seems like fun!" Lauren answers, making Damien freeze, and recall a certain memory.
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"Man, can you believe Caleb was just using Priya like that!?" Damien snapped, as he and the hockey bros sat around the campfire, roasting marshmallows. "He's lucky we decided to vote for Zee instead!"
"I know! And he says Bowie's a snake!" Raj comments, holding his to the flame.
"I hope every team he roots for is a hoser, eh!" Wayne barked, taking a bite, and then swallowing his marshmallow. "Also, Scary Girl was stalkin' us from our closets to see how we act in an attempt to appear normal." He randomly and nonchalantly informed.
"...... What?" Damien asked.
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"Oh, right, I forgot..." Damien groaned, coughing into his hand afterwards. "Y-you didn't see me anything anything that weir-"
"Yes, I heard your impromptu covers of anime themes." Lauren said, laughing at his cry of embarrassment. "If it helps, it was nowhere near as torturous as what I had to see with some of the others." She assured, leaning into his ear. "Ripper ate an entire bowl of hot wings while crying and pantsless."
"Why would tell me that?" Damien winced, closing his eyes and shivering at the mental image. "Why? He repeats, Lauren seemingly not paying attention.
"Admittedly, I'm starting to think watching you guys wasn't the best way to be normal." She realized, still walking beside him.
"You think!?" Damien snapped back, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I-I mean-"
"Oh, I know exactly what you mean!" Lauren replied, an evil smile forming on her face. "I mean, who wouldn't be scared of a creepy, Scary Girl, watching them at all times, and trying to run people over with a jackhammer?" She asked, Damien shrinking in fear. ".... I know I am.." She grumbled, her smile morphing into a frown.
"I'm sorry, what!?" Damien asked, rising back up.
"Hmm?" Lauren hummed, smiling again.
"Wh-what you just said, it-"
"Even I get scared, believe it or not!" Lauren interrupts, acting playful again. "Sure, it might not be by conventional horrors, like the unknown, or getting my flesh ripped off by a rusty chainsaw, but.. The fear is their." She admits solemnly. "And it doesn't like to leave." She adds, staring into the distance.
"Are... You ok?" Damien finally questioned, nudging her hesitantly. "Sc-sca- Lauren?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine!" Lauren assured, acting casual (at least for her) again. "Why do you ask?"
"B-because you just- you-" Damien tried to explain, nearly falling over until Lauren caught him. "Are you just joking with me right now!?"
"Nope! Now, if I were to talk about forcing you into believing you were a common house cat, then I'd be joking!" She informs, helping him back up.
"At least you're calm again...." Damien sighed in relief. With her picking him up, he looked at her again gulping from nerves as he resumed his pace. "But if you need to talk, you know just.."
"Try and censor the gruesome details. Gotcha." She finished, offering a more sincere smile this time. With Damien smiling back, he took a good look at the surroundings, noticing a serene quality about them that began to ease his mind.
"Huh, this actually hasn't been that bad." He observed, surveying the scene. The grey skies seemed more peaceful, and the call of the animals seeming more far away. "What was I even so afraid of?
"Hmm, mutant sharks, chainsaw killers with hooks, Chris with a loaded AK-47, need I go on?" Lauren rambled him as his face sinks.
"No, thanks for reminding me though" He sarcastically comments, pinching the bridge of his nose right as he feels a hand on his shoulder. "Uhh... "
"Don't be like that! Sure, this world is filled with potential terror and nightmares behind every corner, waiting to leap out and end you, potentially torture," She explains, patting his shoulder lightly. "But, you're brave enough to handle it. Probably braver than me!"
"...... Is this the part where you talk about making me a house cat? No way you actually think that's true!?" Damien yelled in disbelief.
"Oh, quit being so hard on yourself!" Lauren says with a playful shove. "You're facing your fears right now, right?" She asked, watching as Damien's spirits began to lift.
"Huh, guess I am!" He notss, looking up. "And we're already here!" He announced when they arrived at the front gates of the cemetery.
"EEE!" Lauren squealed, her eyes lighting up with a sparkle before she quickly pulled Damien into a hug. "Thank you so much! I can't tell you how much this... This.." She tried to say, as she looked up to see the confused look on his face, and then what she was doing. "Wow, that was weird!" She chirped, quickly hiding her face. "Um... See ya!" She told him, heading forward and stopping at the entrance. "This was fun, maybe we should do it again sometime... If you want...." She suggest, hanging her head low. "It's fine if you don't though, I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with....." She mumbled, moving forward.
"A-alright... I'll be waiting here for you then." He called out, standing near the front gate. "For the walk back... Can't leave a girl alone in the woods, right?" He informed, as she looked back with a pink blush.
"You're funeral.." She jokes, going forward.
"That's what you say." Damien mumbled back, resting against the gate, confidence in his voice. "But, I got this."