*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧—chapter twenty-seven: silas the dog boy

August 23, 2021
Route 919
Upstate New York, New York

CASSIDY IS TRACING HIS FINGERS ALONG THE LEATHER STRAP FOR THE SHOTGUN, HESITANT TO REACH INTO HIS POCKETS FOR THE EYE DROPPER, THE VIAL, AND THE SYRINGE. The adrenaline from his panic and anger had died down a bit and he was staring down at two dead bodies. One which he had killed. The other a victim to the one he killed.

The other a victim to the one he killed.

Mary was dead. Her neck had been snapped and her throat had been ripped out. Blood had long since pooled around the corpse.

Fenris was in a similar—but not really—predicament. Dead. Bullet to the chest, blood pouring out, coating the ground beneath.

Cassidy shouldn't just be sitting there doing nothing as he stares at the corpses. Time was still ticking. It was probably already a bit past five in the morning. There were only less than two hours until dawn.

He needed to collect some of Fenris' blood. The final thing needed for the cure.

Reaching toward his pockets, he takes out the eye dropper and the vial. Not taking his eyes off of Fenris' corpse, he bends down and uses the eye dropper to suck up some of the blood, before popping the cork off of the vial, and squeezing the blood into it. Putting the eye dropper back into his pocket, he puts the cork back onto the vial and shakes it until the blood mixed with the rest of the vial's contents. The liquid inside went from a purplish-grey color to a dark magenta.

Ryan and Travis are watching him the entire time.

Cassidy takes the syringe out of his pocket next and removes the plunge from it. Taking the cork back off of the vial, he pours the liquid in. He taps it against the edge of the opening, making sure all of it came out, before putting the plunge back in and placing the cap over the needle so the liquid wouldn't leak. Then, he puts the cork back on the vial and sets both items back in his pockets.

As he stands back up, he notices a tarot card in the grass a few feet away, covered in blood. He picks it up and examines it. Judgement. He turns the card over in his hand.

TAROT CARD FOUND
17 OF ??
JUDGEMENT

Red eyes stare back at him suspiciously, almost as if the white wolf was silently judging him. But neither he nor the werewolf moved. The wolf was afraid of him, and he didn't want to scare it in case it would attack if the wrong move was made.

As Cassidy slips the card into one of his pockets, Travis turns around and leads the two boys through the woods. Ryan has his shotgun held out in front of him to let the flashlight illuminate the path. Branches crunch beneath their feet and the damp ground was a bit slippery. Cassidy and Ryan kept having to catch each other from falling several times, and Travis did not wait for them to catch up. Every few feet, the trio notices a clump of white fur stuck to bushes.

At least they knew they were headed in the right direction.

The quietness and the visibility of the woods was unsettling. Light fog settled over the ground, making it even harder to see anything. There were no animals in sight. Not a single one of the forest creatures could be seen or heard as the trio walked. No birds chirping in the trees; all of them had flown away at the beginning of the night. No small critters such as mice or bugs or spiders scuttling through the underbrush.

The three of them continue to stay silent, looking in every direction just in case. Though, if something was there, if they were close, Cassidy would have told them already.

Their view was no longer obstructed by fog. The trio slows to a stop as they enter a large clearing, previously damaged by fire. The burnt remains of the traveling freak show gave this place an unsettling appearance. All of this, just smack dab in the middle of the woods out in the middle of nowhere. So unsettling, in fact, that the phantom screams of the victims of the fire could be heard, causing all three of them to react in such a way that any normal person would think they were crazy.

"Remind me to never come here ever again," Cassidy says quietly, shuddering as he surveys the area.

"Not like I'd ever let you come here in the first place," Travis mutters.

Cassidy groans. "Shut up..."

"Podcast didn't do this place justice," Ryan replies.

Travis turns to look at the Erzahler boy. "You don't know the half of it," he says.

Ryan had then went on to ask the sheriff for the full story, seeing as he didn't know much. And seeing as the Hacketts were involved, and Travis seemed to have the most knowledge of it, he had to ask.

Cassidy wasn't listening. He already had all the information he needed. And they were wasting time by talking. And if this continues, then they might not have enough time to—

"Cassidy..."

He startles at the sound of the old woman's voice. This time, it was a bit louder than a whisper. Voice carried by the wind. Cassidy looks around, listening out for the voice again. But all he could hear was the wind and his own breathing.

"Cass, you okay?"

The sound of Travis' voice breaks him out of his daze. He turns around looks up at his father, meeting the older man's gaze.

"I heard her voice again."

Silence fills the air as Cassidy spoke. Travis blinks a few times, trying to register what his son just said. "'Her'?" Travis repeats, furrowing his brows.

"Yeah, 'her'. The first time I saw and heard her, I thought I was just imagining it. But it's... I don't know..."

"Who?"

"Eliza Vorez," Cassidy answers, feeling the bile rise in his throat. He swallows it back down and keeps his gaze level with Travis'. "I know she's dead, but I swear I... I saw her, hours ago, back at Chris' office... She called my name a few times, and then she said Silas. It's, like, she was tryin' to—" He cuts himself off, brows furrowed as he thinks. He tends to stay out here, at the freak show ruins, so why was he even at the quarry tonight? It suddenly dawns on him, and his eyes widen in surprise. "Holy shit, I think she was summonin' him to the camp."

"That's impossible. Who you're talking about..." Travis denies, searching his face for something. A look in the boy's eyes that could give it away. That Cassidy could be lying. Because there was no way in hell that the ghost of Eliza Vorez was haunting these woods.

"I saw her, too," Ryan adds, and Travis faces him. "In the rum tunnels."

"Goddammit," Travis mutters as he squeezes his eyes shut and massages his temples.

"Eliza did witchcraft, right?" Cassidy asks.

Travis opens his eyes and lets his hands fall to his sides as he looks at Cassidy. "Yeah... Why?"

"I think she had somethin' to do with this." The this referring to the current situation, how it all started.

"With Fenris?"

Cassidy nods. "I think so, yeah. I mean, there's a possibility, 'cos none of that can happen naturally. So, maybe Eliza's the real reason this all started," he starts to explain, furrowing his brows as he thinks of how to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Mary wrote somethin' in the journal that said that Fenris was born with a condition... I think that condition was hypertrichosis. And I'm guessin' maybe Eliza found out about his condition and wanted him to be a real werewolf, so she experimented with stuff, tried some things, and, well... Now you got werewolf Fenris." Cassidy lets the words sink in. But for a moment, Ryan was confused.

"But that doesn't explain Silas," the Erzahler boy says.

"Actually, it does," Travis replies. "Fenris abandoned Silas after biting him, back in '07. Poor kid didn't know what to do. Spent his time in the woods cold and alone, starved and thirsty, sleep deprived. This went on for a month before Eliza found him. Don't know how he went on that long, but I guess his lycanthropy saved his ass. When she found him, she brought him to that goddamned freak show, gave him the care he needed, but she locked him in a cage every full moon. Wasn't the best thing in the world, but for Silas, it was better than getting abandoned and trying so hard not to die alone in the middle of the woods at three years old."

"Jeez... Poor kid," Ryan says sadly.

"Yeah, it's... the entire situation is a whole fuckin' mess," Travis continues. "But when that happened— Things escalated. Silas started acting up and Eliza must've done questionable things to him."

"That explains his current behavior... The fear, the whole lone wolf thing, the aggression. He ain't doin' it to purposely hurt nobody, he's just protectin' himself. He's scared," Cassidy says, frowning.

Travis nods. "The state he was in... It's why Kaylee came up with that plan to free him. She didn't want him suffering anymore. She wanted to give him the freedom he deserved, but in the end, it all just went wrong. The fire. Caleb getting bit. Caleb biting Kaylee and Gabe. Caleb biting Chris. Hank dying. Everything that happened between that day and tonight."

"Silas needs someone who will actually give him the love and care and respect he deserves..." Cassidy's tone was sympathetic. "He doesn't need anyone usin' him."

Travis doesn't say anything else in response as he turns around and heads further into the damaged clearing.

Cassidy sighs, glancing around for a moment before looking at Ryan. "Time check?"

Ryan takes his phone out of his pocket and looks at it. "Five-fifteen," he answers.

"An hour and forty-five minutes..." Cassidy mumbles, following Travis, Ryan trailing behind them.

The trio was silent as they walked, as always. The continuous crunching sound of branches, twigs, pine needles, and dead leaves beneath their feet. The air stuffy from the humidity, feeling like it was having a tight grip on them and trying to suffocate them. They could hardly breathe.

They come to a stop at the ruins of the freak show. Overgrown grass and weeds were growing between everything they could, making it nearly impossible to see the old train cars that looked as if they had been smashed to smithereens, broken and charred. The dark, lush woods surrounding the colorless train cars left the area feeling dreary, deserted entirely. There was no sign of life here besides the plants.

"This... This is all that's left," Travis says in shock, as Ryan points the shotgun's flashlight at the ruins.

"Jesus Christ," Ryan utters quietly.

"Can't believe a bunch of burnin' hay caused all this..." Cassidy says in disbelief. "Damn..."

"Got any sign?" Ryan asks him.

He shakes his head. "Not yet. But I know he's here."

"I didn't even know this was still here..." Travis trails off as he looks around, taking it all in.

Cassidy could tell Travis was reconstructing it in his head, imagining everything that happened with the fire six years ago since he hadn't been there when it had happened. But at his words, the boy turns to face his father, glaring daggers at him. "Are you fuckin' serious?"

"What?" Travis gives him a stern look. "You expected me to just come back here at some point within the past six years? This never crossed my mind since the fire. Thought it all burned down completely."

"Well, maybe your brain is just too damn small to fuckin' comprehend that 'oh, maybe the shit's still here after all this time!' Not everything burns completely to soot and ash in a fire, you piece of shit!" Cassidy is quiet immediately, realizing how loud he was and that he had just insulted his father for the umpteenth time. Shutting his mouth, he chews on his bottom lip and averts his gaze. "Sorry," he mumbles.

There's silence again, neither of them talking to each other. The only other sound was the branches and pine needles crunching under Travis' boots as he walked, looking around in confusion for Ryan. The Erzahler boy had gone off somewhere without them.

There's a scream and they both turn around to see Ryan running back towards them, a frightened look in his eyes.

"Holy shit!" Cassidy exclaims, noticing the faint bit of movement in the distance. It looked like a ghost. He turns back to Ryan. "Are you okay?" he asks him, looking him up and down to make sure he wasn't hurt or anything.

"I'm... Sorry," Ryan apologizes, shaking his head. "That was..."

"Close. We must be close," Travis finishes.

"Did you both..." Cassidy looks from Ryan to Travis.

"See it too?" Ryan finishes, nodding.

"Kinda wish I hadn't." Travis says.

"Same," Ryan replies, glancing around nervously.

Travis turns back around and starts heading toward the freak show ruins. The two boys follow him. As the trio nears the train cars, Ryan bends down to pick something up from the ground. Two pieces of paper. One was a tarot card and the other was a flyer. He gives the card to Cassidy before taking a look at the flyer.

Cassidy looks at the card. The Emperor. He flips it over.

TAROT CARD FOUND
18 OF ??
THE EMPEROR

He let them down. He let them all down. The same words Travis had heard so many years ago from his grandfather, Septimus, keep repeating in his head. "I don't give a flyin' fuck what your mother thinks 'bout you, boy. Don't let your family down. You's a Hackett through and through. Remember that."

But he did let them down. And Septimus wasn't here to chastise him anymore for being a disappointment. This many years since that talking-to and three of the family were dead—Kaylee, Constance, and Jedediah. All who remained were just Travis, Chris, Bobby, Caleb, Gabriel, and Cassidy. The six of who were all called disappointments to the family by Septimus around 2005, just a year before the old man's passing.

Travis doesn't know if any of this was a blessing or a curse.

Noticing the two of them had stopped, Travis turns to face them. Seeing the flyer in Ryan's hand and the singed card in Cassidy's, he presses his lips to a thin line.

"That must be it. Careful," Travis warns them as he turns back toward the train cars.

They walk cautiously through the mass of broken train cars, heading through an opening between some, before ending up in the middle of the circle of them. They slow to a stop, staring at one broken and burned train car in particular.

Curled up on the floor of the mangled cage was the werewolf they had been looking for. Silas was asleep, through he seemed to be uncomfortable as he slept. His breathing was unsteady and ragged, and he shifted restlessly.

"Fucking Jesus Christ..." Ryan whisper-shouts, staring wide-eyed at the albino werewolf resting in the cage.

The werewolf's ears twitch and swivel toward the sound of the voice. Silas opens his eyes and lifts his head, eyeing his surroundings before turning his head until he catches a glimpse of at least one of the three from the corner of his eye. He blinks and sits up, staring at the trio with caution and in utter confusion. As he looks at them, a voice could be heard in the distance, like a whisper in the wind.

"... my boy... my boy..."

At the sound of Eliza's voice, Silas looks toward the pistol in Travis' hands and the shotgun in Ryan's. His lips curl back in a snarl, the hairs on his back and neck raising, fear and anger reflected in his red irises.

"Lower the guns," Cassidy orders, glaring at the firearms in the two's hands. "You're fuckin' scarin' the shit outta him and you're makin' Eliza upset."

They lower their guns, not having realized, at first at least, that they had had them raised. They wouldn't have shot Silas anyway; the whole plan was to save him, not kill him. Ryan slings the strap of the shotgun over his shoulders. Travis sets the pistol back in the holster on his belt.

Now that the guns were no longer aimed at him, Silas starts relaxing just a little bit. Not entirely, of course. He was still a bit skeptical of them. He could sense that Ryan and Travis were nervous, but that they were hopeful of what Cassidy was planning on doing. And the three of them sure hoped it worked.

Silas backs up further towards the walls of the cage until his back was flush against it as Cassidy walks toward him, carefully, as to not make him any more scared than he is right now. He doesn't reach into his pockets just yet as he nears the albino werewolf, in case Silas were to react negatively. He had to get him to trust him first. And that would take some time.

And there wasn't any time to be wasted.

Step after step, and Cassidy gets even closer to the cage the werewolf was residing in. As he nears, as the moonlight filters through the emerald green trees' branches, shining onto the ivory fur of the werewolf before him, he could see mud and dried blood caked onto Silas' pelt. And beneath that beautiful fur covered in muck and the scary beast that he was, was just a boy, mistreated, wanting, needing reassurance and love. Silas also seemed to be stuck to his old habits. Old habits involving not getting enough sleep, if any at all. The tired look in Silas' eyes proved it.

Cassidy kneels in front of the cage. And he reaches out slowly with both hands, careful not to reach over Silas. The werewolf eyes his hand and flinches slightly as the Hackett boy starts to caress his face, massaging it to help him calm down. Silas relaxes at the touch, realizing it feels nice. A warm feeling spreads through his veins as he leans into the touch, closing his eyes. He felt content. No one ever treated him this kindly and with this much respect before.

As Silas is distracted, Cassidy removes one of his hands from the side of Silas' face and reaches for his pocket, taking out the syringe. He pulls the cap off of the needle and sticks the needle in Silas' neck. The werewolf yelps and tries to pull away, but Cassidy moves quickly, seizing the werewolf by the scruff to restrict his movement. "Sorry, Silas," he apologizes, squeezing the syringe as he injects the liquid into the werewolf, "but it's the only way to save you and save everyone else. Including me."

Once the rubber seal of the plunge reaches the bottom of the syringe, Cassidy lets go of Silas and pulls the needle out and grabs the cap, sticking it back on before shoving it into his pocket. Looking back up at Silas, he notices the effects of the cure starting to take place immediately.

Cassidy could definitely tell something had changed. That he was freed from this years-long curse. And maybe everyone else, like Ryan, Nick, and anyone else that had been infected, was too. But none of them would know about the others until the three of them returned to camp.

Silas had reverted back to human form in a matter of seconds. The seventeen-year-old looks around in confusion and fright. He sits up in the cage, bumping his head a bit too hard on the top, wincing in pain, before locking eyes with Cassidy.

"G-Get away from me," Silas hisses as he backs up toward the walls of the broken cage, trying to make himself as small as possible. "D-Don't you dare fucking do a-anything. Don't come any closer..."

Poor kid, Cassidy thinks, a frown upturning his lips as he takes a few more steps back, in case the boy in front of him thought he was too close.

Now, Cassidy was going to have to get Silas, now in his human form, to trust him.

And it was going to be a lot of work.

author's note
crying happy tears rn
guys

silas is cured and is
oh so wants to very
much be alone right
now. poor kid </3

so, um, in the next
chapter, the boys and
travis are gonna have
to convince silas to go
back to camp with them
and it's not gonna end
well at all 🤭

I AM SO EXCITED
FOR THE NEXT
CHAPTER YOU
GUYS DON'T
UNDERSTAND

09.03.22