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shmorp-mcdurgen · 1 year

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Mandela Prophet AU: Sleepless Nights

Adam is unable to fully get over Jonah’s death, and to make things worse, he’s starting to feel…different.

TW: body horror, blood, vague arachnophobia/spider mentions, character death mention

Notes: this is around 3,400 words I think? This is just a random thing I wrote cause I wanted to write something based on this au cause. I think it’s neat

Adam had been awake all night. Lying in his twin-sized bed, he stared at the ceiling, his expression blank and his mind the same. Adam had shifted his sleeping position at least 17 times, yet could not for the life of him get comfortable enough to drift off. Every single time he was able to even somewhat fall asleep, a twitch or squirm in his torso woke him back up. He sighed deeply, groaning as he pressed his hands against his face; might as well get up if staying in bed wasn’t doing any good.

Adam sauntered out of his room, deliberately ignoring the second bed resting next to the opposite wall to his. He looked down the hallway, seeing Sarah’s bedroom to his right before looking left, walking through the hallway and immediately entering the kitchen. He opened one of the cabinets, grabbing a nearly empty box of off-brand cereal before placing it on the small, pathetic excuse of a dining room table. When he went to the fridge to get milk however, he saw nothing in there besides a few cans of soda and a couple condiment bottles.

“…Figures.” Adam sighed quietly before slamming the fridge door closed. He grabbed the box of cereal before all but throwing it back into the cabinet, slamming the door of it shut as well.

“Adam?”

Adam audibly groaned, looking over to see Sarah, sleepily staring at him from the hallway entrance. She was in her pajamas, being a cheap T-shirt and shorts, and her long, chestnut-colored hair was a mess.

“What?” Adam questioned.

“It’s four in the morning…” Sarah said as she attempted to fix her hair a little. “Why are you awake?”

“Could ask you the same thing.” Adam replied.

“How could I not be, with you being loud as hell in here?”

Adam sighed, moving his arm to itch his upper back before lowering it again. “I say you mind your business.”

“…What’s your problem?” Sarah questioned. “Ever since you got back last week, you’ve been acting so…shitty.”

“It…it doesn’t matter, okay?” Adam responded, unable to help himself from scratching his back again when he noticed the itch didn’t leave.

“…Is this because of Jonah being go—?”

“Shut up.” Adam’s tone seemed…harsh and stern, as if mentioning Jonah’s name was taboo. “No…I…I don’t care about him, alright? He ran off, and that’s that. I don’t get why it’s such a big deal.”

Sarah appeared stunned by the response, feeling somewhat unnerved by Adam’s tired and annoyed glare. “…He was your best friend.” Sarah said softly. “Yet I feel more sympathy towards him than you do.”

“I was his best friend.” Adam said, trying to ignore how irritated his back was. “I…I don’t…have friends.” Adam glanced at the ground before looking back up at Sarah, trying to keep his harsh glare despite the hesitation in his tone. He doesn’t need friends…right?

Sarah shook her head slightly before shrugging. “Alright. Sure.” She said with a hint of cynicism. “If that’s true then I guess I’ll go back to bed and leave you to sulk alone. Goodnight.”

With that, Sarah sighed and walked back down the hallway to her room, closing the door behind her. Adam watched her leave, with his brow furrowed and his glare able to melt ice. He winced slightly, his gaze fading when he felt a slight sharp pain in his back, as if someone poked him with a tack multiple times. The pain felt somewhat…familiar, though he couldn’t place why. He walked down the hallway, entering the bathroom before closing the door behind him.

He pressed his hands against the counter, staring at the sink for a moment before grabbing his plain white shirt and pulling it off. The first thing he noticed when he threw the shirt onto the ground was how thin he was; he could see his ribs through his skin, and his arms seemed almost longer than usual. He was still losing weight, even though he figured he had been eating just fine. In fact, he only seemed to be losing more weight the more he ate.

He groaned, going back to try and satiate the itch on his back once again before he paused. His finger brushed past something that felt somewhat hard, like a small hook. He stayed still for a moment before pushing his hand further, rubbing his upper back before he once again felt something under his fingers. This time, it wasn’t as small, and it felt almost fuzzy, in a prickly kind of way. He started to feel worry build in his chest as he poked whatever was sticking out of his back, feeling his blood run cold when it twitched away.

He pulled his arm down to his side, able to feel…something moving in his skin; multiple things. He quickly threw open one of the drawers, grabbing a hand mirror, one they had salvaged from the mirror destruction act, before holding it up. He held his breath as he turned his head the most he could, pointing the mirror towards whatever was on his back. His heart sunk when he saw a glimpse of multiple small, black, almost arachnid looking appendages sticking out of his skin, small hooks at the end of every single one.

Adam tried to suppress the urge to hyperventilate before he hesitantly used his other hand to prod at one of them. It didn’t move for a moment before it suddenly twitched, wrapping itself around his finger. Adam yelled in surprise before ripping his arm away, out of its small grasp. He dropped the mirror, unable to catch it before it slammed against the ground, cracking as a portion of it broke off. Adam stumbled back, trying to scratch the spider-like appendages off of his back, even grabbing one of them. He took in a breath before ripping it out, swearing he could hear something like an inhuman scream in the back of his mind. He looked down at his hand in front of him, uncurling it to reveal the limb itself.

It was bleeding something viscous and dark, like clotted blood. It had two joints, curling in on itself despite the fact it was no longer connected to anything. Adam was unsure whether to drop it on the ground and try ripping the others out, or try and figure out what the fuck it even was. However, before he could make any decision, he heard a knock on the bathroom door.

“Adam? What the fuck’s going on?” It was Sarah, sounding especially concerned.

Adam couldn’t spit out anything for a moment, flinching slightly when Sarah knocked on the door again. “Adam?”

Adam threw the small limb into the sink before fumbling with his shirt, sliding it on and trying to forcefully get rid of the horrified expression on his face. Sarah prepared to knock again before Adam swung the door open, his eyes still wide.

“…Are you—”

“I’m fine.” Adam interrupted, walking out of the bathroom before slowly closing the door behind him, his eyes locked on Sarah. “…I’m okay.”

“…You…don’t sound like it.” Sarah’s voice seemed shaky.

“I uh…I’m…y-yeah, I’m fine—”

Sarah caught a glance of a small splotch of blood soaking into the back of his shirt as he attempted to brush past her. “Oh my god, you’re bleeding—”

“NO.” Adam shook his head when he realized he said it louder than he wanted. “I…I’m fine, alright? Mind your fucking business for once.” Adam pushed past Sarah, hurrying into his room before slamming the door shut. He locked the door as soon as he was inside, walking backwards before sitting on his bed. He pressed his hands against his face, despite the right one still having traces of blood on it. He planted his elbows on his knees as he thought to himself.

“Such a fucking idiot. You absolute moron.” He muttered, grasping his hair. He had no clue what was happening to him, but he knew deep down that whatever it was, it was his fault. Before he could wallow in self-pity however, Sarah started speaking from the other side of the door.

“What’s going on with you?” Sarah asked. “Do…do you need help with anything?”

Adam glanced through the gaps in his fingers, towards the door. He was tempted to yell at her to go away, but for once, bit his tongue. “…Things…have been…weird, okay?” He said, putting his situation lightly. “I…feel like shit all the time, and…I don’t know why.”

“Like…you’re…sad?”

“No, not…I don’t think so.” Adam said. “I’m…I’m…”

“…What?”

“…scared.” Adam could barely hear himself say the word, but he knew it was true. He was scared; scared of the things happening to his body that he can’t control, and scared of the fact that his mind rarely felt like his own anymore. He was scared of how Sarah would react when he eventually had to tell her the truth about Jonah. Every time his name was mentioned, Adam couldn’t stop the image of his cold, lifeless, headless body from creeping into his mind.

He was scared of the fact that something in him wanted to open the door and strangle Sarah to death.

“Well…you…know I’m here to talk, right?” Sarah asked as she leaned against the door.

“…Yeah.” Adam responded, almost choking on his words. “I…I guess.”

“...I’ll…be in the other room then.” Sarah said softly. “And…try and get some sleep, okay?”

Adam murmured a response she couldn’t even hear before Adam heard her walk away, back to her own room. He stared at the ground, trying desperately to ignore the feeling of something pushing against the back of his shirt. He wondered what the hell was happening to him, and why. Ever since—

The angel.

The false angel that stopped him on his way back to Bythorne that night.

That fucking thing is the reason he’s like this.

Adam felt a twitch in his torso when he thought of the alternate, making him hunch over as he pressed his arms against his stomach. He was too tired to think any further than that, but he wasn’t sure how he could sleep, knowing what was sticking out of his own skin right behind his head. He laid down on the bed, resting on his stomach, before hesitantly closing his eyes. Hopefully it was a strange, vivid nightmare he was having from sleep deprivation. He’d wake up the next morning, with no strange spider legs, no twitches in his torso, and hey…

Maybe Jonah would be there.

…

It wasn’t a nightmare.

After only around an hour of sleep, Adam woke back up, finding himself on the floor next to his bed. He was drenched in sweat, from a nightmare he couldn’t remember. He sat up, wincing when he felt something shift inside of him. He stood up, grasping his torso, uncontrollably twitching his head and arms. His back hurt; a dull, yet intense pain rushing over him. He wanted outside, with no clear reason why. He wanted out of there, he needed out of there. He needed fresh air.

He stumbled towards the door, opening it before slamming against the wall in front of it. He tripped over his feet, nearly falling as he approached the living room, his wide, dilated pupils fixed on the front door. “Out…out…” He muttered under his breath as he reached for the doorknob. He swung open the door, stumbling away from the house, not even bothering to put on a jacket or boots to protect him from the cold winter air. The door remained open, wind rushing through into the living room as Adam disappeared from sight.

Sarah awoke to the very faint sound of screaming; muffled, yet gut-wrenching screams from outside of the house. In her half-asleep state, Sarah couldn’t tell if it was real or if her mind was playing tricks on her, unsure whether to ignore it or try and help. Her fear of it being real was only confirmed when she fully woke up and still heard the screams, though when she stood up from bed, they abruptly stopped. She froze in place, unable to come up with a single plan of what to do. It could be someone in genuine danger, or an alternate mimicking the screams of its victim, and she wasn’t sure which one it was, nor how to differentiate them.

She hesitantly walked towards her bedroom door, pushing it open as she looked down the hallway, thankfully seeing that no one was there. She walked towards Adam’s room, seeing that the door was open. When she peeked inside, she saw that no one was there, and that it was completely silent. “Adam?” She called as she turned down the hallway. “God damn it, where did you go now?”

As she inched down the hall, she caught a glimpse of the bathroom, seeing that the door was also open. She flicked on the light, seeing the broken mirror on the ground. She glanced towards the sink, seeing that part of it was stained with a dark liquid. She looked into it, seeing a small appendage curling and uncurling itself in a pool of its own blood. “What the fuck…?” She asked herself before backing out of the bathroom.

She walked into the living room, immediately feeling the cold breeze hitting her. She saw the faint moonlight coming from the open front door, her heart sinking as her mind started putting things together. “Oh…god fucking damn it Adam—” She jogged back to her room to put on warmer clothes, only hoping Adam didn’t get himself killed.

When she had put on her jeans, jacket, and shoes, she grabbed a pistol from her nightstand and immediately left to go look for the missing BPS member. She closed the front door behind her, shivering when the cold air hit her face and blew through her hair. She looked around the front yard, seeing the street in front of her, yet no sign of Adam. She glanced towards the ground, seeing something in the snow; footprints, leading towards the side of the house.

She followed the trail, seeing that it was leading into the woods behind the home, seeming to go on for what felt like forever into the darkness. Sarah swallowed hard before she hesitantly began to walk into the forest, hoping that the pistol she held tightly in her hand was enough.

“Adam?” She called, almost afraid of how loud she was being. “Adam, where the fuck are you?!” When no response came, she only felt the sinking feeling in her chest become worse, knowing she had to keep following the uneven footprints, deeper into the woods.

After a few minutes of walking, she stopped, seeing that the trail had ended, and her eyes widened as she stared at what it led to; a pool of rapidly freezing blood. The impressions in the snow were messy and unclear, as if Adam was struggling against something. Sarah crouched down, lightly grasping something that was sticking out of the snow, being a torn piece of blood-soaked fabric.

“Shit.” Sarah stood up quickly, dropping the cloth and turning to head back for help. However, she froze when she heard something behind her; a faint, hoarse voice.

“Saaarrah…?” It sounded as if it was in pain, drawing out the word. Sarah hated that it was Adam’s voice.

She turned her head, looking behind her before freezing in place, not from the bitter cold, but the figure standing by the trees, barely visible in the shadows aside from the moonlight bleeding through the leaves above. She found Adam, just…not in the way she wanted.

His clothes were stained with blood and grime, and he was around a foot off of the ground. Sarah noticed in horror that there were…hands covering most of his face, one barely holding his mouth shut and three others covering his eyes and grasping his hair. Two large, mangled arms held his limp body up, its hands pressed against the forest floor. Every single blackened arm was attached to his back, the main body hanging from them almost lifelessly.

Sarah watched as Adam lifted his own arm weakly, the pitch-black hand covering his left eye shifting its fingers so Sarah could see his eye; his horrified, tear-filled eye.

“H…Help…me…” He choked before his human arm fell to his side and the hands covered his eye and mouth fully.

The two large arms shifted, “running” to the side and out of view in the blink of an eye. Sarah stumbled backwards before turning and sprinting away. It was a hunt, and she could hear the alternate behind her, chasing her from behind the trees. She didn’t dare look behind her, even when she heard Adam’s voice telling her to come back; she knew it wasn’t really him talking.

Sarah finally made it out of the woods, turning towards the house to see the van in the parking lot. She sprinted towards it, seeing her salvation as she ran around it, fumbling with the car door handle before swinging it open. However, she heard a loud thump from on top of the van, and when she looked up, she froze. The alternate was perched on top of the van, its two walking hands grasped firmly on the roof. Adam’s head was facing her, forcefully moved around by the hand clasped on his hair. Two free arms from his back appeared, reaching for Sarah before she swung up her gun and fired.

The shot hit Adam’s shoulder, and she could swear she heard a muffled, human scream under the cacophony of horrid screeches. She didn’t spend any time figuring out if she was simply hearing things or now before she spun around and ran. Sarah rushed down the street, wishing she actually worked on her cardio often as the alternate continued its pursuit.

She felt her foot hit a rock before she yelled, slamming against the asphalt before she scrambled back onto her feet. She felt something grab her ankle however, and fell to the ground once again before turning over and seeing the alternate right above her, staring down at her. Adam’s head tilted slightly before Sarah’s shoulders were grasped by two of the arms sprouted from his back. She kicked at him, but it did nothing as she was lifted off of the ground and brought to eye level. She watched as the hand covering Adam’s mouth was brought away, and when he opened it, eight spider like mandibles flicked out, his body shuddering at the action.

The hand that was covering his mouth reached for Sarah’s neck, and the one grasping his head let go and joined the other before beginning to strangle her. She struggled to move, coughing and choking as she felt the ice-cold hands tighten around her neck. She felt herself slowly losing consciousness as the alternate tried to crush her windpipe. She shakily held up her gun, struggling against the arms holding her shoulders before pointing it towards Adam’s body, and as much as Sarah felt guilty for doing so, for the sake of her life, she pulled the trigger of her pistol once again.

The bullet hit him square in the middle of his torso, right under his sternum. Adam screamed, and the hands let her go. Sarah slammed against the ground with a thump before seeing the arms forcefully jam themselves back into Adam’s back, retracting before his limp body fell to the ground unconscious. Adam grew still as Sarah’s quickened breath echoed in the silent street. Her wide eyes fixed on Adam’s body, seeing the open wounds in his back and the blood that was pouring out of them.

Sarah had no fucking clue what she should do. She had no idea a situation such as this was even possible, and as she stood up, she wondered if the Adam she had been talking to was even the real him. She hesitantly approached Adam’s body, her gun trained on him before Sarah looked back down the street, barely seeing the apartment from where she stood.

She shoved the gun into its holster before crouching down, shakily grabbing Adam’s leg before beginning to drag him down the street. If what she was thinking was correct, Adam could be saved, though she never encountered a possession of that sort before. Whether she was actually able to help him was unclear; either way, she had many questions to give him when he woke up.

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