Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was finally over. Scientists had determined that not only was it safe to go outside during daylight, but that the visitors had died off as well, unable to survive the dropping temperatures. He gripped the radio with white knuckles as cheers from the others rang out around him. Even though the noise was deafening, he could barely register their presence. All he could feel was… Disappointment? It had never occurred to him that this would end. That he would survive. His fingers trembled at the thought that he could live another year. Maybe even another decade. Dread consumed him, sitting like a heavy stone in his stomach.

A firm slap on his shoulder forced the man to wrench himself from his somber thoughts. The bar guy, Yesenin, was grinning down at him, eyes shining bright. It was the happiest he’d ever seen him. He realized the tall man’s mouth was moving. Forcing himself to focus he caught the end of the sentence.

”No more FEMA! No more visitors! We did it! We survived!” Yesenin was still shaking him ecstatically. He tried to force a smile, the best he could do was a grimace. Thankfully that must have been a normal enough reaction from the homeowner because he was already turning and gripping the cheerful man by the shoulders. The two were practically jumping up and down like two overgrown children.

”Hey old man.” He turned towards the young teen who seemed to be trying to avoid being trampled by the others. She lifted one eyebrow and cocked her head. “You okay?” She must misread something in his eyes and hesitantly grabs his calloused hand. “If they’re all dead then that means…” She pauses, eyes shifting to the floor for a moment. “That pale weirdo’s gone now. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” She gives his hand a little squeeze. He stares at her for a few moments before giving a jerky nod and an awkward thumbs up. She wasn’t a touchy person, especially with her past. But there were many nights where she had been there when the pale man had visited. Her habit of staying up at night had unfortunately made her aware of a different horror than abusive father’s, FEMA agents, or a possibly exploding sun. She had seen the bodies littered in the yard from his killings, heard his eerie voice through the door, and seen his haunting smile through the windows. On those nights she would seek out the homeowner, clinging to his side shaking. She was a strong girl, a hell of a lot stronger than most. She had been through enough, she deserved peace. Better not to worry the poor girl. He should be happy like everyone else. No one needed to know how fucked up he was.

It only took a week for the last person to leave his home. Yesenin and the cheerful man, Luka, had left as soon as they were able, both wishing the homeowner well and thanking him for everything. It was awkward for him, he didn’t feel like he did enough to deserve it. When the world went to shit he didn’t rush to anyone’s aid, he just hid behind his front door with a gun like a coward. He did the bare minimum and allowed a handful of people inside. But even then he couldn’t even protect them properly. He had made mistakes, gotten innocent people killed by visitors. And the worst sin of all: he stood there and allowed FEMA to take the neighbor’s daughter. It was his greatest regret. Her screams will haunt him for the rest of his days.

Both Yesenin and Luka took his phone number with promises to keep in touch. He didn’t believe them. Stand Up guy and Widowed Woman left next followed by the Stoner; the latter he was happy to see go, hoping that his house would stop reeking of weed in his absence. He was surprised when the teenager wanted to go with the kindergarten teacher.

”I’ll look after her, I promise,” the woman had told him. They had grown close during their stay in his house. The teen had brought comfort to the tortured woman just as the teacher provided stability and understanding to the teen.

”Hey chin up.” The teen punched his arm. Hard. He hissed and cradled his arm tenderly, shooting her a reprimanding glare. “I’ll be back to bother you in no time old man. I’ll even bring some proper movies over so you can stop watching those horrible depressing VHS tapes.”

”Those are proper movies,” he argues, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at his lips. She snorted and shook her head.

”No they aren’t and you know it!” The teacher shook his hand and thanked him. He hated that they kept doing that. The girl at first just offered a fist bump. She got about halfway down the porch stairs before she spun around and gave him a bone crushing hug. It startled him, but he found himself returning the embrace tentatively, like he was afraid to ruin it. Then the two were on their way.

And just like that the house was empty once more. Just him, the cat, and the shot gun. He slid the deadbolt into place, ignoring the heavy finality the sound invoked in him. He stood for a long time in front of that door. He tried to tell himself that the anxious ache in his chest was just exhaustion. Not that he missed his guests. He was better off alone. He knew this and yet the silence of the house seemed deafening. Ignoring the fact that it was only 3 pm he flung open the fridge and downed a beer. Stumbling to the bed he hoped he felt better come morning. Less hollow.

Chapter Text

The first few weeks he told himself that he just wasn’t used to the house being empty, that with time it’d get easier. But it never did. In fact he was worried he was going insane. When he opened his living room he still expected to see Yesenin perched cross legged on his worn out couch, beer in hand and a smile on his face. When he was in the kitchen he couldn’t stop glancing towards the spot the teenager used to occupy. Empty rooms only filled him with disappointment and loneliness. The whole house felt wrong now. It made him angry. What had changed? He had always been adamant that he was better off alone. People made him feel on edge, like no matter how hard he tried he would never fit in among them. But here he was moping in his bedroom because he couldn’t bear to face the empty house. At least the cat kept him company.

The third week his self worth hit an all time low. The shot gun had never looked so appealing. He was embarrassed to admit that he had fantasized of ending it all. Pulling the trigger and finally experiencing true peace. No fears. No worries. No loneliness. Then the phone rang. Yesenin had made good on his promise to keep in touch. Hearing his voice seemed to sober him up. He didn’t want to lose this. Against his will he had grown to care for these people. He found himself mostly listening to the other man talk for hours. Somehow Yesenin didn’t find his silence off putting, he knew the recluse too well.

He told the homeowner how much the world had changed. Entire cities were gone, burned and desolate. There had been many casualties. The Government wasn’t even sure what the death toll even was. FEMA was under harsh criticisms for how they handled the disaster, a full department restructuring was being discussed. Yesenin told him that many people had been displaced from either FEMA or the wildfires. Refugees were seeking shelter at this time due to a lack of housing.

“Really?” The homeowner perked up, pulling the receiver closer to his ear. Yesenin chuckled as if he already knew why he was happy to hear that.

”Yeah, it’s a real shit show. You thinking of opening your doors again? At least you don’t have to worry about visitors anymore.” He was right. He didn’t have to check people for signs any more. He mulled over the idea for a while. It would be nice to have some company. And maybe he could experience some sense of normalcy again. Eventually Yesenin wished him goodnight and promised to call again soon. This time the homeowner believed him. That night he sat by his front door, listening for approaching refugees. The familiarity of the situation somehow eased his mind. He half expected to look outside and come face to face with a sinister smile, black eyes glinting in the darkness.

The homeowner was growing impatient. Every night he waited by the door hoping, praying, someone would ask to be let in. He knew it was silly to expect them to come at night when people were wandering around in the daytime again but it was what he was used to. By now he swore to himself that the first person to step onto his porch was being let in no matter how odd they were. He could always kick them out later. Sadly he would continue to be disappointed.

Enough time passed that the homeowner couldn’t ignore the state of the yard anymore. It had cooled significantly, autumn just around the corner. He couldn’t use the heat as an excuse to waste away in his desolate home. So he started picking up all the debris scattered around and disposing of what didn’t belong. He tried to convince himself the white sun bleached skeletal remains were just fallen sticks from the few overhead trees. He didn’t want to think about the dead right now.

He huffed as he dragged another load of debris to the edge of his property. He had worked up a good sweat, maybe tonight he’d be so exhausted from all this he could get some proper sleep for once. A twig snapped somewhere in the distance. He turned, curious to what if could be. He froze when he realized a man was in his yard. He was standing a good ways away from him, features far too vague to make out other than a high necked windbreaker draping over his tall frame. For a moment he just blinked in confusion at the stranger before it dawned on him that this was probably a refugee seeking shelter. He hated how excited he got at the thought.

Roughly brushing his filthy hands onto his pants he approached the man. The refugee waited for him patiently, perhaps not wanting to overstep any boundaries. He was only a few feet away from the other man before he noticed far too late that something was off about the guy. He wasn’t just tall, he was abnormally so. His dark pants had seen better days, shredded and hanging around his legs, bare feet covered in mud. The homeowner’s eyes shot up to the man’s face, an amused smile pulling at his features, wicked black eyes boring into his own. His heart stuttered in his chest, blood turning to ice in his veins. The man grinned so wide that it almost seemed to split his face in half, two rows of perfect white teeth.

”Howdy.”

The homeowner couldn’t move. He probably wasn’t even breathing. Shit. This was bad. Really bad. He was completely unarmed and there was no hope of getting to the house, the pale man was standing between him and the porch.

”You..” he gritted his teeth, hands instinctively curling into fists at his sides. “You’re supposed to be dead.” That seemed to amuse the intruder.

”Oh?” His voice was low and playful, head slowly tilting to the side. “Is that so?” He hated how the visitor watched him. Predatory. For several long moments the two stared each other down; the homeowner tense, ready to spring into action at the slightest movement and the intruder calm and collected, a smile still lingering on his face. Finally the human spoke up.

”Why are you here?”

”Isn’t it obvious? I want in the house. Heard there are some… vacancies to be filled. So little human-” He leaned forward, eyes twinkling. “You alone?” The homeowner lost it, fight or flight reflexes kicking in. He surged forward, surprising the visitor. His fist connected with the intruder’s face with a SNAP and he stumbled back, blood welling from his nose. But that only slowed him for a moment before his face twisted into euphoria. He launched himself towards the human, a cackle tearing from his throat. He barely escaped his grip, his bony hands outstretched and twisting towards the human. He wasted no time landing two more hits on the visitor; the latter right in the stomach earning a hiss from the creature.

This wasn’t right. He’s seen this monster in action before and he could do way better than this. Quick enough to dodge gunfire and skin thick enough to deflect bullets. He single handedly slaughtered an entire platoon of heavily armed soldiers without so much as a scratch. But he was bleeding freely now from one punch. In fact he seemed smaller than the last time he’d seen him. His skin was still far too pale, but it had color to it. It didn’t before. His movements were slower, less impact behind his hits. Or maybe the homeowner was stronger than he thought. Emboldened he bore down on the intruder, fighting with as much ferocity and strength he could muster.

He was humbled when the Intruder managed to grab his face. In a flash he was flipped onto the ground, the Intruder pressing his face into the earth with his entire body weight bearing down onto him. He writhed underneath the creature while it chuckled. Hot breath hit his ear and he flinched away from it.

”That’s it? Oh I expected so much better from you.” Something broke inside the homeowner at those words, his father had frequently uttered that same sentence. He kicked out tangling his legs with the visitor’s and twisted violently, sending him crashing to the ground as well. They wrestled in the dirt, the Intruder snarling like an animal in his face. He was able to hit the creature in the ribs to which he answered by viciously biting his arm. He cried out in pain and tried to wrench himself free from his teeth. When he increased the pressure he panicked and grabbed the Intruder by the throat squeezing as hard as he was able. They glared each other down until something flickered in the pale man’s eyes, something he had never seen before. Fear?

The pale man released his arm from his jaws and threw all his weight forward, effectively dislodging the human from his hold. The two scrabbled to their feet and eyed the other panting. The pale man was definitely weaker than before, the human noted. He was disheveled, bruising already blooming across his face and bleeding freely from several cuts and his nose. But he was still dangerous, he was an entire head or two taller than him, even in this weakened state. And he was very strong. The homeowner’s body was screaming in pain, vision impaired by swelling in one eye. He couldn’t recall the last time he felt this battered. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about the state of his arm. It was throbbing, quite possibly broken.

The pale man wasn’t smiling any more. He was sizing him up, serious and calculating. In a way it felt good to be perceived as a threat to something like him. He snorted then, be it annoyance or frustration he couldn’t tell. “I tire of this. Just let me in human. I won’t kill you, I don’t receive their orders anymore.”

”What!?” He answered, bewildered. “Why the fuck would I let you in? Better yet, why do YOU want to come into my house!?” The pale man rolled his eyes like the answer was obvious.

”Because I have nowhere to go. And you’re alone. It is mutually beneficial for the both of us.” The homeowner’s jaw dropped.

”In what world does this benefit me?” The visitor simply smiled. It was off putting to see his own blood smeared across his teeth.

”Because your kind prefers safety in numbers. Do not fret dearest human, I’m sure you’ve noticed I have changed.” The homeowner narrowed his eyes.

”Just spit it out. What’s going on? Why are all the other visitors dead but you're not?”

”The visitor’s reign has fallen. The heat was what allowed them to thrive in the first place. When the earth became too cold for them to survive they crawled back into the dirt to keep warm. Now they’re safely burrowed deep in the planet's core, until their time comes again. The infected either died off or began regressing back to…” He motioned towards his body, lip curled in disgust. “Something human.”

”You expect me to believe you’re human,” disbelief clearly evident in his tone.

”Not quite. I am neither human nor visitor, but something in between.” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

”Even if you’re half human or whatever you are-“ he motioned to his body. “There’s no way in Hell I’d trust you in my home.” The pale man cocked his head in interest.

”Why not? I will not hurt you. And as you can see you can clearly hurt me.” He motioned to his bloody nose, a sick smile spreading across his face. “In fact I bet your precious gun can harm me now.” He didn’t like the way the intruder was looking at him. “I bet you’d like that wouldn’t you,” he sing-songed. “To take advantage of my weakness. To blow a hole in my chest and watch me bleed out before your eyes.”

”Stop that.” He hated that his voice shook. The pale man was thoroughly pleased, his dark eyes savoring the human’s discomfort. The homeowner swallowed thickly.

”How do you benefit from this?” The intruder’s smile faded.

”I already told you.”

”No you didn’t. You said you had nowhere to go, that doesn’t tell me anything. Why do you want in my house? And why mine specifically, we both know there are plenty of houses out there. Hell, they’re probably homes full of people who don’t know what you are or what you’ve done.” The pale man considered this for a moment.

”No, I do not care for other humans. Cowards, liars, weaklings pretending to be the one calling the shots. Always trying to be in control. You are different, no other human had ever stood their ground against me before. It was thriiiiilling.” He dragged out the word with a grin. It made the homeowner shiver. “You are the only one I can tolerate. So I came here.” The homeowner’s mouth was dry. He didn’t like how tempted he was to let this thing in.

”And…how do I benefit from this?” He was afraid to hear the answer, the dark look the visitor was giving him was not making him feel any better.

”Well. I thought that was quite obvious.” The pale man drew closer. The homeowner had to fight the urge to back away as he approached. He towered over him, interest flickering in his eyes, breath rattling deep in his chest. “You get my companionship dear human. I’ve watched how your loneliness has consumed you. How you’ve been waiting by the door every night almost as if you’re begging for me to come knocking. Well here I am. You’ll never be alone again.”

”That’s not-“ he scoffed before the intruder grabbed his chin roughly, effectively shutting him up.

”And of course you get my protection. There are others like me, you know. And I’d say they are far more bitter about the outcome of the visitors than I am. But as long as I’m around they won’t dare to approach your home.” His long cool fingers traced delicately over the bruising on the human’s face. It was so unexpected that the man stood there rooted on the spot. He felt like his brain had stopped functioning completely.

”Sooooo,” he grinned. “I’ll let myself in, yes?” Before the homeowner could regain a semblance of sanity he found himself slowly nodding. Instantly the fingers on his face turned from gentle to bruising, the corner of the visitor’s mouth twitching sharply. “Say it.” His pride told him to refuse, consequences be damned. Reason told him refusing now would end in dismemberment. He hated himself so much, angry to have been blindsided so completely and ashamed that the crushing grip on his face had him flushed.

“You can come in,” he grit out, hate dripping from every word. “I’m alone.” The pale man’s eyes rolled back into his skull, a toothy smile warping his features into something gruesome. He shook with giddy laughter, spine bowing backwards with each cackle. The human tried to pull away only to be dragged closer, wicked eyes staring down into his with unadulterated glee.

”Delicious.”