Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

The Owl King's Summer

Part 1 Part 3

[E] = Eli, your boyfriend

[S] = Sammy or Sam, his disabled big brother [NOTE! He uses text-to-speech to communicate!]

Context: It was your first day at a new school, and the first words you heard after 'Welcome' were 'Don't talk to the boy with the scars!'. It was repeated by everyone, but no one would explain why. You decided to learn for yourself by bringing him his lunch, and... you made a friend! His name is Eli, and he's apparently the Devil himself. He's not, though. He's your boyfriend, best friend, and the person you're sure you will be with for the rest of your life. It feels like you were meant to find each other and now, after graduation, it is the Owl King's Summer...

Setting: Home <3

Tags:[[MM4A][Established Relationship][Mysterious Masked Boyfriend Speaker][Disabled Big Bro Speaker][Friendly New Kid Listener][New Family][Revelations][Wholesome]to[Horror][HARD Angst][TW: Mentions of Cults/Cult Behavior and Abuse]

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[Scene opens at home]

[SFX: The bed shifting a little and Eli kissing Tabby on the forehead]

[E, gently] “Hey… Sorry to wake you. Just wanted to let you know Sam’s home and settling in his room.”

[Pause?]

[E] “I wanted to let you sleep in… It’s only been two weeks since you were attacked and… Him being home is gonna be an adjustment. Don’t worry, OK? I finished installing the rails in his bathroom and bedroom. He can get around in his wheelchair and… seems… like he’s… OK…?”

[The certainty in his voice dies a little more per syllable]

[...?]

[He blinks, surprised]

[E] “You’re asking if I’m OK…?”

[Pause… ]

[He sighs and stands, pacing a bit]

[SFX: Eli pacing]

[E] “I’m sorry, I just… I guess I’m a little anxious is all… I visit him every week, have since the accident, and… It’s just hard to see him like that, and now I’ll have to really get my head around my brother being home in a motorized wheelchair, using one of those text-to-speech things… Like, how am I gonna call him an asshole now, huh? Or… How do I tell if I’m doing OK with him?…”

[Pause?]

[E] “No, he… He’s not in pain. He seems genuinely happy to be home… He came out the other side of YEARS worth of rehabilitation to get here… I just don’t want to undo all of that hard work, nor do I want you to start to resent being here, you know? You haven’t even been reintroduced to him yet… Are you nervous?”

[Pause <3]

[E] “...If you want to take the lead and introduce yourself, sure, but… I’m not sure how that’s gonna help me feel less like a massive piece of shit…”

[SFX: Them relocating to Sammy’s room]

[You poke your head in and Sammy smiles at you]

[S] H e l l o T a b b y :)

[Pause!]

[Eli watches as you sit with his brother, quiet]

[S] “I am Sammy. It is nice to meet you. Again. Remember you at the bedside a lot*

[Pause <3]

[E, a little more relaxed] “Hey… C’mon, Sam, you can’t steal my partner from me on your first day home. It’s not a speedrun.”

[Pause <3]

[S] Jealous :3

[E] “Yeah, well… You’re still my big brother so I can still tell you to go deepthroat a porcupine.”

[S] Stay. Mad

[Pause <3]

[Eli rolls his eyes, good-natured]

[E] “Yeah, well, you best appreciate Tabby… They helped me get your room back into shape so you could come home and troll me in style. Asshat.”

[Pause <3]

[S] Thank you for making me feel welcome :3 Eli talks about you highly when he visits alone

[E, turning red] “Dude, shut up!”

[S] Love you :3

[E] “Love you too, shitbird. You settling in OK?”

[S] Yes. Thank you. Movies? :)

[E] “Movies later sounds like fun, yeah… but you’re just getting settled in for now, OK? Rest. Tabby’s working on lunch because they’re a Saint and I’ll be doing the dishes because I know how good I got it, alright? You just chill.”

[S] Ring on it?

[E, annoyed] “Yes, I put a ring on it. Well, bracelet. Ring is ETA, but yes.”

[S] Good man…. Eli?

[E] “Yeah, Sam?”

[S] Sorry… For driving drunk :(

[Eli exhales and gives him a sad smile]

[E] “I forgave you a long time ago, Sam. Dad was the one that got you liquored up, it was… It’s in the past. You’re here, I’m here, and we’ll make it work.”

[Pause <3]

[E] “Tabby, don’t coo at us, c’mon. We’ll have to start ragging on each other to make up for it! Oh, Sam, uh… Listen, we talked about it in the truck on the way back a little, but… that attack on Tabby a few weeks back is still kind of open, OK? The cops are looking into it but PLEASE be mindful if anyone you don’t know comes near the house.”

[For some reason, Sam’s face loses its smile for a moment. He’s looking at the arm that got clawed]

[S] ...Tabby. Can I see the band logo on the back of your shirt?

[E, confused] “Uh, bit off topic…”

[SFX: Tabby turning around]

[Equally confused, you turn your back to Sam so he can see. The moment he does, he utters the single word that tells you you’ve fucked up:]

[S] ...Owl.

[E] “...No, Sam, the band’s called The McGregor Kegger… Are you OK? Do we need to call for a check-in?”

[Pause]

[S, frustrated] NO. OWL! OWL. Help… Tabby. OWL. Help…OWL. Help… Tabby. OWL. Help…OWL. Help… Tabby. OWL. Help…OWL. Help… Tabby. OWL. Help…OWL. Help… Tabby. OWL. Help…OWL. Help… Tabby. OWL. Help…

[Note: You do not need to have this repeated if you feel it disturbs the audio]

[P-Pause]

[It keeps repeating, overwhelming and monotone]

[S] OWL. Help… Tabby. OWL. Help…

[E] “Sammy, calm down… What are you talking about, there’s no owls…”

[...]

[The walls are closing in]

[S] OWL. Tabby :(

[Eli looks your way, confused and concerned]

[E] “Tabby, what is he talking about…? That little mark on your right shoulder? It was from a childhood accident you said, right?”

[S] OWL :(

[...]

[SFX: Rapid heartbeats]

[E] “Tabby… C’mon, it’s me… You know me… Please, just… talk to me, OK?”

[P-Pause]

[E] “...Why are you ‘so sorry’, you’ve done nothing wrong…”

[. . .]

[E] “You… lied…?”

[Even in that last word, you can hear pain about to crush him. Perhaps it is that that finally lets you admit the truth:]

[...]

[E] “...Your father and stepmother are looking for you… because you ran away two years ago…? Wait… Were you homeless that entire time?!”

[. . .]

[SFX: Tabby sinking to their knees]

[You somewhat slowly collapse to your knees but Eli has you]

[E] “Shh, shh, shh, I have you… I believe you… I’m sorry I raised my voice, I just… I didn’t know it was that bad… But how did you get enrolled into school, where… where were you staying before…?”

[... P a u s e…]

[E] “Someone in the school administration is the person that helped you escape… An ex-cult member… Wait… that moldy old treehouse out near the river? That thing is nearly touching the water it’s bent so damned low, and if a flood had come…”

[He takes a breath. He’s shaking]

[E] “...What does the ‘owl’ mean, then?”

[...]

[Before you can try to explain, Sammy comes in clutch with a simple, robotic:]

[S] Cult :(

[E] “...Cult? You… You grew up in a cult…?”

[. . .]

[S] The Cult of the Owl King, founded in 1883 by Robert Preacher, involved insanely unethical practices. Children would have the symbol carved in their backs to signify who they’d be married to when of age. Help… Tabby :(

[Pause…]

[E] “Sammy… How do you know about this?”

[S] Roommate was ex-communicated. Brain damaged from beatings. Talked… about it sometimes. Begged not to tell staff

[For a moment, the house is silent. Eli looks at you and you’re sure, you’re sure it’s over… but he simply draws you closer with a shaky breath]

[E] “...Grandparents really are looking out for me… I’m so sorry, I am… I had no idea… I knew it was odd that you were so eager to please, I knew you were anxious about me kicking you out, but I had no idea, I-I… Christ, I’m glad I adopted you like an actual tabby cat…”

[Pause…?]

[E] “Impure??? Tabby, you’ve seen my search history, no one in this house is pure… We’re broken and we make bad puns and there are old cigarette burns in the carpet, but we’re still happy, and I will still fight for you til my last breath… OK?”

[...]

[You don’t know what else to do. You cry. You cry while these two young men, the antithesis of what your parents taught you, hold and care for you]

[E, teary] “I love you… OK?”

[P-Pause <3]

[S] Eli. Owl :(

[E] “Wh-?... Oh God… when you said the Owl King attacked you, you meant… literally?”

[...]

[E] “It’s… common for the cult members sent out to handle punishment to have bladed claws for weapons? So… When you said you were attacked by the Owl King... it was more than likely one of these 'punishers'?”

[Pause…]

[E] “...Sammy… Do the police know about this cult?”

[S] Yes

[E] “Did your roommate ever mention any of them were in the cult, too?”

[S] ...Yes :(

[Eli swears under his breath a few times]

[E] “...OK. Right now, we lay low, OK? We play stupid. We know nothing, just that you were attacked in the backyard by an unknown assailant.”

[Pause?]

[E] “What do we do in the interim? Finish the job for Coach…”

[His expression changes, something horribly dark in his eyes]

[E] “...You leave the rest to your Devil… OK?”

[S] Eli. Your murder voice…

[E] “I’m aware, Sam, and I reckon if I could read your tone better, you’d be murderous too.”

[S] Yes >:(

[Pause…]

[E] “You’re not a burden and we’re not abandoning you. This just went from a weird story to small town, deep-rooted corruption, and I’m not standing for it.”

[He gently kisses your forehead but you can tell he’s not just pissed. He’s LIVID]

[E] “...Reckon it’s time to make these woods ours again, Sam.”

[S] Agreed. Plan Five?

[Eli nods]

[E] “Plan Five.”

[Pause…?]

[He kisses you again, gentle and kind]

[E] “Don’t you worry about it. It might be the Owl King’s Summer, but it’s our summer, too. Only one thing to be done when two devils settle in the same region…”

[Pause?]

[His answer chills you… maybe not in a bad way]

[E] “For one to take out the other.”

[SFX: Fade out on a distant owl shriek, if desired]

[To be continued]

Note: Taking bets, how many people guessed Tabby escaped from a cult?