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A Proper Name

Simon 'Ghost' Riley / fem!Reader

"If I stop being scared, will you leave, then?" That gave the monster pause, and he hummed in consideration. "It depends. If your contentment and happiness taste as sweet as your fear, I might want to stay."

Content: monster!AU, Reaper?Simon, horror elements, parallel worlds, feeding on fear, dark humor, dub-con at first since the reader is scared, possessive Simon, throat-grabbing, tension, open ending

Word Count: 3.1k

Part: 1 - Ghost - you are about to read 'A Proper Name'! 2 - Price - read 'A Sea Of Gold And Green' here! 3 - Soap - read 'A Debt Repaid' here!

Notes: 'Tis the damn season. I felt in the mood to write creepy monsters that are actually just doing their job: scaring humans to feed on their terror. This is my Halloween 'Monsters, Inc.' Special 🖤

Your apartment was dark, the wind rattling the closed blinds outside, only a small candle on the windowsill keeping you company. Heart pounding, your eyes flew over the pages of your book, the thrill of the chase and murder mystery so real. It felt as though the bad guys were after you. Like you were running, running, running out of time, turning page after page, eyes burning from the low light but unwilling to get up and do something about it.

It was October, spooky season, and you had embraced it with arms wide open: watching horror documentaries that made your toes curl, planning a silly costume for the party your friends were throwing, reading crime stories.

There was only one downside: the inherent paranoia that seemed to always accompany these topics. Knowing that horrendous crimes were committed every day. Realizing, that you could be next.

Shaking your head, you place a well-loved bookmark between the pages, only a few left now, and get up with a groan. Your kitchen is dark when you enter it, so you blindly grope around for a glass of water. Instead, you knock into the pan that you had used for dinner a couple of hours before, and it comes crashing down to the floor.

You let out a startled yelp at the sudden noise, forget to breathe for a moment as the clanging seems to reverberate around you.

"Fucking shit," you curse, one hand in your sweatpants, already fishing out your phone to assess the mess on the floor. Bending over the copious amounts of red sauce splatters that have found their way onto the cabinet doors and tiles, you grab some tissues to scoop it all up, mourning the waste of food and energy you had put into making it when-

What was that? Your head swivels back up at the same time as your flashlight, pointing towards the door that leads into your bedroom.

You could have sworn there was a soft creaking sound, like wood groaning under the weight of heavy footsteps, but your apartment is quiet. Another howl of the wind outside makes you shiver, and you hastily get back to cleaning the kitchen.

What a silly thought, you chastise yourself, shaking your head. All that reading has got me messed up.

But it still doesn't stop you from locking your front door. Or from imagining what it would be like if that possessed man from the book called out to you on the street, how you'd probably be too kind to ignore him, like the nuns that ultimately refused to take him in. How he had spread disease and fear in their hearts, before violently-

Okay, enough of that.

Shaking a little, and feeling very stupid about it, you decided to call it a night, to brush your teeth and comb your hair before going to bed. Right. No more horror stories right before sleeping.

Turning on the bathroom light, you can see the haunted look in your eyes, the self-inflicted fear. It's what you loved most about good fiction, how it was able to make you feel so strongly. Just- not when you were alone.

Somewhere, in a world far away but incredibly close to our own, a group of people stood still as statues, watching as rapid images of men, women, children, elders flashed by.

Now, any casual observer might be forgiven for thinking that these were ordinary humans, watching a strange compilation of horrified faces and reactions that came without context and left just as quickly.

If one lingered for just a heartbeat longer however, one might find the scene and people most unusal. They came in the strangest shapes and sizes, most cloaked in long robes that concealed hooves, furry arms, forked tongues and spiky tails. Some hid slitted eyes and gills with a heavy hood, skin and scales gleaming in the wildest assortment of colors one could imagine.

And all of them wore the same hungry expression. Hunger for fear, hunger for the sustenance and flavour that terror left in their mouths. Dark eyes, glowing eyes, hollow spaces. All of them directed towards the ever changing faces, living rooms, bed rooms, abandoned train stations.

"That one," a grating voice interrupted the flow suddenly, and the person kneeling in front of the churning water tilted their head questioningly.

Rodolfo flicked his hands in a reversed motion, and the face of a young man appeared again, clearly drunk and stumbling along a dark street, looking over his shoulder every few seconds.

"Step forward then," he said, voice bored. The cloaked figure came closer, took one big step into the water that was no water at all, and then disappeared.

The group of observers watched him appear behind the man for a moment, saw the human take a double glance before running. They all tasted the sweetness of his fear, the adrenaline as it pumped through his veins, when the cloaked man inhaled it deeply from the other side of the veil.

"Next," Rodolfo sighed, content. More images flashed as his hands moved in complicated patterns again, and Ghost kept seeing the same pretty face over and over again for the next few minutes.

Reading a book, standing in a dark kitchen, flashlight shining through the darkness, big haunted eyes staring into a mirror.

She looked sweet, way too innocent to be clumped together with the criminals that showed up most often on this side. The ones that were scared to get caught, the ones about to be murdered.

Usually, normal, kind people only showed for a fraction of a second at best: When they had a little jumpscare in the movie theater, when a car narrowly missed them, when walking through a dark tunnel at night.

But this girl? Her imagination must have been running wild, her heartbeat spiking every few minutes, drawing their attention over and over.

Come on, sweet thing, Ghost thought, watching the moving images, another glimpse of her clutching onto her blanket as she stared at the open doors of her wardrobe in the dark. Shut your eyes, turn around. Don't look.

Naturally, she couldn't hear him. Didn't listen to him as her mind kept going over scary scenarios, almost tangible to the assembled figures.

Graves shifted next to him, head lowered until only the twin flames burning beneath his hood were visible. He licked over his sharp teeth, greedy delight hidden behind the otherwise handsome face, and something inside of Ghost snapped.

He knew that Graves preffered to scare women, that he enjoyed toying with them. Even amongst the worst and most successful monsters, he had a reputation. More than once, these women had suffered beyond simple fear. He'd scarred them for life, some never able to sleep without the lights on or the company of a trusted person. But as the lap dog of Shepherd, there wasn't much they could do to stop him - not yet, anyway.

"I'll take her," Ghost said, voice barely above a rumble as he saw Graves open his mouth to call out.

Several others whirled around towards him, gaping in disbelief. He hadn't crossed over to the other side in... well. Long enough that some of them hadn't even been born yet.

Rodolfo shrugged his shoulder, only interested in finishing his shift as he reversed his motions and landed on the pretty face again, now half hidden behind her blanket. Her eyes were drooping shut, but they could all feel the jackhammering of her heart.

"What do you want for her?" Graves hissed, holding Ghost back with one skeletal hand.

The shadows that usually curled around Ghost like snakes on a hot stone shot out towards the other man, who was wise enough to withdraw before they could wrap themselves around his worthless skull and crush it to pieces.

"She's mine," he said simply, not acknowledging anyone except for Soap as he stepped forward.

His friend was lounging in a pool full of water so dark that it looked like tar. Sharp teeth and white eyes gleamed up at Ghost as he raked long talons over the smooth stone floor.

"Got yerself a wee lass?" He called out to him, cackling and unimpressed when Ghost's shadows started crawling towards him in irritation.

Ghost just jerked his head at the spot where Graves was quietly fuming, and Soap followed his gaze. "Ah. Understood, boss."

Stepping into the swirling mass was easy, and Ghost didn't glance back towards the stunned faces as he left their world and entered the wardrobe of his unsuspecting victim.

There is nothing there, you told yourself over and over again. No noises. No axe murderer.

Your eyelids were growing heavier and heavier, and you'd nodded off for a few minutes before but had jerked back awake from the flashing images of the horror show you had watched yesterday. It mingled with the storyline from your book, with the fright you had earlier when knocking down that stupid pan.

Rubbing your cold feet against one another underneath the blanket, you slung an arm over your eyes, feeling silly and childish. What grown woman managed to talk herself into such a-

A soft sound rang out in the quiet of your bedroom.

You were used to the way that your apartment tended to creak sometimes, or the sounds of your neighbours walking downstairs. This was different. Like an inhale, like lungs expanding greedily.

You froze for a moment, and it was enough. Something soft curled around your ankle, and the scream never left your mouth as you were yanked across the bed, the air knocked straight out of you.

It was dark, only the trusty candle flickered weakly, and so it took you a moment to orient yourself, to take in the massive figure looming over you. The man, no thing, kept dragging you towards himself, but he wasn't moving and were those-

Shadows crept along your legs and hips as you finally found your voice, a short, shrill scream in the night. You hoped that someone would hear, that the granny from downstairs hadn't taken out her hearing aid, and who the fuck was thinking about that just as they were about to get murdered?

The light of the candle illuminated a mask made of bone, a dark coat that seemed to be filled entirely by shadows. You wanted to scream again, tried to thrash and wriggle free, but more shadowy tendrils wrapped themselves around your face and cheeks, one delicately resting against your throat.

It was bizarre, terrible. The black appendages were soft, yet firm, slid over your skin as though wet but left no trace. Like a caress, instead of ropes cutting into your flesh.

"Little one," a dark voice cooed, and the face of bones leaned closer. Terrified, you bit into the shadows holding your mouth shut, hoping to inflict pain, but no reaction came. The man, thing, monster inhaled again. "I am not here to hurt you."

You felt tears of hysteria and terror crawl up your throat, and if you'd been able, you would have laughed. Or sobbed. Perhaps a mixture of both.

Bottomless, black eyes stared at you from the holes of the mask. The monster cocked its head to one side in such a curious, human gesture, that you stopped your wild attempts to free yourself for a moment.

The tears did come spilling out then, hot and salty as they ran down your cheeks and temple, and into your hair.

You were going to die. You were sure of it. Killed by a monster that had snuck out of your closet and-

The bones came closer still, until you pressed your eyes together in fear, unable to watch as it surely got ready to devour you.

Instead, something warm and soft followed the trail of tears. Like a mouth.

The monster purred. It reverberated through your entire body, the tendrils seemingly buzzing with delight.

"That's enough of that now," the dark voice spoke directly into your ear. A shiver ran down your spine, and the cold air of the room suddenly seemed twice as chilling.

Gently, you were lifted into strong arms, your mouth released. The candle on the windowsill stuttered out, plunging your room in complete darkness as the monster pulled you into him. He lowered himself onto your bed, and you wondered how the massive frame would fit, before all the pent-up fear burst out of you again.

A tiny hiss, then choked-off wail escaped you, high-pitched. You clawed at the cloak and shadows, tried to punch the bone mask, anything, anything at all.

But he pressed you down into the mattress with ease, like a cat might chastise her kitten with the swipe of a paw and pulled your face into his chest, curled around your trembling body.

"I said," he repeated, unimpressed. "It is enough."

"Fuck you," you wheezed out, still struggling, but he only huffed out an amused breath.

"So fiery, who would have thought? Were you not scared over a book only an hour ago, sweetling?"

You went completely still, not even daring to breathe.

"I- I beg your pardon?"

"Your fear, it called to me," he explained, like that was the most obvious thing on Earth. "And I answered."

Right. Right. You had, without a doubt, lost your mind.

"This isn't real," you stated, voice hoarse. "I'm dreaming."

"No, you're not," the voice said, as smooth and dark as the night that had wrapped itself around you.

"You're not real," you said more firmly, muscles stiff and throat working against the tears and screams that were still lodged somewhere right behind your gritted teeth. "I am dreaming. And when I wake up in the morning, you will be gone."

A huff of amusement ghosted along your cheek, warm. Long fingers carded through your hair and the monster curled itself more firmly into every available space that wasn't occupied by your body.

"If that is what you wish to believe, then go ahead."

The two of you remained quiet for long, drawn out minutes. It was torture, your logical brain and instincts screaming at each other. Your stomach was cramping painfully and you took big, heaving gulps of air in order not to throw up.

"If I stop being scared, will you leave, then?"

That gave the monster pause, and he hummed in consideration.

"It depends. If your contentment and happiness taste as sweet as your fear, I might want to stay."

Ghost watched, amused, as the young woman groped around under her pillow and pulled out her phone. If she thought to take a picture of him, she'd be disappointed. Their kind never showed up on the little screens humans were so attached to.

But she didn't. Instead, she typed something in, and Ghost observed her face, fascinated. The blue light made her features look washed out, but still lovely. He could feel her body warming up beneath him, chilly skin regaining some of the heat that she would need to sleep well. Humans were so fragile, so needy.

He found that he didn't mind that so much this time.

Her eyes found his, scared but determined. The mood shifts that this woman was going through were impressive, and Ghost purred in delight over his good choice.

The fear that had oozed out of her had been enough to feed even his greedy soul, long starved from only getting the little scraps others sent back through the portal.

He'd practically feasted on it, and now bathed in the heady cocktail of confusion, determination, more fear and exhaustion.

"What are you doing, little one?" He asked her, gentle, to not startle her again. Raising one shaky finger, she brushed along the bone fragments of his mask. Their faces had been drifting closer and closer, a monster ready to swallow the innocent princess.

Her touch sent electricity through his entire being, and his eyes widened, shadows curling and undulating around her bed.

"You are not real," she whispered back, despite all the evidence that he was. "So I will watch some calming YouTube videos, and then go to bed."

Stunned, Ghost watched as she snuggled deeper into her pillow and his hold and then pressed play. It took a few minutes, and she had clicked on the next one already, scent sleepy and on edge - but then he readjusted his grip, until she fell back into him, face pressed against his chest once more and he could see the random woman on her phone screen, planting seeds into pots.

Ghost rested his chin on her head, gulping down the lungfuls of anxiety and fear that poured out of her, eating away all her worries.

"What's your name?" She asked, voice high.

He considered her question for a while.

"I have been called many names," he answered eventually. "But my friends just call me Ghost."

"What a silly name," she snorted. "You look nothing like a ghost."

He bristled at that. None had ever dared to laugh at him before.

"But since you are my monster, and don't really exist, I will give you a proper name," she continued, rambling a little as she clicked on the next video of the same gardener woman.

Ghost went very still, mouth opening already to keep her from saying anything more. To give one of them a name, to claim a monster for yourself and-

"Don't-" he started, trying to save what had been doomed the moment he tasted her tears on his tongue.

"Simon!" She said, tapping his bone mask again, eyes half-lidded. A tiny chuckle escaped her. "A kind name. Simon wouldn't come out of the wardrobe to eat my corpse, Simon would bring me chocolate and rub my back after a long day. Wouldn't you, Simon?"

He stared back at her as she chuckled once more, then hugged him. She still clearly thought that this was some elaborate, strange, creepy dream. That she'd open her eyes in the morning and watch autumn leaves drift by her window, before getting ready to go to work - soon, she would forget all about him and this night.

Simon. The way she'd said the name, so carelessly and sure at the same time. Simon.

Oh, little human, he thought in despair as he felt his entire being shift, focusing on her tiny frame. What have you done?

Part: 1 - Ghost - you just read 'A Proper Name'! 2 - Price - read 'A Sea Of Gold And Green' here! 3 - Soap - read 'A Debt Repaid' here! 4 - ?

Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I absolutely loved writing this. It was so much fun, especially the supernatural elements. Hopefully everybody is as excited for the rest of the Halloween Special as I am! Now that October is finally here, and all of you voted with such a resounding yes for this little series, I can't wait to explore more monsters and their personalities 🖤

We still have König, Price, Soap and Gaz - all of them need their own little human to adore and protect. Sigh.

My general COD writing masterlist with all my longer stories, a COD headcanons masterlist + the COD Halloween Monster Special. It‘s all linked separately in my pinned blog post for easy navigation as well!

Until next time. - A✨

#*sigh* fine #i'll reread your monster series #AGAIN #for the umpteenth time

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