#beth is apparently out to kill me w posts tonight

[leather-n-laces]

TWD spoiler talk

Don’t read if you don’t want to risk maybe being ruined for the show??

Okay

Character’s that we thought may have been dead and Rick seeing familiar faces. Possible spoilers before cut

“Okay, small hint about Episode 2, “The Damned.” What can we expect? Two is fantastic. It’s a direct continuation of the war and the attack on the satellite [outpost], which is exciting. And it’s possible that there may be a character that we may have thought was, dead pop up. Who knows?”

Apparently GN said this

and the official blurb about 8x02 from AMC’s site says

The plan involving Alexandrians, Kingdommers and Hilltoppers unfolds. As Rick continues to fight, he encounters a familiar face.

TSDF Posted something tonight that we may see Morales again. Don’t remember him? Yeah, I didn’t either. I actually had to look him up. He’s been gone since Season 1 - split up from the group to go look for his family in Alabama. 

If it IS Morales, okay w/e great. The thing is, why would we have assumed he was dead? Yes it’s the ZA, and when people are gone generally you assume at some point they’re...gone-gone. Even though TWD likes bringing people back. Last we saw Morales he was very much alive and heading out to do his thing.

When I think a character we may have thought was dead, I think about that wonderful time where Glenn had hid under the dumpster. I think about possible life or death scenarios where the audience member does not get to see how it plays out. You don’t get to see your graves, people just vanish. Never to be seen or mentioned again, like ever. 

Pop up also makes me feel like it’s a minor character? I understand he can’t just out and say a main character is returning or whatever ( and what main character could they bring back who isn’t actually dead-dead?) It’s either a minor character or a minor scene.

The popular theories is that the character we thought was dead could be Heath or Sherry. If you are TD/Team Defiance than you’re hoping it’s Beth. There’s also Father Gabriel.

The thing is we don’t really have a reason to assume that Heath or Sherry are dead. To us, the viewers, they are just gone. I’ve got no real reason to believe Sherry has died.

Heath COULD be the familiar face, but with the new stuff about Morales...I don’t know. I also believe Gimple said we wouldn’t see Heath in season 8 (iirc) so unless it’s complete misdirection...

The episode is supposed to be a direct continuation so we aren’t likely to experience a time jump. I don’t think that the character we thought was dead OR the familiar face will be Gabriel. That just doesn’t sit with me, if it is...well the writers need a talking to. Gabriel wouldn’t have been gone THAT long unless they do a decent timeskip, doesn’t make sense that his reappearance would be the familiar face to me. I don’t think he’s our maybe-was-dead character either. I just have this feeling that Negan wouldn’t kill him -right- there. If he does kill him I think it will be when they’re both out of the trailer, not before. 

What do you think the odds are of the familiar face being the character we may have thought was dead?

Could we be getting to see two characters returning, or just one? 

I dont know if this is AT ALL coherent, I’m just getting antsy here. Season just started and I’m writing weirdass novels about possible spoilers, smh.

[cakelanguage]

@imaginaryartist asked me if I’d be interested in writing a fic about @ashdromeda‘s Until Dawn time travel fix-it post and the answer is ABSOLUTELY! So, strap yourselves in because this is a long one :)

As always, I hope you enjoy it!

You can also read it on AO3

The creature’s hand is tight around his neck, squeezing the flesh and Josh can feel the muscles and tendons twitch to remain in shape. The long nails pierce his neck, deep wounds that seem insignificant when facing the thing in front of him. He’s out of the water now, feet dangling helplessly above the surface.

Josh is scrambling at the arm holding him, trying to get the creature to let him go, but it doesn’t do anything but make the creature angrier. The thing screeches, the sound echoing throughout the mine. He wishes he could hide, get away from this thing. Like Mike. But Mike’s dead, right? Mike wouldn’t leave him, not to this. Not- Mike wouldn’t do that. Mike told Sam that they would make it out. Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike-

There is a smudge of something on the creature’s shoulder. Ash? Blood? Josh can’t really say what it is, but he focuses on it. Better to focus on that than those white eyes glaring at him or the clawed hand that is pulled back to finish him off. It’s not large, this spot but big enough that it’s easy to be seen, it stands out especially against the almost translucent grey skin that’s pulled taut across the creature’s body. It looks deliberate, like a design- it’s a butterfly. A stylized butterfly that Josh recognizes from numerous photos.

“Hannah?!” He asks, horror and shock coating his words.

The creature pauses and tilts its head at him, like it recognized the word. Like it recognized its name. Her name.

Fuck no no no no no this can’t be happening it isn’t- it isn’t real. This isn’t happening. She’s dead. Hannah’s dead. This isn’t- this can’t be- that thing isn’t Hannah. But why would it have her tattoo? But she died, Sam said- Sam said Beth died. Sam said that Hannah was alive down here. Sam said she was scared that she had done something- to Beth? Mike cut Sam off while she was talking but he heard it, he remembered hearing it. What was it what was it- eat. Hannah ate Beth. And now Hannah-

“No, you’re not real.” His voice is breathy, but firm. This is Hannah. But it’s not. He’s hallucinating. He should have taken his medicine. Should have should have should have-

Hannah, please don’t be her, pulls him closer to her face, her frame stooped over his, Josh’s lower body back in the water. Her milky eyes stare at him searchingly and Josh can’t help the whimper that escapes when he sees her teeth. She makes a chittering noise, like she wants to say something, but he can’t make heads or tails what she’s trying to say. Can Hannah even talk now?

Apparently she finds what’s she’s looking for because she lowers her arm to her side and starts dragging Josh through the water as she walks away. Water rushes up his nose, and he chokes as he breathes it in while screaming. It’s garbled, his voice, and it makes him feel like he’s ten years old again when he’d locked himself in a closet when no one was home. He doesn’t stop screaming though, doesn’t stop struggling to break Hannah’s hold on him. Her nails are digging into the back of his neck from her adjusted grip on the back of his flannel. There’s too much water, in his nose, in his lungs. He’s going to die. Please just let him die.

Suddenly, he’s tossed from the water and he moans as his body collides with the rock wall coughing up the water that’s stuck in his chest. Hannah is above him now, on the wall, scuttling about like a spider, her long limbs even more grotesque than they were when she was standing up. He blurrily watches her move as he tries to catch his breath, her head tilting curiously and releasing short screams at him every time he tries to move. He hopes she’ll kill him soon. Better than seeing her like this.

And then she’s leaping to the other side of the area she’d thrown Josh and disappears farther into the mine. She’s gone. Josh waits, listening for any sign of her being nearby, but he can’t hear anything, just the occasional drip from the stalactites. He shuffles slowly towards the wall. Maybe if he can get himself up, he can get away. Or be killed. At this point Josh can’t see why that would be a bad thing. It’d be over, right? He’s almost there, his fingers brushing against the rocky surface when he hears heavy footsteps behind him.

He freezes, slowly turning his attention towards Hannah. She’s glaring again, swinging her head around agitatedly. Like she’s searching again. Can she not see him? She’s cradling something in her arms, but Josh can’t see what it is. Hannah lets out a deafening scream louder than she’d given the first screech she’d released when they were still in the water. Josh can’t stop his flinch when he feels a sharp pain in his ears. Hannah focuses her attention on him and stalks over. She stops in front of him and shifts the object she’s carrying into one arm and pushes him against the wall with the other. The rocks dig into his shoulders, but he lets her manhandle him. It isn’t like he can do much about it.

Hannah drops what she’s carrying into his lap. It’s heavy and Josh warily glances down at it. It’s a head. Oh shit it’s a head. Josh wants to push it off of him, get as far from it as he can, but Hannah’s holding him in place. What does she want from him? Hannah gives him a pointed look and chitters at him again.

“W-what do you want?” Josh asks, his voice quiet and quivering.

She narrows her eyes at him and pushes him more firmly against the wall before letting him go to grab the head that’s still in his lap. He watches with morbid fascination as she brings it to her mouth and sinks her teeth into the side of the head. The hair doesn’t bother her as she messily chews her bite, blood dripping down her chin. Like spilled wine. Hannah had wanted to drink wine. He gags when the smell really hits him and that seems to upset Hannah’s snack because she takes one hand and presses his head against the wall with enough force to rattle his brain inside his skull.

He has no idea what to do besides watch her take another bite out of the man’s head. Where’d she get it? There’s a wet feeling in his ears, but he isn’t sure if it’s water or blood from his ear drums rupturing. God, how did this happen? He didn’t want any of this to happen. He just want to play a prank, get back at his friends. Make them feel like how Hannah and Beth had told him they had felt. They had told him. They were sad and angry and talked to him so sweetly when he did the right thing. But this wasn’t right. He just wanted everything to be right again.

“Hannah?” Josh asked. Gazing into her milky eyes and the macabre sight that was her face, he wondered if there was anything left that was really her. Did she really recognize him? Hannah stared back at him, eyes too wide, still chewing her bite. “Hannah, I wish I could fix everything. I wish I could fix you. This- this wasn’t supposed to happen. Not tonight. Not a year ago. It was supposed to be a fun trip and then that stupid prank ruined everything.” He gave a wet chuckle. “Like tonight, I guess. God, Cochise… Chris, he must hate me.” The thought made the ache in his chest increase and he choked on a dry sob. “But shit… Hannah I would change everything. I would make everything right if I had another chance. I’d know about the prank they were going to play on you and I would stop it, somehow. I would I would I would I-” he took a shuddering breath. This couldn’t be it.

Hannah didn’t acknowledge his words besides putting the head down on the cave floor and nudging it closer to him with a hiss. Josh shook his head and Hannah scowled before standing up and lumbering back out of the cave.

He was alone.

His head was throbbing painfully and his vision were getting blurrier. It was already pretty dark, what was more darkness going to do? He was going to die down here, alone. Hannah was a monster. Beth was dead, but there wasn’t a body anymore to mourn over. And his friends were going to die. As his vision dimmed and he slipped further into unconsciousness, he wished a final time to fix this.

If given the chance, he’d fix it.

 He woke up.

He woke up, not in a dank and dark cave like some cliché horror flick end, but with his face plastered against the counter of the lodge, alcohol on his breath. Alcohol everywhere actually. Whiskey, wine, a couple beer cans. Jesus Christ, what was going on?

He heard a groan nearby and his head shot up to stare at the person who made the noise. Chris. Chris was here. He was okay. Wait. Holy shit, this was- he was in the lodge. He and Chris were drunk, or he was supposed to be. Was he drunk? But the last time they were drunk in the lodge was… last year.

Was he really back? Was he really given a second chance?

“H-Hannah? Beth?” Josh asked, his voice rough and catching in his throat before it can reach a whisper. He looked around him for something. The note is laying on the counter. Oh God, the prank didn’t already happen, did it? No, that would be too cruel, where was everyone? He needed to find his sisters. The prank— please no.

He repeated Hannah’s name like a mantra, getting increasingly louder and more hysterical the longer he went without getting a reply. He threw in Beth’s name too, hoping one of them was here. Please please please—

“Josh?” Chris mumbled, blinking confusedly at him and Josh released a sob. “Bro, wha’s wrong?”

But Josh shook his head. He had to keep calling, had to hope that they’d hear him. That they weren’t gone. That they weren’t dead. Or worse. “H-Hannah, please, please come here, come out come out. It’s Josh! I need you to c-come here please. Beth? Beth, please?”

Chris was still staring, eyebrows pulled together in concern.

Josh staggered to his feet, blindly groping at the counter until he found the note for Hannah. The stupid fucking note that started it all. He felt it wrinkle in his fist as he walked toward the stairs, he was going to stop it.

“Hannah!” His voice echoed in the lodge, angry now at being ignored. Scared that he might have been too late. He listened, feeling his breath catch when he finally heard footsteps.

“Why’re you yelling, Josh?” Hannah asked, walking casually down the stairs. “I’m right here.”

Josh didn’t waste any time, stumbling clumsily up to meet her and wrapping his arms around her. She was his height, her hair silky against his face, and he felt her glasses bump awkwardly against his neck. She’s alive and well and not that… monster.

“Josh? Are you okay?” Hannah asked softly.

He quickly shook his head and took a shuddering breath. “Everything was wrong, Hannah. You and Beth were dead b-because of a stupid prank and everything went to shit. You guys kept telling me I needed to get revenge, needed to make them understand how they hurt you. I wanted to be with you but I never got it right and then I pranked them and it didn’t work. Everyone-everyone hated me, Chris probably hated me too. I can’t—he must have. And then Mike was gone and then you weren’t dead but this m-monster creature and you ate—god you ate her and you wanted me to join you or something and now I’m here and you’re okay and I can fix it.” He clutched at her tighter. “I’m going to fix it.”

Hannah rubbed his back, mumbling soft reassurances. “It’s okay, Josh, take a deep breath.” He tried to follow her instructions as best as he could, but choked on a sob. “You’re drunk, Josh, at least a little bit, it was probably a bad dream.” Her voice grew quieter. “Did you take your meds?”

Josh pulled away from her enough to look at her face. He hadn’t been taking them before, Hannah and Beth said it was trying to get rid of them for good, but he thought he took them during this time last year. The prescription was different, as was the drug though. Would that matter? “I-I think so, maybe, I-I don’t know. Hannah please don’t go upstairs.” It was vital that she didn’t go there, it’d ruin everything, everything would happen the same way. “Can- can we watch a movie? Let’s watch a movie. Can we please? Beth can watch it with us, and Chris, because Chris is awake and he’s- Cochise is the best. Maybe Sam, Sammy likes movies, right? Nothing- nothing dark, a comedy, or whatever you want, you can pick the movie.”

Hannah bit her lip and looked longingly up the stairs. She must have seen the note. He could only hope that she’d listen to him. With a sigh, she nodded her head. “Yeah, we can watch a movie.” She grabbed his arm and gently guided him downstairs. “Beth should be down here somewhere, and she can get Sam, alright? Why don’t we get Chris and we’ll head to the theater room.”

Josh nodded his head absentmindedly, rubbing his face with his free hand to wipe the tears away. Had he fixed it yet? Or did he have to make sure no one left until dawn. What if it could happen to anyone? The thought sent a shudder down his spine, but Hannah patted his arm before he could get too caught up in the idea.

Chris was still at the counter, swaying unsteadily as if he had intended to follow after Josh, but couldn’t make it by himself. Josh tried to muster up a reassuring smile, but by the upward tilt of Chris’ eyebrows, he’d failed miserably.

“Chris, Josh wants to watch a movie with us, do you think you can make it downstairs while I find Beth?” Hannah asked. Josh made a pleading noise and Hannah quickly fixed her statement. “Actually, why don’t you help us find Beth and then we’ll head to the theater room, okay?”

Josh was forever grateful that his sister was so understanding of him. He’d really missed her.

Chris nodded his head. “Yeah, sure, wha’ever you say,” he said with a smile. “I love movies.”

Chris clung to Josh’s shoulder as they made their way awkwardly around the main floor until they spotted Beth, straightening up the living room for people to sleep in that night.

Josh felt his breath catch again. Beth was alive, completely alive and well and beautiful and just as he’d remembered her. Not dead, not the decomposing corpse she’d been in his hallucination. He staggered over to her, feeling only slightly guilty when Chris almost tumbled to the floor without his support.

“Beth,” Josh said, bringing her into a hug. “Beth you’re here.”

Beth pushed him away slightly and gave him a strange look. “Of course I’m here, where else would I be, Josh?” Beth asked.

Before Josh could speak, Hannah started. “Josh had a nightmare, I think. He can’t remember if he took his medication, but he’s really freaked out,” Hannah explained. “Kept claiming we’d died and something about a prank and a monster or something.”

“Oh.” Josh didn’t have the energy to insist on what he’d gone through was real, instead snuggling deeper into his hug with Beth. “So, what are we doing?”

“Well, Josh insists that I can’t go upstairs, so I’m hoping you can ask Sam to join us in the theater room. I’m kind of hoping the movie will help him a little.”

Beth nodded her head. “Yeah I can do that, but Josh is going to have to let go first.”

Josh reluctantly let her go, but before she could walk away he showed Beth the note that was still crumbled in his fist. “Can you tell them they can’t do it?” Josh asked. “They really can’t- you’ll die. You and Hannah will die if this happens and I don’t know if I’ll get another chance to fix it if I mess up this time.”

Beth stared at him but nodded her head slowly and gently pried the note from his hand. “Okay, yeah, I’ll tell them, okay? You go set up a movie with these guys and I’ll be down with Sam shortly, sound good?”

Josh smiled as best he could before walking back over to Hannah and Chris. “Movie?” Josh asked, letting Chris grab onto his shoulder and Hannah loop their arms together.

“Yeah, we’re going to pick out a movie,” Hannah reassured him.

Josh smiled, at least they were okay for now.

 ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Beth wasn’t really sure what to make of the situation. Sure, Josh had these sort of breakdowns before, but this one was different. He was truly terrified and convinced about what he was saying, and she wasn’t sure what to do besides listen to him. Hannah was better at the comforting thing, she was better at the ‘see reason’ types of comforting. And trying to make Josh see reason didn’t seem to be what he needed right now. Josh cared so much about them and to see him dissolve like that at the thought of losing her and Hannah made her chest ache.

Beth found Sam calling out Hannah’s name close to the guest room, where the note told Hannah to meet Mike. Jerk.

“Beth, we’ve gotta find Hannah, Mike and the others are going to play this dumb prank on her and I know she’ll be crushed,” Sam said worriedly. Sam was a good friend, and cute. Really cute. Focus Beth.

“Don’t worry, Josh isn’t letting her come upstairs,” Beth said. “Or leave his side.”

Sam tilted her head. “Josh? I thought he and Chris were blackout drunk in the kitchen.”

“Nope, and Hannah and I are pretty sure he forgot to take his meds and he had this terrible nightmare and now he’s convinced that if the others go through with the prank Hannah and I will die.”

“That’s…”

“Yeah, I know, Hannah and Chris are taking care of him right now, but he asked if you wanted to watch a movie with us. I’m kind of hoping it’ll calm down Josh enough so he can sleep off the rest of the alcohol in his system so we can give him his meds in the morning.”

Sam shot a glare to the guest room. “What about them?”

Beth gave Sam a wicked grin. “I’ll be handling them, don’t you worry about that.”

“I’m a little worried for them to be honest.”

“I’m just going to make them understand that you can’t mess with a Washington and get away with it.”

“If you’re planning on getting rid of any bodies, can it wait until morning? It’s kinda creepy on this mountain at night.”

Beth nodded in agreement. “Tell me about it, only Josh thinks it’s peaceful at night up here.”

Sam smiled. “Alright, well don’t take too long with chewing them out, I’d like to cuddle some during this movie.”

“Scouts honor,” Beth said.

Sam rolled her eyes but began walking to the stairs. Beth turned her attention back to the guest room door. Time to get this over with. As she approached the door she could hear the muffled snickering and shushing coming from inside and forced herself to take a calming breath. She knocked like Hannah usually did and waited a moment before opening the door.

“Hey- Beth?” Mike asked, his roguish grin falling at the sight of her.

“Hey Mike,” Beth said tightly. “I found your note. Well, actually, Josh found your note.”

“Listen Beth-“

“Shut your mouth, Michael Munroe.” Mike closed his mouth looking guiltily to the side. “Guys, quit hiding, I know you’re all in here.” Just like that she saw her other friends crawl and shimmy out of their hiding spots. She saw Matt lowering his selfie stick he was using to record what would have been the prank on Hannah. “Oh no, keep it up Matt, don’t you want to have this memory? Because I know I do.”

“Oh come on, Beth, it was just going to be a prank,” Emily said, crossing her arms defensively.

Jess nodded her head. “Hannah’s been making eyes at Mike and I was just trying to help out my girl, Em,” Jess said.

“Mike’s Hannah’s first real crush, she has puppy love, she makes goo-goo eyes, and likes to look at him, but she wouldn’t try and steal him from you Emily,” Beth said, rolling her eyes. “We’re talking about Hannah. She might be trying to get his attention and want him to like her, but she isn’t the type of person to ruin a relationship.”

“I bet you she was planning on coming up here and doing all sorts of things with Mike,” Emily insisted.

Beth groaned. “Listen, I don’t know what she would have done, but it’s not happening now. Josh won’t let her come up here or even leave his side right now. So why don’t you all find something better to do with your time before Josh decides he wants to kick you all out in the morning.” She gave them all a hard look. “Because if it were up to me, I’d send you out there now, but I know Josh cares too much to do that to anyone.”

“Beth-“ Ashley started before being cut off again by Beth.

“Don’t ‘Beth’ me, I’m angry and trying to figure out how to handle my brother being convinced that if this prank happens Hannah and I are going to die.”

“What?” Matt asked. They all looked confused now.

Beth sighed. “I- I don’t really know, but what I do know is that Josh is convinced about this fact and I’m not going to try and convince him otherwise right now.” No one knew what to say at that and Beth just nodded her head once. “Right, so the prank is over, go be jerks somewhere else in the lodge, okay? And unless you plan to be perfectly well-behaved girls and boys, don’t even think about coming into the theater room. We’re getting Josh to calm down, we don’t need you guys to rile him up again.”

With that final statement, Beth marched out of the room and down the stairs to the theater room. Something bright and colorful is playing on the screen, some animation movie that looked funny enough to hopefully help Josh calm down. Sam was sitting to the left of Hannah and Chris sat to the right of Hannah. Josh seemed to have given up the idea of a seat entirely and had just draped himself over both Hannah and Chris. Hannah was running her fingers through Josh’s hair and his eyes were closed. Chris had his head cocked to the side, snoring every once and a while. It was admittedly, a very cute sight.

Beth sat herself next to Sam with a sigh. “They’re taken care of,” Beth said, throwing an arm over Sam’s shoulder to bring her closer. “How’s Josh doing?”

“Better, at least a little bit,” Hannah said softly. “He’s still really shaken up, but this seems to be helping.” She sent Beth a morose look. “I-I think I made the right choice not going to meet Mike.”

Beth nodded. “They were being jerks, you didn’t deserve that kind of prank.”

“Thanks, Beth.”

Beth waved off the gratitude. “What’s family for if not to make sure you’re treated right? Besides Josh deserves some thanks too, but you can thank him in the morning, he seems pretty much out at this point. Chris helping at all?”

Hannah giggled quietly. “Well, he fell asleep pretty fast, but Josh relaxed a little bit more when Chris reassured him that Josh could use him as a pillow.”

Beth grinned. “They’re cute together.”

Sam snorted. “If they ever figure it out, it’ll be a miracle,” she said.

“Yeah, Josh is still convinced that Chris wants Ashley, and Chris is convinced that Josh doesn’t like him like that.”

“Maybe we can give them a little push?” Sam suggested. “Help them get their act together and realize that the futures their imaging don’t have to be the only future.”

Hannah shrugged. “Who knows what’ll happen, a small event can change the future.”

Josh stirred slightly in Hannah’s lap and stared blurrily up at her. Giving her a small smile he mumbled a final statement:

“Boom. Butterfly effect.”