#para: st(ranger) danger | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

declinlalune · 2 years ago

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St(ranger) Danger || Andy & Zane

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @rn-zane @declinlalune SUMMARY: Andy gets stopped by another ranger. Zane intervenes. CONTENT WARNING: Parental & sibling death mentions, a creepy guy who is harassing Andy.

Andy knew that going to a hunter infested shop would one day have consequences. She noticed the man’s recognition almost immediately, and though she thought that maybe it’d been because they’d seen each other around town, she was proven wrong. As she was checking out, the man approached her, explaining that she looked just like a woman he knew sixteen years ago– same red hair, same freckles. She politely skirted around the conversation, explaining that she’d been new to Wicked’s Rest and that she couldn’t possibly be the person he remembered– or the daughter of her.

Then he mentioned Tennessee. Andy felt her skin alight as she pushed her way through the shop and out onto the street. Why she continued to park away from Hollow Point Armory, she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was to keep her license plate off their radar. She could hear his footsteps, but she didn’t want to focus on them. She wanted to focus on getting the hell out of there. Really sad, what happened to them. Rumor had it the kids died, too, but you seem to be just fine. Andy felt sick. This was the first time somebody from their past had come back to haunt them, not including Kaden. Though, was he really haunting them if he were a ghost with them, too?

“I’m not who you think I am, sorry.” Andy took her keys out of her bag and held them tightly, ready to throw herself in her jeep, need be. You sure about that? Where’s the other one? Andy winced. So they knew about Alex. Had there really been rumors circulating in the community? People had been suspicious that Alex lacked the ability of a ranger, even then– she’d heard the conversations, but there’d never been any proof. “Positive, dude.” She continued walking, and she could finally see her jeep in full view. Would it be smart to pull away with it? With her luck, this guy knew how to run plates and would figure out where they lived. So she veered in another direction before she felt him grab her arm, twisting her around.

“What do you want? I said I’m not the person you’re thinking of.” Andy watched the man, her expression darkening as she noticed the sick, twisted smile that formed over his features. You’re lying to me, and you know we don’t lie to our own. Andy scoffed. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about dude, you’re creeping me out, leave me alone.” She tried her best to keep steady, to not just rip her arm out of his grip for the sake of not showing off her innate strength he knew she had. Another voice joined their collective, and Andy looked over to see a man she did not recognize heading their way. He seemed concerned, which hopefully meant he was not on this man’s side.

—

It wasn’t too crowded out now, most people either home or heading there for dinner. It was nicer to walk the streets at this time, without the loud chatter and traffic, not to mention the fact that his nose seemed even more intent on picking up every faint whiff of blood it could after the… encounter at Dance Macabre. Zane was fine, and full, so work shouldn’t be a problem but it was still good that he decided to walk, burning off some of that nervous energy he’d rarely experienced heading into work before.

The music in his ears didn’t prevent him from taking notice of the couple walking briskly across the street, the tension in their exchange drawing his attention. Maybe not a couple, Zane thought as he drew closer, noticing that the man seemed much older than the young woman trying to ignore him. His daughter? He didn’t hope so as he caught the glint in the man’s eyes, knowing that there existed parents who would regard their children with that look but praying the situation was something else. Picking up the pace slightly, headphones pulled out as he walked, Zane came close enough to start to pick up on the words being exchanged.

She didn’t know the man, it sounded like, and that was enough incentive for Zane to veer straight towards the two of them. As soon as the arm was grabbed, he knew he’d made the right decision. “Hey!”

Closing the distance between them, eyes focused on the man who looked even angrier up close, Zane gave a curt nod towards the offending hand that still held the young woman tightly. With a huff, the man loosened his grip, still standing uncomfortably close to the woman. “Everything okay here?” It sounded very cliched and Zane was reminded of the last time he stepped into a precarious situation like this, the fact that he’d maybe broken someone’s arm. Didn’t matter, he would just stand by and use the few inches he had on this guy to hopefully scare him off. A glance over at the young woman showed the worry in her eyes and his own softened for a moment before turning back, narrowed, to the man.

—

Andy didn’t normally feel grateful towards other people for intervening; it usually meant trouble, but in this case? Sure, she’d take the distraction. The man opposite her loosened his grip and she lightly yanked her arm away, still cautious to show any true strength.

At the stranger’s question, Andy cut her gaze to him. He was much taller than herself, but if he had no actual strength to him, something told her that the hunter across from her– who she could only assume to be a ranger, would level him easily. She swallowed thickly before nodding, rubbing her arm to rid herself of the drowning feeling that’d begun to lay flatly overtop of her. As long as she didn’t mention Alex, and as long as she didn’t give in to the pressure of admitting that she was who he thought she was, things would be fine. And now she had somebody she could rely on. Hopefully.

“This guy thinks I’m somebody and I’m not.” Andy realized it was a weak argument, that people probably said that all the time when they were exactly who the aggressor thought they were, but she didn’t have time to pull some story out of her ass. “I’m from Fresno, not what– where did you say? Kentucky?” As a means to play stupid, she desperately laid in on the fact that she hadn’t even remembered where he suggested she was from.

The incredulous expression that rose over the ranger’s features reminded her of her father and she felt something stir in the pit of her stomach– guilt, maybe. Now, you know, and I know, that that’s bullshit. But if you don’t wanna connect to your people, then so be it. Was that really it? Andy waited for him to say something more, but instead he turned, and started off in the way they’d both come from. She let out a breath, but it caught in her throat as he turned back around, that same sly, smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Gotta watch out for each other here, you know it ain’t safe, and I know your skin is just crawlin, with all those monsters roaming about.

She fought to keep a neutral expression and waited until he finally turned back around to let out the breath that felt lodged in her throat. Andy had almost forgotten had company. When she finally looked over at him, she gave him a meek smile. “No idea what the hell that guy was talking about. Uh, thank you, for you know, not letting him grab me or whatever.”

—

Zane watched the exchange warily, careful not to butt in more than he had to but the look in this man’s eyes was unnerving. Even though he’d let go, the vampire didn’t feel comfortable walking away yet. Preferably, he wanted the guy far, far away before he’d feel right about leaving the young woman. He knew it was intrusive, stepping in to help, but he’d seen enough in the ER to know how situations like this could go. Didn’t matter whether it was a young woman or not, that tension was unmistakable and if injuries could be avoided, his interrupting self was going to make an attempt.

Finally, after what felt like ages, the man relented. Zane’s breath of relief had barely escaped his lips when the last shot was fired, thrown over the guy’s shoulder and sending a shiver down the vampire’s spine. Was she… one of them? Was the man? No, if they could somehow know whether or not somebody was undead, the way slayers seemed to, they would have reacted differently to a vampire joining their conversation. Wouldn’t they?

The tension in Zane’s body had to be obvious, feet pushing into the ground, ready to make a run for it. Seeing the meek smile on the woman’s face as he thanked him was reassuring but maybe she was just a good actress? Waiting for him to let his guard down so she could strike? He spared a glance over at the retreating man, wondering if he too would simply walk into hiding and appear at the first chance.

“I… yeah. Weird.” Zane’s voice was halting, eyes still looking for a sign that the woman was about to attack. There were people about so maybe not but after the few encounters he’d had, trust wasn’t exactly rich. “Almost like he was hinting at you being a monster hunter.”

–

It’d been silly to hear of a supernatural hub and not think that there might be hunters who would recognize her. Maybe she should dye her hair, or chop it off. Use makeup to cover her freckles; really go into hiding like she and Alex did when they first got back from Lyon. There’d maybe been people looking for them then, but they’d gotten good at evading. The last four years in Wicked’s Rest had provided a comfort that Andy hadn’t felt since the night she watched her parents get mauled, and maybe that had been where her naivety began– to believe that she, or Alex would ever be free from the past that was written into them before they had even been born. Alex had a shot away from it all, especially considering she never carried the gene in the first place, but her? She was stuck.

She knew that if she ever expressed those feelings, Alex wouldn’t understand, because at the end of the day, Andy knew her sister still thought of herself as a monster, even though Andy did everything in her power to dissuade her from that way of thinking.

Andy did her best to pull herself from the what if’s as they saturated her thoughts. Instead, she focused on the man as he spoke, taking note of the suspicious gleam in his eyes. So did he believe her to be one? Was he one, too? Had she walked herself into another trap? Forcing neutrality in both expression and in tone, she shook her head. “He got confused, mixed me up with some other ginger. Do you know how many of us there are?” The one he was thinking of is dead, anyway. “Besides, I don’t believe in monsters.”

Whether that was loaded to enforce the idea that the supernatural didn’t exist– a hunter’s pastime in protecting innocent civilians, or the fact that she didn’t believe things were inherently monstrous, she didn’t bother to clarify. Andy felt the firm groove of her keys in her palm and the way the metal felt hot and sticky against her skin now. She let them go, dropping them into her bag. Why the stranger looked concerned at the idea that Andy could be a hunter bit at the back of her mind. He was no shifter, so maybe something else? It didn’t matter, and it wasn’t Andy’s problem, because he existed within these same confines as her, and he was not a monster, even if she had no clue who he actually was.

—

She was sticking to her guns, still claiming that the angry and quite frankly, disturbing man that had approached her, had been barking up the wrong tree. It was a possibility, of course, but he’d been so pissed. Zane had never experienced a case of mistaken identity this bad but would he have been as genuinely shocked and put off by it as this stranger was? The vibe she gave off had been closer to fear than confusion. Even if she wasn’t the person the man suspected her to be, did she know who his anger was directed at? A family member or just a completely random redhead? They weren’t that rare but still, they didn’t exactly all bear a striking resemblance to one another.

“Not believing in monsters is definitely a choice when you live here.” Quite hypocritical of him, since he’d rolled his eyes at the people claiming they’d been attacked by vampires, giant humanoid bears or horned creatures in the ER only a few short months ago. Zane wondered how many of Wicked’s Rest inhabitants got away with never seeing the truth or if all of them knew it and pretended not to for someone else’s benefit. Even so, the stranger seemed to relax a bit and Zane did the same in return. Whatever she was or wasn’t, she didn’t seem intent on hurting him at the moment, which only made her a stranger that had been startled by an uncomfortable encounter.

“Are you alright? He seemed really pissed off,” Zane asked, genuine concern in his voice no matter the circumstances. At the question, he looked around once again to make sure the man was definitely gone, eyes stopping on a passerby exiting a store. A store that looked to be selling weapons. His gaze lingered for a moment too long on the sign, discomfort creeping up his spine, before he turned back to the stranger. “I’m heading this way if you want to walk away from here with some company.” Pointing down the road, he pondered why exactly he’d offered. Force of habit or morbid curiosity? Either way, it was out there.

—

“What does that mean?” Andy asked, deciding to feign innocence. She could pull off the poor, misunderstanding girl. She’d done it plenty of times. It was how she and Alex had survived on the road for so long– use the doe eyes her mother had given her, and hope for the best. Andy repositioned the strap of her bag over her shoulder, smoothing down the fabric with her fingers. She wanted to go home now, but with the stranger radiating suspicion, she wasn’t sure how soon that would be. Did he intend to get the answer out, too? Was he on that man’s side? Good cop vs bad cop?

After a moment, he asked if she was alright and her brows pulled together. Andy looked in the direction that the man had left in. She couldn’t hear asphalt beneath boots, or even his labored breathing that’d been present when he’d been in their faces. Maybe he really was gone, and maybe the person standing next to her now truly was just a concerned citizen. “I’m fine. First case of mistaken identity, especially with somebody who was so sure. Guy was super creepy, but I’m glad you stepped in. I think my mace might be almost out.” Maybe not the smartest thing to tell a stranger, despite the fact that it had been a lie.

At his offer, she thought for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yeah, sure. I parked my jeep up that way.. didn’t want to get into it and have him know my car or something.” She started off slowly next to him, the only sound for a brief few seconds being that of their footfalls, before she piped up. “I appreciate you hanging back, by the way.” She hadn’t forgotten the way he looked at her by the assumption of her being a hunter, but she chose to dislodge it for now.

—

The lack of knowledge (or elaborate ruse, Zane really couldn’t tell) continued and he decided to drop the subject, shaking his head with a muttered ‘nevermind’. At least the two of them seemed to have one thing in common, wanting to be absolutely certain that the strange man was gone. It did definitely seem that way, easing up some of the vampire’s tension. Not all, but some. A start, given that odds still pointed towards this person being exactly who she said she was. Not that she’d said much, just that she wasn’t the supposed monster hunter that guy had been searching for. Even if she was, who was Zane to judge her solely on that? Being a vampire clearly seemed to come with its own baggage and rumors, it had to be the same for the other side… right?

“Hey, good on you for carrying mace, at least. I don’t mind stopping to check on people but it’s becoming much more of a regular thing than I’d like to admit. Kinda thought there’d be less of this nonsense in a town of this size but guess that was wishful thinking.” Something about the stranger gave Zane the distinct impression that she hadn’t really needed his help but that was never a bet to take spur of the moment. She seemed thankful so he’d take it that his presence hadn’t been a complete mess.

They started walking, the strange and quite heavy air of suspicion both ways still hanging between them. “It’s nothing, really. Just glad he backed off.” Silence fell again, the air growing heavier with every step - doubtless that Zane was the only one who felt it, but it grew until he couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ve met some, y’know. Hunters, I mean. Just in case you do know what he was talking about. If you don’t, then I probably sound crazy. Or maybe you do and don’t want to talk about it, which is also totally valid.”

—-

As the stranger spoke, Andy grimaced. She didn’t like the sound of that. Random people being accosted on the street… what if something like that were to happen to Alex? What if she had been with Alex during the argument? What would she have done? How would she have gotten her sister away? Anxiety found its roots once more, despite the man no longer being within their vicinity. “That sounds.. shady. Shitty, too.” She would need to tell both Alex and Kaden to keep their eye out for anything strange. Kaden could hold his own, and Alex could too, maybe– but hopefully she wouldn’t have to worry about it.

Andy didn’t falter, expression remaining neutral as the man explained that he had met hunters. “I already told you, and him, what was up.” Her jeep was in view now. She didn’t see a reason to explain herself to him. He was a stranger. One that, if she stepped one foot out of line, could cost her everything she had built. Then she and Alex would have to leave again. She didn’t want to give up what they created in the last four years, especially because Kaden had only just arrived.

What if this guy was some bounty hunter? She didn’t think that her aunt cared enough to send somebody after either her or Alex, not when she had her own shit to worry about– after all, neither herself or her sister were that important, but the fear that they would find out what had happened with Alex lived in the darkest depths of Andy’s mind and she was terrified that something would happen. She just needed to relax. This man was clearly not somebody sent after her, and he seemed genuinely concerned.

“I don’t believe in monsters, like I said. You can take that however you want.” Andy was tired and really, she just wanted to go home. “I exist, you exist– that’s it, that’s the bottom line. There are creeps and weirdos, and that guy was one of them. That’s what I think. Okay?”

—

All odds were pointing towards this girl either carrying a real dislike for hunters or having literally no clue what Zane was going on about. Either way, the likelihood of her being a threat to him specifically was close to nothing. No matter the reason, she was shaky and uncomfortable and getting barraged with weirdness from the vampire probably wasn’t helping. “Got it, sorry. Just… nevermind, totally dropping it now.” Her focus seemed to be drawn towards a car just a short distance away and Zane slowed his walk.

“In the spirit of not being a creep, I think I’ll let you manage the rest of the way on your own.” Just in case she worried about him looking at her plates or anything like that. The circumstances were strange, for sure, but Zane couldn’t let his newfound paranoia of vampire hunters turn him into someone who made other people uncomfortable. “Really hope that guy doesn’t bother you again.” Coming to a stop, he offered his hand. “I’m Zane, by the way. If you ever need help from a total stranger again, I spend most of my time at the ER. Obviously hope you won’t need it but…”

—

The stranger apologized and Andy felt guilt burrow in the pit of her stomach. He had helped her. Why couldn’t she just accept it for the value it was? Why couldn’t she just relax! “No, sorry. I’m just…” She looked back over to where the man had gone, still nervous that he would turn back around and accost them both. “It’s been a long day already and that added so much more shit to it.”

Andy stopped just short of her jeep and let out a laugh– though it was strained, it was light. “Yeah, me either.” She hitched her tote higher up on her shoulder as it began to slide down with the weight of its contents. Zane offered his hand and Andy didn’t allow her hesitation to show as she took it. She smiled at him. “Andy. And uh– hope that’s because you work there and not because you’re in a constant state of broken toes or something.” The joke fell flat and she cleared her throat. This was a normal person. A normal person named Zane who had his own questions– the kinds that Andy couldn’t answer, but he was normal. “Sorry to have bothered you with all of that… but um, appreciate your help all the same. Have a nice night, Zane.”

She jiggled her keys, creating a chime effect, before getting into her jeep.

#para: st(ranger) danger #para: zane #sibling death tw #parental death tw #wickedswriting

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