#tmc VHS Radio AU

[vermillion-merlot]

Im supposed to be doing science rn but oh well 😁

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

TMC Home Sweet Home AU: Encounter

Dave Lee stays behind at MandelaTECH to finish clearing out unwanted tech, unable to brush away the feeling that he isn't alone.

TW: blood, injury, body horror

Notes: This is around 5'000 words long, being the shortest HSH fic so far, but. Trust me. it's important. Anyway here it is!!! Hope you enjoy :)

July 29th, 1992. 11:35 PM

Another slow business day.

MandelaTECH had closed a few hours prior, but the emptiness seemed nearly the same as when it was open. Faint music played through a cassette player that rested on one of the metal shelves, said shelf being strangely empty for a store meant to be selling tech. Adding to the strange emptiness was the fact that the entire store was nearly completely silent aside from the stereo playing random songs, along with the sound of the AC blaring from the vents. However, rustling and thumping was heard from behind one of the doors leading to the back storage area. Faint whistling was heard before the door was shoved open by the one person in the store; the founder, Dave Lee.

He was a shorter, stouter man wearing a green shirt with MandelaTECH’s logo plastered on it in white text, partially covered by his nametag. He wore an unbuttoned, red-plaid flannel shirt over his arms, rolled up to his elbows. He had a bushy mustache on his top lip, and was wearing aviator sunglasses over his eyes, concealing them. Also partially covering his face was his black, very curly hair, which was messily covering a small part of his forehead. He held a large analog TV in his hands as he closed the door behind him with his foot, all before walking through the store, placing the Television onto one of the tables, all while he quietly sung to himself to break the silence.

“There she stood in the doorway,” Dave quietly sung as he placed the TV next to the ever growing stack of broken tech on the floor and table. “I heard the mission bell, and I was thinking to myself ‘this could be Heaven or this could be Hell.’”

He took a breath before rubbing his forehead with his hand, all before glancing at his watch, taking a deep sigh when he was reminded of how he should’ve gone home nearly an hour ago. However, the sudden news that he had to throw out most of his tech meant working overtime was an inevitability.

He took a moment to stare at the tech in front of him; radios, Televisions, boxes of VHS tapes, and even more were resting in front of him, doomed to be thrown into a dump in at latest a month. Dave’s brows furrowed, feeling a deep sadness in his chest as he realized that old tech was becoming obsolete, despite his best efforts. However, he then shook his head, realizing he’d rather throw out barely working tech then end up in jail.

He raised his hands to pick up one of the Televisions, pausing before glancing towards one of the back rooms. He then glanced back at the TV, along with a box of tapes before grasping the TV he just brought out and walking back. He opened the small storage room’s door, all before gently placing the TV on the ground and carefully pushing it against the wall. He left the room, coming back after a few moments before placing the box of tapes next to it, all before covering both with a black blanket and closing the door behind him.

“—And still those voices are calling from faaar away,” Dave sung quietly once again as he walked towards the rest of the tech, pushing back his urge to hide all of them somewhere instead of throwing them out like garbage. He picked up one of the smaller Televisions, all before turning back towards where the back door was, failing to notice the cord of the TV was dangling beside his feet. “Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say—”

Dave’s foot planted on the cord, causing him to trip forward slightly, luckily regaining his balance after a second, though his Television wasn’t as lucky. It fell out of his hands, smashing against the linoleum floor with a loud crash. Dave stumbled forward, staring at the shattered glass underneath the TV’s body, all while he held his hands up to his face in shock. “O-Oh…Oh no….” He muttered, trying to resist the urge to cry. He was going to throw it out anyway, so why did it hurt to see it break? He crouched down, carefully grabbing the metal casing of the TV, all while trying his hardest not to cut himself on the shards of glass underneath it.

He held it up, wincing as he looked into where the screen used to be, only to see the bare electronics and wires. He took in a deep breath, all before he shifted the TV to get a decent grasp on it before stepping over the shards of glass, realizing he was going to have to clean it up later. He continued to walk until he found himself at one of the back exits, pushing the door open with his shoulder before walking outside.

He looked around, seeing the dumpster in front of him, resting in front of the tree line near the back of the building. He turned to his left and right, seeing nothing down the alley within the light above the door, along with the streetlights nearby. He needed to get more lights installed back there, he thought. He hated the idea of not being able to see something back there. He felt the cool air hit him as he quickly walked towards the empty dumpster, hesitantly throwing the TV into it, hearing the loud BANG as it hit the inside of it. The sound made Dave flinch, all before he turned back and walked quickly towards the back door, opening it and slamming it shut behind him. He let out his breath, suddenly remembering how much he hated taking out the trash at night.

Dave swept the shards of glass on the screen into a dustpan as he listened to the faint sound of music coming from the boombox nearby, thinking to himself as he cleaned up the mess. Something in his gut felt especially…sour; a deep feeling of dread that he couldn’t place. It could’ve been anything, ranging from his exhaustion, to his fear of having to close his store for good. He grasped a box of old VHS tapes, holding onto it tight as he walked back towards the back door, pushing it open with his back and walking back into the cool night air. He took in a deep breath, walking towards the dumpster and tossing the entire box into it. Finally done, deciding to throw everything else out in the morning as he turned and walked back towards the door—

“It’s a beautiful, cozy evening in Mandela County tonight; clouds are rolling back, and the sun is set to shine tomorrow morning.”

A radio?

The signal changed, like a car radio flipping stations from songs, to the weather reports, to even a few old TV channels, or the audio of them at least. Dave stared towards the side of MandelaTECH, seeing nothing but darkness past the lights, the tint of his glasses making the dark parts nearly pitch black.

“Welcome to the Hotel California,” The static voice sung, pausing awkwardly before continuing. “Such a lovely place. Such a lovely—I just got a 10-15, heading to the place now. What did you…get a similar call?”

Dave stared into the darkness, slowly raising his hand towards his face, lightly grasping his sunglasses. He paused, listening to the unstable radio signals as he slowly removed them, his eyes squinting slightly from the light above him. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw more and more, seeing nothing until he looked towards the corner of the store, freezing solid.

Eyes.

Reflecting the light; staring back at Dave from the darkness.

Dave stared back, hearing a garbled version of Amazing Grace coming from where the eyes were, Dave beginning to feel his heart sink as he barely made out the outline of a tall humanoid in the dark, seeing glistening teeth and a pale face. Dave and the thing in front of him had a silent staring contest as Dave stepped back a foot. The being remained unmoving, standing as still as a statue, all until it abruptly became silent. Dave stared at it in horror, dropping his glasses, hearing them clatter against the pavement beside his foot. The thing flinched, its gaze looking towards the glasses, then back at Dave, staring at him with its wide, dark eyes. Silence fell, all before it dropped down, pressing its barely visible, bony hands on the ground. Dave felt his heart drop to his feet when it began rapidly crawling towards him.

Dave turned around, sprinting towards the door as he heard it charging close behind, Dave swinging the door open before shutting it behind him. A loud bang emitted from it as the thing behind it slammed against it, the sound making Dave let out a surprised yelp as he fell to the ground. He could hear scratching and banging coming from the door, it shaking with every impact. Dave heard the sound of distorted radio frequencies, and with the realization that the thing was going to discover that the door wasn’t locked eventually came the realization that he needed to hide.

Dave scrambled to his feet, entering the main store, his eyes stinging from the fluorescent lights now that his glasses were gone. He looked around, continuing to hear the sound of the thing banging on the door becoming heavier sounding and more rapid. Dave ducked behind the customer service counter, reaching for the cell phone on top of it, missing grabbing it a few times before finally feeling it in his hand, pulling it down towards him. “Please…God damn it, please…” He whimpered as he dialed 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I-I…th-there’s something outside.” Dave whispered, glancing around his hiding place towards the back door, which was barely visible behind the store shelves between him and it. “I don’t know what it is; I don’t know what to do—”

“Sir, please try and remain calm,” The person on the other side of the phone line stated. “Are you hiding?”

“Y...yes, I am.” Dave flinched when he heard another loud crash against the door.

“Did you see what it looked like?”

“I-I don’t…I don’t know it was…tall and…pale?” Dave grasped his hair with his free hand as he tried to suppress the urge to panic. “I…I don’t think it’s human.”

Silence; for a tad too long for comfort.

“Don’t worry sir, help is on the way, where is your location?”

“Mandela Tech, on—”

“Officers have been sent to your location.” The operator stated, their voice strangely…quiet. “Remain silent and hidden. Do not instigate.”

“I w—” A loud crash made Dave choke on his words, hearing the door slam against the wall beside it. Dave’s blood ran cold as he covered his mouth with his hand, scared to look back at the now wide open door as he lowered the phone to his side. Past the music of the boombox, he heard the sound of bare feet walking across the linoleum floors in erratic patterns, along with heavy yet quick breathing. Dave could hear it moving around the store, brushing against shelves and knocking things off of them. He shut his eyes, swallowing hard as he shakily held up the phone towards his ear, barely audible as he whispered into it. “…It’s in the store.”

No response. The operator had already hung up.

The thing behind him continued to search around, mimicking the songs playing on the boombox as it did. Dave took a deep breath in as he carefully turned towards the edge of the counter, peeking out from behind it as he tried to catch a glimpse of the creature he heard walking around. He couldn’t see anything for a little while, instead only hearing the sound of tech parts falling off of shelves and distorted radio signals. However, after seeing it appear from behind a few shelves, Dave felt his heart skip a beat, seeing what he was dealing with for the first time in proper lighting.

It was tall; way too fucking tall, over seven feet at least. Its skin was a dull, pale grey, its veins visible from under its thin, sickly skin. It wore nothing other than a pair of raggedy blue jeans, which were full of holes and stained with what Dave hoped was reddish dirt. Its legs seemed short compared to the rest of its body, and its arms were eerily long, their musculature being odd and strange looking, as if it had more muscles than a regular human did. It held its hands down towards its knees, Dave seeing that they were large, with three short fingers, with the ring finger and pinkie being much longer, with long jagged nails at the end of them like claws. Dave looked up to try and see its face, though something told him it was best that he couldn’t see it. At the very least, it looking away from him gave him at least some comfort.

It roamed around, its movements jerky and erratic, as if it was stumbling over its own feet. Dave pressed his back against the counter as he looked at the phone in his hand, turning to his left, seeing the front doors were decently close to him, albeit in the open. He took in a shaky breath, carefully and quietly shifting onto his knees and soon into a crouching position as he looked towards his right. He wasn’t sure where the thing was, only knowing it was still somewhere on the other side of his hiding place, deciding to take the chance as he threw his phone as hard as he could towards the other part of the store.

It clattered against the ground, metal parts of it breaking off from the impact as it slid a few feet. Dave heard the thing stop, growing silent abruptly as Dave waited, seeing if it would take the bait. Luckily, it did, Dave being able to hear it drop down and crawl towards it, Dave looking to the right to see it huddled over the broken phone. It held itself with three of its limbs, picking up the phone with its one free hand as it stared at it, Dave only barely able to see its all-too-wide smile from where he was hiding. Dave looked back towards the front doors, able to see his car in the dark parking lot through the glass; salvation within his view. He only hoped that the phone would keep its attention long enou—

“911, what’s your emergency?”

The sound of the things radio frequencies made Dave freeze.

“Please…you gotta help me,” the distorted sound of a man’s voice begged. “There’s someone in my house…I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know how it got inside, I’ve had my doors and windows locked for months—”

Dave turned around, seeing the things wide, crazed eyes staring at him, its long face pointed downwards, making it finally look vaguely human instead of an animal with a snout.

“I-I…th-there’s something outside.” The thing spoke. “I don’t know what it is; I don’t know what to do—”

Dave heard his own voice echoed back at him from its mouth, it’s far too wide, toothy smile not once fading as its saliva dripped from its maw. Dave couldn’t think of anything more in that moment than his own conscious yelling that he needed to run.

Dave hurried to his feet, already sprinting towards the door before the thing behind him let out inhuman, garbled laughter and screaming. He glanced back only once as he rushed for the doors, turning back the second he saw the thing also scrambling to its feet and running around the counters towards him. Dave ran through the automatic doors, looking up to see his car across the parking lot besides the trees, suddenly wishing that he had the habit of parking closer to the building. He flinched when he heard a loud crash behind him, glancing back only once to see that the entity had lunged through the window beside the doors, landing on the shards of glass though seemingly unaffected by the shards of glass in its hands and feet. Dave simply turned back, deciding to not look back even once, not wanting to see its face again.

As he ran, his breathing harsh and rapid, he heard the thing behind him, its garbled radio signals becoming far too close for comfort. Dave finally made it to his car, grasping the handle only to find that the door was locked, and when he looked towards the creature chasing him, seeing that it wasn’t slowing down, Dave decided he didn’t have time to try and unlock it. He let go of the handle, beginning to sprint away as the thing behind him lunged at him, swiping at his back with its claws, narrowly missing it. Dave tried to suppress his urge to sob, feeling adrenaline rushing through his veins as he could all but feel the things breath on the back of his neck. He ran for the road, his lungs burning and his body sore, all as the creature grew ever closer, all before it dropped down, and swiped at Dave once again with its jagged claws.

Dave felt it tear the flesh of the back of his left knee. He let out a loud yell as he fell onto the cold asphalt, slamming against it, feeling his breath be forced out of him. A pulsing pain radiated from the large gash in the back of his leg as he quickly turned onto his back, looking at the twisted knee in horror before he looked up, seeing the alternate’s glistening teeth above him. Dave crawled back, his leg crying out in agony with every kick of his foot, barely able to get a few feet away from the alternate in front of him before it slashed at him once again. Dave held his arm up to protect his face, the creature’s claws scratching his skin, leaving two jagged, bloody lines in his forearm as Dave screamed. He held his bloody arm with his other hand, looking back up just in time for the other arm of the thing to slash at his face.

He felt warm blood run down the right side of his face from the two new, deep gashes across his skin. He turned away, supporting his body with one shaking arm as he held up his other over the new wound. He couldn’t see his own hand in front of him through his right eye, instead only seeing a reddish black; blind.

He looked back up at the creature, seeing it was stumbling closer to him; this was it. Dave was dead, and he didn’t even know it yet. That thing only knew slaughter, and Dave could see it in its crazed, bloodshot eyes. It looked down at him, echoing things it’s heard before, both familiar and alien to Dave. Dave covered the bloody wound that used to be where his right eye was with his hand, closing his other as he awaited the death he felt was inevitable. However, when he took one last glance at it, he noticed it wasn’t even looking at him anymore. It was looking towards the edge of the parking lot, and as Dave heard the sound of tires on asphalt, Dave began to wonder just how lucky he was.

Headlights hit the thing’s form, it backing away slightly as it covered its eyes from the light, though it refused to turn away from the car as it stopped nearby. Dave was blinded by the bright lights obscuring his already blurry vision, only able to see a dark silhouette exit the vehicle. The alternate was staring at the person, completely still and making no noise, as if it froze solid. It tilted its head slightly as it felt a strange sense of familiarity. The figure raised their arm, and a series of loud shots rang from the gun in their hand, Dave barely able to process anything aside from the thing stumbling back and screaming with stolen voices. It turned away, crawling away like spooked wild animal as its thick, dark blood oozed out of its new wounds. Dave watched as the figure blotted out the headlights, standing in front of him with their gun by their side. Dave could only hear their heavy breathing before they spoke.

“Shit…you alright?”

 “N…I don’t…n-no.” Dave stammered over his words, his mind going faster than his tongue.

“Jesus, you need a fucking hospital, come on.” The man said, his voice soft yet urgent as he held out his hand for Dave to grab. “Can you walk?”

“…I don’t…I don’t know, it…it—” Dave was suddenly reminded of the sharp, borderline unbearable pain in his leg.

“Give me your hand, we’re gonna get you some help.”

Dave obliged, grasping the figures thin hand as he helped Dave stand up, Dave wincing with every movement. The figure was far taller than him, making it hard for Dave to wrap his arm around his shoulders for support, but soon enough he was being led to the car nonetheless. Dave glanced up at the figures head, only being able to see pale bangs concealing his face. He seemed decently thin, and was wearing a leather jacket. Dave couldn’t make much out through the darkness, unable to even begin to state how grateful he truly was before he was ushered into the back seat of the car. Dave felt himself growing tired with every minute, unclear if it was from the blood loss or the pain. He tried not to think of what would have happened if the man didn’t make it there just in time; something told him he didn’t want to know.

He was too focused on the throbbing pain in his head and leg to pay attention to the what-ifs anyway.

July 30th, 7:10 AM

Dave awoke on a hospital bed the following morning, soreness rushing over his body as soon as he regained consciousness. He heard the sound of the heart monitor beside his bed, along with faint talking outside of his room, and when he opened his eyes, the fluorescent lights in his room stung his eyes, making him wish he had his sunglasses back. He had two long slashes on his face, held together by stitching that was partially covered up by the bandages concealing his right eye. He looked down to see that he had bandages on his arm as well, lightly stained with red, though it seemed like the bleeding had stopped or at least slowed. It didn’t stop Dave from feeling sick and woozy however.

He glanced around the unfamiliar room, seeing the pale brown and white walls along with the medical equipment nearby. He then took in a deep sigh, wincing slightly as he leaned back and closed his eye, feeling the exhaustion creeping up on him despite just waking up. However, before he could drift off to sleep once again, he heard the door open to his right. He turned slightly, at least enough to be able to see who it was, able to see that it was a nurse standing near the doorway.

“Mr. Lee, you’re awake.” He stated. “You have a visitor from the police department; he wishes to speak with you privately.”

Dave stared blankly at the nurse for a second. “Yeah…yeah that’s…fine.” Dave said weakly, his voice hoarse and his throat sore as he spoke. He rested his head against the pillow once again, preparing to answer a bunch of questions despite being half asleep. The nurse turned towards the partially open door before pushing it open, gesturing into the room before leaving, all before another person walked into the room.

“Mr. Lee?”

A familiar voice; gruff yet not too deep. Dave turned towards the man, finally able to see the person who saved him in proper light. He was a tall, decently thin man wearing a lazily put on white dress shirt, along with blue jeans. He had bleached long hair, held back with a lazy bun except for his long bangs. It had a scruffy beard, and tired green eyes that stared back at Dave with disguised concern. It had its hands in its pockets as it sat down in a chair next to Dave’s bed, all before Dave smiled softly.

“Y…It’s you.” Dave said.

“I was just stopping by to check in.” The man stated. “Making sure you’re doing alright after…everything.”

“Heh…yeah.” Dave grew quiet for a second before looking back at the man beside him. “Who…are you anyway?”

“Oh yeah, right…” The man cleared his throat. “I’m lieutenant Thatcher Davis, I work for the MCPD.”

“So you’re the one they sent?” Dave asked. “Cutting…it a bit close, don’t you think?” Dave chuckled nervously slightly, trying to lighten the mood despite not really feeling in the mood for jokes.

Thatcher stared at him blankly before looking away. “Hm.”

Silence fell between the two for a moment, at least until Thatcher continued.

“How do you feel?” Thatcher asked.

“As…good as I can be right now.” Dave said. “They…couldn’t save my eye, judging by what I’ve heard.”

Thatcher sighed deeply. “I’m…sorry to hear that.”

“…Don’t be.” Dave said. “I mean…it’s…better than it could’ve been. You win some, you lose some, y’know? Just…happy to be…alive I guess.”

“You’re…certainly more positive than…I could ever be.” Thatcher said quietly.

“Sometimes you have to be.”

Silence fell, and with it, the light attitude in the air began to dissipate.

“Lee, do you know…exactly what attacked you?” Thatcher asked.

Dave looked away from the lieutenant as he thought to himself. “Uh...it…It had to have been one of those…alternates, right?” Dave paused again. “Though…I don’t know; the way you posed that question…” Dave let out another nervous, not quite genuine chuckle.

The tense silence felt more uncomfortable that time.

“Did…you get it?” Dave questioned hesitantly. “Were you guys able to…find that thing, and…stop it from hurting anyone else?”

Thatcher looked at Dave, its stare dark yet sad at the same time.

“They’re going to list it as an animal attack, Dave.” Thatcher said quietly.

Dave didn’t understand the statement at first, taking a few moments to process it. “…Do…do they not…know—?”

“They do.” Thatcher stated, glancing away for a second.

“I-I don’t understand, are they just…you’re just going to cover it up?” Dave questioned with a tinge of anger to his voice. Thatcher didn’t respond, not making eye contact as Dave continued. “What the hell do you mean, you…I don’t understand—”

“Dave.” Thatcher stated quietly. “Look…I…I hate this as much as you do.”

“Then why don’t you just…tell them it was an alternate?” Dave asked. “Why are you allowing them to cover it up?”

“Listen…I wasn’t sent by the police last night, I was off duty.” Thatcher responded, feeling guilt creeping up inside of him. “I went Mandela Tech because I overheard the call on the police scanner in my car.”

“What?”

“I was going out to drive because I couldn’t sleep.” Thatcher continued. “…If I didn’t do that, Lee…you’d be dead.”

Dave remained in silence as he listened.

“They weren’t…going to send anyone, Dave.” Thatcher stated with a slightly wavering voice. “…They didn’t think…you were going to survive.”

Dave had no clue how to process how he felt, only being able to look away with furrowed brows and a confused and scared look in his eyes.

“Y…I d…I don’t…understand.” Dave muttered.

“It’s…protocol.” Thatcher stated. “And trust me; I hate it as much as you do. If I could, I’d leave that god forsaken police station but…at the moment…I can’t. I have a job I need to do before I can.”

Dave remained in stunned silence as Thatcher fetched a small notepad, writing something down in it before ripping out the paper. “Look, if anything happens again, you call me, alright?” Thatcher handed Dave the slip of paper, Dave able to see it was a phone number. “I’ll be there. I wish I could…do more to help but I’m afraid right now I can’t—”

“No…n…no you’re fine.”

Thatcher looked at Dave who was staring at him with a tinge of sadness. “Look…y…you saved my life last night.” Dave continued. “If anything…I should be the one repaying you.”

“Dave, that’s not necessary—”

“Thatcher.” Dave paused for a second as he thought to himself. “Thank you.”

Thatcher didn’t maintain eye contact. “You don’t…need to thank me. It’s just my job.”

“Yeah, but…you were off duty.”

Thatcher sighed quietly as it fidgeted with its hands. “…That…thing.” It muttered to itself. “…I saw it before.”

“…what?”

“It didn’t look…like that, it looked more…like an imitation of…m…fuck.” Thatcher shook his head as he stood up. “Forget it. Call me if you need anything, but…hopefully this is the last time we see each other.” Thatcher approached the door, grasping the handle before looking back at Dave through the corner of his eye one last time. “Good luck, Dave. Wish you…a quick recovery.”

With that, it left, Dave left wondering how to process how he felt as he looked down at the phone number in his hand. He sighed slightly as he thought to himself. He laid back in his bed, the pain in his body a bit more tolerable as he shut his eye. He was exhausted, and despite the looming dread of knowing he was left to die by the people meant to protect him, along with the strange feeling he got from Thatcher’s sudden leave, he decided to sleep, or at the very least try to. He wasn’t sure how well he would rest, knowing the things he now knew.

Either way, at least he knew there was a friend he could count on.

[vermillion-merlot]

//TW for Adam Murray and Jonah Marshall IRLS/Fictives

//Cw: Mentioned dead and literal brain rot, dark themes overall.

This lore will likely be revised I’m tired and running on monster

[vermillion-merlot]

Warning for Thatcher Davis and Adam Murray IRLS/Fictives, Trigger warning for (somewhat descriptive death)

[vermillion-merlot]

The science teacher thought this was a fanfic my dignity is in shambles

[vermillion-merlot]

VHS Adam playlist let’s go