>All six cheerleaders converge in a single moment, most of them opting to leap forward like feral wolves
>"God, FINALLY." Mike unloads a blast of holy water into the face of a pig cheerleader
>She makes a horrendous, high pitched squealing noise and crashes head-first into Mike
>Mike goes down hard with the anguished swine on top of him
>Still wearing her cheerleading uniform, she clutches at her face as steam pours from her sizzling flesh
>In the middle of pitched battle, you can't help but smell… bacon
>Makes you kinda want breakfas-
>Suddenly you're in the air as Gloria's brawny fist wraps around your midsection and squeezes you like a stress toy
>You swear you can hear something snapping
>"You're lucky I'm so gentle 'Nonny," Gloria bellows
>Well given that you think she cracked a rib, you don't think that's entirely true
>The goat turns and starts walking you towards Vanessa, who waits with The Behemoth at her side
>You struggle and kick valiantly, but with your water pistol tucked safely in a belt loop beneath your robes (and really, it's not like you could harm Gloria, of all people, with holy water) you're defenseless
>Christ on a fucking cracker how did they already win? This is so unfair
>You turn around and peer over Gloria's shoulder
>Mike and Jenna are back-to-back, fending off no less than five vampire cheerleaders by themselves, blasting holy water in wide sprays
>Jenna's garlic necklace and bumblebee costume might keep her safe, but Mike is straight up raw dogging it
>You can see that even the tips of his fingers are starting to burn from stray splashes
>Well, everyone's fucked now- wait, where's Sam?
>There is no Sam right now, but there is Samurai Outlaw
>The hooded hero dashes in front of Gloria with her baseball bat drawn, bringing the hulking Goat to a halt
>Samurai Outlaw's chest heaves — both with nerves and exhaustion
>From scared amber eyes, she peers up at you like a mountain climber might look up at a perilous summit
>With curiosity, Gloria reaches for Samurai Outlaw, but the bun jumps out of the way
>"Sam?" Gloria asks, her voice deep as a canyon. “What are you doing?"
>Samurai Outlaw rips down her red bandana
>"S-S-S- GOD DAMNIT s-s-saving the world," she yells, so that Gloria can hear her above the yowls and screams of the cheerleaders
>Gloria scowls
>"Only one person can save the world, and His name is Jesus Christ."
>The goat sweeps her free arm at Samurai Outlaw, but the bunny propels herself upwards into the air
>Gloria's meaty arm passes harmlessly underneath the rabbit, who stomps back onto the polished wooden floors with a massive *thud*
>"Heretic!" Gloria's cry vibrates in the hollows of your chest
>She stomps her huge feet
>The whole gym seems to quake in sharp bursts
>Samurai Outlaw falls onto her ass, momentarily dazed
>Taking advantage of Samurai Outlaw's temporary immobility, the goat lifts one massive foot to stomp the hero out like a bug
>But the bun is quick to scramble up to her feet and hop (heh) out of the way
>To add injury to insult, Samurai Outlaw grips her baseball bat tight, pulls it behind her shoulders, and swings for the fences…
>…Though Gloria's leg happens to be in the way
>Maybe that was the point
>The bat collides with the goat's shine bone, resonating with a mighty and metallic *THUNK*
>Your captor roars with pain
>Gloria keels over, eyes squeezed shut, her grip on you loosening
>Now's your chance
>You start to pull and wriggle yourself free, feeling less like a worm on a hook and more like a fish in a loose net
>Samurai Outlaw swings with two more rapid bursts, the bat colliding into Gloria's shin bone like a freight train
>And right as you get free and tumble onto the hard gym floor, Gloria kicks out her wounded leg, punting Samurai Outlaw across the gym
>She CRASHES into a table, knocking the whole thing over and falling limp
>But you're okay
>Kind of
>The fall dazed you, but Gloria looks more stunned than you are, which is a blessing
>"God damnit you stupid mutt!" Vanessa cries. "Grab him!"
>You turn to see Vanessa smacking The Behemoth, who cowers next to her
>What the fuck is this
>"Why won't you do as I tell you!?" She screams
>The beast finally budges, its ephemeral ears folded backwards
>It takes slow, plodding steps towards you, like it was dodging land mines
>Why is it not lunging at you and attacking?
>What the fu-
>Ah
>You feel Gloria's massive, gaudy crucifix against your chest
>That's right. The power of Christ compels it
>You breathe a sigh of relief
>The behemoth won't get near you
>And Vanessa can't use The Book of Wrath on you when you've got The Book of Rite with you
>All was going as well as it could
>Until you feel a dark shadow eclipse the spotlights now shining holes into you
>You look up
>Oh
>Well
>Fuck
>Vanessa looms over you, hands on her hips, the canvas bag with The Book of Wrath in it resting on the gym's floor
>Completely unattended
>Holy fuck
>Your eyes flick between Vanessa and the bag
>"I've gotta do everything myself," Vanessa growls, her fangs boldly exposed
>You jump to your feet and throw a quick punch at Vanessa
>This time you're not going to get your ass kic-
>The doe expertly catches the thrown fist and pushes it back, the look of boredom and annoyance on her face never crossing over into strain
>God, you must really be weak
>Or she's juiced up with a curse?
>Whatever it is, she uses her new strength to her advantage…
>And belts you one in the face
>Actually, more like in the nose
>Bright lights fading to darkness
>Your vision explodes; white rods and cones
>You feel (and hear) bone crunching as the doe's strained fist collides with your pathetic — now bloody — human nose
>And back you go, a few stumbles
>And yet you remain standing
>Even with your fists raised like a boxer
>Oh the things you learned from anime
>Blood gushes from your nose
>"That was a solid hit," Vanessa cocks a pierced eyebrow. “How are you still standing?"
>You spit some accumulating blood out of your mouth
“Because I hate you."
>You lunge forward and ACTUALLY manage to catch the doe by surprise
>You deal her a sucker punch in the gut
>She's a lot bonier than you could have imagined
>She keels over with a massive *huff* as you push all the air out of her with your fist
>Fuck, gotchu, you bit-
>Venssa's arm swings wide at your throat
>And it's only dumb luck that you bend backwards
>And thank fuck that you did
>Because you catch the metallic glint of a razor blade flashing in the spotlight
>Just inches from your neck
>"Fuck," Vanessa growls low
>Her eyes meet yours. “Lucky dodge."
>You came just inches away from having your throat slashed open
>And all you can ask is:
"Who brings a razor to a fist fight?"
>"Yo, Vanessa!"
>A voice, faintly familiar-
>Awww fuck
>A spotlight lights another goth — Reese, that ghostly pale, black-haired goth boy — with-
>SHIT
>-With Sam slung over his shoulder
>Reese is standing by the door to the equipment room, ready to move
>Vanessa grins
>"Guess you lose this round, ''Nonny.'"
>The way she says it is most definitely mocking
>But you know why she's choosing that name now
>The ground shakes
>Gloria roars behind you
>You spin and see the gigantic goat glaring down at you, her face red with pain after Sam(urai Outlaw) thwacked the shit out of her leg
>You try backing up a bit, but you know your efforts are in vain, as Vanessa is behind you by just a few feet
>Caught between a rock and a hard place?
>Guess you could always try… diplomacy?
“Gloria…" you start, not sure where you're going to take this
>Fuck dude, you better think of something, because the only thing between you and certain death is the book that both Vanessa and Gloria want
>You hear a lion roar, right as you open your mouth
>All three of you look towards the source of the noise, and see Mike up in the air, hoisted above Lydia Penferth's head like a trophy
>He swings a stubby arm at her valiantly, but can find no purchase with his free hand
>Jenna, on the other hand, is barricaded behind a few tables as the vampire cheerleaders press in on all sides
>She manages to drop one of them with her holy water pistol, but there are still four left
>And she only has so much 'ammunition' in the tank
>And Alex?
>Absolutely nowhere to be seen
>Maybe he's still in the hall with Stella?
>Who fucking knows anymore
>Everything is fucked now
>Honestly, you should just give up the book at this point
>You came in with a shit plan and got dunked on
>But one thing first
>You turn back up to Gloria and try to find the judgmental (yet blindingly innocent) goat behind her angry eyes
>You hope she's still in there somewhere, like some good girl piloting an out-of-control meat-mecha
“I'm sorry for lying to you on Tuesday and using you as a sacrifice. What happened to you is my fault."
>The hulking goat looks… wounded? Hurt?
>"W-What?" She stammers
“I said I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
>She shakes her head and takes a hulking step backwards
>"'N-Nonny?" She huffs, conflict as plain on her face as the confusion. “What are you saying?"
>And then you do something that maybe you should not have done
>But it felt right at the time
>You unwind your (Gloria's) crucifix from around your neck, piling up the gold chain and massive wooden cross into your palm
“This is yours. Remember what you said about people being capable of change? In the gym on Tuesday? You were right — and I'm trying to change. I'm sorry, for everything. I was a coward back then, and maybe I'm still a weak coward, but I'm trying to change. Because of you and all my friends."
>The goat kneels down and, with delicacy and surgical precision, plucks the crucifix necklace from your palms
>She holds it up to the light while Vanessa looks on, astonished
>And then she fumes, “PEOPLE DON'T CHANGE, ANONYMOUS. GLORIA IS STILL MINE!"
>The black book in Vanessa's hands
>Then a spill of doe blood
>And then Gloria, pained, clutches at her head again
>"I'm sorry 'Nonny!" She cries as she swings her brawny fist at you
>You hit the gym floor and cover your head as her first glides right over you
>Well that was a good dodge, you think to yourself
>Thank fuck she's so sl-
>You fail your perception check and are completely blindsided by The Behemoth who is now free to destroy you as it pleases
>The Book of Rite goes flying from your pocket onto the gym floor, where Vanessa retrieves it
>Into her canvas bag it goes
>"Good dog." She claps her hands like a retarded seal
>"Vanessa!" Reese yells above the chaotic din. “We gotta go!"
>The doe looks between you, on the ground with her little pet above you, and then at Reese
>She looks disappointed that she won't get to see you get mauled to death
>The Behemoth snarls in your face, as if waiting for Vanessa's signal to eat your neck like jerky
>"Have at 'em." She flicks her wrist dismissively, turning her back and making for the equipment room with swift strides, tailing behind Reese who is carting an unconscious Sam over his shoulder
>You look up into the cold twisted face of The Behemoth, and though you can barely make out its shape, you know that behind the clouding, ephemeral shroud of smoke is a twisted mouth crowded by fangs
>And you know: time is running out
>When midnight rolls around, everything will be fucked
>And isn't everything fucked now?
>And then something happens that you did not expect
>Both you and The Behemoth look over as the doors to the gym explode open
>The spotlights fly to the door, and everything stops, like all the air was sucked out of the room
>Stella is there, on all fours, frothing at the mouth her wild, psychotic eyes looking in all directions, but never at in the same place the same time
>She's stark naked too, except for the heavy crystal earrings that she's wearing
>And astride the feral badger, water pistol drawn…
>Oh god
>…Is Alex MOTHERFUCKING Mullen
>Gloria and The Behemoth orient themselves to face down the new threat
>Alex digs his heels into Stella
>She screeches with all the ferocity of someone overloaded with conspiracy theories and alternative facts
>The mind-broken badger leaps forward, her sharp claws leaving scars against the polished gym floors
>Alex threads his hands into the shag of her fur, and braces for impact as The Behemoth tears off at them
>Alex, Stella, and The Behemoth collide in the air, tangling into each other with rabid ferocity, fur flying, claws and maws at each other's throats
>Alex is quickly ejected from the battle and hurled forward
>You gasp as the sudden release of pressure on your chest opens up your lungs
>Your eyes instantly flick towards the open equipment room doors
>Now is your chance
>You throw yourself onto your feet, making sure you're still armed with your water pistol
>You take one last look at Mike, who is still in a pitched battle with Lydia
>You two lock eyes for a quick second
>And he sees the open doors to the equipment room
>And then nods at you, as if to say 'go'
>You nod back, turn on your heels, and tear off, lungs already burning, body aching all over from being beaten so badly already
>And you check your phone
>The time reads 11:30
>C'mon
>You will your body to move faster as you ascend the stairs behind the door in the equipment room
>Just a little faster
The Leaves of Fall Act 3: Something That Matters (Part 20)
You've never really 'fit in' with the heavily divided Ranchview High School crowd. Jock, Goth, Prep, Cheerleader, Nerd... you were never any of these. But as Halloween approaches, strange things start happening, and a dark ritual begins with the finding of a curious red book. It's a race against time for you and your friends to stop a group of students from ushering in an age of darkness, and to also figure out just what the hell is wrong with that rabbit.
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About this version: originally, The Leaves of Fall was split into two pastebins to compensate for the length of the story. Given that pastebin has chosen to censor this story for ambiguous reasons, it will forever be stored here and on AO3. This new version contains spelling, grammar and content fixes. Please understand that the content is all the same as the earlier versions minus some sentences being changed and fixed up. I cannot stress this enough: no new content has been added. It's my hope that this is a cleaner, easier-to-read version of the story.
Cover: https://imgur.com/a/vZS4Q
Sam (drawn by Akella of /hmofa/) https://imgur.com/a/nk3t1wT
Fan art collection: https://imgur.com/a/SCCSIQv
Accompanying playlist (WIP): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9aXlzDRA49QKxgYsOV2JuDd410_nI-0J
Alternative link: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1479078
Total word count: 147,552 words
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About this version: originally, The Leaves of Fall was split into two pastebins to compensate for the length of the story. Given that pastebin has chosen to censor this story for ambiguous reasons, it will forever be stored here and on AO3. This new version contains spelling, grammar and content fixes. Please understand that the content is all the same as the earlier versions minus some sentences being changed and fixed up. I cannot stress this enough: no new content has been added. It's my hope that this is a cleaner, easier-to-read version of the story.
Cover: https://imgur.com/a/vZS4Q
Sam (drawn by Akella of /hmofa/) https://imgur.com/a/nk3t1wT
Fan art collection: https://imgur.com/a/SCCSIQv
Accompanying playlist (WIP): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9aXlzDRA49QKxgYsOV2JuDd410_nI-0J
Alternative link: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1479078
Total word count: 147,552 words
4 years ago
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Estimated reading time
11 Minutes
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