{"sf1_id":1512715,"sf2_id":"r1740w7e","title":"The Leaves of Fall Act 2: Fear the Nobodies (Part 15)","author":"Oliver_Hart","words":2876,"posted_at":"2019-11-13T02:13:30.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Alternate Reality","Anon","Boy","Brother","Bunny","Classroom","Couple","Emo","Fight","Girl","Green text","Greentext","HMOFA","Halloween","Heterosexual","High School","Hmofa/","Human","Kissing","Plot Development","Rabbit","Siblings","Slow burn","Young Romance","anthro/human"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1512715-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-15","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/r1740w7e","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/9a/a1/9aa1e856-d32d-4cce-a691-456ac5c8f486","description":"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.  \n~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  \n  \nAbout 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.  \n  \nCover: [https://imgur.com/a/vZS4Q](https://imgur.com/a/vZS4Q)  \nSam (drawn by Akella of /hmofa/) [https://imgur.com/a/nk3t1wT](https://imgur.com/a/nk3t1wT)  \nFan art collection: [https://imgur.com/a/SCCSIQv](https://imgur.com/a/SCCSIQv)  \nAccompanying playlist (WIP): [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9aXlzDRA49QKxgYsOV2JuDd410\\_nI-0J](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9aXlzDRA49QKxgYsOV2JuDd410_nI-0J)  \nAlternative link: [https://www.sofurry.com/view/1479078](https://www.sofurry.com/view/1479078)  \nTotal word count: 147,552 words","content":"\\\u003eYour car smashes headlong into the werewolf, yeeting that bitch through the air to a symphony of collapsing metal, pained yelps and squealing rubber  \n\\\u003eThe werewolf lands rather unceremoniously 10 or so feet away, crashing to the earth like a leaden mannequin and sleeping like one too  \n\\\u003eThe driver side windows of your car rolls down  \n\\\u003eMike MOTHERFUCKIN Sapone is sitting at the wheel  \n\\\u003eSam is in the back, leaning out  \n\\\u003e”Say the lines, Thumper.” Mike commands, eyes glued dead-ahead like a total badass  \n\\\u003e”O-Oh!” Sam squeaks. “G-Get in f-f-faggot, we’re s-s-saving-”  \n\\\u003eImpatient, Mike cuts him him off  \n\\\u003e”We’re saving the world. God damn you, Sam, you ruined this for me.”  \n\\\u003e”S-Sorry,” Sam replies  \n\\\u003eMike turns his eyes on you  \n\\\u003eThey’re REALLY glowing red  \n\\\u003eOh fuck  \n\\\u003e”Well? Are we going to do this thing or what?” He barks. “Sam, scoot over back there. Anon, get in.”  \n\\\u003eYou don’t have time to think about the damage that’s already been done to your car  \n\\\u003eYou don’t want to  \n\\\u003eBecause there’s something — or someone — missing from this equation  \n“Where’s Alex?”  \n  \n\\\u003eYou are Alex, a once happy-go-lucky teenager now sprinting around the lunchroom as if your life depended on it  \n\\\u003eThe werewolf may be big, and he may be fast, but he’s also dumb as hell, much like yourself  \n\\\u003eYou feel on equal footing  \n\\\u003eBy using a lunch table, you’re able to stay out of the beast’s grasp  \n\\\u003eBut it’s only a matter of time before the other one that got Anon comes in and enslaves you with his hot werewolf dick  \n“I know that you’re mad right now, but we’re not enemies,” you say as slowly and as clearly as possible, though all you do is come off condescending and chiding  \n\\\u003eMaybe logic will work on the werewolf? Surely some part of him must still understand what you’re saying  \n\\\u003eThe werewolf only snarls in dim acknowledgment of your human-mouth moving up and down  \n\\\u003eThat’s a start  \n  \n\\\u003eYou keep your feet moving around the tight circle of the lunch table  \n\\\u003eIf this guy were smart he’d lunge over the table and grab you, but he’s not the brightest bulb in the crayon shed, as the expression goes  \n\\\u003eSo he’s perfect for you  \n“You probably feel really angry right now — have you ever stopped and asked yourself why you’re so upset? You’re upset because you’ve been wronged.”  \n\\\u003eThe wolf comes to a halt  \n\\\u003eHis head tilts ever so slightly with the distant recognition of words and logic, striking like lightning on a very, very, very barren field  \n\\\u003e\"You’re being used. Can’t you see that? Used like the lowly idiot that you are.”  \n\\\u003eAt the utterance of the word ‘idiot’ the werewolf tries again to reach across the table and rip your ‘smart’ mouth off your face  \n\\\u003eYou swiftly duck his swipe, bending your lanky frame in a game of mortal limbo  \n“But I understand your rage! I get it! I’m being used too! We’re all being used and abused by the system. My system is one of economic and social oppression, and yours is… well you’ve likely been turned into what you are now by a group of nefarious teenagers. Essentially the same thing. We are comrades.”  \n\\\u003e’Comrades’  \n\\\u003eThe werewolf ponders those words with an expression of understanding  \n\\\u003eMaybe you’ve actually gotten through to him?  \n\\\u003eThe realization causes a smile to grow on your face  \n\\\u003eYou stroke your shitty, patchy beard and push your glasses up against the bridge of your nose like an anime protagonist  \n\\\u003eFuck, you probably look so cool right now  \n“We’re all trapped in the belly of this horrible machine, and the machine is bleeding to death. Why must we fight?”  \n\\\u003e[The Dead Flag Blues intensifies]  \n\\\u003eThe werewolf nods very slowly, its ears flattening against its skull in submission  \n\\\u003eHoly shit  \n\\\u003eIt’s actually working  \n\\\u003eYou might actually have gotten through to someone — unlike those poor, shackled souls at the Shop N’ Save  \n\\\u003eSOMEONE UNDERSTANDS, THIS IS THE-  \n\\\u003eJust then Mike cracks the werewolf across the back of his head with a rock, sending the beast tumbling forward  \n\\\u003eHe crashes face first onto the table, eyes shut, tongue drooping out of his mouth  \n\\\u003eUnconscious as people’s slavery to capitalism   \n  \n\\\u003eYou are Anon again, and you just watched Mike knock a werewolf out with one solid blow to the head  \n\\\u003eSam cowers behind you  \n\\\u003eMike spits at the werewolf’s body, which looks like a massive, muscled carpet laid out across the table  \n“Nice hit, Mike,” you say  \n\\\u003eYour friend scowls  \n\\\u003e”We don’t have time to fuck around in here. Let’s go,” he says, anger creeping into his voice  \n\\\u003eMike turns and heads for the door, haphazardly throwing the rock behind him  \n\\\u003eAs if he’d aimed it like that, it knocks against the skull of the wolf with ease  \n\\\u003eYou decide it’s best to leave before Stella comes in and finds you  \n\\\u003eLord knows it will be ugly when she does  \n\\\u003eYou shudder at the thought of what she’s doing to the poor werewolf she caught from earlier…  \n\\\u003e…Or where she might be hiding…  \n\\\u003e…And what clothes she’s wearing now, if any at all  \n\\\u003eSam stops in the doorway, raising one ear like an antenna  \n“Hear something?” You ask  \n\\\u003eHe nods  \n\\\u003e”Laughing. A-And growling. S-Something is moving around in the w-w-walls.” He glances behind him  \n\\\u003eYou put your hand on his back and guide him outside  \n“It’s probably that crazy janitor. Let’s just get outside. We’ll be safe out there,” you say  \n\\\u003e”I f-feel safe with y-y-you,” he says, a weak smile playing across his lips. “I’m not w-worried.”  \n\\\u003eA rush of blood hits your cheek  \n\\\u003eYou turn your head and look straight (heh), evading his puppy-dog eyes  \n\\\u003eFucking hell, he must know how gay he sounds and acts  \n\\\u003eThere’s absolutely no way he’s not aware of this, despite how socially retarded he might be  \n\\\u003eWhy is this playing with your heart so much?  \n\\\u003e”Get moving, Thumper,” Mike commands, already a good five or six feet ahead of you and Sam. “Because the sun’s about to come out and I’m starting to get hungry.”  \n  \n\\\u003eThe four of you stand at the road leading in to the school  \n\\\u003eA few cars trundle on by in the glowing dawn  \n\\\u003eYou’re flipping through the red book, trying to find the passage about purification that you found the night before  \n\\\u003eThe sleeplessness must be getting to you, because you really, seriously cannot find it  \n\\\u003eMike is staring at the rising sun as it grows in the east, saying nothing  \n\\\u003eC’mon Anonymous, this is what you’re good for  \n\\\u003eBooks ‘n shit  \n\\\u003eOh god oh fuck  \n\\\u003eYou’re going to fuck everyone over since you can’t find this stupid fucking passage that you read last night  \n\\\u003eSomething about laying them at a road or something?  \n\\\u003eFuck it  \n\\\u003eYou grab the (now dead) Venus flytrap and a handful of white flowers and shove them at Sam  \n“Here. You’re fast. Run out in the middle of the road and lay these down. Can you do that?”  \n\\\u003e”W-Why me?” He squeaks  \n“Because I told you to and we’re going to run out of time. Now go!” You bark  \n\\\u003eSam shoots off, pausing only for a second to check for cars like a good boy  \n\\\u003eThe road is clear  \n\\\u003eHe sets down the bundle of plants in the middle of the street, taking great care to arrange them in a neat pile  \n“Sam, you don’t need to do that. Come on back.”  \n\\\u003e”S-Sorry!” He calls  \n\\\u003eHe looks left  \n\\\u003eAnd then right  \n\\\u003eAnd then freezes  \n\\\u003eA car is speeding down the road, going wayyyy faster than it should be  \n\\\u003e”C’mon Sam, just hop on back,” Alex says  \n\\\u003eSam doesn’t move  \n\\\u003eInstead, he stands upright, hands shaking with tremors  \n\\\u003eWtf  \n\\\u003eMove, Sam  \n“Yo, Sam, come on back!” You call  \n\\\u003eIt’s almost as if he can’t hear you  \n\\\u003esurely the car will slow down  \n\\\u003e…  \n  \n\\\u003eIt continues its pace — even accelerating  \n\\\u003e”Yo Thumper! Get out of the way!” Mike calls  \n\\\u003e”Yeah, dude, come on. Let’s go!” Alex tries stretching his voice but his words work as well as Mike’s  \n\\\u003eThe look of sheer tension and terror frozen on Sam’s face tells you something is wrong  \n\\\u003eSomething is very wrong  \n\\\u003eYou’re not sure that the car is going to stop  \n\\\u003eAnd you have no idea why Sam isn’t moving  \n\\\u003eYou briefly contemplate running out there and grabbing him  \n\\\u003eBut you don’t have to  \n\\\u003eSam practically tosses himself to the side of the road  \n\\\u003eThe car rolls on by about 10 seconds later, softly plowing through the delicate pile of plant material Sam had assembled  \n\\\u003eWell that was needlessly dramatic  \n\\\u003eThe rabbit darts over to your side  \n\\\u003eHe’s breathing hard and trembling all over  \n“What the hell was that, Sam?” You say with a fury in your voice  \n\\\u003eThis dumb ass might have gotten himself killed  \n“Are you fucking suicidal?”  \n\\\u003e”I-I-” he takes a few steadying breaths. “I’m s-sorry. I g-guess it’s just s-s-s-s-something that happens.”  \n“Something that happens? You freaked the fuck out of me. Don’t do that again. Ever.”\u0026nbsp; You say, distinctly aware of how angry you sound as the words leave your mouth  \n\\\u003eYou hope your concern is bleeding through more than the displeasure, and that Sam understands  \n\\\u003e”S-Sorry… My b-brother and I-”  \n”Your brother? You have a brother?”  \n\\\u003eThe bunny nods and turns his eyes downward, letting the shag of his long-ish hair obscure his eyes  \n\\\u003e”Y-Yeah, Jacob… Ca-Can I tell you ab-about him s-someti-”  \n\\\u003eMike grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you hard, rudely cutting off Sam  \n\\\u003e”DID IT WORK!?” He demands  \n\\\u003eYou peer into his eyes, still shaken from Sam’s little stunt  \n\\\u003eYour friend’s eyes still glow red — in fact, they’re glowing even harder now  \n\\\u003eEvidently, it didn’t work. Because you fuck up everything  \n\\\u003eYou sadly shake your head  \n“I don’t think it so?”  \n\\\u003eMike freezes  \n\\\u003e”So you mean I’m trapped like this?!”   \n\\\u003eHis face tightens into a snarl, jaw set in a hard line  \n\\\u003eHe grips your shoulders tight, you being his only anchor to reality (and his past, “stable” life)  \n“M-Maybe? Maybe I read it wrong?” You stammer, trying to pull his hands off of you  \n\\\u003eIt’s possible you misinterpreted the actual cure from the Book of Rite  \n\\\u003eYou needed more time to look! Mike rushed you!  \n\\\u003e”MAYBE?!” Mike repeats, nearly hysterical  \n\\\u003eWhen he talks you can see his fangs. They look like little needles in his mouth  \n\\\u003eGod, it’s surreal to see such features on humans  \n\\\u003eYou’re used to it on anthros, but not people  \n\\\u003e”Maybe isn’t good enough, you fucking retard!” He gives you a shove  \n\\\u003eYou scowl  \n\\\u003eYou should shove him back  \n\\\u003eFUCK this guy, man  \n\\\u003eYou try to do nice things for him and he throws them back in your face  \n\\\u003eRemember on Friday how he acted like a fucking cock? And then Sunday? And then this morning? And then he basically ditches you and shows up expecting you to fix his problems!?  \n  \n\\\u003eMaybe it was your newfound courage  \n\\\u003eOr you just lost your temper  \n\\\u003eOr even cowardice — and thus self-defense  \n\\\u003eWhatever it was, it caused you to shove Mike back  \n\\\u003eAnd it feels good when you do  \n\\\u003eHe stumbles backwards a bit into Alex’s arms  \n\\\u003e”When did you grow a pair of balls?” He says with a snort  \n\\\u003eHis hands tighten up into fists  \n\\\u003e”Let’s try that again,” he says, starting forward. “Because something tells me this isn’t the real you. Deep down you’re still the same old bitch you’ve always been.”  \n\\\u003eOh shit  \n\\\u003eIt’s on now  \n\\\u003eScrawny as he is, Alex does a somewhat admirable job of trying to hold Mike back  \n\\\u003eBut he can only restrain Mike for a few seconds  \n\\\u003eGood  \n\\\u003eYou don’t want any easy hits on this faggot  \n\\\u003eYou start forward  \n\\\u003eAlright Anonymous, time to break something precious  \n\\\u003eYou stop  \n\\\u003eSomething pulls at your shirt, much to your annoyance  \n\\\u003eWhen you look down, Sam has his little fists knotted in the fabric of your white undershirt  \n\\\u003eHe’s twisting it hard  \n\\\u003eThrough the thick tangles of his unkempt hair, his shining amber eyes look up into your own — not through you, or around you in some cunning attempt to evade you out of anxiety  \n\\\u003eEvery muscle in your body comes to a screeching halt  \n\\\u003eYour fists open up like springs to a bear trap, releasing all the pale tension in them  \n\\\u003eWhy?   \n\\\u003eYou want to fucking kill Mike right now  \n\\\u003eBut Sam looks like he’s about to start crying or something  \n\\\u003eGod damnit, fuck this little cottontail  \n\\\u003eAlways running when shit gets real  \n\\\u003eAlways forcing you to bail him out  \n\\\u003eA burden to you  \n\\\u003eAnd to everyone else  \n\\\u003eUnwanted  \n\\\u003eSo why can’t you just brush him off like the weak little mammal that he is, and go knock Mike’s fucking lights out?  \n\\\u003eWhy can’t you move?  \n\\\u003eJust move  \n\\\u003eMOVE, DAMNIT!  \n  \n\\\u003eYou don’t have to move at all  \n\\\u003eMike does that for you  \n\\\u003eA feisty uppercut lodges itself beneath your chin, sending your eyes upwards  \n\\\u003eAnd even though it’s nearly morning  \n\\\u003eYou swear you can see the stars — more clearly than you’ve ever seen them. As if they were right in front of your face  \n\\\u003eSo this is what it feels like to have your lights punched out  \n\\\u003eFeels surreal  \n\\\u003eLike you didn’t even feel Mike’s hit  \n\\\u003eYour feet move backwards, knocking Sam on his ass  \n\\\u003eYou swear you’re going to fall  \n\\\u003eBut you don’t  \n\\\u003eYou only taste blood  \n\\\u003eAnd the sweat  \n\\\u003eAnd you only feel the heat  \n\\\u003eAnd the cortisol  \n\\\u003eAnd that warm blood rush which takes over your head  \n  \n\\\u003eYou launch yourself at your best friend, swinging as hard as you can, aiming for any part of Mike that you can get your hands on  \n\\\u003eHe dips backwards, evading your blows, his vampiric agility ever the more apparent when he ducks underneath one of your wild rights  \n\\\u003eJesus Christ, this is some anime shit  \n\\\u003eFuck it  \n\\\u003eTime to use… That  \n\\\u003eAnd by that, you mean you basically throw yourself at him, tackling him to the ground  \n\\\u003eWhile he may be fast, not even he could evade such a cunning move like throwing your dumb fucking body at him  \n\\\u003eGood job Anonymous, you’ve got him no-  \n\\\u003eMike shoves you easily onto your own back  \n\\\u003eWell this isn’t good  \n\\\u003eYou can hear Alex and Sam shouting something, but it’s all muffled and distant  \n\\\u003eThey might as well be a thousand miles away  \n\\\u003eIn fact, everything feels and sounds like its a galactic mile from the side of the road where you’re fighting your best friend  \n\\\u003eYou don’t really feel it when Mike mounts your chest and throws haymakers at your face  \n\\\u003eYou can feel his fists bounce off your cheek, jaw, nose, skull, shoulder, but it’s all so removed from how it actually feels  \n\\\u003eEverything feels like it’s happening in slow motion  \n\\\u003eYou can even see his muscles coil with each strike  \n\\\u003eSo why don’t you fight back?  \n\\\u003eAll you can do is look up at him, his eyes shining with fury and vampiric rage  \n\\\u003eIs it still Mike?  \n\\\u003eThe Mike you drank beers with on the school roof?  \n\\\u003eWho you did hood rat shit with after school?  \n\\\u003eWho you told Gloria to fuck off with?  \n\\\u003eIs it still him?  \n\\\u003e…  \n\\\u003eAre you even still you?  \n  \n\\\u003eTwo hands grab Mike by the shoulders and pull him back  \n\\\u003eIt’s Alex  \n\\\u003eHe’s yelling something, barely restraining Mike with all of his spindly strength  \n\\\u003eYou don’t move  \n\\\u003eYou don’t even think you could right now  \n\\\u003eSam’s face appears above yours, blocking out the fledgling sunlight  \n\\\u003eHis mouth is moving, and he’s assuredly talking, but you can only focus on his ears  \n\\\u003eThey droop downwards like his hair, nearly touching your face  \n\\\u003eYou unconsciously reach up and catch one by the tip  \n\\\u003eWhat are you even doing?  \n\\\u003eYou’re not sure it even matters  \n\\\u003eMike must have gotten you good in the head  \n\\\u003eYou stroke Sam’s ear as blood leaks into your mouth from your nose  \n\\\u003eA FURIOUS blush rises on the rabbit’s face  \n\\\u003eHe closes his eyes and tries softly to pull away, saying something about stopping and about being worried about you  \n\\\u003eThis dumb fucking rabbit might not know it, but he’s your only anchor to reality right now  \n\\\u003eHeh  \n\\\u003eFigures  \n\\\u003eYou get in one fight and you pretty much zone out while Mike wails on you  \n\\\u003eA smile crosses your bleedings lips  \n\\\u003eSomehow, you knew it’d end up like this  \n\\\u003eThe world becomes sharper and clearer as each stuttering heartbeat pounds in your chest, ripping you from the dream and back into reality  \n\\\u003e”MIKE! FUCKING CHILL, DUDE!” Alex shouts  \n\\\u003e”Chill?” Mike says with a sharp laugh. “Why don’t you try to chill out when you’re turning into a vampire because your ‘friend’ can’t do anything right, let alone save himself?”  \n\\\u003eSam’s eyes are huge, like chips of amber the size of your fists  \n\\\u003eThey’re honestly… kind of beautiful  \n\\\u003eYou don’t have the strength to fight the gay thoughts right now, so you just let them happen  \n\\\u003eMaybe it’s the daze of getting your ass kicked  \n\\\u003eOr maybe it’s the spell put on you by Vanessa fading  \n\\\u003eBut despite your shattered interpersonal relationships (and nose)…  \n\\\u003e…Down and out on the side of the road…  \n\\\u003e...Looking into Sam’s concerned eyes?  \n\\\u003eIt all feels right","series":{"name":"The Leaves of Fall","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1510219-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-14.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1515433-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-16.json"}}