{"sf1_id":1516667,"sf2_id":"XekKlY0e","title":"The Leaves of Fall Act 2: Fear the Nobodies (Part 17)","author":"Oliver_Hart","words":4042,"posted_at":"2019-11-26T00:31:18.000Z","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/1516667-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-17","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/XekKlY0e","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/07/dd/07dd62b5-0190-4cba-b843-90680a8c8df4","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":"\\\u003e’Safe’ is hard to come by these days  \n\\\u003eIt seems like everywhere you go there’s some angry clique glaring at you  \n\\\u003eBut the jocks themselves seem especially pissed  \n\\\u003eAs you and Sam walk down the lower hallway, where you were chased by werewolves not but a few hours ago, a group of scantily clad cheerleaders pass by you  \n\\\u003eBoth are anthros, one being a curvaceous pig, the rounded pink skin of her thigh accented by the red and white top stretched tightly over her well endowed body  \n\\\u003eHer shirt clips just beneath her substantial breasts, and you’re sure by the boner you’re wielding that she’s in violation of several dress codes  \n\\\u003eYet you can’t help but be drawn to her, almost as if her eyes are hypnotic  \n\\\u003eShe flashes a cute wink and a smile, and then you see it: the shimmering red in her eyes, the narrow filed points of her teeth  \n\\\u003eShe’s just like Mike is  \n\\\u003eYou can’t help but gawk like a fucking idiot because the smaller of your two heads is doing a lot of thinking right now  \n\\\u003e”A-Anon?” Sam squeaks up  \n\\\u003eYou shake your head of lewd thoughts  \n\\\u003eYou’ve been caught, but who cares, right?  \n“They’re real pretty, huh?”  \n\\\u003eYou jab the bunny with your elbows  \n\\\u003eIf Mike were here he’d talk about how he thinks they’re beautiful but would never fuck an anthro…  \n\\\u003e…Which he seems to talk about a lot  \n\\\u003eSam casts a glance over his shoulder  \n\\\u003eHis ears perk up quickly in alarm  \n\\\u003eHe must have noticed the vampirism too  \n\\\u003e”Y-Yeah th-they’re gorgeous h-haha.”  \n\\\u003eHe looks up at you, his eyes begging for approval  \n\\\u003e”D-D-Do you think they’re h-h-hot, Anon?” He pauses, hands gently pulling at his ears. “I-I mean f-f-for m-mammals?”  \n\\\u003eYou hum in thought  \n“I mean… I guess so? That pig is pretty thicc, right?”  \n\\\u003eSam makes another obvious glance backwards  \n\\\u003eYou grab his ears and steer his head forward  \n\\\u003eMaybe he isn’t gay after all? He’s just… supremely awkward, as usual  \n”Hey man try and be subtle when you’re checking a girl out, okay? You’re gonna get us called perverts,” you say  \n\\\u003eSam lowers his head in shame, finding comfort and safety in staring at the floor  \n\\\u003e”S-Sorry t-t-they’re so…. H-Hot? H-Ha.”  \n\\\u003eThe way he says it sounds extremely forced and uncomfortable and you want to ask him if he’s gay or not, because now you’re confused  \n“Hey Sam…” You rub the back of your neck and fix your gaze down the hall, scanning for any signs of potential danger  \n“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”  \n\\\u003eHere it comes  \n\\\u003eAbsolute truth  \n\\\u003eAnd maybe more confusion on your part  \n\\\u003eThe moisture under your arms and the heat radiating from your stomach to your face tells you you’re nervous  \n\\\u003eWhich… shouldn’t be happening. You were supposed to be brave, courtesy of Vanessa  \n“Are you-” you cough a bit, as if choking on the words themselves  \n\\\u003eAnything to prolong the question, right, you coward?  \n\\\u003eWait, ‘you coward?’  \n\\\u003eYou’re not allowed to be a coward  \n\\\u003eThis is clearly just a fluke  \n\\\u003eOkay, deep breaths  \n\\\u003eOut with the question  \n\\\u003eYou look down at Sam…  \n\\\u003e…Who has pulled the collar of his ratty hoodie far away from his wiry neckline, and is peering down at his chest  \n“Dude, what are you doing?”  \n\\\u003eThe bunny shoots his head upward, and almost instantly grabs at his ears, twisting them like they were throttles to a tiny and pathetic dirt bike  \n\\\u003e”N-N-N-NOTHING!” He squeaks, his face flush with crimson  \n\\\u003eWhat…  \n\\\u003eWhy is this such a big deal?  \n\\\u003eOh god you just want him to stop freaking out  \n\\\u003eIt’s really not a big deal  \n\\\u003eNot like he has tits or anything  \n\\\u003eMaybe gyno? You’ve never seen him without his hoodie  \n“Okay, okay, I believe you, man. I believe you. Just chill-”  \n\\\u003e”I swear I-I-I wasn’t l-l-looking I-I mean c-c-comparing my-myself I-I- mean-” His words fire off at a mile a minute and you only catch a few  \n\\\u003eYou know, if he didn’t stutter like a fucking madman, he could maybe be a rapper  \n\\\u003eBeats being a janitor  \n\\\u003eAnd GOD he’s really wringing those ears out now  \n\\\u003eAlright, time for an intervention  \n“Look, it’s fine, just-” you forcefully pry his hands away from his ears, but you take care to squeeze them softly. “You’re going to hurt yourself. Crush my hand if you have to crush something.”  \n\\\u003eSam, trembling, gives you a tight grip — you can’t tell if he’s excessively weak or holding back  \n\\\u003e”T-Thanks…” Sam whispers in a shuddering breath  \n\\\u003eYou ignore the cuteness and keep walking down the hall, your face pulsing with heat and embarrassment  \n\\\u003eYou know how this looks to everyone, and you do catch a few giggles from a few human preps who pass you by  \n\\\u003eYou try to pay them no mind, but Sam obviously notices  \n\\\u003eHe squeezes your hand a little harder, using his other free hand to clutch at the drawings he wanted to show you  \n\\\u003eJust gotta get you and him somewhere safe  \n\\\u003eAnd you don’t…  \n\\\u003e…Don’t seem to want to let go of his hand?  \n\\\u003eIt’s so small and gentle in your comparatively huge hands  \n\\\u003eSam has an artist’s fingers — delicate and nimble  \n\\\u003eYou can feel them threading your own  \n\\\u003eFuck, he’s probably gay, and you really want to let go of his hands, but you can’t — not now  \n\\\u003eOr could it be that you don’t want to?  \n\\\u003eYou come to a stop eventually, wandering out of a dream  \n\\\u003eHuh, did you hold hands with him all the way down the hall to the lunch room?  \n\\\u003e…  \n  \n“Alright Sam, let me see those drawings,” you say, already trying to forget your extremely gay waltz down the hall  \n\\\u003eYou slump against the wall near the cafeteria, nervous sweat running down your face, underarms completely soaked from the self-conscious anxiety  \n\\\u003eSomethin’ ain’t right, you think in a vaguely Texan accent  \n\\\u003eSam scoots over to you across the dirty floor, crumpled paper in hand  \n\\\u003eKinda gross… who knows when the last time these floors have been cleaned since Stella went apeshit?  \n\\\u003eSpeaking of, the lunchroom looks spotless  \n\\\u003eWhich is alarming to think of how fast and strong the janitor must be to have flipped over all those tables back to their original configurations  \n\\\u003eSam doesn’t seem to notice  \n\\\u003eOr care  \n\\\u003eHe just prattles on about his drawings with sheer joy written across his face  \n\\\u003e”T-This one is a superhero na-named S-Slayer,” Sam says, unfurling the paper and spreading it out on the floor  \n\\\u003e’Slayer’ is a somewhat short, stocky human with spiked brown hair and piercing green eyes  \n\\\u003eHe wears a tight leather jacket with spikes and has what looks like a heavy… rifle? Of some kind slung across his shoulders, clearly meant to obliterate fools  \n\\\u003eHuh  \n\\\u003eHe looks a lot like Mike  \n\\\u003eNot to mention the fact that these are really, really good drawings  \n\\\u003eLike really good   \n\\\u003eOr maybe you’ve got low standards?  \n\\\u003e”H-H-He kills m-monsters,” Sam explains, excitedly pointing to features on ‘Slayer’ (no relation to the band, unfortunately)  \n\\\u003e”H-His Obliterator g-gun can take out bad guys i-i-in one s-s-shot, b-b-but he’s also got a s-short temper, and is k-kinda mean. S-So he’s an ant-anti-hero.”  \n\\\u003eNext is ‘Charmer’, a fair-skinned human who is dressed in a sharp suit (not unlike your own), with an admittedly suave smile. He’s got a well fitted fedora (lel) covering his face, leaving only his cheeky smile visible   \n\\\u003eIf you had to guess, you’d say this guy looks like a gangster of some sort — an old timey mobster who speaks with a Boston accent as thick as clam chowder  \n\\\u003eCharmer is apparently a natural-born leader and uses his social cunning to influence others  \n\\\u003eKind of ironic that Sam is drawing socially conscious characters, but you keep that rude little comment to yourself  \n\\\u003e”T-T-The next t-two are a duo,” Sam says, nervously withdrawing a carefully folded scrap of paper from his pocket  \n\\\u003eHe spreads out the drawing, and you read the character names out loud  \n“Anon the Brave and Wise.” Your eyes flick to the next line “and Samurai Outlaw.”  \n\\\u003eHoly shit, it’s you  \n\\\u003eYou’re not wearing your signature suit and tie, but instead what looks like priest robes, with a hastily scribbled red book in one hand  \n\\\u003eYou’re posed like you’re delivering a sermon, or reciting a powerful spell  \n\\\u003eAnd to the right of you is a hooded figure with a pair of wide rabbit ears raised like two antennas  \n\\\u003eThough the face is obscured by the hood, Sam has taken the time to color in two pairs of golden eyes, peering out of the darkness of the cowl  \n\\\u003eIn her right hand, Samurai Outlaw wields a simple baseball bat as a weapon  \n\\\u003eYou look to Sam, who says nothing, only shyly smiles and digs his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, perhaps in a dignified effort to keep himself from stress-pulling at his ears  \n“Sam… Is this us?” You ask, even though you really have no doubt in your mind who each character is supposed to represent  \n\\\u003e”I-I u-used you all f-f-for ref-reference,” he says, slowly folding each drawing back up, instead of crumpling them up into unintelligible balls like he did before  \n“Of course — I don’t know why you wouldn’t, but why would you call me ‘Brave and Wise’? I’m neither of those things.”  \n\\\u003e”B-Because y-you- I mean, h-he is! H-He’s brave and s-smart and c-c-caring and h-handsome and k-kind!”  \n\\\u003eYour heart catches, and a deeply sour feeling hits your stomach like you swallowed a dumbbell   \n\\\u003eYou’re only brave because of a spell  \n\\\u003eYet another thing you keep to yourself  \n\\\u003e”I-Is that alright?” Sam asks after noticing your silence  \n\\\u003eFrankly, you’re speechless  \n  \n“I-I’m sorry,” he says, his expression crumbling like a pathetic little sand castle against a tsunami  \n\\\u003eIt was like watching a very happy balloon suddenly have all its air let out  \n\\\u003eHe starts tightening up the drawings between his trembling little fingers  \n\\\u003eYou shake yourself back to reality  \n\\\u003eFucking hell Anon, say something, because Sam:  \n\\\u003eA) is a fantastic artist and   \n\\\u003eB) has all the spine of a jellyfish  \n“Dude, wait. Hold on.” You place your hand over his. “Please don’t throw those out. They’re really, really, really good.”  \n\\\u003eThe little rabbit brightens up  \n\\\u003eHe pushes his free hand through the mop of his hair, and you can see something rare:  \n\\\u003eA genuine, beaming smile  \n\\\u003eNot shy and hidden behind his scraggly fur  \n\\\u003eBut really big and bright, like it’s about to fall off his tender and feminine face  \n\\\u003eIt sends your heart fluttering  \n\\\u003eFuck, it makes you feel good to make him feel good  \n\\\u003eThe next words escape your lips without any prior thought, and when they’re out in the open, you don’t even care  \n“Can I have your drawing of me? To keep?”  \n\\\u003eThe rabbit blinks a few times  \n\\\u003eSilence  \n\\\u003eAnd silence  \n\\\u003eAnd more silence  \n\\\u003e”Wh-What?” He stammers suddenly, voice rising to a high, girly pitch  \n\\\u003eHe looks like you just asked him to reverse entropy or something impossible  \n\\\u003eOr on a date — both of which are impossible(?)  \n“Can I keep your drawing?” You repeat, not even fighting the words as they leave your lips  \n\\\u003e”You want to ke-keep one?” He parrots back, sounding unsure of himself  \n“Yes, dude, I want to keep mine. I mean, if that’s cool with you. If it isn’t, it’s fin-”  \n\\\u003e”YES!” He squeals with far, far too much falsetto to be a boy (or he just has a great singing voice)  \n\\\u003eHe leans uncomfortably close to your face, and you can see just how red he is — and how much sweat is saturating his fur  \n\\\u003e”I-I want y-y-y-you to h-have it!”  \n\\\u003eHe’s practically yelling at this point, drawing significant stares from everyone around you  \n\\\u003eYou kind of jerk yourself back a bit  \n\\\u003eSam has no idea how close he really is, because he’s propped himself up on his palms and his leaning into your face like he’s trying to kiss you  \n\\\u003eTalk about overreacting  \n“T-Thanks, dude,” you stammer back, glowing red yourself  \n\\\u003eSam is still in your face, breathing hard, staring intently at you — almost through you — with his big amber eyes that nearly glow against the tangles of his chestnut colored hair  \n\\\u003ePeople are starting to stare and whisper  \n\\\u003eYou slip all three pieces of paper out from his grasp and into your back pocket, but he doesn’t seem to notice  \n\\\u003eWell, you’re sufficiently uncomfortable, and your meager social reputation is probably compromised  \n\\\u003eWhatever, who cares?  \n\\\u003eAnd maybe you’re not really gay after all  \n\\\u003eIn trying to put your eyes somewhere that isn’t on Sam, who is practically frozen in place, sucking down hot gulps of air and taking shuddering yaoi breaths, you flick your gaze to the clock  \n\\\u003eOh shit  \n\\\u003eIt’s nearly lunch, and you’ve got an appointment with some cringe in the gym  \n  \n\\\u003eYou tell the rabbit to wait by the doors to the gym, which are double-wide, windowless affairs down a hall adjacent to the lunchroom  \n\\\u003eGloria sees you approaching and smooths out her skirt   \n\\\u003eFuck  \n\\\u003eShe waves enthusiastically, a lunch box swinging in her free hand  \n\\\u003eHer horns gleam in the light, and her fur is slicked back with moisture  \n\\\u003eFuck  \n\\\u003eShe looks like she actually got all gussied up for you  \n\\\u003eIt makes you feel even more guilty  \n\\\u003eYou press on regardless of how much of an awful human being you are  \n\\\u003eYou need this strength to defeat the goths  \n\\\u003eTheir courage spell, charm, hex, whatever  \n\\\u003eYou’re going to turn it against them  \n\\\u003eBut as you approach the goat girl, you feel a pit open up in your stomach, and your heart catches in your chest  \n\\\u003eGod, here’s that old familiar sting of regret again  \n\\\u003eYou don’t feel fear, but you do feel guilt?   \n\\\u003ePuzzling  \n\\\u003e”Hi ‘Nonny!” She calls, and you cringe at the word ‘nonny’  \n\\\u003eShe sours at the sight of Sam, and at that alliteration   \n\\\u003e”Oh… Hello, heathen,” she says dismissively  \n\\\u003eYou grab Sam by the shoulder and pull the bunny in tight against your side, forcing on the biggest possible smile despite the warning in your heart  \n“Hey Gloria! So I take it you’ve met Sam before.”  \n\\\u003eSam shrinks into his hoodie  \n\\\u003e”Sam and I have been lab partners for three years in every God-hating science class we’ve had at this institution. She smells bad and won’t come to my Bible study.”  \n\\\u003eSam stiffens up as the last syllables hit his sensitive ears  \n\\\u003ePanic fills his expression, going from shy anxiety to pure unbridled fear  \n\\\u003e‘She?’  \n\\\u003eGloria rolls her eyes and crosses her arms  \n\\\u003e”Never mind. Will Sam be joining us?” She says, her tone begging for a ‘No he won’t’  \n\\\u003eYou paint on an even wider smile — one so big that your cheeks are actually starting to hurt  \n\\\u003eHoly fuck you don’t know how much longer you can keep this up, and a part of you is starting to look forward to betraying her to the goths  \n\\\u003eJust like Judas betrayed Jay-Z-us  \n\\\u003eDoes that make you Judas?  \n\\\u003eWell, this obnoxious, overly-Catholic goat is certainly no Jesus  \n“No, Sam was actually just going back to class.”  \n\\\u003eGloria’s eyelids flutter and her expression floods with warmth and cheer  \n\\\u003e”Oh goo- I mean, DARN,” she says, her barely disguised relief more obvious than the crucifix roped around her thin neck  \n\\\u003e”Well, Sam, thank you for escorting ‘Nonny back to me. Don’t want to be late to class!” She informs him  \n\\\u003eGloria grabs you by the hand roughly and spins you around so your back is facing Sam, who stands there, helpless  \n\\\u003e”S-Sorry,” he squeaks after you. “Have a g-good l-lunch!”  \n\\\u003eYou can hear the hurt in his voice  \n\\\u003eIf only you could tell him what’s going on  \n\\\u003eWould he hate you?  \n\\\u003eHell, you hate you  \n\\\u003eHe probably wouldn’t have an opinion either way  \n  \n\\\u003eYou steel yourself before entering  \n\\\u003eTake a fortifying breath, Anon  \n\\\u003eEverything is going to be okay  \n\\\u003eYou tug on the doors  \n\\\u003eThey open up, but not without astonishing effort on your behalf  \n\\\u003eIs it just you, or are you feeling weaker?  \n\\\u003eIt’s just nerves, you swear  \n\\\u003eRight?  \n  \n\\\u003eThe door slams behind you and Gloria with finality, locks clicking without warning  \n\\\u003eOne by one the lights flicker on, illuminating only small portions of the gym at a time, sterile light reflecting off the polished hardwood floors  \n\\\u003eGloria squeezes your hand harder  \n\\\u003e”Anon? What’s going on?”  \n\\\u003eYou hear a cackle  \n\\\u003eAnd then a low, simmering growl  \n\\\u003eIt’s a sound so ugly that Gloria claps her hands over her ears  \n\\\u003eYou’re inclined to do the same  \n\\\u003eWhatever it is, it’s not of this world  \n\\\u003eThe last overhead light — in the center of the gym — blinks on  \n\\\u003eVanessa is there, as well as a lanky human and a crotch-height rat anthro  \n\\\u003eThey’re all decked out like Halloween never ended, or they listen exclusively to The Cure, which is an insult to Robert Smith for having to be associated with these dorks  \n\\\u003eThe horrible noise stops  \n\\\u003eAnd something — something otherworldly and strange — appears next to Vanessa  \n\\\u003eIt looks like a massive dog, crouched on its paws, wreathed in a continuously radiating fog  \n\\\u003eTwo yellow eyes burn back at you through the thicc tendrils of smoke  \n\\\u003eYou can’t take your eyes off it  \n\\\u003eGloria thrusts her cross necklace forward like a holy shield towards Vanessa and… that thing…  \n\\\u003eThe strange beast flinches and wavers, shrinking back a little  \n\\\u003e”Get behind me, Anonymous!” She shrieks  \n\\\u003eYou don’t move  \n\\\u003eWhat the fuck is wrong with you? MOVE  \n\\\u003eVanessa only laughs harder  \n\\\u003e”Oh Gloria, how I’ve missed tormenting you, you adorable little sacrificial goat.”  \n\\\u003eIgnoring every word that comes out of Vanessa’s mouth, Gloria starts forward  \n\\\u003e”Get OUT of here you degenerate. ‘Nonny and I are going to have lunch. Shouldn’t you be smoking sin sticks out behind the school?”  \n\\\u003eYou at last will yourself to take your place behind Gloria  \n\\\u003eSomehow you feel safe here, despite being a good six inches taller than she is  \n\\\u003eThe doe scowls back at the goat  \n\\\u003e”And shouldn’t you be on your knees in front of a priest, sucking out some forgiveness?” She retorts  \n\\\u003eGloria, fearless and stubborn as she is horny (HEH- Not now you fucking degenerate), continues forward with slow, plodding steps, as if she were battling against hurricane-force winds  \n\\\u003e”I will be tonight! I’ll be confessing my sins for and praying for you lot to repent!” She cries, obviously missing the sexual overtones in Vanessa’s retort  \n\\\u003e”I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Vanessa smirks through her piercings  \n\\\u003eWhat the fuck are those in her mouth? Are those…  \n\\\u003e…Fangs?  \n\\\u003e”You see, the Behemoth is only at half of its strength. But, now that Anon here has brought us everything we need, well… even I have no idea what this thing is capable of.”  \n\\\u003eVanessa draws the Book of Wrath from her side bag and flips it open to an earmarked page  \n\\\u003eShe nips at her thumb with her fangs  \n\\\u003eShe smothers her bloody finger against the page  \n\\\u003e’The Behemoth’ shrieks loudly in that godforsaken tone and blinks out of sight  \n\\\u003eFucking hell that’s scary  \n\\\u003eGloria turns around to face you, her face a mix of puzzlement and hurt  \n\\\u003e”Nonny, what does the degenerate mean when she says ‘you brought her everything she needs’?”  \n\\\u003eYou open your mouth to speak, but no words fall out  \n\\\u003eYou feel your throat start to tighten  \n\\\u003eAs well it should, you goddamn filth  \n\\\u003e”Anonymous?” She asks again, taking a step away from you, the realization hitting her like a pop-fly hits a little leaguer: hard, and in the face  \n\\\u003eShe lets her crucifix fall weakly against her chest as she continues to search your eyes for an answer  \n\\\u003e”Why?”  \n  \n\\\u003eWhat must be the Behemoth, that feral dog wreathed in smoke, blinks into existence behind Gloria  \n\\\u003eShe turns around and cuts loose a furious ‘BAAAH!’  \n\\\u003eIt must have been instinct, because Gloria would have never put her head down on her own — her horns gleaming in the warm lights of the gymnasium  \n\\\u003eBut she did  \n\\\u003eShe bolts forward with wild abandon, hoping to ram the beast  \n\\\u003eFor its hulking size, the beast was quite nimble  \n\\\u003eIt blinks out of existence, forcing Gloria to charge through a wall of rapidly dissipating smoke  \n\\\u003eBut maybe Gloria’s target never was the Behemoth?  \n\\\u003eThe goat just keeps sprinting, horns down, ready to shatter bones  \n\\\u003eA feral, animalistic scream rips from her throat  \n\\\u003eVanessa’s eyes go wide  \n\\\u003eOh my god  \n\\\u003eYou can only watch in amazement and slight horror as the goat tears forward like an angry white comet, her skirt flowing behind her like a meteor’s hot tail  \n\\\u003eIn a panic, the doe quickly spins through her black book, turns to a blood spattered page-  \n\\\u003eThe other two goths fly to the sides to avoid getting their ribcages shattered  \n\\\u003eGloria goes flying uselessly into the air, as if lifted into the ceiling by God himself, just inches away from the flinching doe  \n\\\u003eShe flails helplessly like a leaf caught in the wind, or a worm dangling on a hook  \n\\\u003e”YOU COWARD!” She bleats at Vanessa  \n\\\u003eShe turns to you, her arms still spinning and grappling for something to hold on to  \n\\\u003e”YOU KNEW, ANONYMOUS! YOU KNEW WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO!”  \n\\\u003eYou shrink back into your suit jacket like a gigantic pussy  \n\\\u003eJust being called out like this is something that’s going to be deeply etched into your memory, right where all those memories of your 9th birthday party fester, immune to therapists and drugs alike  \n\\\u003e”I TRUSTED YOU!”  \n\\\u003eAnd yet you still cannot speak  \n\\\u003eYou can’t even say you’re sorry  \n\\\u003eYou, Anonymous  \n\\\u003eAre a fucking coward  \n  \n\\\u003eVanessa looks like she just ran through a car wash with how sweaty she is  \n\\\u003eShe spins the black book open again and starts tracing lines with her finger  \n\\\u003eThe Behemoth blinks back next to her  \n\\\u003e”You STUPID MUTT!” She swats the beast as hard as she can with the book. “I almost got crusaded!”  \n\\\u003eIts head rears back as the blow clocks into its snout, but it doesn’t yelp or even make a sound  \n\\\u003e”You still can’t control it?” The only other human — a poorly dressed and pale young goth says. “I thought you said you should at least be able to command it without the sacrifice!”  \n\\\u003e”It doesn’t fucking matter, Reese! Because we’ve got what we need right here! After the sacrifice is complete I’ll have more control over the Behemoth than ever.” Vanessa motions up to Gloria, who is currently spinning upside down. “This is perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better catch, actually. So just shut your dumb fucking mouth.”  \n\\\u003eGloria’s crucifix necklace slips out over her head and dangles from her curled horns  \n\\\u003e”Without the power of God, you won’t win this, you sick degenerates. The fires of hell await you!”  \n\\\u003eHer crucifix at last slips from her horns and clatters to the ground with incredible weight, sounding like it was made of lead as it hits the shiny wooden floors  \n\\\u003eThe Behemoth shrinks away from it, a grumble low in its throat  \n\\\u003eVanessa only laughs — either at the helpless goat or at the pain of her ‘pet’  \n\\\u003e”You know, sweetie, that’s what I like so much about you — you’re just like everybody else. You never change. You’ll never beg for compassion from me because you’re too damn stubborn, which is going to make this all the more pleasant.”  \n\\\u003e”That’s where you’re wrong,” the stubborn goat fires back. “People can change! They can repent their sins and they can change! You ever heard of a little diddy called… oh, I don’t know… THE ACTS OF CONTRITION?”  \n\\\u003eYou notice that even when she spins your direction she avoids looking at you  \n\\\u003eUnderstandable, considering you literally betrayed her  \n\\\u003eBleh, you deserve it, you lying, evil bastard  \n\\\u003e”I doubt it.” Vanessa replies with ice in her tone. “Nobody changes. Now, you’ve said quite enough for today.”  \n\\\u003eShe slams The Book of Wrath shut  \n\\\u003eGloria screams as she suddenly drops out of the air  \n\\\u003eYou reach forward, as if to catch her  \n\\\u003eBut you never move from the spot you’re helplessly rooted in  \n\\\u003eYou little bitch  \n\\\u003eGloria screams  \n\\\u003eAnd then collides with the ground","series":{"name":"The Leaves of Fall","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1515433-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-16.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1666391-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-18.json"}}