{"sf1_id":1666402,"sf2_id":"qmy0v3Qe","title":"The Leaves of Fall Act 2: Fear the Nobodies (Part 22)","author":"Oliver_Hart","words":2666,"posted_at":"2020-12-28T02:05:08.000Z","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/1666402-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-22","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/qmy0v3Qe","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/2e/9b/2e9b52de-b33f-407a-94c4-1e75cd64f009","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":"\\\u003eMuscles pounding  \n\\\u003eConcrete shuddering as you force earthquakes into the sidewalks  \n\\\u003eYour legs burning, seared with lactic acid  \n\\\u003eCars whistling by you  \n\\\u003eCold wind blowing stray leaves into your face  \n\\\u003eThere's a storm coming  \n\\\u003eAbove you  \n\\\u003eAnd behind you  \n\\\u003eYou're out of breath when you tumble through the automatic doors of the Shop N' Save  \n\\\u003eHumans and anthros dodge out of your way, jockeying groceries in their swinging arms  \n\\\u003eYou don't have the time nor the inclination to apologize to them, because you narrowly dodge a furious and powerful lion swipe at your chest  \n\\\u003eLydia caught up unsurprisingly fast  \n\\\u003eHer glistening claws go wide, tearing into a Moose's plastic bag, freeing nearly a dozen oranges  \n\\\u003eThey tumble to your feet  \n\\\u003e\"You're really going to drag this out in front of all these people, aren't you?\" She roars, taking another swipe  \n\\\u003eYou duck this one just like you duck responsibilities — with ease and grace  \n\\\u003eSomeone from the assembled crowd moves to grasp the furious lion — a human teenager in a boyscout uniform  \n\\\u003eHe gets one arm on the lion before being completely swarmed by ravenous cheerleaders  \n\\\u003eThey tackle people to the ground indiscriminately, gnawing at their sensitive and exposed flesh  \n\\\u003e\"Coward! Hiding behind people!\" Lydia wheels around, her face tightened in unbridled frustration  \n\\\u003eShe seems to be upset that she can't control her 'flock'  \n“You got the wrong guy, honey. I'm not a coward.\" You swiftly bend down and grab an orange off the ground   \n\\\u003eYou shear it in half with only a tiny bit of your strength, exposing the citrusy, sweet meat of the fruit  \n\"I'm not a coward. Just an asshole.\"  \n\\\u003eYou lunge forward, practically jumping into Lydia's slavering maw  \n\\\u003eYour arms push ahead of you, an orange-half in each hand  \n\\\u003eYou dig the oranges into Lydia's widening, eye-liner-caked eye sockets  \n\\\u003eFor good measure you even twist a little bit, really smearing that juice in there  \n\\\u003eLydia fucking SCREECHES and then gives you a pained shove  \n\\\u003eYou stumble backwards, falling right onto your ass  \n\\\u003eThe lion drops to her knees like they were made of lead, her hands darting to her now inflamed eyes  \n\\\u003eNow's your chance to run!  \n\\\u003eYou rise up to your full height and prepare to bolt out the door  \n\\\u003eBut the cheerleaders appear at the flanks of the lion, blocking your way back out into the parking lot  \n\\\u003eYou sigh  \n\\\u003eFucking hell  \n\\\u003eYou turn on a heel and sprint deeper into the store  \n  \n\\\u003eWhat's the plan here?  \n\\\u003eJust run until they swarm you?  \n\\\u003eYou can't possible take all of them  \n\\\u003eFuark brah, you're in it now  \n\\\u003eYou blur past helpless shoppers, spinning with strange grace around them in the crowded aisles  \n\\\u003eThe horde of ravenous anthro cheerleaders, on the other hand, acts more like a wrecking crew  \n\\\u003eThey mow down everyone in their path, unleashing mad cackles and frustrated hisses as they practically scramble atop one another  \n\\\u003eYou manage to lose them by diving over a knee-height meat cooler and hiding behind it  \n\\\u003eThe sound of their parting hisses sends your heartbeat over the edge  \n\\\u003eYou feel like you're going to pass out  \n\\\u003eAnd now you're trapped as they tear down each aisle, hunting for you  \n\\\u003eGod DAMNIT  \n\\\u003eYou can't take them all  \n\\\u003eAnd Lydia is probably up by now, looking for you, ready to eat you alive with bloodshot and swollen eyes  \n\\\u003eSo this is where it ends?  \n\\\u003eTrapped in the fucking Shop N' Save?  \n\\\u003eAll alone, burned every bridge over troubled waters  \n\\\u003eYour throat tightens and you wipe an embarrassing tear from your eye, feeling hot and angry  \n\\\u003eYou're not scared or sad that you're alone…  \n\\\u003e…You tell yourself  \n  \n\\\u003eYour ears prickle with the sound of light footsteps sprinting your way  \n\\\u003eWell, it's over, they found you  \n\\\u003eYou stand up, prepared to fight for your life  \n\\\u003eThough your body is tense, your heart's not as strong, and it catches with the thought of your impending demise  \n\\\u003eBut when you see the source of the noise your jaw drops  \n\\\u003eA thin, orange vixen with a stripe running down her fur and into her green sweater, is waving her arms, a phone glowing in one hand  \n\\\u003eHer green eyes shimmer in the light, looking like two of the emerald beacons of hope  \n\\\u003eShe practically throws herself at you, wrapping her arms around your chest  \n\\\u003eHer worry physically squeezes the air out of you  \n\"Jenna?\" You cough  \n\\\u003e\"Mike!\" She squeals. “We finally found you! God am I glad to see you!\"  \n\\\u003eThe slender vixen motions for you to drop down behind the cooler  \n\\\u003eYou and her both crouch low, out of sight  \n\\\u003e\"We've been scouring Ranchview looking for you,\" she struggles to hide the excitement — and volume — of her voice  \n“Who is 'we'?\" You ask, concern rising in your voice. “Wait, fuck that, I don't care. You can't be here. It's not safe.\"  \n\\\u003e\"We know, we saw you on the run outside. You looked graceful. Like a gazelle,\" she says with a shit eating grin  \n\"Oh fuck off. Just get out of here before they see you with me. You're in danger just by being with me.\"  \n\\\u003eBut she doesn't hear you. The fox presses her phone against her ears, which are folded back against her skull  \n\\\u003e\"I found him. We're in the meat section. Can you steer them away?\" She asks  \n\\\u003eHer ears shoot upward in excitement like broad orange blades  \n\\\u003eAnd you thought Sam had big, goofy ears  \n\\\u003e\"Got it. We'll wait for the signal.\" Her fingers swipe across the screen, ending the call  \n\\\u003eSignal?  \n\\\u003eA familiar voice crackles over the store PA system  \n\\\u003e\"Mike, get out of the snack aisle! They're heading right for you!\" He SCREAMS convincingly into the mic  \n\\\u003eOh my fuck  \n\\\u003eIt's Alex  \n\\\u003eAnd you're nowhere near the candy aisle  \n\\\u003eYou peek up over the meat cooler  \n\\\u003eRed-uniforms blur towards the other end of the store  \n\\\u003eThe cheerleaders hiss and cackle, thinking they're about to have you cornered  \n\\\u003eThere's some rumbling on the mic that pierces your ears, followed by a familiar sound.  \n\\\u003eOne you're so familiar with that you groan  \n\\\u003eYep, it was Alex on the PA system alright  \n\\\u003eHe played this song to DEATH freshman year  \n  \nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U06jlgpMtQs\u0026list=PL9aXlzDRA49QKxgYsOV2JuDd410\\_nI-0J\u0026index=16\u0026t=0s  \n\\\u003e\"Alright, let's go!\" Jenna shoots to her feet and grabs you by the wrist  \n\\\u003eOh no you don't  \n\\\u003eYou're not getting rescued by a 5'5\" vixen who you've got at least 60 pounds on  \n\\\u003eYou take off, dragging Jenna behind you like a doll being dragged from a moving car  \n\\\u003ePerhaps you've only got a fraction of a second to make it out the door to safety  \n\\\u003eBut you're not leaving without Alex  \n  \n\\\u003eThankfully that commie dumbass finds you…  \n\\\u003e…By running into you with a nearly FULL shopping cart as he emerges from the baking ingredients aisle without warning  \n\\\u003eThe thin metal of the cart catches you in the side, sending you stumbling  \n\\\u003eThankfully you let go of Jenna so you don't accidentally yeet her across the store  \n\\\u003e\"COMRADE!\" Alex cries, leaning over the shopping cart  \n\\\u003eYou suck air, barely holding back the urge to wring your friend's thin neck  \n“Comrade Alexi,\" you wheeze. “You doing some shopping right now? Because we gotta GO, you dumb bastard. Rabid cheerleaders-\"  \n\\\u003e\"We're just getting some supplies,\" Jenna brushes herself off and hops into the cart like a little kid, ignoring your candid use of the 'r word'  \n\\\u003eWhat the hell is going-  \n\\\u003eThe pungent smell of garlic ASSAILS your senses  \n\\\u003eYou wince, fighting back vomit in your throat  \n\\\u003eYou look into the cart and see the entire bottom half is covered in raw white bulbs of garlic  \n\\\u003eJenna is rubbing her bare fur with a clove  \n\\\u003eMike is doing the same thing  \n\\\u003eThere's also two water pistols, a super soaker, and a pack of water balloons pressed into the back of the cart  \n\"The fuck is this shit?\" You cry. “You guys getting ready for a pool party!?\"  \n\\\u003e\"No time to explain!\" Alex hops in and takes his seat in front of Jenna. “It's the fox's plan!\"  \n\\\u003eYou can hear the cheerleaders shriek in frustration at not having found you — which only means they're about to start scouring the store  \n\\\u003eAnd then a lion's roar sends you into a panic  \n\\\u003eOh good, Lydia is back  \n\\\u003eA human's voice crackles over the speakers as the music clips in and out before returning to ear-shattering volume  \n\\\u003e\"Attention shoppers, we'd like to apologize for the annoyance. Alex Mullen,\" the voice says slowly. “I WILL find you once I figure out how to stop this.\"  \n\\\u003eAlex just raises his middle fingers to the sky  \n\\\u003e\"Sic semper tyrannis!\" He cries defiantly  \n  \n\\\u003eYou're all dead  \n\\\u003eTwo cheerleaders — a cat and a horse — appear at the far end of the baking ingredients aisle  \n\\\u003eThey surge forward, directly at you  \n\\\u003eAnd man, they can cover a lot of distance quickly  \n\\\u003e\"PUSH!\" Jenna cries, directing a paw forward, right towards the cheerleaders  \n\\\u003eWat  \n\\\u003eYou shrug  \n\\\u003eYou're all about to die anyway, so why the fuck not?  \n\\\u003eUtilizing your vampiric strength you easily spin the cart so that the front is pointing down the aisle  \n\\\u003eThe fully loaded cart feels nearly weightless to you  \n\\\u003eAlex rises up on shaky legs  \n\\\u003eHe plants one foot forward on the edge of the cart and levels a menacing finger towards the rapidly approaching cheerleaders (His other hand he uses to firmly affix his beanie to the top of his head)  \n\\\u003eComrade Alexi cuts loose with a yell  \n\\\u003e\"FORWARD UNTO DAWN, COMRADES! TSSSSUUUUUUUU!\" He howls  \n\\\u003eJenna claps her hands over her ears in pain as the soviet anthem reaches ear shattering volume, as if in response to Alex's deceleration  \n\\\u003eYou grit your teeth, sharing only a fraction of Jenna's anguish  \n\\\u003eFuck it  \n\\\u003eTTTTTTSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUU  \n  \n\\\u003eYou don't expect them to move out of the way  \n\\\u003eAnd they don't  \n\\\u003eThe cart flies down the aisle, propelled by your sheer determination to blow right through these cringy fucks  \n\\\u003eAnd blow through them you do  \n\\\u003eThe cheerleaders slip underneath your cart as you bowl them over, their bodies acting like little demonic speed bumps  \n\\\u003eYou bank around the corner, threatening to hurl Jenna and Alex overboard  \n\\\u003eShoppers dodge like you were an oncoming car  \n\\\u003eYou might as well be, with how fast you're going  \n  \n\\\u003eAisles blur together in a multi-colored smear  \n\\\u003eSomewhere along the line, Alex manages to grab a bag of Halloween themed chocolates off one of the shelves, but then drops it  \n\\\u003eBut you don't slow down, not for a minute  \n\\\u003eHot on your heels are the cheerleaders  \n\\\u003eLike red, horny little comets, they sprint after you  \n\\\u003eAnd you can feel them gaining as you speed across the produce section  \n\\\u003eDespite how strong you are, this cart is still dragging you down  \n\\\u003eBut you'll be damned if you're going to abandon your friends  \n\\\u003eYou squint hard at the double-wide main doors, muscles and lungs burning with equal intensity  \n\\\u003eYou've done enough running today for the rest of your life  \n\\\u003eJenna turns around, bouncing a garlic bulb in hand  \n“What are you doing!?\" You shout, trying to compete with the Soviet anthem now on repeat, and the hushed swears of the store manager whispering underneath the song  \n\\\u003eYou look behind you  \n\\\u003eA human cheerleader with auburn hair is grabbing for you, swiping just mere inches away from your shirt  \n\\\u003eHer fingers are now more like claws than they are dainty, manicured fingernails  \n\\\u003eA garlic bulb beans her in the center of her forehead  \n\\\u003eThe cheerleader tumbles gracelessly to the ground, yelping in agony  \n\\\u003e\"TAKE THAT YOU PRISSY BITCH!\" Jenna says as she prepares yet another bulb for flight  \n\\\u003eYou can't help but smile at the idea of Jenna swearing  \n\\\u003eThat gives you that extra push to explode out the front doors…  \n\\\u003e…To freedom, leaving the Soviet anthem — and the cheerleaders — behind  \n\\\u003eThe little rush of dopamine you get from having 'escaped' doesn't last long for two reasons  \n\\\u003e1) You don't have a plan after this, because loading up Jenna's car and escaping would probably take too long  \n\\\u003e2) Lydia Penferth, having somehow located Jenna's minivan, has already ripped the hood off and is tearing savagely into the various components of the engine  \n\\\u003eJenna gasps, as well she should  \n\\\u003eThat van was worth at least $500  \n\\\u003eIt may even be shittier than Anon's car  \n\\\u003e\"That's my car!\" She tries standing up, a garlic bulb in hand  \n\\\u003eYou force her back into a sitting position  \n\\\u003eLydia, slick with black oil and brackish fluid, starts to laugh when she sees your makeshift tank  \n\\\u003eHer eyes are bright red — and not from any vampiric magic or rage  \n\\\u003eFrom where you blinded her with some DIY mace  \n\\\u003e\"End of the line, kiddos. You're not going anywhere.\" she announces, starting forward. “Mike, I'm gonna enjoy hearing you squeal.\"  \n\\\u003eIt was Alex who spoke, looking completely non-threatening with his massive legs tucked against his chest to save room in the front of the rattling shopping cart  \n\\\u003eHe balances a garlic bulb in his right hand  \n\\\u003e\"I ain't a good shot, but that doesn't matter when I've got all this ammo,\" he motions towards the cart. “I think you'd better quit before someone ends up smelling like an Italian dinner.\"  \n\\\u003eA frustrated growl slips out of the lion's clenched teeth  \n\\\u003e\"You're a coward. You're all cowards. Come and fight me — no weapons,\" she says  \n\\\u003e\"We may be cowards, but none of us are morons,\" Alex retorts, not realizing that he himself is a moron. “Now if you don't mind, we'll be leaving in one piece.\"  \n\\\u003eLydia raises a pierced eyebrow. “In a shopping cart?\"  \n\\\u003e\"It's more of a chariot,\" he says  \n\\\u003e\"So this is the crowd you keep?\" She looks at Alex, Jenna, and then to you  \n“These are the homies, minus two,\" you reply  \n\\\u003e\"Won't be a very fair fight, six on three,\" Lydia says with a smirk  \n\\\u003e\"Six? Can you not count?\" Alex says with a slight laugh  \n\\\u003eA feline hiss from behind halts his idiotic laughter  \n\\\u003eThe three of you turn in unison  \n\\\u003eThe five cheerleaders have all assembled behind you  \n\\\u003eThey're all trembling — but not from the cold air which you heave into your lungs  \n\\\u003eBut from anticipation  \n\\\u003eWho knows what burns in their blood, other than hunger and lust for your mortal souls (and likely Jenna's virginity)?  \n“Not even going to fight fair, are you?\" You bark  \n\\\u003eThe lioness has only to point to her still bright-red eyes to make her point  \n\\\u003eAh yes  \n\\\u003eThat was clever, though not at all fair  \n\\\u003eShe snaps her fingers  \n\\\u003e\"Goodbye, Mike.\"  \n  \n\\\u003eAnd nobody moves  \n\\\u003eOr, at least it feels that way  \n\\\u003eYou see, everything happens at a glacial pace when you're a vampire  \n\\\u003eThe lioness's army lunging at you  \n\\\u003eThe way Jenna and Alex dive for garlic bulbs, coming up each with one in hand  \n\\\u003eSlow and as smooth as molasses  \n  \n\\\u003eNobody is going to come and save you now  \n\\\u003eYou're all mutually in the shit  \n\\\u003eAnd right when the lioness's jaw drops to issue a declarative roar, is when you shove the cart forward as hard as you can  \n\\\u003eRight at that sand-colored bitch  \n\\\u003eAnd you know, deep down, that Alex and Jenna have a better chance of escape than you do, by a suburban mile  \n\\\u003eThe cheerleaders pounce into you, like a flower whose petals are blooming inwards  \n\\\u003eAlex and Jenna careen into Lydia, and the lion spreads her arms in anticipation  \n\\\u003eYou compress your body, right at the knees, building an absurd amount of force in your lower half  \n\\\u003eAnd you dive forward, after the cart, right as the cheerleaders begin to pile on to you   \n\\\u003eYou're not graceful, because your last-minute dive turns into an awkward roll, but it's enough to earn you some distance  \n\\\u003eThe rabid cheerleaders collapse inward in each other in frantic heap, right as the shopping cart crashes into Lydia  \n\\\u003eThe lioness makes a disgusted face as she comes full contact with a well-placed bulb of garlic, courtesy of Alex  \n\\\u003eIt's not enough","series":{"name":"The Leaves of Fall","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1666397-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-21.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1666404-the-leaves-of-fall-act-2-fear-the-nobodies-part-23.json"}}