Austin’s stewing in frustration by the time he gets back to the apartment, sweaty and tense, unwilling to talk to Richard, because he knows that if he opens his mouth he’s going to say something mean. He knows why Richard wants to follow him to the mines, but even if he does get hurt, what can Richard do? Last time, Landis showed up just in the nick. Austin doesn’t think he’ll be that lucky again, not with a monster that apparently eviscerates whatever it catches.
Richard has disappeared somewhere, presumably to give him time to cool down. It’s not working. Austin’s emotions feel spread too thin, like twine snapping and unraveling, and he has to fight to keep the anger from bubbling up inside of him. Kids got hurt. Because of something he could have solved a long time ago, if only he had gone to the mine and checked it out. Made sure nothing residual was lingering there. He’d known the lake demon was doing some kind of summoning spell - hell, they had told him upfront what they were doing. And he still hadn’t checked to see if it had been brought to fruition. Stupid.
His hands are balled into fists in his pockets as he stomps up the stairs of the apartment complex. He’s almost expecting to pass someone he knows on the way, and anxiety starts to mount in his chest as he thinks of how to avoid a conversation, but thank God, no one else seems to be around. Austin fumbles his key in the lock of the apartment, and leans his head against the door, taking a few deep breaths before trying it again. He gets it on the second try, and pushes the door open.
“Oh, hey!” Otter says from the kitchen, out of sight. “You’re home late, did you go for groceri-”
He steps out into the hall and pauses, eyebrows knitting together in confusion as he spots Austin. “Well, you’re not who I was expecting to see. Where’s Landis?”
“Dunno.” Austin shrugs. “He didn’t come home?”
“Not yet. Should we be worried?” Otter retreats into the kitchen as the microwave starts to beep insistently, and retrieves a bag of popcorn from it. He holds the bag by its corners and carefully tears it open, leaning with his back against the stove as the smell of artificial butter floods the room. Austin, a few steps behind Otter, sits down at the kitchen table and shrugs again.
“He’s probably fine.”
Otter puts a handful of popcorn into his mouth, talking around it. “What about you? You weren’t supposed to get off until six, I thought.”
“Yeah,” Austin says. “Monty asked me to help with a case, so I took off early. I just came in to get my helmet, actually.”
What are you going to say when he asks where you’re going? a snide little voice in the back of his head asks. Are you going to lie? To Otter? If Mac and Richard were upset about you going back to the mine shaft, you know Otter will be. Do you really think he’s going to let you go? He’s not a ghost. He can stop you.
“A case?” Otter’s eyebrows shoot up. “That’s the first time in a while, isn’t it?”
Austin looks down at the table, picking at the paint on the sides with his thumbnail. “Yeah. It’s been quiet, I guess.”
“So what does she have you working on?”
Austin’s tempted to ask how Otter doesn’t already know - he assumes the death of a handful of high schoolers would be big news in Antlers the day after. But judging by Otter’s unshowered, unshaven appearance, and the fact that he’s still in his scrubs from yesterday, it’s a good bet that he only recently woke up. With the hours he works at the hospital, Austin can’t blame him, but Austin also doesn’t relish the fact that he has to be the one to break the news about what happened.
He swallows. “A bunch of graduating seniors from the high school died. And one college kid, I think. Monty said they were at some kind of party in the mine shaft -”
Austin slams his mouth shut, realizing too late that he’s already said too much. Otter’s face fades from mild interest into something grimmer.
“You’re not going back to the mine, are you?”
Austin doesn’t answer. He picks at the table a little more, slowly peeling a long strip of paint off, trying not to break it in half. He glues his eyes to it, refusing to meet Otter’s. Just do it. Just yell already, get mad or whatever, so I can get out of here. I get it. Everyone’s mad at me for doing what I have to do.
“Austin,” Otter says softly, after a moment. “I don’t get it. You know it’s dangerous to go back there, right? I mean, whatever was in me, it was trying to -”
“I know what it was trying to do,” Austin snaps. “And you know what? It wasn’t trying - it succeeded. And whatever it chopped your brother up to summon, that’s what killed those kids.”
Otter is quiet for a long time. Too long. Austin raises his gaze to see what’s up, and the expression on Otter’s face makes his heart sink into his stomach. Otter looks like the wind’s been knocked out of him - his mouth is open just slightly in shock, and he blinks rapidly a few times, like he’s forcing his eyes not to well up. Austin looks back down. His throat feels dry, his mind even more mixed-up and untethered.
Shouldn’t have brought Rabbit into it, the voice in the back of his head says. It’s true. Rabbit’s lost foot is still a sore subject around the apartment, even if he and Otter are back on speaking terms, and cautiously getting along again. Austin doesn’t know how conscious Otter was while being possessed, but he figures it’s got to be traumatic any way you spin it. And definitely a low blow to bring up in an argument.
“Sorry,” Austin says, so low that maybe Otter doesn’t even hear him.
“Whatever,” Otter says, finally, breaking his agonizing silence. His voice sounds thick in a way that Austin doesn’t like. “If that’s where you have to go for your case, then fine. Go. Fight a monster. Whatever. I don’t care.”
Austin, standing up from the table, recoils a little. “Are you trying to guilt me?”
“You really think I would do that?” Otter looks up at him, his eyes searching Austin’s face. “Austin, I’m just tired of worrying about you. First the monster at the motel, then the lake house, now all of this…” His Adam’s apple bobs unsteadily in his throat. “Austin, I’m afraid that if you go back into those mines, you might never come out again.”
Austin feels his face flush, and turns away from the table. “I have to go. You wouldn’t understand -”
“Wouldn’t understand what? For fuck’s sake, Austin, I was the one who summoned whatever’s in there!” Otter raises his voice, and Austin can tell from the squeak of the kitchen chair against the tile floor that he must also be standing now. “You can’t just treat me like I don’t grasp the ramifications of this, because I do, and I’d rather you’d be safe and actually know what you’re dealing with and have a plan before you go rushing in headfirst like you always do! Because one of these days, Austin, that’s going to get you killed!”
“Yeah,” Austin says. “Fine. So I’ll get killed then.”
His hands are shaking with rage as he leaves to get his helmet from the bedroom. Otter is still sitting in the kitchen when he comes back out, but Austin doesn’t say anything else to him, grabbing the motorcycle key off its hook in the hallway and walking out of the apartment. Austin leans up against the front door once it’s shut, closing his eyes, trying to steady himself. He clenches his fingers tightly around the familiar weight of his helmet.
I’ll just apologize when I get back, he tells himself. That’s all. And if I end up in the hospital again - well, then Otter gets to say “I told you so” when I wake up. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.
Opening his eyes, he starts for the stairs. If he hurries, he can make it to the trail before it really starts to get dark outside.
shakes austin jones by the shoulders WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS