HUNTER → GRIZZ VISSER ✔

002. arthur conan doyle

𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗜𝗦 eyes at the sight before him, his jawline was very noticeably stiff as he clenched down on his teeth. "I told you,  Hunter, let's go." 

Hunter Mayer, the kind-hearted cheerleader, looked up a her boyfriend with soft eyes and smiled. "I hear you, I'd like to say goodbye to my friend first." 

Friend. 

That stuck out like a sore thumb to both of the male's. Campbell felt more infuriated at the thought of his girlfriend being friends not only another male, but one who he knew looked at her body the same way he looked at it. The only thing bringing him some kind of satisfaction was the thought that this other male wouldn't be able to see her body under the cheerleading uniform. 

Grizz, on the other hand, felt a slight stab of pain in his chest when the girl pointed out that they where in fact friends. But, later that evening Grizz would go to his friends who would point out that friend was halfway to girlfriend. 

"Goodbye, Gareth, stay safe tonight." Hunter spoke softly stepping forward to give the boy a rental hug. He was shocked by the closeness of their bodies but the smell of lavender, sage, and alcohol brought him back to remembering the level of intoxication she was probably under. 

Campbell huffed, reaching forward to grip Hunter's arm as he pulled her off the boy and towards his side. He shot Grizz a stern look, almost threatening, before tugging the girl out of the church. 

- 

The following morning, Hunter woke up early in the morning and slipped outside for a jog. She always tried her best to go for morning jog before her day got busy and the weight of everything touched her. 

As she jogged alongside an empty neighbour hood, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Somehow the lack of service still allowed for communication between classmates and even went as far as to allow messages to send to her Apple Watch. Looking at her wrist, the ignored the faint marks and focused on the message from Cassandra. 

Continuing along the road, Hunter quickly was able to jog over towards the Church. Once there, Cassandra was leaning against the brick post with Luke, Harry, and Will sat on the steps above her. Allie was standing off to the side with Sam and Grizz. When the blond girl slowed her face and came to a halt before everyone, Grizz sent her a soft smile and held out a water bottle that the girl gladly accepted. 

"I'll get a car and go to Greenwich to get help," Cassandra offered. 

"Why you?" Harry asked, he raised and eyebrow at the girl almost challenging her. 

"Someone has to find out where everyone went." Allie explained directing her comment at Harry, "We can't all go."

"I'll do it," Harry argued eyeing the concrete below his feet.

"I don't think any of you are sober." Hunter pointed out, she herself was just becoming sobered up thanks to her morning jog. 

"Fuck off," Harry scowled, "Luke, let's see if we can get the guys to come with."

Luke lifted his head up, he looked like complete shit. "Yeah. Yeah, let's go." 

"You're all still very evidently intoxicated, if not hung over at the very least. Let me drive, please." Hunter protested. She reached into her pocket and held up her car keys. Her car was still parked at the church where the students had been picked up by the bus the previous day. 

No one protested for a chance to ride in Hunter's baby blue g wagon. Clark, Luke, and Grizz sat squished in the back seat grumbling the whole ride about Harry getting the front seat. 

"So, as a rule, the more bizarre a thing seems, the less mysterious it is. Arthur Conan Doyle?" Grizz tried to explain to Clark.

"You know this shit?" Clark asked leaning forward and patting Harry on the shoulder. 

"No." Harry mumbled at the same time Hunter grinned, "I do. He was a British writer, who created the character, Sherlock Holmes. In fact, Benedict Cumberbatch is directly related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle." 

Grizz grinned, of course she would know that. In the tenth grade during their brief interaction, Grizz had mentioned Sir Arthur Conan Doyle multiple times and he remembered the girl unaware of who he was. The thought of Hunter going home and looking up the name because of him brought butterflies to his stomach. 

"Okay, google girl." Harry snorted. 

"The point is," Grizz said rolling his eyes, "there's an explanation for everything."

"What does that have to do with Arthur Conan Boyle, dude?" Clark asked. 

"It's Doyle," Grizz said, "and you're hopeless." 

Clark was about to snap back something snarky at the boy when Hunter slammed on the breaks, switching it into park, and hopped out of the car. She took a couple steps forward before turning around with wide blue eyes. They were trapped.

She jumped back into the car, racing to the other side of town. The tire's of the car screeched as they came to an abrupt halt infant of the train tracks. As everyone claimed out of the car, no one said anything. They were all too scared to face the truth. The truth is they were trapped in this small town, the town they had all been so excited to leave. The group stood on the train tracks waiting for a train to arrive. To bring their parents and families. To bring an escape from unwanted people. To bring food, water, anything. 

Hunter soon found herself surrounded by what seemed to be the important people. Cassandra, Allie, Will, Campbell, Kelly, Gordie, Clark, Luke, Helena, Harry, and Grizz all stood around her. They stood one by one brainstorming the best explanation to provide the rest of the teenagers. 

Campbell's eyes didn't leave Grizz, even as the girl walked over towards him and placed a gentle kiss on his check. 

"Maybe it's a dream," Allie offered, "I mean, that's the best option."

"Maybe this is just some elaborate fucking game," Harry explained after a minute of silence. "Like someone built an exact replica of our town and put it in the middle of nowhere and if we walked, like, this way or that way or anyway-"

"We'll get back to the real world." Hunter whispered in awe, "like Alice in wonderland." 

"There was a smell and it went away and came back, then the buses came for us." Cassandra started.

"You just gonna work this out," Campbell scoffed, "Cassandra?"

"This isn't a logic problem," Gordie said, softly so that Cassandra wouldn't be offended by his comment.

"The world doesn't just turn upside down without a reason." Hunter cut in, shifting so she was resting against the railing of the bridge. "We're not in some play-within-a-play." 

"Grizz and I will get a group together," Luke said. "We'll go out and hike through the woods. If there are people we have to find them."

"I think that's a good idea," Helena said.

"Do you think it's safe?" Cassandra asked. 

"Yeah, sure." Grizz shrugged. Campbell could see the worry on his girlfriends face when Grizz agreed, therefor he decided to volunteer also to get the attention back on himself.

Luke spoke up before anyone else could, "Grizz knows what he's doing."

Harry looked over at Kelly, "Let's go. Kelly, get in the car."

"No." Responded Kelly.

"Jesus Christ, just in the car," Harry grumbled taking a step towards her.

"Leave her alone." Will intervened.

"Fuck off, Will." Harry snapped, raising his voice.

Campbell scoffed, "Fucken' abusive much."