Hackett's Quarry Forever! | Dylan x Ryan | FanFiction

•Chapter 11 - The Arrival•

Dylan nods in response as he turns to Ryan who notices him in the corner of his eye. He grabs his hand and interlocks their fingers, squeezing it gently. Ryan smiles weakly and offers a squeeze back as he releases a deep breath.

•••

The drive feels as though its lasted years and Dylan feels like his rear end was about to fall off from numbness. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat he watches outside the window as the sign for the Cliffside Lounge and Harbinger Motel soon comes into view. His anxiety causes him to swallow his saliva every few seconds, staring at Ryan who is also seemingly shaky as he stares out of the window intensely. Kaitlyn has a determined expression on her face but Dylan knows deep down it was all her facade.

"Well boys, we're almost there. Hope you're ready." She announces only making them feel feel more nervous.

Ryan cannot help but think about the woods they passed where Silas was put to rest by Laura. He feels a strange energy around him, one he is unable to describe. He tries to shake it off by blaming it on his imagination but it feels too prominent to simply come from his mind.

"Hey, guys?" He calls as they eye him quickly. "Do you feel like the hairs on your arms and neck are standing up and like something weird is totally surrounding you right now?" He asks through slight panic.

"Uhm, yeah kinda." Dylan replies shakily touching the back of his neck as he tries to swallow the pesky lump in his throat.

"Just be vigilant, I'm sure it's only that witch letting us know she's still here." Kaitlyn assures realistically darting her eyes around with caution as the boys hum nervously in agreement.

The road grows bumpier and the trees thicker as they traverse deeper into North Kill territory. The cliff emerging in the distance from the foliage indicates that they are nearing the lounge and a mixture of excitement and dread circles within them.

It isn't long before the lounge and a row of parked cars is entering their view. The lounge is fairly small and built from pine, supported by thick wooden beams and surrounded by patterned fences of the same kind. Two huge windows formed a triangle at the top of the lounge, leading towards the roof whilst the lower half rested upon a foundation with smaller patterned windows surrounding the walls.

"Looks like they renovated this place fairly recently." Ryan suggests judging from the modernised appearance of the clearly old rustic building he remembers.

"Yeah, kinda weird. It looked so dull and old-timey last time we went there a few months back." Kaitlyn agrees in suspicion as she pulls into a parking space.

Dylan rolls down his window and sticks his head out spotting Emma standing on the porch wearing a huge smile and waving frantically with both arms. Ryan and Kaitlyn soon spot her and wave back. She hurries down the steps and runs towards their car, opening the door for Kaitlyn to climb out as she removes the key from the ignition.

"Hey party people!" She greets loudly with a squeal making the others chuckle as she hugs them one by one. "Oh my god, it's so good to see you guys! Everyone is inside already so we'd better get our butts moving!" She informs cheerfully as she wraps an arm around Kaitlyn's shoulders and hurries off ahead with her.

"Are you alright?" Ryan asks Dylan calmly as his expression is clearly troubled.

"I'll be fine, just my silly old head." He assures halfheartedly as he musters a fake laugh which Ryan obviously isn't buying.

"Look, just tell me if you need to take a breather or something. Come on, let's go." He insists holding his hand out for Dylan to grab who thankfully takes it offering a tight squeeze of gratitude.

As they make their way inside they are soon met with an abundance of excitement and yelling. Their heads snap towards the noise and an excited Jacob and Nick are storming their way over to them. Dylan and Ryan smile warmly with fond snickers and head in their direction before being met with a leaping Jacob crashing into them almost knocking them off their feet. He wraps his arms around them both and pulls them into his chest roughly for a tight hug, Nick giggling excitedly from behind.

"It's so good to see you boys!" He exclaims bashfully as he shakes them. "Hey, Ryan. No hard feelings, right?" He asks as he pulls away.

"No hard feelings, man." He agrees with a chuckle earning a loud 'ayyyy!' from him.

"Oh my god, Nick, it's so good to see you healthy again." Dylan smiles as he averts his gaze to him, Ryan humming in agreement. Nick blushes in response before stepping closer and holding his arms out welcomingly for Dylan to accept. He gladly takes him in and holds him tightly with a few comforting pats to his back.

"Hey guys!" They hear a lighter voice approaching as they look in its direction to be met with a cheerful Abigail prancing towards them.

"Abi!" Dylan greets loudly with a grin hurrying towards her.

"Hey, Ab!" Ryan follows cheerfully.

Soon Kaitlyn and Emma are also making their way towards them and they all take a moment to just smile a laugh gratefully.

"Group hug!" Jacob yells earning an abundance of laughter as he holds his arms out, everyone soon following and engulfing each other in a warm tight huddle.

"I can't believe the band is back at last!" Emma cheers as her eyes travel across everyone.

"Come, come. Let's sit at that big table over there and we can talk about everything!" Jacob suggests sprinting towards it excitedly.

It almost didn't feel real to Dylan seeing everyone so happy again like they were during the Summer.

Maybe to let go of the past, they'd all need to face it.