Deals With The Devil: Our Purpose

Boarded Windows

I set out to help Vinny, although it was difficult to do when his house was completely boarded up. When I got there, the garden was past rotten, there seemed to be an eerie cloud hanging over the roof, even the air seemed to be thicker once I made it to the front door. Slowly, I raised my fist and knocked my knuckles on the swelling wooden door. 'Vinny? It's (Y/n)...' The door immediately swung open, and Vinny burst out, landing on me and burying his head in my chest.
'I-I've missed you so much!'
'Okay, okay, no face in the tits, Vinny. Come on, back up.' I asserted, curling my fingers into his waist and dragging him back a bit. His scruffy brown hair was sticking to his face due to the very prominent tears he had been shedding. The area around his eyes misty brown eyes was red and raw, as well as the end of his nose which had snot dribbling from it. 'What did you and Devin even fight about? How long ago was it?'
'A-About a month ago...I-I asked him if w-we c-could make o-our relationship p-public and h-he got mad at me...'
'Devin gets mad about everything now. He's a teenager again.'
'I-I know...b-but i-imagine if C-Chris just suddenly s-started acting like a c-completely different person...'
'Yeah, I think I know what you mean...but, look, I'm asking everybody if they wanna go for a trip. We're going to go to Germany. Is there any place you'd like to go?' I asked, reaching forward and planting my hand down on his shoulder comfortingly.
'M-Maybe...back to Louisville? Just for a few days...I-I wanna...reconnect with my roots a bit...'
'That's a great idea. We're you born there?' I asked.
'No, but...I was reborn there...'

After that, Vinny followed me as I took a calm walk over to Ryan's house. He lived a bit more in the inner circle of the town by it wasn't too far of a walk, and with Vinny constantly clutching onto my arm for closure, I kept pretty warmly. He was like a living heater. 'Will you be inviting Devin, too?'
'Of course, I will.'
'Maybe I shouldn't come, then...'
'Vincent shut the fuck up.'
'Sorry...' He muttered. It was a bit rude of me to snap at him like that, but I got the strange feeling that being firm with him was the only way to get through.
'Please, Ryan...I really like you, you're the only person in this town that I can truly understand...why can't you tell me anything?' I could hear somebody- a woman, speaking as I stepped up the driveway, curiosity becoming un-ignorable the closer I got to the door. Bunny silently waited by the white picket fence which lines the front yard, stretching all the way to the back.
'It's just...too soon. And you'd certainly think I'm crazy...even though I can prove it.' I could hear Ryan reply through the door.
'Prove what?' Though the voice was pushing for answers, it was still strangely calm. The kindness in their tone gave me enough confidence to knock, setting aside my previous sternness with Vinny. Things went quiet, so I decided to call out so he knew who it was and didn't ignore me.
'Ryan? It's (Y/n). Y'know, your best friends wife.' I put on more of a joking tone, hoping to avoid the woman inside thinking I was a partner of his or something along those lines. A moment later, the door opened to reveal an absolutely gorgeous woman. Gray, long hair clumsily hanging over a skinny, sad face. Shining blue eyes set dreadfully within their sockets, she was an absolute doll. 'I'm sorry, are you one of his friends?'
'I am. My name is (Y/n), it's nice to meet you.' I smiled. 'Standing like a vampire under the one shadow in a brightly lit room is my friend Vincent- also one of Ryan's friends. As weird as this may sound, I absolutely love your hair.' I knew flattering her would ease her out of the obviously troubling argument she was once in. Her cheeks were slightly red, eyes puffy from crying but she still smiled through it and kept a small, gentle tone.
'Thank you so much, (Y/n). My name is Jordan, it's nice to meet you.' Her Scottish accent was faint, almost completely overshadowed by her more British voice. 'So, you're one of Ryan's friends?'
'Yep. I have been for quite a while now. Almost Seven years.'
'Wow...I'm sorry, he's just never told me about having any friends.' She sighed slightly, disappointed at the realisation he had been hiding more information from her.
'Don't worry, he doesn't tell anybody anything.'
'Okay, stop talking about me,' Ryan cut in, creeping past Jordan and stepping in front of her with his arms firmly crossed over his chest, 'what do you want?'
'Well Ricky, Vinny and I were going to invite you to a little trip. We're going to Germany, then Louisville. Maybe even back to your hometown if you'll let us?'
'...there's nothing back in my hometown, but...there is somewhere I'd like to go...'
'Good. I'm going to go recruit the rest of the freaks if you'd like to join me?' I suggested.
'I think I'm going to have a bit of a conversation with Jordan before I go...'
'Whatever you need.' I nodded before taking my leave. Slowly, I turned around and began making my way back down the driveway, meeting Vinny at his spot beside the mailbox.
'What did he say?'
'He's coming. We should get moving. I'm freezing.' I complained. Vinny immediately clutched back onto my arm, a dorky grin stretching across his face as he pointed into the distance.
'We must make haste!'