The gym smelled like sweat and cheap perfume.
Casey noticed it before anything else.
[Insert image here]
He stood near the wall, hands in his pockets, watching people pretend not to look nervous. Buckets sat above the doors. Someone laughed too loud. Someone else looked ready to cry.
'Yeah,' he thought. 'This is going to end badly.'
He felt it in the air. Not danger. Pressure. Like something holding its breath.
Then he saw her.
Carrie White stood alone near the lockers. Too quiet. Too still. Her shoulders were tight, like she was bracing for a hit that hadn't landed yet.
Blood dripped down her leg.
The room froze.
Someone screamed.
Casey exhaled slowly.
'There it is.'
The laughter started. Sharp. Mean. Familiar. It echoed wrong, like the room wanted it to happen.
Carrie looked around, confused. Hurt. Terrified.
The pressure snapped.
The lockers shook.
Lights flickered.
Casey moved.
Not fast.
Not dramatic.
He just walked.
Glass cracked. A door bent inward. People screamed louder now, panic piling on panic.
Carrie's eyes burned.
The fire was there. Not literal. Yet. But it was coming.
Casey stopped a few feet away from her.
"Carrie," he said. Calm. Firm.
She flinched at her name.
"I'm not here to hurt you."
The lockers screamed as metal twisted.
He raised one hand.
Everything stopped.
Not time.
Just force.
The pressure hit a wall and stayed there.
Carrie stared at him, eyes wide. "I—I didn't—"
"I know," Casey said. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Her breathing shook.
Someone behind them sobbed.
Casey ignored it.
"You're scared," he said. "That makes sense."
The fire hesitated.
'Good,' he thought. 'She's listening.'
"I can help," he said. "But you need to breathe."
Carrie swallowed. Tried. Failed. Tried again.
The lockers settled.
The lights stopped flickering.
Casey lowered his hand.
Silence filled the room. Heavy. Awkward. Alive.
Carrie looked at him like he was something unreal. "Who are you?"
Casey paused.
For once, he didn't have a good answer.
"I'm Casey," he said. "And I think we should get you out of here."
She nodded. Small. Careful.
He offered his hand.
After a second, she took it.
The pressure vanished.
The fire went quiet.
And somewhere far away—too far to hear but close enough to matter—
something ancient paid attention.
Casey didn't notice.
Right now, all he cared about was getting her somewhere safe.
Carrie stared at him, eyes wide.
"Wait… you're—"
Casey grabbed her arm. Not hard. Just enough.
"Yeah," he said. "The kid from your chemistry class."
The room shook again. Someone screamed.
Casey didn't wait.
He pulled her with him and started running.
Carrie reacted on instinct. The door ahead slammed shut, metal screaming as it locked under her power.
Casey didn't slow down.
He kicked.
The door flew open, torn from its frame. Students froze, staring in shock.
"Move," Casey said.
They moved.
Casey and Carrie ran past them, shoes slipping on the floor. A bloody footprint smeared behind them.
Carrie looked at him, breath shaking.
"W-where are you taking me?"
Casey didn't stop running.
"Somewhere safe," he said.
They burst outside.
"The forest."
'You're probably wondering who I am,' Casey thought as they ran.
'How I knew. Why I wasn't scared. Why the door broke.'
He didn't explain it out loud.
Seventeen years was a long time to live with answers no one asked for.
Long enough to stop needing to say them.
He tightened his grip on Carrie's arm as the trees closed around them.
"My house is nearby," he said.
Carrie blinked at him. "Your family lives in the forest?"
Casey snorted softly. "Dad says rent's cheaper."
She almost laughed.
Almost.
The forest swallowed the noise behind them.
Sirens, screams, the crack of breaking glass—everything faded as the trees closed in. Leaves slapped at Casey's jacket as he pushed through the undergrowth, never slowing, never letting go.
Carrie struggled to keep up. Her breath came out sharp and uneven.
"Casey—wait—"
He slowed immediately.
"Sorry," he said. "I forget not everyone runs like they're being chased by monsters on a weekly basis."
She stared at him. "That was… a joke?"
"Bad one," he admitted.
They reached a narrow dirt path. It didn't look like much—just two tire tracks cutting through the trees—but it was real. Solid. Safe.
A car waited ahead.
Carrie stopped dead.
"That's… a car."
"Yep."
"It's red."
"Also yep."
"And it's moving."
The engine idled, low and patient. The headlights flicked on by themselves.
Carrie took a step back. "Casey."
He sighed. "Before you say anything—"
The driver-side door opened on its own.
"—it's friendly. Mostly."
Carrie looked at him like he'd finally snapped.
"That car is looking at me."
Casey shrugged. "She does that."
The back window lowered.
A massive Saint Bernard stared out, tongue hanging, tail thumping against the seat.
Carrie froze. "…Is that a dog?"
"Cujo."
The dog barked happily.
Carrie's knees nearly gave out. "You named your dog Cujo?"
"No," Casey said. "That was already his name. Long story. Short version—he's vaccinated now."
Cujo leaned forward and licked her hand.
She flinched, then slowly relaxed.
"He's… sweet."
"Yeah," Casey said. "He usually is."
Carrie looked between the car, the dog, and Casey.
"You live in the forest. You have a haunted car. And a horror-movie dog."
"Technically," Casey said, opening the passenger door for her, "I have a very affordable housing situation."
She hesitated, then got in.
The door shut gently behind her.
Christine purred.
As Casey walked around to the driver's side, he glanced back toward the town, where smoke still rose above the trees.
'Pennywise,' he thought.
'Stay in your sewer. I'm busy tonight.'
He got in, shut the door, and the car pulled away on its own.
Carrie stared out the window, arms wrapped around herself.
"Casey?"
"Yeah?"
"…Thank you."
He nodded, eyes on the road.
"Anytime."
After a while, the trees opened up.
A two-story cabin stood quietly among them. Warm light glowed from the windows. A small garden sat off to the side, neat and alive despite the forest pressing in.
Christine rolled to a stop on her own.
Casey stepped out and stretched like this was any other night.
Carrie followed more slowly, taking it all in. "You live here?"
"Yep."
He headed for the porch and raised his voice.
"Mom. Dad."
He paused, then added, casual as ever,
"Found another one."
The porch light clicked on.
From inside, footsteps approached.
Carrie swallowed.
Another one?
Casey led her inside.
The house was… normal.
Which somehow made it worse.
Wood floors. A couch. A table with a half-finished puzzle on it. Family photos on the wall. Warm lights. The smell of food and old paper.
Then Carrie noticed the rug.
She stopped.
It wasn't patterned.
It was shaped.
A wolf. No—part wolf, part man. Stretched flat across the floor, glassy eyes staring at the ceiling, teeth still bared in a frozen snarl.
Carrie swallowed. "Casey…"
"Yeah," he said. "Watch your step. He sheds."
She forced herself to move.
On the far wall, mounted like a hunting trophy, was something troll-like. Gray skin. Thick bones. A face twisted mid-roar, mouth open wide enough to swallow a person whole.
To the left of it—
Carrie blinked.
A meatball-shaped creature, taxidermied and bolted to the wall. No limbs. Just folds of flesh and a ring of sharp, uneven teeth.
She stared.
"That one tried to eat time," Casey said casually. "Didn't end well for it."
Carrie didn't ask what that meant.
Her eyes drifted farther down the wall and stopped.
A sword.
Golden. Massive. Far too big to be decorative. Symbols were carved into the blade—circles, lines, marks that made her head ache if she stared too long. It was held in place by heavy brackets, like the house itself didn't trust it to stay put.
Something about it felt… old.
And awake.
Carrie whispered, "What is that?"
Casey followed her gaze.
"Oh. That?"
He shrugged. "Don't touch it."
She looked at him. "That's your explanation?"
"That's the short one."
From the kitchen, his mother's voice called out, "Shoes off, both of you! And if the sword starts glowing again, tell me immediately."
Carrie went very still.
"…Again?"
Casey smiled tiredly.
"Welcome to my house."
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy this is my first fic so please be nice