Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/13462197. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Fandom: Outlast_(Video_Games) Relationship: Eddie_Gluskin/Original_Character(s), Original_Female_Character/Original Male_Character, Original_Male_Character/Original_Male_Character Character: Original_Male_Character(s), Original_Female_Character(s), Eddie_Gluskin, Waylon_Park, Miles_Upshur, The_Walrider_(Outlast), Chris_Walker, Richard Trager Additional Tags: Prostitution, Drug_Use, Drug_Abuse, Underage_Character(s), Canon-Typical Violence, Alternate_Universe_-_Canon_Divergence, Angst, Interspecies Relationship(s) Stats: Published: 2018-01-23 Updated: 2018-03-09 Chapters: 4/? Words: 4794 ****** The Iron Oven in the Candy House ****** by Sine_Nomine101 Summary Eddie manages to survive the incident with Waylon park. He was even found and given another chance in a new place. Unfortunately the new facility, no matter how clean, is much much worse. It's gonna take several miracles and a literal ton of luck to even live never-mind escaping. But the only thing Eddie has is a manila folder. ***** Into The Beasts' Belly ***** The Underground sounded like a rebel meeting spot on paper but it was far from that. It was where you sent things that could never blend into society. As a result most of the inhabitants were beyond insane, genetically mutated, or results of secret government programs. The Underground was well...underground. It had a small housing and and an even smaller commercial district. This and the stadium like lights fit under the roof of the 190 ft cavern. When it was ‘night’ the blaring lights were shut off, food was expected to be rationed, and if you didn’t work you didn’t get housing. Women usually married so that they didn’t have to work at all. The children helped at home instead of going to school since there wasn’t any school. The economy was based heavily on the mines, clothing industry, and jewelry. Food came from greenhouses that used lights that were different from the ones embedded in the cavern roof. Because the Underground had to have some kind of freedom to bring in money to its owners there was a guard like force called Custos. For citizens to become apart of this for they had to (like above ground police) go to the academy.   Nothing was ever peaceful in humid human disposal of a 'town’. Crime was out of hand despite the efforts of the Custos. Illegal drugs and alcohol found their way to the market no matter how dangerous selling was. The prostitution was even worse. It was almost an industry by itself.   When Murkoff Corporation went down (along with Jeremy Blaire) there was an abundance of people who couldn't be rehabilitated and integrated back into society. The Underground was were these people were sent. Eddie sat in cuffs on the inside of some armored vehicle. He couldn't remember how he ended up there or how he had survived the rope accident at Mount Massive. Everything was a blur. Eddie looked down at himself sighing in relief, his suit hadn't of been removed. He shifted slightly and looked across at the only other person in cuffs slouched in a deep sleep. He could only assume the guy was from the same asylum. Eddie wouldn't be able to find out until he woke up. He was sure it was a drug induced sleep. There were 6 more people in the back with Eddie and the sleeping guy. But he didn't have to guess who they were because the black padded gear gave it away. All of the guards appeared to be male and made no movement. Eddie cursed himself for hanging up the useless bodies of failed brides. It was probably why they brought in enough to outnumber him. If he had just crushed them into the vents then maybe he would have less security to deal with. Eddie relaxed and thought about the situation, if he didn't calm down he might miss valuable information. First he thought of trying to get a guess on where he was going. It wasn't prison. The guards didn't have any markings on their gear that a prison guard would have. Wherever it was Eddie knew it was a place that preferred confidentiality. That's the only reason for the missing identification on the guards. Not to mention he hadn't of seen a psych since before Mount Massive went to hell. So they obviously weren't trying to put him back out on the streets. The conclusion Eddie came to just made him miss the chaos of an almost forgotten asylum. Whoever had him now was a lot worse than the machine itself. If they didn't kill him with the experiments then it would probably be the conditions instead. The moving stopped and Eddie looked around hesitantly he should be getting out, right? He was proven wrong when the guard closest to him stabbed a syringe into his shoulder. Eddie jumped shocked and tried to fight. His vision was already darkening though. He didn't make it off the cold metal bench before he slumped and became still. Eddie woke up with a jerk, he was sure he would have to fight as soon as he got up. Instead he realized as he took a scan of his surroundings that there was no need to fight. There were only 3 people this time. One of them was a small blonde woman in a bland navy dress that was droning on and on. Eddie wasn't in the mood for listening, he couldn't remember anything plus not to mention he wasn't happy about being stabbed. “Mr. Gluskin?” Eddie snapped his head to attention looking at the woman. This was bad. He practically had amnesia, was somewhere that was yet to be named, and he couldn't pay attention. Something was off Eddie just had a hard time figuring out what that exactly was...great he'd stop paying attention again after going off on a tangent. “Edward.” The woman added a firmness to her tone that irked Eddie. He decided to respond in the same tone. “Stop. I can't even focus right now. What happened?” Eddie was more than offended when the woman sighed like she was annoyed “About 3 days after the initial release of the footage and data from Waylon Park a team of people went to Mount Massive to retrieve anyone who had survived the incident. You along with several others were brought out.” Eddie would sit back if he could but decided to slouch against the table as an alternative. “What do you plan on doing with the others and I?” Eddie wasn't going back on the machine or anything like it. If he had to he could take the 2 guards standing behind the woman. He straightened out as much as he could. “You're all going to a better place.” Eddie finally looked at the woman and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Stop beating around the bush. Where are you putting us?” He hated speaking like he was an ambassador of patients from Mount Massive. But he couldn't seem selfish either, it wouldn't do to look cold-hearted. “I don't have clearance to tell you anything more about it. I can tell you that you'll be fed and clothed. You'll have to work for the extras though. You won't be experimented on unless you have been debriefed.” Eddie was even more confused. It just sounded like he would be stuck with another company. Great. “So then... you're releasing me?” Eddie said slightly hopeful. He decided not to let it show. “Of course not. You're a monster in human flesh. Communities and people just wouldn't feel safe living around you. In this place you'll be surrounded by others like you.” Eddie was not only angry again he was upset too. There was no way he could find a wife in a hole somewhere. He'd die alone. “Sure. Are you going to give me a job or something?” The woman seemed to become uncomfortable immediately. The awkwardness that permeated from her face was enough for Eddie, it made up for her awful attitude. “I have a file with your job and bunk number. You'll get your own place when you can afford it. The boys down at your job will teach you the rest. I'm going to unlock your cuffs and hand you the file.” She stood and took a key from her pocket before removing the cuffs. Turns out Eddie would work in some kind of mine. He didn't know what he was mining exactly. The woman said it payed good. Eddie though it wasn't a job you gave to someone you liked. Eddie stood and followed the guards out after his cuffs had been put back on The hallways we're featureless and white. The guards led him to the outline of an elevator at the end of the hall. The elevator exterior looked futuristic while the inside looked mechanical. There were dents along with the markings from welding. Once again the cuffs were removed. Eddie was then shoved into the elevator. He spun around to give the 2 behind him an evil look. “Fight all you want to. The elevator ain't gonna stop.” The doors closed and the descent began ***** Acidic Fire ***** Chapter Summary Eddie finally gets to work, what a great day. Right? Eddie was downright sick by the time the elevator stopped moving. The trip down was too long for it to be a floor in the building, maybe they were being shoved in the basement? But then how did it have enough space for a mine and bunking space. The woman explained a small town not a mental institute. He didn't get any meds or any kind of doctor. Things seemed great. Eddie knew better than to get too happy though. The doors finally opened to a large lobby with people running from here to there. They would yell across the room occasionally at each other and throw things across tables and chairs, it was chaotic to say at the least. As soon as Eddie stepped out of the elevator the doors snapped shut behind him. He sincerely wished to be back in the metal box. Eddie held the file tight in one hand as he used the other to touch the shoulder of a woman rushing past. She kept moving even though he was sure she felt his hand. Stepping away from the elevator shaft Eddie walked deeper into the room. He became frustrated eventually. No matter how many people pass none spoke. He knew he stood out. The suit was too colorful when compared with the apparel of others in the room. Eddie yanked a small bearded man with dark blonde hair toward him. He shoved his file onto the man’s chest. “Oh! Your the new one I’ve been hearing about.” The man stated in a thick Irish accent as he took a look inside the other’s file smiling slightly. “You’re coming with me sonny. Name’s Lorcan, I lead the boys down at the mine. I’ve got your uniform.” Eddie liked Lorcan. The man played no games and spoke in words not riddles. The taller of the 2 nodded before speaking quietly. “So who’s the other guy that will end up with the other bunk?” Lorcan laughed then pointed a thumb at himself. “Consider yourself lucky. I’m not much but I won't cause you trouble.” Eddie nodded again. Things shouldn’t be too complicated all he had to do was make money, find a good woman, marry her. Lorcan was too rough to be a wife. The Groom could tell from the roughness of his hands that his body was far from pliant.   Lorcan was talkative and the other appreciated that. The place and its roads were mostly made of leftover material from the mine. It made the whole ground look like patchwork. Eddie didn’t mind since his entire suite came all to close to matching it. There were only 100 something people that lived in the ‘Cavern’ as the Irishman called it. The once Murkoff patient thought about the impact that size of population could have on a community. He knew that the town probably had their personal lives intertwined like some kind of monstrous spider web. It would be better to lay low for awhile. Yes he wanted a wife but he didn’t to quarrel over her. Eddie didn’t need to step on any toes...he was virtually the new kid. The snapping of fingers in his face brought the taller of the 2 miners back to reality with a jerk of his head. Lorcan just smiled softly shaking his head. “You know you had come to a complete stop before I got you back? Don’t worry so hard or you're bound to walk off the edge of a cliff.” Eddie turned his head slightly confused. “What cliffs?”A small hand came down heavy on his back in a sporting way. If it was in any other context the Groom would’ve been pissed. The mine itself was just as shabby as the rest of the cavern. Their bunks were in a building across the dirt road of the mine. Their uniform consisted of a grey jumpsuit, underwear, and a white tank. They would get up at 5 and stop at 11. Lorcan was especially specific about the time. Eddie could do anything before 5 and after 11. The job itself was simple, grab a pickaxe and hack away at the dark stone grey walls. If he saw anything then he had to put it in a cart. That was it. The tiny Irishman promised a hardhat after a couple weeks of work. Eddie wondered if it was because the new guys got crushed often. He hoped that wasn't the case. Lorcan showed him around their boarding pointing out his bed. But when Eddie turned around to ask about recreational the other was gone without a trace. A frustrated sigh left tired and old ribs before Eddie laid down. The Groom knew there were women here, they had been at the place where Lorcan picked him up. It made slight sense he hadn't see any. What woman would hang around the mines? Eddie rolled over onto his side closing his eyes slowly even though his mind was still busy with the situation. A miner Eddie had never seen shook him awake. The patches of discolored soon were more sickly grey than usual, he had to warm up and get his blood pumping. It would go away. Apparently the stranger had been speaking while Eddie was thinking of his skin. “-et up and get dressed. We gotta get to work big guy.” The stranger shifted awkwardly by the side of Eddie's bed. Sitting up he waved the stranger away before getting dressed. He wondered briefly where Lorcan was. Eddie didn't get to think on it for a long because there the stranger was again dragging him off to the mines. The crossed the dirt road and walked into the mines. Work wasn't foreign to the Groom but when he walked into the mines he felt the spark of deep hatred for the woman who handed him that folder. What made it even ‘better’ was that Eddie knew the feelings had to be reciprocated. As stated before, they got off at 5. A rough hand came down somewhere on Eddie's back and although it had only been about a day, the taller of the two knew it was. “Oy hey there, you finished? I wanted to show you the town.” Locan gave a beaming smile to Eddie that was oddly taken up with mostly Irish canines. “So there's more to this hole?” Eddie snapped at the other. He was hot and tired, the last thing he wanted to do was walk around all over again. What could be more exciting than going home after work? “Oh come on chap, I know you're gonna love this.” Seemingly ignoring Eddie's annoyance Lorcan pushed Eddie out of the mines. The groom threw down the axe allowing it. The Irishman was a dead one if he wasn't taking Eddie to an area with the opposite gender. ***** Acidic Fire Digestion ***** Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes Eddie hadn't of wanted to follow Lorcan anywhere but he was glad he did. There were a couple of stores, with one being a cloth and thread store. The Groom was more than pleased. He could actually make a white dress. Besides that there was a grocery store of sorts, a hardware store, a clothing store, a doctor's office, and other buildings designated to work. Eddie yawned stretching as they walked out of the doctor's office. Lorcan roughly patted the others back smiling. “Come on don't tell me you're tired, the real fun hasn't even started yet.” The taller of the two gave Lorcan a glare. His patience was running thin. “And what do you want to show me now?” Eddie didn't hide is irritation at all. He was already tired when Lorcan pushed him from the mines. But he had finally seen women. They weren't what he was looking for. One had more than her fair share of arms. “Well some businesses don't open until the lights go out. I'll come find you when the street lamps come on.” With that Lorcan was gone. Eddie assumed he meant the obnoxiously bright lights that always seemed on.   The lights went off about an hour later. The Groom stopped looking through fabrics of the cloth store to see the street lights flicker on one by one. It was a dull yellow color that was almost relaxing compared to the harsh white of the earlier ones. Eddie nearly jumped when Lorcan clamored into the store. “Eddie! There you are, let's go I'm dying to show you the bar.” The other nodded and waved a small goodbye to the woman with many arms, he refused to count them. As they stepped back outside the Eddie noticed how much cooler it was when he got out, he blamed it on the overhead lights. “I’m just going to clear this up before you drag me somewhere else but I’m not interested in prostitutes.” Lorcan gave a harsh laugh shoving his hands into his pockets. “I know, I’m in charge of the new miners. People upstairs send me a list warnings when I get a violent one.” Lorcan said looking off into the dark distance. “And did they say anything about me?” Eddie glanced at the other. His mind immediately went to Mount Massive, back to the gym once covered in blood and pieces of leftover rope. “Nothing extreme. Just to keep you away from certain things.” Lorcan was careful to keep the long list of these certain things behind alcohol sour lips. Eddie was supposed to have his own room so he could stay away from the male miners, he had to be supervised when taken anywhere, and he was absolutely forbidden from seeing women. But Lorcan had tried following the list with others and it didn’t work well. They want what they can’t have. Lorcan just showed them everything on the list after their first day, most were too tired to actually be aggressive. “What did they say Lorcan? Tell me now.” Eddie's threatening tone was the least of the Irishman’s concern. He took a turn down the gravel path with the Groom in tow. They were soon at a plain 2 story house with a small amount of light coming from the windows, Eddie assumed candles. “Well I'm supposed to keep you away from people but I've done this for awhile and that's the worst thing I could do.” If Eddie knew he was supposed to be isolated from everyone then he might become angry no matter how tired he was. Pushing open the wooden door Locan stepped inside. The other was hesitant but followed anyway. Eddie was sure he would walk into some foul smelling hole with women being sold from cages. He was quite surprised to find it was far from his expectation. There seemed to be something intricately designed everywhere, whether trailing after someone or hanging off of something. He took a look at the members of the house who padded around with bare feet on a wooden floor. They all seemed unique, Eddie had yet to see any repeats. The decor was dimly lit by several lanterns and candles. He didn't see any outlets or light bulbs though. Lorcan continued deeper into the house and although Eddie wanted to stop to look longer he followed the other. “The woman who owns this house has something just for you.” The smaller of the two turned to smile half heartedly. Eddie didn't trust the smile. He still continued to ask the question set up for him. “What do you mean? It's not a hole in the wall. It's not somewhere to find..” The Groom stopped himself. Why did telling Lorcan he was looking for a wife feel like a bad idea. “A wife?” Lorcan said it calmly as he turned to walk up the stairs. Eddie's file had more than one list of warnings, one for people and one for shops. The Irishman assumed with all the jewelry and clothing store restrictions that the guy was looking for marriage. “Well yeah. I'm not going to marry someone that's been with someone else though.” Eddie had made that mistake too many times. He sure every last 'slut’ that hung in the gym was far from virgin. Maybe he could try to mold her into the perfect wife. Yet the women here reminded him less of prostitutes and more of gold diggers living in one house. He didn't want to settle. He could if had to at the end of the day “I know I know. The upstairs portion is specifically for people like you. Trick is, you have to buy them to actually have them.” Eddie tilted his head slightly. So it definitely wasn't a hole in the wall. “Let's just say I like one, how much are they? I'm not buying a car.” Lorcan couldn't help the laugh that forced its way out. Who compared car prices to people prices? “It usually depends on height. The shorter the cheaper.” Lorcan waved at the doors in front of the stairs. “Their all in their own separate rooms, and try not to be picky there's only 3.” With a pat on the Groom's back the other trotted back downstairs. After a little consideration Eddie chose the door farthest to the left. Chapter End Notes I'm so sorry this took so long! I'm gonna try to post way more and get on a schedule for updating :') ***** Intestines Don't Act Like Incinerators ***** Eddie opened the door the to find an unnaturally tall and lean creature. He could not see the others face but he liked the way her back looked. Long blond hair that reached the end of her pale blue back, swayed slightly with her smaller movements. But he quickly remembered the nice but excessive armed lady from the store, he was sure she probably had a nice back too. The front was always a different story so with a sigh Eddie spoke hoping she was beautiful all around. “Can you please turn around?” The Groom kept his tone soft and gentle. He couldn’t force her to do anything, not yet. “No. I’m tired of shocked faces and men upset at me for not looking one way.” Her voice held a weariness to it along with the frustration of being ‘different’ in an already eccentric town. He didn’t want to get her hopes up so he turned and left. Eddie shut the door behind him moving on to the door in the middle. He opened the door slowly afraid that the other one had been agitated by his sudden entrance. Before he could fully push the door open someone was already opening it from the other side. She was much smaller but still came up past Eddie's shoulders, bright green eyes darted around. He assumed she was nervous. “Uhm..I can't really..” Eddie frowned and in the moment he smelled something. It reminded him of Lorcan and that was enough for him to put his hands up and back away. The Irishman was annoying, it wasn't enough for Eddie to force himself on the woman though. She gave the Groom a gentle smile and softly shut the door. He stepped back and looked at the last door to his right. It was the last one. Still he felt as if it would turn out like the other two. Eddie was going to head back downstairs when questions started popping into his head. He opened the third door like he opened the second. No one came to open the door and no one was sitting there waiting to reject him. Eddie stepped inside the room glancing around the room. The blackness coming from the window halted his curiosity. It was so dark almost bleak if it weren’t for the color, smells, and decor brightening up the space. A woman came from the door by her bed wrapped in a towel. He studied the pieces of skin her could see. She was covered in scars and bruises. When the two met eyes Eddie raised an eyebrow. With a tired sigh the Groom spoke slightly annoyed. “What is it this time? Another guy?” She nodded almost bashfully and looked up wide eyed before he could respond, she had remembered something. “Vivienne only let’s the..submissive ones get sold. She brought something aggressive to the house about a week ago and she still hasn’t brought him down from the attic. If you're looking for a person that’ll fight then that's the place to go.” Eddie nodded at the information and gave a small smile to the shy woman. He walked out shutting the door behind himself. Walking further down the hallway the Groom found a hanging string. It led to a hatch in the ceiling. He pulled on the string and the following ladder. Eddie climbed up it, he could already see the odd blue light. The room was small and more home like than the others he had seen. It was still lit by candles but the lanterns held blue glass instead of clear. It gave the room a cool feel. When he didn't see anyone he pulled the the ladder and hatch shut. Eddie didn't think he was supposed to be in here, Lorcan would've told him if he was. He stood and turned to look at the room better. If he didn't know anything he'd assume it was an empty room. But no one had come down the hallway or from the attic. Whoever it was still had to be in here. Eddie took a step toward the bed with no real reason when something from under the bed hissed. If he wasn't a mass murderer already he might of jumped. The haphazard way the blankets laid covered their only way to look at each other. With the hiss and the empty room Eddie took it as a victory. This one really wasn't friendly. He took a couple more steps, growling dotted between each one. The Groom looked to the window trying to gauge how much time he had. The red glow was distant and it didn't give much information on the time. With a sigh he gave up and tried to focus on getting her out from under the bed. It had only been noises so he wouldn't be shocked if they couldn't speak at all. “Why don't you come out..” Eddie thought for a brief moment, there had to be incentive. He wanted to stand out. “I'll bring you something if you do.” It was silent for a very long time. He thought it was lost and was on his way to being mad he had to settle when a smaller voice came from under the bed. “I want cigarettes.” The voice sounded like it belonged to a male. Eddie couldn't be more happy. He shook his head stopping fantasies and smiled. “What kind?” He tried to keep the same tone the other had given him. His was nowhere close but softer than usual. “Newports.” Eddie nodded. He couldn't see yet he guessed that it belonged to someone younger. He had only seen teenagers and that memory was lost with all the other small details of his past life in the machine. “So can I know your name? I'm going to be getting you cigarettes anyway.” There was another silence, much longer than the first. His darling didn't disappoint though. “Kadir.” Eddie smiled and tried the name out getting closer to the bed. There wasn't a hiss or a growl. “That's a beautiful name, Kadir. I'm Eddie.” There was that silence again and then the smallest whisper. He knew it was his name. “You can get closer..I don't mind.” He might not of heard it if he wasn't focusing. He scooted forward slightly and sighed. It would take time but she'd be his and only his. Eddie snapped his head back when he heard the creak of the stairs. He stood and said some sort of goodbye. “I'll be back tomorrow with your stuff, I swear darling.” He was halfway down the ladder when Kadir responded. “I'll see you tomorrow Eddie.” The Groom smiled wide and continued down. He was pushing the hatch closed when Lorcan came behind him bringing a hand down on his back. “So how'd you like it?” He decided to nod and give a small smile to the Irishman. It was him who had brought him here so Eddie tried to say thank you. “Yeah..thanks..could we uhm..” He didn't know why he couldn't get it out but he just couldn't. Lorcan seemed to understand. “Yeah no problem big fella. We'll come back tomorrow.” Eddie nodded again and followed Lorcan out. They split ways and Eddie finally laid down in his bunk exhausted. It was an odd relief while he was awake, which wasn't a long time. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!