《Death and Dandelion》 Chapter 001 - [32345] Ray me up Alone. It was one of those rainy evenings where heavy pouring would overpower most sounds from the bustling city below. A time most suitable for a long meeting with the bed. So did he-leaving himself hamstrung by the warmth of the cotton duvet and these big, soft pillows no one would want to let go after laying down. Alone with beep. One new notification popped on the charging phone¡¯s screen. One massive shift to the other side from him. ¡°Not now, please.¡± The young man stared at the beige wall bordering with that side of the king size bed. The window¡¯s reflection filled the wall like a broken projector rolling an old film, droplets akin to grain. He was not tired in the slightest, but anyone looking at him right now would think otherwise. But then, a wild thought crossed his mind. ¡°Could that be Rich? He hasn¡¯t called in a while.¡± A quick U-roll brought him right next to the commode, whisking the charger away from the socket with his index finger instantly. The young man¡¯s face lit up along with the screen, his hazel eyes fixated on the notification. That was not Rich. The message preview read: [James Sloan] Yo Hugh my mango I covered for u today again Dad is mad but if u peeps talk then all good I think So u gonna come tomorrow or what Let me know hope u alright man Hugh let out a sigh and turned away, looking at the wall again. He let the phone slip on the duvet with a dull thud. His right hand rocked midair, waving, as if to stroke the reflections of the rain on the wall. ¡°Sorry Jay. You have to cover for me tomorrow as well¡±, he muttered. While retreating under the covers, he kept whispering to himself, voice muffled by the softness of the pillow. ¡°And the day after tomorrow. And the rest of the week. And next week, and who knows¡­¡± He felt his mind going numb. Knees pulled up and brought closer to the chest, face buried between the pillow and the duvet¡¯s end. The young man resigned to this position and stayed still for a while. Did minutes pass? Hours? Is it dark outside already? But it kept raining, and time felt so irrelevant. Alone with call. The vibration of the phone made Hugh grumble. ¡°What now¡­¡± His hand reluctantly reached over the duvet to grab the phone back down. Darkness shattered as the vibrating screen glowed up underneath the covers. ¡°Brochard¡± was calling. Seeing this made Hugh spring up and almost stand on the bed, flinging the covers behind. He cleared his throat and licked his lips before answering the call. ¡°Hi Rich!¡± ¡°Hey, my bro in the southern city flow! Not busy right now, are you?¡± Rich¡¯s voice was steady and sincere but had a vividity to it that made Hugh feel obliged to respond in the same tone. ¡°No no, I can talk just fine right now. What¡¯s up over there?¡± ¡°Well to begin, my pay! Sorry for not keeping in touch as often, but I¡¯ve been busting my ass hard. All the crunch time is starting to pay off. I¡¯m also getting leisure points starting this month.¡± ¡°NICE!¡± Hugh spurted out vehemently while getting out of bed. ¡°And it¡¯s all fair coin, Hugh. Things are looking up. I¡¯ll get you back in college in no time.¡± ¡°Wai---no Rich, come on! I have my own job, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t start saving up for me again.¡± ¡°So you say, but you can¡¯t get the funds alone like this. Anything exciting happen at work recently?¡± Hugh paused for a second. ¡°Nah, same old. Gas stations only get action in movies. Though James did get a fake bill recently.¡± Rich¡¯s loud laughter erupted from the speaker, echoing throughout the bedroom. ¡°Ahahahaha! Oh, I wish I could see that! Did he go after them? He must have been fuming!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah he did.¡± Hugh looked out the window. He could easily imagine James running after someone across the muddy, rain-whipped street just to get his bill proper. But no such thing ever happened. ¡°Listen bro,¡± Richard said in a suddenly serious shift of tone. ¡°There¡¯s this girl at work¡­ and I¡¯ve liked her for some time but you know, I¡¯ve been focusing on the assignments...¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Hugh¡¯s foot met a soda can that was instantly shoved away from the bedroom carpet. ¡°But I finally got a chance to ask her out, and she said yes, and we are now dating.¡± Richard went silent for a moment, then continued. ¡°So I want your super duper a-bro-val by dropping by so you can meet her sometime. Sound good?¡± Hugh had by now started walking in circles around the room, carefully avoiding litter on the grey linoleum. He took a deep breath. ¡°Wow, bro, that¡¯s great? Yeah. So, when would that be?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when we have enough free time to travel all the way to you. I want to see you, little bro. We¡¯ll go out for dinner and talk about all sort of things, I got so many new stories from work, and we can see about the classes you¡¯ll get back to.¡± ¡°Rich, I--¡± ¡°Hugh!¡± Richard blurted. ¡°You have to resume college. It¡¯s for your own good, and you want to. I know you want to.¡± There was mutual silence. Hugh let gravity draw him back to bed and let out a loud sigh, which prompted Richard to speak again. ¡°Are you eating properly?¡± ¡°Yes. Oatmeal.¡± ¡°Oatmeal,¡± Richard mirrored. ¡°Please be careful when going to shop, or to work. The Monsoon killer is still out there, you know.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Thanks for caring.¡± A thudding sound was heard from the speaker, then some rustling. Richard finally replied, ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch, Brugh. See ya.¡± ¡°See you Brochard,¡± Hugh mumbled; but the call had already ended. He stood up and took a few slow steps towards the corner of the bedroom. Sighing, the young man put his back against the wall, slowly sliding down until he sat on the floor, head between knees. Contrary to the silent outlook, Hugh¡¯s mind was bursting with thoughts. ¡°Of course you won¡¯t call as often if there¡¯s a girl. Damn. You shouldn¡¯t have me in your life at all, I¡¯ve always been a burden. Just forget about me Rich, you should save up some cash for yourself, and live good.¡± Hugh clicked his tongue and looked up. ¡°Monsoon killer still on the loose, huh? I sure wish I¡¯m next! I want to ray up. Screw college, what¡¯s the point if I¡¯m like this. I don¡¯t feel like working either. I should ray up. Watch it happen to me.¡± He got up and went straight to the window, clearing the blurred glass with his palm. The rain had calmed down a bit, yet the skies loomed dark above still. Hugh gazed in the distance, looking for something. Moments after, a subtle string of light emerged from the cityscape and pierced the sky, only to promptly disappear altogether. Then another, thinner string from much farther away flew up and vanished. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Lucky bastards¡±, Hugh mumbled, making his hand into a fist against the window. His eyes watered as a recent memory resurfaced. -One week earlier- ¡°Jay, do you know how many people die every hour?¡± Hugh was looking outside while cleaning the glass front door of the gas station. A tired but fixed gaze, independent from the chore. Jay-or James Sloan-was behind the counter, adjusting wiper cylinder boxes on a stand. He answered without stopping. ¡°A lot? But just as many are born. In the end, we are increasing in population, but it¡¯s how we see this whole ¡®circle of life¡¯ thing. Like the sky is blue but not actually blue, as you also said.¡± Hugh turned around; his eyes met James, who was staring back with a smug face. ¡°You looked that up?¡± ¡°Hell yeah man, you often say weird stuff that I gotta look up to relate, but I swear it¡¯s not always a good thing!¡± Hugh tilted his head and seemed like he was lost in thought for a moment, then said: ¡°Would you like to know what happens to us when we die?¡± James emptied another pack of wiper boxes. ¡°Damn, what you on about? Are you preparing me for some afterlife trivia?¡± He shifted towards Hugh and pulled a smartphone from his pocket, placing it on the counter. ¡°Do I gotta open the browser for this?¡± Hugh ignored the quippy remark and went on while wiping the door with a dry cloth. ¡°What good would suddenly knowing do, really? To have this kind of knowledge would be useless in hindsight. It would either modify your way of life for what¡¯s coming, or make you feel like it¡¯s too late to do anything. Don¡¯t you think?¡± James wasn¡¯t doing anything anymore, instead he was intensely looking at Hugh. ¡°I think,¡± he said while squinting, ¡°that I¡¯d love to have what you¡¯re having. Damn! Of course I¡¯d want to know if there¡¯s a second life, or reincarnation, or whatever. The unknown is scary, man. But what scares me more,¡± he pointed at the metal door beside him, ¡°is dad when he sees you still haven¡¯t unpacked and arranged the new antifreeze shipment.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go check the pumps first.¡± Hugh put the cleaning cloth aside and stormed off, the glass door hitting the entrance bell behind him. James pondered for a moment, only to have an epiphany. ¡°Wait, the pumps don¡¯t need checking¡­ get your ass back here!¡± Hugh heard James but pretended otherwise. He, too, knew that the pumps were fine, but wanted to find an excuse to loiter around until his shift was over, which was soon. It was a calm afternoon and a soft wind was breezing through, much better than being in there unpacking antifreeze bottles. There were no vehicles refuelling and the gas station felt vacant. Every pump was allegedly checked by Hugh, so he went by the road to look around. That¡¯s when he heard a siren; quickly turning towards the source of this alarming sound. An ambulance was speeding on the empty lane towards the city center with no signs of slowing down. It only took an instant for it to run past Hugh, vrooming, the tailwind slapping his scruffy black hair into a frenzy. And in that moment of turbulence, Hugh saw it. A brief glimmering from within the ambulance, then a huge vertical ray of ochre light bigger than the vehicle itself burst through the metal roof and reached the sky, only to evanesce. Of course, Hugh was the only one who could see it. That beam-like ray did not reflect on its surrounding, only his own eyes. And he knew immediately that someone right then and there, had just drawn their last breath. He kept staring at the ambulance, which soon faded out from his line of sight. Again with that tired but fixed gaze. Hugh was filled with an empty, dark feeling, like a bud plucked from the garden prematurely. The same feeling would fleet by whenever he looked into the distance. Close or far, sooner or later, there would always be a distant ray, beaming up. The young man could see those for as long as memory serves. Though he didn¡¯t know what seeing them meant at first, he would eventually come to face the truth behind this ¡®ability¡¯, if one could call it that. ¡°I should be numb to it by now, right?¡± But no; especially at that moment, Hugh felt like he saw it for the first time, back on that dreaded day. And even though he had no idea who it was that died this time, the young man felt suffocated; drowning in in the everlasting presence of death, he could take it no more. Alone with thoughts. Hugh turned away from the window, let his fist slide down, and took a good look at the bedroom. ¡°What a mess.¡± Leftover food and soft drink containers littered the floor, clothes piled up by the wardrobe, dust and hair gathering all over the place. The carpet in front of him was stained and sticky, probably from something being spilled on it. ¡°My mess. I¡¯m a mess.¡± Hugh crossed arms and rubbed his biceps while walking away from the bedroom and into the bathroom. He completely missed a dark blue shade levitating outside, briefly passing by the window and swaying around it, although the apartment in question was on the third floor with no balcony. Not alone. There was some noise in the corridor outside, and two rings on the doorbell. Hugh peeked out from the bathroom and sloppily pulled his pants up while working his way towards the front door. Looking through the peephole, there was no light outside. Hugh flapped his right hand next to the door to press the switch for the light outside, then looked back while shouting ¡°who is it?¡± Not alone. Not alone. Not alone. There was no answer, and blackness on the opposite side of the door remained. Hugh tried the light switch a couple of times to no avail. He frowned angrily and stepped back, shouting ¡°Hello? Mr. Rand, that you?¡± Notalonenotalonenotalonenotalonenotalonenotalonenotalonenotalone A subsequent fizz could be heard from outside, then a sudden bang, and the bell rang again. Somebody knocked the door twice with a slight thud, like scratching. Hugh felt a chill down his spine. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not opening now, whoever you are!¡± Dark smoke started to seep through the keyhole and slowly worked its way to the floor. This made Hugh jump backwards and knock his head on the wall behind. ¡°What the hell, what is this?¡± He instinctively grabbed his nose and fell to his knees, his frightened heart pumping like crazy. A voice in his head was wailing repeatedly: NOTALONENOTALONENOTALONENOTALONENOTALONENOTALONE The young man felt cold sweat drench his whole back, like he had just made a horrible mistake. His fully dilated eyes were staring at the thick smoke, which started to take form after spreading from the doormat into several inches above. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT ALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE The sight left him strangely mesmerized and unable to move. Eventually, the smoke dissipated with a sharp poofing sound, and a dog-sized animal emerged in its place. But it was no dog. It looked like parts of different animals were mixed together; light brown fur with black stripes covered the creature¡¯s back, like a tiger, but not entirely. A hunched spine similar to that of a hyena, but not exactly. It also had a fox-like head and a stiff tail like a huge rat, but its body was fairly disproportionate to these features. Its pearly eyes were now staring directly at the young man, and its long jaw dropped down to reveal a series of sharp fangs. All the while, a distraught Hugh could still hear someone talking in his head: Not alone. Must move quick. No open door. That is order. If want life. Move. Now. Chapter 002 - [32345] Heu heu Rue Heights. A mountain city in the southern range of the state, set over five thousand feet above the lush valleys nearby. Populated just enough to function independently, yet with a major tourist attraction being its Grand Olde Rodeo, a big number of people come and go everyday. Though it is now mid September and flash flood days are visiting just as often, the city still manages to gather some very precarious individuals. Such are the thoughts of those who stop to take a gander at that man, passing by slowly, tacking his shiny, jet black oxfords on the paved road. About seven feet tall, he towered over most of the crowd, though most seemed more concerned about dodging his giant red scarf, covering most of his upper body and wagging its tail in the wind like a cape would. Those walking towards him had better be just as careful, as he was also sporting a very long cigarette holder, puffing with dark, thick smoke, like a mini chimney. Some of the more crude residents would look at the tall man and try to hold in their laughter. It was about to become a very rainy evening, and he was certainly not equipped for the occasion: no umbrella in hand, a scarf big enough to weigh one down like a chain after becoming wet, and that opera sized cigarette holder would be turned off and stashed away under his black cardigan once rain begins to fall. Yet the man continued to walk slowly, crimson gloves in pockets and not a care in the world. ¡°Woah, watch it big guy!¡± a passing man growled, as he ducked right on time to avoid being slapped in the face by the red scarf¡¯s end. The tall man didn¡¯t say anything and kept walking away. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore me! Take that ridiculous thing o--cough, kuh!¡± The man suddenly started coughing uncontrollably, cleared his throat to spit some sort of phlegm, then back to coughing. Two others went to help, one holding him and the other patting his back to seemingly counter the shortness of breath. The tall man breathed in and took the cigarette holder in his hand. He let out a shaky laughter, revealing a set of shiny golden teeth in full display. ¡°Heu heu, heu heu¡±, he wheezed, then whispered: ¡°don¡¯t tease them, Paston. Stay on the lookout.¡± A voice replied, one that only the tall man could hear in his head: Yes sir. That is order. Must go north. Slow. Can feel enemy. Enemy moving. Clouds were clashing and darkening the sky, as a big storm was about to hit Rue Heights. The tall sir kept his pace unfazed, strolling through the buzzy district. That part of the city seemed to host a considerable amount of homeless folk, now getting busy and pulling up nylon covers on their makeshift residence to take shelter from the iminent downpour. A little girl was crying, but the others seemed to give her no heed, and kept passing the nylon around. Stopping abruptly, the man turned his head. His gaze focused on the girl who cried. She was on her knees, using both hands to shake an older woman back and forth, one who was lying down in prone position. ¡°Mommy, wake up! Wake uuup! I¡¯m hungry!¡± She wept, tears running down her cheeks and snot dripping from her nose. ¡°Why¡­ why aren¡¯t you waking up?¡± The tall man once again took a deep breath and pulled the cigarette holder off his mouth, mumbling behind the scarf. ¡°Go to the bakery shop on my left. Snatch the most tasty looking pastry and bring it to me.¡± The voice in his head replied: Yes sir. Wonder why. But that is order. Must go now. Not long after, a tall figure appeared before the little girl, causing her to let out a yelp upon being overshadowed by this visage. The tall man made a calming gesture with his hand and slowly crouched down. ¡°Relax lass, can I take a look at your mom?¡± said the man with a deep, leathery voice. The girl stayed silent and slowly backed off, taking turns looking at her mother and at him. He checked the woman¡¯s pulse. Nothing. She was cold. He turned to the girl. ¡°Your mom is tired so she won¡¯t wake up for a while, okay? Let her rest for now. You must be hungry. Here, I got you something.¡± The crouched man pulled a big pretzel, coated with honey and sprinkled with a cinnamon-like condiment, from underneath his big red scarf. Wrapped in a paper towel, he gave it to the girl and beamed a wide smile. He saw the girl hesitate at the sight of his golden teeth, so he exclaimed: ¡°This pretzel is the best! Look, I ate one and my teeth look like they¡¯re made of gold! Heu heu! Eat! It¡¯s very yummy.¡± ¡°O-okay¡±, she responded, and reluctantly raised her hand to take the pastry. As soon as she took a bite, tears resumed flowing in her weary face. But they were tears of joy. The man pat her on the head and got back up. ¡°Tastes great, right?¡± She nodded repeatedly while gulping down chunks of honey. "Mmm! Thank you mister! I¡¯ll keep some for mom, too!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a great daughter?¡± The man started puffing from the cigarette holder and thick smoke started levitating above. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, lass. Cheers.¡± He stood up and gave a small wave to the girl while walking away. The girl waved back enthusiastically and resumed eating. Rain began falling. Pedestrians made themselves scarce as the streets became streams. Bizarrely enough, the man and his scarf were not getting any wet, and smoke came out of the cigarette holder as usual. The inner voice appeared again: Sir? Wonder why. Woman dead. Daughter in danger. Wonder why. ¡°The surface is just as cruel sometimes, Paston. I know you haven¡¯t come here for a while, but humans will be humans everywhere you go. What we do, we do for the sake of everyone''s peace. The rain is not going to do anything to that girl. She is happy now...¡± Yes sir. Always right. Saw what sir did. For best. Status report. Enemy smell stronger. Getting close. Must go north and west. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The strong downpour continued, and the tall sir kept walking, unyielding, and dry. His black oxfords splashed on every step without ever staining his red cotler pants with rainwater, as he ventured deeper into the urban complex. Eventually, during a calm break from the rain, Paston''s voice emerged: Halt sir. Enemy here. Building five from left. Floor three. Window. Target. Alone. Yanking the cigarette holder and blowing smoke under the scarf, he immediately put his back against the nearest wall and peeked towards the designated place. A strange, anthropomorphic figure dressed in dark blue was using one hand to cling on the brick wall below the window of a third floor apartment, while holding an extinguished oil lantern on the other. Target inside. Alone with beep. ¡°Got you now, you scaly bastard¡±, the man cursed inside his head. He took a slow, big breath and whispered to Paston. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s located its target and is waiting for the best moment to go in. We should wait for that, too. Don¡¯t want to cause a commotion. Since it wears a mask and I know you can¡¯t use Diachorea yet, the plan is as follows: You distract it, I pull out its mask, we off the snake-eyed cunt and secure whoever it is the oculamp tracked down. Got that?¡± Yes sir. That is order. Apologies for weakness. Will train better. Keep target alive? ¡±Correct. We don¡¯t want anything to happen to its target. After all, we use the oculamp to find them before the piece of garbage Lezards like this one do.¡± Yes sir. That is order, too. Always right. And so they waited. To them, time felt outstretched. The adrenaline rush made moments look like hours. Paston occasionally threw a status report: Alone with call. Not long after and completely unaware of what¡¯s happening, the silhouette of a young man came up to the window. He was staring into the distance. Alone with thoughts. The tall man grunted. "Yes Paston, thank you for the keen observation." He checked the surroundings. No soul around, no cars running on the puddled street. The rain was about to catch on, which helped cover a lot of noise during an expected fight. As an added token of fortune, the young man staring on the window went back in. Luck was on their side. The shady figure bulked its hand up and lifted itself upwards, then stepped on the window¡¯s molding and started to tamper with its lock. Not alone. ¡°Go¡±, the man pitched, putting the cigarette holder and his crimson gloves underneath the red scarf, revealing a veiny pair of hands with gold painted fingernails. He dashed towards the building as a cloud of dark smoke whooshed towards the so called Lezard, blurring its vision and forcing it to jump down to ground level. It quickly got back up and clawed the air, forcing the cloud to dissipate. Looking almost human, it wore a dark blue shirt and similarly colored leggins, though the parts that show skin revealed a dark and scaly complexion and long claws. Its face was covered with a navy blue mask, with two holes tightly applied so that its sharp, serpentine eyes can peep through, and a stylized leaf to decorate the middle of the visor. The Lezard still held tight to the oil lantern in its right hand; from up close, one could see an eyeball dancing around in the lantern¡¯s glass casing. Upon noticing the tall man quickly gaining ground towards it, the Lezard squealed and quickly jumped to the entrance of the building. A wild thought crossed the sir¡¯s mind as he stopped for a brief moment. ¡°What, it¡¯s not running away? Is its target that important?¡± He clenched his shiny teeth and roared: ¡°PASTON! Go straight up to the target and wait for me, it¡¯s going after them no matter what!¡± The smokescreen-forming entity known as Paston fumed right through the stairs directly up to the third floor, and swirled around looking for the door that logically lead to the apartment corresponding with the window they saw. Once Paston found the door, he focused on a spot and smoke started to take form into a paw, allowing him to ring the doorbell twice. The dark, thick vapor almost covered the whole door. Both the Lezard and the tall man were skipping steps running up the stairs, racing maniacally towards the third floor. He caught up with the creature just at the corridor entrance, flinging forward and grabbing its scaly legs. The Lezard slammed head first on the floor with a loud bang and let out a growl. As the two started brawling, Paston rang again and scratched the door to no avail. But then, in a moment¡¯s eureka, the smoky cloud swirled and got smaller, then started getting through the door from the keyhole. The creature soon realized none of its blows would land, as the tall man seemed to slip past every kick, grab and scratch in an unusually slippery fashion. Growling, the Lezard decided to free its other hand by slinging the lantern to a nearby wall with a strong pitch. This caused the tall man to gasp, jump sideways and dive to catch the lantern before it would crash. ¡°You cheeky twat," he shouted, "I¡¯ll definitely kill you for this!¡± Seeing this as an opportunity, the Lezard sprang up and dashed towards the door to the young man¡¯s apartment, at which point Paston was already inside. The man grunted angrily while putting the lantern down, the eyeball inside bouncing like crazy. Enraged, he kicked the floor and went in pursuit of that cheeky twat. Chapter 003 - [32345] Die or bye Hugh stood awestruck still, his hand hovering by his mouth as he kept staring at the peculiar dog-like animal that posed before him. Likewise, Paston, the creature, was staring back and measuring the interior of the apartment cautiously. ¡°Man is only one around; so man must be target¡±. For someone important enough to have Paston ordered secure, he didn¡¯t amount to much. Dressed in light blue pajamas, scruffy black hair further unwinded in curls and now backed against the wall, honey complexion and a pair of big, hazel eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, a single whiff revealed more to Paston. The faint scent of Quintessans. Stem odor from the young man¡¯s head. ¡°Not human, but more.¡± The animal retracted its long jaw and tilted its head decisively, nodding towards the kitchen that connected to the wall Hugh¡¯s back was against. Its rat-like tail started to dissipate into a cloud of smoke again, which snapped Hugh out of his distraught state. Letting out a gasp and trying to get back on his feet, he could once again hear a voice inside his head. Move now. Hide. No open door. Secure. That is order. Go inside. More thumping and pounding could be heard from the corridor right outside. Someone-or something-now banged at the door very loudly, as if their whole body was slamming against it. Paston¡¯s head, now the only remaining part of his body not in a cloudy state, nodded towards the kitchen once more. Adrenaline stormed aplenty inside Hugh, who could not muster his thoughts in a straight line. ¡®Shit¡¯ was the word coming up almost every time he tried to think of what¡¯s going on. It seemed like the animal was the one talking to him, but he was not entirely sure. This could very well be a surreal lucid dream, and he would soon wake up on his warm bed. ¡°But it feels very real. I should hide¡±. The young man finally stood up and side-stepped by the wall, lunging past the kitchen and into the bathroom across the hall. He remembered that it¡¯s the only room with a key to lock its door. Swiftly, he slammed the door behind him, locking it, then removed the key and looked through the keyhole, all the while panting heavily. The front door was not entirely visible like this, but Hugh could clearly see the smoky cloud twirl around the hall and then reach out towards the front door. He heard a familiar clicking sound-the apartment main door, unlocking and opening from the inside. ¡°Shit, someone else is coming.¡± Hugh¡¯s panting was hugely overshadowed by a loud growl and the sound of the grey linoleum floor being trampled. Someone smashed on one of the corridor walls and fell to the floor, then more clapping sounds echoed, pointing to struggle. Suddenly, a body flew inside the apartment, leaping to the ground towards the hall, clearly visible to Hugh. It was a masked figure, human in size but evidently not in nature. Its serpentine hands clawed and marred the floor as it tried to regain its composure. Just as quickly, a tall man with a big red scarf jumped from behind and dove above the masked creature, violently grabbing its head with both hands while starting to wrestle. Stifled growls emitted from the masked creature, as the man above dodged its right hook and retaliated with a headlock, turning it face down. Grabbing the dark blue mask and revealing a hideous, scaly face underneath, the man shouted: ¡°Paston, now!¡± Dark smoke emerged from behind the two strugglers and collapsed on the creature¡¯s head, then a sharp fizzing sound echoed as the foggy substance started seeping inside it from nostrils and ears alike. Coughing and hissing, the scaled beast flailed around, but the tall man firmly kept its head locked in place whilst using his body weight to hold it grounded. With a whooping splash, the creature¡¯s head exploded as Paston¡¯s fox-like head emerged from within its neck. The animal started to take canid form again, licking the splotchy goo from the facial area. Hugh pushed himself away from the bathroom door in abhorrence upon seeing this brutal act. In the spur of the moment, he ignored the fact that the scaled creature left no ray of light upon losing its head. ¡°Dammit Paston, you¡¯re supposed to choke, not materialize inside it and make a bloody mess!¡± the tall man clamored while getting up and away from the now headless body. There was a lot of red blots around, but the they seemed to have missed the man entirely. Clean as new, he gave his scarf a pat and calmly said ¡°be right back¡±, then went out to the corridor. Hugh was sitting on the toilet bowl, panting and doing his best thinking on what to do next. Out on the hall, he heard a fizzing sound again, which prompted him to gasp loudly. Panicking, he grabbed the nearest towel and slid to the bathroom door, shoving the towel across the footing and covering the keyhole with his hand, pressing with all his strength. ¡°Shit shit shit shit, I don¡¯t get what''s going on! Please don¡¯t come here!¡± He cried, leaning his head against the wooden door. Alas, a simple wooden bathroom door is not as airtight as a secure front door, and Paston was soon entering through other gaps in chunks of thick smoke. His voice echoed in Hugh¡¯s head once more: Target secure. No fear. Paston is friend. Come in peace. ¡°Get out of my head! Get out of my house!¡± Hugh slapped the air around him with one hand and covered his nose and mouth with the other. Heart beating like a war drum, mind going numb, his panting became very short and loud at this point. The young man felt a very primordial type of stress, like his entire being was challenged. However, paston swiftly retreated from the bathroom with a sharp effervescence, and Hugh sighed in relief. Then he heard someone calling out from the hall. ¡°Where is the target?¡± the tall man''s leathery voice thundered as he stepped back into the apartment. He was now holding a bizarre lantern, and rose it in front of his face. The eyeball inside the casing bounced and hit the glass walls of the lantern towards the direction of the bathroom. ¡°Alright. Paston, clean up and check if the dead bastard has anything else for us.¡± As the creature nodded and started sniffing around, the tall man came over by the bathroom and gently knocked on the door. ¡°Hey, you in there. I mean no harm, so please don¡¯t scream. I need to know if you¡¯re okay. Please open the door.¡± ¡°What the fuck do you mean by ¡®no harm¡¯?¡± Hugh spat from the other side of the door. ¡°You just broke into my house and killed som--something! W-what do you want from me? I don¡¯t have enough money for all this trouble--¡± ¡°Okay, calm down.¡± The man with the scarf scratched his head and fixed his brown wisp. ¡°Let¡¯s take a step back, okay? My name is Gy. My non-tobacco, non-dog companion who probably sounds like a voice in your head is Paston. We killed that thing over there to prevent it from killing you. What¡¯s your name?¡± Hugh¡¯s panting slowed down, his thoughts started becoming organized. ¡°If they wanted to kill me, they had more than one chance to blow my head up like that, too. But they didn¡¯t." Pant. "Shit. Shit! Whatever. Might as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Hugh,¡± he responded while holding the door with his arms. ¡°Why was that¡­ thing after me? Is that the Monsoon killer?¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No idea what a Monsoon killer is,¡± Gy said in a calm tone, ¡°but that monster was given orders to hunt down anyone like you. Its kind also got to my friend¡­¡± Gy paused for a moment. ¡°...and stole something from us. So I was going after the bastard. Pardon the language.¡± ¡°...anyone like me?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡­ you must have a quality. You can sense something others cannot, correct? Listen. You are not crazy, whatever it is, know that it is very real. And it must have definitely affected your life so far. We were like that, too. I know what it¡¯s like. Come with us. We can help you.¡± Hugh collapsed on the bathroom floor. Everything was now starting to hit him at once. This aptness of being able to tell whenever someone died was always something he burdened alone. The few times he tried to explain it, he was met with concerned looks at best. For some time now, he didn¡¯t want to be a part of society with the constant reminder of death looming in the horizon. Richard¡¯s voice echoed through Hugh¡¯s memories. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You see what you see. But don¡¯t let it get to you, bro. We have to keep on living.¡± Hugh was met with another realization, as he recalled his previous chants. ¡°I wanted to disappear. See this beam burst up from within me, and be done with it. But just now¡­ I feared for my life? Maybe Rich was right. Maybe what this Gy is telling me is right. Only one way to find out. And if I die, I die. Win-win.¡± After sloppily getting up, he put the key in the bathroom lock. ¡°Okay. Then help me¡±, his voice cracked as he opened the wooden door, the taller man¡¯s gaze now meeting his. Gy broke into a courteous, golden smile and extended his hand. ¡°Then I will. Nice to meet you, Hugh.¡± As they were about to shake hands, Hugh noticed the headless body on the floor again, his eyes widened as he was hit with yet another realization. Pointing at the corpse, he shouted. ¡°Watch out! That thing¡¯s not dead yet!¡± Gy immediately turned around, shaken. Paston, who was loitering around the Lezard¡¯s body, looking for loot, shook his head in denial. ¡°Nope, definitely dead¡±, said Gy, looking back at Hugh. ¡°Why did you say it wasn¡¯t?¡± ¡°You said I have a quality,¡± Hugh explained. ¡°That''s the quality. I can tell when someone just died because something like a beam or ray of light is shot out of their body and goes up to the sky. No one else can see that, though. It doesn¡¯t appear on camera or glass reflection, and---¡± "Wait." Gy pondered for a few moments, then finally talked. ¡°Have you ever squashed a mosquito?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did you see a ray of light come out of that, too?¡± ¡°No...¡± Laughter burst out of Gy¡¯s mouth. ¡°There you go! That piece of hot garbage is like a bug, so of course you didn¡¯t see anything. Though, admittedly, I might have just insulted all bugs out there. Heu heu heu heu!¡± He sat down and pulled a pocket-sized wooden stick from underneath his big red scarf. ¡°Well, either way, you have to come with us now, before any concerned neighbors come knocking.¡± ¡°Oh, nobody else lives on this floor,¡± Hugh admitted, ¡°but Mr. Rand, the owner of the complex, lives on the fourth floor. He could have heard the noise if he''s here.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Gy took the stick and held it on his eye level. The top end of the stick had a beautiful-albeit tiny-gem that held a wide array of colors inside its prism, and was kept in place by a small wheel underneath. ¡°So Hugh, are you ready to leave everything behind?¡± The young man hesitated, thinking of his older brother. "No, no, Rich is better off without me. This is my chance. I just hope he gets over it quickly." He shook his head. ¡°I am ready. Give me a few minut--¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Gy interrupted, looking at Paston who slowly pushed the corpse towards the two men. ¡°You are going to leave everything behind. Well, not your clothes, but you get the point. No notes to any loved ones, either. To them, you are as good as dead, though we got here in time before that became your reality. We leave now. Paston, grab the oculamp, it¡¯s in the hall." Looking back to Hugh, he continued. "Come sit beside me.¡± Hugh wanted to get out of his pajamas, and was wondering about what an oculamp might be, but prioritized sitting on the linoleum floor next to the man first. Gy was getting busy trying to calibrate the position of the gem on top of the stick. ¡°So why are we sitting if we leave now?¡± Gy answered without looking away from the gem, ¡°that''s how we leave. I know you have many questions, and I''ll do my best to answer them while we¡¯re in the vergent network.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the vergent netw--¡± ¡°Did I stutter?¡± Gy gave Hugh a sarcastic smile, and grabbed the corpse from the shirt¡¯s collar, positioning it in front of his feet. Hugh was thoroughly intimidated but raised his eyebrows, looking away. He decided he was going to do this. Paston, in full animal form, came carrying the lantern in his mouth. He sat on Gy¡¯s lap and nodded, looking at the gem. Seeing the eyeball inside the lantern rolling around further raised Hugh¡¯s curiosity, but he prodded his lower lip and stayed quiet. Holding the stick in front of everyone with a tense arm, Gy declared: ¡°Alright Hugh, please hold on to my arm and keep your eyes on this shiny gem. And don¡¯t blink, okay?¡± ¡°Okay¡±, Hugh obliged, visibly unnerved but equally curious. He grabbed Gy¡¯s outstretched arm and stared at the small gemstone. Its surface glistened in a pretty fashion, colors galore shining all around. Slowly lowering the gem from his eye level, Gy extended his other arm and let out a howl. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t blink now! Eyes steady!¡± He pushed the wheel under the gem with his index finger, sending the gem in a spinning frenzy. Hugh saw the colors merge into an amalgamation of shining lights which sparkled all around him, growing bigger and bigger, until they engulfed his entire line of sight. Then, a gust of wind blew on everyone¡¯s face, and with a loud ¡®ZING¡¯, the apartment was suddenly quiet. Everyone inside was gone. Chapter 004 - [32345] The vergent connection Ziiiiiiiiing~ Eyes open wide, unblinking. It only took moments for Hugh to become aware of his surroundings. Though to him, it felt like he was out cold for hours and suddenly woke up. ¡°Woah, woah, WOAH! What happened?¡± he quavered, looking around. The young man was no longer in his apartment; there were violet skies with shining clouds and blazing stars all around him, like countless nebulas blending together. He let out a yelp as he looked down, almost tripping. He was standing midair, yet it felt like stepping on sleek marble. Hugh slowly began to slide his foot across the terrain. It was a flat, solid surface, stable for footing but fully transparent, the purple horizons loomed below, clearly visible. Sitting-though to Hugh it still looked like levitating-beside him still was Gy, who let go of the gem-carrying stick, still spinning incredibly fast. The gemstick hovered in position a few inches before them. Paston grabbed the Lezard¡¯s corpse by the leg and dragged it away from the two men. ¡°Just a couple bars away is fine¡±, Gy shouted while pulling out a small bag from underneath his giant red scarf and putting the bizarre lantern with the eyeball inside it. He turned towards Hugh. ¡°Sit down. Now¡¯s the best time to talk.¡± But the young man was stuck in place, moving his head around to marvel at the seemingly infinite space chaos engulfing him. ¡°I have sooo many questions¡±, he mumbled. ¡°What¡¯s that? It must be so huge!¡± Gy turned to where Hugh was pointing: A gigantic shadow with multiple limbs spanning across a big portion of these magenta stratums towered over clouds and stars alike. To see this from Hugh¡¯s perspective really felt like a planet-sized monster. Dredged across the shadow¡¯s body were little glittering feather-shaped nodes. ¡°Ah, that,¡± Gy shook his head, ¡°that I don¡¯t know the answer to. It¡¯s always been there and doesn¡¯t do anything. It probably moves around, because I¡¯ve seen its arms or whatever they are in different positions. Though to be honest,¡± the tall man said in a snarky tone, smiling at Hugh, ¡°it¡¯s not safe to stay here, in the vergent network, for too long.¡± Gy pulled out a cup and a metallic bottle from the bag. ¡°Come, sit¡±, he said, lightly tapping the transparent ground. It made no sound and Hugh, still light-headed, felt like he was looking at a mime pretending to perch on a floor that is not there. Hugh made a deep squat and carefully placed his hands down before shifting to a slouching position. The constant ¡®zing¡¯ noise that kept hitting his ears for a while now was starting to get louder. ¡°So this place is the vergent network? What is it exactly?¡± Puckering his lips, Gy instead responded with an puffing ¡®mm¡¯. Paston came back and curled between the man¡¯s perched legs, then let out a huge yawn. ¡°Hey,¡± the tall man suddenly spoke out, ¡°let¡¯s make this into a question game instead. You ask a question, I answer, then ask you a question, you answer, then ask me another one etcetera etcetera. Alright?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Hugh crossed his arms. Then followed an awkward silence-besides the constant zinging sound-which Hugh promptly broke. ¡°Okay, what now?¡± ¡°Game on. I asked a question, you said alright. I was waiting for you to ask me a question, and you asked ''what now'', and now I''m answering. Do you follow?¡± ¡°Yes, I think I follow¡±, Hugh grumbled. Mildly confused by this kind of behavior, he saw Gy reveal his golden teeth once again, grinning and waiting for the next question. ¡°Oh! Uhh, so what is this place?¡± ¡°This is probably not a place per se,¡± Gy responded while pouring some hot liquid from the metallic bottle and into the cup, ¡°the best explanation I can think of is that it¡¯s something in-between actual places. You can see it as a space connecting where we were, and where we are going. A tube of sorts.¡± He took a sip and squinted at Hugh. ¡°My turn. Is your head spinning and hearing a loud ringing noise yet?¡± ¡°I think so¡±, Hugh replied, holding his head. He was certainly feeling kind of dizzy, and for good reason. Half his brain must have been trying to process what happened the past few hours still, and the other half must have been hard at work creating expectations on what¡¯s to come. ¡°You feel that, too, Gy?¡± ¡°Nah, your brain gets used to it after a few times. Same goes for Paston here¡±. He stroke Paston¡¯s hair, revealing an incision atop his skull. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Chew on this, it will help a little¡±, Gy noted while pulling out something from the bag in front of him. He threw something small at Hugh, who instinctively caught it in his palms. A metallised plastic wrapping read: ¡°Joseline¡¯s Candy Knobs¡±. He unwrapped it and reluctantly ate the candy. ¡°Tastes like butter caramel¡±, the young man thought as he put the wrapping in his pajama pocket. ¡°Throw it away¡± Gy blurted, and took another sip of the hot liquid. ¡°You can throw the trash out with no repercussions here.¡± He turned and bawled at the headless Lezard corpse, hanging a dozen feet away. ¡°HEAR THAT, YOU FUCKING BASTARD? OH WAIT, YOU NEED EARS TO HEAR. Fucking worse than trash.¡± Turning back to Hugh, he raised his eyebrows: ¡°Ah, pardon my language. So¡­ I hope you understand you can¡¯t go back to your old life now. Any regrets?¡± Hugh didn¡¯t throw the wrapping away. He crossed his arms again and looked at the vast dome of mauve and amethyst skies. No rays of light beaming up anywhere. The zinging in his ears subsided a little. He clicked his tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I hope it¡¯s for the best.¡± Hugh turned his gaze and pointed at the colorful gemstone floating next to him and Gy. ¡°So what¡¯s this here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± Gy shouted, shaking his feet and forcing Paston to get up. ¡°It¡¯s our guide through the vergent network. This is a special gemstone and it¡¯s used to, uh¡­ to help us get in between places, so it has to keep spinning until an exit is close.¡± Calm again, he gulped down what was left in the cup and exhaled loudly. ¡°Now, very important question,¡± Gy gave Hugh a piercing look and stressed every subsequent word, ¡°do-you-know-anyone-else-like-you?¡± ¡°Not that I know of. Does it make any difference?¡± ¡°No¡±, Gy responded in an evasive tone. Glad he was passed the ball to ask another question like that, he continued: ¡°Does your family know about your ¡®quality¡¯?¡± The word ¡®family¡¯ resonated throughout Hugh¡¯s body and sent a shiver down his spine. He rest his chin on his fists and sighed. ¡°My parents died when I was little. I''m sure they didn¡¯t know anything, because the first time I ever saw this ray of light was the day they died.¡± Hugh kept talking with his eyes closed. ¡°My older brother has been taking care of me most of my life, and I¡¯ve told him a few times about this. He doesn¡¯t necessary believe what I see is real, but he believes in me. And he really shouldn¡¯t¡­ because¡­ I¡¯ve lied to him about many other things...¡± A pause in Hugh¡¯s words prompted Gy to speak. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that¡±, he said quietly, watching as Hugh started nudging his forehead with his thumbs. Paston walked over and shoved his fox-like head between Hugh¡¯s hands, whimpering. ¡°Heh, thank you,¡± Hugh smiled, ¡°you¡¯re a good dog after all.¡± Instantly retreating back, Paston snarled, scoffed and walked back to Gy, who gave Hugh a sour smile. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like being called a dog. He finds it humiliating.¡± ¡°Well what is he, then?¡± Hugh took a deep breath and shook his face to release himself from the sobbing state he was in. He tapped his temples, taunting Paston. ¡°What are you? Come on, talk in my head!¡± Gy sat back and put the cup and bottle in the bag. ¡°Heu heu! You can only hear him when he¡¯s in smoke form, buddy. Technically speaking, Paston is a thylacine. There are no more of his kind left on the surface. Then again, he¡¯s not really an animal at all...¡± ¡°The surface?¡± Hugh pondered as this part caught his attention the most. ¡°Nu-huh-ah,¡± Gy interrupted, ¡°it¡¯s my turn to ask.¡± Noticing that the gemstone¡¯s spinning slowed considerably, he rustled his scarf. ¡°But game¡¯s over. We¡¯re close.¡± Pulling the bag under his big red scarf, the tall man moved towards the floating stick that carried the gem atop its wheel. ¡°Paston. Hugh. Grab on to me.¡± Both of them dragged their feet, Hugh put his hands on Gy¡¯s wide back while Paston scurried between his legs, grabbing on to the tall man¡¯s shiny black oxfords. The gemstick stopped spinning and floating. Gy caught it just when it was about to drop to the transparent ground, and an iridescent bright light shone from within the gemstone. Ziiiiiiiiing~ Torrents of colors fell upon the three, then a strong gust of wind hit Gy face-on, turning him around. Hugh fell on his back with a loud thud, followed by a moment of silence. The sound of birds chirping could be heard from the vicinity.