I wondered how long of a break I would be permitted. Night fell and the monster had not moved or said anything. Time must have been a nonconcept to these immortal beings. They didn''t even get tired. Or maybe some did? But why would anyone chose to keep that trait?
Several shapes moved along the plains, but nothing bothered us. Could not even see them well. Where was the skull-piercing voice or a many-legged horror? Hadn''t called out because I was in no particular hurry to move. And nobody was curious to check up on the booming speech, so perhaps it was safe here.
It got quite cold in my strappy glory with all my junk hanging out. I started regretting throwing away the skin wrap which mysteriously radiated warmth all on its own... Should I go and cling to a leg or something? Still didn''t want to break status quo and prompt continuation of the march though.
So I lay down on the grass and looked at the stars. Thickening moon reminded me of last time I''d observed it. Chest panged and I turned on my side. Laying on the cold ground outside reminded of more than just that recent night. My back sought out a source of warmth pressed to it but there was no one. I wiped at my face uselessly, but saltwater did not cease.
The constant, but relaxed ticking had a couple of extra beats and it was immediately noticeable. I did not move, but prepared myself to act. Fucking finally. I heard nothing else, no idea where threat could be coming from. But it was coming for the passive sonar switched to an actual silent growl.
My new master fearlessly awaited. What are the chances something scarier was coming along? Probably low. Though what did I know? Perhaps they just continued existing as a part of another creature and that''s what eternity meant over there. Damn, did that mean I''d continue existing like that too if eaten? Ugh. Belated complications. I could ask, but then I''d reveal my intentions.
Out of nowhere the growl switched to a snarl and there were sounds of ripping and thrashing. I still didn''t hear any other presence. Nothing at all to give it away. If I hadn''t known how rigid the horned creature was, I''d think he just decided to monkey about for a bit. As it stood, this was probably a death match between a mute and blind - a prelude to a joke, one could say, and I regretted this to be a night. I would have been thrilled to see this play out.
It wasn''t instantaneously concluded so I picked myself up and started sprinting towards the thicket some ways off. There I could maybe hide or even get eaten? I had no plans after reaching that.
The wind on my face felt great. It''s been so long since I dashed at my full speed! These legs saved my thieving ass so many times. I was good at running. And the fool not only healed me, but also given plenty of strength for this.
Sure, darkness made me stumble here and there but thus far I avoided pitfalls. I got an eyeful of the surroundings during the day. The path I chose was as clear as it gets.
As I got closer to the shrubbery, urge to avoid it at all cost rose. It was so overpowering, I stopped without intending to. I couldn''t go into there. At all. Something was in the trees, I just knew it. Something so alien a mere presence of it made me want to be away. Leaves rustled even though there was no wind. As much as it seemed I was halfway to fulfilling my plan, I decided I''d die to some other less dreadful thing. Took sharp left... downhill.
I had a sensation of going up whilst running down. The ground was lifting. Damn, falling and going splat would not serve my purpose. There needs to be nothing left. I hit something and fell down on my knees, breathing hard. Scenery had somewhat changed. There was still the brush close by, but plains now had entirely different outline. There was a house, sparse tall trees. Hallucination? Teleportation? One giant landslide? Whatever happened, lucky! Which was suspicious. But then again, I was trying to get eaten so...
The house was abandoned, I saw broken windows as I ran past. After that there were more lone trees. I eventually exhausted my stamina. I was at an excellent condition but it still has been a while since I needed to run for a living. Probably not my best getaway.
There were branches cracking in the distance. Even though it wasn''t close, even if I was here for this exact reason, even not knowing if it was actually dangerous... I felt spooked beyond measure.
Mere trees looked so ominous. I began singing as I walked deeper into the darkness. And then I saw the eyes. Just briefly there and gone. My legs locked up and I didn''t want to be here anymore. I didn''t want to be eaten alive. I hated this place. I wanted to go home.
Pushing away all the things I couldn''t attain, I walked into a branch and scratched my face. Complained loudly. Nothing came for me. Sighed nervously and kept walking. Stumbled into tall grass, another step landed me in a puddle. Found silently gurgling stream, it would appear. No mysterious water creature popped out beckoning me to drown, which was frankly disappointing. Sighed and stepped to walk in the middle of it. If I was pursued, maybe this would help me cover the tracks?
It wasn''t deep enough to swim, nor was that something I desired to attempt in the pitch darkness. Walked myself back into the reeds on more than one occasion. Slipped. Cut myself on the rocks. Not had a great time, so to say. Nothing ate me, even though I heard movement around.
Climbed out on a lighter stretch when it presented and curled up on the grass. Shivered from extreme cold. Didn''t feel my legs again. Damp ground wasn''t kind to a naked skin. Why must I still be so miserable? I guess I could just cut myself to bleed out and be done with. I''ll do that in the morning once I can look for some broken glass or similar around. Should have taken the jagged rocks with me.
The ancient horror probably wasn''t coming anyway. A bit conceited of me to think it would have. But then again, some freaks had way too much free time on their hands and absolutely loved when something didn''t go to plan for once in their perfect lives. Hard to say.
I did walk far. Had no clue as to the direction. Probably nowhere near the city. If I stumble upon a road, could maybe find some old signs with helpful arrows. Not that I had reason to ever go back there.
Kept trying to turn my swirling thought vortex away from the great many upsetting things. And the cold helped, forcing me back into the moment. I''d pass out from exhaustion, wake up ten minutes later to shiver. Pass out again. Sun began rising but its rays weren''t warming. Eventually the temperature must have risen just enough to keep me under for several hours.
I woke up with a pained groan. Joints were locked up. Was not having a great time. I tried to sit and must have snagged on some branches. Planted my face into the dirt. Outstanding morning. Exactly what I needed to keep desiring to stick around, world. Good job.
To top that off, I felt unmistakable reverberation through the ground. Absolutely outstanding.
"Baby! You''ve found me!" I exclaimed shrilly in my airheaded girlfriend tone. "I was so terrified." Winced. Was not my best attempt. Sweetness and not sarcasm, dipshit. Playing dumb hurt less than the alternatives. Put your back into it.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Demon hadn''t dignified it with a reply.
Patting my side to look for whatever that''s managed to catch on the skimpy string, found that it was actually another string. Hooks clasped together. Why was I still wearing this? Made not much of a difference nakedness wise.
Undid the snag – they were not much of a problem if it''s just an odd one and not whole row. But there was second. And the third, all in weird places. What the hell? My stiff and frozen over body certainly did not flip around so much to warrant all of this tangle. Eyes found the reason for my discomfort who stood still in the shadows, pretending it wasn''t here at all.
I grouched out, "Oh, grow up." This tone lacked any sort of pretence. It was too early for this and I was not used to dealing with clients in the morning.
Chewed on my lip in regret. What now? Pain, that''s what.
"I thought you''re all for causing minor inconvenience," demon''s deep rasp rolled down the grass. Creature didn''t sound mad.
In fact, this seemed so... "Petty too. What a charmer. You must get all the girls," I scoffed, feeling tentative relief. If the creature equated looking for me with a trivial matter, I was all for that.
What would piss him off? Thus far, only getting handsy garnered a reaction. Which – ow – I was not a fan of, but was ready to suffer through to know more. What''s next on the list? The coat? But if that''s creature''s skin, irritability would be well founded. I''d punch someone too if they tried to remove mine. Perhaps I''d exhausted that branch of inquiry.
"I get everything I want," demon assured me.
"Wow, such sexy self-confidence. I love it," I hated it, but empty compliments went a long way. And it made my day to make fun of unsuspecting fools. Demon made an extra tick but had not commented.
I was fresh out of things to say and the monster remained indifferent. I was starting to think we probably would spend entire day here doing nothing, just like yesterday. Which left me a lot of time to dwell. Suboptimal.
Boy, was it cold. I was chilled straight down to my bones. I felt them clatter.
"So, what would happen if I got eaten?"
There was a lot of thinking silence but all the creature ended up saying was, "Depends."
Ugh. I groaned. Of course this would be another teeth pulling session. However, demon took mercy on my frayed patience and elaborated, "If you desire specific information, be specific. To divulge even an abbreviated version would take longer than you''ve left in your lifespan."
Huffed, considering that. I guess I did essentially ask mommy about afterlife – just this time it was an ancient demon who actually had the answers. But clearly, I wasn''t keen to know individual paths of each of my subatomic particles after they get scattered away from this meat suit... Or was that a subtle threat? Like I wouldn''t live to see tomorrow. It was hard to say what went on in that hood of his... if that''s where creature''s brain was at all. And that''s where all our differences stemmed from, I suppose. The alien thing must have struggled to comprehend humans too. I decided to put effort into being more thoughtful.
I tried to specify as requested but realised that I couldn''t. It was more or less the same phrase in different words. "If an average monster... bit my face off? Presumably with the rest of the head and or body."
"There is no average," monster rumbled out.
Ugh.
Patience, patience. "What are my options?"
"Your face will be consumed by me," demon''s reverberation had more life to it this time. Yes, yes. I was thrilled about this too.
"And if not?"
"Unlikely," the arrogant asshat flexed once again and I rolled my eyes. Sunnovabitch, it''s why we''re having this entire conversation. Or is he onto me and trying to annoy me into quitting? Oh no buddy, that''s not how you win this competition!
"And if that does happen?" I insisted, secretly hoping the creature wasn''t as childish as me, for he had far more patience. Several lifespans worth.
"That is a long list," I was informed.
Asking for top three was probably out of question. It was unlikely anybody done polls for monsters'' daily gossip magazines. "Start listing," I narrowed my eyes, looking forward to my next pitfall.
"Some just need the minerals and would leave rest of your organic matter in a formless puddle. Others are after entire thing, which they''d use indiscriminately to grow. Certain types just absorb the muscle. Or sinew. Or nerve. Or just brain structure. There are kinds that just take over the body and other humans can''t tell the difference. Leeches..."
Yes, we all know about those now, don''t we? I glared and cut him off, "So when you eat me I''ll become that sort of puppet?"
"No," monster informed me very informatively and I grit my teeth. Patience, patience. Did I really want to know details of that anyway? The bits that I was aware of already weren''t promising.
Since being subtle wasn''t really going to work here, I just flashed the monster my entire hand, "So, how do I tell apart the things which would decimate chances of my consciousness''s continued existence in a nightmarish horror beyond my comprehension after the body''s tragically untimely death?"
"You cannot."
I rolled my eyes and wanted to accuse the crafty creature of lying, but sighed and in my infinite forbearance looked back onto the facts. If the monsters changed on a whim, perhaps it was impossible to know.
"Can you tell?"
"Most of the time."
"Ohhh, you''ve been wrong before?" I took a stab at that infinite pride the devil seemed to be sporting.
"Naturally," he''d responded without missing a beat and providing me with no ammo. How dull.
I guess that leaves burning myself alive, then. In my deep musings I found myself looking at the ceaselessly burbling stream. Still couldn''t feet my feet.
"How did you even find me? I even walked through the damn water."
"Was that supposed to mask you somehow?" monster thrummed in a rush as though amused. This grand getaway affair must have looked so pitiful to him that he wasn''t even mad. Which stung more than caused despair at this time. "Water spread your smell all over the area. Your feet were cut up too."
Yeah, definitely stinging. Guess the next time I''ll know!
Though I was starting to suspect I was in a pit too deep to climb out of. The arrogant monster certainly thought so – there was no other reason to give me all the answers otherwise. I couldn''t even call him stingy with those anymore. I just needed to ask right.
"How come sometimes there''s... this dread? Even if I can''t see the monster. But... not always? And other times they''re perfectly terrifying, but not... in that way."
Demon seemed to know what I meant to say, even if I didn''t, "We do not belong here. You know it, even if you don''t understand it. The grander the discrepancy, the worse your aversion gets."
If merely standing next to a shard of that mirror does this, what would stepping onto the other side do? There go my plans for inter-dimensional travelling! Well, I suppose not my plans, but some organisations still tried to cross over... and invade them back? I didn''t know what the goal there was. I''m sure they haven''t thought that far either, as is often the case. After all, we had our hands pretty full here in mortal plane.
Jokes aside, that was just one more reason in long line of justifications to stay far away from all this wriggling alien mess.
I narrowed my eyes at suspiciously two-legged and two-handed specimen to wonder, "Is that why you''re human-shaped? To be all logical and cuddly? Just for us? You shouldn''t have." I made fun of it and even splashed with bitterness, but even I knew there were far worse silhouettes I could be hounded by. If this was an overgrown rat with multiple mouths I probably wouldn''t be just sitting here, chatting.
"Yes," the monster said and I huffed indignantly at his lack of embarrassment. Have some shame, dammit!
"Well, it''s not working. I don''t feel the cuddliness. Must be the horns," I shook my head, criticizing the choices of fashion again. Demon didn''t care. I pushed on, "Does that mean you''re terrified of us? Being entirely in an alien, incomprehensible world."
"No. Mouths bypass that," he rumbled pointedly and I was delighted to find out they had a less creepy function.
"Ohh. So, they acclimatise you?"
"In a way," the air reverberated quietly.
Some unpleasant emotion tickled me and angry irritation broke out, "So... But... Why is it only humans?" I''ve had little basis for that accusation, but seeing Priest was enough information for my indignant self. "Can''t you possess a bear or something?" I suppose I was being hypocritical again, throwing poor animals under the bus rather than no-good assholes who most likely deserved it anyway. People were trash. But as trashy as I was, I still did not desire spending rest of my (his?) life reflecting upon the fact.
"It obviously isn''t just your people. If you''ve assumed so, that''s a fallacy on your end."
Low growl kept rolling off, "Original form means little to me. There''s just so many of you," hungry child drooling at the buffet said. The tone was frankly disgusting.
So it was as simple as convenience. There had been billions of us. Truly a brimming factory farm, ripe for the reaping. But something wasn''t adding up. This creature was old, that much was clear. It literally scoffed at my remaining years.