"If you''ve been coming and going since the dawn of time, how come we got overrun only now?"


    "Isn''t it obvious?" monster drawled out.


    "No?"


    "You did this to yourselves. I don''t know how. But now there is a hole between worlds and everyone else poured through."


    "Alright. I suppose it was obvious." I agreed for it did make awful lot of sense. If it wasn''t one thing, would have been another. At least this way we got to experience new tourist destinations. And perhaps even immortality, which I suspected a lot of people would line up for.


    Monster''s calm ticking changed into a hum, like if he was a human he''d have more to say. Partial imitation of the gesture, I suppose. "Spit it out," I urged.


    "No fiery disputes?"


    "I live to surprise," I shrugged with full length of my arms, but didn''t really feel like playing the part of flamboyant ballerina. Flattering that the demon thought I could launch a reasonable debate against him, though.


    Rubbed my icy fingers together. The talk was taking my mind off the unwanted things, but not the screaming discomfort. Walking would get my blood moving, but we were probably headed to the church town. I didn''t want to get anywhere, see anyone. Including this lumbering oaf, but that was inescapable at this time.


    What would be the chances of successfully ripping that skin coat of his off again? Worked out fine when I was barely coherent.


    ... Assault was never my thing. And to begin with, monster was unbelievably cooperative. I sauntered closer, leaned in to touch the chest and put my best seductive tone to use, "Say, what''s underneath?"


    There was a seam, and hints of neckline. It was definitely removable. The blanket flap had been somehow detached too.


    Monster wasn''t charmed or even flustered. Was not replying either. Okay, so it was a bit conceited of me to think I could temp a demon into sin of one kind or another. Nonetheless, disappointing.


    "Organs," his body murmured eventually. Well, duh.


    "No, I mean... under the cloak?"


    There was another massive pause, but I learned to give this alien doofus a minute to mull things over. Seriously, what was so complicated here? Was he being shy? Oh my.


    "Do you want to see?" monster asked quietly again and I jumped for joy.


    "Yes!"


    And then something unexpected happened.


    "Oh," I''ve said, stepping away. We''ve been talking about entirely different things. And turns out the lengthy deliberation was well placed.


    There indeed were organs, although I could not quite place them. I turned my head sideways but it didn''t make any further sense from that angle either. It was like scattered puzzle, hastily stuffed back into the box and some of it possibly missing.


    A bit of the mass sloshed and dribbled out on the grass. A series of cracks made me raise the eyes again. The fleshy mass twisted and crunched again. It was frankly disgusting and my own stomach started following that same flailing dance. But I could not look away.


    "Did you taste so rank that something chewed on you a little and spat back out?" I could not help but wonder at the gory sight. When in panic, talk a lot to cover that up.


    Couple more crunches and the insides were all gone... somewhere. Certainly nowhere in the gut cavity, nor the stomach – for he didn''t have one at all. It was just empty.


    "The opposite," monster informed me after finishing chewing. All that was left were the haphazardly scattered sharp teeth all over the fleshy pink inside of his. The whole of abdomen cavity was a massive toothy maw. The sight was more than unsettling, I felt the dread. I wanted to run. Something very inhuman and loathsome was witnessed by my eyes and they burnt.


    "Momma packed you the lunch, then? It looked delish," I gaped at the lost piece on the ground and wondered if I''m strong enough to go through with rest of the nonsense that swirled on in my mind. I certainly ate worse looking things. Picked it up... and flung it into the bushes with a yelp. "Ouch! Mama likes it a bit spicy, huh?"


    Monster was growling quietly but was not saying anything still. Did not know if it was thoughtful muteness or one of abandonment. It was frankly hard to just stand here and be cornered from all sides. In thoughtful stillness, faced with an abomination, wanting to run and for everything to stop. Shuddered, looking at the still open maw. Fisted my fingers to stop them from shaking and fell forward.


    The rumbling hitched from the impact. I expected the vertical jaws to slam shut, especially on that full-body twitch, but here I still was. Pricked by the teeth I fell on top of, but still living and still breathing. The smell was... not as disgusting as I imagined. Rather like a butcher shop at the city centre. Nothing but the freshest of meats. Which made sense, I suppose.


    The maw around me started closing and I braced myself again, but there was no pain or terrible crunching. It just twined around my tensed back and arms, yanking me off my feet without effort. I was surprised the million needles didn''t rip me apart in such a snug hold. Upon retrospection, they appeared to have gone missing altogether to that mysterious place all terrible things went.


    I couldn''t hear much through the pulse pounding in my ears, but steady vibration told me I wasn''t missing anything. Cleared my throat to adjust the pitch of what would be undoubtedly shaky voice. "Well, do I taste as good as I look?" I asked knowing full well I must taste of well-worn sock by now.


    "Accurate, as I don''t have need for taste as well as the visual input."


    "Soo... you... have no taste? Yea, we''ve already established that." How bland, I thought finding myself rolling my eyes and finally relaxing.


    I was also very jealous. Most of the things I put in my mouth as a starving child and even grown adult were rancid. That also spelled out stomach pains on occasion, but since the creature could chomp on his acidic brethren like candy, that was definitely unnecessary information to him.


    Horned beast did not grace me with defence on his lack of style and I started getting uncomfortable jitters again.


    "My turn to taste you!" I proclaimed much braver than I felt, which was so well-practised it became a personality trait by now.


    I stuck out the tongue and ran it over the glistening concave surface right in front of me, which lacked all the miniscule bony protrusions. I feared the sting of the acid too, but it wasn''t there either. Which, yeah, I would have already felt on my skin.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    It tasted... of nothing. Flesh was smooth in texture and there was the mucus covering it, but zest itself eluded me. Like something was definitely there, but instead it tasted of absence of flavour. Like I lacked specific buds for it. In short, it was much better than nasty.


    "You do live to surprise," creature''s upper chest reverberated and I found myself faced with the flat noise organ. So he did have some of those! What a delight. I suppressed a shudder.


    "Is it my turn to enter you unasked?" creature spoke firmly, leaving no room for backchat. I still attempted to, as the meaning dawned upon my wide-eyed person. A tendril snaked out and brushed past my lips before I could formulate single word.


    Okay, so far not as bad as I assumed. And, yes – I guess that was fair. I did constantly try to stick my parts into monster''s cakeholes. Was lack of asking the issue? I wondered, as my tongue snaked around the flavourless intrusion. I really wanted to ask, but work ethic took over at this time as I was nothing but professional. No talking with mouth full and all that.


    The tapering feeler twirled and slipped past the tongue, into the throat. I tensed, but gag reflex was a thing of very distant past. It was going far further than usual, so it was hard to cling to any kind of normalcy. I hung suspended in a monster''s mouth, tongue of whom I felt somewhere in my chest. It was so far out of my abundant atypical experiences, I did not know what to think or feel. My mind was blissfully empty for once.


    I hadn''t noticed how or when it was even over. I just liked my lips and realised absence of foreign objects.


    "Do you feel pleasure?" I wondered out loud.


    "If I want to," he''d replied.


    "Do you want to?" was my only obvious inquiry.


    I felt monster''s grip around me relax and I was deposited back onto the firm ground again. "Later," I was told as monster stepped away to zip his flesh back up and I shuddered again. It was both from cold morning air, and the recollection he''d said exact same thing about consuming me. Figures – to a monster that must have held entirely different meaning. And to begin with, what was my addled mind even suggesting there?


    Thoroughly freaked out but still blissfully absentminded, I just picked a sunniest direction and walked off. It wasn''t contributing towards getting any warmer after the night''s damp chill and I eventually broke out of my stupor.


    "Carry me!" I demanded with my arms raised towards hulking figure as I''d seen other, happier kids do at the market.


    "No," monster shot it down immediately. I sighed, not in the least bit surprised. Life was never kind to my whims, no matter how small they were.


    "What, why?" I grumbled stubbornly with fake surprise.


    "I can walk myself," monster replicated my voice perfectly without a trace of growling or ticking. It probably was what I''d said before. Ancient beast was being so petty.


    "I''m sorry, baby, that was so rude of me. I take it back," I hung off his arms and tried buttering him up with sweet-talk. No reaction.


    "If you carry me..." I concentrated my entire brainpower on this. He could eat me anytime anyway, and didn''t lack anything else in general. He''d been taking care of himself for literal ever. So I had nothing to offer. On the other hand... there had to be a reason I was still alive and permitted to run my loud mouth. I banked everything on curiosity. "I''ll answer a question!"


    There was no reaction for long-ass time again and I''d given up on the venture. I was thinking to suggest doing a request, then disregarding it completely if I got slapped with something like a don''t run away again. The human hand I was still clutching on untangled itself and swept around me.


    "Weeeeee!" I squealed pretending glee as I was raised up, arms up in the air and legs dangling. Perhaps if I faked hard enough... it hadn''t worked even once thus far, I reflected sourly. Forced my lips to stay curled up as reality tried to force itself back in once again. No thinking about dead friends, bad brain! Concentrate on romantic getaway in countryside with a literal monster.


    Wondered what would be the big question. Something he thought he couldn''t just ask? Ominous. Especially after he''d just answered everything my flippant mind landed on. Of course, perhaps the timeless creature just wasn''t na?ve and bided its time to increase chances of an answer. Because even now, in all likelihood I''d still spout bullshit. Was this a test of character, then? To ask something obvious and see if I''d lie. Ugh, the mind games!


    "Why do you force yourself to do the opposite of what your instincts demand?"


    Ugh. Tough, tedious question. I swung my dangling legs and stared at the sky. The direction we walked in seems to have changed, I noted absentminded. I guessed he meant sticking my hands into his maw and the like.


    "Why indeed," I muttered but what other choice did I really have? Doing the opposite of expected either amused the threat and they''d let me off, or surprised enough to give me a chance to escape.


    "Suicidal and I''ve nothing to lose?" I eventually offered blatant and obvious answer.


    "Incorrect. You''ve got teeth," monster informed me chillingly as though he''d extracted one or two back in the day. Subtle threat? No, not very subtle. I did not want to dwell or reflect on any of this. Buried my face within the palms, but that changed nothing. A scream was welling up inside, which would also be heard by nobody and only fuel fervour of my tormentors. Did this particular monster deserve the truth? The key to my inner workings?


    "You think you can force me to do what you like with a little pain?" I scoffed and held back a flinch to this game-ending bluff. I was very malleable. It didn''t take much to get me to do anything.


    "Yes," monster stated simply. Wonder if that was because he''d seen me in the mansion or because the countless years taught him a thing or two about tickling under fingernails.


    "Let me down," I said, starting to struggle weakly. I didn''t want to talk about that, therefore wasn''t entitled to this ride.


    "No," monster stated and made no move to release me from firm one-handed grip.


    "I wasn''t threatening. Few living things could withstand what I can do," he eventually spoke. And by that I meant when the scenery has changed. Can''t say my mind drifted far either. "Sometimes young humans aren''t afraid, but you are. And yet you act otherwise."


    "Enamoured with my impulsiveness?" I teased with a grin I didn''t feel. Too exhausted to go on playing joviality I muttered, "You''re not the scariest thing I''ve ever seen." I slumped against warm monster and stared at passing branches. "I''m sure you''re terrifying as fuck and all, my cup is just full."


    "But how have you survived thus far jumping head first into the danger?"


    Not on my own, that''s how.


    "Oh look, kitties!" I pointed and flailed. Monster eventually took the hint and walked towards a band of several cats. It has been a long while since I''ve seen those. When he''d stopped, I looked down at the worst distraction in the world of distractions yet. There were around ten bodies lying in a ditch. Obviously whole and uneaten. One was face up and had a round hole in it. The animals stared on at us without flinching.


    I looked away from the sight and found several blackened squares with charcoal poles sticking out. Unbelievable, some small community had still existed in out in the wilds not too long ago. Until.


    Tried to keep it in, but couldn''t resist it in the end. "See, this is scary," I said flatly. "Ancient monsters doing their thing eating one or two? That''s just survival of the fittest."


    "Isn''t this survival of the fittest as well?" monster suggested. "Your people consume the weaker too, if they have what you want."


    I shrugged, "I guess. I might just be salty from sitting on the lowest rung so much." Being powerless was such a universal sin.


    Monster turned his blind head towards me in some gesture I could not decipher. "That is why I wonder how you survived. You''re very well adapted. Even took down the humans of the privileged class."


    He just won''t leave this alone, huh. I rubbed my eyeballs and in absence of sight, the smell of rotting flesh hit me like a hammer and awoke other associations. "By dying myself!" I shouted, losing all composure. "How does that seem as winning? Great survival trait, isn''t it? Is that what you want to absorb from me? Well fucking take it! Shove it and choke on it! Go hang from a tree!"


    Just before I shouted some more angry nonsense I felt my head clear and anger dissipate. It was sudden and therefore very noticeable. I had no doubt monster purged those emotions, leaving me calm as the sky. Why was the weather so nice all the damn time? I wanted to get angry, be angry, but nothing was happening.


    "I do not need anything from you, human. I am perfect," he paused and gave me ample time to roll my eyes. "You simply are my pet – and I will take care of you, even against your wishes."


    I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Could resistance be a particular point of interest?


    "Right. Well, fine. Just so you know - I am very much like a parasite. I latch onto the capable and then get them killed. You''re next," I grinned venomously and tapped his chest. This wasn''t a threat nor a warning. Merely a pity party for one. I would normally be better at hiding my inner workings, but monster didn''t bother with repercussions and my search for boundaries continued.


    The other too-human hand reached out and cupped my cheek. That, coupled with the still turned face almost made the devilish creature seem human. Almost. The gestures were still fixed and uncanny. "That is acceptable," he said gruffly.