"Speech"
'Thoughts'
["Speech Through Technology"]
||
…
Within the planet's forever darkness, a young woman was in bed. Tears stained her face as she gritted her teeth and clenched her hands, curled up in her bed.
*BARK*
*BARK*
Her dog barked right outside her door. If not for the soft taps at the closed, locked, and covered window, it would be assumed she had lost a loved one.
"S-seven days. Seven days." The young woman repeated to herself as she opened her eyes.
Softly and shakily, opening her right hand revealed it to be the… severed paw of her dog.
The severed paw bled onto her palm. She had found it in her backyard after she let her dog into the house.
The thought of losing her dog without knowledge, the same dog she got to replace the person she lost, and having it be replaced by an impostor creature, tore at her heart.
Not only that, but a creature also seemed to be tapping at the window. Whatever it was, the impostor dog didn't even seem to like it.
Quietly, she curled into herself on her bed. Thinking of her heartfelt memories, she realized that she now had only three beings who cared for her.
Her mother, her father, and Dante. Though slowly, the number of beings that cared for her shrank.
The world was just that cruel.
…
Walking into a certain restaurant, a man in a black hoodie and baggy pants softly closed the front door.
His head hung low as if he were trying to hide from something, and he had both hands in his pockets.
Lucas, manning the register, looked up from his phone and raised a brow. He knew not many people came here, but still, someone showing up so randomly had caught him off guard.
Putting his phone away, Lucas straightened his back and put on a slightly nicer expression.
"Hello, is there anything I can get for you today?" Lucas said, with false positivity dripping from his voice, the same tone anyone who has worked a job could relate to.
The man, his face still unseen, nodded.
"Uhhhh… can I get some—uhhh—boneless chicken?" The man asked, seemingly unsure of himself.
The atmosphere turned very awkward, very fast. Lucas slowly looked left, right, and back toward the hooded man.
"Sir," Lucas barely held back a sigh. "This is a pizza place. We don't have—wait. Are you talking about chicken nuggets?"
"Nah, nah, nah." The hooded man quickly shut Lucas down with a shake of the head. "I'm looking for boneless wings."
Lucas took a deep breath. Upon breathing out, he shuddered. 'Is this motherfucker trying to—no, don't get mad, not yet…' Lucas thought.
"I think we need to start from the beginning," Lucas said as he rubbed his forehead. "Explain to me what boneless wings are. Explain it like I just heard of the concept."
The hooded man did a quick nod.
"So, boneless chicken is basically a chicken wing without the bone within it." The man seemed so happy to explain it, which caused Lucas's blood to boil further. "Do you get it?"
'The fuck do you mean, "Do you get it?!" You've just explained chicken nuggets to me!' Lucas clenched his fists out of view behind the counter as he barely stopped himself from making a face.
"No, I don't get it. Explain it in further detail. There has to be something I'm not noticing." Lucas said this time with much more "enthusiasm."
For five whole minutes, both participants went back and forth. The first tried to explain what exactly "boneless chicken" was, while the second attempted to understand how what was being described wasn't just a chicken nugget.
"That's enough! You've just been explaining chicken nuggets over and over again! We're obviously getting nowhere!" Lucas shouted. He was absolutely seething by this point.
Throughout the conversation, the only break he would get from the brain rot was the occasional one-to-three-second pause, which the hooded man would sometimes take before continuing to speak.
Slouching, Lucas put his elbows on the counter before allowing his face to rest in his hands.
"Do you… Do you need me to explain it again?" The hooded man paused for a second mid-sentence as he asked the question.
"No, I don't need you to explain it again!" Lucas suddenly spread open his index and middle fingers to look at the hooded man through his palms, only to realize that the man was trembling slightly.
"Mother—motherfucker, are you laughing?!" Lucas stood up, straighter than a ruler, his balled fists hidden behind the counter.
The hooded man immediately stilled.
"Uhh... no?"
"For someone who wasn't laughing, you don't sound too convinced yourself." At this point, Lucas was ready to roll up his sleeves and beat the shit out of this person, consequences be damned.
"Listen," The hooded man lowered his tone and softly raised one of his hands, trying to appear peaceful. "We can just get back to the topic at hand and—"
"Fuck the topic at hand!" Lucas screamed, waving his left hand angrily through the air.
"Now, now." While speaking, the hooded man shrugged slowly, "Is that any way to talk to a customer?"
Lucas was able to sense the smugness that emanated from the man. It was as if a shit-eating grin was on his face, and he couldn't even see it.
In actuality, it reminded him of—
"Wait a minute. Dante, is that you?"
"I…" The hooded man paused for a moment. It was as if he was actually thinking long and hard. "I don't know a 'Dante,' sorry."
Lucas looked toward Da—*ahem*—the hooded man with suspicion written all over his face.
"Alright, if your name isn't Dante, then what's your name?"
"That's simple, my name is…"
A good five seconds of silence passed by, and with each second passing, both individuals were becoming more and more sure. And at the sixth second…
"Damn, I waited too long." The hooded man said as he brought his hand up to his face and shook his head.
"I knew it!" Lucas sighed in relief. The mind-numbing, brain-rotting conversation was finally over. "You had no idea. I was about to roll up my sleeves and actually start swinging at you."
"Hahahaha!" Dante laughed, his left hand trying to cover his mouth while his right took off his hood. "Yeah, I got you. But I definitely would have dodged that punch and knocked your ass out."
"Mm-hmm, whatever you want to believe." Lucas rolled his eyes.
"But still, what are you doing here?" Lucas's posture relaxed, and he put both hands in his pockets. "I mean, aren't you supposed to be off the clock today?"
"I am," Dante nodded. "But I have someone to talk to, as I happened to make a deal."
"What type of deal?"
"Before we get into details," Dante quickly stopped Lucas from thinking anything inappropriate. "How about I set you up a free break?"
"I'm listening…" A serious expression grew on Lucas's face.
Silently, Dante waved Lucas closer. Seeing what Dante was metaphorically putting down, Lucas leaned in close.
"You, call out Ashley," Dante whispered. "Once she's out here, I'll distract her, and you'll sneak away into the break room so she's forced to take your spot."
"I got you, I got you," Lucas said as both he and Dante nodded together. "Magnificent plan, magnificent plan."
The glaze was unreal.
With a newfound purpose of slacking off, Lucas walked with calculated precision. Dante wore a mysteriously calculated expression as he put his hood back on.
…
As I waited, I gave a quick glance to my side. Malo stood beside me like an actual being instead of someone spectating a video game character.
I heard the reopening of the break room door and turned my attention towards it. Ashley looked noticeably more depressed.
"You... called for me?" Ashley looked around as she spoke.
It could have been due to how I had told her about the supernatural recently, or "stranger = danger."
"Yeah, I did. Is this perhaps a bad time? If so…" I pulled my hood down slowly as my sentence trailed off. "You wanna talk about it?"
Ashley's eyes instantly widened as her mind and mood did a double-take.
"Dante—what are you doing here?!" She fumbled with her hands as she tried to get her words out. "I thought you'd—I swear today was—You…"
As she tried to get the words out, I held my left hand in the air and rolled my wrist in response every time she stuttered.
With her embarrassment high, Ashley facepalmed. I simply allowed her to get past the moment, drinking in the change of atmosphere.
"You aren't supposed to be working today, right?"
I nodded in response to her question.
"Then why are you here?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Ashley, Ashley, Ashley." I slowly shook my head in mock disappointment. "Just because I'm not working today doesn't mean I can't enter this restaurant."
Taking a slight step closer, I leaned slightly over the counter.
"And I remember someone saying, 'Next time I see you, I'll tell you everything!' Or something like that." As soon as I finished speaking, I flashed a large, shit-eating grin that slowly softened into a "Got ya!" smile.
Ashley's eyes widened in recognition of our deal. Her eyes were a mix of shock, anger, and disbelief at my audacity. If looks could kill, I'd be beaten to a pulp on the side of the road.
"You—you!" Ashley balled her hands, her eyes seemingly closed as if she were reliving the moment we made our agreement. "You tricked me!"
"Gah! What?! Me?? Trick you?" I gasped aloud and reeled back, placing a hand on my heart as I did so. "I've done no such thing! To even try and say such a thing gives my heart anguish I can't describe!"
The flowery tone of voice I was using was working its magic in pissing her off more.
"You said that the next time I'd see you, I'd tell you. I thought that meant the day you came back to work!" As Ashley spoke out in indignation, she pointed her finger at me in accusation!
"Ashley, Ashley, Ashley. I said, 'Next time I see you.' I never said it was going to be on the day I came back to work." As I spoke, I slowly looked left and right toward the non-existent courtroom from Ashley's perspective. "That was all an assumption you drafted in your head. You never asked for the finer details."
Upon hearing that, Ashley went quiet. Bringing her fist to her lips, she seemed to be quietly and rapidly recounting the past, almost as if she were frozen in time.
After waiting a few seconds, Ashley's eyes went from looking into space to looking directly at me. I could feel the animosity in her gaze.
"You tricked me," Ashley said in a flat tone.
"I didn't," I responded in a more flowery tone.
"You tricked me."
"But I didn't."
"You tricked—" Before Ashley could finish speaking, I held a hand up.
"While I would like to keep this back and forth going forever, I believe we have more pressing matters to get into." As I finished speaking, I heard Ashley sigh.
"I would love to jump into whatever the information in the deal is, but I feel like you have something you want to talk about."
"Yeah," Ashley said as she pointed behind me. "We can sit over there. It's much better than standing here awkwardly."
She gestured to the way we were on opposite sides of the counter.
"You right…"
…
"So, let me get this correct," I said as I rubbed my chin. "You were being stalked by something outside your window, and your dog—"
"The thing that ate my dog!" Ashley clarified.
"—The thing that ate your dog was going crazy inside the house, trying to get at it?"
"Yes."
It was weird; the timing, I mean. The chances that she experienced more than one supernatural event/attack in the same hour were super low.
Most of the creatures I know are very territorial. They wouldn't ever try and attack at the same time and place.
"Alright, Ashley," I said as I looked her in the eyes. "I think I've figured out the timeline of events and why they happened in the way they did."
"You did?" Ashley sounded quite skeptical.
"Yeah, you said that the creature that ate your dog took its exact appearance, right?"
"Yeah, it looks exactly like my dog."
Nodding, I continued.
"Has it tried to attack any of your family members?"
Ashley took a few seconds, seeming to try and find anything that would show a murderous creature.
"My dad held him like normal. Nothing seemed to have changed."
Now I was certain of what this was. Normally, when creatures take the place of another, they show differences in behavior.
"What you seem to be dealing with is an Anxious Dog." The second I finished speaking, I closed my eyes and tilted my head down, like a detective who had figured out the case.
"A… what?" Ashley said, dumbfounded.
"An Anxious Dog. Their species specializes in deception, but they make this weird clicking sound, which is how they get the name. They have an automatic sight-based detection ability that makes them look like other animals.
They're very dangerous to be around, as their mood changes based on how you view them. View them like a good boy, and there's your boy. View them like Satan's right hand, and they'll show you what the dog is doing.
Considering you thought it was your dog, it must have automatically changed into that view, and you said your father then went and did the same. It could have compounded and changed its behavior entirely.
It even went to attack whatever creature was outside your window. All in all, I would keep it around as a defense and keep treating it like your dog." As I finished my theorized ramble, I looked to Ashley to see what she thought.
"You want me to keep the thing?! It ate my dog!"
"No, it didn't." The second those words left my mouth, Ashley's expression stilled and filled with disgust.
"Yes, it di—"
"No, it didn't." I reiterated. "You have to remember, these things change into what you believe them to be. It is your dog. It didn't eat your dog. It will protect you."
Ashley's look changed to that of someone defeated.
"It just feels like I'm tarnishing the memory of my dog." Ashley barely stopped a sigh from leaking out, but I heard the start of it.
I had no way to truly comfort her. I could coddle her, tell her everything would be alright, and say I would fix everything, but I wouldn't.
The first and quickest way to die in this world was by trying to play hero. I could stick out guides and point arrows in a direction, but if they didn't want to listen, I wasn't about to jump out of my fortifications to save them.
"It's a sacrifice. If you want to live, you'll be making a lot of them." That was the only thing I could think of saying.
'As they say, "One more sack, and then we scale…"' I thought as the old saying came back to me.
"So, do you want to tell me what it was that you promised?" I said as I tried to lighten the darkening atmosphere.
"I—I guess." Ashley pressed her fingers together anxiously as she spoke.
"Well, I had a sibling…"
"A sibling?" I said it as a subtle way to say, "Keep going."
"Yes, I don't know whether they were a boy or a girl, but my parents don't even seem to remember them. Whenever I ask them, they say I'm an only child.
And while they don't remember anything, I can tell that they used to be there. Even though I don't have a face, a gender, or a name, I know they were there. It has been eating at me for years!
After a while, because I was so young, I believed them to be a part of a dream I had. But over the years, I tried putting the pieces together, and I know they were real." Ashley progressively got more and more into her feelings as she spoke. It felt like watching someone break down into madness but hold themselves together because of a single realization.
I wasn't idle, though. I was already trying to analyze which eldritch creature/cryptid could have done this. None of it added up completely.
I only knew of some that held specific powers, and the rest were the gods above time/space. Though there was one that I heard of, thanks to my intelligence-gathering skills.
Azaogdesz.
It still didn't make sense why he would take a singular child and erase them from existence.
"I'm… sorry that happened to you, Ashley," I spoke quietly, trying to actually sympathize with her. "But I don't know any creature that has that power."
"Ah, it's fine." Ashley began rubbing her eyes, and I could tell it wasn't actually fine.
"Maybe we'll find the answer in the future?" I said to her as a comforting gesture.
"Maybe…"
…
"How's everything going for you?"
"Surprisingly good. Everything seems to be working out. How about you?"
"Ehhh, I'm moving soon, so there's that," Lucas said as he took a sip from his water bottle.
"Moving? Do you need any help?" Dante responded as both of them watched the outside of the restaurant.
"Nah," Lucas chuckled for a second before turning to Dante. "If I ever ask for help moving, then it's probably not me. There are literally only a couple of things and a blowup bed left."
"That's great. How far are you moving?" Dante checked his phone while speaking, and a smile graced his face before quickly disappearing.
"I'm leaving the state. My parents made a bet with me. They didn't think I'd survive by myself for as long as I did. It's a challenge my older siblings went through as well."
Dante nodded as he turned his phone to the side.
"I found this multiplayer mobile game that has some good combat. You trying to get your ass beat real quick?" Dante said as he flashed a superior grin.
"Bitch, please, tell me the name so I can beat your ass and show you why I'm better." Lucas's left eye twitched as he began opening the App Store, and he flashed a disgruntled expression.
Dante wouldn't admit it, but he lost 14-15 to Lucas. Throughout multiple battles, "This game is hoeing me!" was heard more than once. Dante then proceeded to blame a "sneak attack" (he wasn't ready) for his last loss.
…
(Omake: Eldritch May Cry (Anime Adaptation) #1:
"Yeah, I did. Is this perhaps a bad time? If so…" I pulled my hood down slowly as my sentence trailed off. "You wanna talk about it?"
Ashley's eyes instantly widened as her mind and mood did a double-take.
"Dante—what are you doing here?!" She fumbled with her hands as she tried to get her words out. "I thought you'd—I swear today was—You…"
"GIGGITY GIGGITY GOO!" Dante suddenly exclaimed before Ashley could finish speaking.
"SHUT THE FUCK UPPPP!!!" Ashley shouted immediately, her hand slamming the counter as she tried to cover her embarrassment.