Chapter 9: The Trip.
—it has to take place within two seconds of being cast before it—
SKRAAAWWWWK!
"Well I think it's darn right wrong! Ya hear me, girl? WRONG!"
"What would you know, old-timer?! Lark may think you're hot stuff, but that was years ago. TIMES HAVE CHANGED! Steven needs a manager!"
—before it collapses and recoils back onto the caster’s psyche.
Wait what?! It has recoil? Where does it explain that??—
"Baaaaaag." — zzzip
"AAAAAGH!! STEVIE, GET THIS BAG AWAY FROM MY ZIPPER!—HEY, THATS NOT A BAG! STEVIE!!"
Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
"See?! Even the bag knows you're full of hot air!"
"GET OFF ME—! GIRL, GIVE ME ONE MORE WORD AND I SWEAR I’LL—"
SKRAAAWWWWK!
"Ohhh big man! Think just ’cause you're tuff you can push little women around now, huh? I’ll sue you into the ground!"
SKRAAAAAAAWWWWK!
"THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID, YOU WORD-TWISTING WITCH!"
—
"OH MY GOD, SHUT UUUUP! I CAN’T EVEN HEAR MYSELF THINK!! OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR, V.V.—I’M GONNA THROW MYSELF INTO TRAFFIC!!"
[][][]——[][][]
I kissed the ground.
I was finally in the city.
Hooray...
“Steven, the ground may be covered in the same stuff you’re used to living in but that doesn’t mean you need to kiss it.” V.V. grumbled walking off to pay for parking
Dale pulled out something so old I’ve never even seen one before.
A paper map
He fumbled around with it, turning it upside down and folding it then unfolding it again for a good minute, it gave V.V. Enough time to finish paying.
She yanked the map out of Dales hands and threw it on the ground, pulled out a locator device and said “East Gallows Medical Research Centre”
The funny orb spun furiously, the air tore around it making it look like it could do some serious damage if all that momentum hit something.
Then it slammed into the ground!
*CRACK*
*Ding!*
“Location: East Gallows Medical Research Centre located!
Creating waypoint trail.
Please hold!”
For the next minute I sat there listening to the most mind numbing elevator music coming out of the dismally low quality speakers of, whatever this thing was, until finally.
*Ding!*
A projection of a huge arrow appeared above our heads as the funny little orb shot green light into the sky.
“See! Like I said, times have changed!”
She stormed off in the direction the arrow was pointing.
“Sorry kid, you’re stuck with her now, I’ll see ya later.”
Dale strolled off in the opposite direction.
Oh great, now I feel like a child of divorce having to chose between his parents.
Well, I’m paying her now I guess.
“Cluckers come on we’re leaving”
…
“Cluckers?”
I looked around.
…
Oh gods, where is she?
Suddenly what looked like a pane of glass appeared in-front of me pushing towards me!
*thud* it knocked me to the ground!
“SKRAAAWWWWK!”
Cluckers triumphantly appeared on top of me very proud oh herself.
“You learnt it? Mime stance?”
“No, it’s just a manifestation of her psychic abilities, basically she got through chapter 1 before you did.”
“Oh, great work Cluckers!”
“Come on! We missed our appointment already, and we’ve still got to walk all the way there!”
“Ok” I got up and hoisted Cluckers onto my shoulder and kept her there despite her protests.
“Couldn’t we have just parked closer?” We parked all the way on the outskirts of the city, I can still see the trees.
“Vehicles aren’t allowed inside cities, only beasts, you should really buy a leash for her, if she gets lose you’ll be fined”
The arrow took us out of the parking area and onto a wide walkable street with so many people and beasts that I’m starting to feel claustrophobic.
What the hell…
Immediately my eyes are assaulted by the light from hundreds of blinking adverts and signs. The freak that is Cluckers took it as a challenge to stare at the brightest ones. Her eyes are already watering.
It overwhelmed my senses, the delicious smells of the street food from the guys in the golden head wraps, the foreign music from the festival happening down a side street, the bird shit raining from the house sized carrier birds above.
I’ve never seen so many tame beasts before! They all had neon collars with numbers on ‘em.
That police drought-hound caught me staring and I swear I felt it sucking the sweat from my body!
At some point, after a while of me gawking at everything in sight like a tourist, we walked past another huge building with a banner covering one side from top to bottom, but that’s not what caught my eye.
“Isn’t that your name? Ziegerbolt?… hey! Are you famous or something?” I shouted a bit too loudly drawing unwanted attention from passers by.
I pointed at a huge portrait of an old guy with long blond hair on the banners blue background with a lightning bolt through it.
It’s better with bolt? Sounds like some kind of energy company.
She whipped her head around with emotion in her eyes, smacking me with her ponytail. “That’s my grandfather, I don’t speak with my family and this is the last time I’ll talk about it, understood?”
“Ok” I mean what else am I meant to say to that.
She whipped her head forward, almost hitting me again and strode forward ignoring the gawking from the passers by that overheard our spat.
Feeling a little embarrassed I’d caused a scene I put my head down pulled Cluckers into my chest and followed quietly behind.
“Ow-ow, don’t start with me! I saw a fried chicken place earlier and I bet they’d love to try some dark meat chicken!”
“SKRAAAAAAWWWK!” While she was flapping and flailing around in my arms making me constantly change grips like some kind of wrestler we eventually arraived at the-
“Hello welcome to the Medical Research Centre, may I take your order?” With a zap of I don’t know what, an entirely blue see-through young woman with a lab coat appeared infront of us.
Before I or Cluckers could react, the apparently famous Vomit Vicking had already pulled out a reservation card. “We’re here about a dark psychic variant of a chicken, we would like the full suite of tests done”
I chimed in with “we have an appointment.” But I don’t think I should have. V.V. Looked at me rolling her eyes while the blue person looked over with a forced smile as if she was about to talk to a child.
“I know.” Oh gods, what a condescending witch, I hate her already “You must be Steven, my uncle’s neighbor, and this is the beast I asume, or do you farmers just carry those around?” Oh you witch! I hate her, I get why Dale doesn’t talk to her!
“Actually my hands are usually full of cow crap but it looks like you’re full of enough of it for the both of us.” I turned to leave, I haven’t got time to deal with her type, but before I could leave V.V. Grabbed my arm and shoved me to the floor. Since when was she so strong!
“STEVEN! I’m sorry about him, you know these country folk, no tact in their speech.” She bowed and gave the woman- FIFTY COINS?!- god! I bet she’s charging me for that later.
The blue woman grabbed the coin with a big 50 on it and it vanished. “It’s fine, country folk, eugh! They’re basically beasts themselves.”
Oh that does it “YOU GOD DAMN-“
Before I could continue issuing justice, a silver length of silk flashed and appeared around my mouth.
I looked up at V.V. whose hair was falling onto her shoulders, it’s weird, I usually only get this feeling with beast but I could tell what she was saying with her eyes, her whole vibe said “I get it, but shut up and we’ll talk later”
Tess run her fingers through her hair and said, “The beast is gagged, shall we?”
[][][]——[][][]
Dale sat on a riverbank, surrounded by run down shacks that were held up by the paint form the graffiti covering them.
A dirty skinny kid wearing torn rags ran past, chasing a tiny piglet, their eyes contrasted their appearance as they were absolutely gleaming with happiness.
Dale sighed and his childhood memory faded, the place he grew up, the place he raised his brother by himself, the place he ran back to whenever he needed a safe place to hide…
It looked the same, but the history of this place put a heavy weight on Dales chest.
He walked along the river bank reminiscing about old times eventually stopping before an ordinary shack, no different than the others.
It had layers of graffiti one on top of the other, cartoon pigs, names of old friends, hopes and dreams…
Opening the loud creaky door, he entered the shack, white veiny tendrils covered the room, pulsing with light, in the middle sat an enormous cocoon that reached the ceiling.
Dale, uncharacteristically gentle, made his way across the webs of tendrils and stroked the white cocoon.
“Miss you old pal”
He sat down leaning against it, cracked open a cold beer and soon fell asleep.
[][][]——[][][]
Daylight poked through the blinds of Grants room turned lab, hand written research notes sprawled da Ross every surface.
“She’s the boss now right? Are you gonna complain right after you suggested her for promotion, it’d look petty as hell.” Lark tiredly grumbled, slumped over a table.
Grant paced back and forth behind her “I just don’t understand! Why? The ERC has never used such a method of extracting information from subjects before!
What’s the point of us even being here if the bird goes to a research center?” His face tired from days of work turned sour from having his time wasted.
“I guess she just doesn’t trust us enough? I don’t care anymore, if it means we can go home I’m all for it.”
A laptop sat on a desk in the corner of the room showing a live feed from Tess’s viewpoint.
Grant stopped pacing “Where the hell is Marv?!”
[][][]——[][][]
Over at the farm, Marv stood under the heat of the sun , covered head to toe in a protective suit like some astronaut.
He jostled the heavy pack and continued re-spraying the repellent perimeter.
“It won’t get rid of the bear but most of the weaker bloodline stage 1 beast will avoid the toxins in the air.” Marv spoke smiling oddly.
An intercom that he’s clearly refurbished himself crackled “The crochet cup is only a few weeks away honey, with these new responsibilities do you think you’ll have time to come see me?” A woman’s voice spoke through the junky intercom system.
“Darling my ancestors came from country stock! A little manual labor is soothing for the bones, besides the new team lead doesn’t seem to bother very much with delegating. She’s one of those do it yourself types.”
“You would know sweetheart.” The woman said with an audible chuckle “How’s the android coming along? Last you said you were on version 24 was it? You know Ben’s son is Studying robotics, im sure he’s love to help his uncle out.” She said with a hopefully tone.
…
Marv didn’t respond instead he let go of the sprayer hose that dangled by his side and raised his arm to his forehead.
*Thud*
*sigh*
“Honey remember to take breaks, I can hear your helmet every time you try and wipe your face.”
“It’s fine, I’m nearly done with this side. Honestly Joanne, I’m shocked at how much the guy gets done in a day! For such a laid-back kid you’d think he would have lower standards than this.”
He turned to the fence and walked over, leaning next to a list of chores written on a tablet resting on a fence post.
“That’s farmer for you, didn’t your father have that saying, what was it?” Joanne asked, her voice trailing off as she fumbled for the right words.
Marv looked wistfully as memories of his family flashed in-front of him “Always thank a farmer for your free time.”
“That’s it! Have you thanked the young boy yet? You Said he works by himself! To think, all that land taken care of by one boy!” Joanne praised as the clacking on knitting needles continued in the background.
…
Marv stated out at the cows grading the field, the chickens culling the bugs, the trees swaying in the wind, remembering his own fathers dream of selling the company and retiring to the country.
“Joanne”
The intercom crackled with the sound of knitting needles not responding.
“I think I’m going to take early retirement, and help the kid out here”
The sound of knitting continued as Marv watched a chucked do a backflip jumping from cow to cow.
“I could bring fathers ashes. I think…”
…
The knitting stopped “We can pack up the house after the crochet cup, my cousins daughter has been looking for a place, I’m sure she’d to rent the place out.”
Marv went to respond, but instead he just said “Thank you honey, It’s been a long time coming”
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