Donovan
For once, I actually enjoyed the murky coffee they have in the office today. It still taste like shit, but somehow coffee during cold nights makes it all the more better, even if you’re also suffering from stomach pain. Now what I’m supposed to really be focused on was the amount of paperwork jumbled all over my desk that I need to truck through and finish. I’m certain no one could look through this mess and find whatever it is their looking for. But I guess that goes for anyone’s work space.
“Yo, Don!” A distant yet irritating noise, it must be Sebastian. He’s the only guy I know to unnecessarily yell for you in any given situation. Why? I don’t know, but it sure did irk everyone else in the office as he made his way towards me. They all had the why-the-fuck-are-you-yelling kind of face. Maybe it’s his way of wanting to be the center of attention in any given situation. He nonchalantly leans on the edge of my desk with his back side. I guess it’s a way to symbolize that he’s cool, but the only thing I got out of is that he’s a tool. Don’t get me wrong, at first glance you see a relatively tall ginger with an afro to beat most, but his work ethic is just terrible. No amount of smiles and shaggy goatee can pull you off my list of shitty workers, but I digress. In a social situation, eye contact opens doors for conversation and he completely caught me with my pants down. No choice but to answer him now.
“Hey man.” Now I wish I hadn’t answered.
“Did you get the paperwork I sent you?”
“Hmm, I’m sure it’s in this pile of mess I got. I’ll find it.” I don’t think I’ll find it.
“Cool. Hey, I don’t know if you heard of these missing girls all around the city now. It’s starting to become more and more frequent.”
I know exactly what he’s talking about. The dismembered girls that pop up in alley ways around town are becoming something of a running norm. Even kids have a saying for it if they want to scare the shit out of a little girl…shark-bait. That’s because of the huge mutilation people find them in. As if an actual shark tore through them with ease. “Yeah, I heard of it. I’ve been trying to find out what’s happening but no clues seem to pop up for me.”
“I think Dayna might have a clue. She says it’ll take some time to figure it out because she only got a sliver of information from some waiter at the Southside Grill House.” Now that’s a good place to eat at. Although it raises an eyebrow as to why a waiter might have a clue.
“I’d like to take on that case but I haven’t been feeling too good lately.” I said. “My Stomach’s been hurting for about two months now.”
“Hah! So all these scary cases getting to you Don? Don’t bitch out now! Haha.” I couldn’t keep count on how many times I’ve wanted to knock Sebastian out, but you got to stay professional. Though, this pain is actually starting to get to me. I don’t know what it is but I’ll get checked up for it soon.
“Whatever. I don’t scare too easily Sebastian.” That’s somewhat of a lie.
“Really? Well I got a scary children’s tale for ya.” There he goes with that stupid grin again. Only a smile like his can piss me off.
“Alright, lets here it.”
“Well you know the ol’ bloody Mary thing right? Say it three times to the mirror in the dark. Well I heard a new one of some guy you go meet in the woods if you’re sick . You can only meet him if you’re sick though…”
“Who’s just gonna walk aimlessly in the woods for some potential rapist to take your ass? That’s a dumb children’s tale.” Kids always come up with the most creative ways to get each other hurt. It’s pretty interesting how it works too.
“Don’t take my word for it. Most of these kid stories aren’t true anyways. Oh, Dayna just walked in. I need to talk to her.” Sebastian quickly got up and followed her like a dog hearing its master coming back home. It’s painfully clear he likes Dayna, and I can suspect she knows too.
“Hey, didn’t she already reject you twice now?” He looks back and gives me a wink. I didn’t know how to take that, so I’ll let it slide.
“Persistence is everything when it comes to women, right?”
No, but you can’t blame Sebastian for trying. Dayna is actually a good looking girl. Short and a bit stocky with a bob cut, a pretty face to boost too. I’ve already had history of fraternizing with coworkers in my previous jobs and it always end in a train wreck. They make it seem that growing older increases your count of sexual partners, but it really doesn’t. That ship begins to sail sooner than you think. So it’s best to start whoring around now than later so you don’t grow old and angry for not getting off as much as possible. I don’t have to worry about that, I just have to worry about getting better. I reached for my jacket and headed out the door. I overworked myself enough today so I deserve my break. Although you might think clocking out of this job can ease the mind of stress, but it really doesn’t. Once someone finds a career choice they tend to never stop working, even after they stopped working. I got this gig in hopes that it would help me out of this city, but I ended up getting stuck here instead. Always looking around this place and getting hit with somber feeling every day. I’m tired of it. Walking to my home every damn night doesn’t make it any better either. The only thing to greet me there is my cat, if she’s there. So lately I’ve decided to take longer strolls at night, just to clear my head up a little more of the bullshit that’s been happening all around me…but it’s not working tonight for some reason. I’ve walked around so much that I hadn’t realized I’ve circled my apartment complex twice now. Nothing could make me seem sketchier than doing that any more so than needed, so I’ll continue this walk further away. Maybe it’s my stomach pain, or maybe it’s what Sebastian told me.
“All you have to do is walk into the woods huh…?” I don’t know why I’m saying that. It’s such a stupid thing to do, that it would baffle me if I do it, but the more it lingers in my head the more curious I become. There aren’t many forests around me, but I’ve already walked a good distance away from my house to where trees are becoming more and more frequent due to me getting closer to the park. Would it be dumb of me to wonder deeper into the forest behind it? Yes, it most certainly would. So I subconsciously did just that. My legs just gravitated towards the nearby park and no matter how many times I would want to turn back, I couldn’t. I went beyond the outer boundaries of the park and continued my reluctant yet eager journey in the woods. I had a slew of thoughts clouding my sight of what’s going on. Like fog steadily pouring in most scary movies. Fog…fog? Where did all this fog come from? I was only walking a few moments and now I can’t see what’s in front of me anymore. Wait, that’s a lie. I can see something ahead, a glimmer of light two to be exact. They’re side by side, which makes them look like gleaming eyeballs peering at me. Even with the fog now steadily clearing out, you’d think I’d make out what it was but I couldn’t, it’s still pitch black out here. I finally get control of my legs, but it’s too late. Whoever or whatever this thing is...it’s slowly strutting its way towards me, and I can’t do shit about it.
In the most brooding sound I have ever heard, this thing says spoke to me. ‘LEFT’ was all it said. It clearly stood over eight-feet tall and had arms that looked undoubtedly menacing at any given angle. They were covered in tiny spikes all over its hand and diminished in numbers as it traveled up its upper arm. The skin was also something to put anyone on their toes. Blue scales were all I could see over its body and face. Huge jagged teeth protruded out the mouth in the crudest and sickening way. They even came out the side of its mouth through the rippling dry blue skin. But all of this wasn’t what paralyzed me in my tracks though. It was its eyes. They were as big as oranges and glowed bright yellow through the dispersing fog. This thing hasn’t blinked in the time of it staring into me. That was the most unnerving aspect of this monster. It only became worse when it raised its entire arm and pointed from the side to reiterate what it had spoken before.
“LEFT.”
I tried going about what it wanted, but I’m too much in shock to make a coherent move. But I need to move. I know this thing can easily rip my damn head off in one clean swoop with its jagged claws. I just need to put one foot forward, then the other. Rinse and repeat until the process works out. It’s just unsettling to walk with your back turned to it for so long. Now I can’t fathom on how far I’ve gotten from that thing. I looked back after some time of my polarizing walk, and I could see it standing up-right. Its eyes were glowing brighter and still fixated on me. Not…one…blink.
“What the fuck…” The only words I could muster at the moment. Well the only ones that make the most since right now. I couldn’t believe how far I’ve walked now. It makes me wonder if this forest is endless or something. Either way, I’m getting far away from that thing as possible. The only problem is finding my way out of this endless void of trees and bushes; although, not all was lost. After a while, I noticed a distant cabin that looked more ominous than it should due to all this fog. It’s probably my only chance to meet someone out here, or something else.
When I finally reached the cabin, I only then noticed just how small it really is. It doesn’t even seem like someone could live in here. Yet, that isn’t going to stop me from knocking. The only way to get closure out of all this is by winging it honestly; learned that growing up from my pops. I gave the door a couple more pounds; just to make sure whoever was in there could hear me. But now I feel as though I shouldn’t have knocked so hard, as that could give off the wrong impression of a man literally on the verge of breaking down into insanity. So I try again but softer. I was caught off-guard yet again, but this time in confusion rather than fear.
“Ya gotta knock three times assholes!”
It was the most out-of-nowhere thing I’ve ever heard. This sound came down from my right foot. I looked and only saw a little garden gnome whose paint seems to be wearing off, with a cracked hole on its hat as if it was knocked into something. What really shocked me was that it was looking right back at me, but in anger.
“Did y-…did you just speak?”
“Yeah dingle-berry! You deaf or somethin’? Ya gotta knock three times!”
I’ve come so far into these situations that disobeying a talking garden gnome seems like an irrational thing to do. If I were to disobey it I don’t know what will happen to me, nor do I intend to find out soon. I value my life just like everyone else. With that being said, I knocked three times. Not even a second passed and the door flew opened. All of my senses suddenly became perceptive to everything around me. The silent yet loud creak of the wooden tattered door opening, to the gust of mist slowly spilling from inside the cabin towards my feet, to the faint smell of blood pouring onto my face, all suddenly became very powerful to my perception. It was all so overwhelming for me to take it in that it almost threw me off from the man…woman…thing, which stood in from of me. This ‘person’ was covered head to toe in a muted brown leather suit that covered up every square inch of its body, and a giant apron with questionable brown stains scattered in the center that stretched down to the feet. Even the hands were covered with tattered gloves, only to fully be complemented by the bulky boots shrouded in the dispersing fog of the same matted color. Though, none of this seems to command my attention quite like the mask it was wearing. It was a brown plague mask that covered its entire head. The giant black spherical glass eyes appeared like black holes absorbing all of my attention. Starring too long into them seems to have paralyzed me. I was overcome with fear all over again, and was sure of my death. Then it spoke to me.
“Well hello there, allow me to introduce myself. I am Mr. Plague. May I ask for your name?”
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