Author Topic: #55 The Madness (Final edit)  (Read 5880 times)

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Offline Blu

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #15 on: April 07, 2011, 11:22:58 AM »
Chapter 5 coming soon!

Offline Dogman15

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #16 on: April 08, 2011, 12:46:41 AM »
You need to put chapter four on FanFiction.net!

Offline Blu

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #17 on: April 08, 2011, 12:27:35 PM »
It is already  :P

Offline Dogman15

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #18 on: April 08, 2011, 12:31:59 PM »
It wasn't when I posted that, but thanks for putting it up, anyway!

Offline Blu

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #19 on: April 09, 2011, 09:25:22 AM »
CHAPTER 5

‘Someone once said life was for living, life was for happiness, life was love. I cannot help but feel that I have been lied to.



I had been to many places with Cassie, so many that it had become hard to remember them all. I had been to the zoo, the mall, the beach…
But I had never been in her truck before.
It was huge. I was over six feet tall and I had to look upwards at it.
It reminded me of the cars parked all around us. Like them, it had wheels and windows, but the shape was different. The black paint seemed shinier as well, and there were no dirt splashes on the underside like the other cars had.
“What do you think, Toby?” Cassie asked. “I bought it just the other day.”
“It is new?”
“Yeah. Expensive, too. Very expensive.” She said, straining the word ‘very'. She strolled up to it and leaned against the flat, open back. “I’m not going to use it as a work car…often.”
“Why is it so expensive?” I asked, still perplexed about the human currency.
“It’s practical, and it runs on biofuel. It has 5 seats, air-con, sattelite navigation, a built-in stereo, off-road settings, strong and durable frame, plenty of space, fold back seats, tinted windows, alloy wheels…” She blinked from me to Tal. “Sorry, you won’t have the slightest idea what I’m talking about.” She blushed noticeably.
“Not really, but it sounds very nice.” I complimented.
“I've hardly driven it yet. I bought it two days ago and my mother drove it to my house. I drove it here this morning.”
She retrieved a key from a small pouch on her clothing and used it to open the door on the near side of the truck. She climbed in with some effort and sat on a soft leathery seat. “You and Tal will have to come in the other side.” And then she added, “One of you has to sit on the back seats.”
“Will there enough room?” I walked by the door and peeped through to view the inside. It was spacious, but it would be a tight fit for two fully-grown Hork-Bajir.
“If you lowered your heads there should be enough space.”
I turned and saw Tal who keeping his distance from the truck.
After a short pause, Cassie spoke to him. “Is something wrong Tal?”
“Tal not like car.” He responded instantly.
“Why not? It’s not going to hurt you.”
He thought it over for a moment, remembering his earlier incident. “Not hurt Tal?”
“No, it won’t."
He cautiously walked up to my side, keeping his eyes on the large truck. His eyes followed mine into the small interior of the truck. His little fear somehow gone with Cassie’s words.
“Too small for Tal and Toby.” He commented.
Cassie rolled her eyes and sat around in her chair. “You’ll fit.” She leant over to the other side and opened the opposite door. “Do you still want to come?”
He stared blankly at his feet, unsure, but he soon made up his mind, “Tal go with Toby and Cassie.”
So I took him by the arm and led him to the other side of the truck. Cassie folded the second seat at the front of the truck forward, and Tal managed to squeeze through the little space and into the back seats.
He was lucky, he had three seats. I had just one. There was little, if any room for my legs; my tail was being crushed by my backside on the leathery seat, and, apart from that, had no space at all - I had it huddled against my chest; my head was scraping the roof, and I had to keep it held forward, so that my blades would not damage the truck.
That was excluding the unbearable heat.
“Comfortable?” That was Cassie, sounding excited as she played with the controls in her new car.
I shuffled awkwardly. It was enough of an answer.
“Sorry…” Cassie said guiltily. “Maybe it is a little too tight.”
I started panting in the intense heat coming through the magnifying windows. Tal was splayed out over the three back seats, he legs held inward, also feeling the heat.
Cassie put her hand to her chin and seemed deep in thought, examining several controls in between the two seats. I heard her mumbling to herself, apparently ‘not having a clue what to press’.
I took the time to explore and spotted a Hork-Bajir Stuffed toy by the windscreen. I presumed it was from the Yellowstone Gift Shop. There was something hanging from the rear-view mirror, and it appeared very similar in shape to an Earth tree. I removed it from the mirror and discovered an overpowering stench coming from the material as I lifted it to my snout, so overpowering that I sneezed, dropping the fake tree to the floor of the car.
Cassie picked it up, still focusing on the mass of buttons between us. “Toby, please don’t play with anything.”
“Sorry.” I said meekly.
She began pressing several buttons, none of which seemed to please her.
“I wish they would put less gadgets in these…” She complained.
I faced Tal in the rear-view mirror. He was busy trying to make room for himself. At least he had some.
I folded my legs and slumped forward in my seat, resisting the urge to stretch out. Meanwhile, Cassie had found a new batch of buttons on the other side of her seat.
“Aha! I think I found it!” She said in relief.
There was suddenly a lot more space around us. The glass windows around us began to descend into the metal door of the car, accompanied by a slight buzzing sound.
Each window was now drawn open, including one on the roof of the truck.
“Well…” Cassie shrugged. “At least I know how to open every window.”
I leant my head out of the open window and felt the cool breeze against my jaw.
Suddenly, a roar. The truck was vibrating, shaking. I retreated my head back inside and watched as Cassie prepared herself in her seat. She had started the trucks engine, and hundreds of little lights lit up around us.
Noise! Something blaring in my ear! I jerked towards the middle of the truck in shock from the blaring sounds.
“Relax,” Cassie reassured. “It’s just the radio.” She turned a dial on a small console and the music quietened.
“What is music?” Tal queried from the back.
Cassie hesitated, searching for an appropriate answer. “It’s, um… entertainment.”
“It was very loud,” I commented.
“Sorry. I think my mum’s going through her classical music phase again, and she plays it a little too loud.” She turned another dial. The music changed to a strange, horrible buzzing noise, before it tuned to the sound of a steady, rumbling beat.
“This is also music?” I asked.
“Yes, but this is Snoop Dogg. It’s a different type of music.”
“It does sound different.” I confirmed “But what is ‘Snoop Dogg’?”
“Snoop Dogg is the man that’s singing.” She sat up in her seat and put a hand on the wheel before her. “Could you move your tail? I need to use the gear stick.”
I shifted my stray tail and she pulled the bulbous stick to one side. The truck roared again and rolled from its parking space, Cassie using the wheel to direct the trucks movement.
We bumped our way through the large car park and turned onto a narrow tarmac path. Our speed increased and I was thrust back into my seat as Cassie repeatedly changed gear. She drove faster as we made our way through dense countryside, and whilst speeding down a straight open road, I rather stupidly stuck my head out of the window for a better view. The wind slapped me like a rock, and I retreated my head, feeling quite nauseous. I did not like this ride at all.
Thankfully, we began to slow down as we approached the city. I felt brave enough to poke my head out through the window again and take in the strange sights all around.
I saw crowds of humans running around in a hurry, dragging along with them large plastic bags and briefcases. Some were wearing colourful, bright clothing and seemed to be enjoying themselves; others were smartly-dressed and formal, not quite so fulfilled. There was such a variety. It was amazing to just watch it all fly past.
There were other cars, in front and behind us, going off in many directions, zooming past at high speeds and honking their hideous horns. I blinked up at the beautiful, cloudless blue sky and saw planes… so many planes floating high up above us.
The human world was manic, to say the least.
I pulled my head back in through the window to hear Cassie explaining various landmarks to Tal as we veered around another turn.
“… And that is the Arts centre.” Cassie told him.
“Arts centre is big.” Tal said. “But not as big as Museum.”
“You’re right, it isn’t.” Cassie agreed.
“Tal sees dog!” He chirped in amazement, and attempted to climb out of the window, before I pulled him back by his tail. Cassie, now familiar with some of the trucks buttons, rightly closed Tal’s window before he could jump out in another burst of misplaced enthusiasm. He continued to stare out of the car with his snout pressed against the glass.
The car kept on going for at least another ten minutes, according to the cars clock, and the overly repetitive scenery was getting boring. Cassie and Tal were involved in small conversation, passing the time by.
I found myself playing with a small compartment in front of my seat, opening and closing it, finding what was inside. I found a pair of glasses. Humans wore them, but they were obviously not created for Hork-Bajir-use. I placed them neatly back into the compartment, just as one of the blades on my head pulled open a small flap above me. I opened up this new flap fully and found that it was another mirror. This one, however, stared right back at me. I looked into my own red eyes and my dilated black pupils connected with the up-close reflection and focused. It was not often I saw myself in a mirror, so I always made the best of the opportunity. I scratched off a small patch off dirt that had somehow gathered below my jaw when I noticed Tal blinking back into my reflection.
His eyes met mine, and we just stared.
“We’re here” Cassie interrupted.
I hesitantly took my gaze from Tal and looked around the new car park we had arrived in. This one was smaller than the one at the rehabilitation centre, and enclosed by several shorter buildings. There were no other cars here, and the tarmac was covered in litter and old metal trash cans.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Well, we can’t go directly to the parade. They don’t allow cars to go through.” She explained. “And I think it would be better to watch from a secluded area. It’s much safer.”
“Where is parade?” Tal asked, popping his head through the seats between us.
“Just on the other side of this building.” She pointed through the window at the largest of the buildings containing us. “That’s where we’re going. McDonalds.”
“We are going inside that building?” I asked.
“Nope. We’re going on the roof. It’s a nice view from up there.” She opened the car door and hopped down to the ground, slamming the door shut behind her.
I felt the warmth of Tal’s claw rub up my squashed tail. He leant over my seat and grinned invitingly. “Tal watch parade with Toby.”
Before I could reply, the door to my right opened.
“You coming, or are you going to sit in the truck all day?” Cassie asked.
I clambered from the truck, helping Tal squeeze out from the back, and we stood in the middle of the small parking area. Out of the truck, I easily caught the scent venting from the ‘McDonalds’, though to be honest, it was not a scent I enjoyed. Tal was finding it just as repulsive as I was.
“What does Tal smell?” He grumbled.
“That’s food,” Cassie explained. “The smell of Big Macs and French Fries, to be exact.”
I held my snout as I focused on the flat roof of the building. “And we are going up there?”
“Yep, but first I’m going to get a drink. Do you want any water?” Cassie offered.
“Yes, thank you.” I replied.
“Will you both be alright to stay here by the car while I’m gone?”
We both nodded, and Cassie walked off and out of the car park, leaving us there to sit on an awkward bench in a dirty, littered corner.
There was barely enough room on the bench for both of us. Human seating was never intended to suit fully-grown Hork-Bajir - the shape was uncomfortable, and there was never enough room for the wide Hork-Bajir tail. This bench was maybe 3 feet in width and framed with splintered wood and rusty metal frames.
We both hesitated, thinking about how to deal with the situation.
“Toby sit.” Tal offered.
I smiled thankfully at him. “But there is enough room for both of us.”
Growing up on the Home world, my species were never under any local threat. We had no predators, and no prey. There was plenty of food, and little need for excessive shelter. Our people did not have to fight or argue for resources, so we grew to share, and it had become almost instinctual. Tal knew that there was enough room for both of us, yet he seemed determined to let me have the entire bench.
I sat myself down on one side, giving my tail enough room behind me. I left him plenty of room.
He shook his head. “Tal sit on ground.”
I smiled at his obvious desire to please me. “You can sit on this bench with me.”
Tal, looking rather privileged, hesitantly sat himself beside me.
The seat was no more comfortable then that of the seat I had in the truck, but at least I had some headroom this time. I let my neck roll back against the wall and breathed in the strange air.
The area we had found ourselves in was not at all pleasant.Everywhere I looked, there were piles of broken rusted metal, old abandoned buildings, litter… Humans, despite a gross obssession of appearance and hygiene, were far from a clean species.
A small plastic bag blew onto my foot. I kicked it off. “I do not like this place.”
“No trees.” Tal observed.
“Humans do not grow many trees in their cities,” I said, thinking it would be a nice opportunity to educate him. “They usually keep the trees and cities separate. I do not believe they need the trees here.”
“But when Toby and Tal are hungry… No trees.”
“We will not be here long.” I took note of the sounds behind the McDonalds building. The sound of humans and music. “The parade has already started.”
“What is parade?”
“It is…” I stopped mid-sentence, realising that I myself did not know exactly what a parade was. “I don’t not know what it is, but I believe it is a human ritual.”
“Why Cassie take Toby to see parade?”
I raised an eyebrow, confused as to why he asked. “Cassie has taken me to see many human landmarks and rituals in the local area. I suppose she wanted me to see this aswell.”
“Where has Toby been?” He leant into the bench casually and folded his knees underneath.
“Many places. I cannot even remember them all. Cassie and I have travelled together every week for the past two years.”
“What is Toby’s favourite?”
I paused to think. “… The beach… or the zoo… maybe the mall…”
He wanted to seem like he understood me, and looked away, fiddling with the tip of his tail.
“Maybe someday, I shall show you. I am sure Cassie would not mind.”
He smiled at me. “Tal go with Toby and Cassie?”
“Yes. You cannot go on your own, you would get lost.”
“Tal know.”
“You must always stay with me when we are outside of the park.” I repeated.
He nodded acceptingly. “Tal stay with Toby outside of park. Not get lost.”
“Thank you, Tal.” I gazed at him, into his beautiful red eyes.
“Ah! Here you are.”
It was Cassie’s voice. I broke from Tal’s eyes and blinked up at her.
She walked around the corner holding a small, brown paper bag with a distinctive yellow ‘M’ on the front. She strolled up beside the bench and sat on the frame beside my tail. “I could only get bottles. I hope that’s alright.” She said, pulling out two containers of water from her bag.
I took the containers, handing one over to Tal. “Thank you.”
“I’ve been told that the parade has been on for about five minutes now.” She informed us.
I nodded. “I can hear lots of humans, but I did not know if it was from the parade.” I paused. “… What is a parade?”
“You’ll see, once we’re on the roof.”
I held back my head to look vertically upwards at the lip of the wall, where the flat roof began. “How will you get up there?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way. A single-story McDonalds wall isn’t going to be difficult.”
Tal, struggling to open his bottle, decided to offer Cassie the easy route. “Tal carry Cassie up wall.” He stood up tall in front of her, holding his disfigured bottle and trying his best to look heroic.
Cassie laughed and strode up beside him. “Thanks Tal."
She held out her hand, and Tal handed her the bottle, which she nimbly repaired and opened. After swigging a substantial amount, she gave it back to Tal, who thanked her and continued to stare blankly at it.
Once he had figured it out himself, and had sprayed some water into his mouth, he came back to the conversation. “Small climb.” He reached up his arm, showing that, with just a small hop, he could easily grab the ledge. “Cassie hold Tal’s shoulders. Cassie not too heavy.”
Cassie smiled, like he had paid her a big compliment. “Alright then, but take it slowly.”
Tal turned his back to Cassie and faced the blank, grey wall, examining it over with slit black pupils, and he bent his legs, lowering himself closer to the ground. Cassie, being polite, hauled her arms around his shoulders and clamped her hands together around his chest, then doing the same with her feet around his waist. Once she signalled she was on tightly enough, Tal rose on his legs back to normal height.
He twisted his neck back. “See? Cassie not heavy.”
Cassie returned him a grin and clung tighter round his neck. “Just be careful, I don’t want to end up in casualty.”
“Tal careful.” He reassured her, then proceeded to find pockets in the wall with which to climb.
I could have easily leapt onto the roof in one bound, but I climbed alongside Tal, finding small crevices in the relatively flat wall and pulling myself up. It was an easy climb, and took me very little time at all till I reached up and hauled myself over the ledge. I stood straight on the top of the McDonalds and took in the rather unpleasant scenery.
It was just a typically dull human roof: Grey gravel base, often cracked and covered in dirty puddles that had gathered over days of rain; various shapes and sizes of ground vents spewing the greasy smell of the produced food; and finally, to finish it off, a large, yellow ‘M’ facing outwards on the other side, large enough to sit under and be covered from the baking sun. It was quite a contrast to the bright, beautiful sky.
Tal effortlessly lifted himself over the edge and stood beside me, allowing Cassie to drop down behind him. She looked around the roof with a broad smile and stood between us.
“It’s not the nicest place,” She said, “But it’s quiet and out of the way. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be in a busy crowd.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “It is better. How did you know to come up here?”
She gave me another human expression, this one telling me I already knew the answer. I did.
“Oh, yes…” I smiled, embarrassed.
Cassie had a strange power, given to her by an andalite. That power was to morph into any creature she touched. An amazing power that helped save this entire planet from the invasion of the yeerks. A power that could help six mere youths hold off an entire army.
I may have been much taller and bulkier than Cassie, but theoretically she was far more powerful than me and Tal put together. She had so many forms she could morph to. For instance, she would have morphed to a bird to find suitable areas to watch a parade from. She could even morph me if she wanted, though she had agreed to not morph a Hork-Bajir or any other sentient creature. Her days of fighting were over, and she liked it that way.
Cassie never enjoyed the war. She was always morally directed, always wanting to do the right thing, and I admired this. I suppose everybody did. Nowadays, she devoted her time to helping us with Ronnie, searching out new areas for us to live, funding the clinics and spending the majority of her time in the company of friends and family.
The noise of the human crowds was more prominent from up here. I wandered over to the giant curved ‘M’ and looked down through one of the arches. Below, not twenty feet from the building, a long, bustling crowd of noisy humans stretched across the sidewalk and along the road. The crowds seemed to spread for miles down each side. Some people were cheering and laughing, others watched silently, and some waved small, colourful objects in the air above their heads. But this is not what caught my attention.
In the middle of the crowds, on the black tarmac road, a large group of organised, uniformed humans marched in a strangely comical fashion, blaring brass instruments and hitting big rumbling drums. They marched away to the left, creating a loud musical drone that was completely different to that of ’Snoop Dogg’s’ sound, though no less enjoyable.
Before and behind this group of uniformed musicians were large, misshapen vehicles, moving at a slow speed between the crowds. They carried huge figures on top, resembling fake humans and objects, along with one or two people waving from atop the base of the vehicle.
This line of displays and uniformed patrols continued as far as my weak Hork-Bajir eyes could see. “This is the parade?” I asked.
Cassie leant up beside the large ‘M’. “Yes, this is it. What do you think?”
“I believe I will enjoy this.” I concluded, keeping my eyes on the passing vehicles, which led into another patrol of uniformed humans.
Tal crawled into the next arch along. “Loud.”
“It probably will be.” Cassie surmised. “There’s a lot of music in parades.”
Cassie was perhaps not as excited about the parade as me and Tal were, but she had probably seen them many times before. She moved to sit on a vent a few feet away.
I could not help but feel Cassie was still unsure about things, whether she really was as happy and care-free as she made out to be.
Maybe she just wanted to sit and watch the parade from there. I could never be sure. Sometimes I even felt unsure of my own happiness.
I closed my eyes and tried to lose myself in the noise of the parade. The sounds breezed over me like leaves and calmed me. My mind began to ease as I once again opened my eyes to watch the colours flow by.
Sometimes it is better to feel there is nothing on your mind and let yourself go. I knew that I was only worrying myself.
As I watched the next patrol walk by, I remembered what my mother had said to me: ‘Toby worry too much’. She was right, as she usually is. She had cared for since I was little, comforted me, fed me, warmed me, cooed me to sleep on stormy nights. When I grew up she became a reliable source of motherly wisdom. She always knew when something was not quite right, when I was scared, and she would always know how to make me feel better again. She knew me completely.
I remembered her, and I remembered how to be happy.
It was not long before I realised that I had been lying under the shadow of the ‘M’ for quite some time. The colour of the sky had changed to a darker shade of blue, and the air had gotten cooler. My mind had been elsewhere.
I focused on the parade. The next float along was large and pink, made from little flowers. The women beside strolled along, waving to the appreciative crowd, bathing in the applause and the cheering, enjoying every little moment that passed by. It must have taken a long time to build that float and now they were reaping their rewards.
One of the woman looked up, right at me, and she stopped smiling and waving. Her face grew serious and intelligent, though her legs still motored slowly on. She kept direct eye contact, while her lips slowly made out words in an almost whisper.
“Tonight.”
I could read those words as they left her mouth, and it echoed loudly within my head. How? I could not read human lips…
The human female stopped suddenly and shook her head. She looked around like she did not know where she was. She seemed to recover her thoughts and walked on like nothing had happened, now reluctantly waving to the oblivious crowd.
I tried to make sense of what was going on. The female kept on moving, making way for a rather disorganised group of humans tumbling and falling around behind the floats.
“Are you alright Toby?” Cassie called over from her seat.
Was I? I looked back over my body which I had splayed clumsily over the roof. I ran the memory of the human female through my head and discarded it as a delusion. Today had not been a good day.
“I believe so.”
“You’ve been lying there for about fifteen minutes looking spaced-out.”
Spaced-out? “What do you mean, Cassie?”
“Never mind. I’m just a little concerned about you at the moment.”
I could have told her there was nothing to worry about, but I figured she had a right to be worried, and a reason. I was visibly edgy, and there was undoubtedly something going on in my head.
I turned my head and looked down at the strange disorganised humans. Some were falling over, others were throwing pies at each other. Either way, these were obviously not humans I had ever encountered before, at least not in the park.
“Who are those humans?” I asked Cassie, pointing to the clumsy collaboration.
“They’re called clowns, they entertain kids.”
Tal pointed down to the strange gaggle of humans with an eager claw. “Tal like that one."
I stared to where he pointed, at a rather energetic clown in bright red clothing. He was looking around like he had lost someone, though he did not seem at all upset. He continued to waddle his way along with the others before being struck in the face by a gooey, edible substance, thrown by a rather disgruntled-looking clown.
“That’s Chortling Charlie.” Cassie told him. “Don’t ask me how I know. We get a lot of kids in the clinic.”
“Why are they throwing food at each other?” I asked.
“I would tell you if I knew. I spose it's just something clowns do.”
I shrugged - a typical human gesture I had picked up over the years. I was sure there would be a reason for such violent and wasteful throwing of food, but not even Cassie, a human, knew why. One thing was for certain though, the younger members of the crowd below us were enjoying it.

The sun had moved slowly across the sky as the parade began to die down, dragging distant shadows across the concrete surface and retreating behind large onrushing clouds. I lay, relaxed and warmed in the late afternoon heat and watched over the parade as decorated vehicles wheeled their way through the diminished crowd and the last of the music was fading to the distance. I let my troubles float away and stretched out on my belly under the giant ‘M’, taking in the rays and the human atmosphere.
Cassie and Tal were several feet away, talking quietly to themselves. I could not hear them clearly.
I took a long gulp from my bottle, after managing to spill most of it earlier. The water was strange, obviously tainted but it was still drinkable, and during a hot day like today I was more than happy to have it. The cool, filtered liquid trickled pleasantly down my throat.
I finished off the bottle and placed it down at my side, taking in a deep relaxing breath as I let my head rest on the small smooth wall over the edge of the building. My eyes trailed off to watch several small birds hopping along the edge and over the patchy roof, they chirped quietly amongst themselves and jumped slowly closer with curiosity, only to fly away again to find something else to do.
Cassie laughed quietly to herself, and I looked over to see Tal having a hard time understanding why she had found something so amusing. His large eyes took a slight glance at me, before instantly ricocheting off and facing another direction . I ****ed my head curiously at Cassie, who’s laughing had subsided, and she cheerfully shook her head like it was nothing to worry about.
I reverted from the strangely awkward situation and stared aimlessly outwards over the busy road.
The talking behind me started again, and I felt myself being drawn in and trying to listen, but even with a strong sense of hearing, I could not depict what they were saying.
Then it stopped, and I heard nervous shuffles behind me, and before I knew it, Tal was crawling up beside me under the large ‘M’. He was shaking ever-so-slightly and he seemed unable to look me in the eyes, as mine bore down on him.
He opened up his snout to speak, and I could tell straight off what was happening as a smile came over me, and I watched him struggle with his words
He soon found the courage to say something, “Cassie say ‘Tal -”
“No Tal.” Cassie burst in. “Come back here.” She started laughing again, but this was, as I understood it, more of a sympathetic laugh, as Tal obeyed and crawled away, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
I laughed to myself and turned my head over my shoulder to smile knowingly at Cassie. She knew I had figured her out and shot me back a wink.
I guess she had known what Tal saw in me, and was kindly trying to give him the courage.
I shook my head in amused disbelief and turned back to my rooftop view, my moving arm connecting with the empty bottle that had been placed beside me, sending it tumbling over the side and into bushes below.
It disappeared under a large yellow-leaved bush, and I lifted my body up as I looked over the ledge, raising my back legs and resting my upper body on my arms, my neck moving over the ledge. I looked vertically until I could see under the bush…
SLAP!!!
I yelped in surprise as something hit me from behind. I reversed and turned to see what had happened.
"Tal?"
Cassie, behind him, was in hysterics, unable to hold in the laughter as I rubbed my painful backside where Tal had slapped me.
“I’m sorry!” Cassie said over her fit of laughter. “I couldn’t help myself.”
A guilty expression showed on Tal, and his eyes stared at me apologetically.
“Tal,” Cassie continued. “I didn’t mean for you to do it so hard.”
From my observations, Cassie had told him to slap my backside as I was looking over the edge. I had seen humans doing this before as a positive or humourous social action (and it was definately one of the stranger ones), but I was not so sure that it was working the same way for me. Of course, Cassie was just playing around.
I bared my teeth in a forced grin and sat painfully on the ledge as Cassie apologised and reassured Tal it was all for fun, and then walked over and sat against the ledge beside me.
"Before you ask, yes, it was all my idea."
"It is not something we Hork-Bajir tend to do." I replied with little emotion.
"I was just messing around. I didn't actually think he would do it, though."
Looking over at Tal, he had returned to his seat on a large metal vent and was playing with his tail.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Cassie continued.
“I am. The parade was pleasant to was. What was it for, exactly?”
“It’s usually a celebratory thing. I don’t know what this one was for though, it just appeared.” She looked over the ledge at the dispersing crowds, the parade now far from view.
“Thank you for bringing us here, Cassie.” I said.
She smiled and looked down at her legs. “You’re welcome. I thought it would be nice to bring you along. Somebody to talk to.”
I raised an eyebrow. Was something wrong?
I gazed down at her hand laid resting on her leg, and found the glistening sparkle of a ring on a clutching finger. She had seen Ronnie last night. Today he would be off working elsewhere.
It must have been something else…
Someone else.
“Cassie…” I started, sounding as gentle as I could.
Her eyes fell on me, and I saw all the proof I needed.
“You still miss her.” I said.
She reluctantly stared at me and nodded. “Yeah.”
Rachel was Cassie’s best friend before and during Earth's war against the yeerks, and died towards the end. I was never informed how or why it happened, but it seemed to have a lasting effect on Cassie and the others.
It was sad, but unfortunately that was the reality of war. No decision is right for everyone. We had both learnt that the hard way.
I did not really know what to say. I shuffled closer to her as I saw a single tear stain her shirt. I held out a claw for her and she took it, holding it tight.
“Things are so different without her…” She managed to utter.
“I understand why you are upset,” I said. “We all miss her, but you have to remember all the good things she had done for us. Without her, we may have lost the war. She played an integral part.”
Judging from Cassie’s expression, she seemed to be cheering up, remembering Rachel for all the good reasons. She smiled warmly.
“You’re right.” She conceded.
“You still have us.” I continued. “Your mother, your father, Ronnie, and I am always here for you. We all are.”
“Thank you Toby.” She followed my gaze and lifted her hand to show off the ring. “Noticed the ring, huh?”
“Yes.” I said. “It is beautiful.”
She blushed and looked at her finger lovingly, before giving me a strange look. “Maybe you’ll be next.” I saw a suggestive grin spread over her face, and she glanced over at Tal, who was grooming his toenails with his teeth.
I chuckled at the remark and kept my eyes drawn on him.
“He has a thing for you.” Cassie interrupted.
“A thing?” I asked, puzzled.
“You know, a thing.”
I simply stared at her.
“He… feels for you.” She nodded like she was satisfied with how she worded it, and after some time I suddenly realised what she was implying.
I did not answer her, because to be honest I had nothing much to say that would not give me away, because I too had this thing…
We sat in a suitably peaceful silence gazing up at the dimming blue Earth sky. The last of the days birds were flying back to their nests, and the cold evening weather was starting to set in. The moon was now visible up above us. Full.
The sound of the crowds were quickly dying as I lay my head on the ledge, Cassie behind me, and Tal somewhere nearby, busying himself.
Cassie sat watching over the ledge, thinking. She was troubled, and I knew why.
As I looked up at the clouded sky I only asked myself the same question she would have asked. I had no answers and neither did she.
But she had the experience of knowing the others. She was insightful, and she could tell the emotions of those around her like it was a gift. She saw the fear in Jake’s eyes, and as he left, she knew he may not come back.
Nobody knew exactly what happened to the Andalite vessel and its crew, but I knew deep down inside that they would come across it.
It was hard not to think about it. About what could happen to him. About what this could mean.
I began to think about Tobias. How would he cope? He had not spoken to the other Animorphs for over two years now. He did not trust Jake at all since Rachel died, and only ever talked to me and my people. Even then, he never mentioned anything about the war. He would fly over to the camp and ask us how our day was, what we had done… he never answered those questions himself…
We talked about it only a few days before he left with Jake. He flew to my nest late at night and waited for me there. He must have wanted company, so I sat with him for a few hours. He asked questions about my life, but when I asked him the same questions back to him, he was quick to change the subject.
I asked him why he would not answer. He flew away.
I yawned and opened my eyes, finishing off the nap I did not even know I was having, and saw Cassie resting beside me, her elbows on the ledge and her chin placed on her cupped hands. I stretched myself and scratched behind my neck, sitting up. Today had gone by pretty quickly, and, since it was winter, the night was coming in earlier, orange-shadowed clouds enveloping the empty blue.
My pessimistic thoughts were drained as I stood high on my legs and shook myself down. Cassie noticed I was getting up and turned around, facing inwards to the building. “Ready to go Toby?” She asked.
“Yes, I am ready.” I replied, taking one last look at the remains of the crowd, then twisting to see…
Where was Tal?
I darted my eyes around the roof in a sudden bout of panic. Nothing but the horrible grey roof and the vents. No sign of him.
A scream. A distant shout from below the ‘M’. I shot to the edge to see a large gap in the shouting crowd. In the middle of the gap, Tal, walking away from our building.
Cassie had also noticed what was happening. “What is he doing?!”
“I… He…” I struggled to find any reasonable answer. I had told him many times to stay beside us and he had disobeyed.
Maybe his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Maybe he was hungry.
The startled, noisy humans around him began to close in, eager to see the Hork-Bajir who seemed to appear from nowhere, no longer scared by his sudden appearance, and now more determined to meet him.
But he did not stop to talk, nor did he seem intimidated or scared like Hork-Bajir usually are around large groups of humans. In fact, he showed no emotion whatsoever. He just walked through them, with a strange, almost robotic stride. Had he always walked like that? It was as if he was sleepwalking, but his body stayed almost still, upstraight. His tail was hanging and dragging behind him, pretty much limp.
I had no choice but to catch him. I reached up and pressed my clawed foot against the ledge, powering the muscle and feeling the pressure swirl up through and into my thighs.
I leapt from the ledge, through the ‘M’, falling heavily through the light Earth air. The wind brushed like leaves against my skin, and I saw the cracked ground beneath me swelter and waver as I hurtled downwards. I clutched at the breeze as I fell aimlessly.
Fell.
The concrete. The heat. The shadow. Blood.
And for one brief moment, I saw myself.
Screaming! Screaming! I closed my eyes, and I saw the bright light. I saw the madness. And I saw the disfigured shape. It surrounded me, whispered in my ear.
Told me where I was.
And I was flat on the ground. Heated tarmac.
My breath ran over my chest as I heard the beat of footsteps.
I had to get up!
Moving my arms and legs, I struggled to get onto my feet again. I rubbed my head, disorientated by shock. My ears made out distant noises, fading closer. Talking. Shouting.
Where was Cassie? I tried to focus my eyes back to the roof. She was gone, probably rushing after me.
As my head cleared, I stared out over the concerned humans who had surrounded me. I was just tall enough to be able to peek over the sea of heads and spot three large male blades. Tal!
My left leg jerked forward as I retained my stability. What was happening to me? Why was I having these visions?
No time to answer. I needed to find Tal.
The crowd backed off slightly as I lunged forward, clumsy lunges soon forming to a jog as I followed Tal’s scent and the occasional view of blades over the shorter human heads.
I bellowed out his name, loud enough for him to hear, unintentionally sending several humans into a panic. Those who got in my way were gently pushed aside, or at least as gently as I could.
Tal was in danger, he did not know where he was or what kind of human he would encounter. He had no idea of what kind of machine could come speeding around the next corner. He was stupid to walk away, and yet he must have known it…
The crowd kindly began to separate, not sure about how to react, but Tal was still separated from me by a small group who had no idea what was going on, and were all gathered around, like they were focused on something.
I felt a worn, deep grunt leave my throat, panting and irregular. I almost collapsed, little energy left after my fall. Too little to think, to make sense… all shapes, colours… shades of blue-green… blotches.
The group split, and there…
Facing me, still, lifeless.
Stood straight and tall.
The nightmare. The blue and the green forming blank spheres of eyes. Deep. Dead.
I collapsed forward, too scared to scream.
A hit to the head.
Cold and dizzy, I lost consciousness.

Offline Dogman15

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #20 on: April 09, 2011, 05:40:12 PM »
One minor issue: Cassie never acquired Toby's DNA. She has Toby's father's DNA (Jara), and that of a random Hork-Bajir Controller from The Unexpected, book 44. Other than that and a few spelling errors (ignoring the British differences), a great chapter. I'm seeing parallels to another post-54 fic that involves Rachel, Crayak, Cassie, Toby, and the others. (That's okay.)

Offline Blu

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #21 on: April 10, 2011, 02:38:07 AM »
I never implied that Cassie acquired Toby... Where does it say that?

Sorry for the occasional speeling mistake. I no longer have Microsoft Word so the errors arent marked out so some get past my edits. :P

Thanks anyway :) Nice to have regular readers, even if it's only one...


Oh, and this story will be rather original, I can asure you. If someone somewhere has done something similar then I'll be really shocked. The story was all thought up while I was on my own working on a dairy farm, no influences but my own imagination.

Chapter Six should be up by next week at the latest!

Offline Dogman15

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #22 on: April 10, 2011, 02:09:38 PM »
It doesn't necessarily have similarities, per se, but I do see how this story and the other one I was reading (Sorry, I can't remember where it is at the moment!) could co-exist, as they haven't necessarily contradicted each other yet. I like it when two or more fan fictions mesh well together; because they already line up with true book canon, the stories together only strengthen each other.

As for the spelling, these forums (and FF.net, too I think) come with a spell checker. Granted, alien words like "Hork-Bajir", "Andalite", "Yeerk", "Dracon", and more aren't in its dictionary, but it will catch non-fictional misspelled words easily.

Your line that I thought insinuated Cassie acquiring Toby was this:
Quote
She could even morph me if she wanted, though she had agreed to not morph a Hork-Bajir or any other sentient creature.

This could have been made clearer by saying "She could even morph my father/(into) another Hork-Bajir if she wanted, though she had agreed not to morph another Hork-Bajir/one of us or any other sentient creature."

Offline Blu

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #23 on: April 10, 2011, 02:16:26 PM »
The sentance doesn't imply that Cassie implied to Toby but that she could if she wanted.

Perhaps I should have worded it a bit clearer =P

Offline Dogman15

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #24 on: April 10, 2011, 03:15:43 PM »
I did understand that that was your original intent.

Offline Blu

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #25 on: April 21, 2011, 04:28:37 PM »
CHAPTER 6

‘Someone once said life was for living, life was for happiness, life was love. I cannot help but feel that I have been lied to. How can life be for love when all you have left is hate? How can life be for happiness when all you can do is scream in silence? How can life be for living when you have nothing to live for anymore?


My eyes slowly flickered, rhythmic to the steady rumbling airing from the tight leather seats. I stretched my body and felt my legs crumple against the hollow shell of the truck door, my clutched limbs aching and straining. My vision was faded and blurry, but as I slowly opened my eyes, squinting in the seemingly bright light, I made out Tal’s outline above me. He stared down at me, and I realised a faint, pleasant sensation as he rubbed a claw down my arm.
My head rested on his thigh, and we were both squeezed into the back of the truck, with Cassie sat, driving at the front.
I could hear faint noises. The sound of talking. I moved my arm to rub my head, my hearing faded and distant. Tal was speaking. I could hear his voice now, and I felt the vibrations buzz through his body to me as he spoke.
I raised my head from his thigh and looked through distorted vision, trying to make sense of it all. My body throbbed and I collapsed back onto Tal, clenching my teeth as the memory drifted through me.
The parade. Tal’s eyes…
I looked upwards at his chin and, noticing my stirring, he craned his neck to look back. I burrowed into his eyes. Tal’s own red eyes.
Not blue, nor green. Not dead.
Normal, bright eyes.
“Toby wake up.”
I jerked a bit, my sense of hearing and sight coming back to me as I heard him utter those words. My legs twitched, life springing back into them as I felt energy returning and boiling up inside me.
Warmth. Tal rubbed my cheek with the back of his hand, and whispered, too quiet to make out.
Where was I? What was happening?
I bolted up as the questions circled me and I sat upright in my seat, shivering as the sudden effects of my mind once again subsided. The aching of my body forced me to lean against the door, but at least now my senses had returned to normal and I could see the bright city lights fly past my window, covered in the dark purple veil of the night.
The trucks vibrating grew quieter as I gazed through the glass window, and the lights slowed to a stop, just as the truck did.
Cassie shuffled in her seat to face us, a total look of seriousness on her face. “Toby.”
My eyes widened as I focused on her, still dizzy and nauseous from earlier. “Yes?”
She bit her lip and looked over my body, like she thought I was hiding something. “There is something wrong with you.”
Of course, she was right. “I believe so.”
She hesitated, cautious about what she would say next, and glanced over at Tal. “Would you like to tell me what’s going on?”
I took my eyes from her, feeling cornered and momentarily split from Cassie. I had no answer.
“Please, Toby.” She said, her expression showing much concern. “Is there something you want to talk about?”
I shook my head, resting my gaze on her again. “… I do not know.”
She hummed thoughtfully to herself, before gently rubbing my knee. “I think we need to take you to the clinic.”
I nodded acceptingly. Maybe I was just ill. A trip to the clinic could only be for the best.
Tal was keeping quiet and fiddled his claws quizzically on his side of the truck, legs crunched into the seat before him and his tail set aside. I could feel confusion and fear airing from him.
Surely what I saw before was an illusion. A figment of my imagination brought on by some illness…
Yes, it was just me. I was sick. That was why I was going to the clinic, and why I was hallucinating.
I was just sick.
Cassie turned back to the steering wheel and the car roared, heading out of the city and in the direction of Yellowstone park. I thought everything through my head - the images, illusions, and tried to put together the pieces. Something was happening to me, but I could not explain what it was, or why it was happening.
Was Tal feeling anything? He certainly seemed troubled…
“Tal.” I said quietly, nudging up beside him.
He replied with a small, meek grunt.
“I am not mad at you.” I explained.
He lifted slightly, yet unable to hide his sense of guilt. “Tal is sorry.”
After a brief pause of just staring at him, I decided it would be best to change to a lighter subject. “Have you enjoyed your day?”
“Yes.”
He said no more, and he did not seem at all sure if he did like it or not. Something was on his mind. My hand reached over and wrapped around his. That caught his attention.
“Do not feel bad about what happened, Tal.” I said.
He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, before saying it in our own language. “ ‘Cassie say Tal do bad. But Tal nap.’ ”
That took me by surprise. “ ‘You were asleep?’ ”
“ ‘Tal…’ ” He froze, like he was unsure. “ ‘Tal walk away, but Tal sleep…’ ” He held his head in obvious bafflement.
This was getting stranger and stranger…
He continued, “ ‘Tal sleep on roof. Not wake up on roof.’ ”
“ ‘Where did you wake up?’ ”
“ ‘Tal wake up on road next to Toby.’ ”
I started to feel tense, squeezing his claw tighter. He replied by squeezing back and leaning against me.
I wanted to feel better. I wanted to make him feel better. To take things off my mind and just enjoy the rest of the night, to go to my nest when I was tired and not have to stay awake and demand answers from myself. To wake up in the morning happy and care-free.
My eyes rested lazily on Tal, focusing on him as the scenery around us grew darker. He made me feel strange, distant in a way, like he was all I really needed on this strange planet. We were compatible.
“Tal.” I said quietly.
He opened his eyes wider and trailed them to mine.
I smiled invitingly. “ ‘When we get back home tonight, I would like to have some more of that bark you gave to me. Could you show me the tree?’ ”
The light in the car had quickly gone black. It was impossible to make out his face, but I knew he was smiling.
“ ‘Tal will take Toby to tree.’ ”
“ ‘Thank you, Tal.’ ”
As the night spread over the horizon to fill the sky, and the last of the city noises died away, we sat in deep silence - all three all us. Cassie said nothing for most of the journey, concentrating on the road and her thoughts. Both I and Tal were sat uncomfortably in the limited space of the truck, bound close and leaning back into the seats, worn out.
Our claws clutched together, so familiar, yet so new. I had never felt this feeling before, and I never wanted it to stop, not even for even a brief second. I dropped my head on his shoulder and watched the world pass by through the windscreen. The clinic, lit with dull amber light, dragged itself up over the horizon like a beacon pushing its way up through the dirt.

It took two hours, and I was fine.
Perfectly fine.
Cassie had done all sorts of tests on me, and they all said that there was nothing physically wrong with me.
Physically, at least.
“I don’t understand.” Cassie muttered as we squeezed back into the car. “Are you sure you haven’t hit your head on something recently?”
“I am sure.” I said, as I got into the front seat beside Cassie. Tal crawled into the back.
She sighed impatiently. “Maybe you just need some sleep. I’ll take you both back to your camps.”
“Thank you Cassie.” I said with a smile, as she got the truck started and the music began playing. I jerked as it blared in my ears, nudging into Cassie. She turned it down and tuned it to something slightly less aggressive.
Tal gave us a huge, gaping yawn as we left the clinic car park for the second time today. He may have been tired after a long day, but I was wide awake to the point where I was not going to sleep tonight.
Cassie, again, stayed mostly quiet, but she would occasionally glance over at me with concern.
The little flickering lights of the truck were all that kept me amused, since it was now impossible to see outside apart from the occasional orange streetlight flashing above and in the distance.
“I hear there’s a feast on tonight.” Cassie said from out of nowhere.
“Yes, there is.” I replied. “Several camps gathered bark together this morning. They will come to our camp, I believe.” I faced her. “Would you like to come?”
“Sure, I guess. I can‘t stay long though.” She kept her eyes firmly on the road, no expression shown. “I don’t want you to feast tonight. You need to get some sleep.”
“I understand.”
I knew deep down that I would have wanted a feast, but Cassie was right, I needed a long rest.
“I think I should talk to Ket aswell.” She continued, quickly adding, “… About her broken toe.”
“I am sure she will join the feast.” I said. I leant back over my seat. “Will you go Tal?”
He turned his attention from the back of my seat to me. “Tal not know.”
Cassie shrugged, still focused on the road as we turned into a small residential area. The lights were bright here, so I could look out of the window clearly. The houses were much larger than those in the city, and bordered the park barely metres from the enclosures edge. The road followed a bend over a light hill, then began to level out as the buildings became denser and more tightly packed in.
Then the line of buildings stopped, and we drove again past bare, fenced land. Above the hill, outlined by a faint orange streetlamp glow was a large single storey building, half submerged by the park and a host of small trees. In the light, a large, golden jumble of letters was barely visible, sitting in the centre of what appeared as the front of the building. I read it.
Terry’s.
I supposed that I would be missing the opportunity to meet him again tonight. Cassie would take us home, and by then it would be too dark to make my own way there.
Surely enough, he would not mind if we did not go tonight. I doubted he would be at all surprised.
The truck began to pull itself up the shallow hill and towards the building which sat on the opposite side of the road, surrounded by the streetlamps and forwarded by a small sheltered bus stop. A shaving of crescent moon rose over the roof and battered it with a simple white glow.
We passed the attractive restaurant and wheeled onto a more level patch of road, edged by pavement sidewalks.
A shadow lurked on our side of the road on the cracked dim sidewalk. It became obvious that the human was male as the trucks headlights rested on his body. He wore clothing that looked inadequate to keep him warm, though fancy as if he were here on important business.
However, the most noticeable feature was his dazzling array of facial hair. It was brown, as the hair on his head was, and it was styled into what I have heard is called a ‘combo’, trailing over his lips and going down his cheeks, before covering his entire lower jaw.
He was tall for a human, and was roughly the same age as Cassie. He sported a healthy and fulfilled expression, wise and experienced despite his youth.
Cassie seemed no less interested in the man as I was, and within seconds she seemed to have recognised him. “Erek?”
The truck slowed and sidled up to the sidewalk where the man walked, and as we came to a stop beside him I began to see the face I had known before.
My window slid down into the car door, and Erek swivelled around to see me looking down at him. He raised an eyebrow and stepped slowly to the door. He eyes lit up as Cassie leant forward to look past me.
“Cassie?” Erek said.
“Hi Erek!” She grinned and rested her arms, crossed on the steering wheel. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
He leaned against the truck door and spoke in a relaxed and casual tone, returning her smile. “I’m on vacation, staying in a hotel for a couple of weeks. I was planning to visit you in the clinic tomorrow.”
“Well I’d love for you to drop by.” She replied. “I can’t remember the last time we spoke.”
“Too long ago.” He darted a strange expression to her and patted the truck window frame. “I see you got yourself a big vehicle. Never thought I’d see you driving one of these.”
“I needed the space.” She quickly replied.
“Is it new?”
“I bought it this week. Only driven it properly today though.”
Erek gave it a thorough look-over and hummed, impressed. “Good driving?”
“I love it. I’ve never driven so easy since I had that Chrysler.”
He winked at me, perhaps finally recognising me. “What do you think, Toby?”
“I enjoy being driven around in this truck.” I said to him. “You have grown facial hair. I think it suits you.”
“Thanks,” He said. “At least I know now that somebody likes it.”
“I think it makes you look very mature.” Cassie complimented, though a contradictive grin showed through.
“Well, the ladies like a mature man.” Erek cooed, posing against the door in an attempt to impress Cassie. She was not at all moved.
She shook her head in amusement. “So where are you going? Isn’t it a bit late for a casual stroll?”
“I’m going to that new restaurant just over the road. Terry’s. I know the manager.”
“Terry O’Donnell?” I interrupted.
“Yeah. You know him?”
“I have met him.” I said blankly.
Cassie leant forward a little more to see past me at Erek. “I’ve heard of him. Doesn’t he own a chain of restaurants in Europe?”
“Yep.”
“And you know him? Personally?”
“We’re good friends. I met him a year back when he built his first restaurant in America. Nice guy. Very good food. He hires only the best chefs.”
Cassie tapped my arm. “So where did you meet Terry?”
“This morning in the waiting room.” I replied. “While I waited for you.”
Erek, finally taking notice of Tal sitting quietly in the back seats, seemed unsurprised. “I’m sure he’s busy advertising. It’s all he ever does.”
“Well, I may have to check it out sometime.” Cassie said.
“Why don’t you come with me tonight?” Erek offered. “Would be nice to hear what you’ve been up to these last couple of years.”
Cassie bit her lip and looked briefly at the steering wheel. “I don’t know…”
“Come on, Cassie.” Erek tempted. “I’m paying for the champagne...”
“Alright then.” Cassie replied instantly. I was briefly taken back, but as they both began to laugh, I recognised it to be yet another example of humour.
She continued, “But I have to take Toby and Tal home first. They’ve had quite an eventful day.”
Erek raised an eyebrow. “Something bad happen?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Cassie concluded dismissively.
“Ah…”
I looked over the road at the large brightly-lit building on the left. A slight silhouette of two men stood by the entrance, with fumes twirling from their cigarettes, and their voices echoing through the open window of the truck. Inside, I could barely make out the luxurious rows of newly laid tables. Candles dotted throughout like shattered glass. Something told me that I should accept Terry’s invitation. I wanted to be there.
Maybe I needed to be there.
Either way, I spoke up.
“Cassie, would it be alright if I came with you and Erek? I would like to see Terry.”
Erek looked bemused. “You want to see Terry?”
“Yes Erek. I believe he wants me here tonight.”
Silence. They stared to each other, then back to me.
“You two must have really hit it off in the waiting room.” Erek said. I did not understand what he meant. Though Cassie found something to smile about. “But being serious, he probably just wants to get to know the locals, though I would think advertising a five star luxury restaurant to Hork-Bajir is a slight step-back in terms of business.”
“He wouldn’t advertise to the Hork-Bajir,” Cassie pointed out, “He may be trying to attract more people.” She swivelled to me. “Are you sure Toby? I think it would be best for you to just get home and sit down for a while. Get rid of whatever is wrong with you.”
“I am sure.”
She breathed deeply and nodded. Erek had no idea what we were talking about, but was acceptant that something had not gone to plan today.
Tal’s voice echoed up from the back. “Tal stay with Toby?”
Erek, forging ideas, grinned and winked at me. I tilted my head back at him.
“I’m sure Terry wouldn’t mind.” Erek said to him. “What’s your name, big guy?”
“My name Tal Ganat.”
“It’s nice to meet you Tal.” Erek said politely. “So, I suppose I’ll see you inside Cassie.”
Cassie nodded and began to rev up the engine. “Remember to get a good table. I’ll see you in five.”
We drove away, and around the next corner in a U-turn to come back down the same road and turn into a large open car park to the right hand side of the restaurant. It was surrounded by small, neatly-trimmed identical plants and trees. The truck came to a stop in a space beside the back of the building, a small porchlight set an orange glow in the car. I managed to undo my seatbelt and aided Tal in getting out of the back. We stood there together, waiting for Cassie to get ready.
“Where we going?” Tal questioned.
“This is called a restaurant.” I told him. “We are going to see Terry O’Donnell.”
He smiled and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “What is restaurant?”
“A restaurant is where humans go to if they wish to eat in public or do not want to cook for themselves. At least, this is what I have heard.”
There was a brief pause as we waited, and a cold breeze blew over us. I felt the warm touch of Tal’s skin embrace my arm, as he pressed his body against mine. “Cold.”
I leant back into him, finding his warmth almost irresistible. “Yes, it is, but we will be inside soon.”
Cassie slammed her door shut and strolled past the bonnet, a big grin on her face. “Come on, you two. They’ll be waiting.”

Offline Mystic Skye

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #26 on: April 21, 2011, 05:19:18 PM »
Gah i neeed mooooore :)
RAF dating the sweet and adorable Adam <3


Offline Dogman15

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #27 on: April 21, 2011, 06:39:41 PM »
Some typos, but still good!

Offline Blu

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #28 on: May 12, 2011, 02:24:14 PM »
Will be a bit delayed for a little while due to exams, but keep watching this thread!

Post Merged: June 02, 2011, 09:29:21 PM
CHAPTER 7

‘Someone once said that life was for living, life was for happiness, life was love. I cannot help but feel that I have been lied to. How can life be for love when all you have left is hate? How can life be for happiness when all you can do is scream in silence? How can life be for living when you have nothing to live for anymore? My life is nothing but a disaster. My parents, my people, and my son… I’ve let them all down…

It was reassuring to see the lack of people visiting the restaurant. With my limited vision I saw maybe four or five other cars and a van, appearing as if they were here for other business. It looked like it would be just us four, Terry, and the working staff.
The restaurant was fancy to say the least: the front entrance was perhaps 20 yards long and lined with wide marble pillars and mosaic patches of light, blotching through hanging plants; an overwhelming stench of polish filled the air, invisible yet greatly discernible; the double-doors were golden and made with dense, sleek metal. It took little force to push them open.
The ground moved to glowing navy tile and the surroundings changed from the deep dark night sky to the unnerving cosiness of the interior decor. The pillars continued into the main entrance and parted away to the sides.
Cassie led the way, confidently strolling up to a small single counter emerging from between two pillars. A stout human male wearing black and white clothing stood behind the counter, upright and proffesional. He held in one hand a collection of red leather rectangles, whilst his other hand busied themselves, typing away at a hidden keyboard behind the counter.
I was surprised by his reaction as he saw us walking towards him. He barely flinched and smiled broadly. He must have known we were coming.
“Good Evening.” He introduced warmly. “Welcome to Terry’s.”
“Thank you.” Cassie said. “We‘re Terry‘s guests tonight.”
“Of course.” He shuffled the red rectangular objects and handed one to Cassie. The name ‘Terry‘s’ was printed in golden leather font on the front. Very fancy.
The man got out another menu, and he intended to hand it to me.
Cassie smiled, amused. “It’s OK, these two won’t need menus.”
He nodded, placing the menus back on the counter before stepping out in front of us. “Right this way, please.” He began to lead us through the restaurant, around a large circular bar area and past several doors leading to the kitchen. It all centred to a huge section of the building where tables lined the floor from wall to wall, a patchy surface of white tablecloth and glowing wax candle light. The tabletops glistened with silver cutlery and perfect dazzling wine glasses. The walls were lined with paintings of other countries and amazing glowing lamps, stretching towards a far window that took up the entire wall like a huge glossy picture frame describing the night within, the trees and the distant stars in one brilliant view. Before the magnificent window, on a big square table, sat two men laughing and holding their beverages. The one on the left was Terry, looking even more heavily made-up than earlier. His hair was swept, and his teeth glistened brighter than his glasses. Erek was on the right, wearing lighter clothing and lying back, relaxed in his seat.
It was easy to tell from a distance that they had known each other. The conversation, though barely audible through the gulps of alcohol and laughter, was barely held back and trivial.
The waiter walked us up to the table. “Mr. O’Donnell, your other guests have arrived.” He stepped to the side of the table so that we could move through, his out held arm guiding us to our seats.
Terry looked up, still chuckling and holding his drink. “Thanks, Howard.” Howard gave a light bow and walked away.
Both Terry and Erek stood up as we moved to sit, and the usual introductions were given. Once we were warmly welcomed and familiar with each other, I sat beside Erek, with Tal sitting opposite me and Cassie beside us at the head of the table, facing towards the dominating window.
“Welcome to Terry’s. I’m so glad you could come.” Terry said in what was obviously rehearsed. “How about a drink? On me. We have the finest wines, the best coffee, the most expensive champagne from French vineyards.” He gulped another sip of his alcohol. “And Guinness. Irelands finest beverage."
Cassie was zimming through the menu. “I like the variety Mr. O'Donnell, so much to choose from, but I have to go with the Cabalie.”
“A fine choice.” Terry complimented. “And what will you two have?” He asked, blinking from me to Tal.
“Cabalie?” Tal said.
Erek smirked and looked up through the menu. “I don’t think you should have any wine.”
“No.” Cassie agreed. “I think you and Toby should have water. Anything other than that probably wouldn’t be good for you.”
“Will we need to drink from a glass?” I queried.
“I’m sure we can find you something more suitable.” Terry said kindly. “So that’s… one Cabalie, two bowls of water and two pints.”
Cassie rolled her eyes, looking at Erek suspiciously before the waiter showed up again, adhering to Terry’s short hand wave. Terry gave the orders and he shuffled away once more.
I watched as he moved into the bar area and began making up our order, scratching his head and looking up at the shelves patrolled by hundreds of dark, glistening bottles. Freshly-cleaned glasses hung from sections in the ceiling, lined, organised over the empty bar. It drew my attention to the table, the white tablecloth decorated with blood red napkins and rows of silver knives and forks. The silk flame on the candles drew light from the faces sat around me, little sparkles dancing in their eyes, like the stars falling through treetops and the window that watched us. The feel of rough bark digging between my toes, the leaves brushing against my chest and face as I pounced through the sluggish black mist of the night.
And there, in front of me, he bounded closer to my arms…
Tal, sitting across the table, pleasuring a smile as I awoke from a familiar daydream.
I shook away the images and found the others were already deep in conversation. Cassie was already warming to Terry, who seemed much more pleasant than I had first thought.
“... So I flew down to Germany from Ireland,” He explained. “And I opened two restaurants there before coming down here to America. I started in New York and made my way over to San Fransisco.”
“Sounds like you enjoy travelling.” Cassie said, intrigued.
“Oh, I do.” He replied. “But I’ll be staying here for a while. It’s a beautiful area. So many nice people aswell.”
“I noticed that too.” Erek added.
Cassie turned to Erek. “Where are you living at the moment, Erek?”
“Not too far away. It was a half hour plane journey.”
At this point, the waiter arrived back at the table, carrying on his hand a tray. With a genuine smile he handed us all our chosen drinks. I was given a cup of water, which seemed more like a bowl, filled halfway with clear water. Tal received the same and observed the bowl placed in front of him.
We thanked the waiter as he took out another little notebook. “Have you decided on your meals?” He said with a proffesional and inviting tone.
I must have been oblivious to what was going on earlier. Terry, Cassie and Erek had already decided on their meals.
As Howard arrowed at Tal, he looked to me as if I would know what to say for him, but I had nothing. I looked to Terry. What he said surprised me.
“Oh, yes, and these two will have the bark special. That is if it’s alright with them.”
Both I and Tal nodded, unable to give any other response.
“Certainly.” Said the waiter. “And will you be having desserts?”
“No thank you, Howard. That’ll be all.”
As the waiter delivered the orders, I began to question Terry.
“What is the ‘bark special’?” I asked.
“Well,” He started in his distinctive Irish accent. “Since I was expecting Hork-Bajir here tonight, I thought you would enjoy an appropriate, interesting and unusual meal. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
“What does this meal consist of?” I pressed.
“It is a palette of eight different bark varieties from around the world, each taken from healthy, domestic trees. One is from Ireland, I believe.”
It had excited Tal, but I was still feeling indifferent and was not sure what to think of it all. I was still uncertain as to why he invited us in the first place.
Terry continued; “It’s so nice to have you all here tonight. A real pleasure.”
“It’s a pleasure for us to be here.” Cassie said. “Before the place has even opened aswell. I feel like a celebrity.”
“You are a celebrity.” Erek intervened.
She huffed and smiled to him. “I choose not be.”
I noticed a shocking glare from Erek, but he ricocheted and turned to me.
“What have you been doing, Toby?” He asked.
“I have been doing very little.” I admitted. “I go to political meetings once every few months. Apart from that, I stay in the park with the others.”
“Oh yeah, you’re in Congress. How’s that going?”
“It’s different…”
He snorted his amusement in a rush of alcohol as he dipped into his glass. He wiped the foam from his facial hair. “And you, Tal?”
“Tal taken to park. Live there. Find Toby Hamee.”
“When did you two meet?”
“This morning.” I said. “During the harvest. We went to see the parade together.”
“Did you enjoy it?” Terry asked.
“Yes, it was a new experience.”
“You should go see the Russian circus that’s coming here next week.” Terry recommended. “They’re stopping down by the park for three days. You’ll love it. They have everything.” He drank from his glass once again and gently set it down, perhaps realising that beer was no longer the appropriate drink. Erek had finished his earlier, and his glass sat empty beside him. He was filing through a spare drinks menu.
The conversation continued for fifteen minutes before the first signs of food appeared. The faint smell of sliced bark arrived just as the subject of Christmas came up.
I had heard a lot about the holiday known as ‘Christmas’ over the past two years. It was a religious tradition, and one that I had never particularly enjoyed. The weather was terrible, the days were shorter, and the humans seemed much more frantic and panicky than usual.
From what I had heard it was only two weeks away, so Terry was busy explaining his Christmas plan to us.
“I’ve decided to have the wife and kids down here for Christmas.”
“Do you see them often?” Cassie asked.
“As often as I can. Unfortunately that’s not a lot.” He sipped from his glass of water he had fetched himself earlier. “They want to see the Hork-Bajir.”
I had not gotten involved in the conversation, but I kept track of everything Terry said. I was still curious about him. He was perfectly calm, talkative, and acted as normal as the average human would, but I knew he wanted me here for something. I just could not quite find it yet.
I stared out through the black window, the crescent moon bulged from the background of space. In the far distance, though the thick, tall trees, came the tiny flickers of campfires.
A tree nearby rustled in the path of the restaurant lighting, but it was only the building wind.
I tried my best to stay interested in the conversation, and focused on Erek as he began to explain his own Christmas plans, but before I had even caught up to the conversation, the meals arrived.
Two waiters squeezed past our seats and layed out the dishes before us. I moved my finished bowl of water out of the way to receive a similar bowl-shaped object. This one was comparatively larger, and filled with…
Bark!
My mind fixated entirely on it, my tongue shuffled anxiously within my dripping snout. I sat up quickly in my seat, eager for the familiar taste of delicious bark. My tail swung happily beneath the table as I reached down into the bowl with my claw. A quick throat-clearing sound from Cassie helped me notice the drool dribbling from my snout. I rubbed it away and hoped nobody else had noticed.
The words ‘thank you’ escaped my jaw as the waiters left. They took away the bowl and anything else no longer of use, and left us with our food. Me with my bark.
Cassie’s hand grabbed me to stop me from digging in. Terry gave us a small speech, getting up out of his seat to amplify his distinctive Irish accent.
“Now, before we eat, I just want to say thank you all so much for coming tonight. It’s been a real pleasure. So, for you, we’ve brought together the finest ingredients, the most proffesional chefs along with the traditional Irish touch. Every dish has been expertly crafted for your own eating pleasure. I trust you’ll enjoy your food as much as we’ve enjoyed serving you.”
“Can’t we just eat, already?” Erek interrupted.
Terry shook his head, a smirk growing on his face. “Look, I just spent the last five minutes thinking up this speech. You’re going to listen, whether you like it or not.”
“Alright, alright. Carry on.”
This was obviously a type of humour I had not come across before, but even Cassie was finding it amusing.
Terry paused, and as formally as he had shown all night, said: “Now we may eat…”
The conversation between him and Erek continued, but I was already well into my bowl, pulling out a long shard of rough bark and delicately laying it onto my tongue, letting the taste fizz through me. I closed my maw around it and crunched into it, deliberately slow to lessen the sounds of snapping bark that would have interrupted the talking that buzzed around the table.
The taste was extraordinary, clearly not from around here at the cold outer-edge of Yellowstone park. It was rough, yet so smooth in flavour, and warm, like it had just been stripped from the trunk. I swallowed and searched for more in the mixture until I found a similar piece, which quickly found its way into my mouth.
Terry, Cassie and Erek were keeping up the conversation, whilst slowly picking their way through their meals with knives and forks, and sipping wine from the crytsal clear glasses. A swift, sweet aroma swept deftly from the wax candles and made the taste of fresh bark ever sweeter to the tongue.
The soft rub of Tal’s tail over my leg made me shiver. I smiled to him across the table, and he continued to massage my left leg under the table. His touch blended to near perfection with the ambience of the restaurant.
Cassie was speaking. “I want to go down South during the Summer. It gets so cold up here, and I just need a month or two during the year when I don’t have to wear several layers.”
“Is it always this cold up here?” Erek asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Yellowstone has a long winter season. The park is usually covered in snow for six months a year.”
“Do you get much snow here in this area?” Erek again.
“Fortunately not,” Cassie said. “The temperature gets cooler further in since Yellowstone is surrounded by mountains. The Hork-Bajir all live this side of the mountains, so they arent effected too much by the weather.”
“Did you hear about the forest fires last week?” Terry added.
“Yes, they come quite often, but never really around here.” Cassie.
“I've heard it was only a couple of miles from here.”
“Well I certainly didn’t hear it like that…” Cassie wondered.
“It wasn’t a big fire.” Terry concluded. “And nobody was hurt.”
“I have overheard of a fire from a neighbouring camp. My people know what to do in these events, but it has a terrible effect on the area.” I casually fetched another slab of bark and chewed on it.
Erek started to explain of a previous fire in a neighbouring state, but I was pleasantly distracted by Tal’s tail wrapped around my lower shin. He then drew my attention to a chunk of bark. He wanted me to taste it.
I dug through the concoction of my bowl and picked out the same kind of bark. I sniffed it, licked it…
That taste! It was the bark I had eaten before the parade!
I pushed it around my mouth with my tongue, making sure the taste was flowing in every little space. I chewed, and as the smooth skin cracked the taste exploded within me, sending an electric shiver down through my entire body.
So good. So…
Inviting…
And it dawned on me.

We continued the casual conversation until the plates were half empty and the moon half buried within the trees. The gentle sweep of the candle light sank ever nearer toward the beckoning tablecloth. My bark still tasted as sweet and appeatizing and my legs had fallen into a blissful sleep with Tal’s as the night rolled on. I would occasionally pick from my bowl as Terry talked on.
The evidence I needed from Terry was slowly growing. I knew why he wanted me here, but now was not the time to bring it up, not in the middle of what had become quite a pleasant evening.
“I first decided to come down to America to distribute the business, to give the people a taste of Irish culture. To be the biggest Irish restaurant in America.”
I kept my eyes on his in buried fascination, finding myself entangled in his patriotic charms. He certainly knew how to talk to his guests.
He continued. “I wanted to see the Grand Canyon, Niagra falls, the Statue of Liberty. The kids only wanted to see Disneyland, of course.”
A short laughter breezed from either side of me. I must have misunderstood the joke.
“We started plans to build this particular restaurant about three years ago. We wanted to make sure it was in the perfect space for accessibility and tourist attractions.”
I angled my view and swallowed a piece of bark jammed between my teeth. “Yellowstone attracts many tourists. It is especially busy in the summer.” I added.
“Exactly!” He took a swig of his wine. “That’s the hardest part of the retaurant business, finding exactly the right area. Somewhere people will want to eat, and somewhere without too much competition or excessive distance.” He stared out of the window and grinned. “This is the perfect place.”
I studied his expression and took a lap at my bowl.
Cassie, remaining casual, asked the question that had been buzzing through my head all night. “Do you think the Hork-Bajir will attract people?”
He barely hesitated but his eyes turned to mine. “Yes, I do. Many people travel around this edge of the park.” His confidence was admirable, as was his intellect. “People come from all over the world to see the Hork-Bajir. We’re the first restaurant they’ll see.”
“You’re right.” Erek confirmed. “No small restaurant business could afford to set up here, definitely none that I have seen.”
Tal’s presence was recalled as his tail crawled up my thigh. He was becoming bored, having already finished his meal and began to ogle me from across the table.
“How is business elsewhere?” Cassie asked Terry.
“Fantastic.” He beamed. “Our new advertising campaign is really boosting profit. We now have advertisements in the media. I have been personally placing up ads around this city, talking to radio stations, and drawing plans for a TV commercial. Our name is getting bigger and bigger.”
My concentration was being drawn away as Tal played games with my feet beneath the table. I treated him an inviting stare and his tail started rubbing faster against my leg. I felt the need to remind him of where he was and gave him a discrete kick.
“People are flocking to our restaurants.” Terry persisted. “We hired a hundred more staff just to keep up with the demand. One restaurant was so busy on a summer night, that the queues were lining up outside the doors. People tried cramming in through the back door.”
Somehow I did not quite believe that last statement.
A misplaced swing of my tail caused a  jump from Tal, spraying small chunks of unfinished bark across the table. Everyone jerked as the mixture of food and dribble splattered over the white tablecloth.
“Tal sorry…” He apologised, embarrassed by his sudden outburst and now doing his best to clear up the chunks which had fortunately stayed away from everybody elses meals.
“It’s alright.” Terry calmed, handing him a small cloth. “Just clean it up with this.”
Erek and Cassie were snickering like they had heard some inner-joke. I sat feeling slightly guilty and had retreated my ambitious tail for the moment, whilst retaining my 'innocent' smile.
He finished clearing up the former contents of his mouth and dropped the cloth into his empty bowl. He was the first to finish. “Thank you. Bark good.”
“You’re very welcome, Tal.”
“It is good bark.” I confirmed. “Were all these varieties harvested from those trees?” I hinted towards the closest trees that were barely visible through the large window.
“Yes. Seven different species altogether.”
I knew what he wanted. It had become apparent to me that this was nothing more than an innocent tourist attraction. That said, he was still using me.
“My people may not find this area.” I feigned. “It is too far away from the harvesting grounds, and most will choose to avoid human contact and these residential areas.”
His smile was quick to fade, perhaps realising that I had figured him out.
Of course, most Hork-Bajir would flock here to collect some of the delicious new bark, and he knew that. He also knew that they would not come if not given any incentive. He wanted me to bring them here.
“Do you wish for me to bring my people here?” I asked, then added with a deeper undertone, “I am sure that they will attract your customers.”
Terry rubbed his forehead with his fingers, perhaps hiding his own embarrassment, but after merely seconds of averting his gaze, he straightened up, freshened and bright, the engaging smile back on his face. “Alright, you got me.” He took a gulp of his drink and wiped his mouth.
Cassie was not as surprised as I first anticipated. “So is this area undivided from the park?”
“Yes. No fences.”
“Did you get permission from the local council?” I asked, growing ever more suspicious.
“Of course. They didn’t seem to mind. They seemed to rather like the idea.”
“It’s a good idea,” Cassie agreed. “But the Hork-Bajir come on their own accord.”
“Yes, I know.” He grinned and looked up at me again. “Toby, could you perhaps do me a favour?”
I sighed under my breath. “You wish for me to bring my people to your trees…”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
My eyes trailed to my half-empty bowl, head lowered weakly into my sustaining claw that perched on the edge of the table. This was something I would need to think over. He would be using us for his own gain and his business' reputation, but what harm could it possibly do to my people? We were getting new, free bark for nothing. Delicious bark, at that.
I blinked back up, as each face was targeting mine, eyes drawn to me like missiles.
“May we discuss this at another time?” I considered aloud, as my head began to spiral.
“Of course.” Terry said wholeheartedly. “This doesn’t need to be sorted now. We are not here on business terms.”
I smiled. “Thank you Terry.”
The table reverted back to the usual chat and laughter, but I could no longer concentrate. A reverbant itch at the back of my head was pulling me away from the bowl sat before me. I could no longer think clearly, could not hear the words that bounced over the table. I could not see Tal.
My claws caught onto the edge of the table and slowly brought me back. I shook the fever from my head and attempted to focus on the humans around me, but the calm voices had become sharp and twisted in my head, sounding ever more like desperate screams.
I reached into my bowl. Softened delicate bark against my rougher skin. My mouth salivated, longing for the sweetness as it dropped into my craving mouth and twirled through my senses.
A different taste came to me. A liquid so sour on the tongue that it burnt through to my feet.
I reached back into my snout to retreat the chunk.
Held it in front of my own eyes and shuddered.
It dripped a familiar drip.
My eyes followed the bark as it dropped from my claw back into the bowl. It submerged within a stale blue-green liquid. The same liquid that trailed up over the bowl and over the table. It dripped up my legs and my belly, hanging from my snout and crawling around my clawed fingers.
I gasped, trails of blood spewing across the perfect white tablecloth, and I gaped down at the bowl that had begun to bleed a liquid nightmare. There were no more noises, only the swift dances of unreal lights and images that sucked the life from the table that broadened before me. All eyes staring at me. Bearing down at me.
But they never saw me.
Trickling blood crept down my long neck and stained my pulsating chest. Desperate gasps and moans were the only sounds breathing around the table. Most of them were from me. A damp barrage, huffs of sadistic laughter drifted from behind. A laughter that was neither inside nor outside of me. Forever behind me. An invisible being.
It was laughing at me. Mocking me.
Only a helpless whimper managed to break my throat as I sat holding and shaking my head in my arms, praying the nightmare would leave me alone.
But something was clicking. Something in my head died…
So I looked up.
They were all gone. The humans had vanished.
All but Tal.
He had no movement and no pupils. No soul. He sat there, in front of me, staring with blank, blue and green orb-eyes. A static energy that filled the room.
Splinters ravaged my fingertips, inadvertently digging into the table surface, the crumpling, snapping, moaning through my head like a steady aching buzz. It was all but a drone. Colours faded into one another, faces melted into the background.
I was all that remained, as the world around me blotched into whiteness.
“No…”
I was here again, thrown back into the infinite nothingness, with nothing but my broken breathing to keep me company.
But then was something else…
A blue mist before me, certainly not the creature I had encountered the last time I found myself here.
It had no definitive shape or form, no real physical rules, and it was reaching out to me, calling my name…


My eyes were flushed with moisture, shadowing the area in a vibrant blur. It was a mixture of violet-blue, grey and a bright row of light stretching far to my left. A slight breeze blew over me, cold and icy to the touch.
I rose wearily to my feet and held my balance, rubbing at my eyes with my knuckles to clear my stinted vision. As I reopened them, I saw a vapour rising in rhythm with my breathing, and the cold began to sink into my skin. I grunted and retreated my tail between my legs and up around my belly, whilst surveying my position. It was a human environment, recognisable from the hideous grey structures and the brilliant bright streetlamps. Twisting my long neck, my eyes found a pitch black passageway, some sort of back-alley.
I noticed the lack of activity. There were no cars, no humans, just the desolate glow of neon and the hum of a silent generator. I felt alone and helpless, with questions running through my head, as to how I ended up in such a place. Where was I to go now? My primary instinct was to escape the bitter cold, and I hustled over to the dark alleyway. The light dimmed rapidly as I slowed my pace, my sight limited to mere shapes as I escaped the open street, creeping into the claustrophobia of the alley.
It was not long before I found myself lost in pitch black.
I leant against a dripping, wet wall - with what, I was unsure - and attempted to figure out how I could have gotten here. All I remembered was the restaurant; sitting at the fine oak table; listening to Terry’s stories; all the while, my concentration focused on Tal as we played with our feet and tails under the table, staring into each others eyes. I began to feel even more alone.
There grew a scent, quickly and from out of nowhere. A rancid stench that clenched at my nostrils and drilled into my throat, drifting over my tongue to give a peculiar and foul taste. I gagged and held my snout, but my curiosity as to where the smell was descended kept me glued to the spot.
Sudden white light, blaring from the doorway which had appeared on the opposite side of the alley. A neon security light. Lone beam casting a gaze like a magnet. Eyes burnt, drawn back to the warmth of the darkness.
Another wave of the stench burst over me, thrusting me back against the wall. A wooden wall. A fence. My blades split through and caught, locking me awkwardly in place as I yelled in sheer horror. I could not move, only struggle as the fence held my arms tightly in place.
Only then did I see the source of the stench.
Slumped directly under the lights beam lay a corpse. Dead. Rotting against a rusty metal door. The slashes patterned on its skin, and the gaps where chunks or flesh were absent, had turned black, but for the small writhing of maggots feeding off the rotten bone that protruded from the cracked skin.
This body had been sat here unnoticed - perhaps - for days. Maybe even weeks.
The fear I felt as I set my eyes on it brought on a bout of frenzied thrashing. The sight of maggots slithering from its gaping jaw, and the sloshing sounds of them feeding off the putrid dead flesh was all too much, but my blades only dug deeper into the wood as I flailed helplessly.
But I was silenced.
The tightened decaying skin and the yellowed teeth sticking out awkwardly from the bottom jaw did not stop me identifying a face I had only seen in mirrors…
My face.
Nothing could have been yelled or screamed to express how I felt at that moment. Only my forced silence could explain.
It did not explain what happened next though, for it came to life.
Now silence was not an option. I screamed and screamed, not taking the time to inhale, nor taking my eyes of the corpse which rose slowly and jerkedly to its feet.
Nobody came to my aid, no matter how hard I cried out. I was left alone, stuck screaming against a fence, watching as my own corpse began to limp towards me, each step an earthquake in my mind, rocking my senses. It was destroying my very sanity. I felt it melt away to nothing, draining to the slimy ground. My mind shuffled and changed, losing all that was me.
My eyes were closed, and I had barely realised. Nor did I realise that I had stopped screaming.
An inner stirring pulled open my eyelids, and there I was, staring back at myself. The eyes were mine, but they burned with a madness, an unreal sickness that twined and spread through my very soul.
“Die.”


From the floor, the restaurant looked a mess. Several seats lay as splinters, torn to pieces; a small window to the left of where we had sat was now decorating the red carpet, coupled with stains of what I believed consisted of sweat, tears and blood. A large painting had been smashed, forming a collar around a sorrowful-looking statue.
For some reason, I had a niggling feeling that I was behind this.
Movement brought to my attention the presence of Erek, who was stood several feet from my legs which lay sprawled on the ground. Sweat dripped from his forehead, as his kept to a safe distance from me.
My head raised and received a jolt of guilt, looking at what I had done to Terry’s once proud décor. Erek’s movent equilized mine, backing away nervously and sustaining a concerned look on his face.
He spoke up. “Toby? You OK now?”
I was not so sure about my self control but I nodded to show him that I was back. “What happened, Erek?”
“I think I should ask you the same question. You went berserk!”
I sluggishly lifted myself to my feet and attempted to hide my embarrassment. “I do not know what happened. The last thing I remember was sitting at the table.”
“From what we saw you just decided to trash the entire restaurant.”
I jerked. “Tal. Cassie. Terry. Are they hurt?”
“No, but Cassie sure ain’t happy…”
All I could do was stare at my feet. Tonight was the first time that he and Cassie had met for over a year, and I had single-handedly ruined it. Not only was I choked by the remorse, but my mind repeated the strange hallucination over and over.
Erek moved closer, still cautious. Perhaps he thought that I was in an unpredictable state. I could not agree more.
I held a claw against my head. “Erek, I believe there is something wrong with me.”
“Yeah, Cassie said that you had been behaving strangely today. She’s going to take a look at you tomorrow.”
I sighed and leaned back against the stained wall, feeling utterly miserable. “I am sorry Erek. I have ruined your evening.”
He smiled reassuringly and slapped his hand kindly on my shoulder. “Hey, don’t be. We know that you’re sick. We’re just thankful that you didn’t do any harm.”
“No.”
His eyebrow raised. “Excuse me?”
“Erek, I think I've killed myself.”
« Last Edit: June 02, 2011, 09:29:22 PM by Blu »

Offline Dogman15

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Re: #55 The Madness (Final edit)
« Reply #29 on: June 03, 2011, 01:40:19 AM »
Whoa... getting a bit creepy there, huh? A pseudo-horror story with Hork-Bajir corpse! That's a first for me: The first time I've ever had to imagine an undead female Hork-Bajir in what could qualify as an Animorphs horror-genre story. But, uh...

Really good chapter. Keep it coming when you can. I may think of something else to say as comment later.