[REND] 7.3 - Inhuman Besties

“The first—? Wait a minute. Why do you speak as if there are others like me? You also alluded to it last time.” A chandelier switched on in my head as I understood the situation. “You’re an Adumbrae. You’re infecting multiple people. And here I was thinking I was special,” I said with an exaggerated sigh. “Turns out there are many others.”

Not really. Since the beginning, there was only me. And you. And me… And—

“Yeah, yeah, don’t speak in riddles. What happened to the others you’ve, um, connected with? All dead, so you’ve moved on to me? Some still surviving?”

For the first time, I saw a hint of sadness cross Spooky Erind’s face. None of me reached the end. I’m still waiting. She suddenly perked up, grinning at me. Meyou are different this time.

“Reach the end? They’re dead, then?” That wasn’t a surprise—lots of ways for an Adumbrae to die.

There were the Corebrings, of course. Or the local law enforcement could’ve blasted them to smithereens. It wasn’t only the BID that was capable; other countries had their own super agents. And there was also the possibility that a fellow Adumbrae killed them. I didn’t know who those guys Spooky Erind was referring to were, but I felt a sense of kinship with them.

Really weird. As if… I knew them.

Dead? Hmmm… Never existed. Been there. Never was. Always were. Spooky Erind plopped herself beside me. She bounced on the mattress and slowly floated up.

“And… none of them had melded with a Core? That’s what you said.” I sort of want to divert this prickly topic, but Spooky Erind would know my intention. Since it was already in front of us, might as well ask questions about it because the answers would be freaking helpful. “I bet a Core, artificial or not, is quite difficult to come across.”

You’d think so… but it’s not.

“Really? Oh, right. Other countries are also making Cores,” I said, recalling what Dario told us. “Do Corebrings shit out Cores? Anyway, I’m different from your previous, uh, victims. I’m thinking of a less offensive word, but you know what I mean.”

Spooky Erind played with my hair as she continued to rise, letting the black strands fall from her fingers. This really is a different path.

“Um, you’re probably angry about what I did… but I have a good explanation.”

Spooky Erind had risen past my head. She rolled to look down on me. Do tell.

“You can read my mind, so there’s really no need, but here goes. I’m a person who values my privacy and solitude. I don’t even want anyone inside my room. Now, you’re an awesome Adumbrae, saving me and all that, but I want my privacy. You’re not just in my room. You’re in my mind.”

That’s not how that works. Spooky Erind stuck her tongue out at me. It was purple. You can’t separate us because we’re the same.

“Meyou, whatever, yeah. We’re distinct, and that’s a privacy issue. Big no-no for me. You should know that if we’re truly the same.”

You say that… Spooky Erind touched the tip of my nose with a claw of her gauntlet. And yet, you invited an intruder.

“The artificial Core? You know that I had no actual clue what’d happen if I took it. Dunno about that intruder stuff you’re referring to.” I leaned back as she kept poking my nose. “Let’s just set aside your mind games for a moment and be serious here. I, like probably the entirety of humanity, don’t want our minds to be taken over. I’m not saying you’re a bad Adumbrae…” I paused, wondering where I was going with this. “I mean, you saved me, and I’m grateful. But still. It’s an instinct of self-preservation at play here that I agreed to have the Core. I was just trying everything.”

Spooky Erind closed her eyes. Takes initiative. Even if dumb. Has stronger survival instincts than those past.  

I frowned at her nonsense. “Are you going to tell me what the effect of the Core is?” I left unsaid my question if it’d kick Spooky Erind out. My thoughts were open to her anyway.

I’m not going anywhere, she replied, swimming to my back. She descended onto the bed and hugged me from behind. If you’re here, I’m also here. Nothing can change that we are one.

Hearing her words, a stone dropped to the bottom of my stomach. I fought back the disappointment.

Wait.

Why should I believe her? Spooky Erind wouldn’t tell the truth if my plan was working. Would she even know?

She had mentioned this was the first time it happened. If all her other… victims… died, maybe doing something different, even if drastic, was the key.

I’m not sure… Spooky Erind whispered into my ear. Strangely, I wasn’t bothered by her hug or her lips brushing my ear. It did seem familiar and comforting. Just Adumbrae tricks.

“You’re not sure about what? I have a lot of thoughts. Dunno which one you’re referring to.”

I’m not so sure about this path we tread. I’m not even sure how we got here. Perhaps because the previous you… Hmmm…

If Spooky Erind didn’t know what was going on, wouldn’t that be a good thing? Perhaps it was a stroke of luck meeting Dario’s gang and getting this Core.

You might be right.

“What?” I looked over my shoulder, my nose almost bumping Spooky Erind’s nose. I tried to move away, surprised by her intense, literally burning gaze. But she didn’t let me go.

To break this endless cycle, the unthinkable must be done, she said, unblinking. If it means connecting to that nosy existence, gallingly inserting itself in someone else’s business, then so be it. Your choice must’ve been influenced by the last cycle.

“I… have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. But you’re not angry at me, right? Kinda? Are we good?”

SpookyErind frowned. I like our privacy, don’t I? That’s not a thing now with that… existence… wiggling around here.

“The Core. It’s here?” I looked around. The disco-rave-outer-space dimension of Spooky Erind looked the same. I was hoping something would’ve changed.

Not yet, Spooky Erind said. But eventually, it will turn its eye on us.

“What eye? The government? The secret organization Dario mentioned?

Spooky Erind ignored me. This is dangerous and stupid and would lead to a quick ending. Or… perhaps not. Things are different this time. Maybe drastically shaking things up is the key.

“Key to reaching that end thingy? But that’s for you, whatever your goals are. It doesn’t sound like reaching the end would benefit me.” Was there truly no way out for me? If so, I could focus on having fun. Be the greatest main character before my climactic and tragic end, getting taken over by an Adumbrae.

Spooky Erind continued to ignore both my words and thoughts. The Core issue got to her. I expect a very, very, very different unravelling of events. Entertain me, will you? She released me and started drifting away into space.

“Entertain you with—? Hey! Don’t leave! I have lots of questions.” I tried to get off the bed but couldn’t leave it. Each time I tried to float, gravity seemed to suddenly work. I wanted to squeeze in some questions before Spooky Erind disappeared, even those that’d piss her off. “Does eating those mutant brains really stop you? Will I lose my mind quicker if I transform? And what do I do with the Core?”

We may be short, but we’re not kids. Go figure it out… and survive. We’re not stupid.

“WhatshouldI…?” My words started to slur and merge. My tongue tangled inside my mouth.

Spooky Erind was no longer there.

Knock, knock, knock.              

“Erind?” asked a muffled voice.

Huh? A dropping sensation, as if falling in a dream. I jolted in my bed. My extended hand grasped something—the clock on the table. I finally reached it after… I moved my hand away from the clock’s face to check the time.

Two hours had passed! What the hell?

Knock, knock, knock.

“Erind, are you awake?” Deen was outside the room. “Let’s have dinner.”

“I’m coming out!”

----

Red takeout boxes were on the dining table. Some sort of Chinese symbol was printed in gold on the red cardboard. And below the logo was the name ‘Golden Palace’, a famous Chinese restaurant in La Esperanza. I hadn’t been there before, mostly because I had no energy for trying out restaurants like some food vlogger.

“Are you okay with what I’ve ordered?” Deen asked. “Isn’t it weird that we’ve been friends for several months now, but I have no idea about your favorite food, drink, movies—all the stuff best friends should know about each other?”

“Chinese food is fine,” I said. “There’s not much to know about me. I’m not picky with food. I eat… everything.” I recalled Purple Mohawk’s open skull after I bit him in my monster form. I glanced at Deen’s head, recalling that I had wanted to eat her brains. Surprisingly, I wasn’t feeling nauseous.

“Good to know. I ordered a lot because I wasn’t sure if you had dislikes or allergies.” Deen started opening the boxes. “We have… oh, these are dumplings. There’s also General Tso’s chicken. And this is—”

“Who’s General Tso?” I didn’t care about it; I was just carrying out my small talk duties as a best friend. Though I bet this guy was awesome to have food named after him. Erind’s Chicken. Erind’s Pork. Sucky names.  

“A Chinese general, probably?” Deen answered with a sheepish grin.

“Really? How did you figure that out?” I sarcastically asked.

“I don’t know. I rarely eat Chinese food or other cuisine because my meals usually consist of—”

“Leafy greens, I know.” During the rare times I accompanied Deen to eat at restaurants, she’d always order salads. “Rabbit food.”

“Don’t diss salads,” Deen said, wagging a finger at me. “Help me open these boxes. This one’s fried rice.”

“Is your sister gonna join us?”

“I don’t think so. Haven’t seen her.” Deen tilted her head, pointing her right ear to the ceiling. Silence. “She’s probably not here yet. Don’t worry. I’ve texted her that you’re staying with us.”

“What did she say?” I asked. Deen’s sister has this overbearing air about her. I didn’t want to walk on eggshells while staying at someone else’s house. I’d rather live under a bridge, and I didn’t want to do that.

Deen shrugged. “She didn’t reply—she doesn’t have complaints, I suppose. The only humans not allowed here are men. I have no intention of bringing guys over anyway, yet she treats me like an irresponsible teenager who’s going to open her legs to anyone. Quite hypocritical coming from her. If she calls all her boyfriends, she could raise a standing army. I don’t know why she’s too controlling. This all started when…”

Tuning out Deen’s rants, I thought with amusement about how fun of a reality show this would be. Living with the Leskas. The camera would follow me as I navigated this family’s bullshit.

After unpacking the feast, Deen and I sat at the table. I doubted we could finish even a fifth of the food, but I started getting to work. This General Tso’s Chicken reminded me of teriyaki sauce, sweet and savory. I had this compulsion to crush the drumstick’s bone with my teeth. Transforming earlier was fun.

“Deen? You’re not eating?” I asked, noticing that her plate was empty.

She made a face. “I don’t feel like it. What we’ve seen… the blood, the monsters… I might not keep the food down. How are you… Okay?”

“I’m not okay either,” I said, shaking my head. “No one would be after going through what we’ve experienced. But I’m also very hungry,” I added with a friendly grin. “Being scared for hours surely whetted my appetite. Wait. That doesn’t sound right.” Perfect depiction of a best friend. I was proud of myself.

“But the blood and—”

“Stop thinking about it.” I pointed my chopsticks at her. “If you want something to occupy your mind, let it be your favorite activity—shopping.” As much as this went against every fiber of my being, this was something my best-friend-face would suggest. I had to comply with Rule #2.

“Shopping?”

“We have to buy clothes that hide our Cores. You and me. We’ll go together. You’ve always wanted us to go on a shopping date, but I’ve always refused, right? Well, this is the perfect time for it.”

Deen suddenly glowed at the idea. “Oh, I know where to go for sports bras! First destination is Zed Sports, down by the…”

Blah, blah, blah, I thought, accepting that there’d come a time I’d go shopping with Deen as her best friend. Might as well get it over with. I bought stuff I needed online. If I went to a physical store, I had to interact with the saleslady, the cashier, and all that. Buying clothes was a chore; too tiring to wear a face while doing chores.

From sports bras, Deen switched to talking about clothes that looked alluring without showing cleavage. She had to change her wardrobe, she said. Talk about being tone deaf.

Deen ate as we chatted. This was proof that I was good at being a best friend. From our clothes, we eventually reached the topic of bioscanners.

“Do you think scanners will detect the Core?” Deen asked.

“Probably depends on the scanners. If it’s the physical one, then, yeah. But the brain wave scanners like those at the subway stations, I’m not so sure.” The last time I rode the train was going to Marsh Row, and I had to use an employee’s entrance for it. I couldn’t always sneak around, so I chose to ride the bus or cabs since then. A benefit of living with Deen was having a free ride to Eloyce University.

We also talked about other things we should avoid. Getting injured in front of other people, for one. We should also nope out of medical exams and the like.

“How will I apply for jobs someday without a med cert?” I wondered. “I mean, you don’t have any worries. You’ll just work for your family.”

Deen shook her head. “I’d rather not. I’m going to look for work not unconnected to our businesses. You’re right, though that we’ll have problems with medical check-ups. We should ask Dario so we won’t inadvertently expose ourselves.”

“True. No telling what that secret organization will do to us.”

“I think my body is already starting to… change.

“Why do you say that?”

“Before ordering food, I was trying to cook dinner. I wanted a homier feel for your first meal here. But while chopping vegetables, my mind wandered back to the warehouse, and I accidentally cut my finger.” Deen showed me her left index finger. “Though it was just a shallow cut, there should be a trace of it. But there’s nothing.”

“Could it be the super healing?” I wondered how the artificial Core would affect me.

“Most likely,” Deen said, rubbing her finger. “Want to test it out? Can you… Can you cut my hand?”