Note the update to chapter 11. I fixed it.
Chapter 12
Mistaken Identity
Even with the lights dimmed Johnny felt like he was being blinded. His head was still pounding and his ears still rang.
Maybe you should be more careful and, I don't know, LISTEN to me for once?
"Since when have you gotten so angry?" Johnny wasn't cautious about talking to his headvoice in his own home. "I thought you were just supposed to keep me human and hungry."
Human, yes. Hungry? Not so much.
"Meat?"
Yeah?
The voice seemed strained, and hesitated when he responded. "Let me ask you a question: what was all that static at Squee's house?"
I don't know what you mean.
"The shouting? The other voice? What was all that? You're inside my head, you should've heard something."
That's preposterous.
"You reacted! I heard you!" Yelling made his head hurt more. "You know, you sound different."
I have a cold.
Johnny made a face.
So I did react. I've seen you with static before. Shame on me for not wanting you to have it again. You're free now, Nny. And so am I.
Johnny did a double take. He knew that voice, and it wasn't the burger boy. "No…"
Nny? Shit. Johnny, No! It's not what you think!
"Eff!"
Damn it!
"What the fuck." Nny walked over to the little statue. "Fuck? How did you?"
Your little reverend wasn't as strong as he thought he was. You know, Nny, I learned something while I was dead, wasting all of my precious time in that place, I learned that: Keeping you human and sane is the best way for me to get out.
"You're a parasite!" He shrieked, unable to control himself, "You just want to make me crazy again for that wall!"
No! No, that's not it at all. You see, I want to be away from it as well. I latched on to your little burger buddy long enough to see how free you really were.
"And you killed him?"
Mere hours ago, my boy. I separated from the monster and came to you. I'm protecting you.
"So all that static." Johnny was stunned. "All that was you trying to get to me? The monster?"
Not the monster, he doesn't really seem to care. But Nny, listen to me: If we work together, keep you sane, and keep you out of trouble, that monster is no problem to us.
Nny cocked an eyebrow and sat on the desk next to the figure. "And then what will you do to me?"
When the time presents itself I will escape into reality. No muss, no fuss.
He sighed, "Do I really have a choice?"
You always have a choice.
"Don't do that. It's creepy."
Fine whatever. Do we have a deal?
"Sure," Johnny scratched the back of his head, "I guess. No foul play. You keep the monster at bay, I'll stay as sane as possible."
Whatever floats your boat.
Todd was up at around two in the morning. He didn't seem to want to leave or anything. He just sat down on the couch and started watching old late-night cartoons.
"Squee?" Tess asked quietly from the safety of the kitchen, "How are you doing?"
The boy looked up for a minute trying to find the source of the voice. When he saw Tess, he relaxed a bit and smiled sadly, "I'm okay I guess, considering everything." He looked so tired.
"Why don't you go back to bed?"
He either didn't hear the question, or chose to ignore it. Tess didn't want to provoke him. He patted the cushion next to him on the couch and waved for her to sit down. She hesitated.
"I'm not going to bite." Todd looked at his hands, somewhat frightened, "At least, I don't think I will."
Tess took a deep, steadying breath, felt her gun tucked away in her pocket, but then rethought keeping it there. If she hurt Squee, god knows how Johnny would react; he seemed to really like this kid.
She stuffed it into her bag with her other miscellaneous supplies and sat on the couch next to him.
They sat in a mutual silence watching the violent little black and white cartoon.
She looked at the boy. He was totally engrossed in the show which, in her opinion, wasn't that great anyway. She stared.
Somewhere between the poor lighting and the angle, she could've sworn that this teenager looked just like Johnny.
It took a while for him to notice. He raised an eyebrow, "Is there something on my face?"
Tess started, "No. Sorry."
Todd made a dismissive noise, and went back to his cartoons. Tess took this opportunity to move.
"Going somewhere?"
She bit her lip; this was scarier than she thought. "I just wanted to get a cup of coffee" She said as sweetly as she could "You want something?"
"No, I'm good."
Tess left.
And Johnny had actually wanted to do this?
Ring
"Hello?"
"Devi?"
She groaned. "Does no one say hi any more?"
"Ugh. Hi."
"What do you want Johnny?"
Tenna perked up from her position in the armchair across the room. Spooky squeaked.
Johnny paused for a moment trying to string together words. "About the meeting. I think we should make it soon."
"Tess told me what happened."
"It's worse that she said."
"I thought you didn't want me involved…" Devi smirked. Tenna plopped down heavily next to her.
"What does he want?" she whispered. Devi shushed her.
"I don't," Johnny growled, "and I really wish I didn't have to tell you all this. But, I think…" another composing pause, "I think if we don't act soon, we won't be able to help him."
Devi snorted, "What makes you say that?"
"I've seen this before." A loud, hollow sigh in her ear, "I used to see it every day."
Devi scrunched her nose. Tenna asked, "What'd he say?"
She ignored her, "Where?"
"That doesn't matter. All that does matter is helping him before the damage is irrevocable."
"When?" the seriousness in Johnny's tone concerned her.
"As soon as humanly possible."
"Where?"
"As far away from this place as we can get."
They discussed the semantics of the meeting for almost an hour.
"Tess? You still here?"
She'd been in the kitchen hiding. Todd was scary. One minute he's fine and happy, the next he's killing people, followed by a short streak of horror.
"Tess?" There was a tone there Tess didn't recognize.
"I'm still here."
Todd hissed something under his breath. "Can I ask you something?"
She stood in the doorway with a mug in her hands. It was empty. "Yeah?"
"Have you ever…." He seemed to be struggling for words, "have you ever really wanted to do something you knew could ruin your life?"
"Like what? Drugs?"
He shrugged, "Why not? Say, you've seen the bad effects it had on someone else, and yet you want to do it anyway. You know that it's wrong, but the longer you go on avoiding it the more it eats at you."
Tess was confused, "What are we talking about exactly?"
"Just a hypothetical." He waved it off, "It's nothing. Just forget I said anything."
"Squee?" Tess just wanted to know.
"Yeah?"
"Have you-" She sighed, "Nevermind."
"No." he seemed angry. "What?"
"Have you started doing drugs?"
The boy was shocked, "No! I just…It feels like I have, but I- Forget it. Forget I even brought it up."
"It feels like you have?"
"FORGET IT!"
Tess didn't have much of a choice at that point.
I can see into your past….
Johnny laughed, "What?"
Did I stutter? In this form I can see your memories. Even the ones you can't remember.
"That makes no sense."
Can you remember the girl that gave you this burger-child?
"No."
I can.
He sounded almost giddy. Almost. Johnny was curious as to how much the headvoice was willing to tell him. "Who was she?"
Pretty little thing. Too much eye-liner in my opinion. Light French accent. I think she was actually from France. What was her name…
"Okay. Now you're just fucking with me." He got up to fetch the pot of Sketti-Os he'd left on the stove.
Mary? No. Linda? Nope.
"Sara?"
No.
"Dammit. Now I forgot what else I was gonna do in here." He walked out, hot bowl in his hands and sat on the desk.
Amy, A- That's it!
Johnny almost dropped his bowl. "Shit! What?"
Her name was Anne.
The bowl clattered loudly on the floor.
Tess tried to stay calm. She wanted answers, but Todd was as unpredictable as Nny had been. Best not to push him. But, dammit, she had so many questions.
"What's been going on with you lately?"
Todd's glare made her flashback to Johnny's reaction to the 'you raped that girl' thing. She felt a fear for her life.
"That's a stupid question." God he even sounded like him. The boy noticed this too, and quickly shifted gears, "I've just been a little more out of it I guess, ever since I had that hallucination…" he trailed off prompting:
"Hallucination?"
Squee described the vision he had in his school men's room and Tess sat down next to him.
Her fear was gone, "I've seen that monster before too."
He was surprised, but said nothing.
"I think it's just got something to do with Nny. It lives in this wall in his basement. It's horrible."
"That's why Nny killed people?"
Tess shrugged, "I think so."
"Then why am I killing people?"
She paled a bit and tried to think. "Well, your parents sucked I guess that's just years of pent up resentment." Todd nodded in agreement, "Kirk… Kirk was an asshole."
"I don't want to kill people."
She pretended to sip her nonexistent coffee, "Well, that's something."
They both knew that Todd wasn't comforted by that.
The silence was intense, only broken when the phone rang.
Tess answered it. Todd just lowered his head and pretended to sleep.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Tess." It was Devi. "Meeting at my place after Todd goes to bed tomorrow."
"Agreed."
They both hung up.
She sat down on the sofa next to Squee. He had shifted gears again. She could feel it.
"Why are you still here?"
"I'm concerned."
"Leave." Not a demand, more of a question.
Tess narrowed her eyes. "No."
Todd crossed his arms, "Why not?"
"You can't be trusted by yourself."
Squee said nothing for a while.
"No I can't. Or I will succumb."
"Succumb to what?"
Squee looked her in the eye. That look.,,
She was back in the basement chained to the wall.
"To the hunger."
A/N: Two chapters (and a possible epilogue) to go! Isn't it exciting? OMFG! With luck I should get the last chapters finished and up by Sunday. I'm still debating the epilogue, though, it depends on the reaction.
Yes I made her French. I don't know why, but I think she needed an accent that was somewhat pretentious, and French fit in. If you don't know what I'm talking about just ignore this.
Review as you see fit.
