I don't really have an update schedule you guys, but I had this chapter ready, so...
/(٥⁀ ⁀))/~~'.･.･:'.･.･:
Here ya go!
Warning: Swearing Ahead.
Chapter 3: Intruder Alert.
Today must not have been Jerkface's day. He was snappier than normal. He even threw what I assumed was a clipboard against the wall!
One of these days, he's surely going to harm someone if he doesn't rein in that temper of his.
"-none of the _ _ _ _ can cause such-"
"-how does it keep happening?! The-"
"-_ _ _ _ development. Irregularities-"
"-further funding to replace the _ _ _ _-"
Everyone ran amok as if they were headless chickens, which induced worse feedback than usual.
"-you haven't slept or eaten anything in days!"
Favorite Person—bless her soul—is the single worker here with any common sense. These guys didn't understand what taking care of yourself meant. Especially Jerkface. He puts the whole 'you're not you when you're hungry' subject to another level.
I hope they resolved whatever led to their current jumpy demeanors.
"Fortunately, _ _ _ _ , our key assets persisted-"
.
.
.
… I know, I know. It wasn't healthy to ignore the incident that had occurred a few days ago, but it wasn't like I could switch off my hearing.
Relevant or not, gossip was gossip. I couldn't disregard it.
"-bright side. _ _ _ _ will proceed sooner-"
Fine! I admit I was uncertain about... expanding my senses again. I ought to c̸o̴n̷f̴r̸o̵n̵t̶ those events and come to terms with them, but...
I just needed a moment to get my mind back together, alright?
*Badump*
Oh, right. I almost forgot about him, the young fellow whose existence I discovered recently.
He's a great conversation starter, by the way. Full of rainbows and sunshine and shit, can't seem to shut him up. His dream was to become Sleeping Beauty, and he practiced by napping all day long.
Nice pal.
...
Okay, in all seriousness, the boy deferred from moving an inch and was subdued. Swell, but subdued.
His name was unknown to me, so to avoid addressing him as 'that boy' all the damn time, I dubbed him 'Othe.' Short for Other, as in the other one with whom I built a connection.
Now I comprehended why the people from the Outside had their outlandish naming debate. There was a sense of accomplishment upon bestowing a significant name onto someone.
Speaking of which…
What was this, Bring your Kid to Work Day?
What were these people smoking on?! This wasn't the kind of environment Othe should dwell himself in.
Favorite Person, I take back my earlier statement. You weren't a sensible individual. How could you let this sort of thing transpire under your watch?
I better stop for now. Ranting for hours non-stop takes a toll on me.
It feels wrong not to stay by his side, but I also had to return beyond the wall—eventually—and it wasn't as if I was capable of bringing Othe with me.
Hm… Decisions, decisions.
*Badump*
*Badump*
I may not be able to do much, but as the sole responsible adult around here, it was my duty to keep tabs on his well-being.
"-few days. Be ready to test the unidentified _ _ _ _-"
I just have to prepare myself properly. My ears will be ready to scope out the uncharted areas of the Outside, while simultaneously checking in on Othe and the rest.
Win-win!
Heh. Who said multitasking wasn't a talent?
⭒･ﾟﾟ･*: ｡.｡ :°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°: ｡.｡ :*･ﾟﾟ･⭒
After witnessing the… peculiarities that sprawled beyond the wall, I questioned what was the true nature of the Outside.
Because, seriously.
What. The. Hell.
I was certainly indoors, in some sort of closed-off space. There wasn't any wind or sunlight hitting my face to prove I was in the wilderness, or a public area. The s̸c̵r̵e̷a̴m̸s̶ would've also brought a lot of unsavory attention.
I had no words to describe my experience on the Outside, or for what abodes there. It was, in the simplest terms possible:
Fucking u̸n̵p̶l̴e̴a̵s̶a̷n̶t̶.
I won't go into many details, because there's no way in hell I was going to relive those memories again.
Every occasion was more startling than the last. It depended on where I breached and how much I managed to endure the onslaught. My recent escapade left me shivering at the squishy and gooey m̷o̵v̸e̶m̸e̵n̸t̶s̸ within the walls-
*Snap*
-shuffling in place. M̸e̷t̸a̶l̸ rustled, and cracks resonated-
*Snap*
-and the pitter, patter of a liquidy s̸u̶b̴s̷t̴a̴n̷c̶e̵ accompanied it, squelching the floor-
"AaAaAaAaA-"
*Snap*
-that r̵e̵s̵u̷l̷t̸e̷d̸ in wailing, as if something was being b̶o̷r̷n̷ out of the walls themselves.
*S̴̡̼̰͖̯͚͖̱̻̖͌́̌͑͑̍͐͌̓Ǹ̶͓̥̥̊͝Ã̴͇̇ͅP̵͝*
"..."
-before c̶u̶t̶t̷i̶n̸g̸ itself off, leaving no soul besides my own in quiet saturninity.
Zero out of five stars. Wouldn't recommend.
Luckily, the horror movie slideshow wouldn't last long, as the silence summoned the garbled sounds and crowded the place, to my immense relief.
They sounded similar to having a bone stuck in their throat, but at this point, anything was music to my ears.
Although there was something off about them. I preferred to give them the benefit of the doubt. After all...
Each second their hearts skipped a beat,
The swiftness of their breaths,
Steps that crushed the ground beneath them, whether it was on two feet or crawling on all fours,
The grinding of teeth and the sweat of their brow. Every twitch and cranny of their movements…
I could hear it a̶l̴l̸.
.
.
My first clue was the far too animalistic shrills coming off of them.
Humans don't growl. Well, technically they did, but that was their stomachs crying out for food. Neither did they screech, but there were exceptions, like irritating bitches who insist on others.
I've observed that these creatures talked little. They only produced those garbles near people. Between themselves though?
Nada. Sure, there was the usual grunt or two, but—unless grunting was considered a language—it didn't produce the same effect.
Do they just stare at each other or what?
(Mental Note: check for any signs of them using body motions that signified communication with one another.)
My head picked up a tingly feeling whenever the creatures appeared. Concentrating on that impression would spark my senses into overdrive and make my world spin.
D̷i̶z̶z̸i̸n̷e̶s̸s̴ became a familiar sensation.
I could have dropped the issue at any time, but I wouldn't. I needed to do this. It was a gut feeling.
They were a mystery waiting to be uncovered. Something n̷̰̦̈́̓e̴̝̎w̵̪̑ͅ.
But not at the expense of those near me. I didn't want to endanger Favorite Person, or for Othe to catch the same symptoms as me.
The pacing was similar to that of a snail's trail, too slow for my liking, but as the saying goes: "Better to prevent than to lament."
(I wouldn't mind Jerkface succumbing to it. Getting sick might humble the man and give everybody some well-deserved rest.)
I tried greeting them, but of course, my words were unable to reach them. They wouldn't be able to hear me, anyway. I've done it so many times I've lost count, but since there wasn't much to do here, it wouldn't stop me from continuously trying.
"Hello!" I'd say when a person or creature was in my vicinity.
"Good Job!" When there were merry tones in their steps. It didn't happen that often.
"Have a good day!" After a hard day at work.
"Better luck next time!" I'd always add whenever they were dissatisfied, which became a usual occurrence.
"You can do it!" When I'd thought they'd kick the bucket.
I grunted just in case, but alas. No replies either.
.
.
.
.
It's silly... isn't it?
Whispering, shouting, cheering, pleading… Regardless of how I expressed myself, it went unheard. I'm suffering from mild headaches for no reason.
Nobody has responded.
And n̷̘͚͖̍̎̀͋̑̎ŏ̸͓̈́̄̚͠b̶͉̦̂̿̽̕ỏ̵̪͈̫̖͍͛̐͜d̵̖̉̏͂̚̕ŷ̸͕͔͑̇ ever will.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
That got dark for a moment.
What can I say? I'm quite the gal.
"-are stable, but the factors of _ _ _ _ remain inconclusive."
The stench of strawberry entered my periphery, and I thanked the heavens above for the distraction–was that a hint of vanilla lingering at the end? Sweet.
Favorite Person's scent threw me off for a loop there. It seems she finally changed that horrid perfume of hers. Good riddance. The previous one gave off old, grandma vibes.
.
.
Wait. I swear I'm not a creep! I can't control my nose. It's one sense I still needed to get a handle on.
This room was surprisingly hygienic, meaning that my opportunities to practice and detect smells were slim thus far. It was kind of weird now that-
I'm monologuing again. It's a bad habit.
"Perhaps… very well."
On that particular note, Favorite Person's tone suggested she was currently speaking to-
Huh.
I didn't recognize who it was.
It wasn't the Janitor, who I hadn't heard from since I crossed over the wall. He probably got fired.
Poor guy.
It wasn't Bob either. A silent dude will always be a silent dude. I respect that. And unless Jerkface tweaked his voice by drinking a lot of coffee, this belonged to a fresh voice.
It's been a while since there was a new presence!
Strange. He sounded a bit like the creatures, but clearer. As in, speaking actual words. Conjugated and orderly.
"Hi!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
No answer. What a shocker.
Maybe I'll attempt to nudge Othe or do something creative with my senses this time around.
… Considering how well it went last time, taking a break might not be such a bad idea. The Outside can shove it up its-
'Greetings.'
I froze.
D-
Did I just…
.
.
.
.
.
I must've imagined it.
'I see you are aware... Curious.'
A mature, but unexpected v̶o̴i̵c̸e̶ penetrated my thoughts. It had spoken again, and it was just as astounded as I was.
⭒･ﾟﾟ･*: ｡.｡ :°*:✼✿ ✿✼:*°: ｡.｡ :*･ﾟﾟ･⭒
SI be like:
SI: *Pulls out her best Navi impression.*
SI: "Hey, listen!"
*Aggros a response.*
SI: Works like a charm.
A/N
SI has horrible naming skills, and we learn that one should be careful of what they wish for.