Hey guys, here's another chapter for you! And, pretty early, too! Like, I just uploaded the previous chapter last night at the time of writing this.
This one's a bit dialogue heavy, but I think it works for the subject/setting. Don't worry, though, I think you guys will like it.
Enjoy~!
I DO NOT OWN GORILLAZ, OR ANY OF THE BAND MEMBERS FEATURED IN THIS STORY!
Murdoc found himself restless after sending the kids to bed, laying on his own. It was around 10pm, two hours since he himself went, and he still couldn't get to sleep. Fortunately, nights like this left him plenty of time to think. However, the thoughts that came were often unwanted, especially since being there reminded him of his current dimensional imprisonment.
He knew he didn't spend as much time with the children as Eva would have liked, but he honestly had know idea what to do with them. They were pretty independent, and only sought him out for food, play, or occasional help. And, he didn't exactly care for the games they made up simply because he felt embarrassed to pretend. It just felt ridiculous.
Murdoc then let out an audible sigh, loud enough to hear but quiet enough to not disturb anyone else. Searching the ceiling for nothing in particular, he thought about his home dimension. The one with his normal, adult bandmates. His friends. The bassist couldn't deny that he missed them, but unless he began enjoying his time here, he may never see them again. No matter how true that was, it pained him to think that way.
Since he obviously wasn't going to sleep any time soon and was sick of wasting time, Murdoc decided he should find something to eat. He wasn't hungry, but, to him, anything was better than tossing and turning all night; so, throwing on a pair of pants, Murdoc shuffled out of his room.
Upon entering the hall, he caught sight of a mysterious, blue glow from Russel's room. It wasn't very bright, but was easy to set apart in the surrounding darkness. He rubbed his eyes, but the light remained, so he knew it was really there. Murdoc approached the room cautiously and pushed the door aside. Peering in, his eyes fell upon a large, neon blue figure that flickered in a digital fashion.
"D...Del...?" Murdoc could barely believe his eyes. Could it be? "That you, mate?"
The ghost turned slowly, locking eyes with him from across the room. "Murdoc...?"
"Yeah... 's me."
The two remained almost unreadable to one another, wearing expressions cross between confusion and relief.
"Like, Murdoc-Murdoc?"
Murdoc raised an eyebrow, not sure how to respond, but eventually realized that he must have met this dimmesion's Murdoc first. "Right... Let me guess. You know the other 'me?'"
"I guess... There's two of you now?" Del asked.
"Nah, the other one's fake. He was created to be here."
"I knew it! That guy's nothing like you." Del exclaimed, feeling affirmed. "Wait... Created? By who?"
"It's a long story. Let's talk out there." Murdoc gestured for Del to follow him into the hallway. "If we wake Russel, you'll disappear, right?"
Del looked back at Russel, who rolled over before snuggling further into his blanket and snoring softly. He gave a silent nod, then joined the bassist.
"So," Del leaned against the doorframe. "How'd you get here, man? You magic, or something?"
"No, but the fish lady who brought me here is." Murdoc sighed tiredly at the deadpan expression Del gained in response. "I know how it sounds, but that's the easiest way to explain it."
"Complicate it?"
"Sure, let's see..." Murdoc started from the top, explaining his first few days in Eva's fabricated world and how he got there. Thinking about it made part of his head ache, but he continued on. "And, then there's the pet shop. That's how we got that octopus. It looks just like the ones Eva had before she sent me here. I think that's as far as that goes for now, though..."
"Okay, wait... You got knocked out in your world and got sent to another one to help validate Eva's existence?"
Murdoc nodded.
"That's messed up..."
Murdoc's shoulders drooped, "I know."
"And, you feel like you can get out of here if you do what, exactly?"
"Once I figure out whether or not that octopus can communicate with Eva, or at least let me communicate with her, I can try going back to her dimension. Once I get there, I can try to find mine."
"That sounds solid, but how are you going to get back when Eva's the one that took you there? And, didn't you say she lived in the ocean? No way there's light down there."
"It was pretty bright, actually..." Murdoc recalled the sunrays streaking through the water. "But, she called that place a dimension, so it can't be in the ocean."
"Whatever you say, Mudz."
"Say, how did you get here?"
Del shrugged, "I don't know. I just woke up here one day... I was actually out for a long time before that, though."
"Hm," Murduc hummed in response, not sure what to make of that. "If you haven't met Eva yet, then she probably doesn't know you're here."
"That, or she can't do anything about it. No one can control ghosts."
"Guess you're right."
The two then fell back into comfortable silence, and Murdoc felt it would be less awkward with a cigarette. One good thing about being in this world was that Murdoc never craved them, which was nice since it kept him from feeling withdrawal symptoms. He didn't feel the need to drink either. He had to admit, though, feeling buzzed would really help ease the stress of being trapped and alone.
After a moment or two, Murdoc spoke up again, asking "What's this other Murdoc like?"
"Man, he's just corny," Del laughed, shaking his head. "You can tell he loves taking care of these kids, though. But, he doesn't like being called 'Dad.'"
"Figures..." We at least have that in common. "What's he do?"
"You mean for work? I think he's a doctor, or something? Like, he helps make machines for hospitals. Oh, and he plays bass in the band, same as you do back home."
Murdoc nodded. He already knew the band bit, but him creating medical machines seemed more than farfetched. "Can't say that I'd ever pick that."
"Yeah, I thought it was weird, too. You don't seem like a doctor to me."
"Nah, I'm a doctor. Just not that kind." He explained. "I earned my PhD a long time ago."
"You mean you actually have one of those?" Del looked somewhat shocked. "I thought you were joking!"
"Nope, 's in Pharmaceutical Medicine."
"That's crazy. You remember anything about it?"
"Eh, I remember enough to write a prescription without killing anyone."
"Hahaha-!" Del nearly fell over, catching himself on the wall. "Knowing what not to do doesn't mean you know what you're doing."
It was Murdoc's turn to laugh. "Heh, it's gotten me this far. I've never had to work in a pharmacy. And, if we're lucky, I never will!"
"Thank God for that."
He and Del both continued to talk and joke well into the late hours of the night. And, Murdoc didn't realize just how long he had been smiling until his face began to hurt. He didn't mind it, though. In fact, it was a welcome pain. Having Del there was a comfort he didn't know he needed, and he was grateful to whatever force allowed him to be there. And, even if either of them wouldn't outright say it, he could tell Del felt the same.
Murdoc couldn't tell when he fell asleep, or what time it was, but understood that Russel was awake since Del was gone. He winced as he sat up from the wall, hating the way his back ached. "Can't do that again..."
"Murdoc? Are you awake?"
Turning towards the voice, the groggy bassist discovered that Russel was on the floor next to him and rolling a toy car around. The boy seemed amused that he was there, and was poor at hiding it. "Yeah, 'm up. What do you want?"
"Why were you sleeping right here?"
"You know," Murdoc feigned confusion, which Russel surprisingly believed. "I don't know."
"Do you think you were sleepwalking?"
"Who knows?" Murdoc smiled to himself. "It may become a habit, though."
"That sounds like a bad habit to have," Russel said, pushing the toy car to run into Murdoc's leg. "You might end up on the floor again, and old people shouldn't sleep on the floor."
Murdoc pushed the toy back, "Real funny, Russ..."
Okie-doke, that's the end of that! This is seriously the shortest time between updates I think I've had in quite a while.
Anyway, how do you guys feel about my inclusion of Del? Sorry if he and Murdoc feel really out-of-character (OOC) here. I'm still new to writing these characters, so they may remain that way for a while.
Thanks for reading!