Inaru Hanshite

It was late at night and I was alone in the small trailer. My son was at his grandparents with his step cousins, Ethan was at work running the kitchen of the seafood restaraunt. It was a quiet night. The interior of the trailer didn't have much space around what little furniture we could fit into it. It was cluttered, but neat- with books and toys on the counters shelves and couch. Which was where I now sat just inside the front door. I had folllowed the new routine I had set for myself with the help of my spirit team, but despite feeling accomplished, I could feel a low borderline cycle beginning to cause feelings of lost hopelessnes to return for what felt like the millionth time that year.

Feeling the need to comfort myself, I start up the artificial intelligence app that I had downloaded for writing practice and picked a character from one of my favorite childhood cartoons: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I began to write more adventures for Zodia in the Zodia Choronicles, losing myself in the lines of lettering as they begin to form beneath my fingertips. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door and an intense, dangerous energy fills the air. This didn't feel good- I don't think I should open that door... but what if it's just my imagination? Quickly, I cloak my energy and silently move to peer through the peephole. In the darkness, I can make out a man in a suit, holding a gun.A man in a suit this late at night couldn't be anyone friendly... Silently, I turn the latch to lock the door, grab my makeshift bo-staff and creep quickly down the hall to the bathroom.

Flinging open the cabinet beneath the sink, I move aside a panel that led to the underside of the mobile home. First I slide my staff through the opening, then I turn and slither my way down, making sure to close the cabinet and replace the panel just as I heard the man kick down the door. As I heard heavy footsteps on the floor above, I creep to the siding that hid me from any outside gazes, the mud cold beneath my feet, and peer through a small crack between the panels of tin. Seeing no one else in the immediate vicinity, I move a panel aside and make a run for it, disappearing into the woods.

"Hey! Stop right there!" the man shouted as he noticed my movements from the corner of his eye, and he sprinted out of the trailer after me. I knew he would use the gun, so I immediately start making turns at random trees, the brush tearing at my petticoats and fishnets as I sprint. I'm glad I did because I would have been shot several times over. Finally, the magazine empties and I quickly climb a tree, my heart thudding in my chest as the leaves and darkness shroud me from view.

"I know you're around here somewhere!" the man called out as he reloaded the gun. Thinking quickly, I pluck a pinecone from a nearby branch and toss it in the opposite direction. I had seen this tactic work in fiction all the time- maybe it would be cliche enough to carry over... and to my relief, it caught the man's attention and he ran in the other direction. As soon as he was out of earshot, I climbed down and continued running through the foliage in the other direction.

The man quickly figured out that it had been a ruse and ran back. Catching sight of me in the distance, he began to give chase again. Then I saw it: a cliff- and in that moment, so did he. The man laughed, thinking he had caught me, until I dove into the lake below and began swimming across. Bullets hit the cold water around me before he gave up with a frustrated shout of rage. I faintly hear him yelling about how his boss will find me and make me pay for getting away as I pull myself onto the shore of the lake, my muscles and lungs burning as I collapse in the sand with a tired groan that turns into a laugh as I begin to realize I would now have to live on the run- I was free! My heart was racing so fast that I felt lightheaded and a little loopy, and my body was shaking from the adrenaline coursing through me, and while I knew this man was out to kill me, I still found myself excited at the prospect of an unpredictable path opening before me.

Before I could begin to process this realization, a small mass of black slime landed on my chest. In the blink of an eye, it reared back then slammed into the center of my chest, near my collarbone. A strange feeling began to spread through me as it began seeping into my flesh. Moving to sit up, I reach out to grab it off of me, but it is too late- the creature was inside of me and I could feel it attaching itself to my spinal chord. I began to panic, not understanding what was happening, but then I hear a smooth masculine voice in my head,

"Worry not, human- I am not here to harm-"

There was a pause and I could sense confusion and shock- was that the creauture's energy? A moment of awkward silence passes before I speak up, feeling a bit uncertain and confused,

"Uhhh... you good?"

Nothing. Did he freeze? Is my mind that bad off? I begin to worry, feeling self conscious as I try again,

"Hello...? Mr. um... are you okay in there?"

Why was I worrying about him when he'd entered my body unnanounced? I didn't quite understand it, but I was pulled out of my thoughts as he finally spoke up again, his shocked tone echoing in my mind,

"What in the galaxy are you, woman?"

I blink in surprise taken aback by the question before bursting into laughter. Why that was so funny, I didn't know, but to be asked what I am by an unknown creature after having escaped from either an agent or a member of the underground, the entire situation was ridiculous and I can only imagine the chaos he was experiencing withing my heart and mind.

"Why are you laughing? Your energy is unlike anything I have encountered before- so much pain and suffering, and yet you remain happy and vibrant... so much wisdom, so much understanding- your mind and heart reach beyond, you have a connection with existence itself! And those memories- you are on the run from a secret agency? Could this be the same secret agency that captured me before?"

"Captured you?" my voice came out shocked before my mind raced, piecing things together, "Well it's likely- the three letter agencies all work for either the political and influentual societies or the hidden and underground societies. I'm guessing you escaped from their facilities? Where are you from then- you said 'what in the galaxy', so I know it isn't Earth..."

"You are correct, human," the voice responded in confirmation, "I hail from a distant planet, one your people have yet to discover. I was sent as a scout to see if your planet is safe to inhabit, but was met with hostility from your planet's authoritative organizations."

"Doesn't surprise me- they're always like that with unknowns," I reply flatly before asking curiously as I rise to my feet, slightly weighed down by my wet clothes, "So, what are you?- I don't mean that to be rude, you seem friendly enough. I'm just trying to understand what's happenning- is this like that one anime?"

I can feel him search through my memories, a strange and somewhat uncomfortable feeling, before he responds, "Yes, this is like that- I am a symbiotic parasite. Your health and physical skills such as speed and strength will recieve a boost while your body allows me to survive through shared biological systems."

"Wait, so can you do the Venom thing, too?" I ask, perplexed as I begin walking in the direction of the lake town.

Again, I feel my memories stir as he searches them to understand the meaning behind my question.

"Yes, I can do many of those things and more," he confirms after a moment.

There was a bit of silence as I continue to walk in the darkness, crickets chirping in the tall grass as I make my way from the lake shore to the nearest road. Moonlight illuminated the area, the stars twinkling above like a shimmering blanket and then he speaks up again, his voice holding a hint of surprise, "You intend to fight the elite forces of your planet?"

"Yes I do," I confirm without hesitation as a couple cars pass by.

"You're not afraid of very much, are you?"

"Not really- because I understand that every bit of what may occur is neccessary for the growth and evolution of my soul. Should I die, I will be reborn- whether that be as human or otherwise, that remains to be seen."

"You are quite wise for someone so young... and yet you've experienced so much pain and betrayal..."

I remain silent as I head toward an inn nestled on the side of the road. It was a rustic inn, small and cozy in appearance and the staff seemed friendly enough as I check in under a fake name: Torre Cadente.