Chapter 14: Twisted Shadows and Sinister Delights

Chapter 14: Twisted Shadows and Sinister Delights

Before managing any more back and forth, John heard his phone beeping. Checking it, he sees a message from Fae and so told Alice they would be taking a small break and to keep watch. He had something really important he had to do. Getting a confused look but a nod from Alice, he sat by a street pole and began reading the message from Fae.

"Okay, not sure how things are going on your side, but Ray managed to get a few survivors here already," Fae's message read. "He said he saw them wandering around and invited them over. Seems they were having a party or something when things went down. Their classes aren't anything special, but they don't seem to have been taken over by them like some of the people Ray says he saw. There's a total of 7 of them, all varying ages. 2 swordsmen, guessing around 21 or so, a builder who I think is a grandfather to one of the swordsmen. A farmer who, from what I've come to understand, was also a father, but his daughter fell to her madness and left. Poor guy really seemed to be hit hard by it and struggling to understand what's going on. Then there's a chef around 20, I think, and lastly 2 teens around 17 who keep calling themselves 'magus' or something like that. Seems they were trying to sneak into the party. The rest who were there either began fleeing in panic, falling to madness and leaving, yelling stuff like how they would rule the world or ending up as a mess of meat or worse. Ray didn't want to elaborate on it, saying it's not something pretty to hear about and he doesn't want me to see it. He brought them back here and has taken charge, even assigning jobs for them. Things are actually getting a mild level of organization. Figured if we do it early, it would help in the long run. Could be safer that way as well, especially since he can use his class to form parties and increase our odds of making it through or at the very least, a good foothold. I do think there was some combat, though. He seemed really tired mentally or emotionally. Not so much physically, though, and there was a lot of blood on his clothes. He said he didn't want to talk about it and he then left right after changing his clothes. I'm going to try talking to him when he gets back again, or have him try to talk to you. Maybe you can help each other through this, similar experiences and all that. As for me, I'm currently on organization and admin duty to keep track of our supplies and everything else to keep me busy -sweatdrop emoji- How is things on your side? How are you feeling? How have things been going that side?"

John couldn't help but smile a bit, shaking his head having read that. "Oh? Who's this? Your girlfriend? An unrequired love? Oh, oh a love triangle!" Almost jumping from the unexpected voice of Alice over his shoulder, John turns to see her right there, leaning almost on top of him but somehow balanced enough on the scythe to not touch him. After staring at her for a few minutes and realizing what she had said, he decided to set her straight before her imagination could run any wilder.

"None of that, rather she's my best friend. We've never once met in reality, but we're closer than even most siblings, oddly enough. We try to be there for each other and help each other where we can and support one another. Plus, she's just as much of a loon as I am, to the level of understanding what I say and not disregarding my dreams, mental buddies, or shadow friends as signs of insanity, instability, or an overactive imagination. Rather, she tells me a bit about her own, stands alongside me, and we bounce ideas back and forth to try and figure out what the heck is actually going on. We even bridge our mindscape places to a limited degree and shield each other with our own energies. And yes, I know how hippy or chunni or even insane that may sound, but it is how it is. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way."

John says to her, getting a confused look from her before she pats him on the head and pulls him to her chest.

"Don't worry, I understand. You were such a loner outcast that the sudden changes were too much for you, and your mind finally snapped. But you have me here with you. We can wander the paths of madness together. Sanity is way overrated anyway, who needs it."

Says Alice, holding him tight, only to get a light push from him enough to get his head free and for her to loosen her grip.

"Well, I can't say I disliked that. Honestly, I doubt many guys would. I really doubt this would be the time for something like that. Also, aren't you supposed to be keeping watch for a bit while I reply to my friend and just talk to her for a little bit?" John finally says to her, not denying anything she said though.

"Oh right, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I think we should commandeer one of the houses here and rest before leaving when the sun comes up. Then we can see better and don't worry too much about you being attacked from the shadows or dark like what happened earlier. Honestly, it was kinda dumb luck that I even managed to save you back then. Happy I did though because I got 'Mister Stabby Stick'. But still, I don't really know if I would manage it a second time, and I would prefer you alive so more fights can happen as opposed to you dead from kind of accident or idiot or both."Alice says, getting a frown from John.

"I really want to get home though. I need to check on my family. No doubt my parents have no idea how to handle this, and my brother... well, he would have definitely snapped in some way due to all this. And not in the happy-go-lucky way you often show but more of a bloodthirsty psycho way."He tells her.

"Can't check on them if you're dead though, you know I'm right. Heck, ask your special bestest buddy and they will agree with me. Call it women's intuition."Alice says, hand on her hip, her head tilted up, and a smug look on her face, with a massive grin as if just waiting to be proven right. With a sigh, John decided to do exactly that.

"Hey Fae, glad things are slowly getting built up by you. As for Ray, please do. Even if you need to force him to speak to me, he needs to get it out. The fact I had to go through the same... well, not providing comfort should let him feel less alone. Sometimes that helps far more than anyone ever knows. See if you can find a way to link him to our chats. If he's a gamer, maybe he has a party chat function or something like that which we can take advantage of and link or something. Either way, he will need to talk about it, so just be there for him but don't push too hard. As for your current job, can't think of anyone more trustworthy for it. You will definitely keep it in order, but keep an eye on those magus guys. Hopefully, it's nothing, but if they're like the ones I've read of in manga and seen in some anime, they may be far more trouble than they're worth. So, on this side, I made a new friend? Her name is Alice. She saved my life a little bit earlier from a scythe-using guy that came from the shadows. She feels we should take shelter for the night since it's getting dark and continue on in the morning when the sun is up to avoid any further ambushes and because things may be quieter. What do you think?"

John typed out, Alice still poking her head over his shoulder just nodding along before poking his cheek.

"Why add the question mark after friend when you referred to me? Aren't we friends?" she asks in an overly dramatic sad tone. Looking at her, John sees her eyes are watery, lip quivering, making him think of her like a kicked puppy, a disabled kicked puppy.

"I'll correct that with my next message, but are you sure you want to be referred to as just a friend? Not my super amazing protector person who I owe my life. The super amazing Alice girl who is good at all she does and the most beautiful and charming girl around this side who is gracing me with her presence by being my travel companion?"

John says to her, trying to placate her. By the way she seemed to not just cheer up but preen like a peacock with her head held, it showed his words did too good a job.

"Indeed, you're lucky this one has chosen to go with you. But we are friends first and foremost, at least that's what I see you as, for me, and I really hope you do too. Else 'Mister Stabby Stick' will get upset and will probably like to poke you till you see me as your friend."

Alice says to him with an overly sweet tone and a large smile, eyes half-lidded and pointing the scythe at him, causing him to shiver slightly.

"I understand. We're special friends, you and I. And I'll make sure she also knows it."

John tells her, doing what he can to slowly inch away a tiny bit before hearing the beeping and seeing Fae's reply.

"Are you alright?!?! Damn it, you need to be careful. I'm glad your new friend was at least there to protect you, but you're going to need to also get stronger. You can't expect to always rely on her. I'll let Ray know we need to watch the magus guys and will do what I can to get him in contact with you. I do fully agree with her, get some shelter for the night. Keep safe and when the sun's up you can continue on. It would also give things a bit of time to settle and a bunch of the people you would encounter may move on. Even if some might set traps, if this girl has saved you once, she will do it again for visible traps or keep you out of them. I'm not saying fully trust her, but she did save your life where she could have just left you to die and then killed the guy. You also need a small rest, to come to grips with everything and have a small break. Got to go, need to finish taking stock and organizing rest areas, then guard shifts and rest times. I know it's still early, but you should also try to rest if you can."

Seeing that reply, John sighs, seemingly doing that a lot lately, and Alice grins widely.

"I told you so," she says in a sing-song voice. "Now let's go, this house up ahead is wide open from what I can see. Let's go check, but I think we can rest there tonight."

She finishes as John stands, and they walk over to the house she spoke of, finding the door broken outwards and in pieces. They went through, checking the entire place, finding plenty of blood and trails leading to the broken door, but no bodies, to John's relief.

"On this side, you go get some rest. I'll take first watch, then you can be lookout and wake me if anything happens or you see anything."

John wanted to protest, but a stern look from Alice and a slight turn from 'Mister Stabby Stick' in her hands made him shut up and agree. Laying down, he seemed to feel how drained he really was. That mixed with how he seemed to sink into the bed caused him to fall into unconsciousness quicker than he thought possible.

Silently stalking over to his slumbering form, Alice's eyes fixated on John's vulnerable figure. She slid open the dresser table drawer, retrieving a small stick emitting an almost imperceptible wisp of smoke. Her lips curled into an unsettling smile as she tucked it away, her fingers tingling with anticipation.

"Oh, the possibilities," she whispered, her voice a twisted melody of malice. "A simple jab through the heart, a slit throat, limbs meticulously severed as you bleed out... perhaps a slow, agonizing end with a stab to the liver. It would be so easy to end your life right now." She relished the macabre scenarios that danced through her mind, her hunger for violence only slightly restrained by her current intentions.

A chilling aura enveloped her as her fingers hovered above John's unconscious face. Her nails brushed his cheek, the sensation sending shivers down her spine, a morbid thrill coursing through her veins. But just as her touch seemed ready to descend into the abyss of brutality, she halted, withdrawing her hand as if an invisible force had pulled her back from the precipice.

With deliberate composure, she reached down and carefully plucked John's phone from his pocket. "Well seems I'm going to be on a bit of guard duty, but even so doesn't mean I can't keep entertained at the same time. You're probably going to be out like a log for at least 6 hours, flower brew is dangerously potent after all." She says dragging a small chair closer to the bedside, she perches herself upon it like a twisted queen on her throne, eyes gleaming with an unsettling mixture of madness and malevolence. The screen's soft glow cast eerie shadows across her face, illuminating her features in a ghastly dance of light and darkness.

"Now let's see what you have on here," she murmured, her voice like a serpent's hiss. Fingers deftly danced across the device, trying to find whatever she could on it with a sinister delight. As the digital labyrinth unravelled before her, her grin grew impossibly wider. "Honestly if that thing hadn't said anything I would have killed you instead of watching back then, now let's see if something on here will tell me what makes you so interesting shall we? Oh how I'm hoping you will give me a nice fight when you're stronger."

A sudden shiver rippled down her spine, like cold fingers tracing the contours of her soul. Her manic smile twisted into a frown, and her head twitched slightly as if responding to an unseen whisper. Her gaze darted around the room, probing the corners for any lurking presence. Yet, the source of her unease remained hidden, shrouded in the shadows, waiting and watching.

Alice's heart raced with a blend of exhilaration and unease. The unsettling sensation clung to her like a second skin, sending a tremor of mad glee down her spine. A shudder of delight rolled through her as she turned her attention back to the phone, her fingers tracing the edges as if deciphering the very fabric of reality.

"The darkness beckons, the chaos calls," she breathed, a wicked grin dancing on her lips. Her voice held an intoxicating blend of ecstasy and delirium, like the enchanting whisper of a siren leading sailors to their doom. "This feeling I got just proves it even further that following you means many interesting things to come hehe." She says in delight well just out of sight there where slight movements of the shadows in the room, many eyes watching her every move, judging and waiting to act if needed, consequences be damned yet controlling themselves enough to remain unnoticed, restrained enough to not do anything but watch for the time being.