The Farmer

An hour has passed, and you're still enduring the endless sea of corn stalk. The sharp blades are annoying you to no end, "fucking corns," you grunted.

"Patience," the clown was oddly cheery...

You were about to protest when a loud noise cuts you off.

"Shh,"

Jihn rolled his imaginary eyes, "Mon ami, you can only hear me in your head,"

The sound of the machine reverberated throughout the cornfield, "Finally!" don't get me wrong I'm not dumb, it's exactly the sound of a machine that harvests corn.

Not some ominous futuristic sound.

"So I guess we're still on Earth, huh? kinda disappointing," and specifically in America.

The clown chuckled, "Don't worry mon chéri, whether it's humans, aliens, or ancient civilization.. who cares?—

I'll slit their throats"

"Just the bad kind," you replied, smiling at the thought of spilling their blood again...

How wonderful.

You pushed those thoughts behind as you approach the combine harvester.

"It's been a while," after all, being locked up in a mental institution didn't really help,

"Hellooo?"

You took a deep breath and shouted again, "Hellooo!!"

The running machine turned off, but its lights were still on. It took about a minute before the unknown farmer went down from the harvester, "Well, if I'll be damned. Who are ye kid? What're ye doing out here in my property?"

The man who bears a thick accent wears a worn-out flannel shirt and jeans, dirtied by hard labor. He's about in his 50s, tanned, and is holding a shotgun.

Oh. Cool. You smiled.

He caught you staring, "Well, yer suspicious as hell," he shrugs.

"Vrai," Jihn agreed.

"Will you stop?" the farmer cocked his eyebrows. Damn, you forgot the clown was in your fucking head, "I mean— sir, I'm actually lost right now and I have no fucking idea what happened to me.. I- I think I lost all my valuables."

You decided to play the role of a pitiful traveler who got mugged and is only left with food and water.

And the usual cliche, amnesia.

"Why not just kill him? Sooo much easier," Jihn grumbled. Albeit, being dramatic, "besides, he smells like piss and fucking shit."

"If we kill him without a good reason, we'd be the same as the people who fucked us up." you muttered under your breath, "you know that already."

"He's sending me alarms," Jihn stated, sounding so sure that he's right. He wanted it to be right, just so he could stab someone again.

A voice snapped you out of your thoughts, "Cm'ere," the farmer motioned you to get closer, "I can give you food and shelter for tonight but tomorrow yer gone, am I clear?"

"Thank you!" relief washes over you while the clown just snickered.

After checking your pockets and bag for any weapon or anything that can be used to harm, you were good to go.

"Anyhow, the name's Mateo. Mateo Williams," still eyeing you in suspicion, "What's yers?

"Anthony... just Anthony," you replied.

"Hmm.. fine. Follow me, kid"

You whispered, "Jihn, where's the knife you were holding on to, earlier?"

"It's a clown's secret, crétin"

"First of all, it's a magician, not a clo-

"Ah ta ta ta, better focus on the task at hand, mon chéri," the clown just smiled.

The farmer's house was just on the other side of the field. It's a pretty humble home, with a warehouse, silo, and toolshed within the area. The air is nice out here, too. You suddenly wonder what's it feel like to live on a farm. If you grew up in this kind of peaceful scenery, would you even meet Jhin?

Maybe, maybe not.

But you have him now.

Mateo opened the door, a loud creak was made. It was awfully quiet and the lights were off.

"Little Anthony, I can smell blood," the clown smiled from ear to ear, "non, not animal blood,"

I guess change of plans, then.