I’m floating.

I don’t really know where I am but I recognize this sensation. I’m floating in water, but like, the water isn’t suffocating me or making me wet, I’m just floating in blackness. I’m not sure why I know this feeling. Have I done it before? After floating for what feels like a few minutes I spot a light.

‘‘...’’ I try to say ‘Oh, a light’ but I’m voiceless.

Just as my eyes seem to focus on it I can feel the light calling to me and before I know it I’m yanked out of my floaty dark space and into a tunnel of flying colors. The colors swirl and dance around me as I fly past them faster than one of Emma’s magic balls. When I squint I finally catch a glimpse of what the colors are… They are scenes, moments… Have I experienced all this before? All at once the colors intensify and merge into an incomprehensible cluster of brightness and the sound…

It’s loud.

Voices, hundreds of them invade my ears all at slightly different intervals creating a cacophony of noise as they dig into my head and take hold in my brain. I feel my entire body tremble as my vision starts to go, I look down at my hands and witness my fingers bend in on their own. My vision is running out fast, my eyes are forced shut and the trembling gets more intense until finally… I feel a stillness in my body.

I’m not shaking anymore and there are no loud voices in my ear. In fact I hear something just outside the window. I open my eyes and take a look, droplets of something liquid are pouring down outside. I can’t see what it is due to the dark skies, but I assume it’s something nice. I breathe in as I feel solid floor under my feet, it’s dark brown and creaks as I walk around so I quickly stop. It’s different from the floor in Emma’s apartment. Now that I think about it, where am I?

I feel something long, hard and smooth in my hands, it’s almost as long as I am. I look down and recognize that it’s a broom. What am I holding you for? How did I even get here?

‘‘...’’ I open my mouth to speak, but I still can’t make a sound.

I feel a long arm slither up my back and rest on my shoulder, I can feel the sharp, cold nails of its slender fingers trace across my neck before pulling away suddenly. Then with calculated effort, the wrinkly hand spins around to the front of my face. The hand doesn’t look human, but before I can get a good look at it, it covers my mouth. I feel a warm breath on my neck as an unfamiliar voice fills the silence.

‘‘Not so hasty.’’

My heart starts beating faster as I feel a chilling shiver run down my spine. My eyes widen, but they can only stare outside the window. Stare and hope that they can somehow catch another glimpse of that light. That light which carried me away. My fears are confirmed as the hand starts dragging across my face from right to left, I hear and feel the sound of the skin on my face tearing as the hand drags across it with an unsettling and carefree slowness.

I scream but there’s no sound.

Once the hand has finished it snakes away off my shoulder and disappears down the dark hallway behind me. I instinctively put both of my hands up to my face to find that my mouth is missing. In place of where it had once been I now feel… More skin, as if there had never been a mouth to begin with, even though I remember exactly what the sensation of having a mouth is like. Something rattles in the dark behind me and I tense up again. I didn’t even choose to. I hear the rattling, at first it is faint but within seconds it is right behind me. I wait for something to slither up my back again, but nothing happens. It dawns on my instincts what I must do long before my brain can think it over, as my body starts turning itself around to face what is behind me. Whoever, or whatever it is. I want to close my eyes, but I can’t and this fact becomes painfully obvious to me right away. What feels like hours pass as I fight my body, but it slowly turns me around against my will.

I finally turn around and…

The creaky floor underneath me starts swirling and churning, turning liquid as it drags me in and away from the rattling, I sink for a few seconds before descending into a long free fall, back into the blackness I once floated in.

At the blink of my eyes I wake up in a featureless room. The walls are made of the same material as Emma’s apartment building, but apart from that nothing stands out as familiar to me. I’m sitting in a chair and… Well I’m sitting in a chair. There’s a nice bright lamp shining down directly on me, but I try not to look at it for too long because it hurts my eyes. I put a hand up to my mouth and breathe a sigh of relief as I feel my lips on my face again.

‘‘...’’

Still no sound though.

I notice something moving around in the shadows just outside of my ring of light.

Emma… is that you?

I look over and notice for the first time that there is a door in front of me. I’m not sure why, but I really want to open that door. My urge to open it becomes so strong that I… I completely forget about the thing in the shadows and push myself out of my seat. Every step is heavy, but I need to open that door. I have to open it. This is my door, it’s mine to open.

I go to grab the handle, but my hand reels back at the last second. No… I shouldn’t. Something feels wrong.

I hear a voice. It’s distorted and far away, but it’s getting louder.

‘‘THAAAT’S RIGHT BUDDY! IF YOU WANNA FEEL LIKE YOU’VE JUST GIVEN BIRTH TO A CHILD YOU SHOULD TRY CAMUS’ CRISPY CRUNCHY SALAD MIX! YOUR TUMMY WILL FEEL YUM YUM, AND YOU’LL NEVER FEEL PAIN ANYMORE allegedly.’’

I’m jolted awake and greeted by the sight of Emma’s apartment ceiling. I stare for a few seconds before turning to look towards the noise. ‘‘Oh, the radio is on.’’ I touch my lips and realize that I can talk again.

‘‘Disclaimer: Camuscrispycrunchysaladmix is highly flammable and wearenotresponsibleforanypotentialinjuriesyoumight cause yourself.’’ The voice, which was coming from the small radio fizzled out and a slow song took its place.

‘‘That last part was so fast, how is anyone supposed to understand that.’’ I remarked to myself and got out of bed.

Looking back at the bed I admire how much I trashed it in my sleep. It was a hell of a dream after all. In the corner of my eyes I see the animated sludge-filled skies of Kandon, but my eyes are much more focused on the bed itself.

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‘‘Where’s Emma?’’ I scratch my chin and spot a note by the dinner table.

‘‘Oh, she’s at work, but she prepared lunch for me… What’s this saying? Don’t forget to brush your teeth?’’

I go to switch on the bathroom light, but nothing happens.

‘‘Oh right, I need the thing.’’ I mutter to myself and walk back to the table to grab a small bottle of Emma’s sludge. ‘‘Then I just squeeze a bit of it onto my finger aaand…’’ The sludge is gooey and feels wet, but it doesn’t stain my finger. I was kind of hoping it would turn into a ball and bounce around, but it seems like it can’t actually do that without Emma around. ‘‘It’s squishy.’’ I press a bit of sludge into the light switch with my finger and step into the bathroom as the lights turn on.

‘‘Ew, I hate toothpaste, it doesn’t even taste good.’’ I sulk in front of the mirror as I look down at my toothbrush, before tracing my eyes up to look at my face. ‘‘So these marks make me a Nomad?’’ I lean in and touch the horn-shaped marks that cover my eyes. They don’t feel sore, or itchy, they’re just kind of there, like a tattoo or a beauty mark. At least I don’t think people feel those things either. My eyes wander and settle on my chest as that heavy feeling that takes hold in it sneaks up on me once more. ‘‘That’s right, I need to learn how to cry…’’ I stare into nothing for a moment, but snap back to reality as I look myself in the eyes. ‘‘Hey dumbass, you suck.’’

Nope, I don’t feel any different.

‘‘No one will ever love you.’’

Still nothing.

‘‘You can’t have nuggets and mayonnaise today.’’

Not even a single tear. Maybe I’m just incapable of crying because I’m so tough? As a last ditch effort, I grab the sides of the sink, lean in and stare at myself real close and try to force myself to cry as I tense every muscle in my body… Still nothing.

‘‘Being at home sucks.’’ I sigh and walk back into the food area to have my lunch.

The radio made some weird noises as the music got quieter and a voice took its place.

‘‘And here’s the daily news. The Indomitable Josie has been defeated.’’

‘‘What, are you saying a ghoul got her?’’

The first voice sounded younger and every time he spoke it sounded like some papers were getting shuffled around. The other guy had a deeper voice which in my mind made him the older one.

‘‘Not quite! She fell off a ladder this morning and broke her spine.’’

‘‘Was that meant to be some kind of punchline? That was terrible.’’

‘‘Well it’s not like ghoul deaths are any funny now are they?’’

‘‘They can be.’’

Awkward silence fell over the radio for a few seconds as I heard the sounds of my own chewing and finally noticed what I was eating. A nice sandwich with a single slice of ham, some lettuce and some slices of cheese.

‘‘...Innnn other newsssss! The Ghoul Hunter is at it again, showing up during ghoul attacks before the police can, how does he do it? Some say he is a ghoul himself, some claim that he doesn’t exist! A mysterious vigilante roaming the streets of Kandon, walking among us! Some people love him, some people hate him!’’

‘‘That sounds a little too romanticised, he’s probably just some idiot in a mask. A strong idiot in a mask actually, but you know what I agree with him. Why should we only be allowed to defend ourselves if a ghoul shows up? Why not be able to seek them out if you’ve got the guts? Let him hunt, I say.’’

‘‘D-Dude man, can we air that? I don’t think that-’’

‘‘To hell with what they think media should be honest and say things how they are.’’

‘‘Uh, next up is uh, more music! We’ll be back after the break!!’’

The radio went off with a click as I let out a yawn and stared at the ceiling. Maybe I should just try to sleep until Emma comes back from work. I lazily drag myself away from the table and let myself fall face first into bed. I’m not sure how long I lied like this, but I’m not tired at all. I glance over at the TV and spot another note left behind by Emma.

‘‘This might help you cry?’’

I picked up the little box the note is attached to and turned it around.

‘‘It’s a movie.’’ I say out loud to myself.

Using some of the sludge she gave me I managed to stick the tape in the TV and start the movie. It opens on a man standing alone on a street in east Kandon, he’s having a face-off against some kind of monster. A ghoul? It’s not real, I can tell that it’s just a puppet or a costume, but my brain plays along as I let myself get sucked into the movie.

The main character isn’t special. He’s just an average man and is seen struggling a lot throughout the movie. To pay rent, to have money for food, to find love. There’s this really boring part near the middle where he goes to the circus for some reason. It feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the movie, but I sit through it regardless. Ghouls have been running rampant all over the streets of Kandon and from the looks of things it was much worse than Emma described, since I have never actually seen a ghoul, but in the movie they are attacking all the time. Nearing the ending of the film the sky turned blood red and a shadowy figure with horns and wings descended from the sky to offer the main character a black pile of sludge. He accepts on the behalf of humanity and suddenly all the humans are able to fight back against the ghouls. It closes with shrines being built for the devils and a statue being made in the main character’s name. The story of how an average man became someone special.

I felt something swell up in my eyes, like an irritating itch. I blinked my eyes and looked away from the TV screen.

‘‘Oh, I forgot to blink.’’ I remarked to myself, ‘‘that was something. A movie, huh?’’

I immediately started playing it again from the beginning.

‘‘Based on a true story, it is based on a true story! I totally missed that the first time. Does that mean all this happened?’’

I continued watching my movie when I heard a knock on the door. Maybe the neighbor is doing some work? I decided to ignore it and keep my eyes focused on the screen. It wasn’t until a voice called out for Emma repeatedly that I stood up and went over to open the door. A man in a suit and a tie with a huge smile, a lot bigger than Ganta’s or Emma’s stood on the other side, lowering his hand and taking it away from the door as he looked into my eyes.

‘‘Emma?’’ The smiling stranger asked.

‘‘I’m not Emma.’’

A long pause lingered as I wondered who this guy was. A friend maybe? Emma hadn’t told me about him.

‘‘But it says… It says Emma on the mailbox.’’ He insisted.

‘‘Yeah she’s not home she’s at work or something like that.’’ I shrugged

‘‘Something like that.’’ he repeated, ‘‘And your name is?’’

‘‘I’m Nuggets.’’

His smile wasn’t moving at all, not even when he spoke, it almost seemed like he was incapable of not smiling, or wearing a mask. His eyes were actively moving around, as if he was trying to look at something over my shoulder.

‘‘May I come in? I want to wait for Emma inside.’’

‘‘Uh, sure go ahead.’’ I step aside and let him in. Within seconds I’m back in front of the TV. The man followed me in, bowing his head to avoid hitting it on the doorframe. I wasn’t sure what to expect from him, maybe he really was some kind of friend who she had agreed to meet with. Either way I couldn’t be bothered to shoo him out.

‘‘Do you like this movie, Nuggets?’’ The man sat down in a way that looked rehearsed and unnatural and that’s coming from a Nomad like myself. He also sat down uncomfortably close to me, so much so that I could smell his breath as he talked. It smelled foul, like a mixture between a rotten sandwich and coal. It was enough to make me shift in my seat.

‘‘I guess. The circus part is kinda boring.’’ I glanced away from the TV screen and over to the mysterious guy and for the first time I saw his mouth twitch. The smile threatened to break in an instant as his cheeks began to contort and stretch. I turned back towards the screen and recalled the things I liked about the movie.

‘‘But the ending is kinda good I think.’’

Just as soon as his face had begun twitching it settled down and turned back to its default, creepy ever-smiling self. It was almost as if his face was over-exaggerated and animated in such a way that it felt like it was an entirely different person than the body it was attached to.

‘‘The ending is lovely. It’s a tragic story, but it ends well like many things in life.’’

‘‘Did it really happen? The movie says at the beginning that it’s based on a true story.’’ I pointed at the screen as I looked at him, but the smiling stranger insisted on looking at just me. In fact, he hadn’t taken his eyes off of me since I had invited him in.

‘‘Every last second. It’s a dramatization of the founding of Kandon.’’

‘‘No waay, so the city was founded in less than 2 hours.’’ I mused as I looked back to the screen just in time to see the sky turn red again. ‘‘And that guy coming down from the sky?’’

‘‘A devil bringing salvation.’’ The smiling stranger answered patiently.

‘‘Nuggets I-...’’ The stranger started undoing the collar of his shirt and loosening up his suit as sweat dripped from his forehead. The smiling stranger’s mouth began to twitch again as he doubled over and started leaking black sludge from his mouth, thick globs of the stuff shifting and seeping into the carpet under us as these otherworldly and loud retching noises came out of his mouth hole.

‘‘You okay?’’ I looked over and tried to discern if there was anything I could do, but I don’t know the first thing about helping people who are in pain or in trouble. ‘‘Is it your mouth?’’ I asked and tried to take a closer look, but then…

Snap.

What sounded like the back of his neck and lower jaw snapping simultaneously caught me off guard. His head sunk back like a deflated balloon, the two eyeballs that had so intently stared me down popping out of their sockets and rolling towards the front door like runaway marbles covered in blood. His lower jaw fell slack against his chest, his entire body was unmoving except for the mouth of his deflated head. From the mouth, something was beginning to emerge and it spoke to me.

‘‘Nuggets…’’

Just as I was about to jump back, I heard the front door open.