He must have waited in the parking lot for an hour and a half before they finally arrived.
He had walked up behind the car, expecting it just to be like all the other false flags, just another random car pulling in but then he’d done a double take once he saw the number plate.
With no small amount of unease, he’d opened the side door and got into the backseat.
“Hmm, smart choice but this is why you’re at the bottom, can’t be a squid.” His driver said in a wise and grandfatherly manner.
“I don’t get it.” Thomel replied.
Reaching out to grab the seat next to him, the driver turned to look Thomel dead in the eyes.
“Squids don’t have a spine, they’re soft and weak, you gotta have bones to survive a boot slamming onto you.”
His words weren’t the only thing confusing about him; he wore a pristine suit with no wrinkles or stains, but the beard was the most patchy thing Thomel had ever seen.
Thomel even spotted a few crumbs in it that looked like they were at least a day old.
And his eyes had such deep bags under them. It looked like the poor guy was wearing makeup.
Thomel couldn’t get a fix on how old this man was; he looked like a twenty-year-old in some elements and a fifty-year-old in others.
Taking the silence as confusion, the would-be philosopher continued to speak, giving Thomel a whiff of his stale breath in the process.
“It’s smart being a squid since you’ll survive, but the moment anyone focuses on you and stamps down… you pop, you need to have bones to survive that but getting bones means having to leave the safety of the abyss. You get me?”
Thomel did not even come close to getting what the discount philosopher was saying, but that didn’t stop him from nodding his head slowly up and down.
Satisfied with the response the driver flashed him a crusty smile and then turned back around, promptly getting to work reversing the car.
Thomel zoned out a bit, staring down at his clean, unmarked hands and then out the window at the parked cars and pedestrians.
He spotted an old man weeping beside, who he assumed to be, the elderly gentleman's daughter.
There were two children laughing and playing with each other while their parents looked upon them with sad smiles.
That was what made Thomel turn away from the window and look back into the car. He hoped that what he was thinking of wasn’t actually what the parents were considering doing, but given the horrible inflation rates and sky-high unemployment…
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The interior of the car wasn’t flashy but neither was it overly dirty. There did seem to be a fair few wrappers up in the front section, but at least the back was clean.
“So what exactly is it you want me to do?” He called over to the driver.
It felt a little awkward to not know the man’s name. However he felt like it was too late to ask now, and he doubted it was going to matter anyway.
“Me? I want you to open up and accept the truth about reality and fate. I want that for everyone. No one wants to do that though, all too busy blinding themselves. I don’t get that, why intentionally hurt yourself?
“I umm, I meant what’s my job going to be? What am I meant to do?”
“What? Seriously, did you not read the contract?” The driver replied, snorting with mirth.
“Well no not really. I went from having only a single leg and arm left, to having four fully rejuvenated limbs. I haven’t checked yet, but I’m also guessing that if I smile there won’t be any wrinkles. This sort of stuff isn’t cheap, so when a debtor handed me a contract and told me to sign, I signed.”
“That’s so stupid, but hey It’s what I expect from a squid, I don’t blame ya bud.”
“Look, I had a literal baptism in blood, and then suddenly I’m awake in a hospital. Then I’m given a contract maybe a little over a minute after waking up, while still hooked up to machines I can’t even begin to pronounce the names of, drugged up on who knows what. Yes, I do what the scary lady says and sign.” Thomel shot back, aggrieved.
“And that’s why you’re a squid.” The driver said, perplexed at Thomel's sudden attitude change.
“Yeah look, sorry, I’m still just really confused about what’s going on. So how about someone with some bones explains it to me?”
“Oh I don’t have bones, I’m a squid as well. Difference is I’m more of a deep sea type of squid while you look like the sort of squid to drift closer to the surface.”
Thomel bit his tongue, then started to speak again once he calmed down. He wasn’t really mad, but this man was just infuriating. It was like he had a skill for it or something.
“Will you explain what I’m meant to do then? Solidarity right? Us squids have to stick together.”
“Hm, true that brother. Right so basically you’re going to be given a gun and some bullets then sent to hunt some creatures. At least that’s what the last couple of guys did.”
“That’s it? Wait hang on, ‘couple of guys’? How many other people have been given this job?”
“I mean, I’ve ferried around maybe half a dozen. That’s just me though, there’s a few other fellas who drive around. Thing is, us squids got to keep our heads down. Otherwise we-” The driver cut himself off, drawing a hand across his throat.
Thomel started to speak again but the driver hushed him, even taking one hand off the steering wheel to wave him down.
Even though cars these days could give you from point A to point B without human input, such an action still drove a small spike of worry into Thomel’s heart.
He leaned back into his seat, staring up at the car roof as he contemplated what to do next.
If it was hunting then he would be fine; his class was hunter after all.
He winced. That’s what he thought just before he entered the competition, and he was no hunter during that. He was the hunted. They all were.
How was a monster like that even contained and moved into the private forest?
It didn’t matter, that was in the past and a new hell no doubt was awaiting him, all he could do was just take a step forward and keep going.
Closing his eyes, he tried to get some rest before he arrived at whatever destination the delusional driver was taking him. He knew he’d need it.