The demolished field and sense of dread were left far behind, but he still ran as if chased. Snake of a form did not stop bounding through the fields of fresh snow and I begun dreading prolonged journey in this fashion. My corporeal form was ill-adapted to the homicidal breeze that ran at me with a sharpened knife.

“I just knew you’d dangle me off the maw of something unreasonable,” I complained, hoping to get his attention.

Frantic speeding slowed, then the strange slithering spine swerved in circles and began coiling to form a cocoon. I was placed on what constituted the floor, but not let go. The bare feet and body tingled painfully from contact with searing heat. I held in the whining, because it was genuine relief to not be out in the elements. Regardless, my endless reservoir of patience was tried when the cuts were poked. Containing the mother of all screams, I just hissed instead.

“Stop. Stop it. What are you even doing?” I protested from a puddle of snot, sweat and blood. I hoped that was all, but would not have placed bets on that. “Fuck, let go of me. Let me at least wipe the blood off. You can’t tell me you’re fine after it fucked up yer lil bro so bad!”

“I took care of it,” voice from the outside informed me. I patted myself over and found the leathery strips clinging to all of the self-inflicted cuts. So it wasn’t my own liquids I was standing in. This was not any better! Monster went on calmly, “I’m far better off than him, having spent longer on solutions. You, on the other hand,” he’s begun something doubtlessly depressing and bothersome.

I poked at my binds, “Uh-huh, which of these six hands? Or do you mean the human shaped body? That entire plain of twisted up anatomy? Does it constitute a shoulder now, since there’s so much of it?”

A soft growl rolled off him in response. I wasn’t dissuaded, even though for a briefest of moments I worried I was with the wrong person. “What’s with all this snarling? Sore throat? You have been rolling in the snow a lot recently.”

“The noise conveys universal message,” he rattled, letting the human mask slip even further. This guy currently was a structure of neatly stacked up bone as well as a field of decaying matter, so I guess hiding that under a polite smile was pointless anyway.

“Ohhh, what’s that supposed to communicate? Wait, did you just threaten me?!”

“I’m expressing my lack of patience.”

“See, this is why words are important. I hadn’t even suspected you had it to begin with.”

“I do. Strolling off into arms of clear danger is sure way to find the tail end of it.”

“Patience has a tail?!”

“Mine does,” he growled very seriously and it prompted me to snort.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Oh, don’t be dramatic. It was you, and you never hurt me unprovoked.”

“It wasn’t me,” nails on tin scrap screeched. Was he being just a wee little bit jealous again?

I yelled at him, “Well, what was your genius plan then? For me wait, then go with that douche? He was you at some point, so he knew he’s stronger as neither of you are inclined to embellish. Hell, it was evident from steadily gained ground. I barely find you tolerable now and it took a lot for that to happen. I don’t have it in me to deal with a new asshole all over again!” Not to mention, chances of finding another colossal being to collude with against him were abysmally low. This was it, he was my fate’s chosen monster and I could not, would not have another.

“Swear you didn’t walk off to die,” he demanded in a distorted tone. Apparently, even monsters wanted to be lied to sometimes. Inability to burrow into my brain and pry the answers out with crowbar must be driving him insane. I grinned, enjoying this torment I could now cause. And anyway, I wasn’t about to dish out comforting half-truths. Words meant nothing, he should know by now.

“And if I don’t?” I dared.

“I’ll take away your legs and you’ll only go where I take you.”

I hunched in from the weight of that implication. An overly familiar, dreadful situation. Exhaled all the air I had. It was just a threat. Words. I was all too aware what he could do all along. He hadn’t. It was but a form of communication. Nevertheless, I’ve been doing this for far too long to be just yanked around by the current. My jaded self had foreseen things turning sour one way or the other.

“Sure. You do that. I’ll then swallow this shard,” I spat out blood directly in front of me, imagining an eye. It was dark, so possibilities were limitless. “We’ll be free of this mutually miserable acquaintanceship.” It was hard to talk with jagged edges curling around the tongue, but I’ve had harder.

The low growl outside grew into a mad screech and whilst that was going strong, calm voice politely commanded, “Spit it out.”

“Oh, naw. I prefer to swallow,” I joked feeling absolutely giddy. Being the one in power felt great. Borderline hysterical.

Little did he know, because I only recalled it recently too – my blood mixing with acids in the stomach would create an entirely new deadly brew. The bleeding was merely a precursor to what Snail has actually cooked up. After all, obvious actions of hurting myself could be impeded. Stopping someone from biting their tongue off was harder to accommodate. Especially if that someone was there to pull stupid shit and blabber excessively – whilst being all out of stupid shit.

Thin threads probed my lips with intent to pry the shard out and I squirted more blood through clenched teeth. It was part cheeky defiance and part direct contradiction to my previous statement. Swallowing any of this would start me on a path of no return. I was also just having a conversation for now.

Surprisingly, monster got the clue and backed off. Even the grip over my body relaxed. It was more than cautious regrouping. Something like a tip of the tail gently coiled around my knees. He wasn’t restricting or constricting me with it. Moreover, it did not feel hostile. All the muscles surrounding me were lax. It felt like he was hugging my legs, while the arms merely held me up. As though he was sitting on the floor and looking up. The imagery my limited human mind would concoct in the dark!

“You’ve no need to harm yourself,” a calm, human voice promised me.

He actually relented. I almost didn’t think he would.

Still feeling quite defensive I restated my position firmly, “I told you. If I see a way out, I’ll take it.”

“You and your existence was never in danger. You needn’t have put yourself out there like that. He would have found my memories of you.”

“Ah. You would have given those up? To him?” Such cheap trinkets to pass around. What about all the possessive, bold claims? Neither surprise nor disappointment had any room in here, and yet here they were.

“It’s not something I’m willing to destroy out of spite. I promised to look out for you. My duplicate would have done an adequate job as well.”

His words dispelled some of the sour taste in my mouth. “Apft. Who’s being suicidal now?”

“It wasn’t as clear-cut as he thought. I have a lot of spare tissue to toss around.”

“And now you don’t need to. You’re fucking welcome.”

“You deign to equate value of your tissue and mine? I can’t repair yours. Normal transfusion can’t help you now either. Your heartbeat is so frantic I’d be surprised there’s no lasting damage. You’ve nothing to prove. I know you’re capable of setting offenders on fire.”

“I wasn’t proving anything, asshole! I just didn’t want you to die! You’ve thoroughly demonstrated the replicas are a far cry from what they should be,” I shouted at the gritty speaker kneeling in the dark and took in hypocrisy of my words. I’m but a copy and that’s all he’ll ever have.

“What?” I snapped when thoughtful silence dragged on. Was he still preoccupied with the battle raging elsewhere?

“Even if you chose me as a lesser of two evils, you needn’t worry. I’m not so easy to get rid of. Also. I liked the sound of it.”

I opened my mouth to tell him the truth and shut it. No need to cheapen the moment with empty words. He’ll eventually see that he’s stuck with me, too.