Never had sirens been so bright. Addy squinted at the cop cars and ambulance parked outside a dull apartment building which seemed to have been on life support since the 1880s. Addy bet there was a fancy plate on the entrance claiming it was a historical site, as if anyone in their right mind would want to live somewhere quaint enough to be called “historical.” Only freaks who want ‘character’ where they live and people who can’t afford better would take up in a place like this. One of the black vans had “CSI” printed in blocky white letters across its side. The cops must already be well underway on their investigation.
“S, go see if you can find the victim’s apartment,” Addy said.
“What, you aren’t going to break into an active crime scene?” S said.
“Not today, S,” Addy said, “Just let me know when you find the apartment.”
“I trust you’ll find your own ways to help from down here?”
“Actually, I was going to go get some hair of the dog,” Addy grumbled.
“Addy...” S said warningly.
“It was a joke!” Addy snapped, “There’s a café just there. I’ll grab some coffee and a pastry. That okay with you, Mom?”
“Get a sandwich or something instead, dear,” S said lazily as he floated away.
“Awful lot of back sass for a sentient glow stick,” Addy muttered.
Addy passed this café a few times before, but never tried it out. This was mostly because she could never remember the name. Even now, after having just seen it, she couldn’t recall what it was called. She just thought of it as ‘the pretentious French place.’ It seemed like it was going for a pleasantly rustic aesthetic with the mismatched paint and haphazard steel chairs. The barista seemed dedicated to the bit with a long, waxed mustache that ended in sharply curled tips. Coffee stains covered his navy apron, and his handwritten nameplate said, ‘James.’ He also had a pair of orange-rimmed plastic sunglasses hanging on the collar of his t-shirt.
“Hey,” he said, barely even glancing at Addy as she walked in, “What can I get for you?”
“Coffee and a sandwich,” Addy said.
‘James’ glanced at her, his eyes flicking up and down, and he smiled.
“Seems like you got an early start on the night.”
“Yep, already got plenty of regrets,” Addy said, “Now about that coffee...”
“Sure!” James said, and he took a laminated menu from behind the counter and passed it to Addy. She squinted, then rubbed her eyes, and looked back at the menu.
“I’m sorry, but this twelve here—”
“That’s the price,” James said.
“For a coffee?”
“And it’s worth every penny,” James said.
“Why?” Addy said and instantly regretted it. James launched into a rant that she wouldn’t have been able to follow, even without the hangover. She began reflecting on her life choices when a voice said in her head, Found the apartment.
Addy returned to her senses, and said, “Okay, that’s great, get me the cheapest thing on here and,” she glanced at the menu again, and wondered in what world a sandwich would be cheaper than a coffee, and said, “get me a turkey club.”
“Uh,” James said, “Sure thing, but—”
“And I’ll tip you to not talk to me while my eyes are closed.”
James blinked and cocked his head, but said, “Sure thing.”
Addy sat down on one of the painted steel chairs and closed her eyes. She projected out to S, Have you found the body yet?
I just got here, S said, But it’s definitely getting the full treatment. The apartment is crammed with officers.
Figures, if they think it’s a serial killer or something, Addy said, Find the body.
James returned with a sandwich on a puke-green plate and set it in front of Addy.
“Where’s my coffee?”
“It’ll be just a couple more minutes.”
“I hope it’s worth the wait,” Addy said.
I found the body, S said, It’s not pretty.
How so?
It tore the head off the body while the child was still in bed—
Wait, it was a kid?
Yes.
Searching the local news on her phone, Addy said, Where’s the head?
I can’t say for certain, but there is... something on the floor.
Stop being vague, Addy said, who flicked through several headlines. The general theme seemed consistent. If she’d bothered to stay up to date, she probably would have seen this coming. Several police reports about decapitated children kept cropping up, but in each case, they deemed the head ‘missing.’
There is some kind of fleshy mush on the floor, S said, It seems likely that the Monster processed it.
It doesn’t show up in statements about the other murders, Addy said, I guess the cops wouldn’t know how to even talk about it.
Most likely.
So, if the monster processed the head and nothing else, then it must be after a particular psychic component, Addy said, In kids, it’s probably drawn to creativity or general imaginative properties. Perhaps it just likes immaturity?
Dreams, I’d say, S said.
What makes you say that? Addy asked.
I found traces of oneiromantic Residue on the corpse, S said, It’s probably consuming the dreams of children.
It’s like a twisted Saturday morning cartoon, Addy said.
Not sure what that means, but I think you should show a little more respect for the dead, Addy.
Whatever, S, Addy said as James set some coffee in front of her. Taking a sip, Addy was damn certain it wasn’t worth twelve dollars. Do you see any phasic residue?
No, S said, I don’t think it phased in here.
Addy flicked through a few more news stories. For the first case, there was some speculation that maybe the parents did it. Could it have been a possession? If it was, then the victim’s parents could still have traces of residue on them.
I’m fairly certain I passed the mother on the way up here, and she didn’t have any traces of residue on her. Also, are you only just researching these murders?
Stop, you, Addy said, How many bathrooms are in the apartment?
One, S said.
How many toothbrushes are in it?
Addy took a disappointed sip of her coffee and said, “Do you seriously think is worth twelve bucks?”
“Yes,” James said in a clipped tone, “I admit it’s not for everyone to appreciate...”
“The only thing I appreciate about coffee is the caffeine,” said Addy, “Could you get me some cream and sugar?”
James looked offended, and then said coldly, “I don’t have any.”
“Too bad,” Addy said, taking a bite of her sandwich, “Sandwich is good, though.”
There are two toothbrushes, S said.
Well, even if there is a dad, I think we can rule him out as being possessed. I’ll check later, though. Scan the room for residue again. Maybe it wasn’t phasic, but there had to be a way it got in. What about the window? Perhaps it transmuted itself to pass through.
The glare was really bugging Addy and squinting at her phone was making her headache worse. James was busy cleaning something in the back, based on the running water. “Hey, James, could you come out here?”
He came out, looking frustrated, “Yes?”
“How much for the shades?” Addy asked.
James blinked, “What, these?” and he pointed to the orange plastic sunglasses on his collar.
“I’ve got a migraine, I have to stay up for a while, and I’m not in the mood to hunt down a drugstore,” Addy said.
James looked at Addy dubiously, then said, “They’re not for sale.”
“Really?” Addy said, “After I paid twelve bucks for your coffee?”
“It’s a fair price,” James said.
“And now I want to pay a fair price for your sunglasses,” Addy said, “How much did you pay for them? Must’ve cost ten bucks.”
“It was fourteen,” James said.
“Well, take twenty and give ‘em here,” Addy said.
“No,” James said.
“Oh, come on, you’d be turning a tidy six-dollar profit!” Addy said, “Besides, I bet you have a ton of those lying around. Can’t you spare just one pair?”
“Afraid not,” James said.
Addy groaned. She wasn’t looking forward to thinking with this damn headache.
There’s a bit of residue on the window, but I’m not entirely sure what class it is, S said.
Addy frowned, Where is it on the window?
It looks like there’s some smeared on the crack just at the bottom. Maybe something squeezed through it?
Addy rubbed her chin.
Are you sure it isn’t transmutive residue? Maybe the Monster turned into a bug or something and that’s how it got in?
Maybe, S said, But it doesn’t seem transmutive to me. Honestly, it seems to be a mixture of several types of residue. Maybe there’s a bit of transmutive in there, but I can’t quite discern it.
Fine, Addy said, Do you see anything outside the window? Maybe it left a trail.
Nothing on the building that I can see, S said, But... Wait a second.
With bated breath, Addy said.
There seems to be a bit of residue in the air, and it’s the same kind as on the windowsill.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
How the hell does that happen?
Perhaps it’s wounded and flew away?
Doubt it, Addy said, as she sipped her coffee, What if it turned into something that sheds residue?
Like what?
Well, this is just a speculation, but maybe it can turn into mist or something similar?
S was silent for a moment, then said, If it could, then it wouldn’t be much of a leap to conjecture that it takes some effort to retain its form. And if it takes effort to stay in its misty state, then some parts of it might have been left behind, which would at least appear to be residue.
Or maybe it turns into residue.
Seems like a bit of a logical leap, S said skeptically.
We’re dealing with magic, Addy said, I think logical leaps and speculation are part and parcel. Can you track it?
Probably, S said.
Then track it, Addy said, I’ll be along shortly. I paid twelve bucks for this coffee, and I’ll be damned if I let it go to waste.
I’m glad you have your priorities straight, S said.
----------------------------------------
What the hell is going on? Addy projected, I thought you had the fucker’s trail.
I do, but the funny thing about gas is that it disperses, Addy.
Food and coffee had done little to assuage Addy’s hangover, and she was growing quite tetchy. She knew it was her own fault, but owning up to poor decisions was even less appealing than a follow-up with the Lady. She took out her frustration on S by pestering him, both to vent her frustration and to keep him on the defensive since if she let up, he would doubtless start lecturing her.
Another half hour passed before S stopped outside a condemned apartment building. Its lower stories were covered in a hodge-podge technicolor vomit of spray paint. Addy recognized the place and groaned.
How unoriginal can a monster be? Addy asked.
Isn’t this where the Tentacular Phaser ended up as well? S asked, Before you, uh, deluged it?
Addy walked up to a notice on the apartment building door, illuminating it with her phone. She chuckled.
I guess the water damage was worse than I thought. Looks like it’s been condemned because of a mold infestation, Addy said.
You seem rather nonchalant about essentially destroying a building.
Blame Blaster, Addy said, He’s the one who can’t control himself.
The Spell swirled around in her gut. If Addy had more respect for him, she might have thought she’d offended him, but Addy figured it more likely that he was just excited at being mentioned, as if it were a sign Addy was about to cast him.
Don’t you feel just a little guilty? S asked.
I don’t really have time to feel guilty right now. Go see if you can find where the monster to shacked up. I’ll get ready down here.
Addy knew S was probably irritated with her for dodging the point, but she also wasn’t sure how to answer him honestly. She figured she should feel guilty, but she just... didn’t. Maybe it was because at the time it was kill or be killed. Then again, wasn’t it just human to feel guilty about something bad you did, even if you didn’t have any choice? These questions made Addy queasy and redoubled the banging pain in her head, so she focused instead on the much less anxiety-inducing topic of how to kill a monster she knew little about.
She took stock of her inventory. First, she had her spells. Dampening Sphere would help mask her approach. Blaster should be able to make the Monster fuck off if things went sideways. Her favorite, of course, was Healer, since without it her face would be repulsive by now. As Addy could only prepare three Spells from the Driftwood Tome a day, they were the only magic she had. She considered them ‘the reliable trifecta’ and they’d gotten her out of plenty of sticky situations.
Aside from her Spells, she also had her silver atomizer, which was filled with a nice, dense solution of silver that should be able to disrupt the Monster’s ability to turn into residue, so long as that ability was magical. That should be able to keep it from running away once she’d cornered it, but she’d need a little more than that. That’s where Snap came in. Snap was a 9mm pistol filled with Cursed Rounds courtesy of the Geezer, a secretive occultist with whom Addy was on good terms. So long as the Monster wasn’t in its mist form (courtesy of the silver atomizer), Snap should be more than capable of putting it down. Of course, if it got too close, she could always use Splinter. But Addy preferred not to use a switchblade on Monsters since, y’know, switchblade. Still, it was better than nothing if it got within hugging distance and had the added benefit of disrupting magical powers. Technically, it was her most powerful artifact, and should be her trump card.
That left the Obscene Scroll. It was probably the freakiest tool in her arsenal: a piece of human-skin parchment covered in symbols supposedly terrifying to a bunch of Monsters. Addy didn’t really understand it, but then, no one did. The thing about the Occult is that it developed less through experimentation and more through random chance. But if things got really desperate, the scroll had a chance of making the Monster scarper. A slim chance, perhaps, but better than nothing if her back was to the wall.
Getting into the building was trivial. Addy slid Splinter through the crack in the door, and the locks split in two as easily as if she were cutting through the air itself. As the door opened, a gust of musty stench assaulted her. Addy squinted, and felt a pang from her headache, and her stomach swirled—not from Spells this time—and she grabbed her nose.
S? Addy said.
Yes, Addy?
I feel a little bad, now.
The lights must not have been turned on in ages, and the yawning darkness of the staircase before her was just a bit ominous. Addy closed her eyes, and felt around for Dampening Sphere, who lethargically began to swirl in her gut until it suddenly popped, and Addy felt a wave of pressure erupt through her skin. It was not unlike how one’s ears popped when diving too deep in a pool, only the feeling extended to her whole body. It was a strange mix of discomfort and relief, not unlike cracking one’s knuckles or working out a crick in the neck.
Dampening Sphere was always useful when Addy needed to be quiet, since from within it she could fire off her pistol and only those within Sphere’s boundary would be able to hear. Moreover, the barrier was one way: although no one could hear anything from within the sphere, Addy could hear everything from without, albeit distorted as though she were underwater.
Have you found it yet?
Yes, on the fourth floor, apartment 406, S replied.
After traversing the dark so many times, Addy might have hoped that she would be used to it by now. But then, she knew better than most what sometimes lurked within, and that only made her more wary.
What’s it doing? Addy asked.
It seems to be asleep, S said.
Must be digesting tonight’s meal.
Looking around at the walls, it wasn’t hard to see where the mold had taken root. Creeping lines of black mass emerged from corners and stained the walls. Blaster had certainly torn the place up, but Addy was surprised at how quickly the infestation had spread. It wasn’t as if the water Blaster spewed was clean or anything (in fact, it was basically dirty pond water), but nonetheless Addy doubted that Blaster could have destroyed this building so effectively.
S, Addy said, Are we sure that Blaster caused this? The infestation is a bit too far spread for Blaster to be wholly responsible.
I think we can be fairly confident it was Blaster’s fault, S said.
Why?
That’s the nature of the Lady’s power, S said, Now please focus; I’d rather you not die.
I’m touched. And also, on the fourth floor.
The black and white tiling covering the floor was absolutely filthy, and as Addy squinted, she realized it was also slimy: a sheen of viscous green filth grew over it, with black gunk clogging the grout. It was like a pond without the water. And the water damage to the walls seemed to have only gotten worse on these higher floors. Entire sections of drywall crumbled apart in places, and the dark stains behind the wallpaper snaked together. Addy could only imagine how bad the stench was and was glad for her Dampening Sphere, which kept the worst of it out.
S emerged from a rotting wall, and said, Oh, good. Are you ready?
Sure am, Addy said, drawing out Snap, releasing its safety and cocking it, What room is it in?
It’s lying down in the living room, S said.
Addy pressed herself up to the wall beside the door and tested the handle, twisting it slowly. Fortunately, despite the rampant rot, it seemed to not have rusted over as it moved silkily until Addy could barely hear the latch click. She paused and held her breath, pushing her ear to the door. Not a peep from within.
S, check that it’s still asleep.
S slithered through the wall like it was water, and said, It is.
Addy eased the door open carefully, being certain to keep it as even as possible and was grateful as the hinges uttered not a squeak. Even if they did, the Monster shouldn’t hear, as the hinges were in her Dampening Sphere, but Addy’s experience with Monsters taught her to be ready for anything. Reality often shatters illusions of safety or certainty, like an empty rum bottle over the head.
The door opened into a tight hall that led immediately to a small kitchen on the left with a living room adjacent. Moonlight shone through a sliding door leading to the balcony, illuminating a dark mound that slowly pulsated. It was small, no larger than a human child. Addy could not pick out any distinguishing features; it was rather like a ball.
Addy crept in slowly, pulling the silver atomizer out of her jacket. Mere feet away, her heart began hammering in her chest as she realized that the creature was most certainly not a ball. She could make out subtle contours within the ball that reminded her somewhat of a sleeping cat, or maybe a potato bug. It seemed so perversely innocent.
But it wasn’t. Addy raised both her atomizer and Snap, aiming down the sights of the latter so they lined up right in the middle of the creature while she aligned the atomizer alongside it.
Several shots cracked inside the Dampening Sphere while she furiously sprayed a cloud of silver mist at the prone form. But before Addy could get off even three shots, she felt something smack into her side, and she flew across the room. The shock spread through her body in a numb wave, followed by a blooming pain. Gritting her teeth, she tucked into a roll, and came back up, pointing her gun at the attacker, and her heart nearly stopped.
Monsters were nothing new to Addy. She’d killed her fair share. But Addy couldn’t say ‘if you’ve seen one monster, you’ve seen them all.’ Each Monster was its own twisted sort of terrifying. And this one was no exception. If Addy could only use one word to describe it, that word would be ‘wiry.’ Its long limbs were corded with tight muscles that seemed more like bone than flesh. It towered within the room such that it had to stoop its crane-like neck to look down at Addy. Hundreds of black eyes glistened in the moonlight like freshly spawned fish eggs along its tubular, trunk-like head. But strangest of all were the long tendrils, that extended from what passed for its hands. They were more like wires, and they tumbled to the ground, thrashing so wildly that Addy would have expected them to tangle together.
The monster noiselessly lunged at Addy. When something roars, it means to scare you off or intimidate you into submission. In Addy’s experience, when a Monster is silent, that means it doesn’t care about any of that; it wants to kill you and waste no time about it.
That should have been it. Addy should’ve been monster chow. But, mid-leap, a long, glowing green cord wrapped around it. A snake’s head reared from the end of the cord and hissed at the Monster. Addy knew better than to waste time thanking S, and leaped to the other side of the room, and aimed her atomizer straight at the Monster, spraying it liberally with a stream of silver. Addy grinned savagely as she brought Snap to bear. She had it.
The Monster let out a sound like a grumbling stomach as it stretched its arms and snapped S apart. The snake blew away into ribbons that disintegrated like ashes in the wind. Addy winced despite herself, but knew he would reform in no time, even if he was in crippling pain.
But he’d bought Addy time. She dropped the atomizer, bringing Snap to bear with both hands and shot as quickly as possible at the Monster. Snap flashed like a strobe light, blinding her, but she knew each shot was good as she relentlessly pumped the trigger, doing her best to keep her spread tightly controlled.
Snap suddenly whipped out of her hand as something tight cut into her wrist, and she cried out. A mass of writhing wires was coming straight at her face, and she instinctively put her other hand to her throat as the wires suddenly wrapped around her neck, and she tumbled to the floor.
She stared into at a circle of bloody red teeth in a gaping maw wiggling above her head. Thick streams of drool dribbled onto her head. The wires cutting into her neck and hand tightened. Addy felt as if they would cut straight through, splitting her hand and decapitating her.
Addy glanced at her other hand, bound up in another set of wires, and tried to pull it toward her chest, but the writhing wires tightened and pulled it further away. Addy could feel that hand twisting in on itself, as if it were going to be crushed into a ball of mangled flesh. Tears streaked down her face as the searing pain cut through her, and she desperately projected, S!
A fuzzy green cloud appeared, and tried to slam straight into the Monster’s head, but merely passed through it.
The Monster’s maw wavered right in front of her, descending slowly, as if savoring its victory. Addy hocked and spat as hard as she could straight inside its mouth.
The Monster recoiled slightly, and Addy quickly dragged her sliced up hand out from the wires, and reached inside her jacket, pulling out her trump card: Splinter. This dumb fucking creature got itself too close, and now Addy was going to make it pay. She flicked it open and sliced straight at its face.
The knife passed straight through as the flesh of the creature turned into inky mist instead of splitting open.
Oh, dick!
No matter where Addy slashed, the creature just turned into mist. Addy ceased her attacks, instead drawing her arm close to her chest as the Monster tried to grab her newly freed hand with a tangle of wiry tendrils. She felt as if the skin in her face was going to pop open like a balloon from the pressure of the garottes cutting into her flesh.
She was fucked.
The monster’s long, cordlike tongue dangled out, covered in thick mucus, and it began to lick at Addy’s face, covering it in slime. A wave of revulsion swept through her. Was this how those kids had died? Being toyed with by this disgusting creature? Addy suddenly wished she had taken this job a little more seriously.
Something caught Addy’s watering eyes, though: a mark on the tongue, almost like a brand. It was distinctly ovular and symmetrical, wavering in and out in an almost hypnotic pattern. It seemed somehow familiar.
Well, she’d brought the scroll along for a reason.
Addy let go of the useless Splinter, and withdrew the Obscene Scroll from her jacket, flicked it open and draped it over her face.
The effect was instantaneous. The wires immediately released her neck, and the Monster shrieked. Addy coughed as her breath returned, the pressure in her face suddenly relieved. Addy stumbled to her feet, holding the scroll in front of her like the protective talisman it was, and saw that the Monster had left. She heard bounding steps from outside the apartment, echoing as they died away, and she fell to the ground, coughing what felt like blood.
Her ears pounded. She closed her eyes. Suddenly, her headache didn’t seem so bad anymore. Then her hands started aching. She looked down at them. They were covered in glistening blood. She could also see something white. She groaned. The monster had cut both up good, and she could tell the back of her neck was similarly fucked.
She felt around for Healer, who reacted immediately, as if it had been chomping at the bit, sending blossoming warmth from inside her gut to her extremities. Her wounds started to itch and burn with the worst pins and needles she’d felt in her entire life. She gritted her teeth while the cuts stitched themselves back together over the course of a couple of minutes. When the pain died away, she looked down at her hands, which glowed raw and red, ached terribly, and were still covered in blood. She opened and closed them, but they barely responded. She held one of them out in front of her, and it shook terribly. Healer was useful, but it had the nasty side effect of completely draining her.
She grabbed a bundle of granola bars from her jacket and got started on one, ignoring that her hands were covered in blood. She wasn’t in the mood to find a working sink in a condemned building. The bitter, salty blood definitely didn’t help the taste, but she was ravenous and didn’t care.
When she finished, she leaned her head against the wall behind her back and closed her eyes. She was wet. Wet with mucus, slime, and blood. But that revulsion meant she was alive, and when fighting Monsters, that was victory. Despite that, she shuddered as she remembered the feel of the Monster’s leathery, wet tongue on her face.
Are you there, S?
Still reforming, he said, seeming in just about as much pain as Addy.
What the fuck are we supposed to do? she asked.