A short man of scruffy features and a five o’ clock shadow sits at a moderately comfortable couch within a studio apartment. The man prepares some odd materials within pouches. His clothes are rugged and the only soul accompanying him in this dry location of muted colors is a cat. At a certain point he leans back, annoyed by the menial task and with a grimace about his impending work.

“I don’t like dealing with either of them but I do it for you Marcille.”, Guy says while rubbing his temples.

Marcille purs, pampering his empty gullet with her paws.

“I know you do, that's why I appreciate you. You are the best friend I coulda asked for , and a tidy roommate to boot.”

He pets Marcille, for he may understand her words but the inverse isn’t necessarily true.

“Listen, I’ve a gig tonight. Wanna watch a movie before I pop out?”

Marcille hops onto the couch and meows in a tone of acknowledgement. Picking a movie in the process.

“Mouse Hunt? That’s a tad stereotypical. You being a cat and all hehe”

Marcille meows in a higher pitch.

“Gee relax I know it’s an underrated classic, you’ve told me that previous dozen times. I was just dropping a joke.”

A dismissive twirl of the tail is followed by the two taking their respective seats and putting on the movie. Pleasing a cat always being a surefire way to earn redemption in its eyes.

After the movie is done, Guy gets off the couch with a heavy heave. Knees clack for a moment while the body settles into the standing position, with a hint of vertigo. He serves dinner to Marcille in the form of a can of fish, a hefty can at that. Added are some dry snacks for dessert to the side in their own porcelain bowl. Speaking of bowls, one filled with milk doesn’t go amiss, he could be out for a bit and the cat goes thirsty fast.

Bidding Marcille goodbye, Guy closes the doors. Exiting into dry grey hallways which exits onto a dreary evening street.

A simple raincoat with some help from an umbrella should keep him dry while cold is dealt with by a big scarf. Though cold was never a worry for him, Marcille insists that he carries one.

It’s blurry, the view of the street. Beaming street lights muddling the worn, sparse street this Wednesday evening. Buildings dwarf the passing patches of people while their windows shimmer in the most occasional way, like butterflies in an evening idyll. Darting keen shine into the night.

Smell of wet rising dirt cuts off any respite one could find in the freshness of the open street. Even the rhythmic pitter patter of rain is dashed by unruly horns of the cars. A ruined moment of relaxation, with Guy grumbling his way through the unwanted clutter of the town.

He doesn’t care much, wouldn’t even be walking down a street if he didn’t need to. Unfortunately, his meeting point is further down. Guy will have to bear with the annoying circumstances for a bit longer.

The meeting place is in this next building block. One whose middle is filled with tin garages that are just big enough for a modest working class car to fit. However, there’s no shortage of your less secured parking places either.

Parking is more mud and muck than gravel, but tennants make do. So will Guy, as he makes his way to the garages. Between two of them, which have an old tree separating them, he find his waiting place. It’s secluded enough and the directions for the buyer should lead them here.

He lights a cigarette for what else is there to do in such a weather. The light does flicker at the breeze and wetness of the air but it does result in a spark. Ash makes its way down the cigarette as minutes pass by. 

He thinks to himself  “Alright I do love waiting in this wonderful weather. But it’d be nicer if I was home cozying up to Marcille and watching movies.”

Rain accelerates its constant fall and he takes refuge underneath a small tin protrusion of the garage. Not enough to fully obstruct him from the rain but enough to keep most of him dry.

After a bit, a man arrives. With a proper rain outfit and a large umbrella to boot. His eyes are odd and hair runs down to his shoulders but Guy pays faint attention to them, or the buyer’s young appearance, in the midst of this weather.

With a grimace, the smoker says “Took you long enough, I’ve nearly frozen”

In a lofty, self-important tone the new figure says “Your directions were moderate in usefulness at best, surely, you’ve seen how many similar blocks are around.”, the figure says twiddling with a hare emblem around his neck.

“Yeah, sucks. Anyway, back to the task at hand.”

“Do you have it?”, the man asks, putting his hand out.

“Pay and you needn’t rummage my corpse to find it”

“We both know that’s not a plausible resolution, hence the cash.”

“No idea what you are on bud but sure”, Guy throws out the finished smoke on the ground.

Hands exchange money and packages,latter resting in a small black pouch. 

“I was afraid you’d stand me up by this point”

“A bit of lateness means little, everybody has places and things that need to happen would happen regardless”, he makes a gesture with his arms that turns into a shrug.

“Yeah, definitely.”, Guy counts the money, “You leaving or what?”

“No need to hurry, there are a few more minutes to spare before I play a part in another fate”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“You are playing a part at freaking me out, consider clocking out early”

“Well, if you insist, I was going to offer assistance with the upcoming situation.

“No thanks, my umbrella is big enough and there’s a few more cigarettes left. All’s peachy keen.”

“If you so desire, be careful with your proclamations. Universe has an odd way of twisting around every bit of appreciation”, man smirks and walks slowly away.

Guy’s now free to leave too but he’ll light another cigarette. Slowly relaxing a scowl he had during the conversation. Always good to smoke up before a walk. 

However, the parking has gone a lot quieter. There are few steps crossing in these hours, especially with rain locking people indoors. It’s nice and somber but also eerily quiet, save for the dripping of rain.

As he goes to leave the space between the two garages, attempting to shuffle past the tree, Guy finds himself with an odd view. Namely, one of that same passage and that same tree. 

“What the-” he says while going past the tree again, one that’s in front of him. Just to be welcomed by the same view.

Climbing onto the garage only results in him ending on the side of the garage as he enters the roof.

“Oh fuck this”, he lights another cigarette “two left”

After this one burns out and the scenery stays the same he gets more frustrated, kicking the side of the garage.

“Hey idiot, let me out.” he yells out at nobody in particular “Or at least do something, I’ve places to be.”

He sits to the side, not really expecting a solution. Somewhere, a low voice rumbles.

“I have you in my stomach now, time will have you die and I will digest you then”

“Tough shit, I’m not dying”, Guy responds with barely any pause

“Nothing can live without food and water, not even me”, the voice sounds like it reverberates from every piece of tin. Shaking the very ribs of the dishevelled man with every word.

“Yeah, starve, idiot.”

“I don’t think you understand the situation. Once I swallow somebody they do not go out until I’m done feeding. My stomach is a warp in reality, where time and space cease to matter”

“Ahuh, listen I’m not trying to be a tough guy I’m just annoyed by you is all.”

“Annoyed? Shouldn’t you concern yourself with the eventual hunger and suffering instead?”, the rumbling lowers as confusion settles the eldritch voice.

“Yes, Marcille is gonna go hungry by morning with your stupid slow hunting method.”

“We are stuck in a moment, once I’ve eaten you it would have been as if you disappeared in a blink of an eye.” the voice pompously exclaims

“So time doesn’t actually pass?”, the grimace that has passed Guy’s face relaxes.

“No, none of it does, it keeps my prey succulent and their remaining years plentiful to eat”, voice proudly exclaims.

“Oh okay, cool. And you won’t just stab me through the gut and get it over with?”

“No, that would ruin the taste”

“Forget what I said this sucks again” scowl returns to his face.

“Yes, and you have not a single way out”

“I will keep being an obnoxious loudmouth in your stomach then, if you can’t even bother to have a face”

“My body is out of your reach, it is merely a gullet you can touch.”, voice smugly notes.

“Well it’s a woefully boring place so get ready for indigestion.” he says before kicking and punching across the place. Denting tin, stomping mud, and doing a few ill advised punches at the tree.

All of which do leave their mark on the background as well as himself. Scrapes, bruises, the usual results of aggressive approach to stress relief. Guy gets quite winded by the end of it, deciding to sit in the mud of the stomach and lighting another cigarette to unwind. 

“Done with your tantrum?” the voice says annoyed “you’ve been sleeping for your realm’s equivalent of a week.”

“No, I’m just taking a short break” he says between laboured breaths “one cigarette left”

Voice doesn’t respond. The silence goes on for a bit longer before Guy decides to take a nap. He wakes up later, not sure when or how much time has passed but it’s later. Feels like the best rest he’s had in years. When time doesn’t pass, one’s internal clock can get a bit loopy.

He wakes under the same pattern of rain as he fell to, equally wet mud, and similarly formed clouds. All still smells of wet dirt and evening freshness.

With a yawn he says, “Anyway, have you changed your mind and decided to let me out?”

“No, I have only grown more hungry.”, a tired rumble responds.

“Good, good hope you starve.”

“Not before you do, somehow you’ve lived longer than any human but soon enough the hunger and thirst will set in”

“Nope”

“What do you mean? Those of your living world should do both to even stand a chance of living. My past two meals in this realm have perished thusly.”

“Yeah, it sucks for them. For you too, anyway I was doing something” and he goes back to decimating the now refurbished area he had already trashed. It goes on for hours and old injuries give way to new ones without much consideration for the futility of the situation.

“Okay, you hungrier now?”Guy says through laboured breaths. 

“Yes, those wounds will take a bit to heal, and more food. You have doomed another to die within me once we are done here. Foolish efforts you exhibit only invoke more suffering into the world.”, the rumble becomes more aggressive as the words go on.

“Well thanks for acknowledging my efforts. That means I win.” 

“You win nothing, you are here to stay and your crude behavior will only make my meal more satisfying.”, at this point tin shakes at the rumble of the voice.

“Damn I must be really getting on your nerves”, a faint smile goes over Guy’s face.

“I have no nerves, i feel no pain or strain”

“Shame, those might at least clue you in that you are dying from hunger” he lights another cigarette. “One left”

“You know nothing of me or the sights I’ve seen, the realms I’ve visited.”, the rumble shakes off leaves from the branches.

“You are a child of your hokey dumb species aren’t you? No adult would be this stubborn.”

“The youngest of our spawn is still eras above humans”

“Yeah but that doesn’t mean you know shit, I’ve been around for a while and I still don’t know shit. Only difference is that I don’t care and you hide it by gloating about what you are. Spare my ears, if you were worth a toss you wouldn’t be talking with me.”

“You are wrong, you are food and you will die! I may not even eat you but throw up your corpse for the world to see your shameful shell, you insignificant pest!”, rumble becomes so strong it makes Guy stumble for a bit.

“There we go! Well done!” ,he says taking out another cigarette out of the box with a shaky hand, “one more left”

“It has been a month in this bubble, in my stomach, and you still stand. You aren’t human, you are something that gloats, something greater aren’t you? Trying to insult me by posing as a man.”

“No you dipshit, I just don’t care about this enough to die. At least other few fellas like yourself have been a wild thrill. You are just here, stuck in the process of trying to eat me. Which is not gonna happen and now I’m being spiteful.” He says, spitting on the mud.

“Then tell me when you are so wise, how come you still live? What if I never die what then? You are stuck with me forever!”, distraught tone lowers the intensity of the rumble.

“I just told you, I don’t care. And if you don’t die, well, at least you are speeding up eternity so it’s bearable.” he takes out another cigarette out of the box “one left”

“How do you still have cigarettes left! There have been at least 100 of the last ones by now.”

“Oh wow sharp aren’t we? Took you nearly two months to notice. Okay because you are so clever I will tell you. But only after I finish the cigarette”, Guy says while taking a long blow of the cigarette. The following period of time feels oddly blissful. Accented by the smell of wet mud and the rumble of the impatient entity.

Once it is done, it’s time for Guy to tell his side of the story.

“ Alright so, I am stuck in a rut. I do not give a damn about the passage of time, taste of food, or refreshment of water. All I am is a guy who does deals with people he dislikes, lives with his cat, and smokes cigarettes. Rinse repeat, rinse repeat, get it? Now as you can see, I can’t smoke without there being no smokes but my rut is so potent I got some all the time, even when I realistically shouldn’t.”, he shows the box and shakes it a bit, producing another cigarette.

“You should have caught literally anybody else, a repeating pattern like this stomach of yours can’t break my rut. I’m stuck in a moment so I can’t break any nor wish to, you imbecile. Cat is fed, I am smoking, the trade has been finished, fucking hurry up and die so we can stop this and I can repeat the cycle.”

“But how did you become that way? What ritual did you undertake to achieve something so close to immortality? How did it happen?”

“Dunno, don’t care.”

The voice is quiet. It stays that way for the rest of however long the time runs. The hours roll, no matter how long it actually takes them to pass, and eventually he notes, the rain stops.

“Alright then, glad you decided to die. I am glad to leave your idiotic stomach. Trap people in a fun environment in your next life you dipshit.”

The rain is no more but the evening rolls ever closer to midnight. It’s been a few hours in the world and surely it’s something to catch up on. If one was to care, of course, Guy will instead go back home, feed his cat, and check in for another trade. After all, there is so much to distribute in this world, so many cigarettes to smoke, and so many movies to watch with Marcille. Or just rewatching Mouse Hunt as some nights would have it, rut or not it is an underrated classic after all.