Day - 6 (Sept. 15th, Thursday)
Alexander didn't understand it. Lev, who had always been candid about his dislike for making pizzas, let Alexander take the registers. When both of them worked together, and their boss didn't assign anyone specific to the front, Lev always insisted they play a quick game of rock-paper-scissors to determine who stays in the kitchen. Despite Alexander's arguments about his indifference to where he worked in the pizzeria, Lev coaxed him into playing and losing every time. Lev's lack of effort to talk to Lynette also struck him as odd. The last time they all worked together, Lev showed a keen interest in getting her. Alexander wasn't aware of anything that happened between them. Not that he was in a position to judge—Alexander dreaded working next to someone so edible.
He made a conscious effort not to look at her, shit eyesight without his glasses or not. His eyes weren't the problem. It was his nose—oversaturated with her aroma and its promise to ease him. His stomach wouldn't stop nagging his brain with premeditated motives to grab her. A pivot, pinning of her arms, size-shift, and done. The temptation irritated him more than anything. He felt young and out of control again. No, Alexander realized it was foolish to think he managed it in the first place. It would never stop. His tongue rested under his teeth as he bit down. He'd follow the rules and keep himself in check.
Throughout the two hours, they exchanged very few words. Lynette occasionally asked him for something on his side, and he did the same to her. Other than that, Alexander was grateful she had the hang of everything else. The last thing he needed was to prolong their closeness. He drummed his fingers against the surface of the register, the sound punctuating the quietness. She hadn't mentioned a plan either. Did that mean she was done fighting, or did she forget? Rather than ignoring it, Alexander spoke up.
"No big plans today?" The deep, resonant thrum of his throat said. Its tone was more derisive than he meant. There was no reason to ridicule a presence that hardly represented competition or threat.
Lynette jumped at his voice's deep inflection like most people. After the grueling forced adaption of his body and the life-saving surgery, his sound was one thing he couldn't change. "I'll be fine today." She was shaky and projected little optimism.
"I'm not going to fall for the same trick twice," Alexander laced his warning in caution toward her and stole a glance from the corner of his eye. He couldn't shake off the discomfort of her surprisingly diminutive height. It was unsettling for him to see—he could almost envelop her face with just one hand.
Lynette's eyes remained down on her register. "Well, it's a good thing this plan is different." Alexander doubted she had something else up her short sleeved uniform. All he had to do was wait to take his lunch in the middle of their shift, and she couldn't escape. She abruptly turned and walked toward the kitchen doorway. "I'm going to lunch."
The lines weren't lengthy, just a few people scattered here and there, and Viola was ready to take his place at a moment's notice. So why did she leave? Her action allowed doubt to momentarily grip Alexander. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that maybe her confidence wasn't misplaced.
After a stiff exhale, he decided to go with the most plausible reason—Lynette played off a clever bluff, and he'd go to lunch to disprove it. Viola traded spots with him, and he was off. He trailed behind her scent, scanned out, and quickly found her in break room 1, his usual hangout spot. She backed to the door that interconnected breakroom 3 and 1. Did she believe she could outrun him? He was faster than her without size-shifting; he could bound the distance. He'd only have to be careful not to crash into her, but he could get to her before she left the room. She held her hands up like she was under arrest. Alexander tried to shut off his brain, convincing himself he was in no mood to talk. He got ready to size-shift, then noticed where her eyes led. They hadn't been on him—they looked at who was behind him.
Normally, everyone inside the building had some sort of smell. To Alexander, monsters didn't have unique differences in their aroma like humans. No two humans smelled the same, and he remembered everyone he encountered. Lynette's, in particular, was suffocating, like a thick syrup coagulated in the air around her, and because Alexander's range was so wide, the whole pizzeria was overtaken by it. Meanwhile, monsters smelled awful, the only exception being Drake, who smelled fine. His best friend's unique circumstances were the cause of that. With everyone else, Alexander learned to drown out the smell of other monsters. However, two people in the pizzeria were scentless.
And one of them, unfortunately, devoured monsters.
She pulled him back by his arm, almost playfully, so Lynette could flee to the next room. Alexander flipped back to Zilla, now knowing that Lynette sold his ass out.
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I ran into break room 3, and the door shut behind me. Once it was closed, there weren't any noises from the other side. So, their confrontation would remain a mystery. My heart squeezed in rebellion to that decision. Why do I feel guilty tricking Xander? He was going to eat me. I played fair. Or is it because this felt like less of my victory and more like I used someone else to win for me? Thinking that struck the nail head. I curled my lips apprehensively and hesitated to move ahead. I put both fists to my forehead and let out a quiet, anguished groan, "Aaarrgh." Why am I like this? It's not hard, don't look back. What do you expect to do? Go in there and ask Zilla not to eat him? Change her mind and hope he doesn't eat you. He's a monster, he will, and most importantly, you don't like being eaten. The chill, by the mere thought of it, ran up my spine like someone scrapped an icy rod along each column. Yet, I swiftly flipped around to head back.
I took not even a step, abruptly halted by another male's chest. "It's very nice of you to throw yourself at me, Lynette~." His heavy, honeyed tone hummed. I threw myself in the opposite direction. Where did he come from? I was so focused on running that I didn't check around me. His gaze danced across the floor meticulously, like he traced the path of each of my previous footsteps and tallied their exact location. Then, having gauged the distance between us, he leaned forward and poised like a predator about to pounce. Instinctively, I spun on my heel and fled.
I had never considered myself particularly fast—my only weekly activity was rock climbing, a non running sport. He slammed into me from behind and wrapped his muscular arms around my waist, anchoring me against his bent body before he effortlessly lifted me off my feet. My back pressed firmly into his chest.
I flailed my arms and legs wildly, mimicking a child in a temper tantrum. "Why are you at lunch, Lev." How could I forget about him? He works the same shift as me. I blamed it on the fact that he hadn't interacted with me much today, nor did Zilla say a thing about him.
His voice hovered just beside my ear, low and smooth. "Isn't it obvious?" His laughter reverberated against my back with its sinister caress. "You let yourself get eaten by Wendie on Monday, and I couldn't let that happen again."
What do you mean? As the truth dawned on me, a wave of dread told me to push harder. His grip felt looser when I did. "You were working with her!" This is the catch. There's always some kind of catch with everything! I threw my legs once more, and his arms let go. I collapsed to the ground, unable to catch myself because of his unexpected release. The next thing I knew, the room's stillness erupted with a loud POP.
It felt like a massive balloon had suddenly burst, releasing a powerful gust of air that swept over me with surprising strength. The rush of wind made it hard to get back on my feet. I was ready to turn around and glimpse at what happened to make that noise but disregarded that idea when the lights above me were swallowed. The shadow loomed, and I yelped as something curled around my legs.
I was dragged, and my palms and fingertips desperately slid across the surface. The tables were too far to reach. I gasped, exasperated when I no longer touched the ground. Hopelessly suspended in mid-air, my body curled up to cling to what held me and to keep my shirt from falling to my face. It looked to be an arm, much like my own, except with dark, near-crimson scales with black trim fanning in and out along it. The palm was padded, and its warmth made my legs sweat underneath my pants.
"Impressive core strength." A whisper brushed me with heat. Knowing how close he brought me made me lose my small grip on one of his fingers. Now, I hang entirely at his mercy. My eyes were locked on his mouth, which was uncomfortably level with my head. My heart raced with fear; refusing to look down, I tried to divert my attention to the rest of his face.
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Some scales crept up the sides of his neck and face, like armor, though they looked to be moving. There were a few scales encasing horns, and two sets of horns jutted from his skull—one set small, curving inward, like the larger ones. His bangs fell perfectly, splitting around the horns carefully arranged. Everything else on his face looked surprisingly still human.
Barely being able to speak, blood slowly rushing to my head, I uttered, "Y-you look more human than I thought." His grip on my legs became even tighter, and I could feel the sharp pressure of his claws digging into the fabric of my jeans. I insulted him, didn't it?
Lev's grin rose, showing his ivory fangs that fit so well together they were like a bear trap. "Well, if I was in my actual form, you wouldn't be worth having." He lifted his other hand and pressed his clawed digit into my back, "speaking of having…" He brought me closer to his jaw, "Let me see why Wendie picked you." Opening it up, it looked like a suffocatingly black void. The only flash of color amidst the blackness was the pointed gray tongue, slick and serpentine.
I resisted the urge to kick and fight, thinking if I did, I'd become a stain on the floor for Viola to mop up later. His tongue approached my face, and I tightly shut my eyes to protect them. It shoved against my face, leaving a trail of unwanted, clear slime.
Once he flicked it off at my chin, I threw up one hand to wipe my eyes while the other still held my shirt. Ewww. It luckily didn't smell like anything; then again, if he was anything like Alexander exclusively eating humans, I wouldn't expect it to. There are so many better things to eat than people!
His spade-headed tail swayed excitedly, with hypnotic lashes from side to side, and behind closed lips, he played with the taste. He made sure I was watching and listening before he swallowed it. "Mmm, you're certainly the best human I've ever had, Lynette~" He delightfully murmured.
Afraid, I faced away—my hand still sloppily scraping off what I could. The rules didn't say anything about mentally hurting your coworkers, did they? No, it's strictly physical. "All my blood is rushing to my head-" I stopped when his face got closer, exhaling methodically over me.
"Go on," his tempo was gentle, even being as close as he was. I expected to lose my eardrums to the concussive blast from his height or for it to sound as bad as sitting next to a heavy metal concert speaker.
"I-if you're going to," he cut me off, licking me again. He put a finger to the back of my head so I couldn't get away as he got me much slower. Once he finished, I squeaked, "Just eat me already."
His eyelids dropped with his smirk. There was an evident satisfaction he indulged in hearing me whimper because my plea made his sharp pupils widen.
He remarked quietly, ignoring what I said. "You're shaking." His hand moved, making a cupping motion under me, and he released my legs so I slumped into his padded palm. The texture my arms brushed was akin to weathered burlap, coarse and prickly. I was larger than his hand, so I brought my legs close. My ponytail barely had anything but a few strands and I looked at him through scraggly curls. He inspect me, holding me so I only saw the top of his head and eyes. I was still as if his sight was based on movement.
He said he likes fear. And I was giving it to him. I had nowhere to go—jumping off would be certain death. He can't kill me. The reassuring thought meant little as his claws lingered overhead like a guillotine. One of them poked directly at the top, ready to pierce my skull.
"There's no reason to rush, Lynette. I have so much time left," he said, a mischievous glint flickering in his fixed and burning sun-yellow eyes. Lev tilted his hand down, and I was slipping closer to him. His grin widened, reveling in his devilish intentions. "Why shouldn't I take a moment to savor my sweet little meal?"
image [https://64.media.tumblr.com/67aed28ddc2eccd51a5855b99af575b8/a6220a146ea73d17-5b/s2048x3072/597fdd0c7f8a729755cb5e8c129ffc4c02d0de50.pnj]
It was rhetorical, yet I answered, "Because you pity me."
"Oh, my dear, Lynette." He exhaled another breath over me, "not-at-all."
He proceeded to toy with me for the rest of his lunch period. Repeatedly running his tongue along my face and any limb I tried to fight him with. It was useless, and my body weakened the more he did it. It was similar to being inside Alexander, except it took much longer.
I freed several fatigued breaths. My muscles twitched, unable to move, and my eyes strained to stay open. "I wore you out, didn't I, poor thing." The condensation strode from his mouth and strangled me. "I wish I left you with enough energy to struggle." He dangled me above him, swinging back and forth until it all meshed together. The last thing I heard was his childish dissatisfaction. "It's a shame to eat something so alive and lifeless."
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I sat up in the infirmary bed. Another bed squeak went off close to mine. Alexander got up from his, stretching his arms up as he did. He's here too? Does that mean he got eaten? I tensed at the thought. It's all so… I hunched forward. How could they be okay after doing that? There's just no point.
"Tristan said you're slightly dehydrated, but other than that, you're fine and healthy." Alexander patted the table beside his bed. He touched his hat several times, and the frustration on his brows deepened until his hand smacked down on his glasses. Is he really that blind? My head pitched the idea of hiding his glasses to keep himself from finding me. I'm not stealing a blind guy's glasses. He put them on and put on his hat afterward. He grumbled. "Jerk."
I shifted, gathering what few bearings I could, and sat at the edge of my bed. "I'm not a jerk!"
He snapped sharply, his expression read annoyance. "Like hell you aren't," he said, his voice raised in frustration. "You fucking sold my sorry ass to Zilla." He pushed his glasses up and scoffed with contempt. "And look at where that landed you. Back where you would have been if you just..." His voice trailed off, a low growl rumbling in his throat.
I stared at the floor, unable to raise my tone to match his. "She tricked me too, I-"
"Sure. Covering your ass."
I lifted my head, "I'm serious!" Seeing his stare, nothing but hunger, frightened me. Don't fight with him. "A-anyway, we-we're even. You tricked me into coming here, and I tricked you." I said, trying to make amends. Though arguably you've been worse because I don't do anything to you except get away from you. I hugged my upper arms. Lev's awful, too. Getting eaten, in general, is.
With a scrunched nose, Alexander groused, "Fine then, from here on out, you can talk to me all you want, but when lunch comes around, I'm not losing to you anymore."
Taking in a deep breath, I gulped, inching forward off the bed. "I'll do…whatever I can to keep that from happening."
He smiled seemingly done with me and our conversation. “Then,” grabbed the handle. "It's on." He threw the door open and left, shutting it as he did. I was alone in the room with my thoughts.
I threw myself back onto the bed and covered my eyes with the palms of my hands. Alexander is mad at me, great. Reaching any understanding there was gone. I don't want to do anything with Lev either. I tossed my head back and forth. Does avoiding them matter at this point; if I ditch Alexander, I get stuck with Lev. And I don't want to give myself to Alexander to avoid him. I sniffled in self pity. I just want to work
I ran my hands down my face. "I don't want to play their games." I focused on the word, games. They play video games. It was like my mind was attempting to comfort me with the positives today, finding out what I did and being reminded that Drake and Alexander play video games. Yeah, they play…games?
I lifted my fist to my mouth, biting the pointer finger gently. Would they agree to that? Maybe if I could get Drake on board, Alexander would bite. I didn't know about Lev. His schedule was different from mine anyway. Alexander was my everyday problem.
I scrambled up, hearing the door. I cocked my head, afraid it might be Alexander. It wasn't. The black-haired nurse met me the day I was hired; he was working registers then. I met him again last weekend on Saturday. He was very cut dry and to the point. He fixed his half-cut frames, "Sandra would have scolded me again if I didn't offer you the resignation slip like last time."
I pushed off the bed, took my hat from the bedside table, and though it was weak, I smiled with vigor. "I don't need it. Thank you for checking up on me, Tristan."
"You look happy?"
"I have a really dumb idea that might not work, but if it does, I'll be coming in here less!" I bowed my head to him, wishing him a good rest of the night, and went home to plot out what I'd do for this insane, luxurious, and livable income.
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