Buddy
1927 Words
“Welcome to Tacet!” I saw the words from a banner on the east side.
“It felt like we were flying forever. My arms are hurting,” he stretched his arms.
“Nice work Bugseye and Grumpy, return to your nets,” Girly pulled out the nets from her pocket.
“Hey, I see an inn over there,” I called their attention.
As we reached for the inn, I observed this silent town. The sturdy wooden houses didn’t have lights beaming out from their windows. The doors of the inn were open. We let ourselves in, then dropped like heavy cargo on our beds.
I woke up in the middle of a battlefield. A volcano erupted on the opposite side. People rushed out of town as the blast targeted town. I saw Girly solid as a marble statue across from me. Then a maniacal laugh sounded from the volcano.
“Keita, where are you? Kun is waiting for you on the other side,” a familiar voice informed me.
“What did you to Kun?” My eyes burned with fury.
“Oh, I did not do anything to our friend. It was you who failed to save him,” the tone became accusatory.
“Are you out of your mind? He was with me just a while ago.”
“It is you who is out of it, my friend. You kept on talking to someone who doesn’t exist by your side.”
“No, I don’t believe you. He is very much alive, he is real. I know he is.”
“Oh? Let me refresh your memory,” flashes of Kun spun in my mind like a tornado. The look of disappointment bore into my mind. “Do you remember, now?”
“No! Kun!” I sprang up from my bed.
“What is it?” Girly weakly said.
“Nothing, it’s just a nightmare. Sorry to wake you up. Get back to sleep,” I kissed her cheek.
“Hmmm… That feels nice,” she rolled to her side.
I looked up at the blank ceiling. My mind cycled on the times I spent with Kun. I missed his tiny fingers and his tiny voice. We argued a lot, even at school, but he was always there for me whenever I got bullied by our classmates. We cried and laughed together ever since I met him.
I got up to look for him. I grabbed my sword and shield, then walked out of the inn. The sun surfaced from the horizon, hiding the stars underneath its glory. I could still see the moon on the other side, but I could hardly feel its presence.
I strolled around town to see if Kun left any prints. Instead, I heard someone scuffling in the dark alleyway. I turned towards the source of the sound. I gripped my sword and shield tightly as I approached it. It jumped as soon as my sword’s tip touched the figure.
“Gahhh! Sheesh, it is just you, hero. Long time no see, eh?” Orcana surfaced from the trash bin.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh, uh…. I was searching for bugs to make sure the game still runs smoothly.”
“Were you following us?”
“No, I wasn’t. You just happened upon me, that is all.”
“What brings you here?”
“I just told you, I was searching for bugs.”
“Don’t give me that crap. I know that you are up to something. Spill it out.”
“Look, I am only doing my job. You better get back to your friends before they come looking for you, too.”
“Someone else is looking for us? What are you not telling me?” I grabbed his collar.
“Calm down, you will regret it if you lay a finger on me again,” he pushed down his finger and I got pinned to the ground in an instant.
“You bastard! I will get you for this,” I pounded the ground.
“You have to let go. Kun does not exist anymore,” he walked around me.
“Take that back! Take back what you just said right now!”
“I can’t do that. Let me rephrase it for you, you better move before another one in your group vanishes.”
“What? Oh no,” I felt release then ran back to the inn.
Thankfully, they were still asleep. I kissed Girly’s cheek again before heading into the kitchen. It surprised me to see the inn fully stocked of food. I prepared our breakfast comprising soup, vegetables and fried rice.
“Good morning, what is for breakfast?” Girly grabbed my waist.
“Oh, something my mom used to make for me.”
“It smells good! What are you cooking?” Vampire’s hands slipped on Girly.
“None of your business,” I slammed the pan on his head. “Go prepare the table.”
“Ow! Aye, aye, sir,” he limped to the dining area.
“Now, where were we?”
“Come closer,” she grabbed my neck and pulled my lips closer to hers.
“Oh good morning, indeed,” Kun’s voice reversed the flow of my blood.
“Where have you been? I have been looking for you all morning!” I shouted at him.
“Who are you talking to, Keita?” She pulled me back.
“I’m talking to Kun, can’t you see?”
“No, I don’t. Hey, look at me. Look at me!”
“What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me! Goodness, you killed it already.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what got to me.”
“I will go help Vampire set the table. See ya.”
“You blew it again, man,” Kun snickered.
“Get out of my head! You are not real, you are not real, you… are… not… real!”
“Who are you talking to, dude? Hey, are you trying to burn this place?” Vampire rushed to the flaming pan.
“Kun, no…. Kun!” I slumped to the floor with hands on my face.
“Shhh... shhh… I’m here. You are going to be okay. Hush now,” Girly pulled my head to her chest.
“I left him there to die. I left him there,” I muttered repeatedly.
“You did nothing wrong. Please join me to the table,” she pleaded.
“Okay.”
“You pull him out of here. I will take care of this mess,” Vampire offered.
“Thank you,” Girly replied.
I heard Vampire cursing in the background. I bowed my head down as Girly directed me towards the table.
“Tell me what is wrong,” she held my hand as we sat.
“Do you think I’m crazy? I thought it was only a dream. Are you going to vanish like Kun?” I squeezed her hand.
“I am always here for you. I won’t disappear on you, I promise,” she stood up and placed her arms around me.
“Thank you.”
“Breakfast is served by yours truly. Eat up before it gets cold,” Vampire had plates on his arms.
Long silence complemented the dark atmosphere. My fork twirled the white pasta that was supposed to go in my mouth. It reminded me of that monster, coiling its vines on my neck then severing it from my body, leaving a permanent frown on my face. I placed the fork down and went for the orange juice instead.
“I’m just curious. What was Kun like? You two seemed close,” Vampire asked.
“Vampire!” Girly hissed at him.
“What?”
“Sigh. It’s okay, Girly,” I paused for a moment before continuing. “Kun was like a brother to me. We would go to school together as he was just a block away from where I lived. I can always rely on him, you know?
“But one day, something about him changed. He suddenly stopped coming to school. I tried visiting him in his house, but the family said he was sick. I know it was not true as he would always push through whatever ailments come upon him.
“When he appeared again next to me, I felt happy. I never asked him what or why and just respected him. I think there will be a time when he will tell me all about it. After all, we are best friends, right?”
“You must miss him so much,” Girly patted my back.
“I felt abandoned after he did that to me. I had so much to say to him. I wish I did, but I lost him again in my hesitation. I have waited so long for him to show up when he didn’t. I was hoping that I could tell the things that I couldn’t say to him.”
“We can still revive him, man,” Vampire replied.
“How? He is already gone. I couldn’t even save him when he needed me the most. I am such a bad person for letting him die. I couldn’t forgive myself.”
“You did what you could, I know, but we cannot give up now. He will turn up again somewhere,” Girly hugged me tight.
“Yeah, Orcana said that we can respawn again, right? Maybe we can find a healer somewhere. We can try going back to the first town we went to,” Vampire added.
“What if she is not there?” I looked at him.
“We can try another town and the next and the next,” Girly reassured me.
I rushed back to my bed and pulled out the map from the side pocket of the bag. I walked back to the table, pushing away the empty plates. Some smudges covered parts of the map as I placed it on the table, but the words were still readable.
“Where was it again?” I searched the map.
“It’s Adamah, which is somewhere to the southern end of the map,” Vampire pointed.
“It’s a long way back there. We must pack meals for the long journey,” Girly suggested.
“I will get to it,” I offered.
“No, let me take care of it this time. Go pack your things,” she kissed my forehead.
We left the inn. The sun placed high up in the sky, beaming bright yellow rays at us. The neighborhood had crumbling buildings, and the inn was the only building that stood firm on the ground. No one person could be seen walking outside aside from us.
Girly pulled out Bugseye from the net. This time, she got on ahead of us and I sat behind her. My arms embraced her waist. The thought of losing her span around my mind, which drove me insane. I pulled her closer to me. Her warmth loosened my mind a little.
“Uhm… Keita? I can’t breathe. Can you loosen up a bit?” Girly huffed.
“Oh, sorry. My arms slipped,” I loosened to a hold.
She guided Bugseye to our destination. Our flight dragged on like this continuously. We stopped for a little in some towns to rest. The sun and moon alternated three times until we reached Adamah. We arrived at sunrise. I kept looking behind us upon landing.
There, the town looked the same, just like how we left it. I went back to Arum’s house, and he was still dead. Girly pulled me out of there. She guided me to the save point before talking to the healer. When we got out of the inn, we searched for her.
“Where is everybody?” Vampire asked.
“That’s weird, I could have sworn that I saw her standing there moments ago,” Girly pointed.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be here. It was a mistake. We should get out of here before we vanish, too,” I held tightly on my shoulders.
“Girly and Keita, you inspect the houses on that area while I search this part of town,” Vampire gave us his orders.
“No, we should stick together. I cannot afford to lose any of you.”
“So am I. Get going, you guys. I will meet you back here when something comes up.”
“Be careful, Vampire,” Girly pulled me away.
We entered some of the houses. No trace of human life was found among them. When we decided to return to the meeting area, I heard something snap. I saw an odd shadow facing away from the light. It moved slightly. Little by little, it gained mass. Long tentacles began to take form.
“We better leave, Girly. I don’t feel good about this one,” I yanked her.
“But what about Vampire?”
We ran to check the meeting place, and Vampire was standing there. I pulled him with my free arm, then rushed to the nearby forest. I quickly looked behind me. I saw that his approach was limited by the boundaries of the town.
- Writer
