Chapter 2 - Monsters Spoke

He immediately sprung from the ground and shuffled away from whatever "it" was. It seemed to be quite startled when he began flailing his arms and running around like a complete idiot. Its hand retracted in a flash, taking a step back from the boy.

"JEEZ! You almost gave me a heart attack! Well, at least I know you're human... It's so damn tough to see in these parts."

Stultic was still in the middle of panicking about how its hand had clutched onto his very face. He would have yelled if not for his crippling shyness and lacklustre social skills.

"Sorry about that... Looks like you're still alive though. Where are your parents?" the mysterious night demon asked, perplexed.

Taking off its hood, "it" turned out to be a "he." It was tough to make out but the slivers of lights that passed by were more than enough. He saw a very plain face with black hair. Furthermore, his eyes were a dark shade of blue. They reminded him of an ocean on a stormy night. The boy's hands were still shaking and his body was completely paralyzed. The man couldn't help but feel somewhat concerned regarding the condition of the child.

"Well, you do have a duffel bag on you, so I'm gonna take a gamble and say you ran from your parents... Don't worry! I get the feeling!" he said, laughing — the chuckle was a bit dry. "What's your name then?"

He hung his head after he heard the question.

"...Stultic," his quivering lips barely expelled out. The man couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle after it was said but promptly slapped himself.

"What did you do that for?!" the boy laughed.

"N-No reason." For a moment, his fears had dissipated. The boy was cheery. A small smile inched across his face. The man's eyes widened in shock. A smile... His gloomy glare turned to one of joy. His lips slowly curved towards his cheeks.

"Call me Isaac. Nice to meet you," Isaac replied with a bright smile, whipping his hand out in front of him. Stultic jumped from the sudden action yet slowly reached for his hand. A discordant blare began playing again. The alarm-like noise from earlier soon came back to haunt the boy. His eyes instantly opened wide from their previously joyous state as if it were a sharp reflex. Stultic's smile disappeared faster than it came as his hand flew back to his sides.

"Hey, Stultic?" Isaac asked worriedly. "I know your parents say you shouldn't come with a stranger to their place but would you like to join me and take some shelter from all this noise? I wouldn't want you getting swept by some cops while you're out here." The answer he gave was a simple nod. With a sigh, the man took the duffel bag from his hands as they walked together behind a few buildings. As they squeezed past a few cans of garbage, they both arrived at a small area filled with the greenest grass and a small tree in the middle. Stultic's jaw had unhinged and plunged into the ground. The spark of childlike wonder began to fill his lungs and tug on his ribs. The shallowest of breaths were entering and exiting his system.

"Where did you find this?!" Stultic exclaimed, face planting into the ground.

"Yeah. It's pretty cool, huh? I once went on a business trip to this far off country known as Yzaltan. I was able to grab some dirt and a seed to make myself a tree. It ain't too big yet, but one day, it'll be massive. I know it. I mean, have you seen some of the trees there? They're beautiful..." Isaac reminisced about his past. His face soon turned resentful and then returned to normal. "Anyways, my house is over there. It's getting pretty chilly out here so it's best to get you inside, you little rascal!"

Taking his face out of the dirt, Stultic noticed a little vintage house to his right that was squished between two modern condominiums. It seemed to be weathered with smudges of dirt everywhere. It was constructed from concrete and crude reinforced steel as opposed to the glistening, synthetic titanium plating of most structures in their day and age. Concrete was only used for buildings generations ago. As the door opened with a sharp creaking noise, he could feel his body tensing up once again. The only thing he could see was a massive bookcase on the side. With a gentle flick of the light switch, two strips of blue lights ignited, slowly lighting up the hallway. After reaching the end of its journey, the remainder of the lights illuminated the rest of the house. Gently placing the silver necklace on the table, Isaac then gave Stultic a light push so that he'd get through the doorway and not stare in awe for eternity.

The man couldn't contain his laughter when he witnessed Stultic's never-ending excitement that filled both their days with merriment. For him, everything he had seen made it feel like Christmas had come around early. He could smile earnestly. His feet hurried to kick his soggy footwear to the side, running down the hallway much to the dismay of Isaac who saw the infinite amounts of grime he trailed into his home, yet the pain began to catch up to him. His foot still hadn't healed from when he sprained it. He slowed his walk and leaned onto the handlebar of the stairs.

"If your foot's hurting, let's get that looked at as soon as possible," Isaac said, walking into the kitchen. Stultic walked past the large open arch. A classic wooden table sat in the middle of the room with a single wooden chair on one of its sides. Isaac went to the very end of the hallway and came back with a second wooden chair in his hand. Dusting it off with a simple cloth, he placed it down parallel to the original wooden chair. Gesturing him to sit down, he took off his coat and threw it onto the couch along with Stultic's bag. He took an icepack from the fridge and placed it near his ankle. He then took out a bundle of bandage wrap from a nearby cabinet, placing it on the table.

"Just keep that thing on your ankle for about ten to fifteen minutes and we'll treat it every few hours with that same ice pack. In the meantime, I'll make you something to eat since you must be pretty hungry. You into fries or is that a no-go zone? I love fries so I'd be rather offended if you told me you hated them!" said Isaac with a cocky look on his face. Stultic sat silently with wandering eyes. With a quick snap from Issac's fingers, he stumbled out of his bewitched trance. He stared into Isaac's eyes; timid and afraid.

"Relax a bit! I get the place is a bit old fashioned but it gets the job done. Anyways, you want fries or no?"

"I... don't know what fries are," he replied with a dreary tone.

"You don't?! Well, we're gonna have to make some then! No doubt about it!" Isaac whipped out a fryer from under the sink and plugged it in, pouring the frying oil while it began to heat. Stultic carefully continued to examine the room. The television in Isaac's home was different from the ones he ordinarily saw when he was at home or inside the station. They normally came down from the ceiling at the press of a button. His television was just on a simple stand with no special mechanism attached to the back. Even his sofa seemed to be completely normal. He'd only seen these sorts of houses when he watched historical videos from the 2010s.

After several minutes in the fryer, the fries popped out golden brown with a few slightly burnt edges. After lightly seasoning them with a special pink-coloured salt alongside freshly picked herbs and spices, they arrived in front of Stultic. Placing a few tablespoons of sour cream into a small bowl, he then cut a few chives and sprinkled them on top. With the dish finally complete, Isaac gave a quick thumbs-up before sitting at the table to take a few bites himself.

Constantly staring back and forth at the fries and Isaac, Stultic decided to copy him. Grabbing a french fry, he carefully dipped it in the pool of sour cream. He took a bite of the questionable food. His stomach had never felt so satiated. His body began to move on its own, devouring the fries and the sour cream. With his meal complete, he laid back in the chair, wondering if paradise was close to what he was experiencing.

"You sure got an appetite," Isaac said, falling back onto the couch. Stultic nodded vigorously, trying to describe his joy without saying a word. Isaac turned on the TV and Stultic sat beside him.

"We have received urgent news that the entire west area of Edtweiser is currently without power due to an intense EMP blast caused by an unknown source. We have also confirmed that the victim of tonight's explosive shooting was Barrick Utaliski, Chief of Police Division 11. Police have not yet confirmed if the power outage and the murder are connected." the reporter stated in a solemn voice.

"Well, we should count ourselves lucky for being in the southern area!" Isaac chuckled. Stultic lowered his head slowly. Changing the channel, it began to play a comedy show. One he had never heard of. The loud comedians somewhat bothered his eardrums; they forced him to shove his ears between two pillows.

Stultic wasn't very fond of the TV. His father never let him watch any as he thought it would be detrimental to his education. A few minutes passed and Isaac seemed to have fallen asleep. During this time, he made it his goal to explore the vintage house's nooks and crannies.

He walked down the blue-lit hallway. It reminded him of a spaceship or the fancy hangar bays where they stored special vehicles. He raced his hand across the walls until he got a splinter stuck in his thumb. Taking it out with a quick tug, he let out a small grunt of pain as the barbs sliced his skin. Coincidentally, he found himself in front of a door with a special red cross that made it seem like a hospital.

What he found inside was a vast variety of herbs and spices that were being grown in small capsules. Artificial sunlight allowed them to grow with automated watering systems that activated at random intervals. It was an incredible system. At the very end of the long garden hung a medkit on the wall.

His odyssey continued, rushing to the next door which had a rocket ship as its symbol. Poking his head within, he realized the room was filled with desks covered in documents and blueprints. It seemed to be his office. A hefty monitor sat on the desk with a dull screen. It seemed to be collecting dust after all this time. He then realized the lightbulb had been flickering on and off for the entire time he'd been inside.

"Maybe he never uses this room," he thought. At last, he arrived at the final room within the hallway. It had no symbol. It was a plain wooden door with a special silver knob. He tried to open the door by twisting the knob, but it was locked in place. He still tried again anyway. Again, the knob wouldn't budge. Surging with all the strength that he had lying within him, he twisted the knob for the final time. Like before, it brushed off his strength and stayed put. Losing his balance he slammed into the wall behind him and slowly slid to the floor.

"I go to sleep and I already find you acting curiously. I guess that's what I get for dozing off..." Stultic had curled up into a ball by instinct. It was as if he was preparing himself for something important. He gently tapped Stultic's head and the boy stared up at him. Isaac roughly began messing up his hair, yet he felt kindness in the man's hand. Looking up once more, he was giggling with joy and wiping a few tears out of his eyes.

"You remind me of myself! I used to be curious about everything around me. You love to explore don't you?" Stultic smiled back at Issac with just as much enjoyment. He had his answer. He suddenly grasped Stultic by the chest, carrying him up the stairs. The stairs were well finished with a fine glossy look. He plopped Stultic's feet back onto the ground and right in front of another door. Isaac bowed to him and allowed the curious child access to another mysterious room.

"Well, what are you waiting for, rascal?" he smirked. Stultic had a sudden flood of determination grip to his very soul. Turning one final knob, he saw a small room fitted with a bed and a counter. A small lamp had been placed on the counter with a book under its bright light. When he jumped onto the bed, it sprung him up into the air and back down again.

"I kept that room closed because most of my work stuff is in there. Probably wouldn't be safe for you to touch it so stay out, okay?" Isaac softly demanded. Stultic felt he had no choice but to comply with his wishes. Soon, Issac plopped the duffel bag onto the floor and strutted over to the door. "Y'know, you have a ton of clothes that are way too big for you." Isaac suspiciously remarked. Stultic nodded in agreement.

"Oh well. It's getting late so get some rest for today. Don't stay up for too long or I'll come in and force you to go to bed!" Isaac said with a cartoony voice as he closed the door behind him. Stultic lied on the comfortable white bed, staring at the ceiling. It was painted with numerous different unique landmarks of the world he saw on a few websites. The Yzaltan Floating Isles, the Underworld Spiral, Edtweiser City of Northern Abstrain, yet some parts of the mural were missing. Complete white spaces of nothing although there should be something. Maybe they were blank spaces where landmarks from other countries were supposed to be painted.

Opening his duffel bag, he found a few crumpled bags of chips that were packed as a snack. It's too bad they were crushed to bits while he ran. A phone laid on top of the clothing. It was very dead at the moment. Maybe he could charge it later on, though there seemed to be no sort of charger in the house nor the bag. Of course, there were the stacks of cash that his mother had under the massive pile of clothing and snacks. Worst of all, the gun. It was still laughing at him, shrieking with an explosive voice. He shoved as many clothes over the gun as possible, placing it far away from his line of sight.

He sat back down and checked the counter which was neat and spotless. The book on top was titled Mural Painting 101: A Guide For Dummies, showcasing the murals that people have made over the decades. There were at least three hundred in the book itself with a small motivational quote on the back page reading "Have fun painting murals now." He found it hilarious that Issac had placed numerous sticky notes, ranting on and about how much he hated the book. Reading through each page was slightly soothing. It was a picture book for "adults" which made him feel more like an adult. It didn't take very long for him to fall fast asleep as he flipped to the second page.

Weeks passed. They had pancakes for breakfast, fries for lunch, and a rice bowl with some miso soup for dinner in a continuing cycle. Even though it was simple and sometimes plain, Stultic enjoyed it considerably compared to the vast variety of fancy dishes he was usually given. It felt less formal to be eating food with hands and it gave him a sense of childish joy. On most days, Isaac was usually busy in his room, reading books about the geography of the world and some to do with mathematical principles and scientific chemical equations. They sometimes enjoyed taking a brisk walk around the neighbourhood, venturing to nearby malls to window shop for the stupidest items possible such as a slinky toy they knew was defective.

His life had become less cluttered.

He thought he could live like this forever.

Unfortunately, what followed this peaceful grace period was enough to traumatize him permanently.

—^𝐯——^𝐯— 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 —^𝐯——^𝐯—