Chapter 43: Alone in the Dark
1449 Words
It was impossible to tell how long it had been since Serry had sealed herself and Takol in a small bubble in the corner of the Sand Hoot hive.
The buzzing outside had gradually grown fainter, and it was impossible to tell whether it was because the bugs had calmed down or because the layer of resin had grown so thick that they could no longer hear the outside world. The increase in thickness had also reduced visibility inside the sphere of frozen insect muck, and as the burning insect corpses outside were extinguished all light had faded.
The flashlights, obviously, had all been left on the wrong side of the barrier as well.
Therefore, after Serry had used her powers to freeze and shatter the resin covering Takol’s body, he had picked up his rifle and shot small plasma rounds on the ground. The green glow emanating from the projectiles burned the stone for a faint and nearly surreal lighting and a surprisingly cozy source of heat. Once they had settled next to each other, none could deny that felt… good.
“And that’s how I learned how to shoot,” Serry concluded the story she had been telling for the past many minutes.
Takol had feared that moment. What were they supposed to talk about now?
“That’s a nice story… Always knew you had a secret,” Takol said.
“Well, du’uh!” Serry flickered Takol’s scaly temple, giggling. “You only know me because I have a secret!”
“Oh, right. You really think your reputation would be that damaged if people knew you play Fantasy Stars?”
“No doubt,” Serry nodded. “You hooked up with Emma once. How did that end?”
“Public knowledge,” Takol bit his lips. “And in my defense, all highly exaggerated.”
“See? Emma doesn’t care what you do to her. She thrives in making people miserable, she’s like… the Psychic King of Gormin V. In a skirt.”
“Huh…” Takol scratched his chin. He could see the similarities between Emma and one of Fantasy Stars’ most messed up bosses, and it was indeed unsettling. “Now that you mention it… All she needed was decomposing skin and huge eyebags, and she might as well be the Psychic King!”
“I mean, who knows what lies beneath all her makeup?” Serry said and they both cackled.
For a moment, it was easy to forget they were in an underground cavern surrounded by gigantic exploding bug.
Sighing after the laughter, Serry cleared her throat before going on: “it’s kinda crazy, ain’t it? That people think we’re together?”
“What do you mean? We are together,” Takol gestured the enclosed cubicle they were confined to.
“I mean in real life.”
“We’re together there too. In my dorm. I’m in the green beanbag, you’re on the red one, right next to Barry on the blue one and Dana and Gummybear on the bunkbed.”
“You know what? Forget it!” Serry shook her blond hair.
“Oh!” Takol suddenly understood. “You mean together together. People think that?”
“It seems so,” Serry leaned her head against the rocky wall. “Emma sure does, and I think Charles does too.”
“What? That’s crazy!” Takol threw his hands up, sounding more like Luca now. “Why would they think that?”
“If you picked up hints that a girl secretly knows a guy and may be sneaking into his window every night, what would your first thought be?”
“Hm, good point,” Takol muttered, then raised his voice again: “but it’s crazy!”
“I know!” Serry reaffirmed. “So crazy!”
“Very crazy!” Takol said again. “Absolutely insane!”
“Nuts!”
“The craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Absurd!”
“Ridiculous!”
“One hundred percent!”
“Totally unimaginable…”
The two chuckled and let the words be replaced by a dense silence.
Serry was blushing.
Takol was, perhaps, turning into a shade of darker green himself.
“Though come to think about it…” he said.
“I mean…” Serry pondered. “I’ve heard crazier things.”
“I could see it making sense…” Takol added. “To someone else, I mean. Not to us.”
“Oh, of course!” Serry reinforced. “No sense to us at all…”
Another wave of silence filled the small bubble.
“Not that I don’t think you’re attractive…” Luca said through Takol’s lips again.
“Oh! Oh!” Serry had to summon a freezing breath to cool the heat on her reddening cheeks. “I… I find you attractive too. I mean… I don’t not find you attractive. But I don’t not find you unattractive either.”
“Ok, that’s good!” Takol nodded. “No attraction here at all! Just two very ugly people talking!”
“We’re so ugly!” Serry agreed.
“Horrifying!” Takol went on. “Like, if I was to rank all sorority girls by attractiveness, Sarah would definitely be last.”
“Agreed! And don’t you think you’re better than anyone just for being captain of the swimming team, with shiny eight-pack abs!”
“But they are great abs, aren’t they?”
“Judging by that time I spied on your practice to return your journal… yeah, they are. But that doesn’t mean anything, just so we’re clear. Anyone can be toned!”
“Oh, I know,” Takol nodded. “I know. I mean… you’re pretty fit yourself. I can see when you climb our window in your sports outfit.”
“If I knew you were paying attention, I’d have worn sweatpants!” Serry crossed her arms.
“You should have!”
“Maybe I will!”
“Please don’t,” Takol pleaded. “I like the view.”
They stared at each other in silence for a second, then burst out laughing.
Serry sighed again, a smile plastered to her lips as Sarah’s brown eyes shined on that pale face.
Takol was smiling too, Luca’s eyes still his own even on that alien body.
“Hypothetically speaking though…” he started. “If you weren’t dating…”
“I’m not answering that question,” Sarah replied immediately, features going rigid and dark.
“Sorry…” Luca said, aware that her denial had been all the answer he needed. “You know… technically we are not ourselves here. I don’t think it would be considered cheating. Not anymore than say… p**n?”
“Only one problem…” Sarah raised one of Serry’s fingers, then used it to boop Takol’s snout. “I’m not into crocodiles.”
“So that’s the only problem?” Luca’s eyes on the reptile face emitted a hopeful glimmer.
“Yes, but a pretty big problem,” Serry smirked.
“Hey, it’s the twenty-first century!” Takol shrugged and chuckled. “You should keep an open mind about these things.”
Serry was ready to reply when the wall behind her collapsed in a loud crash.
Takol and Serry looked up to see Arlak cracking his knuckles in the dark cavern beyond. Behind the tank, Kramen and Gurm awaited, accompanied by an unknown cowboy with two smoking guns.
“Sorry if we took too long,” Kramen said as the two rescued adventurers snuck out. “Hopefully the wait was bearable?”
“Barely,” Serry said with an exaggerated eyeroll. “Never lock me with that dork again.”
“Worst half hour of my life!” Takol said, pacing closer to Serry so he could whisper on her ear: “But I would do it again anytime.”
She smirked out of the flashlight beams. After Takol had engaged the new gunslinger in conversation, she finally said to herself: “So would I. So would I.”
- Writer
