[rework] Minglings - chapter 8: Hidden truths

Jake sat on the bed beside the window, mindlessly looking out the window. He didn't see the dark plants in the little courtyard beyond as scenes of what had happened that day replayed in his mind. Left with time to try and analyze what had happened, he found he was dealing with the changes better than was reasonable.

Shouldn't he be panicking? Or afraid? He looked at his hand, examining the unnaturally sharp and thick nails and the thin silvery-blue scales. A day before, he'd had skin, soft and pliable. Now all of it was gone, as was the mole he'd had on his right hand.

It's not just our bodies that changed, he thought, not for the first time.

He closed his eyes, focusing on his hearing, which was crystal clear. His ears turned slightly, and he could actively point them in specific directions, and after a moment, he heard some creaking from the bed on which Mason slept. He breathed in deeply as he opened his eyes, gazing at the other, sleeping on one side. He had no issue with Mason's massively altered shape either, not even now that he had the time to examine him calmly.

Lost in thought, the pointy end of his tail scraped over the wooden window frame, slowly peeling away the white paint and removing wood curls. When some fell to the ground, the soft rustle jolted him out of his reverie, and he looked down in wonder.

Right, a tail, he thought as he willed it towards his hand, inspecting it.

It had a sharp, pointy tip and was covered entirely in scales up to the part where it widened and connected to his lower back. A careful test showed it was sharp enough to draw wood but not sturdy enough to pierce someone. Touching the long and muscled appendage felt like the most normal thing in the world, and he shook his head in wonder before looking at the door at the end of the room. He wished he knew what time it was.

"Should have brought that stupid clock with us," he whispered, taking some solace in the sound of his own voice. He'd never been one for quiet places, and right now, it was deadly silent—no sounds of air conditioning, cars, planes, or shouting people.

He decided to discuss with Mason the next day to find some watch store during their trip so that he could look for one of those old wind-up watches.

A guestimate of a few hours later, he decided it was time to wake up Mason for his shift. As he rose, he heard something and cocked his head. There wasn't anything, and he guessed he had imagined it when his ears twitched. He heard it again, louder this time. Someone or something screamed!

He snuck towards the door and put his pointy blue ear against it, holding his breath. Moments ticked by, quiet, and just as he started becoming lightheaded and sure he had imagined it, another soft scream echoed through the hall. It was cut short, but he was sure it came from one of the other rooms.

"Shit shit…" he whispered.

As quiet as possible, he inched across the room, groaning at every noise his taloned feet made on the hard floor. He crouched next to where Mason was sleeping, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Wake up," he whispered, shaking softly.

A sudden movement aimed at his face startled him, and his hands shot up in defense as he leaned back.

"Fuck, what time is it?" Masons groaned.

Looking through his fingers, Jake saw Mason pull his talons back from within inches of his face. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, then his finger on his lips.

"I just heard someone or something scream," he whispered.

Mason's thick black eyebrows rose.

"Twice," he belatedly added.

Mason stared at him, the sleep rapidly dissipating from his gaze. He got off his bed, causing more noise than Jake liked, and rushed to the door putting his ear against it. Jake would have laughed at how comically similar they sometimes were if his heart wasn't racing.

After a few minutes, Mason looked at Jake. "Are you sure? Because I don't hear…" A short high-pitched scream from within the room caused both of them to jump and turn around.

"Where are we?" Emma muttered, sounding scared. She was sitting with her back against the bedboard, looking around with big blue eyes.

Jake quickly move next to her. He had no idea what had screamed before, but they would probably be in bigger trouble if Emma started now. Who knew who or what had heard her scream just now.

"We are in the hospital to get you some help," he whispered. "But you have to be quiet now, alright?"

Emma nodded with a terrified look on her face, and she put her hands over her mouth as if to prove she understood. The look in her eyes, like a dog afraid to be kicked, made Jake uncomfortable.

Mason walked towards them, finger on his lips.

"Whatever it was, it was close. We need to decide what to do," he whispered as he knelt down beside Jake.

They shared a quick look, and then they turned to Emma.

"How do you feel, little one?" Jake asked, trying to keep cool.

Emma's eyes flashed, and she hissed. "Who are you calling little?" She mumbled something that sounded like 'overgrown lizard,' which Jake decided to ignore.

Mason raised his hand, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"We might be in bloody trouble, so could you two clowns take this serious?" he whispered.

Jake frowned, irritated and about to say that Mason had zero right to say that as he was usually the first to try to diffuse a situation with banter. Then he saw the frightened look in his friend's eyes, and the irritation vanished.

"Yeah, sorry. Emma? How do you feel? Can you run?" he whispered.

The azure little girl sniffed her nose, her previous scared appearance gone as if it never happened. "Yes, and faster than you."

Jake blinked, about to reply, when Mason beat him to it, giving her a thumbs up. "Good, then you are coming with us while we see what the hell made that noise."

Jake could hardly believe Mason's words. Was he insane?

"Are you crazy? Why don't we get out of here?" he whispered.

Mason looked at him for a moment before sighing. "You are not wrong, but what if someone needs our help? There is nobody else here besides-" his words cut off, and he and Jake looked at each other.

"He acted weird…" Jake said softly.

A fierce gleam came to Mason's golden eyes, and he got up, moving towards the door. "Let's go see what David is up to..."

Together they carried the bed away from the door, trying to be as quiet as possible, before stopping and listening carefully for anything that might be in the hallway.

"I'll open the door, and you hit anything that comes through," Jake whispered, putting his hand on the copper-colored doorknob.

Mason nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the door.

The knob turned soundlessly, and Jake gently opened the door. Without any lights, the hallway was dark and shadowy. Luckily his improved sight helped him see things better than his old eyes ever could, even in the gloomy hall. As Jake looked around, he suddenly froze.

A tall grey figure was standing hunched over in the hallway.

He could feel Mason tense next to him. At first he thought it was David, then he saw how emaciated the figure was. David had been slim, but nothing like this. When it remained motionless, he exchanged a glance with Mason.

Jake signaled Mason with his eyes, then snuck into the hallway, his eyes never leaving the grey figure. It remained where it was, the slightly swaying the only indication it wasn't some statue put there as some bad joke. When they were a few steps away, one of Mason'stalons scraped across the floor, the sound excessively loud in the deadly stillness.

The figure let out a soft, guttural moan that scared him half to death as it began turning around.

When they saw the face, they knew it wasn't David.

With a mouth hanging open due to a dislocated jaw, bloodstained hair that fell across a long red slash at the place eyes should have been, and thick white drool dripping from a mangled and torn lower lip, it could only be described as a zombie. Little maggots moved around the ghastly wound in its face, drilling in and out of the flesh. A pungent odor drifted their way.

A startling roar came from the zombie, and it rushed forward, its arms stretched out towards Jake.

In a desperate bid to get away, Jake jumped to the side.

A burning pain erupted from his shoulder as clawed hands with long dark nails tore gouges in his flesh. He slammed to the ground and howled as the pain spread across his arm, chest, and back. Before he had a chance to worry, a wave of anger, laced with something else, something otherworldly, caused him to bounce back to his feet.

As the pain flared up, so did blinding anger, and he glared at the thing his mind had labeled zombie. A dull, loud growl came from deep in his chest. His mind felt muddled, and all he could think was, kill!

Jake rushed forward, nimbly jumped sideways, and slashed with his talons at the zombie's back. He barely noticed when Mason arrived and thudded into the zombie's side before beating it over the head. Growling like a beast, Jake continued slashing at the zombie's exposed flesh, and strips and bits flew through the air. Pale bone showed, and an even stronger rotten smell began to fill the area.

The zombie tried to turn, but each time it did, Mason beat it, keeping it off balance, while Jake eviscerated its back and neck. The zombie suddenly lurched forward, staggered, and dropped to one knee.

An animalist growl made its way into Jake's muddled mind, and he realized it was Mason who jumped back. Then, like a bull, his friend charged forward, slamming both of his hands against the tip of the zombie's head. A sharp snapping sound echoed through the hallway, and the zombie froze as it toppled over.

An intense desire to finish his downed foe caused Jake to jump on top of it as he began tearing away at its throat. Within moments his razor-like nails cleared away most of the meat, and the head dangled sideways, only held in place by some scraps and a cracked spine.

Jake drew in ragged heavy breaths as he rose slowly, glaring at the thing below him. A red glow which he hadn't noticed before, faded from his vision. He felt his heart hammering like crazy as the intense anger and desire to rip apart faded. A dull, throbbing pain came from his shoulder, and he rose fully. Mason stood next to him, glaring at the zombie, ready for anything.

Then he realized there was something behind Mason. As his eyes focused, he saw David standing at the door opening, an evil smirk on his face. As his eyes met Jake's, the grin vanished so fast that Jake almost thought he had imagined it. Almost.

"You! How did this thing get in here, and what was it?" he growled, the deep thrum in his chest adding a dangerous growl to his voice.

Mason turned around in a flash, snarling and with his hands outstretched.

"Easy now. I had no idea one of those things managed to get in here," David stuttered as he backed up into the room, putting his hand on the door.

Jake moved before he even realized it. He crossed the distance in two bounds and rammed his foot between the closing door before David could fully close it.

"Jake, move!!" Mason roared from behind him.

Jake jumped aside just in time for Mason to ram his shoulder into the partially closed door, crashing through and reducing it to nothing more than splintered wood fragments.

David yelped, jumped back, stumbled, and fell on his back.

Part of the door, still attached to the hinges, collided with the wall causing a loud bang. Wood and glass flew everywhere, some striking David, who had his arms up to block the incoming debris.

Jake sprang into the room, his gaze locked on the Fiend.

Mason stomped his foot on David's chest, forcing him to the ground while looking around the room.

"Shit," he cursed, his voice filled with shock.

Jake felt his scales tingle oddly at the sound, and he looked up, ready for more battle. Then his eyes saw what Mason's had, and he swallowed.

Curtains covered the windows, blocking out the moon's light, and a stale smell permeated the air. Still, his dark vision made out the well-shaped outline of a female. She was naked, safe for a towel draped across her, and strapped to the bed. Her long shaggy hair grew from her head down her neck across her back. Two brown, wolf-shaped ears poked through the mattered, dirty hair to the top sides of her head.

The figure gazed at them, one bright green eye open, the other shut tight by bruises covering her face. She tilted her head and made a soft, nondescript sound.

"It's not what you think!" David groaned from the ground.

"Shut it!" Mason growled, the muscles on his leg bulging as he put more of his weight on it.

Jake looked at the woman for two seconds, unsure what to do, then she took a few careful steps forward. She had no injuries besides those on her face and growled loudly at his approach. Her gaze never left him for a second, but she began hecticly struggling to get free.

Worried she might hurt herself, Jake backed up and turned to the squirming Fiend.

"Mason, let him talk for a moment."

"You sure?" Mason grumbled, a dissatisfied look on his face.

"No, but let's hear him out for a minute," Jake said, trying and this time succeeding in pushing back his desire to kill.

Mason didn't react right away, seeming to struggle as he glared at the Fiend. Then his foot raised slightly as he relieved some of the pressure, giving the Fiend room to breathe.

David gasped for air as he gazed at the ceiling.

"She is my wife! I would never harm her, but she doesn't remember who she is... was... I tied her up for her own good! So she wouldn't harm herself," David rattled in between large gulps of air.

Silence followed his outburst as Jake and Mason stared at him. A soft shuffling broke the silence, and a gasp came from the doorway.

Jake looked up to see Emma, frozen and halfway through the door, looking at the woman strapped to the bed. Her large purple eyes were wide open in shock. Then, without a word, she rushed over to the bed.

"Emma, come back!" Jake shouted, reaching to stop her, his hand barely missing the back of her ragged shirt.

Emma didn't stop but crossed the room and jumped on the bed.

"Are you alright? What did he do to you?!" she cried, moving to hug the woman.

Jake stood frozen, his hands outstretched, heart pounding as he feared what was to come.

To his surprise, the half-wolf half-human just looked at the little girl, seeming as surprised as he was. She let her approach and sniffed the girl's hair a few times. Then she licked Emma across the face, causing a startled giggle from the girl.

Jake heard a released exhale from Mason, and he looked at his friend. A wordless message passed between them, and Mason nodded, increasing the pressure on David again.

Jake looked around. The room was a mess, stuff lying around everywhere, and it looked like the place had been occupied for a long time.

There was a wall closet to the side, and he went there, opening it. There was women's clothing and toiletries inside, though everything seemed ransacked. He frowned as he scanned it, not finding any man's things. Something about the lower shelf drew his attention. It seemed equally chaotic as the top half, but at the same time... neater, almost like the mess was intentional?

Not sure what to expect, Jake ruffled through the clothes and other items. His hand touched something hard and angular stuffed deep inside beneath a bunch of blankets and discarded t-shirts. Confused, he pulled out an old shoebox.

He opened it, thinking he might find some foto's inside that he could use to identify David. There was a stack of letters inside, folded neatly but still slightly crumpled as if someone had crumpled them and later reconsidered.

Jake opened one and saw they were handwritten letters addressed to someone called Synthia written by David. Reading through one quickly, he found it was the standard type of love letter, almost as if taken from the internet and slightly changed. Below the letters was a small, worn-out book. A diary?

As he pulled it out, he heard a gasp from David. He looked up to see the other glaring at the book with a hatred that was almost palpable. Mason was still glaring down at him, his foot solidly on the Fiend's chest.

What's in here that makes you so angry, Jake thought.

Although he felt slightly like a voyeur, he opened the book. Written with blue ink was a date some ten years ago followed by a short message. He scrunched his eyebrows and realized he was indeed holding a diary. It was written by Synthia and roughly detailed one of her days. Not sure what to find, he rifled through it, looking for references about David.

There wasn't anything that caught his interest until he had flipped a few years further. Then a page marred by liquid stains and a short message popped out, and he quickly scanned it. His eyes widened as he looked at the page, dumbstruck, before re-reading the short message.

"Oh, my dear book, what should I do. Today again, he changed! Just like last week, he started yelling at me for no apparent reason. He even raised his hand, seeming ready to strike me! I tried to reason with him, but it got worse, and in the end, he stormed off. What did I do wrong? I just asked him about an upcoming birthday. But the anger in his eyes and how he loomed over me. I never realized how big he is..."

Jake got an ominous feeling and continued reading. Soon a steely look came to his face, and he looked at Mason.

"Keep him down and make sure he can't move," he snarled.

Mason looked up in confusion, and he couldn't blame him. Even he was surprised by the smoldering anger in his voice. Mason nodded, and he put his full weight back on his foot.

Jake watched the Fiend struggle under Mason's foot, then returned his attention to the book. His anger grew, and after a while, he couldn't take anymore. With an angry hiss, he flipped to the end of the book. The last message was one of the longest in the book, and he recognized the date. It was yesterday, the day of the tv broadcast, the day the change had happened. Wait. Did that make it yesterday? Deciding it wasn't important right now, Jake started reading the last entry.

"Finally, a way out! Please, Lord, don't let it be a joke! No, it has to be real. It wouldn't be on the televisions otherwise. Besides, he thinks it's real, so it has to be. Dear god. After all of the pain and suffering, a means away from the monster. Finally, finally, finally! Oh, if anybody reads this, please, don't be fooled by his sweet words and gentle manner. Underneath it all, is a monstrous man who will never let anything or anyone go once he has laid his hands on it. He told me, ordered me, threatened me to choose the Fiend race, just him. He said if I didn't, he would... I can't take anymore! If I become a Fiend, I fear I will never rid myself of him! Or worse… I might become like him, a monster. No! No noo no-*&^5."

A long line of unintelligible words and struck-out text followed until a final, legible message came at the end of the next page. The writing was crooked but readable and seemed almost written by another person.

"I need to calm down. What if it is a hoax? I cannot let him find this diary. It is the only thing I've managed to keep hidden. The fool never looks at the letters in the box. If he sees me reading them, he becomes happy for a time. He probably thinks I am reminiscing about the past love he showed me. The filthy pig is always more forceful after that, but at least it gives me the freedom of writing. I will choose those animals they mentioned. Losing my memory? Starting all over? The bliss! To never recall what he did, who he is! I just hope my new self can get away from him… Oh no...he is calling me. I need to hide the book and get ready!"

The last line was written more forcefully as if Synthia was trying to push a hole in the paper.

Jake closed the book with a loud thud, a murderous look on his face as he looked at David below Mason's foot.

"Jake, what is going on?" Mason's voice sounded worried.

Jake took a few short, fast breaths, then walked over and rammed his taloned foot down into the chest of the struggling Fiend. David gasped, then groaned as Jake pushed harder, his talons drilling into the grey flesh, causing bluish blood to trickle out.

"Here. Read this. Start around two years ago," Jake spat, handing the book to Mason.

Mason had always been a quick read, and he began flipping through the pages much faster than Jake, slowing now and again. After a while, his face twisted, and he slowed down, reading some pages before flipping to the end. A deep and terrifying growl erupted from him as he slammed the book shut, echoing through the room like thunder. Synthia and Emma looked up, scared. Holding the book in a death grip, Mason looked at the thing underneath his foot.

"He doesn't deserve to live..." Mason growled before looking at Jake.

"We can kill him. Nobody would ever find out or even care if they did," Jake replied in a deadpan voice that didn't hide the murderous intent in his eyes.

"You can't kill him. That makes you the bad guys!"

The soft, scared voice caused Jake and Mason to blink and turn to the bed. On it, Emma was huddled closer to Synthia with a panicky look on her face.

"Aren't you the good guys?" she whispered when she saw both of their angry faces.

Jake closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm his emotions. He knew part of the intense anger wasn't normal. It was because of the change, but another part... another part was purely him.

He sensed Mason move, and he opened his eyes again just in time to see his friend remove his foot from David. Confused, Jake was about to ask his friend what he intended to do when an ugly, hateful look crossed Mason's face. With one abrupt motion, he stomped down on David's throat, ripping it apart with his talons. A geyser of blue blood spurted up, causing Jake to jump back in startled disgust. A frightened, startled cry came from the bed.

Mason stood perfectly still, the blood spraying across him as he stared at the slowly twitching body below his feet. He took a deep, shuddering breath and glanced at Jake quickly before turning to Emma.

"Jake is the good guy. I do what is needed," he whispered. Then he rushed out of the room, and a moment later, a hacking cough came from the hallway, followed by a wet splatter as Mason vomited.

Jake felt confused as he looked at the bleeding corpse. He felt no guilt or anger at what Mason had done. Only a very faint sadness.

"Damnit, what a mess," he said.

He walked to the bed and sat down, ignoring Synthia startled growl.

"Little one. The world has changed, and no matter what Mason just said, I guarantee you he is one of the good guys," Jake said, surprised by how tired his voice sounded.

"This guy hurt many people, and if we had left him alive, we would be partially responsible for all the pain he would have caused. Especially now that the world has become as it is now. If Mason hadn't killed him, I would have."

As he spoke the last words, Jake realized he meant every one of them.

Emma was quietly sniffling. Then he heard her wipe her face before softly responding. "But you only read that book. What if the book was wrong?"

Jake froze, shocked to his core. Six simple words. Could Emma be right? Could Sythina have lied or exaggerated? He looked at the wolfling, or whatever she was, wondering how much of the woman that wrote the diary remained.

A soft shuffle came from the door. Jake looked up to see Mason standing in the doorway, staring at David's corpse. He had a shocked look on his face and seemed close to tears.

Jake swallowed back some bile and quickly rose to his feet.

"Listen. Stay calm. We will try and find out if David deserved this, but..."

A clear voice like a bell interrupted him. "He deserved it."

Jake spun around and looked at Synthia, who was still staring at David's corpse.

"You can talk?" Mason muttered as he moved next to Jake. Jake saw a pained look of hope in his friend's eyes, a hunger to hear he had done the correct thing.

Synthia was quiet for such a long time that Jake began doubting what he had heard. Then, with a soft sigh, the wolfling woman looked up at them with her startling green eyes.

"I can talk. That thing over there said it knew me from before. When I said that I didn't remember anything, it started hurting me, making me do things. Things I didn't want to do."

She fell silent before looking intensely at Jake and Mason.

"Will you make me do things?"

Jake shook his head quickly, barely able to grasp what he had just heard. "No! Don't worry. We won't make you do anything."

He took a deep breath. Not sure what Synthia remembered, he tried to word his question carefully.

"Is this the reason why you said he deserved it?"

Synthia looked at him with a scowl.

"Yes and no. I don't remember that I knew him, but I know what is good and bad! And looking at him gives me a horrible feeling. He was bad," she said, baring her teeth at the corpse. Then she fell silent again, but her gaze never left David's remains.

Emma had been quietly listening with scrunched face, seemingly confused. Now, she moved closer to Synthia, gently putting her hand on the furry arm. She glanced at Mason, her frown deepening before she turned to Jake.

"Can we free her?"

Jake sensed Mason's jolt when Emma looked away from him with badly hidden fear, and he put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Of course we can," Jake sighed.

He turned to Synthia, tried to smile at her reassuringly, and moved to the side of the bed. She didn't seem dangerous. He sliced open the plastic wires with his sharp nails strapping her to the bed before stepping back so she wouldn't feel threatened.

Synthia hopped off the bed and stretched. The towel covering her fell off, but she seemed unbothered that she was revealing every bruised inch of her body. Jake looked at her naked form, unfazed, before realizing the scene in front of him made him feel nothing. Not even a tingle when her breasts swayed gently sideways.

"What the fuck?" Mason muttered from beside him. He had a confused look in his eyes, and most of the panic had already disappeared. Something about the speed of that worried Jake, but he didn't have time to contemplate it now.

"Shouldn't this like... cause us to be uncomfortable? Or, you know?" Mason whispered, looking at Jake with a deeply worried frown.

Jake shook his head, wondering the same thing. "Perhaps it is because she isn't a Kobold? I don't feel anything either..."

"You don't think we became ... impo... ARGH, I can't even say it," Mason groaned, sounding worried, before looking at Synthia again.

Jake shook his head, again wondering about the resilient nature of Kobold minds. He was pretty sure that if he had been human, he would have been in shock now, and Mason even more so.

Taking one more look at Synthia, he shrugged and stepped towards the closet to get some clothing for Synthia. Halfway there, he felt a vibration through the floor that intensified quickly.

Within a second, the entire room was shaking, and before he had time to react or seek shelter, his eyes rolled up, and he slumped to the ground.