ชิ้นChîn: Chapter 4. Art Thou Ready

Afternoon

Charlie sits at his kitchen table, TV on the typical channel in the back. He stares at his phone and the piece of paper Kate left, the number already entered for a new message.

Charlie, frustrated: "If I text now, I may seem desperate or creepy. If I text later, I'll seem uninterested."

He drops his face down onto the table and groans. He stands from the table, picking up his phone.

-

Charlie walks down the street and into the convenience store. He stands in line, waiting. He spots some Skittles and grabs them, then steps up to the now-open counter. He points to a pack of cigarettes and gives cash.

-

Charlie sits on the steps outside his apartment, his phone in one hand, a mostly smoked cigarette in the other, left. He stares at the screen with Kate's number and a message typed.

[ Hi, it's me Charlie from last night| ]

[ Hi, it's me Charlie from this mornign | ]

[Hi| ]

Charlie looks up and sighs heavily, putting out the cigarette butt and leaning back to eat his candy.

Charlie: "I probably shouldn't get involved with anyone, anyway."

Charlie's face tenses, and he looks down at the bag.

Charlie: "Damn it, I grabbed the sour ones..."

He groans in disappointment but keeps chewing.

Charlie: "Eh, not so bad."

He stands, pulls up his phone, and heads back inside the building while he types.

[Charlie] Hey, you! :wave: This is Charlie from earlier :smile:

Send.

He steps into his apartment, and his phone starts ringing. Surprised and in flustered anticipation, he answers it.

Charlie, nervous: "Hey you~"

Nora: [... I don't know what tone that was, but I never want to hear it from you again.]

Charlie, disappointed: "Oh—Nora."

Nora: [Come to my place.] click

Charlie looks down at the phone, the call end screen switches to his messages, where Kate had responded.

-Kate-

[Kate] Well, hello. I have your number. Now you'll never be rid of me.

Charlie grins

[Charlie] I'm fine with that :heart:

-

In Nora's basement, she and Conner wait for Charlie. On the wall is a fresh evidence board, only containing a few photos, all seven pieces of scripture, and some documents listing the victim's details.

[View board #1]

A few red webs already hang from the ceiling and walls, several more in a corner around his briefcase.

Nora: "What do we have so far?"

Conner mutters: "Trop peu." {not enough}

Conner: "They're all humanoid, their homes and the killings were within a hundred miles of each other. The murderer meticulously took one arm from each, left and right equally. No sign of struggle, despite the killing blow being a blade, stabbed straight through their cranium—before they were charcutés !" {butchered}

He pauses and looks at one of the pictures of the victims.

Conner frowns: "And the cuts look familiar…"

He turns away from the board.

Conner: "But the one suspect at the center of all this?"

Conner snears, baring fangs.

Conner: "Clamped shut like an obstinate clam. So all I can do here is work with fragments while our main lead pleads amnesia and plays coy."

Nora: "He's not a suspect."

Conner: "As far as you believe."

Nora: "I know him, Conner. He didn't do this, he's a victim too."

Conner: "Tss. Even if that's true, it does not change the fact he's not cooperating."

Nora: "He says he doesn't remember anything that could help us."

Conner: "Quelle commodité." {how convenient}

-

Charlie enters the house, looking around for Nora.

He walks by a Dobermann who lifts its head.

"Hello, Charlie."

Charlie: "Hey. Where's Nora?"

The Dobermann looks over towards the basement, and Charlie follows the direction.

-

Nora: "This isn't his fault, Conner. He's a good kid."

Conner: "Many monsters appear good. No matter how far he's tangled up in this—he's involved. But he won't even lift a finger to help this case. Don't think his name is clear yet."

Nora: "...I'll talk to him."

Charlie calls out: "Nora?"

Nora: "Down here, Charlie!"

Charlie steps to the basement's open door and looks down the stairs—static bleeds in.

Nora steps over to the stairs, viewing Charlie, who looks disturbed.

Charlie: "I'll talk to you up here."

Nora: "Sure, I needed to speak to Hyphae anyway."

She leaves Conner alone as he stares at the wall of evidence.

Both Charlie and Nora walk back to the foyer.

Charlie: "Is there coffee?"

Nora: "In the kitchen."

Charlie goes for it, and Nora stops by the Dobermann.

Nora: "Anything?"

The Dobermann looks up.

Dobermann Hyphae: "Hello, Nora. We have been watching all the Abnormals on your list. One received a package of a similar size and shape to the others a moment ago. No one else has been seen yet."

Nora: "What's the address?"

Hyphae: "We will text it to you."

Charlie walks over with his coffee.

Nora: "Thanks, Hyphae."

Hyphae: "Any tim—"

The Dobermann Hyphae winces and yelps in pain. A few mushroom growths sprout around their head for a moment, then fade again.

Charlie, concerned: "You alright, Hyphae?"

Hyphae's face relaxes again, the growths sinking back into their body.

Hyphae: "Yes, we are fine. One of us was killed. That is all."

Charlie: "Killed…?"

Nora: "It wasn't the murderer, was it?"

Hyphae: "No. Our shape was a mouse, and that was a very large cat."

Nora steps away with her phone out.

Charlie: "Wait, so you feel all the others' pain?"

Hyphae: "Of course."

Charlie: "How many of you are there? If one of you stubs a toe, do the rest of you yell 'Ouch!'?"

Hyphae: "No, it's usually more like a memory at the back of the mind for small things like that. But death and terror reach all of us directly."

Charlie: "But like—how do you process all that?"

Hyphae: "We have many brains to process it all. Some can't handle as much as others, so we share the load as needed."

Charlie: "Huh. Sounds… kinda useful?"

Hyphae: "We are."

Nora steps back to them, coat on.

Nora: "Charlie, mind coming with me?"

Charlie, uncomfortable: "To see if I've been mailed to someone else's house? Yeah… no, thanks."

Nora: "Basit will be looking into that. Come on, I'll buy lunch."

Charlie's interest piques, and he follows.

-

Nora drives with Charlie in the passenger seat. He eats an overstuffed breakfast wrap with his left hand, his phone in the other.

-Kate-

[Kate] You say that now. I guess we'll see how long that lasts.

[Charlie] Well how about we meet up again :wink: and you can try to prove me wrong :laugh:

[Kate] Miss me already?

[Kate] I'm free tomorrow. There's a museum a few blocks from where we met.

[Charlie] I'm down :thumbsup:

[Kate] Cool.

Nora, mild disgust: "How do you eat those things?"

Charlie: "Hm?"

Nora: "It's just grease, cheese, and potatoes."

Charlie: "You just named all the best parts."

Nora: "Ugh."

Charlie getting excitable: "Do you have any taste buds, woman?!"

Nora side-eyes him: "No."

Charlie: "Wow, no wonder you're like this."

Nora gives a humored smile, and Charlie finishes his food.

Charlie speaks with his mouth still half full.

Charlie: "So what is it you're dragging me to?"

Nora: "I have an appointment to assign a mask."

Charlie: "Oh, neat."

He looks back down at his phone.

-Kate-

[Kate] The museum at 10 a.m. then.

[Charlie] :tada: I'll be there!

Nora: "I can still assign you one too, you know."

Charlie looks up: "Assign what—?"

Nora: "A mask."

Charlie: "Why? I already look human."

Nora: "I know. I mean—if your marks or your hand bother you—"

Charlie looks away: "It's fine."

They sit in silence for a moment, Charlie looking out the window.

Nora: "How's bills?"

Charlie avoids eye contact.

Charlie: "...Fine."

Nora: "Let me know if you need help, Charlie."

Charlie, shame: "I'm fine, Nora. You've done enough for me."

Nora: "That's not how this works, Charlie. We help each other wherever we can."

Charlie: "Take up the load others can't?"

Nora: "Exactly."

Charlie: "..."

Charlie: "Thanks, Nora—"

She glances at him.

Charlie: "...for everything."

Nora gives a warm smile.

Charlie sits up: "But there's more important things than me right now."

Nora's smile drops.

-

Late noon

They reach a nice residential area, and Nora parks in front of a small house with all the curtains closed. The two step out, head for the door, and ring the bell. The door opens, no one in view as Nora and Charlie step in. Charlie looks up, surprised to see a humanoid Abnormal with three heads, their necks long and flexible.

DRA: "Ello!" "Sup." "..."

Nora: "Dra, I presume?"

R: "D. R. A."

D: "I'm D!"

Nora: "My mistake. You're a unique one."

D: "Thank you!"

R: "Duh."

Nora: "I have to admit, I'm not sure how your situation will affect the mask. My best guess is only one of you will be able to talk at a time."

R: "We'll manage."

D: "Oh, this is exciting, I wonder what we will look like!"

Nora: "Well, normally I could let you decide, but—I imagine making a decision may take a while."

R: "Just get on with it."

Nora pulls up her sleeves and steps up to them. Charlie leans against the wall as he watches. Her body changes to a ghostly-white plasma, and she places her hands on them. The white spreads up from her hands and covers their body.

D: "Oh, that tickles!"

It covers them entirely, and their shape starts to warp and shrink, taking the form of a human silhouette. She breaks away, her hands gone at the wrist. They quickly reform, and both figures of light fade into their human appearance.

DRA looks around and blinks, one eye before the other. Nora watches them with concern.

The human DRA speaks, seemingly switching between the three personalities.

R: "This is w—"

D: "So cool!"

R: "Don't interrupt me!"

Nora, amused smile: "It may take you time to get used to it, and to learn how to not fight over your words."

A: "This is going to end horribly."

D: "No, it isn't! How much do we owe you?"

R: "D, we already paid her."

D: " Oh, right."

Nora: "Let me know if you have any issues with the mask or the humans. I can call in some favors when I need to, but I suggest, due to your unique situation, you still try to limit contact and keep a low profile."

DRA: "Thank you, Nora."

Nora smiles, and she and Charlie go to leave.

Nora: "Oh, and one more thing, if you happen to receive a strange package not addressed to you, please don't open it, and inform me immediately."

Charlie, uncomfortable, looks away as she mentions it.

D: "Alright, I will!"

A: "Addressed to Chin?"

Nora, worry: "Yes! Do you have one?"

R: "No, but Bismuth on Cherry road does—"

Nora, desperate: "Where? We need to get to them!"

-

The car drives up to another house, parking haphazardly in the driveway. Nora rushes out, not closing the door behind her. DRA tentatively follows her, shutting the door. Charlie hesitates and slowly gets out of the car. He nears the door, hearing Nora shout "Fuck!" in the distance. He enters the house. DRA covers their mouth and stares. Nora pulls out her phone to call Conner. The cream-colored walls shift to the fake wood paneling of Daniel's trailer. Charlie stares at the body, only seeing Daniel, the static obscuring his vision as he stares, blank and disassociated.

Nora: "Conner, there's another—"

Charlie spots the package out of the corner of his eye, sitting open on a decorative table. He steps over to it and reaches his hand in. As he lifts his hand back out, the finger piece snaps into place.

-

Early evening

The front of the house, the door closed, both Nora's and Conner's cars in the yard. Charlie stands outside the house, alone, with a smoke. He stares down at his feet.

Nora steps out of the house, looking tired. She looks at Charlie.

Nora: "Come on, let's go. Conner will handle it from here."

Charlie follows her to the car.

They ride silently, Charlie staring out of the window with a blank, tired expression.

Nora parks at the diner and gets out of the car. Basit stands outside, waiting for them.

Nora: "Did you find anything?"

Basit: "Yeah—Well, no. I mean, I found the Abnormal and the package, but it wasn't one we're looking for. Just some product they ordered online."

Nora: "I wish that were more of a relief."

Basit: "Did something happen?"

Nora, grim: "We found another one."

Charlie gets out of the car and walks away. Nora looks at him.

Nora: "Want to come in for some coffee?"

Charlie doesn't answer and continues walking.

Nora: "Charlie?"

Both watch him leave.

-

Charlie walks down the street. The world warps into red static, his feet, bare and bloodied, walking down the damp, dirtied concrete path. He reaches up his right arm to his sweaty face, a thin layer of caked blood and dirt left behind as he wipes the sweat off. He places his hand on the tunnel wall. He is younger, his hair shorter, and his body bare, covered in a light layer of dirt and dried blood. He bumps into someone on the street.

Stranger, agitated: "Watch where the fuck you're going!"

Charlie reels back, surprised and confused.

Anwir steps out of the flower shop. He looks at Charlie with concern and steps up to him.

Anwir: "Are you alright?"

Charlie looks at him, the static warping his view of the man into a reflective visor.

Charlie looks scared and flees.

A dark colored car sits in an alleyway that Charlie runs past.

The streets around him warp into a dense forest.

He enters his apartment, static obscuring most of his vision as he stares down at Daniel's severed arm in the box in front of him. The box and the static fade as he drops to his knees and begins to sob.

Charlie: "He's dead… He's dead!"

He repeats this several times, hyperventilating and sobbing.

He falls onto his side on a concrete floor.

His words trail and warp, "I'm dead."

The world around him goes dark, and he lies fetal, younger, wearing only shorts, his left arm missing, his body caked in a thin layer of blood and mud.

He continues to repeat

"I'm dead."

The words slowly warp again as he fades into the static.

"I'm dead… I'm dead…"

"I'm…"

"I'm dying…"

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