“How can you guys even stomach this stuff?” I said with a slanted frown, staring down distastefully into the bright red plastic cup, the dark brown liquid in side seeming nearly opaque in the moonlight of the foreboding darkness of the night that had cast itself over Petalburg City.
“It’s an acquired taste, don’t be so apprehensive. You can be a real killjoy, ya’ know.” Dominik Sardello retorted, before taking a long sip of the beer he held in his hand.
I looked up towards him. “Yeah, but I don’t see any joy in this. Why’d you even get me invited here in the first place? You know that I don’t like parties. Especially when everybody’s drunk and dressed up like they’re at some kind of convention -“
Dominik walked up towards me, carefully placing his hand on my shirt covered shoulder and sighing.
“Maurice, I just - I just want you to break out of your shell, you’re so apathetic because you don’t want to interact with other people positively! I’m trying to help you, not annoy you - please, for once in your life, take my damn advice!” Dominik said in a tone of extreme frustration, his voice rising in exasperation.
I shook my head, my eyes now burning with the expression of anger. Dominik had gotten on my last nerve - inciting this argument, inviting me to a party with what were practically eccentrically dressed strangers…
“You don’t understand! I’m not apathetic, I’m just introverted!” I nearly yelled, my voice hardly heard by those adjacent to us due to the blaring music and incredibly animated chatter of the other attendees to the infamous Brotoski house.
“You try to find something wrong with every situation, that’s apathy! Pessimism!” Dominik replied, an incredulous expression stretching across his face. He stepped back from me, his hands trembling around his drink in what was likely a mix of frustration and a queer sense of perplexed desperation.
That was it, all it took to make me angry enough to storm off blindly into the crowd. I heard a vague call from behind me, the source being either some other random partygoer or more likely Dominik, however that did not deter my misconstrued impressions of the heated conversations to alter my decision to so suddenly divert from the area.
In any other situation, the immaculate aesthetic of the house would have been breathtaking, and even ironically sobering to some - however the angered situation and feelings that I harbored presented that immediate thought, as the furniture and tables all seemed to congregate into a sort of vague blur among my newly introduced fury.
After several minutes of confused wandering through the expansively alien abode, I finally reached the door of what seemed to be a bathroom. Apprehensive to the idea that it may already be occupied, I creaked the door open with extreme caution, and was filled with relief when there appeared to be nobody inside. I entered.
————————————————————————————————————
The irony is delightful.
If I was able to, I would laugh.
They misconstrue fear. Fear as their enemy.
I use fear as my ally.
They die.
I survive.
Their terror is satisfying. I can sense it - I can feed off of it.
Is it amusing? Furthermore, do I find it amusing? Not necessarily.
Some worship me. They try to find purpose within me.
I am not a god - nor am I a kind of deity. I am simply a manifestation of fear.
As long as there is fear in the world, I exist.
I am fear.
I am the night.
I sense great anger, great apprehension - how peculiar, it’s almost as if there is a sort of contradiction, a contrast…
It is near.
————————————————————————————————————
I stumbled towards the sink, a mirror that nearly emanated grandiose suddenly standing mounted on the wall in front of that. Below was an equally exquisite sink drained of most water, the dregs of a recent usage slowly recessing into the drain. I looked down into the pristine white basin, pondering what my next course of action would be.
Then a knock rapped against the door.
Shitshitshit -
I ran quickly over to the toilet, pulling down the flush mechanism and then pacing over to the sink and turning on the faucet for several seconds to aid in an admittedly odd attempt at simulating audio queues so that hopefully whoever was on the other end of the door, who could even be Dominik, wouldn’t suspect anything odd going on.
I carried myself uneasily towards the wooden threshold of the bathroom, before shakily placing my hand on the knob and forcing any latent anxiety that was still within my mind to be relinquished as I turned it.
A short exhalation of relief exited my lungs as I saw the form of a moderate in height female, the shape of a small Pokemon having sat on her shoulder, which upon a quick inspection was revealed to be a Minun - jolts of electricity emanating from it’s cheeks.
“S - Sorry…” The girl mumbled, brushing past me before stopping and looking back. Her hazel colored eyes darted across my body seemingly in an attempt to identify me.
Then we just stared at each other.
She moved several strands of jet black hair from her face in a slow mannerism of perplexation before her eyes widened in a moment of clarity and realization.
“Oh, you’re Maurice Shaw? Just so you know - Dominik, that boy, is looking for you. I’d suggest the backyard, barely anybody goes out there.” The mysterious girl turned away from me, as the Minun did seemingly in unison.
I stood in a sort of surprise at how this person, a girl, had recognized my name and that of Dominik - why was she even giving me advice? I blinked several times to snap out of this sudden ripple of intrigue, however once my eyes attempted to refocus on the figure, they disappeared. The bathroom door was still held slightly ajar, as my mouth hang open. A chill ran down my spine.
Sure enough, turning around and staring into the sea of obnoxiously loud attendees was the distinct ginger hair and now clearly serious demeanor of Dominik, headed straight towards my position. With no other option, my spurious decision fueled by the surprise the girl had provided and no other conceivable actions of escape, I continued down the hallway.
————————————————————————————————————
A house? So much light. So much happiness. No, this is odd. .. I’m perplexed.
He’s coming out now. Good thing Yusov was able to perform the illusion, even I have such restraints -
Well, these scenarios aren’t too uncommon, likely a case of moroseness or anxiety. Either way, any manpower is manpower, and manpower is energy. Energy is fear.
Fear is fuel.
————————————————————————————————————
After approximately several more minutes of walking and occasionally checking over my shoulder to assure that I was not being followed, I reached a large pair of glass doors vaguely lined by a white material.
Stepping outside was indescribably refreshing, as the cold evening air caressed my face and served to assist in quelling the severe anxiety that deeply entrenched my emotions. Even if it did facilitate a pilfering of my worries, it didn’t completely annihilate them - and so I continued to cautiously stare around my surroundings.
The backyard was just as well decorated and kept as the main interior of the house, lush green landscapes and rows of vibrant flowers punctuating the tranquil outdoors area.
“MAURICE - AGH!” The voice of another boy yelled across the lawn, followed by a horrible, heavy thud that echoed right into my ears.
I pivoted on my heels to see the shape of Dominik Sardello, laying face first on the ground, motionless.
A sudden involuntary, uncontrollable chill scraped down my spine as I began to tremble. The jubilant halls and lights of the Halloween party seemed distant, as I stumble. My mouth hung slightly ajar, attempting to let out a scream or squeal or some sort of sound - however nothing came.
“Don’t run. Your friend isn’t dead, but it’s no use trying to flee, so I would suggest that you stay there.” A sudden deep voice sounded, seemingly genderless in nature - a terrible gentleness lacing the words, however the remark was also doused in an undeniable sense of authority.
I froze for a moment, completely bewildered, my mind swimming with activity.
I pivoted on my heel, looking up to see what was a nearly corporeal entity, floating slightly above the ground with an immediately noticeable form that almost appeared to be edged lightly and wavily, nearly like wisps of smoke. A larger black formation of smoke seemed to be the main acting body, while a red collar like section followed by a white head was attached to the rest of the creature.
A great pain struck into my head, as my throat and lungs compressed so unnaturally that it was nearly impossible to breathe. I took one last look over to the unmoving Dominik, before the world went completely black.
“It’s an acquired taste, don’t be so apprehensive. You can be a real killjoy, ya’ know.” Dominik Sardello retorted, before taking a long sip of the beer he held in his hand.
I looked up towards him. “Yeah, but I don’t see any joy in this. Why’d you even get me invited here in the first place? You know that I don’t like parties. Especially when everybody’s drunk and dressed up like they’re at some kind of convention -“
Dominik walked up towards me, carefully placing his hand on my shirt covered shoulder and sighing.
“Maurice, I just - I just want you to break out of your shell, you’re so apathetic because you don’t want to interact with other people positively! I’m trying to help you, not annoy you - please, for once in your life, take my damn advice!” Dominik said in a tone of extreme frustration, his voice rising in exasperation.
I shook my head, my eyes now burning with the expression of anger. Dominik had gotten on my last nerve - inciting this argument, inviting me to a party with what were practically eccentrically dressed strangers…
“You don’t understand! I’m not apathetic, I’m just introverted!” I nearly yelled, my voice hardly heard by those adjacent to us due to the blaring music and incredibly animated chatter of the other attendees to the infamous Brotoski house.
“You try to find something wrong with every situation, that’s apathy! Pessimism!” Dominik replied, an incredulous expression stretching across his face. He stepped back from me, his hands trembling around his drink in what was likely a mix of frustration and a queer sense of perplexed desperation.
That was it, all it took to make me angry enough to storm off blindly into the crowd. I heard a vague call from behind me, the source being either some other random partygoer or more likely Dominik, however that did not deter my misconstrued impressions of the heated conversations to alter my decision to so suddenly divert from the area.
In any other situation, the immaculate aesthetic of the house would have been breathtaking, and even ironically sobering to some - however the angered situation and feelings that I harbored presented that immediate thought, as the furniture and tables all seemed to congregate into a sort of vague blur among my newly introduced fury.
After several minutes of confused wandering through the expansively alien abode, I finally reached the door of what seemed to be a bathroom. Apprehensive to the idea that it may already be occupied, I creaked the door open with extreme caution, and was filled with relief when there appeared to be nobody inside. I entered.
————————————————————————————————————
The irony is delightful.
If I was able to, I would laugh.
They misconstrue fear. Fear as their enemy.
I use fear as my ally.
They die.
I survive.
Their terror is satisfying. I can sense it - I can feed off of it.
Is it amusing? Furthermore, do I find it amusing? Not necessarily.
Some worship me. They try to find purpose within me.
I am not a god - nor am I a kind of deity. I am simply a manifestation of fear.
As long as there is fear in the world, I exist.
I am fear.
I am the night.
I sense great anger, great apprehension - how peculiar, it’s almost as if there is a sort of contradiction, a contrast…
It is near.
————————————————————————————————————
I stumbled towards the sink, a mirror that nearly emanated grandiose suddenly standing mounted on the wall in front of that. Below was an equally exquisite sink drained of most water, the dregs of a recent usage slowly recessing into the drain. I looked down into the pristine white basin, pondering what my next course of action would be.
Then a knock rapped against the door.
Shitshitshit -
I ran quickly over to the toilet, pulling down the flush mechanism and then pacing over to the sink and turning on the faucet for several seconds to aid in an admittedly odd attempt at simulating audio queues so that hopefully whoever was on the other end of the door, who could even be Dominik, wouldn’t suspect anything odd going on.
I carried myself uneasily towards the wooden threshold of the bathroom, before shakily placing my hand on the knob and forcing any latent anxiety that was still within my mind to be relinquished as I turned it.
A short exhalation of relief exited my lungs as I saw the form of a moderate in height female, the shape of a small Pokemon having sat on her shoulder, which upon a quick inspection was revealed to be a Minun - jolts of electricity emanating from it’s cheeks.
“S - Sorry…” The girl mumbled, brushing past me before stopping and looking back. Her hazel colored eyes darted across my body seemingly in an attempt to identify me.
Then we just stared at each other.
She moved several strands of jet black hair from her face in a slow mannerism of perplexation before her eyes widened in a moment of clarity and realization.
“Oh, you’re Maurice Shaw? Just so you know - Dominik, that boy, is looking for you. I’d suggest the backyard, barely anybody goes out there.” The mysterious girl turned away from me, as the Minun did seemingly in unison.
I stood in a sort of surprise at how this person, a girl, had recognized my name and that of Dominik - why was she even giving me advice? I blinked several times to snap out of this sudden ripple of intrigue, however once my eyes attempted to refocus on the figure, they disappeared. The bathroom door was still held slightly ajar, as my mouth hang open. A chill ran down my spine.
Sure enough, turning around and staring into the sea of obnoxiously loud attendees was the distinct ginger hair and now clearly serious demeanor of Dominik, headed straight towards my position. With no other option, my spurious decision fueled by the surprise the girl had provided and no other conceivable actions of escape, I continued down the hallway.
————————————————————————————————————
A house? So much light. So much happiness. No, this is odd. .. I’m perplexed.
He’s coming out now. Good thing Yusov was able to perform the illusion, even I have such restraints -
Well, these scenarios aren’t too uncommon, likely a case of moroseness or anxiety. Either way, any manpower is manpower, and manpower is energy. Energy is fear.
Fear is fuel.
————————————————————————————————————
After approximately several more minutes of walking and occasionally checking over my shoulder to assure that I was not being followed, I reached a large pair of glass doors vaguely lined by a white material.
Stepping outside was indescribably refreshing, as the cold evening air caressed my face and served to assist in quelling the severe anxiety that deeply entrenched my emotions. Even if it did facilitate a pilfering of my worries, it didn’t completely annihilate them - and so I continued to cautiously stare around my surroundings.
The backyard was just as well decorated and kept as the main interior of the house, lush green landscapes and rows of vibrant flowers punctuating the tranquil outdoors area.
“MAURICE - AGH!” The voice of another boy yelled across the lawn, followed by a horrible, heavy thud that echoed right into my ears.
I pivoted on my heels to see the shape of Dominik Sardello, laying face first on the ground, motionless.
A sudden involuntary, uncontrollable chill scraped down my spine as I began to tremble. The jubilant halls and lights of the Halloween party seemed distant, as I stumble. My mouth hung slightly ajar, attempting to let out a scream or squeal or some sort of sound - however nothing came.
“Don’t run. Your friend isn’t dead, but it’s no use trying to flee, so I would suggest that you stay there.” A sudden deep voice sounded, seemingly genderless in nature - a terrible gentleness lacing the words, however the remark was also doused in an undeniable sense of authority.
I froze for a moment, completely bewildered, my mind swimming with activity.
I pivoted on my heel, looking up to see what was a nearly corporeal entity, floating slightly above the ground with an immediately noticeable form that almost appeared to be edged lightly and wavily, nearly like wisps of smoke. A larger black formation of smoke seemed to be the main acting body, while a red collar like section followed by a white head was attached to the rest of the creature.
A great pain struck into my head, as my throat and lungs compressed so unnaturally that it was nearly impossible to breathe. I took one last look over to the unmoving Dominik, before the world went completely black.
