Impractically Broken

Chapter 2

Sal was the one that screamed. His face went paler than the snow outside and he was stiffer than a board. The way Q was...it was unnatural. Sal regretted his idea of rushing into the store. He regretted not looking at the cameras first. He regretted not asking Q if he was even still alive.

Long, thick, oily tentacles were flailing around out of Q's back. A neon green residue coated each tendril and was flying around the whole store. The shelves, walls, and ceiling were covered in green and black. Q groaned and looked at Sal, his eyes full of pain.

"Help...me..."

Nobody spoke, for they were too scared. The only sounds that could be heard were the pained groans from Q and the slapping of the tentacles. Sal slowly stepped closer and closer to the monster in front of him, quietly praying to himself. Q blinked slowly and looked up at Sal. He let out a guttural moan of discomfort and put his head down

"Brian," Sal said softly. "Are...are you okay?"

Lifting his head back up, Q tried to form real words. He couldn't do it. The only noise Q could make was groans and moans of pain. Sal reached his hand out and placed it on top of Q's head. Small tears started to leak from Sal's eyes and roll down his cheeks.

"What happened to you?"

Q didn't respond. Instead, he just stared at Sal with wide eyes. The long, silky tentacles that were protruding from his back stood straight up, bent forward a bit, and pointed directly at Sal. Freezing in his place, Sal felt his heart drop. He was about to scream, when one of the tendrils shot right past him and landed on the ground. Three more that were pointing at Sal's face rocketed towards him. Sal screamed loudly and shut his eyes tightly.