Cock-a-Doodle-Doom ☑️

Aftertaste

I accompanied Tig back home after that. We had a honest conversation with Domenica about my relationship with her, I made it pretty clear that nothing was gonna happen. I just want to be there for her. Among the people I know, she's the one who's had it the hardest.

She had been living with Leon for quite a while, so his absence is really noticeable to her. Her other roommates also number among the missing. I can't imagine the weight she carries every day. No matter how much she was influenced, she delivered them to Ñox Cayù, one way or another. I've been going to her place for the past few weeks and as much as would like to say that I'm a positive influence on her moods, a more honest answer would be "Time will tell".

I forced her to accept my paycheck from HappyBroilers. In addition to the hundred bucks I already owed her for the bike, she's been fired from every place she was at given that she spent around two weeks in her delirium, plotting the return of a mad god. She got so little money that I suggested she could move in with my parents for a while, but she needs her space. Being around a couple of paranoid naysayers wouldn't do her much good, anyway.

Nathan, by the way, is not traumatized in the slightest. He's back in school and we thankfully didn't loose any of his friends to the poultry frenzy. Were it not for the distorted stone head that is now held on display in Domenica's office, I think it has all been a dream. But he has shown how much he could achieve when he froze a god in place and I'd really love to know more about those powers of his. I'll take it slow. He's no curiosity, he's a kid. He probably has enough on his mind as it is with his developing abilities.

His school is right next to the odd police station I tried to get help from before. It is empty to this day. It's chilling to think about what must have happened to all those cops, but at the same time I'm not exactly fond of law enforcement. We'll do just as well without them beating people up in self-defense.

I haven't heard from Dave. He just went away that night, onto the next shady town, I guess. I don't know if I could be so free like that. I bet I'd get lonely. I hope we get a letter from him sometimes, just to know that he's alive and well. I knew him for a short time but I'd like to think that he's a friend, now. We've been through enough together, really. Well, if supernatural stuff keeps happening, we'll cross paths again, I'm sure.

I have been using this afternoon to learn how to make margaritas. I still don't have the exact taste I'm looking for, but I'm getting there. I now that soon I'll have to find a job and maybe get out of her hair. in the meantime, I'm living the life, why not? I still try to do stuff in order not to feel too bad when she becomes available in the evening after a long day of hard work. That means I should check the mail.

As usual there are a few coupons from the nearby supermarkets and a sober envelope, probably containing a bill or a reminder. I hand all of those over to Domenica, hunched over at her desk, looking at a dozen pictures of the same rock. Fascinating.

Suddenly, she freezes over. She has seen the bland envelope and the stamp on it. She turns it over, looking deeply troubled. She notices me looking at her, perplexed.

"It's a letter from old acquaintances," she says. "What we did on the mountain must have reached further than I thought." She opens the letter and reads it. From what I can see, it's a simple single-sided printed out document with a few paragraphs on it. Her "old friends" don't look that close. She puts the paper down and sighs. Oh, great. We just got out of reality-breaking trouble. What's going on now?

"Listen," she says. "do you want to meet some people who do what we did... For a job ?"

"Like... fighting monsters?" I say, taken aback. Sure, I need money, but I'm not about to put myself in harm's way again without a good reason.

"Well," says Domenica, "not so much fighting as it would be scouting, I guess. They can send someone for an evaluation, if that's the kind of job you're into." She looks at me, testing the waters. She doesn't know what to think about this offer, I guess. Neither do I.

All I know is this: my life is not gonna get boring anytime soon.

***

Hey! It took a long time but here it is: my second story is complete... Until I revisit it and tweak quite a few things. In my eyes there is less work than with Over and Done With, but that's a pretty low bar to set.

Next up: comics! I've got the title (finally) worked out and the first few finished pages. You should be getting your first chapter this Sunday and every two weeks after that. We'll see how that goes, but I'm excited!

Much love for anyone who read this story until the end!