Saturday, November 5th, 10 a.m.
Albert hated to admit that Lancet Falls had grown on him. Its rustic charm had taken hold of him like a particularly tenacious weed. It pained him to see the place Vergil had been so passionate about brought to its knees. Inexplicable destruction and devastation had fallen upon this sleepy town like a tsunami striking the middle of a continent.
Humans choose to live in places like Idaho because it acts as a buffer between them and the natural world. It was a refuge from disasters and the toxicity of humanity, but somehow that security had been compromised by invaders from another dimension, something no one could be safeguarded from.
Vyth and Blujh were their world's version of Christopher Columbus, and with them, came the winds of change. Like the first invaders of the United States, Vyth and Blujh brought disease, and just like Columbus and his lot, they had little to no regard for the indigenous people within.
Although Vergil's plan had been asinine and overly dramatic, his heart had been in the right place. He couldn't have grasped the Pandora's box that had been opened at their arrival. The boy thought he could send them back to their world, and that would be the end of it, but all of this was just the beginning. The beings would not be content with one foray into this dimension, they would not be satisfied until they had explored every nook and cranny, and when the interlopers were finished with this dimension, they would move onto the next one. These men may not be human, but the fundamental avarice and curiosity remained.
Apparently, debilitating vices are not exclusive to humans. With higher-order thinking comes fatal flaws, the two inextricably are inextricably linked across all dimensions.
Albert preferred not to turn the looking glass on himself. His days as a common housepet content to serve the Master,\ and the little Master were obscured by the dense fog of memory, but he longed for that simple life. It had been an innocent existence consisting of unquestionable love and loyalty. The new Albert felt the burdens of intelligence and found that humans did not have a monopoly on flaws. He discovered that he had plenty of his own, cowardice being among them. Although he had chastised and mocked Vergil for being foolish and caring about everyone far too much, Albert admired the man.
Being a brave fool is better than being a coward.
He'd pretended not to notice the hurt in the Little Master's eyes when he deigned not to acknowledge her existence. Albert couldn't bear to let his old life and his new life intersect. With his newfound awareness came the realization that Albert's continued presence around the Little Master hurt her. Albert was a constant reminder of the Master for the girl, and he couldn't bear the way she looked at him.
Now, he wished for nothing more than to recount all his actions. As the girl was swallowed by that ravenous mass of humanity, she would die thinking she lost her father, mother, and her lifelong companion. Due to his own cowardice, Albert had let down Vergil and the Little Master, and found that he did not know a single reason why he should continue on.
Throughout their panicked flight from the drive-in, Albert remained silent. Whenever Albert deigned to speak, his ever-present negativity subtracted and never added. With his sentience, came nothing but a persistent storm cloud over those he interacted with.
Albert looked out the window and noticed their little group had attracted the stragglers of the once great parasitic horde. No fewer than a couple dozen more of the creatures had coalesced behind them and now followed the truck, somehow keeping pace with the vehicle. No doubt they had been attracted by the collective presence of Michelle, Christopher, and himself. The one called Vyth parked the truck, and Ms. Kim and Blujh disembarked to dispatch the threat. Compared to the horde, this motley crew was eliminated with ruthless efficiency. They completed the whole operation in a matter of moments.
Albert, Lisa, and a greasy man Albert vaguely recognized from the time before his sentience all sat in the backseat of the vehicle. The man sat quietly, but watched the group with hungry eyes, looking for an opportunity to strike. It struck Albert that the man resembled a snake waiting in tall grass while Lisa's eyes were transfixed by the elimination of the parasites. Albert was the only one of them to notice the coiled energy in the man. When Albert tried to warn the girl of the danger, he found that he couldn't speak. The mental opening in which he was able to project words was paved over by a mental block with nary a crack in its foundation. However, Albert heard a growl emanating from the depths of his throat. He didn't know how long it had been since he used his actual mouth. The growl had the desired effect, both Vyth and Lisa turned to him with questioning looks on their faces.
When Lisa saw what Albert was growling at, she addressed the man, "Don't think you're going anywhere you slimy piece of shit. I'm going to see to it that you get everything that's coming to you. I only know the tip of the iceberg of all the vile shit you're up to, but you better pray the justice system gets to you first, because if you somehow slip through the cracks, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands. You don't want that. When I'm through with you, dropping the soap would be a pleasant change of pace. We clear?"
"I don't know what you mean sweetheart? I'm an angel," he said with a wink.
A deep growl emanated from Albert's throat, and he felt the hackles of his fur rise, but the man settled back down and started whistling to himself. Although his posture was now relaxed, Albert noticed the watchful expression never left his face. He looked like a wild animal that had been backed into a corner looking for a chance to escape.
An animal is at its most dangerous when it feels like it has nowhere else to go.
"What's wrong boy?" Lisa asked. He couldn't tell if she was being intentionally condescending or not. If Albert could speak, he would have harrumphed and blustered at the perceived insult.
When she realized Albert wasn't going to reply, she turned back to the man and returned his wink. He gave her a greasy smile, and Lisa turned to look out the window. Albert guessed it was so she would not lose her temper on the man. A person like him thrived on that sort of negative attention. Albert could not help staring at the man. The others were so preoccupied with the supernatural threat, it seemed as if they'd forgotten that the average human could be just as dangerous, and he felt powerless to do anything about it.
Tony turned his gaze towards Albert.
"You don't remember me, Albert? I used to bring strips of beef jerky every time I visited."
Albert sensed some truth in that statement, but any association he'd had with this man was from a different life. Albert was sickened by the implication that this human believed they shared any common ground. That was the old Albert, and the new one refused to be associated with this ilk.
Tony reached his hand toward Albert, presumably to pet him, but Albert did not feel like acquiescing to the man's show of intimacy. A breach of Albert's physical space could not be tolerated. He bit down on the skin between the thumb and the index finger as hard as he could. A metallic scent overpowered Albert's nostrils as his teeth sunk deeper into the man's flesh. Albert's teeth ground against bone, and Albert cringed at the noise. The resulting tingling sensation was highly unpleasant.
Albert prided himself on his sense of hygiene, but biting this questionable individual left him feeling soiled.
Tony jerked away from the dog's tenacious bite. The movement dragged Albert's head along with the man's arm. Albert's teeth raked against the man's skin until Albert was finally shook loose.
The man's face turned an amusing shade of red, and Albert wished he could have replicated the man's insolent smirk that he had been displaying seconds before.
"Why you little sh-" Tony said, but an elbow to the kidney interrupted the man's sentence.
"Hands off, you creep. You don't want to add animal cruelty to your list of offenses," Lisa said.
Rage warred on Tony's face, as he more than likely contemplated the best way to shut Lisa's mouth for good. The tension from his face in slow increments until the slick persona regained control.
"Of course, of course. You're right sweetheart. Thanks for looking out for me. Daddy's going to remember that."
Although the words were silky and saturated with calmness, Albert could sense the implicit threat in the statement.
A thud against the glass on Albert's side of the car cut off whatever Lisa's reply may have been.
Albert turned to see a human woman snarling at him through the window. A streamer of black saliva trickled down the edge of her mouth as she slammed her head against the glass again. The impact didn't do the truck any harm, but it did work well as a distraction.
Tony lunged forward, and before anyone could react, he had curled his hands around Vyth's neck and twisted. The Being's head bent at an impossible angle, and his eyes locked onto Tony's before glazing over. As if punctuated by the snapping of his neck, Vyth's body started to lose its shape and deflate like a balloon. Whatever force had held the man together, left with his last breath. Albert couldn't see over the seat and was glad to be spared the sight of the man.
Without a moment to spare, Albert pressed a button on the door to his left. A window started to squeak downward.
Tony had turned his ministrations on Lisa, but Albert knew if he tried to help her, he may as well have been signing his own death warrant. Maybe he deserved it, but his instinct to survive overwhelmed any sense of bravery.
Tony's head tilted backward slightly, but it was enough for his peripheral vision to catch Albert's attempt to escape. The man's eyes darted between Lisa and Albert trying to decide which was a bigger threat, and the man's eyes settled back on Lisa.
It would appear kidney punch trumps dog bite.
In his haste, Albert had completely forgotten about the female predator that would have liked to make him an hor dourve if given half the chance. The window had descended halfway by the time he realized his mistake. A reaching arm snaked its way through the opening Albert had created. It did not have enough maneuverability to be a real threat, but that wouldn't stop her for long.
Albert watched the expanding opening with anticipation, dreading the moment where he would need to leap out the window and into the arms of the waiting predator. He shivered at the thought of her mindlessly groping hands rubbing his fur the wrong way, truly an abhorrent sensation. Humans possessed only a fraction of the senses, whereas Albert experienced everything in vivid detail. For instance, judging by the scent of oil on the woman's hand, she had not washed in over seventy-two human hours.
Even before the parasite, this woman's negligence of hygiene was criminal.
Albert pressed his body flat, everything but his one paw pressing the button was pressed against the seat waiting for his moment.
He could hear the fighting of Lisa and Tony next to him and thought about turning to help the woman, but Albert had already made his decision. It was far too late to change his mind.
Albert chanced a glance upward to see the predators hand thrashing back and forth was now dangerously close to brushing his fur. He scooted backward while holding his chest and buttocks firmly against the seat. When he felt he had created enough distance from the limb, Albert bunched the muscles in his haunches and leapt towards the window.
The predator adjusted its position accordingly, easily shifting position to match Albert's trajectory. The dog landed in the woman's waiting arms. Her hands were more like claws as they clutched his fur and dug into flesh. Albert writhed, in her grasp, gyrating his body, making it hard for her to get anywhere near his mouth.
The woman removed her hand to get a better grip on his throat, and Albert seized the opportunity. He flung himself out of her hold and landed on the ground, leaving a chunk of his hair and skin behind. The predator responded with an inhuman agility, lunging for Albert, but the dog scurried out of her reach, desperation quickening his reflexes. Physical exertion had never been a strong suit of his, but now he felt more spry than a pup.
He heard a crack and a thud from behind him. Albert turned to see Michelle standing over the form of his pursuer She looked radiant in the glow of the streetlights, like a heroine straight out of the comic books.
Sadly, heroes are for stories. In this world, heroes don't last long enough to make a difference.
As if on cue, a brilliant light penetrated the sky, blinding Albert for several moments. The smell of burnt metal wafted through the hour, and the air almost seemed to crackle and pop. Albert put two and two together. The trigger happy Blujh had fired off a shot of his damnable weapon and hit something dangerous, possibly a vehicle.
With his eyes scrunched shut against the glare, Albert trotted in a direction he thought might offer a modicum of shelter. He did not like the thought of being out in the open, a sitting duck as it were. He would feel much better with a building at his back, where he could survey the events as opposed to being a part of them. That position complemented his skillset better.
Whilst he ran, A deafening roar accompanied by a rushing wave of heat lifted him off of his feet and hurled him into the air. He careened end over end, unable to determine what direction was up or down. The world snapped back into focus when Albert's head collided with a brick wall.
Sometime later, Albert hoped it was just seconds. Time passed differently for Albert; he lifted his head to survey the carnage that had transpired. The truck Lisa, Vyth, and Tony had been occupying now ceased to exist. In its place was a pool of melted metal and rubber with flames licking the air around it. In the area surrounding the blast, smoking pieces of half-liquified metal littered the streets and sidewalks, but there was no sign of the truck's occupants.
That being noted, there was no shortage of dead bodies filling the streets. Albert scanned the wreckage to see if any looked familiar, but these humans were either burned beyond recognition or unfamiliar to him.
The sun glowed a muted, yellow light that provided little warmth or illumination; it felt superficial, like the sun had been replaced by a fluorescent bulb. Albert sighed and pushed himself to his feet. A booming pain pounded in rhythm between his eyes, but the rest of him appeared to be in working order. He glanced to his right and to his left, trying to distinguish which path he should take. Desolation and emptiness stretched in either direction as far as the eye could see. It felt strange to not have a human tell him which way to go.
He supposed he could wait.