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Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 8

Elizabeth's POV

I've left the old motel already. Fled through the window, and broke through the bars that were attached on the outside, so I wouldn't have to go to the lobby. They'll figure out it was me but I'll be long gone.

It's harder to find another place to take shelter than it seems. More often than sleeping in motels, I sleep out in places like unowned lots, alleys, or abandoned houses. But this time it was more challenging to get around. My mouths were bringing me more pain, feeding off of me more harshly. Walking was agonizing. Breathing was unbearable. But I toughed though it and fled towards the outskirts of the city I was in.

My backpack is supposed to be light since not much is in there but a blanket I stole from the motel, another change of clothes, a canteen of water, and a few small snacks. Because of my pain my backpack feels like I'm carrying another, bigger person. I didn't even put my eyepatch on; my vision is blurring too much for me to use it. Every time I turn my head it feels like the world is spinning. Everything just hurts and feels disoriented, and I can hear voices in my head pleading or yelling at me to feed them--the mouths--and I tell them I won't but they just keep demanding and eating me and I want to fucking fall over and die but I know I can't and I just want them to stop.

I end up keeling over against a brick, water stained wall and crumple onto the sidewalk. At least I made it far enough than I thought I could, but I'm not to the outskirts yet. Why the hell is this city so big? It seems like it expanded but I know it didn't. Wait....where am I again? I can't remember the city name. Shit. It started with a B, right? No! H! It was an H! No, the last city I was in started with an H. Dammit...!

My stomach began twisting and my chest heaved. I felt like throwing up but I didn't have anything in my system so all my body could do was tremble. My metal fingers were cold against my skin as I pulled up the jacket sleeve of my other arm. The mouth on my forearm was burning a bright red and squirming around on my skin. I stared at it with so much hatred as it fed on me along with its companions. In my back pocket was a switchblade. My head was pounding and there was no way for me to think clearly enough.

All of a sudden, I had taken out the switchblade and slashed it into my forearm, right across the mouth. It screeched in my head and I watched blood bubble out from the cut I made. Again, I slashed my arm, and it wasn't until the fourth cut that I realized what I was doing. But the burning of the cuts were not even close to the pain the mouths were bringing me. Anything to hurt them is fine by me, even if it hurts me. I need them to shut up. I need them to die. Get out of my body.

Cut them out. All of them. Cut them all out. Cut until there's nothing left!

While I was caught up in slashing at my arm, footsteps tapped behind me. I whipped my head around and saw a young woman standing on the sidewalk, giving me a concerned look. Her hair was wavy and blonde and her eyes were a beautiful brown and she was pretty. She clutched her jacket as she asked, "Excuse me, are you okay?"

Then, her beautiful brown eyes went wide once she noticed my bleeding arm. "Oh my god--what happened to your arm?"

I only stared back at her. It was then that I realized how stupid I was. I'm not in a place entirely devoid of people, and my left eye isn't covered. She's seen my face. I have to run.

But then I see Zalgo's dark figure show up behind the woman and I clench my teeth.

Here is your chance to alleviate your pain, Elizabeth. Such a naive, young woman, too. All alone and defenseless. C'mon. One slash and she's dead. She can be yours...!

Mine. Mine to kill. Mine to feed to the mouths. They'll be pleased with her. She's so pretty, and young, and innocent enough for them.

My grip tightened on my switchblade, which I don't think she's seen yet. The mouths have started growling and screaming at me to kill her. Zalgo keeps staring down at me with those bright red eyes of his. The woman is waiting for me to say something, anything, and her throat is exposed and her skin is fair-toned and I bet it's soft and I could just rip into it with my knife.

Finally, I managed to croak, "P-Please...leave. I'm fine."

Zalgo shakes his head and the woman shoots me a wide-eyed look.

"You're bleeding! You need a hospital! I know I'm just a stranger to you, but I can get you help."

"I don't need it," I muttered.

"Ma'am--."

"I said I don't need it!" I hissed, raising my voice. "You're better off leaving now before I do something!"

The mouths kept snapping and begging for me to kill the woman, but I fought them. I don't want to kill her. She doesn't deserve it, and I can't buckle to the mouths and Zalgo. I won't be like him!

Even though the pain was becoming overwhelming now, I managed to get up to my feet. Unfortunately, that was as far as I could take it, and I fell to my knees as soon as I stepped forward to run away. The woman came close to catch me, but as soon as she touched my shoulder, I whirled around and brandished the switchblade at her. "Go away!" I shouted. "Now!!"

She gasped and staggered away, her eyes shining at me with fear instead concern. Just when I was going to try and get up, Zalgo's figure disappeared and another was there. But it wasn't an illusion, because this figure smacked a gloved hand against the woman's mouth as his other came around with a knife. In the blink of an eye, the woman's throat was cut and the only thing that was able to escape her mouth was a quiet, pained yelp. I gasped and flinched away against the wall as the unknown attacker caught the woman's limp body. With her out of the way, I was able to see a head of white hair and crimson eyes looking down at me.

Scowling, I hissed, "W-Why are you here? How?! I left you back at that cornfield! I left you!"

I remember it clearly. Caedis had been traveling with me after he found me the first time. Many times already, I've tried leaving him behind. The first time I just up and fled without him. The most recent attempt was when I had him follow me into a cornfield and then I attacked him. He did nothing to stop me--never does; he's too obedient. I went Nightmare and tore him apart, then left parts of him in the field, and others I dropped off in another county in Kentucky, where we had been. It's been two weeks since then. Now he's back again.

My silly girl, he will always find you. You can't blame him for what he has to do. He was made to serve and follow you.

Zalgo showed up beside me, leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back. I hissed and spit at the spot he stood. Then I turned to Caedis and said, "If you're meant to serve me, then follow my command and leave me alone!"

He's not an idiot. He can still calculate and reason any command you give. If it places you in jeopardy, he will not listen.

"Then what good is he?!" I growl.

Caedis lifted the dead woman's body onto his shoulder before grabbing onto my arm and dragging me away. I began struggling in his grip, trying to rip myself away from him. I cursed, hissed, spat and screamed. When his grip didn't change, I raised my switchblade and stabbed into his wrist. He never so much as flinched, even as the tip of the blade jutted out from the other side of his wrist.

It wasn't long until all of my struggling wasted my energy and I could barely walk with him. Caedis finally turned into an alley and went to the farthest corner in it. The ground was damp from a light rain earlier and the entire area looked dull and gray. Caedis dropped the woman's body on the ground and she lay splayed on her back. Her entire neck and the front of her shirt was covered in blood, and her eyes were still open. Her once beautiful irises were now devoid of any shine or life.

The white-haired, mute man turned to me and grabbed both of my arms. I could feel him having to keep me up on my feet, and I grimaced. His hands traveled to my wounded arm, which still bled thick crimson. All he did was crouch down to the dead woman's body, tear off the sleeves of her jacket, and used one to wipe the blood and the other to wrap around my arm. Blood still soaked through but both of us didn't bother with it. I still had my switchblade in my other hand and briefly contemplated slashing his face as I stared up at him.

"I wish you could die," I muttered to him, and he responded with silence and a blank stare.

My gaze traveled down to the woman and my eyes stung. She didn't deserve to be killed. I was trying to save her by threatening her to go away. The mouths were fighting hard for me to attack her, but I fought too, and for what? Caedis killed her without any hesitance, like the heartless monster he was meant to be. Still, I wasn't the one who killed her, and that means the mouths don't get their chance at finally being fed.

As soon as I thought about the mouths, they began eating at me again. I groaned and crouched down, trying to tough through the pain again. With the switchblade still in my hand, I raised it up to stab myself in the chest. I wish I could die. But I can't, so all I can rely on is to inflict pain on myself that overpowers the mouths. Anything to hide their presence away is fine by me.

Before I could plunge the blade into my chest, Caedis took the knife from my hand and slipped it into his back pocket. I glared up at him, but immediately went back to shutting my eyes and wincing with pain when the mouths bit harder. As I doubled over onto my side, I watched Caedis crouch next to the dead woman again. His back was turned to me so I wasn't able to see what he was doing to her. I did nothing to stop him or to find out what he was up to. The pain was too overbearing to let me focus on him for long.

After a few more minutes, he turned around, holding something behind his back with one hand. Suddenly, he leaped on me and straddled me. His body was heavier than mine, and my lack of strength didn't help either. All I could do was squirm under his weight and watch as he displayed what was behind his back.

In his hand was a dripping, slimy, human heart. I gasped and looked away, figuring out what he had been doing to the dead woman's body. His other hand, coated with more blood, grabbed onto my face and he forced me to look up. The moment his fingers touched my lips, the metallic taste of blood made me gag. But I also realized what he was trying to do.

Panicked, I shook my head and clenched my jaws together. Caedis was much stronger than me, though, and he kept my head in place while his index and middle fingers invaded my mouth. With a tight grip, he pulled my mouth open, and I tried to bite his fingers off, but he pulled too hard, too far. Incoherent whimpers and gurgles came from my mouth as I tried to speak--plead him not to do what he was going to do.

It happened all too fast. Caedis slammed the woman's heart towards my mouth and I gagged as squishy, warm meat touched my tongue. Before I could shake the heart away, Caedis used the hand holding my mouth open to push my bottom jaw up. By doing this, he forced me to bite and take a chunk out of the heart. I tried to spit it out but the white-haired man covered my mouth. I fought him for a good while; struggling while bouncing the chunk of heart on my tongue to keep myself from swallowing. But I was running out of breath because Caedis covered my nose and I knew he wouldn't let go until I swallowed.

And I did.

The heart chunk was big enough for it to hurt as it went down my throat, but it went down. When Caedis uncovered my mouth, I let out a scream and the beginnings of a sob. As I cried and shuddered at the taste of the heart, Caedis forced my mouth open again to feed me more. After a few minutes, I stopped struggling less and less, then not at all, and eventually I was lying on the ground, my face covered in blood, sobbing as I ate a human heart.

It was thick, and way too juicy and blood spurt in my mouth whenever I chewed. It was awful. But as I ate, I began to notice that the mouths started grousing in my head less and less. They were still complaining after I finished eating the heart, but the pain they inflicted on me had faded. A part of me knew that this was temporary. I wasn't the one that caused the woman's death, and I wasn't the one that chose to eat the heart. The mouths are fooled now, but not for long.

Long after I ate the heart, I stayed laying on the ground, sobbing and staring up at the darkening sky. Caedis sat beside me, sometimes staring at me, sometimes staring off at damp, brick walls. I looked at him for a long time, wondering how he knew to do what he did. Then I thought about ways I can maim him later on.

Elizabeth, I think it's time you move on and find a new shelter. Soon people will find you, and you don't want that, now do you?

I spotted Zalgo out of the corner of my eye but I never answered him. Instead, I kept laying on the ground, trying to ignore all of the blood in my mouth and between my teeth. I kept wishing that this wasn't real; that I wasn't Zalgo's daughter, that I wasn't the new ruler, that this is all a dream and I'll wake up in my bed at the mansion soon, and Jeff will be there holding me and wishing me a good morning.

Several minutes pass until Caedis stands up and grabs my backpack from the ground where I had shrugged it off. He put it on, then leaned down to grab me. Effortlessly, he lifted me up and carried me in his arms. I did nothing to stop him. My body was still too weak and now in shock from what I've just done. The white-haired man started walking towards another path in the alleyway system, taking me somewhere I don't know.

As my head rested on his shoulder, I looked back at the dead woman's body. Her chest was torn open from Caedis carving out her heart, and the ground was now soaked in her blood. Zalgo stood next to her, giving me that cruel grin of his again. In the next moment, he was gone and the woman was left dead and alone. More tears flowed down my eyes but I never uttered a single whimper. Soon enough, I passed out in Caedis's arms with the image of that young woman's beautiful face burned into my mind.

...

There's always a few memories that I keep dreaming about.

This one I find myself sitting outside in the backyard with my dad--my real dad. The grass was green, the sky was clear, and the weather was fresh that day. He and I were sitting on the edge of the patio, staring at the green grass in front of us. In my father's hands he held a glass of lemonade that I brought for him. In my hands, I held my own glass. Hey. My hands. They're a tad smaller and real, flesh hands. When was this memory? How old was I then?

"You're doing a good job on the yard, dad," I complimented him. My voice sounded a little higher. I'm pretty young.

He gave a relieved smile and sighed loudly. "That's good to hear. I'm glad your mom hasn't figured out what I'm doing. At this rate, I may be able to finish before our anniversary."

"How many years are you?"

"Good, long, and sometimes stressful, fourteen years...!" He smiled like it was an ultimate achievement.

Mom and dad's fourteenth-year anniversary. I think I was twelve then.

"Wow," I murmured, "that's a lot of years. How does that even happen?"

"How does what happen? The passing of years?"

"No," I chuckled lightly. "Staying with someone for so long. Not that you two would ever want to see other people--and thank god you don't--but...you must really love each other."

"Well, duh, my little bookworm," he said. His smile was kind as he ruffled my hair. I groaned and blew some stray locks of hair out of my face.

"What your mom and I have is something that everyone wishes they had. It's one of the ultimate goals in life, ya know. True love."

"You sound like a Disney movie," I remarked.

"Well, Disney isn't wrong. Though the way they portray their romantic stories is totally unrealistic, I can't deny that they know what's up. They get the emotion right."

"If Disney can't do it completely right," I started, "then what is love to you?"

My dad tapped his chin with his glass of lemonade as he thought. Once he figured out an answer, he snapped his fingers and said, "Say you had an acquaintance and you were walking across the street."

"Um. Okay."

"Now, you can tell them 'I love you' but, then say a car is coming and it's gonna hit your acquaintance."

"This took a turn, but okay."

My dad chuckled and continued, "If it's coming for your acquaintance, you might just let them get run over and say goodbye. So your 'I love you' didn't mean anything. You can just throw that phrase around and it won't mean anything. That isn't love.

"But let's look at a different situation. Say you're walking across the street with your best friend. The bestest friend ever."

"Bestest isn't a word, dad."

"Just roll with it," he said. "Okay, so you and your bestest friend are crossing the street, and a car is coming towards them. You, who cares about them with every fiber of your being, pushes them out of the way and takes the hit."

"Am I dead...?"

"Maybe you are, or maybe you're incredibly injured. But what matters in the end is that you saved your best friend. You sacrificed yourself for them. Because you love them. You love them and would die for them. That is what love is: sacrifice."

I stared at him, then shifted my gaze to my half-empty glass of lemonade. "Did you sacrifice for mom?"

He smiled. "Once, before you were born, your mom was painting the house and used a ladder. She stretched too far and the ladder went falling. Luckily, I was there to catch her but I ended up spraining my wrist. I could barely do anything at work after that, and I couldn't help paint with your mom. That was a long couple of weeks, but at least your mom was okay, ya know? That situation isn't as harrowing as getting run over by a car, but I sacrificed my wrist so your mom wouldn't fall and hurt herself worse than me. And even little sacrifices mean something, like letting your mom eat the last of the ice cream even though you barely had any."

"I ate the last of the ice cream," I admitted. He gave me a scowl and I laughed.

"But do you understand, Ellie? What love is?"

I nodded gingerly. "Yeah, I think so."

He smiled. "That's how love stays strong. You keep making these little sacrifices, and all the while smiling because you're happy to be with the one you cherish."

Sacrifice, huh? I guess I can see how that's love.

"Ah, I better get back to finishing that garden for your mom," he said as he handed me his empty glass. "If you need anything, come out and let me know."

"Okay," I murmured. I got up from the patio and went back inside the house. When I was inside, I spotted the wedding photo of my parents in the hall. My mom in a beautiful, long, pure white dress; her hair in mesmerizing curls. My dad in his crisp, black suit with a giddy smile on his face. Then, I looked out the window to the backyard and watched my dad kneel on the ground as he dug with a trowel. Even though there wasn't much sun, I knew he must be tired and working up a sweat. At one point he picked up dirt too hard and some flew up in his face. I giggled as I watched him spit and groan. And still he kept working and getting dirt all over him, all to make the garden, all for my mom. And I couldn't help but smile.

Love is sacrifice.

...

I woke up to a dimly lit room. The speckled ceiling above me blurred every other second and my head felt too light. Slowly, I sat up to find myself on another motel bed with beige toned pillows and blankets. Underneath me was a towel, probably so I didn't stain the sheets with the blood that still stuck to my clothes. My arm had actual bandages now and no more blood soaked through. I could hear the faint whispers of the mouths at the back of my head, but they could be easily ignored.

When I looked around, I saw a figure sitting on the floor by my bed. After a few seconds, I recognized the white hair and groaned. "Where are we?" I asked. Caedis looked up and stared. Of course he won't answer, what else should I have expected?

I slid out of bed to head for the bathroom. I wobbled for a moment before steadying myself and walking in. I didn't bother to grab the other set of clothes from my backpack, I just shut the door behind me and locked it.

The water was warm and eased my tense limbs. I watched the blood that stuck to my skin come off and wash away in a swirl of pink at my feet. The bandages on my arm were waterproof, so I didn't have to worry about it coming apart. Little tink tink tink noises came from the water hitting my metal arm but I didn't mind.

After drying off and wrapping a towel around myself, I opened the bathroom door and ordered Caedis, "Bring me my other clothes..."

He listened and grabbed my backpack from the foot of the single bed. He handed me the clothes and I slammed the door on him as soon as I grabbed them. A couple of minutes later I was walking out with a towel around my shoulders to catch the water dripping from the tips of my hair. I sat down on my bed, leaning against the headboard with my legs hugged against my chest.

Caedis stood by the kitchenette at the back of the room. I looked at the fridge, then said, "I'm hungry."

There was a pause before he opened the fridge and showed me it was empty. He checked the freezer and it was empty, too. I sighed, but remembered about the snacks in my bag and grabbed for it. When I checked, I only found one chocolate bar. I could've sworn at had two more, but maybe I ate them without knowing. Either way, I ate the last chocolate bar and calmed my growling stomach for now.

How long have I been passed out? It can't have been more than a day. Where the hell are we? Not in the same motel I was in, that's for sure. Hopefully we're far from where we once were.

I glanced up at Caedis again and grimaced. "Stop standing around. You're creeping me out."

He went ahead and sat on the floor next to my bed again. I rolled my eyes and grabbed for the TV remote on the nightstand. After surfing through channels, I never found anything worth watching and just turned the damn thing off. I looked down at Caedis again. He sat straight, his hands on his lap, eyes facing forward and unmoving.

"How the hell am I supposed to communicate with you...," I grumbled.

It's been a good year since he first found me and I still don't know how to get him to talk to me. He can't talk, since he doesn't have a voice-box to speak with (as Zalgo once informed me about). He understands what I say, but I can never understand him. All he does is stare and do whatever I tell him to, which is his purpose after all. He's made to be a willing, loyal, and unwavering servant. Like a dog, but at least dogs can communicate somehow with their masters. Caedis, though. The bastard has no emotion, no need for food or water, no need for sleep. Nothing. He's nothing.

I remember getting him a sign language book a while back. It had been a neat idea at the time if he could learn, but after putting it in front of him, he just stared. It was then that I realized he doesn't know how to fucking read. He can't write for crap either. Once, I told him to write the letter A for me and he ended up making a mass of scribbles on the sheet of paper. He's completely useless when it comes to communicating coherent things. The most he can do is shake his head or nod. Being with him is like being with a silent toddler. It's annoying as all hell.

"Listen," I started and he turned his head to look at me. "If you're going to be with me, you need to learn how to fucking talk to me somehow." My gaze went over to another bag in the corner. It must be his. Though I don't know what he'd need to have a backpack.

I got up and went over to open it. Inside was only his knife, a gun and the sign language book I had stuffed in here a long time ago. Getting an idea, I took the book and sat on the floor in front of Caedis. His red eyes watched me as I put the book between us and opened to the first section. I think one reason why we've never been able to communicate is because I don't take the time to help him know how.

"You see this? This is sign language," I started. "It's when you speak with hands when you can't use a voice. These are the English alphabet signs." I pointed to the individual letters, pronouncing them many times while making the sign for them. He just watched me.

"My name is Ellie," I said, pointing to myself, "E-L-L-I-E. Like this." I signed my named to him.

"Your name is Caedis," I added, pointing to him. "C-A-E-D-I-S. Caedis." I signed his name, pronouncing the letters carefully.

"You try," I ordered, turning the book around so it faced him. "Do letter A."

He glanced down at the book at where I pointed my finger. After staring for a few seconds, he raised his right hand and made the sign.

"Good. Now do B."

He signed for B.

"C."

He signed for C.

"Spell your name."

He paused, fumbled with his fingers, then stopped.

"Spell my name."

There was an attempt, but he couldn't get to the first L.

I sighed and commanded, "What I want you to do is look at this page, look at the letters; the shape of the letters, and practice the hand gestures. Keep doing this alphabet over and over until you can remember all of the letters. Got it?"

Caedis blinked, then looked down at the book, pulled it closer, and started signing with tentative fingers. I sighed, feeling a weird sense of relief.

Just what do you hope to achieve by teaching him how to communicate? You know he's not meant to.

I glanced to the side to see Zalgo sitting on the edge of the motel bed with that stupid grin of his again. Frowning I replied, "Anyone can learn how to communicate. And I don't hope to gain anything from him. I just think it'll be less frustrating for me if he learns to do something."

Ah. Well, I'm glad you're using him.

"I'm not using him for anything," I grumbled.

He's a tool, Elizabeth. He's meant to be used. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Can you shut the fuck up and just go away," I hissed. And suddenly he had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Rolling my eyes I stood up to my feet. I headed to the bathroom to check on my wounded arm. When I unwrapped my bandage, I could see some bits of crusty, dried blood. Gently, I cleaned the cuts under the faucet until it was all gone. The wounds I inflicted on myself would normally need stitches to close up. I had completely sliced into my arm, tearing muscle, and yet all I had now were light, half-inch scratches on my skin. The blackness of the mouth tattoo was already rising from inside the cut to complete its image. I sneered and wrapped my arm back up with the outer layer of bandage.

My eyes darted to the rings on my left hand and my sneer fell from my face. Every part of me just longs to see Jeff again. And I'm surviving with his ring and memory. But I have a feeling it'll get harder and harder to remember him the longer I stay away. I shut my eyes tight, dreading any situation like that. Dammit, I want go back, but I can't! I'm unstable and I'll put everyone in danger.

Love is sacrifice. I'm suffering because I love Jeff, and the others, and humanity. Love is sacrifice.

I walked back out into the motel room and saw that Caedis was still signing the alphabet. Looking back inside the bathroom, I noticed the old clothes I had left behind. They were bloody now, and I wasn't willing to find a laundry mat anywhere. Plus, I'm out of food.

"I'm hungry. I need to eat a proper meal. Go out and get me something," I ordered the white-haired man on the floor.

He looked up and set the book aside. When he got up, he walked towards his backpack to get his knife. While doing so, he brought over my shoes and set them on the floor in front of me. After staring at him, I figured out what he meant and said, "I'm not going." Caedis kept staring and standing still.

I frowned. "I said I'm not going." Irritably, I shoved past him to sit on my bed. When I sat on the edge, he picked up my shoes and kneeled in front of me. With one shoe in his hand, he grabbed my foot with the other and I flinched.

"I told you I'm not going!" I barked and kicked him across the face to make him let go of me. His head jerked to the side but his expression was unfazed. He grabbed my foot again, with a tighter grip this time, and brought my shoe closer. Growling, I struggled and kicked him repeatedly with my other foot, but he managed to get the right shoe on. He did the same process with my left foot, and I fought him again. Eventually, both of my shoes were on and I went ahead and slapped him across the face.

"Listen to me when I give you an order!" I snapped.

Zalgo's words started coming to mind again. When he mentioned that Caedis will reason a command and won't follow it if it harms me. He must think I'll run off again if he leaves me alone.

Snarling, I muttered, "Okay, fine, I'll go. But if you ever touch me like that with no warning, I'll gouge your fucking eyes out...!" I know something like that won't affect him, but it felt good to threaten him.

Caedis ended up lending me his jacket because mine was too bloody and ragged by now. I wore my eyepatch this time, gloves (to hide my metal hand), and got my switchblade back. Once my backpack was on, Caedis opened the door for me and I left the motel room.

It was a fifteen minute walk to the nearest store. It was dark and late at night. When Caedis was first with me, it was unnerving to have him quietly follow me around everywhere, always behind me like some bodyguard. Now, as we walked in the chilly, tranquil night, it doesn't faze me anymore. It's like he's not even there at all.

We made it to a store, and I grabbed whatever looked easy to make and filing. Three apples, six instant noodle cups, pop tarts, snack bars, and water bottles. Not the healthiest array of sustenance.

I bought the food with money saved in my backpack (money I've stolen), and while I was at checkout, the cashier kept taking nervous glances at Caedis. It wasn't until then that I remembered he was with me. He's that quiet.

We went back to the motel, and thanks to the cashier I figured out we were in a different city again. Not too far from the previous ones. Still in Ohio. I don't know how long it'll be until I leave the state for a new one.

Back at the motel, I heated up one of the instant noodles, and snacked on a chocolate bar while I let it sit. Caedis was back on the floor with the sign language book in front of him, practicing his alphabet again. Like being with a fuckin' toddler. Only the toddler is an inhuman, emotionless piece of shit.

After I ate a "proper" meal, I got under the beige motel blanket to get some shut-eye. I stared at the direction of the door, away from Caedis. It was incredibly silent even with him here, even in a motel room like this. Unnerved, I turned on the TV and kept it at low volume to have background noise. With that I was able to relax and go to sleep.