A duet

It was a few minutes after leaving Linda and Harold. I had just checked out what I'm sure was the agriculture Faculty, it was this wooden three story building with a bunch of trees around it. It had a greenhouse next to it too! I didn't expect this much from a university in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't spend all night admiring it, I was now moving towards the other building they told me to check out, the liberal arts faculty.

Stepping in front of it, I got the feeling of those guys in movies before they stepped into the villain's castle. It definitely wasn't as big as one but the old brick and the way it was built gave me that old timey feeling. I almost expected a knight to come order me out of the way of his horse.

“Hehehe, that's ridiculous”

I took a quick circle around, scouting the area before getting in, My breathing was starting to get a bit faster. I didn't think about it much before but I was going to be meeting someone. And they were likely to be in a very bad mood. Ugh… fuck you Ortho!

“What did I do now?”

“You know what you did, now I'm out here cleaning your mess”

“My mess?, do we have to have this conversation all the time?” It sounded like he was sighing in frustration.

“I was helping you out, I ate someone and I even had to talk to some people, even had to scare them a bit.

It was difficult work, I got agitated and I needed to relieve my stress”

“Imagine being alone in that kind of situation, the fear of the police, the thought of people catching me, sneaking to get you clothes and getting you home safe!”

“I had to do a multitude of tasks and you only focus on the few bad things I did”

I kept quiet, it sounded like I did indeed leave Ortho in a bad spot. But still, no one forced him to do that to people. Was there no other way to relieve his “stress?”

I frowned, deciding to leave this topic alone, it was hurting my brain.

I also had to focus, I was still sneaking around the premises illegally and I honestly didn't know what I was intending to find.

Occasionally I would risk a peek to see inside the ground floor windows but it was just darkness, tables and chairs. Normal empty lecture rooms. No one there. Of course Toucan could just be on a higher floor or not in one of the rooms I saw.

As I continued my fruitless search, I caught something at the edge of my vision. Sitting there was a shed, small and brown with a metal roof. It was there all alone, looking almost abandoned. Its door was slightly open and it would squeak open and close like some wind was blowing on it. Inside was a deep darkness but I would catch reflections of light inside.

My heartbeat that was calming down started to speed up again. I had to check it out, I had no idea what was wrong with me but I had to check it out. Crouching down and slowly making my way there, I had to do it while my eyes were focused on it ready to run at any sign of trouble. The door swinging on its hinges creating an eerie soundtrack.

Reaching my destination, I leaned inside, poking my head in. There were tools inside. Rakes, shovels and all manner of grounds keeping tools.

“Uhh fuck, I got all excited for nothing”

“I have no idea what you expect to happen”

“Constantly approaching threats yet you have no viable method of protecting yourself”

“Shut up!, it's-” I didn't expect Ortho to call me out like this.

“-It’s just in the stories the main character always has to investigate the weird stuff you know?”

“No I do not know your fantasies, and I do not wish to do so. Grab a weapon, we might need it”

“No way! These aren't even weapons, plus imagine if I pulled up to someone I have to negotiate with carrying fucking shears!”

“Do not be foolish, we were fortunate enough with those two females that they were submissive enough. This other one didn't fight back too when I was “relieving stress,” There was a strange hint of hesitation radiating from Ortho.

“But I did feel a certain strangeness from him. You have to be careful”

“Ohh damn you! You think this could've been useful earlier on?”

I looked around the shed. The majority of the stuff here was made out of metal and any of them were lethal to a human, even if I landed one hit. I stopped a rubber rake and I picked it up. The wood was heavy enough so I just popped out the rubbery teeth thingies. Swinging it a bit to feel the weight and I was satisfied. I had now gotten a makeshift staff.

I think it's time to go in.Walking out of the shed and around, back to the main door of the building. I rubbed my head hoping it wasn't locked as I didn't know how to pick locks. I pulled the handle and it easily opened, though the doors were a bit heavy, I needed both hands. I laid the stick against the door and pushed it open a bit, I would take a quick look inside before coming out for my weapon. I squinted, not quite used to darkness and stepped inside of the unknown.

---

I couldn't breathe

I couldn't breathe

I couldn't breathe.

Each breath I tried to take felt like I was only absorbing more pain. I clutched at my torso, trying to feel around or maybe to fix the thing that was wrong. A whimper of frustration escaped my mouth. I wasn't sure what was injured, I just knew that something was wrong.

There was someone talking, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. Was it my attacker?

A stabbing fire relighted on my ribs. I opened my eyes and screamed. It was a man, looming over me, his bright clothes overwhelming my vision.

It was someone I couldn't recognize, and he was roughly pressing his shoe into my injured torso. I didn't know whether to curse him or thank him. His pressing allowed me to breathe a little but the pain was maddening.

“There's the little bird we were looking for. He looks far more arrogant now”

“You should have seen him yesterday squealing!”

So this is Toucan!

I couldn't see him properly, it was dark and my vision felt blurry. I could only beg and try to talk to him.

“T-toucan! P-please listen, I wasn't myself last night. I'm here to talk!”

He froze, that had really shocked him.

He removed his leg and leaned down to my level.

“What do you mean?”

Good question. What did I mean? What could I say to him? What would make sense? What would make this guy calm down? What words could I use?

He wasn't like Old ma or the girl. He actually was willing to fight and he had reason to. I never actually took the time to think about what I was going to say. Did I think it was going to end up easy like those two?

“SPEAK NOW!” Toucan shouted in my ear.

I recoiled and just opened my mouth. “Look it's-”

I wracked my brain for answers, could I tell him about Ortho? I don't know if he would believe me but it's the only thing my brain could think of.

“I dunno okay?!, I hear a voice and I-i think it's a monster or something”

“A what?!?” He asked incredulously, his voice had hints of frustration. I actually sympathised with him here, I was as confused as him.

“You expect me to be satisfied with just that, after what I- we- after what you did to ME?!?” He was pointing his finger in my face.

“I don't know…” I had no other words in me, but that.

“I can't tell you what I don't know man, pleaseee!!! just look at me!!” I pleaded

“Am I really the same person who did that to you? Just look at my eyes please!!!” I actually leaned forward, desperate to make him see.

He paused. It felt like an eternity not knowing what he was thinking or what his expression was like in the dark.

I felt something grab my collar and pull me up and closer to his face, his breath steaming across my skin. I didn't dare to move a muscle, In that darkness I could still see a bit of his face or more like his hair. Colourful with many shades like a disorderly rainbow, I never thought it would be scary.

I forced myself to look forward, meeting his eyes. I couldn't see them but I saw their reflection.

We stood like that for a few long moments before he released my collar, letting me slam down onto the floor.

He paced away from me, and started speaking to himself, voice low but sharp.

“So was it an attack on me or on master?”

“Was it planned or not?”

“Is he lying?”

“No! even I could tell it's not the person”

“But it's the same body, mind control?”

“Is it the work of another like master?”

“Or something entirely different?

“Ugh!!” He kicked the wall in frustration and I heard a cracking sound, did it not hurt?

He seemed to be trying to rationalize and the hints I could catch made it seem like he might know a bit more about the strange. It also seemed like he was talking to himself and not even paying attention to me, did I have a chance to escape?

“You're being foolish…”

“Escape now!”

I was about to reply to Ortho in my head when I noticed a distinct lack of sound. I turned my focus outwards to find him suddenly back in front of me, gazing silently. I didn't even hear him move closer.

“Oh you're so dull”

Ortho's words reverberated in my subconscious.

“Umm… so… what are we going to do?” I asked.

Silence.

He only slowly went down once more to my level. That colourful hair was once more in my sight.

“I like that”

Liked what?

“I liked how you said “We””

“Because at the end of the day, now we're in this together”

“We bonded together the day you came into my life. I had only known pleasure. My master had shown me the greatest pleasure there was and only a little bit of pain”

He raised his hands up to his head and started pulling on that rainbow hair of his. He strained his hands and grunted but he didn't make a cry of pain as he yanked hard.

“I forgot or maybe I hadn't ever really thought about it. I was living my best life, though in my heart I felt empty.”

“Master had spoiled me, maybe he was too soft”

The hair finally couldn't bear the pulling and released from his scalp with a faint tearing sound.

I winced hearing it, trying to scooch back a bit. Maybe this guy's mental state wasn't the best.

He lowered his hands, allowing the hair to slip between his fingers, slowly floating down

“But one cannot have the pleasure without the pain. That's not proper, maybe that's what master was always trying to teach me but I wouldn't listen. I am ashamed to admit it's not him who made me realize this”

“It's you.”

This guy was extra creepy, I don't know what the fuck he was rambling about. I just needed to hear what he was going to do. It seemed just like Old ma, the girl and him had all gotten some sick “lesson” from Ortho.

“So… Toucan what do you want?, I'll try to make it up to you man. I can see you're going through a lot.”

“My dad works for the school, If I talked to him then we can even see how to help”

Silence.

Laughter.

A haughty and arrogant one in fact.

“Oh yeah?”

“Who said you're going anywhere?”

“We are going to be waiting for master”

Master?

He keeps on mentioning this guy, and I got a bad feeling from it. No one I had ever met called another person master in real life.

“Erm… that's fine but it's late and my mom will be worried. Just get my dials and we'll set a meeting up yeah?” I said sitting up and helping myself up with my hands.

My eyes had already adjusted, and the pain in my torso had already dulled. Now I had time to think, it wasn't actually that bad of a situation.

I glanced at Toucan. A small fella, while not as skinny as me, was far smaller. Maybe a bit more than five feet? He didn't seem to be able to fight and he even had bags under his eyes, with his arm hanging loosely at his side he cut a far less intimidating figure when I could actually see him.

I felt guilty for leaving but this was beyond my limit. I started to stand up, my legs straightening up. When I felt my balance shift. I was suddenly falling. A weight on me and a strong grip on my face, squeezing my mouth shut.

My arms fumbled around, trying to feel who had suddenly ambushed me. I scratched and punched the assailant but nothing seemed to budge them. I turned my head slightly to look. It was Toucan!

He was above me, his good hand pushing my face down onto the cold floor. His legs stepping on my body. And the most shocking thing was I couldn't move. It felt like an elephant was sitting on me.

“I said, we will wait for master,” He whispered in my ear.

“You interrupted me too, as I was still saying”

“You taught me pain”

“it's only fair that as your friend, as someone you're bonded with. To do the same to you right?”

He fumbled around a bit shifting and adjusting his position, though the weight never left me.

He came back to whisper in my ear, “Though my other arm is not as good, I should still be able to do this much”

A crack, a hideous throbbing pain in my index finger. It was the worst I had ever felt.

I screamed into his hand with no hesitation, I wanted to kick him off, to move, twist out, to do anything but I could only scream into his hand.

And another cracking sound was heard soon after. The second finger was broken.

Any composure I had dissolved in the face of that pain, I begged and pleaded with him.

My words were gibberish and muffled, but I knew he understood the meaning behind them.

I couldn't understand why he was doing this, I apologized. We both knew it was truly me who did it, but he still didn't let me go!

Toucan started laughing, it wasn't loud but a satisfied giggle. This was his moment alone to enjoy.

If only.

Another voice laughed. This one loud inside of my mind.

Ortho had joined Toucan in laughing at my plight.

Their two voices, one that echoed in the dark and empty hallway. Another that rang inside of my head, already deeply familiar.

“While his technique is quite amateurish, he shows potential and knows how to have fun!!”

“If only!”

“I told you to run”

“Why don't you beg?, beg for me to switch!”

I begged, prayed and pleaded for Him to switch.

“Pleashe, Pleaaashe Orthooooo, SWITCH!!

SWITCH!!!”

Silence.

“No!”

“Ahahaha”

“You're going to learn two lessons today, always switch with Ortho!”

“Ahahaha,” The bull man guffawed

“Ekekekekek,” The colourful man cackled