Zoombieverse - Memory 2: The Knife

Part 2: The Key - Interlude 2

Several minutes later...

"The boy continues to surprise me. I didn't expect him to figure out how to activate the Key on his second attempt since I've given him less instructions than the others."

"So he's almost done then?"

"No, not quite. He's barely scratched the surface but he's on the right track. He more or less knows what to do now but he hasn't successfully done it yet."

"You'll stop watching him in person then?"

"I'll stay with him for a few more days. I think he'll try to go deeper next time and take more risks which is exactly what he needs to do. But he'll only do that if I'm with him."

"Isn't he being too dependent on you? Wouldn't that be bad?"

"He is and it would be bad, given how fast he's progressing. That's why I said I'll need to watch over him from a distance. But I need to distance myself slowly."

"Is that why you've been messing with him with the pranks and the mind-games?"

"No. I was just bored. Besides, he can afford the distraction and he needs some of it. He's been working himself hard lately."

"You're only making him more anxious and suspicious of you. He still trusts you but he's also still questioning your motives."

"Yes, yes. We've already gone over how much he suspects me and my motives. He's perceptive enough that he'll end up doing that anyway even without me messing with him."

"Master..."

"Fine, fine. I'll try to contain myself and tone it down. You're no fun, Vincent."

"I'm supposed to keep you focused. If I need to keep popping your balloon, I'll do it."

"Well, he's getting better at keeping up with me."

"I'm sure there are other ways to achieve that, Master."

"You're really no fun, Vincent. Is that why you lost your head?"

"You're going to have to try harder if you want to distract me. Why are you so restless and agitated anyway?"

"No, I'm not."

"You're not fooling me, Master."

"You keep on calling me 'Master' when you're scolding me. You know I don't like being called that."

"I know. That's not the topic."

"Sometimes I hate how perceptive you are."

"That's one of the basic requirements for this job. And you're not getting out of this, Master. Just answer my question."

"You're good at this."

"I've been with you for a long time. My question, Master?"

"Alright, already! Stop calling me that. I didn't expect the boy to die at my hands. There. Are you happy?"

"Happy? No. I'm not happy at seeing you troubled like this. That actually makes my job harder, not that having you in a different state makes it any easier."

"You're quite belligerent today."

"Wasn't that why you made me your head servant?"

"Yes, and I'm starting to regret doing that."

"You'll come around tomorrow, or should I say, in a few hours. Let's just go back to your problem so we can get out of each other's faces sooner. Didn't the boy ask for it?"

"You don't have a face."

"Are we going to do this again, Master?"

"Fine. He did ask for it. He was so badly injured and in so much pain that he asked me to just kill him instead of to save him."

"He trusted you enough to ask you for it. That's not the real reason why you're agitated, is it?"

"No. His behavior when he came back to life was a little disturbing. He was oddly cheerful and very agreeable. It's like he was a completely different person."

"I can't believe you've forgotten about this. How long has it been since you've last died?"

"Well, it's been quite a long time. Probably a bit before you. Or never. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Oxygen deprivation."

"What?"

"He's been dead for two days, right? That means he hasn't been breathing and his brain has been deprived of oxygen when he came back to life. He wasn't really sober or all in there when you talked to him earlier."

"Is that it? How do you know about this? You don't have a head."

"Not my head again. I talk to a lot of people in my day-to-day tasks. We're not exactly accident-free here."

"I see. He seems to have recovered by the time I called him over to work on the Key. I was worried that he would remain in the strange state he was in."

"It doesn't usually last long. Are you feeling better now?"

"I guess so. I was relieved that he seemed back to his usual self when I called for him but I wasn't entirely sure if he really was. He was acting so strangely."

"Well, you're one to talk."

"What?"

"I have to go. It's late and there are still matters to attend to. Get some rest, Master."