The Ballad of a Buried Beast

Chapter 18.

"Alright, real quick... Run that back again."

"Yeah, I ain't really getting it either-"

"-Are you sayin' she came out of your phone?"

Gabriel and Jason exchanged puzzled glances as I stopped my pacing. It'd been nearly an hour since Malo and Sam disappeared in the room beside us, but with the constant interrupting it was beginning to feel closer to a whole day.

"-I, no. No, she didn't come from my phone," I explained, both leaning off the couch with furrowed brows, "She's just connected to it in a way. Like, she uses it to talk, but she came from the 'dark nowhere'. That make sense?"

A glint of realization chimed behind Jason's eyes as he nodded and leaned back.

"Oooh, alright, I get'cha, I get'cha. So, she came from the dark nowhere, and the dark nowhere is what came from your phone?" he asked.

"Yeah--yes, exactly, kinda like that," I answered.

Jason snapped his fingers and tapped his forehead with a grin.

"Ay, see? What'd I say? Shit ain't too hard to figure out."

Gabriel lifted an unnamused brow at him, "Congrats, want me to quiz ya?"

"Nope," Jason shook his head, "Just wanted some acknowledgement is all."

"Acknowledge my balls in ya mouth," Gabriel grinned.

"Y'know, I'm starting to sense a theme with you."

"What? A theme of my balls in ya mouth-?"

Jason stared at Gabriel, unamused. "Your mama didn't beat you nearly as hard enough as she should."

Gabriel's grin widened, and Jason shook his head as he knew what was about to come.

"Don't-"

"-Kinda like how I didn't beat my balls into ya mouth hard enough-?"

"Oh, you piece'a-!"

The room erupted into mocked screaming as Jason took Gabriel by the shoulders and wrestled him into the cushions.

"I'm sorry--I'm sorry-!" Gabriel laughed as his arm was pinned against his back.

"Sorry 'bout what?" Jason responded.

"That-" a toothy smile stretched across his face, and Jason's eyes widened as he realized what he'd walked into, "That you're so mad about my balls being in your mouth!"

"You bastard!"

Jason hooked an arm around Gabriel's neck, and choked laughing spewed across the room as I pinched my eyes closed and scoffed. Even after a life-or-death situation, the two still acted like they did in middle school when they first met.

"Uncle, uncle-!" Gabriel choked, tapping Jason's arm as he laid squirming against the couch.

"Naah, we ain't kids anymore; uncle don't cut it. Say 'please', Gabe--please and-"

"Holy FUCK-!"

The two froze with the sudden exclamation, and all three of us turned our attention towards the door as Sam suddenly kicked it open and ran inside.

"Guys-guys!" Sam ran through with all our phones and clattered them onto the table between us, "I did it--I fucking DID it!"

"Hell'd you do?"