Happy October 🎃

Day 13: Garrick

"Control to Garrick, what's your status?" His radio beeped and stuttered with a monotone voice.

"I-I-..."

"Garrick, what's your status?" It repeated again, a more friendly tone, as if the monster on the other end was worried.

"B-backup... Help..." He choked, unable to properly form his sentences. The Geminian looked down at his stomach as he tried to yank whatever was in his second mouth. Usually, he was able to prevent a situation like this, but not this time. Not today. He hadn't been keeping a close eye on his surroundings today, quite caught up on all the recent meetings and with Cyrus constantly yacking in his ear now that the little Flimmus was done rotting in his room.

It wasn't exactly normal for a Geminian to be so distracted like this. He even got a checkup with Dr. Ransley, yet everything seemed to be fine. He just needed more sleep. More sleep... And perhaps more food. Living off granola bars instead of taking time out of his day to go to the private cafeteria for Control and Defence was taking a toll on him. He was hungry, tired... The lack of rest and nutrients was incredibly dangerous for a strong race like him.

His second mouth, splitting him from the neck to his waist, was licking its edges in satisfaction. It breathed heavily, as it twisted itself into a slight smile, almost thanking Garrick for its delicious meal. He could feel the victim digesting in his own stomach, and it made him sick.

"No, no, no! This... can't be happening!" He cried out. He tried again, shoving his hand into the mouth. He could feel the acid squelching around, the victim's body already half gone.

He was suddenly surrounded by monsters also working for Control, who couldn't do anything but watch. He fell on his knees, tearing up. He had sworn to keep every monster here alive, safe, to the best of his ability. Yet he had failed, he tried too hard to keep his post, which ultimately affected his energy levels, making him less aware.

"Garrick, explain yourself!" One of them shouted.

"Should we get the Warden?"

"No, we can't involve the humans! Not yet... He's one of us..."

"I- I don't know what happened! I can't explain this!" Garrick frantically pointed around. "I-it... I..."

"Who was it?"

"Cyrus, it was Cyrus..." He sobbed. Cyrus, the little Flimmus who self-proclaimed Garrick as his best friend. Cyrus really had no one else, other than the two doctors who were taking advantage of his weak, manipulatable nature.

Dr. Lestatt-Sugar, the Asylum's dentist, and Dr. Ransley, the Asylum's physician and general doctor, calmly walked up to the front of the crowd, staring at Garrick almost with disappointment. Dr. Lestatt-Sugar's third eye blinked before intensely staring down Garrick with interest. His orange-reddish second limbs scratched his scalp in thought.

Dr. Lestatt-Sugar clicked his tongue, always so calm about such infuriating situations. Dr. Ransley gripped his fists when he saw Garrick, however. When they heard it was Cyrus who met this unfortunate fate, Dr. Lestatt-Sugar looked at Garrick with pity.

Dr. Ransley felt otherwise. "Explain yourself! Cyrus was very important to me!" He bared his fangs at the younger monster. "He was very crucial to my studying!"

The crowd of Control monsters dissipated, in order to continue their jobs and ensure no other problems arose.

Garrick sobbed. "He got too close!"

"Too close? I see you two chatting each other up every day! How was he too close?"

Dr. Lestatt-Sugar walked up to Dr. Ransley and patted the vampire's shoulder. "Dr. Ransley, you should allow him to explain himself." He said with amusement.

"You damn Maults!" Dr. Ransley cursed under his breath, before looking down at Garrick. "Well? You heard him. Explain yourself."

"I... It was like you said. I needed more sleep. But I refused to get any. I was so caught up with trying to protect the D.M.A...."

"That's enough out of you," Dr. Lestatt-Sugar raised his hand.

"D-doctor Lestatt, please, c-can't you reverse this? Can't you save him?"

"Hm," Dr. Lestatt-Sugar pondered. He knew the answer, but in his mind, he liked to toy with suspense. "I don't know." Three words you never hear from a Multiamian!

"Wh-what do you mean, 'I don't know'?! Y-you're a Mault! Y-you can do anything, c-can't you?"

"Well, let me 'try.' Dr. Lestatt-Sugar kneeled beside Garrick. He adjusted his glove which was already on. "Lay down, it's easier."

Garrick laid on his back, feeling his insides slosh around uncomfortably. He gulped in anticipation, mentally begging for the return of his "acquaintance". He thought back to every meeting with Cyrus, how horribly he had treated the poor monster. All Cyrus really wanted was friends, someone to talk to, yet every time Garrick seemed too absorbed in his job. It was quite rare for anything serious to happen where Control was needed, fights in the asylum were starting to die down, and so Garrick was staring off into the depths of the dark forest waiting for nothing other than Unit 2 trucks.

Cyrus, when he wasn't in a depressive episode sleeping for months at a time in his disgusting, smelly bedroom, would grab a giant bowl of applesauce from the cafeteria and sit behind the Asylum's gate, watching Garrick walk back and forth every ten minutes, sipping his applesauce. That was all his rotting teeth could handle. And each time Cyrus tried to talk to Garrick, he'd brush him off, though Garrick would occasionally ask how he was doing.

Dr. Lestatt-Sugar could sense how distraught Garrick was feeling right now. He hummed as he shoved his arm deep down Garrick's second mouth. Garrick groaned as he felt his stomach being churned by the doctor. Dr. Lestatt-Sugar whistled to himself before Dr. Ransley told him to shut up. Dr. Lestatt-Sugar rolled his eyes and grabbed something inside of Garrick.

"He's going to be weak, but he'll be in one piece."

"O-okay, th-that's fine. We can f-fix him, right?" Garrick gasped.

"Yes," Dr. Lestatt-Sugar began to pull. "Don't vomit on me," he warned. "Or I'm dropping him back in."

Cyrus was basically being regurgitated, and it took every inch of Garrick not to puke from his actual mouth as he felt Cyrus being lifted out of his stomach. Dr. Lestatt-Sugar casually picked up Cyrus by the leg like a baby, covered in empty vomit, and a few chunks of undigested granola bar. The tall monster dropped Cyrus on the ground, instantly removing his gloves. He stuffed the gloves into Garrick's second mouth, as Geminian's could pretty much digest anything if they wanted to.

Garrick gagged but sat up. He was about to check on Cyrus before Dr. Lestatt-Sugar stopped him, grabbing his second mouth and squeezing it shut. Dr. Ransley rushed to aid Cyrus, doing small magic spells to wake him up and get him partially stable.

"Is he going to be okay...?" Garrick murmured.

"He'll be fine, Garrick!" Dr. Ransley boomed. "Though, because of your negligence, I'm hereby placing a ban on your visitation rights until you can prove efficient again. This means healthy food and lots of sleep."

Garrick tried to protest, but he knew it was for the best. Work came first, especially when it included the safety of others. He nodded, accepting his punishment. When Dr. Ransley rushed back into the Asylum with Cyrus, Dr. Lestatt-Sugar let go of Garrick's mouth. He smirked sadistically.

"What?" Garrick huffed, standing up. "I know that look."

"Oh, nothing. But I should remind you that you are due for a check-up." He smiled.

"My teeth are fine," Garrick growled. "I'm not going to let you experiment on my teeth like you've done with Cyrus'!"

"Oh, alright," he said pitifully. "Have it your way."

The doctor turned around and walked back into the Asylum, leaving Garrick alone in the front courtyard. He had to go get some long-needed rest. He called for someone to take his shift before he stumbled to Control and Defence's quarters.

Garrick undressed down to his undergarments (as was protocol. Sleeping in uniform or "civilian" clothing was not allowed), before climbing into his bed which had been forgotten for a long, long time. He shivered when he felt the warmth of his soft blanket, something he hadn't felt in a while. Almost instantly, he crashed into his sleep, just like a little baby.