To My Dearest Roseanne

Chapter 25

April, 2024

Two weeks have passed and Aunt Lydia didn't reach out to Robert or anyone else. Robert tried calling his sister from the road numerous times. She answered once, made inaudible noise, and got disconnected. Afterwards, the number was unavailable. The only thing that prevented Robert from freaking out was daily contact with Liz who was still in hospital.

Although Roseanne was nearly convinced her plan failed, Cho did prove her wrong. The alternate version of Roseanne attended high school for her and became an instant sensation. Straight As started pouring down the log together with commendations from subjects across the board. Unfortunately, Cho kept struggling with physical education and military preparation which were not her forte. These were Roseanne's specialties, and she offered help.

The girl's daily schedule presented itself as follows: In the morning, they ate breakfast. Cho left for school, whereas Roseanne handled house chores and Enzo. In the afternoon, Roseanne joined her mother for physiotherapy sessions, aiding in the exercises and learning instructions told by the specialist. Cho, on the other hand, came back home and did her homework. When Roseanne joined her in the evening, she would set her playlist of songs on the HiFi set, such as the Are You Man Enough song by C. C. Catch, Stir It Up by Patti LaBelle, and The Winner by Miki Matsubara. Surrounded by the peculiar pop beats, she taught Cho the basics of drill and conquering an obstacle run. The days in the month of April were becoming longer and warmer, so there was more light outside in the evenings. As a result, the girls would frequently train outside, with Roseanne making sure to play her 80s retro music over the phone, of course.

"It's not fair. I do all the groundwork, and you don't learn anything," Cho remarked after barely making a running pass around the block. Her green T-shirt soaked in sweat.

"I did not give you permission to address me, slave." Roseanne adjusted a red beret on her head. "Do one more lap and then we will work on gun assembly."

Cho raised her eyebrows. Her lungs could hardly catch any breath.

"No way. If you're not reading, then I ain't running."

Cho felt it would be a good idea to encourage Roseanne to do more learning on her own. Obviously, the two girls had different approaches towards education, but Cho was convinced Roseanne could do better if she would sit down and properly revise the material from the subjects she's struggling with.

But then again, maybe it's an inappropriate time? It's better to wait till Liz returns home, Cho thought to herself.

She felt exhausted and decided to call it a day. When they were heading back inside, Cho's eyes registered a big, black pit bull walking down the street. The dog was muzzled.

Out of nowhere, she heard a strange noise. It was quiet, but not from afar. Cho intensified all of the tiny curves in the cartridges of her ears to examine the unknown sound but didn't know what to make of it. The best way to describe it was to call it a pulsating rhythm. Still, she didn't know whether the pulsating was mechanical or biological. Cho imagined that it might have come from an engine or sticky membranes surrounding a heart. She listened to the sound with full attention until she was completely petrified by it. With each repetition of the pulsating swirl, Cho knew it was something horrific. She couldn't unhear it, yet she had to keep listening to it.

Little did she know, the pit bull was hearing the sound as well, and the dog didn't like it.

The imposing creature sprang up and, with one strong yank, got off his owner's leash. It was a matter of seconds, and even Roseanne couldn't see it coming. The dog jumped in the air and tackled Cho on the ground. It kept stroking her face, trying to bite the girl, but the muzzle prevented the predator from inflicting serious injuries.

"HOLY SHIT! GET THAT DOG AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" Roseanne shouted at the top of her lungs.

The owner initially stood on the sidewalk not knowing what to do, until he eventually came round and put the dog back on a leash. However, he had to apply a lot of force to get it off Cho's chest.

"This monster should be put down! I'm calling the police!" Roseanne kept shouting.

The owner shouted something back, and the argument ensued between the two while the dog was still snarling from a distance.

Cho was in a state of shock, but she caught a breath and quickly checked her state. Apart from a few scratches made by the dog's claws, she was okay. That sound though...

Before Cho was able to get up, Roseanne grabbed her arm and dragged into the house, as if she were a wounded soldier on the killing fields.

The staircase doors shut behind them with a loud thud.