Singing Parasite [On Hold]

6.3

Tyce shut off the machine. "Damn it. They definitely took their time." He looked up at Halie, who just stood there grinning at them in an awkward fashion.

Now that they were finally alone with her, Tyce suddenly felt an unease in the air.

"So, now what?" she asked.

"Pack our stuff," Tyce said, "and move on." He glanced behind at Hermes and winced. "Ahh... I'll have to unpack the thing again."

"Why?" Halie asked, coming up.

"It's really heavy," Duston said.

"Is it so?" Halie asked, examining the machine.

Tyce sighed and turned to Duston. "You pack our stuff and move it to the truck. I'll start unscrewing this." He jerked a thumb behind him at Hermes.

Duston nodded. "Oka--"

"Hey! This is actually heavy!" Halie's voice floated into Tyce's ears.

He and Duston looked over their shoulder.

Duston grasped.

Tyce couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him. Halie had lifted Hermes, the whole thing, up and was now balancing it before her with some difficulty.

"You got to be kidding me," Duston muttered.

"Uh..." Tyce couldn't find his voice. "Be careful with that thing." He didn't know what else he should say to her.

Halie's knees had buckled under the weight. "Y-yes." She heaved it up a little, her back bending backward due to the load of the thing which was clearly much bigger and heavier than her.

"I'm careful," Halie managed to say. "This thing must be really expensive, right?"

"Yeah. We almost put ten billion dollars in it," Tyce said.

"What?" Halie had titled her head to her left so that she could see in front of her. As soon as Tyce finished saying his words, her eyes went wide and she began teeter-tottering.

The next thirty seconds were full of tension as Tyce and Duston stared helplessly at Haile who was trying to regain her composure and also her balance. Finally, she managed to set the machine down. She sighed and suddenly charged at Tyce. "Damn you. Why did you have to make me nervous?"

"You asked the price," Tyce said.

Halie scowled. "I guess I did. Still you cou--"

"Can you carry it down to the truck?" Tyce asked her.

"Are you crazy... now way," Halie said. Then, as if reading Tyce's disappointment from his face, she said, "I can give it a try. But if it breaks then I won't be responsible."

The three of them got to work. An hour later, Hermes was in the back of the truck, and the now increased group was ready to make it off.

"Why am I always behind the wheel?" Duston asked, starting the engine.

They had huddled in the cab of the truck, with Halie squeezed in the middle of the two men.

"Because you know how to fly a helicopter," Tyce said. "Now get on with it."

"There is no need to be sarcastic, Mr. Mani," Duston said and sighed. He was about to step on the pedal but stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"I did," Halie said. She slowly turned to Tyce. "Did you?"

Tyce did fell something. The sky had gotten orange and had changed the color of everything around them. But it was not dark yet. Tyce felt another rumble. Before he could say anything, a deep tremor shook the air and everything went dark as something enormous shifted over their truck.

"W-what's that?" Duston whispered apprehensively.

"Don't do anything," Tyce said, pitching his voice low. He turned his eyes to the side mirror. The thing was supposed to reflect the orange sky and the buildings the rose behind the truck. But now, a huge, pinkish-grey thing was blotting them out.

"I know what it is," Haile said. "It's one of the possessors."

And out of nowhere, a huge long, hand--as big as their truck--slammed on the road to their left. The hand was webbed, like that of a frog's, but it had long and sharp claws.

Tyce realized what that thing was, and fear sized his heart. "Go! Go! Go!"

Duston slammed on the pedal and the truck jolted forward. The vehicle pushed through an upturned car and took a sharp turn. For a moment, Tyce thought that the truck would tilt, but Duston managed to get its balance back, and the truck was soon back on its four wheels.

The loud bangs and the shaking ground told Tyce that the creature was chasing them. He looked at the side mirror. He was right. It was the pink whale-tadpole thing. The monster was using its two long hands to drag itself forward.

Haile pulled out her handguns.

"It's no use," Tyce told her. "Don't waste your amm--" The truck hit another car on the sidewalk, making Tyce topple forward. He hit his head on the windshield.

"Wear your seatbelts," Duston screamed over the revving engine and burning tires.

"What about me?" Halie asked, her whole body swaying left and right, "Forget about a seatbelt I don't even have seat!"

***

A man with a glossy, black, crow-beaked mask stood on the terrace of the hundred story skyscraper, looking down at the huge monster chasing behind a grey truck. Though the roads were too narrow for the monster, it was still pushing forward, destroying the sides of buildings that lined its path. But the narrow roads were slowing it down, and the beaked-mask man, who was dressed all in black from head to toe, was sure that the creature would soon lose the truck.

The man's black cape swayed in the wind. "They got some interesting toy with them," the man said and waited for a while. "What? You don't care?" He sighed. "You are always like this... Anyway..." He began walking toward the edge of the building. "Two interesting players have joined the game... take care of them for me." He put his hand on his tall hat and jumped down.

The man never reached the ground floor. He vanished without a trace.