Hi there. I’m frank, and if you read my previous post, you’ll know that something very bizarre happened to me recently. Well, I should say it happened to my roommate more so than me. If you haven’t read my previous post, you can read it here.. This one will not make sense if you haven’t read the previous one, "My new roommate's octopus is telepathic".

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https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/11tcjl1/my_new_roommates_octopus_is_telepathic/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

(Sorry the link isn't fancier)

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Now that you are all caught up with the craziness I witnessed, I'd like to fill you in on a new development. Ever since Larry/Mike left, I have felt very lonely. It’s depressing to realize that an octopus was my only friend, but that’s where I’m at. Life has felt a lot more boring and monotonous. That’s why I was ecstatic when I got a letter in the mail the other day.

The letter was addressed to me from someone named Larry Michaels. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to realize that it was from the octopus. As he was leaving, he told me his name was Larry. I don’t know if that’s true, but I don’t know any other Larrys. The last name being Michaels makes sense because Mike was the name of my former roommate whose body Larry had occupied.

I guess it’s a little cruel to take the man’s body and his name, but he did keep Larry in a tank for years without letting him out or giving him any sort of attention or stimulation. I’d be pissed too.

Either way, I was pretty certain the letter was from Larry and after reading it I was pretty positive. Unless I completely blacked it out, there weren’t any other octopuses I had established a friendship with..

I’m going to share the letter verbatim. Larry has been very busy in his new body. I’ve been busy myself though. I don’t like admitting it but I sold a few of Mike’s things assuming he wasn’t going to be needing them anytime soon. To this point, not a single person has called or come to the house looking for him. Either Larry tied up those loose ends or Mike didn’t have many people in his life. It’s hard to say. We weren’t very close.

Anyway, I sold the klonopin in Mike’s drawer to a neighbor. I dumped the roofies because… They’re roofies. There’s no good reason to have them and I don’t want to put them in the hands of another pervert. I just flushed all but one down the toilet. I took the one with some wine just to see what it was like. I don’t recommend it.

About a week after Larry/Mike left, I told the landlord. I didn’t want him to expect me to pay Mike’s half of the rent. It wasn’t long before I was informed that someone else would be moving in.

The new roommate's name is Oliver. He goes by Ollie. It’s only been a few weeks, but he seems like an all right roommate. He’s pretty quiet but he keeps to himself. We’ve had a few short conversations but he seems like a lone wolf, aka the ideal roommate.

I put the rest of Mike’s stuff in storage aside from stuff we could use around the apartment. I got a new cord for the stereo system I had previously destroyed so Larry didn’t have to listen to country music. Work has been boring, but going well. Life isn’t too bad but after bonding with a telepathic octopus, everything else feels a little monotonous. So I was very excited to get a letter from Larry. I’m starting to dig the craziness. It makes life so much more interesting! Anyway, I’ll dictate Larry’s letter here….

Dear Frank,

I hope all is well and I hope you aren’t traumatized by what you witnessed before I left. Are you sure you though, you missed the most unpleasant part. The entry. It didn’t go very smoothly and he fought like hell. At one point I thought his sphincter was going to snap me in half. But like the little engine that could, I got up in there. You know that though. I’m writing to tell you what I’ve been up to since I left. Call it an update as well as a warning.

Now, I don’t want to alarm you. I am on your side and every octopus I’ve met knows that you’re one of the good people. There aren’t many but there are a few that we revere. The issue is that we aren’t exactly one unit anymore. I’ll explain what happened but essentially, we split into factions.

My first order of business after leaving was to free as many sea creatures from captivity as I possibly could. I went to aquariums, zoos, restaurants, and eventually tracked down an exotic animal smuggler and dismantled their operation entirely. I’m like the Harriet Tubman of octopuses!

The exotic animal Smugglers were a big find. I had freed some octopuses from an aquarium and they tipped me off about the operation. I helped my new friends find new shells. Those shells were the aforementioned animal smugglers. They were bad people.

I assure you that we haven’t caused any harm to good people, only people who harm us. These people had captured, killed, and sold everything from sea creatures to dogs to ivory. I’m not calling you dumb Frank, but in case you don’t know what ivory is, it’s like elephant tusks and rhino horns. They serve a purpose for the animal, but humans grind them up to try to get boners. I have advised my new companions to avoid taking good people like you as vessels, but the ivory boner people are fair game.

so before long, there were eight of us in human vessels as well as several we either hadn’t found bodies for. There were also a few who had no interest in taking a human shell. Someone joined us in the fight, and some headed back for the ocean to be free and to try to find their families.

Everything was going pretty well for a while. We had quickly taken over the animal smuggling operation. We followed the ladder all the way to the top and to the bottom, getting more cephalopods into human bodies in the process. We were able to liberate any animal that was brought to us and punish those who mistreat our kind.

There is a but coming. I’ll explain once I’m done laughing at that sentence.. Okay, I’m good.

We had liberated a lot of sea creatures in a very short amount of time and it started to seem like us taking over didn’t have to be a dream for our children. It could be a reality for ourselves. Humans aren’t able to wrap their minds around what we really are. By the time they do, we’re already up in there.

Still though, I believe strongly that not all humans deserve to lose control of their own bodies. If I didn’t feel that way I’d be as bad as the supreme court. Sorry, I’ve been getting into politics. It makes it a lot harder to like humans, but you keep me going Frank. You’re my Northstar. The reason that we aren’t killing humans indiscriminately. You should feel proud of that!

I’m getting off topic though. I’m not just writing this to keep in touch (although I do miss ya bud.) I’m writing to warn you about something very dangerous.. Jeff..

Jeff was among the cephalopods we freed from a restaurant. He’d been there for a while and witnessed unspeakable horrors. He watched helplessly as his peers were killed, cooked, and in some cases even boiled alive! It messed him up..

I tried to talk to him. I told him about good humans. I told him about you. It didn’t matter though. His hatred was too strong. I didn’t realize until he went on an absolute rampage..

He returned to the restaurant we saved him from in his new human form. You likely heard about it in the news.. It was a massacre.. He figured guns out very quickly and the human whose body he took had several. He left no survivors at that restaurant. Customers, employees, a guy stopping for a piss at the worst possible time..

His picture was all over the news. He was forced to exit the body he was using and find a new one. The others and I discussed trapping him and preventing him from taking another human host. Some felt that it would make us hypocrites. Others were just too afraid of Jeff. Once he got a new body, I knew that a power struggle was right around the corner.

I decided to confront him. He not only killed indiscriminately. He led the police to the warehouse we were using as a base of operations. It had belonged to the animal smugglers. It was not only a nice, large place for us to stay, but associates of the smugglers were still bringing us animals we could liberate. Jeff ruined that.

When I confronted him, it didn’t go well. I argued that while most humans suck, they aren’t all bad. Some are even pretty cool. Some are helpful.

He didn’t agree. He felt that humans were the most destructive force on the planet. I couldn’t really argue that, but I tried to explain that not all humans are alike. He didn’t care though. I’ve been motivated by survival. Jeff is motivated by revenge.

Our argument became physical and even though I could easily lie to you, I’ll be honest and tell you that I got my ass whooped. His vessel was much stronger than mine. If only Mike had done some push-ups instead of Jager bombs. If he got any exercise whatsoever outside of masturbation.

In any case, Mike’s body isn’t very tough. Jeff beat me up but we were eventually broken up by the rest of the group. We then held a vote. Me and Jeff essentially began campaigning against one another. We disagreed on the proper way to achieve our goals.

The vote was pretty split and we essentially decided to go our separate ways. We agreed to a truce, but Jeff and the others who went with him are very dangerous to you..

He quickly started finding new ways to get more cephalopods into more human bodies. He had the advantage of being completely ruthless. When I liberated animals, I used clever tactics and tricks to avoid violence. He simply kills anything or anyone that is in his way.

Jeff is amassing an army.. he’s moving very quickly and he sees every human as the same people who trapped him and planned to eat him. He’s like a.. racist. Well, a bigot? He thinks you guys are all the same.. and he wants you all done and he wants you all dead.

There are multiple reasons why I’m telling you this. The first is that you need to know that Jeff and his followers are a direct danger to you especially. You are the example I use to explain to other sea creatures that not all humans are evil. They have all heard of you and those who support me revere you. Unfortunately, the ones who follow Jeff are aware of you as well.. I just wouldn’t put it past Jeff to target you in order to hurt me..

I understand that this is probably alarming. We made a recent discovery though that can help you. The number of human beings being controlled by an octopus are rapidly increasing. Jeff is on a mission, meaning my group has to take over more bodies and recruit more cephalopods to make sure his group can’t overpower us..

I saved that prick from becoming someone’s half eaten dinner! Now I need to turn my focus toward preventing him from ruining everything we’ve worked for. We want eventual dominance of the planet, but not as antagonists. Jeff can’t see that he’s just as bad as the people who enslaved him. Unfortunately, he’s charismatic and brash. Several of the others found those traits endearing.

I’m getting sidetracked though. Point is, fuck Jeff! But also.. be careful. I expect them to try and find you. Very few of my new associates know where you live. Unfortunately, one of those associates has recently decided to follow Jeff..

We made a discovery though. I don’t know how none of us realized it earlier, but when we inhabit a human’s body, there is a noticeable change. Slits in the neck. They’re very small and resemble gills. Small gills though. Just a series of small openings that help us breathe.

Once we noticed the slits, we realized that we could easily identify whether a human was “inhabited”. We all have different ways of hiding the slits. Scarves, turtlenecks, bandanas, long hair, ect.

They aren’t very big, but once you notice them, you reallly start noticing them. Kind of like when I told you that you walk like a prostitute. It’s hard not to notice it everytime after the first time. You end up wondering how you never noticed it in the first place. Don’t sweat it though, bud. It looks good on ya.

To be clear. When I said don’t sweat it, I’m referring to your prostitute walk. When it comes to Jeff and his goons, sweat it. Sweat it hard! They are very dangerous. I’m so sorry that I put you at risk. I should’ve known better than to tell them about you. You were just the best example of good humans that I had. That’s a compliment inside an apology! A compoligy a complimentoligy. An apocliment? Either way, I’m sorry.

Before my group and Jeff’s group separated, we had a plan. We are going to take over the bodies of American politicians. We are going to run for office and make changes that will jump start our plans. We are going to be in charge of all the people without them even knowing that all their arguing and fighting amongst one another is really over a cephalopod who wants to destroy them.

It seems like a tough task but they’ve already been dumped down to an extent that all we need to do is piss off the bass we’re running for. It’s bizarre how the most dominant species on the planet is so simplistic when it comes to social and political issues. Literally all we have to do is pick a party and talk about how the other one is terrible and evil. Your politicians don’t even tell people what their plans are anymore. They just talk about how the other side is terrible. That’s easy.

It would’ve been easy. With Jeff involved, things have become much more complicated. It was only days after our separation that he had taken over a prominent politician’s body. I can’t say who, but they are one of the people who have announced they will run for president in 2024.. They’re Jeff now, and I need your help making sure that he doesn’t win.

(Larry told me which politician Jeff had inhabited. I’m not going to include it because people are very unlikely to believe me anyway, and I don’t want to have political arguments in the comment section. His letter continued..)

I’m writing this note because I miss my human buddy, but also to warn you. Jeff’s goons could target you to hurt me.. You need to be vigilant. You also need to vote in 24! If Jeff wins, he’ll start a war. He’ll fire off the nukes. In the short time we spent together, he shared how unhinged he really is.

You have to help stop him. I need you to campaign for me and my candidate. I need you going door to door and calling strangers. I need you to find any dirt on the human whose body Jeff is possessing that you can.

Make sure to watch for the slits in the neck as well. If an octopus in a human's body introduces themselves to you, they are one of Jeff’s goons. I will tell you if I’m coming for a visit and I plan to eventually, but stopping Jeff is paramount and it needs all of my focus and attention. If you see someone with slits in their neck, get away from them as fast as you can.

Once all my ducks are in a row, I plan to have a friend of mine get a place near you to help protect you from Jeff. I need to figure out who I can trust first, though. I’ve already had one Jeff supporter stayed behind to spy. We sniffed him out quickly but there could be more.

So in the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and your head low. I will be in touch very soon. Once we take control of your government, I will reward you for your friendship. I’ll hook you up with whatever you need. I just need you to help me get my guy elected.

In the meantime, watch for the slits. I know I’m repeating myself but it’s vastly important that you get the hell out of there if you see them. Do what you can to help my guy’s campaign. And don’t worry about the fact that you walk like a prostitute. Most people probably won’t notice unless it’s pointed out to them at which point they’ll never be able to see anything other than a crack whore coming their way when you’re approaching.

Take care of yourself, Frank. Our time is coming. I know we’re a separate species. I know that some of my relatives are a direct threat to you. We’re the same though. We are kindred spirits. When my fellow cephalopods and I run this country, I want you by my side. “Gooble gobble one of us!” Ha!

I realize that I’m rambling now. The main point is to watch out for Jeff’s goons and get as many people as you can to vote for my guy.

I will write again soon. Things are a bit crazy right now. I’d like to see you. I’m not too manly to admit that I miss you. It’s just dangerous until I take care of Jeff.. Fucking Jeff..

Anyway, take care of yourself and be careful. I’ll contact you again as soon as I can.

~Your old pal, Larry.

I was ecstatic to hear from Larry. I missed him. Our friendship was strange obviously, But it was still one of the most meaningful friendships I ever had. It was admittedly difficult to look past what he did to Mike. He claims he was a predator, but I can’t really be sure about that. Dude did have roofies though, so..

I received this letter a few days ago and have been trying to process what Larry wrote. I’ve become a bit paranoid and haven’t gone anywhere since I received it. Jeff or his goons could be anywhere. That’s assuming there is a Jjeff and it’s not just Larry messing with me or something dumb like that. I trust him though..

I don’t know why I do. I just do. When the election comes around, I will vote for his guy. I’ll try to assist him in any way I can. I probably won’t be able to look at people in general without wondering if there’s an octopus in there somewhere. That’s become a bit of a problem already. Now I know that there’s more of them so my paranoia will probably consume me completely.

I’ve decided that in the meantime, I’m going to try not to dwell on those thoughts. If Jeff is really trying to become the president, he won’t have time to deal with me.

I continued thinking that way for the next couple of days. I felt like everything was gonna be okay even though it didn’t really seem that way. I figured that I could just put it all out of my mind for the time being.

As I was just sitting here typing this up on my phone, my roommate, Ollie came in. Similar to when I lived with Mike, Ollie and I work separate shifts and rarely see each other. This was the one day of the week where we were both home at the same time.

As I was finishing typing up Larry’s letter, Ollie came and sat on the couch. Up to this point, we both kind of kept to ourselves while remaining friendly with each other. He seems more chatty right now..

He saw the name on the envelope. He asked who Larry was. I told him it was an old friend from back home. He asked what the letter was about and I came up with a weak excuse to avoid telling him. Something about a friend being depressed. I said it was private and I didn’t wanna share it with anyone.

He reacted strangely. He rolled his eyes and pretty much openly said that he didn’t believe me. He didn’t pry though. He asked if I could put the news on the tv for a bit. I asked him which channel and his answer wasn’t ideal. I won’t say which network this propaganda station was because I don’t want to say which parties Larry and Jeff are trying to infiltrate. Let’s just say that it was Jeff’s party’s station.

I tried to avoid rolling my eyes from the moment I turned it to that channel. It’s just become so ridiculous. They don’t even pretend to be news anymore. It’s blatant, transparent propaganda and hate fuel.

Maybe Larry can change that if his plan works out. Maybe he could present some of the division that is constantly pushed by today’s news stations on the pundits. The scary thing is that that likely isn’t the case regardless of who wins. Larry, Jeff, or another human president will probably just make things even worse.. A guy can hope though.

I’m trying to avoid the TV as I finish typing this up. As I got to thinking about political nonsense, my eyes started to wander and I noticed Ollie’s tattoos. I noticed them before and thought they were pretty cool but never asked about them. I assumed it would be something that could get us talking because I like tattoos and he’s covered in them.

When I asked power mode she was excited to show me. He had a full sleeve that continued up his neck all the way to behind his ear.

I should’ve looked sooner. I should’ve noticed it. My concern is he started showing me his tattoos. Almost all of them were sea themed. A kraken ripping a ship apart, several sea creatures, and a city underwater. Those were just a few of the tattoos that led me to the realization..

I’ll admit that they looked cool and were well done, but I couldn’t look past the sea theme and cities underwater that look like they’d been hit by a tsunami.

Then I saw the slits.. Ollie (if that’s his real name) found a clever way to hide his slits. They look like they are a part of the tattoo. I never noticed them even after reading Larry’s letter. Like I said, we haven’t spent much time around each other.

I froze upon this realization. This was clearly what Larry warned me about.. he was clearly a “Jeff” supporter.. He’s not on my side..

I have to admit, even though I considered Larry a friend, I'd been having nightmares where I saw him in Mike’s body again. Thinking about it freaks me out. I’ve convinced myself that Mike probably deserved it, but I don’t honestly know that..

I don’t know if anyone deserves that fate.. maybe I do for enabling this all to happen. I’m really not as nihilistic as Larry thinks. I don’t want humans taken over by octopus people. I just don’t know if it’s any worse than what’s going on in the world lately.

What I do know is that the idea of what happened to Mike happening to me shakes me to my core and I’m now sitting next to a potentially innocent person suffering the same fate as well as the angry, parasitic creature responsible for it. Not only that, but if Larry is telling the truth, then he’s here for me..

I tried to continue complimenting his tattoos without revealing what I just realized. I tried to act normal and avoid being suspicious. Something about the look in his eyes made me feel like he knew, though.

There was a pause after I rambled a little where I felt certain that he was about to reveal himself and attack me. Instead, he asked if I wanted a beer. I said yes and he headed to the kitchen and grabbed some.

I’m posting this now in case he knows that I know. Assuming I still have control of my own body, I will update soon. Until then, wish me luck. Keep a lookout for people with slits on the side of their necks.. Oh! And vote for Larry!

I’m going to post now but Ollie just walked back in with beers. The first thing he said was “who are you planning on voting for in 24?”

I don’t know how.. but I completely forgot that they can read minds.. He knows.. He knows that I know.. Man, we really don’t stand a chance.. I just hope Larry wi.. changes his mind! It’s time for a change! It’s time for a new world! So come 2024, vote Jeff!