Part 1

​

Happy Holidays everyone. Today was pretty hectic for me. I’ve been getting a lot of visitors. The doctor says I might be able to leave the hospital tomorrow so that’s some good news at least. As for the bad news, I have plenty. No sense in beating around the bush, so I’ll get right into it.

​

​

Due to my mild paralysis and Zohl’s injuries, we slept inside the restaurant while everyone else left. Chuck and Sam went home. The Formaggios let Carl and Nick crash at their place. Thankfully, we both recovered by the next day aside from this weird itchy sensation. It wasn’t my first time sleeping there.

​

​

In fact, there are sleeping mats in the closet for this reason. Too bad the ones we have weren’t made for people as tall as Zohl. I opened my eyes and yawned. I stretched, popping my shoulders as I did. Hearing him wake up too, I asked how he slept.

​

“Pretty well all things considered. Although, my neck is a little sore. Where are the others?”

​

“They’ll probably show up soon.”

​

​

The clock still seemed to work and it showed that it was an hour before when prepping would begin for opening.

​

​

“You hungry? I could try to whip something up.”

​

“Thank you. Do you think the phone still works?”

​

“I’m not sure. You can try it while I fix something.”

​

​

I went into the kitchen. Gold and silver garland lined the walls and snowflakes hung from the ceiling. A snow globe of presents surrounding a Christmas tree sat on Alonzo’s work desk. Beside it was a notebook and in it were new recipes. Skimming through them, I headed for the walk-in.

​

​

The door to it was covered in snowman wallpaper. I opened it and gathered some ingredients. Following the recipe, I baked a Mexican-style pizza with a black bean crust and some diced vegetables. I inquired as to how they knew how to make some of these and they told me they picked some things up from people in town. I brought the pizza back to the front of the store.

​

​

“Any luck with the phone?” I asked, placing the pizza on the counter.

​

“Unfortunately not, perhaps only certain signals are operational here.”

​

“Something to figure out later then. In the meantime, let’s eat.”

​

​

The pizza made for a tasty breakfast. With it, we drank some lemonade sweetened with date syrup. While noticeably different, it was good too. Not having much to do we decided to help with prepping. I can’t say I was working there since it wasn’t actually operating as a business.

​

​

This was the case for other places as well. They chose to provide free services while we were trapped in that dimension. Mainly they kept people occupied which was essential in such a place. Otherwise, we would’ve all lost it out of despair. The Formaggios arrived later and were surprised to see we’d done a lot of their work already.

​

​

“You guys didn’t have to help us out,” Donelle said. “Thanks so much.”

​

​

She and Alonzo hung up their coats. The weather was odd in that place. It could be blistering hot and then freezing cold shortly after.

​

​

“It wasn’t a problem,” Zohl replied. “We followed the notes you left.”

​

“We appreciate that,” Alonzo told him.

​

“Does that mean you want me to start working here again?” I asked.

​

“Not right now. It’s not like we’re getting much business here.”

​

“Well, we can talk about it when we get out of here.”

​

“Does that mean you have a plan?”

​

I glanced at Zohl.

​

​

“We might,” he answered. “It’ll take some preparation, though. We’ll have to talk to the others about it. Would either of you happen to know if the power station is here?”

​

​

Alonzo scratched his head in confusion.

​

​

“Sorry, we haven’t seen it.”

​

“Do you know who may have?”

​

“Let’s see…You could try Mike. He gets around a lot.”

​

​

Zohl headed for the exit, but I stayed where I was. Everyone looked at me.

​

​

“Is something wrong, Pete?” Donelle asked.

​

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? I don’t feel comfortable leaving you both alone especially since we only just got back.”

​

“We’ll be fine,” Alonzo said. “We’ve been defending ourselves way before you guys arrived. Haven’t we?”

​

​

I couldn’t deny that.

​

​

“You’ve seen a lot, right? You look more tired than we remember.”

​

“Yeah, and you all have seen things too. We’ll find a way out of here. I promise. Wait, before we go, can we get some food?”

​

​

Zohl and I left the restaurant with some pizzas and I inquired exactly how we were going to stop Inde.

​

​

“With the orbs.”

​

“So what? Are they weapons?”

​

“They can be. More important is their secondary use.”

​

“And that would be?”

​

“They may be able to send a signal. However, doing so may be risky.”

​

​

Someone called our names. We looked to see Carl and Nick on a piece of land floating above us.

​

​

“Glad to see you both back in good health,” Carl told us. “Are those pizzas?”

​

“Yeah, what have you guys been up to?” I asked.

​

“Checking things out mostly,” Nick replied. “Your place is back where we came if you want to see it.”

​

“Maybe, have you run into any trouble yet?”

​

“Plenty, you should have seen the horde last night.”

​

​

I should mention that day and night are being used very loosely. The clocks there still worked so we went by them.

​

​

“Y’all have any trouble?” Carl asked.

​

“No, I guess we lucked out,” I replied.

​

“I suspect we’ll be dealing with a lot soon,” Zohl chimed in. “We’re trying to see if we can locate the power plant.”

​

“Did you ask the Formaggios?”

​

“They told us Mike might know something.”

​

“Mike? We bumped into him a little while ago. Come on, we’ll take you to him. I’m sure he’ll be excited to see you.”

​

​

In retrospect, having to jump across platforms over an abyss while carrying six boxes of pizza probably wasn’t my best idea. Damn near lost my footing a couple times. Eventually, we found Mike and he wasn’t doing so hot. Something was chasing him. It was this headless reaper thing.

​

​

Its skin resembled that of someone mummified by cold. Its legs were nonexistent, only having a scorpion tail where they should be and where its hands should have been were scythe blades with eyes covering its torso. It swung at Mike and he dodged by jumping to another platform.

​

​

“Oh shit, Mike,” I yelled.

​

“Pete?” he said, squinting.

​

​

The reaper monster was on him almost immediately. Carl drew out his gun and got in the arm. While this did work it also pissed it off. We thought it would chase us next. Instead, it did something far worse. It let out a cry so shrill and abrupt, I nearly dropped the pizzas out of shock.

​

​

Turns out it had friends and they weren’t too fond of us. They were similar in appearance to us except their hands ended in different weapons. One, sickles, the other, swords, another buzz saw blades, and the last ax heads.

​

​

“Do you think we can take them?” Nick asked.

​

“I believe attempting so would be unwise,” Zohl replied. “I suggest we run.”

​

​

Do you know what was harder than jumping across the abyss to other floating pieces of land while carrying six boxes of pizza? Doing that with something trying to kill you. I nearly lost my shit when I felt the breeze, from the ax one swinging at me, pass over my head.

​

​

“Pete, drop the damn pizzas,” Carl shouted, leaping left to avoid an attack.

​

“But, they worked hard to make them,” I yelled back and then ducked another swing.

​

​

It whipped its tail to trip me up, causing me to drop the boxes and their contents to spill out. Carl cursed at me as the ax monster brought down one of its hands. Eyes widening, I rolled out of the way and then pulled out my gun, firing multiple times. I managed to hit its eyes which gave me enough time to get up while it was recovering. The sickle and sword ones were after Carl and Mike while the others were chasing Nick and Zohl.

​

​

Then things got worse and I mean astronomically. Our assailants ceased their attacks and then stared up at the pulsing purple sky above us. To our confusion, they seemed afraid. We could see it in their many eyes. They turned and fled.

​

​

"Oh no. No. No. No…" Mike breathed.

​

"What's wrong?" I asked, growing ever more worried.

​

"It's coming."

​

​

My heart froze. We didn't need him to explain what he meant.

​

​

"We have to hide," Carl said.

​

"There's not enough time," Mike replied.

​

​

We needed to do something fast. Our eyes fell on the pizza boxes.

​

​

"You can't be serious," Nick said.

​

"I wish we weren't," I replied.

​

​

This was the first time we'd ever met Indefermast in person. Deep darkness fell over the area. Before when we talked it had used someone to speak through. Now we could hear it in its own voice. Unnatural doesn’t even come close to describing it. The best way I can explain it is as if all the voices of everything that was never meant to exist were speaking at once.

​

​

“I’ve waited so long for this day and now Peter, you and your friends will be…What is that on your heads?”

​

​

Due to Inde’s eldrich abomination nature, we were wearing pizza boxes to cover our faces.

​

​

“We wanted to make sure we were dressed for the occasion,” I replied, trying hard to keep the shakiness out of my voice.

​

​

There was a noise akin to a massive wave. I knew that Inde was now much closer to me. I wanted to run, but I knew that’s what it wanted. I felt like an ant trapped under some sociopathic kid’s magnifying glass in the blazing sun.

​

​

“But it’s a shame you aren’t seeing me right now. It’s impolite.”

​

​

Underneath the box, I noticed something thin and shadowy reaching for me. Instinctively, I backed away.

​

​

“Leave him alone,” I heard Zohl shout.

​

​

Inde shifted his focus.

​

​

“You…”

​

​

The sadistic glee in its voice was replaced with sharp malice.

​

​

“So, the last survivor has chosen to meet me face to face and you’re all grown up.”

​

“Things won’t go your way forever.”

​

​

Zohl’s normally leveled voice contained a hint of worry. Inde laughed which seriously fucked with my head because the volume of it kept fluctuating, going from deathly quiet to piercingly high.

​

​

“I’ve lost count of how many people have told me something similar and do you know what I did to them?”

​

​

“Flashbang,” Carl yelled followed by something metallic clanging on the ground. We escaped in the opposite direction. Mere seconds later it went off and Inde yelled in frustration as its vision was obscured.

​

​

“This way,” Mike told us.

​

​

We went between some trees. Inde wasn’t about to give up so easily. Our only advantage was that its massive size made it easy to outrun. The mechanic shop was up ahead.

​

​

“Come on, Peter, I know you’re curious. What will one peek hurt?”

​

​

Although I know what Inde was trying to do, it was hard to resist it and without even thinking about it, my head was slowly turning upward. That’s when I felt something strike the back of my head. Stars danced in front of my vision.

​

​

“Sorry, you were about to do something really stupid,” Nick told me.

​

​

​

Inde screamed some words in a language we didn’t recognize which was presumably cussing as we reached the building. After Mike frantically knocked on the door, we were let in and then slammed it behind us. It was only after we’d escaped did all the effort we exerted in doing so finally caught up with us. We collapsed in exhaustion with Mike’s workers asking what happened.

​

​

“A bunch of horseshit,” he replied and proceeded to explain what went down.

​

​

While he did, Carl, Nick, Zohl, and I hung out in the waiting room. The store had been changed considerably. In fact, it wasn’t even a mechanic shop anymore. Mike and his workers had managed to convert it into some kind of weapons maker. We could see molds for knives and bullets.

​

​

There was a pile of scrap metal by it which we assumed was what they were being made from. The waiting room was next to this with a line of chairs against the wall and some open vending machines. We asked Mike if it was alright if we grabbed some food and he said to go ahead and then resumed talking with his workers.

​

​

“How has everyone been living like this?” Nick asked. “We haven’t even been here two days and we’ve nearly died several times.”

​

“Well, if there’s one word you can use to describe the people here it’s resilient,” Carl told him.

​

​

We could hear Inde moving outside.

​

​

“Wonder why it doesn’t just smash its way in?” I asked.

​

“Sadism, it made this place so it could play with its food, “Zohl replied. “ If it could break in here whenever it wanted, its fun would end too quickly.”

​

“Like playing a game on handicapped mode.”

​

​

“I suppose you could say that. Fortunately, I do have some good news.”

​

​

Even though we knew Zohl wasn’t joking type, we still waited for some sign he was humoring us. How could he have gotten anything positive out of what we just went through? His expression remained unchanged.

​

​

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked.

​

“No,” Carl answered, scratching his nose, “so what have you come up with.”

​

​

He opened the orb bag. They were glowing. It was mesmerizing.

​

​

“What gives?” Nick asked.

​

“I believe the flash of light from Carl’s weapon activated them. I suspect with a strong enough surge of energy we can draw out their true power.”

​

“So in other words you want to use the power plant to charge them,” I said.

​

“Correct,”

​

“Would that be enough, though?”

​

​

Zohl gave this brief yet heavy consideration.

​

​

“There’s no guarantee. All I can tell you is that this is our best chance to end all this”

​

​

We relayed this information to Mike. In order to pull this off, it was going to take the cooperation of all the townspeople. We slept on the floor of his shop. I should mention that the main reason we were stuck in that dimension so long is because it took the power plant an absurdly long amount of time to finally appear. We got by best as we could, fighting off or fleeing from danger. We stayed at Carl’s place since of his place and mine, his was far more secure.

​

​

Mike’s the one who let us know about the strange behavior of the power plant. According to him, it would show up in different spots. We asked if he might know when and where it could be accessed again. He told us it would eventually show up near the center of town. For the plan to work, not only would we have to be there, Inde would also have to appear simultaneously.

​

​

We kept in mind the date he told us that the power plant would be most accessible. During our wait, we visited different places including the library. After dealing with some nasty eye-bat things with scorpion claws, we entered it the for the first time in that place.

​

​

“Alice?” I called out.

​

​

Her head popped out from behind some shelves and her eyes grew huge with excitement. She greeted and hugged me and Carl. Unfortunately, she too didn’t remember Nick so we reintroduced her to him and introduced her to Zohl. We talked for a long time mainly about how we planned on getting everyone out and also about books. She told us that she’d kept busy decorating and helping morale by giving out books.

​

​

Christmas Carol was getting passed around a lot. While the others were checking out books to read, she and I talked alone.

​

​

“Hey, sorry, I wasn’t there for you at the library before,” I said, guiltily.

​

​

She seemed confused.

​

​

“Thanks, Pete, I appreciate that, but I wasn’t at the library the day I was taken here.”

​

​

Now it was my turn to be dumbfounded.

​

​

“You weren’t? Then who was….?”

​

“I was at the doctor for an appointment. Is something wrong?”

​

“We’ll have to worry about it late. Do you want any snacks? Alonzo and Donelle helped us bake some cookies at their place.”

​

​

I pulled a bag of them from my coat pocket. They were peanut butter and chocolate chip. We shared them with the others with drinks of Cola from the vending machine. For being in such a nervewrackingly horrifying place, it was an alright time. We visited the library often which helped our boredom when we had nothing to do.

​

​

This brings me to an interaction I did not wish to have. For us to pull off the plan, though, we would need all the help we could get. Blue and his goons made the hospital their base of operations. We stood in front of the building.

​

​

"I hate having to ask him for help," I said.

​

"Look on the bright side. After this we'll probably never see him again," Carl replied.

​

"That time can't come fast enough. Let's just get this over with."

​

​

Two nurses came outside and one told us that Blue was expecting us. They lead us inside and through the corridors. The layout of the hospital remained mostly unchanged aside from some new equipment on the walls. Blue’s office was located at the center of the top floor. Inside he sat at a desk with a control panel and a bunch of screens.

​

​

Dark circles were under his eyes and part of me felt bad for him.

​

​

“Long time no see,” Carl said, “you’re not still mad about the whole Poseidon incident, right?”

​

​

Blue only gave us a weary stare.

​

“I just want to get out of here. I’ve been away from home for over two years now. Where’s the alien?”

​

“You know about him already?” I asked.

​

“We have people all over here.”

​

“Well, if you must know, he’s trying to design something to help us stop Inde.”

​

“Who?”

​

“The one that runs this dimension and we’ll need your help to stop it.”

​

​

Blue agreed and he stuck out his hand for me to shake.

​

​

“Hang on,” Carl told us.

​

“What are you doing?” Nick asked him.

​

“Negotiating.”

​

“Negotiating?” Blue glared. “You may know how we can escape, but we have the means to make it happen.”

​

“Seems we’re at an impasse then,” Carl said. “Why don’t you at least hear us out?”

​

“I’m all ears.”

​

“First off, take the targets off our backs when we escape this place.”

​

​

Blue’s anger deepened.

​

​

“After what you three did? That’s outrageous. You cost us billions in damages and stole equipment from us.”

​

“And you guys tortured us,” I said.

​

​

He fell silent at that, closed his eyes, and exhaled.

​

​

“What else do you want?” he asked.

​

“Stop trying to catch Zohl. As a constellation, we’ll let you have something from his ship, but he has to be the one to pick what you get. Don’t worry, it’ll be something good.”

​

“Anything else?”

​

“Ivan goes free and…”

​

​

Carl looked at us.

​

​

“I can’t think of anything,” Nick said. “What about you, Pete?”

​

​

There was only one thing I wanted.

​

​

“Can you get my parents out of prison?”

​

“I can make some calls, sure. I can’t guarantee anything, though. As for the rest of your demands, they should be doable.”

​

​

With that, the conversation was concluded and then we left. Thanksgiving came by and we celebrated as best we could. We did so at the library with pizza from Formaggio’s and some of our friends there. Eventually, the time to face Indefermast came. We were stationed at the power plant.

​

​

The entire police department was there as well as Blue and his goons. All of whom were armed to the teeth. Zohl was instructing the workers on how to hook up the orbs to charge them. Carl, Nick, and I stood by waiting. It wasn’t even there yet and my heart was already racing.

​

“How do we even know it’ll show?” I asked.

​

“It will,” we heard Zohl say. “With all of us gathered here, there is no way it would be able to resist.”

​

“Neither can they,” Nick said,

​

​

Different creatures were gathering,

​

​

“The orbs need a while to charge,” Zohl told us. “When they are ready, someone will have to flip the switch.”

​

“How will we know it is?”

​

“An alarm will go off.”

​

​

The next several hours were absolute mayhem. The monsters attacked and we fought back. We ran into the weapon-handed ones again. This wasn’t helpful in quelling my nervousness especially since some flying creatures were trying to grab us and carry us away, not to mention a bunch of other shit. This is another instance where our training seriously paid off.

​

​

Were it not for it, there’s no way we would have survived. Unfortunately, many people didn’t. It took everything in me to block out the screams of people getting slaughtered as I fought for survival. I could only hope it wasn’t someone I cared about or that one of us wouldn’t be next. Two flying creatures were carrying me by my shoulders toward the sword-handed monster.

​

​

As it thrust one of its blades at me I shifted my weight, causing it to miss and the things holding me to lose their grip. This would have been good news if it weren’t for my underestimating the distance between me and the edge of the nearest platform. When my fingers grazed it instead of grasping, I felt my throat close up. Instinct took over as I was falling and I pulled out my special knife and stabbed it into the platform’s side. I braced my feet to slow my descent and managed to do so right before I reached the bottom.

​

​

My arm was burning and the only thing keeping me from falling into the void was a knife handle. I fully expected the monsters that were after me to continue their pursuit. Instead, they seemed to have left.

​

​

“Guys. what’s happening?” I yelled out.

​

“Pete, where are you?” Nick called back. “It’s coming.”

​

“Now? You’ve got to be kidding. I nearly fell into the void. I need to climb back. up”

​

“Oh shit, hurry up. You don’t have a lot of time.”

​

​

I drew a second knife and then using both of them I began making my way to the top. As I did, my mind flashbacked to all the climbing exercises Carl made us do. The closer I got the more audible Inde’s noise became. When I finally reached the platform and climbed over, I made sure to keep my gaze downward.

​

​

“Hello again, Peter.”

​

​

Inde’s massive shadow fell over the area. There were shrieks from the people who failed not to see it. My fists clenched in simultaneous anger and fear as its tendrils moved around me.

​

​

“Just let us go,” I said.

​

“What?”

​

“Let us go and never bother us again.”

​

​

Inde cackled.

​

​

“You haven’t even looked at me yet and you’ve already lost it. You should know by now in this place I am god and I will do to you and your friends what I please.”

​

​

My eyes slammed shut. This time the blindfold training came into play as I managed to evade its grasps, for a little while anyway. Eventually, it wrapped around me and yanked me upward. I screamed. The others, having heard me, yelled my name,

​

​

“If you open your eyes I’ll stop,” Inde told me while squeezing.

​

​

Even through my clothes, its touch felt so unnatural.

​

​

“Fuck you,” I breathed. "I've heard plenty of stories of people surviving encounters with things like you. It'll be the same for us and you'll be shit out of luck."

​

​

It grew enraged at me for the disrespect.

​

​

“I said…Open them."

​

​

I yelled in agony, feeling my bones crack from its immense strength. While it did it was mocking me, asking how we planned on beating it. The source of my saving grace was unexpected. Something whizzed through the air and sliced through Inde’s tendrils. I fell upside down past the edge of another platform and was grabbed by the legs.

​

​

“That was close,” Nick said.

​

“Pull him up,” Carl ordered.

​

​

I groaned as they dragged me up.

​

​

“What’s going on?” I asked, wincing in pain.

​

“Well, you know how nobody can look at Inde without going crazy?” Nick asked.

​

“Yeah, I think I got that so who’s trying to fight it now?”

​

​

As it turned out, the others got the idea to give weapons to a bunch of meth heads under the logic that excessive drug use had destroyed their minds already. This decision while not exactly ethical was surprisingly effective. While Inde was distracted, we headed to the power plant.

​

​

“Quick, the weapon’s nearly ready,” Zohl told us. “We need to flip the switches at the same time.

​

“Alright, let’s do it,” I said.

​

“Not yet. First, I need to add something.”

​

​

The orbs were attached to a cylindrical machine with a bunch of cables connecting it to everything. Zohl took something out. It was a black feather. He placed it on top of the machine. Although this action was a little puzzling we did as instructed.

​

​

Rays of light shot out and hit Inde, causing it to make a noise akin to someone about to puke. That’s because it was. From it came the souls of all its victims in the form of red and green orbs which obscured our view of it. The irony of seeing those colors wasn’t lost on us. Inde yelled in both pain and rage.

​

​

“It’s becoming starved,” Zohl explained.

​

“Does that mean we finally won?” I asked.

​

“No, not yet.”

​

​

My heart frosted over.

​

​

“What?” I breathed. “Then what the hell was the point of all this?”

​

“We’re not strong enough to kill it so this was to attract him.”

​

​

Before we could clarify who, there was a ripple in the air nearby. It was a portal. From it emerged someone I am not eager to meet again any time soon or ever for that matter. This person was reminiscent of an archangel in appearance. His hair was spikey black.

​

​

Dark wings were protruding from his back and each of his fingers and toes had a talon coming from them. He didn’t seem to care how he’d gotten there as his focus was instantly on Inde.

​

​

“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” he said.

​

​

His tone was so calm it unnerved us something fierce. He was staring right at Inde and yet he seemed unaffected. For the first time, it sounded scared when it spoke.

​

​

“T-timore, what are you doing here?”

​

“A question for later. Master Perussi will be pleased by your capture.”

​

​

My mind raced with questions. Mainly, who was this guy, and who was he talking about? Inde never stood a chance. Although we didn’t see it, we could still hear what happened. Inde was getting torn apart.

​

​

We should have enjoyed this. Instead, our anxiety only grew as Inde begged to be spared. It was no use as its attacker ended it. There was another flash this time it was of darkness that somehow glowed. Timore sucked Inde’s soul into something.

​

​

The following silence put us all on edge. Timore looked in our direction. His eyes were entirely coal-black with not a trace of humanity behind them. How was it this guy was making me more afraid than a fucking eldritch abomination? Zohl stepped in front of us.

​

​

“Well, a grey. I haven’t come across one of your kind in a long time. Was it your signal that reached me?”

​

“It was. If you’re going to kill me, I only ask these people be spared. Their energy wouldn’t be worth the effort anyway.”

​

​

Timore glanced at me.

​

​

“The fuck are you looking at?” I asked, feeling my heart threaten to escape my chest.

​

“Not ripe enough yet,” he muttered in his monotone voice and then focused back on Zohl.

​

​

“Fortunately for you, I’m on a busy schedule. Rest assured, though, Master Perussi will have you eventually.”

​

​

Timore disappeared through another ripple. Cracks formed in the sky and then it shattered, flooding us all in inky suffocating darkness. Suddenly, it cleared and we were all back in town. My injuries were screaming at me and I only had the energy to shout for Carl and Nick before collapsing.

​

​

“Peter?”

​

​

My eyes opened. The dull light of my hospital room was welcoming and the voice of the person who said that was familiar. When it hit me who it was, my eyes widened and I sat up only to feel a surge of pain shoot through me.

​

​

“Easy, Peter,” another familiar voice said.

​

“Mom, dad…It’s really you. When did you get here?”

​

“A few days ago,” my dad said.

​

“I’ve been out for that long, huh?”

​

“You had us worried sick,” my mom snapped. “You didn’t call us for over three years and then you go and nearly get yourself killed again.”

​

“Who told you all this?”

​

“A man who called himself Blue.”

​

“That bastard…”

​

​

I groaned at the thought of a lecture. Fortunately, I guess she figured I’d been through enough.

​

​

“Well, we’re both glad that you’re safe and to finally see you again. Blue also said you were the reason we got out.”

​

“Yeah, sorry it took so long.”

​

​

She laughed and so did my dad.

​

​

“It was never on you, Pete,” he said. “We made the decision.”

​

“Then I guess we’ll just have to think of another use of all the money I saved up.”

​

​

I’d been doing so to afford my parents’ bail.

​

​

“Oh yeah, have you met Zohl?” I asked.

​

“We did,” my dad replied. “Meeting an alien is one hell of a way to start the holidays after getting out of the slammer.”

​

“I’ll bet. When you see him again, can you ask him what he gave to Blue?”

​

“No problem.”

​

​

A nurse came in, informing my parents that visiting ours was over. I’ve spent nearly a week in the hospital. Zohl provided some medicine which has helped speed up my recovery process. albeit only a little. Even though I can’t do a lot, I should be able to move on my own soon. I was surprised to see him in the hospital and he told me what he gave to Blue was some kind of communicator.

​

​

There was another on his ship, but he said he did it as insurance. Not only am I wondering what he meant by that, I’ve also been wondering who was in the library instead of Alice. Oh well, I’ve worried about enough shit to last several lifetimes. Unfortunately, the creatures still seem to be around. Yeah, apparently even with Inde being gone it’s like a self-perpetuating system.

​

​

The good news is it’ll be way easier to combat. Zohl has even talked about possibly making a cure for the returned. I hope he can. Only time will tell, though. I’ll be getting discharged soon and there’s going to be a holiday party at the town rec center.

​

​

Our house is getting fixed up and on top of that, the Formaggios have talked about passing ownership of their restaurant to yours truly soon. They want to retire and after everything, I can’t blame them. I’ll happily run the place. Nick’s already on board and finding new hires shouldn’t be that difficult and I’m hoping he’ll finally put himself out there. He deserves it and I can’t wait to dig into the buffet.

​

​

Of course, I’ll be smoking a little Who Hash beforehand. It’ll also be great to finally be officially back at my old job again. Carl will be picking me up soon. This will be my last post for a long time as I don’t have anything else to really talk about anymore. Who knows?

​

​

Maybe something new will happen, but for now, I wish you all very happy holidays. This is the soon-to-be pizza man again, Pete, signing out.