𝟭𝟭𝘅 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 · A gothpunk sci-fi horror short story with Tokyo Ghoul vibes |
In a degenerate future, the city of Nodrog resides in an O'Neill cylinder around a red dwarf star. Mired in vice, this gritty place is inhabited by the vomons--w...
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Frizz goggled at the sight. Her trembling fingers pinched her skin to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
A living room sprawled before her, obscenely big in Nodrog standards. Red pot plants shone under UV lamps—a splash of color that popped out from ornate furnishing as black as night. The arching windows looked out onto the cityscape, forming an illuminated backdrop.
"You...live here?" she asked the vem who stood watching her. "This place is incredible."
Manda hesitated. "You...speak so well."
"Yes." Frizz let out a bitter chuckle as anger bubbled to the surface. "Frump actually uses human like an insult. You think we're stupid and dirty, don't you? That we can't understand what you say."
The vem said nothing.
"My momma taught me to speak—we can crubbin' speak, alright? Knowledge gets passed down too. We will never let Earth die in our memories. Even though you zombie filth took my momma from me—"
Frizz sucked in a breath and swiped a dirty hand over her eyes. She glanced at her wrist, now free of the identification band. The first thing Manda had done was stop by a garage home of a "friend from uni" to get the band removed. Together, they had treated her sprained ankle and the cuts on her feet.
The silence that followed her outburst dragged on, except for the clicking of electronics.
Manda strode over to a door and motioned for her to go in. "Pick some clothes. I'll get you food."
Frizz shook her head. "I have to get to a ship!"
"They won't leave this fast."
"How do you know?"
The vem just walked up to the counters that ran the length of the far wall.
Almost half an hour later, Frizz drifted back into the living room. After washing off the grime, her skin glowed a different tone of brown and prickled with a pleasant sensation. Only the roomier clothes fit her, and the scarf draped her form like bat wings. She rubbed her arms, unable to get used to the peculiar garments.
Manda sat at the counter in statuesque stillness. At her approach, she slid a plate in her direction.
Frizz pinned her eyes on the plate, which displayed a serving of beans and bulbfruit. The juicy fruit was more vibrant than she had ever imagined. At the Pens, all she had eaten were varieties of mush with supplements added in. Her stomach rumbled.
After a hesitant glance at the vem, she dug into the meal. She forgot to breathe as her tongue reveled in the taste and texture of new food.
Her plate cleaned, she licked juice off a finger. "Wait, where did you get this?"
"A pet food store," Manda said.
"Oh." She knew that vomons kept various creatures as pets, including bats. "You went to get it?"
