Extra Chapter: A Choice of Direction

[Freeray]

Beaming sunlight blinded Clive as he exited the office building. He rose a hand to shield himself from the light as he walked down the path leading to the main street. There was the average amount of about three people strutting along the sidewalk. This was not a busy district of America City, which gave him some comfort knowing the chances of anyone recognizing him leave a therapists office. If they even knew this building held them. If anyone would even care.

Ignore his advice, a woman whispered in his minds ear. Clive rolled his eyes to no one in particular. He wants you captured and studied. He thinks you’re a freak. Briefly looking down either side of the street, Clive sprinted across to his bright yellow scooter. He slipped a piece of paper from his pocket and read off the coordinates and date to himself a few times. Don’t ignore me! the woman shrieked, her voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere. Listen to your older sister’s advice!

“You are nothing but a figment of my imagination,” Clive muttered to himself, balling up the paper and placing it back in his pocket. “Nothing more than an addled mind attempting to cope with these powers. An extension of my own subconscious.” He got unto the scooter and ut on his safety googles and helmet. “But it’s not like he’s right about putting you to use and trying to help people. I’m not going to become some vigilante, or something like that.” The scooter silently shot off and onto the sparse traffic. Waves of both indignation and content washed over him from Sis. “So no need to worry about that.”

What about him trying to make you not believe in me? her voice wavered. Clive remained silent for awhile. Going with the flow of the other cars, he slipped in and out of alleyways whenever he could. Sis began repeating her question, changing pitch, tone, and seemingly even the direction she was talking to him from with each repetition. Each word laced with copious amounts of sorrow. “…Let’s focus on picking up this psychiatrist’s shipment of meds and getting it to him for now.

[Problematic]

As Clive wove in and out of alleyways along the shortcut bike-friendly path, he'd begin to notice that each alleyway was becoming slowly choked with a large amount of rats, more appearing with every new alley he rode down and all apparently traveling along a set route, the same route that he himself was taking though they never emerged out onto the streets in plain view of the public. By the time he was nearing his destination he'd find himself accompanied by a seething river of jet black fur keeping a suitably safe distance away from him on either side as he rode through.

[Freeray]

Considering the sprawling nature of the city, it should be of no surprise to see the occasional rat here and there and some of the more run down neighborhoods and behind some shadier establishments. But, this veritable stream of rodents was completely out of the ordinary. It started as a small party roaming along. As he went onto main streets, they continued on back ways. Clive and the rats had their paths join and split multiple times, each regrouping was with a larger pack than the last. Strangely enough, it seemed like the rodents were headed in the same direction as him.

They’re being controlled by a powered individual. Clive rolled his eyes. You’re going into a trap. “Are you also going to say they might be going to get their medicine?” the courier snarked back. “Hell, with how polite they’re being with not bum blocking up the whole path, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was controlling ‘em. Seems like he’s a swell fella from the manners alone.” Sis oozed unease into the back of his mind, but Clive disregarded it. He had heard about a few of the weird things going on in the last few months, so as jarring as the imagery of a yellow scooter amidst a sea of black fur was, it was distinctly possible to become commonplace.

Clive’s alley hopping led him to the back of the pharmacy, a one story block, nestled inbetween towering buildings of… one kind or another. Clive never really paid attention to what kind of establishments they were. He parked the scooter and pulled out the kickstand when the thought occurred to him, “Sis, no funny business unless I give you the go ahead, okay?” …you shouldn’t be cursing… “OMG. Sis, answer the question.” Rolling his eyes, he made his way to the front of the pharmacy.

[Problematic]

Just as Clive was reaching the door, he'd hear the distinctive chitter of those rats once again and if he dared to look back before entering he'd find himself about to be swallowed in a literal wave of black, furry vermin with blood red eyeballs bulging out their skulls. He had indeed walked himself straight into a trap and now he was about to be buried in the bodies of hundreds of furry rats that likely had no good intentions for his future wellbeing.

[Freeray]

The street itself in front of the store was devoid of traffic of any kin, which was odd for this time of day. But, not unheard of. So Clive took the observation, and the stifling amount of negative emotions from Sis, with a grain of salt. The closer he got to the door, the louder the chittering and other assorted rat noises became.

I’m going to come out.

“Oh, come on.”

You’re going to get attacked. You need protection.

He grabbed the door handle and pulled it ajar. “They’ll just go by my legs o-“ Obviously enough, Clive was wrong. The moment the door was open, the sudden onslaught of vermin pouring into the building was more than enough to overtake the young courier and bury him beneath the carpet of fur, teeth… and hopefully nothing else. Clive’s back pocket was shredded by Sis’s sudden growth into her Active form. With more black fur added into the fray, Sis began wrapping her tentacles around any rodents in reach and flinging them as far away as she could manage. All the while Clive, at this point pushed onto his knees and practically face first in the ground, weakly shoved away the nearby rats as he tried to adjust to mental overload from Sis’s anger and chiding.

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