Chương 24: To The Barnyard

In the dimension Melony's group called home there exists a room dedicated to transportation. Though Carrie insisted that such a thing was unnecessary, Melony couldn't help but plaster the walls with black paint and perpetually lit torches. In the middle sat a mirror the size of a person. It was an undeniably creepy location by design considering its creator thought such a tone would match nicely with Carrie's demeanor.

"Let's just get this over with," Carrie said. Presenting a beckoning motion towards Jackson, the man handed her the nth cup of coffee she'd had up to that point.

Holden packed minimally for his trip. He had a few clothes, a sleeping bag, his sign language book, a water bottle, and his camera in the black bag he carried. Other than some miscellaneous items he decided those would do. Jackson waited expectantly alongside Natasha, the two of them wearing an identical set of clothes. A cast of characters from some animated television show had been sewn into the cloth. Upon noticing Holden's approach, a scowl crossed Jackson's face when he observed the sleeping dog strapped to Holden's chest.

"You were told only to take what's essential, a mission like this is no place for a pet." He remarked.

"I already talked to Melony about it, and she understood. She's why Pepper is asleep right now. Pepper... she wants to come along," Holden replied, eyes traveling down to his comfortable companion.

"Miss Melony agreed to this? All because the dog wagged its tail a little? That's what they do, it isn't anything special-"

"No, that isn't what I mean... I mean she really wants to come. I feel it."

Jackson's prior agitation dissipated as realization washed over him. He placed his palm on Pepper's head and gave her a scratch behind the ears.

"Oh. I get it. If that's how it is, fine. She'll come. I trust you're all ready to go? Carrie will be initiating the mirror ritual soon, so we won't really be doing a lot of travel. That means no stops on the way, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. You two are dressed pretty... casually aren't you," Holden asked. The uniform appearance of his two companions stood in stark juxtaposition with his more ordinary black jeans and a white tee.

"I got us these matching sets last Christmas! Jackson doesn't like to admit it, but he's a sucker for slice-of-life anime. Do you know how many nights he stayed up binge-watching this stuff-"

Jackson gently nudged Natasha with his elbow before clearing his throat and bringing attention back to the matter at hand.

"We'll save that for another time. Carrie, would you please begin the ritual for us?"

Holden, Jackson, and Natasha stepped toward the mirror and recited "Scary Carrie" thrice after pressing their fingertips against the surface.

"Hey kiddo, you forget your gum? Matter of fact, you forgot to say bye to me as well! Oooh, that's a criminal offense. You're lucky I don't hold it against you."

Holden jumped slightly and turned to face Melony who, by all accounts, had appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah man, did I startle yah? Scaredy cat! Okay, okay, don't take your hands off the glass. Just say 'aaaahhh' and be sure to open wide."

Begrudgingly following her instructions, Holden allowed Melony to place a stick onto his tongue.

"Thank you I suppose. Sorry, I didn't mean to skip out on the farewells. Guess I was just distracted."

"Pfft, don't apologize. I'm not peeved or nothin. Now I won't always be around to clutch up for you, so remember from here on out okay? Those ear pops are a real pain in the ass. Oh! I think the good part is coming. Get ready."

Two massive arms emerged from the mirror and began to envelop the trio in their grasp. Carrie's fingers curled and bent as she weaved several signs into the air, none of which Holden could decipher. Within moments he'd been pulled into the fantastical void he'd experienced all those weeks ago. This time he was not surprised as his form altered in ways even the most talented of poets would find hard to describe. While a flurry of colors swarmed around Holden and his allies, and while their bodies liquified and solidified again and again, it lasted only around a minute before they were delivered to the other side.

Collapsing onto the ground inside an empty building, it took some time for Holden to get his bearings. Despite all the commotion he was relieved to find Pepper still safe and sound. Surrounding him were rows of empty stables, the majority of which contained stacks of hay. The interior walls of the structure were degraded and chipped. Dull reds and browns served as reminders of whatever paint might have once given life to the once bustling barn.

"Right, looks like Carrie was on point as always. We'll settle here for the night while we go over the plan in a little more detail. Remember, we should only be encountering level one cryptids while we're here, level two at most. Stick by us and you'll be fine," Jackson began while he rolled out his sleeping bag. Natasha had resisted the effects of mirror travel through pheromone-induced calming. She traced her fingers along the metal bars outlining the stable entrances, possessed by long-since-faded memories of horses she never even experienced.

"Got it. I know it's been mentioned that the cryptids here will be farm-animal based in all likelihood. I've been meaning to ask, are they really a threat," Holden asked.

"Realistically they won't all be," replied Natasha, her attention re-oriented to her companions. "Not all cryptids are bad! Some are really docile actually. From my experience, the animal-like cryptids can be pretty friendly, especially with me." She'd resorted to using her phone to communicate once more, having realized Holden didn't understand her prior attempts to sign with him.

"Is that so? Then what about the ones Melony hunted before," Holden asked.

"She stopped doing that after I asked her, it's been a few years. She usually tries her best not to mention it around me, though even she slips up sometimes. It's okay, I know she tries her best. It's the thought that counts!"

"Not every cryptid here is innocent though," Jackson interjected. "Our understanding is that there's a few at this fairground who are less than friendly. Actually, they may even be imposing themselves on the other creatures here. If Natasha's scouts are correct, there's a massive pig here, one that consumes everything it desires and regurgitates what it eats into subjects to serve it. That's our main objective."

"So we're not here to fight all the cryptids, just some of them so we can help the others?"

"Mhm! That's the plan!" A splash of vibrancy spread across Natasha's flowers in response to Holden's understanding. "It isn't right you know, how cryptids who do nothing wrong are treated so horribly. I get it, some of them are violent and need to be stopped to protect those they'd harm, but that's true of everyone you know? Hybrids, cryptids, humans... If it can think and feel, isn't that enough to be worth something?"

"I can't stand the sorts of people who'd take from others without reason," Jackson added. "Everyone and everything has its own life, its own goals no matter how big or small. Nobody has the right to take someone's freedom, let alone their life without just cause."

"Then you two are also against monsters," Holden muttered.

"What do you mean we're against monsters," Jackson asked. "You mean like the ones you mentioned to me before?" Natasha appeared equally interested in what Holden had said, her attention focused solely on his words.

"Sorry, it just reminded me of that thing again... monsters being those who take pleasure in hurting others. The most important thing in this world is to fight against those sorts of things. No, that's wrong. That's secondary. The most important thing is to know why you're fighting monsters and to be assured that the reason is more than to cause harm."

"So it is like what you mentioned a while back. Causing harm is pointless on its own. If you don't know why you're fighting monsters beyond feeling good, you could very easily slip into the abyss you're trying to go against. That's it, right?" Jackson tilted his head while he awaited an answer, pure interest held within his eyes.

"Yeah that's... that's right. That's exactly right, you understood it perfectly. It's what my Dad told me anyway. Though I didn't really understand at the time, I've thought back on it here and there. You two aren't just against monsters, you're not defined by that. You want to help others too."

"Of course we do. It's the right thing to do. That's the kind of thing we can be proud to put our lives on the line for. For every life we save, for every life we rescue, it makes all the world better if only by a bit," Natasha exclaimed.

"The world huh? The world really is a messed up place isn't it?" Holden unfolded his sleeping bag and softly lowered Pepper onto the warm fabric. "Maybe it wouldn't make sense to call the world a monster, but it sure can be monstrous. To tell you the truth, I've been trying to get stronger and refine my ability so I could discover more about my mother. But that doesn't sound like a good reason to fight cryptids, huh? Is taking a life out of this world worth it just for my own selfish gain?"

Holden knelt down beside Pepper, gazing at her while her chest softly rose and fell.

"When I found her, or maybe when she found me, she was little more than skin and bones. Now look at her. Healthy, happy, and one hell of a sleeper," He said with a chuckle. "My Dad also said that even if you don't know exactly what your reason is to fight monsters, you should always be in search of one. God, the way he and I used to talk about them... I'll be selfish on my own time. Taking a life out of this world to hone my abilities is meaningless. But saving a life in this monstrous world... it does feel satisfying."

"Then you understand. What it is we're doing here. What it is our group aims to do for the entire society we live in. You get that this isn't a short-term project and that it won't be easy. Maybe we won't even achieve such an idealistic dream in our lifetime. Perhaps the lives we can affect will be insignificant compared to the lives we cannot," Jackson stated.

"But there's a story you may have heard," Natasha interjected with a wave of her hand. "One of a beach where thousands of fish have washed up on shore. A boy travels along the sand and picks up the fish, throwing them back into the water one by one. Eventually, the boy is confronted by a cynical old man who tells him that he's wasting his time and that he can't even save the majority of fish so his actions don't matter. You know what the boy does? He picks up the nearest fish and tosses it. Then he looks that old man directly in the eyes and says that what he's doing matters to that one."

"And if it mattered to one, maybe it can matter to others. Maybe they can also contribute and it'll add up to something meaningful. There's no reason this world can't be safe for hybrids and humans and cryptids alike. Hell, humans can't even see cryptid phenomena. Only a handful of sleepwalkers occasionally can, really," Jackson explained.

"Sleepwalkers? What are those," Holden asked.

"People like us are awakened. Sleepwalkers are those with cryptid DNA but lack the means to realize their abilities. Sometimes they'll see something strange and try to capture it, almost always unsuccessfully. The point is that humans and cryptids don't even have much of a relationship, all we have to change is how cryptids and hybrids interact with each other. That's the key to a better world. The key to a world someone like Myles deserves to live in."

"Shit, I'm on board. We may have had our differences before but I can get behind what you're putting out," Holden said.

"I knew you'd be! Thanks a ton for hearing us out and putting up with our quirks. I think we'll make a good team," Natasha delightfully declared. "If you guys don't mind, I'm gonna make sure we're not in any kind of danger zone in the fairground. Based on my plant's information we should be on the opposite end of where the pig and his servants are located, but better safe than sorry."

Natasha approached the front doors of the barn and exited. Holden watched with surprise as her body began to sink seamlessly into the ground, lowering beneath the surface much like a swimmer would gracefully dip underwater.

"She'll be back in a few minutes, she's efficient underground," Jackson stated before glancing towards Holden.

"Sure. I need a few to relax anyway. Even with the gum, you guys don't make travel easy." He sat next to his bag and cracked open the book Natasha had given him, meticulously reading through the pages.

"You've been working on your powers right? The ability to integrate aspects of the environment into yourself?"

"Yeah, what about it," Holden replied.

"Have you tried using it for information gathering?"

"What, with the book you mean? If you're asking if I can basically download what's written in the book into my brain, then yes."

"Oh, good to know. That could be useful," Jackson responded, scratching the back of his head while he waited.

"Yeah well, maybe. I'm not gonna use it on this book though," Holden commented, flipping through another page before practicing what he'd read with his hands.

"Wait, really? I saw how you didn't understand what Natasha was saying back at the base, wouldn't it make it easier? Why not?

"For real? Cus it's the thought that counts," Holden answered.

Pausing for a moment, Jackson offered Holden a nod of his head before he turned to organize his belongings.

"Indeed it does," he said. "Indeed it does..."