Chapter Text
It looked like a car had just struck her.
Lying on the side of the forested road on the outskirts of Mordhaus was an opossum. She was curled on her side atop the pavement. Her body was stiff, her mouth agape, showcasing jaws lined with sharp, doglike teeth. Her eyes stared off into space. A foul smell hung in the air as William Murderface poked the still animal with a stick.
“Huh. Guessch ya jussch’ got too clossch to the road, lil’ guy.” Murderface stared at the little grey beast. Pickles joined him, a beer in his hand.
Dethklok was on a post-BBQ stroll through Mordhaus’ outlands sans Nathan, who had stayed behind for the sole reason of it being his monthly exclusive “Burgers and Groupies Day.”
“Hey, lookit dat li’l opossum! She’s so scrawny. Musta be barely gettin’ any snacks from gerbayge cans or…” his voice trailed off as the smell hit him. “Gah! Murderface, let’s get outta here! Dat t’ing reeks.” He ambled off to talk to his nearby band-mates.
Murderface tossed the stick away, still staring at the unfortunate critter. He noticed some movement – it was still breathing! The breaths came shallow and slow, but they were there. What was more, the opossum’s right foreleg was bleeding and bent at an unnatural angle. “Guyssch, come back, I think thissch thing issch hurt. Lookit that fressch blood. I think that leg issch broken.”
Pickles, Toki and Skwisgaar joined the bassist.
“Ja, whats ams dats dere, Moiderface? Looks like yous founds a big rat.” The Swede had never seen an opossum before. “Sure looks like it ams been deads for days. Yuugh! Smells likes it, too.”
Toki wrinkled his nose. He rang his Dethbell, which caused a stirring from the creature. He jumped, surprised. “Oh, wowee! Dat rat ams wakings up! Maybe it ams a zombie…?”
The opossum slowly wriggled her pink nose and blinked her brightening eyes, taking in the musicians. The mouth shut the tiny but dangerous looking teeth out of sight. She clambered sluggishly to stand on her three good legs, holding the right foreleg up lamely, where it trembled pathetically. Her wide-pupiled dark brown eyes met Murderface’s beady green ones. He watched the marsupial in fascination. It was, as Toki had said, kind of like watching a zombie coming back to life. He found he couldn’t look away.
Pickles grinned and giggled. “Hey, dood. I t’ink she likes you!”
Toki smiled and punched Murderface on the shoulder. “A goilfriends for Moiderface – haha! Hey, Skwisgaar – I bets you’d likes her – she has pretty silvers hair, just da way you likes your ladyfriends!”
Skwisgaar made a face. “Shuts up, Tokis. Dis ams nots my types of GMILF.” He tilted his head, reconsidering the newly-resurrected beast before him. The guitarist cracked a small grin. “But she still ams kinds of cute, evens for a giant rats….”
“She kinda looks likes a scary cat – like da ones on da islands wit’ Fatty DingDongs. Cans you sees it?” Toki inquired.
They laughed. Murderface and the opossum kept looking at each other. He reached out gingerly to help the creature lift her injured paw up, shaking as it was, and to his surprise, the opossum nuzzled his hand with her face. Murderface’s expression broke out in a wide smile. He carefully petted her on her back. His stubby fingers glided over shiny, somewhat coarse layers of silver, grey, white and black fur. She nuzzled his hand again. The bassist ventured a small pat on the opossum’s head and was met with the mammal leaning her head to the side. A pleasant expression on her face softened her features.
Pickles smiled, too. “Lookit dat, Murderface – you really did make a friend! I t’ink she wants you to scratch ‘er behind da ears. You know, like a cat. Or a dog.” He swigged his beer.
“Like dissch?” He lightly scratched her left ear. It looked like a black, tiny, velvety crumpled up garbage bag. The opossum licked her chops and relaxed, carefully laying down.