Chapter Text
Kel was a fresh graduate, and like any bloke with a degree in an overly specific field, he was looking for employment. Oh, so conveniently, a corporation by the name of Alpen Signal Observatory granted him the opportunity of a lifetime. Six figures a month? Check. Paying for his college fees? Check. His family and friends egging him on? Telling him this was an opportunity worth dying for? Check.
Oh, but Kel knew. He knew something was up. He might be a little slow sometimes, but he wasn't that stupid. The telltale signs had been there from the very beginning. It was simply too good, too promising, too... convenient.
But in the end, it mattered little. His college fees wouldn't pay themselves, and with everybody encouraging him on top of that, he didn't give it much thought. He simply accepted the offer. Now he had been stuck in this shithole for four days, watching very much animate mannequins. They were animate, damn it.
He never saw them move, but he knew they moved. They had to. It was either that or some invisible jerk kept sneaking into his base just to reposition them. And no, he wasn't going insane. How could he? What, since when did people develop isolation-induced schizophrenia after only a couple of days?
...
Okay, maybe there was more to it than just isolation. Like the vivid nightmares he kept having—nightmares that felt surreal and real at the same time. After seeing those infernal mannequins chasing after him in that bloody nightmare, he had to take action. And by "taking action," he meant spying on one of the mannequins until it finally started moving.
The mannequin was getting something from the vending machine. Well, more like imitating the action, since it had no cash to feed into the machine. It had been standing there in the exact same pose for the last ten minutes or so. Kel had been waiting at the other end of the hallway, peeking around the corner, and yet, all this time, there hadn't been a modicum of movement from the wooden statue.
Kel waited and waited, but it simply refused to move. Alright, I didn't want it to come to this. But if I have to, then I have no choice. Kel whipped out a lighter from his baggy clothing and tested it to make sure it still worked. The metallic click of the striker and the brief burst of flame reverberated through the hallway.
Satisfied, he snapped it shut and began making his way down the hall. Kel was a timid man, a little on the skinny side, but his curiosity was so great that it simply overrode his fear—or, in some cases, his self-preservation.
As Kel made his way toward the door behind the mannequin, he gave it a small wave in greeting. "Good day to you." No reaction, as usual. He moved to the door leading to the stairwell, which just so happened to be behind the mannequin. Perfect. The lighter was clutched firmly in his hand, careful not to give away his intentions.
The moment the door opened, Kel ignited the lighter, the sound of the opening door drowning out the metallic click. He spun around as quickly as he could without extinguishing the flame, held the lit lighter right against the mannequin's rear, and waited for the result. The reaction was almost immediate. The mannequin spun around and slapped the lighter out of his hand.
But... it wasn't fast enough. A thin trail of smoke rose from behind it. The mannequin seemed to realize it too and immediately panicked. Unfortunately for it, it had no way to extinguish the flames. Kel opened his mouth to apologize, but before he could say anything, it snapped its wooden head toward him. The mannequin had no facial features, and yet he could still feel the seething anger radiating from it.
Kel moved just before it lunged at him, trying to pull him into a fiery embrace. Dodging to the left, the urgency of the situation finally dawned on him. He had angered it, and now it wanted him dead. With no weapon on hand, he turned tail and sprinted for the exit. The mannequin recovered almost instantly, and he heard its wooden feet hammering against the ceramic tiles behind him.
Reaching the exit door, Kel found it locked. Cursing under his breath, he punched in the combination—1111—in record time. The mannequin rounded the corner just as he entered the final digit. The door slid open halfway, and he forced himself through the gap, barely avoiding his pursuer's grasp.
Kel tumbled out of the building and tried to regain his balance, but the adrenaline, combined with the momentum of throwing himself outside, carried him straight toward the entrance steps. He tripped, tumbled down them, and hit the ground hard. Ignoring the sting of pain, he looked back toward the doorway.
The mannequin emerged. To Kel's dismay, it was almost completely engulfed in flames. It took a step toward him. The thought of burning alive punched his brain into overdrive. "GO TO THE RIVER!" It stopped, seemingly trying to process what he had just said. "THE RIVER! GO!" This time, Kel pointed toward the river, and that seemed to do the trick. The mannequin understood, immediately turning and sprinting toward its salvation.
Kel scrambled out of the way as it nearly trampled him. He watched the mannequin run at full speed despite being engulfed in flames. He watched it leap into the river and disappear beneath the surface. The thick column of smoke rising from that direction quickly dissipated, telling Kel everything he needed to know.
The mannequin jumped into the river with a loud splash, disappearing beneath the cold water. The crackling of the flames died out, and as quickly as the chaos had begun, it came to an abrupt end. The mannequin had stopped moving now, simply floating downstream with the current.
The human sat down, crossing their legs as they stared at the river forlornly. Morkin watched the entire scene intently. He had been ordered to keep an eye on the human, hiding among the treeline while conducting some simple reconnaissance.
Just moments earlier, the human had burst out of the building in a panic. Morkin had wondered what could have driven them into such a desperate hurry, but he hadn't wondered for long. One of those human mannequins had appeared in the doorway, and his concern quickly turned into panic when he realized it was on fire. His panic only doubled as the human tumbled down the entrance stairs.
He had almost leapt across the river to help, but fortunately, before Morkin had to make that decision, the wooden being stopped when the human shouted at it to jump into the river. They had been given strict orders to keep contact with humans to an absolute minimum, but orders be damned. He wasn't about to let the little guy burn alive.
Morkin let out a deep sigh as he watched the human retreat back inside their... home? He assumed that's what it was. They still didn't know why the human was out here, so far away from the rest of their species. As the human disappeared back into the building, Morkin was reminded just how late it had gotten.
The sun had set about an hour ago. He didn't like being out here at night. Not only was Earth far darker than his home planet, but many... creatures came out after sunset. Still, he could afford to take his time walking back to the base. There was no need to rush. Morkin was fairly certain he could outrun anything lurking in these woods.
Walking through the forest was surprisingly calming. It would have been even nicer if it weren't for the occasional bird call breaking the silence, but other than that, Earth was a pleasant place. Someone could even come here for a vacation. Morkin joked to himself with a quiet snicker.
Morkin's thoughts drifted back to the scene he had witnessed only minutes ago. Those mannequins... Ariral society didn't believe in the supernatural. Everything could be explained through science and enough understanding. But... the more time he spent here, the more he began to question that belief.
As Morkin continued his late-night walk, his ears picked up a sound. Not just any sound. A very specific one. It sounded like... a human? "I don't want... to set the world... on fireee..." The final word trailed off into a gentle hum. The voice was soft, serene, completely unbothered. Countless questions sprang into Morkin's mind. Why was there another human out here? And why were they singing?
As strange as it sounded, that's exactly what it was. But one thought overpowered all the others. Investigate. "I just want... to start a flame... in your heaaart..." The singing continued as Morkin moved toward the sound. He stayed alert, remembering his training on dealing with humans. Don't escalate. Be polite whenever possible. Under no circumstances bring harm to one.
Yet the singer's voice was so calm and soothing that it almost had a psychological effect. "In my heart... I have but... one desireee..." The melody drifted through the trees as Morkin picked up his pace. Whoever this was had to be incredibly foolish to wander outside at night.
Don't they know there are monsters out here? "And that one... is yooou... no other will dooo..." Almost there. "I've lost all ambition... for worldly acclaim..." There. Morkin could hear them just beyond the trees. But another thought entered his mind. What if this is an anomaly?
No. Even if it is, I've already come this far. I should investigate and report back to base. Peeking around the trees, Morkin finally spotted the source. A human, just as he expected. A male, from what he could tell. He was sitting atop a rock, the moonlight illuminating his figure. Long blond hair. Loose, baggy clothes.
"I just want to be the one you loveee..." He kept singing, completely unaware of Morkin's presence. His eyes remained closed as his head gently swayed to a rhythm only he could hear. "And with your admission... that you feel the same..." His voice was so calm. So gentle. "I'll have reached the goal I am dreaming of... oh, be-lieve me..."
The singing came to an end. "Hello there." The greeting snapped Morkin out of his trance. As his senses returned, he realized the human was looking directly at him with a gentle smile. He froze. Maybe he was talking to someone else. Maybe— "I know you're there." Morkin's breath nearly caught.
Ignoring every question racing through his head, Morkin simply stared at him. He looked young. His face was soft, almost innocent. Yet he continued making direct eye contact with Morkin, smiling as though they'd already met. Still, Morkin refused to reveal himself. The Indis suit's camouflage should render him practically invisible, especially in this darkness.
And yet... this human had somehow spotted him. No... it didn't even feel like he had spotted him. It felt as though he simply knew Morkin would be there. "Hehe... your other friends look rather interesting too." What?! Does he know where the base is? How? It's supposed to be hidden! This changes everything.
The human somehow knew about the base and had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Something else was clearly going on, but Morkin didn't have time to dwell on it. He stepped out from the shadows and revealed himself. "Oooh! There you are!" the human exclaimed, his voice just as soft as before.
Morkin quickly ran through his English before speaking. "Human... who are you? How did you know we were here?" The stranger tilted his head, looking genuinely confused. "Oh? And where did this boldness come from?" He slowly rose from the rock and began walking toward Morkin.
Morkin was more confused than ever. Was this human being hostile? Either way, he didn't want to hurt him. They'd been told countless times how fragile humans were compared to them. Besides, with his Indis suit, Morkin felt reasonably safe. "L-look, we're not trying to hurt anyone. Why don't you come with me so we can talk somewhere safer?"
Morkin tried to de-escalate the situation. The human simply kept walking, hands buried in his pockets. "You won't hurt me? Ah... that's good to know." He smiled. "But there's one thing I don't understand." "Why so bold?" The question caught Morkin completely off guard. He kept approaching.
Morkin stood his ground. "What makes you think... you're safe?" He became utterly confused. Why was this human acting so hostile? And why did he keep smiling? Morkin was hardly an expert on human expressions, but they were similar enough to Ariral expressions for him to know this one made no sense.
His body language and his face told two completely different stories. "Is it because I'm smaller than you? Ooor... is it because you're wearing that fancy armor?" The stranger now stood directly in front of Morkin, making the more than one-meter height difference between them painfully obvious. His head barely reached Morkin's midriff, yet he simply looked up at him with a wide, toothy smile.
"Sorry, Mr. Alien. But whatever the case may be..." He closed his eyes, looking almost apologetic. "Your fate was sealed the moment you came to me." His voice remained gentle. Almost comforting. But the words themselves were an unmistakable threat. Morkin looked down at him. It really didn't help that he was about the size of an Ariral child.
Morkin truly didn't want to hurt this guy, but talking clearly wasn't working. Slowly, he reached out to restrain him before he did something reckless. "Look, I'm just going to escort you to the base. There, you can speak with the captain." The instant Morkin's hand landed on the human's shoulder... he moved.
Morkin's hand closed around empty air. Before he even understood what had happened, a tremendous force slammed into his midsection, sending him flying backward into a tree. The impact against both his stomach and spine was so violent that he nearly blacked out. He could hear the human say a few words of boredom. "Aaaah... they never listen, do they?"