Eeloo is No Goddess

[Atubara]

THE DAILY GRASSLAND

1981, DAY 256                P7b

Bob Kerman was found unconscious on the new ISS science lab. Authorities think that he tried to overdose on medication pills, but rumours suggest the stunt was carried out by the Russian passenger, Rosbella. More information will come in the following days.

 

    Linus cackled and crumbled the page up, throwing a perfect shot across the room to land in the trash bin. In his original plan, he had only planned for Bob to get rejected by Rosbella and go on a schizophrenic tantrum. But this? Allegations of foul play by Russia’s ambassador on the ISS? That was even better. Linus had to make sure tensions were down long enough for the Laythe I to take off. Then, Russia could nuke the daylights out of Mexico if they wanted. He was a baby boomer, born in the early days of nuclear testing. He’d always wanted to see a nuke in action…
        He looked out of the window of the R&D circuitry complex. His reflection was faint. There laid an evil genius, not mad, but genuinely evil. A man who wouldn’t care about others or feel empathy for the poor. A genius among naive peasants. That man was an innovator, a warrior of intellectual awakening. Linus slicked his hair back, closing his tired eyes, breathing deeply. Maybe he’d consider himself a god if he hadn’t given his destiny to Eve all those years ago. She made him famous in exchange for eternal happiness. In exchange for the lives of thousands. In exchange for salvation.

 

“Eve’s a stone cold lassie, isn’t she?” Sunrise was approaching on the water. He smothered his cigarette in the ashtray and hunched down in his chair. He looked over to see that tiny little lavender dot just above the horizon. He smirked and wrote another log into his computer.

 

Eve came up to say hi to me this morning. After this whole thing is over, do you think she’d let me have my soul back?

 

    Everyone always made jabs at him, joking that he’d done such a thing. Joke’s on them, it wasn’t a joke. Shame there wasn’t any temples left in Mexico for Eve. Linus didn’t want to travel all the way to Greece just to make a little sacrifice. He had a cute clay idol he modified from there, though. It would make pleasant noises that would calm his migraines. They were becoming worse and worse every single day. Maybe it’s the coffee. Maybe it’s how Bob will feel when he gets the card in the hospital detailing how he lost his seat on the Laythe I to Jebediah.
    

 

    Bob woke up, his entire body feeling stiff and dull. He efforted to raise his head upright on the pillow. The room was white. Gravity felt heavy. He felt like his head was moving the same speed as Kerbin’s rotation.

 

    “Hey, the adrenaline worked. He's not a vegetable anymore," Bob wheezed and tried his best to even sit up more one of the nurses held his chest down.

 

    “You’re not goin’ anywhere, buddy,” Her voice rang through his skull and it stung every syllable she pronounced. He looked over to the various anatomical posters in the room, realising he was in a hospital. The chair in the corner had a pink card on it with black writing. Probably a get-well card. A man in dark blue attire walked over to the side Bob turned to.

 

    “We’re goin’na have a word when ya wake up a bit, mkay?” The man had the ornamentation of an officer. Bob’s head throbbed. He didn’t want to think about anything, especially about the legal consequences of his actions. One of the nurses gave him the lone card that sat on the chair. He groggily received the card and started examining it, forgetting it was a card in his stupor. He opened it to see the familiar handwriting of a close friend.

 

Hey Bob.

I heard the news about your little stunt on the ISS. Nice going. I should be disappointed but that would probably make you feel worse just like everything else I do. It’s not like I try to be that way. I don’t really know what to feel at this point.

I don’t understand all this hatred from you, Bob. It’s turned you into a bitter person. Take care of yourself a little better. I know you’re struggling, this whole ordeal proves that. Stop being a coward and stop being so selfish. You’re hurting the people around you, too. That includes me. What happened, Bob? I’m willing to patch all this up if you do, too.

Your big brother,
Jeb

 

Bob sat there for minutes just staring at the wall, contemplating why Jebediah would write to him, even after everything that happened. The nurse handed him a pastel blue card with glitter glue poorly smeared in the shape of a flower on the cover.

 

“It’s from Linus Kerman, I figure you two are acquaintances from the wording of his secretary,”

 

Bob had a bad time that day.

Edited August 13, 2017 by Atubara
Formatting...

[Atubara]

Bill had fallen asleep in his black robe after trying to watch the latest astronaut documentary filmmakers made to ride on the hype of the Laythe I. After Bob’s stunt at least two hour long films were made. Not like anyone really asked for them.

Bill had been celebrating his 49th birthday, much to the worry of his younger wife. Vanessa would faint at the prospect at the big 5-0. Bill’s teenage son, Nielsen, tugged on his father’s robe to nudge him awake. Bill smiled and rubbed his eyes, pulling his feet up to tuck them under the robe. He forgot to wear socks.

“Ya want more of yer’ birthday cake, pop?” Nielsen had his father’s charismatic smile already. He wasn’t like other teens his age. He dressed himself with respect and care, knowing to never cross the line while having fun. Bill yawned and happily took the small paper plate, balancing it on his stomach to eat it while laying down. There were chocolate chip cookies and whipped cream slathered on the top of the slice. He smiled and dug in with his plastic fork. Nielsen sat on the other side of the couch, yawning himself.

“Did dad already fall asleep, Niel?” Vanessa poked her head from the the far wall and walked towards her son and husband to eat more cake. She straightened Bill’s pajama collar, getting frustrated at the robe covering the ensemble.

“Oh, don’t be a mess. You’re setting a bad example for little Niel,”

“Ma, I’m not lil’ anymo’”

“You’ll be a baby forever, shush..,” Vanessa gently pinched Nielsen’s cheek and giggled at his slight pout. Bill sat up and patted the empty spot next to him so Vanessa could sit down. Vanessa picked up the remote and changed the channel to something they all could enjoy. She loved when there could be family time. She would feel warm and fuzzy when Bill could be home. That meanie space place would always call him and take him, but Bill said that he could be home long enough to watch Neilsen go to college and then some! He wrapped his arm around her side, pulling her close. She kissed him and became lost in thought again. He was much better to be around than those guys in the suits. They would be constantly watching her and her child’s every move!

        Bill said years ago that those were nice men and they were researchers. She was special because she was a rare kind of kerbal. She grew up in a plant and that made her special, for some reason. Vanessa couldn’t fathom why. The researchers would always make comments about how soft her hair is when they brushed it… maybe it’s her hair...yeah. She leaned her head on Bill. His personality was soft, why wasn’t he special?

“Is there any more cake? It was so good…” Bill felt immediate remorse by eating the last bit of his slice.

“Sorry, that was the last piece, love,” Bill covered his mouth and chuckled, his mouth full of cake. Vanessa laughed and teased him.

“Next time I’m eating the last slice, I assure you,” She waved her finger in his face and playfully pretended to be angry. Nielsen rolled his eyes at the couple. He’d seen less cheesy couples at his high school. At least they seemed to be in real love instead of whatever those couples that constantly have to be near each other. Vanessa could live patiently for years waiting for Bill to come back, bless her heart. Nielsen remember a fuzzy moment in his childhood where she was devastated about some failure on a mission Bill was on. That was when he was 5, though. Everything was fuzzy from such a young age.

        Agent Stafford showed up later that night after buying some cashews for the birthday Bill. He was one of the two agents allowed to stay at Bill’s house when the astronaut was on leave from the space centre. The other was Agent Rocky. The other twelve agents had to do other work for the science lab to not interfere with ‘family time’ as dubbed by Bill. Agent Stafford was the senior advisor. He’d been working for the last twenty years with Vanessa and Nielsen. He didn’t understand why she was so important. The lab already had three other plantbornes before her. Nielsen, however, was a more interesting subject. A hybrid between a loveborne and a plantborne. The bio labs went nuts. His thought process was interrupted when his cell phone started ringing.

        “Hello, Agent Stafford Kerbell here,”

        “This is Nicole DeKerb. I’m at the labs right now and there’s something I need you and Rocky to see. ASAP!” Agent Stafford nodded and summoned Agent Rocky from the living room to leave.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Atubara
Slight grammatical issues.

[Deddly]

Removed one of the replies because it was off topic and inappropriate.

[Atubara]

Ah. Now that I know where the exact line is, I'll try not to cross it again. Sorry.

 

Another sub-story to be added tonight! Busy because of boot camp.

[Alpha 360]

I like this series alot but you have just accurately painted a completely morally degenerate society which should happen in the 2030s, not 1981. Still, great characters and I think the name for such a story is a tragedy. And having multiple points of view in one chapter is slightly disorientating. 

 It would be nice if you could add chapters as well, to let people know about the latest post at a glance. I'm sorry if I have offended you and over-stretched my boundaries as reader. 

Keep up the good work.

Edited August 17, 2017 by Alpha 360

[Atubara]

Thanks for the criticism! I rarely get offended, especially if it's constructive. I tried to have 'substories' that would tie in together. I didn't know it would be disorienting.

I was thinking of adding a chapter system, but I have no clue how to do that. When I do that, is it possible to flesh out previous chapters and group them accordingly?

One last point, I took a few liberties in the timeline. There won't always be a completely parallel connection to human history. I also took a stance on kerbal behaviour and I'm sticking to it.

Thank you for giving me feedback! I'll try to clean it up a little bit in the near future.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Atubara

[KSK]

Hope nobody minds if I jump in here? Short of starting an 'Eeloo is no Goddess: Remastered' thread with everything in the right order, I'm not sure what you can do to move chapters around once they're posted. Editing them is no problem but getting people to read the edited chapters out of sequence might be harder.

One thing that might help though (and I shamelessly borrowed this from another writer on the forum) is to give your chapters names - and then update the thread title to include the chapter's name when you post it. It just helps to alert readers that there's new stuff to read.

Interesting comments from @Alpha 360 too. I've been trying to find the right word to describe Eeloo is no Goddess - 'haunting' is the best one I have so far. Not sure I'd go as far as 'degenerate' although I think I can see where that came from.

About POV changes mid chapter. Personally I don't find it disorienting and it's something I do fairly consistently in my own writing. If I could make a small suggestion, you could maybe try putting in section breaks (a row of six dashes between paragraphs or something) just to make it obvious that 'here be a POV change'.

As always though - your story, your rules. I am but the reader here.  

Edited August 16, 2017 by KSK

[Just Jim]

3 hours ago, Atubara said:

I was thinking of adding a chapter system, but I have no clue how to do that. When I do that, is it possible to flesh out previous chapters and group them accordingly?

It can be a little time consuming, but not terribly hard. What I did with Emiko Station was to take my first chapter, which was the OP at first, and copied it into my next available post. I already see your second post is a picture... makes it all the easier. Once I copied and pasted the first chapter into a different post, I changed my OP into a title page of sorts, and a list of all the chapters, with links to each. This is what takes a little time. I had to go to each chapter post individually and get the link to put into the index. I also tweaked the chapters a little to make them all work.

Again, took a little time, but it's so worth the effort! Now neither my readers or I have to scroll through pages of comments to find whatever chapter they might be on. They can just go to the OP and click wherever they left off, and not have to hunt for it. And I love it whenever I have to go double check something I wrote a year ago and can't quite remember the exact details.

Here's the link to my OP and chapter list... feel free to use it as an example, or copy it outright... I think it would work really well for you if you want to make a chapter system for this.

 

[Atubara]

Wow guys! Thanks for the help. This wasn't really meant to be a 'chapter', although when I redo everything I'll make sure to split everything up into actual chapters for convienence.

I think I'm good at constructing lore, not good at executing it via writing.

Hehe, I agree with @KSK that this story is haunting over degenerate. I meant for everything for be offputting and question the moral ethics of kerbals, at least in the way I have interpreted them.

[KSK]

9 hours ago, Atubara said:

Wow guys! Thanks for the help. This wasn't really meant to be a 'chapter', although when I redo everything I'll make sure to split everything up into actual chapters for convienence.

I think I'm good at constructing lore, not good at executing it via writing.

Hehe, I agree with @KSK that this story is haunting over degenerate. I meant for everything for be offputting and question the moral ethics of kerbals, at least in the way I have interpreted them.

Thanks.  Although I think it's the sign of a good story that different readers have different reactions to it and are getting something different from it. Amongst other things, I'm fascinated by the eggborne vs plantborne vs loveborne kerbals.

And the ease of constructing lore vs the difficulty of executing it in writing? Oh, how well I know that feeling!

Edited August 17, 2017 by KSK

[Atubara]

@KSK thanks!

I would've uploaded last night but my Ethernet cable wouldn't work and I didn't want to stay up super late trying to type it all out one my phone.

[Atubara]

Bill glimpsed at the agents leaving through the door from his bedroom window. Despite the suspiciously solid points on the contract he signed years ago, their business always seemed on the shady side of things. At least a dozen of the black-clad men skulked around the house and his family when he was gone. It paid the bills, though. Enough to afford a gorgeous home in the middle of a grassy field a few minutes from the city. Doing astronaut work alone without anyone else paying couldn't have done that. He looked at his wife on the bed, sleeping comfortably and probably dreaming of cake. He stretched, feeling his tired old muscles pull in a way he wasn't used to.

    "Ah boy, I used t' lift 185 on the bench, how does time do this to a man?" Bill pulled his arm to his opposite shoulder and pulled a little bit. He could probably lift 120 if he really tried. He needed to stay in shape if he didn't want to go through that grueling boot camp upon return to the space programme. Vanessa was worried sick when she heard he had to go a munth without sleep. Jool bless that woman, she was too affectionate for her own good. Bill smiled. Out of all the women on Kerbin, he got the best one. He turned around and snuck under the warm cover to not wake up his wife. He ran his hand through the ends of her soft, black hair. It hasn't even started to grey yet. It must be good to be almost 40. Bill scoffed at himself. Getting worried over grey hair. He passed out as soon as he settled on his pillow.

    Bill found himself in a fuzzy, confusing place. No matter how strange his dreams became, he wouldn't know anything was wrong until he woke up. 

    Bill was in a small, claustrophobic room with two other beds with prehaps just enough room for one more and a single window. Everything seemed nostalgic. He got up and underestimated his strength, almost toppling over as he stood up. He felt stronger and had the energy of an olympian. Jebediah approached him, laughing at his falter.

    "Whoa there buddy! Don' fall down!" Bill chuckled and almost poked back at his peer before he realised what was happening. Jebediah looked way different. His hair was jet black and buzz-cut, unswept and ungreyed. Bill looked over to Bob's bed and saw the same amount of difference. Bob had dark brown buzz-cut hair, not a light brown patchy combover. Bill ran his hand through his own hair in the few brief moments he analysed the room. Buzzed. Bill lost his smile. Something was wrong. It was years since he had a buzzcut. 

    "Jeb? how old are ya?"

    "I'm gonna' be 23 in a few munths, why? You got yer' presents yet?" Jebediah winked and turned to Bob. Bob was still under the covers looking at the other two men and rolled his eyes. Bill was about to ask more until he heard the familiar sound of cornet in the distance. It was time to get out on the field and do science. They hurriedly ran out, almost stampeding over each other to get to the launch pad first, dirtying up their uniforms in the process. Gene Kerman held his cornet at horns up until the men lined up, snapping it down as they came to attention.

    "Alright men, today you won't be doing anything! No harsh exercises, no disciplined rehearsals, no getting flung into the ocean via rocket car. You're all going home, but you must be back by tomorrow evening. Wernher wouldn't like for you guys to be gone long," Gene took the regime too seriously. Jebediah was the one who suggested it so everyone could be focused. Bill and Bob hated it because Jebediah ran away from Marine training. Hypocrite. Jebediah and Bob sped off in their red country truck to go to the junkyard and Bill took his black truck home. The Mexican cityside was beautiful. The beach always flung fresh salty air through the road to his apartment and the skies were a sight to see every time that he looked up. The hurricanes weren't cool, but that was the only negative.

    He came into his appartment and his wife jumped and hugged him, nearly slamming him into the wall. He hugged her back and lifted her up with ease, proudly carrying her to the futon and kissing her the entire time. His wage was barely enough to afford the room and extra food for his wife, but she didn't care as long as she got to see him. Bill looked happily into the circular glasses. The light obscured her eyes, but he could tell she was looking deeply into his eyes. She giggled and pulled him close, tightly hugging him.

    "Did they git ya that nursin' job?" Bill kissed her cheek again, using a certain voice so he would let her know he wouldn't be disappointed.

    "No! And I dthid not get dat cooking job, eider!"

    "Vannie, yer' pronunciation... TH not D..," Bill focused so he could speak in a clear dialect.

    "Tha.. Dthat,"

    "That," Bill put on a friendly smile and held her hand as she thought.

    "That..," Vanessa shyly responded, nodding at her feat. Bill's fingers found her wedding ring. He rubbed his finger over it and noticed the lack of scratches. The skin around the ring had settled, letting him feel much better. He smiled warmly and gently petted her hair.
 

Edited August 17, 2017 by Atubara
Font...

[Atubara]

"There we go, it's not hard. Don' be shy. I won' hurt ya. Just keep practicing, okay?"

    "Okay, Bill..," She smiled, still a little unsure of herself. Shersby really did a number on her psyche.

    "Let's eat! I'm hungry after fixin' stuff that the boys keep breakin'!" Bill keep thinking in the back of his mind about how much progress Vanessa had made. He pulled some wrapped veggies when the world went from dim to dark. Bill arose and rubbed his eyes again. It was a dream. It was a different dream... he could remember those exact events. It was a retelling, a recollection. He had never had a dream like that. He peeked at the clock. He settled himself again. It would be at least another twenty minutes to sunrise. He let sleep take over again and reveled in the warmth under the covers.    
    Bill started melting into a cold room. There was men from the agency from England... he didn't know what they did, but they looked vicious, dressed in crisp black suits and monotone faces. He took a moment to recognize the room. There was papers in front of him, he had a silver pen in hand. He had to sign something?

    "Hey- hey Mr. Bill?" The man in front of him gained his attention. He had a strong English accent and a deep voice.

    "Oh, uh, sorry. I was thinkin'. What's this whole thing fer', again?"

    "Must I explain again? This is about your peculiar pet, Mr. Bill,"

    "Ya mean my wife?!"

    "Right, right, your wife," The man waved his hand in dismissal. BIll carefully looked over the documents again, making sure there wasn't any secret catch, no snag in the fine print. The deal was too good.

    "Yer' tellin' me that you'll pay $5440 annually with adjusted interest for the rest of our lives so you can research my wife? There's no catch?"

    "Of course not. The contract states that we cannot touch or harm Vanessa in any way. We only want to collect hair samples and the like, supposing she lays eggs unlike the other ones. We'll even cater to her needs. We will buy you a good home for you. her, and several scientists to stay in as they study her. She'll be happy, educated, and treated like a king when you're at work! You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Bill, she will be in good hands the second you sign that little line there. You can even cancel the contract whenever you want," The man traced the empty line on the paper. Bill gulped and tapped the pen on the desk. He took one last look at the man and trusted his genuine-looking smile.

    "Ok, sir. Don' make me regret this," Bill signed the contract and felt his stomach curl as the man took the documents, straightening them before handing them off to one of the other men. 

    "Glad doing business with you, Mr. Bill Kerman. Welcome to a comfortable life of luxury and assurance!" Bill reached out to shake the other man's outreached hand. 
    Bill woke up again, feeling cold even under his black robe. Vanessa nuzzled his cheek, kissing him. The sun lit up her face. He felt warm again, knowing that even after years, she was still happy. He looked around the room, taking in the homely brown colour of the walls. There were pictures of he and his wife with their kid. Bill looked back at her and kissed her again, holding her close.
    He had a good home, a good family, a comfortable retirement waiting within the next six years. He was certainly doing better than his peers. Jebediah was a tabloid hit during the 70s because of his unstable love life and Bob… was just being himself. Bill blinked hard for a few times, reorienting his vision. He hadn’t died yet, and unless some horrible accident happens, he should be home free! 
    He would start a charity, Nielsen would go to college, and watch Jool from the surface of Laythe with his wife when Jebediah and Valentina touch down in ‘84. When they come back in ‘94, it will truly be the future. He grew up watching cartoons that painted the year 2000 with flying cars and all the celestial bodies in the solar system colonised. Maybe the future was already there?
 

 

 

(Side note! Since this story isn't currently in a chapter format and I want to make it a chapter format, it might take a long time for it to get sorted out. I have 0.1% of the free time I used to have so I have to use it just writing because I have nothing else fun planned for my spare time. I don't know how /that thing where you take a link and you put it as a link but it looks like a word or phrase but it's blue and that means it's a link/ works. Sorry for any inconveniences)

[Just Jim]

24 minutes ago, Atubara said:

(Side note! Since this story isn't currently in a chapter format and I want to make it a chapter format, it might take a long time for it to get sorted out. I have 0.1% of the free time I used to have so I have to use it just writing because I have nothing else fun planned for my spare time. I don't know how /that thing where you take a link and you put it as a link but it looks like a word or phrase but it's blue and that means it's a link/ works. Sorry for any inconveniences)

Take your time, we understand. And just for the record, it took me over 3 days to re-format mine... 

You add a link with the button that looks like a paperclip. That will open a window to paste your link into, as well as giving it a name, if you like. It's fairly straight forward.

[Atubara]

---
Nicole fixed her black hair in a short ponytail. Three hours of sun a day was too much for her light, slightly yellowed green to handle. She rubbed the aching skin, feeling the little pricks of stinging pain. She sighed and hoped she would get a darker, fresher green hue to soak up the sun better. Her colleagues from France weren’t as open as the locals. She liked that she moved to the biology centre not far from Ciudad de la Playa under the request of Dr. Linus Kerman. He wanted her to carry out some 'commissions' he drew up. As a biogenetic engineer, she could have endless fun with the endless supply of test subjects he sent in.
    She wasn’t allowed to actively breed kerbals back in France, but Dr. Linus had given her full permission to do whatever she wanted. Nicole was twisted. She’d seen and done it all. Dozens of cows, bulls, dogs, monkeys… Deformed from the drive to breed the perfect soldier equipped for life in the wild. She’d seen two straight years of failure; batch after batch she’d get mad at the failures she had allowed to breed. It was until the day before she managed to get what she wanted, according to Dr. Linus’ instructions.
    The agents she called in had arrived at the door. She touched up her mascara to look presentable and turned around to face her new creation.

“Come here, Betty! I want to show you off to new friends!” Nicole put on a fake smile and called her cow over. Betty warily crawled out of the shadows of the lab, malnourished from the diet her ‘mother’ had given her so she could appear fat and healthy. She was too weak to properly defend herself just in case she wanted to rebel. Her biological heritage was from all over the globe, but she was mostly Russian-blooded. Her vivid but light shade of green skin showed that. Nicole yanked her pet’s hand, dragging her harshly across the tiled floor. Betty grunted and flinched.

“Ah! Uugrh aama..,” Betty croaked and stopped to take a breath. Her dirty hands sloppily straightened her uniform which was also covered in the same mixture of dirt and dust.

“Silly cow. Animals don’t speak!” Nicole scolded her and raised her hand, causing Betty to cover her face and curl up. The scientist patted her head before tying her wrist to a nearby metal beam and walked over to the other side of the lab to show the agents. There were a wide variety of preserved bodies and organs among the lab shelves. Each one labelled appropriately. She stopped momentarily to look at a glass container labelled 0001/0052-656.34f. The scientists said that specimen fought the wranglers and managed to escape from the annex of the red room until they took her down. She grinned, remembering that the guards on campus made a bigger deal out of one rogue specimen. The formaldehyde that seeped over the top of the container reeked on the outside. Nicole disregarded it and continued on he way to welcome the two agents. Their job was to make sure that Betty could in fact be a promising specimen.

Agent Rocky felt a wretched pit in his stomach as he, his peer, and Nicole walked through the maze-like lab. Seeing the crooked silhouettes in the massive containers squicked him out. Agent Stafford put a hand on his partner’s shoulder.

“Just remember, it’s not in our domain to judge what this lab is doing with these bodies..,” Agent Stafford felt queasy too, but he kept it buried deep down to not show weakness. Nicole turned slightly to overhear their conversation, taking care to not alert them that she was eavesdropping. She didn’t understand why they were getting grossed out. This was a haven to her, but granted, she had messed with most of the creatures in the lab at some point. At the end of the maze, there was a dead end, mostly shrouded in darkness besides Nicole’s dim computer screen. Agent Rocky felt his throat heave dryly as he laid his eyes on the outline of a kerbal in the corner.

“There she is, an early prototype of the perfect soldier!” Nicole giggled and clapped her hands, enthusiastically jumping in place.

“Made from the entirety of the wide genetic variety Kerbin has to offer, bred to grow within hours instead of days or years, and formatted to produce edible fruit to sustain her peers! The only kinks I have to work out is making sure the fragile brain develops correctly and that she can fight, but that has been exempted for the quota. Betty here is only five hours old and her brain won’t retain any more information…what a BUMMER!” Nicole clasped her hands together and groaned. She turned her desk light on to show off Betty more, carelessly yanking up her hand. 

“Look! She’s blooming!” There were abnormal growths on the back of Betty’s twisted hand. One open bud looked to have a bright red berry-like growth sprouting forth.

“Thanks to Mr. Bill Kerman's freakshow family I managed to gather some exclusive plantborne genes and amplified them, a little bit... The fruit you see here doesn’t taste very good. It tastes metallic and smells like iron, but it’s still fruit! And-”

“This is disgusting, Nicky!” Agent Rocky broke his stone cold facade to express himself. Agent Stafford grimaced at his peer, ready to hold him back. Nicole’s forced friendly warm demeanour quickly dissolved, her smile turning into a stone cold grimace.

“Oh, excuse me?” She snapped her hand up from Betty and stood with her back straight.

[Atubara]

“You can’t do that! You’re messing with the right order of things!”

 

“What would you know? You’re a field man. And plus, I’m only following orders from Dr. Linus,”

 

“Rocky has a point. This is illegal, Nicole,”

 

“What?! No it isn’t!” Nicole backed up towards the wall, reaching for her defense mechanism.

 

“I-It’s not anything! It’s science!” She raised up her flare pistol, aiming at Rocky’s face. She shot a live flare are him as she got tackled by Agent Stafford, knocking her monitor over and cracking the screen. Agent Rocky slapped the flare out of the way to help restrain Nicole, letting it burn on the ground. Betty screamed and started to cry as the flare rolled across the floor straight into the labs.

Agent Stafford used his taser on the base of Nicole’s head as his partner handcuffed her. He didn’t want to start thinking about how much paperwork there would be to start making arrests on the rest of the lab, if they willingly took part in these cruel tests. He knew that the labs were doing shady stuff but not actively editing DNA. That’s why the biologists asked for so much blutonium. The UN had a strict view on the ethics of such a thing. Agent Stafford shook his head as he used more of his weight to hold her down. His business wasn’t too happy-go-lucky, either, selling DNA samples and personal details like candy.

 

“Stafford? What’s that smell?” Agent Rocky sniffed the thick air.

 

“Did someone open a jar of pickles? That’s a weird, chemically smell..,” Agent Stafford looked over to where the flare had rolled. It was near a grouped collection of preserved cadavers. He gasped and quickly stood up as Agent Rocky took over. Nicole started laughing.

 

“Every plan that corporations like this have always have a way to wipe it all! You guys would wouldn’t you? I didn’t think you’d act so maliciously to my creation! Boss’ orders, friend,” Agent Stafford looked over to Nicole, having only enough time to look at the scared creature in the corner struggling to get free. Then, all the sterile and clean air went up in flames, along with all the research the new bio lab had gotten done. Agent Stafford managed to scrape away with his life, remembering only what the monitor said right before it fell. He’d say it over and over again, his acquired French accent quite strong in repeating it.

 

À l'herbe

La période de gestation est de 14 heures, surveillez les coups de pied. Il est rare de les voir à l'état du dehors, les tests laboratoire produisent peu de résultats.

Vanessa est assez particulière, n'est-ce pas, Docteur Linus? Ses oeufs ont été utiles à mes recherches. Ceux créatures comme elle ne connaissent jamais l'oestrus.

 

After the labs burned down, Agent Stafford’s PTSD mantra was the only evidence of any strange going-ons in the facility. What a close one.

 

Another lab fire, another public allegation of bad business from the public, another migraine. Just what the space programme needed. Just what Linus needed. Just a few more days until launch. He just needed a few more days until 1982. He bent a spoon he kept in his desk completely out of shape, going insane from the nightmares and headaches. He hadn’t eaten in days, having not slept for even more. He took another sip of coffee, his hand shaking from the anticipation of gaining fuel to function.

 

Linus was the big bad, the main character of the sick story he wrote as he gotten into his position. His pen was his readiness to destroy, his paper was his drive. Everything that happen led back to him. Maternal training, two laboratory fires within a year apart, even dear little Bob losing his sanity. Linus would've smirked but his head throbbed too harshly. His plan was so close to being executed. Such a beautiful series of occurrences that happened in his favour.

 

“Another few days, Linus, just a few more days, Linus!” He quietly whimpered to himself as he weakly thumbed his fist on the desk. The Laythe I had to be perfect. The pieces were coming together like a multiple-planet transit. Everything had to line up or else the entire thing would collapse! He spontaneously ripped some of his hair out, cursing under his breath. The Laythe I could leave and he and watch Kerbin’s sociopolitical system violently implode on itself and HE COULD FINALLY ATONE FOR HIS MISTAKES!!
      Linus laughed madly, shredding the papers before him to mere bits and pieces. One the mission started, he could finally be at rest. He could finally sleep. Just a few more days. 27 hours to be precise.

 

Linus’ lungs felt like they curled up and wheezed. The fiberglass was a tad too heavy in his cigarette.

[cratercracker]

Hmmm.... 

After I finished my graphic novel "dust storm", which is pretty dramatic, I saw a little burst of other people making specifically dramatic and realistic writings, novels and stories.

But this one, is definitely not the case.

I really like it, it is outstanding, different from other works and at least in my mind "different" means "good".

Thank you for sharing, @Atubara 

[Atubara]

I'm glad you like it, @cratercracker! Can you elaborate more through PM?

 

It's not over yet, just a little more and then I can start formatting the entire thing.

[Atubara]

-

“...Dr. Nicole DeKerb, Dr. Harold Kerman, and finally, Sir Derrick Kerman. Another moment of silence for the brave lives that were lost in the pursuit of science and discovery,” An old priest cleared his throat and regained his ground by adjusting his feet, bowing his head in silence. The crowd before him followed his command. A mass funeral was being held for all 139 lives the Laythe I research had taken. Many of the dead were construction workers. Nearly a dozen were scientists.

 

Bob sat slumped in his seat, shifting through the numb feelings he felt as the names of some of the original crew were spelled out. He looked at the priest, wondering how the old man hadn’t been sweating from his ornate attire in the humid air. Ebony trim with a white underside and a wrinkly old guy sauntering around in it. That guy looked pitiful as his hands trembled from age. Bob digressed. He didn’t look too hot either, sporting a shoddy combover treated by dry shampoo and his patchy brown blazer.

He looked over at some of the signs hung around the area. The outside reception was held a day before the much-anticipated launch of the Laythe I as a way to honour the deceased for their effort. Bob didn’t believe in all the spiritual crazy-talk the people at the funeral discussed. Shame most of the crowd were proper scientists instead of Joolians. One individual even claimed to be a Dresite. Bob really only came for the food and sought to try to repair his relationship with his brother that night. Jebediah typically took a last look over the beach before interplanetary excursions. There was a little cave and a cliff at the end where it was possible to see Ciudad de la Playa and the KSC. That’s where he would be.

Bob walked to the nearby building, quietly tapering himself from the world to think.

 

“Hello, Mr. Bob,” Bob turned around to face Linus, snapping out of his thought.

 

“D-d-don’ talk to m-me, please,” Bob croaked and started to turn around only to be forcefully turned back around, Linus’ cold hand tightly gripping his shoulder.

 

“You will talk to me because we need to discuss something…privately..,” Linus’s grip tightened, hurting Bob’s shoulder. Bob felt a sense of panic, falling down trying to get away.

 

“Stop making a scene. Be an adult and come with me,” Linus held his hand out to help Bob up. Bob shook his head and got up on his own, rubbing the shoulder that Linus basically squeezed.

 

“I don’ w-w-wan’ I don’ wan’ t-to!” Bob quietly whimpered as he regained his footing. Linus snatched his collar and dragged him on the floor again, feeling his own head throb.

 

“You’re making my migraine worse, you idiot! You can come quietly or not, but we need to talk in a location where there aren’t widows bawling in every room!” Linus sighed exasperatedly, his hands shaking from anger. Bob caught his breath and nodded without a word. It would have been scary if they weren’t in a secluded part of the church near the graveyard. Most of the funeral people had left for the outside recession, only leaving indifferent nuns and traumatised widows inside.

Bob caught the smell of rotten incense as the nuns roamed in the corridors and pews. Distant crying echoed through the halls, mixing with the gentle chimes of brass carillons. Spooky. The sun shone through a stained glass mural of Eve, sending ominous violet and pink light bouncing through the church. Eve was depicted as she usually was, legs crossed and draped with a black chlamys that wrapped around her left arm. Everyone knew those four skulls that surrounded her. Sarnus, Urlum, Neidon; who died before birth. Then there was little Gilly, who still died before birth, but it wasn’t quite accidental according to legend. Bob felt his stomach churn.

 

“What are you gawking at Bob? I thought you weren’t religious,”

 

“I-it’s nothin’. J-just appreciating’ the a-art,” To be fair, the murals were beautifully done. The way the light from Eve’s mural mixed with the ambient glow of Moho’s mural was hauntingly beautiful. Bob caught one last look at the interior of the church as Linus dragged him out. There was a marble statue of Jool, set up to open and close its eyes depending what time of day it was. Jool’s eyes were nearly closed, looking melancholy as the massive sculpture loomed over the altar. Eve’s light tainted the Spanish marble to an unhealthy dark pink, the sparse white streaks turning lavender. Bob turned around to catch up with Linus and exit the church.

Linus’ car smelt a lot better, smelling of subtle caffeine and mint. Bob shifted uncomfortably in his seat, noticing that Linus’ appearance had considerably deteriorated. He had disgusting bags that made his eyes look like they were going to fall out, some veins in his forehead bulging out as a well. His hands had the same agitated veins. Linus was also skinnier, as if he hadn’t eaten in days, perhaps even a munth. His metacarpal bones stuck out and complemented his tiny forearm. Bob scoffed to himself. He thought he looked bad. Linus’ eyes were also glassy looking. Bob couldn’t think of a point where Linus blinked. Interesting.

The car stopped at a shady motel.

 

“O-oh.., I d-d-didn’t know you w-wanted to do this,” Bob blushed and nervously laughed as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

 

“What? No!” Linus slapped his forehead.

 

“Not after ‘74 we’re not! I took you here because this is private!”

 

“Huh, w-well okay. Can w-we make- make this chat quick? I n-need to top off my medic- top off m-m-my medication and talk to J-jeb,” Bob dug in his blazer for his bottle.

[Atubara]

“Are you looking for this?” Linus took the little bottle from his coat pocket and rattled it in Bob’s face.

 

“H-hey I n-need that!” Bob whined and reached for the little orange bottle, being pushed back into his seat by Linus’ firm hand. Linus put the pills back into his pocket as Bob gulped.

 

“You only need them because you’re hurt, Bob. What hurt you?”

 

“E-e-excuse me?” Bob felt his dry throat croak in response. Linus lowered his voice, grabbing Bob’s long tie, inspecting the diamond motifs on it.

 

“What. Hurt. You,” Linus accentuated every syllable and make eye contact to make himself clear to Bob.

 

“I-I don’ know, just g-gim-”

 

“Did Jebediah hurt you?” Linus’ hissed tone make Bob’s head throb.

 

“I-I-”

 

“Did Rosbella hurt you? Valentina? Bill? Was it me?” Bob felt his eyes start to sting and water. He felt flustered.

 

“Or was it daddy?”

 

“Stop! I-I’m not in the mood for this!”

 

“Tell me where it hurts, Bob. Where does it hurt?”

 

“S-stop..,” Bob huffed, feeling his head throb from his heart pounding in his skull. He hated being confronted like this.

 

“Does it hurt here?” Linus rested his index finger near the bottom of Bob’s forehead. Bob started to feel tears running down his cheeks. He gripped the armrest and turned away, wiping his eyes with the back of his free hand.

 

“Bob, does it hurt?”

 

“N-no..,”

 

“Did Jebediah make it hurt?

…

Did he make it hurt, Bob?”

 

“Y-yeah,” Bob silently sobbed into his hand, his stomach turning. Linus leaned towards Bob, turning the other’s head toward him.

 

“Are you mad he gets everything?”

 

“N-n-no, I’m not s’posed t’ b-be angry,”

 

“Are you mad at Rosbella?”

 

“I-I h-h-hate..!”

 

“You hate her?”

 

“I hate everythin’,” Bob's tone became hushed and angry.

 

“Oh aren’t you lovely? Trying to be deep and existential are we?” Bob yanked his tie back from Linus.

 

“J-just ‘m stop,”

 

“I want to know, Bob. I want to know why it hurts,”

 

“Gimme the meds,”

 

“You don’t need these. These are just placebo. I know because one of my associates designed these pills. You only think it works because you want to make the pain stop, don’t you? That’s what you want,” Bob’s hope quivered as Linus shook the little bottle.

 

“Speechless are we? I know how to make it all go away..,”

 

“I’m not doin’ that if that’s w-what yer’ insinuatin’!"

 

“You’re only not going to try again after your little scene with Rosbella on the ISS,”

 

“Linus! Take me back to the KSC! I don’ like this game!” Bob’s voice shook with sadness and terror. His face was messy from tears and his sinuses were audibly clogged.

 

“Interesting how your stutter fades when you’re under pressure. It’s about Jebediah,” Linus inflected on his last phrase, peaking Bob's distorted mindset.

[Atubara]

A doodle that I spent a little time on during the week. I posted an uncolored version earlier this morning on my Imgur to see how far the finished project came. My roommate let me use her fancy markers. I might buy my own if the composition scholarships work out.

[Atubara]

“Let’s be honest here, Bob. The next time that you’ll see Jebediah will be around 2001. That’s if everything goes to plan. Be a shame if something were to happen and you never saw him again, hmm?” Linus darkly smiled and saw Bob’s fists clench.

 

“Go give him a piece of your mind, Bob. What would you do and never saw him again and never got to tell him what you really think?” Bob’s heart was racing as he felt angry urges seep into his mind.

 

“Your id wants to be set free, let’s go and talk to Jebediah,” Linus petted Bob’s head and lit another cigarette, kindly offering another for Bob. Bob could barely hold the cigarette from his hands shaking. On the five-minute drive back to the KSC, Linus indulged his companion more.

 

“Wouldn’t you like to take your seat back, Bob? You want to be with Valentina, don’t you? What if those rumours are true and they’ve been together all along? Jebediah could fall out of the picture at any time…and you can finally have her,”

 

“NO! No…! Women don’ work like that. I-I-I c-can’-”

 

“For crying out loud! Women are property. They’ve been property since long before we were-”

 

“Valentina ain’ an object! N-nobody's an object!”

 

"Not anymore, unfortunately. Just wait until those hippies come back and start arguing that those naked creatures running around in the sewers and alleys are people, too. What a world!" Linus smacked his lips, chewing the butt of his cigarette.

 

"Women aren't animals!"

 

“Don’t lie to me about your cute beliefs. I’ve seen your little blue psychotherapy journal. I know what you dream about, Bob. I know what you want, Bob. You’re a petty, sick freak, and tonight, there are no rules for-"

 

“I’m NOT THE SICK ONE! J-JUST LET ME OUT HERE I C-CAN’T BRING MYSELF TO DO THIS!” Bob started hyperventilating and rattling the door handle to no avail, turning back to Linus who showed no signs of caring. Bob started crying again, feeling his ability to control himself wade. That rumour couldn't have been true. Jebediah was a bachelor, a heartbreaker. He wasn't made for relationships, and he didn't deserve her! Bob uncomfortably tapped his leg in his seat, his hands clasping each other.

 

“No need to yell, you animal. You’re trapped in a god complex but you’re only an animal. Animal,” Linus calmly responded and waggled his finger.

 

“Animal..,” Bob whimpered back in response, not being able to feel the proper way to react.

 

“Yes, you’re an animal. What do you want to do?”

 

“I want to talk to Jebediah and confess to Valentina,”

 

“Good boy! And that’s what you’ll say to the police,”

 

“A-a-and that’s what I’ll s-say to th’ police,” Bob dryly croaked, twiddling his thumbs. If he played along with Linus’ sick game, he could get his pills back and be let out and go to sleep. He couldn't hurt Jebediah, and after this whole Laythe I ordeal is done, he'd report Linus. If anyone would listen to him, though.

 

“Good boy..,” Linus gently patted Bob’s head.

 

“I won’t pay bail again, though. Getting you out of jail was such a hassle last time,” Linus rolled the cigarette between his teeth, smoothly bringing the car to a halt as he approached the security gate.

 

“Hola, Linus, ¿asumiendo que es viejo Bob alli?” The officer chuckled as he gestured to Bob.

 

“Sip! aquí está mi carnet, vamos Bob, muestra la tuya también,” Linus pulled his ID out of his coat pocket and Bob dangled his own that was hanging from a lanyard.

 

“Bien, hombres. Que tengas una buena noche. Especialmente usted, Dr. Linus. ¡ duerme un poco! ¡ pareces la muerte!” Linus scoffed as he raised his window and started driving again. The car drove just past the R&D department and stopped at the small sea cave that decorated the beach near the rocks. Linus nodded and gestured for Bob to leave.

 

“Get out. You know what to do,” Linus hissed and quickly drove off after giving Bob his things, leaving him standing at the shoreline, his stomach feeling full of knots.

 

Unbeknownst to Bob, Linus' intent on bringing them together was to get Bob out of the picture again. He wasn't strong enough to push Jebediah into the rocks, not by a long shot. Bob wouldn't have the guts to even slap his brother. They would just end up yelling and Bob would storm back to his safe place in the junkyard. Maybe there would be an off chance that Bob would hurt Jebediah, but Linus deemed that marginal percentage too small to endanger the Laythe I mission. Valentina was sleeping deep within the catacombs of the R&D department for safe keeping. She wasn't in any danger.

[KSK]

I'm not sure if 'like' is at all the right word but please carry on writing! 

[Atubara]

---

Jebediah was sitting in his lonesome, running his fingers through his hair as he soaked in the dim munlight. He chose to sit on a sediment bank away from the cliff rising out of the cave. He dipped his feet in the warm water, knocking around little spiraled objects in the water. R&D said those were ancient fossils of some sort. He picked up one of the fossils and held it up to the Mun, admiring the rainbow inflections bouncing around in it before stuffing it in his shirt pocket. There were some crabs on a nearby bank. A male was guarding the den that was dug into the soft cliff. Two females seemed to pop in and out of the den, making sure there weren’t other creatures. Jebediah was in the dark, so he couldn’t be seen by the group.

A third female came out, handed her baby to one of the other females, and started to look around for food. Jebediah silently reached into his pocket for a granola bar. He wasn’t hungry, and the crabs might appreciate it better than he would. He stood up and calmly walked out into the light to not alert the male. The forager must have been already acquainted with people, since she casually walked up to Jebediah to accept food. He held out his arm, letting her sniff the bar. She curiously felt the wrapping, knowing food was underneath. He smiled and took the bar back, showing how to peel the wrapper off. The alpha looked on anxiously, smelling the testosterone around one of his women. The female happily ran back to her den with the food, giving a piece to the alpha. He sniffed more in Jebediah’s direction before deciding he was no threat to his family and headed back inside.

Jebediah dug his toes into the warm sediment again, feeling more little fossils under his feet. He appreciated the way the sand banks and stalactites poked out of the water as well as the cliffside decorated with bioluminescent algae glowed. If it weren’t for the 60s spoiling his views of the topic, he’d probably use this place to meditate. Nearly untouched by pollution and subsequently man, this was a perf-

The smell of smoke came across the cavern. Tobacco.

 

“Who’s over there?” Jebediah kept his voice down to not startle the wildlife. The last thing he needed right now was an angry alpha chasing after him. Quiet tumbles of footsteps echoed through the cave grew louder as the smoker approached.

 

“This is an unofficial conservation area, can you put yer’ smoke out, please?”

 

“I smoke if I wan’ to!” Bob gruffly spoke out in response. Jebediah lost his train of thought for a second as he sifted through all the responses he thought of. Bob really did come back to talk. Bob came around the corner, looking as beat up as ever. His clothes were shabby and he looked like he was 50 already. Jebediah forced a smile and sat down on the nearest sand bank, patting the spot next to him.

 

“Well, er.., hi! Bob..,”

 

“Don’ you-you hi Bob me!”

 

“Calm down, wouldya? There’s a few dens in the cave and you yellin’ ain’ makin’ the guys happy,”

 

“You’dn’t’ve cared either!”

 

“Bob, just sit down right proper, come on now,” Jebediah kept his best poker face and kicked his feet in the water to indulge his brother.

 

“Whatcha wearin’ that blazer fer’? Out fer’ a date?” Jebediah winked and chuckled as Bob sat down in mental defeat.

 

“W-w-what yer’ wearin’ that sh-shirt 'n jeans fer’?” Bob tried to act as if his question was poking back at Jebediah’s snarky tone.

 

“I’m comfortable, Bob. Gonna git some good rest fer’ t’morrow,”

 

“O-oh yeah t-t-tomorrow sounds j-just WONDERFUL!” Bob spat with a bitter hiss, putting out his cigarette by rubbing the lit end into the sand. Jebediah nervously laughed, quickly digressing and rubbing the back of his head.

 

“Er, yeah-”

 

“Shut up, Jeb!”

 

“Bob, can you stop doin’ that? Can’ ya act with a lil’ respect?”

 

“No! Yer’ just perfect ain’ ya?!”

 

“For Gilly’s sake, Bob-” Jebediah closed his eyes and messaged his forehead, facing down at the water.

 

“I-I-I HOPE Y-Y-YOU-”

 

“You hope I what?” Jebediah calmly interrupted his brother.

 

“I hope you die on Laythe,” Bob murmured. Jebediah stood up and sighed, running his fingers through his combover and digging his hands into his pockets. He turned around to face Bob again, feeling only disappointment.

 

“You know, I don’t know why you hate me. I have never done anything to attack you and yer’ still takin’ every chance to be a prig!” Jebediah couldn't control his calm demeanour anymore.

[Atubara]

“I honestly don’t know why!” Jebediah deeply inhaled and exhaled, trying to regain his cool.

 

“Y-you’re perfect! I can’t even com-compete with you!”

 

“You shouldn’t be jealous, Bob..,” Jebediah took another deep breath. He closed his eyes for a split second and was smacked across the face with Bob’s weak fist.

 

“Fff-” Jebediah bit his lip as he blindly tackled Bob to the ground, raising his fist in an attempt to scare Bob.

 

“YOU DO NOT HIT ME!”

 

“BEAT ME LIKE DAD BEAT YOU!”

 

“I-I… I-” Jebediah dryly gulped and realised his position. His fist waned as he looked at Bob sprawled out on the sand, his other hand curled tightly around Bob’s collar.

 

“COME ON!” Jebediah felt his hands turn to noodles as Bob yelled at him.

 

“Bob, this ain’ right..,”

 

“Y-YOU AIN’ RIGHT! YOU DESERVED TO GET BEATIN’S!”

 

“I’m not goin’ to do this, Bob,”

 

“Why NOT?! DON’ I DESERVE T’-”

 

“Shut up, Bob,” Jebediah sighed again, feeling his fuse shorten again.

 

“Beat me up,” Bob whined and watched Jebediah get up and start to walk away.

 

“I SAID BEAT ME UP!!” Bob screamed started crying, unable to handle the situation by himself. He pounded his fists in the sand, dirtying his clothes. Jebediah looked back and felt his heart break at Bob losing it in the wet sand.

 

“B-b-be--beat me up..,” Bob ended his tantrum and collapsed, sprawled out on his stomach. Jebediah reluctantly walked back to his brother, lifting Bob’s head up.

 

“Stop sobbin’ ya baby,”

 

“W-w-why can’t I be called legendary and cool a-and-”

 

“If you weren’ so selfish you’d see that you got to do what almost nobody did and yet yer’ still unsatisfied. Yer’ not liked by the public ‘cause yer’ selfish, Bob,”

 

“S-s-selfish..,”

 

“It’s turned you rotten, Bob. Stop cryin’ and get a life,”

 

“M-maybe if you didn’t kill Mary, I w-wouldn’t exist-”

 

“Yer’ just like dad. I'm not fallin' for yer' proddin', ”

 

“H-h-hated that o-old man,”

 

“Yer’ no better than ‘im,” Jebediah spat back. He decided he finally had enough and again started walking back to the KSC. Bob balanced his weight on his elbows and looked up.

 

“I didn’ ask t’ be born, Jeb!”

 

“Neither did I, but look where we are!” Jebediah responded as he walked, not taking the time to face his forlorn brother.

 

“Dad hated you! Killer!” Jebediah stopped in his tracks, refraining from exploding again. He turned one last time to Bob and murmured,

 

“I didn’ know, Bob! Remember when we were seven and dad came back from ‘work’?! Do you remember Bob?! I REMEMBER BECAUSE THAT MAN BEAT ME WITHIN AN INCH OF MY LIFE EVERY DAY UNTIL WE WERE YOUNG ADULTS!! REMEMBER WHEN HE SAID THOSE WORDS?” Jebediah was shaking, taken aback from his trauma. Bob sat upright and scooted back, scared of his brother’s impending fury. His head throbbed madly from his heart racing.

 

“THIS! THIS AIN’ YER’ MOM! THIS AIN’ YER’ BROTHER! THESE AIN’ YER’ CLOTHES ‘N FOOD!” Jebediah kicked the sand up in clods, becoming more angry.

 

“YER’ A KILLER, JEBEDIAH! YOU KILLED MY GIRLFRIEND! YOU KILLED ‘R BY BEING BORN! I’M FEELIN’ RIGHT MAD ‘N I’M GOIN’NA WRANGLE YER’ NECK!” Bob started sobbing again, his red eyes not being able to handle much more abuse. Jebediah’s tearing voice rattled violently against the sharp edges of the cave, scaring the wildlife. His scream was noticeably stretching his vocal cords, but it was almost completely accurate to how their dad screamed that day. Bob remembered that day vividly, crying in his mom’s arm as she held ice to her face and his dad screaming in the kitchen at Jebediah. The screaming turned to noises of furniture slamming against the wall and then more screaming.

Bob tightly hugged his shaking brother, feeling a pair of arms wrap around him as well.

 

“We need to go home and sleep, Bob. We- we can’t talk about this again,”

 

“Y-yeah… I-I’m so s-sorry, Jeb,”