Chapter 10Diary, it all makes sense.
I continued through the shopping center, carrying Mandolin in my arms, still in a daze attempting to process the drastic change in my appearance. The novel presence of metal, spring, cages, wires and bands cemented into my mouth hold my thoughts and attention hostage. I should be happy... This is a wonderful assortment of orthodontics to be locked into someone's mouth! I wish I'd known that the tongue cage was an appliance available to me! I would've happily given it to the likes of Sophia and Sarah. The thought of either of them struggling with such an aggressive appliance would have given me so much life if not for having a more extreme treatment magically forced upon myself. Yes, I should be happy. This is a wonderfully aggressive treatment reserved for the rare disagreeable compliance case. But it's in
my mouth. I have... braces. These are MY braces... I wonder if Maggie had felt the same when I subjected her to a similar treatment. Using my cracked phone as a mirror while I walk holding Mandolin, I can see Dr. Kedra used thin wires for the bands and soft traction on both of my facebows. It appears that she intends to take her time with my treatment. No doubt I'll be looking at at least 4 to 5 years of my braces, headgears, tongue cage, and whatever else she decides to subject me to down the line.
Resigned, I put my phone away into my back pocket and continue homeward bound with my beloved cat. Noticing the lights of buildings beginning to flick off for the night, once again, for a busy part of town, it's suspiciously empty, especially for a Friday. Even with my focus hijacked by my recent introduction to the braceface hall of fame, I keep an eye out for that feeling, that sensation from the other night. So far Mandolin isn't growling, so I try to enjoy that at least no one can see me skulk home with my new look.
Braces. I've had such a blast giving them to other people. Why is it so different on myself? Dr. Kendra said I should just "smile and wear it". Seems pretty tone-deaf for an orthodontist, but maybe there's some merit to the phrase. Who knows. She was certainly kind enough to allow Sophia the time of her life subjecting me to loads of embarrassment, granted, to the three people in the waiting room, but the wounds are still fresh.
I round that dreaded corner to face the road home, and the woods on the side. Just like that night, completely dark.
Not a single person, on a Friday night no less. I don't have that feeling, but something is definitely off.
I walk cautiously along the other side of the road to the woods. I hold Mandolin as tightly as I can without hurting her, worried she may jet off into the woods if provoked, leaving me alone. I can feel her purring as she looks up at me. Can she tell I'm scared? What am I saying? She's a cat. Of
course she can tell I'm scared. A sudden slash of wind rakes through the leaves higher up in the trees startling me. I can feel my saliva beginning to pool towards the edge of my lips. I have to suck back the drool audibly to prevent it from spilling out. I suck back once more to clear my braces of the spit and swallow it. Embarrassing.
The gust finally makes from the tree tops to blow past my height. I feel the early night air brush past my legs. I try to push forward. Almost halfway through.
Sh$t! SH$T!
OH SH$T! I FEEL IT! THAT FEELING IT'S BACK.
Manolin hasn't noticed. She only chirps and meows at me, sensing my reaction. I try to continue, keeping my eyes on the woods, trying to listen. I've had it with this thing. I wanna see it! I WANNA SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!
Shimmying along, eyes glued to the tree line, Mandolin's legs dangling with each step, I hear brush snapping into the woods. Mandolin's ears perk up at the noise. I see her head facing a different direction, so I shift my focus to where she's looking and try to shimmy a little faster. Maybe I can make it past the tree line? Maybe then it won't chase me?
SH$T I CAN HEAR IT! IT'S JUST A METALIC CLICKING AT THIS POINT.
Mandolin growls deeply. I can feel her body tensing up, her eyes still glued to the same spot in the wood. HELL YEA! SHE KNOWS IT'S THERE! I'M NOT IMAGINING THIS!
Then it hits me. This thing is real. OH CRAP THIS THING IS REAL. I'M ACTUALLY IN DANGER HERE.
I try to break into a walk towards the entrance to my neighborhood, we're halfway there. The metalic clicking sounds closer, but it hasn't started to speed up yet.
Mandolin hisses sharply and breaks free from my arms and rushes to stand firm at the edge of the tree line! NO NO PLEASE COME BACK NO! The metalic clicking finally speeds up and approaches the speed of a scream. Mandolin is right in front of it. She's gonna get hurt. It's right there.
In a blur I rush to grab Mandolin, attempting to scoop her up and leap out of the way, but she's too heavy. I'm gonna get hit. It's right in front of me!
I hear a large mass stumble back, breaking branches across the ground, a tree further in is felled.
What the hell? Did it just back away?
Mandolin shakes herself from my hold again and begins to chase it into the woods! SH$T!
"What the sthhih Mandolin?! Shhhtoop! Pleathh come baah!"
Dammit, I already just put myself in harm's way for her! Thinking back that was a really stupid thing to do. Quickly I bring out my phone as a flashlight (albeit a crappy one) and ready Mandolin's leash in the other hand. As soon as I can get it hooked to her collar, we're out of here.
I step past the edge of the woods and follow the path of broken branches and... footprints? I try to look for Mandolin, but I can only hear her growls ahead of me, the larger mass in front of her only moving when I do. Sh$t we're getting pretty deep into these woods, I don't like this at all. What if there're multiples of these things? I break into a sprint towards Mandolin's growls, and finally reach her at a clearing. I catch her mid lunge and tether the leash to her. She continues her attempted assault; I raise my light in front of me.
"Holy sthhiih..."
My phone's poor-quality light is just enough to make out details and burn its image into my mind for the rest of my life.
The mass of wet black fur, long and dingy, coating its frame and long arms, almost all of this thing is covered in it. It's back looks hunched and bulging, it's limbs thin but long. Its arms stretch to the ground, the ends of them 3 black claws, somehow darker than its fur, the center claw longer than the rest. The only thing that stands out more than its size is its "head". A long, pale white snout, like a rat and a horse had a baby raised by the devil. The face barely has any features. No whiskers, no eyebrows, just a long snout, what look like veins just beneath its skin, and small black eyes on either side, no pupils or irises to speak of. It sees me. Its mouth opens. Teeth. it shifts weight off of one of its arms, raising a claw into the air, towering above me.
I return to my senses. I'm in the woods, alone with my cat, late into the night, in a clearing with this thing. This thing wants to kill me.
Mandolin lurches against the leash to swipe at the monster. It doesn't flinch. Its open mouth starts to ring that sharp metalic click. SH$T MANDOLIN'S IN THE WAY. I tug on the leash to pull her back, but she won't budge! She's going to get hit! Caution to the wind, I lunge to grab her-
It backs away.
What?
I scoop Mandolin and hold her firm in my arms, the leash now clipped to my belt loop.
The monster rattles its open mouth at me. My shaking hand keeps the light on it. I'm not letting it out of my sight. I step forward.
The rattling speeds up.
Another step towards it.
It shifts back.
What the actual hell.
I feel drool beginning to pool again. Dammit not now! To protect Madolin in my arms from getting drooled on, I'm forced to suck back, my lips pulling back to show my braces.
The monster flinches?
Wait.
I purse my lips and flex them back to show my braces and take two steps towards the monster.
It screeches and jumps back.
ARE YOU F%$&ING KIDDING ME?!?!?
I continue towards it.
"ARE YOU STHIIHING ME? BRATHETH? YOU'RE THCARED OF BRATHETH? ALL THITH TIME, THITH ENTIRE TIME, AND ALL I HAD TO DO TO GET YOU TO PITH OFF, WATH GET BRATHETH?!?!"
The little sh$t cowers away from me whenever I show my teeth. It's actually scared of braces. I start to step back from it, wanting to get out of these woods and go home. Mandolin continues to hiss and growl at it, her tail bushy. I can see the monster try to shuffle towards us, claw raised. What the hell? It's still trying to swipe me with that?
I grin aggressively and step towards it. It backs off, clawing at the ground in front of it angrily. Dammit. It's not just gonna let us go. I need to be careful about this.
I proceeded to almost walk backwards through the entire woods with Mandolin in my arms, shifting the flashlight between lighting my path out of the woods, and shining it to keep the monster in sight. It's still trying to follow us. It occasionally steps forward quickly when the light isn't on it, forcing me to grin at it to show my braces and take my eyes away from my path out. The entire time we've been in here, that feeling has been wracking the inside of my brain. I've been suppressing the urge to break into a sprint because I don't think Mandolin could keep up, and I know this thing wouldn't hesitate to hurt her. We must've gotten really far into these woods. After what feels like forever, I can see the road. It's still there. I can hear the metalic clicking slowly rattle whenever it gets ready to try and make a move. Once my shoes touch the pavement I move to the other side of the road. The light no longer reaches the woods, so I can't see it. I start briskly walking home, my eyes on the woods. Almost to the neighborhood. When this is over, I'm getting something to shoot this thing. I think I'm far enough away. I glance at the entrance to the neighborhood; I see the lights on in my house. Mom and Dad are probably worried sick! I don't know how long I've been out here.
The entrance gate is right there.
The scream.
Something touches my arm, I almost drop Mandolin, but she catches herself on the ground without issue. She then jets to maul the monster behind me. I hear it screaming, but it's different. It sounds like it's in pain. I turn around to see Mandolin has ripped out a piece of it, carrying a hairy chunk of its flesh in her mouth proudly. the meat drips with what appears to be black goo. Gross. My left upper arm feels warm. I glance at it to see it's been slashed. My purple sweater now has clear cut in the fabric. GOD DAMMIT I LIKE THIS SWEATER!
I turn to face it. It's backing away gripping its shoulder.
"YOU BITTH! I LIKE THITH THWEATHER! THATH WAH YOU GEH!"
Mandolin hisses at it, and with one more flash of my braces and can see it hobble back into the wood. Little sh$t. The feeling is finally gone.
I make it home to Mom and Dad concerned about my wounded arm. It's cleaned and bandaged, and Dad is able to console me about my ruined sweater. They grill me about what happened. I tell them Mandolin had chased something into the woods.
I'm beginning to think talking about the thing attracts it. That may be why Dr. Kendra wouldn't let me ask about it. I'm still furious. She couldn't tell me "Oh hey, let me give you braces, it'll solve your monster problem". Either way I'm stuck like this now. I'm gonna find a way to kill that thing, and I think Dr. Kendra could use a treatment of her own.
