Chapter 10: In The Dark

Eric woke up in a dark room. It was his own, of course, but it felt a bit different this time, if not necessarily badly so. It wasn’t that he could see all that much better in the dark all of a sudden — his night vision had always been pretty good — but the darkness felt closer to his skin. More oppressive, sure, but also warmer, more tangible. Like a blanket. He sat up and stretched. He felt good. Really good. None of the headache and mild muscle soreness of the night before. 

If anything, he felt better than before he’d fallen into the fire. That was… strange. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled at the bandages on his legs. The burns had been worse there, but when he pulled them away, there was no scarring. He poked the skin. No pain. No soreness. He flicked his bedside light on. There wasn’t even a redness anymore. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he considered his options. It was Monday. Today, he was supposed to go check out his future college campus, but after his… well, he wasn’t going to call it a tantrum, but it hadn’t exactly been dignified either. Well, whatever it had been, the night before, he wasn’t in the mood to go out into the city. 

He had been in a pretty dramatic fire. He had a very good excuse to stay in and do nothing today. He could brush up on photography. It had been a while, and though his dad’s heroic sacrifice had basically guaranteed him a spot, he didn’t want to squander it with bad grades. And his mom couldn’t be mad at him for being out of bed without going to visit the college if he was still doing some school stuff, right? 

He rolled out of bed. He had a strange amount of energy, and he wanted to make use of it while it was there. Maybe it was the near-death experience, maybe it was the fact that he’d been in bed for thirty-six hours. Regardless, he needed to do something. He grabbed a quick shower, got dressed, then ran into his room to retrieve his camera. 

Shoving the blackout curtains aside and looking outside, he realised it was a lovely day, so maybe a bit of nature photography would be good to get reacquainted with the digital camera. It wasn’t fancy as digital cameras were concerned, which had that “it’s cheap for a Ferrari” energy. His mom and him had saved up for it, and it had all the features required for the college degree. 

He fiddled with the settings as he stepped outside, and noticed his mom’s car was still in the driveway. When his dad was still alive, she’d worked as a server in an Italian restaurant nearby. That way, she’d been close to home. After he passed, she had put herself through several language courses, and now she both taught and interpreted, a job that took her all over the city. The hours were a lot less forgiving than her old part-time job, but Eric could tell she was actually passionate about this. He looked around for a second.

“Mother o’ mine?”

“Yes, eldest of my line?”

“Sitst on the roof in thy pantaloons?” He looked up at his mom with his hand on his hip, camera in his other hand, strap around his neck. 

“I am in my pantaloons because I don’t want people looking up mine gowns.”

“But thou sitst on the roof.”

“I am on the roof, yes, but I do no sitsting.”

“Why, pray tell, are you on the roof, Mother mine?”

“Gutter needs cleaning,” she said. For emphasis, a cloud of dry leaves fluttered downwards. “And I wasn’t going to make you do it because I was worried you wouldn’t be able to get out of bed. But here you are, making me look like an idiot!” She shook a fist vaguely heavenwards. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”

“Better, Mom,” Eric said. “Weirdly better. Why are you dressed like a lesbian from the 80’s?” He raised an eyebrow. In high-waisted jeans and a flannel shirt, his mom was the kind of vision that would have had Serena become very polite all of a sudden. 

“What does ‘weirdly better’ even mean?” Lauren said. “And I was young too, once!”

He took a picture of his mom as she stood on the roof. A sepia filter and it would have looked forty years out of time. “Just that I don’t hurt at all,” he said. “I don’t know. I feel good.” He realised he was painting himself into a corner. “I still want to take it easy, though. The doctor said I probably have a concussion, remember?”

“I remember,” Lauren said suspiciously. “You look good, which is weird.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“My weird baby,” his mom said as she shoveled more dirt into the bag on the roof. “So, you’re gonna practice your photography on some more deserving targets, or are you just going to stand there and make your mother self-conscious all day?”

“I was going to do some nature photography but now that you mention it, the latter does sound like a lot of fun,” he chuckled. “Do you want me to make food tonight? We should still have enough groceries for me to make something.”

His mom looked at him hesitantly. “If you want, sweetie, but please don’t feel obligated, okay? You really should be resting, even if you think you feel better.”

“I know,” Eric said. “I know. But I feel up for it. Are you going to be up there all day?” He smirked. “You know, in case I need to send up some tea via carrier pigeon.”

“Nah,” she said. “Should be done in an hour or two, and I have to go do a sign language primer this afternoon. Tutoring stuff.” Eric nodded. Lauren wiped her forehead with her forearm. “Should be home by eight.”

“I’ll make us some wraps or something,” he said. Opening his mouth to make a joke, he heard a noise like a nail being driven through a drum barrel, a clang with a Doppler effect. He looked up at his mom. She’d slipped, and her weight was on the foot that was now in the gutter, the source of the noise. Or, more accurately, the noise had come from a bolt that had buckled under the weight of years. Lauren didn’t move, her eyes big, as she tried to carefully move away. 

Too late. The entire gutter peeled away from the roof in a single, screeching motion. The McCoy house wasn’t big. But the roof wasn’t close to the ground, and a story-and-a-half drop onto solid concrete could hurt like hell, if you were lucky enough not to land on your head. Eric snapped into action before his brain even had a chance to catch up. Everything went red.

He had always expected, from action movies, that situations like this went in slow motion. After the parade, he knew better. He’d learned that he just processed details well. Not even faster, just more efficiently. The most important thing in that moment was his mom. He didn’t think he’d make it, and with her foot still stuck in the gutter, she was angling to land on her face. He didn’t want to think of last year’s halloween pumpkin falling off the roof. He remembered what that had looked like. 

He forced his legs to push harder than he ever had, and they obliged. Within less than a second he was directly under his mother, at which point he realised he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now. Lauren was coming down attached to a large chunk of aluminum, and he was quite a bit smaller than she was. 

Oh well. Just like the fire, he didn’t allow himself to think, only act. He smacked at the gutter, knowing that the weight and speed of the thing would probably break his arm. He didn’t want to think about it. He let adrenalin do that for him and hoped it would also let him ignore the pain until his mom was safe. The gutter bounced off the wall. Jumping, he caught his mom in his arms carefully before she hit the concrete.

And then it all just… stopped. The gutter was on the ground, and his mom was in his arms. He carefully lowered her. “Are you okay, Mom?“

“Uh,” she said, looking bewildered. “Uh. Um. Yes. What… did you just… What?“

“Oh,” Eric said. He stared at his hands and his arm. The pain he was expecting didn’t come. The fact that he had snatched a grown woman out of mid-air with zero effort was having no effect on his body whatsoever. “Um,” he said. 

“Eric… you… How did you do that?”

“I— I don’t know,” he said. “I think it’s like… how people who are high on adrenaline can like… lift a car?” But what if it wasn’t, a small voice in the back of his head asked.

“Honey, you were in an accident two days ago!” Lauren said. “You shouldn’t be able to lift your head!” She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. “Thank you. I don’t understand what’s going on with you, but thank you.”

“I don’t know either,” he said, looking at the gutter again, thinking about how he’d batted it aside like a beach ball. His mom probably hadn’t even seen that part. How had he done that? Was this a result of the accident, had his nerve endings been fried? He felt his arm but there really didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. Was he just getting stronger? Only one way to find out, the voice seemed to say. “I… I think I need some water,” Eric said. He looked at his mom. “I think you do too.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Yeah I do. I think I’m just going to get someone to do this for us from now on.” She looked at the gutter. “Dang, I thought I looked pretty good in that outfit, too.” Her laugh was a little shrill, but Eric could tell she was doing her best. 

“You can wear the outfit without climbing onto the roof, Mom. I’m sure there’s plenty of girls at the bar who would love to see you dressed like that,” Eric quipped. 

“Don’t tempt me, Donut,” Lauren said. “But for now, I think I need to sit down.” He helped her inside. The gutter had twisted her ankle something fierce. After a glass of water, he ran to the freezer to grab her some ice, and froze when he ran past the mirror in the hall. For a second, he had seen a flash of something… red. He looked again. Maybe the red he’d seen was the flush on his cheeks, but it was gone now. It was just him. Regular, boring old him. 

Not that boring, the voice seemed to say. Saved two people in three days! He frowned, shook his head, then went to bring his mom the ice. She had relocated to the couch. The explosion of fear and anxiety had really taken it out of her. Wrapping the ice in a towel, he placed it on her leg.

“You going to be okay?” He asked. She nodded. 

“Thank you, Eric,” she whispered again and closed her eyes. 

He looked at his hands again. That hadn’t been natural. He wasn’t that fast, and he wasn’t that strong. He had never been that strong. Tony had been the strong one.

Who’s Tony? Eric froze. He had been thinking of the voice in the back of his head as his own thoughts, more chaotic because of everything going on. But even his subconscious knew who Tony was. This wasn’t his subconscious. This wasn’t his own voice.

Yup! The voice was something between “excited kitten” and “tearing cloth.” He ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. 

“Who are you?” He whispered. To his horror, the face in the mirror moved of its own accord. It smiled happily at him. 

“Hi!” His reflection said. “My name is Amaranth! You can call me Amy!” There was a brief pause, then it cocked his head. “Congratulations, you’re my new host!”

Elamimax

You're going to love her. Gosh, we're past Chapter 40 on patreon already! If you enjoy my work, consider subscribing! There's a bunch of other stories you'll get access to, and you get a bunch of bonuses like being able to commission chapters at half price! 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you had a symbiote headmate, what would their name be?

Chapter 10: In The Dark Eric woke up in a dark room. It was his own, of course, but it felt a bit different this time, if not necessarily badly so. It wasn't that he could see all that much better in the dark all of a sudden his night vision had always been pretty good but the darkness felt closer to his skin. More oppressive, sure, but also warmer, more tangible. Like a blanket. He sat up and stretched. He felt good. Really good. None of the headache and mild muscle soreness of the night before. If anything, he felt better than before he'd fallen into the fire. That was strange. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled at the bandages on his legs. The burns had been worse there, but when he pulled them away, there was no scarring. He poked the skin. No pain. No soreness. He flicked his bedside light on. There wasn't even a redness anymore. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he considered his options. It was Monday. Today, he was supposed to go check out his future college campus, but after his well, he wasn't going to call it a tantrum, but it hadn't exactly been dignified either. Well, whatever it had been, the night before, he wasn't in the mood to go out into the city. He had been in a pretty dramatic fire. He had a very good excuse to stay in and do nothing today. He could brush up on photography. It had been a while, and though his dad's heroic sacrifice had basically guaranteed him a spot, he didn't want to squander it with bad grades. And his mom couldn't be mad at him for being out of bed without going to visit the college if he was still doing some school stuff, right? He rolled out of bed. He had a strange amount of energy, and he wanted to make use of it while it was there. Maybe it was the near-death experience, maybe it was the fact that he'd been in bed for thirty-six hours. Regardless, he needed to do something. He grabbed a quick shower, got dressed, then ran into his room to retrieve his camera. Shoving the blackout curtains aside and looking outside, he realised it was a lovely day, so maybe a bit of nature photography would be good to get reacquainted with the digital camera. It wasn't fancy as digital cameras were concerned, which had that it's cheap for a Ferrari energy. His mom and him had saved up for it, and it had all the features required for the college degree. He fiddled with the settings as he stepped outside, and noticed his mom's car was still in the driveway. When his dad was still alive, she'd worked as a server in an Italian restaurant nearby. That way, she'd been close to home. After he passed, she had put herself through several language courses, and now she both taught and interpreted, a job that took her all over the city. The hours were a lot less forgiving than her old part-time job, but Eric could tell she was actually passionate about this. He looked around for a second. Mother o' mine? Yes, eldest of my line? Sitst on the roof in thy pantaloons? He looked up at his mom with his hand on his hip, camera in his other hand, strap around his neck. I am in my pantaloons because I don't want people looking up mine gowns. But thou sitst on the roof. I am on the roof, yes, but I do no sitsting. Why, pray tell, are you on the roof, Mother mine? Gutter needs cleaning, she said. For emphasis, a cloud of dry leaves fluttered downwards. And I wasn't going to make you do it because I was worried you wouldn't be able to get out of bed. But here you are, making me look like an idiot! She shook a fist vaguely heavenwards. How are you feeling, sweetie? Better, Mom, Eric said. Weirdly better. Why are you dressed like a lesbian from the 80's? He raised an eyebrow. In high-waisted jeans and a flannel shirt, his mom was the kind of vision that would have had Serena become very polite all of a sudden. What does weirdly better' even mean? Lauren said. And I was young too, once! He took a picture of his mom as she stood on the roof. A sepia filter and it would have looked forty years out of time. Just that I don't hurt at all, he said. I don't know. I feel good. He realised he was painting himself into a corner. I still want to take it easy, though. The doctor said I probably have a concussion, remember? I remember, Lauren said suspiciously. You look good, which is weird. Thanks, Mom. My weird baby, his mom said as she shoveled more dirt into the bag on the roof. So, you're gonna practice your photography on some more deserving targets, or are you just going to stand there and make your mother self-conscious all day? I was going to do some nature photography but now that you mention it, the latter does sound like a lot of fun, he chuckled. Do you want me to make food tonight? We should still have enough groceries for me to make something. His mom looked at him hesitantly. If you want, sweetie, but please don't feel obligated, okay? You really should be resting, even if you think you feel better. I know, Eric said. I know. But I feel up for it. Are you going to be up there all day? He smirked. You know, in case I need to send up some tea via carrier pigeon. Nah, she said. Should be done in an hour or two, and I have to go do a sign language primer this afternoon. Tutoring stuff. Eric nodded. Lauren wiped her forehead with her forearm. Should be home by eight. I'll make us some wraps or something, he said. Opening his mouth to make a joke, he heard a noise like a nail being driven through a drum barrel, a clang with a Doppler effect. He looked up at his mom. She'd slipped, and her weight was on the foot that was now in the gutter, the source of the noise. Or, more accurately, the noise had come from a bolt that had buckled under the weight of years. Lauren didn't move, her eyes big, as she tried to carefully move away. Too late. The entire gutter peeled away from the roof in a single, screeching motion. The McCoy house wasn't big. But the roof wasn't close to the ground, and a story-and-a-half drop onto solid concrete could hurt like hell, if you were lucky enough not to land on your head. Eric snapped into action before his brain even had a chance to catch up. Everything went red. He had always expected, from action movies, that situations like this went in slow motion. After the parade, he knew better. He'd learned that he just processed details well. Not even faster, just more efficiently. The most important thing in that moment was his mom. He didn't think he'd make it, and with her foot still stuck in the gutter, she was angling to land on her face. He didn't want to think of last year's halloween pumpkin falling off the roof. He remembered what that had looked like. He forced his legs to push harder than he ever had, and they obliged. Within less than a second he was directly under his mother, at which point he realised he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. Lauren was coming down attached to a large chunk of aluminum, and he was quite a bit smaller than she was. Oh well. Just like the fire, he didn't allow himself to think, only act. He smacked at the gutter, knowing that the weight and speed of the thing would probably break his arm. He didn't want to think about it. He let adrenalin do that for him and hoped it would also let him ignore the pain until his mom was safe. The gutter bounced off the wall. Jumping, he caught his mom in his arms carefully before she hit the concrete. And then it all just stopped. The gutter was on the ground, and his mom was in his arms. He carefully lowered her. Are you okay, Mom? Uh, she said, looking bewildered. Uh. Um. Yes. What did you just What? Oh, Eric said. He stared at his hands and his arm. The pain he was expecting didn't come. The fact that he had snatched a grown woman out of mid-air with zero effort was having no effect on his body whatsoever. Um, he said. Eric you How did you do that? I I don't know, he said. I think it's like how people who are high on adrenaline can like lift a car? But what if it wasn't, a small voice in the back of his head asked. Honey, you were in an accident two days ago! Lauren said. You shouldn't be able to lift your head! She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. Thank you. I don't understand what's going on with you, but thank you. I don't know either, he said, looking at the gutter again, thinking about how he'd batted it aside like a beach ball. His mom probably hadn't even seen that part. How had he done that? Was this a result of the accident, had his nerve endings been fried? He felt his arm but there really didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Was he just getting stronger? Only one way to find out, the voice seemed to say. I I think I need some water, Eric said. He looked at his mom. I think you do too. Yeah, she said. Yeah I do. I think I'm just going to get someone to do this for us from now on. She looked at the gutter. Dang, I thought I looked pretty good in that outfit, too. Her laugh was a little shrill, but Eric could tell she was doing her best. You can wear the outfit without climbing onto the roof, Mom. I'm sure there's plenty of girls at the bar who would love to see you dressed like that, Eric quipped. Don't tempt me, Donut, Lauren said. But for now, I think I need to sit down. He helped her inside. The gutter had twisted her ankle something fierce. After a glass of water, he ran to the freezer to grab her some ice, and froze when he ran past the mirror in the hall. For a second, he had seen a flash of something red. He looked again. Maybe the red he'd seen was the flush on his cheeks, but it was gone now. It was just him. Regular, boring old him. Not that boring, the voice seemed to say. Saved two people in three days! He frowned, shook his head, then went to bring his mom the ice. She had relocated to the couch. The explosion of fear and anxiety had really taken it out of her. Wrapping the ice in a towel, he placed it on her leg. You going to be okay? He asked. She nodded. Thank you, Eric, she whispered again and closed her eyes. He looked at his hands again. That hadn't been natural. He wasn't that fast, and he wasn't that strong. He had never been that strong. Tony had been the strong one. Who's Tony? Eric froze. He had been thinking of the voice in the back of his head as his own thoughts, more chaotic because of everything going on. But even his subconscious knew who Tony was. This wasn't his subconscious. This wasn't his own voice. Yup! The voice was something between excited kitten and tearing cloth. He ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Who are you? He whispered. To his horror, the face in the mirror moved of its own accord. It smiled happily at him. Hi! His reflection said. My name is Amaranth! You can call me Amy! There was a brief pause, then it cocked his head. Congratulations, you're my new host! Elamimax You're going to love her. Gosh, we're past Chapter 40 on patreon already! If you enjoy my work, consider subscribing! There's a bunch of other stories you'll get access to, and you get a bunch of bonuses like being able to commission chapters at half price! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you had a symbiote headmate, what would their name be?