Static Reflections: Book 1 of The M... - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

"Crazy that we have to take a basement to get out of here," Adam commented as he and Tyler descended in the elevator to Downing Manor's first floor.
"I guess we don't have to now," the German shepherd said, Boris's car keys jingling in his hand. "All the caretakers are . . . ."
"Are what?"
"I dunno if you heard earlier, but we were attacked not even a few hours ago by a group of vampires called the Black Cross. All of the butlers were killed."
"That's gnarly . . . ." Adam looked astounded.
"I got some rest, so I'm okay, but I bet I'm gonna pass out when we get back." Tyler thought back to when he was holding Boris close. In that state, you would never be able to tell the otter had killed anyone.
Adam nodded. "Go for it, dude. Like damn. That really all just happened? I'm sorry to hear."
Tyler's lips curled into a sad smile. "Boris's whole family was there, too. Heh, he was so pissed his father started to worry about them after being neglectful for so long. It was another side of him I hadn't seen."
Adam looked down. "Shit. Sounds like the guy has had a rough life." They turned down the hall, walking into the foyer where the circle of chairs had still been set up. "What's all this?"
"After it happened, we left the dining room and kinda processed it out here," Tyler explained. "Boris's dad and Boris's sister chose to have their memories erased of the whole thing."
"I woulda too," Adam said, looking up at the chandelier above them. "This whole house is crazy. How did vampires even break in?"
"How do you even know about the supernatural?" Tyler countered. "Or the Mortal Guard, for that matter?"
"Like I told you before, buddy, I don't know how I know. But you guys talked about it, and I just knew," Adam told him as they walked to the large doors at the entrance of the manor.
Tyler placed his hands on the lock. "Once we go out, just remain as calm as possible, okay?"
"Not gonna be easy, but I'll try," Adam nodded. "Things are different now, I bet."
"Yeah, very much so." Tyler unlocked the doors and pulled them open. He and Adam walked outside, under the dark sky with its flecks of blinking stars. "Man, I haven't left that place since we got there," Tyler realized.
"This is a fly courtyard!" Adam gasped, looking at all the straight hedges, perfectly cut bushes, and crystal water of the fountain. "And all of the animals who take care of it are . . ."
"Yeah," answered Tyler, walking past him. "Looks like the gate is still open. The car should be just ahead."
"Can't wait to see how much cars have changed!" Adam exclaimed. "I bet they're nothing like they used to be." He and the German shepherd strolled out of the giant golden gate and found the dark blue car just to the right, parked haphazardly. "Holy shit. Look at that ride! Oh, wow, the lights are so different. I'm really gonna be riding in that?!"
"Just as much as I'm gonna be driving it," Tyler told him. "It's so weird hearing your words coming out of Boris's mouth. You have the same voice but talk so differently." He unlocked the car and pulled open the driver's side. Adam was staring down into the passenger's seat. "What?" Tyler blinked.
Adam reached down, pulling out the gun. "He just leaves things like this sitting in the open?"
"Not usually," Tyler said, slipping inside and turning the car on. "Just . . . put it in the glove box." He didn't even want to know what the otter had used it for.
Adam got in, pulling open the compartment and slotting the weapon inside. After shutting it, he looked around at the interior of the car. "This is nuts! Does it have a TV on the inside? Can I watch cartoons while you drive?"
"If you wanted to," Tyler huffed a chuckle. "I guess I'll connect my phone and play some music. I like indie stuff, so--"
"Indie?"
"Independent." The canine took out his cellular device, unlocking it, which caused Adam to gasp loudly. Tyler looked over, then back at his phone. "Oh, yeah. I've taken it out thousands of times now. Forgot it would be so weird to someone who's never seen it."
"What are all those little squares on it? What is that stuff at the top? What IS that thing?"
Tyler held the phone over. "It's called a Rhiphone. I only have an 8, but the series is up to X."
"How does it work? The phones I knew only had buttons, and they were definitely not that small!"
Tyler laughed. "I know. 80s nostalgia is a big thing right now. Everyone wishes they lived in the 80s."
"Even forty years later?" Adam asked, bewildered.
"Yeah. Lemme show you something cool." He began navigating through his phone with his fingers, connecting his phone via Redtooth, and opening his music app. "This is Spottyfy. It's a music streaming service that lets me listen to almost any released song I want. Yes, even 80s songs."
Adam stared at the tiny machine as if it were some magical item. "Any song? That's fly as fuck. Play one! Play one!"
"Alright, alright," Tyler pulled the phone back and looked around for one of his favorite songs, letting it play over the car's speakers.
The otter beside him looked around as the music filled the car, and he giggled with delight. "Without even a CD?! That's incredible! And it sounds so cool! What else can your Rhiphone do?"
"It can take pictures, search the web, act as a flashlight, play games . . . Anything you can think of," Tyler explained.
Adam looked as if Tyler had blown his mind. "That's crazy! Can it really do all that? On that tiny thing? That's insane! Let's get driving!"
"Slow down," Tyler said, setting his phone down in the cupholder. "Where are we even going, first of all?"
"Oh, yeah! The blood! We're going to the nearest woods. So, wherever that is, let's go there!" Adam practically yelled.
Tyler nodded, adjusting the seat and then driving the vehicle down the road, its lights illuminating the street in the dark. "I feel like a nocturnal creature now. I haven't been outside during the daytime for a few days. It's weird."
"Why not?" Adam asked.
"Well, you know how Boris is possessed and all? The things he has to do are better done at night. And since I am with him, I guess I've been awake at night cuz he always comes home late then or something."
"Makes sense," Adam nodded. "Were you guys close?"
"We are," Tyler emphasized. "We were in a band together before all of this happened. I'm not giving up hope that he's still in there."
"Dang! I've always wanted to be in a band," Adam complained. "What did he play?"
"He was the keyboardist," Tyler said, thinking back to all of their practice sessions and performances. Within each memory lay an argument between the two. Then, the memories of Boris trying to improve himself and their relationship came flooding in, and Tyler sighed.
"I know you miss him," said Adam, noticing the dog's demeanor. "I dunno how any of this happened, but I bet Lee will be able to help us out. Let's just focus on getting your vampire blood."
"Okay," Tyler nodded slowly.
"So, what else has changed? What's television like now? Or movies?" Adam asked.
"I'm so lucky that illegal streaming exists because my grandpa only had cable and wouldn't get any of the streaming services. I had to use websites to watch all the new shows and movies and stuff. I liked going to the movie theater with Nick, though. That's still the best way to watch movies."
"Wow, so cinemas stood the test of time!" Adam seemed genuinely impressed. "But what are the movies like now?"
"Well, they have a lot more money put into them, and since technology has advanced so far, the CGI makes the monsters or superpowers look real. People still adore 80s movies, but, in my opinion, the movies coming out today are just so damn good."
"Tubular . . . " Adam whispered. "And shows?"
"TV shows have reached the point where they are basically extended movies. Some series that have eight seasons are honestly breathtaking to think about the production. It would have been cool to be an actor for one."
"Are you an actor?" Adam asked.
"No. I don't have a job," Tyler sighed. "My grandpa made me very aware of that daily. I just meant it would be cool to be an actor. Oh, yeah, and then some social media apps let you connect with people around the world. A really popular one is Snepchat."
"What's that?" Adam queried, rubbing his hands in his lap as he looked at the modern buildings they passed by.
"I guess you'll learn in time. We'll be talking about this all day if I try and tell you everything that's changed," Tyler huffed. "Architecture has changed a lot, too, as you can see."
Adam nodded. "I just wanna go into every store. There are so many lights and things I wanna see. Wicked."
"You should see how far video games have come, too," Tyler responded. "People don't go to arcades as much anymore because, well, capitalism, but they also have consoles at home. Games are no longer just 8-bit anymore. I'd explain more, but you should see all of that for yourself, so you see what I mean."
"Sounds radical," Adam smiled widely. "I can't wait to see it!"
"Yeah . . ." Tyler was enjoying this animal's energy, but he still missed Boris. "The forest is not that far. It should be about ten more minutes."
"Sounds good! I wonder what forests look like today."
"They look like forests. The same."
"Oh."
The dark blue vehicle pulled into a parking space at the forest entrance. Tyler switched off the lights and looked at Adam. "This is protected land. We should make sure we're not caught."
"Don't worry, it will be fine," Adam assured, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out, feeling the fresh night air. Tyler followed and looked around, realizing just how dark it was. There were no lights on this late because no one was supposed to be roaming through the forest. The otter returned to the car, opening the glovebox and taking out the gun, grabbing the box of bullets along with it. "This will come in handy."
Tyler connected the dots of what Adam was trying to do now. "Hey! We can't do that out here! It's prohibited to hunt on protected lands!"
"I'm guessing it's still illegal to kill animals," Adam responded. "But your friend seems to do that."
"That's because . . . he . . . has to." Tyler's arms fell by his side. "Plus, the sounds of the gun will probably alert any patrol out!"
"Do you have a better idea?" Adam asked. "Wanna get turned into a vampire yourself? Wanna break into a hospital and steal a blood bag? Be my guest. If you wanna help your friend, this is what I got."
"Have you ever hunted before?' Tyler asked.
"I used to hunt feral animals with Neil," Adam told him. "I remember that . . . ."
"How did you two get together?" the canine pushed as they walked off the asphalt onto a dirt path that led deep into the dark forest. "You seem very smitten with him."
Adam looked up at the sky for a moment as they moved, then looked down. "It didn't come to me. I just know that he was my boyfriend and other little things about us."
"It's like your memories are fragmented," Tyler commented as the leaves crunched beneath their feet. "That's crazy."
"It's frustrating," said Adam. "Especially because the memories just stop at a point where Neil is asking me not to do something. What the hell was it?" He knocked his hand against his forehead. "Come on! Remember!"
Tyler shook his head. "Don't worry. It'll come to you in time, dude. My question is how you plan on hunting anything out here."
"Can't be that hard," Adam shrugged, still carrying the gun in his right hand and the box of bullets in his left. "With your senses and mine combined, it should be pretty easy to snag a feral squirrel, or rabbit, or something."
"Uh, I guess . . . ." Tyler whispered, still unsure of the entire operation.
An hour passed, and they still didn't have anything for Pierce to feed on. Tyler and Adam were sitting on a large rock they had discovered, trying to hone their hearing and smell to see if anything approached them, but there had been no such luck.
"We're running out of time," Tyler announced. "I don't wanna imagine what a hungry vampire would do to get food, even one as innocent-looking as Pierce."
"I had a lot more luck back home," Adam responded. "This is lame. We didn't even see one feral animal. I hear bugs and stuff, but that's nothing." Indeed, the sound of crickets chirping and leaves rustling could be heard around them. There was a slight breeze that blew against the two, but it was nothing remotely substantial. Adam got off of the rock. "Come on, let's walk around some more."
"I'll text Pierce and make sure they haven't killed anyone," Tyler-half joked.
"Text?" Adam blinked.
"It's a message you send on your phone that the other person gets almost immediately. There's a cellphone tower nearby since this is a sort of attraction in Austin, and they don't want anyone to get lost here." Tyler tapped around on his phone and asked Pierce if they were doing okay.
"That sounds way more helpful than a beeper," Adam said as they began walking down the path. "So, if this is an attraction, does that mean you've been here before?"
"Yeah," the German shepherd answered. "I came here with Page one time since she likes outdoorsy stuff. That's how I knew where it was. I used to deliver pizza around Austin before I got fired. I know the streets pretty well."
"Pizza delivery, huh? So that job still exists, too," the otter nodded. "Huh. So is there a body of water nearby? Water always helps me calm down and think. Fish blood might work for your friend, too."
"Yeah, we just gotta follow the path a little while longer," Tyler told him.
Adam gazed up at the moon in the sky. "Hard to see any stars."
"The city's nearby. Light pollution," Tyler stated.
"So, remind me what's going on with Boris again? He's possessed?"
"Yeah." Tyler scratched his cheek as they waded through the darkness. "It just appeared one day. Not sure about anything, but he kidnapped me after killing Astrid, our band's manager, and I've been with him in the days since then. He's supposed to kill twenty animals in a pretty short time, I guess, or Absalom will make him kill his entire family."
". . . Hm."
"Oh yeah, and his reflection is all crazy now. It doesn't look like him. It kind of looks like you, honestly, only the shirt is different, and it's wearing makeup. Boris can also take this thing called the Blade of the Mirror out of reflections which are fucking crazy to see."
Adam looked at his shoes stepping one foot in front of the other. "And . . . I'm in this guy's body now?"
"Yeah . . . Oh," Tyler swallowed, realizing what he was getting at. "Only one way to find out."
They reached the lake a few minutes later, which had wooden benches set up around so animals could sit by it and enjoy the water in the daytime. Now, it was still, the moonlight gleaming off of its surface. Tyler and Adam approached it, peering at the lake wearily. "Looks like we can only see our contours," the German shepherd said. "It's too dark."
"Can that Rhiphone do anything to help? You said it had a flashlight," Adam reminded him.
"Even then, it wouldn't work here. But there is something I didn't think to try before." He held up his phone and swiped around. "Can I take a picture of you?"
"With that? Uh, sure," Adam stated. "How do I . . . ?" He posed, forming a smile with his muzzle.
"1 . . . 2 . . . 3!" Tyler tapped the big round button, and the light from his phone flashed in Adam's face, the image appearing in the bottom left of the screen.
"Woah, that's wicked! Let me see! Let me see!" Adam begged, coming over.
Tyler's blood ran cold as he pulled up the image on his device. "Well . . . that was unexpected."
Adam looked at the picture, frowning. "What the hell?"
The canine stared closely at the picture. Everything was in the frame: the lake, the trees in the background, one of the benches nearby. The only thing missing was Adam. He didn't appear in the photo at all. "It must have something to do with the supernatural element of your situation. I mean, I dunno much, but this is not normal. It makes me wonder if Boris would appear if he were himself."
"Maybe your camera's just broken?" Adam suggested.
"That's . . . not how it works." Tyler shook his head. "We should get back and show this to Leah."
"What about the vamp?" Adam asked.
"Oh, yeah . . . See any fish swimming around in there?" He flicked on his flashlight and pointed the phone at the water.
Adam looked over the side and froze. ". . . Do you hear that?"
"What?" Tyler blinked, ear twitching.
"That voice. It's like it's calling to me . . . ."
Tyler's heart dropped. "Hey, don't listen to it! That's probably Absalom!"
"It sounds like . . . ." Adam gasped. "Neil?!"
The German shepherd looked around. "Neil isn't here! You're being tricked!"
"Neil! I'm coming!" Adam yelled, dropping the gun and bullets and suddenly diving into the water with a loud splash in the quiet night. Tyler gasped, only able to watch as the otter's body disappeared under the surface. A few moments passed, and the lake was still again.