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clumsiestgiantess · 1 year ago

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Chapter eleven of the Other-world Universe; Alexis fucks around and finds out.

all chapters linked here

[Deer don’t carry phones]

After both me and Erica had finished our meals on the shore of the lake, I began packing everything away. Maybe I still managed to save this little outing after all. Erica seems to be enjoying herself now. I turned from my bag to watch her pace the shoreline. Suddenly, she stopped, picked up a smooth rock, and chucked it out across the water. The small stone skidded across the still surface of the lake, skipping four times before disappearing under its rippling face. I'd never really been able to skip rocks like that. On my best try I'd got a total of two whole skips.

A smile drifted onto my face as I inhaled a breath of warm air, high hopes restored. Though it was the height of the summer day, the breeze off the lake was cool enough that you could barely feel the heat. "Hey," I called over to Erica, "Do you think you could teach me how to do that? I've never really managed to get them to skip very far." Erica grinned, glancing back at me over her shoulder. "Sure, but first we have to find a rock big enough for you. If we do, I bet you could make it all the way across the lake!" I nodded and headed out to the woods, looking for a suitable stone. "Make sure it's smooth and flat or it won't skip!" Erica called after me. "I know," I replied absentmindedly.

Stepping lightly through the woods, I scoured the ground for a good rock. I felled a few trees in my wake, but not so many that it simply looked like they'd fallen on their own. After a few minutes of searching, I found a flat enough stone by a river that fed into the lake. It had been worn smooth by the rushing water flowing past. Once I dug it from the ground, I began my trip back to the beach where Erica was waiting. I retraced my path back, trying to destroy as few trees as possible and sparing myself the tedious chore of carefully watching every step.

As I came within sight of the beach, I waved to Erica and called: "Found one!" She called back to me, but her voice was too small to carry very far. Picking up my pace so I could hear her, I didn’t bother to look at the ground. I nearly tripped on a tree and felt something crunch beneath my foot, but I took no notice of it now that the beach was only a few steps ahead of me. "What took you so long?" Erica asked as I approached the shore, "There have to be hundreds of rocks in the woods." I stepped back onto the sandy lakeshore and shrugged, "I couldn't find a flat one like you asked." I was about to crack a joke when I noticed Erica's face was rapidly losing color.

I was on the ground in an instant. "Erica, what's-" "What is that?" She had pointed behind me, so I stood and turned back the way I'd come. Looking down on my footprints in the sand, it was clear that one of my feet was tracking crimson red across the clearing. I lifted one foot, then the other. The sole of my right shoe was stained a deep red color. I dared to take a whiff; it smelled like fresh coins.. or blood.

Charging back through the woods, I remembered the strange crunch I'd heard while I was heading back. Upon returning to the spot, it became clear that I'd definitely stepped on a living thing. Judging by the carnage, I'd likely crushed more than one little creature. I knelt down to have a closer look, but it was hard to get low enough without laying down, which would lay waste to one third of the lakefront. Poor forest creatures. I'd probably stepped on a small herd of deer.

Eventually, Erica burst through the woods, panting with exhaustion after running all the way there. "What was it?" I asked, gesturing to the bloody mess on the forest floor, "I think I crushed a few deer but I'm not sure. It's hard to see from up here." Erica slowly approached the awful scene below. Scanning the mess, she picked something up off the ground and sank to her knees. I waited for her to speak, but after a few minutes, she still hadn't gotten up. "Erica?" I voiced my concern. Slowly, she stood and turned to me with a horrified expression. "You killed them," she whispered, "These.. bodies. They were people."

I could feel the groan building in my throat, but I held it back because Erica looked so crestfallen. “Oh, I doubt they were. I haven't seen anyone out here before, and you can't really tell what these things were based on that mess, can you?" I tried to convince her that it wasn’t as big a deal as she made it out to be, but she placed something small into my outstretched hand, silently letting me examine it. It was the item she'd picked up off the ground earlier. I brought it up to my face to have a look. The little thing was a phone — broken and crushed, but a phone nonetheless. I blinked in shock. "Deer don't carry phones," Erica said simply.

Shuttering, I dropped the tiny thing to the forest floor below. Hesitantly bending down, I tried to get a better look at Erica’s reaction. It was still rather difficult to get close enough to the ground with all the large trees surrounding me, but I could already tell she was upset. “It’s alright,” I assured her, “Really. It’s fine, see?” I gestured around at the empty forest surrounding us. “No one saw, and no one will find them until we’re long gone.” Erica blinked, her expression slowly shifting from concern to confusion. I waved a hand dismissively, “This happened all the time before. It’ll be fine.”

“What?” Erica whispered hoarsely. I flinched, catching my mistake. “You.. These were people. You just killed two people.” “I know,” I replied, trying to shrug it off, “and once I clean up the bloody footprints, no one will know the difference. People will probably think they got mauled by a bear or something and move on.”

Erica began to back away from me, “But you just killed two people! Don’t you care?!” "Sure, of course I do." Sighing, I watched as Erica retreated further back to the edge of the clearing. I was hoping to take her attention away from the scene before she had the chance to fully comprehend it. Accidents like these still happened on occasion; it’s nearly impossible to avoid without controlling someone — without intangibility. "Look, it's best to just forget about it, ok?” I told her, dropping the nonchalance act. “You get used to it after a while. When you're my size, people just kinda.. get in the way and-" "How many times has this happened?" Erica asked, cutting me off. I shuddered, her voice was suddenly violent and harsh. "It.. It doesn't matter, I-" "HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED!?"

If looks could kill, I would've dropped dead right then and there. Now it was my turn to back away as Erica inched threateningly closer. "I.. Um," I gulped. I can't tell her the truth, I mean, I've lost count of the amount of times people have spontaneously died in my presence. "How many times? Um, this scenario specifically, or.." "HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU KILLED!?" "Oh, uhh.. A lot? I don't know, maybe like 20 or so?" And that was an understatement. I have ultimately just sealed my fate with that sentence.

Instinctively, I braced myself, but Erica had gone quiet. Then she laughed. She started laughing loudly to herself, and it was making me extremely nervous for my own sake. “Well, no wonder you don't care about them!" she chuckled, "You don't care about anyone! You don't give two shits whether we live or die! But who cares about us, anyway? It's not like we have fucking lives or anything! Sure, just go ahead and maul anyone who gets in your way." I grimaced, "I.. That's not what I meant!" Erica only shook her head and kept laughing. It had built into a kind of maniac laughter that made my hair stand on end. Terrified, I fled back to the beach and frantically began packing up.

This is bad, this is bad, this is VERY BAD, THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT I WAS TRYING TO ACHIEVE HERE! I was almost finished stuffing my things away when the bag tipped over and sent everything tumbling out again. I was too slow. Erica had returned. Her sudden laughter had long disappeared and she was out of breath and enraged, storming down the sand towards me. "No! I- Please! It's not what you think!" I begged, scrambling away from her.

"Did you ever actually care about me?" I froze with her question hanging in the air, looking down at Erica slightly heartbroken. "Of course I did! I still do!" "Yet you just step on people like we're nothing." Sliding my bag to the side, I carefully inched closer, lowering myself down to look at her. “But you're different." Erica shook her head angrily, "No I'm not! I am literally the same thing they are! The only 'difference' is that you know me!"

Seething, she took a threatening step forwards, hand less than an other-world inch from my face. I hastily retreated back upwards, subconsciously dragging my backpack in front of me to protect myself. “But it’s- It’s not-” “Shut up.” I obeyed.

"If you dropped me… Back when we first met at my house and you still didn't really know me and you dangled me over the cliffside and threatened my life… If you dropped me, is this how you would've reacted? If I'd died-" "It was an accident! They all were!" I cried desperately. "I DON’T FUCKING CARE IF IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Erica screamed. "If you killed me, accident or not, would you have just walked off? Waited for someone to find my dead mangled body at the bottom of the cliff like you are with these people!? Think about it. Honestly. When you didn't know me, would you have cared?" Tears welled in the corners of my eyes and my vision grew blurry. I tried to think up another excuse, but even if I had, I was too choked up to say another word. My silence was all the answer she needed. I wouldn't have cared.

I fled before she could see my utter meltdown. Abandoning Erica and my bag on the shore, I raced through the mountain range and hid in a shallow ravine between two jagged peaks. Then, having harbored hundreds of horrible feelings for too long, I finally snapped. I never cared about any of them other than her! I realized, choking on a sob that manifested in my throat. And even then, I would have just moved on if she'd died. Not anymore, of course, but I probably wouldn’t have cared before the rainy day when we spent practically the whole day getting to know eachother. I shouldn’t even care this much. They're just plastic figures, aren't they? They’re all fake. They’re all fake. Right!?

Nothing could console me after that. For hours I hid and cried, realizing what a horrible person I was. Here I thought I’d actually changed. Yet the longer I thought through things, the more horrible decisions and wrong choices emerged. The longer I thought about the other-world, the more certain I became that it wasn’t just a lifelike recreation of the kids table in my world. Sure, the table and this world were similar — both generic large cities — but they weren’t the same thing. If they were, the small-world would have an abrupt end where the table cut off, the buildings would be identical rather than vaguely similar, and there would certainly be a lot more destruction from my brother.

Even the twin buildings, which I thought were a sure sign of the worlds being connected, were likely different too. After all, don't most cities have the same structures, such as town halls and bus stops, or even an aquarium? And the skyline — it was different. I knew it was different. Instead of realizing that something might be wrong with my logic once I noticed, I found another dumb thing to base my ideas off of instead. All because I refused to believe I was wrong. Things wouldn’t make sense anymore if I was wrong. But I was wrong.

Similar, but different — the other-world is real.

The cascades of tears on my cheeks paused for a brief moment as the reality of everything dawned on me. Of course these people aren't plastic. In this world they’re very real people of flesh and bone. They have families and lives. All things considered, they’re the same as anyone else from my own world, only smaller — helpless to stop me from making mistake after mistake. I’ve been casually ignoring their deaths like they're nothing. But Erica.. she means everything to me. She’s so real I forgot she’s one of them.

After my face had finally dried and I had seemingly run out of tears to cry, I lay in the ravine, watching the sky. The sun had long set; I'd been hiding there for hours, neither wanting to travel back to my world, nor return to the one I was in. I simply sat there, staring at the stars, doubting every single choice I’d ever made. The night dragged on, yet I refused to move. It's actually pretty comfortable down here. Four or five depressing hours passed as I lay in the ravine, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time. Then I remembered Erica, who had no way home besides me. Shit.

I sat up suddenly, gazing past the cliffs to the lake beyond. Its glassy surface was practically glowing in the otherwise dark forest, lit by the almost-full moon. Awful as I felt, I had to go back, lest I leave Erica stranded out there in the middle of the night.

Hauling myself up by the side of a mountain, I stood and trudged slowly back to the lake. Being so tall, I could see the beach long before I arrived. A small figure raced into the woods, their silhouette dissolving within inky black shadows. Sighing, I stepped over the last of the trees in front of me and sat on the sand. I pulled my forgotten bag over my lap and listened to the peaceful humm of creatures at night. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. Goosebumps raced down my arms.

Regrettably, I had not come prepared with an apology for Erica. I could barely process what I’d pieced together over the last few hours, nevermind trying to go through the now impossible task of explaining it all to her. I was only there because Erica had no way to get back home, unless she wanted to hike the half day's journey through the mountains to civilization on her own.

I'd secretly been hoping that Erica would be the first to say something, so I wouldn't have to. However, as the cold night continued, it became apparent that she refused to speak to me. I turned towards the woods and watched as Erica quickly scrambled back into the dark. You idiot, she’s waiting for you. Say something.

"You need a way home," I observed. Many of the hidden creatures around us silenced when I spoke, and the shore became eerily quiet. "What would you c-care if I died out h- here?" Erica retorted. Her voice sounded noticeably off, and as she stepped out into the pale moonlight, I realized she was shivering. It had gotten rather cold by then — as mountains generally get at night — and she was still wearing the sleeveless shirt and shorts to combat the summer heat from earlier that day.

"I know you're mad, that's completely understandable, but you're going to freeze out here. Come back to the mansion with me." I offered her a hand, but she scoffed and brushed past it. "H-how come every time I g-get the chance to live my own life, I just end up listening t-to you, huh?" Erica shivered, rubbing her hands over her bare shoulders in a feeble attempt to warm herself. "You aren't even c-controlling me anymore, but I'm still not f-free from you. I'm st-still forced to listen to you, because if I d-don't I'll be st-stuck here." She shuddered as a cold wind swept through the beach from the woods. “I guess that’s my f-fault for t-trusting you.”

Bending down, I ever so carefully placed a few fingers over Erica's arm to comfort her. She was ice cold; I could feel her shivering beneath the pads of my fingers. Erica pulled away from my hand for the briefest moment before changing her mind and leaning very slightly against me. She needed the warmth. "I really wish I could've saved this, but I can't,” I whispered, my voice breaking at the last word. “I hoped you would forgive me, but I can't even forgive myself." Erica turned to face me. I could feel tears welling in my eyes again, but I forced them down. "I said I would leave — you told me to leave — but I came back because I thought… Well, it doesn't matter what I thought. I failed. I failed you. You and everyone else I've hurt." I pulled away from her, my arm falling to my side, "I'll leave. For real this time. Then you won't be tempted to.. to listen to me."

Everything became silent for so long that the chirping of invisible insects started back up. Again, I offered Erica my hand, and this time she took it. "Don't come back here," Erica said grimly, "I don't want to see you again." I was already so numb from self-loathing that her words barely affected me. What's a knife to the heart when it's already been torn from your chest?

Once Erica was settled down, I lightly clasped my hands around her to give her some warmth, which she reluctantly accepted. I returned to invisibility so Erica could see what was happening through my fingers. I remembered that was what she'd complained about last time. Then, at a rather somber wandering pace, I headed for home.

By the light of the moon, I was able to find my way back to the mansion on the cliffside. I stood hesitantly for a moment, realizing this would be our final goodbye. Silently, I returned to my visible state, slowly opening my hands to reveal Erica tucked away in my cupped fingers, fast asleep. She must’ve been exhausted, I realized; she was at that lake almost all day and halfway through the night. Normally, she never would have dared to close her eyes while I held her.

I wasn’t so selfish as to wake Erica up for a last goodbye. Instead, I pushed open the balcony doors on the second floor and peered inside. If I remembered correctly, this would be the bedroom. Spying her bed on the opposite wall, I slowly slid my hand through the doorway and placed Erica inside, gently nudging her limp body onto the mattress. My eyes teared up as I watched her subconsciously shift on her bed, tucking in on herself over the sheets, knees hugged tightly to her chest. Her breathing sped up, and I was fairly sure she’d woken but didn’t want me to know. Gently, I slid a blanket off her beanbag chair and draped it over her, silently trying to make peace one last time. My breath came out in a wheezing shudder as tears finally leaked from my eyes.

After placing Erica in her bed, I waited quietly at the cliff’s edge for a moment, mulling over the events of the day. Twenty-four hours ago, we were both close friends. At least, I thought we were. That could never be, though. It couldn’t happen with me — an invisible monster that hurts everyone in the end, one way or another. After quietly closing the balcony doors, I backed away, taking in my last moments in the other-world. I’ve said it before, but I really think this is it. I’m never coming back here again.

#who believes that last line?#this is only arc one everyone #don’t panic #she’ll be back (eventually)#other-world universe #g/t #giant tiny

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thisaintascenereviews · 4 months ago

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All Time Low - Tell Me I’m Alive / The Forever Sessions, Vol 1

Out of all the pop-punk bands to pop up in the mid-00s, All Time Low is one of the few bands to have an everlasting career. These guys started off as a neon pop-punk band, but evolved into a pop-rock band in the late 00s and early 2010s, then to a more straightforward pop-punk band in the early 2010s, only to turn back into a pop-rock band by the decade’s end. Their last couple of albums have been really hard to read, because they’re seemingly at a crossroads in their career. They don’t know if they want to be a pop-rock band or a pop-punk band.

Personally, my favorite album of theirs is 2012’s Don’t Panic, although I’m sure many people would pick 2007’s debut, So Wrong, It’s Right, and that’s not a bad pick, either, considering it has their most iconic songs, but it’s an album that I think is rough in spots. Vocalist Alex Gaskarth doesn’t sound great on it, despite sounding just fine, but his voice wasn’t the powerhouse it eventually became, at least until the late 00s and early 2010s. The songwriting was still quite sharp, but it would get a lot better, both lyrically and musically speaking.

Hell, 2020’s Wake Up, Sunshine is a really solid pop-rock / pop-punk record that tried some new things, but also stayed true to their sound and felt like another return to form, even though Don’t Panic was their first return to form a decade earlier. 2023’s Tell Me I’m Alive is an album that I totally forgot about, both because I haven’t cared much about these guys in a long time, and because this album wasn’t received with open arms when it came out.

I didn’t see a lot of glowing praise for it, but I decided to go back and listen to it recently, because they just dropped a new album of some re-recorded hits, entitled The Forever Sessions, and it’s the first volume of these, but this first one has admittedly their biggest hits, and they’re from 2006 to 2009. I wanted to talk about both albums, albeit briefly, because these albums are interesting, although it’s not quite in the way they intended. Truthfully, Tell Me I’m Alive is a decent album, but it’s also nothing important or essential. You won’t get anything out of this, aside from some decent hooks and vocals, but that’s it. They really don’t know if they want to be a pop-punk or pop-rock band, and the album stays in that limbo, but it ends up not making much of an impression.

The Forever Sessions, however, is actually pretty good, despite being nothing amazing, but this is interesting, because there’s no doubt this was done to both capitalize on the emo nostalgia that’s been huge the last couple years, as well a a cash grab to fans that want to hear them perform these songs live, because they can have studio versions of these updated versions. On one hand, though, I think it’s cool to hear a new version of an old classic, because art is ever hanging and ever evolving, so there’s nothing wrong with a new interpretation of an old song or album, even when it’s clearly done for a profit.

The thing is, though, I also can’t deny when it works. They don’t do much with these songs, but if anything, they have a modern production sheen over them, so they sound better, and Gaskarth’s vocals sound a lot better. Despite their popularity kind of waning over the last decade, at least he sounds fantastic, both on here and Tell Me I’m Alive. As boring as that album is, his vocals are awesome, and you can’t deny that he’s grown into one of the vocalists in that scene. The songs stay relatively the same on The Forever Sessions, but it’s still cool hearing them in a new light, even if their new album really isn’t anything to write home about.

#all time low #so wrong it’s right #don’t panic #tell me I’m alive #the forever sessions #dear maria count me in #pop punk #punk #rock #alternative #alex gaskarth

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