20:19 Hours

The digital light above the elevator counted down from six to five, five to four, four to three…

Elias watched it change with slightly parted lips and burning eyes. He felt…so numb. The fight he had with Adino earlier had long-since passed, but Elias was still peeved by what his supposed best friend had said.

“Perhaps if I’d never met you, I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant in the first place.”

Ding! The elevator signaled its final destination and did its little down-and-up rock before finally opening the doors. Elias shook his head as he walked out, trying to clear the image of his friend’s angry face. Even if his friend meant what he’d said, what good was it to dwell on it now, hours later? Although, he was tempted to throw it back in Adino’s face still—let him know that Boom Boom could’ve gone after him regardless of whether Elias was involved or not. The creepy man went to a public comic convention looking for specific targets, and with the way Adino liked to dress, Boom Boom was bound to clock him for one of his victims again.

The old maintenance man ceased his mopping to tip his cap at him, so Elias waved to him as he passed by. “I’ll be back, Ted,” he said and offered a timid smile.

“Be careful out there!” Ted waved back and Elias nodded.

“It’s only eight pm, Ted. Don’t worry about me.”

Most of the tenants in the apartment complex were blind to Elias’ “condition,” but some of them didn’t even know he existed at all, so it didn’t bother him. Only a few—such as Ted—picked up on the fact that he was one of the sad Boom Boom victims. There were other baby boom mothers in the building, of course, but they had all long-since given birth and usually liked to stay holed up in their apartments, so Elias didn’t see them too often. He and Adino were the sole pregnant tenants at the moment, and all the employees seemed to think they were weak because of it.

But contrary to whatever they thought, Elias was no damsel in distress, and he could very well handle himself. So he went out, eight months pregnant—as Dr. Sandstone equated his condition to—and all, on his own to his and Adino’s favorite Chinese restaurant, Hunan House. 

After their little tussle, Adino had decided to surprise him with the Chinese take-out, even though Elias wished he hadn’t. They needed to save all the pennies they could for the baby supplies they were going to need—and three infants meant they’d be going through diapers and baby formula like crazy!

The only catch for Elias not having to split the bill was that he had to go pick it up himself. After all, Adino couldn’t be bothered to break his precious “dance routine” every night, so it only made sense for Elias to go on his own. This, however, also meant he’d be responsible for the tip. But, given he hadn’t paid for the meal itself, that didn’t really bother him so much. (Plus, Adino likely would not have left one since he got “take-out,” so Elias was glad he was picking it up—if only to spare himself the embarrassment.)

Elias stuck his hands in his zipper-crazy Dead Threads Mothman-themed jacket’s pockets and strolled down the crooked sidewalk. The normal two-lane street dropped down to a single lane in the area where his apartment was, so the traffic wasn’t too bad after seven pm. This also meant there were less people around in general if, say, some villain were to attack, but Elias took comfort in knowing the majority of the buildings were always occupied by somebody. There was bound to be at least one witness who could call for help.

So, despite Ted’s concern, Elias knew he was fine to trek the brief walk to Hunan House, which was only a block from the apartment complex and right across the street, anyway. He sucked on the inside of his snake bite piercings and played skip-the-crack with the sidewalk, which he took all the way to the last possible crosswalk. Hunan House’s tiny storefront was right on the corner, so all Elias had to do was cross the street to get to it.

“Hey, Auntie,” Elias said when he walked into the restaurant. Of course, she wasn’t actually his aunt, but he and Adino and everyone else familiar with the older lady running the shop called her that out of respect. “I’m here to pick up Dino’s order.”

“Ah, Eli!” The older Chinese lady peered around a hidden room in the kitchen area behind the counter. She dragged her slippered feet through the kitchen—past the actively grilling cooks—and up to the counter. “I got the bag right here, baby!”

Elias removed his hands from his pockets to push his hood back. He offered her a smile when he reached the counter himself.

“I already put your duck sauce in, baby,” she continued before Elias could speak and patted the large brown paper bag in front of her. “How are you and your baby?”

“Exhausted as always,” Elias sighed and searched for his wallet. “And I can’t wait for these little nightmares to be out. Finally got some coverage and we both set up our procedures.”

“Oh!” Auntie Li rested a hand below her neck. “Congratulations! That’s very exciting, baby!”

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Elias chuckled, and then licked at his lips. The winter weather always made them feel dry. “Here, Auntie,” he continued, sliding a five dollar bill across the counter, “for all your hard work. And know that Dino also appreciates you, Auntie. He’s just a bigger brat about walking now that he’s pregnant.”

Auntie Li reached over the counter and accepted the tip, smiling from ear-to-ear. “That boy is something else,” she laughed and shook her head. “Tell him we made his soup extra hot, just the way he likes it.”

“Will do,” Elias said, laughing with her despite himself. He pocketed his wallet and reached for the big bag, bringing it toward himself. “S’good seeing you, Auntie. Please take care of yourself and Mr. Sung back there.”

“Bah!” Auntie Li threw one hand up and made a sound like blowing a raspberry, her other hand placed on her hip. “Don’t worry about that old man! He can work himself to death for all Li cares.”

Elias had picked up the bag by this point and started to leave. “Okay, whatever you say, Auntie,” he said with a grin and waved her off best he could with the big bag hugged to his chest (and hanging uncomfortably over his belly).

“See you again, baby!”

Elias left with a smile still on his face. The bag—despite being stuffed with their large order—was sturdy enough that he could hold it with one arm while he retrieved his old Android. Adino may love his Apple products, but Elias was an Android user through-and-through and still wouldn’t change his three-years-old Galaxy S28 for the bullshit upgrades they had out now for the year 2030. 

Me: Got the grub 👍

After sending the text to Adino, Elias returned his Android to his pocket and hugged the brown bag with both arms. The trek back to the apartment building wasn’t too bad, but the bag was a little hefty to carry with only one arm. Elias simply had to peer around it occasionally to check for any obstacles and confirm he was still on the right track.

As he was crossing the street, a volatile breeze hit him from the backside. The icy temperature stung his exposed ears, effectively reminding him to don his hood again. But then, once the hood was up, a peculiar sound rang out, giving Elias pause after he’d fully crossed the street to the other side.

The sound was almost like a gentle static that mixed in with the wind, and it made the hairs on the back of Elias’ neck stand up despite now being covered. He tightened his hold on the paper bag and picked up his pace. There was just an eerie feeling in the air that Elias didn’t like—and this was coming from the cryptic enthusiast! Even if Mothman himself decided to visit from West Virginia, that didn’t mean Elias was going to stick around. He wouldn’t give his life for no creature, and especially not a villain if one was lurking in the dark.

“Human.”

The simple word came as a quiet, distorted voice on the wind, and yet Elias heard it clear as day in his right ear. He felt as if someone was right next to him, whispering directly into his ears, but there was no one there. So, like any normal person, he turned his waddle into a light jog and ignored the weird voice.

“Are you a male with child?”

Okay, while he had tried to ignore the strange voice at first, that one question he certainly could not. Elias slowed his borderline run and whipped his head all around him. The buggy street lamps flashed on-and-off as per usual, but Elias saw no other soul besides himself, which he supposed was odd in and of itself. 

No rampant drug dealers and their salivating customers? No rugged bums begging for change? Definitely weird. In fact, Elias was pretty sure he’d seen one hanging out by the alleyway between the closed-down apartment building and the Great Clips-slash-Dollar General plaza.

And who the hell even asks such a stupid question to begin with? Elias didn’t think he looked that pregnant in his get-up, and certainly not from afar. Unless the voice had…somehow followed him into the Hunan House…

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While you wait for the next episode, try checking out one of these other entries!

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