PREPARATION - WISPS AND WHISPERS PT. 1
“OH SHI-”
CRASH!
A brightly-colored Crook laid on the ground, directly next to the culprit of his fall: a ladder. He groaned and grumbled, slowly picking himself off of the concrete. His companion peeked his head out the doors of V’s Video Rental, peeking at the owner with concern.
“...You good?” Monty questioned. His fur stood on the edge, accompanied by flattened ears.
“...Yeah.” V chuckled, acting like nothing happened (despite the 500 bruises he just gained). He stood back, admiring his handiwork with a proud grin. He had been spending the entire afternoon decorating his shop, and he just managed to complete the front of the building. To put it gently: it was tacky. Incredibly tacky. To complement the already eye-burning neon sign that adorned the front, he attached small string lights around the edges of his store, glowing a bright shade of purple. Dozens of posters littered the window, all reading the same loud text: “HALLOWEEN SALE! 50% OFF ALL RENTALS! TODAY ONLY!” That wasn’t all, no. He had a giant inflatable spider on the sidewalk. Why. V looked back at Monty, now occupied with a new priority: the customers.
“How’s everyone treating you in there?”
“Nicely, I guess. They’re all checking out horror movies. Even the little kids…” Monty scoffed, sounding exhausted. “A group of them rented Texas Chainsaw.”
“Hey, they have taste!”
“They came back after 15 minutes and switched it out for Trolls.”
“Even better!” V giggled as Monty held the door open for him. Without missing a beat, he strolled over to the front desk and jumped into his chair, kicking his feet up onto the front counter. He held his arms behind his head and sighed.
“So… is that everything?” V stared into space, listening to the customers chatter amongst each other.
“Decoration-wise, or…?” Monty shut the front door, trudging towards V’s desk with tired feet. “If there’s anything else I’m hitting you in the head with a TV.”
“Woah, dude!” V chuckled, “I was just askin’ if the decor was out, man. Don’t kill me!” He joked in his usual mellow tone.
Monty crossed his arms. “I guess so. The boxes were empty last time I checked.”
“Hell yeah. That means I can do this.” He jumped on top of his chair, yelling with the loudest voice he could muster. “TAKIN’ A 15-MINUTE BREAK, FOLKS! JUST MAKE A LINE AT MY DESK WHILE I’M GONE, ‘KAY?” He jumped down, giggling at the groans and murmurs from the small crowd.
“...That’s one way to do it.” Monty sighed. He watched as V threw a sign down on his desk, announcing his temporary departure with crude handwriting and a smiley face. Before he could even process anything, V grabbed Monty’s hand with a smirk.
“C’mon. Got somethin’ for ya.”
“Wh-” Andddd off he goes. Winding through the rows of shelves and customers, V led Monty all the way to… the break room. How fancy. WIthout any sugar coating, it looked like a small kitchen with a vending machine in the corner. Oh, and a bathroom.
“Take a seat, my good sir.” V teased, pulling a chair out and letting Monty sit down.
“What are you-” Monty began to question before his skinnier friend started rummaging through the freezer like a wild beast. Typical. V pulled out a large pizza box and set it on the table, making sure it faces Monty directly.
“Ordered it the previous night and let it sit in the freezer for ya. That’s how you like it… right?” He timidly fidgeted with his hands in a manner that’s rather out of character. Monty opened the box with a raised eyebrow, expecting something… different. Something weird, or extravagant, or anything that wasn’t a pizza. But there it was: a normal pizza. A normal pizza… that was shaped like a pumpkin. Meat lovers, incredibly cold to the touch.
“...Thank you.” Monty smiled. His tone was still exhausted, but there was a small hint of gratitude lying within.
“It’s nothin’ man.” V laughed rather awkwardly, setting down his own box that he seemingly pulled out of thin air. He sat across from Monty, and took a bite out of his own slice.
“Dude, you wanna go out with me later? I got a stupid Reptar costume I’m gonna terrorize people with."
Monty sighed.
“Absolutely.”