Chapter 3 Mint: Not All Biscuits and Gravy [Chapter Three]

A mob would be the best word to describe what I was following. This crowd of clueless monsters all marching to the center of the city, smiling away as if nothing was wrong.

In their minds, perhaps that was the case. They've been so closed off, they couldn't see the darkness that's really all around them.

The street lamps began to flicker, I could tell it was some sort of Morse Code to lead the monsters to the center of the town, though I couldn't read it very well.

Something about the turned and the darkness, but... I couldn't catch all of it. I wasn't even aware I was staring until Caramel took the end of my appendage to lead me onward. I gave her a smile but turned away from the slime to focus where I was going.

It was oddly silent, like I was walking with robots instead of fellow monsters.

Actually, it wasn't normally this quiet, especially for this number of people.

I couldn't see over their heads either, being as short as I was. Well, at least I was taller than Caramel, who looked a bit annoyed at being blocked.

They all had smiles but the mood felt so bleak.

We passed my old college, and the hospital, even the elementary school; and everywhere we passed, more monsters flooded out to join the crowd until my friend and I was right in the center of it all.

Caramel suddenly squeaked and clung to my arm tightly. When I looked to her, I could see her eyes locked onto something and following it, it was a very tall hornkin. Four red horns, a black coat dragging out behind him.

I forgot Caramel felt intimidated by them. Well, he wouldn't hurt her, if he didn't turn that is...

I got Caramel was like everyone else, a happy-go-lucky innocent monster, blinded by candy and rainbows. Normally, that kind of thing would bother me, but I can't blame Caramel. Maybe everyone else, but not her.

She's that friend that you probably wouldn't be friends with if you hadn't played together as kids.

Octokin were known for being pretty asocial and mean, even my own father was like that, and my mother.

I was like that too once, and then Caramel appeared, being her happy self towards child me.

As much as I tried to push her away and spat in her direction, she kept coming back.

I finally just gave in, and she changed me.

I can't say I regret it at all. It was as she said, being happy felt good. I didn't like being mean, it was just something I perhaps... Did because I didn't know how else to act.

I don't think she realized at the time though that my kind was instinctively mean, which had made her so persistent.

I can't really say my parents were all that happy about my personality change back home though, so I ended up moving out early for college. Caramel just dragged herself along with me and barely managed to pass her classes.

Looking at her now though, she still only looked like a child to me.

I released a heavy sigh and looked ahead. It shouldn't be long now before we reached the town center. There were probably hundreds of monsters at this point and more that would be coming from the other side of town.

Meetings like this were fairly rare at least. They were usually something small to put on a show as the mayor banished the turned.

New rules were uncommon enough though, and if they weren't followed, there would be a lot of consequences. So that's most likely why so many people decided to come around today.

In the center of town sat a giant house circled around a garden; the mayor's home itself, the oldest building in the city.

The crowd came to a slow and steady stop, everyone staring towards the door. I gave Caramel a glance and squeezed her hand, catching her attention.

It was impolite to speak during a meeting, so I gestured forward with my eyes in hope's she would catch onto what I wanted. To my relief, the slime nodded and tapped the guy in front of her, giving him a sweet smile.

He stepped aside and allowed us to pass, giving us the chance to move closer in order to see. Most monsters were fairly short, it was actually pretty odd if there happened to be a tall monster, but it could happen, and with this many in one area, quite a few tall monsters blocked our view.

Just as we managed to squeeze our way to the front, the door opened and a man stepped out. He looked around the crowd with peppermint colored eyes, red coat dragging onto the ground.

Well, he certainly lived up to his name; 'Mayor Coughdrop'.

Nobody was actually very sure what kind of monster he was, he had traits of many.

Long feathered wings, a sharp pink horn, and a strange little snout.

It's just a theory but I'm pretty sure he had goat legs under that robe as well.

Who wears a robe with a coat anyway?

This guy... Was really weird.

"Good morning citizens!" He grinned, waving without care.

A few claps could be heard but not many voices.

A couple seconds passed before he cleared his throat.

The mayor was a tall, skinny man, but I feel like he would look less weird if he was a chubby ball too, like the bad guys in movies I smuggle... Seeing as he banned any movies with a bad guy.

God... I don't see how everyone could love this guy.

Caramel's eyes were sparkling though. I don't think she's ever seen the mayor up close before. Well, I don't want to ruin her fun, even if I'm not having any.

I only came to hear the politic piece of it all. I'm the only one I know that bothers to even keep up with the news, one day I'll crack him though, and everyone would see what he's really doing to them.

"So we have a lot of fun planned today, does anyone want some candy?" He looked around like he was talking to children.

At this though, more clapping and he reached into his jacket's pockets before pulling out handfuls of candy canes. The mayor tossed them into the crowd and quite a few monsters made a grab for them.

With a smile, the mayor watched until every piece was picked up before continuing.

"So let's get down to business, shall we? I've compiled a new list of things that are no longer permitted in this cute little town. Does everyone want me to read it?"

Nobody answered, so the mayor cleared his throat and pulled out a list.

His eyes moved up to look at everyone before he turned back to the paper.

"From now on, chocolate is no longer permitted. The dark color could be a trigger to the darkness. Nobody may own a book longer than a hundred pages, for worry that one may lose patience and get angry, thus becoming infected-"

"The mayor really cares so much." I heard Caramel mutter beside me. I quickly shushed her, in case anyone may have heard her speak.

"Jelly is no longer allowed, due to reports of oozekin being offended. Monster children may not be allowed to skip grades, even if they're smarter than the grade they are currently in. This is so other children do not become jealous."

He flipped the paper over to read the other side.

"Dentists and doctors will no longer be present in the town. This is caused by monsters injuring doctors on accident. And finally, no monster may be allowed to speak out against me or any government official. We will not tolerate any sort of rebellion."

He finished with a happy gleam and folded the paper back up to put away. "Great that we got that out of the way! Now on to the main event! Everyone ready to see the banishment ceremony?"

And at that moment, the clapping became roaring.

Why was everyone so excited?!

The mayor beckoned behind him where two agent monsters pulled something out of his house.

Cages on wheels, with what seemed like psychotic monsters inside.

Multiple cages with different types of them.

One cage with the hornkin we saw in the street. He sat down, banging his head against the bars followed by snarling.

A smaller looking wolf mix paced his cage, eyeing the crowd with bloodlust.

Most would be afraid but I just felt... Sorry for them.

I took a glance to Caramel, who shivered some, head down.

She suddenly flinched and I turned back as they rolled out a third and final cage.

He didn't look familiar to me, but the monster seemed to have an effect on the slime.

The young looking boy with fluffy rainbow hair, thrusting his claws out between the bars in hopes it would connect with something. He flicked his long tail and let out an angry, spitting hiss.

As I looked closer, I realized I could see a green discoloring on his shirt, much like... Caramel's.

Oh man, what happened to this guy?

"This!" The Mayor shout with sudden anger in his voice. "This is what the darkness does to us! This is why we have our rules, this is what happens when you break them."

I wanted to yell out how untrue that was, how many books and movies with bad guys I smuggled into the city and how fine I was, but I forced my mouth to stay closed. I can't just announce that I was breaking the law.

The mayor approached one of the cages and slammed his fist against the bars, causing the wolf mix to yip and suddenly look frightened.

"This one stole some candy from the store, and now the darkness is in his heart. He will become a killer!"

A collective 'booo' rose up.

He moved next to the cage with the hornkin inside it. "And this one got into a fist fight, giving the darkness an opportunity to sneak into his heart."

Finally, the mayor approached the rainbow-colored boy. He paused to stare before stepping away from his claws and looking back to the crowd. "And this one was sneaking some illegal candies into bags for children. Sour candy, spicy candy, he knew the law against them, and he gave these tongue attacking candies to children. He could have gotten away with it, gotten away with hurting your young ones until the darkness stole him! Do you really want these monsters walking the streets, being a threat to your little ones!?"

More, louder booing answered and the mayor erupted into a fit of laughter.

As he did, he pulled a large orb out of his pocket and slammed it to the ground not far off. The orb exploded, opening a glowing portal where it landed. "Let the banishment begin!"

Suddenly, Caramel ripped away from my hold. I tried to reach out but she was too quick as she ran up to the mayor. "Wait!" She looked to the crowd, then back to the mayor. "We don't have to do this. We don't have to send them to that world!"

"They're beasts." He narrowed his eyes at the girl.

Quickly, she snapped back, "They're living beings with homes and families! They just need help, we can help them instead of just throwing them away, right?"

Oh, Caramel... What are you doing? What could I even do?

The Mayor frowned before suddenly grabbing her arm. The slime yelped in pain but he didn't relieve his grip before looking to the crowd. "We have someone trying to defend the turned here. But the turned will kill us, won't they? So it's only logical anyone wanting to defend them is a turned themselves. She wants them to kill us, she may even want the turned to take over this world as they did to the dark one!"

No longer caring about the no talking rule, the town rose into a rather loud buzz of conversation. The mayor didn't seem too bothered though. In fact, he grinned when it began.

"Men, go ahead and throw them in." With a wave, the agents pushed the cages into the portal where they vanished on sight.

Caramel cried out but nobody seemed to listen to her as the mayor roughhoused the girl and pushed her to the ground.

She lowered her head, not daring to look up to the monsters now shunning her.

The mayor set his boot on her back, holding her down. "What do you think? Throw her in?"

No, no this can't be happening!

The town began to cheer but it all just seemed drowned out at the moment. I began to move closer, but nobody seemed to notice. They were too busy looking at the oozekin girl.

The mayor grabbed her once more, by her hair this time, making her spit with pain and anger. Caramel didn't deserve this!

I broke into a run and that's when I was finally noticed. My aim was to the mayor but when he saw me, he pulled Caramel off her feet before pushing her to the portal.

Time slowed down just then before my best friend stumbled into the dark world's portal and vanished behind it.

I don't care about the Mayor anymore, I just... I just had to save Caramel!

I changed my aim and ran for the portal. What am I doing?

I'm an octokin, I shouldn't be caring for someone else like this. It's not in my DNA to do so, but Caramel... I won't just leave her to those murderers!

I felt my skin burn as I entered the portal, then it was all black.

I looked around, blinking my third eye, which is normally supposed to be more clear than the other two, but it was still too dark to even see my own tentacles.

I turned around, but the portal was gone.

Suddenly I heard a sound like wind whooshing in my ears before, without warning, I hit the ground.

Unable to hold back, I let out a pained grunt and pushed myself back to my feet.

That... Could have been worse at least.

There was an odd, misty scent in the air. It must have rained recently wherever I was.

It wasn't much of a struggle to pull myself to my feet but I did feel a little heavier. It suddenly hit me and I quickly looked around. "Caramel?"

The now broken cages laid around me, they must have been cracked upon that fall and the monsters escaped.

There was no sight of them now though, meaning they obviously ran off first chance they had.

There among the cages lay Caramel's small body. I called her name again and moved closer. The girl twitched her nose and opened her eyes, seeming to be in a daze before reality hit her and she quickly sat up. "Mint-! Why did you come in here with me?"

What sort of question- I had to process it a moment before slapping her arm.

"What do you mean why!? I should be asking you why you did such a stupid thing! We'd still be fine if you didn't announce yourself like that!"

Caramel had an undefined look on her face before she sniffed and tears began to roll down her face.

"I... I just wanted to help them, like you were talking about." She dropped her head to the ground and wiped her face, but being a slime, it didn't do much.

I could only heave a sigh. Even if this happened, she meant well, how could I be mad?

I offered my tentacle out, taking the girl by surprise before she accepted my help and I assisted her to her feet.

"It doesn't matter, we're here now so we should find a way out." I forced a smile, despite being scared out of my mind.

Nobody has ever come out of the dark world, but at least Caramel didn't know that. First, we should look around and examine our surroundings.

It looked the same in every direction though. Dead tree, dry grass, empty night sky, and the occasional stone.

It was... Very quiet though. Too quiet, actually.

The noise of the cages breaking would have been very loud, right? So who's to say it didn't attract attention?

But there was nothing.

Wasn't this a land of murderous monsters?

I couldn't see very far out due to a setting fog but I didn't feel safe out in the open like this.

I set my arm on Caramel's shoulder and nudged her to follow, which she did without hesitation.

"What sort of things do you think are out here?" Her voice came out in a whisper. A question I couldn't answer. I only closed my eyes a moment and continued walking.

"What do we have here?"

A female voice echoed around us, causing us both to stop in our tracks.

I immediately tensed up. "Who's there?"

No answer.

We both kept still a long moment before chuckling rang in our ears. "You're a long way from home. Aren't you just little cuties?"

The crack of a stick behind me made me whip my head back where I could see a figure coming close.

Giant wings, yet the form of a human.

An angel? No, not here.

Then it hit me. I read about these monsters before.

"You're... A harpy."

Caramel tugged my sleeve in fear. "What's a harpy?"

"A mythological creature." I began. "A half human, half bird. Humans only think of them as stories, but they're thieves and kidnappers."

The harpy chuckled before coming close enough to see her. She seemed to have the head of a woman but was grotesque in every way possible.

Slowly, the harpy spread her wings and I quickly took Caramel's hand. "Run!"

As we took off running, the monster screeched and took flight.

I didn't have to look back to know we were being chased. My heart was racing, my mind going even faster.

I could only yell out curse words before finally turning back to see our distance. Her talons were spread out, ready to take one of us.

No... No way!

Through the fog, I could see a ditch coming close.

Maybe we can have a chance there, it's all we have. No way we would be able to outrun a harpy for long.

I hopped over the ditch and quickly dart out to pull Caramel beneath it with me. She almost screamed until I covered her mouth, giving us both a chance to calm our breathing. The harpy flew right over us, eyes looking around, scanning the ground with fury.

Good thing it was in the air and didn't spot the small opening beneath the ditch. After a few minutes, the monster vanished and I let out the most relieved sigh in my life.

Only been here a few minutes and already attacked... We need to get out of here.

I went to move but Caramel held me back.

"Can we just... Sit here for a little bit while we still have somewhere safe?" Her voice begged, yet her eyes were even louder.

I wouldn't argue with that, I sort of wanted to stay here a bit too, even if we were sitting in the mud.

"Alright." I leaned back into the dirt. "Just a short nap though. We have to get out as soon as possible."

The slime didn't argue with that and used my arm as a pillow before falling asleep.

We...

We had to get out of here.