Human Enough Chapter 2 is on AO3!
Please enjoy this excerpt!
Baxter was trapped within his own body. He could perceive the outside world, but only through blunted senses. Every sight, every sound, every smell was blurred and muffled. All the pain and exhaustion he felt from the skirmish came off only as a dull, distant ache. His very state of being no longer felt grounded in the material world, but rather like a marshmallow suspended in gelatin. Or a pupa in its casing mid-metamorphosis. He spoke, but his mouth didn’t move. He tried to turn his head, but it remained in place. And when he became frantic, his heart didn’t accelerate, neither did his breathing. Nothing happened—not so much as a blink—unless Fly willed it.
He took over, said Baxter. His voice didn’t ring in his ears; it was just an echoing thought. So that was it. He was now no more than a figment of Fly’s brain, a nagging conscience relegated to the spectator’s seat. The only essence that provided any tangible weight was the growing realization of all the consequences that would result from this change. This was worse than being the creature. At least then he had some control over his body, some presence in the world around him, some ability to influence his outcomes. Here, he was at total mercy.
No. He wasn’t going to give up yet. If Fly could influence his decisions, then surely he could do the same. I need to see Zak! Where is he?! Who’s that other guy? Move your head! Move!
All of Baxter’s pleas came off as nothing more than an odd tingling to Fly, and they were met with a vicious smack to the back of the neck. “I am—in control now.” Navigating in a large, cumbersome human’s body on his own was a challenge he wasn’t aware he’d have. He almost fell over with each step he took.
“U-uncle Bax?” said Zak. He was still frozen in place. Fly snapped his head over to him.
Zak! Zak, are you okay? It’s me! cried Baxter.
“Not Bazter. Fly~,” said Fly with a vibrato note at the end. Then he snapped his head back to Scumbug and saw the barrel of the gun. “Don’t hurt me~! Talk!”
Scumbug cocked his head and looked at Antrax. “I swear he wasn’t actin’ like ‘dis before!”
“I know. It’s almost as though he has a split personality,” replied Antrax with narrowed eyes.
The wheels turned in Scumbug’s head. His antennae writhed around while he rubbed the base of his chin. A small number of remaining roaches scuttled about the field once more. “You! Ya said ya name was Fly? Like, ‘da Landlord o’ ‘da Flies?”
Fly curled up a little tighter and darted his eyes to and fro like an anxious kid in class who didn’t expect the teacher to call on him. He gave a small nod, one of many gestures he learned from Baxter through osmosis.
“So what happened ta Baxter?”
He jabbed a finger at his temple. Any attempt to explain what he thought happened dripped out as prattle.
“Huh, I see,” said Scumbug with amusement. He clipped the gun back on his waist and took a couple of steps forward. Fly scooted back the same distance. “I dunno what happened, but ‘dis is an interesting development. I had no idea ‘dere was two of ya.”
Zak broke from his position and tried to make his way towards Fly, but was almost sliced in two when Antrax dashed in between them and swung his axe at him. The intricate skull that was sculpted into the top of the axe’s head glinted in the floodlights.
“Don’t interfere, you little runt!” spat Antrax. Even his purple executioner’s hood couldn’t hide the deep furrow in his brows. “And don’t even think of running for help. You know how much faster I am than your kind.” He chuckled as Zak backed down. The boy was equal parts furious and terrified. Baxter could almost hear him quaking.
Fly, don’t let him intimidate Zak like that! Use the bracers! Cleave that axe in two! Do something! Anything! He tried to imagine holding a pair of reins and yanking on them as hard as he could.
“Who are you~?” asked Fly.
Antrax swung the blade around in a cruel arc and turned to smile at Fly. “Excuse me. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Antrax, former executioner to General Krang. Though, like my companion Scumbug, I like to think of myself as a free agent now.”
“Krang,” hissed Fly. He tried to buzz his wings, but they were already far too sore to move. “I hate Krang! And Shredder!” He prattled and growled and buzzed his voice. “Revenge. Revenge on them all!”
Scumbug guffawed. “Hey, pal, don’t we all?” He turned to Antrax. “I’m startin’ ta tink we had ‘dis guy all wrong!” Fly prattled more and tried to rub his hands together, but the gloves he still wore proved to be a nuisance and he peeled them off. The headlamp was discarded, too. Scumbug noticed the actions and narrowed his eyes in amused thought again. “Hey, Fly, what’s your take on humans?”
“Yeah! Ya know, how do ya feel about ‘dem? Ya like ‘em or hate ‘em?”
Fly lowered his antennae. On one hand, he agreed with Scumbug’s opinion. But on the other hand, through Baxter he met humans who seemed genuinely kind. The dockmen near home came to the forefront of his mind. But there was also the bodega clerk, the bank teller who gave him extra lollipops, and Vinny, the owner of the pizza parlor they frequented. These people were initially shocked when they saw Baxter’s form, but they never once shooed him away or tried to hurt him. He didn’t know how to respond other than more unintelligible words.
“Hmm, okay, ‘den,” said Scumbug, “How do ya feel about Baxter, ‘da guy up in here?” He tapped the side of his head with his insect claw.
Fly stuttered, but nothing but memories over the course of the evening came to mind. “He-he’s mean to me!”
I am?! But I’ve only ever been accommodating to you, even when I hate the compromise!
“This is quite the interesting conversation,” said Antrax. He turned his axe upside down and rested his four hands on the bottom of the handle.
Zak stood there, dumbfounded. “Unc-I mean, Fly, Uncle Bax is always trying to meet you halfway! He’s a cool cat!”
Antrax glared at him and said before Scumbug could chime in, “Silence, you inferior wretch! I’ll deal with you soon enough.”
“Yeah, what he said, kid,” said Scumbug with a wicked smile. He turned to Fly and gestured with his claw. “Ahem, please continue.”
Check out the chapter here
