Chapter 8:

Speleo-Buffoons

Corpse Carrier


Corpse Carrier - Act 1 | Chapter 8 - Speleo-Buffoons
Seven Minutes After Juna Died


“Juna,” Theo said, sternly. “We need to talk.”

She glanced up, the bruised eye still curtained behind her hair. She squeezed her knees against her chest while squatting, allowing her grey skirt to drape freely to the ground and brush against the loose pebbles beneath.

“You’re in an entirely new fantasy, adventurous world, and your first thought is to have a conversation? You never bothered to do that in class.” She shifted away and continued rubbing the lizard-creature’s belly. “Why talk now?”

Fantasy, adventurous world.’ was a bit of a stretch for this dreary cavern. Theo couldn't understand what Juna found interesting in this place.

“Well because–” Theo paused. “So you knew we were classmates this whole time?”

Juna giggled as the lizard-creature waddled over and rubbed its body against her black tights. She caressed the critter's tiny head. “I only remembered a short while ago. Though I don’t know your name.”

“It’s Theo. And of course I'm going to talk to you now. Being stuck in a who-knows-how-deep cave is a lot different than a regular classroom, Juna.”

“Would you look at that, Specks,” Juna said, lifting the pudgy lizard-creature up and staring at its eyes. “Theko is getting a bit frustrated.”

“Of course I'm getting frustrated! And don’t add an unnecessary ‘k’ to my name!”

The conversation was going nowhere. Theo would have better luck probing the unknown fur-coated lizard for answers than the actual human in front of him.

“I’m not too thrilled about you being down here either,” Juna said, walking towards her soot-stained backpack. “The book didn’t say anything about bringing someone else with me. It's rather inconvenient that you're here.” She fiddled with the zipper until it snapped open, dug into the bag, then lifted the rock from inside.

The rock gave Theo answers, more than he had now. It proved to him that he hadn’t dreamed up the situation. That Juna had killed herself. And that now somehow after trying to save her, they had both ended up down here.

Suicide…would that be a sore subject to bring up? Theo shook off the idea. Later, he'd ask later. Right now bigger questions needed to be asked.

“What are you talking about? A book?” Theo asked.

“Yeah. The one I used to take me to another world. To this world.”

Another world this. Another world that. How far gone can someone really be from reality? Juna had always been crazy. She'd bury her head in some occult-esque book during every class period and no matter who tried talking to her, she never spoke back. Juna kept to herself. Differently from how Theo did. He would isolate himself by working towards something, towards a goal, towards Kaida’s future. Juna on the other hand, only isolated herself to be alone. Nothing more.

Theo sighed. This girl was the worst kind of person to work with in these situations. Though he felt his best option was to play along with her little story. Maybe then he could finally get information out of her.

“Then,” Theo started, “shouldn’t the book have some way to get back home? A contingency plan, or something similar?”

Juna rifled through the bag. “Yeah, there is.”

“...really?”

She nodded.

“Then read it!”

Out came the same book Theo first saw in the halls. A spine sewn together by a golden thread and the title on the purple cover remained vigorously scratched out. Juna struggled to hold the hefty book in both hands, almost more so than when lifting the rock. She sat on the stone ground and opened the book on top of her thighs before meticulously fluttering through the cream colored pages until she stopped, scanned over the text on one page, then immediately closed the book.

Juna didn’t say a word.

“What? What happened? Did you find a way to get back home?” Theo asked.

“No.” Juna said. She waddled on her knees, dirtying her tights, back to the backpack. “The pages from that section were torn out.”

Theo cocked an eye. “Huh? Why did you tear it out?

“I didn’t.” She tucked the book back inside her bag, and kept her head down while rummaging inside. “Reyna did. She tore them out a while ago. I think she tossed them into the pond behind the school.” Juna stood, brushed her knees with her hands, and put the unzipped backpack on. “I had to run away before she could rip out the rest.”

Theo waited for a moment before responding. Soaked himself in the situation—the fact that he was probably there just before it all happened outside of the classroom—that he most likely caused Juna's book to be seen by Reyna and then disassembled.

“Sorry...” Theo looked away and frowned. “You sure are talking about it lightly, though.”

“Of course!” Juna said. The sudden burst of energy caused Theo to look back at her. In one hand was the pudgy, beady eyed, lizard-creature, and in the other was a black flashlight. Her silver hair glistened underneath the orange crystals above, and you couldn’t tell she even had a bruised eye with how bright her smile was underneath it.

A place Theo had never seen before. A creature Theo had never seen before. And a Juna—Theo had never seen before.

“After all,” Juna continued, widening her smile. “I won’t see Reyna ever again.”

Eight minutes had passed since Theo woke up in the unfamiliar, damp, stone encased place. His watch told him that. And even though he’d only been down here with Juna for so little time, Theo was certain of what she would say next. As if the words came out of her mouth before she even spoke them.

“That’s because,” she spread her arms out wide. Lizard in one hand, the other clicking the flashlight on, pointing it at her face.

“We’re in another world!”

Corpse Carrier


MyAnimeList iconMyAnimeList icon