Tale Three: Painless Porcupine (2)

I pointed the medical staff to where Oliver was, still very much unconscious.

They quickly picked him up and got him into the vehicle - while also telling me to go with them, for some reason.

I had more pressing issues to occupy my mind with though, so I decided to simply assume it had been because they hoped I could be of help identifying the young man. And they wouldn't be wrong.

...

Still, my mind was racing. It didn't stop.

Such a weird and worrisome incident, happening in front of my very eyes.

This time, I hadn't agreed to help, not even been tricked into it - it had quite literally jumped right at me, completely preventing me from ignoring it or running away.

That was a dirty one, sheesh...

And worst of all-

Worse than everything else surrounding these already awful events -

Was the fact that I didn't have any course of action easily available to me.

I was asked to help; I had agreed to help but... Without any clues to go from... It amounted to nothing.

I was in nobody's home, so I couldn't go breaking people's right to privacy.

The afflicted from this case also happened to be out cold for the immediate future, so no questioning him to make him slip up and revealed some info.

And it was already past 7:30 PM. I couldn't afford to postpone my investigation until Oliver woke up...

After a few minutes, we arrived at the hospital.

I was told to stay in a waiting room until the patient could receive visits.

…

I couldn’t stay still for a second. My nervousness took the better of me, and I started anxiously walking around in circles inside that tiny room, which was completely empty except for me.

I was completely lost in thought, trying to figure out a way – any way – in which I could solve this issue quickly and get rid of all the trouble.

What could even work in a situation like this?

Maybe something like what I did last time…

No, actually! Better yet, I’ll-

“Heyyy, if it isn’t my best friend of friends here!”

“AAAHH!”

“Sheesh, no need to be so shocked man, you almost make it seem like you’re gonna have a heart attack! Also, aren’t we supposed to be in a hospital?”

“Any of these days I might get a heart attack, Ellie! I really might! Especially if you keep appearing out of nowhere like that!!!”

Wait. Actually.

What the hell was she doing here?

… Though I guess appearing at the most suspicious of places in the most suspicious of moments seemed to be her whole thing.

“Ehehe, nothing special. Felt kind of a headache so I came here to get myself checked. Apparently it was just lack of sleep, though.”

What kind of idiot considered herself so important to go to a hospital’s emergency treatment section for a simple headache?!

“Don’t insult me so much, meanie boy. You have no right to say anything after all. You came to a hospital’s emergency treatment section without even being injured at all.”

“That’s because I am accompanying a patient, you asshole!”

“Hahahaha! I see! So that’s it, isn’t it?”

“… Do you have a problem, Ellie? Do you need anything, or are you just here to bother me and keep you away from my investigations?”

“… I see. So that’s what you think of me, I see. You egotistical self-centered piece of shit who cannot even be honest to himself about himself, who keeps using lies as a way of life no matter how much time passes, who deserves to pay for his sins ten times over but still refuses to even acknowledge them-“

What the…

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, Ellie. Please go the fuck away and leave me alone. I’m not in my best mood today, see. Definitely not one good enough as to ignore your bullshit.”

“Fair enough, fair enough! Haahahahah! You get annoyed so quickly, messing with you is way too fun! Anyway, I’ve taken an interest in this case of yours, so I’ve already done some investigating. And I can proudly say – that I now have the solution to all of it! Not a single piece missing, all fragments perfectly fitting as they should! How’s that, best friend of friends?”

“How in hell… You really are a genius, Ellie. A crazy, mad, bipolar and annoying genius. Don’t think you can tell me a bit of that info you got?”

“Nope. Not a chance. Hehehe.”

“Really? Not even a tiny bit? Look, I’ll let you bully and insult and harass me all you want but please, please, pleaseeeeee-“

“Hahahahaha! Sorry man, but you’re too much of a sore loser! If you wanna figure it out, do it yourself, idiot! When did you think I would have any wish to help you of all people, huh? Waaaahahahahaha!”

“… Why did I even bother asking you, you of all people…”

“Because you’re useless, that’s why. Anyway, I think I’ve stayed for long enough. We’ve been shouting for a good few minutes now and we’re still in a hospital. So I think I’ll just leave you alone for a while. Wouldn’t that be the best, best friend of friends?”

“Shut it. Go the fuck away.”

“Okie dokie. You’ll see me again soon though.”

“…”

And so she went.

She disappeared from my sight, from my world.

She would no longer disturb me.

…

Still, I was left all the more confused.

If she had managed to deduce everything, that would inevitably mean… that all the clues have already been presented.

Though, of course, being this early in the story, that would be impossible. As the detective, I deny that all the clues for getting to the truth have been presented and detailed.

But even if we assumed she made some pretty massive leaps in logic, which would be no surprise coming from her – still, I couldn’t imagine how…

How I could conclude this tale from the point I was at.

***

I feel a quick recap is necessary, if just for my own sake rather than the reader’s.

Right now, the mystery stands as it follows.

A boy from my school, Oliver, was found committing self-harm in a dark alley as I went back home from a group assignment.

After I stopped him when he was about to stab himself again with a knife, he told me he was unable to feel pain, touch, or any other sensation on his skin – also including heat.

He had fainted right after I agreed to help him with the supposed supernatural being that cursed him and caused him the aforementioned afflictions, and I had begun my investigations with no delay.

All I had managed to find, though – were some belongings the man was carrying in his backpack. Nothing that would immediately tell me anything of note.

I really had nothing to go off of for now…

And now Ellie of all people, had appeared out of nowhere just to interfere, saying she had already solved everything but refusing to give me any information.

… She was probably lying.

Yes, that must have been it.

Even though she never lies.

It must have been a deception, a dishonestly, a falsehood. Fiction. Yes, it must have been fiction.

If so, I could discard everything she had said, since none of it was relevant.

Yes. Yes, indeed, that’s what I shall do.

Someone like her, with no reason nor purpose to her existence in this tale, has no place altering its progress. Therefore, she shall be ignored, as if she was never there. Of course, that would be for the best.

…

Okay. Recap time over.

Going back to where we were.

As I walked aimlessly in circles around the waiting room.

***

Better yet, I’ll – yes, I’ll do exactly that!

I still have one way out!

How had I not thought of this before?!

Supernatural beings did not exist.

They certainly, definitely, couldn’t exist.

All mysteries must be solved through rational means of deduction.

But what if a mystery which cannot be solved were to present itself?

What if there was no possible way for me to solve this through logic?

What if – by pure coincidence – this mystery turned into fantasy?

Then, all rules would vanish, and that card became available.

And as long as I could explain it later-

As long as there was some way for a rational truth to exist, a way that didn’t contradict any of the established facts-

I could use supernatural beings to my advantage.

I could temporarily claim the existence of those beings, and use them to discover the truth that lay at the end of this abyss.

As long as I had faith in my beliefs-

That no supernatural entity could ever exist, and that they all shall be disproven in due time-

I shall violate that very premise, in search for the truth that will solidify it.