FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Leo awoke early. A sensation of unease hit him, and he was quick to realize why. His right arm bent back, being gripped tightly by Missy. He shifted onto his back, giving the arm a firm tug. Only slightly better than being hugged to death. “Missy,” he said. Her eyes tightened but her grip loosened. Leo looked up at the window, realizing it was quite dark outside. Did he get up at the right time? He checked his phone’s clock. 7:30 exactly. Stormy day, then? Might not be the best time for fishing, but the thought was still tantalizing. He pulled free from Missy, turned off his alarm before it rang, and stood up. He rounded the bed to peer out the window blinds.

Not stormy. Foggy. That was a nice change of pace. That would be a lovely time to fish. The moisture in the air, the clouds across the water, the stillness of everything. Leo looked back to Missy, who was still deep in the grasp of sleep. She was twitching ever so slightly. No need to wake her, she was fine. Leo tiptoed out into the hallway as quickly as he could. He quietly pulled out his towel and slipped into the bathroom. Leo practically rushed through his shower. Had been a long while since a good fog rolled in. It would probably make the lake seem all the more serene. Could be good for a few pictures too. He stepped back out into the hallway. It was hard to resist not immediately gathering up his fishing supplies. He should get dressed first, though, he figured.

Selecting a lure was the hardest part of the process. Leo looked at the collection of lures he had. Jigs would probably be best for catching catfish, but there could have been anything in the water. A few jigs, then a spinner too, just in case there were Minnows. He walked to a closet and pulled out one of his smaller rods. Good thing Missy wasn’t here to make a joke about that. Lurebox check. Boots check. Backpack check. All the other little essentials check. Perfect. This was going to be great.

Leo stepped out into the hallway and walked into the living room. Missy was staring at the window, completely stiff. As he walked forward his fishing rod bumped into the wall, causing a loud clacking sound. Missy jumped in surprise and scrambled away from the window. Her feet struggled to find purchase, her claws loudly scratching at the floor but making no movement until a few seconds later when she nearly smashed into a wall. “You’re gonna give me a heart attack!” she yelled, one hand over her heaving chest.

“It’s only me,” Leo said with a shrug. He moved over to the couch to set his things down.

“You’re gonna go fishing? In this weather?”

“Sure, just some fog.” Almost couldn’t see the treeline in the distance. That would probably look great down at the lake. He looked at his gear for one last check up. Would be miserable to forget one tiny thing and have to trudge back. All seemed to be in order, so he gathered up his supplies once again.

“Wait!”

“What?”

“Uh, you sure you wanna go fishing? Like, you’re not gonna see anything out there, right? How’re you gonna fish?” She lowered her hand from her chest. “What if you fell in? Heh, would be pretty silly.”

“It’s not that bad.” Leo took a step forward.

“You sure?” Missy asked, stepping in front of him.

“Yeah.”

“Why do you wanna go fishing today anyways? Thought we could stay in and uh, sleep?”

“Well, you did suggest it.” Leo turned his head slightly. “You change your mind?”

“Nah, no. I mean, not unless you have.” She shrugged. “Just thought you might wanna fish on a sunny day. You know, get a nice tan. I think you’d look good with one.” Leo took another step and stopped again. “Plus, the air is all wet with the fog. Kinda gross, don’t you think?”

“No?” Leo said. “You get wet when you fish.”

“But like, not super wet.”

Leo was surprised she didn’t turn that into a terrible innuendo. “Depends on what you’re fishing. Really only catfish in there, but I came prepared just in case.”

“Eat catfish? Gross.” Missy put on an exaggerated disgusted face.

“Didn’t say we’d eat them.”

“Why fish then?”

“For the fun of it.”

Missy paused, then closed the distance between them. “How about we save fishing for some other day?” There was a twitch to her ears.

Leo sighed. “Alright, what’s wrong?”

Missy’s eyes darted to the side. She hesitated and then replied, “I don’t wanna go out there.”

“That’s fine, you can stay here. Lock the door if you want. I got my keys.” Leo tried to sidestep her but she quickly grabbed him by the arm.

“No, no, no, no, no. I need you here too.” She tugged on him with a frown.

Leo shook his head and hefted his gear up. “It’s a great day outside, I don’t want to miss it. It’s practically calling out to me.” He held up a hand to the door.

Missy’s eyes widened to an unbearable extreme. It was like her pupils were only pinpoints now. “I felt that too.” Her grip tightened. “It’s not good at all. There is something out there that wants us!”

“Look, if you wanted to stay in bed all day, you should have suggested it yesterday. Now all I’ve got is fishing on the mind.” He smiled. “I won’t be stolen by a fish woman, don’t worry.” At least she would stay in a lake and not his bed.

“This isn’t funny! If you go out there you’re not gonna come back!” she said with a rasp to her voice. She feebly tried to pull him away from the door. Leo stood there for a few seconds deciding his options. He looked out into the grey void. Had it inched up closer since he last looked? There was a slightly alluring feeling to that nothingness. Would look amazing up close. His attention turned back to Missy, who urged again with a tug. He could feel her heart hammering through her chest. Even if there was nothing out there, she truly believed there was.

Leo relented and followed Missy’s tugging over to the couch, where she sat down. “You mind if I set this down?” he asked calmly. She loosened her grip on him letting him wriggle some distance away from her, but she still held onto his hand. “You really think something’s out there?” Missy pulled on his arm. He followed her command and sat down next to her.

“Yes. I don’t know how, or- or- or why. I just know it’s there. You thought of it too, right? That you wanted to go out there?” Her teeth were bared.

“That was mostly an expression, Missy. It looked nice outside.”

He leaned over to stare out the window again, and was promptly pushed back into place by Missy’s hand. “Don’t look! Promise me you won’t look,” she said.

“Alright, easy.” He looked over to her hand still resting on his cheek. Leo opted not to pull away in the off chance that her paranoia got the better of her or she flinched and sliced his face into ribbons. “I’m not gonna look.” He frowned. “But what do you want to do then? Just sit here?” It was such a nice day too.

“I don’t know, but we are not going out there. Do you hear me? Not!” She shook her head. Her hand slowly lowered from his face, gliding across his neck, chest, then falling limp on his lap. “I don’t wanna lose you now,” she said, eyes downcast. That sounded a little too dramatic. He wasn’t sure if it would be worse if she was lying or being sincere.

“I’m not going anywhere, OK? Door’s still locked. I’m right here next to you.”

“Good.” Yeah, good. Leo settled into the couch. One hand of his was still firmly in her grasp, completely unmoving. Seconds passed, then minutes. Missy inched over to him bit by bit until her chest was forced up against his arm. “Can... Can we cover up the windows or something?”

“Thought I wasn’t supposed to look?”

Missy huffed. “You can look for a little bit. Just don’t go out.”

Leo looked down at his hand. “I’m going to need that arm back, by the way.” Missy pulled off of him, then let go of his hand, allowing blood to flow freely through it again. “Thank you. He stood up and shook his hand, letting the blood work its way back into the poor thing. She might have been weak, but she had one hell of a grip. Guess he wasn’t going anywhere. Oh well. He kicked off his shoes and walked over to the living room window to flick the shutters closed. Felt a little too constricting and dark in here now. If anything, it would be easier for whatever’s out there to get them in here. Leo decided not to mention that, instead moving to the other windows dotted around the house and closing them up as well. “That good?” Leo asked as he flicked on the lights.

“Yeah, a little.” Missy beckoned him back over to the couch. Leo followed her lead and sat down. “You really aren’t freaked out by what’s out there?”

“I have a few guns.” Probably shouldn’t have said that. He shook his head. “I live a mile away from town. There’s always help if something goes wrong.”

“And? What if they’re too late to get here?” Missy said.

“Well, I’ll rest in the grave easy knowing whatever’s out there will probably get shot if something happens to me.”

“What about me?”

Oh, right. “Guess I haven’t thought about that. Sorry.”

“You should really get your guns, you know.” Her eyes darted about.

“With you in the house?” Leo chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t think so. We’re fine.”

“I can’t protect the house!”

“Not what I was getting at.” They were sitting firmly in their lockboxes anyways. Leo wasn’t going to pull anything out for Missy, no matter how delirious she got.

“You... You wanna head to the bedroom?”

“Is the couch not safe enough?” Leo said, examining it. He patted it to reassure her.

“What if it smashes in the front door?”

“It moves through fog yet can smash doors in too? Why even use the fog? Just smash in doors at night.”

“Don’t say that!”

“I’m just trying to get you to realize this is all a bit silly.” Yeah? And Missy would have been a bit silly to you a few months ago. Hm.

“There’s always something worse around the corner.”

“It’s not like you’ve seen anything really scary.” Leo shrugged. “Maybe the terrifying state of some guy’s room.”

Missy looked at Leo. “Have you seen me? What’s worse than me? Huh?” Her voice became more agitated as she spoke. Her teeth clenched. “What’s out there that I don’t know?”

“Relax, you’re getting way too worked up over this.” He thought of a dumb joke and tried to put on a more comforting smile. “What if it’s just a cousin outside that came to say hello? From what super city you were talking about?” He couldn’t believe he was actually taking her dumb words and throwing them back at her.

Her ears flattened and her expression soured further. “I don’t want to meet them!” Leo’s cheesy smile quickly faded. He cleared his throat. Alright, not the best choice of words. “Can we just go in the bedroom now?”

Lazing about in bed with Missy was not how he wanted to spend the day, but it was clear she wouldn’t budge. Maybe he felt bad for her too. Who else was she going to turn to? Leo sighed and nodded. Missy quickly took the opportunity to grab his hand, following him closely as possible, almost tripping him up as he stood. He dragged her along to the bedroom, which he honestly never expected to do. Don’t think of it like that, ugh. Missy settled onto the bed while Leo sat on his side. Just as the morning, his arm was bent uncomfortably back. “Can you lay down too?” Missy asked as she shuffled herself under the sheets.

“Why? Isn’t this good enough?”

“I feel like you’re gonna get up and leave any second.” It’s always something else.

“Look, Missy, I just got out of bed. It’s gonna drive me crazy if I get right back into—” Missy tugged on his arm firmly with a grim frown. She wasn’t taking this well at all. “Fine, OK.” He eased onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.

“Close the door.”

“If the fog monster can smash through doors, what use will closing it be?” Missy whined. “Alright, alright. We’ll close this door too, just calm down.” He did as she commanded, shutting the door and bathing the room in darkness.

Leo reached up to the lightswitch. “No! Just leave the lights off.”

“I thought monsters were afraid of the light?” Leo asked as he settled back into bed. Missy took his hand back up again. There was a little too much touching going on today for his taste.

She turned more toward him. “Anything that’s gonna kill you is just gonna find you in the light.” That sounded right, but also wrong. Applying adult logic to a childish scenario. In some way it possibly wasn’t a childish scenario. She could have some sort of other sense he lacked entirely. Now she was getting the better of you too. He rubbed his eyes. Someone had to be the adult here, preferably it should be him.

“Alright, well, what now?”

“You’re not leaving, right?” Her eyes were quite stark in what little light there was. Yeah, she was the only monster here.

“No. I’m not leaving.” He shook his head. “I am a little hungry now, though.”

“We can eat when the fog clears, OK? Just a little bit.” Leo wanted to ask what it was that she expected to happen if he set foot out there. Better not push her buttons right now. “I don’t want to... to risk it. Just in case.”

“Is the kitchen not safe?” Leo asked.

“Fog gets in, somehow. I don’t know. It seeps!” She pulled his arm onto her. So it moved through the fog like a fish or something? “Why aren’t you under the sheets?” she said suddenly.

“Kinda in full clothes. Would be too hot. Aren’t you hot?”

“No. It doesn’t matter.”

“OK, alright.” He held back a sigh. This was getting to be a bit much. He wriggled under the sheets. Briefly he considered undoing his pants to alleviate some of the warmth, but figured that would be too weird. Taking his shirt off would be out of the question, considering Missy seemed to be in the process of merging with his arm. He supposed could endure it. For now, anyways. “Is that good enough?”

Missy looked about the room before finally replying, “Yeah. For now.” She relaxed an ounce. “Just keep your voice down, OK?” she said, suddenly switching to a whisper.

“OK, then.” It was an uncomfortable scenario for sure, but there was a nice bit of serenity he hadn’t felt in a while. Calming darkness. Calm tones. Buried under the sheets. If his arm weren’t being torn out of its socket, he might’ve enjoyed the change of pace from Missy’s full blast incessant activity. “Can I turn on the air at le—”

“It’ll hear!” she hissed. That’s a no, then.

“OK, no air.” He swallowed. “Can I have my arm back for a second? It’s getting hot.” Missy stared at him wordlessly. A few moments later she let his arm go. “Thank you.” He rushed out of his shirt and let it fall to the floor. He considered removing his pants too. Better leave them there for now. He held his arm out to be grabbed again before he realized what he was doing. Missy wasted no time in taking up his offer, pulling it right back to her side. Oh well.

“Do you hear anything?” Missy asked.

“Other than your breathing, no.”

“What’s that humming?”

“Probably the fridge.”

“...Oh, right.”

“Nothing is going to get you in here, believe me.” Not the most comforting words, but what was he supposed to say about a supposed fog monster?

“We don’t know that.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

Missy had no answer for that, but she did wrap her other arm around his captive arm. “The front door is locked, right?”

“Yes. I always lock the front door. Every time I go in, every time I go out. You want me to check?”

“No! I mean, I believe you. Just stay here.”

“OK, then.”

“The windows too?”

“What?” Leo asked.

“All the windows are shut too, right?” Again her voice seemed to rise as she spoke.

“They’re always closed. Don’t want bugs getting in.”

“This is worse than a bug!”

“I know, I was just— Yes, the windows are closed.” The silence quickly returned. Almost shocking to have such a quiet moment with Missy. He could almost hear that faint humming now. Yeah, that was the fridge, he assured himself. Leo’s mind slowly became more restless as they laid in the dark. There were so many things he could be tending to. And work? Vernon said he’d send something over. What if it was important? He glanced at Missy. Well, maybe not as important at the moment. “You feeling alright now?”

“I still feel it,” Missy said. She pushed her head up against his arm.

Leo pursed his lips. “Do you... remember when we’d get scared of something? Way back when?” Missy didn’t respond, but also didn’t object. “We’d take some of your stuffed toys and put them under the blankets.” Suddenly feeling like a sucker for the past, huh? “We’d get under it too and, well, pretend the bed was a boat.” He pulled the sheets up and over their heads. “So that way we’d be completely safe. See?”

“Yeah. I remember that.” Missy sighed. “I miss those toys.” Her breathing slowed. “You think we’re gonna be safe here?”

“Worked for us before, didn’t it?”

“I guess.”

“So it should work now.”

Missy nodded. “I’m a little hungry now too.”

“You want me to get a snack, then?”

“I don’t know yet.” Her breathing picked up.

“Alright, we can wait a little longer then,” Leo quickly replied. “Going to be a long, long time until we starve. Right?”

“What if the fog doesn’t go away?”

“Physically impossible.” Leo wasn’t sure how true that was. It was probably right. Didn’t really matter either way.

“I don’t want it to get in.”

“And it won’t, everything is closed. Doors closed. Windows shut. Blanket secure.” There was probably one more thing he could do to ease her nerves. It was hot enough, though. He didn’t need that, especially not to lord over him later when she was thinking more soberly.

Missy curled up more. “Still, something feels wrong. I’m too bare!” No, c’mon. Her breathing quickened. It really didn’t have to come to this, did it? Her grip tightened. He already did so much. “Leo?” she asked softly. Fine. Fine! Leo shut his eyes, rolled them, then pulled her into a far too warm hug.

“Is that better?” he asked, trying to hide the wincing in his words.

Missy sniffled. “Yeah, thanks.” She sniffled again and let out a soft whine. The hug tightened. Getting a little hard to breathe. If anything she was the real threat here. “Thank you,” she said again. With no way to work her arm underneath him, she instead slipped it around his neck and down his back, while her head snuggled into his neck.

“Do you think we can take off the blankets now?” Leo said with a barely contained wheeze.

“OK,” Missy said uneasily. Leo pulled back the covers, bathing him in that sweet, cool air. Thank God. He took a deep breath of air. Missy peeled away for him for a second to examine the environment, then snapped right back into her frightened position. At the very least she wasn’t clawing at his back, though they still teased at his skin. “Nothing’s there, right? Right?”

“Nothing.” From what he could see. Hopefully it wasn’t a ghost plaguing the place. “See? All the seals worked.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m looking right now. The only things in the room are us.” Who were now becoming one, by the looks of it. Were she any bulkier, he’d probably still feel trapped under blankets. A hand suddenly pushed him back into place. Sheesh. “I need to look, Missy. We can’t stay cooped up like this all day.” He couldn’t, in any case. Missy most definitely could, and relish every second of it. She pushed back harder before letting him pull back again. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“You can’t see anything?!” Missy barked.

“No— I mean, yes, I can see just fine.” Leo rolled his eyes and gave her a pat on the arm. He had hoped that would ease her nerves, but she only squeezed tighter. He silently thanked heaven that she hadn’t dug her claws into him just yet. “I’ll protect you.” Knight in shining pants over here. Anything to calm her down. “Here. Breathe in.” Leo took a deep breath. “Breathe out.” Then let it all out. Missy shakily followed his example, slowly winding herself down from the terror. “Now, I’m gonna stand up, OK?” Missy nodded. “Not going to leave the room. Not going to step away from the bed.” She nodded again. Thank goodness. Leo took the time to carefully unhook himself from Missy, then sat up. God, it felt like he’d been like that for an hour. He resisted the urge to brush off any stray monster hairs on him, lest the noise spook said monster.

Leo stood up, taking the opportunity to stretch his legs. He looked back to assess Missy. Not as bad as she was, but her face was firmly planted into her palms. Just in case she was peering at him, Leo glanced around the room for anything suspicious. Nothing would be, of course. Fog is fog. The only frightening thing he had ever found in fog were terrible drivers in beatup clunkers. Yet, a small part of him almost expected to find something lingering. Missy was getting the better of him, and how could she not? She was a demon as dark as night with claws as sharp as butcher’s knives and she was scared of a little fog? Something had to be off. Leo rubbed his eyes and tried to shove that thought to the far side of his mind. “I don’t see anything wrong here.” Leo sat back down. “You can open your eyes, Missy.”

Those gangly hands slid away, revealing an all too disheveled and scared girl. She continued his breathing routine. “Only me.” Her eyes darted around the room. Missy had the worst of both worlds. Not only did her eyes make her unsettling under the right circumstances, but they also made her look so terribly vulnerable under the wrong circumstances. A giant, sharp teddy bear. Not enough to want to hug again. Enough to make him feel bad, of course. “Look, do you want to talk about it?” He laid back down, and was quickly taken back into fuzzy custody. Should’ve seen that coming.

Missy sniffled. “You know when you get that— that electricity thing on your hair?”

“Static electricity,” Leo replied.

“Yeah it’s like—” she placed her head on his shoulder “—I feel that all over.” She kicked her legs and rubbed her face against him. “I hate it!”

“You ever feel it before?”

“No...”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here to warn me about it.”

“You don’t think it’s anything,” Missy replied, annoyed.

“It’s probably not, but in the incredibly small chance that you’re right. I’m glad you’re here.” Didn’t picture himself saying those words, ever. He gave her hand a gentle pat.

“I can feel it moving.” She groaned, wrapping a leg around his. Better than a hug, he supposed.

“Feel what?”

“I don’t know!” Fair enough. Leo stared up, wondering when this would all end. He chastised himself for his callous thoughts. Missy wants this to be over as much as you do. Yeah, well, she probably had worse things to be worried about. Of course, the more cynical side of him wondered again if this was some sort of lame ploy to pull one over on him. He looked down at her. Missy’s lips and eyes were tightly shut. No. No it wasn’t. He sighed and pulled the sheets back over them. Leo figured he could stand another 15 minutes in sweltering heat.

“What was the dolphin’s name?” Leo asked.

“What?”

“You know, the stuffed dolphin you had. What was its name?”

“It was an orca.”

Swing and a miss. “OK, sorry. What was the Orca’s name?”

“She was just Flipper.”

“You had a crab to go with it, right?”

“Yeah.” Missy’s leg unwound from his. “Cranky, I think he was, or... or Crinkly.”

“I know I gave the orca to you. I think it was a school field trip.”

“Yeah, to an aquarium.”

“You were pretty mad you couldn’t go.”

“It wasn’t fair.”

Leo shook his head. “No, no it wasn’t.”

Missy’s voice lowered. “But you got me the orca ‘cause of it.” She snorted. “I know you said something really silly, but I liked it. ‘I brought back the aquarium for you.’ It was so dumb.”

“Was I wrong? I tried my best,” Leo replied with a soft laugh. “No way I was carrying the real deal out of there.”

“You said that too or something like it.” Her hand splayed across his chest. “I can almost see it in my head. Like we’re still back there, saying stupid things.”

“I know you squeaked when I showed you the orca and gave it to you.”

“I didn’t squeak!” Missy said, a giggle bubbling in her uneasy, scratchy voice.

“Like a dog toy. You still squeak when you get excited.”

“I do not.” She paused. “OK, then you get this doofus look when you work on something. Like your eyes are gonna pop out and roll away.”

“It’s because my work is just that good. You’d be popping eyeballs too if you had my lure collection.”

“I don’t wanna bag of plastic fish.”

“Not all fish.”

“OK, dork, not all fish.” Missy’s voice slowly but surely took on her regular tone, creeping out from under the almost pained gargling she had minutes ago. “Why do you have those? Is one fake fishy not enough?”

“No. Imagine if you used a dazzler on a catfish.”

“Wha?”

“Imagine if I tried to lure you out with a piece of lettuce instead of pizza.”

Missy let out a low, raspy laugh. “I guess that makes sense, but like, you look over them. Y’know, like those guys who collect coins?”

“What’s wrong with collecting things?”

“Kinda just... funny. I dunno. Do you just look at ‘em? What’s the point?”

“To have something neat to look at. To know you have a piece of history, and have something useful too.”

“I guess, but like—” Missy cleared her throat “—do you rest well at night knowing you have the super duper dual hook flashy fish in a box?”

“Yes, yes I do,” Leo replied earnestly. “Maybe you should start collecting stuff. Might give you something to do around the house.”

“Maybe you start buying soda and I can collect soda cans.”

“Unless you’re planning on elaborate can sculptures, no.”

“You know I can’t do art with these.” She squeezed his chest with her open hand. The sensation felt wrong. Could’ve been that she had whacked out proportions, or that it was Missy doing that. Probably the latter.

“It’ll take some practice, I’m sure,” Leo replied, adjusting under her curious grasp. There was an uncomfortable silence afterward. Missy subtly moved her hand across his skin. Better than her freaking about the fog, but not by much.

“You’re a lot softer than I thought you’d be.”

“What?” Leo said, a slight annoyance edging into his voice.

“I mean, uh, since you know, I got fur. Just surprised skin is like that too,” Missy replied. She retracted her hand. “Never really touched other guys.” Leo decided not to bring up her illicit contact beforehand.

“Did you think we had scales or something?” Leo asked.

“You ever looked at skin? Doesn’t it look like scales? Real up close?”

“I haven’t spent much time staring at my skin, no.” Leo shook his head.

“Really?” She prodded at his body. “Thought you might be one’a those skin care guys.”

“If I was, I’d be pretty annoyed with you touching me like that.”

Missy withdrew her hand again. “Right. OK. Sorry.”

Another lapse of silence. Leo tried to dig for more tiny connections to hold her attention, but he couldn’t find any. A vast emptiness still rang hollow in his head. He didn’t need to be distracted at a moment like this, so he directed his attention back to their hiding under the sheets. After a few more minutes of burning underneath bedding, Leo finally asked, “Do you want me to go check?”

Missy let whined softly. “You’ll come right back?” At least she was keeping steady. Good.

“I just spent half an hour under the sheets in this heat. Of course I’ll come back.”

“Fine.” Leo started to unravel himself from the fluffy coffin before being grabbed by Missy again. It was quick enough to make his heart leap. “But! You gotta keep talking to me. OK?”

“Maybe we should’ve gotten walkie-talkies,” Leo said.

“Please?”

“OK, guess I’ll yell out to you.” He shrugged and pulled himself free, releasing himself back into fresh air. Missy peeked out from under the sheets, fingers wrapped around the edges. The image might’ve been unsettling if it weren’t so amusing. Leo tiptoed out into the living room, even though he’d be yelling at the top of his lungs in a few seconds. “Don’t see anything out here. Out of the ordinary, that is.”

“Good!” Missy yelled back.

“I’m gonna open the window, alright?” No response from Missy. Leo walked up to the window, feeling a sense of deja vu. Right, this was just like that night. He half expected another, equally obnoxious creature to be standing out there, leering at him with a familiar idiotic grin. He hestitantly flipped open the shutters. Nope, just wilderness. The fog had receded, allowing a clearer look out onto the driveway and the distant road. “I don’t see anything out there.” Nothing except the missed opportunity of a fishing trip.

“Hurry up!” a voice squeaked back.

“Alright.” A little longer. He wanted to at least enjoy a little bit of the day before being dragged back into hell. Leo had felt that the fog might relax him, but it occurred to him that he was already pretty relaxed at the moment. Still, it was pleasing to look out at such a rare day. He should’ve taken a picture. Yep, this would’ve been a day to remember. As he looked out into the distance, something caught his eye. A slight disturbance in the fog, past some shrubbery. A falling twig? Or... He squinted. Could’ve been a leg. Leo stared.

Nah, Missy must’ve been getting the better of him. He shook his head. “Leo? Leo?!” Missy cried out.

“Sorry, I’m fine. Coming back now.” Leo sighed, trudging all the way back to the monster’s cave. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.” Missy sized him up like he was some sort of beast, then pulled herself from under the sheets.

“You didn’t see anything?”

“Nothing.”

“How do you know it wasn’t invisible?” she said, worry plaguing her face.

Leo rubbed his eyes. “If it were, I would’ve seen its footsteps in the leaves, wouldn’t I?”

Missy nodded, but her expression didn’t improve. “OK,” she said with a nod, looking directly ahead. “If you say so.”

“I do say so.” Leo placed his hands on his hips.

“What was I feeling, then?” she asked.

Leo sat down next to her. “I don’t know. Could’ve been a bear—”

“A bear?!” Missy exclaimed, snapping to him.

“Yes, a bear. Those are things in the forest, if you hadn’t guessed.”

“Yeah, but... it felt worse than a bear.”

“How?” Leo asked, genuinely curious.

“I guess it’s like butterflies in your stomach.” She balled her hand into as much of a fist as she could. “But worse. Like you ate a rock.” She shivered. “I can still feel it.” Oh for crying out loud.

“What about the static electricity feeling?”

“That’s there too.”

“You feel better though, right?” Leo asked, leaning forward.

“...A little bit.” She sat up. “You’re still gonna stay, right?”

“What for?”

“Doesn’t feel good when you’re gone.”

God. “OK, fine.” Leo guessed it was a good thing he got the day off. He didn’t need to explain to the boss that his roommate had a terrible phobia of clouds.It was going to have to be two days at this rate. Better not jinx it. “Can I at least get a snack?”

“Yeah.” Missy nodded. “Something for me too?” she asked politely.

“Don’t see why not.” He looked at her dead in the eyes. “I’ll be right back. Got it?” Missy nodded. “Good. No need to yell then.” He returned to the living room and headed straight for the kitchen, catching a glimpse of that lovely day once more. It occurred to him then that he might never actually get to enjoy a day like this. If this amount of fog was enough to set her off, then he’d never get a day like this to himself ever again. He reached up and pulled two bowls out of the cupboards, along with a box of cereal. Sugary treats ought to help soothe her nerves, right? Leo hadn’t any real phobias to speak of, so he hadn’t any clue how to treat them. If this was even a phobia. He glanced out the window again.

Never mind. It was definitely a phobia. Missy would just have to grow up and get over a foggy day. Leo poured cereal into both of the bowls, then pulled out some milk and poured it into one of them. Two spoons completed the gourmet dish, and he was on his way back to bedroom. He found Missy in the same position she was before, idly staring into space. She snapped to him as he sat down. “Here.” Leo handed her a bowl. “It’s not cooked, but I figured you might have some issues if I was out there for too long.”

“Yeah, I would. Thanks.” Missy looked down into her bowl. “Where’s the milk?”

“You told me you don’t like milk,” Leo said as he began digging into his food. It felt like it had been ages since he ate.

“Oh, yeah.” Missy took up her spoon and dug in as well. “I guess it’s weird you remembered.”

“I figured you were lactose intolerant and didn’t want to say it.”

A small grin snuck onto Missy’s face. “Am not. I just don’t like the stuff. It’s gross.”

“Alright, well, I guess you should be glad I remembered then.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Leo noticed a surprising lack of television. The fog monster probably hears televisions from ten miles away, so no wonder Missy left it off. The silence in the house felt alien, and yet, this used to be the norm. Weeks could go by without even touching the big rectangle, and now it wasn’t a regular day if ten explosions hadn’t rang out throughout the house. Missy glanced around the room. She probably wasn’t used to deafening silence either. The only sounds Leo could hear was the crunch of cereal bits, but she hear a whole heck of a lot more. Occasionally she would look at him, then awkwardly avert her gaze elsewhere.

“You sure you don’t want to turn on the idiot box?” Leo asked, motioning over to the television.

“What if it hears?” Right on the money.

“You sure it can’t hear us talking right now?” Missy perked up and shut her mouth. Bad idea. “If it could we’d already have seen it, OK?” Slowly she returned to eating. “Just thought you might be a little bored.”

“Hard to be bored right now,” she said, prodding at her cereal. “I just wanna make sure I can hear it coming.”

“I’m sure I’d hear it too,” Leo replied.

“You’ve got human ears though.”

“And? You’re saying mine’s worse than yours?”

Missy nodded. “I am a precision hunter,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Precision? You should’ve told that to the grouse.”

“You know what I mean. I’m made for the wild. Doesn’t everything out there have good hearing?”

“I suppose.” Leo finished up the rest of his cereal. “Doesn’t mean you can discount humans entirely though. When’s the last time you needed your hearing except to listen to corny dialogue anyways?” Grouse aside.

“Never, I guess, but it’s not like your hearing just stops working ‘cause you’re not lookin’ for things to kill.”

“What makes you even think a fog monster can hear at all? Maybe it just bumps into things like a jellyfish.” Leo cleared his throat and set his bowl down. “In which case, you’d really have nothing to worry about.”

“What if it’s something like me?” Missy said all too seriously.

“Consider the odds, Missy. How likely is it that there’d be two creatures entirely unknown to science out in this neck of the woods?”

“Pretty small, I guess, but they go up as I stay here!” Her ears flattened and she slightly ducked down. She lowered her voice and continued, “Think about it.”

“I am thinking about it. It’s silly.” Leo noticed she had finished her own bowl and set it in his own. “But alright, we’ll do it your way,” he said, lowering his voice in tandem with hers. “I’m gonna put these up.”

“Can’t you just leave them on the night stand?”

“And attract bugs?”

“Fine.” Missy fell back and stowed herself away in the protective layers of thin sheets again. “Hurry up. Please.”

“Yeah, alright.” Leo did just that. Going to the kitchen and quickly back out. It pained him that he couldn’t wash the bowls, but he knew Missy would throw a hissy fit if she heard the sink going off. Better than leaving them to rot in the bedroom at the very least. “What now?” he asked as he sat down once more. His body nagged at him to get up, to go do something. Even if he just pounded his head into a wall.

“Get under the sheets.”

“I’m really not going anywhere,” Leo said, but still following her word. Back to square one. He almost wished that there would be a fog monster busting down his door. At least it’d give him something to do. “Is this your first time seeing fog?” Leo asked as he stared up at the ceiling. Maybe he could start counting all the bumps in the plaster.

“I guess the first time out here, yeah,” Missy replied, inching over to his side. “I saw it before when I was a kid, or teen, whatever.” Was. Yeah, right. ‘Is’, more like.

“Was it scary the other times?”

“Not really.” Missy flipped onto her side, now directly looking at Leo. He could faintly feel her warm breath across his skin, sending uneasy goosebumps across his skin. Leo rubbed his arm.

“What makes this any different?”

“It’s just you and me. The only person who’s gonna see it before it’s too late is you or me.” She looked down. “I don’t wanna lose you like that, and I know you don’t really like me here but...”

“Oh quit it, Missy.” Leo rubbed his forehead. “I’d be pretty—” What would the word be? Pissed? Sad? Scared? “Upset. Upset if something took you away.” He sighed. Not the most descriptive wording, but it fit.

“You would?” she asked, eyes lighting up.

“Didn’t I already tell you I didn’t want you to leave?” he replied, turning toward her. “That should’ve been enough.”

“I thought you were being nice. ‘Specially since you were asking me to do work n’ all.”

“Look, even if you were lounging around all day doing nothing, I still wouldn’t want you to be dragged off by anything, OK?” He realized what he was saying and added, “Don’t get any funny ideas about being lazy, though.”

Missy smiled, but quickly snuffed it out. “I won’t.” Her smile quickly returned, wavering. “I didn’t ever think I’d hear that from you. Uhm, you really mean it though, right?” She looked up at him.

“Yes.” Although he severely wished he could retract it.

“Oh. Cool. I mean, thanks.” She let out an awkward laugh. “I was kinda worried, but never mind.”

“Yeah, never mind.” Leo struggled to meet her own gaze. “So you feeling any better? That pit in your stomach going away?”

“Not since last you asked. Still feels weird.” Not full blown panic was an improvement in any case. In Leo’s boredom, he found himself examining Missy, having adjusted to the darkness. Her eyes still nervously looked around when they weren’t trained directly on Leo himself. It seemed like she might’ve wanted to say something else. He didn’t need another imaginary thing to dwell on, so he let her keep that one to herself. Amusing how one of her greatest fears had her behaving for once. This must’ve been what it was like for the creator of the boogeyman.

“Anything to help?” Leo asked, slightly exasperated. Missy mumbled something. “What?” She mumbled again. “I guess this must be what you mean by superior hearing. Speak up.”

“Would another hug be OK?” Missy said.

Leo stifled a laugh at the absurdity of the question. “Wasn’t the one enough?” Oh no. She was serious. “I mean, it’s a little too hot for that. Still sweaty from spending time under the sheets.” She only stared up at him with those damned eyes. Stop it. This is all your fault anyways. I should be out there soaking in the scenery. Not stuck in here hoping you won’t snap because it’s cloudy outside. Missy stared. “That’s what you really want, huh?” Leo glanced away. “Why?” Missy furrowed her brow. Dumb question, of course. “Alright. Alright.” It was hard to approach her like this when it wasn’t a spur of the moment decision.

The man raised his arm and inched forward, then clasped around her. Missy only adjusted her head to lay on top of his, letting him do the rest of the work. She chirrup as she moved into position, sending weird vibrations through his head. It was still surprising just how soft she was, all the way down to her fingertips, which were now easing down his back. The beat of her heart had steadied and she relaxed into him. It felt wrong. Wrong because it was Missy, or wrong because you haven’t touched someone like this in a while? He really needed something to take his mind off of everything. “Thanks,” Missy said.

“You’re welcome,” Leo replied robotically. “So that good enough?” Missy’s response was a tightening of her grip and a small whimper. Figures. This was your life now. Leo looked up at the window. Was that so bad? She was getting better at the very least. Is that honeymoon period over yet? This was his reward for sticking through to the end of it? Something like that, he figured. Probably his fault for even giving her a hug in the first place, pushing open that door for her to abuse. Look at you, fretting over a hug.

Leo placed a hand on her back and gave her a gentle pat. Missy let out a low, relaxed growl. She deserved it for this once. Just this once. Stupid fog.