Chapter 7: Strange Songs

Two figures walked down a fog covered road, neither saying a word. One stepped with confidence and purpose while staying a steady pace, while the other was hunched as if trying to hide in the open, head shifting to look behind them while keeping close pace with the other figure.

David was uncertain how Reinhard was so nonchalant about this walk but all that did was reinforce his doubt about him. David had noticed how Reinhard changed but came to no certain conclusion, however he had theories. Perhaps Reinhard was simply changed due to his time in this place or just knew what to look out for, so he had confidence in his actions.

Another possibility was that this wasn't Reinhard but something was controlling or pretending to be him, it would after all explain his lack of ability to remember himself at least. Though he acted like a person for the most part he didn't act like himself, he didn't even remember his name until David told him.

David also noticed that while he was with Reinhard that the repeating of the buildings seemed to cease as if it never happened before. He didn't know what to think about that but it leaned into Reinhard not being Reinhard which was unsettling but he was still his best chance at leaving so he wouldn't bring it up.

Of course if Reinhard was himself and the place was reacting differently to him compared to David then maybe Reinhard was special, after all he did say he was "called", whatever the hell that meant. Reinhard was looking for whoever "fell" in the center of town so maybe he really was chosen but why is still unknown as even Reinhard didn't seem to know.

They have been walking for a while now, it looked like they were going to the north district. Reinhard's calm was creepy as hell but having another 'maybe' person next to him did help calm his nerves even if only just barely. As much as David wanted to talk to Reinhard right now he was unsure if that was a good idea. David decided that it was better to ask what questions he had now while they were able.

"Hey, Reinhard, where are we going?"

"...I'm searching for someone, what about you?" Reinhard said with a distance to his voice, as if in thought.

"I'm following you, what are you talking about... Are you even sane" David said feeling as though he was being forgotten.

Reinhard stopped his walking and turned his head to look at David with a confused expression painted on his face.

"Sane? Are you?" Reinhard asked.

David was unsure how to answer this as he felt like he was whole of mind but where he was right now, the things he's seen and heard left him asking himself that question over and over again before attempting to convince himself.

"I'm sane enough to know that you are not, you need help Reinhard but we need to leave before that. Can you at least help me in getting out or back or whatever we need to do?" David stated then asked getting more exasperated as he spoke.

Reinhard was silent and stared at him for a moment before he responded.

"I need to find the person first...If we leave does the song end?" Reinhard said before asking a question that confused David but he chalked it up to Reinhard being fucking crazy.

"Ok, yeah, I don't know, maybe and maybe not, lets just find the fucker first" He said trying to get this over with as soon as possible.

Reinhard was his best chance at escape so he would have to deal with his insanity until they could leave then he would get Reinhard some help. Maybe some for himself as well, who knows just how far gone he really is without even knowing. He can't wait to see his daughter again and maybe he would avoid sleep for a while, at least a full night of it.

The walking continued for a while longer before a strange sight entered his view but even more surprising than that was when Reinhard froze. David's adrenaline was at the max seeing the one man that he saw walking leisurely suddenly freeze at the sight of a mannequin ahead of them.

It was an odd sight seeing a standing mannequin in the dead center of a street road but then again nothing was normal right now. The mannequin was facing them as if who or whatever put it here was waiting for them to stumble into it. it was a bland and featureless sculpt of a man in an A pose. The rain seemed to just slide off it so it wasn't fabric and it was glistening so it must be plastic or maybe metal.

Reinhard was still standing there unmoving but as more time passed and nothing happened David started to relax but was still worried as his guide was seemingly stuck in place.

"What's wrong, please just tell me you have Automatonophobia or something" David asked in a hissed whisper, trying not to make much noise.

"Do not take your eyes off of it" was all Reinhard said.

"Alright, then what should we do?" David said while focusing on the mannequin.

"Walk around it but do not take your eyes off it" Said the guide.

David started walking forward and giving it a wide berth as he did all while focusing his attention on it and motioning Reinhard to move. After Reinhard was around it he waited for it to disappear into the fog before he turned around. Reinhard was still facing the mannequin and walking backwards. David saw this and snapped his head back just in case and not long after he did, Reinhard faced forwards. David took that as a sign and turned back around as well.

As soon as David turned around Reinhard snapped his head towards David before whipping it towards the last known position of the mannequin with wide eyes. David noticed this and he too turned to find a familiar mannequin not but a few inches from his face. This caused him to fall over on his ass and crawl away, restraining a scream the whole way. The mannequin had one arm extended in a claw like wind-up as if it was about to maul David with the hand that looked no different from a normal man's hand. Its pose suggested that it was simply standing there, like David was just in front of it and it was about to pull a prank on him.

"Don't. Look. Away" Reinhard said this slowly while maintaining a stare so intense that his face was red.

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David got up and simply stared at it, his heart hammering in his chest. It made no noise and he felt nothing behind him before he turned around. He stood staring at the mannequin waiting for Reinhard to do something, anything.

After a few seconds that felt like forever Reinhard started walking backwards towards the nearest building and David followed not breaking his gaze away for anything. After some few minutes they both stood in a doorway of a random garage staring into the street where the mannequin stood unmoving. Reinhard closed the door while keeping his eyes locked until the door broke line of sight.

The second the door closed they heard a single scratching noise coming from the opposite side before silence reigned.

"The fuck was that?" David asked shakily.

"A mannequin obviously" Reinhard stated simply.

"No shit, I mean... Whatever" David wanted more but guessed that he wasn't going to get anything else.

Reinhard walked over to the wall opposite the door they entered from and sat while maintaining line of sight with the door. This made David uneasy and he decided that he would also get away from the door and joined his friend on the floor.

"How long do we wait" David asked.

"Depends on when it hears a different song" Reinhard said.

"Again with this song shit, whatever just tell me when we're good to leave... Thanks by the way" David was annoyed at first but then the scene played back through his head. He knew he was only alive thanks to Reinhard's quick actions whether he meant to save him or not.

"You are here for a reason as well, brother" Reinhard said.

"If we're here for a reason then why are we getting attacked?" David had been wondering why he was here and why it seemed to be a nightmare land full of mundane things with horrors hidden behind them.

Reinhard didn't answer, so David continued to speculate in his head about why that might be. He had thought that this place was like hell or limbo or something to that extent but after what has happened he wasn't sure what to think anymore. A dark dimension perhaps but how could him going to sleep get him here unless it was some sci-fi bullshit like a 'thin veil' or some such thing. Though calling anything "sci-fi" bullshit didn't seem appropriate anymore as that is exactly what happened.

Perhaps there is more to this song than I think, The 'lady saint' asked me if I could "hear it" before a screeching entered his ears. The screeching came from the carriage in front of him but it was so loud and disorienting that he paid little attention to much else, perhaps that was the "song". Regardless he could hear nothing and Reinhard was definitely crazy so the song could be like mass hysteria or something, these are all guesses of course, he had nothing to go on until he could get more from Reinhard or the person he was looking for.

A thought came to David 'What if the person he's looking for isn't actually a person but a thing like the 'lady saint'. That made David really nervous as it could lead to his death but Reinhard said he was chosen as well. Reinhard did call him "brother" after all, it was strange to hear from a man like Reinhard but he isn't the same as he was before, David's thoughts were interrupted.

"The song has changed, we should be able to leave now" Reinhard said happily.

David still didn't hear anything that could be considered a song but if Reinhard said it was good to leave then he would trust him on it. Both men crept towards the door and David decided he would take the risk this time and cracked the door open to look outside. He saw nothing outside but he thought back to what he heard after the door closed and found that after a quick inspection that the door had a single long scratch from the top to the mid section of the door. The marking wasn't deep but it was consistent and the wood was marred by a liquid of undetermined origin, definitely not the rain.

Reinhard ignored it entirely and continued his journey seeming to leave David without any hesitation. This was starting to annoy him but he blamed Reinhard's mental state as he seemed single minded for the most part. David decided that confronting him about it would change nothing and most likely only make him more frustrated so he tossed the idea.

Fortunately their walk was quiet and uneventful for the next few minutes as they finally entered the north district proper. Reinhard was seemingly lost now as if he had just forgotten what he was doing.

"What, what's wrong now" David said scanning all around him and keeping his head on a swivel.

Reinhard didn't answer so David kept looking around trying to find any sign of anything he thought might be out of place and found nothing. Reinhard was still standing there spinning left and right as if trying to hear something better but he was becoming far more frantic by the second. David guessed this wasn't good and so he grabbed Reinhard by the shoulders and shook him until he got his attention which proved harder than he would have thought.

Reinhard was still now but still unfocused on anything particular so David raised his hand and let fly a bitch slap. The smack made contact with Reinhard but it didn't seem to do anything so he tried again and again but it didn't seem to work at all. Reinhard was in a catatonic state that David couldn't seem to wake him from so he pulled him onto the nearest porch and went to open the door but found it blocked.

The door wasn't locked but barred, the handle turned all the way but something blocked it. David was even more worried now as this was unusual for this place, normally all doors were unlocked and unobstructed unless somebody blocked it. David not thinking to deeply about it simply ran his shoulder into the door until it gave.

A chair was sent flying into the hallway just ahead of the door, who or whatever blocked this didn't do a good job as he looked down and saw a mark on the wooden floor from the chair being grinded against it. David dragged Reinhard inside and shut the door before setting Reinhard down and waiting for him to snap out of it.

While one man was sitting there staring into nothing the other went to check the house for any unwanted residents. Not long into the exploration he came across a simple wooden chair in front of a tall body mirror. David was expecting stranger so this was pretty good until he saw a familiar weapon at the foot of the chair.

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