Parallel Process

by Barbara Sheridan

  A hand darted out and grabbed Haku’s ankle. He jerked away, his muscles tense and ready to fight. “Jesus!”

  Matt grabbed the arm by the wrist and pulled. It was the actor, his eyes darting around wildly. “You.” Matt scowled, dropping his wrist. “Get out of there.”

  “There’s something out here,” the man blubbered. “When I started to go up on the roof to check the AC unit, it tried to grab me.”

  A dark blur moved in the corner of Haku’s eye. He moved away from the two men, trying to get a better look around the side of the trailer. “Matt…” He glanced back and saw the shadowy thing perched on the edge of the roof just over his friend. “Watch out!”

  The creature jumped down with a snarl, smashing into Matt and knocking him backward. They hit the ground in a heap and skidded across the gravelly surface. Haku sprinted toward them. Ramming his shoulder into the thing, he knocked it off Matt and sent it reeling against the side of the building.

  “Holy shit!” Matt sat up, a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. Haku pulled him to his feet, and before he had a chance to see if Matt was okay, the creature let out a shriek. It scurried up along the side of the wall and headed for the front of the building.

  Matt ran after it, Haku right behind him. The creature sprang across a gap in the wall where the bricks had fallen out and landed on the ground. It darted forward into the camera lights and froze.

  Its body was covered in a tangled mass of oily-looking black fur, a crest of horns trailing from the center of its skull down along the spine. Practically the size of a grown man, the creature raised its claws and let out another screeching cry.

  Elaine and Young had remained fixed in their spots by the camera until now, their expressions frozen with a mixture of shock and horror. The woman tossed her water bottle in the air and made a run for the other trailer. Before Young could do likewise, the creature lunged forward and shoved the man to the ground.

  Matt dashed over and tackled the creature. They rolled away from Young, kicking up dirt and debris from around the building. Matt grabbed a brick and struck the thing with a blow to the side of its head, giving him just enough time to get back on his feet.

  Haku glanced around, grabbing the nearest thing he could find to use as a weapon. Extra stands for the camera lamps were strewn on the ground only a few feet away. Haku grabbed one of the poles and swung around. As the creature charged at Matt, Haku rammed the end of the rod into it, piercing its side.

  With a scream, the creature tumbled to the ground. Matt jumped out of its way as it crashed into the rest of the camera equipment and burst into flames. Young crawled away from the scene, clutching an arm to his chest.

  “Damn, Haku, what did you do?” Matt stepped back, raising a hand to cover the glare from the fire. The creature let out piercing shriek that ended in a gurgle. A burst of green light flickered among the flames, followed by a loud whoosh. The fire burnt out, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes and melted camera equipment.

  “For starters, I think I killed it.” Haku moved closer, fanning some of the smoke away as he stared down at the smoldering ashes.

  “That seems like a pretty fair assumption.” Matt knelt and gingerly tapped the part of the lamp stand sticking out of the pile. He tapped it again, more confidently, before finally gripping the metal. “This isn’t even hot. Wow, an endothermic blaze ‑‑ can you believe this?”

  “All things considered, it’s sinking in pretty well.” Haku licked his dry lips. “Whatever that thing was, a partially formed apparition or puddle of benign ectoplasm it was not.”

  “Our first, actual, physical encounter with an animate supernatural being!” Matt sat back on his heels and grinned up at Haku.

  Haku touched his friend’s chin, frowning at the cut on Matt’s lower lip. “Are you okay? I didn’t see that thing until it was right on top of you.”

  “It’s okay.” Matt scrunched up his nose. “The thing didn’t have time to do jack before you knocked it off. You kicked ass!”

  “Almost too easily.” Haku dropped his hand away. “Where did that thing even come from?”

  “That’s what we’ll find out tomorrow when we come back with some equipment to investigate.” Matt turned back to the pile of ashes.

  The idea didn’t sit too well with Haku. In fact, the more he considered it, the less enthusiastic he was about coming back here and possibly running into that strange man again. Why should he even be thinking about that guy? Haku shook his head at himself.

  “We should take a sample with us,” Matt said. “Do you have a Ziploc bag on you?”

  “No.” Haku rolled his eyes. At least Matt was all right, and, hell…this was a pretty damn exciting discovery, in spite of being attacked by that creature.

  Behind them, Young started wailing. “What the fuck was that!”

  While Matt stuffed his pockets with ashes, Haku went over to Young. “You just met a real ‘monster.’”

  “The fuck I did,” Young sputtered, his face the same color gray as the ashes. “But I think my arm is broken.”

  Haku poked the man’s arm and was rewarded with a shriek of pain from Young. Haku winced. “We better get you to a hospital.” He glanced over at Matt. “Come on.”

  As they crossed the lot, Elaine popped out of the trailer with a closed tripod in hand. She held it poised to swing like a baseball bat. “Is it gone?” she squeaked.

  Matt nodded. “Your friend here needs a ride to the hospital, though.” He shifted his weight, jostling Young, who leaned on him for support.

  “Watch it!” Young whimpered.

  Elaine hesitated for a second, then dropped the tripod. She hurried down the trailer’s steps, pulling the car keys out of her pocket.

  “Wait for me!” Jeremy called out, making a clumsy run toward them, still in his ridiculous costume.

  The five of them crammed into Elaine’s car. Matt and Haku helped Young into the front passenger seat before sitting on either side of the trembling actor in the back. Elaine peeled out of the parking lot and rode the curb as she cut a sharp right to get on to the main avenue.

  * * * * *

  “Thanks for the ride,” Matt said.

  As soon as he closed the car door, Elaine sped off to continue on to the hospital. Matt joined Haku on the sidewalk a few feet away from the university’s entrance, watching as the car ran through a yellow light at the intersection and disappeared over the crest of the hill.

  Once the car was out of view, Matt turned to Haku with a smirk. “I really wanted to rub it in,” he said. “But I controlled myself.”

  “I’m proud of you.” Haku high-fived him. “Now let’s see what they think about that crap they’re filming on ‘frauds.’”

  “And wait until Dr. Adler hears about what happened.” Matt bounced on the balls of his feet. “We’ve got enough material here to convince the Regents and score some more grants.”

  Haku nodded. “We should start writing this up ASAP.”

  “Why don’t we celebrate first?” Too much adrenaline still pumped through Matt’s system. “It’s only nine. Maybe get drinks and a bite to eat at the coffee shop before tackling some work.”

  “But we’re a mess,” Haku said.

  “There’s a tub in the apartment,” Matt offered with a grin.

  “So there is,” Haku said softly. “And I think I left a change of clothes there, too.”

  “They’re optional, you know,” Matt teased. “We can write up our findings au natural.” His high spirits dipped when Haku failed to break out in that embarrassed blush or scold him for being such a perv. “You’re okay, right? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

  “I’m fine,” Haku said simply before turning. “But I’ll grab my work before we go.”

  “Okay.” Matt scratched the back of his head.

  Haku led the way to the dorms without saying much, and Matt waited for him downstairs while he ran up to grab his messenger bag. In front of the six-story building was a p
arking lot for students, along with a bus stop just past the side entrance gate. As they waited for the bus, Matt wondered what the hell was going on between him and Haku. But his excitement over today’s encounter swept his doubts away by the time they made it back to his place.

  Chapter Six

  Matt pushed open the glass doors to the Cacaonuts coffee shop. The place was packed for a weeknight, with people crowding almost every table and lounge chair on the black-and-white checkerboard floor. An old blues song played from the speakers posted in each corner of the L-shaped room, and the smell of fresh espresso filled the air. Matt grabbed the front of Haku’s shirt and stopped in the doorway as he scanned the crowded, dimly lit room.

  No sign of Cyndi. She was probably in the storage room, struggling with the grinder.

  “We’re good.” Matt grinned. He pulled Haku forward and around a group of high school kids crammed around a bistro table in front of the counter.

  “Can we get a refill over here?” one of the kids shouted.

  “Sure.” Matt dragged Haku behind the counter. “What are you having?”

  “Six double caramel macchiatos.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Matt whispered to Haku. He grabbed two paper cups from the stack next to the cash register. “Let’s have that.”

  “I’m not even sure what that is.” Haku rolled his eyes.

  Matt chuckled and stuffed a paper bag in Haku’s free hand. “Just take everything that fits.”

  “Oh, okay,” Haku said. He popped open the bakery case and grabbed a handful of pastries while Matt started pushing the buttons on the coffee maker.

  “What are you guys doing!” a woman yelled in Matt’s ear.

  He jumped. “Jesus, Cyn! This stuff is hot; I could get burned.”

  She glared at him over the bags of fresh ground beans in her arms, her green eyes flashing with fury. “That’s for paying customers.” She tossed the bags onto the counter with a thud and gave Haku a sweet, cheerful “Hi,” before glaring at Matt again.

  “How come you’re never that nice to me?” Matt pouted at her.

  “Because you are a pain in my ass who never pays for his coffee and is always a week late with his rent.”

  “Then why not change the rent due date and I’ll be on time,” Matt chimed back.

  “I think he got you there,” Haku said quietly.

  “This time,” Cyn said, sticking her tongue out at Matt. She called one of the waitresses over to get the kids their macchiatos, then zipped back into the small kitchen area and returned with a huge creampuff, which she wrapped gently in tissue and handed to Haku. “It’s a new recipe. Let me know what you think of the flavored whipped cream inside.”

  “I want one,” Matt said, like a little boy left out of a great Halloween candy haul.

  Cyn turned up her nose and pointed him to the door that led to the apartment. “You’ll scarf it down like a pig. Haku will savor it like a gentleman and tell me if it’s worthy of the four bucks it’ll cost to turn a profit.”

  “Four dollars?” Matt’s jaw hung open. “I’m pretty sure that’s considered extortion here in the United States.”

  “You want to talk extortion, let’s go into how six pairs of men’s underwear ended up in my laundry basket last night.” Cyn put her hands on her hips.

  “Damn, you charged all those guys four bucks, too?” Matt said, before he could stop himself.

  Cyn balled her hands into fists. “Why, you ‑‑!” She was too mad to get the rest of her words out and lunged at him.

  “Thanks for the pastries.” Haku darted between them with a nervous grin, shoving Matt up against the coffee machine as Cyn flailed around. Matt scootched sideways and made his way toward the storage room. Haku followed, keeping himself between Matt and the worst of Cyn’s wrath.

  “I know it was your underwear!” she sputtered. “You’re sneaking your clothes in my laundry again! I swear to God, I’m going to bill you for it the next time I see a pair of BVDs in my basket!”

  “Those were Haku’s. Mine are Calvin Klein!”

  “Matt.” Haku jabbed Matt in the back while a heated blush spread across his cheeks.

  Laughing, Matt turned around once they were in the storage room. “Hey, she has a crush on you; it’ll get her off my case.”

  “Mrs. Garton does not have a crush on me.”

  “Mrs. Garton is a feisty widow who likes younger men!”

  “You’re incorrigible,” Haku said with a sigh, as Matt led the way up to his apartment.

  Matt paused before the door and pulled Haku to him. “But you wouldn’t have it any other way, right?”

  “Matt ‑‑”

  Matt silenced him with a kiss, and though Haku wanted to pull away in protest, he couldn’t. The hard press of Matt’s lips was too damn exciting and the dominant way he used his tongue on Haku’s was too good to resist. “You’re crushing the cream puff,” Haku whispered when they parted.

  “Sorry.” Matt grinned sheepishly. “I can eat the squished parts for you.”

  “No.” Haku cradled the bag of pastries to his chest. “Somehow, I’ll manage.”

  Chuckling, Matt handed him one of the coffee cups. “If you run into trouble with that, just remember I’m here to help.” He unlocked the door and flicked on the light, letting Haku step inside first.

  “Thanks,” Haku said dryly. “I know I can count on you to ‑‑ oh, my God, what is that mess in the kitchen?”

  Matt darted into the apartment and blocked the entrance to the kitchen. At six-three, he was taller than Haku, and his broad shoulders did a good job of obscuring the view into the tiny six-by-six foot room. “What mess?” Matt blinked. “Where?”

  “Is that a fish tank on the counter?” Haku moved around, trying to catch a glimpse through the gaps between Matt’s arms and legs. He straightened with a scowl. “Are you growing something weird like, I dunno, mutant sea monkeys?”

  “Haku, please.” Matt sighed with phony exasperation. “They’re not ‘mutants’ ‑‑ they’re misunderstood.”

  “Oh, God,” Haku groaned.

  “I’m just kidding, okay?” Matt laughed. “Come on and sit down. The tank is from Dr. Adler’s office because I couldn’t find a place in the storeroom for it, and no, you can’t go in the kitchen to check because I don’t want you cleaning anything up.”

  “Really?” Haku dropped down onto the couch as Matt ventured back into the kitchen. The faucet turned on, followed by the clatter of a few dishes being moved around in the sink.

  “There’s hot water tonight,” Matt called out. “We’re in luck! Cyn must have forgotten to turn it off.”

  Moving aside a stack of psych journals and assorted tabloids Matt liked to use for research, Haku set his drink and the bag of cakes on the coffee table. “Wow, tonight I almost feel special,” he mumbled to himself.

  “The night is only just starting. Maybe those inhibitions won’t seem so important later on.”

  “Did you say something?” Haku straightened, his heart skipping a few beats.

  “I said I need something to store these samples.” Matt reappeared with a fist-sized jar of peanut butter. “Here, help me out.” Perching on the back of the couch with a foot on the armrest, he dipped a finger into the nearly empty jar. Before Haku could protest, Matt stuck a gob of peanut butter in his mouth.

  “This better not be expired,” Haku mumbled through the thick paste.

  “Peanut butter is indestructible.” Matt took a scoopful himself. “Like Twinkies.” He got another dollop on his index finger and held it out. “And tasty, too.”

  Haku stared, a strange feeling settling deep in his stomach that had nothing to do with the peanut butter. The sensation traveled down past his waist, and a steady throb began to build in his cock. He took Matt by the wrist, drawing the finger slowly into his mouth as he slid his tongue along the tip and down the length. His lips settled into a rhythmic sucking motion at the second knuckle, but his tongue stroked and teased every fracti
on of flesh wrapped in his mouth.

  Two or three more sucks away from giving Matt’s finger an official blowjob, Haku pulled away. Though he shook his head and eased a little further down the couch, the weird feeling gripping his body did not ebb.

  Beside him, Matt took a shuddering breath. “That was hot.”

  “I like peanut butter.” Haku swallowed. The only thing he tasted on his tongue was cum. “A lot.”

  Matt stared at the empty canister for a minute. “I’ve got another jar in the cabinet,” he said, his voice deep and throaty.

  “Uh, no thanks.” Haku licked his lips.

  Matt leaned over and gave Haku a long, sultry glance. “It’s the extra creamy kind,” he tempted.

  “I think I’ll clean up before we get started on our notes.” Haku cleared his throat. He needed some air, definitely some space. That salty, delicious flavor wasn’t leaving his mouth until he washed it out. Haku stood up, and Matt toppled sideways onto the couch.

  “Make sure you give the hot water tap an extra twist to the right,” Matt said, breathless.

  “Okay. Thanks.” Haku scurried around the coffee table, banging his foot on a box of reference tapes from the library that had to be overdue. He made a mental note to scold Matt about the tapes later as he stumbled toward the bedroom and the cramped, adjacent bathroom.

  Behind him, Matt whimpered. “While you do that, I’ll just wash this out…and store those ashes…yeah…”

  Haku slammed the bathroom door behind him. Enough light from the streetlamp outside the narrow, rectangular window over the tub filtered in for him to see his reflection in the medicine cabinet’s mirror. “What the hell is going on with me?” he whispered to himself.

  Leaning on the edge of the old-fashioned pedestal sink, he splashed his face and head with cold water. When that did little to make him feel better, he stripped out of his clothes and left them in a pile by the door. The coolness of the tiles traveled up through his bare feet as he stepped up to the tub, and he shivered. At least there was warm water in the apartment for the bath. Maybe he was catching a cold or fighting off a sinus infection. That would certainly explain the sudden and uncontrollable horniness. Sure.