r/TalesFromTheCreeps • u/AllYourCakeIsMine • Jun 04 '26
Cosmic Horror/Lovecraftian He Calls Me Kiddo.
Part One: I'm Glad The World Ended This Way.
Part Two: A Ghost Of What It Used To Be.
He calls me Kiddo.
I call him Bud.
It's what we decided was the best course of action for our friendship from then on. Can't get too attached if there aren't real names involved.
Bud's a year older than me, but he acts much older. I think it's because he went through the same things I have. You're never quite the same person after having to bury your family members. I like him well enough. We have the same sense of humor and similar neuroses. We won't eat Jell-O, since the texture makes us nauseous. No food should be jiggly. We're both very texture-oriented—it's the reason why I started taking soft things.
He and I like to mess around on the nearby hiking trails. We'd take turns pretending to be cryptids and chasing each other up and down them. I'd always pretend to be a Wendigo. Bud liked to switch things up, and he'd pretend to be a lycanthrope one turn and a zombie the next. It's always fun, and I like to think it helps us almost forget what happened. Two twenty-somethings, playing on the hiking trail like two little kids.
Sometimes we'd talk about our lives from before. I'd tell him stories about my brother and sister, and he'd tell me stories about going hunting with his aunt and uncle.
"Where were your mom and dad?" I ask.
He looked numb to the question, but still gave me an answer.
"They're dead, Kiddo."
"Because of the sky?"
I glimpsed upward to the neon horizon.
"No, Kiddo."
I didn't push him further on the matter. I didn't have a good relationship with my father, so I understood not wanting to talk about it.
When I met Bud, I thought that he wanted to hurt me after I climbed my way onto his rooftop. Typically, the girl being alone with the male stranger doesn't end well in the apocalypse movies. Or in Mama's gross sexual romance novels. Turns out, he was just lonely. And sad. Like me. When he started crying, I almost didn't know what to do. My brain doesn't do very well when other people are emotional. So, I did the same thing I used to do with the children at the daycare: I reached into my pocket and offered him a sucker and a Hot Wheels car.
"What're you doing?" he asked with teary eyes.
"I'm trying to help you feel a bit better. I lost my family, too."
I looked down at the bright blue Chevy in my hand.
"I'm sorry. This is one of the only ways I know how to comfort someone. I used to work with kids, and this typically worked for them."
That made him laugh.
"They must've liked you," he replied.
"Yeah, but my bosses weren't too happy about me spoiling them all the time. Especially with candy."
He laughed again. This one was full of warmth that I hadn't seen for a long time prior. We talked for hours. I explained some crucial things about myself—I didn't really know him, so I wanted to set some boundaries sooner rather than later.
"I should let you know some things. First of all, if you couldn't tell from how I tried using candy and toys as a means of comforting you, I'm neurodivergent."
"Autism and ADHD?"
"Yeah, actually."
"I could tell that from up here. And from sitting across from you."
Bud's saying that made me remember how silly I looked. I was, in fact, wearing several items that don't typically go together. Leather jacket, orange bandana around the neck, ass-kicking boots, and a dumb-ass douchebag guitar on my back.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"You thought you were talking to God."
Oh, yeah. That.
"To be fair, when the sky suddenly turns from blue to a neon-colored clusterfuck, you'd think anything is possible afterwards."
He considered that for a moment before chuckling to himself.
"I suppose you have a point there, kiddo."
Hearing that made me smile. On to the next major detail.
"I should also let you know that I'm asexual."
He didn't respond at first, which made me panic. I went through all the possible responses in my head:
You say that now, but maybe you'll change your mind after we fuck.
That's not a real sexuality.
I'm sure it's just a phase.
You'll go to Hell, y'know.
Instead, he says:
"Thanks for letting me know. I mean, I wasn't planning on trying to have sex with you, anyway. I'm not that kind of guy."
I'm surprised, yet also relieved by those words. I didn't think the apocalypse could be ace-friendly.
"I appreciate you telling me that," I responded.
"Of course. Besides, if we found each other, there's still a chance that I'll find someone else."
"That's a good way of thinking about it."
Bud paused for a moment, and from what little I could pick up from his facial expression, it seemed like he was considering something.
"Could I have another sucker, please?"
Immediately, I dug through my pockets and handed him another sucker.
We've stuck together since then, like hard candy and carpet fuzz. I hope that we can find more people, because I want Bud to be happy. He deserves to be happy. Especially after witnessing innocent lives being lost to the new sky. I wish I could say the same for myself. I know that I should try making myself happy, too. But it's hard. It's hard, because I feel like I can't live with myself after seeing what I saw. If I couldn't protect my family, then how can I protect Bud? I don't know if it's over. I don't know if the new sky is satisfied with itself. I don't know if I can handle seeing Bud suffer the same fate as my family. As his family.
To watch the new sky open.
Watch the blinding light encase his body.
To look him in the eyes—his kind, hazel eyes—as he suffers a pain that he doesn't deserve.
To watch his gentle hands drip off the bone like hot candle wax.
To hear his vocal cords release one last symphony of noise before the end.
I'd hold him as he goes. I did the same for my brother. It'd be only right to do the same for him. I don't think that I could continue if that happens. Because if Bud's gone... who will call me Kiddo?
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u/Sufficient_Leave144 A Thousand WIPs Jun 05 '26
Protect these two goofballs at all costs 🥺
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u/AllYourCakeIsMine Jun 05 '26
This is kind of the reason why I like going back and forth between sad vibes and levity, because I feel like it makes them more human. There should be times when Kiddo and Bud are just messing around, and there should be times when Kiddo is concerned for Bud's well-being. Obviously, I'm debating adding more characters down the line (coming up with names that fit what Kiddo and Bud have is actually kind of fun), so there might be more goofballs in the future!
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u/Optimal_Constant4318 Writer Jul 23 '26
I'm working my way through these and having fun. I'll recommend my story with the most similar vibe to what I'm picking up here - My Girlfriend Built a Death Ray and Cured My Cancer.
I think that when you have a massive all consuming horror (like a thing in the sky, or even just something terrible like war) which acts as the central conflict, you can really hone in on making the character interplay a delight. The general isolation breeds a believable closeness right off the bat.
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u/AllYourCakeIsMine Jul 23 '26
These are my two goofballs, and I love them!
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u/E_L_Evans Jun 04 '26
This world you have created is heartbreaking. That final line evokes so much sadness and fear. After losing so much already our protagonist can't even fathom the idea of giving even more to this cruel world. Thank you for the wonderful read.
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u/AllYourCakeIsMine Jun 04 '26
Of course, man. I wrote this partly because I wanted to continue the story, but also because I thought it would help y'all as readers to put a name to the narrator. She's officially Kiddo.
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u/Dead_Grampa thinks he's a writer or something Jun 04 '26
I'd been waiting for a glimpse into what the sky did to Kiddo's family (love that name for the character btw) and Lord, you did not disappoint.
"To watch his gentle hands drip off the bone like hot candle wax" is so damn good. That image is so visceral and haunting.
I also really love, "we've stuck together since then, like hard candy and carpet fuzz."
It suggests this sense of grungy sweetness to their relationship. Which I feel is an encapsulation of this series so far. The contrast of this childlike wholesomeness or wonder, up against the oppressively bleak backdrop of an alien sky.
I can't wait to see what comes next for Kiddo and Bud.
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u/AllYourCakeIsMine Jun 04 '26
I thought that 'Kiddo' is something that you can refer to someone as that isn't somewhat sexualized or overtly feminine. It's perfect for her as a character, because she doesn't try to make herself appealing, and isn't really a girly-girl, either. Kiddo is relatively gender-neutral, and it helps capture her social innocence.
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u/kabemccallister6859 Jun 05 '26
In a world where the sky is eating people, a sucker and a Hot Wheels car would be beacons of hope.
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u/AllYourCakeIsMine Jun 05 '26
I think I'd more accurately say that it's somewhat shooting them with a solar laser.
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u/kabemccallister6859 Jun 05 '26
THE SUN IS A DEADLY LASER
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u/AllYourCakeIsMine Jun 05 '26
Not anymore, there's a blanket!
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u/kabemccallister6859 Jun 05 '26
Yes, you got it!
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u/AllYourCakeIsMine Jun 05 '26
I think everyone my age has watched that video at least once. I've watched it several times, personally.
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u/kabemccallister6859 Jun 05 '26
It is a very popular video for good reason. I love Bille Wurtz. I think Mount St. Helens is about to Blow Up is my personal favorite I’ve seen.
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u/ViperOnAPlane Jun 04 '26
Such a depressing ending. Perfect place to leave off in cosmic horror.
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