Mermaid Effect

"Crack-"

Rand inserted the key into the keyhole and twisted it. After pushing the door open, he walked into the dark and quiet apartment.

The bodyguards who sent him back were as silent as stone pillars. They watched Rand go home before turning around. At the door opposite Rand, a man with brightly colored hair leaned against the door frame and showed them A knowing look.

Passing eyes to each other, stretching out fingers, signaling, receiving, retreating——

When the people in black retreated from Rand's apartment like an ebbing tide, the black-haired man who was listed as the primary target on their list seemed to be collapsed, and after closing the door, he slowly sat down with his back against the door panel.

It was very late, and the edge of the dark sky in the distance showed a faint gray. The shade of the trees outside the park was like black waves swaying slightly in the wind. On the other side of the park, the lights on the top of some buildings were dimmed all night long. Projected from the sky, casting a faint light in Rand's French windows.

At this moment, the furniture in the room is just a piece of geometric shadow, and it seems that Rand is the only one left in the whole world at this moment.A strong sense of exhaustion seemed to spread through Rand's body like the severe pain. He sat there, knowing that what he should do now was to go to the room and deal with the pain in his back and legs. , he bet they were definitely swollen and bruised.

Then he should bathe, and preferably get himself some wine.

Then he would fall asleep in a faint drunkenness, without the emptiness, without wandering, without the intense loneliness that he felt now.

However, although he knew what he should do, in practice Rand found that he didn't even have the strength to turn on the light.

He is very tired, from the tiredness deep in his heart...

Before Vincent appeared in front of him, Rand might have lived an ordinary (or poor) and boring life, but at least at that time he could feel his control over his life.If he really wanted to, he could yell at those damned old ladies and slam the record on the head of that mean and disgusting library - he knew the consequences of doing that, if he really The unbearable he can choose what he wants to do.

But now...

Rand covered his face with his hands, and let out a long breath from his lungs.

The phone rang at this moment, but Rand had absolutely no desire to answer it.After the ringtone was repeated several times, the call automatically switched to leaving a message.

"Uh, Rand..."

A tired voice came from the small machine.

It's Caroline.

"...I know you should be at home at this time, but, well, I can understand that you don't want to answer my phone, it's okay, in fact, maybe this way of leaving a message can make me feel more relaxed, because I haven't done a good job with you either. Preparations for the conversation..."

She let out a long, nasal sigh, and Rand couldn't help frowning. He thought Caroline's voice sounded like she had just cried.

"Rand, I'm sorry—this is the first thing I want to tell you. I'm really sorry for what I said and did to you... God, I don't even know why I did that , I hurt you, right?"

no you didn't...

Rand's lips parted slightly, and he was just about to stand up impulsively to take the microphone and say so to Caroline.

"Don't deny it, Rand, I know what you're going to say," Caroline said through the microphone with a hint of clarity. This was the first time Rand had heard her voice, weak, tired, and strong. Frustrated, "I really shouldn't have said that, I should have let you be with Vincent. I think, I'm just about to break down, that's why I'm so out of order, I'm really sorry. Rand... fact Now, Vincent has a very serious illness."

At that moment, Rand seemed to hear a bolt of lightning explode in his mind.

When he reacted, he found himself standing next to the phone and grabbed the receiver.

His hands were shaking, and his back and knees ached so badly that it almost felt like the devil was burning him with a branding iron.

"What do you mean 'Vinson has a very serious illness'?"

It took him a long time to hear his own voice—he was speaking into a microphone, but it sounded like it was coming from someone else.

"Oh, Rand, I really don't know what to do...I..." Caroline let out a long sob, "It's a genetic defect, which should be caused by the long-term internal intermarriage of the Sievers family A rare disease, his organs are failing, the kind that cannot be reversed, we have prepared some special medical measures before but now something happened..."

"What's going on? Can I help? Caroline, tell me what's going on!"

"No, sorry, Rand, I can't tell you everything, it's classified, but what I want to say is that Vincent has done a lot of things just to keep you safe, and he's been trying to make up for you The mistake of being kidnapped. He just loves you."

Rand slowly sat down on the sofa.

"Caroline, tell me, what's going on with Vincent? His illness... God... Shenbai is a biotechnology company, isn't it? You will have a solution, right?"

Rand found himself incoherent, and his confusion may have awakened Caroline, who was almost emotionally broken-the evidence was that her voice became calm and steady again at that moment.

"Don't worry, Rand, I'm going to figure out a way to get that out of the way, I'm not letting Vincent die... Sorry, I think I'm just a little, a little too confused to call you. I just think You should know this... be nice to Vincent, okay, Rand?"

"I will, Caroline... Of course I will... I can go to him now if there is any need. I mean, if he needs it."

Caroline was silent on the other end of the phone, and then slowly said: "Vincent's condition has stabilized now, I will arrange everything, Rand, don't worry..."

……

Little did Rand know how he hung up the phone.

He sat there in a daze for a while before slowly digesting what Caroline told him, Vincent's serious illness...and the fact that Vincent might die.

Although for Rand, Vincent was definitely not someone he wanted to get close to, but he never thought of Vincent's departure.

He is Rand's only relative now.

only.

Rand felt as if he had suddenly fallen from a very high place, and something deep in his heart shattered.

When his consciousness returned to his body again, he found himself curled up on the sofa, with warm tears on his cheeks.

If someone else was here, they might feel that Rand's current condition is so weak, it's just news that his brother is seriously ill, he is sobbing here like a child, but Rand can't control himself, he deeply regrets I wonder why I didn't rush to the plane and be with Vincent before this.

He knew instinctively that Vincent would love to have him by his side—and he wasn't.

Rand was immersed in the fear and grief of possibly losing Vincent, and it was much later when he felt something scratching his calf.

The paw was wet.

He lowered his head and saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness.

"Oh my God, I didn't even know you were out."

Rand sniffled and said to the little monster.

Since he grew those hind legs, he has definitely moved more quickly - he even rolled out of the tank so silently.

"Chirp... chirp?"

Munster made a series of muffled and deep sounds, and now its upper body was almost completely erected, and its paws rested on Rand's calf.

It looks like it involves worry.

Oh, he's worrying an amphibian, Rand said to himself, finding it ironic but admitting that Munster's behavior made him feel a lot better now.

"I'm fine honey, don't worry."

He reached out and touched Munster's head, which happily rubbed against Rand's hand. The pair of tentacles were now very elastic, and they were touching Rand's palm, and Rand didn't realize that he had gradually started Get used to this weird feel.

After receiving Rand's response, Munster became more active than before. It slapped the ground directly, hooking Rand's clothes with its claws and began to climb up flexibly.

"No, no, Mance especially..."

Rand struggled after feeling a wet, slippery thing thrust into his arms.

He came back to his senses a little, and while weakly trying to get Munster out of his arms, he opened the seat lamp next to the sofa.

The gentle yellow light finally allowed him to see everything in the room clearly, including...the big puddle of water in front of the aquarium.

The water stain almost covered half of the living room, and Rand finally understood why he didn't hear the sound of Munster crawling out of the water tank before - because before he went home, the damn little monster had already voluntarily He wandered around the room for a long time.He could even clearly see Munster's route from the living room to the room: there was an obvious water mark in the corridor.

Rand couldn't help touching his sofa - the cushion next to him was also visibly wet.

Even dogs can know not to go on the sofa, but the little monster obviously doesn't intend to follow the rules like a dog.

"It looks like you had a good evening."

Rand lowered his head and said to Munster with a strong sense of powerlessness.

If it weren't for the series of accidents that happened tonight, Rand might be angry because of Munster's troubles (after all, not every owner is happy to see their pets performing "Home Alone" at home), but now Rand just feel...

He didn't know how to describe the feeling.

All in all, Rand still had negative emotions about the clean-up project he was about to face, but at least he was happy to have a little monster in his life this night-he felt a little relieved because of it.

Munster stared at Rand's face with a strange gaze. There were some tears on the pale human cheeks, with a salty and warm breath.

Its claws could rest on Rand's shoulders now, and its two tentacles quivered slightly above its head.

"Choo Choo Choo……"

A series of low moans rolled out of the little monster's throat, and Rand had never heard such a sound from Munster before.They sound deeper and softer, reminiscent of a mother's whisper, a cat's purr, a lover's breath... a sound with a strong comforting quality.

There was still dampness on Rand's sofa, his carpet was a mess and the hallway was almost finished, but at this moment Rand hugged the little blue bastard, and there was an indescribable satisfaction in Rand's arms.

This night was so chaotic and painful, it seemed that even the light in my heart was going to be sucked away by those bad news, but this little bastard in Rand's arms gave him the sweetest "song", and it used that kind of song from beginning to end. Rand felt at peace with the intent and earnest gaze fixed on him.

He hugged Munster tighter, the wet and cold body pressed against his chest, and then Rand felt Munster very consciously resting his head on his neck, paws Picking his shoulders.

That soft voice never stopped.

About 10 minutes later, Munster moved on to something else.

It wagged its tail and nimbly slipped down from Rand's arms.At first Rand thought it was just tired of being with humans, but Munster's behavior soon dispelled his idea.

The little monster had been hooking his pants with its claws, and Rand saw white scuffs appear on his trouser legs soon.

He looked at Munster in confusion.

"what happened?"

He couldn't help asking, even though he knew there would be no response.

Munster began to gnaw on Rand's slippers with his teeth, and his barking became urgent.

Every once in a while it would let go of Rand, and then wriggled and crawled towards the corridor. Rand looked at it in confusion—and after discovering that Rand still hadn't moved, Munster had to turn back, Continue to hook his pants and bite his slippers.

After repeating this several times, Rand finally realized belatedly that Munster was trying to get him to follow it.

Rand followed in confusion, and found Munster crawling along the corridor to the door of his bedroom.Rand made sure he closed the bedroom door when he left the house, but now he saw that there was now a hole about the same diameter as Munster's under the door panel, with jagged edges and obvious claw-planing workmanship.

A sense of ominous premonition crept into Rand's heart, he stopped, and then watched Munster go in through the hole.

……

After a few seconds, it seemed to notice that Rand was not following, so it poked its head out of the hole.

"Chirp chirp!"

It stared intently at Rand, its tentacles twitched and muttered, as if urging something.

Rand stared back at the little monster at his feet.

He had a strong feeling that he wouldn't want to see what was in the door.