Chapter 45: S#8. Cloverfield (2)
by fnovelpia
Side by side with a truck.
Out the window, the hand of the driver next to me sprouted three sharp blades.
“……”
I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
The blades were gone. The driver’s hand was normal.
What were those blades I just saw? Did I imagine them?
Squinting, I scanned the truck.
The cargo area was labeled ‘Tromaville Butchery.’ It seemed to be a meat transport truck.
The driver was an ordinary-looking Black man.
His face bore no burn marks, and his teeth weren’t sharp.
I looked at his hand again. There were no blades.
If this had been the start of an incident, I would have heard a narration…
But the narrator was silent.
A hand with blades for claws, huh.
A scene from [Nightmare] flashed in my mind.
“…Nancy.”
“Why, Summer?”
“Have you heard of a movie called [Nightmare]?”
Nancy shook her head.
Maybe [Nightmare] hasn’t been released yet.
When people think of movies about dreams, they usually mention [Inception] or [Mulholland Drive].
For horror movie fans, [Last Night in Soho], [Jacob’s Ladder], and [Nightmare] might come to mind…
[Nightmare] is legendary.
The nightmares created by a maniac with a blade-gloved hand not only defined an era but also significantly influenced multiple cultural aspects.
The killers in novels, games, movies, and comics all owe a great debt to [Nightmare].
“What kind of movie is [Nightmare]?”
“It’s a masterpiece. And to me, it’s like a memory,” I said.
Nancy’s eyes shimmered distantly.
“Memories…”
Suddenly, we were at the beach.
Just looking at the cool blue sea was refreshing.
The fine sand along the coastline was scorching.
The blend of blue and golden hues was dazzling.
The beach was quite crowded.
Children built sandcastles.
Young men dove into the sea to swim, and women sunbathed or played beach volleyball.
It was a picture-perfect scene.
Nancy wore a large straw hat, reluctant to take off her clothes because she disliked getting sunburnt.
In contrast, Ellen was in a daring bikini.
It might not be right to admire a friend’s mother like this… but her figure was overwhelming.
Especially her bust, which seemed ready to burst.
I realized where Nancy got her superior genes.
They were breasts that guaranteed a mother-daughter matching rate of 99.77%.
Her skin was smooth, and her body lines were very attractive. Seductive.
She caught the gaze of everyone, regardless of age or gender.
Walking next to Ellen, I received envious and admiring looks.
I hope there’s no misunderstanding.
“Summer, aren’t you going to wear a swimsuit?”
“I’m not planning to swim. No need to…”
“Why not? Are you going to just throw away the swimsuit I bought for you?” Ellen said, pouting.
Now that I think about it, Ellen had bought me a swimsuit at the market.
I had refused, but she had chosen it herself.
Why is she insisting on dressing me in the swimsuit she picked? I’m not some Barbie doll.
“Hurry up and wear it!!”
Ellen leaned slightly forward, commanding with authority.
Her bikini-wrapped breasts bounced resiliently.
It was a typical fanservice scene you’d see in a close-up in a B-grade horror movie.
Reluctantly, I went to change into the swimsuit.
But then, in the changing room, I ran into an unexpected figure.
“Oh. It’s been a while.”
“…Officer Bob?”
Bob Bojangles.
He was eating a donut in the changing room.
It was absurd.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m on patrol.”
“In a swimsuit?”
“It’s undercover patrol,” he explained.
Bob wore a cute swimsuit adorned with baby elephants.
“Nice camouflage.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Your swimsuit is quite wild as well.”
Bob pointed to my swimsuit.
The swimsuit Ellen had bought me was emblazoned with a lion, its jaws wide open in a roar.
And, inconveniently, it was right at the center of my groin.
It was an absurdly embarrassing design, appropriate for the Serengeti plains[1], and it was tight-fitting to boot.
Is this… a widow’s taste…?
Nevertheless, I couldn’t simply disregard the gift she had given me.
Bracing myself against the embarrassment, I changed into the lion swimsuit.
No sooner had I stepped out of the changing room than I unluckily encountered a group of women.
They appeared to be in their early twenties.
All of them sported a blonde, tanned, thuggish style.
Their ears were adorned with piercings, and they wore sparkling gold bracelets and necklaces.
Their bikinis were so scanty it was hard to tell if they were wearing anything or just air.
They even had tattoos.
Upon seeing me, they suddenly licked their lips.
“Ah, there’s one!”
“Look at those muscles. He looks delicious.”
“We’ve hit the jackpot. Time for some nourishment.”
After murmuring among themselves, they approached me.
“Want to hang out with us, handsome?”
“I’m already with someone.”
“What does that matter?”
A sticky and smooth hand swiftly wrapped around my arm.
Was this the legendary reverse pick-up?
I might be hunted because of the lion on my swimsuit.
But then—
“Summer!!!”
From a distance, Nancy came running hurriedly.
I expected her to sharply reprimand the golden sun girls, but she didn’t.
Instead, Nancy pinched my side.
“What are you doing?! Are you trying to pick up girls while you’re with us?!”
“Ouch, don’t pinch me, Nancy. I didn’t do anything. They approached me.”
The golden sun girls sized up Nancy from head to toe.
“Hmm~ Girlfriend?”
One of the golden sun girls mocked.
Nancy’s shoulders twitched.
She seemed somewhat intimidated by their menacing and sinister demeanor.
However, Nancy gathered her courage and linked her arm tightly with mine.
“What are you doing to my boyfriend?!”
“What? We just invited him to hang out.”
“Shameless! You’re flirting!!”
“You’re too uptight~. Good things should be shared. That’s common sense, isn’t it?”
“Co, co, common sense…?”
“If you refuse common sense, we might just have to take him by force.”
The golden sun girl licked her lips as she eyed me.
Suddenly, Nancy’s face turned red.
“Uh… that’s somewhat tempting…”
Nancy’s voice trembled.
She seemed distressed. I quickly led her away.
One of the golden sun girls stubbornly followed us, but I knocked her back with a flick.
The sunbaked sands of the golden beach stretched out before us.
I spotted Ellen lying under a parasol.
But she wasn’t alone.
Around Ellen, there were some men standing.
They were surfers holding their boards.
They seemed like the TS version of the golden sun girls I had just encountered.
Like them, they couldn’t leave a beautiful woman alone on the beach.
Leaning on one leg, they were making unwelcome advances towards Ellen.
Ellen’s expression clearly said she wanted them to leave, but they didn’t get the hint.
“What’s the problem here?”
I approached and said.
The golden sun guys were flaunting their surfing-toned muscles.
But compared to my muscles, trained through slaughter, they were just toothpicks.
“Ah~? Who are you, big guy? Her bodyguard or something?”
Puppies unaware of a lion’s strength.
They were foolishly trying to act tough.
There was no need for a lengthy conversation.
I reached out.
I effortlessly lifted one of the guys. Without hesitation, I threw him.
Like a raccoon tossed by a gorilla, the man spun through the air.
Splash— he landed in the seawater 10 meters away.
Now it was the turn of the others.
I stepped forward.
“Next.”
“Eeeeeek…!”
The surfers scattered in complete panic.
But perhaps it was fate, as they ran right into the path of the golden sun girls.
Both groups came to an abrupt stop.
It was like opposite poles of magnets meeting.
The golden sun men and women naturally paired off.
Groups of men and women headed towards secluded spots.
Nancy looked alternately at the backs of the golden sun girls and at me, with a look of regret on her face.
Ellen spoke up with a smile.
“Thanks, Summer. You changed into the swimsuit, didn’t you?”
“Yeah… the design is a bit much.”
“Too much? It looks great on you.”
Ellen laid a beach towel on the sand and lay down.
The intense sunlight shone down on her smooth skin.
It was the beginning of a serious sunbathing session.
“All right, Summer. Now please apply the oil.”
Yes, I came here to relax. No need to get mixed up with oddities like those blonde tanning thugs.
I looked down at Ellen’s body, admiring her well-defined back muscles and prominent spinal muscles.
I tried not to stare at her hips and legs.
After taking a deep breath, I picked up the oil bottle and squeezed the sticky oil onto my palm.
Just as I reached out towards Ellen’s slender waist.
-It doesn’t come every day!!
Someone’s voice boomed out loud.
I looked towards the source of the sound.
A noisy stage had been set up in the middle of the beach.
On the stage, a host wearing an old bowler hat and a striped sweater held a microphone.
-Bride Carry Contest!!
The host announced.
Known as the ‘princess carry’ in our country, it involves lifting your partner by supporting their lower and upper body.
It’s typically something done between couples.
“Test the strength of your love! Hold your girlfriend in your arms, and whoever lasts the longest wins! The prize is a whopping 300 dollars!”
It was a contest where couples would go on stage, lift their partners, and try to hold on the longest.
Nancy and Ellen responded.
“That sounds fun.”
“Should we give it a go? With Summer, winning should be a breeze. What do you think, Summer?”
I nodded.
“That sounds good.”
300 dollars is a lot of money. I was confident in my strength.
There was no reason to turn down an opportunity to earn easy money.
As the host called for participants, couples from all over the beach swarmed to the stage like a pack of dogs.
Ellen and Nancy both stood up.
Then they each grabbed one of my arms, Ellen on my left and Nancy on my right.
They looked at each other and paused.
“What are you doing, Nancy?”
“What are you doing, Mom? Summer and I are going to compete, right?”
“Why is that?”
Ellen cocked her head, puzzled. Nancy was flustered.
“Well, because… I’m lighter than mom…!”
“What kind of logic is that, Nancy? April Fool’s Day is over. Lying gets you nowhere.”
Sparks flew between the eyes of the Strode mother and daughter.
[1. raei: located in East Africa]
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