It was a simple direction yet strange. Now that he was awake, he was to get a weapon, but was only instructed to go down the steps and to go to the weapon that called to him. He assumed, wrongly as he would soon find out, that he would step into a room much like a mob boss's stash, lined to the brim with every make and model of gun, crossbow, and knife that he could strap on his back, legs, and waist. Images of stepping out as a skinnier Rambo came to mind, and he was intimidated by carrying that much on him, let alone if he was comfortable enough without knowing if all the safeties were on.

Still, the technician only gestured for him to go, not holding his hand or giving him a brief description of weapons as he paroozed the gallery of death, and he was left alone to walk down the steps. It was dark, briefly lit up by the soft glow of even more of the strange blue lights that he had woken up to. Symbols that made him think of alien languages, and he felt excited at seeing them. It was all surreal, but like any movie buff of the genre, he was in a wonderland.

However, when he came into the room, it did not hold rows of shotgun, handgun, taser gun, and every blade known to man. The prospect of strapping on a belt of grenades did make him breath out in relief, but he was then left with confused at the rows upon rows of stones.

"Um....there are no weapons here." He called up the steps, but when no one called back or came down, he was left looking around. "Hello?" He called up, but again, no answer. Then, faint whispering. "Um...what did you say?"

There it was again, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he turned around. It was in here. The strange glow of the lights and the fact it was dark did everything to bring up warning bells in him. His entire life was spent selecting where he went based on how dark it was and if he was with company or not.

"Hello? Is someone here?" He asked, slowly walking around and then wincing as he recalled what he just said. It was classic horror movie, and he was the dumb a** blonde who was going to get shanked by a rusted machette. "I can' believe I said that." He whispered, talking to himself as he looked around. The whispering was as if someone was talking, but his phone was dead since he woke up. At least it wasn't little kids laughing. Then the horror jibbies would have sent him racing up the stairs.

Instead, he was left looking at the stones. Each one was different, etched with designs, and it did give the sense he was standing in a room of alien hieroglyphics.

With nothing else to hear, the room was silent for the sound of whispering, and moving, he managed to stop before a few tablets. Turning his ear, he then knelt down, and then rose up on the tips of his shoes, before he knelt back down, looking at a tablet on the lowest row.

It was talking.

He knew movies. He shouldn't be touching this, but he was told to. Maybe he was in a cult and was going to have his soul sucked out by these stones?

"I hope not." He whispered, and reached out.

A tingling crawled in the back of his mind.

It's about time you picked me up.


He eeped - like a little girl. "Who... Who's there?!" He called, looking around as he held the stone a moment and turned around. Nothing. OMG there were ghosts here!

I'm not a ghost. I'm a monster, and I'm in this tablet. I've been waiting for you.

His eyes went down the stone in his hands, and it started shift before it warped in his hands. The slate gray turned to red, and thinned out to a slender gun.

"It's a gun." Duh it was a gun, even if it was weird looking. A super soaker?

I'm Saliva. I've been calling for you. I picked you.

"Picked me. A monster picked me. Are you like.....a demon?" Oh please, he didn't want to be in a cult.

NO! I'm not a demon! I'm better. I'm a Mongolian Death Worm, and we'll be working together.

"You're a....worm?"

Yes.

Melvin set the gun on the shelf and walked away.

Come back here! You belong to me now!

Melvin was picking up another tablet, shaking it to wake up. "I don't want a worm. I'm going to pick another one."

You can't! I picked you. That means you can't have another partner! You belong to me. This is how this thing works! Stop shaking that stone! It's not going to be yours. You already have me now. We're bonded!

"Eh? I don't want to be bonded to a worm!" He set the stone back, walking back over. "I want another. How about you let me pick another. I can't work with a worm."

Too late. You can walk all around here. Now that I picked you, no other weapon will wake up.

"That's completely unfair! I should have some say in this!"

He was talking to a gun. A worm gun. This was crazy! It was in HIS HEAD!!!

You can stay here for days. Nothing will change. I can wait. I've been here for forever. So how about you just pick me up and walk upstairs.

Groaning, he picked up the gun and stood up, before it shifted into a pen. "Wait, now I have a pen for a weapon? Can you change into something better? Like a lazer gun?" Something with pulse blast technology!

Noooo! This is just a form I take to make it better on you. Portable.

"Aww. This is lame as hell." He whined, walked up the steps.

It's great to meet you too. Saliva was wondering about trading now too.