[ his head tilts too far left at the question, and karen's gut clenches. something is wrong, very wrong, and whether or not she knows benny well enough to be able to tell by the way he's simply looking at her, she can tell the difference in his demeanor. the too-wide smile, the flatness of his eyes. she doesn't know what it means, or what's even happening, but her thoughts do go back to the stories she's been hearing. the people doing things that aren't them.
she thinks about her own hitchhiker, back in her apartment, the way it appears behind her, tilts its head just so. thinks about that unsettled feeling that hasn't really left her since she got back.
and this- this thing looks just like benny. and kind of sounds like benny, too - the accent, at least. something that benny might have said. but the thing is, karen likes to think she has a really good sense of people. likes to think she can tell genuine charisma from creeps. benny never gave her those vibes. never made her hackles go up.
whoever this is has karen's hackles up. has her feeling off. it says better'n ever. and karen frowns as her eyes follow the napkin that falls to the floor, and then are back on him, and she suddenly sees it. the glassy eyes. the disconnected look. you're a nice girl, karen. and that's when that unsettled feeling starts to feel like panic, like alarm bells. be a real shame if somethin' happened to you.
that is panic that swells in her. she swallows.
the next step it takes towards her, she takes a step back, suddenly very aware of how it's between her and the front door. ]
Why would something happen to me, Benny? [ his name feels weird in her mouth, like sand, but she tries to keep it going. ]
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she thinks about her own hitchhiker, back in her apartment, the way it appears behind her, tilts its head just so. thinks about that unsettled feeling that hasn't really left her since she got back.
and this- this thing looks just like benny. and kind of sounds like benny, too - the accent, at least. something that benny might have said. but the thing is, karen likes to think she has a really good sense of people. likes to think she can tell genuine charisma from creeps. benny never gave her those vibes. never made her hackles go up.
whoever this is has karen's hackles up. has her feeling off. it says better'n ever. and karen frowns as her eyes follow the napkin that falls to the floor, and then are back on him, and she suddenly sees it. the glassy eyes. the disconnected look. you're a nice girl, karen. and that's when that unsettled feeling starts to feel like panic, like alarm bells. be a real shame if somethin' happened to you.
that is panic that swells in her. she swallows.
the next step it takes towards her, she takes a step back, suddenly very aware of how it's between her and the front door. ]
Why would something happen to me, Benny? [ his name feels weird in her mouth, like sand, but she tries to keep it going. ]