Anamnesis

by Background Bystander

Trippy Treats

Note: This chapter was rewritten as of 2/10/21

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Sometime later, the two found themselves on the couch once more, each holding the Element-infused pastries. Their magical mystery tour was about to be underway, and here were the glistening tickets, cooked to perfection with the same rainbow aura. Louis had made sure of that, about as well as anyone could when working with scraps and a random recipe online. As for their taste, that was a subject becoming more enticing by the second as the smell was starting to suffocate Louis, “Alright-y then, we ready?” He asked, seeing Ambrose make the same observation if his scrunched-up nose was anything to go by, “Ready when you are, boss.”

“Sick, you want me to count, or would you like to do the honors?” Louis asked.

“You’re the one who made these. I think you should do it.” Ambrose replied.

“But you're the one who made this possible in the first place, I say you count.”

“No, you can, it’s not a big deal.”

“Oh please, I insist.”

“Really, you do it man.”

“No, you.”

“You do it!”

“You!”

“You!”

“Ok! How about we both do it?” Louis exclaimed, nearly in tears from the stinging smell.

“Sure, works for me,” Ambrose said quickly, holding the brownie up to his face.

One…Two…Three!

Both threw their heads back as they quickly scarfed down the brownies, leaving only a few crumbs as a reminder to their short existence. The results were something they’d never experienced, a full-frontal assault on the entire being. Underfunded defenses lay bare to their overwhelming onslaught. All the duo could do now is sit and let it flow over them.

Their bodies felt ready for a harvest, every sense plump and ripe for the picking. The drugs remained faithful to the strength of their respiratory teases; all the different flavors swirled together into tingling tendrils, roots of explosive energy inching their way deeper into the nervous system, zapping them down to their fingers and toes. It stitched through the spinal column, navigating the notches with surgical precision, causing it to twitch and turn with delight. The mind was a goner, its final rule overthrown as the drug clambered through every crack it could find. Despite the frantic nature, the ongoing effects were compassionate in their invasion, caressing the soft tissue of the organ, quelling fears harbored in the dark corners of their minds. Colors became crisper, and the sounds echoed on the eardrums, everything focusing down into an overstimulated tunnel. The world paused in pleasure, time becoming squished as every sensation merged into one.

And, for a brief, blissful moment, there was harmony.

As soon as it came, it left. Rainbow shockwaves left in its wake. Their bodies floated back down to reality, landing softly on the couch.

“That. Was. Awesome.” Louis said, body limp before jolting in an instant, “I mean, wow! I’ve never felt anything like that in my entire life!” He hugged himself, rocking back and forth ecstatically, “It feels like a whole party is going on in my body!” He laid back, a big goofy grin plastered on his face, “How was it for you?”

He turned to see Ambrose sprawled out on his side, eyes wide and unfocused. His mouth slightly ajar.

“Magical…” He muttered.

“Hmm? Couldn’t hear you, what’d you say?” Louis leaned closer to him. Ambrose blinked, focus returning, “Huh? Oh uh…” he shook his head clear, “…yeah it was pretty good. Looks like that girl knew what she was doing after all.”

“I’ll say, if that was just the appetizer, I can’t wait to see what’s next.” He got up, grabbing his record player and a handful of ol’ reliables, “Let’s hope she stays in town, got a feeling me and her will be meeting very soon.”

“You look like you’d be a regular customer.” Ambrose chuckled, watching Louis fiddle with the player.

“Alright Amby, now that our tickets have been punched,” He set a vinyl in place, the needle hanging above its designated position, “It’s time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride!” And with that, he dropped the needle, allowing the elements to take them away on a trip they’ll never forget.

---

Perhaps they should’ve filled up on gas first, as a couple of hours had past and they’d gone absolutely nowhere. Sitting on the couch, watching the records spin. Nothing.

“Ambrose?” Louis turned to him once more.

“Yeah?” He responded with a dejected look in his eye.

“You uhh…feeling anything yet?”

Ambrose looked him up and down, then to his own body, “No.”

Louis sighed as he hung his head, his face hidden by his hair. He scowled as pangs of depression, disappointment, and disdain went through his head, all of those fantastic highs had long since passed.

Now, all he was left with was the crushing truth: they’d been taken for fools, and they played right into her game.

No way she just gave Ambrose those things for free, she must’ve stolen something when he was distracted; maybe marked his car for potential pilfering in the future, perhaps come to the house when they were both out and clean it out for giggles. It all seemed too good, too convenient, to be true that these would work.

“Lou?”

“Huh?! What?” He shot up, face now visible to his curious companion.

“Do you think…maybe we’ve built up a tolerance to this junk, and that’s why we can’t feel anything?”

He would’ve laughed at the thought if their situation wasn’t so dismal, “No, I don’t think that’s the case. I think…we just got conned, that’s all.”

Ambrose looked away in shame will a quiet “fuck,” passing between his lips.

Louis’s teeth ground, churning away at the storm brewing within at seeing Ambrose in his current condition, Fuck you, Nicole. You best pray I don’t find you because when I do, it’s gonna be hell to pay, you bitch! He exhaled angrily, and now I gotta say something on your behalf. Apologizing is a good place to start.

“Ambrose, I’m really…I’m…I- “

Suddenly, his stomach began to violently twist and turn, with an accompanying sensation clogging his esophagus.

“What?” Ambrose said with a concerned, but mostly confused look on his face.

“I uh…I-homph!”

Louis put a hand to his mouth, his skin turning a sickly green as the queasiness continued to rise. He shot up from the couch and sped towards the bathroom, the sound of laughter could be heard from behind, “Ha! Knew you should’ve waited, have fun in there!”

He was pleasantly relieved that Ambrose could get some enjoyment out of the night, even if it was at his own expense.

Louis couldn’t hold it in much longer; he practically collapsed in front of the toilet as he emptied his stomach with incredible force. What followed was a couple of minutes, but it felt like an eternity, of the most violent vomiting he ever had to endure; almost as if everything he had ever eaten, drank or ingested had returned to his digestive system, only to now be rejected in the sludge spewing from his mouth. The spray became a stream, and the stream became a waterfall, bits of brownie blasting into the bowl. He wouldn’t be surprised if he started spitting up vital organs, imagining his intestines coming out of his mouth like a magician’s coil.

Then, the overwhelming sensation has ceased. Louis knelt, gasping for breath as he tried to regain composure. His whole body was still on the fritz, shaking and stuttering when he finally got to his feet. “O-o-oh fuck…not again…” He groaned, looking down at the chunky shrapnel from his explosive ejection, traces of the Elements could be seen lining the small, disgusting pond.

So much for harmony, he thought to himself, must’ve been whatever those things were made of, or the mix I used was out of date. Whatever, that will be resolved later. For now, he was going to clean up and deal with Ambrose. Wouldn't be surprised if things went sideways for him as well. He sauntered over to the sink to wash his face, splashing the water a few times before toweling off, checking the mirror for any pieces still left dangling.

Shit, missed a spot. A small chunk on his right cheek.

He wet the towel and rubbed the spot with a little more force, hoping now it would get the message it’d overstayed its welcome. Except, it wouldn’t go away. He might’ve said it had gotten bigger.

“Get off, will ya?” Louis rubbed the spot vigorously. One again it remained, much bigger than before. “Oh what the fuck, it just rubbing it in now!” He exclaimed, his annoyance rapidly building. He put his hand up to wipe it off until he felt something that stopped him in his tracks.

Fur.

His brain stopped working for a moment, as his finger unconsciously stroked the patch. The tip went deep to the roots, feeling its soft, smooth texture. “What the…what is this?” He asked his reflection; its eyes widening a bit with concern. Then, his whole face began to itch, as if the very skin was causing a rash to his skull. “Gah, what is wrong with me?” As he began to scratch the other cheek.

He was answered with his skin peeling off on his fingers, revealing more of the cream fur as before. His pupils went wide as he looked down into the sink. Instead of seeing water droplets and soap suds, chunks of skin beginning to pile.

“Jesus!” Louis screamed, jumping back from the sink, “W-what’s going on here? My f-face is-“ His panic was cut short as his situation finally struck him. Those Elements weren’t duds. It appears that they had quite the delayed fuse on them; all that sitting on the couch moping had allowed those little fuckers to dissolve and make their way through his system, however much of them was still in his body. No doubt about it: he was tripping. Bad.

“O-o-ok, so it’s not really real, that’s good. It's finally going into effect, everything’s gonna be fine. Besides, this isn’t your first experience that’s started sour.” Louis chuckled, rubbing his cheeks. It was almost like petting a fluffy dog or something, except all he was doing was smushing his face like an idiot. He wondered what Ambrose would think if he walked in on him at the moment.

Suddenly, that itchy feeling came over him again, and hard. Keeping a calm composure was almost impossible, as the irritation started to overwhelm his body. His hands, almost subconsciously, began to move their way upwards, desperate to relieve him of this terrible feeling. He fought it down; the last thing he needed was to start scratching up his face like a fleshy cat post. Not that it was getting any easier, he began to sweat as he continued to resist the urges, his body contorting and spasming as the fiery feeling continued to surge. The pressure was deafening, his skull on the verge of shattering as he closed his eyes, his hands had a white-knuckle grip on the sink. “It’s not really…there.” He whispered, hoping his body would be calmed by these sweet little nothings slowly seeping into his ears.

Instead, it acted like kerosene, igniting the rest of his body with the burning sensations as it crawled its way down his skin. He was being cooked to a crisp, his hair attempting to be a makeshift cooling towel, damp and dripping. Even the fur on his face became wet with bolts of sweat running from his forehead.

He tried as hard as he could to fight, yet the mental exhaustion was becoming too much to bear. He had to give in. He opened his eyes to find his hands had already moved themselves back to his face, feeling the grimy fingers gripping at his cheekbones.

As he stared into the reflection’s panicked gaze, only one thought crossed his mind.

So…fucking…ITCHY!