Chîn Script #1 (Patreon)

Note: This is an older version of the chapter.

I'm still hooked on this story so I though I'd share some of it.
Note- it's still a work in progress so some things may change later on but the first few chapters are pretty solid.
This story does have some romance elements but is largely supernatural horror
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Studio apartment. Charlie in his bed asleep, body and left shoulder covered by the blanket.
The alarm on his bedside table goes off with several loud beeps (11am). and he wakes suddenly with a snort. He stares dazed in sleep inertia for a moment.
He reaches over with his right arm, pressing the off button on the clock. He rubs his face with his hand for a moment and stares blankly before dropping his head back onto the pillow.
His phone buzzes on the nightstand a few times. He opens his eyes again and after a moment he reaches his right arm over and pulls the phone to him to see the message ['Nora': We need to talk.]
He places the phone screen down on the bed and lays there for a moment. He grumbles and sits up, the blanket falling off his body, his left arm absent from the deltoid down where a second black band marks.
He sighs and stands up, walking past his kitchenette turning on a coffee pot on his way to the bathroom
-
The coffee pot brewing. Charlie returns to grab it and pour it into a cup. Face still tired but top half of his hair tied into a messy bun and wearing day clothes and a hoodie with the left arm tied off.
-
View shoes under his bed, he steps over, banded bare feet in view he reaches for the shoes.
-
Sitting on his bed putting final socked foot into the shoe and standing while grabbing his phone. 

-
Charlie on a bus, standing and holding onto the handgrab. A few white women sitting a few seats behind him glance, stare, and mutter to each other.
Woman A, shoulder turned away from Charlie, pointing towards her own face with confusion while subtly motioning her head in his direction.
Woman B, older, wearing a small silver cross and holding a handbag, contempt, mutters under her breath: 'It must be their religion.'
Charlie glances over his shoulder at them, the younger lady quickly looking away, he then looks forward, unamused.

-
Charlie walks into a small hole in the wall diner. A lanky man sitting at the table by the entrance (Hyphae) looks up from their newspaper.
Hyphae: 'Hello, Charlie.'
Charlie returns the greeting with a warm smile and a wave: 'Hey, Hyphae.'
He walks up to the bar and sits down.
The stocky older waitress steps over to him: "Morning Charlie, what will it be?"
Charlie: "Just pancakes, thanks."
She steps away: 'As usual.'
View past the waitress as she steps to the kitchenette, Nora steps out of the diner's back office. He looks up to her and she motions for him, sitting at the other table in the diner. Charlie stands and follows her, sitting across from her.
Charlie: You wanted to see me?
The waitress steps up, setting a coffee in front of both of them.
Nora: I need you to assist Basit with a job.
Charlie fills his cup with several packs of sugar.
Charlie light hearted smile: Is my tab here out already?
Nora: Almost, but don't worry about that. Just go with her. We can discuss more afterwards. 

-
Charlie walks down the street, passing a flower shop with a 'grand opening' sign, a man with a priest's color in a florist apron spots him and watches him pass by before turning his attention back to a customer.
Charlie turns a corner, a black cat walks up to his side.
Cat: 'Hello, Charlie'
Charlie looks down.
Cat: 'She's not at home.'
Charlie stops and gives the cat his full attention..
Cat: 'Brook street, alley beside the pawn shop.'
Charlie: 'Thanks.'
The cat walks off.

-
Charlie walks up to the alley entrance, the sound of hitting as he turns the corner. Basit over a man punching him repeatedly.
Charlie: 'What are you doing?'
Basit stops to look over her shoulder to him, her right side of her face and body covered in a burn scar.. She drops the bloodied man by the collar and stands.
Basit stands, proud and dominant: 'Teaching this asshole a lesson.'
Basit walks over to Charlie, the man groaning as the two leave the alley.
Charlie: 'Nora said you needed my help.'
Basit: 'Yea, there's something killing humans-'
Charlie half grin: 'That isn't you?'
Basit side smirk: 'It's reckless and has gotten to the point Nora is struggling to keep the human's authorities out of it. She's pinpointed where its hide out probably is. We are going to find it.'
Charlie: 'And then what? Ask it nicely to stop?'
Basit: 'Yea, as nicely as I asked that man back there to stop grabbing peoples ass.'
Charlie: 'Well, I throw a weak punch, so I'll just do the asking.'
Basit chuckles. 

-
City industrial, the two walk up to a massive storm drain.
Charlie nervous: 'In here? Really?'
Basit ignores him walking on ahead. He sighs, beginning to follow.
Charlie: 'The shit I do for some free pancakes.'
Both further into the tunnels.
Charlie: 'Why am I even here? I'm useless in a fight.'
Basit: 'Really? That's surprising. Maybe she just wants you to be my backup. Make sure I don't get killed or anything.' She snorts.
Charlie: 'How would I stop that? And it's not like you're easy to kill.'
Basit: 'Easier than some other abnormals.'
Charlie: 'Hardly. What the hell could kill any abnormal with ease?'
Basit: "An Aul could'
Charlie skeptical: 'Aul? You mean that abnormal's version of a boogeyman story?'
A large and low shadow crosses behind them. 
Basit: 'it's not a story. I've seen one.'
Charlie: 'oh good. Then the chance of us finding one is lower.'
Basit: 'That's not how probability works.'
They pass in front of a dark tunnel.
Charlie stops, nervous: 'Did you hear that?'
The two stare at the tunnel, stanced.
After a moment a few rats rush out squeaking and running past their feet. Charlie jumps and yelps, Basit laughing. Realising they're rats he takes a breath and puts his hand over his chest.
Basit still amused: 'What's got you so jumpy?'
Charlie: 'Hey, I'm not used to all this shit!'
They continue.
Basit: 'Sewers and rats?'
Charlie: 'That too. No like, vorein, kindred, those fucking water creatures, abnormals. All of it.'
Basit raised brow: 'How are you not used to your own kind?'
Charlie: 'I wasn't always like this.'
Basit: 'Yea? What were you before then?'
The two jump down where another deeper tunnel meets.
Charlie: 'Human, once.'
Basit suspicion: 'Are you trying to pull my leg?'
Charlie: 'No.'
Basit: 'Humans don't become an abnormal. And you're not Hyphae. '
The large canine shaped shadow watches them from a tunnel.
Charlie: 'Yea? Well, guess there's a first time for everything.'
A while later deeper into the tunnels.
Basit: 'Okay, so assuming you're not full of shit, how did you become one of us?'
Charlie gets uncomfortable and keeps his eyes down: 'I, uh .. don't really remember.'
Basit disbelief: 'Uh huh.'
The two enter another tunnel.
Basit: 'What was it like as a human then?'
Charlie: 'That's hard to remember too. Different but the same mostly. Minus the monsters and dead humans and- Actually… No, it's the same.'
Basit: 'Right. Do you really expect me to bel-'
The shadow lunges from the side, Basit ducking, dodging it. The Vorein's maws land on Charlie's arm, biting down on it. Charlie screams in pain, both falling over an edge and into a deeper open space.

The vorein pulls Charlie's arm off and tosses it to the side before turning back to his face, mouth open- A long appendage of muscle and bone pierces the voreins skull. Killing it.
Wide view of Basit at a distance her arm formed into the appendage extended 20~ ft. The appendage throws the vorein's body to the side.
The appendage contracts back, reforming her arm.
Basit casually: 'Just a mad vorein. Well that's much easier to deal with.'
Charlie rolls over in pain, Basit walks towards him.
Basit kneels down beside charlie: 'you alright?'
Charlies face tense and teared up.
Charlie: 'My arm… please.'
Basit looks up to the arm a few feet away. She stands up, walks over, and picks it up, it's bloodied and ripped from the teeth but the separated point is black and smooth. She brings it back over to him. She looks from him to the arm with mild confusion. She holds up the arm to him and it snaps back into place. She leans back, Charlie lifting and flexing his hand before holding it against his chest.
Basit: 'Huh. It just snaps right back on, like a magnet huh?'
He pushes himself up with his arm: 'Yea…'
Basit walks away, Charlie lagging behind to shake off the torn jacket sleeve.

-
The two walking the tunnels back.
Charlie staring down at the ground (Red static), one panel view of his feet bare and dirty walking in front of him.
Basit looks back, over to Charlie whose face is still twisted in pain, eyes teary and looking down. She looks to his arm, bloodied but healed, no wounds.
Basit: 'Does it hurt?'
Charlie snaps out of it: 'Not anymore…'
Basit lags to walk beside him: 'Then why do you look like you're still in pain?'
Charlie: …'I don't like being in pieces.'
Basit: 'does it hurt for it to disconnect like that?'
Charlie: 'No. It's just…'
He pauses, Basit focused on him, listening as they walk for a while.
Charlie: 'It makes me feel more broken than I already am.' Basit empathetic.
The two exit the tunnels. 

-
They stand at a bus stop.
Charlie: 'Why does Nora involve me in this shit? I'm practically useless."
Basit: "You're not. But maybe she's just trying to get you 'used to all this shit.''
She smiles and charlie sighs. 

- Late noon
Charlie enters the diner, tired and not smiling.
Hyphae: 'Hello, Charlie.'
Charlie: 'Hey.'
Hyphae: 'She's in her office.'
-
Charlie knocks immediately before entering Nora's office. She sits at her desk staring at a small stack of half a dozen parchments in her hand and a small box aside on the desk.
Charlie: 'So where is my tab at now?'
Nora half smiles: 'You know I don't actually keep up with that, Charlie.'
He sits in the chair in front of her desk.
She looks up: 'Well? What did you find?'
Charlie: 'A mad vorein.'
Nora: 'That's all? You found nothing else?'
Charlie: 'No, where we supposed to?'
Nora leaning forward: 'Did you know the vorein, recognised it?'
Charlie's eyes narrow: 'Oh yea, we're old college buddies. We played ball before Basit killed it. No. I didn't know it. What's this about, Nora?'
She sighs, frustrated: 'It was a long shot but I hoped it was involved. Whatever, that's one issue out of the way. I just wanted to get more information before I brought this to your attention.'
She hands him the stack of papers.
Nor: 'Do you know anything about this?'
View the papers  (Writing to be written later)
Charlie: 'This is just a bunch of religious gibberish word salad. What does this have to do with me-'
His eyes land on a symbol stamped at the bottom corner, he stares at it.
(Red static) View a blade with the symbol stamped onto it.
Nora: 'Each came in a package addressed to the same name.'
She pauses, Charlie still staring.
Nora hesitates: 'Your old name.'
In clear view, Nora: 'But they were all sent to other people's location. All abnormals.'
He tosses the papers down and stands up.
Charlie: 'If that's all then I'm going home.'
Nora speaks up to stop him: 'Along with one of these'
She pushes the box towards him.
He pauses and steps over and opens the package, #6 of his own disconnected finger parts sit inside.
Nora serious: 'Each abnormal was sent a package, addressed to you, continuing one of those letters and one of those pieces. Some of these people only I should know the identity of.'
Charlie shuts the box and picks it up, putting it under his arm and leaving the office.
Nora upset: 'Where are you going?'
She gets up to follow him, Hyphae looking up and watching them.
Charlie: 'Home.'
Nora: 'Charlie my people are being targeted, you are being targeted. If you know something-'
Charlie snaps: 'I don't know anything.'
He leaves the diner. Nora stands frustrated and concerned, she turns to Hyphae.
Nora: 'Watch over him.'
They nod and then pull their paper back up in front of their face.

-
Charlie walks down the street, the black cat from before lounging nearby, watching him pass.
A black truck parked across the road.
Charlie's pocket beeps and he pulls out his phone, reading the text.
[Daniel: meet @ park when nora done w u]

- Evening
In a large park, an isolated ball court.
Daniel dribbles a basketball, his head and shoulders are made of dense contained flames. He is covered in tattoos from his neck and chest down both arms. He bounces the basketball around practicing and throwing it, making the shots easily.
Charlie walks up: 'Nora's gonna be pissed if she knows you're out in public unmasked.'
Daniel's flames extinguish showing a human face: 'I don't know how she and Basit manage it all the time. Especially Basit.' He throws another.
Charlie: 'Yea, Nora never unmasks. Basit does pretty often though, she was when I first met her.'
Daniel: 'She was probably still half masked.'
Charlie: 'No. There wasn't anything masked about that.'
Daniel looks over head tilted and smirking: 'Was she the size of a building?'
Charlie stares silent.
Daniel looks back to the hoop making a shot: 'Then she was still masked.'
Charlie sweats: 'Damn.'
-
Full night, Charlie and Daniel sitting on a bench, Charlie smoking and huddled up as if cold, Daniel still in sports shorts and shirt unfazed, a backpack sitting beside him on the ground.
Daniel: 'You alright, man?'
Charlie looks over raised brows: 'Yea?'
Daniel: 'You just seem… less chipper today.'
Charlie sighs: 'It's been a long day.'
Daniel: 'Talked with Nora?'
Charlie: 'Yea.'
Daniel looks at the package sitting on the bench beside Charlie.
Daniel: 'She told you about those weird ass letters'n shit?'
Charlie: …'you know about that too?'
Daniel: 'Yup.'
He leans over and pulls the backpack to open it.
Daniel: 'I got one too.'
Charlie looks over, concerned and nervous.
Daniel holds up the package to him.
Daniel: 'I haven't opened it. Figured I shouldn't if it's yours.'
Charlie takes it, brows furrowed. He stares at the name on it for a moment. 'To: Boonruang Chîn'
Daniel: 'I didn't realise what it was until Nora asked me about them. I didn't tell her I received one. Don't need to worry her any more than she is.'
Charlie opens it, another letter folded up, the symbols visible, with another finger part.
Daniel looks over to Charlie, who looks deeply uncomfortable as he puts the contents in the first box.
Daniel: 'Do you know who's sending them?'
Charlie sharp: 'No.'
Daniel pauses for a moment.
Daniel: 'I'm worried about you man. Whoever it is- this shit isnt normal, even for us.'
Charlie stands up: 'I'm going home.'
Daniel, concerned, watches him leave.
Charlie: 'See you later, Daniel.'
Daniel: 'See yah…'

-
Charlie walks down the street, he pauses, looking up at a bar. He thinks for a moment then walks inside, sitting down at the bar.