Timmy rolled over in bed, glancing at his alarm clock. Usually by now, he would either be rushing to class, or working in his uncle's cafe. But today was different. It was one of those rare days where neither obligation hindered him, and he found himself with one question.
What would he do today?
Several ideas quickly came to mind. Movies, shopping, arcade. These were all quickly squashed as he checked his wallet, remembering he had already spent his last paycheck. A bag lay at the foot of his bed with several video games still in their plastic wrapper, along with an unopened bottle of tequila, and a brand-new pair of Rad Raspberry sandals.
So, no money, but it was too nice a day to just sit around his apartment. What was there to do that did not require any money?
The beach! Of course! His student ID let him ride the train for free, so reaching the beach was easy. He rummaged through his closet, finding a yellow tank top and a pair of green shorts to wear before picking up the new flip flops he had gotten.
``Timmmmmmyyyyyy...''
``Oh no, not this...'' Timmy sighed as he tried to focus on removing the flip flops from the plastic bindings.
``Yes this'' the sinister voice snapped in his head. ``Surely you haven't forgotten about me...''
``No, just trying to enjoy my day off,'' said Timmy, discarding the plastic bindings.
``Well, what better way to spend a day off then crime fighting?''
``Crime fighting is my night job,'' said Timmy.
``Day? Night? What's the difference? You have a job to do...''
A tingling sensation began to run up his spine, slowly creeping up his body. An exciting feeling, one he had become all too familiar with.
``Gah! Knock it off!'' Timmy shouted, shaking the feeling away.
``WHAT? Since when do you deny me?!''
``Look, every time you take over my body, I always wake up the next day feeling like crap,'' said Timmy. ``Not to mention all the stuff I've found shoved up my ass. Right now, I just want one day where I can just be me. So could you just piss off today?''
``...Fine, you won't hear from he again today... heh...''
``Thank you...'' Timmy sighed, dropping the flip flops to the floor and letting his toes slide into them. Today was just going to be relaxing. Nothing more.
Grabbing his wallet and phone, Timmy finally left his apartment, walking down the stairs and out onto the streets of Random City. The sidewalks we're mostly empty, but the streets were filled with cars stuck in traffic. Most likely people on their way to work. The train station was only a few blocks from his apartment building. His flip flops lazily slapped against his heels as he walked, a slight breeze rustling through his fur.
The train station was quiet, the morning rush having subsided. Timmy ran his wallet over the sensor, his ID letting him through the turnstile. As he placed his wallet back in his pocket, Timmy heard something hit the ground next to him. He looked down and saw his wallet had fallen right out of his pocket. Timmy grumbled as he knelt down to pick it up, only for his phone to fall to the ground as well.
It didn't take long to spot the problem. The pockets on his shorts were incredibly shallow due to their short length. Timmy had to position them so they wouldn't fall out as he made his way to the train.
Timmy settled into a seat and buried his face in his phone as the train finished boarding and pulled out of the station. The sights of Random City soon faded away outside the windows, replaced with thick foliage. Timmy had become engrossed in playing the Tall Hero on his phone when he started glancing around at the other passengers. He expected to see others looking like they were beach bound, or at least people dressed down. Instead, people were bundled up in coats, and several of them carrying umbrellas. It was weird, but Timmy just pushed the thought out of his mind and went back to his game.
At long last, the train rolled to a stop at the oceanside station. Timmy slid his phone back into his pocket and turned to look out the window. His short stubby tail gave an excited wiggle at the sight of a pristine, open, and uncrowded beach. Springing out of his seat, he bolted for the door, failing to notice that none of the remaining passengers were getting off at this stop. One step outside the train, and a lot of things started to click for Timmy.
It was really fucking cold!
Timmy's teeth quickly started chattering as he wrapped his arms around his torso. A glance at a nearby screen stated the temperature was 39?F. How had it been so warm in the city, but so could out here?
What should he do? He briefly considered getting back on the train back into the city, but that would make this whole trip a waste of time. No! He was determined to enjoy himself at the beach today. Psyching himself up, Timmy pushed himself to move towards the turnstile and exit into the frigid air.
The sky was an ominous dark gray as Timmy descended the steps of the station onto the beach. He kicked his flip flops off into the sand, picking them up so he could walk barefoot. At least the sand was pleasant underfoot. Once he found a nice spot, he sat himself down, determined to enjoy himself.
``There, see?'' Timmy said to no one in particular. ``This is nice.''
Almost as if it were a response, the sky let out a low rumble. Timmy glanced up and was met with a water droplet hitting him right in the nose.
``Uh-oh...'' Timmy quickly jumped to his feet, trying to get them back into his flip flops, but only managed to trip over them, faceplanting himself into the sand. Untangling his legs, Timmy finally managed to get his flip flops on and start running as best as he could back to the train station. He was halfway up the stairs when an errant step knocked a sandal from his foot, sending it tumbling all the way down to the bottom.
``Oh, come on...'' Timmy groaned as he went back down to retrieve it. He could feel more water droplets sticking to his fur and clothes as he closed his toes around the thong, gripping it tight as he made another attempt at the stairs.
Finally, he was back under the shelter of the train station. He reached his hand into his pocket to retrieve his wallet, but it was empty. Timmy let out a nervous bleat as he turned the pocket inside out. He checked his other pocket. No wallet, and no phone either! How was this possible?
Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. When he'd jumped out of his seat on the train, they must've fallen out. To rub salt in the wound, Timmy looked up to see the train he had arrived on departing.
``No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!'' Timmy screamed as he attempted to run after it, but he was stopped by a brick wall and an iron fence. He slammed his fists against the wall in frustration before grabbing his ears and trying to think of what to do next. The easiest solution would be to call Jules or his uncle to help him out, but that was difficult without a phone. Even if he got ahold of someone else's phone, he had never memorized any numbers, instead relying in contact names.
The next idea was to wait for the next train back to Random City, but without his ID or money to buy a ticket, this was impossible. It also ruled out taking a bus or a cab. He glanced at the turnstile, noticing he was slightly taller than it. Easy enough to jump over, but his superhero code of ethics wouldn't allow it. Not to mention the one lone cop wandering around in the station, who looked like he would love to tackle a fare jumper to end his boredom.
Wait a minute, how had he forgotten he was a superhero? Timmy Hepper might be stranded, but the Imp certainly wasn't! With his superior acrobatic skills, he could catch the train and recover his lost valuables.
Timmy felt a lot more confident as he took the best dramatic pose he could. ``When evil rears its ugly head, and when things are at their lowest, the downtrodden have but one source of light, and its name is...'' Wait for the pose... ``THE IMP!!!''
There was an awkward pause, but nothing happened. Timmy's eyes darted around before looking down at himself. ``Um... ahem! And its name is... The Imp!''
Still nothing. The cop was starting to give him dirty looks.
``The... Imp...''
Not even as much as a crackle or fizzle.
``Imp?'' Timmy gave his head a few knocks. ``Hey! You awake? I need you!''
``Oh! now you need me?'' The voice from inside his head finally answered.
``Yes!'' Timmy snapped. ``A certain goat has lost his wallet and phone, and he needs a superhero to retrieve them. So, take my body and do your thing!''
``Eh... no thanks...''
``No thanks?'' Timmy was stunned. "You can't just say no!''
``Of course I can!'' The Imp responded. ``You said no to me earlier.''
``That was different...'' Timmy folded his arms.
``I'm taking your advice and giving myself a much-needed day off,'' said the Imp. ``Have fun with your thing!''
``Wait! No! You can't do this to me!'' Timmy pleaded, but the Imp had gone silent. ``Grrr... if you can't trust the demon inside your head, who can you trust?''
Timmy's heart sank as he glanced outside. The rain had picked up, and it didn't look like it would be slowing down any time soon. Standing around the train station wouldn't get him anywhere. The best thing he could hope for was some business nearby would let him use the phone, and he could look up the number for his uncle's cafe somehow.
With a deep sigh, Timmy stepped out into the rain, this time taking the path towards the parking lot. His clothing and fur were quickly soaked before he even made it to the street. Another rumble of thunder could be heard overhead as Timmy glanced around. There were only small apartment buildings. He briefly considered the idea of buzzing random apartments to see if anyone would answer, but he pushed it aside as he began to trudge along the sidewalk.
Time passed as Timmy's flip flops, now soaked, slapped against his heels with each step. He had put a good distance between himself and the train station, but no businesses he could try to use a phone at. Just empty streets lined with trees. Only a few cars passed him by. Timmy tried sticking his thumb out a couple times to see if anyone would give him a ride, but he only got a few annoyed honks.
The road dragged on as Timmy continued his march. His feet were starting to hurt. Flip flops did not make good hiking shoes. He wore them all the time, but usually relied on public transportation. The thin plastic soles and rubber thongs between his toes were starting to take a toll. Timmy briefly considered going barefoot, but the asphalt would probably be even worse.
The road before him started to feel endless. Timmy wanted to give up until he saw lights in the distance. It was a gas station with a convenience store attached. His spirits quickly lifted as he picked up the pace as best as he could in his flip flops. He practically threw himself through the door once he reached it, panting to catch his breath as the warm air touched his fur.
``Hey kid! Get outta here!''
Timmy looked up to see the clerk behind the register giving him a dirty look. ``Huh? Why?''
``I can't have homeless people loitering in here,'' the clerk replied.
Timmy let out a small sigh. Did he look that much like a vagabond? ``I'm not homeless...''
``Then why are you dressed like that?'' the clerk asked.
``I just need to use the phone,'' said Timmy.
``We don't have a public phone in here,'' said the clerk.
``Do you have a phone on you?'' Timmy asked.
``None of your business,'' the clerk simply turned his nose up at him.
``Oh, come on...'' Timmy whined. ``I just need to call my uncle to give me a ride.''
``Not my problem,'' said the clerk. ``Now unless you plan to buy something, you can leave.''
Timmy gave him an angry look. ``Oh yeah? What if I don't?''
The clerk paused for a moment before locking eyes with Timmy as he reached under the counter and producing a large baseball bat.
``Right... I'll be going then,'' said Timmy as he quickly backed out the door into the rain. He looked up to the sky, hoping it would let up, but it only seemed to come down harder.
Managing to drag himself out of sight of the clerk staring at him out the window, Timmy collapsed onto the curb, staring down at his feet. He slid his sandals off as he clutched his battered feet in his hands. Now what was he supposed to do? He'd had one idea, and now it was a bust.
``Hey! No loitering!''
Timmy nearly jumped out of his fur as the clerk poked his head out the door and shouted at him. He sprinted across the parking lot, finally stopping at the sidewalk trying to catch his breath.
``Man... gimme a break...'' Timmy panted. He dropped his flip flops on the ground and slid his toes back into them, letting out a deep sigh. He had no other choice but to keep going. Maybe somehow, he could walk all the way home? It sounded insane, but maybe not impossible. And he had no better ideas.
With a small whimper, Timmy forced himself to start walking again. There was nothing else along the road for him to take shelter in.
``Damnit... what did I do to deserve this?'' Timmy whined. Things like this weren't supposed to happen to him. He was one of the good guys.
The rain wasn't letting up at all. Timmy began to wonder how wet a person could get. His clothing and fur were already soaked through. Would it soak through his skin eventually? And what was underneath that?
A loud honk broke his train of thought as a car sped by him. Timmy shot backwards as he put his arms up, getting sprayed right in the face with a torrent of water. He felt his thigh bump against the guard rail, preventing him from tumbling down the hill on the side of the road.
``Yeah thanks!'' Timmy shouted as he regained his balance, ``Not like I'm not already wet enough!'' he raised his fist and fruitlessly shouted at the car.
Suddenly, a loud horn rang through his entire body. Half stunned, Timmy turned his head to see a huge semi-trailer barreling right towards him, blaring his horn. Timmy let out a shriek and threw himself backwards, falling over the guard rail and rolling down the hill, coming to a stop by slamming into a tree.
``Owww...'' Timmy was in a dazed state from his head hitting the tree. It took his eyes a few moments to re-focus. He had fallen through the tree line to the bottom of a hill. He could still see the road at the top. Eventually his eyes fell towards his feet, noticing his flip flops had flown off.
``Oh man...'' Timmy whined as he pushed himself to his feet. He quickly scanned the ground, trying to locate his wayward sandals, but finding nothing but damp grass and dirt. His gaze eventually turned upwards, spotting an obvious red piece of plastic hanging from a branch.
``Great...'' Timmy moaned as he tried to reach for it, but it was too high up. He tried to jump for it, but his fingers couldn't even touch the errant sandal. Several attempts with no luck, Timmy's foot suddenly came down on a sharp stone hidden in the grass.
``OWWWW!!!'' Timmy yelped as he clutched his foot, falling back against the tree trunk and collapsing, whimpering as he gripped his foot, running his fingers across his sole to make sure he hadn't cut himself. Fortunately, he was unscathed. He sat there for a few moments nursing his foot, until he felt something light and flimsy bonk his head, with something red covering his left eye. He let out a sigh as he pulled the sandal from his head. Despite only having bought them a day or so ago, a clear imprint of his foot stained in mud and dirt had formed.
Timmy forced himself to stand, putting his sandal back on his foot. He stumbled back towards the road, managing to locate his other sandal sitting at the bottom of the hill. He gripped the thong with his toes as he looked up the slope. It was about 10 feet back to the road, but the rain had turned the grass and dirt to slick mud. He let out a sigh, wiping some of the rain from his eyes, as he attempted to get back up.
His feet quickly slid out from under him, planting him face first onto the ground. Timmy lifted his head, spitting out a mouthful of grass. His sandals had no grip, so getting up the slope would be a challenge.
``C'mon Timmy... you can do this...'' Timmy whined as he tried once again. He was never going to make it upright, so he dug the claws on his fingers and toes into the dirt. This helped a little, but he still slipped constantly as he dug his way up. He had almost reached the top when he felt his foot slip. He turned just in time to see his flip flop falling down the slope before bouncing to a stop at the bottom. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should go back for it, when his other foot gave out, sending him tumbling back down to the bottom, landing in a heap.
``OWWWWWWWWWWW!!! Damn it...'' Timmy cried out as he sat up, rubbing his head. This was starting to become all too much. He just wanted to lie down and wait for someone to find him, but he decided against it. He replaced his flip flops again, not wanting to go barefoot. He took one last look up the slope before deciding he'd just go deeper into the trees to see if he could find an easier way.
The forest was dense enough that he quickly lost the highway. There was no path to follow, so Timmy was just stumbling blindly, his unprotected feet colliding with every hazard the forest had to offer.
``This sucks...'' Timmy mumbled to himself. ``Who even invented outdoors? Pave this whole place and turn it into a hotel...''
Timmy groaned as he continued to drag himself along, his flip flops doing nothing to protect his feet from the underbrush. Eventually, the dense trees gave way to a large expansive field. Timmy let out a small sigh of relief as he stepped out onto the grass. It looked like a field with a hiking trail through it. At least that meant he wasn't in the wilderness or something.
He glanced around trying to find any sort of landmark, but it way to overcast to see anything beyond the tree line. At least now he had some semblance of a path now. Not a great one, as the rain had turned it to mud. Timmy cringed as he could feel mud creeping over his flip flops onto his bare feet. He could feel the thongs straining against his toes as he lifted his feet out of the mud.
His legs were sore and frozen, and the constant struggle against the mud was sapping what little strength he had left. He was sinking a little deeper as he trudged on, having a harder time pulling his feet out.
``Unf... ugh... c'mon...'' Timmy whimpered as he forced himself forward. His feet were almost completely consumed as he pushed forward. Each step, the mud crept further and further up until his feet were completely endued. ``Nngh... I'm stuck...''
He might as well have been trapped in cement. His leg refused to move as he tried to pull it out. It was his flip flop that had him trapped. Timmy twisted his foot attempting to dislodge it, but his efforts failed as his toes slipped from the thong, rising from the mud without his sandal.
``Oh, come on!'' Timmy cried out as he looked down at the hole his foot had come from, which was rapidly shrinking. He plunged his foot back down, quickly finding the plastic slab that passed for a shoe. Unburying it with his foot took some effort, but it soon surfaced.
``Piece of shit... $15 for these things...'' Timmy muttered as he fumbled putting his toes back into the thong. The footbed had become slick with mud and dirt, making it difficult to get the thong between his toes. It took a few attempts, but it was soon back on his foot as good as it could be. He started to press forward again, but now his other foot was similarly stuck.
``Agh! No!'' Timmy cried out as it quickly dawned on him that his flip flops were basically doomed if he continued in this way. He looked down at his feet, seeing them completely buried in the mud. He lifted his foot only to have the flip flop hold him down. A few more weak tugs saw his toes give out and his bare foot to come free. His other foot was a similar story, leaving him standing barefoot in the mud.
``Why me...'' Timmy whined as he looked back at his flip flops sticking out of the mud. He must've pissed off some cosmic force in a bad way. It would be next to impossible to keep them on in this state. He had to admit defeat as he dug his flip flops out with his hands so he could continue barefoot. Without his sandals, he could at least move forward. It was hardly an easy trek though, as the mud kept resisting his feet.
``Ugh, just swallow me whole already...'' Timmy whined as he pushed on, his feet sinking into the mud with each step. He had to struggle to balance himself constantly to keep from falling over. A mud facial would pretty much make his day complete.
The path led into the tree's again, which at least meant he could get out of the soup. He could breathe a sigh of relief as the ground became a bit more solid under his feet. He stopped for a second to catch his breath for a bit, his legs starting to feel wobbly under him. He glanced down at his feet, and his fur was coated in mud.
``Gross...'' Timmy whined as he tried to kick the mud away. His flip flops were equally muddy, so he attempted to shake them off as well, holding them out to the rain so they'd wash off a bit. Getting clean like this was impossible, so he just got them as best he could before dropping them to the ground. The fur on his feet was still stained, but at least he wasn't caked in it anymore as he slid his sandals back on. They were noticeably slippery on his feet, but he pressed on anyway.
How much further till he reached somewhere civilized? And what then? His prior attempts to find a phone had been in vain. Not to mention he couldn't even be sure he was going in the right direction towards Random City anymore. How desperate was he at this point? Maybe hitchhiking and trying to offer dirty deeds in exchange for a ride home wasn't out of the question.
His attention turned towards the path he was on. There was a road to his left at the top of a steep rocky hill. Timmy stopped to weigh his options. There was no guarantee the path led anywhere but a big circle. The road though would be a more direct route home.
``Fuck it...'' Timmy shrugged as he stepped off the path. It couldn't be more than a 15-foot climb. His confidence quickly faded as he took a few steps onto the slope and his feet slid backwards. He had to clench his toes to keep his sandals from coming off as he tried to grab onto the rocks to keep himself from falling over.
``Why does this keep happening...'' Timmy groaned as he steadied himself. He tried to step forward, but his foot kept slipping backwards. Eventually, he had to let go and slide back to steady ground. One quick readjustment of his sandals, and he was ready for another attempt. This time, he was able to gain some narrow footholds, but keeping them was a difficult task. He felt his foot slip backwards, sending his sandal tumbling down into the dirt.
``Ugh! Give me a break!'' Timmy groaned as he lowered himself down, sliding his toes back into the battered sandal. He began to climb back up, but one again he slipped, this time sending both sandals down below.
``This isn't gonna work...'' Timmy looked down at his sandals. He briefly considered abandoning them, but again decided that would be a bad idea, so he lowered himself down once again. They'd never stay on while he was climbing, so he had to get them up with him another way. They wouldn't fit in his tiny pockets, so Timmy could only come to one conclusion, placing them in his mouth and bitting down.
He let out a gag as the taste hit him. He was no stranger to what a Rad Raspberry tasted like, but the synthetic raspberry flavor had been mostly overtaken by dirt and sweat. He tried to put it out of his mind as he made another attempt. Going barefoot wasn't much easier, but he was able to use his toes to get a slightly better grip. He was almost to the top when his feet slipped again. He tried to use his hands to recover, but to no avail as he fell, landing feet first right on some jagged stones.
Timmy let out a muffled but pained cry as the sensation shot up his legs. He curled his fists and pressed himself against the rocks as tears welled up in his eyes. He had bitten down hard on his sandals to the point where he swore that he had gone clean through as he let out muffled cries. He looked down at his feet, expecting to have stigmata'd himself, but fortunately his flesh was un-pierced.
Now running off mostly adrenaline, Timmy forced himself to climb back up, trying to ignore the pain in his feet. He dragged himself onto solid ground, collapsing onto his back as he spat out his sandals and let out several pained cries. He forced himself to sit up as he clutched at his feet, his toes twitching as the adrenaline wore off.
He turned towards his sandals. There were clear teeth imprints in the soles now, and he had partially bitten through one of the straps.
``Ngh... why don't they design these for heavy duty?'' Timmy said as he stood up, putting his sandals back on once again. He stepped over the guardrail onto the road. A quick glance around was unhelpful at telling him any information about where he was.
``Uh... eenie... meenie... miney... fuck it,'' Timmy just picked a random direction and started moving. The fact that he was drenched had barely entered his head with everything else that was happening to him, but the freezing cold was starting to sting again. His feet dragged against the ground, too weak to really lift much anymore. Every time a car passed by, he tried to signal them, but nobody stopped.
Getting more discouraged, Timmy let his head hang, not paying attention to the road, eventually catching his sandal on a crack in the road, sending him stumbling. He managed to catch himself, but a look back revealed his sandal strap had ripped.
``No... no! No! Fuck my life!'' Timmy screamed as he picked the busted sandal up. It was never going to stay on his foot now. For a moment, he just stood there, rubbing his head. He was exhausted, sore, drenched, dirty, and freezing, and now he had to walk half barefoot. And the worst part is he knew the Imp was just having the time of its life watching him suffer.
He forced himself forward, still attempting to flag down any vehicle by waving his busted sandal in the air, but to no avail. In no time at all, his pace had slowed to almost non-existent as he was limping on his bare foot. It was getting darker, which meant he had been out all day. He had class the next morning. What was he going to do?
Timmy had almost reached his limit, but before he collapsed to his knees, he could just barely make out in the distance the skyline of Random City. His hopes started to raise, but then quickly lowered again as he did enough math in his head to realize he was many miles away.
``I can't do this...'' Timmy tried to keep himself from collapsing in the middle of the street. He needed rest, but he needed to get out of the rain. Glancing around, there was a construction site right by him. It looked shut down for the day, so nobody was around. Taking advantage of his skinny frame, he managed to squeeze right through the gate and stumble his way into the half-finished building. It was anything but warm, but there was a roof over his head to get him out of the rain.
``Just... need a minute...'' Timmy threw himself against the nearest wall and collapsed onto the concrete floor, letting his body rest for just a moment, trying to fight the urge to sleep, but it seemed like a fight he'd lose.
