Chapter 9 — Southpole
"If the meat's warm, I don't care where it came from." — Toma
Waves rocked the boat gently as clouds rolled above. The moonlight shimmered across the sea's black surface, but inside the ship?
CHAOS.
"TWENTY-SEVEN… TWENTY-EIGHT… MEAT BOWL TWENTY-NINE!!"Toma screamed, slamming his fist into another bowl of steaming meat stew. Slurp. Chomp. Guzzle. GONE.The floor? A battlefield of empty plates, bones, and splattered sauce.
Aki leaned against the wooden railing, arms crossed, staring into the sky like a man regretting every life choice.
"Why is he like this…" Aki muttered, eyelid twitching.
Cotton cleaned his gun silently in the corner. "Kid's like a pig with hands. At least he's not shooting."
Toma let out a belch so legendary it echoed through the ocean. "FOOD IS FUEL!!"He flung a bowl overboard and laid back, belly bloated, face smug.
⏪ Flashback — 3 Years Ago
Aki and Cotton stood outside a burning village. Flames crackled. The scent of roasted monster and destruction filled the air.
From the smoke, a scrawny boy ran out holding a turkey leg the size of his head.
"THERE YOU ARE, YOU STINKY PIECE OF MEAT!" he yelled — to the turkey leg.
He chomped into it with no hesitation, then saw Aki and Cotton staring at him, stunned.
"Who the hell are you?" Aki asked.
"I'm Toma. You got food?""…No?""Okay. You're my new brother."
"What?""Shut up. I'm starving. Let's go."
And he just... followed them. That was it. He never left.
🌨️ Back to Present — Landfall
Cotton scanned the shoreline through binoculars. "Yo. Land ahead. Island looks… off."
Aki stepped beside him. "What do you mean 'off'?"
Cotton handed him the scope.
Black snow. No sun. Elf heads on candy canes. The island gave off dread like it paid rent.
A wooden sign on the dock read:
❄️ WELCOME TO SOUTHPOLE: HOME OF SAINT S. ❄️(One entry. No exits.)
Toma ran to the edge, scarf flapping behind him. "IS THAT A GINGERBREAD HOUSE?!"
Cotton aimed his pistol. "That house has bones for shingles."
"Oh…" Toma said, squinting. "STILL LOOKS TASTY THO—!"
BOOM.The boat shook. The sea hissed. Fog rolled in like a curtain. The air felt heavy, cold.
Aki clenched the handle of his katana. "We're not here for gingerbread. We're here to survive."
From deep in the woods came a jingle. Not a happy one. A slow, metallic clank of bells and chains.
Then—
"Naughty… or dinner?"
A voice. Low. Slurred. Wrong.
The Void Twin crew stepped onto the dock.
Cotton cocked his gun. "Y'all ready to kill Santa?"