"Hello, every human, I'll be launching an attack to kill you, at least some of you." A blue being with large red wings and no nose said on the television, smiling like it was looking at its kids playing.
And so Sam watched the girl he had fed ice cream five minutes ago burst into blood and flesh. He stared at his brand new shirt in terror, then at the remains of some legs. His face scrunched in discomfort, and he vomited. Right onto the bloody mess.
He liked this girl too!
He should have listened to that announcement. Not that he could do anything. But some awareness wouldn't have killed him.
Probably.
He stood up from his seat, worried about two things: whether he would have to pay for the date anymore, 'cause he was broke, and if he was going to die too. He watched the other tables with similar reactions. Dead couples, dead waiters, alive loners on a laptop, still unaware.
He took a deep breath and walked out of the cheap restaurant he was going to make his now-dead girlfriend pay for.
Well, good for him, he had other girlfriends' houses to run to.
Unless they had other men at their home, then he would probably have to sleep in some…forest? He hated mosquitoes.
His head hurt now.
He went towards a dark alley, his steps bloody from all the dead people he kept on accidentally stepping on. Sam thinks he stepped on an eyeball, but he didn't have the courage to look.
Vomiting again would kill him.
As he walked inside the alleyway filled with trash and dust, there lay a girl covered in…powder? And blood. And a dead body nearby, he refused to look at.
He slowly walked without stepping on anyone, someone held his leg.
He screamed.
"Don't worry—"
He screamed.
"I'm not going to—"
He screamed.
"Hurt…you."
He screamed.
"Shut the fuck up already!" The girl who had been talking softly raised her raspy voice and shut him up.
"Sorry, gotta get the frustration out," Sam laughed and walked away. Just a bit, enough to let her leave his expensive jeans.
"Are you stupid?" The girl closed her eyes, her cornea red.
"Do you think I am?" Sam asked, looking at his jeans and rubbing the blood off.
"Yes." The girl sat up, a small girl with a hoarse voice. Her hair was dry, flaky, and black.
"Well, unluckily, you are right." Sam walked away, waving her bye.
"Do you need money?" The girl stood up and bent down to the dead body, and took a suitcase. Then another, much bloodier.
"Yes!" He turned and jogged to her, showing his hands.
"As if I'm going to give it to you—just like that." The girl scoffed and looked at Sam.
"Okay, bye then." Sam walked away, sighing.
"Dude, my dear idiot, help me and I'll give you the whole suitcase." The girl said, her red pupils contracted, and fists clenched.
"Wow? How much money is in it?" Sam ran again, jumping happily.
"Some millions," she looked away, sighing. She raised the clean suitcase and held it in front of Sam.
"What exactly is going on?" She asked with her grip tightening on the suitcase, she looked right into his eyes. He looked away.
"Um, there was a broadcast? Then boom, people died. Money, please?" He put a hand on the clean suitcase.
"Yeah, I know about the broadcast," she gulped. "But now what?"
"How the hell would I know, dude?" Sam said in a shrieky voice, shaking the suitcase.
"Well, then let's go somewhere safe." She said, her breath shaky.
"Huh?" Sam was confused. Where was he supposed to take her? The forest of ancient protection?
"Where are you going?" She asked, her forehead furrowed.
"A bar?" He said it as though it were obvious.
"Right now?" The girl was a bit confused.
"Well, a drink will clear my head!" Sam scoffed.
"Take me there." The girl sighed.
"Huh! Money at the bar, then?" Sam's eyes shone like stars were born there.
"Yup." The girl nodded, barely holding on.
"But–"
Sam groaned.
"Protect me, take care of me, You have to make sure I live." The girl said, standing taller than she was, the redness in her eyes settled a bit and they glistened.
Sam rolled his eyes and said, "Honestly, I don't think you need to worry about that?"
"Huh? Why?" The girl's eyes widened.
"'Cause they ain't going to attack anymore!" He said as though it were obvious.
"How do you know?" The girl asked, her eyes narrowed.
"Because now that I thought about it, the winged thing looked exactly like that one manga I once read, and they also did the same thing!" Sam said, grinning.
"Are you stupid?" The girl rubbed her eyes. Her brain hurt.
"You know I am!" Sam quipped back.
The girl swallowed all of her comebacks and repeated the words in her to him, "Anyways, take me there safe and you get the money."
"Okay! Let's go!" He said.
They both started walking, the silence was the silence between two strangers.
"How did you get so much money? I need it too!" Sam started and looked at her, smiling.
"I took all of my life savings." She said, looking at the two suitcases in her hands.
"Huh? Why?" Sam asked, looking at the sky, which was turning orange.
"Thinking now, I don't know why?" The girl started, her eyes looking ahead.
"Maybe I wanted to feel like I was living beyond what some people have made me." Her voice was barely above the sound of blood falling.
"But when those guys beside me died. When they died, I realized, how fucking stupid I was," She chuckled, a hoarse sound that was a cry. "My life is more than a packet of addictives."
They were silent again, she thought maybe they were some sort of friends now?
"Sad, what job did you do?" Sam asked all of a sudden.
She stared at him. Then sighed and then shook the suitcase in front of him.
"Oh, my poor, ma'am, dear, honey, how could the world have hurt you like this, how, oh my God, poor, poor you—stop shaking the damn suitcase!" Sam cried and leaned into the suitcase, and the girl removed it from his periphery.
"You are mean for a human." He sobbed.
"And you are stupid for a dog, let's go." She walked in front.
"You don't even know the place?" Sam questioned.
"Uh, after the alley, right?" The girl stuttered.
"No, there is a cut in between," Sam answered.
The girl closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.
"Just kidding." Sam grinned.