...Don't Look So Sad

“That was…certainly passable.”

“I never said they were remarkable.”

“So…we went because?”

“Immaculate vibes.” She says it so earnestly I can’t even respond. I just shrug. That seems to tickle her. “I thought it was nice.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I’d…wanna do it again. Maybe without you cutting classes. Or being so introspective.”

“R-right, that would be preferable.” I chuckle and try not to meet her gaze again. Does that mean I’m doing it? Is this mission a success? I’d think that would make me feel some pride, but really, I can feel I’m brimming with something else. “Uhm…is there anywhere else you’d wanna go?”

“Umm…probably…” She stops, her voice completely dying in her throat. I’m about to ask what’s wrong, until I bump into something. I stagger back, holding my head. Wow, someone is definitely not paying attention. I set my glare to the…per…son? My face goes cold. Cold skin, gray and lifeless. It’s thin, but god, is it tall, towering over both of us. It has a symbol cut into its chest, still bleeding, and its face…jesus, mangled and incomprehensible, but almost certainly meat.

“CH-CH-CH-” I feel my heart race, watching it desperately try to speak. It clutches at its throat and lets out a gurgling cry.

“LORIA FUCKING MOVE!” I feel Nikki grab my wrist and start pulling me along behind her. I can barely keep up with her, my legs doing more shaking than running. Why? Why? I need more time, why is this happening now? There’s no way it’ll work like this. She doesn’t know me well enough?! I’m just gonna get her killed. She-she’s more important than me. I turn around and see the thing has jumped up, grabbing onto one of the building’s edges, and has begun a faster than I could have imagined race for our location.

“N-Nikki, please, you need to get out of here.”

“What do you think I’m doing?!”

“N-no, with…” I shake off her grasp. She’s forced to stop. “Just run!”

“W-What the fuck are you-?!” The pain is instant and completely dulling. All sensation of my senses is removed from my body, save for pain. Extreme pain. My body is launched across the street and through the gap between two buildings, colliding with a massive garbage bin inside. I think…my existence ends, for just a second. The mere fact I can come back from that emptiness is amazing to me. I try to move, but all I can do is twitch, like a broken toy. It no longer runs, simply walks over to me. I can hear the faint screams of people taking notice of the situation, trying to crowd around the alleyway entrance. Phones flashing, videos recording. This…thing pays it no heed.

“P-ease. Pease…et er goo.” I could feel myself ready to cry. “Pease. Pease…”

“No.” Its answer is simple. I guess it learned to talk. Haha…hah…dammit…I can’t hold it in anymore.

“PEASEEE! PLEASEE!!!” I screamed out, banging my weak hands against the ground. Please. She has something to live for. Some importance, even to herself. She’s a musician. I’m just nothing. Why can’t you just settle for me. “PLEASSE!” I blubbered like a child as it continued to stare down at me, no sign of registering or, caring for my outburst. “Pleasee…please…” I could see it raising its foot. Oh. I’m about to die, aren’t I? Useless. Absolutely useless. Sorry god. I guess I was always a good for nothing girl after all. So sorry…Nikki. I close my eyes, waiting for my whole world to end.

And then, I hear an inhuman, guttural cry. I open my eyes and see a sharpened pole has found its way through the creature's chest. It stumbles about, giving me a view of the person behind it.

“THE NEXT-TIME YOU-TRY SACRIFICING YOURSELF-I’LL BEAT YOUR ASS MYSELF!” Her message rings loud and clear as the creature falls to the side, allowing her to move past it, grabbing my arm. “Get up! No letting go this time.” Her face. I looked deep in her face. I saw that worry and care, for someone like me, and felt my heart flutter. A chosen one. A true blue hero…my…my hero. This person, my hero. I…want you to save me.

My eyes widen. It’s already back up, raising its hand to swing down on her.

“N-NIKKI!”

In response, everything above the bottom of her nose explodes, covering me in brain and blood. She stays still, and I can’t find it in me to move. It…wasn’t the hand that did that to her. In fact, she was currently squeezing that thing’s arm, so hard it’s desperately trying to break free. Her once worried grimace starts to change. Changes to a wide, toothy grin.

“Save you, huh?” Her words are infused with rabid glee. “That’s your first command?” My words catch in my throat. Save…me…I want you to save me.

“Please…” She leans forward, and I feel a gentle kiss on my forehead.

“Then allow me to paint this town red~.” She twisted that thing’s arm, so damn hard it ripped from the rest of it. The scratch was horrifying. She crushed it in both of her hands, turned around, patted it on the cheek, and sent an uppercut to under its chin. It flew up, so high. In the meantime, I was surprised as she suddenly bent down to pick me up under my knees and back, holding me like a bride. “Hehe, your face is pretty cute right now.” I’m sure I look terrified, what the fuck are you talking about. “Alright, let’s get this finished up.” Herr words are followed by the sudden summoning of two large, powerful things from her back. Wings, pitch black and stained with white and red. She flapped, again and again, and I held on for dear life as I was pulled past the buildings to the sky above.

“W-wah…” I could hardly speak. I was so close to the clouds I could reach out and feel them. I’ve never been so surrounded by blue.

“Beautiful, huh?”

“What’s…is this a dream?” I feel as though my processor has completely checked out, but when I look back at Nikki’s head, I feel myself being dragged into some pit of…fear.

“What’s wrong?” She hasn’t stopped smiling. That disgusting false smile. It makes me wanna cry.

“I’m sorry…” One of my hands moves from around her neck to squeeze her jacket tight. “I’m sorry.” I don’t get a response. When I look back up at her monstrous head, though, I can see something falling down from her slab of remaining face. Wet and translucent. I’m so sorry-

“I was having a fucking moment.” The anger in her voice is sharp. I turn my head, and see it again. Spouting its own wings, it looks…like a proper monstrosity.

“W-WORLD IS…NOT F-FOR YOU!”

“Shut your mouth.” Despite antagonizing it, she’s not making any moves. Though, what can she really do like this. Do we even have time to bring me back down. Or…wait…is she…waiting for me? Waiting for me to make a command? I grit my teeth.

Nikki…

“Kill this thing, so…you can go back to normal.” I squeeze her jacket tight. “Please.”

“...don’t look so sad.” Her smile, for a moment, was smaller, softer. I felt my whole body lighten under its warmth. It’s gone faster than it appeared.

“Time to put you down~”