Terrible Idea (Part 1)

After Cass had left the party, she had found herself at a bar. She didn’t drink, and the taste of beer made her want to vomit. However, she felt that going to a bar after a rejection was the sort of thing one should do.

The bartender wouldn’t have it though, especially after she tried to jam a cheese knife into her arm. It probably wouldn’t have even punctured the skin.

After getting ejected from the bar, Cass decided it would be best to find someone to talk to. It wasn’t as much a decision as it was the only option she had left. If she hadn’t thought of that, she would be left standing outside the bar, staring blankly and slack jawed into the air.

She slammed her fist against Ito’s door repeatedly. He came shuffling out of his bedroom and let Cass in.

Ito hugged his shoulders. Cass must have let some cold air in.

“Ah, are you…”

He didn’t bother to finish the sentence. He sat down on the couch and looked at his feet as Cass laid on the floor. Both were silent.

Zaza entered the living room, still yet to change into her pajamas. She had always been psychotic like that.

“Ooh, gross, you’re getting muck all over the floor”

She flung open a cabinet and retrieved a charger. Her movements were that of an older brother interrupting a playdate.

“How’s the group project going, bro?” She put cold leftover takeout into the microwave. It had once been a chicken dish, but it had begun to break down into a sort of paste.

“It’s going fine”

“Nice, nice”

The microwave dinged. The scent of chicken and styrofoam filled the room.

“Get some sleep, I’m gonna try and finish this ritual thingy, okay?”

Zaza left the room.

Both Cass and Ito began to break down. The stress, the lack of sleep, the knowledge that they were both losing people, it was all placed on their shaking shoulders. They both knew in that moment that there was nothing either could do to help the other.

Cass slowly walked out the door, not bothering to close it all the way. Ito didn’t care. The only thing he noticed now was the thin shard of glass stuck in his hand. Zaza must have broken a glass.

While Ito held a pair of tweezers in his shaking hand, Cass brought a knife into hers without hesitation.

***

After Cass had carved her hand into pieces and slit her own throat, she expected that one of two things would happen: she would cease to exist or she would find herself in an inferno.

Instead, she found herself standing in a sea of black sludge. Scarlet was there too. And a bunch of mouths.

Then she was standing in a pile of rubble, and there was a gay little man. But Scarlet was still there. And then she was hugging her, and she was crying. She wondered if she was in heaven.

“Scarlet, what did you wish for?”

The man was shaking. He was wearing annoyingly pink heart glasses. Cass felt the urge to punch him.

Scarlet gently pushed Cass away and faced Isaac. Her face beamed, knowing that for the first time in years, she had done the right thing.

“I wished that Cass would be alive again”

He held his head in his hands.

“You can’t do that, Scarlet. You can’t do things like that”

“Is this heaven?” Cass didn’t know why this man knew Scarlet. She wondered if she had two secret boyfriends.

“Good god no”

Cass turned to Scarlet, who was still smiling.

“What happened?”

***

30 minutes later, Isaac finished explaining the events of the past few years. Scarlet tried to wait patiently, but she found herself wanting to interject bits of information that Isaac was missing.

Cass nodded along. Nothing Isaac was saying made sense, but she didn’t mind. He could be saying anything and her reaction would be the same.

“I don’t see that…shape anywhere. I’m guessing it left after Scarlet’s wish. From what Scarlet said, it seems it wasn’t thrilled with your wish”

“I don’t get why it’s bad”

It was difficult for Isaac to pinpoint exactly what made his stomach churn and his face white. The frustration from this inability to communicate his terror to Scarlet began to outweigh the terror itself.

“It’s just not right, don’t you see that?”
Scarlet’s smile had faded.

“I don’t”

***

After leaving the “house”, Etsuko made her way back to what was left of civilization. She broke open a vending machine and stuffed a few protein bars in her pockets. She wasn’t sure when (if ever) she’d eat a proper meal.

She found a pay phone, but the lines were dead. Same with the internet cafe. The city’s power had been cut off.

It was getting dark now. She would have to find a place to stay for the night. There was a chance that she was the last person left in Japan. It had felt like an eternity in that “house”. Perhaps God’s eye had already left.

A red light filled the air. Etsuko looked up to see what appeared to be a low flying meteorite. It passed and landed behind the city skyline. There was a bright crimson flash, and a few seconds later, a low rumbling noise.

Perhaps on another day Etsuko would have cared, but not now. Her only goal was a place to rest. If only there was someone else with her. Then she wouldn’t have to think about much. They could find a nice warm spot, get some blankets, curl up and-

She hit herself in the head. It was pointless and pathetic to think like that. She wasn't Fuyu.

A faint red glow began to emanate from the skyline. It was very small at first, but it began to grow with alarming speed. With it came the distinct crackle of a fire.