CHAPTER 2: Stranger Danger

When the next day came along, flowers were blooming, the sky was clearer than water, and it was the second day of highschool for the girls. They walked around their new school, finally checking which homeroom they’d been assigned to permanently for the year. Students crowded around them every which way, so the girls found that traversing the corridors was busier than their last school. Walking by the crowd, going through a wall of teenagers every turn, all three girls made sure to stay on each other's tails to not lose sight of one another. Finally cutting through a mass of them, the three can relax, hangout near a set of lockers to get a breather from all the loud talking and heat of the people they know nothing about.

Danny spotted them a couple feet away and surprised Veronica by spooking her. It didn’t work but she sarcastically yelped to make it seem as if she’d fallen for it.

“Oh, you got me Danny. Ha ha!” Veronica said, then forcibly chuckled.

Danny raised a fist, having an open mouth smile. “Yeah I know I didn’t, but are you guys pumped?” Danny asked cheerfully.

Veronica yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Well, I was already satisfied with yesterday, but I’ll be glad for whatever homeroom I’ll get into.”

Anna patted Veronica’s back, trying to wake her up. “You seem tired, Veronica? I’m assuming you didn’t get much sleep?”

Sarah offered her drink to Veronica. “Here, have some of my frappuccino. It’s black.”

Veronica nodded, took the drink and then took a sip, and once she did she stuck her tongue out, cringing. “Blagh, such a bitter taste you enjoy, edgy girl, but I’m fine thanks. I just had a horrible dream, that’s all.”

Anna stared at Veronica suspiciously, then leaned towards her. “What type of dream, hmm?”

“Oh, it was nothing. It was just a nightmare about the girl off The Exorcist.” Veronica looked confused, raising both eyebrows and tapping a finger against her head. “Well, she kinda looked like her if she wore a dress and wasn’t as short. It’s my fault for always watching horror movies late at night anyways, hee hee.”

Anna sighed and slapped her back. “Don’t worry me like that. For a second I thought you were—”

“Don’t worry Veronica! Your best friend here will make you feel better!” Danny exclaimed, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Anna got annoyed and punched his back, but he laughed it off. “Is that the best you got?”

Anna didn’t take that lightly and got mad. She confronted him and went up to his face, looking dead into his eyes. “Don’t you ever dare try and be like him!”

Danny waved his hand in front of his face, taking light of the situation. “I have no idea what you’re talking about? You’re hilarious as usual, or do you want to fight?” He raised his arms, resembling how Jack used to do it.

She slapped Danny’s face out of irrational anger. “You bastard! I know what you’re trying to do. You’ve been doing this for two years now! I’ll say it again like I said it before.” She moved closer to his face. “Don’t ever try acting like Jack. You’re not him and you’ll never be like him.”

Spinning round quickly, Anna walked away angrily. Sarah shook her head at him. “Asshole,” she said as they both walked down the corridor.

Danny rubbed his cheek. “The hell was her problem?” He looked at Veronica who looked upset as well. Surprise bloomed onto his face. “Wait a minute, don’t tell me you think the same? Come on… I-I wasn’t trying to be like him. I’m still me!”

Veronica expressed an empty smile, trying to lighten the mood. “I guess… I uhh, gotta get going. Good luck. We’ll meet afterwards.” Then she walked away, waving goodbye to him.

Seeing Veronica smile brought his sense of happiness back. Just hearing her voice made him feel all fuzzy and better. “Okay! Bye VV, I’ll see ya after school!” He waved back and headed off to his homeroom.

***

The day went by slowly, yet Anna’s mind reeked of anger and showed the world just how angry she was with her furrowed brows and bloodshot eyes. She was upset and couldn’t concentrate. The very thought of Danny still trying to act like her best friend who’d been dead for five years aggravated her to the max. She gazed out the classroom window and watched the scenery. At least looking at birds and nature itself calmed her down. Anna then lost herself in her own trance, daydreaming about her past when Jack was still around. The very thought finally brought out a smile. A single tear slithered down her cheek.

Jack, oh how I wish you were still here.

Just thinking about something that positive released another tear of joy. Sniffing, and wiping her eyes, her corneas moved around as she held back more emotions so she wouldn’t disrupt class. Some students closeby caught on, whispering to each other on why she was crying quietly. A boy next to her wanted to ask her personally but was too nervous to do so.

While showcasing the class a problem and waiting for an answer, the teacher looked around at her class and noticed Anna was gazing out the window as well as students neary looking worried. She was about to call her out, but then she noticed a stream of tears flowing down the girl’s cheek.

“Umm, class please pay close attention to this world problem for a moment. If not then you’ll fail the exam if you don’t solve it quickly enough.” As the class pondered on the issue, the teacher walked up to Anna and spoke next to her softly. “Are you okay Annabelle? What’s troubling you?”

Anna quietly gasped. “Huh… Oh, I’m sorry. It’s nothing. I’m fine, thank you.”

The teacher placed her hand on Anna’s shoulder. “Are you sure? You seem to be crying.”

Anna wiped her eyes again and brought out a gentle smile. “Sorry… I was just thinking about something awesome, that’s all. Sorry again for the trouble.”

The teacher smiled and patted her shoulder. “If anything bothers you, don’t bother to hesitate and tell me. I’ll try my best to offer advice.” She walked back to the front of the class and returned to the problem the classroom still hadn’t figured out.

Anna couldn’t help herself but chuckle quietly. “Big dummy,” she said to herself, much like what she’d say to Jack back then.

Letting out a sigh, the class finally coming to an end, the bell ringing, Anna packed her things and quickly got out of class before anyone did. Some students raised their eyebrows and shoulders wondering why she was in a hurry out. She decided to go to the nearest restroom just two classes down to use it. Going inside with not a soul in sight and barging in a vacant stall, making herself comfortable to pee and wipe her face with some tissues inside her bag, Anna sighed again. As she sat there in silence, placing both hands on her head, she heard someone coming in the restroom but didn’t care at first but quickly the stepping sounded like clatter.

Damn, whatever shoes they’re wearing it sounds like they’re chipping away the tiles. Anna thought.

Those footsteps clicked-clacked, and she recognized the sound. “Is someone wearing heels?” Anna muttered.

The clattering grew closer, and closer. Anna sat straight and after finishing using the toilet she flushed and the stepping came to a stop. She let out a soft breath and stopped all movements when the footsteps came to a halt. Her eyes slightly shook, palms grew sweaty, she wondered whoever it was had stopped walking when she flushed. At first she thought it could be a teacher who’s just using the girls restroom and their bathrooms were preoccupied, but then, they started walking again.

Anna got up, pulled her pants up and stood straight. “Is-Is anyone here besides me?” she asked in a polite tone.

When she spoke the stepping got more intense and finally stopped in front of her stall, creeping a shadow beneath Anna’s stall. Anna gasped, backing up from the door, and analyzed the shadow lingering beneath the entrance.

Hair, very long hair, wide too, and are they wearing a… dress too?

“Is this some prank, please stop, it’s not cool.” Anna waited for a response, but instead she only got another step and she saw the culprits of the noisy stepping. “Black heels, but what type are those?” The heels they wore were tall from the bottom and had a swirl design around their chin.

Why are they standing behind my door, this has to be a pra—

The door suddenly rattled, and her entire stall, the walls around her vibrated from their tugging. Anna panicked, her face got sweaty, and clutched her chest, but stood her ground.

“Stop! What’s wrong with you?!” she exclaimed.

Anna got a reply from them but in the form of an innocent giggle. They pulled on the door harder, and it felt as if the entire stalls were about to collapse on the intensity of their attempted break in. It grew worse and worse, and the lock started peeling off from the door, making Anna gasp loudly.

She clenched her fists and had enough. “Alright! I’ve had enough of this…” Anna went to the door, unlocked it and opened it. “I’ma—” But there was no one, instead there were two girls doing their makeup in front of her.

Her eyes wide, sweat coming down her face, Anna brought out a small chuckle. One girl looked at Anna with raised brows and seemed worried for her. The other slowly started walking away because of how frightened Anna’s face looked.

Before leaving she said, “Woah, someone’s having boyfriend issues I see.” and left, leaving her friend behind.

Her friend walked up to Anna and asked, “Is everything alright? You look pale.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a water bottle. “Here, take this, you look like you need it.” Anna looked at the bottle and frowned, taking it. “Well hopefully you resolve your problems, bye now.” The girl walked off, leaving Anna alone.

Anna went up to the mirror and stared at herself, taking a glimpse at the stall she was in. “What was that…” To erase the thought of that moment, Anna stepped to the side of the other mirror, sighing. “Jesus, I really need to relax or I’ll go crazy.” She turned the faucet on and started washing her face without realising the girl in white standing inside the stall she was just in, quietly giggling as she walked to the stall door, closing it very gently so Anna wouldn’t notice.

***

Eventually, the school day came to an end. Everyone was either waiting to be picked up, driving in their cars, going on the bus, or walking home. Sarah, Veronica, and Anna had all met up and were beginning to walk away from the school campus. Anna though didn’t want to tell her friends what happened to her earlier in the day so she stored it away in her mind. As they all walked together, they heard a familiar voice that annoyed the other two girls, besides Veronica. It was Danny shouting his way towards them.

Anna looked away with a disgruntled look. “I’ll come by your place later. Sorry for leaving you like this.”

Sarah sighed. “Same here. I don’t want to be around that creature of greed. Bye for now, Veronica.” Both girls walked away, leaving Veronica all by herself to deal with Danny.

Veronica sighed and turned to Danny’s direction, waving at him to signal she’d noticed his calls. When he arrived, Danny noticed the other two were walking off in the distance.

“Thanks for waiting! I’m guessing she’s still upset from earlier?”

“Yeah, Anna’s still mad at you, but she’s simmered down for now. As for Sarah, yeah, that’s a lost cause.”

Danny knew Veronica was trying to make him feel better. He did appreciate it, but if what Anna had said about him was true, he couldn’t help but feel lame about it.

“Sorry if I’m causing so much trouble for you guys. I’ll make sure to give her a good apology, one that’s genuine and not saturated with lies!”

Veronica smiled. “Thank you for noticing your own mistake.”

Danny smiled and gave her a thumbs up. “Of course, I’m still trying to become a better friend, so I’ll do everything that I can to fix all my mistakes.”

Veronica nods. “Mhm, good on ya.”

The two stared for a moment but Veronica looked away, staring down the street. Danny quietly sighed and tapped her shoulder, making her turn back to him. He nods and she does as well. Both teenager's began their walk home without saying much now, rather the two just glanced around their surroundings and Danny was the only one who seemed bothered by it, gritting his teeth without Veronica’s acknowledgement.

***

Walking to the nearest bus station to get home, both Veronica and Danny were chatting and having a nice time in the simmered Detroit afternoon, while the dawning sun shone gleamed down upon them. The only reason why they were walking to a public bus stop instead of riding on the school buses was mostly due to the fact that Veronica’s home was too far for any school bus to take her. Not to mention it was a secure neighborhood full of rich folks guarded by giant gates and top tier security.

Danny didn’t mind walking home after accompanying Veronica. It always brought him joy, mainly because he still has a crush on her. They were almost near the station that would take her to the nearest stop to her neighborhood. However, Danny accidentally bumped into a tall stranger, while being completely distracted by their conversation.

The stranger turned around while Danny scratched his head as he had an eyelid closed briefly. “I’m sorry sir. I didn’t mean to bump into you,” Danny said.

He had a face that was so dead and emotionless, with very scary eyes that looked fierce and cold. Danny felt his gaze upon him. Without saying a single word, the stranger brushed himself off and observed both teenagers with his lifeless eyes.

Getting a better look at the two, he sighed then said in a bored, lifeless tone, “Huh? For a second I thought you were someone else. Just watch where you’re walking, alright?”

Danny felt intimidated, and the words coming out of the stranger’s mouth didn’t help at all. But Veronica, on the other hand, seemed intrigued.

Veronica boldly pulled on his jacket sleeve, trying to get his attention. “Your ha-hair sir… It’s r-really long and pretty, heh,” she said nervously.

He turned his attention to Veronica. He leaned forward towards her face, which had now turned red. “The way you just spoke to me makes it sound as if I’m old… But I’m not that old. Quite rude of you, don’t cha think?”

She flailed her hands around, chuckling nervously. “I-I’m sorry! I-I didn’t mean to offend you. Uhhh, may I ask how old you are?”

The stranger backed away from Veronica’s face, then sighed, placing his hands into his pants pockets. “Sixteen,” he replied in a deeper, more bored tone.

Both Danny and Veronica were shocked. Although Veronica felt awkward now, she was baffled by how someone his age looked that scary from his stance, looking ready for a fight, mature lifeless look, fierce cold eyes, and knit brows. She took her time examining his built arms, his height, posture, and build. To be honest, she was starting to feel a little flustered checking him out. Even Danny had noticed and it gave him an idea about her preference on boys that she liked.

Does she like bad boys? Hmmm. Maybe if I make myself look like him and speak like him, then she might like me, Danny thought.

The tall teenager noticed Veronica’s frozen face. She seemed hypnotized by something, though he couldn’t figure out why. He snapped his fingers in front of her face to unfreeze her.

She blinked rapidly and stuttered, but quickly regained her composure. “Oh! My bad. I was just… built, arts, length… hair, yeah.” Veronica cleared her throat. “Um… Not to be a bother, but what are you doing here at the bus station alone? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Danny was feeling a little jealous from the attention she was giving the stranger. He butted in between the two and started pushing her away. “Okay VV! I think we have to take you home now before it gets too dark, Your Highness!”

The stranger then made a sudden gasp, spooking the others. His eyes quivered for some reason, but they were so dead it was hard to tell why. Instead, he took a deep breath and grinned slightly. Watching the two act like that reminded him of something. The relationship between the two intrigued him enough for him to stick around longer.

As the two were stunned, the stranger walked towards Danny, which made the teenagers gulp and show his fear. “VV…? That sounds rather nostalgic. But somehow I can’t put my finger on it… on why.”

The tone in his voice sounded depressed when he said those words, which made Veronica worry for the stranger. Danny, on the other hand, was on edge. He didn’t trust this guy. Not one bit.

Silence engulfed the area, making the two teenagers feel awkward as he stood there frozen like a statute. Then he shouted, “GOD!” abruptly, startling the two.

The stranger sighed deeply, stroked his chin, and stared Danny down to intimidate him further. “Oh? What’s the matter? Why are you so afraid? Is it because you fear I’ll take this girl of yours away from you?” He glanced at Veronica and chuckled deeply with no hint of emotion. “Don’t be so weary. You’ve done nothing to make this guy here mad enough to do such a heinous act. Well, not yet, I suppose.”

Danny’s fear was still embedded inside him, though he couldn’t help but become irritated after hearing the stranger laugh. It reminded him of someone, but he wasn’t sure who.

Taking the stranger’s words into consideration, Danny quickly calmed down to show that he was the more mature of the two. “No! She’s not a tool, nor my girlfriend. We’re just friends, that’s all.”

“Isn’t that the same?” he asked, crossing his arms. He remembered something familiar from Danny’s statement, he crossed his arms, grabbed his chin to then squint an eye which left the others to stare up at him in wonder.

Veronica leaned towards Danny’s ear. “What do you think he’s thinking about?”

“I-I don’t know. But he’s giving me déjà vu vibes for some odd reason.”

The stranger snapped his fingers, cutting their whispers short. “That’s a shame really because…” He quickly grasped Veronica’s chin from out of nowhere and leaned so close to her face that she thought he was about to steal her first kiss.

“Wh-What are you doing?!” Danny shouted.

The teenager analyzed Veronica’s features. “She’s really cute, especially with glasses on… Just staring into her big brown eyes reminds me of something from my troubled past. Sadly, I can’t seem to recall a damn thing. Sorry for such rudeness, but I must say… the more I examine you, the more you seem so oddly familiar. Hmm, I wonder why.”

At first Veronica was about to have an outburst, feeling the need to gouge his eyes out after doing such a bold thing, but for some reason, his cold eyes gazing upon hers captivated Veronica. It felt familiar yet calming so she allowed him to grip her chin. She blushed.

“Can you let me go?” Veronica asked in a nervous yet gentle tone.

“Sorry… didn’t mean to do something that might make you scream,” the stranger said, dropping his hand. From his sudden reaction and how he was scratching his head, to Veronica it looked rather cute how he reacted to her command.

She chuckled and oddly enough, she playfully punched his arm, which surprised Danny and the teenager. “It’s okay! Sorry for doing that, but I couldn’t help myself. I-I just thought that it felt right doing something silly just now.”

The stranger actually felt something strike his dense heart when her words reached his ears. He turned a little red too, but played it cool by scratching his head again and apologizing one more time. This was starting to get fun for Veronica, she enjoyed teasing someone as tough looking as him.

He smacked his lips and turned away. “Yeah, I guess so. Whatever, uhh… later then, I guess. Nice meeting you both.” As soon as he was about to walk, he stopped and looked over his shoulder to Danny, then pointed at him. “Except you. You’re really lame pal.”

Then he walked away, leaving Danny infuriated after he’d called him Lame. Just when he was about to open that big mouth of his, Veronica quickly stopped him by tugging his arm and covering his mouth. Luckily that worked out, and she managed to stop Danny from doing anything that might embarrass him.

Danny gritted his teeth, taking one last look at the guy as he walked off. Yet something caught his eye. At the right of the teenager’s arm towards his hand, Danny noticed his wrist had a friendship bracelet around it. To him that was a sign of relief. He couldn’t help but feel odd about it since the teen’s attitude said differently about having such a symbolic memento of devotion and prosperity.

Bringing back his smile once again, Danny looked at Veronica. “I think we should continue VV, or you’ll miss the bus. Come on.”

She agreed with a nod. “Yeah, let’s go or else my parents might kill me.”

Both of them walked off to their destination, which was the bus stop to take Veronica home, but she stopped one last time to take a look at that tall strange teen who was now far away down the street. Something about him told Veronica’s heart that those dead eyes had once gleamed with life because they felt rather reminiscent when they both stared into each other’s souls. Veronica couldn’t figure out the feeling, but one thing was for certain, and anyone could tell by the look on his face and within those empty brown eyes, that teenager had gone through suffering like no other.

“Poor guy… I hope he gets better. He sounds so sad and broken,” Veronica muttered, gently raising a hand to wave at another victim the streets had taken. “Goodbye stranger. Hopefully we meet again someday so I can make those eyes shine bright again. Heck, maybe I can bring a smile out of you too!” She giggled and both her and Danny walked to the bus stop.

The scheduled bus that would take Veronica home finally arrived. Danny tried his luck again and tried giving her a hug, but Veronica’s mind had her full attention about that stranger during the moment. Ignoring everything around her, she quickly jumped into the bus without looking back, leaving poor Danny hanging around with his arms out.

Veronica walked like a zombie being lost in her train of thought. She saw a spot to sit in, then sat down and glanced out the window. Finally she noticed Danny’s existence again, but only at how embarrassed he looked, although she didn’t know why. She just smiled and waved goodbye through the windshield.

The bus started driving. Danny waved back too but without any effort put into his farewell because he felt salty and embarrassed. As the bus drove off and Danny was all alone, he sighed and turned around. When he did, he spotted the stranger from earlier talking to someone at the corner of the station.

“What the…? Wasn’t he just walking opposite the station when he left?” Danny raised a brow. “Something’s fishy. It wouldn’t hurt to investigate, right?”

Danny’s curiosity made him walk in the direction they were in, and of course, without being noticed. The closer he got, the clearer the picture got. Upon taking a closer look by hovering his hand above his eyes, he saw the stranger exchange something with another strange gentleman. And just by the gentleman’s appearance, Danny figured out the situation and his instincts kicked in.

He ran off, pretending he didn’t have a clue what was going on. “Oh Jesus! They’re drug dealers! I knew there was something off about him. Never trust strangers who look like him.”

But Danny wasn’t aware that the two guys already knew of his snooping, so the man laughed it off and called Danny a “Dumbass!” The stranger only stared as Danny ran off, and seemed to be thinking hard about something from how his eyes were locked onto him, squinting them even, but it wasn’t clear why. He tilted his head slightly, gripped his chin briefly, the man snapped his fingers in front of the stranger’s face and he snapped out of his trance. They continued their drug deal and ignored Danny’s eavesdropping.

Danny arrived home, panting out of exhaustion from all the running he’d just done. He dropped his bag, saw his older sister Maria chilling on the couch watching t.v, who was also his caretaker, greeted her with a wave. She got up from the new couch they just got, went up to him and embraced him with lots of love and kisses.

She had long brown hair, slim, but tall for a girl around 5’9 and had brown eyes too. “How was your day, you little dork. Huh?!” she asked, tightening their hug.

They both let off of each other, staring into each other’s eyes. “Pretty weird I’d say. At first everything started off fine, but I pissed Anna off and she slapped me.”

Maria gasped. “Why would she do that? Oh wait, I probably know why since you two never got along. Or is it the other girl? Hmmm.”

Danny chuckled. “You’re thinking of Sarah. Yeah, there’s no way I’d have a chance of being friends with her, but she’s a cold one. As I said, it was my fault essentially, then I accompanied Veronica to her bus and we came across an edgy guy who she drooled over.” He shook his head.

She crossed her arms and stuck her hip out. “Oh jeez, I guess it was a weird day for you, and this edgy guy, how did he look like if Veronica of all girls drooled over him though I might have a clue on why.”

Danny crossed his arms too. “He was like six feet tall, sixteen, had a deep voice, looked dead inside, long hair, cold eyes, and was bold ass hell.”

Maria rolled her eyes, and knew exactly why someone like him made Veronica drool. “Typical, he sounds like a bad boy alright, but a catch to… mm, six feet, was he over or just?”

“Most likely over.”

“Oh you have no chance then lil man, haha!” Maria patted Danny’s head, annoying him.

“Whatever, I still have something up my sleeve to get her! Just you wait sis!”

She grinned. “Alrighty, I guess that’s good to hear. Oh, I have dinner prepared for you.” She guided him into the dining room. Just before she headed back into the kitchen, she said, “Take a seat. I’ll be with you soon.”

As Danny sat down, he expressed a wide smile. “You know I’ll keep saying this until the day I die. I’m so thankful to have an amazing sister like you!” He then waited for her to serve their meal.

After some time had passed, about thirty minutes, Danny browsed the internet on his phone during his wait. She came right out and served dinner, serving it to him first then seating herself with her own platter. The two smiled and prayed before eating their dinner of steak and rice.

She was about to pick her fork up but her phone rang. “Damn it, who’s calling me at this hour,” she snapped, looking at the phone screen to see who was calling. Her hand began to shake and her mouth was slightly open.

By the look of her wide eyes and sweaty face, she seemed rather scared, which made Danny feel worried. “What’s wrong sis?” he asked, worried.

She stood up, still staring at the screen. “I’ll be back, Daniel. I have to make a quick phone call.” She quickly left the room and walked out into the backyard.

Danny pretended he didn’t hear what she’d said, because he was making it seem like he was too busy devouring her delicious home-cooked meal. His phone vibrated and he checked to see who’d sent him a message. It was Veronica wishing him goodnight. That brought out a soft grin on his face. Danny then heard his sister sounding angry but afraid through the screen door. It was almost as if she were arguing with someone.

Feeling curious about what she was getting frightened about, Danny got up and walked to the screen door. He slid it open. “What’s wrong?”

Maria sighed and hung up her phone, then turned around with a smile, easing Danny’s worry. “It’s nothing important. Let’s get back to dinner, shall we?” She walked back inside, along with Danny.

They both sat back down on the dining table, returning back to their meals. She picked her fork up and dug in, still showing signs of nervousness from how her foreheads wet. Danny can’t help but feel the need to ask who was on the phone, scaring his sister.

“Sis, who was that really, you seem really worried about something.”

She stopped eating and wiped the sweat on her head with a napkin. “Nothing Daniel, it was just someone who I can’t talk about.”

Danny raised a brow and eased in. “Oh, was it your boyfriend or something?”

She giggled and went back to eating. “You’re so stupid, but I wouldn’t mind dating this guy if he wasn’t so damn scary, like very, but he’s so macho!” Her eyes glistened and Danny shook his head.

After eating dinner they both cleaned up their plates, taking them to the sink where she washed them and Danny waited. Shortly after she flicked his head to tell him she’s ready and the two went back to the living room and sat down on that new couch.

Five minutes passed while the two were watching TV, and Danny turned to his sister. “Say sis, I know this is a little random, but what kind of job do you have again?”

She moaned and stretched, laying her arms back. “I just work at some boring retail store.”

“Hmm…” Danny looked around.

He spotted new speakers, headphones, vases, a new coffee table, this new couch they’re sitting on, a single couch, and the TV they’re watching. Everything new thing his sister had bought in the last year made him raise a brow to her.

“If that’s the case, then how the heck can you afford some of the stuff we have here?” he said, pointing at the mildly expensive furniture and electronics he spotted placed around the living room.

She made a suspicious groaning noise, then laughed it off, flailing her hand as if she were joking. “Oh please, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of saving?” she exclaimed, punching his shoulder. “Silly Daniel!”

Believing in his sister’s words, he chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Sorry for assuming something else.”

“It’s okay. I mean, you’re not wrong for assuming something. It’s only natural to be curious, especially when all this stuff around you seems impossible to get with our budget.” She winked at him. “Right?”

“You’re right. Hey, can we hang out tomorrow after I get out of school?”

She placed a finger on her chin. “Hmm? Sure! I just have to do a couple of errands, so you might have to wait a little.”

“That’s fine. I’m patient, remember?”

Maria laughed. “Suuure! If you weren’t such a hot head!” She grabbed him in a headlock and gave him a noogie.

They both laughed and decided it was getting late, and Danny wanted to go to bed before her, but she wanted to watch TV for a bit longer. He decided to wait and accompany her just a little longer. After an hour, they were both fully tired and headed to their rooms. Danny immediately jumped into his bed and lay flat, exhausted.

His sister Maria walked in. “Hey Daniel?”

He yawned and stretched his arms, then sat up. “Yeah sis. What’s up?”

She didn’t say anything at first. She only blinked slowly and seemed a bit nervous.

“Sis… What’s up?”

She shook her head and smiled softly. “No matter what happens to me, just remember that everything I’ve done so far was for you.”

Danny returned a smile. “I’ll always understand, sis. That’s why I love you!” He got up out of bed and hugged her.

“I love you too, lil bro.” She kissed his cheek. “Goodnight, and sweet dreams, twerp.”

“Heh, you too douche. Ha ha!” He jumped back into bed as she walked out and closed the door.

Danny yawned and put his arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about the life he’d had so far. The gentle smile on his face didn’t seem to fade anytime soon, but the thought of questioning tomorrow’s occurrence rose in his mind. Was it going to be normal? Maybe something might surprise him? Perhaps Veronica would confess instead of him? Such thoughts were only guesses and dreams to him. He closed his eyes and started daydreaming about Veronica, thinking of a way to finally confess his feelings towards her. He couldn’t help but blush, but he did have a feeling she’d accept his confession because of how close the two were.

Yeah, that’ll be awesome. I can’t wait for tomorrow, Danny wondered. The beating of his heart slowed as he took deep breaths, and he slowly fell asleep.

As hours passed by, the moon shone brightly through the misty crime drenched night. An owl hooted then flew away scared, because a random bullet went off in the distance. It transitioned into faint sounds of multiple gunshots popping off in their neighborhood.

Danny was sound asleep and his sister was too, but she awakened and felt a little hungry. She stretched and yawned, looking around in her darkened room. “Damn… I’m starving. I probably shouldn’t have smoked a bowl before bed.” Climbing out of bed, she rubbed an eye, yawned again, then walked out of her room to get herself a midnight snack.

Danny, who was still sound asleep, peacefully dreamed about all his friends, especially Veronica, which brought out a smile in his sleep. Though it was all peaceful and quiet around him, sounds of heavy footsteps approached his sliding door from outside. Dead leaves that were resting on the concrete slabs on his small porch crunched loudly. It was loud enough to go unnoticed, but Danny ignored the noise and continued to sleep.

A final loud crunch halted outside Danny’s sliding door, then a silhouette stood in front of his closed curtained door. A sense of darkened anger beamed its way through the curtains. The shadow clenched their fists and pulled out a gun, checking if it was loaded. After a metallic clack sounded, the shadow put its dark hand on the handle and turned. To its surprise, the door was unlocked. The shadowy figure slowly slid the door open, then took a small step inside, exposing his boots below the curtain.

The entity pushed the curtains slightly to the right and noticed how the moonlight was shining on their face. Why? Goddamn moon’s bright tonight, isn’t it?

Standing before Danny at the wide open door was a tall individual whose eyes were lifeless like death itself, and with hair that reached to his shoulders. It was the stranger whom Danny had run into earlier in the day, and he looked aggravated. His fists were clenched and veins were popping out near his knuckles.

Danny squirmed around, trying to evade the light, but to his surprise and sign of relief, the light started simmering down. He smiled again, as the menacing shadowy figure of the stranger hovered over Danny’s body, preparing for an attack. The stranger’s anger lingered off from his eyes as he gazed down at Danny. Danny noticed something around him was wrong and he suddenly woke up, turned his head to the side, and the first thing his tired eyes saw was an incoming fist.

He managed to dodge the attack. The stranger’s fist punched straight into his pillow.

Danny fell to the floor, then crawled away from the teen. “Wh-What the?!”

The stranger stood there, with fist embedded into the fluff of the pillow, staring at the area where Danny would’ve most likely been knocked out. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, standing there dead silent.

Danny got up and clenched his fists as he stared at the tall intruder’s back. Holy shit. If I were still asleep and that punch made contact with my face, who knows what kind of state I’d be in!

Danny swallowed. After hearing Danny swallow in fear, the stranger pulled his fist out of the pillow and pulled out the remnants inside the pillow, which engulfed the area into a cloud of fluff. Danny’s breathing grew intense. He felt so afraid, but he manned up and rushed towards the nearest blunt object he could find. He grabbed a lamp closeby and tried attacking the intruder, but when he hit the lamp against the intruder’s back, the intruder didn’t even budge.

Huh… no way! You’ve got to be kidding me!

The stranger turned around and grabbed Danny by the neck, then tossed him away effortlessly through the glass door. Danny crashed through the thick glass, screaming as he landed on the scattered glass.

Danny got hurt badly. He had lacerations on his back and cuts along his arms. He tried getting back up, but the stranger grabbed the collar of his shirt and swung him back inside at his dresser. Danny flew through the air and slammed against the mirrored dresser, breaking it upon impact. Streams of glass fell on top of him again and collapsed down like a skyscraper, cutting more of his already shredded flesh.

Danny was on the ground broken, moaning from the severe pain and lacerations burning across his body. The stranger walked back inside and approached Danny’s bloodied body. The intruder stopped before him, staring down at Danny. The stranger’s fingers slightly twitched from the anger pulsing off of him.

With a deep voice, he muttered, “Sorry… but you were in my way, so it had to be done.”

Hearing his voice brought back new memories. The ones created when Danny and Veronica came across him today.

“No… No…” Danny mumbled as he reached an arm out towards the stranger’s leg. He gripped the teen’s pants and stared at his legs, begging for mercy. “Pl-Please… I-I don’t… wa-want to… die.”

Upon hearing his plea, the stranger reacted by sighing. He reached down and gripped Danny’s hair, then pulled his bloody face towards him. “Sorry, I can’t understand you. You need to speak up… friend.”

Danny stared into the stranger’s empty eyes, feeling as if he were staring at a corpse. “Don’t… wa-want, to—”

Danny moaned louder from the pain of his hair being pulled. His body feeling weightless, the pulsing rush of his nerves screaming in agony from being thrown around earlier, his eye twitched and both of his eyelids were weighing down. He felt like his scalp was ripping off his skull from his grip, and it forced his eyelids to stay open as the stranger tightened his grip. As they both stared, Danny glimpsed at the stranger’s wrist and noticed the bracelet was out of his character.

“Any last words before you die… friend, though as we stare eye to eye… If I recall and if my memory’s right, you’re the guy I ran into with the girl from earlier.”

Danny couldn’t believe it. He knew the stranger was no good the moment he saw him at the bus stop. But why would he break into his home?

“Pl-please…” Danny said in a gurgly tone.

“So… those are the words you’ve chosen to say as you prepare to leave this world,” the stranger said coldly.

Danny couldn’t take it any longer. He began to cry and trembled with fear. “Wh-Why… are you doing this?!”

The intruder didn’t respond. Once Danny looked back into the teen’s eyes, judging them by how he was staring into Danny’s soul, Danny could tell that he had no emotions. Not even the slightest sign of remorse was in them for all the damage he’d ensued upon him.

Out of the bloom, which surprised Danny and left him utterly shocked, the teen grinned, showing Danny that he truly was a monster. “I’m sorry that it had to come to this, pal. Although this wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t fight back and allowed me to knock your lights out.”

The stranger let out a soft chuckle and tilted his head sadistically. “Don’t be mad at me. Be mad at the person who lives here. They stole from us and owe us money.”

Everything started coming together for Danny. The expensive items in the house, his sister’s supposed long shifts, and all the money being saved up, it all made sense. And the answer to it all had to be this guy who had him by the hair and had a menacing aura of anger. The words that came out of his damned cold mouth made Danny feel more sad, but not out of his sister’s greed, but on the fact that she had to go such lengths to support the two.

Danny’s tears trickled down his bloodied cheeks as he whimpered away his guilty sorrow for his sister. Such a depressing sight brought out disgust for the teen. He even rolled his eyes because the view in front of him was so displeasing. To make Danny shut up, the teen punched him in the stomach, making him gag.

“Remember the last thing I said to you, friend? Was it me calling you lame? Yeah, I meant it. And seeing you cry like this only proves my point.” The teenager chuckled without expressing any signs of joy.

In a last ditch effort, Danny tried yelling for his sister’s help or to gain her attention, but the lady was too busy dancing to her tunes and eating her midnight snack in the kitchen.

The teen took a deep breath, a very deep breath, and furrowed his brow. “Let’s end this shall we, friend?” Then he threw a heavy punch into Danny’s abdomen. He ruthlessly pummeled fists into Danny’s face next, and afterwards he effortlessly tossed him around the room.

Danny’s sister had finally finished her food and stood in front of her room and was just about to enter her room until a loud crash made her turn to her right. She saw her own brother had crashed through his own bedroom door, laying on top of the rubble of wood.

“Danny!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, covering her mouth in horror.

The sight of her own brother covered in his own blanket of blood, froze her in absolute horror. Just when she readied herself to rush and save him, the intruder came through the broken door by moving the door panels away, then kicking Danny away too. When he came forth, she immediately knew who it was.

“No! Please stop this!” She got on her knees and folded her hands upon her lap. “Stop! I beg of you… Don’t kill him! Anything but my bro-brother!”

“Don’t worry,” he said calmly.

Still on her knees, with her eyes bloody red and watery, she hung her head and sniffled. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, sorry, sorry. I-I didn’t mean to steal from you guys and sell the stuff for myself, please! Just don’t hurt him anymore… I-I beg of you.”

The teen glanced at Danny for a moment, and then glared back at her with cold eyes that glistened with murderous intent. “Not to worry. I’m just after you.” He reached into his jacket and slowly pulled out a silver pistol.

Maria’s vision blurred. The world around her slowed down as her own gasps haunted her hearing. “No…”

The teen, with his gun fully exposed, started pointing it in her direction. “He was just a punching bag to vent my frustrations on. That’s all,” he said, the tone in his voice showing no empathy, no regret, nothing. Not even the slightest sound of mercy.

With the gun now aimed in her direction, the world around her felt slowed down as she got up from her knees and tried to run away. The memories of her family flashed before her eyes. The times she shared with them, but more importantly the ones she shared with her brother, were then stopped by a single bullet.

The sound of the gun going off made Danny’s body twitch. It was loud and the very sound scratched his muffled ears. The bullet drilled into her back, pushing her body to dive forward as she landed chest first onto the ground. She cried, and the teen slowly walked towards her direction, walking over Danny’s broken body. She was desperately trying to crawl away, leaving a trail of her own blood on the carpet of their beloved home. But to him, the intruder, this was no more than a clean up, a simple task he chose himself to do.

She kept crawling, coughing up blood and groaning from the pain. He was inches away and in arms reach now, he stepped on the heel of her foot to stop her from crawling any further. She cried loudly and screamed for help, gripping the carpet with all her life to break free from his grasp.

Without any emotion on his face, he looked back at Danny’s bloodied corpse while pointing his gun at her. “No hard feelings, right friend?” He slowly placed pressure on the trigger.

“St-Stop… no… stop,” Danny mumbled softly. But it was hopeless because the teen had already made up his mind.

The intruder pulled the trigger, shooting her multiple times. Every shot echoed in the house and tormented Danny’s ear drums. His sister wasn’t making the slightest sound nor screaming. Her body remained still.

Danny had lost too much blood and passed out, but his sister’s body laid there with her eyes open and colorless. The intruder shot one last time, making sure his job was done, and glared at her dead corpse.

Once finished, he lifted one of her arms and let it drop to check if she really had left this world. “Huh… job well done, I guess.” Reloading his gun, he caught the empty mag so it wouldn’t be left behind as evidence.

I wonder if she’ll want anything to eat before I get back? I’m sure she’s still awake watching those weird cartoons.

He put his gun away and reached into her pocket, then took out her wallet. “That’s what happens to bitches who don’t sell our dope, but as you said so yourself, you took it for yourself and sold it.” He threw the wallet next to her corpse. “Selfish, greedy bitch.”

He looked at Danny’s unconscious body and walked up to it in a calm and collective manner. Seriously though, I wonder what she wants? Hopefully she won’t get mad at me if I just skip out. Never mind, she’ll probably kill me.

The teen gazed down and tucked his hands into his pockets. “Sorry man, I bet she wasn’t even being honest with you, huh?” He took out his flip phone and called the police, then lied to them about the situation. After hanging up, he snapped the phone shut. “Well, help is on the way, so uhh, good luck… friend.” He picked up the bullet casings that ejected out his gun and finally walked off without leaving a trace of himself behind.

The stranger walked down the hall, over Danny and back into his room from where he first came in. He didn’t look back as he walked out the broken slide door to the right. As Danny lay there all lifeless and broken, he wondered if everything was real or just a dream. Trying to move a finger or limb, he couldn’t, the only thing he could do was look in the direction where the stranger ruthlessly killed his beloved sister in cold blood. Flashing images of him standing there, shooting her back, the muzzle flashing, and seeing how relaxed the stranger was made his blood boil.

The house grew silent and darker. It once had the essence of love and warmth, but now it’d been stained with murder. All the happiness and love earlier in the day had gotten shattered in a matter of minutes.

Three police vehicles arrived after a couple of minutes. They exited their patrol cars, took their flashlights and guns out and walked to the front door. Knocking multiple times without an answer the police decided to start to discuss their next plan.

One officer said, “I’ll stay here while you two check around back. How does that sound?”

Another replied with a chuckle and walked off to go check the side of the home.

The other sighed and flashed his light at his partner's face, making him close his eyes briefly. “Whatever man, let's just get this over with and see if it's a typical Detroit crime.”

“Probably,” he replied.

The officer who walked off to the side of the home was in the back now and saw shattered glass. “Hey guys!” he shouted.

The other two quickly came and saw the break in. All three nodded and aimed their guns, walking through the broken glass slide door. They saw the aftermath of the intrusion, a broken dresser, mirrors, blood on the ground and more notably a person cloaked in red laying on broken wood.

“Call an ambulance quickly,” said one officer.

One decided to start backing away. “I’ll be back, I’m going to get a fraternity kit, it looks like he’s still breathing.” He rushes away to go get the kit to help this poor soul.

Walking up to the injured, the other two started helping this person until one officer saw another victim down the hall laying on the living room floor. He rushed to the laid out victim and saw blood pouring from beneath them and shook his head.

“Hey, we got another one but deceased.” He took a knee and grabbed their wrist to check if they were dead. “Yup, they’re dead alright, and killed by a gun like always. But something ain’t right.” He glanced around and saw no brass casings laying around.

The on rendering aid to the survivor looked at his partner. “Anything?”

“Nope, and no casings too.”

“Ahh shit…” he said while shaking his head too.

The one pronouncing the victim dead walked to the front door and opened it. “Hey, get in here quickly!” he shouted to the one that’s about to run with the first aid kit.

He rushed to the front door and when he walked in he wasn’t shocked to see the aftermath. “Oh dear, another home invasion huh?”

“Well that’s that,” the officer said.

The other one who was helping the one survivor quickly came up to them grabbing the first aid kit and said, “Yeah, no surprise here. Just your typical house invasion and cover up because he found no damn casings.”

All three officers shook their heads, one placed his hands on his hips and walked out the home to wait for paramedics because he heard them coming from afar. The last two went inside to help the last victim until medical arrived.

Moments later, an ambulance arrived. The officers told the paramedics there was an injured kid inside, so they went in with a stretcher and loaded Danny onto it. News choppers hovered above while reporters were airing the entire situation. Danny was pulled away to the ambulance as his sister was zipped up inside a black bag.

Veronica, Anna, and Sarah were immediately notified about the situation. They were so stunned that Danny had lost his only family. He kept mumbling to himself that this was all a dream, but sadly it wasn’t. It wasn’t some freak mistake, it was just the sad reality of living in a damned city like Detroit.