Nightmares Are My Job!

OCTOBER 31ST, 2006

SFU CAMPUS

“Kiya, can we talk?” Zhou was trying to get my attention.

I wasn’t listening. Heland had enlisted the two of us to help decorate for the Halloween party - she was on the planning committee, and they were in need of extra hands. Therefore I was concentrating my energy on unraveling a pumpkin garland.

Our contributions may have been weak, but that had nothing to do with my… newly acquired “Double Lotus”, or with whatever Zhou was now afflicted with due to close contact with me.

(Long story short, him and I have had to share an air mattress since the ritual. Heland’s room is small, but we felt averse to going back to the apartment, strangely…)

Our contributions were weak because we were limp armed nerds whose cardio consisted of 1 set of walking from the computer to the kitchen, and opening the empty fridge until failure.

“Sorry to drag you guys out here.” said Heland, sounding apologetic.

“No worries, this is fun. Besides, Halloween’s probably the only day I can go out without getting too many weird looks…”

My hair had yet to return to normal and was still white. Zhou had begged me to dress up as some Final F*ntasy character or whatever for Halloween, but did we really have time to think about that right now?

He said “Being a zombie for Halloween is so boring!” but see, I didn’t really need a costume for that, did I? I basically look undead right now. Toss on a ragged shirt and jeans and I could be a 28 Days Later extra.

“Scary things are more likely to happen on Halloween…” said Heland unhelpfully.

“That feels statistically untrue.” replied Zhou.

The pair then started fighting.

While they fought, I gave up on the tangled garland, and decided to go for a walk to clear my head.

Before I could make my escape, the last person I ever wanted to see walked into the auditorium, dressed fittingly as a grim reaper.

Heland saw him too, and waved excitedly.

“Cal! You’re early!”

Zhou looked to my horrified face, and then to Heland who was now rolling up his sleeve to check… something written there? muttering, “Kiya, am I the only one who doesn’t know who that is?”

I couldn’t do anything but stand there frozen in fear.

He’s come to take me! I thought. Heland was right, I should have stayed home!

Cal pried Heland off of him and turned to me.

“I’m not here to… drag you down, or kill you, or whatever you’re thinking of.”

I couldn’t do anything but stand there frozen in fear.

He rubbed his temples, and I noticed his fingers were practically covered in large silver rings.

“Against my better judgement, I’m here to interfere in mortal matters again.”
“And to celebrate Halloween.” interrupted Heland.

“Yes, that as well. Thank you.”

For the strangest reasons I found myself believing him.

It wasn’t as if we were really enemies. If anything, it was just that he happened to be chasing me on the beach, and I happened to be running away.

“Kiya,” he addressed me directly suddenly, “I’m aware of your… your friend has termed it the ‘Lotus Complex’, has he?”

Zhou had now caught on to who Cal, or rather, “Death”, was, and it was now his turn to stand there frozen in fear.

“You’ll understand that your… condition presents us as much of a problem as it does you. Therefore, it’s in our best interests to work together.”

The two of us discussed for a while. Heland seemed to be taking notes, though it didn’t feel like it was on what we were talking about? And Zhou had to leave to throw up in the bathroom.

“There is someone who wants to meet you.” said Cal, and he told me about Ellis - the blond teenager, the same one I’d woken up on the cliff.

“So that’s it…” I murmured. “And he’s coming here.”

“Correct.”

“Then, let’s go give him a welcome, right?” I said, smiling. “Once we’re together we can figure it out, and put an end to this complex business… that’s what you mean, right?”

Cal pursed his lips. “Yes, and there are certain others who wish for the two of you to meet… in different circumstances. Though I hope my interference will stop their wishes from coming to pass…”

I told Heland that we’d be heading out for a bit, and to tell Zhou to call me.

It was only when were speeding away in Cal’s car, a night-black version of a taxicab - does he even have a driver’s license? - that I realized my phone, a blue flip with a plush bunny charm, was missing from my jacket pocket. In fact, I couldn’t recall seeing it since waking up.

OCTOBER 31ST, 2006

SFU CAMPUS

Zhou walked back into the auditorium in a bit of a hurry.

“Hey,” he said to Heland, “where’d they go? I have to talk to Kiya. I forgot to tell him something.”

“They left. He said to call him… What did you want to tell him, anyways?”

“You remember Ageofeastnine, right? The gist of it is that he’s actually a high school age hitman who’s been hired to kill Kiya but he’s coming here with his little sister who somehow woke up to warn Kiya instead. If that’s true.”

“So you blocked him, right?”

“No, I gave him Kiya’s number.”

“...”

The ringing chime of the clocktower interrupted Heland’s shocked silence.

It had just turned noon.

In several hours, the fated party would finally be underway...