The floor suddenly collapses beneath me, but I manage to refrain from screaming. As I begin to freefall to the previous floor, I find myself caught by some rough and cold arms in the air.
“What the hell? Abhi?!” I exclaim.
“I didn’t expect this to come in handy, but I positioned a bunch of those old man’s cleaning robots everywhere just in case. Did you encounter someone there?!” Abhi responds.
I remain silent.
BAM!
The explosive sound of a shotgun shell echoes above my head.
BAM! BAM!
SCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
He’s fighting with the robots.
While I hesitate, the robot that is still holding me swiftly manoeuvres on its small wheels through the collapsing building, skilfully avoiding falling debris and other obstacles.
As I reflect on my past, Abhi is doing everything in his power to help me!
“Sorry, Abhi, I … he’s right above us! Let me go!” I plead.
It’s time for me to snap out of it.
“No, I can’t let you go. The whole building is collapsing!” Abhi insists.
“So, what’s the plan? I don’t want to let him escape!”
“You have to! The robots will slow him down. Hopefully, he’ll get trapped inside and die! Let’s just leave for now.”
Since Abhi joined me, I’ve been able to regain control of myself. Before I realized it, his presence in my life became invaluable.
Under his command, dozens of robots are currently fighting my worst nightmare.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” I whisper.
Jumping through the emergency exit, the robot propels me onto the roof of the adjacent building.
Only a few metres separate the two rooftops, and I grab onto the gutter, 25 metres above the ground. As I glance downward, I witness the dedicated robot that saved my life crashing into multiple pieces upon hitting the concrete below.
I pull myself up onto the stable rooftop and silently watch the collapsing building in a cacophony of destruction, expressing gratitude to the hardworking robots.
“Did you cause the tower to collapse?” Abhi asks.
I furrow my brow. “I thought YOU did it.”
I make my way down the rooftop stairs to the first floor.
“What? No, I can’t do anything like that from my position. Was it the other person? They were invisible to my radar, by the way.”
“No, it can’t be them. That would be too irrational. They were about to kill me…”
“Do you know who that was?” Abhi inquires.
I don’t want to respond at the moment, so I change the subject. “More importantly, is our target d—”
“BOOOOOOBIESSSS!!! YOU’RE STILL ALIVE!!!!!!”
Ah… It’s this idiot again… I didn’t miss her…
“You… I hope you finished the job while I was occupied,” I say.
“NO!!”
I place a hand on my forehead. “What do you mean, no?!”
“SHE ESCAPED! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! SHE RAN AWAY WITH MY KNIFE!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”
“Quiet down! My ears are still ringing from the noise! So, you just let her leave? I can’t believe how useless you are.”
“I’m sorry!!! Please don’t kill me. I didn’t do it on purpose!”
I sigh. “I’m not going to kill you. Can you stop being so dramatic for a minute? You said she took your knife?”
“Yeah, I stabbed her in the shoulder before she fled. I couldn’t keep track of where she went since I was focused on the building you were in. The collapse made such a mess, I thought you were buried underneath! You can’t imagine how worried I was!!”
“You’re such an idiot… Just go home now, and I’ll bring your knife to you.”
“What?! Seriously?!”
“Yeah, seriously. See you later.”
I suddenly realize I’ve been smiling throughout the entire conversation.
What the hell is wrong with me? Saying ‘see you later’ as if we’re best friends?! This imbecile only makes my job harder!
Yet, I can’t help but feel relieved.
Some people are genuinely concerned about me, and that’s such a strange feeling…
S-she told me to go back home…
Home…
Does that mean she considers their home to be my home too??
Overflowing with joy, I start jumping around.
“Home! Home! Home!” I sing in the street, situated between the building where the press conference took place and the one that collapsed.
As the morning sun rises, I hear the sound of sirens, but they can’t dampen my mood.
I hop onto the scooter I used to come here and drive away from the district, heading towards our hideout.
Along the way, I spot a pizzeria.
“I guess I’ll buy dinner too. What a lovely homemaker I am!”
I enter the restaurant and notice a few strange looks directed at me.
“Hello! What’s up? I’d like to order three pizzas to go! One with chicken curry, do you have that? Yeah, that one. One with salmon and cream cheese. Yes, the ‘Norwegian,’ or whatever you call it. And finally, hmmmmm… What would Boobies like...? She seems like a vanilla person, right? Oh yeah, you don’t know her, hm… I’ll go with a margarita. It’s a classic, and everybody likes classics! Haha, I’ll eat it if she doesn’t like it! I can easily eat two pizzas. She’s on a diet anyway, so she’ll thank me for eating it! Oh, and get me some soda and spicy chicken wings.”
After finishing my order, I sit down on a chair and wait for the food. However, the strange looks continue.
“Hm, excuse me, sir, are you okay?” finally asks one of the waiters.
“Well, yes, I’m perfectly fine. Why?”
“Are you sure you don’t need me to call an ambulance?!”
I suddenly realize that I’m covered in blood!!
Oh my god, I’m so stupid!!
I glance at my reflection in a glass and notice that my nose is still bleeding, and my entire suit is stained with dark red spots.
“Hahaha, don’t worry, I just had a scooter accident. It happens all the time! Please don’t call anyone!”
I hurriedly make my way to the bathroom and clean myself as much as possible.
When I return to the restaurant area, my attention shifts to the TV, which is broadcasting the latest news.
I recognize the street and the building I was in just minutes ago.
“Haha, I wonder if it’s possible to see the weather report. I’m planning a picnic later today!” I awkwardly laugh.
Luckily, the sound is muted, and the owner switches to another channel.
But that’s not a weather report! On that channel, there are people in a studio discussing and pointing at blurry pictures of male bodies that have been stabbed in their genitals. They seem to be debating the modus operandi of the murderer.
I quickly head to the counter, collect my order, pay with Boobies’s money, and leave as fast as possible.
Getting on my scooter, I drive home with dinner and a sense of shame.
Panting, swinging, tripping, blood dripping from my shoulder all the way to my fingers, I stumble away.
Holding my injured arm with the other, I aimlessly retreat to save my life.
Sweating with fever, I see the happiest moments of my life flash before my eyes.
The first time I met my fiancé, our first conversation, the books we shared, our first date, our first dinner.
The first time we kissed, the first time we slept together, the first time he said he loved me.
The first time he spoke about his father, the first time we cried, the first time we fought.
The first time we lied, the first time we ran, the first time we said 'sorry.'
I recall the first time we talked about marriage, the first time we expressed our desire for children, the first time we made love without protection.
I pant, I sob, and I cry.
I think of my brother, always by my side, ready to kill the murderer of my beloved, so I wouldn’t have to soil my own hands.
“I’m so sorry! I’M SO SORRY!!!” I wail.
He was always my most valued ally.
Though I believed I was wandering aimlessly, my feet lead me to the remains of the place that was once our home.
A burnt-to-the-ground house with debris scattered everywhere.
The place where he perished.
With a trembling hand, panting and sweating, I slowly open the shattered entrance door, which crumbles loudly to the ground.
A weary smile forms on my face as I step inside and utter, “I’m home.”
SCHZDONG!
Collapsing in this once-warm, devastated coffin, my consciousness fades away.
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