I lean forward, controlling myself from whatever the fuck is going on. 

I clear my throat once more. “Star, why don’t you talk about Maya? You’ve brought her up before.” 

Star relaxes a bit more. Still, his tension remains. 

He speaks, “Maya… She was much more loving. We argued over who loved each other more, and I would usually back down.” 

A slight fog slips.

Star continues, “Maya supported me in ways that matter. She loved the way I act and the very few hobbies I have. I felt human, in a way.” 

He fixes his hair slightly. 

He resumes, “I… I’m trying so hard to remember… I remember the emotions, the happiness, the feeling that I’m worthy.” 

Star readjusts his posture slightly, letting out a sigh.

I ask, “Any moment with her that stood out?” 

Star looks at me slightly before clearing his throat. Star responds, “We talked about going to the movie theater and taking the couches at the front. I was so excited for that day, thinking about being so close to her while watching the big screen.” 

He pauses.

I ask, “What happened?” 

Star shifts slightly as he looks off. “We didn’t make time for it. That’s all.” 

His eyebrows furrow as I sneak a peek. Something’s off, but I can’t place it.

I ask, “So are you going to tell me why you haven’t seen her in a while?” 

He inhales before exhaling fog. “It’s like I said. We just couldn’t make time for each other.”

The vampire looks at the ground as I try to look into his eyes. He refuses to meet me. I’d thought he’d be more open with me after telling me about Dyna. Ugh. What the hell are you not telling me? So fucking avoidant…

I bluntly speak, “Star… I’m not in the mood to go in circles with you. If you don’t wanna tell me, then fine. Fucking fine. Just don’t coat it in lies.” 

Shit. Why did I say all that? Now, he doesn’t want to speak about it. Whatever. Maybe I shouldn’t be dwelling on his business with a human.

Star freezes in place. 

That is, until he relaxes his posture, raising himself slightly. A slight fog flows from his nose. His eyes meet mine, steadying so slightly.

Star says in that usual tone he always has, “Everything I’ve said today was true.” 

The vampire continues this time with more effort, “There is a reason why we haven’t seen each other in a while. Maya and I broke up 7 years ago.”

His eyes shake as his mouth remains slightly open. His eyebrows lift while his head tilts up, soaking the breeze. His body loosens massively, opening himself. My hands still in my pockets, balls up into fists. I grind my teeth as I raise my upper lip. My left eye squints slightly.

I thought… I thought… I thought I could start feeling more comfortable with this guy. 

What the fuck? Just as I was ready to kill for him. This asshole is chasing someone who doesn’t even want him back.

I should’ve known there was something about him. I just thought that through everything he’s said and the way he acted, that he was better than all that. To think my bodyguard is someone else’s stalker. 

Why did I…?

I shouldn’t get too bothered by all this. It’s my fault for caring. I’m foolish to expect anything more. To… I can’t let my feelings blind me — not after everything.

“Go fuck yourself…”

My steps echo in my head. The cold rings until I — I stop. Halting. Static blank.

I walk past Star, slightly pushing him. I refuse to look back. I hold that frustration to myself as I walk the streets. I’ll stay angry. I don’t care. Maybe I should lash out at someone else.

The freshskins litter the sidewalks, making me push and knock any dipshit in my way. I get called whatever by humans. It doesn’t fucking matter — I’m gonna keep pushing harder.

I walk alone on this road, crowded by humans. I’m used to all this. I don’t need someone’s stalker ex to be my permanent bodyguard. When we’ve achieved our objectives, then it’s over. It’ll just be me against the world, as always.

I just need to be alone. Back to that room as usual, eating snacks and binging whatever show is available in that place. Yeah. I need more “me time”. I can’t deal with all this bullshit.

I step through the door of the inn. My hand rests on the glass. Look back at the damned ugly thing that mirrors me — that uneven, rotten, foul, pitiful bastard. Despite everything, it always smiles back. It pisses me off. How can you be so smug when you look like that?

The main hall is empty, save for Jack Know, who is standing behind the counter. He taps his foot impatiently. I walk through, hearing only the echoes of my footsteps and his tappings. 

So this is the asshole. It was exciting to see how Star threatened him. It was magical even. But I don’t need him to have that fun. I clench my hands tightly.

I force a chuckle. I bear a prideful grin as I look down upon him. “So, did you decide to carry your weight around the house?” I say with newfound confidence.

Jack tilts his head down. He speaks in a cold voice, “Heard you got quite a reputation elsewhere. I’ve got a solution to end the nightmare.” 

I angle my head up, retaining my confidence. “Oh? What exactly are you thinking?” I inquire. I put my hands on my hips.

I look at a nearby mirror, noticing two people approaching me from behind. One a man. The other is a woman… She’s the hunter from earlier today. I turn to face the gunpowder. 

BANG!

The bright white turns to void darkness. 

I’m tempted to lie here in the darkness, but I still see my stalker’s face. I crawl to the guiding light. I always have to. I don’t want to spend any more time with that lumbering brute.

I gasp for air. My heart is beating once more. I’m back.

I’m on the ground. I feel around me in this cramped room, realizing where I’m at. I scramble through my pockets. They took everything from me, save for my clothes. At least they didn’t bury me.

Shit. Did I stuff myself with anything useful? I put my finger in my mouth. I hurl to the ground, trying to spit out whatever. Nothing. It’s all chunks of junk food. Ugh. I’m going to need to clean my hands when I’m done… I find a pin in the mess.

I stick it in the doorknob’s lock, twisting it around. Oh my God. All that inhaling garbage is going to pay off. Click. I’m fucking free. I push the door out as I find the light in the halls. I look down to see the mess I made.

I hear yelling and gunshots echoing through the halls. I’m tempted to leave, but I have to get my revenge. Before anything,  I run to the nearest water fountain. I wash my hands, soaking my sleeves. 

Bang! Bang! 

Fine, fuck. I’ll go to the source.

Running through the halls, I stop to pick up a rifle left behind — probably belonging to the hunters. I can guess what’s been happening, but anything can happen in this hellish town. I take a corner to peek at the main hall.

Bullets litter the floor, rolling from place to place. Many bullet-filled furnishings turn over. The big chandelier lies in the middle, broken. Jack hides behind the counter, holding his head as he hunches down.

I see that vampire with the two hunters. Shit. I tug on my neck. I can’t fucking think about him. Not now. I’m tempted to leave at the moment. I reluctantly watch.

His body is covered in bruises, with a few bullet wounds seeping through his bloodied uniform. The vampire moves with precision, breaking one rifle after another. The two humans fighting him are struggling. Yet they look less injured than even Star, catching their breath with each attempt at his life.

The hunters pull whatever they can from their straps and pouches. With each attempt, Star shuts them down. However, a couple of bullets slip by, colliding with his body. The male hunter slides a knife into Star’s back. The vampire lunges at the man’s neck, holding him against the wall.

The other hunter takes out her knife and jabs it repeatedly into his back. Star pushes her off with the slightest of force, knocking her against the chandelier. Shatter. The vampire, still holding onto the man, looks slightly at the woman. Ugh. I’m gonna stop this.

I point my rifle at Jack. “Hey! Get up, asshole.” 

The adulterer stands without hesitation. “Y—You were cold! I thought you would fold.” 

Everyone in the room stops to look at me. 

I comment, “I’m a Necromized, I’m always cold.” 

Star lets go of the hunter, dropping him to his knees. The two hunters stay where they should be, on the ground or kneeling. 

I hold my aim on Jack. “Yeah, don’t look innocent, Jackass. You tried to get me killed.” 

The cold seeps through Star’s mouth. “Don’t pull the trigger.” 

I yell out, “We already had this conversation!” I let out a sigh. “Besides… you were going to kill him…” 

Jack stammers, “Look! I mistook! You can have the money. When it’s all over, we’ll laugh like it was funny.” 

Ugh. Fuck all this rhyming bullshit. 

Crash. The front door opens. The owner of this business steps in. Susan’s eyes widen as her body stiffens. Her hands clench. Her presence drains the attention. Her eyes lock on mine as they narrow slightly.

She clears her throat. “Do you mind telling me what’s going on?”

I lean the rifle down. Many possibilities flood my mind. Did she call the police? How will she react to my explanation? Will she believe me? What are my escape options? I have to speak soon with the utmost convincing argument.

I proceed. “Your ‘loving’ husband hired bounty hunters to kill us. That’s why they’re in your place even after you told them off.” 

I gesture at the chaos. “They shot me and stuffed me in a closet. I come back to see them trying to kill Star. As you can see, he’s more bloodied than even them.”

I read the skepticism growing in her face. Her eyes narrow as her mouth opens slightly.

Susan looks back at Jack. “Is this true?” 

Jack pauses. He stammers, “It’s all lies. You have to be wise.” 

I snicker to myself. “Oh, by the way, your ‘loyal’ husband was taking out another woman on a date. Star and I caught him earlier.” 

Susan angles her head downward, allowing her cap to cover her eyes. She shifts. The human slides her hand across her hair. She inhales through her teeth.  

Star comments, “I’m sorry, Sudan… I can confirm what I saw.” 

She exhales deeply. Her nail digs into her palm deeply. Deep enough for her to stop and shake it around.

Her Susan speaks quietly, attempting to maintain her composure, “We can talk about this detail later in private, Jack… But I need these trespassers out of here.”

Jack slams his fist on the counter. “I want these monsters out if you’re removing our protection! I want—” 

“Our protection? They hardly protected anyone!” Susan snaps.

The two argue for a while. The two rifled humans crawl off as I find my stuff. I just let the married couple break apart.

Star steps off the premises, leaving a trail of blood. 

I catch up with him. Ugh. I shouldn’t even be talking to him.

I throw a pebble near his feet. “Hey, dispshit! Where are you going?”

Star continues walking. “We’re not welcome back there.” 

Tch. I shout over to him, “Oh come on! One fucking fight and you’re already running away?” 

He turns back to me with exhaustion in his eyes. “You can try to stay there, but I won’t bother with a sinking ship.”

This asshole… He can keep running and heal from his wounds, but he’s too cowardly to come back. He’s going to keep doing this. I can’t stand that he’s doing all this for that lost fake love. I clench my hands. I need him to fucking listen to me.

“You’re one to fucking talk about a sinking ship!” I yell. 

Star freezes. 

I continue, “You think stalking some woman is going to solve your depression? That’s asinine!” 

Star narrows his eyes before turning around.

I yell over, “I don’t fucking get you! You let them stab and shoot you like nothing… And then you fucking leave when you’re inconvenienced!” 

I lean forward as I hold out my curled fingers. 

I continue to exclaim, “Learn to fucking deal with shit! You’re a vampire who can hurt and bully your way out of almost any situation! Where’s that spark you had before!?”

He starts walking off as he pulls the knife from his body, dropping it. 

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” I shout over. 

The blood trail thins out as Star walks. I want to follow him, but I can’t fall for this bullshit. I stay there, yelling over at him as he ignores me. I then notice the crowd around us. The ever-present humanity, watching and silently judging us. Fine. Whatever.

I walk in my own direction, heading wherever I can. I move and move. Move and move. Walk and walk. Street to street. Road to road. Aimless. 

My hands shake. I chomp deeply to get them to stop. I grind them until I cough. My throat hurts like hell. My head hurts —My teeth hurt — My hands hurt.

I feel something touching my shoulder. 

“Are you okay?”

I twitch. Snapping at the stranger, I bust his nose. I slam this fucking asshole against the nearby glass window. The shards fly, piercing my revolting hands. The blood drips as I leave.

I need time to myself, again. I need to be isolated. I hate people so fucking much. Can’t stand all this bullshit.

I only need myself. There’s no reason to keep depending. There’s nothing worth valuing out of anyone but myself. When it’s all over, I’ll sleep peacefully with no disturbance.