I sat in the cold chair, the hum of the air conditioning crawling across my skin. It wasn't the kind of cold that woke you up, it was the kind that reminded you you were alone.
Around me, the world moved on. Papers shuffle, phones rang and none of it involved me.
Outside, the city noise carried on like nothing was wrong. Sirens, tires, pedestrians. Like everything was just fine but I wasn't.
Nothing was fine.
My parents were gone. Poof. No call, no note, they just vanished and here I was, in a fucking police station that felt more like a waiting room to nowhere.
I'd woken up early, if I ever even slept. I can't tell anymore.
Every time I close my eyes, it's like a reel of everything I can't fix plays in my head. Ten months ago, Hiyori, my girlfriend took her own life. Some days it hits me like a punch to the gut. Other days, it's just this weird hollow weight. I don't even cry anymore. Can't. It's like my body gave up on trying to feel normal emotions.
I hate this.
I fucking hate this life and what pisses me off most? I can't do anything.
I didn't save her. I can't find my parents. I'm just stuck.
Watching the world eat itself while I sit here like a goddamn ghost.
At school, no one cared. They acted like Hiyori didn't exist. Her bullies never faced anything. Not even guilt. They laughed. They moved on. Meanwhile, I'm still here, chewing on grief like glass.
Seventeen. That's what I am. But what does that mean anymore? I should be thinking about university, about future plans. What a joke. What the fuck's the point of any of it when everything around me is crumbling?
I checked my phone. No messages. No replies. My one friend hadn't answered me in days. Maybe he's tired of me too. I can't even blame him.
I stared at my reflection in the screen. Hair like a mess. Dark circles under my eyes. My mouth was dry. My face looked alive, but that was a lie. I took a photo anyway. Then I sent it to him — to her. Hiyori. I still message her. I tell her things, like she's still around. Like she's still reading.
God, I'm so fucked up.
I must've passed out at some point. When I opened my eyes, it was already 5:00 AM.
That's when I heard it. Screaming outside. One voice, loud and panicked.
I stood up, feeling more awake now. I moved toward the glass door, trying to see what was going on.
I could hear an officer shouting, his voice loud and strong.
"Hey! Stop right there! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
I froze.
What was happening? I pressed my face closer to the glass, trying to see anything.
I saw two officers. One of them was acting strange, moving in a way that didn't look right at all. The officer who was shouting seemed horrified. His voice was filled with disgust and confusion. I could tell he was trying to stop the other officer, but I knew that something was wrong.
The officer who was running toward him looked like he was getting more and more upset, and he finally reached the other officer, grabbed him by the shoulder, and pulled him away from whatever was going on.
"Stand down!" he yelled.
I didn't understand what I was seeing. It all felt so strange like I had just woken up to something I couldn't make sense of. My head was spinning, and I didn't know what to think.
Suddenly the officer's skin mottled and covered in mucus, lunged forward, its teeth bared and its mouth was wide, drool dripping from its lower jaw.
It sinks its teeth into the neck of the officer, the sound of bones crunching under the pressure.
I wanted to help, but I froze. When I got out of the station, I heard other officers running toward the scene. My heart raced as I tried to understand what was happening. What was that creature? A cannibal? The thought scared me.
I witnessed the blood gushing forth, painting the creature's face and chest a dark, viscous red. The other people around me gasped, their phones capturing the gruesome scene.
What the hell was that?
What the fuck is going on?
It was disgusting.
I felt like I was about to vomit, disgust flooded my throat. My stomach twisted as the horrifying scene sunk in. The crazy man continues to bite and tear at the flesh, stripping the skin from the officer's neck and leg.
At that moment, I made a choice. I decided to run and not look back. I felt selfish for leaving, but I didn't want to die either. My fear pushed me to escape, even if it meant abandoning my instincts to help.
I could hear people screaming and shouting but I kept running.
I ran like a coward like a useless, gutless piece of shit.