The next day, Ginny held onto Bale's hand firmly as they made their way to the family restaurant. Her mother had been pestering her about her absence since her sister's death and she decided to finally meet her mother again. She had told her that Bale had helped her through the grief and she wanted to introduce him as her boyfriend to him and her mother happily agreed.
"Do you think she'll like me?" Bale asked, smiling gently.
"Of course," she said. "You're perfect."
They walked towards the door of the restaurant, which opened automatically for them to enter. They stepped inside and Ginny waved her hands at her mother, who was seated in the middle of it.
Instantly, she felt Bale tense up against her and she looked over at him. His expression was cold and still and as they sat around the table, he didn't speak one word of introduction to her mother although she was asking him to with her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Bale said, getting up from his seat and throwing the napkin on top of it. He went for the balcony and Ginny stared after him for a while.
"What's wrong?" her mother asked.
"I don't know," Ginny said, craning her head to find him. "Wait here."
Ginny left her seat to go to the balcony. When she was outside, Bale had his hand on the rail and was looking into the sky. Ginny came up beside him and placed a hand on his arm.
"What's wrong, Bale?"
She watched a tear slide down his cheek as sorrow burst from his expression. "I'm sorry, Ginny, I'm so sorry."
"Why are you apologising?" Ginny asked.
"I'm sorry," Bale said.
And he only apologised for the rest of the night.
❃❃❃
It was the day after the peculiar night with Bale at the family restaurant and since they had all decided to take a break from work to grieve, they agreed to head out to hike in the nearest park.
"We'll be okay," her father said to them, and also to himself.
"Yes, we'll be okay," Ginny repeated. They walked under an apartment building. Some people from the other side approached them, their bodies extending the length of the path. "Let's walk there," she suggested and her mother nodded.
They all moved to the side of the apartment building, where wooden bars hung from almost every unit, with clothes drying on them.
"Such good weather today," her mother said as she walked. Then she looked up. "Do you think we should head in? Those people have passed by, and it's kind of dangerous - "
"Dad, look out!" Ginny yelled.
But it was too late.
Her father clutched onto his chest, falling to the ground.
❃❃❃
The beeping noises were so familiar, and Ginny hated that. She would rather be the one in the hospital bed now, but her father was the one who was in it. She cried, and her mother passed her tissues to dry her tears.
As time passed, her father eventually stirred in his bed. Ginny shot from her seat to stand beside his bed. She grabbed onto his hand.
"Dad, you're okay."
"My chest hurts."
"You had a heart attack. It was minor, you'll live."
"I feel fine otherwise."
"That's great," she said.
"Can you turn up the volume on the TV? This channel looks interesting."
Ginny looked at the TV. It was some soccer match and she approached it to turn the volume up. She returned to her seat and watched as her father ate and drank normally, even laughing a few times. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.
And finally, Ginny felt reassured and safe.
❃❃❃
Death stood by his bedside. He touched a hand to his shoulder and smoke poured from his fingertips to cover the man's chest. His heart was beating strongly but the title over his head was drawing to an end.
With the smoke, the tendrils caught hold of his soul and pulled towards him. The orb left the man's body and instantly, the beeping of the monitors went crazy.
The girl flew to her father's side as nurses raced into the room, with some prying her from her father. The screams filled the room as the nurses got to work, trying to revive her father.
It didn't take long before the room stilled and the nurses left the room one by one, a cloth draped over the man's head.
The girl clawed onto her father's hand as she screamed and screamed. Her mother appeared at the room, took one look, and fainted from shock.
"Dad! Dad!" the girl cried out over and over again.
Death thought that she would be covered in tears but now, he realised that her tears no longer came.
❃❃❃
The text messages spammed her inbox repeatedly, coming from the same unknown number. Ginny tapped into each link the stranger sent her. They were images of a white powder and she clicked into them. She closed those windows and clicked on the other links, which brought her to articles of Speed. She wanted so much to call the police, but after killing Harold, that wasn't exactly a choice she could take.
It was a drug that had the ability to cause heart attacks.
She closed that window too and sent the stranger a message.
You fucking coward. Come out and tell me who you are instead of hiding behind the screen.
A reply came.
It read: How did your father die?
The fury flooded her head. This fucker! This motherfucker was destroying her life! She hated him, oh how she resented this fucker! Her fingers flew across the keyboard and she hit send.
I hope you die and rot in hell, you motherfucker. I hope everyone you love dies and I swear, if I ever find you, I will kill you like I killed that fucking waste of space!