"Hey Vell, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving!" His little cousin ran over, all smiles.
Vell glanced down at her clinging to his arm, and yeah, he couldn't help but feel a small flicker of happiness. She was the only thing in his screwed-up life that made it worth getting out of bed.
***
Her parents died, you know? A car crash or some shit. But the thing is, they weren't exactly saints. Their whole family talked about them like they were this dirty secret, so when they were gone, no one wanted to deal with her. Not even Vell's parents.
At the funeral, she was just... there. Alone. Crying her eyes out. She had nobody. And everyone was walking off like it didn't even matter. Like she wasn't even standing there, tears all over her face, sniffling like she just lost the world.
He couldn't take it. Watching her walk up to people, begging them with her eyes, only to be brushed off—or worse. One of the assholes actually pushed her down. That was it. He snapped. He ran over, helped her up, and asked if she wanted to come with him. The way her eyes lit up when he asked? It was like she hadn't heard a kind word in weeks. She just nodded, too scared to say anything
They've been living together ever since. It wasn't easy. She was rough around the edges, to say the least. She fought against baths, refused to study, always smelled a bit off—honestly, anyone else would've thrown in the towel. But he didn't. Vell stuck with her, even when she made it hard as hell. Slowly, she started trusting him, and little by little, she listened. Three years later, and she's the top student in the whole damn region. Smart, elegant, all that.
***
They got to the ice cream truck, and she started scanning the menu, deciding between a million flavors like she always did. Vell watched her, and felt a smile tug at his lips. He couldn't help himself.
"Maybe you should cut down on the sweets. Might get even fatter."
She froze, narrowing her eyes at him. Inside, she was grinning. He always did this, always took the bait. It was too easy.
She froze, deadpan. "Oh really? I look like a princess, thank you very much."
"Suuure, a gluttonous princess."
There it was. She faked a huff, turning on her heel dramatically.
"Hmph. You know what? I'm not hungry anymore."
She stomped off, shoulders exaggeratedly tense, counting in her head. Three... two... one…
Right on cue, his laughter broke through. She had him. She always had him.
"Come on, I'm just messing with you, don't get pissed. I'll buy you two. How about that?"
She stopped, barely holding back her grin. She could picture him standing there, all concerned that she got angry.
"Two?"
She turned around slowly, keeping her expression innocent but her mind was doing a victory dance. She'd played him perfectly.
"Yeah, two."
She walked back over, all smiles, while he let out a relieved sigh. He had no idea she was playing him like a fiddle…actually, he knew but always hell for it anyways.
Later, they sat down with fried chips and fish, the ice cream already devoured. They didn't talk much. Just sat there, looking at the view, the sounds of the street mixing with the clatter of their forks.
He watched her, and for a second, everything felt alright.
"Hey, how old are you turning tomorrow?"
"Why? You should know that already."
"Just 'cause."
"Okay... I'll be 26."
"Oh yeah, that's right. Damn, you're old."
"Haah, here we go again."
"What? It's the truth. You're basically ancient. Hahaha, should I start calling you Gramps?"
"Cut it out."
"Why? Does Grandpa need to take his meds?"
She kept laughing, and he couldn't get mad, not with her smiling like that. Even though the joke was getting old, she was too damn cute. But still, he wasn't going to just sit there and take it.
"At least I'm still growing."
Her laugh stopped like someone hit pause. She stared at him, her expression turning from playful to serious real fast. He knew she wasn't really mad, but she was trying to get him to back off. He didn't.
"I mean, come on. You're 17, right? So why the hell are you still so short? Like, are you defective or something—"
Then he saw it. The tears.
"Shit," he muttered, panic rising in his chest. "Oh god. Hey, hey, I didn't mean it like that! Please, stop crying. I'm sorry."
Vell was already on edge when she gave him that look. That half-smile, the one that always seemed like it was hiding something sad. And then, without warning, she burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha, you're so easy. Seriously, how do you still fall for this? We've done it a million times."
He just stared, feeling the tightness in his chest, his jaw clenching. "Goddammit, Maya. This shit's stressing me out. I'm getting a drink."
"Grab me one too," she said, still laughing, barely even looking at him.
"Okay."
As he walked toward the shop, his thoughts were all over the place.
'She's gonna be the death of me, for real.'
He shook his head and smirked.
'But, God, she's adorable. Can't believe this is the same girl from back then. She's grown up so much. I'm so damn proud.'
He grabbed two soft drinks, took a deep breath, and headed back. But the moment she came into view, his mind stopped. There she was, surrounded by a bunch of guys that were too old to be hitting on a kid. They were too close, their eyes too bold, and then one of them—this asshole—grabbed her arm.
His brain went white-hot. He stood there for a second, just staring, trying to convince himself he wasn't seeing what he was seeing. But then the guy tugged her, and that was it. His body moved before his mind could catch up. The bottle in his hand smashed against the dude's skull with a sickening thud, dropping him like dead weight.
The others turned.
"Who the hell's this big fucker?"
"Who cares? Let's just beat his ass."
They pulled out knives, which, in the back of his mind, should've freaked him out. But it didn't. Everything blurred together. He grabbed the nearest plate and hurled it at one guy. It cracked across his face, giving him just enough time to swing a fist at the other, catching him square in the nose. There was a crunch, and blood gushed on the guy's mouth, but he didn't care. He didn't feel a thing. He let that guy drop, spun, and drove his knee into the third guy's gut, following it up with an elbow to the neck that left him gasping on the floor.
One tried to sneak him, but Vell was too fast. He smashed another plate into the guy's face, sending him sprawling to the ground.
And that's when things went dark.
He knelt beside the one still moving, grabbed him by the shirt, and started punching. One hit. Then another. And another. He kept going, his knuckles wet with blood, his mind drowning in the sound of bones breaking. It wasn't enough. The rage, the fear, everything just kept pushing him forward, pushing him harder. The guy's face was barely recognizable by the time he heard her voice.
"Vell..."
It was faint, like she was far away. His fist hung in the air, shaking.
"Vell! Stop, please. I'm fine. They didn't hurt me."
She was behind him, arms wrapped tight around his chest, pulling him back, grounding him. His breath came in ragged bursts as he stared at the guy in front of him, barely conscious, a pool of red spreading underneath.
"It's... it's okay," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"...I did it again, didn't I?" His voice was flat, numb, like he was talking about someone else. He didn't dare look at her.
"Yeah," she said softly, "but you were defending me. It's fine. Everyone saw it."
He finally looked up, and that's when he noticed them—everyone standing there. Staring. Whispering. Some had phones out, recording. Their faces weren't relieved or grateful. They were horrified. Disgusted.
He wiped a hand across his face and purple hair, smearing the blood that wasn't his.
He sprang to his feet, surveying the aftermath. The men who had laid hands on Maya lay motionless on the ground. Maya, however, stood out from the rest – her eyes locked onto his, filled not with fear, but with a deep-seated concern. She was grateful for his protection, as always, but her true terror was the possibility of him ending up behind bars because of this.
Before long, the police arrived, swiftly handcuffing him without posing a single question. The scene spoke for itself: injured assailants, a man covered in blood – what more evidence could be needed?
"Wait, those men were harassing me, a minor!" Maya protested. "My uncle just defended me!"
"Step back, please. The court will decide his guilt or innocence," the officer replied firmly.
Maya opened her mouth to argue, but a sudden, intense shockwave cut her off, sending everyone tumbling to the ground. The abrupt silence that followed was just as unsettling.
"What the...?"
"Was that an earthquake?"
"I don't know, but we should get out of here, now!"
Panic set in as people scrambled to reunite with their families. Then, a bystander's frantic warning pierced the air.
"Everyone, run! Now!"
Confused, the crowd looked up, and horror dawned on their faces.
Towering structures were plummeting from the sky, one of them mere minutes away from crushing them. Chaos erupted as people shoved each other in a desperate bid to escape.
"Give me the keys to the cuffs!" he yelled at the fleeing police officers.
"Shit!"
Maya, trampled by the stampede, struggled to get up. He rushed to her side, shielding her from the frantic crowd. As the chaos momentarily subsided, he pulled her to her feet, and together they sprinted for their lives. The closer the falling tower drew, the more intense the pressure became, threatening to pin them down.
They barely escaped the impact zone as the tower slammed into the earth, sending debris flying everywhere. This apocalyptic scene was unfolding globally, claiming countless lives.
He didn't wait to see why the towers fell. Didn't really care about all that nonsense. They just ran, tearing through chaotic streets until they stumbled across a small supermarket that looked abandoned. They rushed inside, heading straight for the back, finding a storage room with the door slightly ajar. No time to think. He pulled her in and locked the door shut behind them.
Maya was freaking out, pacing and shaking, her breath coming in short bursts. He grabbed her hands gently.
"Hey, it's gonna be fine, alright? Just breathe. We're okay for now."
She nodded, but he could tell she wasn't really buying it. Hell, he didn't even believe it.
But he had to be strong for her.
Once she stopped shaking so bad, he started pacing himself, looking around for anything useful. He still had those damn cuffs on, wrists bruised and raw from the run.
He was hoping to find something—anything—to break them off, but the room was mostly just stacks of boxes, a few old tools, nothing that would help. As he was moving stuff around, that's when he heard it.
Screaming.
"Kyaaaa—"
"Somebody, help—"
"What the hell—"
"Save m—"
He froze. His gut clenched. Maya curled up on the ground, hands over her ears, shaking again, but he just stood there, listening. The screams weren't all of it. There was something else underneath it, some... rough, animalistic noise. Like a growl, but not quite. It chilled him more than the dying cries.
Then, a banging at the door jolted him out of it.
"I-is anyone in there? P-please let me in," a man's voice, high-pitched, panicked.
"Please, I'm gonna die out here!"
Maya looked up at him, wide-eyed. He shook his head, motioning for her to stay quiet. No way in hell he was opening that door. Not for anyone. Not after hearing all those screams.
"Oh god, it's coming! Please, open up!"
The banging got louder, more frantic.
Then it just... stopped.
Silence.
It hung there for a second, thick, before they heard something else. A sniffing sound, like an animal smelling them out. And then—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Something massive slammed into the steel door. The whole frame rattled, and with each hit, the door bent a little more. Maya scrambled to his side, grabbing onto him, trembling. He wrapped an arm around her, trying to be strong for her, but he was just as scared. They were trapped, and whatever was out there? It was getting in.
"That thing... It's strong. Really strong. Violent. Shit, this is bad," he muttered under his breath. He scanned the room again. Nothing but more useless boxes.
"Dammit, we're trapped."