Chapter Text
You could’ve sworn that you heard someone say, “Sleep is the cousin of death.”
In a book, a video you scrolled past, or maybe from a friend.
Truth be told, death wasn’t something that crossed your mind in the last little while. The job you picked up at a small convenience store had been the cause, apparently. Your shift has been rather slow lately–a few customers checking in and out with the occasional tip. Tonight was one of those nights.
The fluorescent lights above you hummed endlessly, filling the store with an artificial atmosphere. You stared at the clock hanging above one of the crowded snack-shelves, each second dragging on longer than the last. A sigh escaped your lips.
Can this just end already? All I want to do is take a hot shower and eat.
You leaned on top of the counter, chin resting in your hand, staring at the glowing register screen. It was nearly two in the morning, and nothing interesting was going on–at least to you.
A boring night-shift at eighteen years old wasn’t what you expected of yourself. Your parents had always advised you to graduate with high achievements and continue post-secondary studies until further notice. Maybe it was the most viable option, but to you, it sounded like a load of projection.
The notion that parents often projected their dreams and aspirations on their child particularly stuck with you. School had never interested you, and deep down, you wished you could laze around until you keeled over one day.
The automatic doors suddenly slid open, pulling you out of your somewhat melancholic thoughts. You straightened a little–more out of habit than anything. A man had just walked in, but not someone you’d consider ordinary. His hood was dragged on sluggishly, and his hands were shoved into the pockets of his already sagging pants.
Weird, but whatever. Plenty of people had waltzed in looking a bit off the edge, and you paid no mind to it. What was the deal with this guy?
It hadn’t been long before you were choking out sobs. The thin blade of a pocket knife slowly grazed your neck, the crimson liquid spilling over the cashier counter. Pain erupted through your chest, as you tried to scream out for some kind of help. Of course, to no avail–the rest of the store was entirely empty.
You could’ve swore everything was just fine a second ago, and now your brain was sent into overdrive. All you could gather from what just happened was the fact that blood was spilling over your entire person. It coated the counter, dripped over the edge, and smeared all over your shaking hands. For a moment, your brain refused to process it. This is the type of thing most are ignorant towards–simply because the thought of “..it would never happen to me,” consumes their biased judgement.
You blinked. The unfamiliar warmth spreading over your uniform made more sense. The awfully metallic smell overpowering the broken coffee machine had suddenly registered.
Oh.
It was your blood. The realization had hit you all at once, your body slowly starting to numb in the harsh grip of the man. The cold tile floor had rushed up to meet you as your vision blurred around the edges. This was it. Your rather short life, coming to an end at the hands of a lowly thug.
Regret slowly seeped into your mind; the blood seeping out making it hard to concentrate. Honestly, the kind of person you were wasn’t too far off of a sloth. Procrastination, low effort, lazy–they were all words you heard on a daily basis. Truth be told, you didn’t know what your purpose was on earth. Maybe it was to marry a nice spouse and have children. Or to run a large conglomerate and make a load of money. You did practically nothing, and now you were being wiped out like an animal who unfortunately happened to be roadkill.
Your throat felt like it was being crushed, and every breath came in ragged, shallow bursts. The half burnt-out lights above swam in your vision, flickering in time with the pounding in your skull. You could hear your own heartbeat, or maybe it was just the echo of panic bouncing around your head. Time slowed, stretching each second into an eternity, and all you could do was think. Think about wasted hours, half-finished homework, the video game you never finished, the friends you barely called back.
Was this really it? The end of everything you’ve become? Hell, it wasn’t much, but the realization was still daunting. You squeezed your eyes shut, silently accepting the fate that’s been drawn out to you. If this is what the universe dished out for you, then so be it. Coughing up whatever blood still circulated in your system, your eyes slowly gave into the extended hand of darkness.
You bid farewell to your mundane life, your parents, friends, and the small, insignificant moments of what made your life your own. Doom-scrolling until four in the morning, geeking out over your favorite anime characters–you let it all go. Your luck hasn't been the best recently–or ever, for that matter, but damn.
Life is strange.