Chapter Text
Demi had spent the majority of his week at home after falling into a deep, cold , and prolonged sickness. He didn’t have the energy to get up, and once he did, he felt a sharp pain stinging in his head. He wasn’t sure why felt this sick— he convinced himself he didn’t eat anything weird. He stopped staying up so late in the meantime as well to focus more on his academics. He was stepping up his A-game here, but his body was rejecting that light push of motivation every second.
The night wore off more quickly than expected, stirring awake at the sound of the loud chirping sounds in the distance. He laid there for a few seconds, contemplating whether or not he should get up or lay back down, settle in for yet another good rest. He wasn’t so fond of getting up in pain, but he forced himself up anyway. He wasn’t sure why— he just followed his first natural instinct— which was to sit up.
Mentally, he was preparing— ready for the sharp pain to slice through him, as if it were in his new-adapted daily routine. His hand instantly reaches up to his forehead, attempting to soothe the numbingness, before his movements stop to a halt. He paused, eyes scanning around the room, feeling a sense of familiarity with the surroundings. That’s when it hit him.
He wasn’t feeling anything at all?
That was most certainly—
Odd. At least that’s what he thought.
“That’s… weird,” He thought to himself, voice full of sleep.
Confusion rising, he wonders to himself what exactly changed. He took his medication per usual before 7:06pm every night, consumed about just the right amount of soup the entire week to the point he could consider soup as his favorite food(He would never replace eggs, to be honest), and he would make sure to regularly change his clothes to prevent himself from reeking of an awful smell— like eating a large amount of Tacobell, later on letting out the gas.
Lost in his thoughts, in a daze, he hadn’t realized that his phone was vigorously vibrating on his night stand. The sound made him flinch, eyes snapping to the left sight, spotting the culprit who had cut through his mind. Quickly coming to his senses, he leapt forward, roughly picking up the phone off the wooden stand. He squints his eyes ever so slightly, seeing the big, white bold letters flash him like a flashbang on the screen.
It was none other than his father. Eagerly, answering his call, he puts his dad on speaker mode, bringing the up to his ear to hear his voice properly. “Dad!” He greeted, almost too happy to finally not be left alone, despite being used to it majority of the time.
“Hey, kiddo,” His father returned his greeting. “I just wanted to say that; I might not be able to come home and buy you your medication. Just wanted to give you a heads up.”
Demi nearly choked on his own spit, blue eyes piercing through the walls in disbelief. What was his own father saying? “...Are you telling me that I have to go and buy medicine myself?”
There was a pause, not exactly for the dramatic effect.
“Unfortunately, yeah,” He answered, tone almost cold, not so affected by the fact he was selling his own son to the wolves with his condition. “It won’t be far though—”
“What— Do you— Do you even hear yourself right now?” Demi cuts him off, fumbling with his words, still in shock with his own father's revelation. “You can’t just leave me alone here!”
He could tell from the other side that his father was irritated at him for being this pushy. He couldn’t blame him, though. He blatantly told him to get his terminally ill bitchass out the door and go buy some medication for himself. “Listen… I’m not the one who’s dying here.” He picks up a bunch of screaming, possibly explosions in the distance. What the hell was happening on the other end? He wasn’t sure at all. Either his father was watching a movie, or World War 67 has begun.
Or… that the world was bound to end. Not likely, he was still weighing his options.
“I’ll catch you later, alright?” He cuts the conversation short, but it’s not like Demi was complaining either way.
He sighed heavily, “Yeah, see you, dad.”
They stayed on call in total silence. He came directly to the conclusion that his father was waiting on him to end the call first so he doesn’t end up feeling all too guilty about it. How thoughtful of him to consider his feelings at a time like this. It was almost as if he wasn’t making him go out alone and buy his needed medication. Seconds feel longer than it should, which concerned him a lot more than it should’ve.
He couldn’t bear to bring himself to wait on his dad either. He had to break the silence, dissipate the dead air brimming on the surface. Unable to keep this up no longer, he finally calls out to him once more, hoping for a more reassuring response. “Dad, you haven’t ended the call yet, everything okay?”
And yet, he was left with nothing, not a single noise was left for him to ensure his fathers safety. He was about to end the call when he heard an awfully familiar voice, calling out to some light. The voice was giving it direct praise, yet his tone wavered consistently he almost cringed at their internal monologue.
“The light… It’s our treasures, the voice that’s calling to us! The warm, rough breeze fills our eyes to the brim. We are yet to listen and grant its wish…” The voice went muffled and the chaotic background noises erupted once more. It reminded him of an action movie scene where the main characters were getting chased around by planes with bombs. It was pretty cool, but he wasn’t so happy about it being replicated on a voice call.
“Open your eyes, Demi.” That voice calls back to him.
Huh? It wasn’t from the phone call, rather coming from outside. His windows were already covered and sealed shut, since he wasn’t such a big fan of leaving it open and inviting over some flies to come stay. The wind outside was stronger than usual. He never experienced winds this strong before, it almost surprised him.
The voice laughs, tempting him like a siren. “Come outside, you still need your medication, Demi.”
Demi already knew he needed to go out and buy his medicine, he didn’t require some skank voice to boss him around. “I know that already. And who are you anyway?” Last time he checked, he was home alone. His sister was at a camp, his mother was staying over at her friend's house, and his dad was most likely exploring his sexuality outside with a priest.
He didn’t receive an answer, which he found annoying. So much for that mouth of theirs, can’t even give him a proper answer. They could’ve told him they were from NASA, at least that wouldn’t be as disappointing as this was. Once making sure that the voice was fully gone, and no winds were bustling outside, he hurried up and stripped himself to the bone.
He wasn’t planning to shower, only after he had gotten home from his little errand. He had to be quick, because if he wasn’t, the pain in his head might come back worse than ever. And in case nobody was aware, he hadn’t planned to take that risk. Taking risks just wasn't his thing, he loved playing it safe.
He opened his closet and grabbed the first thing he could wear— a jacket and some sweatpants— pretty basic outfit choice an average guy would pick, can’t forget his freshly changed boxers. Besides, he didn’t have a choice, wearing more revealing clothes would result in him freezing so bad he could potentially die from shivering so much. If he were to die, he’d die at his lover's hands(if he even had one). Pretty cliche, romantic to say the least.
Satisfied with his outfit, he brings his bag and stuffs the money inside his pocket. He looks back at his room one last time, unaware that this would be his last with it, exiting the room and closing the door behind him with a shut.
**
Heading off into the city, he noticed how much louder it had gotten. With all the crazy news? Yeah, he wasn’t one to suspect that they all would be going crazy. A bit too crazy. After a bit of long walking, briefly reuniting with a couple friends, he spots the local Pharmacy his father would always depend on for medicine. The name of the Pharmacy was ironically called “Porcelean”, the sign bright, waving at him to enter inside.
Entering inside, the cold air hits his skin in no time. It felt pretty refreshing, the natural scent in the atmosphere, filling his nose was relaxing. Unlike those usual stores with extremely strong, poisonous scents that could murder lives in an instant, the smell wasn’t so overwhelming to him.
He hadn’t depended much on his father with this, knowing the medicine like the back of his hand. He immediately finds it in no time, his face lit up when he finds out it hadn’t sold out just yet. He definitely hit the jackpot, being one of the fortunate souls to have bought it before selling out. He happily purchases it at the cashiers, throwing the exact amount of money needed.
“You look awfully relaxed.” The cashier initiated a conversation, tired eyes boring into his.
Demi wasn’t sure where he was going with, deciding to just speak to him how he normally would with his friends; “Yeah, I mean, I didn’t have to scavenge around for stores just to find the medicine I needed.”
The cashier looks at him with a more curious expression on his face, more interested now. “How so? You sick?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” He answered. “For the past week, actually. This is pretty much my first time going outside in ages.”
“Good to know.” Replying dryly, the boy before him taps lightly on the table, creating a rhythmic melody with his index finger. “I’m glad you’re all better now, Demi.”
Demi. The name rang in his ears. He was about to leave when he reconsiders his decision. Turning his head back towards the cashier, his painfully bright blue eyes staring at him in confusion. “How the hell do you know my name?” He hasn’t even fully known this guy yet, and he was already referring to him by his name.
The cashier’s shoulders relax for a moment, eyes finding his face in seconds. He opens his mouth, words escaping his mouth, but the cashier gets cut off by a loud crash outside the pharmacy. Both glancing towards the door, they shared a small look at each other before immediately heading outside the store to check what the sound was.
To their horror, they see two cars colliding with each other, multiple people jumping off large skyscrapers, and trucks blocking pathways. Demi couldn’t forget the most important detail— everyone in the area was panicking, all except for him and the calm cashier who stood next to him.
“I don’t think it’s safe for you to go back home.” The cashier admits. “Man, would’ve never expected the world to come to an end.”
“Shut it! The world isn’t ending just yet.” He retorted, eyes scanning the unsafe atmosphere.
The cashier turns back around. “Well, this isn’t exactly my problem.” He speaks up, surprisingly playing it cool despite the circumstances. “I still need to finish my shift before I can start worrying about simple global issues like these.”
“Hey— wait a sec’,” Demi roughly grabbed him by shoulder, pulling him back closer to prevent him from going back inside the pharmacy. “We should go check it out.”
“Hell no,” He refused his offer, shaking his head. “I still need my payment this month, I can’t keep lacking like this.”
“Is money really all you care for!?” He glares at the cashier, who just gives him a firm nod. “Come on, I’m sure your boss will consider.”
“Not my boss.” he murmured, finding himself getting dragged away by Demi, reluctantly following behind him.
They walked through the bustling city. A minute passed and they started counting all the deaths they had to witness. A girl falling right in front of them, not missing the way her body twisted and her bones cracked, it was painfully satisfying. Another one happened whilst walking along the sidewalk, a guy had palms facing up like he was preparing to hold something. Instead he lifts one hand at a time excitedly, a large sign later on collapsing onto him, crushing him into pieces. By the following seconds, deaths piled up rapidly across the streets.
At times, they faced people constantly pushing the duo as they made their way, hoping to somehow find an explanation to what was going on. Demi tried speaking to the cashier, but his weak attempts were short-lived by the rough shoves he was receiving left and right. He stumbled back, catching himself mid fall. Turns out, an obese boulder moving right past him without even an apology coming out of his stupid mouth.
“Should we find a shortcut?” The cashier asked, that same breeze slowly returning.
Walking around in the open was a bad idea in the first place. Real smart of them to get themselves in the middle of a crowd. There were less people now than earlier, which granted them a bunch of space. “Pretty much,” He replied, looking over at the cashier. “By the way, is it getting windy here?”
He could tell from the cashier’s face, he noticed the breeze brushing against them more harder than it usually would. “Uh-huh.”
He sighs softly, “Alrighty then, let’s—” His voice gets interrupted, another massive explosion exploding their ears in the distance. Before he could comprehend what was going on— he noticed that someone— seemingly a girl who looked their age— pulled the cashier into a hug and covered his eyes gently.
He leapt forward, planning to reach them and stop whatever that girl was trying to do when suddenly, a cloth was forcefully pressed against his eyes, closing them in no time. Instinctively, he reaches towards his side, attempting to push whoever was covering his face. He managed to send the person back, his eyes opened for a split second. This must’ve riled the other person, because he found himself being roughly shoved onto the ground, a loud yelp escaping his lips. The same, old cloth being pushed back against his eyes.
Was he getting robbed by some thief? No way. That couldn’t be the case. He was empty in all of his pockets, the last thing he recalls having is a 100 dollar bill he got for his birthday last year. “What the– fuck!?” He yelled out, grabbing onto their shoulders to shove them off him. “Get the hell off me!” No matter how hard he tried, this stubborn ass wouldn’t budge.
The person harshly shushed him. “Keep it down, you idiot!” He whisper-yelled, straddling onto his hips to prevent him from pushing him away. The voice seemed like a guy’s voice— which made the entire situation less horrible, for some reason.
Demi’s mouth went agape. No way. Some pathetic robber was telling him to stay silent? He scoffed at his words, finding his confidence to even utter those words impressive. “You think I’m some idiot?” He asked sharply. “Look who’s talking bro.”
He clicked his tongue in frustration. “You’re starting to act like one.”
“What are you talking about?” He laughed, the sound bittersweet. “You think I’m gonna shut up because some robber told me to? You’re delusional!”
The breeze intensified, causing the unknown boy to press the cloth harder against Demi’s eyes. Quite the eerie sensation against his skin. He could feel the warmth from his hands, his heart thumping loudly inside his chest.
“Unless you want to die, then scream all you want!” The unknown person’s free hand moves towards his mouth just before Demi could release an ear-breaking scream. Instead, Demi’s voice cracked, a pathetic excuse of a scream laid by his lips.
Demi didn’t care anymore— all he wanted was to shove this boy off him. What sucked the most was that he was surprisingly strong, giving after just a few pushes of his last bit of energy. He bites the palm of his hand as hard as he could, hearing him quietly wince in pain and retract his hand back, eyes blindly inspecting the stinging pain. Good for him. That prick deserved it after whatever crazy work he was trying to pull on him today.
“Is this how we rob people these days, huh?” He came to a realization that if he pushed his hands off his face, he’d be able to save that cashier boy and get out of here.
“No?” He answered, slurring his words a bit. “Besides, I wouldn't want to rob a terminally ill patient.”
“Pardon?” He glared at him through the blindfold, his hands holding onto the stranger’s wrists. “You do realize I can just pull your hands off my face, right?”
Demi could feel the stranger’s eyes narrowing down at him through the blindfold. He would be lying if it didn’t send shivers down his spine. “Try it.” He challenged, his voice laced with malice, pressing down against him even further. “Take my hands off and open your eyes right now— I dare you.”
Being challenged by the unknown stranger to do exactly what he said made his resolve weaken by the second, deciding to just stay put and be good. After this weird encounter, he was surely going to report this guy for basically randomly harassing him on the street. He wonders if that cashier guy was okay, never gotten his name now that he thinks about it. He had been so focused on that one guy on top of him, all the other background noises were cast off as irrelevant, blocked by his ears at that moment.
“That’s what I thought,” He snarled, the tone in his voice unwavering. Damnnnnnnnnn, that boy was really pissed.
The moment the wind stopped trying to physically attack the quad, Demi finds himself being pulled up by the same guy who completely violated his personal space in minutes. To sum it up, the entire time, the stranger was warning him to keep the cloth he was tying around his head that served as a blindfold on at all times. He didn’t exactly get a reason why, most likely planning to kidnap him, but he just went along with it.
“You didn’t have to do all of that, you know.” A girl's voice rang in his ears, earning a scowl from the boy, ignoring her before he turned back to Demi.
“How long exactly do I have to keep this on?” The cashier asked, pointing towards the blindfold.
“Until I say so.” She answered gruffly.
“Wow,” he laughed, finding this situation almost amusing. “You’d make a terrible dictator.”
“The fuck you mean!?” She rolls his eyes at the cashier, holding him by his wrist.
On the other hand, the unknown boy reaches down, grabbing his hand. “Don’t let go, okay?”
“Can I at least know why, please?” Demi genuinely wanted to know, a frown plastered all over his face.
He swore that the stranger basically folded at the sight of him pleading for him. “The streets are going to be immensely crowded, it’s best if you stick by me.” Finally, he gets an explanation. It was pretty vague, but it’s the best he got— he’ll take it.
Demi squeezes his hand, a silent reassurance that he wouldn’t let go at all. They set off, running immediately through the streets— silently —yet calculated(only from the two strangers who were dragging them through the streets). He wanted to push some more questions to the stranger. For example; ‘How was he guiding him so easily?’, ‘Why choose to ‘save’ him?’, maybe even ‘Can I take you out— to court?’, which meant he was going to sue that arrogant prick for even attempting to get his way with him.
“Are we there yet?” The cashier asked. “This is getting tiring,”
“No,” The girl he wasn’t aware of answered, her voice softer towards him than before. “You’re lucky we even found you right before that thing had arrived, who knows what could’ve happened to you two?”
“Yeah, yeah,” He wasn’t absolutely down to listen to her blabbering. “Thanks, darling.” This unknowingly made the girl blush profusely.
“Darling?” Demi repeated, a bitter expression spread across his face. “You two know each other?”
The pace of their running has seemed to decrease, concluding that they have arrived wherever they were at. The unknown boy knocks on the door three times. “Shev’, it’s just us!” He called out, waiting patiently by the doorstep, the loud screaming and overall chaos still lingering outside.
“Well,” The girl briefly glances towards the cashier, deciding to introduce him to Demi. “Why else would I be dragging Kim here? He’s my boyfriend.”
The cashier, known as Kim now, nods his head in agreement, despite anyone not being able to see it. “It was pretty obvious recognizing my girlfriend.”
The door finally turns open with a soft, simple click. Rushing inside, they closed the door shut, setting up the locks back once more to prevent other people from breaking in and entering. They were assured to take off their blindfold. Demi reaches up and takes off the blindfold smoothly, holding it in his hands. He glances over at Kim, cracking a smile at him. “I didn’t think she’d settle for a cashier working at Porcelean.”
“Kill yourself, Demi,” Kim scowled at Demi. “She loves me.”
The girl raised an eyebrow at Kim. “Demi?”
“Yeah, the same one you told me about, Hachy.” He answered, looking right back at the confused Hachy.
Hachy. It was actually her. The Hachy dating Kim— the Hachy who he had recently gotten along with, the same Hachy with a homeboy who he found intriguing. (Note: Yes I will glaze myself, DEAL WITH IT)
“Hachy!?” Demi gasped out, jaw dropping to the floor.
Hachy mirrored his expression, eyes widening at him. “Demi!?”
The sudden reunion felt rapid, out of place, and maybe even awkward. Although that didn’t matter much to him anyway, he was just glad that she was okay from whatever was tormenting the entire city at the moment.
“...And who’s that?” Demi gestures to the boy who he had to endure holding his hand all the way over to this house.
“Ohhh, him?” Hachy followed his gaze,pointing to him with a smile on her face. “That’s Alvin. He’s a pretty close friend of mine.”
“He’s a friend of yours?” He shivered at the prospect of the two being friends. “He seems so serious, though…”
“He’s not always like that.” Kim chimed in, his eyes over on Alvin as well, who was chatting with a person said to be named Raccoon, “Believe me, when you start talking to him, he’ll act so different, you won’t even recognize him.”
Demi shakes his head, not believing that Alvin was chill at all. “Yeah, I’m sure of it.” He wasn’t about to believe a chihuahua named sweet tickles was harmless. “Alvin was trying to be all mysterious, can you at least set the ego aside and tell me what’s going on?”
She laughs at his comment about Alvin’s demeanor. “Yeah, sure.” She couldn’t resist smiling at the sight of Demi and Kim looking at her with so much relief and happiness.
“This is the explanation I deserve,” Kim replied, voice mockingly calling out to Hachy.
“Shut up!” She glares dagger at her boyfriend, who snickers at her.
Hachy leads the two boys towards the couch, waiting for them to sit down so she could start explaining everything she is aware of to them. Demi looks at her, expecting her to begin her long awaited explanation. He watches her brace herself, shoulders tense before they relax, sitting right next to Kim on the couch. “It started last week,”
TO BE CONTINUED.