Italics- thoughts/ flashbacks/ dreams

Bold- author talking

Underline- narrator talking, known as the main character

Normal- normal story

2988 words

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I remembered the flowers at the last second so I fixed them and gave them to mom and hung out with Athena till night. So now we shall shop at night.

I love being at the store at night, especially when it's nicer outside.

And of course, I had him take me to wally world.

"Why here?"

I grab a cart. "Because this is the best store ever."

He grabs my hand. "Walmarts are full of very special kinds of people."

I shake my head. "It's amazing here."

"If you say so."

"I do say so."

I took him into the store with me. "We gotta get food for your poor unloved kitchen and pretty stuff for the rest of your unloved house."

"That house is very much loved."

"There is nothing there."

"I spent too much time fixing it. It is loved."

"You didn't fix the empty walls or bare rooms."

He stays quiet.

I pat his arm. "That's why I'm here, don't worry."

"Is that the only reason?"

"No, I also want to buy random shit I'll never use because it looks nice but has no purpose."

He looks at me like I'm the one talking a different language. I only know 2 languages.

English, and whatever the hell comes out of my mouth when I talk fast.

"Alright, we gotta get food because your kitchen is starving."

"If that was the case, it would be decomposed by now."

"Poor kitchen."

"It isn't alive."

"You don't know that. Don't hurt its feelings."

His face says, 'the fuck? Are you on drugs right now?'

I finally stifle a laugh before walking over to the healthy food shit.

"Alright I have a quiz for you."

He stops looking around the store and looks at me with curiosity and just a tad bit of excitement. "What is it?"

I point at the carrots, "So carrots are carroty, lettuce is lettucey and bananas are bananay. You understand?"

He slowly nods with the most confusion of what the hell I'm talking about.

"So what are potatoes?"

"...Potatoey...?"

"No, they are a way to prevent scurvy."

"What? That doesn't match any of the nonsense you said."

"I never said it had to."

"But that is the smart thing to do."

"Smartness doesn't exist here."

"You are weird."

"Thank you."

He looks at me confused and I walk around the food because food is important. Food is everything.

And I will get the damn cookie dough. And we will make some damn cookies.

As I walk around the isles and look at all the people. I don't like people, there's too many of them.

"Why are there so many people here?"

He looks at me like I'm dumb. "We're in a store. There will be people."

"But there shouldn't be."

"Why not?"

"Because we're here, they should just know better than to be here."

"The world doesn't work like that."

"Such a shame," I say in the most dramatic way.

I grab the cookie dough.

"Why do you have nothing in your house?"

He throws around 20 Hersheys in the cart. "Never needed anything."

"But how did you make food? And- and live?! How the hell does that happen?"

He shrugs, "you have been living there for about a month without anything."

"It's been driving me crazy. How do you do it?"

"Steal from the stores."

"You steal?"

He pats my head. "No, I pay."

"How do they see you? I never saw anyone see you."

"I can choose if they see me or not."

"I want that."

"If you weren't so closed off to everything, you probably could."

"How the hell does it work? Am I some secret magical being like in the movies?"

"No, it doesn't work like that."

I suddenly remembered where I was. "Whoever is hearing this conversation must think we're on drugs or something."

He grabs bread from the shelf and throws it in the cart and we keep walking. "It doesn't matter what they think."

I look around at people who aren't paying attention, or acting like they aren't before carrying on the conversation. "So how does it work? How the hell would I do magic shit?"

"Well since you have half my soul, you can do what I can do, but you need to be in tune with everything first."

"What can you do?"

"Illusions and manipulation."

I gasp, "that explains everything! I can die peacefully now."

I grab more stuff. I will not financially recover from this.

"I won't let you die."

I look up at him and he looks panicked. "It's an expression. Don't worry, I don't want to die."

He looks more relieved. I poke his arm and his attention goes to me.

"How do I get in tune? Actually, do I want to get in tune?"

"That's up to you."

"What will happen if I do?"

I look at pretty shiny stuff as death holds my broken hand. I never held hands with someone for so long or as often.

"You will see everything that disguises itself like before, but your brain won't block it out."

"Is everything enormous and horrifying?"

"No, almost everything is quite beautiful and you will see everything and everyone as it truly is."

"But the world is shit, how is that beautiful?"

"There is still beauty in the world. 3 billion people did not ruin everything."

"3 billion people are bad? That's so many."

"Not as much compared to the 7 billion people that are decent."

"Only 'decent'? Damn that's bad."

"It's always been like that, but there are still so many beautiful places and people."

"So how would I become more in tune?"

"There are many ways, such as mirror scrying, ouija board, normal scrying, seances, lucid dreaming, shifting, tarot cards, dowsing rods, and I don't remember any more."

"So basically what ghost hunters do?"

"Yes."

I walk to the appliance area because toasters and microwaves are important.

"How long would it take?"

"Differs from person to person."

"Would I be able to teleport and cool stuff too?"

"I don't know."

"Why do you not know?"

"Never happened before. You are the first person wanting to do this that I know of."

"Not even past me?"

"Nope."

"Wow."

I look at the filled cart that doesn't have enough for a big ol' kitchen. "I don't have enough money for all this. Why did you add so much?"

"You wanted things so I got you things and don't worry about the cost."

"But I have to."

"No." He kisses my nose which leaves me defenseless.

"If you weren't so damn tall I would get you back."

"In the middle of a store? Bit of an unusual spot, don't ya think? But if that's what you are into-"

"Fuck no, That's hella weird." I put more stuff in the cart.

He looks amused.

I turn around and grab more things. This isn't good, I can't afford all of this but whatever.

Maybe I'll work here to pay it off or I will magically have enough money because I haven't been spending as much.

I also haven't worked in over 2 weeks. Well fuck.

"I gotta put this all back. Well, maybe the more expensive stuff."

"Don't stress over it."

"How would I do that? I can't steal stuff and I can't leave this here because that would be rude, so I have to put it away."

"I'll pay."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Why would you do that?"

He looks at me confused. "Because I can?"

"I won't let you, this was my idea."

His face says, 'you are so stubborn.' "Keep shopping. Money is a concept, you will be fine."

"That makes no sense."

He puts the cart in front of me and puts my hands on it. "You will be fine."

"But I won't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

He sighs before turning around to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"I will shop for you since you won't shop for you."

He disappears before I can rebuttal. Well this ain't fair.

I should call the Fbi. They can get him back.

I don't know their number though. Does google know?

I grab my phone from my sweater's pocket and unlock it to google the number for the hell of it but someone bumps into me.

"Sorry," I quickly said without looking up because the general public scares me.

The presence doesn't leave however and after a few stressful seconds I look away from my phone to see some guy a foot in front of me.

He stays there, looking at me.

"Am I in your way...?" I ask myself more than him before pushing the cart over and walking away some.

Why does everyone gotta be scary? Like, don't come within 4 feet around me.

But alas, store isles aren't 8 feet wide. The stores would be so damn big. I would drive a car in it.

I could drive a car in Costco but I haven't been there for some years.

Someone's shoes come to the edge of my vision. I look up and see the same dude, looking at me still.

"Can I help you, random stranger...?"

He looks like a fuckboy. Ewwww, that shit died years ago. He has the cowlick hairstyle and looks like a stereotypical chad. He has a fake hickey on his neck.

He puts his hand on the shelf next to me but higher up. "Hey mama, what are you doing here all alone?" He says, trying to make his voice deep, which doesn't work.

Ew. "I'm not alone and I'm shopping, genius."

He looks surprised that I'm not immediately swooning for whatever the hell he is doing. He came straight from tiktok even though it's long dead, escaped the factory where they make these people.

"Who are you with, baby girl? I don't see anyone."

I'ma say what death says because it would make him go away. "Only certain people can call me that and I'm here with my husband." He says I'm his wife so it should be fine.

"Well, where is he? You are too pretty to be left alone."

Death compliments me better. "He is shopping. Because we are at a store. That is what people do at stores."

"I can treat you better than he can." He bites his lip like a fucking weirdo.

"No one can be better than him."

"Tell him to come here and prove it."

"Ok."

I take my phone and google if he has a phone number but it says he doesn't. Does he even have a phone? I hold the black screen up to my ear and act like I'm actually calling him, I don't know if it will work. I also whisper cuz this dude scares me.

"Death come here, this weirdo is being weird and acting like Shawn Mendez and I don't know what to do and he wants to size you up because he is stupidly brave I guess."

I need to stop talking to people. It's their fault, yes it's theirs.

I don't even talk to people. Just my luck.

This dude keeps trying to look at my phone so I put it in the sleeve of my sweater.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Is he hurting you?"

The audacity catches me off guard. "No, ass. The only one that is hurting me is your stupidness that is killing my brain cells. No wonder you get no women, and feel the need to harass random people in stores."

He looks offended with his horrible acting skills. Definitely a player. And he keeps touching his face. Is he broken?

"I get bitches."

"I don't see any. Oh yea, bitches leave guys."

Death appears behind him but he doesn't notice. I look at death with the look that says, 'where the hell have you been?'

He acts like he has no idea what I'm talking about. Jerk.

"Well I don't see your man anywhere, so why don't you come home with me? I have 27 cars and you can pick one. I have a bugatti, Challenger, mustang, ferrari, McLaren, Bentley Bacalar-"

"Where do you live?" No one cares about your 27 cars.

"Are you trying to see? Surprise visit?" He has a smoldering face.

Oh my god, this is horrible.

He annoys me greatly. I'm sick of this.

"Come with me." He does that weird thing with the hand under the chin and raises his eyebrows. He looks high.

"No."

"Why not, baby dolllll?" He drags out.

This is killing me, I wanna smack him. "No."

"How about now?" He lifts up his shirt to show off his 'abs'.

I feel like I'ma cry from how horrible this is.

"I'm getting major mother basement dweller vibes. Do you live in your mother's basement?"

"So what if I do? I can still take you there for a night of fun."

Ew. I'm getting real sick of this shit.

"Boy, grow up. It is fucking 2057 and you are harassing people that don't care? Go catch puberty and be a man. No wonder you get no one, you don't even try. Read a wikiHow story of how to be better. You are so shameful that your mama doesn't want to help you, so she just keeps you in the basement. Grow up already, you are a grown ass person."

He looks absolutely shocked. Good.

"Come on, I don't wanna be here anymore," I tell death and hold out my broken hand. He walks around the guy who now looks horrified and grabs my hand.

He does the pressure thing that makes it feel better before turning to look at the now scared weirdo.

He makes a facial expression to the weirdo that I don't understand. It's probably a guy thing. Weirdo walks away as if he knows some sniper is watching him.

Death would be a great sniper. I feel like he has great aim.

And it would be hot.

Now you are being a weirdo, stop it.

I look back at him, "what took you forever? I don't know how it works but I feel like you were being slow or something. And do you have a phone?"

"I was wondering what you would do."

We start walking somewhere in the store. I don't know where we're going.

"Then why did you appear in the middle of whatever the hell that was if you were wondering?"

"He was pissing me off, I wanted his blood to paint the floors but that is against my morals."

"Well that seems violent. And you have morals?"

"Of course."

"What are they?"

"Do what's morally right."

"And what's morally right? It's different between everyone."

"Don't do anything that will get the universe mad at me."

"That's all?"

"Yes. Do you want to talk about what happened?"

I'm confused now. "So you will talk about my problems with me but not yours?"

His non verbally calls me dumb, maybe subconsciously too. "Talking doesn't work for everyone. So what do you say?"

"No, I hate store people and don't want to think about them or what happened."

Ignorance is bliss.

"Store people?"

"The people at stores are store people."

"So aren't you a store person?"

"Not for long, hopefully."

I swear we teleported to the cash registers.

"How'd we get here so fast?"

"We didn't, you weren't paying attention."

I look around me and quickly remember the random things I saw and how I got here. "Oh. Wait- I was gonna put it all back."

"Don't worry about that."

"How?! There is no physical way for me to not worry about trying to buy stuff I can't afford."

I'm already in debt, I don't need more.

He points at my hand. "Give me your hand."

"Are you going to hold both my hands? That's a new level of clinginess."

He looks at me annoyed so I do what he says. Handcuff challenge 2.0. How will I record?

He takes something out of his pants pocket and puts it in my hand.

A credit card.

I look at him with surprise. "Huh?"

"I said I would pay."

"You can't. I will not let you."

"Why not?"

"This is my problem and responsibility and my idea, not yours."

"You let me pay for you before."

"10 dollars for food is different from probably 600 dollars at Walmart. And I'll never pass up free chicken sandwiches..."

"Think of it as 100 chicken sandwiches."

"It doesn't work like that."

"It does now."

So stubborn.

"I cannot accept this."

"You will."

"No sir."

"Yes."

"No habla Inglés."

"lo aceptarás."

"No."

"Sí."

I don't know much more. My highschool Spanish teacher is disappointed in me.

"You can't make me accept nothing."

"I'll leave you alone on the top of Mt Everest if you don't."

"I- damn. How would I pay you back? I can't even pay for this."

"You will."

"But how?"

"That will be discovered later."

"See, I don't play risky games like this. If you don't tell me then I won't accept."

"Good idea."

"Thanks, now tell me."

"Hugs."

"Hugs?"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Yea. That's all?"

"What do you mean? Hugs are the most superior form of physical touch. There are so many benefits."

"So, hugs are the best?"

He nods.

Whoever the hell is in front of us is taking the longest time.

"Are hugs better than sex?"

"Yes."

His initial shock of the question becomes my initial shock of the answer. "But that was all you would talk about just a few weeks ago."

"To see your reaction. Move up in line."

I turn around to see there's space before turning back around. "So for all this, you only want hugs?"

"That's what I've been saying."

"I'll give you 5 quadrillion hugs." I was probably going to anyway.

He smiles.

"So what's the pin?"

"Same as yours."