~

That nightmare felt so real I thought it was happening for real in some parallel universe where 'another me' lived.

If that was the case, then I wonder if the other me took his own life to ease the pain.

The me in that dream was thinking, "Wouldn't this all end if I died?" as he looked at his wrist, wanting to drive a blade into those veins.

Why did I wake up then? And why did I feel so relieved after knowing it was all but a dream?

Why am I so afraid to die when I want to die so badly?

Every night, I go to sleep and wish I'd never wake up. But, I always end up waking up the next morning.

Ah, this must mean I'm not dead yet, right?

Please, just hurry up and take me.

~

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

It was nearing noon. Hikari had been walking for what felt like ages since the early morning. She still hadn't had any luck in securing a single job. The situation wasn't much different from the previous day.

Tired and hungry, she plopped down on the rusty iron bench by the side of the road. Taking off her black worn-out shoes, she massaged the soles of her feet. She could see blisters beginning to form under her toes; it was going to be painful to walk now.

Positive. Think positive, Hikari. You'll find a job. Don't give up. Hikari tried to motivate herself. Putting her shoes back on, she got up and started walking, ignoring the slight pain in her steps. Not long after, she reached a crowded district in some part of the city. The place seemed like a good spot for finding jobs. Is there some kind of big business growing here?

Just then, someone lightly poked her from behind. Hikari turned around and saw a kind-looking woman who seemed to be in her early thirties.

"Hi miss, are you looking for a job?" the woman asked kindly. Hikari wanted to reply but couldn't. The woman looked unfazed and continued, "We're looking for pretty, young ladies who can serve our customers well. Are you up for the job?"

Hikari frantically took out her pen and notebook. "Is it okay if I can't speak? I need the job but I'm mute. Am I still eligible?" she hurriedly wrote.

The woman gave her an indifferent look that lasted a couple of seconds before smiling warmly at her. "Of course! There's no problem as long as you entertain them well. You just have to serve them food and drinks, that's all," the woman cheerfully said.

Hikari beamed with joy at her words. This woman must be an angel. Hikari thanked the woman again and again. Hard work did pay off, after all. There will always be light at the end of the tunnel as long as you don't give up walking. Such true, wonderful words, thought Hikari, her smile becoming wider and wider. Pretty, young ladies, she also said. So she thinks I'm pretty. Hikari inwardly squealed, proud of herself.

"Come with me. I'll show you what you need to do. Perhaps, we can start by changing your attire to something more appropriate." Saying this, the woman turned in the opposite direction and walked off with Hikari happily trailing behind like a clueless lost and found puppy.

.

.

.

"Come on. It won't be that bad. Let's go in. It'll be over before you know it," said the vile, disgusting man as he dragged her across the sidewalk, tightly gripping her hands.

Hikari should've known not to trust a stranger that easily. When that woman said she had a job for her, Hikari was not expecting it to be a job of this kind. Becoming a hostess at a nightclub was not what she wanted. But the moment she stepped into that building, she knew it was too late to turn back. She had thought she could somehow manage and complete the job for the night. Then she would go back to her lodging and never return to that immoral place ever again. She didn't want the money; she didn't want anything as long as she could get out of that place unscathed, away from all those vulgar, perverted men.

Things had been going well at first — the serving, the welcoming of guests, and so on. She didn't have to talk at all. There were no issues until the guests, more like the customers, got drunk. One of them became quite fond of her, said it was the mysterious, quiet nature of hers that moved his heart. Hikari remembered feeling absolutely disgusted when she heard him say that. After all, he was a middle-aged man who had a family. That was what she had heard from the other hostesses in the nightclub.

So, there she was, getting dragged by her hand down the sidewalk at eleven o'clock in the dead of the night, wearing a revealing red mini dress and a pair of black high heels. That vile, disgusting man would spare zero effort in getting her inside the nearest love hotel, all the while holding the littlest regard for her condition.

The strangers walking the streets looked at her, their expressions cold and uncaring. Their eyes clearly said the situation was not something new to them. It didn't take long for Hikari to realise why people were behaving in that manner, why they were not helping her. It was because this district, whatever its name was, was made only for the sole purpose of eliciting such kinds of corrupted acts and businesses. Nobody would rescue her now.

"Let's go in. We'll have more privacy there," said the man, walking up the steps leading to the hotel.

Hikari resisted, pulling against the man. If only she could get free, she wished. Suddenly, an idea sprung into her head. Hikari tried to bite the man's hand off, but he was no fool. For an ugly old man, his reflexes were pretty quick.

"Feisty, are we? I'm curious to see how well you'll do in bed. You're turning me on. Come on. Quick. Let's go in," the man teased her, vigorously pulling her by the hand and finally succeeding in hauling her up the steps.

Someone? anyone? God? Please, save me, Hikari cried in her mind as the man forcibly dragged her inside the hotel.

Before Hikari knew it, she was in the hallway of the second floor. The man couldn't contain his excitement as he fumbled with the keys, trying to open the room as fast as possible. "We've come this far. You should give me a good time. Besides, you were silent the whole time. So that means yes, right? You want this as much as I want it." He laughed.

"Wrong! I don't want this. Just let me go!" Hikari screamed at him.

"What are you even trying to say? I can't hear you. Say it louder, on the bed, okay?" He ignored her. The door opened with a click and the man entered the room, pulling Hikari inside, and then locking it.

Hikari was thrown harshly on the bed before the man forced himself on top of her like a hungry barbarian. Tears pricked her eyes at the thought of what was about to happen to her. She knew full well what the outcome would turn out to be. Was this her fate? Was there no way of escaping from the clutches of this bloodthirsty monster?

"Aww, don't cry, pretty girl," the man consoled her in the most sickening way that made her stomach churn. He then slowly started undoing the buttons on his shirt, one by one. "It will all be over before you know it," he sang, and Hikari suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to vomit on his face.

Hikari watched in horror as he threw his shirt carelessly on the floor. This person was a swine without his clothing. That much was certain. She continued to watch as his hands then travelled to his pants and undid his belt.

"It feels so good to be free from the binding." He sighed.

Hikari could see what was coming next. Her mind screamed inside. She needed to do something fast. So, when the man was about to take off his pants, Hikari forcefully kicked him off the bed, causing him to crash painfully on the floor.

"Fuck. It's bleeding!" he exclaimed, getting up angrily, and covering his broken nose. "You bitch! You will pay," he shouted as he charged at her.

Hikari shut her eyes tightly, bracing for impact. And that was when she heard it – a loud bang on the door of the room she was in. Another bang and the door was ripped off its hinges. It smashed to the floor with a thunderous sound, then a tall figure walked in.

"W-Who are you?" The man stuttered, quickly getting off the bed and turning to the intruder who had entered the room.

"Me? I'm the Grim Reaper who's going to send you to hell."

30 minutes prior...

"I think I lost them. Hopeless police," Leyon muttered under his breath, coming out from a dark, narrow passageway in the area. Putting his hands in his pockets, he began to roam the streets aimlessly.

"Let's go in. We'll have more privacy there."

Leyon cocked his head sideways to see where the disgusting sound was coming from. A few distances ahead, he saw an ugly old man trying to force a young girl inside a love hotel. The poor girl was resisting with all her might, even trying to bite the man's hand.

"Feisty, are we? I'm curious to see how well you'll do in bed. You're turning me on. Come on. Quick. Let's go in."

Leyon halted in his tracks and silently watched them from the sidewalk. He wasn't trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he couldn't bring himself to walk away either. The thought of helping the girl crossed his mind for a brief second before he quickly shrugged it off. It was not his problem. This was the Red-Light district, and judging from the way the girl was dressed and the heavy makeup on her face, she was most likely a worker from there. After all, this was a dwelling place for sick people like them, and he didn't want to involve himself with it.

Only when the girl was ruthlessly pulled into the love hotel did Leyon start to walk again. However, right when he was about to pass the same building, he stopped once more.

That girl... she was crying. Guilt tugged at his heart. That girl looked terrified. It was as if she wanted to escape from that man. Leyon turned his head and glared at the entrance of the building. "I'm an idiot," he muttered and dashed towards the entrance.

...

"Me? I'm the Grim Reaper who's going to send you to hell," Leyon answered coldly.

Before the man could retort, Leyon punched him square in the face, followed by an explosive kick up his nether region. That kick alone knocked the wind out of the man's lungs. He groaned in agony, his body twisting and turning on the floor, tightly clutching his prized jewels.

"Hey, let's go." Leyon turned to the girl, extending his hand to her.

Hikari looked at the unidentified stranger, amazed. The striking resemblance caught her off-guard and she stared, lost in his eyes.

"Come on, get up," Leyon said to the girl again, this time raising his tone a little.

Hikari slowly lifted her hand and touched the stranger's extended fingers, not sure if he was actually real or just a figment of her imagination. But to her surprise, he immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her body from the bed.

No. This isn't real. This must be a dream. Hikari was too lost in her thoughts to even realise that she was running down the hallways hand in hand with an unknown stranger who looked a lot like the childhood friend in her memories. What was happening? Many questions were popping up inside her mind.

While running down the stairs in her absent-minded state, Hikari twisted her right ankle on the very last step and tumbled to the ground. Looking at her swelling ankle, Hikari bitterly realised she should've taken off her heels when she had the chance. Now she couldn't get up at all.

"Are you okay?" Leyon asked, turning back to check up on the girl. "Can you get up?" he asked again, crouching down to match her height from the ground. The girl gave no response. Taking off the large jacket he was wearing, Leyon covered the girl with it and turned his back on her. "Wear this and get on," he ordered.

Hikari hesitated for a bit before finally getting on his back. Leyon hoisted her up like a small baby and stood up, carrying her out of the hotel.

Weird stares from strangers greeted them when they both came out of the place. Hikari could hear the guy curse under his breath. "Great. Now people think we did something there and came out," she heard him say and blushed from embarrassment.

I'm sorry. It's my fault. The words burned at her throat, but she knew they would never reach his ears even if she were to speak them.

After going around for more than ten minutes, they somehow reached the busy streets. Finally, they were out of the Red-Light district.

"You should go home now," said Leyon, putting the girl down gently on the pavement. The girl gave him a dazed look, not saying a word. An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air. "Hey, can you hear me?" he tried again.

The more Hikari looked at the guy, the more she believed he was none other than Leyon.

Could this person really be Leyon? To Hikari, who had his appearance engraved into the back of her memory like a brilliantly captured photograph, the resemblance was hard not to notice. He still had that fair, almost pale white complexion. Those deep, ocean-blue eyes of his did not change one bit. His dark black hair had become longer; it was tied into a neat bun at the top with the hair at the sides flowing freely. His childish features had been thoroughly remodelled with light strokes of masculinity. He had that appearance that could make him stand out in a crowd.

Hikari felt so small under his gaze. Though she was of average height and wearing five-inch heels at the moment, he was still a head taller than her.

In the midst of the busy street and the flickering city lights, they both stood there, gazing into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity before Leyon finally broke the silence.

"I think you should call a friend to pick you up or something," Leyon said, tearing his gaze away from her. "You can take the jacket. I won't need it anymore," he added. After bidding her farewell, he turned to leave but was stopped by a hand tugging at the back of his T-shirt.

This girl was very weird, thought Leyon. He threw a casual glance over his shoulder, wondering what the girl was up to. She let go of his shirt and looked up at him expectantly without uttering a word.

"You don't have anyone else to call, do you?" Leyon guessed, earning a quiet nod from the girl. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Hikari shook her head. She didn't want to be alone after that traumatizing experience. Besides, she didn't have anything with her at the moment. She had left her bag in the nightclub — the place she vowed she'd never return to. The only solution was for her to get back to the hotel she was temporarily staying in, but she didn't want to go there now, not after meeting him.

Leyon was getting frustrated. What exactly did this girl want?

It was already very late and all he wanted to do was go back to his apartment and sleep, but he was stuck with this girl who looked like a walking corpse in the night.

A breathy sigh escaped his lips before he finally decided. "Just for tonight, I'll take you to my place. Is that okay?" he said and watched as the girl slowly nodded her head.

Looks like I'm taking a stray cat home with me tonight.