"Nothing happened in my house last night. the old lady is simply just being cautious."
"Then how do you intend to explain your broken window?" the officer in the passenger seat asks Will, the same man he had spoken to earlier at his home.
"Well… it broke because… uh…" Will stammers, struggling to find words.
"You didn't even search the house to know if something had happen, where's your search Warrant"? Will adds
"That wasn't the reason we came by, and ps, why need a warrant? we weren't there to search"
Will is already growing tired, angry, and frustrated all at once, and then his gaze quickly falls on the other officer, the one driving.
"Officer Fred?" he says,with an expression of recognition, as though he had seen or heard of the officer before now.
The officer quickly pulls over at a corner. "You can go," he says, meeting Will's eyes through the conversation mirror.
"Really!?" Will In surprise.
He didn't wait to confirm if the officer truly wants him out, instead, he quickly dash out of the car without hesitating.
"And, if I may ask, why did you do that?" the officer in the passenger seat to Fred.
"That's the same guy with the missing father case. I'm telling you, he's a handful, it's better we let him go"
With that, they begin to drive off, leaving Will behind.
"Can I atleast get a ride to....?" he screams!, his words cut short as the car drives out of sight, leaving his plea for a ride to work unfinish.
Will glances at the old wristwatch on his wrist and realize he is already two hours late for work.
"Oh, shoot!," he yells in frustration. Reaching into his trouser pockets, he finds them both empty. Realizing the truth, Will breaks into a sprint.
He runs as though he is being chase by a monster in a dream.
He quickly slow down his pace, as he arrives at what appear to be his destination. Big Manny Pizza, a large pizzeria with its bold logo display prominently above the entrance.
But before he could walk inside, the door opens and someone walks out, someone familiar to him.
"Hey, Henry," Will calls out to the young man who had just stepped out, about same age as him, dress in the same outfit, the cap on Will is the only thing that differs between their dressing, he was carrying a bag of trash.
Henry's curly hair rested gracefully on his head, framing his striking blue eyes and pointed nose, his fair skin only adding to his quiet beauty.
"What happen to you?" Henry asks, his eyes sweeping over Will, who was drench in sweat like a man who has just finish running a marathon.
"It's… it's a long story," Will manage to say, breathing down heavily.
"Well, I suppose you'll have time for it, since you've been fired," Henry says, his tone sharp as a razor.
"Fired?" Will's breathing immediately settles at the mention of the word, shock writes all over his face.
"Yeah, unlucky for you, the manager came by to inspect. A couple of things happened while you weren't here, and that was it, he fired you in your absence."
And just like that, his only means of making ends meet, gone.
Will stands motionless, as if rooted like a tree, reality has never felt harsher.
He remove the cap from his head, set it on Henry's, and exhale deeply.
"Sorry man" Henry.
"Since we got this job at the same time, you could just get yourself fired, and then we'll look for another one together," Will.
"Are you serious? We're not even friends, why on earth would I want to do that?"
Will turns his back at the pizzeria as Henry's words fell on him he begin to walk away slowly.
With Will leaving, Henry locates the trash bin, throws in the trash, and then resume back to the pizzeria.
Will continue with his slow pace movement, each step unsteady, his body swaying like the lifeless gait of a zombie. Then he stops, pausing in silence as his gaze sweeps across the city. Cars speed along the streets, towering buildings looms above, and countless passersby flows around him, some stealing wary glances.
"I hate you New York City.....!!!" Will yells at the top of his voice.
Passers-by immediately begin to glare at him, some who has been walking close quickly give him space, as though a foul stench emanates from his body.
Will pays no attention to them. He continue moving, this time at a quicker pace, as though he were heading back home.
Thoughts race through his mind, lingering on the trauma from just hours ago and from his lost job, the encounter with the strange being who seem to be the cause of him being fired.
As he dwells on it, his teeth grinds together in annoyance, his fist clenching as though the being stands before him, waiting to meet his fist.
Will quickly dive to the realization that there was nothing he can do at this moment in time and that his presence is only becoming a nuisance. It's best for him to return home.
He can't book a ride, as he has neither money nor his phone with him. It's clear he would have to walk back home. So begin.
After a long walk of nearly thirty minutes, Will finally reaches his neighborhood. As he pass by his neighbor's house, he notice her watering her flowers. She, in turn, watches him quietly as he enteres his compound.
Will didn't bother opening the wooden gate, instead, he climbs over it, as it was quite short. He then walks up to the main door of his house, inserts the key into the lock, turns it, and with a click he opens it and step inside.
He lock the door from the inside and made his way to his room, ignoring the cries of his stomach that begged for food.
As he reach his room, he collapse into the bed, his head resting against his swoft pillow facing the ceiling's gaze. Hunger gnawing at him, and wild thoughts crowding his mind, making sleep impossible. He sits upon the bed, and suddenly his eyes falls upon the Aetherfang lying on the tiled floor.
He stands up from his bed and walk towards it
"Well, since this world can't help but bring me pain, diving into another might not be such a bad idea," he mutters as he reach down and picks up the Aetherfang from the tiled floor.