My kitsune System

Dan was now on his way out of campus. He decided to take a stroll and clear his head after what happened in Mr. Frank’s class.

The class was fun, not that it is ever fun but today’s class was off the chart. He was made to answer and attempt all question in class. Every little movement he made warranted or brought about Mr. Frank’s unsanctioned glares. Occasionally would throw a question at the class hoping no one would be able to answer so that Dan would have to answer it, but once or twice some hands went up that got the questions right.

“The good thing about it is that it’s all over” Dan spoke to himself as he scrolled through his phone. He was going through the tweets his classmates had sent during Mr. Frank’s class. No wonder most of the class had their heads down while he received most of the backlash from Mr. Frank.

The tweets seemed to be about a trend of an event that occurred the night before. It was about a popular bar that got destroyed. There are many theories that are being circulated round the internet. Some of the tweets were outrageous, while some were simply conspiracy theories.

“I heard it was a terrorist attack,” one tweeted.

“How can it be a terrorist attack?” replied another. “If it was a terrorist attack, why attack a bar and not a place of national importance?”

“What if it was actually caused by lightning like the news said?” a third person tweeted.

“Why do you believe the news so much? We all know most of the news spread is government propaganda. The government is covering up its schemes and dirty deeds and then blaming it on Mother Nature.” Replied the first person.

As he read all the tweets, he couldn’t help but wonder, which of them was right. And since he had no more class today it wouldn’t hurt to actually check it out, do some deduction and reach his own conclusion.

He plugged his two ears as he started his journey downtown towards the crime scene. He never really bothered to look up or around as he really didn’t know anyone. Nor did people really know him.

Dan never really spoke but always kept to himself. He preferred to be an observer, seeing the world through the lens of a spectator. His opinions and words, he felt, may never really matter, as he may never be understood and his words used against him. And so, he preferred to observe. Playing his music in a loop, his mind drifted to the great beyond. Where he had all kinds of thoughts.

What if aliens are real? And they come to invade the earth. should I enlist or take my chances and live alone? Would I even survive if I am alone? Probably I wouldn’t. Who knows maybe I would though. For starters I can live alone, I have also seen post-apocalyptic movies. So that should be enough, right?

Dan thought to himself, as he soon approached the crime scene.

As he stood to watch the crime scene, it was quite packed with a lot of people. A kind of barricade was made to separate the people from the crime scene.

The bar was burnt to a crisp. There wasn’t really anything left in the fire, it was all charred. The smell of burnt wood permeated the air. Black charrs flew around nothing could really be found here. The place was swarmed with forensic scientist as they went round searching for evidence.

Hardly was there any corpse left at the crime scene. It seemed the fires of the crime scene had licked them all up. Only few bones here and there were discovered.

All he could do was watch the people work. And across the people working, were the family members of who came to identify the bodies. But there was nothing to Identify here. Everything has been burnt to ashes.

Dan watched as the tears rolled down their faces. As they fought to get through to the crime scene but were held back by the police.

He wasn’t meant to care about this people Dan knew. But something about their hurt and pain made his own heartache.

He knows that probably he may never see them again after today but in a way, he understood their pain.

The pain of loving someone so deeply, caring so much about them. A person so dear to your heart, that a life without them will take away the colors in your life. Leaving you in a state of noir.

A pain he has always been keeping inside, never letting the world see the chink in his armor.

As he watched the people in pain. He could feel his heart swelling, the tears rising and his vision blurring.

I can’t do this, at least not here. Not now. Dan thought to himself as he was about to leave but then he noticed something.

In the middle of the crime scene was a little girl, who kept starring at the floor. She kept looking at the ashes as if she was looking for something.

How did she get there? Dan thought

As if hearing his thoughts, she turned to look at him.

Her face was quite pale. Within those eyes he could see a burning fury.

He stood there as he watched her, only for an officer to pass within his field of vision and she was gone.

What?

Dan looked around but he couldn’t find the girl anymore.

Dan later gave up and left the crime scene; he was in his own head when he was engulfed by the veil of darkness. Now all alone under the blanket of night, with nothing but his thoughts.

He kept replaying the images of the burnt bar and the people crying. He thought of how helpless the people were, just like he was. Not able to do anything against death when it came for her… just like they weren’t able to do anything too.

Still in his head, he didn’t know when he had gotten on the road without a signal from the pedestrian sign.

As he walked and got to the middle, he heard muffled voices sip into earplugs. Normally he didn’t care about what people said or did.

But he just felt a nudge at his heart to check why they were talking. Raising his head to look at what they were talking about. He noticed two head lights as they approached him.

He looked at the distance between himself and the head lights. And then he turned to look at the other end of the road.

The distance between him and the other side of the street was quite vast.

While the headlights had already reduced the distance between Dan and it.

As the vehicle came into view. He could see that it was a truck.

Dan could see the driver as he stepped on the breaks repeatedly as he tried to stop the truck.

The truck had gotten too close, that the lights became blinding. Now Dan could see nothing.

So, this it? I thought I had more time but yet again it seems I was wrong again Elise

 Dan thought to himself, as he saw an image of a girl. Her hair black and curly. Her smile radiating.

I am sorry I couldn’t stay any longer and do what you wanted

Dan thought this to himself, as a tear drop fell out of his eyes.

After this all he could remember was colliding with the truck. His vision turned dark.

He didn’t know how long it had taken or how long he had dwelled in the darkness. But then the next thing he saw was:

[System Initialization...]