ONE MORE JOB

NE'ER DO WELLS

It's bright. There's a light at the end of the tunnel; I'm reaching for it. I'm stretching my arms as far as I possibly can; I can almost feel it.

The warmth of the light, yellow radiance embracing my skin; the taste, it's of victory. I can almost hug it, embrace it; it has fully manifested itself into a reality, my reality, the reality. I know it's real, I'm staring at it right now. The exit, the ending, the destination.

Construction ahead. Renovation? A road block!
Not now, man.

I was so close. I saw it with my own two eyes, it's real!
'Mariko! Mariko! Mariko!'

The crowd's cheering for me, don't you hear it too? It sounds like screaming to you, doesn't it. It's not painful, not painless either. They're experiencing the happiness of seeing someone finally being victorious.

Lukewarm, but it feels good. You're feeling it too?
You should, man. Bask in the moonlight with me. Together, we'll be happy. Together.

Stick with me.

__

Gosh, I should stop talking to myself.

The cold streets at night tend to do that to me. It's not something occult related, I'm not a vampire I'm sure, but it tends to do something to me. Chiyo-san had a journal they were writing on. Last thing they wrote, they mentioned something about bloodlust, whatever that means.

I've got bloodlust?
I've got blood, no lust for it.

Only thing I'm lusting for is the concept of the exit.

I'm not that scary.

I look pretty ordinary, I think.
I've got friends, multiple actually. I'm quite popular in school, you know? I was almost prom queen this year.

Can't believe I'm almost out of school; I'm an adult now. I've got my own apartment room, I'm paying my own rent, and I've got work to worry about.

Speaking of work, I've got two more people to worry about before I'll get to Akira.
Gotta get my thoughts in check, let's see.

After Chiyo-san, there's the Hamada Brothers. Now that I think about it, I was part of them once. Used to be called H&O Reverence or something cheesy like that. The main brother at the time – Kurosame-san – he and I used to be a thing.

Apparently I'm horrible enough of a person to be someone's reason for offing themselves.
Kurosame did himself three weeks into our relationship, and I got kicked out almost immediately.

The rest had this thing, right?

Yeah, they did!

They had a plot to shoot my ass, thinking I killed him!

So boss, Goatee, steps in outta fuckin' nowhere demanding that every single one of them shouted out an oath to not kill one another in the association, unless of course, we were told to.

Like clockwork, they all bowed down and said the oath in unison.
Got peacefully outed from the group afterwards, I got to be a solo thing.

I still don't get it.

Kurosame-san and I, we never had any problems with one another.
You're telling me he decides one day to kill himself and write a note saying I'm shit?
Whatever, man.

Sketchy as hell, but it's in the past. Besides, I'm substituting them all tonight so it'll be water under the bridge regardless.

Though, I didn't like him much. Too boring, really. Was too into drugs, smoking, all that;
I personally hated it. The concept of drinking and smoking doesn't bode too well with me.