Unlikely Friends: Volume One

Chapter Forty Five

Lua sighed in defeat and checked his bank account. He had no idea how he was going to afford a ticket home. And even worse: his boyfriend ghosted him, his phone was speaking nonsense about witches, and Lua just missed his cats. He should have known better than to uproot his life for someone he never even met. He sighed as his eyes scanned the airport; new unfamiliar faces passed by. The boy looked up at a nearby monitor playing commercials on an obscure channel. He watched as a pool sale commercial ended and a pigeon sanctuary advertisement came on screen. Former professional boxer, Mike Tyson, was asking viewers to donate to feed homeless pigeons. Lua cursed under his breath, wishing someone would donate money to him.

The lonely boy sighed and stood up. There was no point in sulking. He was going to find somewhere to stay. Lua grabbed his suitcase and walked out of the bustling airport, ignoring everyone else in search of a cab stand. No luck there. Everyone seemed to be running in all directions, screaming. Lua saw as buildings were burnt to the ground, dead bodies scattered across the streets. "What the fuck..." Lua backed away, towards the airport doors. Everything had been normal inside the airport, people waiting at baggage claim and pushing past others. Now he was facing a war, sirens ringing in his ears.  The dainty boy's legs buckled as fear consumed him. His vision blurred and he started hyperventilating.

The noise grew louder, like it was trying to drown him. "Help!" he shouted, but nobody heard him. "Please help me!" He collapsed to the floor, unable to control his breathing. Loud sobs broke through his throat as tears streamed down his face.  His body shook with the force of his breathing. A loud crash echoed from a nearby building, causing him to flinch.   Slowly, he pulled himself up off the dirty ground, trying to calm his shaky hands as he reached towards his suitcase. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flipped bus with its engine on fire. People screamed as they tried crawling from the wreck. On the side of the bus was a slightly burnt advertisement.

"Mike Tyson uses Magical Lube and you should too." The boxer's smiling face stared back at Lua, showcasing a bottle in his hand. The boy grumbled miserably and started walking in the opposite direction of the burning bus. The screams of the passengers faded as he traveled down the street. The air was growing thick with smoke and Lua was sure a bomb had gone off somewhere close. He decided it was probably safer for him to leave the city and wandered into a nearby forest.

He pulled his suitcase along, it bumped and shook along the roots and rocks. The suitcase felt heavier than when he packed it. "Or maybe I'm just feeling weaker," Lua said aloud, exhausted from the smoke inhalation. A wheel on his suitcase got caught on a root and broke off. He stopped and leaned against a tree, watching the smoke curl in the distant trees. He was tired and needed to eat. He eyed some mushrooms on the ground and sat on the forest floor beside them. Something seemed familar about the mushrooms and Lua hesitantly popped them in his mouth. The boy yawned, now satisfied with something in his tummy. He stretched and curled up in the grass, using his damaged luggage as a pillow. A little nap couldn't hurt, he told himself as he dozed off.

He awoke to the sound of flapping wings. A pigeon flew through the air above him, landing on the ground in front of him. It sat on its feet and cocked its head at him before it hopped towards him and began pecking at his shoes.  Lua laughed quietly at its antics.  He petted its feathers lightly and let it hop into his lap. It made happy chirping noises and cooed softly. It laid on his chest and snuggled closer to his neck. "It must want something," he mused as he petted its head. The dainty boy stood to his feet, still holding the pigeon close. "What do you want?" he asked the pigeon.

A few moments later another bird landed near where Lua previously sat, this time hopping right up next to him. It cooed affectionately and nudged him with its head until Lua took a step forward. The two birds took turns giving him small pats and chirps while he dragged his broken suitcase along, walking deeper into the forest. When Lua found the clearing again, the first thing he noticed was that there were hundreds of more birds. They hovered around the same dimly lit building, seemingly content with their nest. Two were sitting next to each other on the door frame, resting their heads together.

A large crack of lightening lit up the sky and thunder rumbled. The birds took flight, seeking cover as others hid from the sudden rain in cracks of the shop. It took less than a minute for Lua's clothes to soak, water seeping into his shoes. The boy screamed in frustration. First he was stood up, then he walked through a literal war zone, he almost starved to death in a forest, harassed by birds, and now his shoes were ruined.

Lua sighed and looked at the large sign next to the building in front of him. Mike Tyson's smiling face stared down at him, informing him that magical lube was sold here.