An Infinite Dance of Time

[1] Dealing With Due Dates

Nethal wrapped his aching hand around the doorknob of the entrance to his rented apartment with a tired sigh. It's nearly midnight; he had to work much later than he should've because one of his coworkers were too lazy to do their job. Unfortunately for him, he hated watching something be left unfinished. He just hoped his boss knew that he did it instead, and that he would hopefully be praised for it. Most preferably with a raise. Almost dropping his keys, Nethal sluggishly unlocked the front door and pushed the door open, closing and locking the door behind him after making sure his long, imp-like tail had made it through the doorway. He practically ripped off his jacket and threw it by the coat hanger he recently bought, and made a break for the couch. He threw himself in front of the TV with a grunt.

Once seated, he turned on the television to one of his favorite, and only, reality TV shows. Nethal crossed his arms and leaned back, tossing the remote to the side. He glanced at the calendar near the dining room; which was close enough to the living room the be apart of it, and froze. Thoughts of panic filled his mind. He hadn't been home for five minutes and his mind was already pacing with worries and concerns. Forgetting to pause or turn off the television, Nethal jumped up from the couch and ran towards the dining room to double check the calendar, which he prayed wouldn't have what he thought it did listed on a certain date.

"Crap," he mumbled under his breath, running his shaking finger over the box for the following Monday. Rent was due then, and didn't have much time to get everything together to pay his rent. Things were going too roughly for him to be kicked out for the month, considering the only other place to go would be where he was raised; which isn't the best place to go to for shelter and comfort, considering the place he grew up in was a scientific laboratory. Nethal shuddered at the thoughts of his childhood there, if he could even call that period of his life that. With a shake of his head, Nethal went to grab his phone from his back pocket; only to find it wasn't there. After a short second of panicking, thinking he had left it at the bakery he worked at, his gaze went to the jacket he threw down near the entrance of his apartment. He sprinted over, barely managing to make it over without tripping. He anxiously checked both of the pockets for his phone, and with a sigh of relief pulled it out. The screen was fairly scratched, but it was hard for Nethal to tell if it was from him throwing his jacket onto the ground, or if the scratches had just built up over the years. Either way, he was just glad the phone was still working.

Nethal sat himself down on the floor, leaning against the wall beside the coat hanger, turning on and unlocking his device with the facial recognition feature. He wasn't great with remembering passwords, so he was thankful technology had evolved in such a way. Without hesitation, he opened up the banking app he used to keep track of his money, and studied the balance, then let out a short sigh of relief. He would be able to pay rent.

... Of course, Nethal still had to consider different bills he had to pay at around the same time. Then he had to think about how much gas would cost to make it to and from work. And he couldn't possibly forget groceries. He didn't want to die of starvation. Not to mention--

"AAUGH," Nethal yelled out in frustration, his panicking only making matters worse. He put his hands over his face and slumped over, dropping his phone in the process. "This isn't fair," he mumbled under his breath, "life was supposed to be easier. Life was supposed to be easier the moment I left that place." It wasn't often he found himself talking out loud, but he didn't care at this point. He was too stressed.

Nethal's work uniform, which was already stained with sweat and different ingredients, became covered with tiny spots left by tears as he cried softly to himself. He hid his face in his knees as he curled up against the wall, his breath hitching as he let out sobs every few seconds. The stress of trying to keep up with life, the fear of returning to the laboratory he grew up in, and simply all the pent up emotions he felt suddenly hit him all at once. "This isn't fair," He mumbled again, his words shaken by his breath and tears. "How--... How the heck am I supposed to keep track of everything when the days go by so fast? Things were supposed to change! They--... Things were supposed to be better than this." Nethal took a deep, shaking breath before speaking again. 

 "I'm just running out of time."