She, The One Who Helps

"The story of how I met them, was fast and quick. It happened when I was in my fourth year of high school. It was unexpected. It was quick. It was unexplainable. It was like, in a blink of an eye- they were just suddenly there. Staring. Piercing. Judging my very soul. There were seven of them. But one caught my eye. But I cannot choose him. There are many reasons why."

THE YOUTH ARC

Tripping in front of the highway where lots and lots of people staring at you is probably the most embarrassing thing to start off your day.

Especially when they take pictures of you and uses your face like some kind of meme.

I brush off the fact and kept my ill-charged phone in my pockets when some random dummy ran past me, hits me, and never says sorry. I picked up my eyeglasses and wiped the dust that got into it when it fell and awed when I saw slashes in the lens.

"Oh, what a drag. Are you even serious right now?" I said as I keep on wiping it with my uniform. Feeling a bit pissed, I raised my eyebrows at the male with the bicycle.

I'm Yuriko Miki. A proud Japanese orphan and a foster daughter of an American woman and a Japanese man.

Currently living in Japan near Kyoto and a normal high-schooler with a part-time job.

I never got to meet my real parents because they just... ran off and probably just left me alone with this necklace.

Y and M were carved to it and that is why Mom called me Yuriko Miki. She said my initials were important because they were a part of my history. I still do wish they'd come for me once though. It's hard wishing for them to accept me since they did just leave me to the orphanage.

"Hey nerdy." a swift rush of air passed by, as a guy riding his bicycle insults me. He looks back and grinned teasingly. "See ya in school weirdo!"

I clenched my teeth and threw a pebble on him even though there was not enough force to hit him from afar. "Idiot..."

"Loser as always." he sped his cycle and gets lost in the view.

I stop at the sudden thought. Do I really look like a weirdo? A nerd?

Act like a loser?

I touched the tips of my short hair and looked down. I took off my big glasses and cleared my lens.

"Guess it's true what I look like hmmm-"

I stop for a moment and breathe.

Patience Yuriko. Patience.

"JESUS CHRIST! NO PLEASE! PLEASE GO- PLEASE STAY AWAY—"

My statement was interrupted by a loud scream. I quickly wore my glasses and headed straight to the voice. Suddenly I heard screams from everywhere. I suddenly stopped and clenched my hands on the tube of the bridge border and looked down to the cliff where the city is located.

I took a short postponement. Then my heart raced for no reason.

J-just what am I hearing?

Confused, I kept looking if something strange happened or what was screaming. Then realization struck me. It didn't come only from the location where I am now, but...

in the sky where red slashes of clouds that looked like the clouds were on flames and green-like clouds floating above the whole city.

Remember how Maleficent struck her spell? Yeah, that is what it looked like. But this time, it was up there. Above. On the skies.

"They sound like souls..."

The screams are difficult to bear. They sound like hundred of pigs up for slaughter at the same time. It was deafening and irritating. My ears started to ring as the unworldly screams became more and more twisted.

Everything happened too fast. Just when I was about to introduce myself and just start telling my story. It happened like thunder struck to the ground. When you've never expected what is about to happen. When you're too confused and were hoping that everything would be normal and fine.

Screams get louder and louder. I continued running to the recognizable voice for a few seconds. The guy in the street, his bike broken and his body slashed into a visible straight line from his lower abdomen to his chest. (at least it was still together, just exaggerating).

I quickly came to aid the boy that insulted me. My classmate to be exact. There was a tint of fear and confusion in his eyes. He was trembling and horrified. Like he couldn't believe what he had seen after me. He was so pale and his temperature had already long dropped.

Red scars and it looked like he just survived out being engulfed with flames. His uniform was torn and blood was visible from the look of it.

His skin was burnt and his eyes were bloodshot. The street was wet and ashy.

"What the hell happened?!" I yelled at him. Yet, he couldn't seem to hear me because the noise above was too loud. The screams, yells, and commotions were all mixing up in one giant soundly conundrum.

"Tell me! What's wrong Saku?!"

"I... I... horned.. fire... men. Seven.... dark... sins..."

I couldn't make out what he was saying so I just brushed off the thought.

Just what the hell did you see, Saku?

"Let's get you to the hospital. Get up." I support his back and lifted him up. There's no point screwing around. He's losing blood. I quickly aided him and took my phone out to dial. "Hello? Hello?"

There was static, then a voice came in. "This is Iki Medical Hospital, what is your concern-?"

"Help us! My friend got hurt!"

"We will respond immediately, but you must tell me first what happened in a calm manner."

"I don't know! How would I know?! He was laying in the street! He's losing blood!"

"Alright, calm down we will give you a few instructions. Follow me and hold out until the emergency team arrives, do you hear me?"

"Okay. Okay.."

I laid Saku upon a flat surface and I follow the woman's instructions until the ambulance arrives. My only mission is to keep him alive until then. He grunts every time I press his wound. But I have to do it to contain and prevent him from losing more.

"Endure it, dumbass. Come on!"

"Hnghhh..."

"You're not a loser like me, am I right? Fight it."

"Hnghhh... ahhh.. i-it hurts.."

"I know it hurts but you must be alive. You still have a debt to pay!"

"Hah... hah..."

"You have an outstanding loan amount of 700 yen in the convenience store, you dummy!"

"Y-you....knew about that...?"

"I was at your back lining up when the cashier hit you with a fan! You should be ashamed!"

He chuckles a little bit despite the pain. I wanna ask him about what he saw, but I never dared. Then finally, I hear the bursting hope of sirens. Blaringly red and fast, the emergency team quickly gets off the van and hop right in to help us out.

I stepped aside and watch as they do their job. Most of them seemed distracted.

Everyone is chattering nonsense. Most of the team are confused upon seeing the skies.

"What the hell is that?"

"Don't mind it. Get back here and help us lift."

I was relieved that it was over. Afterwards, I look back at the sky hoping that what is going on with the sky is just a phenomenon and nothing more.

Well of course. That's what I thought.

Who in world would've known that on that very same day I'd get to experience the real hell?

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