Unhappy

38. Kanai

Kanai sat down as Irene got a rag. He took a deep sigh, as he looked down at his bloody hand. He'd had it under his nose so nothing would get on the floor. But as a consequence, it looked like he'd murdered someone with his bare hand. Suddenly, he felt a cloth he pinched under his nose. Irene held it up to his face, which made him feel really awkward.

"Hey, I can do this myself." Kanai said, trying to take the cloth from her hand. She brushed it away.
"No no! It's okay, I've got it!" She replied, smiling at him. He responded with a blank face, before he looked at the entrance to the kitchen. Wendy gave them a disgusted look, before walking away. This made him frown. After awhile, the blood had finally stopped flowing. "Alright, I'm gonna go now! Have a good time while you're here!" She walked out of the room and up the stairs. Kanai stayed there for a couple of seconds. He didn't really know what to do.

He stood up, and walked into the living room. Milo sat at the table, holding his head in his hands as he stared down at the surface of the wood. Kanai stared at him, as he continuously tapped one of his fingers in his hair. He walked over to him.

"Hey, how are you?" He asked enthusiastically. Milo slowly looked up at him, seeming a bit surprised and angry that he asked that question. There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other.
"I'm... fine." He said, looking back down at the table. Kanai sighed, as he sat down in the chair next to him.
"Alright, now I need to know what's going on." He replied, as he stared at him. Milo groaned a bit, before looking at Kanai.
"Fine, but don't tell anyone...". He responded, diverting his eyes away from him. He nodded, as Milo looked a bit nervous. "There's a kid... back at the harvest camp. His name is Bridge... and I kind of... left him behind. It's been haunting me for awhile... and I don't know what to do about it." Kanai stared at him for a moment. He knew it was gonna be something depressing, but he didn't think it would be that sad.
"Well, umm." He paused for a moment. "I think, in my opinion, that as long as they wanted you to get out, then it should be fine, right?" Milo stared at him, blank faced. He looked back down at the table.
"I guess..." he replied. Kanai smiled at him.
"Hey, do you wanna do something with me? To get your mind off of it." Milo looked up at him .
"Sure, what do you want to do?"
"We could tell stories. You start." Kanai said, smiling. Milo thought about it for a second. He gave a weak smile.
"One time, I went to the park to do community service. That's where I met my girlfriend. She was chasing a baby duckling out of the street, saving it from a car. We spent the day picking up trash and talking. She was so pretty, inside and out." He paused, a frown appearing on his face as he looked down at the table. "But then... she was unwound..."
"Okay that's enough of that story! I'll tell one instead!" He said, nervously laughing. "Oh! I've got one! It was my friends fifteenth birthday party. Someone ran through our backyard and shot the two of us. It was crazy." He looked over at Milo, a smile on his face. He was met the look of pure dread and fear. Kanai paused. "What? What's wrong?" He looked away, as tears fell down his face. "Okay, wait, I can tell a different one-"
"I-I'm sorry..." Milo said. He started hyperventilating, as he grabbed onto his head and began to mumble. "I didn't mean to... I regret it... I was so mad and wasn't thinking. I can't go back. I would go back. I'd do anything to go back. If I could get a second chance I'd stop every mistake I made in my life..."
"Wait, uh, let's talk about something else." Kanai said, trying to stop the panic attack. Suddenly, Milo was smacked across the face.
"You gotta stop doing that. I can't keep snapping you out of it." Wendy explained. She looked to Kanai. "Whenever he starts doing that, smack him across the face. Hard."
"Um... okay?" He replied, as she walked away. He stared for a moment, and then turned back to Milo. He stared at the table, blank faced, with a big red hand mark plastered on his cheek.
"You should probably go." Milo said. Kanai frowned, but reluctantly agreed, walking out of the house.

He started wandering home. Sometimes he looked behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed. Which he was pretty sure he wasn't. But it was good to check. It could save his life one day.

He wandered into an apartment complex, taking out a key and opening one of the doors. He went inside, and locked the door behind him. He stepped into the living room.

"Hello Gigi." He said, walking over and sitting next to his grandmother. She smiled at him.
"Hello Kanai, I see you're home late." She replied. He nervously laughed in response .
"Sorry, I was helping a friend." He responded.
"Yes, just like the other three nights." She explained. Kanai went silent. Had he really said that same lie four days in a row? Well, it technically wasn't a lie. But it still counted. He looked back to his grandmother. She looked a bit sadder than usual.
"Gigi? What's wrong?" He asked. She looked at him, sadness in her eyes.
"Do you remember... when your parents said that to survive... they may have to make use of you precious little things." She said. His heart began to beat faster.
"What is it?" He replied immediately. She sighed, and pulled a piece of paper out of her purse. His mind began to spin. She put it in his hands, and opened it up. He started to shake. He read the words. His heart... sank.