‘Fuck, they’re all dead, it’s all my fault, fuck!’

  Every step sends pain up my legs, every movement stretches my skin beyond its ability, burnt beyond belief, and every labored breath burns my lungs.

  ‘Fuck… fuck… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry… for all of you… I fucked up…’

  The moonlight flickers like a flame for a moment, before simply shining down and reflecting off the closed sign on the door, and the neon coffee cup through the window.

  I don’t get to knock- my legs give out and I collapse into it- luckily, it was unlocked, and I hit the floor on the other side with a wet thud.

  A high pitched, annoyed voice sounds out from the back. “We’re closed! Who’s-”

  Cut off by a gasp, I hear a distant voice yell out in something of fear… panic… and something else…

  I don’t care anymore… maybe they’ll send me to the police… and I’ll be killed…

  ***

  Waking the next morning, I smell… bacon? That’s… weird. I expected to smell a lot of things, blood, burnt flesh. Not bacon.

  Is it wrong to say I’m almost disappointed?

  Groaning, I force my tired eyes to open, spotting the white ceiling above me that’s decorated with little glittering star stickers that shine.

  Suddenly dizzied by the sight, I close my eyes and try to sit up, groaning in pain as I do. My ribs ache, and my skull is what is really in pain.

  ‘Fuck… where am I? I’m… right, the Cat cafe she told me about… Reta…’

  Feeling my breath pick up, and my eyes start to water behind closed lids, I wipe them and forcibly calm my breathing.

  Mumbling to myself out of some strange sense of… calming myself, my voice slips out of me, “No, no… you don’t deserve to cry. C’mon, get up and look around now.”

  Finally, I stand up, and stumble against a wall, my hands catching me against it and sending a bolt of pain up my body. My hands are scorched.

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  At least the room is small enough to not fall to the floor. Now that I look at it… the room’s fit for a child, not an adult. Why…

  Slowly I stumble out the room, and make my way through the dim and cramped hall… barely avoiding knocking a faded picture off the wall.

  Then, I hear two voices from an annoyingly bright kitchen. Looking in, I’m blinded by the light, but can hear them clearly enough, and the smell of food hits me with painful nostalgia.

  First is the high pitched voice I heard yesterday, speaking. “I’m sure she’ll be fine, we treated her. So stop worrying your little tail off.”

  Next is… a deeper voice, another woman but this one more mature, seemingly. “Yeah… and hey, I’m not little! I’m taller than you!”

  With a snort, and then a chuckle, she responds. “You’re still younger than me, Yuna~”

  My eyes finally adjust to the sight in front of me, seeing the older sounding… younger Yuna, growling and shaking her head at the other one. She’s got blond hair, is fairly tall, with… a pair of cat ears on her head, and a fluffy cat tail? That’s… different. An exotic?

  Crossing her arms, ears twitching, she speaks with a slight little attitude that quickly fades. “Hmph. Anyways… do you have any idea who she is? She reminded me of Reta, but…”

  Looking at the older one addressed, I see it’s a… short cat girl with light blue hair. Why so many exotics? It’s… well if Reta were here, I’d…

  Attempting to let out a sigh at the thought of her, it quickly turns into a painful coughing fit, the pain to my body coming back up quickly and getting the girls’ attention.

  The short bluenette is the first to react, running over and trying to grab my arm, and now that she’s standing I notice her simple skirt and thin shirt. “Here, let me help you si-”

  Putting my arm up to stop her, I force out some dry words. “You… knew Reta?”

  The tall one, Yuna, speaks without considering the implications of the choice of words. “Yeah! You do too?”

  ‘Yuna… huh… a cute name for someone so tall, and in a light soft hoodie too. Wonder what the little bluenette’s name is then?’

  But the short one… she seems to pause at my words, looking up at me confused. “What do you mean… “knew”?”

  Looking at them both, I sigh, probably looking quite pathetic. Well… I deserve to. “She’s dead… I let her die.”

  Both of them freeze, stunned at that. Honestly… I get it if they hate me…

  “H-how?” The tall one says, horrified, as the small one grabs my hand and forces me to a chair to sit. Not that I can really put up much resistance in this state.

  With a forced gasp as I sit, my ribs scream at me, making me feel like I should be dead instead.

  Being handed a sudden glass of water by the short one catches me off guard, but I nod in silent thanks. “I… she…”

  The short one sits next to Yuna as she speaks. “Drink a bit first, your voice sounds… terrible.”

  ‘Thanks then… maybe I should’ve said that aloud… whatever.’

  Closing my eyes, and taking a sip of water to soothe my throat and mouth, I speak again.

  “If you hate me after I say this… then that’s fine. I probably would too.”