“So, you see, money can solve a lot of problems.”

After having the whole discussion about how to beat an overpowered villain, Caitlin and Katie proceeded to do the most sensible thing given their circumstance. They hopped onto Caitlin’s car and made their way into New York City. 

In typical Katie fashion, the two had no idea where they were going. Katie suggested they find another amusement park to ruin...to play at. But Caitlin, wisely, noted that given the pair’s tendency to run into supernatural monsters in and out of the classroom, this time likely wouldn’t turn out too well either. Go to another amusement park and the next thing they knew the park might be overridden with zombies or something. 

In the end, the two simply decided to stick to the basics and go grab some food. For Caitlin at least, every meal might be her last. 

On her phone, as Caitlin was occupied with driving, Katie tracked down one of the most famed restaurants in New York City. A place called Meat Lovers. Fair enough...the place was known for its steaks and ribs and all sorts of fancy dishes that would make a vegetarian turn away as quickly as possible. 

The restaurant wasn't exactly located on Wall Street or anything. Instead, it sat at one of the poorer neighborhoods in the city, highly uncharacteristic of its reputation. 

Katie spent a while scrolling through the comments section, and she has yet to see a single criticism on the place. Good. With all that has happened, Katie only wanted the best for Caitlin. 

Finally, Caitlin parked her car inside the parking lot of the place. As the two got off, they realized the Meat Lovers restaurant wasn’t exactly the biggest one in the proximity, much less in the city. Judging by the cars parked in the lot, there were only a few dozen customers in the restaurant right now. 

It was only when they talked to the front desk waitress did they realize, normally, people had to make reservations days in advance to eat here. Caitlin wanted to find somewhere else, but Katie persisted. The twenty-year-old woman at the door didn't back down...or at least not until Katie took out a stack of one hundred dollar bills and stuffed them into the waitress’s hands. 

Money really wasn’t a problem for Katie. 

After that, it was merely an issue of getting seated. 

“My lady.” Katie let out a small smile as she pulled a chair back for Caitlin. Caitlin couldn’t help but blush slightly, especially since the waitress was still beside them with the menus. As she sat down, Katie sat down in the chair on the other side of the table. The waitress, concealing a small smile, passed them the menus. 

They ordered some food. Katie had ribs and Caitlin chose some well-cooked steaks. As the waitress left to deliver the orders, Katie and Caitlin started casually chatting. 

“You literally just paid a thousand bucks to get a seat here. I'd say the food we ordered isn't even one-tenth that amount.” Caitlin tapped her forehead. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Oh don’t worry, I’ve got a lot more where that came from.” Katie shrugged carelessly. Money meant little for her. “Eric paid me a lot of money for...protection? I dunno. Haven’t really done anything for him. And remember the arms dealer I killed? Yeah, he’s got quite the stash too. And if I’m really desperate, who’s to say I can’t be a robber or something?” 

“Bottom line?” She leaned forward. “I’ve got you covered, love.” 

“Can’t say I’m too surprised, Katie.” 

Katie let out a small victorious smile as she sat back. She glanced at the restaurant around them, where dozens of people were eating across nearly two dozen tables. The restaurant was peaceful. Normal. Much like their life before that fateful morning.

“Well, I’m just glad there’s not some hidden monster here that we need to kill.” 

“Oh, come on Katie!” 

“Oops, sorry…” The brunette immediately went silent. She could still remember the many times she jinxed things back in the RCTV elevator. For a while, the two girls sat there, fully expecting the entire restaurant to just collapse and identify itself as some sort of giant monster. Or maybe the other customers would suddenly turn to zombies and attack them? No? Too bad…

“We’re all good.” Finally, Katie was the one to take a breath of relief. “Nothing’s wrong. We’re safe…”

“Look, Katie, I love you.” Caitlin leaned forward, staring into Katie’s eyes. “But please shut up.”

“Alright, alright.” Katie backed off giggling. 

The two waited there in their seats for a few more minutes, casually talking. In the meantime, the waitress brought them their sodas. Suddenly, Katie stood up. 

“I have to go to the bathroom. You got your gun?”

“Yeah.” Caitlin tapped her jacket pocket. “I’ll be fine.”

“Good.” 

Katie looked around. No bathroom sign? Well, time to be adventurous. She made her way toward one of the halls. Hmmm? Still no bathroom? Keep walking I suppose...another corner. Still no? Another corner...oh come on!

Just like that, twenty seconds later, Katie found her way standing in front of a sealed door. Outside the door was a man on his phone with his back leaned against the wall. He looked up when Katie approached, an alert look on his face. 

“What are you doing here, miss?”

“Oh, just looking for the bathroom.” Katie shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell your supervisor you’re slacking off on the job.”

“Slacking off? What…” The man paused in confusion before turning back to the brunette. “The bathroom is literally on the other end of the building. This is the kitchen!” 

Katie turned back and glanced at the way she came. Ok...that made a lot of sense. But was it her fault for getting lost? Definitely not! “You people really need to label things more clearly. Also,” She glanced at the door the man was standing in front of. “do you hear that?”

The man’s body tensed up. Katie caught him glancing at the door, but he quickly caught himself.  “Hear what?”

“Hear that?” Katie repeated before suddenly raising her voice. “That’s the sound of my empty belly! I’m starving to death! Can you please tell the cooks to speed things up? We ordered steaks and ribs!”

The man’s mouth hung open for a few seconds. For a moment, he wanted to punch this girl in the face, not because she was rude, but also because...but in the end, he nodded and put up his best apologetic smile. “Yeah, sorry. I’ll tell the kitchen staff to make things quicker.” 

Satisfied, Katie turned back and made her way out of the hallway. As she walked, her ear twitched. 

Something was up with this place. For some reason, Katie realized her senses have been growing keener and keener with every passing day. She didn't exactly have those X-ray eyes Superman did, but she could see a lot further and hear a lot of quieter sounds that most people never would've caught. 

This was how, on Thursday morning, she was able to hear Kyle’s comment about her and Caitlin and get over there and punch him right in the face.

This was also how she, just then, heard a muffled gagging sound. 

Someone was tied up behind that door. 

Now, if it was some sort of comic book heroine here, she would be busting into the kitchen with her guns blazing to save the day. But this was Katie, so...so the girl turned around and left, leaving this mysterious victim behind. Not because she was afraid, no...but because this was going to be something thrilling! Was it some psycho murderer? Was it a robbery? Both? Neither? Something else? 

Either way, the last thing she wanted to do was rush in there! She wanted to take her time, and it was important to get everything else out of the way. Also, she wasn’t selfish! When it came to funny things like this, she knew to share with her girlfriend!  

Would the unfortunate victim who happened to be tied up be killed because she wanted to go to the loo first? Maybe? Did she care? Definitely not. 

“Katie? You’re back!”

“Nope.”

“Oh, ok.” 

This time, Katie finally found the bathroom. Just as she finished up and returned to the table, a waitress brought their food over. A plate of ribs for Katie and some steaks for Caitlin. 

“They look really good.” Caitlin picked up the fork and the knife, but Katie grabbed onto her hand. 

“The food can wait. I have something else to show you.” 

Caitlin sighed. “Do I want to know what it is?”

“Maybe? Anyways, come on! Just follow me.”

In the end, Katie managed to convince Caitlin to start moving. The two girls left their table and made their way to the kitchen. On the way there, Katie explained what happened to Caitlin. 

“So, someone’s tied up in the kitchen?” Caitlin frowned. “Not the most common place to tie people up, but...ah well. Also,” she turned to her girlfriend and let out a frustrated growl. “this is just another proof of why you really shouldn’t be talking. Something tells me this wouldn’t have happened if you didn't jinx it.”

“Sorry. You wanna ignore this and go back to eat?”

Caitlin sighed, and Katie grinned victoriously. 

Once again, this time intentionally, the two reached the kitchen. The kitchen staff who Katie strongly suspected was slacking off was still at the door. 

In most cases, seeing Katie return would raise some alert from the man, but his brain froze for a second, which resulted in the hilarious words that came out of his mouth next. 

“Come on, miss! I know we’re taking a while, but I assure you, taking your friend over here doesn’t help make things quicker!”

“Uh…” This time, Katie was the confused one. “what? No...I mean…” Ah, so this is how it feels when other people talk to me. Fun. Anyways. “I’m not here to…” She tapped her forehead before suddenly reaching into her pocket and drawing her Glock 43. 

Yay! This time she finally remembered to bring her gun! She deserved a medal for this! 

“What?” The man was slightly taken back at the sight of the firearm. Seriously? How hungry are you? “Come on! Food takes some time to prepare!” He still wasn’t on the right channel. 

Behind Katie, Caitlin sighed. Of course...this guy exchanged two sentences with Katie and now he’s mentally challenged. Of course Katie had that impact on people.

“What, no. Rrrr...” Katie growled before doing her best to recollect herself. “The food has already been delivered to us, and they look really delicious and I can’t wait to have them...but that’s not the point! This,” She waved her hand. “this is a robbery! Do not resist and you will get hurt!”

Behind Katie, Caitlin had no idea what Katie was getting at, but she drew her weapon and aimed at the man nonetheless. Something was off inside the kitchen. Of course, she and Katie could just attack the man directly or question him straightforward without this whole facade, but Katie was having her fun, and Caitlin could only follow along. 

The man’s mouth hung open. Robbery? Who the hell robs a restaurant kitchen? What even is there to take? Pots and pans? Maybe a stack of especially expensive forks? The money is kept in a whole different part of the building! What sort of idiot robs a kitchen, of all places? And brings a gun to do that?

“Uh…ok?” The man subconsciously turned to the door before suddenly freezing. 

“What’s wrong?” Katie gestured. A wicked smile on her face. She knew all too well why the man didn't move. “Go on. Open the door.” 

The man didn't move. He knew he couldn’t do it. If he opened the door...there was a reason he was posted here. He was the sentry, and it was his job to stop anyone from getting into the kitchen and seeing what was inside. 

Katie smirked and took a step forward. 

“I said get in! I have other restaurants to visit after, not to mention an entire plate of ribs to finish! Or...or did I order steaks?” 

As she got closer, the man suddenly leaped forward and reached for Katie’s gun. He moved at a speed that was perhaps beyond anything ordinary human beings were capable of. His eyes were trained on Katie’s face, ready to see the fear that would no doubt appear there. 

All he saw was Katie raising her hand and, with an equally surprising speed, whacking the barrel of the pistol across his cheek. 

“Grrr…” The man growled and collapsed. Katie looked down on her handgun, tossed it in the air, grabbed onto its barrel, and then used the pistol’s handle to whack the man across the cheek a few more times until she saw blood on his cheeks. 

“Now that’s the proper way to use a handgun. Convince me otherwise.” She turned to Caitlin. 

On the ground, the man wasn’t defenseless, at least not yet. Seeing Katie distracted, he grabbed onto her ankle and effortlessly twisted it by 90 degrees with a bone-cracking sound.

Katie shivered in agony, looked down on the man, and kicked him in the face with the broken leg. She then twisted the ankle back in place and got a slight moment of pleasure before her body healed itself.  

The man on the ground froze in fear. What the hell did he just see? She should've been crippled! Human bodies aren't lego pieces! You can't just pull them apart, put them back again, and act as if nothing happened! 

That was when the door was pushed open, and two more people dressed in cook’s uniforms walked out. As soon as they saw the grounded sentry and the two girls, they froze in their tracks. 

“What is going on here?” One of them demanded.  

Katie did answer them, just not with words. Instead, she charged forward and rammed into the two cooks, sending them flying across the door and into the kitchen. Next, she grabbed onto the bloodied body of the sentry and advanced into the kitchen with him in her arms. 

Caitlin, who has been sitting back and observing this marvelous show, followed them. 

There were a few other cooks inside the kitchen, but no one was tied up. Hearing the commotion, all of the cooks snapped at the two girls. Katie saw a handful of them pushing something behind cover. Her soft noses twitched as she smelled something all too familiar. 

“What is going on here?” A man in a white uniform who looked like the leader of the kitchen raised his voice. His gaze quickly landed on what Katie was holding. “Is that a gun?”

“This is a robbery.” Dropping the sentry onto the ground, Katie announced again with a lifted voice. She scanned the cooks with an intrigued look. “Please put down your knives, spoons, forks, and frying pans and step to the side. If you comply, I promise in the name of all my faith that you will get hurt. If you try to resist, no harm will come to you.” 

The cooks glanced at each other. Uh...miss? Do you even hear yourself? 

The kitchen leader found his mouth wide open as the same thoughts that went through the sentry’s head went through his. Really? A robbery? Here, of all places? What is wrong with you? The worst part was he couldn’t really do anything. The gun was a small issue, but if bullets were fired, then the gunshot would be heard by the entire neighborhood! He didn't even see a silencer on the girl’s Glock! She had to be nuts or something! 

Yes, the Meat Lovers was located in a less populated part of New York City, but it still had sufficient people in its proximity, especially since it was operating now, so that NYPD could be informed by just a single phone call. They could arrive here within ten minutes of the gunshot! 

Usually, that would be good in the case of a robbery, but for them...

The man had no knowledge of the curse imposed upon the girls. For him, if even a single shot was fired, he would be so screwed that no amount of screwing could be done to him in the future. That was why all he did was hold his hands up obediently. 

“Look, miss. We can talk about this. Do you want money? Is that it? Fine. We can go somewhere safe and I will give you all the money we have.” 

“Go somewhere else? Why?” Katie tilted her head. “I’m fine right here!”

“This is the kitchen! There is no money here!” 

“Yeah? Then why don’t you go to the cash register and bring all the money here? I can wait.” 

“What…” The man found himself beyond speechless. Why were they even having this conversation? What was going on here? Who was this girl and what was wrong with her? Did she come out of an insane asylum or something? Or was this his problem? Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

“Ok ok.” To his relief, Katie finally nodded and lowered her gun. “I was just joking! I’m no robber! I’m not after money! Do I look like I’m poor? I just paid a thousand bucks to get a seat here! Do I look like a robber?”

“Hmmm...am I supposed to answer that?” One of the cooks felt his brain getting fried alive as he desperately tried to follow what the brunette was saying. Who the hell even is this girl? 

Katie smiled at the response. Ignoring the cook’s question, she suddenly turned around and grabbed onto the handle of a two-meter tall freezer. 

“I am just a curious person, and I just want to know what your main recipe is.”

She pulled the freezer door open. 

Inside the freezer, on the top shelf, was a severed human head.