Vroom!

"Go faster, Hessian!"

"What? No, don't go faster!"

"Which one is it?!" He shouts back.

Road trip... My friends, Ghomas, Vacinay, and Hessian, respectively, argue about whether they should break the law or not. Well, we're in Dominica. The chances of getting into legal trouble for driving fast are incredibly low.

Vroom!

Gasp! The jeep we're in nearly hits a car while overtaking it!

Okay, the issue isn't about breaking the damn law! It's about us getting killed in this dumb shit!

"If you all are going to die, die by yourselves! Don't involve me!" I shout.

"Ehhh? I'm trying not to die too! Do you really want me to die by myself? Huh!" Vacinay takes offense at my words.

Hessian accelerates. "Shhh... ignore Lumine. She's been rubbing off on Vacinay a bit too much. I swear she wasn't this rude when we were younger..."

This piece of shit! "If you keep this up–!"

Before I can finish, he quickly counters, "Or what?"

"I'm going to tell Aunty."

Hk-! The vehicle speed quickly declines! Did he slow down so fast on purpose?!

"Okay... noted..." There's slight fear in his voice.

Hmph!

"Oh wow. So you can listen to your cousin but not your best friend?" Vacinay presses him on the matter. Sucked to be her. I have the younger cousin privileges.

We're on our way to Hessian's friend's party. I always go wherever he goes, and those other guys always come along too. To be honest, they seem like the type to do drugs, buy hookers, and just fall off a cliff. Yet, I'm always there... And I've never caught them doing any of that wild shit. Well, not yet anyway.

Ghomas pulls a pistol from her bag and examines it. "Oi, Vacinay, who the hell were you planning to kill? Did some guy break your heart by not accepting your crazy love?"

...

Why and how did she get access to a whole ass gun? Who pissed her off?! This isn't America where you can easily get a damn gun!

All the hair on Vacinay's neck stands on end before she screams at him, "Give me that back! Why the hell did you go into my bag?!"

She's trying to reach him by swinging her arms wildly. She's in the front seat near Hessian, so her range is limited.

Ghomas makes sure she can't reach him, and then shouts, "Hey! You always go through my bag to steal my food! So why wouldn't I go through your bag?"

"Ugh! First off! I only took water bottles, and I told you so! Second, I'm a young, beautiful twenty-year-old woman—simp for me, you deviant!"

Corny.

"I mean, I would consider simping if I hadn't known your ass for over a decade! You have the damn personality of a wild tiger stuck in heat, unable to find a mate!"

"Shut up! That's not true! Stop trying to defame me!" She becomes even more upset.

She's known for being pretty, but her repulsive personality pushes away almost any guy who approaches her with romantic intentions. Well, guys would be willing to sleep with anyone, but she's smart enough to avoid those guys. So, she's left searching for men who could overlook her craziness. Spoiler alert: there are none. Well...

I call her. "You know, I have a friend who might be interested in you, and he knows your personality."

She raises an eyebrow. "A friend?"

"Yes, a friend?"

"You? Friend?"

"Yes, me. Friend."

She stares at me in disbelief and then bursts out laughing, along with everyone else.

"Hahahaha! Yo! Hessian, your cousin is funny!" She nudges him.

"I've always said she was! You guys just never believed me!" He laughs.

Ghomas' eyes are filled with admiration. "Wow... I mean, I always thought I had a talent for humor, but she has surpassed me."

I... hate them all! "Die! Die! You can all burn in the flames of hell!" I scream at them.

Vacinay stops laughing and wears a skeptical look. "Okay, who is this guy, though? How tall is he? How handsome is he? What's his eye color? I mean, I don't care about that... but does he work out? I wonder if he has money. Well, I don't really care about the money as long as he's at least hot!"

What the... Are her pupils forming heart shapes? And is she exhaling hot air?

Ghomas crosses his arms in serious thought. "Wait a second. Isn't Lumine like seventeen? If she somehow had friends because of some deal with the devil, wouldn't he most likely be her age?"

Vacinay's eyes of lust quickly dissipate.

"Wait... she's trying to set me up with an underage person!" She glares at me.

Hessian smirks. "Wow, guys. We found out she isn't a pedo."

She punches his shoulder. "You ass hat!"

"Ow!" The car sways. "Are you trying to get us killed, Miss Desperado? Miss charmless? Man repulsion?!"

"Shut up!"

Ghomas is still checking out the gun. Through the rear mirror, Hessian realizes this.

Like something clicks in his head, he asks, "Wait! Why does the suicidal dude still have a gun in his hand?"

Ghomas is taken aback by his words. "Huh, since when have I become suicidal?!"

I don't think he meant it literally.

"Suicidal, as in you'll get yourself killed by accident!" Vacinay again tries to take the gun from him. She swings herself into the back seat with us.

Hmmm... Ghomas. I think they're exaggerating how stupid he is. Are they?

***

"Okay… so, like, what if... and hear me out, what if Trunks is actually Goku’s illegitimate son?"

"Okay, dead serious, bro. So, let's say you had to choose between marrying an older person versus being trapped in a jail cell with a guy who says, 'I like you, and I want you. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way.' Which would you choose? Personally, I prefer my women older than me, but the prison situation would make for an insane story to talk about. Because, like, every night you have to guard your booty, and like—"

"Alright, I think I'm immortal. I know what you guys are going to say. How do I know that? Well, I've never died before, have I? Exactly! So how the hell would you know if I can die? Haha… I'm a damn intellectual."

Okay… this guy is a damn moron!

"Give us the gun before you accidentally shoot yourself in the head!" I assist Vacinay.

"Eh! Stop implying I'm stupid—"

Bang!

...A silence almost settles in the air. Hessian reacts first. "What the f—"

Bang! Bang bang!

This guy. He's still shooting! We shouldn't worry about him killing himself! We should worry about him accidentally killing us! Wait, accidentally?! Maybe this was a plan he had in the making for a while!

"It goes through the damn engine! What the hell!" Hessian panics.

Is it really so easy for bullets of such caliber to go through vehicles? I thought that was a movie myth.

Hessian swings his door open.

"Abort mission!" He declares before leaping out—tumbling on the road.

"What!" Has he lost his damn min–

Bang bang bang!

The gun keeps firing. I kick the door open and proceed to jump off. Vacinay follows me.

Thud!

Ouch! Mother of all mothers! Holy shit! Jumping off a speeding vehicle isn't something I'm ever doing again!

At least the jeep slows down when the bullets go through the engine. It must have hit vital parts of it. From that range, with poor accuracy, and with presumably small bullets. I call bullshit! Something is definitely up! And why does that moron keep shooting?!

The jeep crashes into a watermelon field nearby. Well, that's unfortunate.

Even more unfortunate, the jeep we overtook was the only other vehicle on the road.

"Holy shit…" That voice…

Like a robot, Vacinay and I turn towards Ghomas.

Death. Torture. Murder.

"Kill him!" I order!

"Rip him to pieces!" Vacinay follows suit.

"My baby jeep…" Hessian is in his own world.

We all rush toward Ghomas and restrain his limbs.

He panics. "I didn't pull the damn trigger! It just kept firing on its own!"

Is this man really trying to gaslight us? Gaslight me?

"Who the hell pulled it then?!" Vacinay already has a murder weapon of choice in her hand, a rock.

"Yeah, you want us to believe it had a mind of its own, huh?!" I release his arm and hold his neck in a choke.

While struggling to breathe, he points at something near us. Hesitantly, we slowly turn toward it.

… What.

"Eh?" Even Vacinay is confused.

Ghomas pulls my arm from his neck and gasps for air before screaming, "Yes, it did!"

Near him is the same gun. Did he grab it when he jumped off? I doubt it. So how did it end up here?

Hessian, despite having tears in his eyes, walks over to us. "So... who has a shovel? Since we're going to kill him, right? Life for life."

Life? Oh, his jeep.

I point at the gun. "Well, this thing is weird. That's more of an issue right now."

He crosses his arms. "Huh? Why so?"

"Well, Ghomas may be stupid, but jumping off a vehicle while holding a gun?"

Hessian squats down and picks up the gun.

Ghomas has fear in his eyes. "No! That thing has a mind of its own!"

Okay, that does sound silly.

Hessian shakes his head in disappointment as he waves the gun around—

Bang bang!

"Agh!" He screeches like a child before kicking it away.

No way!

Bang bang!

It keeps going off, jerking around too.

"Make a run for it! That thing is cursed or something!" Ghomas declares as he runs away.

Hessian follows suit. "Wait for me!"

Vacinay and I, of course, sprint with them.

"Don't leave us behind!"

"I don't wanna dieeeeee!" Vacinay declares.

***

A man whistled as he made his way to his watermelon field that had been passed down in his family for generations.

When he saw the partially ruined melon field and the abandoned jeep in it, he fell to his knees.

"No..." He shook his head, rejecting the sight. He didn't want to believe it. He was so excited to make a great harvest this year, but that was now impossible.

He took out a religious artifact from his pocket and shouted, "Water melon god! Tell me who has ruined the sacred melons!"

***

POV: Lumine

After running for a while, the three of us distance ourselves from Vacinay. We're walking behind her.

Hessian whispers, "She's probably a witch."

Wow... that would make sense. "A secret witch."

Ghomas nods, fully convinced. "It all makes sense..."

"I am not a damn witch!" She screams at us.

Hm, kinda hard to believe.

We continue walking for a while. The sun is intense. I'm going to die from heatstroke...

Hessian and Ghomas notice me and Vacinay struggling to keep up. So, despite looking like they're near death, they confidently rush in front of us before taking off their shirts and striking muscle poses.

"Tsk tsk. Does this mere heat bother you?" Hessian grins.

Ghomas poses opposite him with his eyes closed. "Tsk tsk. They are weaklings."

"This heat is nothing for strong men like us!" they declare with absolute conviction as they march forth.

One minute later.

"Help... me..."

"I am dying..." Both of them are crawling on the floor, looking like they've been drained of all their fluids.

Fortunately, Vacinay had hopped off the jeep with her bag. I take a water bottle from her bag and open it.

They stare at it like hungry dogs.

"Water..."

"Please..."

I rub my chin in deep thought. "Nah. In a minute or two."

"Kill... yourself."

"Jump off a cliff... you little shit." Damn! Hessian really means that. He almost makes me feel bad. Shit. So, I can't make jokes?

I drink a quarter of the water and send it to him. He rushes forward and catches it with all his might before drinking it in one gulp. In an instant, he stands tall and handsome again.

"Ah yes... I'm back to my perfect self." He smiles at himself like he's the one responsible for getting the water.

"You..." Ghomas looks betrayed.

Vacinay sends him a water bottle too, which he catches with his teeth like an aggressive dog.

After drinking it, he stretches his arms out like he's been awoken from death and came back with great knowledge.

He grins. "Of course. I went insane and then got bored with that too, so I became sane."

Vacinay raises an eyebrow before shouting, "I know that reference! Professor Paradox!" She has sparkles in her eyes.

Professor... oh! Ben 10! I forgot she's a massive Ben 10 nerd.

Ghomas nods vigorously. "Hell yeah, it is!"

Sigh... We're lost, and they're thinking about a cartoon? Wait. We are lost. Why didn’t I think of calling someone?

I take out my phone and begin to dial, but then I hesitate. How would I explain to mom why we're lost? I don't want to throw Hessian under the bus. If I say he crashed, he'll look bad. It depends on the reasons he crashed. Yeah, yeah!

Everyone else looks at me in surprise before saying, "Oh right. Phones."

"Shit. That slipped my mind," Ghomas rubs his hair roughly.

"Me too," my cousin chimes in. Of course, he forgets. Maybe Ghomas isn't the only dumb one here.

Ring...

"Yes? What is it? What did you forget at home and have your cousin driving back for?" My mom answered the phone, already convinced she knew what happened.

I guess it's because that's what typically happens.

"No. We got into an accident," I have an easy lie prepared. I adjust my accent slightly and prepare to speak broken English to express how 'angry' I am.

"We were driving, but them man just hit us! And they wanted to fight us! So, I had to get mad tense. Cause, wha is it nah? Worse again, them man wanted to give Hessian a hard time. That heating my mind! Boiii, mammy, you were right about those people. All they can do is cause trouble in the dang country!"

Unfortunately, my mom has some racist views, so I have to play into that bias to make the lie more believable.

"Lumine," She says monotone.

"Yes, mom?"

"Am I one of your friends?"

"What?"

"Am I one of your mentally challenged friends?"

"No."

"Then why are you lying to me as if I'm an idiot?"

"Excellent question. Which part gives me away?"

"Which part? Ayeee! You have the guts to ask which part... HAHA... Since when do you tell me you get tense? And since when do you dislike those people? Every time I say something about them, you call me a racist, but now you suddenly act the same way?"

Damn! SHIIIIII! I mess up!

She continues, "When you come home... well, you're gonna find out."

...A beating? I'm seventeen. Why should I accept such punishments as if they are just?

"Mom?"

"What?"

"Go kill yourself."

"WHA--!"

I end the call. Damn. Maybe I'm even dumber than Ghomas.

Everyone's eyes are stuck on me. They're even pretending to eat popcorn.

Vacinay gives her opinion. "Damn girl. I can see why you get into a lot of fights in high school. You're dumb as shit."

"Oi. Don't call my cousin that." Hessian stands up for me. "Only I can call her a dumbass. It's a privilege only I have."

He points at me. "You are a dumbass. Not just a normal one. You're like a mega dumbass. The kind that needs doctors to study your brain."

Nevermind. He's an ass hat too.

I ignore them and walk forward. "Let's hurry up... After all, we don't have any more water bottles."

"Argh... I need water."

"Me too..."

Shit... there is no shop in sight for miles!

Cough! We're going to die!

The sun beats down on us so harshly that I can almost hear my sweat boiling.

Ghomas picks me up and uses me as an umbrella?!

I demand an answer. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

He moves forward like a soldier. "This is the Way of the Jungle... The weak shall be used as umbrellas..."

"What?"

Hessian, who is being carried as a cover for Vacinay, mutters to me, "Accept defeat... This is the way..."

Wait, in the distance, I spot a small shop! "SHOP! SHOP! SHOP!" I repeat like a broken record.

With vulture-like movements, they frantically scan around, trying to lock their eyes on their prey: the shop. Upon seeing it, they put us down; our movements are in sync. First, we remain still. The gust of air brushes against our clothes. Our senses become one with the universe and we...

"Water!" The three run towards the shop like hungry zombies. Now, imagine if there is no water for sale.

"Wait for me!" I shout as I try to keep up with them.

Everyone rushes in, drenched in sweat. We run our hands through our pockets, looking for money. Vacinay takes out her shoe, which has over a hundred dollars in a plastic bag in it.

Wait. I just randomly remember something. I didn't see them call their parents. Well, that isn't important now.

She purchases over ten bottles of water. The cashier is very anxious. He probably thinks we have a killer on our tail who is going to come here and "merc" him too.

Vacinay gives everyone two bottles each and keeps four for herself. I quickly drink two and feel power coming back to all my cells. Ah... I understand them now. I flex my fingers, studying them like they are the work of the greatest sculptor.

I smile as I tap my forehead. "Perfect c–"

"Cell?" Ghomas steals my thunder with disgust in his eyes...

You shithead! I don't distract your lame ass when you do it!

Hessian shakes his head in disappointment at me. "Really? Anime references because you drank water? Are you really seventeen? You are nearly a grown-ass woman, yet you act so childishly." He sips his bottle of water like it is wine.

"A shame, is it not? Young children's minds are rotted by media..." Vacinay's entire accent is now British!

They're messing with me!

I have enough and want to rant. "When y'all do it, it's okay?! But when I do it, it's a problem!"

They nod.

"See, you get it." Ghomas smiles like a satisfied teacher.

"So you aren't dumb. I knew you couldn't be, since you are related to me," Hessian says, impressed.

"Hmph. So peasants are capable of intelligence? I must report such details to the king." Vacinay sips– tries to sip, but chugs huge gulps of water down.

Hessian looks at her with a smile, and on the corners of her lips—a chuckle is obviously being suppressed.

"I hate y'all..." I sigh.

Their role-playing soon comes to an end as fear is driven into their eyes. They are staring behind me. I slowly turn around, and it is just a bunch of men and women dressed in normal clothes. They seem normal except for their faces! They all are smiling at us!

The one in front, who has white hair, pulls a photo from his pocket. "Have you seen this jeep?"

"Nope," I answer.

It is Hessien's.

He grins. "Of course you do... You know, that melon field was passed down in my family for centuries..." He then pulls out a pamphlet. "We would forgive you all by giving praise to Darea, the god of watermelons."

"No... thank you," I say as I back away.

He pulls out a gun, the same gun Vacinay has. I recognize the scratch on the nuzzle.

How the hell did he get that gun?!

He chuckles. "No... I don't think you are going anywhere. You shouldn't have left your damn jeep in my watermelon field!"

I raise my hands as I quickly say, "It's his jeep!"

I turn towards Hessien and point at him.

Hessien's face nearly drops. "We didn't mean to crash the jeep into your melon field, I swear! It was an accident!"

The man slowly shakes his head. "So now you feel sorry... Do you know how long we were tracking you all for?"

"L-long?" I reply.

He waves the gun at us while replying, "Yes... Very long."

That gun can fire without someone pressing the trigger... I just have to hope it wouldn't--"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Bullets fill our bodies.

"What the hell! I didn't even hold the trigger!" the man shout.

As I am dying, their screams and worry pour into my ears.

"gimme it–"

Bang bang.

"Ugh…"

"Remove the clips!"

"I removed it now–"

Bang bang!

"It's cursed!"