I opened my eyes and was met with another unfamiliar ceiling. It wasn’t the ceiling of my home and it wasn’t the ceiling of the prison. The ceiling was white like the ceiling in the prison, but it was different, this room was bright and didn’t feel oppressive.

Was it all a dream?

I reach my hand into the air grasping for nothing. Open and close. It wasn’t a dream, this pain in my body is real.

All of those memories are real, the angel and demon, the prison, the prison monster, Mako, and Tod. They were all real.

There was an ache in my heart as I thought about Tod’s final moments. His life ended in a blaze of glory and it has been burned into my mind. I will never forget any of my friends.

I look around the room and realized that I was in a hospital. I was laying on the bed which was slightly elevated. Next to me was a machine that I had seen in a movie before, it was used to track the heart rate of a patient, but I wasn’t hooked up to it. I didn’t have any sort of needles or wires plugged into me.

There was a TV mounted onto the wall for patients to watch. It was currently playing the news channel, and the news anchors were reporting recent events.

“Look at this viral video right here. It shows a man being eaten by another man. Everyone’s been calling it the start of the zombie apocalypse.”

“Do you think it’s real?”

“Of course not. This must be some kind of promotion for a movie or something.”

“Part 3 of “Zombies from Behinds” was recently announced. Do you think there’s a correlation?”

“Hah, I knew it. It’s all part of a marketing scheme for their new movie.”

A zombie? I would have had the same reaction as them a few days ago but after what I’ve been through, I’d believe that a zombie was real.

I changed the channel because that news channel went on and on about how companies are creating hoaxes to bring attention to their products. The next channel I changed to was also another news channel.

“Just yesterday, footage of a giant monster was recorded in Japon. In just a single day this video got millions of views. Everyone watching is saying that this giant monster resembles Gadzilla, a classic movie about giant monsters fighting.”

Another channel talking about monsters. Is it just a coincidence, or is there something causing monsters to appear. Just yesterday I encountered three different monsters.

“A cure for death has been discovered in Colorfornia?”

“Was a pterodactyl recently spotted over Maxico.”

“Ice giant filmed in Canado.”

I flip through the various channels, but all of the news stations were talking about monsters. The only channels that weren’t talking about it were reruns of old cartoons or reality TV shows.

“Our guests today is Philip Rant, a video effects specialist, and Kon Dereeta, a biological scientist. Let me get straight into the topic that’s been taking the world by surprise. Let’s talk about these viral videos showing off different monsters. I’ll direct my question towards Philip, are these videos fake?”

“That’s a tough question, Gabriel. I have watched some of these videos and can say that some of them are absolutely fake. The one with Gadzilla and the unidentified flying object taking a cow into space is definitely fake. People will always seek fame no matter what age it is. Take Largefoot for example, there are always stories of people encountering it, but there is no evidence. And even if there is video evidence, you can easily tell that it is all just special effects. Most of the monster videos popping up are just people trying to become famous.”

“Thank you, Philip. My next question will be for Professor Dereeta. Even if these videos are fake, Professor Dereeta, do you think it's possible for these monsters to exist.”

“I won’t say it’s impossible, Humans and animals are always evolving. If growing a tail or wings will help an animal survive, then there is always the chance for it to grow them. Let’s talk about that giant monster people started naming Gadzilla. Animals of that size weren’t rare millions of years back. Dinosaurs existed back then, and some of them reached 20 meters tall. If increasing its size will help it survive then its possible for that to occur. So I won’t say that the video of Gadzilla is fake, there is always the possibility of animals like that to exist.”

“Thank you for your input, Professor.”

“Are you kidding me, Professor, that video is 100% fake! You may be a biological scientist, but I’m the expert when it comes to video editing and software.”

“How do you know though? Can you tell me with absolute confidence that Gadzilla doesn’t exist.”

“Yes, I can. There was clear editing done in that video.”

The two guests on the talk show began arguing against one another so I turned it off. I didn’t want to listen to them argue who’s right and who’s wrong, when none of them understands the terror of these monsters.

They’ll never understand the fear of being hunted down or the fear of losing someone precious to them. They can’t understand until they experience it.

But if those videos are real then many people will come to understand this fear. In the end, will I have to face these fears again? Will I have to fight to survive? Will I have to fight to protect those precious to me?

“What’s happening to this world? Will I never get my everyday normal life back?”

I had a headache just thinking about my future. If monsters are really appearing around the world then that means I’ll encounter them again. Who knows when I’ll be assaulted by another monster, it could be tomorrow or even today.

I could have died so many times against that monster from the prison. In the end, I survived but at a cost. I promised Tod that all three of us would escape, but I couldn’t keep my promise to him. It was my decision that led to Tod being killed by the monster. If I made any more mistakes then all three of us would have died.

Now that I think about it, what happened to Mako? What happened after we left the prison? I remember seeing lights flashing from the police cars, but what happened after that. I can’t remember. How did I get here? Is Mako ok!?

Fifi! Where’s Fifi, she should know? She should be around here because of our contract. I raise my body and I look around the room, but I don’t see her.

“Fifi! Are you here?”

I call out to her not loud enough to be heard from outside the room, but loud enough for someone in the room to hear.

“What Jude!? Some fairies are trying to sleep!”

I feel something hit me in the head and it felt like someone threw a pebble at me. I look towards my pillow where Fifi’s cranky voice came from, and on the bed was a pebble. She actually has a pebble in her pouch!?

I didn’t see her there earlier, but her body was slowly revealing her. From the bottom to the top, her feet unveil themselves, then her thighs, and then her green dress and the pouch. I could see her entire body now, and she was staring daggers into me. Her eyebrows scrunched together and her emerald green eyes were filled with anger. She tries to intimidate me, but with her bedhead, I could only laugh. Her golden hair stuck on her face while the rest of it was curled and messy. She looked exactly like a wet dog.

“Pffttt.”

“D-don’t make fun of me!!!”

Fifi’s face was red out of embarrassment. She tried to straighten out her hair but it wouldn’t listen to her. She always acted cheeky and smug so this was a new sight for me.

“S-stop!! Stop it!! Don’t laugh at my hair.”

“Ahahaha.”

“Stop, please.”

After laughing for a little bit more, I finally stop. I wipe the tears from my eyes and try to ask Fifi where Mako was but I couldn’t. My heart drops as I look at Fifi.

She was crying. Her cheeks were flushed and the tears are streaming out of her eyes. I feel a sharp pain in my heart watching her cry. It was more intense than anything I felt when facing the monster in the prison.

I don’t know what I did to make her cry. I thought she was going to retort back like she usually does, but she didn’t. I messed up.

“Fifi, are you okay!? I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please don’t cry.”

What do I do!? What do I do!? I’ve never made a girl cry before. How do I fix this!?

“I’m sorry Fifi! I’ll do anything, just don’t cry!”

I bow my entire body and slam my head against the bed. I don’t know what to do. The only thing I could do was beg for forgiveness.

The room was silent except for Fifi’s sniffles. The pain in my chest grew worse and worse as Fifi continues to cry.

I’m an idiot for making Fifi cry. I swear on my life, I’ll never make Fifi or any other girl cry ever again.

“Braid my hair.”

I don’t know why she requested this, but I won’t reject it. I can’t make her cry anymore.

“Ok.”

I look up and see Fifi’s small back, it was so small and frail. Even standing up she was only about 5 inches tall.

I can’t believe I hurt such a frail girl. I wiggle my body closer towards her and reach out my hands. If I wasn’t careful I could hurt her.

There was a major problem with Fifi’s request. I didn’t know how to braid someone’s hair. I never had long hair nor was I close enough to a girl where she would ask me to braid her hair.

“Fifi, I don’t know how to braid.”

“Gosh, you don’t even know that.”

There was a little irritation in her voice, but as long as there was energy in it, I didn’t mind. She could berate me as much as she wants as long as she stops crying.

Fifi explains to me how to braid her hair and with utmost concentration, I straighten out her hair before starting to braid it. As precisely as I could, I weave her hair over and under.

“Praise me. And be truthful.”

“Ok.”

I was ready to agree to any of her whims. If she wants me to run and buy her food, I would. If she wants me to bring her a gold bar, I’ll do whatever I could to bring it to her. I am not going to let her cry again!

“Am I pretty?”

“Yeah, you are.”

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Yes, when we first met I was in awe of your beauty. You were shining within that dark room.”

“Hehe.”

I could hear a small giggle from Fifi. I’m happy she was satisfied with my answer. I wasn’t going to lie to her because it’ll hurt her even more if she found out I was lying.

“I-is my hair pretty?”

“Yes, it’s so silky and smooth, but I like its golden color the most.”

Fifi’s body shivers and her slightly long ears shiver too. Did she hesitate to ask that question? Was she feeling insecure about her hair?

I’m a dumbass. I finally realize why Fifi started crying when I laughed at her. Every person has their own insecurities, and hers was probably her hair. I should have known better since I also have my own insecurities about my scars. I need to be more aware in the future.

“What do you think about interspecies relationships?”

Interspecies relationships? Like a human and a dog working together to hunt down prey. I don’t see a problem with that. In fact, that’s incredible. Being able to understand one another even though they don’t speak the same language is an amazing feat.

“I don’t think there’s a problem with interspecies relationships. I think it’s good that two species can mingle with one another.”

“Yeah! There’s nothing wrong with interspecies relationships!”

“Wait, don’t stand up yet!”

Fifi suddenly stood up and I almost lost all my progress. I was nearly done with her braid and didn’t want to lose my work. I am excited that my first braid was almost complete. It’s the same feeling as watching a really bad movie but not leaving it because you need to see how it ends.

Fifi sits back down and I continue to braid her hair.

“W-would you marry fairy?”

Is she worried about her married life? I guess I would too if I was asleep for a thousand years. I don’t know if a thousand years old is old for a fairy, but maybe Fifi feels like an old maid. She shouldn’t worry though, she’s still a beautiful fairy. Someone out there will marry her.

I haven’t even thought about marriage yet, I’m only 19 years old. Marriage seems like a far off thing, but before I get married I need a girlfriend first.

What if I got married to Fifi? She’s a little cheeky now and then, but she’s still cute. Maybe that cheekiness is what makes her cute? Hmm, but what if she wants kids? How would that work? Her body is way too small for me and it’ll probably hurt her. I don’t want to injure her. If we can’t make kids, would she be sad? Would this cause our marriage to break apart? I don’t mind having kids, but what about Fifi? Would she leave me for another man?

“Jude.”

A sudden pain shoots through my heart. Just thinking about it hurts.

I don’t want her leaving me for another man. I want her to stay with me. Even if we can’t have kids, I want to be with her until I die.

Would that be too possessive though? It isn’t my choice to stop her if she wants to leave. She has her own feelings and I can’t stomp all over them like that.

But I still don’t want her to leave me!

“JUDE!!!”

“Huh.”

I look up in confusion. Fifi was looking at me worriedly. Her cheeks were still flushed and her eyes were puffy, but she still worried about me.

Yeah, she would make a good wife.

“Jude! Jude!”

“Oh, sorry Fifi. I spaced out a little bit.”

“Why are you crying?”

She’s right, when did I start crying? I can feel the tears slide down my face and there were already some droplets staining the bed.

Haha, am I crying because I imagined my broken future with Fifi. I never knew I was so sensitive. I cried yesterday and I’m crying today. I don’t even remember the last time I cried so much.

“Hahaha, sorry Fifi. I was just thinking about your question.”

“Are you sure you’re fine?”

She was worried about me, someone she barely knows at all. Fifi’s a nice girl.

I take a deep breath before giving my answer to her question.

“I’m fine. Let me answer your question. I’m still young and don’t know anything about marriage, but if I was truly in love with a fairy, I wouldn’t mind marrying her. I’m sure there would be trouble in the future, like having kids, but I would stay with her and face our troubles together. And if she ever decides to leave me for someone else then I’ll let her go. My heart and soul would feel crushed, but I don’t want to ignore her own feelings.”

“Y-you thought about it that much?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to give you a half-hearted reply.”

I replied confidently, but I lied to her. I don’t think I’ll ever let her go if she wants to leave me.

“Ahahaha, you dumb butt.”

I don’t know why but she decided to jump from the pillow and ram her head into my face. It didn’t hurt, but I’m glad that she was cheerful again.

Wait, I’m forgetting something.

“My BRAIDDDD!!!!!”