Noya--Brandon

Hey Aisha, this makes what... the 7th year? Kidding, of course I remember. And even if I forgot, I'd just have to ask Noya how old she is. How's Noya doing, you ask? She still misses squeezing your fingers even if she barely remembers you. I show her pictures of you every day, and she always wonders how I married someone that pretty. I wonder about that myself every time too. I miss you... I know I don't have to say it but I... we really do miss you. But don't worry, we'll "keep on smiling" as you always say.

"Noya! Are you finished with your sandwich?"
"Mm-hmm," she replies, nodding her head as she gulps down her last bite.

I clean up the area surrounding her headstone and walk over to Noya. I place my hand atop her soft hair as I wipe off the jelly around her mouth. Standing beside Noya, we look at Aisha's resting place one last time before heading back to the car.

"Hey, dad! Where are we going next?"
"Home, of course, I have to start brainstorming for our company's next project."
"Awww! I want to play!"
"Sorry, Noya, that'll have to wait. Here, in exchange, how about I buy you... an ice cream bar!"
"Yay!" She lights up the whole car with her bright smile for an entire 2 mins before knocking out on the 2-hour car ride.

Ah, the great Bhevron, the most reliable gas station with all the things you could possibly need.

"Wakey, wakey Noya, we're here."
"Hmm... Yay Bhevron! Yay ice cream!"
"Okay, okay, calm down before you fall out of your seat." She was up on her knees as she stared at the glistening orange sign of Bhevron. "Alright, come along, Noya. Let's make this quick. I still have a lot of work to do."

I hold my hand out, and in an instant, Noya is squeezing it tight. She looks at me with her wide smile filled from side to side with joy and hope.

"Okay, papa!"

We walked into the store. The place is serene as usual, with peaceful shoppers looking for a quick rest before continuing their tasks. We reach the arctic corner of the store. Frost covered every pane of glass, hiding the sweet delights. I open the door to be blasted with a gust of freezing air, raising the hairs on my arms and sending a chill down my spine.

"Ahh, so cold!" Noya described it perfectly.

Feeling generous, I decided to grab a tub of ice cream rather than just a bar. I reach for the vanilla Talo Hop ice cream, Noya's favorite. As I started to walk to the cashier, a new customer approached. The customer was dressed in black and had a black baseball cap on with his hood over it. He didn't look up and walked directly to the cashier with his hands in his pockets.

"Noya, come on, let's go." Noya looked at me, scared. "Dad, are you okay?"

Without even realizing it, I had gripped Noya's hand and was shaking. Pathetic, how could I look scared in front of my daughter? But this uneasy feeling, this pressure of death frightened me. It was just another person despite how he looked, it was only another customer. But that feeling persisted, the same feeling I felt when Aisha died.

"You have 5 seconds. Don't make any unnecessary moves. Put all the money into the bag. Now."
In a whisper, "Noya, stay behind me and don't make any noise."

We were hidden by a shelf. I bent down, guarding Noya with my arm.

"Help! Please come help!" "I told you to be quiet!"

I couldn't see it, but I could hear the two wrestling over the counter. However, it wasn't much of a fight. I peek over the shelf to see the robber holding the cashier by her hair and pushing a gun into her face. Her tears streamed down the midnight slide of the pistol, and her face was full of anguish and regret. She had a phone in her hand where an officer was trying to communicate to send help. The best choice of action is to remain silent and still until this is all sorted out. The officers were on their way, all I have to do is wait, and everything will be fine. Right?

"Noya, don't be scared, everything's going to be al-" "Papa, look at the lady she's gonna get hurt!"
"I-"
"We have to do something!"

We do! "We're not." We can! "We can't." No matter what I want or what flimsy sense of justice I have, I don't have the strength nor the courage. I don't want to lose Noya.

"Papa... please."

After making sure Noya was out of sight, I sprinted at the robber. This is stupid. I don't have a plan, I don't have an escape. This is stupid. But, I've never felt calmer. The robber was still occupied with the cashier, so I had a safe opening to tackle the robber. For someone as unathletic as me, I was surprised that I was able to knock the gun out his hand. But I struggled to keep him on the ground. He reaches for his weapon, but I manage to contest him, fighting him for possession. I could feel the timer ticking down, just a few more minutes until the cops arrived. I just have to hold him for a bit longer. But as I struggled more and more, I began losing track of time, losing the strength to continue.

"Come... on..."

I struggled to even get the word out of my mouth. But just when I was about to give out, the blistering sounds of sirens diffused through the air and gave me a boost of determination.

"You're... done... for..." I let out with a tone of victory and pride. "Hands in the a-"

I've never heard a gun from point blank before, but for just a small pistol, its gunshot erupted through my whole being. Slowly, I regained my hearing and senses, but as my eyes opened, I was met with a slick pool of scarlet fluid. But it wasn't from me. Leaking out from behind the shelf, the blood traveled all the way down the aisle. And from the start of the stream, was a hand, a child's hand.

"N...N-Noya!"

"Hands behind your back!" "Oh, thank god!"
"Let go of me!"

The voices of so many people overlapped each other as the peaceful gas station was filled with an unbearable atmosphere of chaos. But the one voice that I wanted to hear most... was gone.

"Noya... What did I say about playing pranks on your dad? I'm too old for this stuff. C'mon now... C'mon now Noya... please... please don't do this to me... please Noya... NOYA!"

After the first teardrop, the rest broke out following one another like wolves hunting prey. Each tear hit the ground, sending waves of sadness, mixing in with the browning blood. I plant my

face into my hands, soiled with the blood of my only love left and hunch over her lifeless body. I could stay like this for an eternity, I could spend the rest of my life here. But time froze, the air stopped existing, and color disappeared. It became lifeless and dark.

"You, you have the eyes of a man who's lost everything."

I turned around to see a figure in a dark hood peering at me with eyes devoid of life. His body had no form, like a shadow, and his voice had no substance, like a breeze in the wind. Yet, they were so heavy, a 10-ton weight crushing my lungs and ears.

"Who are you?" I didn't even feel my mouth open, I just thought of the words.
"Does it matter? Do you really care?"
"I- No, I lost the only thing I care about. I would do anything to bring Noya back. I would die for her."
"HAH. Is your life equal to hers? Will your death cause the same amount of suffering that her death brought?"
"Then what do I do?! I- I can't live without Noya or Aisha... I can't."
"I'll give you a chance to save her. But not without a cost. The price is something worse than death, suffering that'll torment you forever."
"I..."

Why am I hesitating? Am I scared, when I sounded so determined to save her? It's Noya we're talking about! I've got to do whatever I can to protect her! I want her to live more than anything, even if I have to suffer, I'll selfishly ask for her to live! I want her to grow, learn, fall in love, and cherish more and more precious memories!

"Deal."

"Wakey, wakey Noya, we're here."
"Hmm... Yay Bhevron! Yay ice cream!"

"Okay, okay, calm down before you fall out of your seat..."