The next day, Shawn decided to visit his one and only best friend, not to blame him for what he did but to apologize for his bad behavior instead, as he didn't want such a trivial thing to destroy their friendship, which he struggled to build for a very long time. He knew that understanding each other's struggles was crucial for every friendship to last longer.Before heading to Justin's house, Shawn asked for his parents' permission since he didn't want them to worry about him again as he did last time, especially because the number of monsters was increasing recently. He knew it wouldn't be easy or safe for him to stay outside.Shiela and Lyon allowed Shawn to go out but told him to be back as soon as possible if he didn't want to be slain by those monsters. Even though his parents had already warned him, Shawn wasn't that easily swayed since he had already faced those monsters before.Just after a while of getting outside of their house, Shawn already encountered those hungry zombi
Ava found out that her brother and the old man were staying at a boarding house and had to pay for monthly rent, which was why they needed money, and that was also the reason why they were doing some crime as they were about to hold up Shawn if they didn't recognize him."What?" Ava screamed in surprise. "How long have you been doing such a crime, and why would you even try to rob an innocent boy like Shawn?""Stay calm, Ava," Shawn reminded her kindly. "They didn't really hurt me. Besides, they even saved me from those zombies. I think they have some reasons to rob.""But still, even if they had reasons, it was still a crime, and they would be sent to jail if they got caught," Ava argued worriedly. "You can't just go outside and take people's purses and escape because you can use magic. Magic should be used to help people, not to cause trouble."The room suddenly became silent after Ava said those words. Ava seemed like a teacher lecturing her students about being a human, despite th
Before leaving the house, Ava fixed everything. She washed their dishes, cleaned the table, and locked all the doors. She was glad that she could spend some time with her brother and the old man, despite their challenging situation."Don't you think Ava is kind of weird?" The old man asked, sitting on the porch with Ash and Shawn. "What I mean is, she had never been this caring before. She was always acting like she didn't care, but she has changed.""Yup, I noticed that too," Ash agreed."Perhaps because she already got used to her new life? She's actually a flexible girl, adaptive, and can survive in any environment," Shawn said. "People can change, so you don't have to worry too much.""I didn't expect her to get quickly influenced by the people around her, especially because she doesn't easily trust anyone. But I think it's convenient to be flexible," the old man replied. "It seems like she's enjoying her new life.""Why wouldn't she enjoy it, old man?" Ash interrupted. "She got e
As she lay down on her flowery-canopied bed, Ava couldn't fall asleep thinking about the mysterious guy she bumped into at that restaurant. That devilish smile wouldn't leave her mind, and she was afraid to close her eyes.There was no one else to talk with—Charlotte was already asleep in her room, and the silence was deafening. Ava grasped her aching head as if it were about to burst. She knew she was going crazy with all these things, but then she remembered Shawn."Hello, Ava?" Shawn asked energetically. "Why did you call this late? Is there something wrong?""I'm sorry for bothering you, Shawn. I just can't fall asleep. I'm scared to close my eyes. That mysterious man is giving me nightmares," Ava replied."Oh! That's really bad, isn't it?" Shawn asked. "Would you like me to come over and sleep with you?"Shawn sounded like a flirtatious guy, but he actually didn't know how he could say those words, like it was so easy, though he knew that Ava's house was quite far away from his,
After Ava and Shawn had their coffee and talked about flirty things, such as getting married and having twenty children, Ava checked their food storage and was shocked to find out that it was empty. So, she decided to go out to buy some ingredients for cooking and to look for something she didn't have."Would you mind if I go with you?" Shawn asked politely, standing up from the chair. "There are many handsome guys out there who could take you from me; they are more dangerous than monsters and zombies, so it might not be safe for you to travel alone.""What have you eaten, Shawn? Why is your strange personality coming back?" Ava became curious, though she was just trying to be sarcastic.Shawn pleaded, "I'm serious. Can you please let me go with you?" He didn't want Ava to go alone because, aside from those handsome guys, there were so many dangerous creatures outside."You decide if you want to go with me. I'm of age to go alone and protect myself, though," Ava replied. "Are you sure
While having lunch, Shawn, Charlotte, and Ava felt like there was an earthquake, as the ground was shaking and the cutlery was rattling. They heard heavy steps followed by the sounds of police cars, ambulances, and emergency signals, telling them something was wrong."Wait here, guys. I'll check what's happening outside," Charlotte said as she stood up and swiftly went outside. Her eyes turned wide, seeing a giant, ugly creature looking at her and stretching its hand towards her."No!" Charlotte screamed in fear as her knees started shaking. She was so terrified that she was on the brink of peeing in her pants that the giant's hand was about to crush her."Is that Charlotte?" Shawn inquired when he heard a scream coming from outside. "Let's go, Ava. Something might have happened to your mother."Ava and Shawn stood up. They hurriedly went outside the house and saw Charlotte trembling in fear. They were also shocked to see a giant creature with an ugly face, reddish eyes, and pointed t
As he opened his eyes, Shawn found himself lying on someone's bed without a shirt. His eyes turned wide, and his face became red after seeing Ava lying beside him, cuddling him like a normal husband and wife. He wondered if it was all a dream, but it wasn't."Wha—what am I doing here?" Shawn screamed.Shawn was so drunk last night that he forgot to go home, despite the truth that his parents might be worried about him. He enjoyed drinking and talking with them so much that he didn't notice that it was already midnight. Then he couldn't remember what happened next or how he got inside Ava's room.What terrified him more was the thought that something else could have happened between him and Ava while they were both drunk. Shawn couldn't help but worry as he hurriedly ran outside without a shirt."Where are you going, brother?" Ash asked, but Shawn didn't notice him. "Wait! You forgot to wear your shirt!"During their breakfast with Charlotte, Alice, Ash, and the old man, Shawn felt so
Inside the living room, Shiela and Lyon were having a conversation about the giants that attacked their city, as well as those heroes who came to save the people. The television, the radio, the newspaper, and social media platforms' content were all about the same thing."You hear that, darling?" Shiela asked when she heard Shawn screaming from inside his room. "Something might be happening to our son. Let me check on him."Shiela stood up and walked towards Shawn's room, while Lyon stayed on the couch, drinking his coffee. As she opened the door, Shiela's eyes turned wide to find her son lying on his bed while trying to smother himself with his pillow."Shawn, wake up! You're dreaming!" Shiela shouted as she tried to take the pillow from Shawn, but he was too strong to let go, so she just shook his body to wake him up instead."Mom!" Shawn suddenly jolted up on his bed, awakened from his nightmares. He spread his arms around his mother, hugging her tightly, thankful that it was all j