Their seats were on a high floor with a balcony, offering a broad view of the city at night. They could enjoy their meal while gazing at the sparkling stars above.
Tonight, Zoe didn't find the food appetizing at all. Even though he had eagerly anticipated this meal with Neil, something seemed off. It was as if he had lost his appetite or maybe because he had questions lingering in his mind, leaving him in no mood to eat. The food on his plate had been cut into small, messy pieces, as he didn’t know how to start asking Neil what he wanted to know.
Why did you lie about having a younger brother? (Would that be too direct, risking upsetting him?)
Why were you there right when I left the reformatory? (That sounds too much like an accusation, as if he’s a criminal.)
Neil noticed Zoe's plate, which had been cut to shreds without any of the food being eaten. Zoe’s face seemed absent-minded, as if lost in thought. Neil looked at him, then tapped his fork against the glass on the table, smiling as he asked.
"What’s wrong? Don’t you like the food?"
Zoe quickly waved his hand and forced a smile, "No, it’s not that. I’m just not hungry."
In truth, he was hungry, but his thoughts weighed him down. Part of it was also because the atmosphere was too formal, and it was his first time dining with Neil, making him so nervous that he felt out of place. Zoe had never been to such an upscale restaurant just for a meal. In reality, he just wanted to go with Neil to some street-side stall, where they could sit together and eat some simple dishes they both liked, and he could casually ask about the doubts in his mind.
The atmosphere would be more relaxed, making it less awkward for both of them. A straightforward, comfortable setting for both parties would be much better when the surroundings aren’t too rigid and become more approachable.
"If you don’t like this place, we can go somewhere else."
It’s not that he didn’t like it; it’s just that he wasn’t used to it.
Zoe shook his head, "It’s not that. It’s just that I’ve never been to a fancy place like this to eat, so…"
"Then wherever you’d like to go, I’ll take you there."
After saying that, Neil called the waiter over, paid the bill, and took Zoe out of the restaurant.
As they drove, Zoe turned to Neil and said, "How about we eat over there?"
Neil followed Zoe’s gesture across the street, where a food truck was parked under an old tree. Smoke billowed from the side of the truck, and even from a distance, they could smell the delicious aroma of grilled sausages and the buttery scent of fried lobster.
Neil smiled as he looked back at Zoe, "Alright, there’s a food truck over there. Let’s go eat there if you don’t mind."
Zoe nodded happily, "I don’t mind at all."
The car pulled over, and the two young men, one tall and the other shorter, walked together toward the food truck. At first glance, they might have been mistaken for brothers, but on closer look, they didn’t resemble each other at all. The young man walking in front occasionally turned around to give a silly smile at the one behind, who, though more reserved and hesitant, also smiled back.
The wind blew fiercely through the night, scattering dry leaves from the roadside trees in all directions. When they arrived to buy food, everything had sold out. The items on display were all gone. The vendor, his nose red from the cold, looked apologetically at the two of them. So, under the night sky, the two young men shared the last sausage-stuffed hamburger left in the truck, eating and laughing together with great joy.
Neil shoved the entire piece of bread into his mouth, chewing vigorously, no longer concerned with maintaining his image, and smiled brightly at Zoe, "Looks like we’ll have to cook instant noodles when we get home."
Zoe mimicked Neil’s actions, stuffing the bread into his mouth, "I want instant noodles too."
The two simply looked at each other and laughed before Neil started the car and headed home.
Though the atmosphere in the car was cheerful, a cold chill gradually enveloped the two of them. Neil reached out and pressed a button to increase the temperature, warming the car.
In the backseat, the cold air continued to spread without stopping. Jill, whose face was usually as pale as flour, appeared even whiter due to her anger.
When they got home, the two stepped onto the porch and opened the door to enter the house. Meanwhile, Jill remained outside, observing the surroundings. Though it didn’t believe what Zoe had said, Jill’s cautious and suspicious nature had long been ingrained in its soul. It floated around the house, noticing many wind chimes hanging in various places. Each one had a paper charm attached, though Jill didn’t know what they were. It approached, sensing nothing unusual, thinking Zoe might have deceived it to keep it from following him home.
Jill smirked and tried to fly straight through the door to enter the house, but before it could reach the door, it was repelled by an invisible force, like a net blocking its path. It tried again with all its might to force its way through, but each time, the spirit was pushed back, growing weaker and fainter with each attempt.
Finally, realizing it could not break through, Jill hovered in the air and sighed as it watched the scene before it. The most concerning thing had finally happened.
It glanced through the window and saw Zoe standing there, not making a sound to stop it, just watching. Weakly, Jill turned away, drifting to a distant tree. It stood with its back to Zoe, staring blankly at the night sky, then circled the house. There was no way it could pass through. The place was like a massive, sturdy, invisible bubble surrounding the house, preventing any dark forces from entering.
A sigh, carrying the fierce anger within, seemed to float like an invisible thread in the air, spreading a crimson aura of suppression.
Jill was furious, absolutely livid, but what could it do? At this moment, all it could do was bide its time. If it couldn’t enter the house, it would wait for Zoe at the bar. Zoe would go to work there, giving it plenty of chances to win him over. As for that cop, it would find his weakness and drive a wedge between Zoe and him. Yes, it had to make Zoe hate him, hate him enough to want to kill him with his own hands. Then, it would consume his soul to satisfy its rage.
A pale smile spread across Jill’s lips as it reveled in its dark thoughts. Just before sunrise, the darkest hour of the night, an oppressive blackness enveloped everything vile and unbearable. After enduring the deepest darkness, the dawn's light was precious, a force that banished all evil back to where it belonged.
After a night of struggling to enter Neil’s house, enduring the painful suppression on its soul, Jill’s hatred and tenacity were the only things keeping its spirit alive. If it truly let go of its hatred and gave up, it feared it would fade away into nothingness. The cold, determined force within Jill’s soul refused to allow it to give up so easily.
Jill’s spirit suddenly rose, hovering in the air, before vanishing into the dawn’s first light.