One Night

07 • Day 3

Mikayla Marks • May 4, 2019

It's been exactly three days since the world ended, and became anew. Since then, Mikayla met a new friend, a stranger whom she barely knows. Jimin is asleep in the front seat, while Mickey is supposed to be sleeping in the back.

Of course, she's not actually asleep.

Mickey's just laying there, waiting for him to get up, so she has someone to talk to. She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket, and turned it on. It powered up with seventy-four percent for its battery. Mickey turned the brightness down, and opened her gallery, where she scrolled through old photos. Yet, as soon as she saw a photo of her and her mom, she dropped her phone onto the seat. Tears started to pool up in her eyes, and she started to sniffle.

As she laid there, breaking down, the front seat moved. Jimin sat up, and glanced back to her. "Hey, kid, you okay?" he quietly asked, clearly half asleep.

Mickey gently shook her head, looking at him through the dark. "No," she replied.

Jimin rose his eyebrows. "Wanna talk about it?" he questioned.

Mickey sniffled, and she sat up. She climbed over the middle console, and sat in the passenger seat. She rested her hands on her thighs, and didn't look at him. "I'm just scared," she spoke, her voice broke halfway through. "M-my mom...she's dead, she's one of those things."

Jimin's heart dropped. "I'm sorry," he quietly responded, not wanting to push her too far.

Mickey's bottom lip started trembling, so she slightly bit it. "My dad was trying to save her, and I think he's dead, too," she told him. "I had a younger brother, and he ran after my mom was attacked. I also had an older brother, but...he wasn't home, he was in North Carolina," she finished.

Jimin grew curious. "Why was he there?" he questioned.

"Uh, he's a...a Marine," Mickey answered, shrugging. "He was stationed at a base there."

After she said that, cold silence filled the air. It was as if Jimin didn't want to push any further, or maybe he's just not interested in her life before this. Either way, he didn't seem to want to speak again.

"Anyway, what are you doing here? In L.A.? What kind of business were you doing?" Mickey asked, glancing over to him.

Jimin's jaw clenched shut as he glanced down to his lap. He stared at his hands for a moment, as if he was thinking of what to say. "I..." he started, but the words died on his tongue. "I've lived in L.A. for a few years now, I came here to further my education," he confessed.

Mickey smiled. "Yeah? What education was that?" she questioned, obviously wanting to get to know him better.

Jimin rattled his brain for an answer. "Ah, I was studying to become a lawyer," he answered.

"Oh, Mr. Lawyer," Mickey started to giggle, obviously flirting, but her laughing quickly disappeared. "I wanted to go to college to become a doctor, but I don't think that'll be happening any time soon."

Jimin glanced over to her for a moment. He took a deep breath, then he nodded in agreement. "A week ago, you were worrying about school, and now, you're worrying about staying alive," he paused. "Our lives prior to this, were pointless, everything we did, was pointless," he said, shaking his head.

Mickey nodded, silently agreeing with him. A long pause went by without either of them speaking, and when Jimin finally spoke, Mickey wished he didn't. "Did you have a boyfriend before all of this?" he asked.

Mickey immediately looked over at him, as if she was shocked that he would as such a question. "No!" she squealed, blushing. "Wh-Why would you ask that?" she asked.

Jimin looked at her for a moment, then he looked straight again. "What? I'm not allowed to get to know you?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows. A smirk played at his lips. "It was just a question, Mick."

Mickey sighed, defeated. "What about you? You said something about an ex-girlfriend, what happened there?" she asked him.

"Adult stuff," Jimin simply answered, not wanting to get into it.

"Adult stuff?" Mickey repeated in a childish, yet curious voice, looking at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, she was f*****g another man in my bed," Jimin told her, looking at her for a moment, but then he looked away. He's obviously getting upset.

"She cheated on you? That's surprising," Mickey mumbled, looking away. "You don't seem like a bad guy, you know? I don't see why anyone would cheat on you. I mean, you're nice, and you're so handsome!" she smiled cutely, showing a different side to herself.

"I'm handsome?" Jimin glanced over to her, raising an eyebrow. Her cheeks are red and hot.

Mickey frowned, not looking at him. "Don't get all perverted just because I complimented you," she mumbled. "I'm hungry," she changed the subject.

"We're supposed to be staying off the roads," Jimin looked over at her. "It isn't safe out there."

"So, what, we're gonna hide under the Santa Monica Pier for the rest of our lives?" she asked, glancing to him.

Jimin glanced around their surroundings, then he nodded. "I don't see anyone bothering us, so why not?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Mickey pouted, resting her hand over her stomach, hearing it growl. "Well, we have no food," she told him, looking at him. "Homeless people exist, you know."

"Are you suggesting that we kill and eat a homeless person, Mikayla?" Jimin questioned, looking at her with the most serious look on his face. A smirk started to appear across his lips.

Mickey laughed, reaching over, and hitting him in his arm. "Shut up, meanie!" she told him, giggling.

The word sent Jimin into a laughing fit, which, for whatever reason, only pissed her off. Mickey quickly opened the door, and got out, where she began walking out from under the damp pier. She heard another car door open, and shut, and footsteps approaching her.

"Mick, where do you think you're going?" Jimin called after her.

"As far away from you, as possible!" Mickey told him, walking faster.

"Yeah? You really think you'll last five minutes out there?" Jimin asked, getting closer and closer to her.

As soon as Mickey stepped out from under the tall, wooden pier, a hand grabbed her, and yanked her back under the pier. Jimin stepped in front of her, slamming her into the wooden pole, one that's meant to hold the pier up.

The force from him slamming her, caused a gasp to escape her lips. She looked at him, clearly terrified by his sudden outburst. His body is so close to hers, his hands are on either side of her, and his face is lowered to her level.

"You aren't going anywhere, kid," Jimin said, slowly and quiet.

"Yeah? Who's gonna stop me? You?" she asked. She tried to push by him, but his hand tightened around her arm.

"You aren't going anywhere," Jimin repeated himself.

"Let me go," Mickey told him. She started to pull her arm back, but he simply tightened his grip. "Let me go!" she screamed.

Jimin quickly placed his hand over her mouth, silencing her. Mickey could feel tears starting to form in her eyes. "Are you crazy?" he whispered. "Are you trying to get us killed?" he questioned.

Mickey stared at him with tears in her eyes, unable to speak due to the fact that his hand is over her mouth. He seems annoyed, yet as soon as he saw her crying, he softened up a bit.

"Stop crying," Jimin whispered.

The words only caused her to cry more. Jimin pulled his hand away from her mouth, yet his hand around her arm stayed there, as if he's afraid she'll run away. Mickey sniffled, wiping her eyes with the palm of her hand.

"Wh-Wh-Why w-won't you j-just l-let me go?" Mickey stuttered, not looking up at him. She sobbed, obviously upset that she was unable to throw her temper tantrum and storm off.

Jimin exhaled sharply, annoyed. "If I let you leave, you'll die," he simply responded.

"S-So what?" Mickey asked, looking up at him. "I don't care if I die," she told him.

Jimin scoffed. "That's a lie, you and I both know it," he responded, shaking his head, and looking back at their vehicle. "If you didn't care about dying, you wouldn't have come with me in the first place. You wouldn't have come with me the other times, either. You're too scared to die," he finished, looking at her again. "You're a kid," he paused. "A kid who's scared, alone, and who depends on others to keep her safe."

Mickey looked down at his chest, thinking about what he just said. All of it is true.

Jimin sighed, releasing her from his grasp. "Let's go find something to eat," he said, and with that, the two of them left on foot.

•••

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please vote, comment, and add to your reading list for future updates!

S. C. Keener

07/07/19