Mina sat in class working on a detailed eye while drinking a can of gingerale. She wasn't feeling very good that day for some reason. "Probably the weather," she thought to herself that morning. She looked out the window. Clouds, but some sun loomed over buildings. The dean came over the P.A. system.
"Welcome back everyone!" said a cheery voice. "I hope all of our returning students and new students enjoy our school! Getting down to business, don't forget to sign up for clubs! Sign up sheet is outside my office. Those few of you who are having dorm problems come see me sometime this week. Have fun this year!" the voice said, and the P.A. clicked off.
"Sometimes I really hate that woman. She's too cheery." whispered David.
"C'mon David," Mina said "Don't be such an ass." David was Mina's roommate. They were friends in high school, and when they found out they where both heading to School of Visual Arts in New York City, they decided to share an apartment.
"I'm not an ass." he argued flicking the tip of her nose.
"I'm going to pick up groceries after school before I head over to go get my physical. Want to come?" Mina asked.
"Not especially," David replied as he lifted a soda can to his lips.
"Oh well. Have fun writing that summer essay you decided to put off that's due tomorrow." Mina said. David choked on the Pepsi he was drinking.
"CRAP!" he screeched "Crap, that's due tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yup," Mina replied.
"Damn." David said. The bell rang, and David practically sprinted the whole way home. "Well, I better get going. Groceries and doc's. I should have enough time." Mina thought to herself. Mina walked out onto the street and started walking toward the grocery store. Clouds loomed overhead and TV's in electronic stores blasted commercials while car's honked obnoxiously.
"Mina?" someone said behind her. Mina turned and was hugged by a girl two years younger than her.
"Celia!" Mina cried. "I didn't see you in school today. I thought you got accepted."
"Yeah," Celia said while she scratched the back of her head. "But I'm deferring for now. That way I'll only have to work part time next year. I got a job that pays well so I can afford the supplies, apartment, food, and other necessities next year."
"Come live with me!" Mina cried. "It won't be awkward since were sisters, but I'm warning you, my roommate might hit on you and creep you out. He's a bit of a perv." Mina said.
"Let's catch up at the café." Celia said as she pointed to a café down the street. They walked in and sat down in a booth. After they ordered something small to nosh on they chatted for awhile. Two sisters probably had never been better friends though they hardly saw each other.
"So you got a full time job?" Mina asked her younger half.
"Yeah. It's at the exclusive Oasis Day Spa in Manhattan. I could probably get you a discount." Celia promised.
"That would be fun. On your day off we could go for a girl's day out and go there to relax." Mina replied.
"That would be fun." Celia agreed.
"Oh crap, I've got to run. It's been fun!" Mina grabbed her purse and ran out after she was sure she left enough money to cover what she ordered.
"Crap," Mina thought, "If I hurry I can still make it to the grocery store and make it to the doctor's on time. Well, so much for having a set plan." Mina ran from street to street swerving past cars and avoiding people. She reached the grocery store to find the clerk locking it up for the night "Crap, crap, crap. No! Don't be closed!" she screamed in her head. "I took too long to get here. Should've taken the subway." she thought a bit more calmly. "Well I might as well go to the doctor's while I still have time." She started walking. Her carefully laid out, but very short, plan was now destroyed. She kept having to edit it in her mind. Mina's cell started ringing the old and well known tune "Don't Stop Believing." She picked it up without bothering to look at the caller I.D. She had a pretty good idea who it was. "What's up?" she asked
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!?" David screamed into her ear.
"Huh?" she replied, very confused.
"You have it written all over the walls! Clean up the house! Parents coming to inspect. I can't clean it all up by myself!!" David said quickly and out of breath.
"Crap," Mina said. "I totally forgot. I'm coming, but I'm pretty far and no where near a subway line." she lied. There wasn't one place in New York where there wasn't a subway line close by. Lucky for her David was an idiot who wouldn't realize that till a few hours later. She hung up and turned around. "Well there goes the last of my plans." she said to herself. "I really hate missing that doctor's appointment. Especially now that there's this flesh eating disease going around." she thought to herself. She shivered and tried to shake off the thought. Her feet were now throbbing, and she was still about sixteen blocks from her apartment. Rain started lightly patting the streets. She looked up at it. Crap. Today just wasn't going how she wanted, or how she planned. With her apartment now only four blocks away her feet were numb, arms tingling in pain and the smell of ash clogged her nose. She dropped her bag. Mina reached out her arm to pick it up and froze. She had blood streaming down her arm. It looked like dyed water rushing down the city drains. Her skin was turning black and flaking off into ash as her muscles and veins were being eaten away. The visible bone was being thinned out and filled with blood. She lifted up her other arm and discovered the same as she stared at it in disbelief. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground. She tilted her head back and looked up into the pouring rain. She couldn't see the people, cars, or even the buildings. All she could see was the pool of blood she was sitting in that was flowing down into the sewer drains with the rain. She fell backwards knocking her purse open. Her cell phone fell out and opened. She used her chin to press down a number and activated speed dial. She didn't know which number. She just hoped someone would pick up and come for her soon.
"Hello?" a familiar voiced said. Mina tried to speak, to scream, but could only utter "Help." in a soft voice before the line went dead.
A man was running down the streets looking, searching, hoping. He soon found a body. A body of a girl. She was still and peaceful. Her arms and legs had most of the muscle missing, some of the bone gone, and the skin decayed away into pools mixed of ash and blood. Where there was still some skin on her arms it was mostly black and turning to ash. David's knees buckled. "This is all my fault." he said to himself. "If only I hadn't told her to come home instead of going to the doctor's. No." he said. "No. If had agreed to go with her from the start, this wouldn't have happened.'' A tear fell gently onto Mina's cheek. He closed her eyes and stroked the side of her still, soft, but cold face.
"I'm sorry." he said. "You where right." He got up, lit a cigarette and started walking away. "I'm an ass."