Yesterday We Ran For Cover
Disclaimer: I don't own The Avengers or its characters. It will never be mine even though I want it to be.
The city was just about completely destroyed a few hours ago and it was just her luck that her boss still expected her to come in for her shift. She couldn't say no, of course, because she still needed the job to pay for her shabby apartment and the rest of her grad school tuition. And plus, she could never refuse Mr. Shamon who slowly becoming her uncle from another nation throughout her years at working as a server in his small, family-owned shawarma restaurant.
So she hurriedly put on a black blouse with black jeans, her normal work attire (Mr. Shamon didn't require her to wear a specific uniform, but she liked the consistency), and got ready for work forgetting about the events that happened earlier during the day, as if it was just any other afternoon she was leaving for work.
As soon as she stepped out of her apartment, she remembered it was anything but that.
Buildings were destroyed, pavements were nonexistent, and cars were flipped upside down. It was hard for her to breathe because of smoke, debris and other rubbish held by the air. There were firefighters and policemen trying to inspect all the damage, making sure that there weren't any hazards or dangers left. Some were trying to calm down confused people, still lively with adrenaline.
She passed by a mother crying to a policeman about her children that she could not find. They looked to the destroyed building she had managed to escape from when it fell down and the policeman whispered something to the mother with a grave face and the last thing she saw as she looked back to them was the mother on the ground sobbing.
She passed by similar scenes and similar damage with heavy steps. She couldn't believe what that strange alien attack did to the city and all the people. She felt sympathy for them and silently thanked whoever was up there that she was okay and her apartment was intact.
Mr. Shamon greeted her with his usual enthusiasm when she entered the restaurant, but this time he wore a solemn expression, "Victoria! I'm glad you're okay."
"It's good to see you Mr. Shamon," she smiled, "and it's good to see Shamon's Shawarma too."
He laughed and said something in his own language that she couldn't understand and went back to get ready for business.
Shamon's Shawarma only had a staff of five people, but because Mr. Shamon, boss and cook, treated all of them as family, the four others continue to work for him happily and she was thankful that they were all okay. She just wanted to forget about everything that happened during the day by doing her job.
Minutes turned into hours, and Victoria looked around at the empty tables and chairs. Looking out the window, she realized there weren't anyone outside either. She wondered why Mr. Shamon had chosen to be open for business, because at this rate it would cost the restaurant more money to be open rather than closing. And sitting down, not doing anything, was causing Victoria to be alone in her thoughts, which she did not enjoy.
"Don't lose hope yet. I have a feeling there will be something good to this day."
Victoria turned around to see Mrs. Essa smiling at her, sweeping the already-clean floor with a broom. Mrs. Essa, one of the other four, has been working at Shamon's Shawarma even longer than Mr. Shamon himself. She was an elderly woman, quiet and diligent, and she always had something positive to say. Victoria usually appreciated her comments, but it's been long since she lost her reason for coming in, and all she could do was smile back.
"Don't worry, dear. They're coming," Mrs. Essa reassured her once again.
"I know Mrs. Essa. I'm just thinking is all."
Yes, for three hours, Victoria sat in silence, thinking about the destruction of the city. She was at her apartment when the emergency broadcast first came on, claiming that aliens were attacking the city. She laughed at first, thinking it was some kind of a joke, but a few minutes later, the loud rumbles of buildings breaking and people screaming left her alone in her bed, not knowing what to do and waiting for it to end.
She was still in surreal shock in bed when Mr. Shamon called her to ask if she can come in for her shift.
She just didn't realize she was still in shock now.
"You only think of disaster and tragedy. Lives lost and what's going to happen after. I think of lives saved by great courage and people being united again. That's the reason I'm okay. That's the reason you're not," Mrs. Essa said to her, dragging her out of her thoughts.
It took a moment to realize that Mrs. Essa was talking about the earlier events from the beginning; she always had a strange ability to know what anyone was thinking about.
"It's just that so many people died. I could have died. You could have died… and –"
"Hey, but we're not, so don't think about it. Maybe it was by mere chance. Maybe we were at the right place at the right time. Maybe there's a reason why we're still here. Ah… for you, I believe it's to receive customers," Mrs. Essa eyed the group of people outside getting ready to come in the restaurant and went back to sweeping the floor.
"What?" Victoria looked to see what she was talking about, but the sight before her, she was definitely not prepared to see:
A group of six adults dressed in over the top Halloween costumes.
She stood still for a few minutes, can't finding herself to move or say anything. Her mouth parted as if her body was telling her that it was time for her to greet the customers, but no, her brain wasn't functioning as it should. So she just stared at them.
I mean, it wasn't even around Halloween or even October. There was one that was dressed in full-out armor with a red cape hanging in the back. He looked like he was from another place at another time. And that tall man. He was wearing a skin-tight blue body suit looking around as if he knew he was from another place at another time, but that woman with the other tight leather body suit was just acting as though nothing was wrong. She couldn't even get started on that guy with the arrows that was just silently observing her.
After a minute or two of awkward silence from both sides, one man out of the two that actually looked sane (he seemed vaguely familiar somehow), stepped forward and said:
"Hi. How are you doing today," his smile disappeared with his greeting.
"Okay, look. I just came back from a big black hole that was supposed to take me to my death. My friends just fought with a god and we are going to celebrate with shawarma," he remarked as if that was the most normal thing people do, and looked at me after looking around the place, "Thank you for having us. We will seat ourselves over there."
She watched dumbfounded as the group of six sat themselves at a table in the corner.
This day was just too much for Victoria, indeed.
A/N: I have nothing to say except, I love The Avengers and I love writing. Please read and review