The old man puffed out a cloud of smoke and coughed. "I've been smoking for 27 years straight kid, but this," he said raising the cigar, "is a powerful cigarette. So much nicotine and poison. Enough to kill a kid like you." I watched as his lighter flickered and he began cursing. Switching my gaze to the box on the ground, I leaned against the balcony and looked at the sky. Beautiful, I thought. And yet the air was filled with smoke, I couldn't help but wonder if it was still okay. The air, Veronica..I let out a small gasp and smoothed my hair back, a familiar gesture noted by my lover. "Whenever you smirk, it's so hot," she had once told me in our bedroom. That's when I smoothed my hair back and she giggled, pointing out how often I did it. "Well, whenever you blush, you're so freaking adorable!" I laughed and she did as I thought she would. Her face turned a bright red and she began mumbling stuff to herself. "Thinking about something, boy?" the old man now asked. I shook my head reluctantly, clearing out the memories for now. "My wife", I lied, but it was somewhat true. I smirked and glanced down at my pinkie with and with a flash of rage, balled up my fist. "I'm Chris," the old man spoke abruptly, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder, massaging it lightly. I shook it off with little to no hesitation and sighed. "Women can be so confusing, but a man's mind is a very damned place." I turned and shot him a glare, hoping to shut him up. It didn't. "I don't know your wife but I know that's bullshit. I don't see a ring on that finger and you seem pretty young." Then came a long silence.
~

I pulled out what lie in the cabinet using all my strength, and the item was heavier than I assumed. It felt so lewd to look through someone else's personal belongings, even if it were with permission. Slowly and carefully, I unwrapped the blood stained cloth and stared in horror at the small, motionless body that lay there. The skin was pale and it's eyes cold and dead. It was a baby, I knew, and knowing made it hurt even more. Seeing how scrawny and large it was, I anticipated that the mother wasn't too careful while carrying the child. Dammit, I thought silently, standing up to lean against the wall. The room was spinning and I needed to eat something, but....How was I to eat after seeing this? I could hear the child's loud cries. My head was pounding. I felt tears rolling down my face and whispered a prayer, not allowing myself to stare at the child. I had been to about two funerals but this...this wasn't death from old age. Just the sight of the child's tiny ribs and skin stretched made me want to vomit. "You okay?"
I heard a soft knock on the door and dropped to my knees, still facing the child. It was V, and I thanked God that she didn't poke her head in. "Are you there?" she asked, her voice light with concern. I choked on my tears but managed to clearly say, "I'm fine." I stopped breathing and waited for her to walk away. As I listened for her to leave, I wondered what he would think. He'd talked about stuff like this like it was some sick joke, but it was the way he thought and I had to accept it, right? What if he really saw this?
~

Now here we were. Sitting on the floor of his desolate apartment, the cold wind flowing inside through the cracked door. I shivered and hugged myself, staring at him in surprise. He had such a serious look on his face, his strong jawline making him seem much more masculine. "I knew someone who helped me out greatly." I blinked and searched for my voice, and found it lost in the confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked and tilted my head slightly. He looked behind him in the hallway and leaned forward and in a different tone, began speaking. "Smoking these bad boys ain't gonna get you nowhere." He laughed so cruelly and began coughing, quickly placing a hand on his chest. I watched with concern and cleared my throat after he was through. "My ass is pretty numb, so explain why we're here. 'Smoking is bad. Quit.' I'm not an idiot." I let out a small gasp and heard a small voice. Its breathe crept made every hair on my body stand, the words prying into my mind like dark tendrils. "You know, you're a mere toy," the old man said wearily, letting out a yawn before getting to his feet. "You hear Him but you choose to deny Him. Why is that?" I was not a God fearing man. What kind of question was that? I hugged myself tightly and my teeth chattered. "Because whoever is it has been around for a month and hasn't answered yet one of my questions!" I froze for a moment before shaking a disturbing idea out of my head. How did he know? "You're burning daylight, kid. It's pretty late." The man got to his feet with great effort and stretched, his bones cracking as he did so. He let out a yawn and waved his hand slightly, heading down the eerie hallway similar to the one in V's apartment. I sighed and let myself out, going back to the place where I'd be spending the night. As I did so, my world went dark and my worst nightmare appeared before me.
"Just my imagination," I whispered shakily, the cold no longer causing me to shiver, for it was fear.