A lot of people believe that a God exists.

  "Boss" "This is the third time this week…"

  Or that multiple ones do, be they the Egyptian, Greek, or Nordic ones.

  "Boss" "... And the eleventh one this month…"

  I, personally, don't know…

  "Boss" "... So, yeah, I have to let you go… Sorry."

  … But if there is a God, it surely has a bone to pick with me.

  "Hans" "P-Please sir, I can explain…"

  "Boss" "Look Hans, I know that you have it hard, and I have been permissive, most people would have fired you a couple of months ago… But even I have my limits."

  "Hans" "I'm only late because I have a lot of things to do… I have to take care of my-"

  "Boss" "Your little sister, yeah, I know… If you came late once every couple of weeks, or even once every week, I wouldn't fire you… But you come late at least twice every week… I simply can't allow that, is unfair to the others."

  "Hans" "I-I promise that it won't happen again, give me one last chance!"

  "Boss" "You have asked for 'one last chance' multiple times before Hans, and it keeps happening… I'm sorry, but it's over."

  "Hans" "I…"

  The boss hands me an envelope.

  "Boss" "Here, I even put a little extra… Good luck, Hans."

  "Hans" "... Thanks."

  I stand up and leave the room, knowing full well that I will never step onto it again.

  After gathering my stuff, I leave the building.

  In times like this, I really could use a smoke, but I promised my sister, Nadia, that I would stop… And I can't afford it right now.

  "Hans" "Dammit, I liked that job…"

  The place is relatively close to my house and it was an easy job… Now I have to look for a new one, and while being a student… It's hard.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  But I really don't want Nadia to work, she should just focus on her studies so she can have a good future…

  H????????????????e????????????????????y????????????

  "Hans" "Ah!"

  I feel a sudden pain in my head… And was that someone talking…? Damn, I really need to sleep more…

  T????????????h??????e??????????? ???????????a???????????l?????????l????????????????e????????????????y????????????????

  "Hans" "...! What? The alley…?"

  I look at my side and see that there is, in fact, an alley… But, should I really listen to a weird voice in my head…?

  "Hans" "... Screw it, whatever."

  I decide to abandon all common sense and walk into the alley.

  The further I walk into it, the worse it smells, an intense metallic smell…

  I also hear weird things, it reminds me of how it sounds when I make burgers, mixing and stirring the meat before making it into a patty.

  When I finally reach the end, I see a man in a tunic, ripping and punching the corpse of a girl below him…

  "Hans" "Ah!"

  I can't help it and end up exclaiming in surprise, which makes the man notice me.

  "Man" "Someone realize it…? Well, it will suffice as another sacrifice."

  After saying that the man bites his finger, with enough force to make it bleed and then points it towards me.

  D???????????o????????????????w????????n???????????????

  I instinctively listen to the voice and crouch down, dodging the spurt of blood that came from the man finger.

  "Man" "Good reflexes, but you are just delaying the inevitable."

  I turn around and start running.

  I really don't understand why this is happening, I shouldn't have listened to that stupid voice in my head.

  "Hans" "Ah!"

  A spurt of blood finally reaches me and hits me in the leg, making me fall to the ground.

  Dammit, is this my end…? Now Nadia will be completely alone… Dammit all.

  O???h????!????? ???Y?????o?????u???? ?????e????v???e???n???? ???h?????a????v????e????? ?????a???? ?????s????a???d???? ???m???o???t???i????v?????a????t???i????o????n???!????? ???Y????o????u???? ????r????e????a???l????l????y??? ???a????r????e????? ?????t?????h????e???? ?????p???e?????r???f????e?????c????t???? ????S????a?????v????i???o????r???!???

  I close my eyes when I feel that pain in my head once again, and when I open them, I find myself in a place completely different from the alley.

  Everything is completely dark; I can't make out anything apart from a chair, in which I'm sitting, a table, and another chair opposite to the one I'm sitting in.

  Sitting on the chair opposite to mine is a boy with black hair and red eyes; he doesn't look much older than me and has his arms crossed.

  "Hans" "... Eh?"

  The boy in front of me laughs.

  "Boy" "A very typical reaction… I'm Zitziki, the God of Blood. Nice to meet you!"

  …

  "Hans" "What?"