The life of Nusi

Chapter 12: What Am I?

TW: Mentions of broken limbs, death, blood, violence, Robbery.

Mr. Lee and Nusi were working at the Pop Shop. It was about an hour before closing time. There hadn't been a lot of customers that night since it was cold and raining out. Mr. Lee was cleaning up behind the counter while Nusi was mopping the floor down by the ice machine. Nusi was humming a song to herself while Mr. Lee was listening to the radio. The door opened and the familiar bell sounded. Mr. Lee said hi as the man walked in looking down one of the aisles, then up at the mirrors in the corner of the store. He didn't see Nusi when he did this because she was lying flat on the floor trying to get that same scuff off the floor that had been there since the Kwan incident months ago. Thinking it was just him and Mr. Lee, the man walked up to Mr. Lee and pulled out a bat.

"GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY OLD MAN!" The man yelled. Mr. Lee looked shocked at first, then he thought of Nusi.

"Ok, ok, give me a second," he said as he fumbled to get the drawer opened. The drawer opened with a ding, and Mr. Lee started taking out the money and handing it to the man.

"PUT IT IN A BAG!" The man demanded in an angry voice. Mr. Lee did what the man said, while glancing back towards Nusi. "IS THAT IT?!" He yelled.

"Yes," Mr. Lee said in a low voice, "it was a slow night." He said again.

"That's not enough!" The man said as he began to get agitated. "There must be more! I need more!" The man said to Mr. Lee.

"That's all there is." Mr. Lee said. The man slammed the bat down on the counter breaking everything that was there.

"Last chance old man!" He said to Mr. Lee. Nusi heard the crash and stood up to see what was going on. Just as she did, she saw the man with the bat hit Mr. Lees left arm. You could hear the bones breaking as the bat crashed into his arm. Mr. Lee let out a low groan as he grabbed his arm. Blood started running down his arm where the bones stuck out through his skin.

The man raised the bat high over his head and swung it down hard towards Mr. Lees head. Mr. Lee closed his eyes, knowing this was his last day on Earth. Eyes closed tight, he waited for the deadly blow. Nothing. "Am I dead?" He thought to himself. He opened one eye, only to see the man frozen in place, the bat still in his hands above his head. The man struggled to swing the bat; He couldn't even let it go to run. He was frozen there. The man moved his eyes side to side to try and see who or what was behind him. Mr. Lee looked behind the man only to see Nusi standing there, staring at the man. Her eyes were a blood red color. Her hair was a shiny goldish yellow color, which looked like flames shooting from it. She didn't make a sound as she made the man's body slowly turn and face her. The man was still frozen, as if it was like someone picked up a manikin and turned it to face them.

Mr. Lee was in awe at the sight of this and couldn't utter a sound. The man now faced Nusi, horror filled his eyes when he saw her. With her eyes, she loosened her grip on the man's face so he could talk. Before she could say a word, the man yelled,

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?"

POP! POP! POP! Like someone was popping bubble wrap, but it wasn't bubble wrap, it was the first knuckle of the man's fingers. He screamed out in pain. POP! POP! POP! Again, as the second knuckles on his finger broke. The man screamed again. The man wasn't holding the bat any longer, and it fell to the floor. A loud SNAP was heard as the man's left arm bone poked out of his skin. The man's throat closed as he gasped for air.

Mr. Lee shouted, "NUSI! STOP!" But it was too late. The man hung there dead. Nusi closed her eyes for a second and the man dropped lifeless to the floor. She then looked at Mr. Lee's arm and willed the bone back in to heal, as Mr. Lee groaned from the pain. Her appearance changed back to normal as she ran to Mr. Lee, touching his arm.

"YOU'RE OK NOW!" She yelled as she hugged him.

"Yes," he said to Nusi, "but what have you done?"

"HE-HE-HE WAS GOING TO KILL YOU!" Nusi pleaded with Mr. Lee. "I can fix it," Nusi said, "Like it never happened," she said again.

"WHAT?" Mr. Lee said confused.

"YOU JUST WATCH!" Nusi said in an excited voice, trying to please Mr. Lee. Nusi looked down at the man and said, "you're not dead, you are fine..." And the man's eyes opened wide.

"What happened?" The man groaned as he stood up. "

"You smelled like you had too much to drink, and passed out as soon as you walked in here," Nusi quickly said. The man started screaming from the pain of his broken bones as he stood there. Nusi said, "be quiet," and the man couldn't make a sound. "This won't do at all," Nusi said. Then she fixed the man's broken bones. "You are going to leave this store, and you won't remember anything that happened here," Nusi said. "If you ever try to rob another store or hurt anyone again, you will feel such pain that you'll wish for death." Nusi said to the man as she put that in his head. "Now go, and never come back here."

The man snapped out of his trance and headed for the door. He stopped at the door and looked back at the two and began to scream in pain.

"What did I tell you?" Nusi growled at the man. His eyes widened and then the pain stopped as he walked out of the store. "See Mr. Lee, I fixed it," Nusi said with a smile.

"Yes, you did Nusi," Mr. Lee said back to her. "Thank you Nusi," Mr. Lee said to her. "What was that?" Mr. Lee said to her.

"I don't know." Nusi said back. "Should I tell Uncle?" Nusi asked concerned. Mr. Lee thought for a long second, then said to Nusi,

"I don't think we should tell anyone about this."

Nusi looked at him and said "agreed."

Mr. Lee turned off the lights, walked Nusi to the door and said, "we can finish this tomorrow. It's been a long night." He said again. They stepped out onto the street, and he turned and locked the door. "Ok," he said to Nusi, "Let's get you home."

"Get me home?" She said. "You are still going to walk me home?" She said as she smiled. "Maybe I should be walking you home Mr. Lee," Nusi said laughing.

"HA! HA!" Mr. Lee said to Nusi. "Just give this one to me Nusi," he said, "you don't want to hurt an old man's feelings now do you?" He said laughing.

"Nah." Nusi said with a smile as they started walking down the street.

"Now remember," Mr. Lee said to Nusi, "not a word."

"I know." Nusi said as they walk. "How's your arm," Nusi said.

"It's fine," Mr. Lee said as he touched it.

"Mr. Lee?" Nusi said.

"Yes, Nusi," he replied.

"What Am I?" She asked. He stopped and looked into her eyes and said,

"Nusi you are my friend and the daughter I wish mine was." With that, their voices faded as they walked further away.