bartolome entered the canteen with trepidation. it looked dingy. then again, what did he expect? he was in some backwards town in god-knows-where, and this is the only food establishment he could see for miles. he was hungry, it was no time to be picky.

that, of course, doesn’t mean he can’t let a few comments fly.

“what died in here?” he cracked, hoping to elicit a few laughs from the patrons who looked like they were sharing the same sentiments as him. “seriously? where’s the bad smell coming from?”

he didn’t notice her approaching him. not until she was standing right beside him and asking him if he was a customer.

“well, what else will i be here for, darling?” he grinned at her, a wolfish kind of grin that he meant to irritate her with. just because he had to eat there doesn’t mean he had to enjoy his time there. and if he’s not going to enjoy, then might as well spread some of his misery around.

as they always say, it loves company.

he gave his order to the girl and watched her scoop some of the gunk they were serving on a bowl. the girl was glowering at him as he gave a running commentary on how disgusting the food there looked.

“sir, please stop.” the girl asked, but there was no hint of pleading in her voice. bartolome was stunned—but not to stunned to not crack a joke.

“why, darling? the truth hurts too much?”

the girl shook her head and continued to glower. at him, at his food—at everything. bartolome couldn’t remember if she had already been doing that when he came in. “darling, that look’s bad for business,” he commented. but the girl just kept on glowering.

grabbing himself a table by the door, bartolome started to dig in. he found out that the food weren’t as bad as they looked. one of them, the dinuguan, was even kind of delicious, very fresh. and so he didn’t make anymore comments until he finished his meal and paid for it.

“darling, i think next time you’re gonna have to give a discount. while the dinuguan wasn’t half bad, you’re asking for way too much for the other dishes.” he winked at the server girl and made his way out of the establishment.

as he reached his car, he started to feel funny. he leaned on the side of his vehicle, propping himself with a hand. that’s when he noticed how pale his hand was. he turned to the mirror and saw that he was pale all over.

and then the girl was beside him.

“you would like the dinuguan, wouldn’t you?” she whispered to his ear. and then she left him, leaving him to see a small hole on his right side still spurting blood. and that’s when he lost consciousness.