Jaded

Sandy lounged on her couch, headset blaring her music and her hands fast at work on her controller. Her online match was going... less than desirable. It was almost as if her teammates were handing the match over to the opposing team.

“Good thing I don't need a win,” She rolled her eyes as the countdown neared its end, “K/D isn't bad, though,” She mused to herself, “Almost broke two.”

With a heavy sigh, she removed herself from the queue and returned to Orbit to queue for another match. She removed her headphones, tossed the controller onto the seat next to her, and shuffled her way into the kitchen. A certain vanilla-flavored cola was calling her name and she was determined to answer the call.

Sandy pulled a beautiful can from the shelf on the fridge and immediately cracked it open. She chugged the contents as if it were the last thing she'd ever do on this earth. She stared off into space for a few seconds before a shockwave of a belch escaped her lips.

“Aw, man!” She whined, “Why is no one ever here to hear the good ones? That was a 10, minimum!”

Sandy tossed the empty can into the recycling with one hand and grabbed another can from the fridge with the other. She closed the fridge, turned around, and saw him.

His muscular frame towered over her, patches of skin peeling away to reveal the sinew beneath. His eyes were black voids, devoid of all emotion. The skin on his face matched the rest of his body, revealing pocket of muscle and even bone. The monster donned a wicked grin and stretched out a hand to Sandy.

“Get that outta here!” She fussed, slapping his hand away, “What are you doing here?”

The monster jumped ever so slightly, looking at her with shock and confusion.

“Well?” She sat the can down a little too roughly and crossed her arms, continuing to scold him like an agitated mother, “I'm waiting for an explanation. I have a game waiting for me. Plus, you tried this shit two weeks ago, didn't you?”

The monster hung his head in shame, playing the part of the disciplined child, “Well,” his gruff voice began, “yeah, but–”

“And how did that work out for you last time?”

“You weren't scared at all,” He pouted, “You actually laughed at me!”

“Exactly,” a wicked grin spread slowly across her face, “So, what makes you think today is gonna be any different?”

He let out a huff of frustrated breath. This time, it was his turn to cross his arms. The monster even let out a little whine, stamping his feet a couple of times. Sandy simply nodded, satisfied that she got her point across. She grabbed her can and motioned for the monster to step aside. She sailed past him and back to her spot on the couch.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him poof onto the leather sofa to her right as she grabbed the controller. It was just in time for an opposing player to take her out with a headshot.

“Son of a... UGH!” She screeched, “I didn't expect the match to already be started!”

Sandy swore under her breath as she attempted to get her head in the game. However, she found that a tad difficult with an audience watching her so intently.

“What's on your mind, Sugar Tits?” She asked smugly, opening the can and sipping this time, “Get it off your chest, or else you might explode.”

“I don't get you!” His gravelly voice whined, “I've made grown men piss their pants and given women heart attacks. I keep children awake at night because they're scared I'm in their closet. Then, there's you. What is it with you?”

Sandy let out a belch that was much less impressive than the last one before she answered, “It's quite simple, Tall, Dark, and Gruesome: I just don't give a fuck anymore.”

The monster stared at her in disbelief for a moment, “That's it? That's literally all there is to it?”

Sandy just shrugged, “If you were expecting something deep and philosophical, then I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't have that kind of patience or will for that matter. I just... don't care.”

The monster was astounded at this confession of sorts as he studied his quarry. Of all of the victims he had the pleasure of meeting, this one was hands down, the absolute worst. He suddenly wondered if any of his other cohorts had this much trouble with her.

“Should've been here last week. You missed your buddy, Luci,” She chimed in as if she were reading his mind.

“Luci?” The monster looked deep in thought before his eyes widened, “You mean to tell me Lucifer was here? In this house? And you haven't had the flesh ripped from your bones or your soul taken?”

“Oh, he took my soul, all right,” Sandy did nothing to stifle her laughter, “Had it for about 15 minutes, then whined about how much it hurt and how depressed it was. So I told him 'Sorry, honey. No refunds.' You should've seen the way he whined!” Sandy turned to her guest, a mischievous smile lighting up her features, “I finally let him give it back, though. Didn't want him having that kind of power over me, ya know?”

“That... actually makes a lot of sense,” The monster sighed.

“Well, since you're here,” Sandy suddenly grabbed a second controller and signed in to a guest account, pulling up another character. She held out the controller to the monster, “You any good?”

The monster looked from her to the controller and back for a few moments before smirking, “Is a 2.8 K/D good enough?”

“Hell, that's better than me!” Sandy smiled, “Grab the controller. Maybe you'll be more competent than the other people I've been stuck with.”