Objective one: complete.
I'd come to terms with something unpleasant today—something I'd been avoiding for a while now.
If I wanted to reach the ending I had in mind… I'd have to kill.
There was no clean path forward, no hero's route paved with kindness and compromise. I didn't like it, not one bit—but I accepted it.
Well… maybe I'd grow to like it eventually?
No, that sounded way too ominous. Definitely not the vibe I was going for.
Anyway, it was time to move on to objective two.
Not exactly a grand mission.
I needed bug spray.
Not just one can either—I needed an entire arsenal. And no, not because I suddenly developed a phobia or had a traumatic encounter with a cockroach. There was a reason. A good one. You'll find out soon enough.
I walked into the local supermarket, grabbed a basket, and filled it to the brim with sprays, traps, and repellent strips.
I dropped it all on the counter.