Deja Vu

Time went by so fast until it was nighttime when Seth had to prepare himself for the worst possibility that might happen this time, Mia's death.

Like the previous time, Mia looked beautiful and charming in her T-shirt and apron. She appeared to be standing before the electric stove; Seth looked at her thoughtfully.

"I can't turn on the stove," Mia complained.

The woman looked annoyed with a frown, complaining about the electric stove that wouldn't turn on before her. Mia had no idea it was an electric stove.

"Of course, you can't turn it on. It's an electric stove," Seth retorted.

"There's no electricity, so it'll never turn on," Seth countered.

"Then how do we warm up these two cans of food?" asked Mia, walking over to Seth, sitting on the long sofa, staring ahead.

"Use the portable gas stove, like usual," Seth replied.

Mia cleared her throat softly, nodding as she placed two cans of food on the glass table. Her right hand pulled Seth's bag closer as the woman began to unzip the bag.

She found the portable stove mentioned. Mia took it from the bag and placed it on the floor near the window.

The woman had no trouble igniting the stove, considering she was already competent enough to use it. Sparks appeared from the stove's lighter, and flames spread to each wick, forming a medium-sized fire ring.

"Did you enjoy it?" asked Seth, speaking casually to start a conversation with Mia.

"What do you mean by enjoying it?" asked Mia, curious.

"All of this, the apocalypse life, staying in a VIP room in a 5-star hotel, and everything else. Are you enjoying it?" Seth smiled at Mia, who was still sitting on the floor, busy warming the food on the iron pot.

"Since you asked, yeah. I'm pretty much enjoying this life," Mia explained.

The woman's eyes were still focused on the pot before her as her right hand began to stir the canned food in the pot. The meal's aroma grew more and more delicious as it filled the place, attracting Seth's appetite to eat it.

Seth walked over to Mia, sitting beside the woman, still stirring the pot's food. The atmosphere felt calm and peaceful, as if something terrible wouldn't happen.

"We should use canned food first, then we can use rations for the next meal," Seth explained. Mia cleared her throat with a smile clearly etched on her face.

"The rations you bought will last 3-5 months," Mia said.

Mia's conversation was exactly the same as what she had said before. Seth remembered it well since his memory had not been erased from the beginning, which was why the impact of the pain in his head increased every time he made a time loop.

"It's absolutely the same," muttered Seth.

"Did you say something?" asked Mia, glancing softly through the corner of her eye at Seth, who still sat beside her.

Seth smiled, shaking his head to indicate that he hadn't said anything. He was seated there, helping Mia warm up the food until it was ready to be served in the two metal bowls Seth had.

"TAKE ALL THE THINGS AND GO!" someone shouted from outside the hotel, specifically from the merchant location beside the hotel.

Mia was taken aback, turning to Seth with a puzzled, curious face. She wanted to know who was shouting and why. Seth himself understood perfectly. This was the moment when Arcada had robbed a merchant shop.

Seth walked over to the window of the room, looked behind the window and found dozens of Arcada members looting the merchant shop until not a single item was left there.

"They're doing it," Seth muttered.

Mia turned off the portable stove and walked over to Seth, noting what was happening out there. Mia's eyes could not hide her shock when she saw a merchant store being robbed by a group of criminal survivors.

"What are they doing?" asked Mia, shocked.

"Stealing the goods in that store," Seth replied.

Seth's attention was drawn to the city skyline, which appeared pitch black, sprinkled only with stars and red flickering lights from the Skywatcher spaceships. The planes were descending to arrest everyone involved in the theft without exception.

"Wait ... that's an alien craft," Mia whispered, pointing at a plane flying low over the city, chasing the Arcada members with the intention of not only capturing them but also killing them.

"What are they doing here?" Mia asked.

"They're stealing from the merchant. The important unwritten rule is that if anyone tries to steal from the Merchant's shop, the Skywatcher will act immediately," Seth replied.

"AAKH!"

The Skywatcher seemed to start firing lasers at the criminals. They scrambled to leave the area to hide from the Skywatcher's pursuit; many of them entered the hotel and ran to the top floor.

"We have to help them!" said Mia, quickly approaching her bedroom door.

Seth didn't want to lose Mia for a second time. He grabbed Mia's left hand and gripped it tightly. Mia gasped, her face looking surprised by Seth's response.

"I can't let you do that," Seth said.

"But they'll die if we don't—"

"It's their fault. They stole, we don't need to risk our lives just to help them," Seth said.

"Let go of me, have you—"

"I CAN'T LET YOU DIE AGAIN!" groaned Seth, shouting so loudly over Mia that it made her tremble with fear.

"Die?" asked Mia, confused.

"I'll explain later. For now, we're better staying here until sunrise," Seth retorted.

The man pulled Mia strongly from near the door to the king-size bed. Mia fell on the bed with a pounding heart. She had never seen Seth behave like that in a week.

Seth walked over to the door, locking it as he pushed a long sofa against it, preventing it from opening even if they broke it. Seth's attitude was strange to Mia because, as far as Mia knew, Seth was a typical cold man who didn't care about anyone.

"You won't believe what I'm saying, but I'm from the future!" said Seth, turning to Mia.

"The future?" asked Seth.

"I was killed a few times, then looped back to a time I couldn't choose. Right now, I'm looping all the way back here after being killed two days later," Seth retorted.

"I prevented you from opening that door because I know very well what happened here before," Seth said.

Mia stood closer to Seth, her eyes wide open as if she wanted to know what the man was trying to say, the truth that Mia had never known from Seth.

"At that time, you died because of my carelessness. I don't want to make the same mistake twice." Seth spoke without both eyes looking at Mia. The woman smiled broadly and hugged Seth tightly as if she had forgotten the incident outside the hotel.

"Is that right? So, you're trying to protect me?" asked Mia. Seth cleared his throat.

"Alright. If that's what you want, then I'll follow you."