Chapter 11: 11. I don’t like chocolate.

A gust of wind blew inside the balcony from outside, breezing through the large hallway and sending involuntary shivers up my spine. I pulled up the collar of my suit to cover my neck more, but it didn't really help much.

Mmm.

Usually, I'd curse the business suit that I had to wear since it was too stuffy, but now I wished that it had at least another layer to it. I was never good with cold.

Ironic.

Brushing a lock of hair from the side of my face, I sighed and walked tiredly towards the balcony railing. 

The moon was bright tonight.

I leaned my arms on the railing and took in the view. I remembered way back when I first laid my eyes on it. Used to get shivers just thinking about it, but now it just seemed so far away. As with a lot of things.

It seemed that the floor we were in was in a building suspended in midair. It wasn't the only one, as similar structures filled the night sky like some absurdist painting. All of them were completely cubical, with a plain flat surface and top for each. It looked like... hmm.

It looked like the buildings were chunks of a big eraser cut uniformly with a very sharp cutter.

I found my gaze gravitating to one of the more technologically inclined ones. It glinted coldly, that structure of chrome and glass. I really miss walking through the halls of those, what with all the bits and smooth mechanisms everywhere, and buttons and panels that connected to and activated who knows what. The balcony opening was toggleable too. Compared to that, this concrete building we were in seemed much more boring. 

I sighed. Nothing we could do about it. We made our choice, and now we have to stick with it. I took out my phone, looked over my contacts, and called the newbie.

My phone vibrated silently as I waited. After a while, a voice responded on the other side.

"Hello?" greeted a voice on the other side. The voice was gruff, and had an air of tired amusement. I sighed.

"What's the situation there? And why do you have the newbie's phone?" I asked.

"Oh... you know. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. We may or may not have accidentally ran into a certain clown again and water boy here got a bit too eager. Youth, as they say."

"Oh hey, I found his leg."

...

This fucking guy. 

"Nath, if I find out that you got our new recruit killed again I will turn your face into a bouquet."

"Hmmm? I have no idea what you're talki-"

Clunk, clunk, clunk

Oh?

Faint sounds.

Two people going down on the right stairwell.

"Hold on, the wind is blowing." I said, immediately closing the call. I put my phone back inside pocket.

One with a somewhat heavy gait, the other very light.

Clunk, clunk, clunk

I could estimate about 30 seconds in a full sprint towards me in length if tried.

I kept leaning on the railing as I waited.

Clunk, clunk

Slowing down.

Clunk

You are reading story Damn this isn’t my house bruh at novel35.com

Small black and white flowers started to bloom as if in a timelapse where my arms touched the railing.

Thud.

Hmm. One stumbled.

They seemed to have paused on the stairwell landing. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. I wish I could hear them better, but after my scuffle with that... circus freak I don't think I'll be able to hear as good as I did for a long time. That aside, they still haven't moved.

I waited.

After a short while, somebody came through the dark doorframe on the far side of the hall.

Brown haired girl. Looked to be in her late teens. 5'3ish. Long beige sweater, black and brown checkered pajamas. Weird belt that holstered a hunting knife. Large dark blue backpack. 

I saw her before, I realized.

She nodded at me and held her arms up, in a sign of non-aggression. I nodded back.

"Hi." She greeted. "We're just passing by. Please don't mind us."

Not hostile.

She doesn't seem to notice my flowers.

Hmm.

"Alright." I responded curtly. 

"Thanks." She replied. With a sigh of relief, she moved her leg back and nudged it at the person peeking from the doorframe behind her.

A dark haired boy gingerly moved out from behind her, into the light. Late teens. Looked to be 5'7. White T shirt, brown oversized jogging pants with vertical yellow streaks on each side. Unarmed. Seemingly.

He had his hands up in a halfhearted gesture of non aggression, and was slumping as if to make himself appear smaller. He didn't give any acknowledgement to my flowers either.

Hmm.

He met my eyes for a moment and looked away immediately as the girl grabbed his wrist and started speedwalking with him away towards the other end of the corridor.

I watched them leave, and after a while I returned to admiring the view.

I picked up one of the flowers and started fiddling with it.

His eyes. His eyes were familiar. They were the eyes of a very particular group of people. 

A very dangerous group of people.

Well, it's none of my business. I just hoped that girl knows what she's getting into. I reached for my phone again and started to scroll around the contacts aga-

Shhhnk

I turned around and found myself locking gazes with a boy with no eyes. Behind him was a space between two doors that shouldn't be there, leading to a dimly lit hallway. The moonlight illuminated his face, and yet the dark holes where his eyes should've been were still pitch black.

...

...

"Team leader!" he smiled, throwing a chocolate bar towards me.

I laughed.

"And here I was, thinking you were dead. " I remarked, opening the wrapping and taking a bite of chocolate.