Zavry stood calmly. His head throbbed lightly as he cursed internally, his vision turning slightly blurry.
'The damn warning again.'
His vision cleared as he pressed his back to the wall. He now sat down at the hallway, raising his legs and resting his hands lazily on his bent knee before closing his eyes—and before he knew it, he fell asleep.
Hours passed.
"Za… Zavry… Zavry…"
Zavry opened his eyes slowly and turned his face, realizing he was now lying at the entrance of someone's apartment door. It seemed the lady who lived there was standing and waiting.
'Bro, get up. This woman's been waiting here.'
Rune spoke immediately.
Zavry sat up, unable to believe he had slept that long. The woman looked at him with a pitiful gaze as she pressed her PIN.
"Momma, does he not have a home?" the little girl beside her asked curiously, noticing the way the man had slept like had not sleep in years.
"No sweetheart, he's homeless."
Zavry's eyes became bored…just as he had expected the woman had already jumped into conclusions. She had already judged th book by its cover.
He stood up, using his hands to wipe down his face as if that would clear away the signs of sleep.
The lady pressed her PIN again as she had missed a number due to her gaze flickering to the begger, and the door dinged softly as it opened. She walked in, and the girl who looked no older than twelve, reached into her jean pocket, and pulled out a gold coin.
"Here, Mr. Sleep Man!"
'Sleep Man?'
Zavry's cold green eyes moved to the girl. He didn't understand what was wrong with kids these days and their random nicknames. Her silver hair was tied up neatly.
"Rose!!" the mother called out, but the girl pushed her hand out farther for Zavry to take the coin. He took it reluctantly, knowing she wouldn't leave otherwise. She probably mistook him for a beggar.
The girl smiled widely as she spoke,
"Bye-bye, Mr. Sleep Man!"
With that, she ran inside and closed the door. Zavry stared at the coin, then at the door. His expression remained unreadable as he gently moved the coin to his other pocket—the one that wasn't torn.
Darkness had already enveloped the sky.
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" Zavry asked Rune, a frown forming on his face as he looked through the tiny window that gave a glimpse of the starry night.
How had he slept so long?
'Uhh, you never asked. I assumed you wanted to enjoy where you belong,' Rune replied mockingly.
Zavry didn't even have the energy to answer. Right now, he needed a bath—then he could go off for his mission.
'What's the password?' Zavry asked quietly, moving to the PIN area, waiting for Rune to respond—but Rune remained silent.
'Don't waste my time. Say it,' Zavry demanded. He was too tired to play games.
'Aren't you curious about your last words? Isn't that why you put me to sleep in the first place?'
Zavry sighed. He couldn't believe this mind plant.
'I don't care about the last words anymore. Just tell me the PIN. You can tell me that later,' he said, suppressing the anger that was already building up.
'Ah, too bad. I might forget. Better I tell you now and free my mind.'
Zavry inhaled and exhaled loudly, trying to calm himself. This plant was really getting under his skin.
"Go on, tell me my last words. Be fast about it," he said.
'You see… I've forgotten it.'
He waited a moment, then added,
'Wait, let me try to remember…'
Zavry's face twisted into a deeper frown as he sat back down. At this point, it was better to just wait for the plant to finish, rather than give him more reason to annoy him more.
"Okay, fine," Rune finally said.
"To tell the truth… I myself don't know the password."
Zavry fell silent. At this point, he didn't even care anymore. He'd just sit and wait—the door would open eventually. It wasn't that hard.
'You do realize you can use your fingerprint, right?' Rune reminded.
Zavry stood up and moved. He just wanted to try it. He needed a bath now. He pressed the button, and the wood slid open gently, revealing the fingerprint scanner. Zavry placed his thumb on it. To his surprise, a green light blinked, and the door gave a soft ding before opening.
What greeted him was a clean space and that was one thing he admired about Leon. Despite being bastardly rich, he never left his apartment messy, even though he paid people to clean it for him. The parlor was big enough for Zavry to sleep in, and he didn't mind—the sofa even looked more comfortable than the bed in his old apartment.
"Don't tell me you're planning to wear the same clothes," Rune asked suspiciously.
"Oh, I will tell you," Zavry replied as he walked to the wardrobe and stared at the clothes inside. He was sure Leon hadn't even worn some of them.
He grabbed a black shirt and pants. He couldn't wait to freshen up, knowing the mission would make a lot more sense once he did. He moved toward the bathroom door, and just as he reached for the doorknob—
The lights went out.
And when there was no light, it meant only one thing…
There would be no water.