Entering the building, Yumiel opened her senses, detecting movement upstairs. Even though she struggled to detect exactly how many they were. Turning, she whispered to Jack:
« There's movement upstairs. »
Jack joined Yumiel, trying to make as little noise as possible, but lacking both her agility and senses, it was complicated, sometimes stepping on shards of glass or debris.
« Wait for me! » he whispered, trying to catch up to Yumiel near the stairs.
Yumiel had already reached the staircase, waiting for Jack. Though he tried his best, Jack wasn't very dexterous, sometimes clumsy in his movements, causing noise.
Seeing this scene and the noise Jack caused, she abandoned the idea of being discreet, simply going up to the next floor.
At the top, a few men and two women who looked very young—resembling teenagers—stood near the door leading to the top floor. Looking at her, Yumiel still took the time to look around her.
The second floor looked entirely like a sewing workshop, even haute couture, equipped with several high-end machines and visibly high-quality materials, although almost everything had been looted.
After analyzing the area, she headed toward the people positioned near the door. The teenagers had knives, brass knuckles, and two of them had a firearm. She could hear Jack climbing the stairs behind her.
Approaching them, they said nothing, so Yumiel initiated the conversation: « Good evening, what are you doing here waiting around? Are you taking shelter? »
They all looked at Yumiel, yet none of them answered her; she had to step further forward to finally get a sliver of conversation.
« This place is ours, please leave. »
Yumiel looked over their faces before looking at Jack not far behind. If this place belonged to them, then Jack's friend did too.
« Do you recognize your friend? »
Jack scanned the faces before him: « No, he's not here. »
« You sure your friend is reliable? He didn't give you a fake address or something? »
« No, I'm almost sure, we just have to go up, maybe he's upstairs. »
Opening her senses, she did indeed feel movement, though slight, on the upper floor. Going to the floor door, turning the handle… but the door didn't open, surely barricaded from the other side or strongly locked.
Suddenly one of the women approached Yumiel. « Hey are you deaf? We told you this place is ours, who do you think you are coming to snoop in our stuff? »
A robbed store, people waiting on the second floor, and a barricaded door leading to the third. Yumiel understood instantly.
« I'm going up, if you're not happy, too bad. » Yumiel struck the door with a sharp blow, making it shake.
« HEY BITCH. » One of the men who had been sitting stood and approached Yumiel.
« I think you didn't understand, this is our place, don't play smart or we'll smash you! »
Sighing, wondering why everyone was either so aggressive or harmless, was there no middle ground?
« Oh no Yumiel, you're sighing again! We said it was a bad habit. »
« Alright, alright, just let me destroy this door so we can move on. »
Hitting the door, making it shake even more. The woman nearby who had confronted her grabbed Yumiel by the shoulder, trying to push her back, but Yumiel didn't budge.
« Damn, what are you made of, concrete? » The woman tried again but Yumiel still didn't move.
« What, you think you're strong? We also have someone strong. We call him the Hunter. » Suddenly Yumiel couldn't help but laugh.
« Pffftahahaahaha, the hunter? With you? Don't make me laugh, what the hell are you—kids? It's obvious you don't even know what you're talking about. Go on, get lost before I change my mind. »
The teenagers hesitated, looking at each other, unsure what to say; some started moving toward the exit, others standing their ground against Yumiel.
Jack intervened in the situation. Tearing the door off and destroying it like a barbarian, before giving the youths a murderous glare, making them flee like rabbits.
« I thought you didn't like letting prey get away? »
« Kids wouldn't have given me anything, whether in information or skills. Now, if you'll excuse me, after you, madam. »
The stairs leading to the top floor had a few traps. Like soap mixed with water to make people slip when trying to climb, mannequins placed in the dark to deter, makeshift barricades, a rope that dropped tin cans.
« The person who set all this up clearly wasn't trying to hurt but to deter. »
Jack struggled climbing, slipping on almost every step.
« You think so? I find them formidable! » Yumiel sighed, helping Jack climb.
Once at the top, they encountered a barricaded reinforced door. Jack wanted to destroy it but Yumiel stopped him, trying something new.
Approaching the lock, she crouched to align perfectly with its height. She slowly lifted her palm before the metal opening. A thin film of blood slipped out of her skin, the dark liquid streaming directly into the lock, seeping into every groove, every notch.
When she judged the amount sufficient, she crystallized her blood, creating a perfect mold of the original key, reproducing down to the micron the internal notches of the mechanism.
« And there, a perfectly molded key, » she said happily.
Turning the key. The door opened, revealing a man holding a rifle on the other side.
« I'm starting to think we're in the United States! How is it that everyone has firearms! »
The man kept aiming at Yumiel. Jack slightly to the side could see the man and recognized him immediately. « That's him! » The man was too far to hear what Yumiel and Jack were saying.
« Go talk to him, what are you waiting for? »
Jack stepped forward, saying a bit timidly: « Hey, how are you? It's me, Jack. The one from the cemetery. » The man kept aiming his weapon, this time at Jack. « Uh… Do you remember? »
Still aiming at Jack with his double-barreled rifle, he muttered a few words: « I know a Jack who looks like you but doesn't have the same body! »
Indeed, he didn't have the same body, having been forced to change everything except his head, which remained intact. Now the problem was how he was going to explain that.