Noise.
Not the distant hum of traffic or some idiot honking three streets away.
This was repeated. Heavy, metallic noise.
Something scraped loudly outside, followed by the unmistakable thud of something large being dropped.
Kashi's eyes opened. For several seconds, she stared at the ceiling.
Another crash sounded and her face tightened.
"Who the fuck…" She reached blindly for her phone.
10:43 a.m.
Kashi slowly lowered it. Someone was making noise. At 10:43 in the morning. Near her house.
There were laws against this. There should be laws against this.
She threw the blanket aside and climbed out of bed, irritation dragging every movement behind it.
She was still wearing a loose silk sleep shirt, her hair thoroughly destroyed from sleep and one side of her face carrying the faint imprint of her pillow.
Another bang sounded outside.
Kashi stopped halfway towards the door. "If somebody is renovating, I will burn the building down." She opened her bedroom door. Noise was coming from downstairs too.
Rapid gunfire.
Someone screaming.
"LEFT! RIGHT! LEFT!"
"THAT IS MY LEFT!"
"YOUR LEFT IS WRONG!"
Kashi closed her eyes. A headache? Insanity?
Perhaps both.
She walked downstairs.
The television was blasting at a volume that should have required government approval. Zarri and Dante sat on the sofa, both leaning forward, controllers in hand, completely absorbed in whatever war crime was taking place on-screen.
Zarri wore an oversized shirt she had apparently slept in. Her hair had been thrown into something that could only generously be called a bun.
Dante sat beside her in grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt, one leg tucked beneath him.
"Shoot him!" Zarri yelled.
"I AM SHOOTING HIM!"
"You are shooting the wall!"
"He moved!"
"Walls don't move, Dante!"
"Guys."
Nothing.
Kashi stopped behind the sofa. On-screen, Dante's character launched himself through a window.
Zarri gasped. "No, no, no! Don't go in there!"
"Why?"
"Because I died there!"
"That sounds like your problem."
"Guys." Still nothing. Something twitched in Kashi's cheek.
"Behind you!" Zarri screamed.
Dante spun his character around.
Too late. An explosion filled the screen. Both of them shouted at once.
Kashi looked towards the television. Her expression became peaceful. Dangerously peaceful as she walked over.
The screen went black.
Silence.
Zarri and Dante froze. Neither moved. Very slowly, Zarri turned her head.
Dante followed.
Kashi stood beside the socket, holding the plug between two fingers. "Good morning."
A beat.
"KASHI!"
Both launched themselves off the sofa. Kashi barely had time to react before Zarri dropped to one knee in front of her.
"No!"
Dante landed beside her. "You monster!"
Kashi stared down at them.
Zarri grabbed one of her legs. "We were winning!"
"You were screaming."
"How could you?" Dante caught Kashi's other knee. "We were seven kills away!"
Kashi looked towards the ceiling for grace and strength. "From what?"
"Victory!" Dante said.
"Death," Zarri corrected.
Dante turned towards her. "We would have won if you hadn't run into the room."
"You followed me!"
"You said cover me!"
"I meant from OUTSIDE!"
"You cannot blame me for interpreting instructions literally!"
Kashi looked between them. The headache she had predicted began forming behind her left eye. Slowly. With purpose. "Enough."
Neither heard her.
"You abandoned me!" Zarri accused.
"You abandoned yourself!"
"You respawned!"
"Hush." They continued. Kashi inhaled. "BE QUIET, YOU FOOLS!"
Both mouths snapped shut. Kashi looked down. They were still clinging to her legs. "First of all, remove yourselves."
Zarri released her immediately. Dante took half a second longer. Kashi looked at him. He let go. Immediately.
"Second," she continued, "do either of you hear that?"
They stared at her.
"Hear what?" Dante asked.
Kashi pointed towards the window. The three of them went quiet. For a moment, nothing.
Then—
BANG.
Zarri flinched. A second later came the low mechanical rumble of a large vehicle. Then several voices.
Dante turned towards the front door. "What is that?"
"That," Kashi said, "is what woke me up." Another loud scrape came from outside. All three looked towards the windows.
Dante lowered his voice. "Someone breaking in?"
"At this volume?" Kashi looked at him. "What considerate criminals."
Zarri crept towards the window.
Kashi watched her. "Why are you walking like that?"
Dante immediately crouched too.
Kashi frowned at both of them. "You two are idiots."
"Shh." Zarri waved her closer. "Come."
"I live here. Do not shush me."
"Come defend your territory," Dante whispered, beckoning her over.
Kashi raised a brow. "Isn't that why I pay you?"
Dante scoffed. Kashi should have gone back upstairs. She knew this.
Every intelligent instinct she possessed told her to return to bed, lock the door and let estate security deal with whatever nonsense was happening outside.
Instead, thirty seconds later, Kashi Saints was crouching beside Zarri and Dante beneath the living-room window.
Three grown adults. Peeping through the curtains.
Like badly trained spies.
Zarri carefully lifted one corner. "Ooooh."
Dante leaned over her shoulder. "What?"
"Truck."
"What truck?"
"A huge one."
Kashi pushed between them. "Move."
"You're crushing me," Zarri complained.
"You're in my way."
Dante leaned closer from behind Kashi. "Is someone moving?"
Outside, a massive moving truck occupied nearly half the street.
Men in uniforms carried furniture, boxes and covered pieces through the gates of the large house directly opposite Kashi's property.
Another smaller truck waited behind it. Workers moved steadily in and out.
Kashi frowned. "Someone moved in?"
Zarri shrugged. "I noticed some movement yesterday."
Kashi turned sharply towards her. "And you said nothing?"
"I thought they were renovating."
"You thought they were renovating the entire contents of a house?"
"I was busy."
"Gaming?"
Zarri looked offended. "Probably."
Kashi tried to straighten. Couldn't. Dante was pressed against her back. Zarri was practically sitting on her arm.
Kashi's face darkened. "You're both crushing me."
"Move your elbow," Zarri whispered.
"My elbow is where it belongs."
"Your elbow is in my boob."
"That sounds like a personal problem."
Dante shifted. Kashi nearly tipped sideways.
"Dante!"
"I'm trying to move!"
"You're making it worse!"
"Zarri, get off my foot."
"That is not your foot."
"What am I standing on?"
"My slipper!"
"Why is your slipper under me?"
"WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?"
"Shut up!" Kashi hissed.
They froze. Another piece of furniture passed outside. All three immediately turned back towards the window.
Zarri squinted. "I can't see."
"Because your head is in front of mine," Dante whispered.
"You're taller. Look over me."
"I am!"
Zarri huffed. "You're breathing into my ear."
"I need oxygen!"
Kashi squeezed her eyes shut. Then pushed herself upright. "Move."
Zarri shifted left. Dante moved right. Kashi stepped forward.
Somehow, all three chose the same direction.
"Wait—"
"Ah!"
"Move your leg!"
"My leg is trapped!"
"WHO IS HOLDING MY SHIRT?"
The curtain came down with them. Kashi stumbled backwards. Zarri grabbed her. Dante grabbed Zarri.
This achieved nothing. All three crashed into the small table beside the window.
The table tipped. Zarri screamed. Dante caught it. Kashi caught Dante. For one miraculous second, they remained upright.
Zarri whispered, "We should go outside."
Two minutes later, they were outside. They crossed the front entrance and started down the staircase towards the street.
Zarri was on Kashi's left. Dante on her right.
Both were far too close.
"Why are we sneaking?" Zarri muttered.
"Because we're investigating," Kashi whispered.
"This is a residential estate, not Gotham."
"Shh."
"Stop shushing me."
Dante leaned forward. "I think I can see someone."
Kashi tried to look past him. Zarri stepped on the back of Kashi's slipper.
Kashi stumbled.
"Zarri!"
"Sorry!"
They reached the final few steps. Then Zarri bumped Dante. Dante shifted into Kashi.
Kashi lost her footing.
"Oh, fuck—"
All three went down. There was no dignity in it. No grace. No heroic attempt at recovery.
They simply tumbled. Kashi hit the last step first. Zarri crashed into her side.
Dante somehow rolled past both of them and ended up sprawled halfway onto the pavement.
Nobody moved.
Kashi stared at the sky. "This," she said quietly, "is why I hate people."
Zarri groaned beside her. "My hip."
Dante lifted his head. "I think I died."
Kashi pushed herself upright first.
Her hair had fallen across her face. Her sleep shirt was twisted. One slipper had disappeared somewhere behind them.
She looked murderous.
Zarri reached up. "Kashi, help."
Dante raised a hand too. "Me as well."
Against her better judgement, Kashi held out both hands. They grabbed her together and pulled. Kashi's eyes widened.
"Wait—"
Kashi went straight back down. All three collapsed into a heap. Again.
"YOU IDIOTS!"
Zarri started laughing. "Sorry, sorry!"
Dante was laughing too now. Kashi shoved them both off her.
Zarri climbed to her feet. Then stopped. Across the street, someone stood in the doorway of the neighbouring house.
Alex Sergeyev.
He held a cup in one hand, dressed casually in dark trousers and a loose shirt, watching the three of them with an expression that suggested Christmas had arrived early.
"Oh," Zarri said. Her laughter died.
"Oh," Dante said as he slowly stood.
"Oh," Kashi said.
"Oh," said the author of the book as she watched this unfold.
A few metres from Alex, Chaos stood beside the moving truck speaking to one of the workers.
He turned at the commotion.
Kashi stood barefoot on one side, one slipper missing, sleep shirt wrinkled, hair everywhere.
Zarri hovered half behind her.
Dante had grass stuck to his shoulder.
Alex took a slow sip from his cup, raised it in greeting.
"Good morning, neighbours."
Kashi's soul left her body.
Zarri's legs gave out. Dante caught her before she hit the ground.
Author's plea: Hello! You've come this far, so please like the book and drop a review. It's literally my motivation to keep writing and reminds me that there are lovely people like you actually reading my work.
And if you're too shy to leave a review, that's completely fine! Just liking the book means a lot to me too.
Thank you for reading, and stay jiggy.