Chapter Text
"Seriously! I need to close this place soon. I have to turn off the TV, and besides, you guys have to leave. I'd like to get out at some point!" You had to command your three friends. They didn't really pay much attention to your request, so you pressed the power button on the remote to turn off the screen. Your friends let out disappointed groans and turned to look at you accusingly.
"Seriously, you guys, leave. The café is closing, and my boss strictly forbids me from hanging out with friends here after closing hours. She'd kill me if she found out you were here past closing time."
"But the game was just getting exciting!" your friends complained.
You couldn't help it. With a shrug, you started cleaning the counter. The trio left through the door into the dim evening, and you told them you'd catch up with them soon. The best thing about working at the café was that your friends could always keep you company during your shift, but the annoying part was that they watched and cheered for the Apex Games so loudly. You couldn't care less about the game and couldn't understand what was so captivating about that bloodsport.
You took out the trash and double-checked the back door lock one last time before slipping outside. Another shift down. The café job didn't pay much, but you didn't know what else to do. You were stuck there, and it didn't really bother you.
"So, what do we do now?" you asked when you rejoined your friends. It was chilly outside, and quite dark already. The city's tall buildings and their neon signs illuminated the evening. Your breath formed clouds in the air as you stood on the street, feeling a bit cold.
"Let's go to the arcade?" Oliver suggested. It was his favorite place. The rest of you shrugged in agreement and started walking towards the arcade. You lived in a big city, but on the outskirts where there was hardly ever anything interesting to do. You had once dreamed of moving downtown or somewhere else with more to see and do. There wasn't much that fascinated you in this quiet suburb.
Even the arcade was quite empty on a regular weekday evening.
"Why do we always come here?" you muttered as you grabbed the sticky doorknob to open the door.
"There's nothing else to do around here," Kaia pointed out.
"Because of the beer," Oliver added.
"And because there's a big screen here where we can continue watching Apex. I need to see how Wraith is doing today!" June said, already rushing to sit on the couch.
"Take your time!" you waved your hand as the trio hurried to get some drinks. You looked at the colorful game machines with boredom as your friends cheered for the ongoing match. Oh well. You sat down on the couch and decided to give the game a chance. You couldn't quite grasp the running and shooting aspect, no matter how many times your friends explained that it wasn't just violence but required tactics and teamwork. To you, it was just brutal clowning around and mindless entertainment.
"No! Did Mirage already get eliminated?" Kaia exclaimed. You knew Mirage was her favorite. You knew because she talked about him incessantly, and the guy was even her phone's wallpaper. You'd swear Kaia even had bed sheets with Mirage's face on them.
You leaned back on the couch and took a sip of your soda. The others were having alcohol, but you weren't much of a fan, especially since you had work the next day. June jumped off the couch to celebrate and cheer when Wraith's team was declared the Champion Squad. You sighed. Finally, this dull game was over. Maybe you could play some pool or do something more interesting.
You spent a few hours in the quiet arcade before you all decided to head home. You said your goodbyes in front of the arcade and went your separate ways. You lived in a different direction than the others. Living on the outskirts of the city was much cheaper, so your apartment was quite high up, offering a decent view even though the rent was affordable. It was a tiny studio apartment, but that didn't bother you much. You hadn't really had time to stop and think about what you really wanted.
You'd been in a relationship once, with someone who turned out to be a complete jerk. Before realizing that and breaking up in a heated argument, you had briefly dreamed about your future. But only for a moment. Now, you were content with what you had. Sometimes you thought about what it would be like to live somewhere else, but those thoughts always faded away.
You took the elevator several floors up to your apartment, nearly to the top of the building, and walked inside. You kicked off your shoes and dropped your bag on the floor. The apartment was relatively tidy because you didn't spend much time there. You turned on the television and lay down on your big bed. The best part about late nights was just watching TV and lying on your big, soft bed, the highlight of your apartment. There was a large window next to the TV and a door leading to a small balcony. In practice, it would be possible to climb from the balcony to the roof of the adjacent building, but you would never actually do that.
On the other end of the room, there was a kitchenette and a small dining table. That was pretty much all you needed. Plus, a decent-sized bathroom with a shower bath where you sometimes relaxed after a long day at work.
You chatted with your friends for a while in your group chat, but when they started flooding it with Apex memes, you put your phone away and decided to raid the fridge to see what you had. It was probably quite empty. Your hunch was right. You cursed under your breath until you decided to visit the small 24/7 grocery store in the adjacent building. You grabbed your phone and keys and went shopping.
Noodles, bread, a few fruits... you quickly picked up some essentials and stepped outside into the cool night air. If it weren't for the bright city lights, the night sky would have been quite beautiful.
You set your bags down to unlock the building's front door. You heard a loud noise from your side, making you jump in fright so that your keys fell to the ground.
"For fuck's sake," you cursed and tried to use the light from your phone to find your keys among the leaves and street debris. Phew. Found them. You picked up your keys and, at the same time, realized there was someone—or something—standing in front of you.
You startled and quickly stumbled to your feet. It was definitely not a human.
As you raised your gaze to see more clearly in the glow of the streetlights, you weren't sure if you understood what you were seeing. It was almost like a robot, but it looked very human-like and incredibly tall.
You lifted your gaze from its body straight to its eyes, and you saw how it looked straight into your soul. The eyes were almost human-like, but their color resembled two lifeless lights. Was the thing alive or not? What was it doing in front of you? You didn't want to stick around to find out and quickly pushed the key into the lock, rushing inside. The hauntingly white, mask-like face with glowing eyes of that creature would probably haunt your nightmares.
You considered if you might have been hallucinating, but that seemed unlikely. You knew what you saw.
Now you just wanted to know what the hell it was and what it was doing here.