Dawnpoint

Chapter 4

When the morning rays peeped through the gaps in the skewed curtains, Micah awoke feeling much better, though something unexplainable still nibbled at his consciousness. He washed his face and changed within five minutes of his alarm ringing, joined Kato in the kitchen, and welcomed the cup of black coffee handed to him.

"Are you sure you want to do this today?" Kato asked as she placed the sandwiches on the grill, throwing the knife into the sink.

Micah hummed as he listened to her return the ingredients to the fridge, inhaling the scent of coffee with his eyes closed. "The sooner we get answers, the better."

Kato glanced at him whilst keeping an eye on their breakfast. "What did you say to Wesley?"

He clenched his jaw before taking another sip. "I told him we found no radiation levels at the site."

"So, no children or man," she muttered as she flipped the sandwiches. "Did you tell Alex?"

He shook his head. "They don't need to know."

"Wesley doesn't. This thing could get shut down before it's even started if he starts to publish anything," Kato agreed. "But I think we should tell Alex and Levi."

He shook his head again and turned away to gaze out of the living room window. "I don't trust them."

A few minutes passed until breakfast was ready, and they both ate it quickly before grabbing their coats and shoved their notepads into their pockets. They were en route to central town, walking slowly so that they could relish in the morning Sun creeping its way above the rooftops. Micah loved the warmth on his face and smiled slightly, finally ridding his mind of the images that had been haunting him since he first entered that basement.

Kato called her grandmother as they walked, asking how she had been and what she was doing in her mother tongue. It was a light-hearted conversation with her avoiding any details about the new story and telling her she would visit as soon as the case was over. Micah listed lazily, not bothering to try and recognise any phrases or words she had taught him as they approached the town centre. With a soft goodbye, Kato hung up and opened the door of the local café, allowing him to step inside first.

As soon as they entered, they were met with a soft buzz of casual conversations between those who had congregated there before their shifts stared. The lingering scent of freshly baked pastries invaded their nostrils as they walked to the counter and a chirpy waitress welcomed them.

"Hi, my name is Ari!" she said as her purple hair swung behind her slightly. "What can I get you two today?"

"A black coffee and a cappuccino, please." Kato pulled out her purse as she wrote down their order and looked back at them.

"Will there be anything else?"

Her smile was painfully bright, and Micah rolled his eyes at how happy she was for such an early hour in the day.

"Well, we were hoping we could have a chat with you, if you're free," Kato said. "We're reporters looking into the Snatcher Kidnappings."

She checked the clock behind her and then turned back, still smiling. "I have a break in five minutes."

"That's great, we will wait here."

When she had paid, Kato dragged Micah to a nearby booth as the waitress moved to make their drinks. She hummed to herself as she worked, which didn't seem to disturb any of the other customers apart from Micah. He exhaled through his nose slowly as he looked out of the window, watching as a stray dog tottered along the pavement, wagging its tail as people passed and stroked it quickly before moving on. It had matted golden fur and a nasty scratch near its left eye that had already healed but left a hefty scar.