Little One. // zalfie .

Chapter three.

Alfie's pov

The officer was like any other normal officer, with thick layers of clothing on and a checked black and white strip across his hat. The walkie talkie on his belt and book that he held open made him seem ever real and present even though the whole situation seemed odd to say the least. He cleared his throat and stared at me with the most threatening look, if they could kill then I would surely be anything but breathing.

It's never good news when a police officer comes to your door at 9pm on an evening. It's even worse when they remove their hat and request politely to come inside. In that moment they try their hardest to be human and all you see is the dark blue uniform and the shiny shoes, come to pull your world apart with their soft spoken words, but he had not yet removed his hat and his voice was anything but gentle so maybe it was of different matters than what my memory serves.

"Sure, sure." I stumbled and ran a hand through my hair. Moving out of the way, letting the officer patrol inwards was something I had done previously but that didn't mean I liked it any more than last time. I wanted to look at Zoe, to see if she was as oblivious to this unexpected visit as I was, but the atmosphere was tense and had the hairs on the back of my neck were standing high, what had I done to cause this? I should be anything but dazzled. His footsteps were heavy and his back as straight as a pencil. "Uh, please - take a seat." My head nodded automatically as he took a seat on the sofa. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tiny frame walk it's way across to the one person chair.

"I am hoping you can help me out, sir." With a small nod from me he continued. "Firstly what is your name and how long have you lived in this residence."

"Alfie Deyes, two years in September."

Without speaking a word he jotted what I was saying down into the black book of his and raised his head to speak to me once more in the same consistent voice of his. It was after the first question I knew his motives where different from that of the past yet, but the anticipation did not cease in the slightest. "What is your age and occupation?"

"21 sir, and I work at the local costa on whitefriargate." The conversation was turn taking, with no interruptions and no stumbling on words. I felt like I was partaking in some form of interview but with a more serious tone to it.

Once more he scribbled down my words before asking a new question. "And can you recall all the previous people who once lived here in the time you know." The words were solemn but the answer was simple.

My tongue ran along my lower lip as it dried and then slid back into it's place within my mouth. "Daniel Howell, he stayed here for a few months between November and February perhaps?" I gritted my teeth as the exact dates had skipped my mind a long time ago and it wasn't like I kept paperwork for anything. I didn't make and keep paperwork of the residents living here, it was a mutal relationship of paying rent and buying groceries not some type of business arrangement.

"Do you have anything about him handy that you could give to me? New address, contact number that kind of thing." That brought back memories to say the least, Dan was a troublemaker but he had changed in the last few years, I had heard it was because of a new lover whose name I could not remember but still, why would the officer come here to find him? His pen was tapping impatiently on his notepad as I thought to myself but unfortunately I did not have anything of his so with a quick shake of my head I ditched the topic and continued saying who lived here.

"But now, it's just me and Zoey...I mean Zoe." With a small nod the officer turned from me to her and asked the same first question he had asked me. She held her arms folded, like a barrier to the world. An expression I had seen only once since her arrival here. The air was so brittle it could snap, her position unmoving.