𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

𝟑𝟕 | 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐫

My plan to rest was completely ruined. I heard a constant knocking on the keyboard and Otto's murmuring. I only wished for one thing – so that I could turn off my mind and forget. Forget that I still didn't do anything right to save my mother. For my part, so far it has been a failure. I myself became a failure.

I realized that it was fear that held me back. This was because I was constantly looking back, trying to find answers to unanswered questions. And why, actually? Because of emotions. Everything happened because of my feelings for my father, who was thrusting thorns into my heart because he didn't tell me the truth about my mother. The feelings I had for Leo, that I didn't know existed until recently. Maybe it was the distance between us. It was the distance that enlarged and deepened them. I shouldn't care. But something about him made me think that it was worth it to care.

I have to stop. I won't go far with feelings by my side.

Despite all the problems rotting on my chest, I smiled. When will there be a better opportunity than leaving everything behind, if not now, when I leave town with a nice amount in my bank account?

"Aagh!" Otto called out in frustration. He closed the laptop, placed it on the dashboard, and started scratching the back of his head. I knew he was thinking about something.

"It didn't work out, did it?" I asked though I knew the answer. Otto clenched his fists. "Never mind, we'll come up with something," I reassured him, and he swayed his head from right to left.

"We're changing the seats," he said suddenly, "we're going for a visit." I didn't answer nor did I ask him where we were going. I trusted him.

All the way, Otto held the steering wheel in only one hand, tapping on his knees with the other. His unnatural behavior drove me crazy, but I decided to leave it at that. Everything he did, he did for me, I couldn't criticize him for how he does it and what emotions accompany him. I'd rather turn on the radio and let the cheerful melody take away from my crazy world. Thoughts of a normal life kept me so busy that I didn't even register when we stopped.

"Ready?" A friend wanted to know. We unbuckled our seat belts and meanwhile, I tried to figure out where we were through the window. I haven't been to this neighborhood yet.

"For what?" I wondered.

"Get to know my old friend," Otto replied with a wide smile on his face, excitingly jumping out of the car. I followed him full of vigilance and didn't let go of the weapon hidden in my jacket for a second. Just in case...

We walked past the old one-story houses. Some of them were more like half-crumbling shacks than safe homes, but even that didn't seem to bother some people. I saw moving silhouettes in almost every bungalow, a mix of voices came from inside. We scrambled under the clothesline and walked to the end of an alley. The farther we were, the more voices died down and were replaced by cacophonic sounds accompanied by the occasional scream of crows. We hadn't even arrived at the place yet, and I already wished we were gone. This strange atmosphere made me anxious, even though it was a bright day outside.

Otto's quick steps were replaced by a slower one until he stopped completely.

"We're here," he said. I was even more careful than before. Why does he act like we were in front of the residency of the Prince of Brunei?

With bulging eyes, I explored the area. We were somewhere near the garages decorated with graphite. I stared at Otto as he lifted the trash can to his left where a small keyboard was attached to it from the bottom. A friend typed in the code and waited with a huge smile. I could understand how he felt when I led him to my father's armory. What the hell is all this supposed to mean?

The garage door began to lift. When I registered the movement over my head, I immediately drew my weapon, relieved to find that the crow that had flown over me was to blame.

"Hoo, hoo, slow down, hottie, I hope you're not going to shoot me," someone said in a strong Irish accent, and I looked at the pale man in the blue T-shirt. The sun's rays shone brightly on his distinctive red hair and thick chin, giving the impression that the man was shimmering. The stranger examined me through the thick black frame of his glasses as suspiciously as I examined him.

"Tadgh, you moron, it's just me, or are you even more orange than the last time?" Otto asked. The man standing in front of me had looked at my friend standing by my side. Then he snorted and showed us his big teeth.

"OTTO FUCKING WILDER, YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" he exclaimed joyfully. The old acquaintances stepped closer, and Tadgh took Otto's face in both hands and shook with him. "Is it really you?

"Bro, what are you doing, you're going to shake out my brain," Otto said, hugging his friend around the shoulders.

"I'm just making sure you still have something in there," Tadgh jested, chuckling, and pushed the glasses falling from his nose with his index finger. "As I see, you brought someone with you," he said. It was clear that I was the someone. "I was beginning to worry who else was knowing our secret code." My eyes fell on the trash.

"This is Ria," Otto introduced me. "Ria, this is Tadgh. He-"

"I taught him everything he knows about hacking," he revealed, pushing out his chest like a hero.

"I wouldn't say everything. Only the majority," Otto insisted as I shook hands with the redhead.

"All right, bro, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you live with this lie," Tadgh admitted. "In return, you could teach me how to get such a babe."

"Ria is my friend," Otto misled him.

"So, you're sleeping together, I understand," Tadgh explained it in his own way.

"No," Otto disagreed again. "We're just friends. We go to the McDonald's together and you know..."

"And we run from assassins who want to kill us," I added to the conversation. I said the words so quietly that only the three of us could hear them.

"Sounds like fun," Tadgh said.

"It's fun when it's only in video games," Otto said, shaking nervously. "That's why we're here, actually. We need help." Tadgh's right eyebrow shot up questioningly.

"I was guessing that when you showed up here after such a time, it wouldn't be just because of an Irish beer. Come on," he invited us in.