Detour

30

Day 2

Haein

One week exactly after we released the online page, there's no sign of Thanatos.

No messages, no engagements. But his online activity was consistent.

We are on a waiting game.

***

My arms tapped the bed several times, my subconscious mind looking for a body, but all I could feel was the crumpled comforter, and I was alone in bed. My heart's thumping loud for reasons and my reflexes were up when I did not find her, and I'm scrambling at my feet looking for her.

No signs of her inside the bathroom.

I hurriedly run downstairs to check, and she was in the middle of the living room, sitting at the carpeted floor. The center table was set on the side, a huge paper splayed under her scrutiny, and it was Jochon Homes map. She was holding a permanent marker, marking places, and beside her was a tower of toast and a steaming cup of coffee. She lifted her head probably hearing me running in panic and she smiled at me. I came closer, slouched beside her, and she was busy munching her food, toast after another stuffed on her mouth.

"You are up early." I greeted her, resting my forehead on her shoulder as I closed my eyes, stabilizing my breath.

That dream and not seeing her in bed shoot my anxiety up.

"You were late." She complained, pouting. I lifted my head as my heart beat still on its fast pace and she was taking another bite of her butter toast.

"I thought you were just tripping me about my stomach. I woke up hearing growls I thought it was you, apparently that's my tummy. I can't bear to wake you up, so I made breakfast. Not just as good as yours, but decent ones. You want some?"

I tilted sideways and rested my head against her side arm again, and I grabbed her hand intertwining and playing it with mine.

"What's up? Are you okay?"

I heaved a deep sigh, my heart's calming slowly.

"Just a bad dream."

She lifted my head with her index finger, then shoved a butter toast to my mouth. That was her last one. "Can you make more butter toast? I am still starving."

My brows furrowed and she massaged them with her thumb, pinching my cheeks. Her mood was definitely very light today.

"Why are you eating like a dinosaur?" I asked.

She chuckled and answered me with rolling eyes.

"That's stress eating." She pointed out. "That's how I am coping up." Now downing her cup of coffee.

Her appetite really.

"I'll make a quick breakfast so that we can go out again."

Butter toasts and two bowls of ramen were the easiest to cook. In ten minutes, we were taking our breakfast at the living room while working.

We allotted blocks and lots yesterday to memorize and we encode at the map we obtained from the villa's website. She already recorded hers: resident names for each houses assigned to her, number of family members (just for those applicable or those who mentioned details), estimate age, and the CCTV that was installed at the post lamps covering the houses. She was attacking her ramen when I stole the marker and encoded mine. So far, three vacant homes were now on our radar, and only 2 CCTV cameras on lamp post which had a lot of blind spots.