ᴍᴇʟᴏᴅɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ

Chapter 2: Escort

Approaching footsteps thumped down the corridor, echoing harshly. As the stomping noise came to a halt three firm knocks lightly rattled the door, followed by the creak of the door handle as it twisted. Cautiously, Marlon slunk into the room, his eyes instantaneously darted to the bed where you lay, groggy; having been unwillingly awoken by his footsteps. "I just wanted to make sure you were still here," he said, "it's late afternoon and we hadn't seen any sign of you." You merely stared at him, unimpressed. He leant against the doorframe, "I do actually need to talk to you. It's important."

Reaching a lazy hand up to your forehead you grunted. "Can it wait, like, five minutes?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Marlon nodded, pushing himself upright. He smacked his lips and glanced at the floor. "I'll, uh, wait for you in my office."

"Where's that?" You sluggishly sat up.

"It's the second floor of the Admin Building." He directed. You raised your eyebrows and tilted your head forward, insinuating for him to elaborate. "Oh, right. It's the building with the double doors in the courtyard. If you go up the stairs, my office is the room dead in the centre. I can leave my door open if that makes it easier to find?" You shrugged, still drowsy. "Ok. I'll leave you be." He flashed a half-hearted smile as he exited. 

Inhaling deeply, you exerted a profound huff, staring vacantly at the indentation your feet made beneath the blanket. Grudgingly, you peeled the cotton fabric off you, the temperature of the room mildly contrasted that of the bed, causing a subtle chill to slither throughout your torso. You dragged your legs off the bed, firmly planting them on the floor. The floorboards let out a creak as you stood up, sounding rhythmically as you strolled across the room. Crouching down, you slipped your feet into your shoes and fastened them. 

A distant conversation was vaguely audible through the thick wood of your room, however you paid it no mind. The faint sound of footsteps neared the door but you ignored it, assuming others resided within the neighboring dorms.

Grazing a hand across your hair, you reached for the door handle. "Good to see you didn't die in your sleep." It surprised you to hear an unfamiliar voice as you opened the door: it was the friendly boy you saw last night. A mischievous smile adorned his face as he lightly tugged on his trench coat. Noticing your blank stare, he continued, "Marlon was freaking out, he thought you'd escaped or something?"

You frowned, "Why would that concern him so much?"

"I dunno. Maybe he was worried you'd leave the gate open." The boy nonchalantly shrugged. 

Although you understood his reasoning, you didn't indicate such, instead glancing from left to right, wondering if anyone else was in the corridor. "Why are you standing out here?" You asked. 

"Marlon was worried you wouldn't find his office, so I thought: why not be of use and escort you myself!" He said gleefully. "I'm Louis, your tour guide." 

"I don't need a-"

"No need to thank me," Louis interrupted, "I'm doing this out of the kindness of my own heart. But payment can be discussed at a later date." He winked.

You gently scoffed, it was nice meeting someone who wasn't devoid of humour. "Ok, lead the way."

Shutting the door, you walked behind Louis as he marched down the hallway. Gesturing to the graffiti, he announced, "On our left, we have some beautiful artwork dating from seven years ago to last week. Each piece has a different mood. 'Our world now', is one of our more motivational pieces. 'Marlon was here' really emphasises the rich history this artwork has. And my personal favourite, 'Justin fucked a walker'. Factual yet so emotional."