How Annoying

Chapter 6: Mystery Man ( 1 )

yo 😁

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Noticing the rat near Leo, I elbow him discreetly, signalling to scare the rat. However, Leo seems a bit confused, not catching on to the non-verbal cue. Realizing the urgency of the situation, I decide to take matters into my own hands.

Quietly, I step around Leo, carefully navigating the shadows. As I position myself strategically, I draw my foot back and then deliver a swift, noiseless kick in the direction of the rat. The sudden movement startles the rodent, causing it to scurry out from its hiding place and dash away, creating a small rustle of activity.

Leo finally catches on, turning his attention to where the rat had been. The mysterious figure, still lingering in the corridor, looks over at the commotion. However, the sight of the rat running away seems to convince them that it was the sole cause of the disturbance.

With the distraction successfully created, I quickly return to Leo's side, both of us resuming our positions against the wall. The figure, satisfied that the rat was the culprit, eventually continues down the corridor, disappearing from view.

Leo shoots me a grateful look, and we share a moment of silent understanding. The path is now clear for us to continue eavesdropping on Layla and the guy inside the janitor's closet.

Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the rat and the departing figure, Leo and I seize the opportunity to slip back into the shadows and discreetly make our way back towards the slightly ajar janitor's closet. Instead of standing outside I decide to go inside to hear better.

As I open the door to peak in, it turns out that the janitors closet is bigger then I thought as there's a corridor with multiple doors on each side.

Once inside the dimly lit corridor, we move with caution, ensuring our footsteps are soft and inconspicuous. As we walk down the corridor I notice long shadows spilling into the corridor from an open room.

The door stands invitingly ajar, and we approach it silently, careful not to make any unnecessary noise.

As we edge closer, the muffled voices from inside become clearer once again. Layla and the mysterious guy are still deeply engrossed in their conversation, seemingly unaware of the brief commotion outside. We position ourselves close to the door, straining to catch every word.

The air in the corridor is thick with tension and intrigue as we continue our eavesdropping, trying to figure out if we were brought here on purpose during what was supposed to be a simple place to sleep for the night.

I would keep listening but the problem is that I'm loosing interest causing me to zone out. All they are doing is going back and forth but are not really saying any important information. I look to Leo and see that he is intently listening to each and every word coming from that room. He can listen for me I think nodding to no one in particular.

I begin to listen again when someone lets out a shout.
"Damien!" Slamming her fist down on something. "What about the kids huh?! We can't just leave them to fend for themselves!" I glance at Leo after feeling a tug on my hoodie. He's clenching his hand with an unrecognisable facial expression.

The yelling continues to escalate when a voice cuts through the tension and calmly speaks "Layla, Damien I understand your worries but I am on a time limit and this will be the last time I am offering this deal. Once you come to an agreement, promptly inform me of your decision". Deal?

Upon hearing his closing statement I had a feeling that he was going to leave soon. Without much thought I indicated for Leo to start moving to the exit quickly. As I am about to step out I hear heavy footsteps and quicken my pace.

Leo tries to make a run for it but I grab him by his collar pulling him back to our previous hiding spot.

The man nears while humming a tune. I couldn't help but scrunch my face in pure disbelief because he's clearly tone deaf. Leo, who is holding on to my sleeve is again is shaking while snickering. My eyes almost roll to the back of my head in annoyance — does he not know when to be serious?

I guess he's feels better after what he heard –internally say. I give him a side glance as a warning and he raises his hands as a way to silently say "my bad". The horrible tune slowly fades the further the man goes. I slowly stick my head out from behind the door to see if it's clear to move.

Instead of taking the same way back I decided to go the long route going round rather then a straight line back. Just in case we run into him.

I begin to speed walk and due to the sudden movement Leo loses his grip on my sleeve. I don't look back as I can hear him following behind me.

I hear Leo try to whisper but his voice cracks "W-ait" followed by a cough along with quick footsteps.

I decide to ignore him and try to reorganise my thoughts. Damien and Layla are way different than I thought but then again I barely know them. I knew they both had questionable skills but from the way they interacted with the siblings I thought they had some sort of familial loyalty even though they're not related.

Deep in my thoughts I feel a strong tug.

"Why are you walking into the pillar?" He gives me a sideways look that says weirdo.

I look down at his hand still griping onto my elbow and look up at him with a deadpan look. He takes the hint and retracts his hand.

Without looking back I continue on my way.

———

A man stands hidden by a pillar eerily smiling as he watches the two boys walk away. He thoughtfully rubs his chin not once dropping the smile. They continued further until they were out of sight. Seeing as the subject of his entertainment is now gone he begins walking away with a slight prep in his step. 

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Little doggy.

I've never written a novel
So.....
How is my writing skills so far? Be honest lmao 😭