A Bullet to the Heart, ₗₑₑ Fₑₗᵢₓ

8.

⇝ ⇝ ⇝   My apartment was messier than I remembered it being. After another long day on my feet, I decided to shower and clean up. I don't know where the government got this apartment from but the untidiness in the kitchen, the stained carpet in the living area, and the unpleasant smell in the bathroom could use some attention to make everything feel fresh and clean again.

I had a long day ahead of me so I started cleaning the bathroom first, polishing and shining up everything with my gloves on and a rough sponge. I found that all the cleaning products the apartment had were stashed under the sink in the kitchen. I sprayed some fresh cherry scented air fresher into the air and left the bathroom. I tackled the sitting room next, got some carpet cleaner, and scrubbed all the stains away.

I heard a beep and a vibrate from the kitchen area. I stood up and went to collect my phone to check my messages. I had a feeling it was either some news coming through or a worry someone from the building opposite me had. I opened the message, seeing it was from Felix.

'You wouldn't mind popping out for some ramen would you?'

I put my phone away. Giving myself a break from the intense cleaning and going to the shop would be fine enough; I needed some marble countertop cleaner. It's the one thing they didn't have here. I wasn't even sure they had it at the corner shop near here but I could check. I went into my room - finally able to wear normal clothes without the armour and layers of holsters.

A simple black jumper and some joggers since I was done my job for the day. I hid a gun, with the silencer, on in my jumper pocket in case something went down. It's normal for me to carry around such dangerous weapons even when nothing goes down. There was an almost constant feeling of paranoia lingering in the back of my mind, a nagging sense that I couldn't shake off, telling me that I absolutely needed it. I always expect something to disrupt my 'break time', a call from the boss or even something that happens in the street.

I exited my apartment and walked down the narrow road. It was dark out so I was grateful and glad Felix chose to listen to my warning and decided to message if they needed anything. I would prefer going out in the dark despite being tired than to lose one of them to my foolishness. As part of my job, I need to warn them of the consequences of their actions too.

As I walked to the corner shop, I checked the rooftops of the buildings as paranoia built up. I had already checked the buildings when all of us arrived back home but I thought it would do well to double check. The shop came into sight so I collected a small basket and started adding ramen into it. All different types, different colours of packaging and names I couldn't read. While I was at it, I put some cleaning products in. 

I didn't even think about the Korean labels. I only wanted one product but ended up adding 3 because I couldn't read what they were used for. A guess. 

I paid for it at the till, with the same woman as the other night standing at the till. I said a polite thank you and went on my way back up the street. I was taking my time, slow and uncoordinated steps. I wasn't sure why, but they night time wind felt nice on my face. 

 I noticed a man sitting on the road outside my apartment building. I stopped in front of him and he looked up. He didn't say anything so I assumed he didn't speak English.

He had some black pants on and a jumper with some material on the sleeves that turned luminous when light shined on it. His shoes were kind of ruined and I swear I had seen those types of shoes before - I couldn't quite remember where I had first seem them. 

"You need to get inside?" I asked him, this way I could see his face better and hear his voice in case he caused trouble and I needed to remember.

He turned his face to the light to answer me, but he didn't speak. His eyes were sharp, hidden underneath his thick brows. He had stubble, messy and disorganised on his face. He shook his head and I nodded before leaving to my apartment. Once inside, I put my cleaning products away and picked up my phone.