Absolution | +18

Chapter 20

Silas

I found myself standing in front of her apartment building, the cold metal of the entrance door pressing against my palms. I glanced up at the dimly lit windows, my heart racing in my chest as I took in the faded paint and chipped bricks of the building. It was strange how the outside of this place seemed so ordinary, so inconsequential, while the storm brewing inside me felt anything but.

My feet moved almost of their own accord as I ascended the stairs into the building, each step feeling heavier than the last. My mind was a storm of conflicting emotions—anger, desire, frustration.

I instinctively glanced at the row of mailboxes mounted on the wall beside me. Each box was small and worn, their metallic surfaces dented and scratched from years of use. I leaned in closer, squinting at the tarnished nameplates. My heart pounded louder with each passing second.

I scanned the names, each one a potential clue to where Val's apartment might be. I knew her number was somewhere in this building, but finding it felt like a maddening puzzle. The old, faded numbers on the mailboxes seemed almost mocking in their ambiguity.

Finally, my eyes settled on one box with a number that had her name on it. 3B. I felt a surge of cold determination as I noted the number, the final piece falling into place. This was it—the place where my torment and desire collided, the spot where I would end the source of my suffering.

At last, I reached her door and paused, the sight of it in front of me almost surreal. The hallway was dimly lit, shadows stretching long and thin against the walls, amplifying the oppressive weight of the moment.

Standing there, just outside her door, I felt a surge of anger. My hand hovered over the door, and I could almost hear the sound of my knuckles against the wood, a grim reminder of the finality of what I was about to do. My breath was shallow, each inhale sharp and punctuated with the pressure of my thoughts.

I approached the door, my hand reaching out with a deliberate steadiness, though my insides were anything but calm. My fingers closed around the doorknob, feeling it's cold metal against my skin. With a slow, deliberate turn, I pushed the door open, the creak of the hinges slicing through the stillness of the hallway.

The door swung inward with an almost eerie ease, revealing the dimly lit interior of Val's apartment. She hadn't even bothered to lock it. The thought flickered through my mind, mingling with my mounting frustration. It was as if she had been waiting, inviting this confrontation.

I stepped inside, the faint hum of the apartment's old air conditioning unit filling the silence. The air was thick with the faint scent of vanilla, a stark contrast to the sharp, sterile environment of my own apartment. The soft glow of a single lamp illuminated the room, casting long shadows that danced eerily on the walls.

The apartment was clean, meticulously put together, a stark contrast to Amber's chaotic mess. Yet, as I scanned the room, my gaze fell upon scattered papers and boxes spread throughout the living room. It was clear she had been searching for something, the disarray suggesting a desperate need to find or hide something of importance.

I moved through the apartment silently, every creak of the floorboards feeling like a betrayal. My eyes darted around, searching for any sign of her, a shadow, a sound. The faint glow from the lamp flickered softly, casting restless shadows across the room.

I slipped into the kitchen, my gaze sweeping over the countertops and the neat arrangement of appliances. Then, I noticed a small feline perched on the windowsill, its eyes glowing in the dim light. I grimaced. Animals, in my mind, were nothing but a mess waiting to happen, a further complication in an already tangled mess.