End of the Suburbs

Chpt 18: Welcome to the Plaza

I realize now that the metal room was an elevator.
I've never seen one before.
We step out.
Sage let's Liz go and she runs out the elevator. She uses a key to go into one of the rooms, slamming the door and locking it behind herself.
"Sorry." I yell through the door.
Sage, Casper, V, and I walk down the hall and I notice numbers on the door.
They're in ascending order.
I follow the order up to 716.
I put the key inside and it works.
The apartment is large.
We head inside and find clothes in our size along with a fully stocked pantry.
There's a tv set up in front of the couch along with a huge stack of DVDs.
I check the sink in the kitchen.
There's running water.
It's warm.
V hears this.
By the time I turn around just as the bathroom door is closing.
V is gone.
A second later I hear the sound of water running.
I hop over the couch and start to pick out a movie to watch.
Sage goes through the pantry.
It's fully stocked with food.
The refrigerator works.
Inside is a jar of milk.
Sage doesn't waste time.
She immediately starts to eat.
She tosses me a fresh apple.
I eat it, then another.
Sage notices a label on the packages.
It's a smiley face with "X" for eyes.
She says it's the mark of the reaper.
This must be one of the cities he has deals with.
I head over to the balcony.
The place seems perfect except one thing, I can't see the stars.
The lights from the buildings drown out nature.
I walk back over to the couch.
Sage brings over a handful of foods.
Just as we go to put a movie on the bathroom door opens.
V walks out.
He's not wearing the hood or the rags strapped together.
Instead he's shirtless.
I notice a tattoo on his shoulder that looks familiar.
I can't remember where I've seen it before.
This is the first time he's been in a city in a long time, maybe even ever.
He struts across the floor with a packet of jerky in his hand as he pats himself dry with a towel.
He managed to sneak it in underneath his rags.
He heads for the door.
"I'll be back. I'm going to look around."he says.
Before either of us can respond the door slams behind him.
Sage and I curl up on the couch while the movie plays.
Casper lays near our feet.
Not long into the movie she drifts off to sleep in my arms.
I enjoy the moment.
Suddenly I realize I'm getting sleepy too.
This is unusual.
I shake it off and get up.
I take a step and it's like the room is spinning.
It feels like when I drank the water that Bill had drugged except more intense.
I go to take another step and my feet tilt from underneath me.
I fall face first into the table in front of the couch.
Everything goes black.
I'm passed out but I fade in and out of a half conscious state.
I can't open my eyes but I can tell someone is moving me.
I hear voices.
I feel my body being dragged and tied up.
I urge myself to wake up.
Finally my eyes pop open.
They definitely drugged me.
It had to be the food.
That means Sage is in trouble too.
I sit myself back upright.
I'm in a room that's poorly lit.
There's moisture in the air.
I'm on the floor leaning against the wall with my hands tied.
Nobody is around.
They're close.
I remember I have a weapon.
I reach into my boot and pull out the dagger with the twisted blade.
I unsheathe it and use it to cut the tape that binds my wrists.
Once I'm free I start to look around.
I find the elevator.
The same one from before.
I'm still inside the building.
I get inside and press the button for 7.
It dings.
The doors slide open.
I carefully creep down the hall towards 716.
I don't make a sound.
Before I get there one of the other doors creak open slightly.
A hand reaches out and grabs the back of my shirt pulling me inside.
I'm still discombobulated from whatever they gave me.
I still have to fight with everything I have in me.