Death To Thora - COMPLETE SHORT STORY

Three

I wait in the doctor's office for what feels like hours.

Finally, a short latin woman comes into the room and sits on the rolling stool.

"Doctor says that you may have inhaled some smoke. With how thin the air is up here, he recommends you take a slow day to recover."

She's way too passive to be anything other than a dull yellow. "May I speak to the doctor?" I refuse to take a diagnosis from someone who won't even look me over.

I feel fine. Freaked out? Yes. Tired? Definitely. Suffering? Not from smoke inhalation, I know that much.

"He's not in, I'm sorry."

I hold back the urge to laugh in her face, because this is not an appropriate time to incredulously discount the professionalism of Aderith's only doctor not being in the office.

She straightens. "But actually, I have a few questions. If you don't mind."

I realize that the clipboard she's holding is not for the doctor's office, but for her role as...?

"Who are you?" I ask.

"My name is Wanda. I investigate incidents in Aderith ranging from crimes to accidents. I just want to understand what happened."

I fold my hands in my lap. "Okay... Well, I..."

She leans toward me, eager to hear what I have to say.

What do I have to say? "I went to my car and when I turned around to go back inside, I saw smoke."

She pauses, processing. "I see. And do you have any idea on how this fire could have started?"

My mind instantly drifts to Devlin. Her threats, her face watching me from the shadows... I shrug. "This woman approached me on the streets earlier– I think her name is Devlin? Anyway, she had some choice words for my arrival here."

She raises an eyebrow. "And you think she is somehow involved?"

I give her a weak smile. "I just wouldn't be surprised, that's all. Am I clear to go?"

She taps the pen against her chin, studying her notes viscously. "Yes, you can go. I believe Draven and Alicia were cleaning the apartment, so it should be safe to go back by now. Maybe just follow the doctor's orders and lay low for today?"

I glance at the clock and realize it's already five am.

Suddenly, I feel even more tired, if that's possible. "What about the fire? Do you know how it started?"

She shakes her head. "Not sure yet, but I would have to guess it was an electrical fire. This town is full of old buildings, it happens sometimes."

"And what about the body I reported to Alicia? The one I found in the streets? Did you get a call on that?"

She gives me the kind of look that tells me she pities me. "There was no body. She and I searched."

I take a deep, frustrated breath and sigh into my hands, using my palms to try and rub the sleep away. "I'll be on my way, then."

-🏶-

Draven and Alicia did a great job cleaning the apartment. Apart from a singed board in the kitchen, you could never tell that there was a fire here at all. I throw my stuff down on the desk and plop myself onto the couch. My bones ache with exhaustion, and I close my eyes. My mind replays the movie of memory over in my head, until I drift into a dreamless sleep.

-🏶-

I wake up at noon to total darkness. The clouds have overcast the sun and the lights are no longer on in my apartment. It's also freezing. I jog into my room and grab a coat, pulling it tightly around me. I flick the light-switch, but nothing happens. Great. So I have no power. I try not to throw an adult tantrum and opt instead for marching down to the front desk.