Sleep with the Lights On ✔️

6. On the Hunt

Cassie winced with every step. She kept her eyes down but let her eyes wander occasionally. They had moved to a much stranger part of town. The buildings were much more dingy but instead of the plain concrete of Peros' old apartment they seemed to be faded brick and panelling, like Victorian houses. They approached a building that looked like a nineteen-twenties hotel. Peros stopped in front of the Crumbling Hotel and stared hard at the windows. Some were flickering while others were completely dark.

"Looks like the higher levels may have some empty apartments." Peros said under his breath. Cassie nodded. They hadn't passed anyone on the way there but she could heard the soft slap of feet on pavement on other streets. Peros let the way through the lobby. It was full of threadbare velvet and peeling damask wallpaper. Peros looked around quickly and Cassie stayed near the entrance of the door. He let out a soft laugh. "Looks like the top floors are empty because there aren't any stairs."

 Cassie sighed. "Can I talk now?" She hissed to Peros on the other side of the room. He was staring up the grand staircase.

"No." Peros snapped. "Come on." He started climbing the stairs, two at a time. Cassie struggled to keep up but the extra layers of clothes slowed her down. She let herself fall behind Peros' long legged strides and was content with him being half a floor ahead of her. Cassie's legs burned but She didn't say anything. She was sweating and breathing heavily. She had never been active, she had the luck of a fast metabolism to maintain her girlish figure.

Peros slowed his pace by the eighth floor and Cassie managed to close the distance between them only just slightly. "The top floor is our best bet, also probably the safest." Peros called back to Cassie. Cassie groaned in response and followed Peros at a slower, steady pace. When they finally reached the top floor Cassie collapsed on the ornate carpet.

"Stay here. Stay Quiet" Peros ordered. He walked down the hall and Cassie was left alone. The city was so empty that she felt a little safe. Part of her expected there to be police or henchmen on the prowl looking for her. She was expecting to have to hide in doorways and alleyways.  She still had a lot to learn about how things worked here. She heard Peros' feet slamming against the carpet from where she lay. "I found a place. All I know is it's empty. Give me your bag." He extended a bony hand for the back and Cassie handed it over. He plucked out the velvet bag and waited for Cassie to get on her feet. Her legs were rubbery from all the walking She followed Peros down the corridor. There were faded paintings in gold frames all along the paneled walls. She kept close on his heels as he turned and stopped in front of a door that hung open. "Go in." He whispered.

Cassie slid through the door and found the lights, she flicked them on. The apartment was  huge. The door opened to a hallway with closets on either side. She walked through to a carpeted room, there was a kitchen and dining room area directly off the main room. She continued exploring and found two bedrooms and two bathrooms. "This place seems nice" Cassie said with a bright smile as she hurried back to Peros. He fiddled with the door knob.

"I can't believe I lost my key" He said to himself. "This would be easier..." He had one hand in the velvet bag and finally he pulled out a tiny gold key, similar to the one he had before. He locked the door and turned to Cassie.

"So what's in the bag." She asked, picking up where she had left off.

"Every born underworlder is given this bag, its a kit to make living in the Underworld survivable. Well, its to make living here comfortable enough that you don't want to go lower." Peros said with a hint of bitterness. Cassie stared at him as he pulled out small objects from the bag. he handed her a handful of polished black stones. "You can decorate the place how you want." He said.

"I don't understand." Cassie said. She stared at Peros, his face was as usual void of emotion. He pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Close your eyes." He said as he took a stone from her hands. She did as he requested. "Now open them." Cassie opened her eyes to find the living room and dining room completely furnished with plain, functional items. "Just hold a stone imagine how you want the room furnished and then put the stone back in the bag." He put the stone he had held in the bag and pushed Cassie off in the direction of the bedrooms.