TEMPERANCE | jack wilder

ii. the blueprint

"So, picking locks are common occurrence for you?" Evelynn questioned, slightly concerned.

"Depends on the day." he replied feigning seriousness.

"Oh," she blinked frantically as if not knowing how to respond to that.

She took out her phone and turned on the flash. The apartment was dark, the only light was coming from their flashlights or the open windows. She tried to deduce things but everyone was talking and that was distracting and annoying. She didn't want to tell them to be quiet, fearing she was being rude but she couldn't concentrate at all. "What is this place?" Henley asked.

"An apartment, obviously," muttered Evelynn annoyed at the rhetorical question. Jack seemed to be the only one that cared to listened and chuckled at her response.

Henley opened a door on her right, which happened to be the bathroom. Evelynn and everyone else was absolutely disgusted by the smell that emitted from that room. "Wow," McKinney said, surprised. "I thought my apartment was nasty."

"That's disgusting," Evelynn walked down the hallway with everyone else. They shined their flashlights on anything and everything, trying to find something. They saw a ball or whatever stuck on the door but left it alone for now.

From everything that Evelynn gathered, she can only tell that the apartment hasn't been touched in about 3 years, give or take. The recent owners were a couple, they had a falling out. No. The apartment was left in such a rush that it couldn't be something as simple as a falling out. There was also leftover furniture and things like that. From Evelynn's knowledge, the landlord wouldn't let people keep their things in the apartment. Were they close? A bribe? Or was it simply leaving quickly? There must be something about the things left here that other people wouldn't want and the landlord couldn't sell. The yellowing of the hallway wall at the bottom indicates some type of water residue. This can't be from the rain this is the second floor. Flooding? No, can't be the paper would yellow even more this is only slightly. They must need to clean a lot if they needed to clean the walls. Unfortunately, when she was caught up in her deductions of the history she realized that that didn't matter at all. Evelynn sighed and followed everyone. That was a complete waste of time, she thought. Of course, the person who sent them couldn't be the last resident of the apartment that would be too obvious.

"Man," Atlas started. "It's freezing in here."

They approached what could be called the living room of the apartment. Their steps slowed as they approach whatever was on the floor. "What's that?" Henley asked to no one in particular.

"I don't know," Atlas kneeled down and grabbed the card.

"What's it say?" McKinney asked, seeing as he was not looking at the card.

"Now you don't," Atlas read aloud.

"Be vaguer please, that would be duly appreciated," Evelynn said to no one.

Henley picked up the rose that was next to the card, "A rose by any other name." Henley quoted as she placed the rose in the vase while walking backward. When she did, the water from the vase started leaking. The water flowed towards the shapes indented into the floor.

"Guys what's happening?" a confused Jack asked.

"Woah," McKinney's eyes never leaving the water. "Look at that."

"Woah," Atlas said delightfully as he put down his bag.

The water soon filled up the shaped, suddenly dry ice smoke started filling the air.

"It's gas!"

"Relax, it's dry ice."

"At least that explains why it's so cold," Evelynn informed.