The Darkest Days

37. The Dirt

"How are my new guests doing, Jones?" Cedric asked his secretary as they were sitting in the backseat of an Audi.

"They, uh, were quite persistent in expressing their wants to go back. They called almost everyone on their team and I believe that is how they chose to spend the whole day."

Cedric chuckled. "I just don't get why they'd wanna go back."

"New to the system, Mr Linhardt. Just give it a little time. I'm sure they'll enjoy it soon enough." He replied.

"Hm. Who do you think will break first, Audrey or Vanessa?"

Jones pondered before speaking, "Vanessa seems to be quite some work. She doesn't really like you, does she?"

"It's too early to form judgements, perhaps. For all we know, Vanessa might actually be frustrated that she is intrigued more than she admits and we mistake it for some sort of repulsion from me."

"Possible. Audrey; she seems-"

"Playable."

Jones snickered. "Don't underestimate her. She's a strong and independent woman."

"Of course, she is. There's no doubt they both are or they wouldn't survive the madness." Cedric commented. "No, they will survive this. They have the wildness, the spark, and hunger. Just needs to be a little polished before it surfaces."

"The traits make them an excellent addition."

Cedric smiled. "Yes. It does."

The driver stopped the vehicle. "We're here." He informed.

"I'll find my way." Cedric said to stop the driver from getting out and opening the door for him.

He stepped outside into the clear moonlight and in front of a massive villa that looked centuries old.

It had dry vines and small cracks crawling up on its bricks. Two huge and bold pillars held the front roof up and a circular road surrounded the fountain in the middle of the front garden.

The car drove off and silence filled the air.

A few howls could be distantly heard as the full moon rose to its peak. The big iron gates creaked loudly as they were closed after the car was gone out.

Cedric then began walking towards the villa's entrance. He grabbed the metal handles and pushed the doors open.

The place inside was completely dark. He marched straight in as he knew exactly where to go. Despite the darkness, he didn't hit any of the furniture inside and made his way through towards the grand staircase at the end of the hall.

As he was climbing them, the doors of the villa closed. He made it to the top and looked to his right while making a left turn. He walked straight through the corridor, the only sounds were of his shoes hitting the ground, and he entered into the fifth door on his right.

It opened to reveal a balcony that led to a bridge that attached the building to another.

He was about to walk when a hand gripped him tight.

"What is this place!" Audrey angrily demanded. Her brown hair were styled into a ponytail and she was wearing a mini white dress.

The only source of illumination was the moonlight entering through the opened door and covering just their sides.

"Audrey. Glad you made it here before me."

"What are all those people doing in that building?" She pointed towards the end of the bridge.