These Lights

Three: Rent

Though the night before was terrifying, and I really wanted to just cuss really loudly and get as far away from that place as possible, my life really didn't allow me to switch jobs, not really.

I wasn't poor or anything, just, not rich either, I was well off, college helped, and my father, even though he didn't have very much of a presents in my life, helped me get that place.

Of course rent was not cheap, so holding down a job was of utmost importance, still is. I mean, I would prefer one that didn't ask me to risk my life every night five days a week.

But what can you do? I couldn't just leave and get another job, where would I go? I studied to be an author and an artist, not a businesswoman.

So at that moment, I was trying to keep on a smile, knowing full well that I would have to see more creepy animatronics later that night.

To attempt to keep my mind from raging inside a metallic mouth I grab my headphones, switch on my favorite music and take my morning jog just a little bit early.

I know what your thinking, if you got back home at around seven, and then collapsed on the bed. How is it still morning?

Well, I collapsed, slept for two hours, and then woke up screaming because my brain decided it was gonna send a mechanical rabbit at me.

Fun.

But, I digress. It was around nine when I stepped out of the elevator to go on my morning jog.

I look over to find, not Mrs. Dominic at the secretary's desk, but rather, a man in a tattered suit I didn't recognize, he had black, graying hair with a scruffy, unkept beard going down to his bloated stomach, and behind huge wireframe glasses, were closed, very wide eyes.

He also happened to be sleeping with his arms behind his head and his shoes propped up on the desk.

I walk up to him, and thinking that this dude might just be a little bit drunk, just because he smelled strongly of cheap alcohol, I started speaking with him.

"Sir?" I slide my headphones down and he jumps slightly in his chair and opens an eyes to look at me, it's then I noticed his eyes were a very dull green, like grass that had just been hit with weed-killer.

He scanned me up and down before planting his feet on the floor and adjusting his glasses.

"Yes?" I was a little taken aback but decided not to immediately ask what he was doing in Mrs. Dominic's usual chair.

"Where is Mrs. Dominic? I needed to ask her something." I was normally an extremely bad lier but this guy did not seem like the brightest bulb in the case, so he bought it.

"She retired, I am the secretary of this building now, call me Boone." He outstretched a chubby, oily hand that I, out of respect, took and shook.

"Aphmau." I said with a smile, even though on the inside I was getting creep vibes from him, it didn't seem right. Mrs. Dominic wouldn't just leave without telling anyone, especially if she was retiring.

"Oh? Yes Aphmau. I was told to talk to you." I sighed under my breath but kept the smile because I really did not want to hurt this guy's feelings, or know that I thought he was a creep.

"About What?" I asked, hoping it was not something that I should be concerned about.

"Your rent is going up." He relayed matter of factly and I cursed loudly in my head because remember how I said that I was well off?

Well I wasn't so well off that I could afford much of a drastic change in rent.

"By how much?" I asked, hoping it was just a couple cents or a dollar.