The Way the Wind Blows (Third Entry)

The Countdown Begins

ID: Whitfield, Noah

Status: Alive, Anxious

Date: September 7th, 2022 (8:12 am) (Flight to Dallas leaves on the 17th)

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I kept tossing and turning until the morning sun finally greeted me. Rubbing my eyes, I eventually set myself in bed and looked around the room. I could hear somebody in the shower next door, and I didn't see Natsuki in the bed with me.

Memories of last night's encounter flooded back. For a second, I was worried that something had happened while I was asleep, but hearing someone in the shower told me everything should be fine. Sighing, I climbed out of the bed and began to make my way down the hallway, glancing at the Luger on my way out.

I was fortunate to make it back alive. That person could've been anyone; LFS, one of Kronos's spies, or a simple mugger. The only choice I had now was to move on and focus on the task at hand, which was taking down Kronos with everyone alive. That started with telling everyone what Maricana told me last night.

The shower water suddenly turned off, which shook me out of my trance. I couldn't help but smile at myself at the fact that I was standing in front of the bathroom door staring at nothing.

Jacob and Natsuki greeted me as I made my presence known in the kitchen.

"Hey man, how'd you sleep?" Jacob asked as he grabbed a pan out of the cabinet. Natsuki gave me a warm smile, stirring something in a pot that was out of my eyesight. I presumed it was grits.

I hesitated before speaking and internally told myself that I could be honest with them. If I didn't, it might cause tensions between the group, and with everything that's stacked against us, that was the last thing we needed.

"If I'm honest, not that great," I answered him. "We'll talk after breakfast to give everyone a chance to wake up."

Jacob nodded. "That's a good idea. I think Monika's in the shower. Can you get Sayori up for me?"

"Sure. Is Yuri awake?"

"She should be. If she's not here by the time we finish making breakfast, I'll go check on her."

I walked over to Sayori's room and lightly knocked on her door. "Hey sleepyhead, breakfast is almost ready. Time to get up."

A few seconds passed before she slowly opened the door. I had to stifle laughter after looking at her messy hair. "Jeez, Sayori. Seems like you slept either really good or bad. I hope it's the former."

She rubbed her eye for a second before speaking in a sleepy voice. "I'll go get changed."

After closing her door, I turned and sat down on the bartop stool. "Do y'all need any help?"

Natsuki shook her head and glanced in Jacob's direction. "No, we should be good. We're almost done."

"Actually, can you grab the sausage patties out of the freezer?" Jacob asked. "They're on the right side near the bottom."

I did what he asked and opened the bag before placing them on the counter beside him. "Here you go."

"Much appreciated," he said. "I'll be done in about five to ten minutes."

"Ooh, something smells dee-licious!" Monika's voice rang out from down the hallway. "What's cooking?"

"Oh, good morning Monika," Natsuki greeted with a welcoming smile. "I'm making eggs and grits, and Jacob's making sausage patties and toast."