𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐍 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 || 𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐮

02 NOW WE HERE

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C H A P T E R   T W O
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»What does that mean, 'I've got your back'?
I'd rather they covered the front.
That's where all the good stuff is, isn't it?«

– Ice Age 3

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The car ride to the lion's den was unexpectedly quiet. Given the fact that it was in the middle of the night, Mark didn't talk much, and I didn't feel the need to change that.

The ride took a long time, I was only too aware of that. It was not that the way was unknown to me, no, I had driven this way myself often enough. Every tree, every traffic light, every turn, every street sign had burned into my brain.

"We're there," Mark announced hours later, turning off the engine.

"What's the password?" I asked, closing the car door and standing in front of the entry, while Mark took the things from the car trunk.

"Oh you know it already, it's still the same."

I recalled him saying 'Nothing is the same' before. Yeah sure, except the entry code for the supposedly highly-secured secretive mafia headquarter that's masked as an old office building in an abandoned industrial area. Interesting to see someone who finds emails not secure enough, using the same exact password since forever. I quickly typed the nine digits of the strong password. Even though it's been more than two years that I used the lock, it felt natural for my fingers to type in the sequence of the digits.

1 2 7 T Y B 0 5 5

A familiar tone could be heard as the small screen lit up green, followed by an OPEN, before hearing a slight click from the steel door.

"Welcome to mi casa!" Mark declared opening the door and letting me in.

I doubt it's your house, español-mark, but whatever.

He led me down the long corridor. I thought, they seemed to save on the electricity and heating costs, because it was icy cold and pitch black in here. To my surprise, it was absolutely quiet, as if no one was inside. Maybe everyone was asleep. Or maybe no one indeed was here. They could be on a mission after all.

I was surprised how Mark didn't stumble from anything on the floor despite not turning on the lights. He used the screen from his mobile phone to light his way instead. Wow, what an expert move on saving money. Suddenly he turned to me as if he had heard my thoughts and I was careful not to crash against him.

"We may have a problem."

"Okay?"

"Um... so your old room is still there, but... kinda not in the right condition. Will it be a problem for you to sleep somewhere else for this night?"

"Why didn't you prepare beforehand? Maybe before breaking into my apartment?" I suggested slightly ironically.

"True, but didn't expect you to agree that easily."

What? Easily?

He shrugged with his shoulders, took my luggage (which he'd started packing before I had arrived in my apartment; and I would be forever unforgiving that he touched my clothes and probably undergarments, like what the–) and went up the stairs.

"Where am I gonna sleep then?" I asked him patiently, following him up the stairs and trying not to stumble over my own feet or the stairs.

"I thought about my room?", he suggested in a nonchalant way.