Double Star

10: Secrets.

PoV Luke :

"Hey, Luke! Is he still alive?"

Questions, questions, endless questions. This idiotic friend of mine never knows when to shut up. Even during a mission, he finds time to irritate the hell out of me.

"I don't care. Get in the damn shack before his friends come out," I snapped, still watching the motionless figure on the ground, who was keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings before he hit the floor, beaten by me. I tried to play it cool, but he didn't wanna cooperate leaving me no choice. I knew the guy was still breathing, and we needed to move before the situation got any worse.

- "Did you find something ? ". Jacob asked again after we got into the hut and started our investigation.

- "Not yet ... Wait! There's something there". I spotted an odd lump beneath a filthy couch, its presence as out of place as the strange, greasy stains on the cushions.

"Damn, it's dusty as hell in here! Did you know an old man's fart can be considered dust? Swear I've seen my grandpa create a goddamn sandstorm with one of his..."

 I shot him a look that could freeze fire, and he fell silent, pretending to care about the corner of the room he was now studying. Did he think this was the time for his stupid jokes?

"Shut the hell up and help me," I barked, getting back to work.

"Okay, okay. But what are we looking for?" he asked, genuinely confused.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You really came here not knowing why?"

He shrugged like it was no big deal. Knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he forgot to put on underwear before leaving his house.

"Please tell me you're wearing something under your pants?"

"You should be grateful I wore jeans. I was gonna show up in a bathrobe."

"Holy shit, I knew it."

"Dude! The way you barged into my house, I thought it was a raid!"

"Sorry, man. The Boss gave the order to move fast. He's been stressing out lately. Don't know why... Shit, I think I found something!" I yanked the couch away hastily.

"What the hell is that? We did all this terrible hard work for some crumpled papers?"

"Are you for real? I did all the work, while you babbled like a broken record. If you'd paid attention to what the boss said, you'd know those papers aren't 'crumpled.'"

He opened his mouth, probably to argue, but I shot him a glare. He mimicked my tone, raising his voice in a pitch that nearly made my ears ring. Damn, I should've come alone.

-"You fucking sound like my mom when you talk like that. Anyway, who would listen to an old retired man like him? And his bald head, man! I swear I've seen my reflection in it. His beard, though, it's like his hair decided to grow downward instead of up. Heard he has more hair on his balls than on his entire face. Seriously, don't tell anyone I said that. I even tried pulling on his beard once to see if it was real, but if he hears this—Fuck! Why did you hit me ?!".

"Shut up !". I growled, handing him the papers. He skimmed them, frowning.

-"Holy shit! What's that ?! I know I'm bad at school but knowing that I can't read, it's too much for me".

"I can't read it either." The boss had said the papers were important, but he didn't elaborate—just gave me vague instructions. A strange script, and a 'W' at the end. That was all I had to go on, and I never expected it to be this cryptic.