Immortal

If Trouble Was Money (Chapter 7)

I pressed my back against the luxurious room's white wall and fell to the ground with a long sigh. The wooden floor creaked as my ass came in contact with it. I could see a dim light coming in through the bedroom's window, illuminating some dark green curtains which matched the bed sheets covered in transparent plastic and were not quite thick enough to stop it from shining through them. Is it morning already?

I'd been restlessly glued to that stranger all night, hovering over the wooden bed and doing my best not to fuck anything up. The other three people had left me alone not long after Dana came back with the medical supplies. I'd finally just finished stitching and bandaging his leg, which was all that was left for me to do. Taking care of someone with this ancient equipment was extremely draining. I wondered how physicians did it back in the day.

I noticed the pungent smell of the disinfectant. It almost felt nostalgic. I had a vague recollection of being at the university hospital. Now it all felt like it had been on another life. But I could still clearly feel how the smell used to soothe my self loathing just enough for it to be bearable. 

After a long moment of deep thought, I became aware of how silent everything around me was. The only thing I could hear was my own breathing.

Sobriety made me re-think my decisions. I didn't want to take part in this. Nothing good would come out of involving myself with these suspicious individuals. Getting my own apartment by working for them honestly wasn't sounding as appealing anymore. Thoughts on how weird the whole situation was kept flashing through my mind all night. Simultaneously, my frustration grew as I obsessed over all the things that didn't add up. 

Who were these people? Even now, I couldn't confidently draw any conclusions from my surroundings aside from the fact that they were not short on money. 

Despite its fancy vibe, the room was quite plain. It almost reminded me of a hotel room. I tried to scan it, but nothing grabbed my attention and I felt too tired to concentrate any further.

With nothing else I could really do, I decided I'd look for someone and break off the deal. I got up and opened the door slowly, stepping out into the hallway. I jumped slightly when I caught a figure by the corner of my eye, right next to the door. I shot my head in its direction to see Dana leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, in a laid back manner.

He spoke lowly with his eyes still closed. "All done?"

"Yeah. All done." 

I was temporarily lost for words when the man walked closer to me. Of course I was careful not to let it show.

"Great. I'll take you home. Be ready to come back at eight in the evening and pack a few things because you'll be staying for a while. Oh, and don't go leaving the house. Chasing you around is quite tiresome."

I nodded neutrally while my mind screamed in frustration. I silently cursed at the emotional strain that was making me bite my tongue. I needed to tell him, but how should I approach it?

The car ride back home was strange. I kept picking up on weird stares random strangers were giving me on the street every time we had to stop. The windows were dark, so it wasn't like anyone could really make out my features, thankfully. He strangely knew the way to Luka's place without ever having to ask me for directions.

Was this some kind of underground crime group? I never got involved in that kind of stuff so this was not much more than a wild guess.

"I know you've got something to say." Dana startled me. 

I was so deep in thought that I hadn't realized that the car had stopped completely.

"I was drunk last night," I spurted out as a way to force myself to carry on.