a place we know| ✓

fifty two

"And find a place where every single thing you see tells you to stay."
S E E K E R
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February 4th
7:00 PM
New York
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Albeit late, Gunner arrived at the shelter and for a few minutes, stared at its meagre appearance.

Almost immediately, his thoughts were a torrent of bleak memories surrounding the area. This place was still as dull as he remembered; the people who resided here were a virus, parasitic, swilling the luster of its vicinity. He had been seventeen-years-old when he stepped foot unto the property for the first time, and he promised himself he would never return. Yet here he was back in the arms of the home that once embraced him for a short while.

The sun had long since set and New York city outshined the stars. Through the darkness he trudged, a single streetlight and lights pouring through tenant's windows illuminating his path. It was viciously cold, the wind biting at his skin, hands numb even as he shoved them in the pockets of his jacket for some heat.

Getting here was the easy part, finding Audrey and Leah was a whole other story. He didn't know where to start or who he'd come across if he knocked on doors at random. He stopped in his tracks for a moment to recollect himself. He eyed the external staircase that lead to the second floor, his instinct prompting him to climb it, but that floor showed no signs of life. Surely if his family was here, he'd sense it.

Right now everything felt dead.

He didn't want to give up quickly, but this was starting to feel like a bad idea. Gunner sent one last glance over his shoulder at the staircase, then he walked away.

"Excuse me?"

The voice was feminine but strong. Accompanying the sound of footsteps came the jangling of keys. Gunner swerved around, pushing aside the hair that was windswept over his face. It had grown to touch his shoulders and no matter how many reminders he set to chop it off, always forgot.

"There's no loitering on this property," she said, materializing from beneath the lamplight. Her red hair looked like fire beneath the yellow glow. "Was there something you needed before I send you off?"

The young woman was clad in a simple winter coat, but not the kinds made of fur he'd seen in so many places. Obviously, she was no heiress on wall street nor of the bourgeois that cruise through the Upper East Side or the Financial District. Gunner relaxed - she was plain as day, someone like him.

"I'm looking for someone. Do you think you can help me find 'em?" Gunner stepped closer to the woman until he was under the lamplight, his image coming to sight. From the countless keys hanging off the keychain, he deduced that she must have a superintendent of some sort.

"I can't really hand out information to strangers," she responded. "For all I know, you could be a criminal."

"I'm not a criminal, I swear. I'm not here to hurt anybody, but my, um...my fiancé and daughter are here. Audrey Rahal and Leah Shaw. Please, if you can, tell me which room they're in." Gunner's desperation was displeasing even to his own ears. But he had no other choice but to be desperate if that meant he'd see his family again.

The woman remained defiant, but her features were soft. "It's not my place to give strangers information-"

A door on the first floor creaked open and out stepped a man, cigarette between his fingers. He was tall and slim, but sickly. Clothes worn, eyes shifty and red, hair unkempt. He coughed into his sleeve and went on his way, mumbling and chuckling to himself.