Whisper in the Walls | WNX Paranormal Investigators AU

1

04:51

Lan Zhan's eyes open at the sound of skittering steps in his wall.

His phantom alarm clock. Always early.

Almost eight months here and he'd been woken up like this consistently on a weekly basis. There were still no signs of animal droppings and still none of his neighbors could hear it either.

He was starting to question if he was really hearing them at all.

He stares at the ceiling for a few more quiet minutes before pushing himself out of bed to start his day.

Just the same as the day before.

Shower, dress, breakfast, check the headlines.

At least it was Friday and the monotony would be broken up a little bit by the end of the week.

He drives to the office with no hiccups. He finds his normal place in the building’s parking garage and rides the old elevator up to the 23rd floor where Gusu Realty Group, LLC resides with three other different firms.

Lan Zhan had been working here under his brother for over five years, selling real estate to different corporations and businesses.

It wasn’t a job he kept out of any great love for the profession, but his brother’s coattails were easy enough to ride. His name carried enough weight within the industry that Lan Zhan rarely ran into any trouble with clients or sales.

It kept him in nice apartments and wearing the right clothes at the very least, despite being a bit… soul crushing.

The amount of times he caught himself staring at his blank white office wall were growing by the day.

By the time lunch rolls around, he’s had to deal with call dodging agents and full voicemails. There were even a few of his contacts that were taking their summer vacations already; their auto-replies claiming to be sent from the beach. Unfortunately for him, it only made his day more frustrating.

Lan Zhan hits a button on his office phone, putting it into quiet mode before grabbing his lunch bag out of the mini fridge he kept next to his desk, and heads to the communal break room that the four firms on the floor share.

The closest thing he has to a friend in the entire building is already there, warming up his left overs in one of the microwaves.

“Heeyy,” Nie Huasang greets him, though his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

The two of them bond over the shared position of Younger Brother of the CEO.

As far as Lan Zhan can tell, it’s killing them both.

“Afternoon,” Lan Zhan says. He sits at their usual table in the corner of the break room, pulling the two chairs apart so that he sits across the table from Huaisang.

“You look like shit!” He says over the beeping of the microwave.

“Mn,” Lan Zhan agrees as he pulls his food out of his bag.

Nie Huaisang just laughs at him. “Hard day or were you woken up early again this morning?”

Lan Zhan looks up at him as he sits down. He’s got some chicken, rice, and sauce in his bowl. The steam rising from it coats Nie Huaisang’s glasses momentarily.

“Both,” Lan Zhan tells him, opening up the bowl that holds his salad.

Nie Huaisang tsks and shakes his head. “I really don’t know how you deal with calling agents like that all day.”