The Time Keeper

Chapter 10 - Refuge in Uncertainty

Caius was walking quickly, his grip tight on my arm. I had to quicken my pace to keep up with him. He wasn't giving any explanation for his sudden change of direction and it was making me nervous.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

"I think we're being followed," he replied, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

My heart started to race as I looked over my shoulder, but I couldn't see anyone. We continued down the street, taking a few more turns and finally stopped in front of a small bar.

"Let's go in here," Caius said, pushing the door open.

We stepped inside and Caius went straight to the counter, gesturing for me to follow. The bar didn't have many people around but was active enough for us to blend in nicely. The bartender greeted us and Caius ordered two drinks, non-alcoholic. We took a seat in one of the booths against the back wall and sipped on our drinks, trying to act as nonchalantly as possible.

A few moments passed. "What was that about?" I asked still keeping rather quiet, though finally breaking the silence.

"I think we were being followed by the Enforcers," Caius replied, keeping his voice low.

"The Enforcers? Why would they be following us?" I asked, my voice raising slightly. Day two and I was already wanted? Did they find out I wasn't from here, surly not, how could they even? Back at the watch shop, nothing was out of the ordinary—except for me not knowing where I was. Not even the man a the counter noticed anything off.

Caius shrugged. "I don't know, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Are you kidding me, I was... never mind," I had plans to find that enforcer from yesterday, well hopefully. I had come up with a few plans for the future but if I was imprisoned it might not work out well.

"The two people outside the apartment building, I know you saw them didn't you."

"I couldn't really see them all that well. My head was hurting a bit so I wasn't looking properly."

On second thought, it was probably nothing major, maybe a questioning or maybe they're just after Caius. I hope it's just him, then he can get out of my hair for a while. But what could this ray of sunshine even do?

"That's fine, we should be safe here for a while but we might have to split after these drinks. Who knows if they caught on quick."

I nodded, taking another sip of my drink. The tension in the air was palpable and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. We sat in silence for a few more minutes, finishing our drinks before leaving the bar.

As we stepped back into the street, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were still being watched. Not as intensely as before but still lingering. Caius seemed to sense it too as he kept his eyes peeled and his hand close to his waist.

We continued on, taking many more turns down past a weary area of town. Many houses were shabby and wrecked and finally, we stopped in front of another older-looking building.

"This is my place," Caius said, "We'll have to go around the back though."

I followed him still taking peaks over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. "You can stay here for a while until things calm down," Caius said, unlocking the door. I followed him inside.

Caius showed me to a guest room and I settled in, still trying to figure out what was going on. The fear and uncertainty of the situation was taking a toll on me, but I knew I needed to stay strong. I just hoped that Caius had a plan to get us out of this mess.

As I walked through the modest house, I noticed signs of wear and tear. The walls were chipped and the roof needed repairs, but it was livable.

Caius showed me to the guest room, which was up the worn staircase located at the back of the house. The room was simple but had all the necessary amenities, including a comfortable bed and a small dresser to store my belongings. Not that I had any though. The room had a small window that looked out into the front entrance, providing a view to watch the day go by.

I was thankful for a temporary roof over my head, but I still couldn't shake my unease around Caius. I hoped that he had a plan to get us out of the mess we were in, as uncertainty was still weighing on me. Nevertheless, I was grateful for his hospitality and the safe haven he provided.

As I walked down from the guest room, I found Caius deep in thought, his brows furrowed and his eyes glued to the ground. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was still off about him, and the scepticism building inside of me was quickly turning into annoyance.

"Caius," I said, trying to keep my voice calm despite my growing frustration. "What's going on? Why are we being followed? I know you still know something."

Caius sighed, finally lifting his gaze to meet mine. "I don't know, Elias. I really don't. I'm trying to figure it out, but I don't have all the answers yet. I just know that it's dangerous and we need to be careful."

I let out a frustrated sigh and looked back over my shoulder to the door. "That's not good enough. We need to know what we're up against, and we need to know it now." I can't be in this kind of situation if I want to make it good with the enforcers.

Just then, a chill ran down my spine, much like the one I had felt the previous night with the strange man. It was as if a gust of wintery air had passed through the room, leaving me feeling cold and exposed.

"Do you feel that?" I asked, my stance ready and waiting.

Caius nodded, his eyes widening as he looked around the room. "Yes. And I think we're about to find out what we're up against."

Before I could even ask what he meant, there was a loud knock at the front door. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as Caius made his way to answer it.

"Shit, can't we just hide or leave out the back?"

"I don't think we have that kind of chance anymore, we're likely cornered."

As he opened the door, I felt as if my heart had stopped. The people who had been following us were standing on the doorstep, their eyes cold and unyielding. It was as if they were made of shadows, blending in with a darkness that surrounded them. They were here, and they were not going to let us escape.

I felt as if I was standing on the edge of a cliff, the ground beneath my feet crumbling away. The fear that I had been trying to hold back was now threatening to consume me, and I didn't know what was going to happen next.

Were they really enforcers? They weren't wearing the same uniform as the enforcer the other day. More like your regular black suit and trench jacket but rather nicer than what I had seen around Leode so far.

"Are you Caius," One of them said. It was a taller man with blondish-brown hair and a long face. The woman behind him was slightly shorter with a very dark-blue bob cut coming down just about to her shoulders.

Caius didn't reply, he just stood there in front of our followers.

"We would like to have a word with you and your associate."