Chapter 10. Clenched Tight

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Rain spattered off the brick building, hitting me in the face as I ran to the front entrance of my apartment

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Rain spattered off the brick building, hitting me in the face as I ran to the front entrance of my apartment. The dark hallway tilted a tan with the red carpet dirty to the traffic. Caution tape on the elevator doors fell, showing its broken age.

My wet shoe barely touched the tape, sticking to the bottom and tripping me onto the stairs. I yanked at the plastic, throwing it, but it kept hooked to my foot.

"The evil caution tape got you, too," Alice's voice said above me.

I glanced over my shoulder, straightening my back while sitting on the wet step. "Yeah, when is the old bastard gonna fix the elevator?"

Alice walked down the steps, crouching next to me. She pulled the rest of the tape off my foot, then stood, stepping off the last tread. Her face dropped nervously, leaning against the wall. She fidgeted with her fingers, pulling at the skin around her nails.

I raked down her body, seeing her fancy dress. Her pulled-back hair showed off her round face with makeup lightly placed. Alice was leaving for her blind date. Her black dress dipped low in the front, showing off her assets.

"Where are you meeting him?" I asked her, standing and leaning against the handrail.

"He said the new place on Main Ave." She looked at her phone. "You know, the one with the-"

"Weird outdoor seating," we said at the same time.

I remembered Roy complaining about this restaurant when they were building it. He said it made traffic in that area crazy when he headed to work. Now I know he never had work and lied to me about everything.

Anger built inside, feeling the demon take over. I glanced down, knowing Alice didn't want to see the nightmare inside of my soul.

"I better get going," she said. "He said he had a surprise for me."

"Okay." I kept my eyes down. "Have a good time," I said, waving and running up the steps.

I opened into my apartment quietly, thinking about Koa. I smiled at the ceiling, laying my back against the wooden door as I closed it. The silence of the dark apartment caught my attention. I glanced around to see a tiny light beaming at the corner.

I strolled over, seeing Dieter asleep on a makeshift desk with paperwork scattered on the floor. Bending, I picked up some of his files and set them on the desk. The lamp flickered before the crash of lightning sounded around us. A bright light entered from the open window to the fire escape, then back to a dark room with a tan light.

Dieter's glasses fell off, placed next to his face. I leaned closer to see his mouth slightly prompt open. His calm breath let out a huff while his closed eyes did the rapid movement. There was a small liquid spot on the paper he was sleeping on.

My fingers brushed his brown hair from his forehead. "Dieter," I whispered.

He opened his eyes quickly, placing his rough hand on my throat and standing up. His hand squeezed my neck, lifting me slightly.

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