I stare at the floor.
"Tomh, let's go" Alfred says from the front of the door. I get up from the bed and follow him through the stairs.
I try to wipe off the blood on my chin. I should do it with some water.
We enter the living room. On my right the flame dyed down.
"Where are we going?" I look at the last remaining flame, fighting to survive.
"To the base, in the meantime i will explain some things" he says putting his hood up.
The door now is standing. Alfred opens it.
The afternoon light wakes me up. The smell of wet dirt fills my nostril. Birds are singing.
It sounds almost like home. I close my eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, im coming" i open my eyes and get out house.
Rooftops on rooftops fill my view. All of the same color, a blend brown, dying down the light from the sun.
"This is yours?" The houses beside are abbandoned, with broken walls, rats moving around or windows barricated.
"No it is an abbandoned house, as you can see they all are, it is a the perfect place to fight"
On the house on the left, at the top window i see some eyes staring at me. I look away and with Alfred we take a path that takes us down to town.
"Are sure it's okay to go in the city like this?"
My hands, my face and clothes covered in blood.
"Don't worry they are not going to see us" as we get down Alfred turns left and enters the basement of a house made of two stores, with broken windows, at the edge of the town. We descend and enter a tunnel, weirdly similar to the one under the house of the boss.
Moss covers the walls, rat pass beside me.
"Is it connected to the one i was at?"
"Good thinking kid, to be precise it connects to many things, there tunnels like this all over the city" he says rotating the pen between his fingers.
"How can you still use them, it is impossible no one discovered them"
Alfred chuckles "everybody knows about it, not everybody is courageous enough to take them and even if they did they would never find our places, first of all there to many tunnels, also we have someone that can conceal us"
Right powers... "With his soul projection?"
"So you listened?" He turns around and smiles at me.
Is it a soul projection or simply a random power given to people? What rapresentation is to take the breath away to people by closing the hand? You couldn't really say that that rat was breathtaking.
"What is yours?"
"I don't have one, i just have the enhancing" he turns left "it is more likely that you just get enhancing, it isn't rare to get a soul projection but not likely"
"You said there were three types, what is the third" in this confined space the smell of rust and shit that Alfred left behind is the only thing i can smell.
"It's very rare and complicated, you don't need to know now, it would only make you paranoid" his voice lower, afraid or cautious to speak up about it.
I touch my arms. I wish i had enanching, i would then not feel pain, boast with my friends and at work don't tire myself up, even just going back would be enough.
He turns left another time and this time a grand door appears, it has intricate patterns, high three meters and emanating coldness that touches the soul.
"We're here"
He get's to the door and knocks two times, then another time.
The door slowly opens, a sudden gust of wind fills the tunnel.
An old man, bald with his eyes almost completely closed comes out, dressed with a black tunic and brown sandals.
"Come in Alfred" he enters inside, i get near and the old man lifts his hand. Hand! I immediately get down and roll on the left. I lut my hands on my head.
"Don't, please don't" i yell to the old man.
"What are you doing Tomh?" The old man voice brings me back to reality. I slowly raise my head, the old man is looking at the Alfred beside him, Alfred shakes his head.
The old man turns to me "i have to create the seal again, it doesn't recognize you anymore even tho you could still see the door"
What am i doing?
"You don't have to do this but i can't bring you inside" Alfred says with a strange kindness.
I get up and get close to the old man "alright do it".
The old man touches my chest, i squeeze my hands but nothing happens. "Done" he lowers his hand to the side "if it was up to me i would have not done it, there is something weird about you Tomh"
Yeah, you would never guess.
I pass beside him, after the door there is a great space in darkness, nothing i can see, Alfred walks ahead towards the stairs.
I walk up them with Alfred. He opens a door. Light comes in, illuminating around me.
Oil lamps show a room long many meters with many desks againts the wall. Some people are sat on it. I recognize Agnes, she is reading a book, with the pages all yellow. People are also reading, some of them writing on piece of papers others have their eyes closed.
"Agnes come here" she looks at us, her eyes widen and she comes towards us.
"What happened?"
"I will explain later, take care of Tomh and show him around, i have things to take care of" he puts his pen inside the pocket "Tomh i will come to you or write when we need to meet up, for the time being rest, you will need to answer some questions"
Im the prole, save me... My face burns from embarassment. Did i really say that?
"Are you okay Tomh, it is your blood?" I didn't forget what you said.
"No it's not mine but my arms..." I pull them up, turning purple where the tall man strittolated.
"It doesn't look good, come on i will take care of it" she starts walking out of the room.
The hallway is illuminated by oil lamps like the room before, darkness still lingering.
We enter one of the rooms, a small one with a cabinet and a elevated bed.
Finally. I go towards the bed and sit on it. Agnes opens the cabinet "i will cure you as i can for the time being, both Vincent and Miles are out"
Like i know who they are. She takes out some rough man made bandages and a small glass bottle and sits beside me.
"You look like you are hurting" she says. I put my eyes on her. Why i hate her so much, why she is acting like this.
"You annoy me" i spit out and keep my eyes on her. She looks bewildered, then she... Smiles, a genuine smile for the first time, she looks me back.
"I finally see you Tomh"
Wha- a knot gives away inside my chest. I turn around. She grabs my hand, her warmth spreads accross my body "you always look away, but i still see you, i can see the pain in your eyes, i was selfish... I know what i said" she stops for a second "but i was scared, to have lost you, but i now i know I didn't" she giggles "it is kinda poetic that i understood it when you insulted me" she lower her voice "it must have been lonely"
I grab her hand back.