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mehiwilldoitlater · 14 days ago

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Journey to the Rent

You sniffed again, your eyes glued to the streetlamp; the light trembled here and there, a few moths attracted by its light.

You lost track of time; how long were you sitting on that half-wet bench? The Clouds i. The sky covered the moon, and you needed to turn off your phone. You didn't want to hear It rang; you didn't want to talk or be found right now. Your luggage near you reminded you about your long-lost happiness, wishing that you never had to take the planet back in this city that now, more than ever, felt so big and cold.

Yes, cold, you felt cold... well, you were in the middle of a park at night, of course. It was cold now. This thought, luckily, was able to take you away from the reason why you couldn't go back to your apartment...

Yes, at that right moment you were currently homeless. To be fair, you had all the rights in the world to stay in your home, but the idea now... It made you sick. You felt like a coward even, why weren't you fighting back?

Because you felt that it was coming...

No, no distractions. You straighten your back, now focusing on your important task: not dying on a cold November night. You rose up, taking your backpack and your luggage, slowly walking away from the small playground, hoping to find in the meantime a good idea.

Calling your parents was out of the question; they lived far away, and you didn't have any energy left for another trip. You could have asked your friends to stay the night, but you didn't want to involve them in your drama. You all went on vacation to help Nicole tò get over her divorce. After a single One year of marriage, which was ALREADY enough for her. And, the most important part, was that he knew all these people, he had their number, and he could have easily found you.

At least for that night, you wanted to be invisible, disappear, and not exist.

Maybe you could book a room in a motel? Yeah, no pass. The idea of freezing to death was more appealing than passing it inside one of those places...Maybe an hotel? It seemed the most rational idea! But you didn't know how long you would have stayed there, and that was pretty much money drying. Not to mention that, right now, you have zero idea how many hotels near your workplace are available.

You started to contemplate going to a shelter for the homeless when a small glint caught your eye. It was a small gleam, for only a second; if it wasn't for that car passing by near the gate of the park, you would have surely missed it. A notice board, one of those people put photos of lost pets, a number for reps for school, a job advertisement, and all of those staff. Some people preferred a more direct approach than using some apps, and those noticed board were pretty usefull sometimes.

There, tacked over the other, a golden piece of plastic paper. The writings were in a darker shade of red, and by the looks of the ink, it seemed that they made it by hand, and that was the first, if not the only, of that advertiser made it in that way.

At first glance, you would have found It was quite tacky for its presentation, arrogant even, since it covered all the other papers but dismissed everything when you noticed what the paint strokes were saying.

Thunderclap apartments.

Bilocals ready To immediate use: car parking, functional elevators,

and a private pool for the residents.

A refuge for the mind and the soul!

Alongside that, an address and a few phone numbers, from the owner probably.

In other situations you would certainly have avoided something so tempting like this one, since it was probably a scam. And yet, you took the golden, plastified paper, looking at the phone number, desperate enough to try everything that you could find.

When you reached the nearest phone cabin, you had a few second thoughts about this idea, but as soon as you inserted the coin and typed the number, you felt more adamant about it.

A few minutes passed, and there was no response. Maybe it was really a scam; maybe no one was behind that number... maybe coming back wasn't such a

"Hello?"

The voice of A man came from the other side. It felt like the voice of someone that could break your back in two with an Hug and yet seemed nice by the tone he used.

"H-hello?" Your voice trembled a little, whether from the cold or from the nervousness you didn't know. "Is this Thunderclap Apartments number?"

"Wujing, it's dinner time!" An acute voice came from the background; you had a little more conscience on what time it was now.

"Yes, yes, it's me! Well, I AM one of the owners, of course! You can call me Sha Wujing! Can I help you?" A shuffle, he must have stood up from his seat. Yes, he was really helpful now.

"Oh, hello! My name Is Y/n F/n and...I found the announcement for the apartment, and I was—" you heard a rumble in the sky—"more than interested!"

"Oh! Oh yes, the announcement! Yes, of course! We can set up a meeting tomorrow after-"

"N-no, Mr.... ehm, Wujing... I wonder if the immediate means...like now..."

"Now?...now now?"

"....yes..."

While the silence and the small murmur in the background kept going for a minute or two, your anxiety kept on growing in your belly. It wasn't about the possible rejection; that you know was more than just justified; you literally asked to get a roof over your head pronto. No, what you feared was that the only option there was to go back to face the inevitable.

"Are you in some big trouble, uh?"

"...well, not troubles like police and stuff, but... yeah..."

He sighed; you prayed for a quick no, swift and painless.

"Well, I can't turn down a request for help. How long till you're here?"

The surprise of the respond was enough to make you speechless. Really? Just like that?! Wait, maybe that was really a scam! Maybe they were—

"Miss? Miss, are you there?"

Okay, no, no more questioning!

"Ah! Yes! Yes, I'll be there as soon as I can!"

"Good! Later than!"

"YES! Thank you, thank you so much!"

You had to hang up, and... you felt a wave of relief washing over you. You had to give yourself a few slaps on your cheeks, enough to believe that you really resolved your problem in such a short time... there was still the chance that it wasn't safe at all and you were literally giving yourself to a bunch of criminals, but you wanted to push this small moment of luck that you had found.

It was when some cold drops of rain and some more thunders reminded you that you needed to find a taxi, and so you sprinted out from the park.

///

As soon as you reached the place, it was now raining hard. You even had some trouble seeing through the old glass of the car, but, from the lack of lights and buildings, the complex must have been built a little far from the center of the city.

It wasn't such a bad thing, especially in your actual situation. You'll have to find a way to go to work, but you had time for that. Maybe it wasn't so bad that the bad weather forced you and your friends to come back sooner...

At least you found out ...

Before you could go back to your spiral of thoughts, the cranky voice of the driver got you back to reality.

"We're here..."

You paid with the little cash you had with you, forsaking the fact that you had brought everything with you EXCEPT for an umbrella. The driver didn't have anything left from other customers, so you had just the option to walk under the pouring rain.

The Rain made It hard to see the palace, even if the lights were lit up, but what you could see was that it was quite big. By the iron fence, the lamps that decorated the pavement from the main gate to the entrance and the lights from the structure, it seemed like an old place that was renowned.

The main gate, a big old-fashioned kind of metal one, was left open. Maybe it was supposed to be that way, maybe left for you; you didn't care. Your worries now were to run as fast as you could under the rain, protecting your laptop in your backpack, which your friends had made fun of you for since you had brought it on a holiday, and the few important items that you wanted to be dry.

You found refuge from the rain under the patio that preceded the door. It was an old type, made of wood, and the center decorated with stained glass, a fancy design with several flowers and plants. The only contemporary object was the intercom on the right of the door, and after a small research of the right button, you called inside, waiting for a response.

Between the sound of the raging door and the heavy drops camping from your now soaked form, the intercom lightened up, showing a sign of life from It. Before you could hear any sound from it, the light from the other side of the door had turned on, showing some movements from the other side and a staircase, which you weren't sure was an actual one until two figures had moved quickly on it.

Strange, you thought, then a long beep emitted from the intercom.

"Hello? Miss Y/n?" It was the calm and understanding voice of Wujing.

"Yes, it's me!"

"Ah! Good! Please come in!"

A small click from the door and a good push, that was all you needed to get in. It was an old door, but it seems that the owners decided to install all the security in it! And, speaking of the owners...

When you heard the voice, your first thought was that this Sha Wujing was some kind of big man; what you couldn't understand was that he was quite REALLY a big man! The two first features that caught your attention were the fact that he was almost near 2 meters in height and large like a bear and his vibrant hair and beard, colored in a vibrant red. Tied up in a high bun, they almost looked fake by the color they showed, since it was almost impossible to exist such a color in nature! His eyes were dark, and, despite his oriental name, they were quite big and round. He almost reminded you of a fish by those curious traits.

He seemed like the kind of man that you REALLY didn't want to have against you in a fight, because by the looks of it, he was really strong, maybe able to crush a skull between his thighs, covered in a pair of thick jeans. And yet, despite his looks, his face showed a kind and patient smile. Honestly, if you had to guess a possible second work aside from being an apartment owner, you could guess between a bodyguard or a teacher, since he had that kind of smile that could make every kid behave.

"Finally, it's nice to have a face on the voice!" he said between a small chuckle, ignoring the dripping water on the carpet that you were leaving. "And by the look of it, the rabbi found you first..."

"Yeah..." you scratched your head a little, posing down your backpack."So, umm... nice to meet you! I'm Y/n...Y/N F/n...I'm... I'm so grateful for your kindness!"

"Oh please! You're not the first one to ask for such a thing! It's our duty to help the ones in need!"

Wow, so they did this thing often? They didn't care about records or stuff? You started to wonder about the other tenets of that place and were a little worried since you'll have to stay there for who knows how long. You noticed then that he was looking at you with a strange anticipation...like waiting for something.

A minute passed; you cleared your throat, waiting for him to show you the house, and he just looked around, feeling your same nervousness.

"You know... You can take it off!" He exclaimed, moving his hands.

You raised your eyebrow, looking at him in a mix of confusion and disbelief. You touched your wet hoodie, the only warmth you had from it now gone with the freezing rain.

"...My...hoodie?"

"Come on, darling! I'm sure you're ADORABLE!"

The second voice came from the stairs, where the two figures that you spotted from outside were. Leaning from the railing on the stairhead, just in front in what you supposed was the elevator, the one who spoke was a large man; the muscles were not as prominent as the one of Wujing, but he still gave you the idea of strength in him. He had the kind of face of the men that you met in a disco, who try so hard to woo you for hours and don't take a hint even if it's splatted on their face. It seemed like an offense, but...his face reminded you...a pig... He had a large nose, decorated with a large nose piercing, his eyes still large but like Wujing ones. His hair, black like ink, was tied in a low ponytail.

The second one...honestly, you couldn't look at him for so long. It wasn't the fact that you couldn't even get one inch of their feature; guilty, the sweatshirt they wore, it was his...aura. You never had believed in that staff, but in the moment that you really tried to focus on that second figure, you felt his eyes on you, and you had to divert your eyes from them, and, with the corner of your eyes, you almost believed that they were glowing for a second. You couldn't describe it, but you believed that that was the same sensation that a prey feels in front of the predator, or like when you're in front of something so big that you have to take a step back.

You felt small, and you really wished that Wujing could just take you away; instead, he just shushed the first one.

"I understand; you don't feel comfortable! Here, I'll do it first!"

"You... want to take off your tank top?" Oh no, please, not a nudist club!

You really started to panic when a voice thundered from the stairs.

"Wujing, she's NOT..." His voice was... you couldn't describe it, but it seemed like a snarl from the tone. Wujing looked at him for a few seconds, then his eyes came back to you.

"...You're not... OH... OH GODS!" It was his turn to panic and to feel mortified for the terrible idea that he had and the first impression with you. You just looked at him, more confused and awkwardly since you were still there trying to understand what he was talking about. You noticed that the second man had the same expression as him, less mortified and more embarrassed. The third one... seemed to not care at all.

"Oh no, I was assuming...the advertiser... Wait, you're dripping wet!" He had noticed just now? "You need a towel or you're going to catch a cold! Don't move, stay here!" And he disappeared behind a door that you noticed just now, behind a large vase, an Asian one by the looks of it, where a series of some small version of a bamboo grew. The silence fell again when the door slammed for his strength, leaving you there with the mysterious duo.

"...I'm not...what?" You finally were able to speak again.

"Um...a lawyer." The large man received what you supposed was a dirty look from the other, but what you saw was just a movement with his hands that was supposed to be Are you serious?" Wow, you weren't one to judge, but his fingernails were...long and sharp...nice.

"Because..." the large one continued, "Lawyers don't...go around...during a storm...."

"...I guess?" No, they weren't nudist; they were crazy. Well, better crazy than criminals, right?

Honestly, what was wrong with them?! Firstly, they act all nice and dandy, like you were some old friend coming to take a visit in town, and now they act all strange and worried? That wasn't a real criminal kind of way to act, but it seemed like they were expecting something from you, which you didn't know what it was, honestly. When the door opened up again, Wujing was holding a ...pink fluffy towel. Really not something that you expected, but you couldn't guess much when he was literally drying you like you were a toddler.

"You... you don't have to!" You tried to smutter up while he was creating fire with the many strokes he gave you.

"No, no, I left you here in the cold... gods, what a night..."

"You...could say that..." you sighed, finally free from his grasp and the towel around your neck.

His look, still worried for something that you didn't know what, looked at you for a few seconds, and there, you started to wonder if there was some sort of problem with you. He clicked his tongue, searching for the right words.

"Y/n... can I call you Y/n, right? No matter um..." He clearly didn't know how to explain whatever he needed to do; maybe it was too complicated to explain? "You...you are...a normal person, right?"

"Normal...OH!" You felt a rush of fear crossing you; he was having second thoughts?! So much to help someone in need! "OH! Oh yes! Please, please, I need to stay here! Here! I have my laptop; we can check my bank account together. I just need—" You were already opening your backpack when his hand stopped you, trying to calm you down.

"No, no, I believe you! You don't need to show me anything, but... um... you said you found the golden paper, right?"

"Uh...yes, in the park. I have It right here, see?" You took out from your pocket the plastic paper, opening up in front of his quite surprised eyes. He looked at it, then at the two on the stairs, to which they responded with a shrug from them.

It seemed like they were confused about the fact that you actually had that thing in your hands, which did worry a little your stressed mind further. But, before something else could happen, Wujing just turned back to you, a tired smile on his face.

"Well, I guess it is what it is!" Welcome to Thunderclap apartments, Missy!"

...Wow, everything turned back to normal? Well, sort of at least. Before you could react, he took your luggage from the ground, holding it like it wasn't weighing a thing.

"All right, let's take the elevator. We have a good place for you on the first floor, but we can take it in this case."

You wondered how tired you looked, or pathetic and desperate, but at that moment it wasn't the first of your worries. You just wanted to collapse on a bed and try to sleep...

The two men looked at you from the stair, now with a punch of curiosity in this new presence in the building. You felt again that heavy feeling on your shoulder every time the one in the hoodie watched you; this time you even noticed something off with his face ... It seemed like his nose was... flat? And he had a pair of long teeth. For the nose, you weren't sure, but for the teeth and his looks, maybe he was one of those wannabe vampires.

Finally, the door of the elevator closed up, and you breathed normally.

"So," the almost normal member of the owners spoke, "I don't want to dig in your business, but... you really look..."

"Like SHIT?"

"Your words, not mine!" You chuckled a little.

"I... well, let's just say I had a hell of a day. I'm sorry to be a trouble, anyway."

"Nah, you just surprised us, that's all! You looked like you were running away!" He wasn't lying, though...

"I had just returned from a peaceful holiday, and now I'm on the street, not a runaway, I swear."

"Ish, from Heaven to hell, huh?"

This time, you actually laughed. Despite all the strangeness that they showed, this Wujing seemed like a pretty decent guy. He was nice, understandable, and kind enough to not pry too much into your current situation. He was quite nice and the complete opposite of what usually house owners are described as, giving a sense of relief and the feeling of being lucky once in a while.

Once you reached the floor, another small ping came from the elevator, and you both exited the small cabin. In front of you, two doors faced each other with 3 meters of separation by the landing. Wujing reached for the One at your left, opening with One of the many keys hanging from a keychain, a strange metal thing, it seemed like a small stick with a crescent moon on one side... He must had liked Sailor Moon.

Once he opened the door, you were able to look inside and... It wasn't bad at all.

The living room wasn't too big or too small but just enough to put some furniture here and there. The most interesting thing was the big window that faced towards the road, giving you the idea that once under the sun, that place was made to be bright.

"Wow, I have lights and electricity?"

"Yeah, we decided to give you an extra because of the rush. It seemed like we were right, uh?"

The kitchen and the living room faced each other; an island made of wood was the only object that separated the two. It was a good idea of someone wanting to throw a dinner since it was easy to transform the living room into a dining room. The kitchen had what every kitchen needed: a few shelves, a pantry, and the stoves.

"This is the bathroom! We renovated the apartments, but we decided to just give a refresh to the bathrooms for the Styles. My mast—I mean, my co-owner—believed that taking away their original design was a sin!"

And you couldn't agree more! The color of the times was a soft shade of honey tones, and Just in the middle there was a series of ones that reminded you of some seaweed by the designs. The bathtub, a large One with Lion paws, was near the stained-glass Windows, wich reminded you of the feont door! Then a sink, some shelves...but something's missing.

"Uh...what about the washing machine?"

"Oh..." he scratched his head with an apologetic tone. "Well... yeah, we had a few... issues with our laundry area..."

"You have a laundry area?" There wasn't anything about it in the advertiser..."

"We...didn't put it...because of the issues!"

"...What kind of issues?"

"Pff... some... tube issues... do not worry too much! We're working on it! For now, there is a good laundry shop not far from here!"

It sounded more like an excuse, but he said that it was something temporary...so maybe they were just using it for some drugs or staff; who were you to judge?

And finally...the bedroom. A spacious room, an old bed with a mattress that, despite the place, seemed quite clean, and a balcony that led to the other side of the building. Simple, no furniture... But it seemed quite lovely, just like the rest of the house.

"So...that's it! It's not that big, but quite nice as a flat. The price is 600 dollars monthly, bills excluded. You can use the free Wi-Fi of the condo, but I suggest you buy a Wi-Fi as soon as possible!"

Honestly, with that price, you felt like they were literally gifting you this place! Maybe staying wasn't such a bad idea after all! He gave you the key, and you led him to the door, listening to the last information that you needed.

"I leave you alone now; you look like you need sleep. Tomorrow we'll fix the last small details."

"Seriously, you're a lifesaver..."

"And, as I said, you're not the first one. We do this all the time... Are you sure you don't need any blankets?"

"Nah, got my staff...thank you..."

"Eh, you're welcome... night!"

When the door clicked, you felt the strength in your legs start to fade away. You touched your hair, feeling the dampness of the towel...ah, you forgot to give it back...another small thing to do in the morning. You could have just changed, taken the pajamas in your luggage, and cleaned a little yourself, but you didn't have any strength to do that. You found yourself removing everything except that old t-shirt that you had inherited from your dad, a stupid thing with a fish coming out from a tunnel and the ominous writing soon on it.

You allowed your body to collapse on that mattress, ignoring the possibility of getting some bedbugs on you. In all honesty, you didn't care at all; you just turned off the light and started looking at the ceiling, rethinking many life choices and many things that happened in the few hours.

You left your house... your shared house... you left your boyfriend there... him alone... with that girl that he had told you to not worry about. A girl that you saw plenty of times at the theater, that you wanted to believe was just too friendly.

He had cheated you while you were away... You came back sooner, and you found him red-handed... and you ran away. You did nothing, just ran away...

All the tears that you kept in you finally started to come out. And, between sobs and sighs, you found yourself crying yourself to sleep.

///

Blasting music came from a car, one of those that really rich kids can even manage to possess. He fixed his long hair out from his electric blue jacket, laughing and jumping out from the vehicle. A girl laughed alongside a few of her friends while talking about the douchebag that was flirting with her all night. The rider, a boy with a huge grin on his face, looked at the one that was still saying goodbye to his friends.

"Yo, same time next week?"

"Please, please, please, you have to come, Lie! It's not fun if you're not around!"

"You heard the lady, big man!"

He laughed, splashing some puddles with his expensive and far too colored sneakers, while slowly reaching for the complex while the light lamps started to open up. "All right, all right! You babies always act as brats! I'll accompany you again, but you have to behave, alright?!"

And with more laughs and taunts, the groups drove off, the music slowly disappearing, letting the music of the night come back to the area. When Ao Lie walked towards the door, he imagined the disappointed look of his master, questioning him about his whereabouts of the night; instead, he found himself alone in the entrance hall. Everyone must have been asleep, he thought, but hearing a few smacks from the stairs and some ominous little lights, floating here and there, making the place more freezing than it was supposed to be, he must retake his own words.

Since he hated doing his own business, he decided to follow the sounds and the creepy lights, only to find his old brother, staff in his hand, sitting with his back on a door, smacking a few of those evil spirits away. A yawn from him was enough to understand that he didn't exactly want to be there; who knows what he had done this time?

"Oh! Did you make Master angry again?"

"You're late again, "the cranky voice spoke."Had fun?"

"As always!" said Ao Lie, sitting next to his brother, while a long and scaly tail came from him, smacking another of those little things."You should come one of these days; it would be a change of air at least!"

"Nah. I don't like that blasty stuff you hear at those clubs that you like."

Ao Lie laughed a little; he knew his brother far too well, and he loved messing around with him a little. Then, his attention came back to those spirits, trying to get to that door it seemed.

"Quite feisty this night, huh? What's inside this flat anyway? Wasn't it empty?"

"A girl came..."

"A demon one?"

"Nope, a mortal one." Ao Lie gave him a look like asking him if he was joking. "Yeah, I know...crazy, right? Master asked him to guard her for this night. He plans to do something tomorrow...some mantra or staff to protect her..."

"Wait...how does a mortal find this place anyway?"

"She found the golden sigil..." Ao Lie gasped, "Yup... I know..."

A silence has fallen between the two, now two objects smacking the spirits away from the door or just smashing them. It wasn't the first time a mortal found that place, but it was abnormal that the golden sigil led them there. It was made for... non-mortal people.

"I don't know what's wrong with her, but she had cried herself to sleep."

"Oh...a runaway maybe?"

"Like I care..." And again with the attitude of the cold-hearted one... If he really didn't care, he would not have guarded that door even. It was a master order, but he would have found a way to sneak around the job, and he even listened to her cries... Well, it wasn't his problem, but he would have used that against him one day.

"...We need to fix the laundry problem," said Ao Lie, smacking another spirit. "These things are starting to get on my nerves."

"That old lady loves sneaking through the tubes, you know that..."

"Yeah, but it was you the one that had trapped her in the washing machine, remember?" Ao Lie's old brother decided to stay silent.

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