I’ve never done this before, but I gotta tell ‘ya. Riley’s suspicious attitude towards Hoodie Guy kinda got me invested. I don’t want to think she’s into him or something. We don’t even know who the guy is, and she doesn’t seem to be that girl who falls in love at first sight. Or maybe because I don’t know her too well, yet, too.
“You sure about this, Ste?” I whisper to him, as we hide behind a dumpster as we follow Hoodie Guy to the elevator.
We’ve seen Riley get in already, and now we’re waiting for Hoodie Guy to take his turn so we can take the other lift to follow them to wherever they were going. Rooftop, I guess?
“Yeah, you won’t do something stupid if they’d do something stupid, will you?” Stephen replies.
“Nah, I ain’t like that.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Hoodie Guy finally takes the elevator, and we take it as a go signal for us to get to the other one. We glance at the screen that indicates the lift’s destination, and my guess is right. They’re going to the rooftop.
At first, I was hesitant about what Stephen wanted us to do. I still remember the last hour I pointed the gun at Riley. I realize how big of a mistake I made and that might have traumatized her. Yet, my hunch about the dog was right. It was a monster. It embodied the dog I killed six years ago. It was as vicious as that monster that killed Marcielle. And now, that dog Riley thought she tamed, almost killed her as well. After what happened, I don’t think I’d still be able to talk to her because it’s obvious that she’s furious at me. So, I decide to take my distance from her instead.
And if she talks to me, which is incredibly impossible, then it’s alright.
But I’d still prefer to stay out of her way for a while.
We take our lift, and arrive at the hallway for the rooftop. We tip-toe as we get to the metal door, which we already know would creak open, and that might blow our cover. Stephen slightly opens the door to take a peek outside. He nods and slowly opens it wider. He gets out and slides behind a dead generator, and when it’s my turn, I take a glance at the two people who we are stalking now. I know this is a bad idea and like I said, I’ve never done this before. I might do something stupid by making a sound or suddenly appear out of nowhere and try to push Hoodie Guy off the rooftop. Or probably tell Riley how I feel about her out of the blue.
I duck slightly, and stealthily dash to Stephen. We lift our heads over the top of the dusty generator and watch the two having a chat. As I see Hoodie Guy walk closer to Riley, my hands turn into hard fists and my teeth grit against each other. But then, Riley kicks him straight in his manhood. Her sudden act of aggression shocks me, my mouth forming an o. Stephen almost lets out a cackle, covering his mouth with his hand. Hoodie guy screams in pain as he guards his injury with both hands.
At this point, I almost burst into laughter. I grab Stephen’s varsity jacket as I silently laugh it out. He spanks me on my shoulder like it’s as hard as his. I groan silently in pain.
As they continue talking, I hear Hoodie Guy mutter something after Riley says she never lied.
“It’s Dan. That’s my name.” He says.
“You’re not kidding, are you?” Riley cocks her head as Dan stands up again.
“No. It’s my name. Dan Igor Alanov. I’m from Russia. Or at least that’s what I know.”
So, he’s saying he’s not only some ordinary assassin but also a Russian spy? Thought they’re all gone many years ago.
“Why didn’t you tell us about it earlier?” Riley replies.
“Because I don’t trust them?” He kicks off a pebble onto the edge of the rooftop.
“And you trust me?”
“I did until you killed my next generation!”
“I can’t tell you I’m sorry again, though. You deserved it.”
“For what? For believing Lenore is a legal adult and that I could take a shot at her?”
“Yeah.”
He chuckles. “That is the most ridiculous teenage reasoning I have ever heard in my entire life.”
“Teenage?” Her voice sounds a little louder this time.
“Yeah.”
“So, you’re not a teenager?”
“What? No! I’m twenty-two, more or less, and I don’t kick someone’s balls just because they tried to hit on my friend.”
“You’ll shoot them straight in the face, won’t you?”
“Yeah, it’s way more fun than kicking balls.”
“For me, it is fun, and I don’t kill people.”
“Sure,” Dan kicks the air, showing how mad he is at Riley.
Well, personally, I find Riley’s action reasonable. I know she just doesn’t kick anyone’s crotches if she didn’t have a reason, right?
I would definitely punch Dan in the face if he tried to take advantage of my Riley.
A sudden, loud creaking startles me and Stephen. We hide back behind the generator, covering our mouths. The door behind us is wide open, and a shadowy figure blocks the light from inside. Our eyes adjust to the brightness, and Ivan looks down at us, looking shocked. He wears a white apron over a light-colored shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Stephen and I put our pointer fingers across our lips, desperate for him to shut the heck up about us.
“Hey, Ivan,” Riley says.
Ivan smiles awkwardly as he turns to her. “Hi, guys.”
“What are you doing here?” Dan asks.
“Nothing, I’m just uh…” He side-eyes us.
Stephen and I shake our heads.
“… I’m just checking in.” He clasps his hands together as he looks away from us again.
“Oh, well. If someone’s looking for us, just tell them we’ll be there in a few minutes.” Riley responds.
“Sure. No problem.” He smiles, swaying awkwardly. “Well, I’ll uh… leave now.”
"Okay."
And then, Ivan glances at us again, and takes an exit, his sight back to Riley and Dan. The door closes, producing a clicking sound, and then it swiftly opens again.
It startles us again, but as the door was being opened, no creaking sound was heard. Then Ivan hastily throws himself into us.
"What the hell!" I groan, as he landed on me.
"She'll catch us!" Stephen frustratedly yell-whispers.
Ivan gets back on his feet and crouches, leveling us. "It's okay, no one caught me," he answers confidently.
We get our heads back over the generator to confirm that Riley nor Dan caught us. I shrug as I see them chatting again, their backs facing in our direction.
"Why are you here?" I ask Ivan as I retrieve myself back to cover.
"I'm as curious as you!" He whispers back.
I roll my eyes as I put my sight back on Riley. We start to listen to their conversation again.