I forced my eyes open and was hit by a wave of nausea. I don't remember drinking anything last night, I saw Chloe up close and everything faded to black.
"Oh!" I tried to straighten myself up but got a burning headache.
"Damn Iby!" A voice chuckled. My vision swam as I tried to locate it. "You were on your way out of the hospital to end up in one yourself." Chuckled Clyde.
"I don't remember ever seeing you that cocky Clyde."
"Happens if you hang around all day amongst two monsters."
"I get you, I get you." I looked around. "Why are we in the waiting area?" I asked Clyde as I got a hold of surroundings.
He shrugged. "The Technocrats said that you don't deserve a bed if you let yourself get folded by women you're not in a romantic relationship with."
I scratched the back of my head. "I don't know if that's their weird world view or their collectively started to pull our legs."
"Hard to say, it's like the rumor of the uprising of the sentient street lamps on servuvs prime."
"I thought it was some urban legend on the conspiracy media circles."
Clyde shrugged. "The Commissar came back and told us that we have to start prepping and you know what to do."
I didn't, and probably neither the Commissar or Clyde knew. "Let's meet up tomorrow at the university." I said, it will be hard to backtrack any conversations I had with the Commissar.
We left the lobby of the Technocrats Hospital, Ifarmary or whatever they call those structures. Clyded waved his hand as he got into his car. It will be some time till I can afford one for myself. The sun had gone down and it was night time already.
I walked over to the other side of the streets and waited for the bus to come by, even when my semester is currently over and I got a couple weeks of free time. Assignments just keep piling up. I probably need to get in touch with the hospital and make sure Sine is getting taken care of or she stays at our place before she goes on a tirade, and actually kills Kyle or anyone else in her need for validation.
It wasn't lucky to long till the bus pulled off, like any good driver. An eye brow rose as he saw my military uniform and the weapon which hung loosely over my shoulder. Luckily it stayed at that, I walked through to the end and sat down. The bus started silently with its electric motor and my journey home began.
I looked out of the window in the the vast city space all around us going down level by level until at the foot of the mountain to where the lower city should be. Obscured by Darkness anything could have happened to it. It is questionable what happened after I and Kyle got cornered and how big the damage was, or how many buildings got toppled. By our wanton usage of explosives…
The worst part about a Commissar is that there is no fixed workplace. Sabine could show up at any moment when she gets a bearing that im up and about again. And intercept me somewhere across the road…
Terrific.I thought to myself. I probably have to face the music soon on the damage we have inflicted. In all likelihood she would have preferred that we were gunned down and let our feed running so they knew someone was there instead of waking the entire city from their slumbers with debris which we launched like a catapult out of a sky scrapper.
I shudderd. The walk in will be in biblical proportions once it comes. Now I know why Kyle is always steadfast in praying. I looked at the at the monitor hanging from the ceiling in the bus and saw that in a couple stages late already. I pressed the button and the bus came to a stop at the next stop. Alone in the darkness. I walked.
The Giant Orbiting Defence station loomed like a moon over the city. It is rare to see it that clearly in the night sky. Normally it did well hiding its massive frame behind the many clouds in our planet or the dust which burns out in our atmosphere.
Half an hour passed till I reached our student dorms. Five more until I stood in front of our room. I searched for my keys and fitted them into the keyhole. "Im home." I announced. As I looked around.
It expected it to be dark but it seemed rather empty. Turning on the light I saw that a couple dishes found themselves neglected on the counter but nothing else which proved that somebody was here. It probably has been two days since I've last been here. I closed the door behind me and started to work on the dishes, scrubbing of the food waste and washing them. I left them in the sink, I'll take care of you tomorrow. I thought to myself. I turned on more lights.
Lynn wasn't here, she wasn't in her section or mine. The dorm room which felt crowded with people here seemed rather empty with just the two of us. And lonely by myself. I grabbed a drink from the fridge and sat down on the couch.
Idly I scrolled through the channels. Come to think of it, it wasn't too long ago when it was me, Kyle, Lynn and Sina who spent their time in this small space. Then it was just Kyle, Lynn and me when Sina dropped out. We moved our three beds next to each other and slept together like that. When Jackie came into our lives she joined our group sleeping but now Our four beds are separated like when we moved in.
A bed seems rather empty when you're in it yourself after spending so much time sharing it with three others…
That's probably the reason why "Kitten" seems so at ease sleeping next to Kyle, I'm just a hypocrite… Another hour passed and Lynn didn't seem to come home. I checked my phone for the first time in god knows how long and didn't see anything meaningful rather only a couple messages from Sinne.
I felt the dread and the water running down my spine. It's better for me not to open them and talk to her in person. I thought to myself.
I walked over to our door and fixed the alarm next to the handle, my uniform went into the laundry and my weapon found its place next to my bed. One by one I turned the lights off and checked and decided it was for the best to finally catch a rest. The building's amount of dread did not stop nor relent but it was manageable. For now.