To distract myself from how cold I felt, I looked around, but there wasn't much to see. Aside from the distant sounds of cars coming from the main road at the end of the street, there wasn't a single noise. And the only people in sight were us. In fact, considering there weren't even any stray animals around, you could say the only sign of life on that entire street was the two of us.
When my nose started to ache from breathing in the freezing air, I reluctantly pulled one hand out of my pocket and tugged my jacket collar up to my chin. As I buried my face in it as much as I could, I glanced at Kerem from the corner of my eye. Despite the wind tossing his hair around and his nose turning red, he didn't look like the cold bothered him at all.
"Here."
We stopped in front of a four-story gray building. He pushed the apartment entrance door, which was already open, and stepped inside. I followed right behind him. The moment we were indoors, a sense of relief washed over me and I lowered my collar. At the same time, the smell of pea stew hit my face and I wrinkled my nose. The contrast between a vegetable's taste and the smell it spread while cooking could not have been more extreme.
Even though we'd moved away from the entrance, there was still no light. I glanced beneath the mailboxes to my right. Since the building was old, the stairwell lights were probably controlled by a switch rather than a motion sensor. I was about to press the button with the little bulb symbol when another hand closed around mine. I looked up at Kerem. He shook his head.
I didn't understand what had set him off, but I followed his lead and pulled my hand back.
He must have noticed something suspicious, something I hadn't. I couldn't tell what was bothering him. Maybe he simply didn't want to lower his guard.
Careful not to trip in the darkness, I followed him up the stairs. After only a few steps, voices from upstairs made him stop abruptly. I stopped too.
Judging by the hushed tones, the only conclusion I could draw was that two adult men were talking. When the voices turned into approaching footsteps, Kerem motioned, and we quietly but quickly headed back down. When we reached the stairs leading to the basement, we went down a few steps and waited.
I thought he might be taking caution a little too far, but since he was the one who knew the details, it was safer to trust his judgment and keep quiet.
As the sounds drew closer, he pushed me back and pressed me against the wall, stepping in front of me as he leaned forward slightly to watch whoever was coming out. A moment later, the apartment door closed.
"I don't like this. Stay close."
We went back up and reached the apartment on the top floor. Kerem was about to knock when, at the slightest touch, the door swung open on its own. I stared at the open doorway, uneasy, but he lifted his index finger to his lips, signaling me to stay quiet. Then he pushed the door open and stepped inside with cautious steps.
After waiting a moment, I turned on my phone's flashlight and followed, doing my best not to make a sound. From the very first second, it was obvious something was wrong. After an absurd amount of effort to avoid stepping on the debris scattered across the floor, I crossed the hallway and finally reached the middle of the living room. I didn't even know where to look.
All the furniture had either been overturned or smashed. Some of the floorboards had been ripped up. The TV, the coffee table, and every smaller item had suffered the same fate. The simplest description was that it felt like standing inside one of those amateur videos showing homes reduced to rubble after a hurricane.
"There's no one else here besides us."
Hearing Kerem's voice, I asked without taking my eyes off the destruction.
"What do you think happened here?"
He turned on the lights and came to stand beside me. Our tense looks met. We both knew this chaos was a very bad sign.
"I don't know. Check the kitchen. I'll look through the other rooms. Let's see if we can find anything that might tell us what happened to the owner, or where they are."
We split up without wasting time.
After a brief sweep, I found the kitchen and immediately got to work, refusing to let the mess intimidate me. I checked beneath the scattered utensils, under drawers and shelves, then opened cabinets and storage boxes one by one. I was determined to find even the smallest clue.
Then a noise made me turn toward the door.
What was that? Something sounded like it had broken.
"Kerem? Are you okay?" I called out.
"Yes."
His answer was barely audible. I set the medicine box in my hand aside and reached for another. He must have knocked something over by accident.
When I finally accepted that there was nothing useful here, I grabbed the edge of the refrigerator door and stood up from where I'd been crouching. I scanned the kitchen one last time, when a much louder crash echoed through the apartment, followed by a man's shout.
Without thinking, I grabbed a large pan and rushed toward the noise.
I crossed the living room entrance, passed through the corridor leading to the back of the apartment, and stopped in front of the small room at the end. Kerem was grappling with a large man I didn't recognize.
I was about to jump in, then hesitated. They didn't stay in the same position for more than a second, and there was barely any space to move. I couldn't be sure I'd help rather than make things worse.
I couldn't risk putting Kerem in danger.
The man swung a stick that looked like a broken table leg. Kerem tried to retreat, but the wardrobe behind him blocked his way. I watched helplessly, regretting every time I'd bragged about how fast I was at calling for help. At this rate, the only way someone could reach us before this man killed Kerem would be by teleportation.
When Kerem took another blow to his side and doubled over while trying to shake the man off, I tightened my grip on the pan with both hands.
I couldn't wait anymore.
Just as I stepped into the room, Kerem gathered all his strength and surged forward, slamming the man back and pinning him against the wall two steps behind him.
I froze, eyes locked on the man. He looked dazed, likely from hitting his head against the wall. As he shook his head to recover, Kerem grabbed his throat—and in that moment, our eyes met.
Sensing the man's attention shift, Kerem paused and turned. Seeing me made him falter.
The man took advantage instantly.
"Watch out."