Fatima tilted her head, her curls swaying lightly as she studied Daniel with genuine curiosity. Her eyes shone with that contagious energy of someone who had decided that life, even in a supernatural hell, was still worth smiling about.
"Hi." Her voice came out soft, almost musical. "My name's Fatima. You must be Daniel."
Julie frowned, genuine confusion written all over her face. "How do you know his name?"
"Oh, the whole town's already heard about him." Fatima looked at Daniel with an amused glint, her lips curving into a knowing smile. "After that little disagreement he had with the sheriff."
"It wasn't really a disagreement." Daniel kept his tone light but firm, his hands still in his pockets. "More like a difference of opinion about crisis management and property rights."
"Call it whatever you want. Standing up to the sheriff on your first day? That gives you an instant reputation around here." She gestured vaguely around the hall. "Half the people in Colony House are here precisely because they don't agree with his rules."
"Great." Daniel inclined his head slightly. "Then I've found my target audience."
"Maybe." Fatima winked at Julie, deliberately including her in the conversation. "Colony House might seem chaotic at first, but we try to keep things light. After all, if we're trapped in a nightmare, we can at least choose between laughing or wasting away."
Julie relaxed a little, her shoulders lowering. "That actually sounds... reasonable."
Before Daniel could respond, he was surprised by a system notification.
[New Mission Accepted]
Social Mission: Help board up the windows at Colony House.
Difficulty: Easy
Reward: Ben Whittaker's Boxing Skill
[Manual labor in exchange for learning how to dodge punches. Useful when your sarcastic comments inevitably irritate someone with fists bigger than their brain.]
Daniel felt a wave of satisfaction. Ben Whittaker. The boxer known among fans as the human embodiment of Observation Haki for his absurd evasive skills in the ring. The guy danced around opponents as if he could read their minds.
He had always liked that fighting style focused on dodging and counterattacks. Anderson Silva in the UFC, Prince Naseem, and Whittaker himself in boxing left their opponents completely disoriented.
Fatima kept talking about the dynamics of the house, but Daniel was already half detached, processing the mission. He blinked back into the moment when he noticed Julie looking at him with concern.
"Are you okay?" She tilted her head. "You kind of... drifted off."
"I'm great. Just thinking about how I can be useful."
Fatima raised an eyebrow. "Useful?"
"Yes." Daniel turned toward where Donna was still talking with Jim and Tabitha. "Excuse me, ladies. I need to talk to the commander."
Julie followed him with her eyes as he walked away. There was something different about him now. A quiet determination.
Daniel cleared his throat as he approached. "Donna, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure. What do you need?"
"I heard you mention the windows." Daniel kept his tone casual. "I can help with that."
Donna raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting to something between surprise and suspicion. Jim and Tabitha exchanged a confused look, the same unspoken question hanging in the air. Why?
"You want to... work?" Donna repeated slowly, as if testing the words before believing them.
"I like adrenaline," Daniel said, as if that explained everything. "And I have experience with extreme sports. Climbing, rappelling, that sort of thing. I can go down the outside and board up the upper-floor windows. Faster. More efficient."
Ethan practically materialized in front of his father, eyes shining. "He's serious! Daniel even has a YouTube channel! He's jumped out of airplanes!"
"Ethan," Jim warned.
The boy completely ignored him, turning to Daniel with his hands clasped together. "You're gonna go down on a rope? For real? Can I watch?"
Daniel crouched down to his height, his smile genuine this time. "Sure. But from far away, deal? I don't want your mom having a heart attack."
"I PROMISE!" Ethan spun toward his parents. "Can I? Please?"
Jim rubbed his face. Tabitha sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
Donna smiled. "If you want to help, I'd appreciate it. Extra hands are always welcome. And if you've got experience with heights..." She gestured vaguely. "Who am I to turn down volunteers?"
"I'll need ropes, tools, the basics."
She was already turning, scanning the room. She spotted Fatima near Julie, both paying attention to the conversation. "Fatima!"
The young woman approached with light steps, Julie following right behind. "Yes, Donna?"
"Take Daniel to Ellis. He's probably in the tool shed."
"All right, let's go," Fatima said, looking at Daniel with renewed curiosity.
"Can I come too?" Julie blurted out before she could second-guess herself, the words tumbling out on impulse.
Tabitha reacted instantly. "Julie, I don't think that's a good idea—"
Julie turned, eyes narrowing. "Mom." Her tone carried bottled-up frustration. "I'm just going to watch. I won't do anything dangerous."
The tension in the air thickened immediately. Mother and daughter stared each other down, neither willing to back off.
"I wanna go too!" Ethan broke the tension.
Donna stepped in before things could escalate. "Fatima will be with them. They're just looking at the equipment and talking to Ellis."
Julie seized the opening, her voice firm but not aggressive. "Mom, please. I won't do anything. I just want to see how it works. I promise."
Tabitha looked at Jim, searching for support. He sighed, defeated by logic and combined persistence. "Let her go. But no climbing ropes, Julie. None."
"Deal."
Ethan tugged on Tabitha's sleeve. "What about me?"
"No, Ethan." Tabitha was firm this time, gripping his shoulder. "But when Daniel rappels down, we'll watch from outside the house. Deal?"
The boy pouted but agreed, clearly disappointed. "Okay..."
Jim placed a hand on his son's head, ruffling his hair in a comforting gesture. "It'll be cool, champ."
Fatima led them to a shed near the greenhouse. The door creaked open, revealing an organized chaos of tools and years of accumulated equipment.
Ellis was inside with two men, grabbing hammers, nails, and other tools from improvised shelves. The conversation died when the three entered.
Fatima stepped forward with a smile. "Ellis, Daniel wants to help. He does extreme sports and volunteered to rappel down the third-floor windows. Donna already approved."
The men around Ellis turned to look at Daniel. A brief pause, then friendly nods. Extra manpower was always welcome.
Ellis studied Daniel for a moment longer, his eyes narrowing slightly. There was tension there, but not hostility. Caution.
"Rappelling, huh?" He crossed his arms, posture relaxing a bit. "You know what you're doing?"
"I've gone down worse cliffs." Daniel replied with casual confidence. "I just need a strong rope and a solid anchor point."
Ellis studied him a few seconds longer, then nodded slowly. "All right. Welcome to the team, I guess."
It wasn't warm. But it wasn't hostile either.
"Do you have boards to cover the windows?" Daniel asked, already shifting into practical mode.
"We've got some from an old shed." Ellis pointed vaguely. "I sent people to grab them. They should be here soon."
"And climbing gear?"
Ellis grimaced, shaking his head. "No specialized gear. But we've got strong ropes." He turned, rummaged through the piles, and pulled out a thick coil.
Daniel took the rope, his fingers testing the texture, tugging hard to feel its resistance. He examined the fibers for wear or rot. Nothing. They were in good condition.
"This'll do." He nodded, slinging it over his shoulder.
"So... what's the plan?"
Daniel laid out the strategy, his fingers gesturing as he spoke. He wanted to finish quickly. He still had to deal with the situation involving Sara before the choosing ceremony.
"First I'll go down from the third-floor windows to the second, where there's no balcony." He paused, calculating. "You can board up where there are balconies, since the roof sits below some windows. As for the third floor, if we finish the second today, I'll come down from the attic tomorrow."
Ellis nodded, following the logic. "Makes sense. Meanwhile, the rest of us will board up the first floor."
People arrived carrying boards. The sound of wood hitting the ground echoed as they stacked them near the shed.
Ellis explained the plan to everyone, instructing some to call for more help on the first floor while others fetched more lumber.
"Let's go to the first room." He grabbed boards, followed by Daniel with the rope over his shoulder. Julie and Fatima came behind with nails and a hammer.
They climbed the stairs under Jim and Tabitha's watchful eyes.
The third floor was quieter. Less movement.
Ellis placed the boards on the floor in front of a room and knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock. He waited. No answer.
"Victor, you in there?" He knocked again.
The door opened only a crack, revealing a wary eye and part of a wrinkled face.
"What is it?" The tone was anything but friendly.
Ellis explained everything.
"I don't like people in my room," Victor replied, already starting to close the door.
Fatima stepped forward, placing a hand gently against the wood to stop it. "Victor, this is for your safety. Donna asked personally. No one's going to touch your things, I promise."
There was a moment of hesitation. Victor's gaze shifted from Fatima to Daniel. Finally, he opened the door, reluctantly.
Daniel watched it all. Feeling pity wasn't common for him, but it happened there. Victor looked to be around fifty and carried decades of loneliness on his hunched shoulders. He'd been trapped in this place since he was a child. Everyone else had died. He stayed. Alone.
They went into the room. Julie was the last, wary ever since she'd seen Victor. Who could blame her? He gave off an unwelcoming vibe.
"I see you're an artist," Daniel said, stopping in front of a drawing of a black monster with claws. "I like your work."
"Don't touch anything," Victor snapped.
"I won't," Daniel kept his tone light. "Just appreciating the horror aesthetic."
"You've got a peculiar taste in art," Ellis whispered, carrying a plank closer to the window.
Daniel shrugged. "Art is subjective. One person's nightmare is another person's museum."
He stopped wasting time. He went to the window, checked the structure, tested the distance. He tied a rope to a beam with a knot he'd learned while rock climbing. He tested it with his own weight, yanking hard. The beam didn't even shudder.
He looped the rope around his waist and between his legs, forming an improvised safety harness that distributed the weight.
Everyone watched, fascinated by the efficiency. No hesitation. Just precise movements.
With everything ready, Daniel paused before stepping onto the sill. He turned and saw Julie watching, eyes fixed on the knot in the rope, hands gripping a hammer far tighter than necessary.
He stepped closer to Julie, took the hammer from her, and without warning placed his hand on the top of her head, lightly ruffling her hair in a casual, unexpectedly intimate gesture.
"Keep an eye on the rope. If it starts to fray, let me know."
Julie blinked, too surprised to react. His hand was warm, steady, and the touch lasted only two seconds before he turned away without waiting for an answer.
She stood there, frozen, heart racing. Her hand rose instinctively to where he'd touched her, fingers brushing through her own hair.
Daniel was already at the window, swinging one leg over the edge with a confidence that seemed to defy gravity. He gripped the rope, tested his weight, and started down.
The wind hit his face the moment he was out. The ground below looked far too distant, but adrenaline surged through his veins. A grin spread across his face.
"Pass me the first plank!" he called once he was in position.
Ellis handed it over smoothly. Daniel set it against the window and started hammering, movements precise.
Inside the room, Julie couldn't take her eyes off the rope, checking every inch for signs of wear that didn't exist.
Fatima watched the girl with interest. "Are you two dating?"
Julie snapped her head around so fast it almost cracked. "What?"
"It's not... it's not like that," she stammered, her cheeks heating up. "We barely know each other."
"Ah. I see," Fatima nodded. "You've got that thing."
"What thing?" Julie asked too quickly.
"That tension," Fatima made a vague gesture with her hands. "Like, 'we're pretending we're not interested in each other, but everyone can tell.'"
Ellis chuckled.
"You're making things up."
"Am I?" Fatima raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you red?"
Julie opened her mouth to argue, but no words came. She gave up and went back to staring at the rope with unnecessary intensity.
Outside, Ethan had convinced his parents to step out.
"Dad! Look!" he pointed frantically. "It's Daniel! He's hanging there!"
Jim followed his son's finger. There was Daniel, suspended on the rope, hammering planks with the calm of someone hanging a picture frame.
Ethan watched in awe. "When I grow up, I'm gonna do that!"
"No. You're not," Jim replied automatically, not quite believing his own tone.
Tabitha came up beside him, following their gaze, and went pale. "Is that safe?"
"Apparently," Jim observed the technique, recognizing the professionalism despite the insanity. "He knows what he's doing."
As Daniel nailed in the last plank, a movement in the forest caught Ethan's attention.
He focused on the trees. There, standing among the shadows, was a boy. He looked about Ethan's age, dressed all in white. The boy raised a hand and waved slowly.
Ethan blinked, surprised, and instinctively lifted his small hand, waving back with a smile.
Seeing her son wave, Tabitha looked in that direction, but saw no one.
"Who are you waving at, Ethan?"
He turned to his mother. "The boy, Mom. The boy in white."
Tabitha looked again at the forest. She saw only trunks, leaves, and shadows. No boy. No white. A chill ran down her spine.
"There's no one there, sweetheart," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
Ethan looked again. The spot where the boy had been was now empty. "He was there a second ago..." he murmured, confused, but his childlike attention was quickly pulled. "Oh, he left. Look, Daniel's coming back up!"
Jim and Tabitha exchanged a heavy look, but said nothing.
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