Chapter 5

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Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish

Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish

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          "SO..." I BEGAN UNCOMFORTABLY, cutting through the thick silence like a keen blade to tender flesh.

The hallway was dead—not a single soul in sight besides myself and the moody guard with the mustache next to me. Our shuffles were soft and scarce but enough to crack the unsettling silence and echo across the never-ending hall of blue and steely hues.

And despite my obvious glancing, the guard said nothing—he barely even acknowledged my existence.

Until now, that is.

"H-How long have you been...employed here?" I asked awkwardly, cringing at my pathetic attempt to break the ice.

And, reasonably so, the guard gave me a weird side-eye.

"Uh...a long time." He responded dryly.

His voice was deep, like a low rumble of thunder but rough with overused strain, matching his permanent grumpy glower.

Regardless of my strained attempt to spark up a conversation, his cold gaze remained forward and his bulky frame marched ahead like a programmed machine rather than a natural instinct.

Even just standing next to the man, he was a force on his own, radiating a jagged blend of apathy and intensity—practically the embodiment of "silent but deadly".

"Cool...uh, do you like being a...guard or whatever you are?" I asked, purposefully ignoring the tension.

"I'm security." He corrected curtly.

"Like a mall cop?"

"No."

I held back a huff.

Glaring annoyed holes into the side of his graying head, I restrained the urge to shove the uncooperative guard and break him from his detached stride.

I didn't necessarily have a goal, I just knew that there was something vaguely familiar about this guy and if I can find some answers just by pestering him enough to explode, then so be it.

But he is really difficult to crack.

"Okay, so you're a security guard?" I questioned, egging the guard to admit that I was right.

"I'm a soldier." His jaw clicked.

Now we're getting somewhere. I thought.

"What?" He suddenly asked, giving me another side-eye.

I frowned with confusion, before realizing that my unstable mouth didn't stay closed and, once again, I spoke my thoughts out loud.

For shuck's sake, I need to talk to Thomas about this. I thought to myself with an internal sigh. However, instead of acknowledging it, I pushed my concern for my uncontrollable mouth down into the deep dark crevices of my scrambled brain.

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