Movers

Chapter 5: Don't...

Bird trembles. His heart beats almost out of his chest. It's been a long while since he felt this. It is not fear, or is it? Maybe he just doesn't want to acknowledge his paranoia. He just calls it uncomfortable. He hears the beating in his ears. Wasn't this always the time that he could see someone resembling Tong? It was because of this that he searched throughout the whole city to find someone like Tong. It was at that time that he saw Tong biking to his work that his attention went to him. Bird followed him and got to know who he is. Although he could not research him at home as Tong could be there too, he searched during working hours. And now, he just has to turn around to see him again. He has to be behind him as he felt that he was leaning on him when he was writing on the note. Bird reads it again. Do you like it? Yes, actually, he does. He doesn't feel alone anymore, which causes his paranoia. You know: scared to be not alone while you are. But on the other side, he doesn't know Tong's nature. Perhaps he is a police officer who kills at night. Bird also understands that Tong can do it flawlessly, since no one, except he, the scaredy cat, can see him. Though, true, he cannot always see him. Bird prepares himself mentally to turn around and thinks of what to say. He counts in his head and turns around.

"Yes... no, wait, are you flirting with me?" He looks straight through the middle part of a body and slowly looks up to see the face he remembers seeing when he is in this state. Tong smiles back at him. "Are you?" Tong lifts his shoulders as if he doesn't know, while he was clearly the one who wrote the note. Bird's heart slows down. It is from relief that Tong is with him. It always strangely calms him down, which is in a way irritating as he cannot see him when he's calm. It's the reason to move houses. He reasons that he will feel more tension if he's not sure if Tong will be there or not. In that way, he can always see him when he thinks he's there. The past few days he did not see him nor feel his presence, which can be a reason that he did not feel that tense. But normally, he still would see ghosts. Not real ghosts, but just imagining stuff because of his paranoia. However, since Tong visits him, he doesn't feel that scared anymore. Every time he hears something suspicious, he thinks it's Tong, which comforts him. Now it's just his body reacting, but he can ease his mind faster, so fortunately he can still see Tong once in a while. As he does not get any reaction from Tong, he continues working. But when it's around 2 o'clock the lights turn off, but his computer does not. It's not a power outage. "Tong, you still here?" Nothing happens or moves. "Tong?" Bird looks around and feels his heart beating in his neck. His breathing frequency goes up. Slowly he stands up and walks to the light switch to turn it back on. But when he sits down again, does one mouse-click, the lights turn off again. "Tong, no... officer, it's not fun. I can't see you right now. What's going on?" He looks around frantically. "Should... should I go to sleep?" His eyes shoot throughout the room. "Tong, where are you?" His hands start to tremble, his pupils dilate, and his breathing becomes high and rapid. "Don—Don't joke now! DON'T DO IT NOW!" He bites his nails which had finally grown back after a long time. The world, his room, turns around him. Out of dizziness and weak legs, he falls to the ground. His fingers are planted into the floor. He does not realize that he scratched the floor so hard that he broke his nails. The tears cover his sight. No matter what he tries, tears always appear even when he closes his eyes. There is a knock on the door.

"Go away. GO AWAY!" he screams with the bit of air he has. He cowers and covers his head with his hands. His fingers grab his hair and pull it. He lets out a wet scream straight from the heart. A voice in himself tells him to calm down. He should calm down, but he can't shake off the feeling that he's all alone. He's left alone. Again. Then he feels some arms around him. He did not realize that the door is broken open, as he could not hear anything because of his screaming and covering his ears. A hand strokes over his hair and his hands that still hold on to his hair. The person does not say anything but just strokes his arm and hair. Bird becomes calmer and redeems himself. It feels like they sit there for hours, but probably it is just 5 or 10 minutes or so. Although he does not dare to open his eyes and see the person, he knows who it is. He doesn't need his vision to know for sure. There is just one person in this whole world who actually cares a bit about him. The person helps to put him back on his feet and leads him to the bed. But Bird stops and goes against the lead towards the desk. He opens his eyes slightly, takes the pen next to the note, and writes rather sloppy, sloppier than usual, an answer to the question. Then he follows the lead and steps into his bed. He turns to his side, his face turned away from his saviour. His saviour puts the blanket on him and leaves his hand resting on Bird's shoulder. He taps slowly, but with a rhythm, on the shoulder until Bird falls asleep. The saviour straightens his back, walks with soft steps to the desk, and picks up the note. His eyes narrow and the corners of his mouth curl upwards.

"That's good to know", he says underneath his breath to not wake up his target.