The Custodes

Chapter 1 - Neo

The kitchen could hardly be considered one. There was a single counter that went across two walls with cupboards underneath, as well as a single larger cupboard beside it and a lone fridge opposite. 

Neo made his way over to the counter, collecting a bowl from one of the cabinets and some cereal from the cupboard. He ate a quick breakfast before heading into the tiny bathroom that felt more like a supply closet - with enough room for all the necessities but not for any luxuries like decent spacing. 

After showering and getting dressed he left his apartment to start the day, zipping his hoodie up as he went. Once outside his room he noticed the door to the apartment opposite his swing hastily open as a girl his age slipped out. 

The noise of an older woman sobbing as a man viciously bellowed at her could be heard clearly from inside the apartment, but the girl quickly shut the door behind her and leant her back against it - letting out a shaky breath as she placed her hands over her face and took a minute to compose herself.

Neo watched her, unsure as to whether or not he should speak or just continue heading out the building. He ended up doing neither, just awkwardly standing there and observing her as she leant heavily against the door. 

He had seen her a few times around the building, and they had introduced themselves to each other before, but other than that Neo rarely made conversation with the girl. They were barely even acquaintances, let alone friends.

Her name was Kayla Lennings, and even Neo knew she didn't have the best family life; evident from what he'd just heard. She was a pure blonde just like her mother, who he had also seen occasionally, except she wore her hair up in a bun rather than letting it fall freely. She wasn't the most stylish person, although judging by where she lived it was safe to assume she couldn't afford a great deal of clothes. 

At that moment she was wearing regular dark blue jeans, with a few tears in them, and a long-sleeved white t-shirt which happened to be rolled up to just above her elbows. The clothes were tacky; cheaply made and stained in more than one place, but Neo was in no position to judge anyone else's apparel.

After taking a deep breath the girl pulled her hands away from her face and opened her dark hazel eyes, her gaze moving to land on Neo. She clearly hadn't been expecting him to be there, or to have witnessed her stress-induced moment of reprise, but she wasn't one to let something so trivial bother her. 

Neo remained where he was, his own gaze meeting hers as he struggled to think of what exactly he should say to her. "Hey." She said to him before he even opened his mouth, breaking the silence as she tried her best to be polite and act like nothing was wrong. 

"Hey..." He said back, figuring that was about as good a response as she was going to get. 

Kayla watched him for a second, then without saying anything else opened her door again and headed back inside, leaving Neo alone in the stairwell. 

He didn't waste any more time and started to make his way down the stairs, still with Kayla and whatever had been going on with her parents on his mind. He made it out into the open air of the city as numerous people shuffled their way along the sidewalk to get to their regular, everyday jobs. 

Neo didn't have much of a plan for the day, as always, so decided to go to one of his favourite spots near the outskirts of town. It was an old, abandoned warehouse placed right in the middle of a dirt field, with barbed wire fencing around the outside and a single large metal gate that had been locked for years. 

There was a small hole in the fence that Neo had discovered a long time ago which he always used to get in, and after that it was simply a matter of making his way to the one fire exit that was unlocked, its weight being stopped from shutting by a small rock Neo placed there on his first trip - after he had to scale the building and get in through a window.