Ampelius lingered in the front lobby for a moment, unsure if he had really seen the old woman at all. Maybe she was real. Maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him. Either way, the words still clung to him, heavy and strange, like a shadow that refused to let go.

  He forced himself to move, heading for the stairwell. His apartment was on the fourth floor of the five-story apartment building, and the climb was nothing new. On the way he glanced at the elevator. A crooked sheet of paper was taped to the doors: OUT OF ORDER. He sighed quietly, not surprised that it hasn't been fixed in months, and turned back to the stairs.

  At the stairwell’s edge, he hesitated. Some part of him expected her to still be there, standing in the doorway with that sign raised toward him. He looked back once, scanning the lobby for any trace of her. But the spot was empty, as if she’d never existed at all.

  With a hand on the railing, he started up the steps. His legs carried him forward, but his mind stayed behind, replaying the encounter with every floor he climbed.

  By the time he reached the fourth floor, the climb had dulled the edge of his nerves. The hallway stretched out on both sides, doors lined up in neat rows. His own, 404, waited just a few steps down.

  He slipped a hand into his pocket for the key, but movement caught his eye. A young woman stepped out of her apartment with a dog trotting at her side.

  They’d crossed paths a few times before, and Ampelius always noticed how her easy smile set her apart from the city’s usual tension. Today was no different. She locked the door behind her, wavy brunette hair spilling over her shoulders. In the light, it caught a golden sheen that made him pause.

  When she turned toward him, her eyes lit up, warm and inviting. The smile she gave him was so genuine it eased, if only for a moment, the heaviness still pressing on his thoughts.

  “Hey, how are you, Ampelius? I heard you had another interview. How’d it go?” she asked, her tone warm and genuinely curious.

  “Hi. I’m as good as I can be, I suppose. The interview went smoothly, but…” He shrugged. “I don’t think I’m what they’re looking for.”

  She frowned slightly. “Oh, well, there are plenty of opportunities in this city. You’ll find one sooner or later. What was this one for?”

  “A carpet-making company,” he said with a small, almost amused smile at the mundanity of it. “Anyway, how are you?”

  Her face brightened again. “I’m great, actually! The weather’s too nice to waste, so I thought I’d take Ciro out for a run.”

  Ampelius nodded, noticing her outfit—blue track shorts, a white tank top, and red running shoes. A runner’s look through and through.

  “Well, it’s definitely a good day for it. Don’t let me stop you. Have fun,” he said, his tone softening as he returned her smile.

  As she walked off with her dog, Ampelius felt his mood lift, if only a little. In a city like Vetera, even that counted for something. He prepared his key to enter the apartment then paused, trying to remember her name. Clelia? Claudia? Nothing. I’ll just ask her later, he muttered, giving up.

  He remembered her saying once that she worked at the hospital as a dispatcher. Her dog, Ciro, had been a drug dog, retired after his handler, who happened to be her boyfriend, was killed in a firefight. The department let her keep him, knowing how close the two already were. Ampelius could still hear the quiet pride in her voice when she told the story, though beneath it he’d felt the weight of a loss she carried with grace.

  Shaking the memory away, Ampelius went to unlock the door and stepped inside. To his surprise, his cousin was on the couch, having a make out session with his girlfriend. He waited a few seconds before clearing his throat. They both jolted at his quiet entrance. He couldn't help but let a smirk across his face as they pulled apart, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Don’t mind me,” Ampelius said with a grin. “Just minding my own business. And don’t worry about the hidden camera on the wall either.” He gave a small gesture toward an imaginary spot above them.

  “Yeah, go to hell,” Bella shot back, rolling her eyes with playful irritation.

  “I’m already there,” Ampelius said, his grin slipping into a hint of dry humor as the words left him.

  Bella was a tall blonde in her late twenties, with a gentle figure and an easy smile. She spent so much time at Emmett’s place that Ampelius often joked that she lived there. Her laid-back nature often brought a welcome lightness to the apartment. She rose from the couch and headed to the bathroom, letting the door click shut behind her.

  Ampelius glanced at his cousin and noticed he’d gotten a fresh haircut. His dirty blond hair was cropped so short it was nearly shaved, giving him a tougher, no-nonsense look. Emmett was tall and built like an athlete, always claiming he kept in shape with runs and swimming. His build backed it up well enough, though Ampelius sometimes wondered if his cousin’s workouts were as dedicated as he made them sound.

  Ampelius walked into the kitchen, grabbed an apple from the counter, and dropped onto the couch beside Emmett.

  “So, what’s with the outfits and the suitcase? You two going somewhere?” he asked, taking a bite, one brow raised.

  “Yeah. Weekend trip to Capsai,” Emmett said like it was nothing.

  “Capsai? That city’s garbage. Why not the mountains or something? At least there you might see a bear.”

  “Her boss is hosting an event for the company. I was invited, and this is what they wanted us to wear.”

  “Better the mountains. You could wrestle a bear and get mauled,” Ampelius smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

  “You never cease to amaze me with your dumb humor. Besides, if I did, you’d be homeless unless you finally found a job. Don’t worry, I stocked up the fridge for you.” Emmett rolled his eyes but cracked a small smile.

  “Thanks. And for the record, my interview went fine,” Ampelius shot back, mock annoyance creeping into his voice.

  “Oh yeah? When do you start?”

  “I said it went fine. I didn’t say I got it.” His tone dropped as the humor faded.

  Bella came out of the bathroom looking refreshed, slipped into the bedroom to grab her purse, and headed for the door.

  “I’m running a few errands. Meet me at my place?” she asked Emmett, her tone casual.

  “Only if you pick up some of that fancy wine I’ve been hearing about,” he said with a grin.

  “You mean the import from Rome? You really want their wine?” She arched a brow at him.

  “Yeah. I’ve heard it’s good, and I don’t care where it comes from.”

  She snagged her keys from the bowl in the kitchen, flashing Ampelius a warm smile before leaving. He caught the look, returned it, and then glanced at Emmett. They shared a wordless exchange.

  “So, what about you? Any weekend plans?” Emmett asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll spend it picturing you two kissing, then maybe running to the toilet to puke.” Ampelius grinned, and they both laughed. But when the laughter died, the weight settled in again. Emmett always seemed so sure of himself, while Ampelius couldn’t see much beyond the next job application.

  As Emmett glanced away, Ampelius felt that familiar pang of doubt. He wondered, not for the first time, what his cousin really did when he was gone, those strange trips and the job he never talked about.

  Emmett broke the silence with a grin. “Just make sure to clean up after yourself. I don’t want the place smelling like a corpse when we get back.”

  Ampelius smirked, though his thoughts stayed elsewhere. Emmett had always been his anchor in Vetera, but sometimes it felt like they were moving in opposite directions with Emmett and his secrets, while Ampelius is just trying to survive.

  “Yeah, no promises,” he said, leaning back on the couch with mock seriousness.

  Emmett stood and tossed Ampelius a plastic bag with fresh clothes before heading to his room. Ampelius let out a long yawn, the weight of the day pressing heavy on him. He peeled off his suit and swapped it for the hoodie and sweatpants inside, feeling the relief as the soft fabric replaced the stiff formality.

  He stretched himself out on the couch and stared up at the ceiling fan, letting his thoughts drift away. The interview he partaked in still left him uncertain of his future, but the old woman’s cryptic words were what kept clawing it's way back into his mind. For all the strangeness of the day, those brief and ordinary moments with Bella and Emmett gave him a small sense of comfort.

  The longer he lay there, the harder it was to fight sleep. His eyes grew heavy, and soon he drifted off, the faint hum of the city outside lulling him into rest.

  He woke to the sound of Emmett’s door opening. His cousin stepped out in a plain t-shirt and jeans, jingling his keys as he crossed the kitchen. Ampelius rubbed at his eyes, still shaking off the fog of sleep as the moment pulled him back to reality.

  “We’ll see you in a few days. Don’t get too lonely in here,” Emmett said with a grin as he opened the door and stepped out.

  Ampelius grunted in reply and sank deeper into the couch. The silence of the apartment wrapped around him, and before long he drifted back to sleep.

  A few hours later, the sharp ring of the home phone yanked him awake. He stumbled toward it, still half-asleep, but by the time he reached the receiver the call had ended. For a moment he thought about staying up, then gave in. With a sigh, he dropped back onto the couch, letting the quiet pull him under again.