My search for the man would have to wait until tomorrow.
If he stayed in the area long enough.
Two
Liv
He stepped out of the office building at the same time the next morning, confirming that he'd been using it as a temporary base. I’d already gone through a couple of the levels there searching for food, and I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to stay somewhere filled with cubicles and desks. There were no beds, and I had no clue where he was sleeping.
If my heart had thumped harder when I saw him the first time around, seeing him again brought on palpitations. He was just as appealing as I remembered from yesterday; tall, with golden skin and that rough-around-the-edges look that men did so annoyingly well. He probably had lush, thick lashes just to rub it in, too.
I liked the way he moved, with a confidence that suggested he could handle any challenge that came his way. From his body language alone, I'd already decided he had a deep voice and a direct manner that would leave me in no doubt of his thoughts or intentions. There was comfort in that for someone like me who'd soon be alone in this world.
I went through my usual routine leaving the balcony, and when I reached street level, he passed by me on the other side of the road just like last time, eyes ahead without acknowledging my existence. For a man who appeared to be as careful as me outside, being oblivious to my presence didn’t fit right. Neither did his timing. Almost like he knew exactly when to expect me.
I gripped my sword and followed him from the shadows on my side of the road, keeping back so I'd have time to duck into a doorway if he turned around.
The man stayed visible for longer than he had yesterday, and a tremor of excitement moved through me as I waited to see what he'd do next. He was just so nice to watch after being surrounded by sadness and devastation. A flicker of light in the gloom, an escape from the mundane.
He stopped to take down one of the infected with an efficiency that impressed me—no wasted movements, no showing off—and after I'd been tailing him for a while, he opened the smashed door to the café I used to visit with colleagues when I worked on this block. The tinted windows meant I couldn’t track his movements while he was inside, but I had no intention of stepping through the doorway to find out what he was doing in there.
I dived into the record shop opposite, my heart pitter-pattering as I stood beside the door and kept an eye on the café's windows. Long minutes passed by with nothing happening, and my curiosity only grew stronger as I waited. I wanted to know if he’d caught glimpses of me here and there and if he was curious about me, too. I wanted to see him up close. Hear his voice. Meet another living person after being holed up in my apartment for so long.
With the droning of the nearby infected to keep me company, I willed him to step outside into the open. Too much time had gone by with no sign of him though, and I had to accept that he'd slipped out through the back. Again.
Disappointed that the game appeared to be over for the day, I opened the door and leaned out to check the street in both directions. A cluster of seven or eight dead stumbled toward me from the left, and I had less than a minute before they became a problem. Once I got my sword swinging and my adrenaline firing, I could handle a group like that on my own, but I preferred to avoid those situations when I could.
I kept my eyes on my surroundings as I crossed the road and slipped inside the café. I eased the door shut and turned my attention to the interior. The early morning light made it difficult to see if anyone was hiding inside, but the place felt empty, and without being able to explain it, I knew I was alone.
Nothing appeared any different from the last time I’d come in here… except for the flash of yellow beside the cash register. I stowed my sword and stepped over broken glass, wandering through a maze of flipped tables and chairs. With my eyes and ears open just in case he was waiting in the back room, I reached the counter and grabbed the packet of peanut M&Ms. I flipped them over in my hand, remembering the sweet, long-ago scent of chocolate. A smile crossed my face, and I turned in a slow circle as if he might magically reappear now that I’d found the offering he left for me.
With my heart thudding and my stomach filled with butterflies, I gazed out the window to the main street, holding my breath and wondering if he’d show up again. I needed to see him—if only to confirm that I hadn’t lost my mind and made him up.
Seconds later, he jogged across the road with his easy stride, running past the record shop and heading for the dead I'd seen coming this way. I pulled in a breath and pressed the M&M packet to my chest, struggling to control the mixture of elation, apprehension, and nerves. I didn’t want to get so caught up in this game we were playing that I stopped paying attention to my safety, but it was so hard to keep my excitement contained when it looked like I’d finally found someone worth getting to know.
I moved closer to the window to follow his progress, wondering how he'd handle a bigger group of the infected. With my hand resting on the hilt of my sword, or the tsuka as Haruto called it, I watched him swing his hatchet at the first one, take down another, and keep going with a steady rhythm until he had a collection of dead bodies scattered around him. By the time he was done, my heart was thudding faster and my fascination with him grew stronger.
He'd left the gift for me in a place he knew I'd check. He'd just told me he was aware of my presence.
How long had he been watching me?
And if he’d seen me leaving my apartment, why hadn’t he tried to approach me?
Too many questions—but he was about to learn one thing about me.
I wouldn’t let it go until I found answers.
~ * ~
On the third day, instead of continuing the pattern where I stayed one step behind and tried to guess his next move, I took the initiative. He’d given me a present, chocolate of all things, and I wanted to do something for him in return. Setting up the offering felt a lot like flirting, which seemed crazy given the way things were now, but it had been too long since I'd experienced this kind of tension. Catching the eye of a handsome stranger turned out to be too tempting for me to resist.
So, while Haruto slept in his bed, I ducked outside before the first sliver of sunlight had crested over the horizon, and I left the man a gift at the entrance doors to his building. It took some careful maneuvering to get it down from my balcony and across the street without spilling any of it, but I managed to make it there without ruining the surprise.
When I came inside again, Haruto was still in his room, so I could keep watch without him twigging that I was up to something. I faced the balcony with my heart in my throat, waiting to see if the man would come outside. My hands were clenched at my side, and I ran through every reason why this was a bad idea.
I'd taken a chance.
I’d reached out to a stranger who knew where I lived, who could physically overpower me and take everything I owned if he felt so inclined. My life could alter in ways I’d never prepared for, never expected—but the thrill and the mystery had got hold of me now and there was no turning back.
