Post by Loner。 on Jul 7, 2017 12:06:12 GMT
❖ MALIK YOUNG
An albino woman, short of stature with wispy white hair was stirring a pot when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Welcome back." She greeted not needing to turn around. "How was your day?"
"Fine." Malik set down his bag on the floor, and kicked it into a corner away from the entrance as he crossed through the large room to one of the available sinks. He ran water and soap over his hands, cleaning off any grime which had collected over the day.
"That bad huh? Don't tell me you didn't eat anything again. You should at least be able to afford it." She chastised.
"We've been through this before Beth. Just trust me to take care of myself alright?" Malik turned off the water, and opened one of the large refrigerators in the room. He brought out lettuce, cabbage and other vegetables, and began efficiently cutting them into reasonably sized pieces with a large knife.
He'd made it through half of the vegetables when a slender pale hand came over his, stopping Malik from cutting more. "You've done enough. Just rest a while. You and I both know you need it. There are some sandwiches from earlier left over in the fridge. Take one, and take the time before people start coming for dinner for yourself."
Malik glanced at Beth. Her tendency to mother him was a bit annoying, but the albino also tended to accurately know what others needed. She was wrong about the demi-human in some areas, cause Malik didn't have all the same limitations as a true human, but for his emotional and mental health, she was right, he really did need a break.
He sighed, and lay the knife flat on the cutting board, deciding to do as Beth suggested, even though preparations for dinner at H.O.P.E homeless shelter and food kitchen could have gone much faster with his help. The shelter was as safe a place as any, safer than many at this hour when less people were around. He guessed it would do.
Malik found a quiet place in the ruins of the old H.O.P.E. Facilities. The place the ministry used now was an extension to the old building, but the old part had taken significant damage on that day when Necropolis had attacked from the sky, and had yet to be fully repaired.
Since the ruined wing was practically abandoned, he had the space to himself. Malik sat on the ground, leaning against and inside wall. He took out the offered sandwich from his bag, as well as a strange black magazine which he had received earlier this morning. He stared at the featureless cover, as he unwrapped the paper on the sandwich and began taking bites. He wasn't very hungry. Eating seemed more like a habit these days than a necessity. It was just one more sign that he didn't belong to this place.
Malik opened the magazine. The articles were all about Airplanes, and air travel, nothing Malik could actually afford. The only reason it interested him at all, was because of the stranger who had given it to him. That man had not been normal, seeming to have gone out if his way just to get this magazine into Malik's hands. Why? It didn't seem like anything spectacular.
The difference was so subtle, Malik nearly missed it. One article was out of place, its location different from the page number given on the table of contents. It was one of the few articles he was actually curious about too. Airplanes vanishing mid-flight, not to be found again. The article claimed the cause to be unknown but it was probably based on something supernatural. There were a few times the phrasing was poor in the article, there were typos which should not have been present in professional writing. Weird.
Malik flipped the page, his eyes being drawn to an enlarged quote two articles over.
That traitor stole profits from the industry. To ensure there are no other leaks, all staff are being re-screened for security purposes.
Malik read the whole article. Most of it was simply about a breach in airport security but a few sentences resonated too well with events he had experianced in the recent months.
He set down the magazine, and leaned back against the wall. Maybe it was just an over active and somewhat paranoid imagination drawing connections which were not there. *fool, this isn't even about you.* Malik thought to himself. *relax before you break something.* He fought his way calm, refusing to look at the magazine for a few moments.
Only when calm did he decide to look back, choosing to reread the sensitive passages just to convince himself that they had no connection to him.
He began to discover more spread out in other articles, phrases that could only mean something else if read by someone in a situation where they'd be looking for a second meaning, things Malik had over looked in reading before. It seemed his gut instinct had been right. They were relevant to him for some reason.
The pieces soon began forming a whole, somehow written in a way meant for his eyes alone. He had been exposed. The government knew. He could infer that much even though none of the passages spelled it out literally.
A shiver ran through him in fear, but after it passed he felt strangely calm about the matter. It had been more stressful to worry about if he'd been found out than to know that his fears had been realized.
Without the hope that he could maintain a normal life hanging over him, he could now try and act. He should give up on getting that apartment. He should take out his money from the bank before they closed his account. He should leave, and stay on the move. He wouldn't be safe in an ordinary shelter, nor anywhere else for long. It wasn't much of a plan. He didn't know where he would go, but he figured that he'd end up managing in the end.
The conclusion brought up questions. Someone had to know about him to have written this. He had no idea who or for how long. Maybe that stranger from before. Maybe someone else.
He looked through the Magazine for answers but it wouldn't give up any other secrets easily. The misspellings and poor punctuation in that one article were probably some kind of puzzle, but Malik was not sure what kind, and didn't know how to solve it for the time being.
Some of the coupons, printed on firm paper stapled inside, were not like the rest, bearing strange expiration dates, that seemed to be at random. That might be important. He stared at them for a while but also was unable to make them out to be anything other than numbers.
Finally He closed the magazine, feeling mentally tired in trying to figure out what other possible messages the magazine might have. He wasn't giving up but he didn't have nearly as much stamina for these mental acrobatics as he had for physical feats. He'd never needed to do anything like this before.
He put it back in his bag for now and pulled out his mail instead. Most were simply advertisements or taxes. Two were not. He didn't recognize the sender on either. A piece of paper slid out between the envelopes. He must have picked it up earlier, from a flier at the library. He frowned and pulled it out. The writing here had the same odd pattern of poor punctuation as the writing in the magazine. Maybe it was a clue.
Malik searched his bag for paper and a pen. He found none so he was forced to work without.
He didn't realize how soon it became too dark for any normal person to see by.
By the time he had it figured out he still didn't understand half of it. There were a bunch of numbers and it still didn't add up to anything. At least he'd figured out a date and time. He had about 42 hours to figure out what the last bit meant.
The light of a flashlight fell from beside him. "I thought I'd find you here. Quit reading in the dark. Its bad for your sight." The albino woman scolded.
"Yeah, I should sleep too." Malik agreed, quickly gathering up the papers which he'd had spread out before him, and putting them back in his bag. He didn't expect to get much rest tonight.
"Why don't you come to my place? All the good sleeping spots are already taken after all."
Beth's house was an eclectic place, small and made smaller by the clutter of mismatched furniture. On the walls hung elaborate cross stitch quotes, and detailed pictures of flowers. Big coffee table books were laid out on the table in the living room, while boxes and coatracks of things filled the halls making it hard to get from room to room. It seemed more like a storage space than a home.
Beth was like a whirlwind, knowing exactly where everything happened to be and moving throughout the cluttered house with ease. "Tea? Coffee?" She offered, though Malik was shaking his head. "The bathroom is down the hall to the right. Feel free to shower if you'd like. I'll fetch you a towel."
"Shower, then sleep." Malik answered, feeling mentally drained, and wishing to not deal with interacting more than necessary at the moment. These might be some of his last safe hours. He wanted to relax just a little bit....
Warm shower, sheets, a pillow, Malik had missed these and other things. It was easy to relax. It must have been late when there was a knock on the door, "yes? Yes he's here." He heard Beth saying. People walked in, wearing professional garb. Malik knew who they were instantly. They had come for him.
Malik startled awake. It was dark except for the screen of a digital clock. 3 AM. Nothing had happened. There was no danger at the door. He got up, and began gathering his stuff. He set his bag on the coffee table on top of the books, and put away the bedding.
He grabbed his bag, glancing at the too book on the table in passing.
An atlas.
atlas,
Maps,
He knew what those last numbers were supposed to be.
Damn it. Nobody used those things in normal society.
He carefully lifted the book of maps, looking inside to see if anything there lined up.
It did.
He knew where to go.
"Leaving already?" Beth's voice, and this time it wasn't a dream. The skinny woman was up. She had turned on a light, and was watching him from the hall.
"Yeah. I have to." He didn't want to give any more reason than that. "Thanks for everything. You've been very kind to me." He hoped he could pay her back sometime, somehow, but for now he better leave just in case his dream pointed to something which would become true.
He was already heading towards the door, turning the locks, which only required a key from the outside, when Beth pressed a small round object into his hand. "Here. Take this with you. Maybe it will be useful."
Malik had a guess as to what he'd been given based on the feel of the thing. He slipped it into a pocket. "I hope so. Thanks again." He answered before slipping out into the night.
