A large crimson bed stood in the center of a room, almost similar to Lukas’s.
With the sole exception of the huge brown overall coat hung on a coat stand.
On the bed, Lukas slept, eyes clenched tightly, chest rising and falling at a steady rhythm.
His hand shot up suddenly, pale and stiff like something straight out of a zombie movie.
He groaned as he dragged himself upright, his hair falling over his face messily.
"Wh... what happened?" The words fell from his mouth slowly.
He looked around the room, about to mistake it for his own till he saw the coat stand in a corner.
With his brows arched, he turned towards the door. Or more accurately, the work desk beside the table.
Standing there, was the same person whom he had seen twice some time ago.
"Thank you," Lukas said as all the memories came surging back.
From the headache, to the system’s words, to the blackout. At least, that was all he remembered.
The boy nodded in response.
"I saw your body in the elevator. Sorry I brought you to my room without asking," he said, approaching Lukas with the umbrella.
"No... No, I should thank you instead."
As he spoke, he was already pushing out of the bed. He collected the umbrella with a slight bow.
His eyes caught the wristwatch on his hand. "I was out for only an hour?" Lukas asked the boy.
"I am Bell, and yes, you were out for only an hour."
"Lukas."
He brought his hand in for a handshake.
The boy... Bell, seemed increasingly shocked with every passing second.
"What’s wrong with you?" Lukas asked with a chuckle.
The space between them was barely 3 feet, and from that point, Lukas could see the center of Bell’s head as clearly as daylight.
After all, Bell was barely reaching his weight in height.
"Aren’t you going to speak about how I look?" Bell asked, causing Lukas to frown.
He had seen how weird Bell looked compared to every other person on this planet.
He just didn’t have the physique and height everyone, even non-awakened, boasted of.
"Why would I? Your stature is not enough reason for me to discriminate against you."
Bell froze, his pupils dilating to a slit.
"You are not going to call me a cursed being?
Lukas shook his head, already walking towards the door.
"So, you are not like others?" Bell asked, not even facing Lukas who was already holding the door’s knob.
"No, I am not like others."
With those words, Lukas stepped out of the room, the low voice of Bell saying ’sorry’ following him.
"What is he sorry for?" Lukas wondered, shaking his head with a smile as he walked through the dark hallway.
He quickly reached his room and opened the door.
Entering, after resting his umbrella against the table, the first thing Lukas did was collapse onto the bed.
He did not move, letting himself revel in the softness.
The thought behind it was to rest his weak body.
’Why do I feel oddly energetic?’ Lukas wondered, twisting on the bed to let his eyes face the ceiling.
He stood up again and walked to the desk to use the intercom.
After a few moments, an answer came.
"What do you have for this evening?" Lukas asked directly.
The person paused for a while. Then she replied.
"We have Colcannon, poutine, fried chicken with mashed potatoes, and meat pie with chips," the person answered.
Lukas thought about the menu. "Fried chicken with mashed potatoes," he finally said.
"Okay sir, what time would you want us to bring it?"
The question made Lukas pause. He squinted at the absurdity.
’Should I be placing an order against tomorrow evening?’ Lukas wondered.
"Sir?" the person on the other end called out.
"Now."
There was silence.
"It’s still morning, sir," she said. "It would take some time to prepare it."
’Morning?’ Lukas thought, tilting his wrist to check the time.
It was only 7:24 pm.
"Fuck." The word fell from his mouth before he could think.
He dropped the phone into its slot and stepped back.
He tried to pull the wristwatch off his wrist. It was cardboard. It tore before Lukas could check it.
His hand found his pocket as he remembered he had a phone.
It was empty. The phone was no longer there.
A thought occurred to him. He took the umbrella beside the table and opened it.
All that he saw were scraps of metal falling from the fabric.
He did not even think about it. He ran out of the room, moving towards the room he had just exited, Bell’s.
Shaking the door loudly, there was no response.
"Fuck it," Lukas yelled, running his hand through his hair before he ran towards the elevator.
Ding!
As he reached the top, he stormed to the reception.
"The person in room 3 stole my things, how do I get to his room," Lukas was already saying before he reached the table.
But he was met with the receptionist’s squint.
"What?" Lukas asked, slamming his hand on the table. "Why are you looking at me that way?"
"We are sorry sir," they said almost immediately, their voices overlapping uniformly.
"The person left a few minutes ago."
Lukas’s eyes widened as he heard those words.
’Sorry.’
The word and voice played in Lukas’s mind over and over.
"That cursed being ran with my money," Lukas muttered, turning back slowly to face the elevator.
The danger he had to go through to get the money, everything came rushing back like a tide.