The morning
Guest's POV
I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept at all.
Not that it was anything new. Sleep and I weren't exactly on good terms these days. Not here. Not in this place.
The air inside the cabin was stale, carrying the faint scent of damp wood and melted candle wax. Outside, the fog pressed against the windows like a living thing, thick and unrelenting. No sunrise. No time. Just the same eternal nothingness.
I sat up, rubbing my hands down my face, trying to shake off the remnants of whatever nightmare had woken me this time. I didn't remember much-just the usual flashes of noise, movement, pain.
Hell, maybe it wasn't even a nightmare. Maybe it was just memory.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair before standing, rolling my shoulders to shake off the stiffness. My body felt heavier than it should, like exhaustion had settled into my bones overnight.
Another day in limbo. Great.
I pushed open the door to my room, stepping into the main part of the cabin. It was quiet. The kind of quiet that made my skin itch. I wasn't alone-I could feel it-but I didn't hear anything at first. Just that ever-present silence, thick enough to choke on.
Then-
Click.
The distinct sound of a coin flipping through the air.
I glanced over.
There he was.
Chance.
Leaning against the wall, flipping that damn coin between his fingers like it was an extension of himself. He didn't acknowledge me right away, just kept his attention on the coin, watching it spin before catching it in his palm.
I sighed, stepping further into the room. I could feel his eyes on me now, assessing, like he was deciding whether or not to comment on last night.
I beat him to it.
- "Don't start."
He smirked, flicking the coin back into the air.
- "Didn't say a word, soldier boy."
I rolled my eyes, heading toward the small wooden table in the corner. There wasn't much here-just a few scattered belongings, some old playing cards, and an empty glass bottle that I was pretty sure had been full at some point.
I sat down, rubbing my temples.
Chance pushed off the wall, strolling over like he had all the time in the world.
- "Sleep well?"
I shot him a dry look.
- "What do you think?"
He hummed, flipping the coin again.
- "Yeah, thought so."
I leaned back in the chair, crossing my arms. He was watching me again, the way he always did-like he saw more than I wanted him to. Like he knew.
I hated that.
- "What do you want, gambler?"
- "Just making conversation." He twirled the coin between his fingers, then caught it. "Figured you'd be in a mood today."
- "I'm fine."
- "Sure you are."
His voice was light, but I could hear the doubt underneath. He wasn't buying it. Not for a second.
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. I didn't have the energy for this.
- "Look, I don't need you checking up on me."
- "Didn't say I was."
- "Then what the hell are you doing?"
He tilted his head, tapping his fingers against the table.
- "Dunno. Maybe I'm just curious how long you can keep pretending you're fine before you snap."
I clenched my jaw, gripping the edge of the table a little too tight.
- "I'm not gonna snap."
- "If you say so."
Silence stretched between us. Thick. Tense.
I knew what he was doing. Pushing. Prodding. Seeing how far he could go before I bit back.
Typical.
I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face.
- "I just need some space, alright?"
Chance studied me for a moment before flipping his coin again.
- "Fair enough."
He caught the coin-didn't check the result this time-then slipped it into his pocket and stepped back.
- "Guess I'll go entertain myself elsewhere... I'm pretty sure Elliot tried a new pizza recepie.."
I nodded, relieved.
But before he turned to leave, he hesitated. Just for a second.
Then-
- "Y'know... you don't have to do everything alone."
I looked up, frowning.
- "What?"
He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets.
- "I'm just saying. You keep carrying the weight of the world like it's your job, but it's not."
I scoffed.
- "And what, you're offering to help?"
- "Hell no." He smirked. "I'm just saying you could lighten the load. Y'know. If you weren't so damn stubborn."
I shook my head, exhaling through my nose.
- "Noted."
He gave me a mock salute before turning toward the door.
- "Try not to drown in your own misery while I'm gone, yeah?"
- "No promises."
The door creaked as he stepped outside, the fog swallowing him almost instantly.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling.
His words lingered longer than I wanted them to... Soon enough I heard a snicker.. I turned to look at who it was coming from
I exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose before turning to look at him.
- "What do you want, 007N7?"
He was leaning against the counter, arms crossed, an easy smirk playing on his lips. But his eyes? His eyes weren't mocking. If anything, they were a little too knowing.
- "Just observing."
I scoffed, shaking my head.
- "Yeah? Observesomewhereelse."
He didn't move. Of course he didn't.
- "You know, fortwo people whoclaimthey don't care abouteachother, youandChancesurespend a lotoftimearguing like an old marriedcouple."
I shot him a glare, but he just grinned, completely unfazed.
- "Oh, screw off."
- "Nah, I think I'll stay." He grabbed an apple off the counter, inspecting it for a moment before taking a bite. "So... whatwasthatabout?"
- "Nothing."
- "Didn't look like nothing."
- "It was nothing." I pushed myself up from the chair, running a hand through my hair. "Chanceis just... annoying."
- "Mm-hmm." He chewed thoughtfully, nodding like he didn't believe me for a second. "And you're definitelynotdeflecting right now."
I groaned, turning away. This was exactly why I hated talking to him sometimes-because 007N7 had this way of seeing right through all the bullshit. And worse? He enjoyed calling it out.
- "I'm notdeflecting."
- "Right. Just like Chancetotally wasn't checking up on you."
I froze for half a second before forcing myself to move again, grabbing a glass from the counter and filling it with water.
- "He wasn't."
- "Uh-huh. And I'm the King of England."
I shot him another glare over my shoulder, but he just snickered, completely unfazed.
- "Look, man, I get it. You don't like talkingabout your feelings or whatever. Butyoukeepacting like you can carry all thisweight on your own, andeventually, it's gonnacrushyou."
I set the glass down a little harder than necessary.
- "I don't need a lecture."
- "I'm just saying-"
- "And I'm just sayingdrop it."
Silence.
For a second, I thought he might actually listen. But then-
- "...Y'know, youcouldatleast say 'thankyou.'"
I blinked, turning to face him fully.
- "Forwhat?"
- "ForChance. Forme. Forthefactthat, despite your best efforts, you've got people looking out for your dumb ass."
I clenched my jaw.
- "I didn't askforthat."
- "Yeah, well. Sometimeswe don't get a say in whogives a damnabout us."
He tossed the apple core into the trash and wiped his hands off on his shirt before turning toward the door.
- "Look.. I tried to give you advice- you didn't want it, that's your problem.." He shrugged and walked away
I stood there for a moment, jaw clenched, staring at the spot where 007 had just been. His words hung in the air, heavier than they had any right to be.
Sometimeswe don't get a say in whogives a damnabout us.
I exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down my face.
Why did they always do this? Chance. 007N7. The whole damn group. Why did they insist on poking at something I had no interest in talking about?
I grabbed the glass from the counter, taking a sip of water just to have something to do with my hands. It was lukewarm, stale. Fitting.
The cabin was quiet again. But not the kind of quiet I wanted. This was the kind that crawled under my skin, that made my thoughts too loud.
I needed air.
Setting the glass down, I grabbed my jacket and stepped outside.
The fog was as thick as ever, curling around the trees like ghostly fingers. The air was damp, clinging to my skin, but at least it was better than being inside.
Better than thinking.
I leaned against the porch railing, staring out at the endless mist. No landmarks. No real sense of direction. Just the same eerie nothingness stretching as far as the eye could see.
The same damn limbo.
I closed my eyes, listening. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear faint voices-probably from the others. Elliot, most likely. Maybe Two time..
Normal conversation. Normal people.. No, not two time I guess.. He's kinda psychotic but whatever..
It should've been comforting. It wasn't.
Instead, it just made me feel... separate.
Like I was watching from the outside. Like I didn't really belong.
I clenched my fists. Notthis again.
A familiar clink pulled me from my thoughts.
I opened my eyes just in time to see a silver coin flip through the air before landing neatly in a waiting hand.
- "Didn't think you'd actually come outside, soldierboy."
I didn't even turn.
- "Didn't think you'd still be hangingaround."
Chance strolled up beside me, hands in his coat pockets, that ever-present smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
- "What can I say? I'm invested in your emotional well-being."
- "Bullshit."
- "Yeah, alright, thatwas a lie." He flipped the coin again. "Butyouare more fun to bother when you're already in a mood."
I huffed, shaking my head.
Silence stretched between us for a beat. The mist curled around the trees, the cold air pressing against my skin.
Then-
- "Y'know, 007's got a point."
I stiffened.
- "Notyoutoo."
- "Relax, I'm not here to lecture." He leaned against the railing, spinning the coin between his fingers. "Just saying... shuttingeveryone out? Notexactly a long-termsolution."
- "Yeah? Andwhat do yousuggest?"
- "I dunno. Maybeactuallyletting people help insteadofbrooding in corners like sometragicwar hero."
I let out a dry laugh.
- "Youthink it's thatsimple?"
Chance shrugged.
- "Didn't say it was. Butyoumake it harderthan it needs to be." He caught the coin, held it between his fingers. "Look, man. I don't care if youwant to keep being a stubbornbastardabout it. Butthefactis, you're notalone."
I said nothing.
- "Andwhetheryou like it or not? We're not going anywhere."
With that, he flipped the coin one last time, caught it, and walked off-disappearing into the fog just like before.
I stood there, staring after him, my grip tightening on the railing.
Not alone.
Funny.
Because it sure as hell still felt that way... It's not like he actually cared.. And I know it