Not Long At All

Chapter Twenty Three

Sarah's POV

      The truck rolled through the upscale apartment complex, a lighted fountain sparkling as we passed it. I craned my neck, eyeing the upscale buildings, "Are you sure he lives here? Like maybe you have the wrong memory?"

      David turned the wheel, slowly driving down the dark pavement, "Pretty sure."

      Sensing my disbelief, he glanced at the cup holder, "You can ask the worm."

      I ducked back into the car, peering into to the mug we had brought with us, "I'm sure it's fine." We had decided to bring him just in case we ran into any problems.

      From inside the cup came the voice, "Forward, forward, forward..."

      "No, no" I bent down, "We're good, thanks."

      The worm looked up, his eyes opening, "Oh! Ello!"

      Smiling, I gave him a small wave, "Hi."

       The car slowed, rolling into a parking spot. Pulling the key, David nodded towards the mug, "I'll grab our stuff if you get him."

      I nodded, gently cupping the mug in my hands before following David. The apartment was on the first floor- number thirteen. I watched the number as he reached out to knock on the door, wondering if it struck anything. His face was blank and he watched the door. Silence. Disappointment grabbed me. 

      Glancing at me, David tried again only to receive more silence. He turned to me, "I'm almost positive this is the right one."

      I stared at him, my disappointment turning into annoyed amusement. Looking into the cup, I gave it a small shake, "Can you confirm this?"

      The worm gave a wiggle, grounding himself before he gently closed his eyes, "Forward, forward. There."

      I met David's eyes, "This must be it then."

      He shrugged, "Maybe he's asleep-"

      My fist was already on the door, banging against it, "Hey!"

      David's hand shot out, grabbing mine, "What are you doing?"

      Shaking my head, I opened my mouth to respond but the door had gingerly opened, Ziggy peering from the crack. He frowned, his eyes narrowing "Hi?"

      I shook my hand from David's grip, smiling, "See? It worked."

      I turned to him, a falsely sweet smile on my face, "Hi. We're staying here."

      Before he could say anything I pushed against the door, forcing myself inside. Ziggy struggled to keep me out, "What? No. No! Stay?"

      David was more apologetic, and gently brushed past him, "Sorry, Zig."

      The apartment's strategically placed gray furniture felt staged against stark white walls. The couch's pillows were coordinated and a slender potted planted sat in the corner, somehow not adding life to the room. My eyes swept the room, "It looks like sad IKEA in here."

      Ziggy stepped backwards, closing the door behind us, "What are you doing here?"

      I moved to the living room and carefully set the mug onto the coffee table, kneeling beside him, "We need to stay here until we leave for the islands."

      Laughing, Ziggy scoffed, "Excuse me?"

      David stepped past him, dropping our bags to the couch, "Well, when we went to Sarah's someone was waiting for us. He nearly stabbed me."