American Devil

Chapter 5 - Return

Vanessa doesn't even bother changing the channel back to her anime, ever since Kyro left she been stuck here pacing. She takes a glance at the door, if a client came in they assume she's crazy. She have to come up with so excuse for her worry like, she waiting to hear back about a sister in surgery. Even if she knows she doesn't have sister. Then she has to kick them up, and write down the lie just in case they came back. Can't get caught up in her lies. She knows it's not healthy to creating all these hypothetical but one can never be too vigilant, especially dealing with someone as supernatural as Kyro.

And it isn't just that paranoia of someone coming in that bothers her. It is also the fact that Kyro is close to danger and she is here, stuck and unable to help him. She knows she would only be a hindrance in that car, logically is aware of that. Aware that there was no way she could have helped him there. There was not even a way for her in Poland, it was too dangerous as he said. However, she can't help but wish that she was there with him now, providing backup. She is his partner and they work best together.

Seeing the car swerve off the road makes her grip the chair in fear and anticipation. That has to be Kyro's doing. She watches the car disappear, hidden by the trees. The police cars miss the sudden turn and continue forward on the road. It's going to take them a bit to turn around and catch up to the car.

The News helicopter isn't as slow, immediately trying to follow the car, but the canopy is too thick to see what is going down on the ground. Then, seconds later, smoke starts rising from one part of the forest, a clear signal. The camera is on it at once, tracking it, but again they are still unable to see what is happening.

Vanessa's knuckles turn white as she clenches down harder. The clock on the wall slowly ticks away but as each moment passes no new information is given on the screen, just the smoke slowly disappearing. The camera instead focuses on the arrival of a firetruck at the scene and the movement of a police officer entering the forest. All worthless information in her eyes as none involve her friend.

Her eyes are glued to the screen but she still manages to catch the door to the office slowly creaking open. She scrambles for the TV remote, muting the remote and preparing her preset lie. Finally, releasing her death grip on her chair, she puts on a pleasant smile and looks towards the door to greet the newcomer.

It's slightly open, but no one pushes it further. No one steps into the office. She frowns in confusion. Someone had to have opened the door, there is no way it could have opened itself. Unless it was a ghost haunting their office, but she is sure she would have noticed one during all of these years working here.

She steps up towards the door, pulls it open herself and pokes her head into the hallway. There is no one. The frown on her face deepens. It could have been a prank, she thinks and shrugs, going back inside and making sure to close the door.

However, before she can sit in her chair to continue watching the News, she trips over something that hadn't been there before. Something that meows loudly once she kicks it. Looking down, she confirms that it is in fact mister Snuggles, looking at her with sad eyes.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I keep telling you to not get in the way when people are walking or you'll get hurt." Vanessa scolds the orange tabby cat as she bends down and picks him up. He starts purring the moment she starts petting his fur. She coos at him.

"You must have been lonely with everyone out of the office, haven't you? I know, I've also been lonely. Come on. Let's see what Kyro is doing. Hopefully not causing a lot of trouble, or I'm going to get grey hairs from worrying. I'm too young to become grey." She tells Snuggles, and he meows back as if agreeing with her. She grabs the remote with one hand as she settles down in her chair again, cat in her lap.