Drown Under Earth - Shadows of the Night 3

Chapter 28

Hi!

I had a week off, and now it's just gone... I have no idea what happened. But I guess that will always be the case when you got time off and enjoy yourself. I hope you had a great weekend! Anyway, here's the next one for you. Let me know if you liked it!

Lara

______________________________________________________

Chapter 28

Sleep was clinging to me like a sticky, sour, and unpleasant goo-like substance. Merely opening my eyes felt like pushing against a brick wall with my mind alone. Last night's wild goose chase had completely wiped me out. Once I was home, I had expected to toss and turn in futile attempts at sleep, working off the adrenaline and excitement of what amounted to a badly produced play of a night. Apparently that guy's weed had seen to a sudden and undisturbed night's sleep. That didn't change the fact that I felt drained and beaten this morning.

I had been in the land of Nod long enough to miss the unofficial breakfast time in our flat. Since I was living in a flat occupied by an unemployed mischief-maker of a shape shifter and his sister, who had a relatively loose time table as a university student, it meant that we were slowly, but surely, approaching noon.

I padded into the hallway and, as if pursuing a lead, tried to find the kitchen by sniffing out the brewed coffee. To my disappointment, I couldn't smell anything at all. Instead I heard Laura's voice coming from the bathroom.

"Are they gone already?"

"No such luck. Those stupid-ass birds are pooping all over the place again," Ryan said. He sounded pissed. "Just what the fuck is wrong with them? Shoo!"

I stepped into the living room, getting a good view of Ryan's backside. He was leaning out of the French window, one foot on the small corridor-like balcony, doing funny movements with his hands.

"You better get a broom and a mop, cause I'm certainly not gonna remove bird droppings from our balcony. I have an exam tomorrow." Laura said it as if it would give her a blanket excuse note. She appeared behind me, her hair damp from what I most certainly believed to be the shower.

"Morning Anna! What's up?"

"Hey," I said, looking from her to Ryan and then back again. "What the hell's going on here?"

Laura shrugged. "Nothing that Ryan can't take care of, right brother?"

"The hell I will! Fucking ravens have been sitting on the balcony banister since yesterday afternoon," Ryan said, using his thumb to point behind him.

Ravens? Oh no!

I craned my neck, trying to see past him. The banister was empty.

"I don't see any birds," I said, frowning.

"Well, now they're gone cause I shooed them away, but they'll be back as soon as I close the window. Just wait and see, wise girl," Ryan said, closing the door with considerably more force than necessary.

"Hey, don't get mad at me. I'm not the one leaving droppings on our balcony," I said, raising my hands in an apologetic gesture. In fact, it went against what I really had in mind. It should have been the other way around. I should have been shouting at him. My hands were still itching to throttle him for inviting Alexander to our James Bond session the other night.

"Let me give you a little piece of advice: take the cleaning agent we keep under the sink," I added, smirking. Smart-alecking instead of throttling was an option.