a.u.

Chapter Seven: Week

Today was Tuesday. Normal Tuesdays weren't significant, and no one knew that more than Damian, but this Tuesday was perhaps the most significant Tuesday since the last time his birthday fell on a Tuesday a couple years back.

It was one week today. One week since he ventured into that stupid hipster coffee shop and had his world turned upside down.

Well, to say his world was turned upside down felt almost exaggerative. Everything outside of that shop was going pretty normally since. His job continued at a steady pace. Things at home weren't out of the ordinary. Hell, if he never stepped foot in that shop again he probably could go on living the rest of his life as conventionally as possible.

But he couldn't not go back to that place. There was something in it that kept calling to him. And even if he ignored that calling, there was no way he would leave Alexander in there to deal with it on his own.

Not that he was fond of Alexander, per se. He was a weird sort of guy with a certain level of charm to him, he supposed. But it didn't feel right to let a guy deal with whatever was going on within those walls go at it alone. It would drive anyone mad. Especially that weirdo. Definitely that weirdo.

Damian tried not to think anymore about it. He finished his morning routine and left for work. Or well, he really left for the coffee shop. Work felt like an afterthought these days.

By the time he reached the front doors to the café, it was 8:17. The exact timing of his arrival didn't really seem to matter much after a week. The mystery quake seemed to operate on its own schedule within the confines of the hour. Almost like it had a mind of its own.

Something about that particular thought sent chills coursing up his spine. He tried not to think of it as he went inside.

Alexander smiled the moment he saw Damian. "Thanks for coming back," he said.

The comment caught Damian off guard. "Uh, yeah, of course. We have a lot of work to do still."

He looked around the shop. Sure enough, there were two patrons in the shop. Today there was one reading a book while munching on a crumbling blueberry muffin while another seemed to be falling asleep into a cup of tea.

Alexander followed his gaze and lowered his voice. "Where do you want to start today?" he asked. "I don't know how much time we'll have."

"Then let's get started." Damian started walking toward the back of the coffee shop, crossing the line between patron space and employee space without as much as an invitation.

Alexander followed meekly behind.

"What other rooms are back here?" he asked in an almost commanding sort of way.

"First tell me what you want to do before you start letting yourself in places you're not allowed."

Damian waved it off. "That's not a big deal."

"Yeah, well you don't depend on this place for income," he grumbled.

He elected to ignore that comment. "I want to see if there are any places in here that are unaffected by whatever is happening. We know it happens out in front and back in the store room. Are there any other rooms in this place?"

They stopped in the dark, narrow hallway between the storefront and the back room. The only light was strained from the ceiling lamps in the front.

"It's mostly just those two," he admitted. "Besides the bathrooms. And I already checked those two weeks ago. The ceiling vent comes crashing down in a manner that is unsafe and practically clobbered me. Two out of ten: would not recommend going through that again."