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Chapter 9

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Early in the morning, a car was quietly driving down the street. After going round in two circles, it arrived in front of a house. The driver got off, hesitated a bit before pressing on the password pad. After some nervous waiting, the door was unlocked.

*** *** ***

Anton woke up from his black out after who knew how long.

The furniture around him gradually took shape. Where is this?

He was on a bed. He tried moving his arms and legs and felt medicine and bandages on his forehead and body.

*** *** ***

“You are awake?” someone walked over and spoke to him warmly.

Anton tried to figure out who he was.

“It’s me, Jimmy.” That man smiled at him.

Anton finally recognized him. It’s Rene. He was confused, but when he wanted to ask, Rene stopped him. “Everything is fine. You are safe now. I have examined you and there were only bruises and scars, but nothing serious. Do you feel better now?”

Anton nodded.

“Sorry I didn’t send you to the hospital. Do you want to go to the hospital now?” Rene asked.

“No. It’s unnecessary.” Anton struggled and tried to sit up.

Rene pushed him back, “You should rest a bit more.”

“What time is it?”

“Past 9. You can sleep some more. Don’t worry, we can go back in the afternoon. I will go get something to eat.” Rene tucked him in and left.

*** *** ***

However, Anton was unable to fall back to sleep again. Once Rene left, Anton struggled off the bed. He felt a bit dizzy, but Rene was right about his injuries being minor.

So, Anton started to inspect the environment he was in. Thick curtains hung on the window, letting in only very vague sunlight. He looked around in surprise and suspicion. The furniture around the house were covered in tarpaulin, as if the owner planned to go on a long journey, or they have gone on one and never come back.

There was no city noises around. He was surrounded by an abnormal silence. The door was opened, leading towards the living room. Where is this place? He became even more confused and worried.

*** *** ***

He looked down at himself. The bandages on his body was tied very carefully and professionally. After walking around the room for a while, he finally felt better.

Anton tried to guess the furniture under the tarpaulin from their shapes.

This seems to be a cabinet. He lifted a corner of the tarpaulin up: It was a little bookshelf, with books in multiple languages. That thing over there is a desk. He opened its drawer carefully. Several pieces of exam and scrap paper randomly lay at the bottom, which were crowded with chemistry and physics formulas.

He opened another small cabinet of the desk. There was a pile of scrap paper, some of which had a company’s name printed on them. Next to the pile was a folder. Anton took it in his hand and opened it. He was stupefied for a moment. Inside the folder were printed school event schedules and general examination schedules. There was no school name, but there was class number and event introduction, with some handwritten numbers next to them. He could tell that whoever wrote the numbers organized that event and was calculating the number of people.

All the papers were yellow and the writing wasdiscoloredd, showing their age. A strange sensation suddenly rose in his heart, making him sentimental and involuntarily sigh.

Unexpectedly, under the documents he found a photo of four girls and two boys.

“Kada” The door made a sudden noise. Without looking at it carefully, Anton hastily put the file back as Rene came in.

*** *** ***

“You didn’t sleep?” Rene was a bit surprised, seeing Anton standing in the middle of the room.

“I wanted to move my body a bit.” Anton was also surprised at Rene’s clothes. He had changed into a big grey waterproof coat and a baseball cap. Anton couldn’t describe what Rene looked like in them, but he found it somehow weird. It looks somewhat young, unlike the usual Rene.

“Have some food.” Rene smiled faintly, and put the food on the bed stand, “The closest places only sell pizza.” Rene’s voice was exceptionally soft, almost cautious, as if he could not bear to to disturb the dead souls under the tarpaulin.

Upon seeing the package of the food did Anton realize that this place was not far from the university town. The odoriferous bag immediately made him realize that he was hungry. Without much thought, Anton started gobbling it down.

*** *** ***

Rene did not eat. Soon Anton heard footsteps from outside the window. He lifted the curtain up and saw that it was Rene picking some flowers.

Is he in a good mood? Anton was confused, but more vexed than anything. Other than the inevitable work and that ridiculous one night stand, he never wanted to get further involved with this man.

*** *** ***

Rene walked in, unsurprisingly holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He put some in a vase next to the bed, and the others on the medical box on the side of the bed.

“I am ready. Can we leave now?” Anton bluntly asked.

*** *** ***

They quickly packed all their stuff, collected the garbage and walked out of the room.

When Rene pulled the door open, Anton saw that Rene had put on a pair of gloves when he was not paying attention.

The sudden change from the darkness to sunlight hurt Anton’s eyes.

But Rene remained in the door, staring blankly at the house that was covered in tarpaulin.

“Hmm?” Anton stepped up to motion Rene to leave. At that moment, he saw tears flash in Rene’s eyes.

“Yes, yes.” Rene nodded and entered the password with the gloved hand, then turned around and locked the door.

*** *** ***

It was sunny outside. Fragrance filled the air. Rene shivered and shut his eyes tightly.

Then he put the medicine box into the trunk and the flowers at the front, and got into the driver’s seat. He lowered his cap, put on a pair of light-colored glasses and started the car.

Rene seemed familiar with the road. He glanced at the scenery and the road crossings from time to time. The drive was silent. Anton had questions but he withheld them. A wilderness was flashing in Rene’s eyes behind the tinted glasses, which he had never seen before.

*** *** ***

Rene drove the car into a gas station off-road. A chubby, brown-haired middle-aged woman filled the tank with gas. They got off the car and bought some bottled water from the shop. “Are you Sally?” When Rene passed her his card, he suddenly asked.

“Who are you?” That women raised her head in surprise, looking at Rene warily.

Rene smiled bitterly. Without answering her, he walked back and started the car.

Anton looked back. The brown-haired woman had walked out of the gas station, staring in shock as the car went farther away.

*** *** ***

Some time later, the car gradually left the main road. Noticing this, Anton looked at Rene in puzzlement.

“Anton,” Rene finally spoke, “would you mind waiting for a bit?” He drove the car off a fork, where a narrow path by the side led towards a hill.

“What?”

“Would you mind waiting here for a bit? I want to visit a place.”

“What?” Anton nodded despite the confusion, “Okay.”

“Thanks.”

*** *** ***

He found it. He finally found it.

Rene placed the flowers and the water in front of a gravestone. He was here for the first time ever.

He stood there gazing at the tomb in a trance. On the gravestone was someone he was so familiar with. He was smiling innocently at him, his eyes was pure and clear, filled with ideals.

He would be forever this young now – he sighed, looking at the photo – time froze at that moment, and it would never change again.

The wind hurried past. The warm spring breeze carried a hint of cold.

*** *** ***

After waited for a long time without seeing Rene coming back , Anton hesitated and finally followed Rene’s path upwards.

Anton went up the hill, made a turn, and went through an iron gate. The gate was unlocked. There were some letters and a crest on top of the gate. This is private property.

He walked farther up. Unexpectedly, a graveyard lay in front of him.

At the border of the distant woods, two aged caretakers were working quietly.

He saw Rene at a distance, who was standing behind a tombstone with his head lowered. Anton walked towards him.

Rene immediately noticed. He looked up, and their eyes met in the air. Rene walked over, and Anton stopped.

“You got impatient? Sorry about that.” Rene apologized to Anton and both of them hurried down to the gate.

The wind blew again. Behind them, leaves and flower petals fell on empty tombs.

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