I know it's been way too long since I updated this, and I'm so sorry. I get anxious with these things and didn't dare to do it, even though I already had a total of 4 chapters done. So, I'll publish the chapters and we'll see what happens next :)
I struggled against the wind, trying to wrap my blanket around my upper body. When I wasn't sitting or laying on the ground, it functioned as coat. A blankoat. I sniggered to myself, then frowned. God, that was a bad pun. I need to sleep.
The wind grew even harder and I quickened my pace, searching for a place to crash. I had heard that it was going to storm today, and I really did not want to be in the middle of it. Judging by the dark clouds that were gathering above me, I had to be quick.
As I passed some skate park, I saw that even the kids who normally spent all their time there trying to break their bones were absent. In fact, almost every street I'd crossed in the past thirty minutes had been almost deserted. Must be quite the storm if it even stopped the Londoners from crawling through the streets like bees in a nest as they usually do.
A filthy paper bag from some fast-food restaurant was blown against my leg by the wind. I kicked it away mid-step but then stopped walking. About thirty meters away from me was a building that looked as if it hadn't been visited in years. The windows were either broken or missing altogether, but it had walls and a roof. Exactly what I needed. If I couldn't find shelter from the rain, I'd probably freeze –or be blown away by this ever-growing wind. Dark clouds were gathering above me quickly, so I decided to take no chances and run for it. For what was definitely not the first time in my life, my athletically-built body came in handy. My long legs took even longer strides and just in time I reached the building.
I climbed through a window frame and let myself fall inside. Precisely that moment, it started to rain. Heavily. I grinned and sat up. Well done Cat, I complimented myself, and I patted my own shoulder. I stood and changed my blankoat into a big scarf, by wrapping it around my neck. Hm, I better look around before I am going to sleep. Make sure I am alone.
I stepped out of the room, into a hallway. A stairs made of rotten wood stood against the wall across me. Everything was covered in dust and there were loads of mice turds. Something on my right caught my eye. A flimsy mattress. Apparently I wasn't the first homeless to set foot in this shack. I wondered why this particular person had been alone. Surely you would tell others if you'd found a place this nice.
I wandered farther into the hallway and turned into another room. This room wasn't as empty as the first room had been. Large bookcases were standing criss-cross in the room. I walked towards one and scanned the titles. Before I could read one, however, I was startled by a noise from above me. Was someone on the first floor? The noise shifted towards the hallway, and I realised they were footsteps. Someone was about to walk downstairs.
I got a bad feeling in my gut. My instinct told me to hide. And let me tell you that the first thing I'd learned when I became homeless, was to trust my instinct.
I quickly hid behind a rather full bookcase, so that the person could not immediately see me if they stepped foot into this room. The stairs creaked loudly as the mysterious person descended. Must be a man, I thought as the footsteps sounded very heavy. Or an incredibly fat and boorish woman. I held my breath, hoping the person would walk into another room. But -of course- they didn't. The person now stood in the doorway of this room.
Not being able to hold my breath any longer, I slowly exhaled. Despite my bad feeling about this situation, my curiosity seemed to burn me from inside and I just had to know who I was dealing with.
I didn't want to be seen, though.
Just a small glimpse, I told myself. Come on, you really need to know who you're dealing with. Could be just one of the others, Maud for example. Or little Tommy.
I slowly moved my face to a small slit between two books. What I saw, stopped my heart for a moment. It was the man who we were looking for. The man from the display of the phone, the one that was shown to us by the man with the nice coat.
The man in the nice coat. I need to warn him.
I realise it's all quite short. Is that annoying?
