Dead EndChapter 5

Jordan walks down the narrow staircase on his tiptoes, his bare feet helping him remain soundless. He looks both ways down the hallway the stairs end up in before he ventures further into the house, his eyes vigilantly trying to spot oncoming threats. Biting his lip, he steps slowly and carefully, trying to go unnoticed.

He finds the kitchen before he finds his way to the front door. Peeking around the corner, he squints into the bright light and hisses slightly. The ceiling lights are strong; it takes him a few moments to get used to them.  RcYjCV

Sebastian is sitting on a kitchen chair, the wood dark brown and the table in front of him covered entirely by boxes. They almost reach the dangling ceiling lamp. Jordan furrows his brows, hunching up his shoulders a little. Taking a deep breath, he steps back from the corner, squares his shoulders back, straightens his back and adjusts his grip on the tray.

Then he walks around the corner and into the kitchen. 

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Sebastian looks up at the sound of his footsteps. The stranger smiles at him, his soft eyes staring at him. Jordan clears his throat after a moment, looking away and walking up to the kitchen counter. He carefully places the tray on it, making sure everything’s secure before he lets go.

”Thank you for the breakfast,” he says, because there’s no reason to antagonize his kidnapper. Not until Sebastian tries to stop him from leaving, that is. 13kOuE

Sebastian says, ”Of course.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Jordan tilts his head slightly, but doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, he walks over to the table, removes the box from the chair and settles down on it. Opening his mouth, he frowns and then closes it again. He places his elbow on a tiny area of visible wood on the kitchen table and rests his head on his hand, staring at Sebastian. The man is counting something in a binder, he thinks.

”The night is over,” he says. He winces as the words comes out; he doesn’t know how sane this man is, he shouldn’t have said it so bluntly.

Sebastian stills. He closes the binder softly, his fingers clenching slightly on the edges where he’s holding it. Jordan eyes those strong fingers with trepidation, subtly trying to lean away from the other man. As handsome as he is, Jordan still hasn’t gotten any sensible answers. Still doesn’t know what he’s doing here.

Sebastian sighs. He pulls his hand through his hair and stands up. Pacing, he asks, ”Where do you want to go?”

Jordan straightens. He leans forward and says, ”Home.”

Sebastian stops. He turns to face him. He frowns, his thick eyebrows furrowing. After a beat, he says, ”I… don’t know where you live.”

Jordan narrows his eyes and his lips twitch. ”You know my name and that I’d be at the café, but not where I live?” 8zAPn

Tellingly, Sebastian doesn’t deny that he knew Jordan was going to be at that café.

”Yes,” Sebastian says slowly, as if he doesn’t like the taste of it in his mouth. He sits back down on his chair and picks up the binder again, slowly beginning to leaf through the many, many pages. Lowly, he mutters, ”You never told me.”

Jordan scowls and leans away. That… implies that they have been in contact at some point. Clues point toward his years on all those forums and group chats; he was very careful about never giving away his address. And he moved recently, too. Moved to go to university and pursue a higher education in the name of one day getting a well-paying job.

So it… sort of tracks, he suppose. Pegh8q

”I want to go home,” Jordan says, because it feels like they got sidetracked and this needs to be clear. Sebastian slumps a little on the chair, his eyes closing and his breathing steady. 

Finally, he says, ”Alright. I’ll take you home.”

”You’re sure?” Jordan asks. 

Sebastian looks at him and smiles—softly, gently, like a spring breeze. He really is the kind of ruggedly handsome that would make Jordan stare at him if he ever saw him on the street. ”You won’t believe me about the zombies if you don’t see them yourself,” Sebastian says. He puts away the binder and turns to face Jordan fully. ”I can’t let you go out there alone, so I’m coming with you.” Zw35nb

”You’re really going to stick to the zombie story, huh?” Jordan mutters. Sebastian merely inclines his head.

Sighing, Jordan stands up. He stretches out his back and groans, placing his hands on his hips. Gazing at the large kitchen before him and all the boxes splayed out, some still closed and appearing untouched while others have clearly been searched through, he droops his shoulders. Sebastian is a big man, obviously with more muscles than Jordan. He probably knows how to use them, too.

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And the guy already proved that he doesn’t have a problem with kidnapping Jordan in clear daylight. He’ll probably follow Jordan whether he agrees or not, so he might as well spare himself the fight. ”Alright,” he says. 

Sebastian grins. He stands up as well, taking a step toward him. Jordan flinches back and Sebastian stops dead in his tracks. His smile falls, and he stares at him like he’s searching for something. Jordan doesn’t think he finds it, because Sebastian then presses a hand over his eyes and grimaces. He turns away from Jordan. lZvigp

”I’m sorry,” Jordan—inexplicably—says. He doesn’t know what for, but there is plainly something troubling this man. He’s got enough supplies in this house to lock himself in for months, and is convinced an attack is imminent. And from the sirens and honking still echoing from the outside, he might very well be right.

”It’s not your fault,” Sebastian mutters. He drags his hands through his hair and shakes his head slightly. Looking back at him, the grimace might be missing but he’s still got a sad look in his eyes. Sebastian says, ”Come on then, and we’ll go to your home.”

Jordan gulps. He takes a short step toward the other man.