"Why are you doing this? How could you just leave them like that?" She ran after him as he stalked down the corridor. "Are they not your friends? Your family?"
"Shut up! Just shut up! What would you know?"
"I do know, so just calm down and listen—"
An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as walked away..
"Where do you think you're going? Come back!"
When he didn't respond, she chased after him, gripping his arm.
"I told you to listen," she growled.
He yanked his arm away. "Yes, yes. I will gladly not."
"I've been here for you the entire time, haven't I—since the beginning?"
"Then you must know why this is happening."
She pulled him back as he moved to leave. "I don't know. Isn't that why I'm asking?"
He stared back at her before responding quietly, "The human heart truly is a fragile thing. When you lose it—mentally or physically—you die one way or the other."
Her arm dropped and her face went flat. "You knew."
A sad smile. "I wish I didn't."
"Ey Danny, what've ya got there?"
Daniel pointed to a poster on the Task Board. "Not much, Myke. I'm thinking of accepting it, but I'm not quite sure if it fits in my schedule."
Myke paused to take a look. "Ey, yer'd even be fine takin' that one up there. Ya got months to spare."
Daniel laughed, "I'm not going to argue against that."
A pause. "Danny, I got sometin' else for ya if want." His voice turned grim. "But only if yer really up fer it. If yer sure."
Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Sure, what do you have for me?"
Myke motioned for him to follow before he trod toward the back door. After a brief glance around the lobby, Daniel lifted his hood and followed after Mycke.
The door led to a musty hallway lit with torches. Wide enough for two strangers to comfortably walk past each other, Mycke and Daniel to walk side-by-side. The pungent smell of mold was omnipresent and the existence of spiders was none the lacking. Doors appeared on either side before they were passed by. At the end of the hall were two staircases. One led up. The other went down.
"Wer goin' up," Mcke announced.
The two climbed the steps single file.