The Realm by A Q Owen

Author:A Q Owen [Owen, A Q]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: NGU Publishing
Published: 2018-09-27T22:00:00+00:00

13

Orion strode to the back corner of his building where it was separated from the next building by a narrow alley. Old, rusty fire-escape ladders and platforms adorned the wall going all the way to the top. His floor wasn’t that far up, not that the climb to the top worried him. He was still in peak physical condition despite the wear and tear he’d put on his liver in the last year. His muscles were still ripped from constant workouts—not to keep healthy but to fight off the emotional tsunamis that hit him from time to time. A quick thirty minutes on the punching bag, the pull-up bar, and doing push-ups did wonders for grief. At least for thirty minutes.

He stared up at the fire-escape ladder over his head. Even with his leg strength, he wouldn’t be able to jump up to the lowest rung. He looked to the left and found an old metal garbage can. A quick flick of the wrist, and the can was on its top. Orion climbed onto it and with both hands up to the sky hopped a few inches up. His palms slapped the lowest rung, and instinctively his fingers clasped around the metal bar. Then his forearms and biceps tightened, the lats pulled, and his feet shot upward.

Orion reached to the next rung with his left hand, grabbed it, swung his legs up, and grabbed the rung above that. He repeated the process four times until he felt his toes kick the lowest bar on the ladder. With his boots firmly on the rickety contraption, he climbed faster, taking the rungs in quick succession until he reached the first platform. He swung his legs over the metal grate, grabbed the next ladder, and started upward again.

By the time he reached his floor, his forearms, back, and legs were burning, but he didn’t care. He stayed quiet, moving slowly onto the platform connected to his unit. The window was still closed so that was a positive, but as he crouched he peeked over the bottom edge of the window and saw inside. Several of the men and women in black suits were standing around inside. One woman in particular seemed to be the one directing the rest. She pointed toward Orion’s bedroom, and one younger man with short, blondish hair sped away in that direction. Then she waved her other hand and ordered the others to head out.

They obeyed, carrying plastic evidence bags with some of his personal belongings. Nothing important, but it was still his stuff these people were stealing. The man who went to his bedroom returned empty handed, shook his head, and then followed the rest of the group out the front door.

The woman looked around one last time. She had that familiar expression on her face, like she knew she was forgetting something but couldn’t recall what it was or where she placed it. She rested her index finger against her chin for a moment then turned her head to the door and left, her tight ponytail bobbing behind her as she strode out of the room.

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