"My head…? Where are we even…?"
When Leo opened his eyes, he found himself in a familiar place — the bathroom of Sarah's gas station. The room looked exactly as it had before he'd left it.Beside him on the floor lay Rudo, still unconscious. Leo rose to his feet slowly, a dull ache in his body reminding him of everything that had happened today.
Okay, okay, Leo, don't panic. He took a deep breath and started pacing. Today's been rough. You found out your teacher's a goat-man, three monster receptionists tried to murder you, and to top it all off, Mr. Kay sacrificed himself to save us. Sure, he might've been shady at first, but that doesn't mean he deserved to die.
Leo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The last thing I got from him was this letter," he muttered, pulling the folded paper from his pocket. His gaze shifted toward Rudo, who still hadn't moved an inch.
Just then, footsteps echoed from outside. Leo froze, instinct kicking in, and he quickly stepped toward the door.
"How the heck am I gonna explain this to Sarah…?" he whispered to himself. "We just mysteriously appeared here? The window maybe?" He reached for the knob. "Good thing we're acquaintances, otherwise this would look really bad on my end.Listen Sarah I know this looks bad but-"
"Who?" a man's voice said.
Leo blinked.
Standing on the other side of the door was a guy in his late twenties maybe — bald, built like a linebacker, dressed in a biker jacket, ripped jeans, gold chain, and sunglasses perched on his head.
"…"
"…"
The two stared at each other for a long, awkward moment. The man peeked inside, saw Rudo lying on the floor, and immediately decided he wanted no part of this.
"Sorry, thought the bathroom was free. I'll just, uh… wait till I get home," he said, adjusting his glasses and walking off without another word.
"...Seriously, what the heck was that?" Leo mumbled, feeling weirdly embarrassed.
"Hahaha!"
That laugh. Leo's eye twitched as he recognized the voice instantly. Turning toward the mirror, he tapped the glass. Sarah's face appeared on the screen.
"Something funny?" he asked, his tone flat but his irritation obvious.
"Not really. It's just hilarious how your face looked when that guy walked in."
"Really?!" Leo snapped, glaring at her.
Sarah giggled and then pulled up a still frame of his face from the security feed — his eyes wide, mouth half-open, caught mid-scream. She grabbed a stylus and started doodling over it, adding makeup, a jester hat, rosy cheeks, and a clown nose.
"See? Adorable. You look like a funny little man," she teased, still laughing.
"And this is why I don't stop by too often," Leo grumbled. "By the way, did you know we were here this entire time?"
Sarah finished her doodle, then tapped the screen. The image now had the word YES written across his cheek.
"You're not even gonna question it?"
She smiled faintly. "It seemed like you had a rough time today so I didn't wanna pry too deep into it.For now at least."
Before Leo could reply, a soft noise interrupted him.
Mmmh.
He turned toward Rudo.
Mmmh.
"… so hungry…" Rudo mumbled, half-conscious.
Leo blinked. "Wait, were you conscious this whole time?"
"If you call this conscious, then sadly yes."
As much as I want to complain… he's not wrong. I'm starving too. Leo's stomach grumbled in agreement. Even if it's a bad time, we need food to survive.
"I've got some cookies here if you two want to finish them," Sarah said, her voice light through the mirror feed.
"You're not gonna charge us, right?"
"I just might, depending on my mood."
"Pass," Leo said immediately.
"I accept!" Rudo blurted out, sitting up straight. "I could eat a horse right now."
"You know what, I don't blame you.I do take pity on you though.You poor,poor soul you'll soon find out that she's the devil."Leo said jokingly
"Oh, cram it!" Sarah said with mock irritation.
The two boys stepped out of the bathroom and headed toward the counter. On it sat a small open bag of cookies — clearly untouched but still suspiciously priced.
"How much are you charging for leftovers?" Leo asked.
"I'd say… a dollar fifty?" Sarah replied with a mischievous grin.
"That's highway robbery! You shouldn't even be charging for something you already opened!"
"I didn't even eat any! See? Thoughtful."
"Really…" Leo said, giving her a deadpan stare.
"So… is it free?" Rudo asked innocently. "'Cause I don't have any money on me right now."
"Don't worry," Sarah said sweetly. "You can just add it to Leo's tab."
"My what?!"
"Wait, really? Thanks a bunch, Leo!" Rudo said, snatching a cookie.
I'm gonna get her back for this, Leo thought, sighing. Still… after everything, it's nice to just breathe for a minute.
As Rudo devoured the cookies one by one, Sarah gestured for Leo to come closer. When he did, her expression softened.
"I'm guessing it's something you still don't wanna talk about?" she asked gently.
Leo's faint smile disappeared. His hands trembled slightly as flashes of Mr. Kay's final moment replayed in his mind — the sound of that crash, his scream, the mist portal swallowing him whole. Each memory made his stomach twist.
Sarah's tone shifted, softer. "You know, I bet your parents are worried. You should give them a call."
"Crap, you're right. Mind if I borrow your phone?"
"Sure. It's in the back." She pointed casually toward the rear of the shop.
Leo darted off, leaving Sarah and Rudo alone.
"You don't seem as traumatized as he is," Sarah observed, folding her arms.
"I mean, I am," Rudo said through a mouthful of cookie, "but hunger makes me forget all about it, apparently. Maybe that's one of my other superpowers?"
"Superpowers?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.
"Crap. I said too much, didn't I?"
Sarah tilted her head. "What exactly happened to you two?"
Rudo hesitated, then started explaining. He told her everything — the security guard monster,receptionists, the chase, the hydra, Mr. Kay. Sarah listened quietly, tapping her fingers on the counter.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
When he finished, she didn't respond right away. The silence hung heavy between them before she finally smiled faintly.
"At least you're both safe," she said softly. "As absurd as that story sounds… that boy's a good kid. Cursed with bad luck since birth, it seems."
"Bad luck, huh?" Rudo murmured under his breath. "Yeah… I know that feeling too well."
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Just… muttering to myself," Rudo said quickly, brushing it off. "By the way, what were in those cookies?"
"Not much. I think… raisins?"
"You've gotta give me that recipe sometime."
"You do realize they're store-bought, right?"
Rudo blinked. "Oh."
They both laughed quietly.
Moments later, Leo returned from the back, looking exhausted, his hair slightly messier than before.
"You got an earful, didn't you?" Sarah said knowingly.
"An earful doesn't even begin to describe what I just got," Leo sighed.
Sarah chuckled as Leo slid down the wall, sitting in the corner with his head resting on his knees.
"What's wrong with him?" Rudo asked.
"He just got yelled at by his mom for staying out this late, I'm guessing."
"Yikes. Dude, I feel bad for you," Rudo said.
"What about you?" Leo muttered. "Won't your parents be worried?"
Rudo's smile faltered for just a moment before returning. "My mom's on a trip right now, so I'm good."
"Lucky you, I guess," Leo said, still sulking.
Rudo crouched down beside him, gave him a thumbs-up, and said with mock cheer, "You got this."
"Yeah, it's official. I think I hate you."
"Well, I like you best buddy!"
They continued to bicker for a few minutes, their banter almost comforting after everything. Then, the letter Leo had been keeping slipped from his pocket and hit the floor.
He picked it up and carefully opened it. For a moment, the page was blank — then faint writing appeared, glowing faintly as if surfacing from beneath the paper itself.
"What the—?" Leo whispered.
Rudo leaned over. "What's it say?"
"Personal space, man!" Leo snapped, pushing him back before reading aloud.
It read: Greenwood Village, Colorado, with the image of an old, worn-down building.
"Is that where he wanted us to go?" Rudo asked.
Leo didn't answer. He just stared at the image, his thoughts spiraling.
Where exactly are the numbers?And should I keep risking my life to protect Rudo?I mean I don't want him to die or anything.But I seriously can't keep risking my life like this.It's a miracle that I was able to get out of the first situation without dying at all thanks to Mr.Kay's help.I'm no superhero or anything of the sorts.I'm just some rando with rotten of the mill luck.For the first time in awhile I got lucky sure but if I continue to help Rudo out like this.I think I might seriously die.Mr.Kay did say that this so called special school does train special gifted people.I'm not very special at all if you think about it.Call me a coward or whatever you like I just wanna live a normal life like everybody else does.I don't wanna have to my life cut short by any means.But do I even have the right to complain right now when Mr.Kay gave his life to make sure we were save and ok?I feel like the answer there is pretty obvious.At the very least I do owe it to him to get Rudo to that place where he can be safe and protected.Once that's over will my debt finally be repaid.It really isn't easy repaying someone who saved your life.The only way to fully repay my debt is to save him.But that would be impossible I mean come on there's no way he could take that thing on by himself.
He closed his eyes, breathing slowly, forcing his hands to stop shaking.
"You okay, man?" Rudo asked softly.
"Leo?" Sarah said, her tone cautious.
Leo grabbed at his chest, whispering under his breath, Mom, Dad… I'm sorry for being an idiot. But this'll be the last time I do something this stupid.
"Rudo. Let's get you to this address."
"You sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Leo said with a forced smile. "Sarah, do you mind telling my parents I won't be home for a while?"
Sarah caught it — the flicker of dread in his eyes. The fear he tried so hard to bury. But she said nothing. She simply reached under the counter and tossed him a worn backpack.
"You could use a new one," she said lightly. "Just try not to destroy this one."
Leo blinked, then smiled faintly. "Thanks."
"Yeah, yeah — it's going on your tab. Let's say… twenty bucks."
"For an old bag you probably don't even use anymore!?You are a devil!The embodiment of greed!"
They all laughed a little — just enough to ease the tension.
Leo and Rudo stepped outside as the bell above the door chimed.
"Thanks again for cheering me up, Sarah," Leo said, turning back with a half-smile.
"Just make sure to come back safe, kiddo," she replied, waving as the door closed behind them.