Stupid question. He obviously wasn't okay.
"What…time?" Kian ignored the question.
"Nine thirty-ish."
"Take me… to the house." Kian's strained voice sounded odd in his ears. He thought he always spoke with a familiar, smooth melody, hitting full notes, not halves, full of life.
Why is he asking for the time? Xal pondered for a good second before realizing that the fucker just gave another order, because he was still in the three-day trial period.
Breathe in and out. Don't kill. You need him alive, and you have to convince him to pick you over anyone else.
While he calmed himself down, Kian had moved to get out of the driver's seat, too slow and careful for his liking.
Xal instinctively reached out to help. Kian's hand lifted toward him, almost accepting the assistance, then pulled back at the last second. When he got out, he leaned heavily on the car instead, used it to support himself as he made his way around to the passenger side.
That short walk, ten steps give or take, seemed to drain whatever energy he had left. Settling on the passenger seat, he leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.
With another deep breath, Xal got in the driver's seat, hands back on the wheel.
He wanted to ask what happened, if he needed a hospital, but something told him the answer wouldn't help. The whole incident that happened wasn't the kind of thing emergency rooms could fix.
Kian didn't speak a word throughout the ride.
Not that he was worried or anything, but he kept glancing over, checking if he was still breathing. His chest rose and fell steadily enough, but he looked pale in the dim light from the dashboard.
Like he'd fallen asleep, or passed out.
He just hoped the man wouldn't end up dead inside the car, in his watch, because the interrogation process always had been a bitch.
After one hour, he pulled into Kian's driveway easily as the giant black gate was wide open, and killed the engine. Reached over and gently shook Kian's shoulder.
"Wake up. We're here."
Kian was not responding. He pressed his fingers to the corner of his eyes, gently massaging, not wanting to drag the man inside the house and do all the lifting that he was not getting paid to. Still on the trial.
With no other option around, he got out, checked Kian's pockets for the house key, but found nothing. So, he walked to the front door. Checked under the flower pots for a spare key. Nothing there. Lifted the corner of the welcome mat.
Nothing.
Just as he was turning back, in the corner of his eye, he noticed that the door was open slightly ajar.
What the hell? Who leaves their house unlocked and completely open!?
Simply couldn't notice due to the lack of light. Maybe the bulb went out.
Sure, the neighborhood was better and safer than it was 5 years ago. More CCTV cameras and better rules and regulations for theft and other crimes, but still, leaving the house open was stupid, unless the man had absolutely nothing valuable inside. He pushed it open further, running his hand blindly over the wall to find a switch.
As the area lit up, he peered inside. Everything looked normal, no signs of a break-in or struggle. Just an unlocked door, like Kian had run out too quickly to bother securing it.
He strolled back to the car and opened the passenger door. Tried again to wake Kian up, louder this time.
"Hey! Come on, we're at your home."
This time, his eyes fluttered open. Took a moment to focus. When he saw him hovering over, his expression immediately hardened.
"Go home." The words came out as a demand, though his voice was weak enough that it lost most of its impact.
You sound like a spoiled princess who didn't get breakfast on time!
"No, um… I want to talk to you. I still want the job." Xal kept his voice calm despite the untimely, abrupt, snappy thought that almost escaped from his mouth.
Kian stumbled out of the car, pushing him away by his shoulder, and swayed slightly with the effort spent, then made his way toward the house like a newborn deer learning to walk. His steps were uneven, one hand trailing along the car for support until he reached the walkway.
"Listen…" Xal tried only to be cut off again.
"I said, Go HOME."
He made it through the door and immediately headed for what must be his bedroom. Xal heard the door slam shut, leaving him standing in the entryway.
"You little…"
Xal took a deep, deliberate breath. Counted to five. Let it out slowly. Tried to push the frustration down where it couldn't make him do something stupid. Because he already said something stupid.
Why was he so bad at dealing with things like a normal, calm person?
Deciding to try one last time before he got back home and visit him tomorrow, he went inside the house, waited outside the closed room for about a minute. Knocked gently.
No answer.
He turned the knob. It wasn't locked. Of course it wasn't.
As it opened, he heard a faint sound. Somewhat similar to gagging. But he couldn't just barge in. That felt like crossing a line. Unsure what to do, he listened as he heard the gagging fading away, a door creaking, shuffling, groaning, and then silence.
Xal was a man who stuck to the plan he made.
Kian was becoming a variable.
He looked back at the unlocked front door and decided that was an invitation enough to stay the night. Puzzled by what made him look so weak and sick, he decided he would stay back as they needed to have a conversation. One that couldn't happen if he died tonight.
There was a couch in the living room for him to crash. Years of being in private security and a gym regular, he always kept a change of clothes and basic toiletries in his bag. He went back to the car, grabbed his backpack from the trunk, and made his way back to the house.
He called his mom while walking back in.
"Hi, Mom, I'm staying over at Kian's house tonight." Freezing on his steps, he mentally face-palmed.
Should have mentioned Darian. Shit.
"Oh? Alright Xali. Tell him I said hello."
Huh?
No protest. No questions.
Weird. His mom usually grilled him about staying out overnight if it didn't involve Darian's presence because she knew he was the only sane and reliable person out of the four of them. But he was getting too tired to think about it much and locked the door as he entered the house.
Without too much trouble, he found a bathroom, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and shook off the outer layer of his clothes. Then he settled himself on the floor, near his bedroom, only to stay on alert if Kian was trying to contact any other candidates for the job.
Lucky for him, he was sleeping peacefully. Around 4 AM, he felt his body giving in to the sleepiness, eyelids forcing shut, and his neck gave out a few times. Finally letting the exhaustion crash in, he moved to the couch in the living room, tested it with one hand to make sure it was sturdy enough, then collapsed onto it.
Sleep pulled him under within minutes.
A dreamless one after so many nights.