"Crack-"
Rand inserted the key into the keyhole and unscrewed it, pushed open the door and walked into the dark and quiet apartment.
The bodyguards who brought him back were as silent as stone pillars. They watched Rand go home before turning around. On the opposite door of Rand, a man with bright hair leaned diagonally against the door frame to reveal to them. A clear look.
Passing glances to each other, extending fingers, signaling, receiving, retreating—
When the people in black evacuated Rand's apartment as the tide was ebb, the black-haired man who was listed as the primary target on their list was collapsed, and after closing the door, he slowly sat down with his back against the door panel.
It was very late, and the edge of the dark sky in the distance was a faint gray. The shade of the trees outside the park swayed slightly like a black wave in the wind. On the other side of the park, the lights on the top of some buildings dimmed all night. The ground is projected over, and a faint light is cast in Rand's floor-to-ceiling windows.
The furniture in the room was just shadows of geometric shapes, and it seemed that Rand was the only one left in the world at this moment. Rand was sitting there, knowing that what he should do now was go to the room and take good care of the pain in his back and legs. , he bet they were definitely swollen and bruised.
Then he should take a bath and preferably get himself some more wine.
Then he would fall asleep slightly drunk, without emptiness, without hesitation, without the intense loneliness he felt now.
However, despite knowing what to do, in practice Rand found that he didn't even have the strength to turn on the light.
He is very tired, from the deepest tiredness...
Before Vincent appeared in front of him, Rand may have lived an ordinary (or poor) and boring life, but at least at that time he could feel his control over his life. If he really wanted to, he could yell at the damn old ladies and smash the records on the head of that mean and disgusting library - he knew the consequences, if he really Unable to bear, he can choose what he wants to do.
But now...
Rand covered his face with his hands and let out a long breath from his lungs.
The phone rang at this moment, but Rand had absolutely no desire to answer it. After the ringing was repeated several times, the call automatically switched to a message.
"Uh, Rand..."
A tired voice came from the little machine.
It's Caroline.
"… I know you should be at home at this time, but, well, I can understand your feeling that you don't want to answer my call, it's okay, in fact, it may be easier for me to leave a message like this, because I also didn't have a good conversation with you. preparations for…”
She let out a long, nasal sigh, and Rand couldn't help frowning, thinking Caroline's voice sounded like she had just cried.
"Rand, I'm sorry—that's what I first said It hurt you, didn't it?"
No, you didn't...
Rand's lips parted slightly, and he was just about to get up impulsively to take the microphone and say so to Caroline.
"Don't deny it, Rand, I know what you're going to say," Caroline said with a hint of clarity over the microphone. This was the first time Rand had heard her voice, weak, tired, and strong of frustration, "Actually I really shouldn't have said that, I should have put you with Vincent. I think, I'm just about to break down and that's why I'm so freaked out, I'm really sorry. Rand... In fact , Vincent has a very serious disease."
Rand seemed to hear a flash of lightning in his heart at that moment.
When he reacted, he found himself standing by the phone, grabbing the receiver.
His hands were shaking, and his back and knees hurt so much that it almost felt like the devil was burning his body with a soldering iron.
"What does 'Vincent have a very serious disease'?"
It took a long time for him to hear his own voice - he was speaking into the microphone, but it sounded like it was coming from someone else.
"Oh, Rand, I really don't know what to do... I..." Caroline let out a long sob, "that's a genetic defect, probably a result of the long-term internal intermarriage of the Sivers family. Rare disease, his organs are failing, the kind that cannot be reversed, we have prepared some special medical measures before but now something is wrong…”
"What's the situation? Can I help? Caroline, tell me what happened!"
"No, sorry, Rand, I can't tell you everything, it's classified, but what I want to say is that Vincent did a lot of things just to make your life safe, and he always tried to make up for you The mistake of being kidnapped. He just loves you."
Rand sat slowly on the sofa.
"Caroline, tell me, what's going on with Vincent? His illness... God... Deep White is a biotech company, isn't it? You guys can do something about it, right?"
Rand found himself incoherent, and his confusion may have woken Caroline, who was almost in a meltdown - the proof is in her voice, which was momentarily calm and even.
"Don't worry, Rand, I'll figure out a way to fix that, I won't let Vincent die... sorry, I think I'm just a little, a little too confused to call you. I just feel you Should have known this... Be nice to Vincent, okay? Rand?"
"I will, Caroline... Of course I will... I can go with him now if there is any need. I mean, if he needs to."
Caroline was silent on the other end of the phone, and then slowly spoke: "Vincent's situation has stabilized now, I will arrange everything, Rand, don't worry..."
…
Rand barely knew how he hung up.
He sat there in a trance for a while before slowly digesting what Caroline told him, Vincent's serious illness... and the fact that Vincent might die.
Although for Rand, Vincent is definitely not a person who wants to get close, but he never thought about Vincent's departure.
He is Rand's only relative now.
only.
Rand felt as if he had suddenly fallen from a high place, and something deep inside his heart shattered.
When his consciousness returned to his body again, he found himself bent over and curled up on the sofa with warm tears on his cheeks.
If someone else is here, they may feel that Rand's current situation is so weak, it's just news that his brother is seriously ill, he is sobbing here like a child, but Rand can't control himself, he deeply regrets it. He wondered why he hadn't rushed into the plane and stayed with Vincent before.
He knew instinctively that Vincent would love to see him by his side - and he wasn't now.
Rand was immersed in the fear and grief of the possible loss of Vincent, when he sensed something was scratching his calf long after.
The paw was wet.
He lowered his head and saw a pair of reflective eyes in the darkness.
"Oh my God, I didn't even know you were out."
Rand sniffed and said to the little monster.
Since it grew those hind legs, it has indeed become more agile - even turning out of the tank so silently.
"Chirp... chirp?"
Munster made a series of muffled, low noises, and his upper body was now almost fully erect, his paws resting on Rand's calf.
It seems to contain concern.
Oh, he'd made an amphibian worry, Rand said to himself, sarcastic but had to admit that Munster's actions made him feel better now.
"I'm fine, honey, don't worry."
He reached out and touched Munster's head, and it happily rubbed Rand's hand. The tentacles of the pair were now very elastic and were pressing against Rand's palm without Rand noticing that he had gradually begun to Get used to this weird feel.
After receiving Rand's response, Munster became more active than before. It slapped the ground directly, and his claws hooked Rand's clothes and began to climb up nimbly.
"No, no, Mance especially..."
Rand struggled when he felt a wet, slippery thing arching into his arms.
He regained his senses a little, and while weakly trying to get Munster out of his arms, he turned on the lamp beside the sofa.
The gentle yellow light finally allowed him to see everything in the room, including… the large pool of water in front of the aquarium.
The patch of water almost filled half the living room, and Rand finally understood why he didn't hear Munster crawling out of the tank before - because before he got home, this damn little monster had already taken care of itself Wandered freely in the room for a long time. He could even clearly see Munster's path from the living room to the room: there was a clear water mark in the hallway.
Rand couldn't help touching his couch—and felt visibly wet on the cushion next to him.
Even a dog can know not to be on the couch, but the little monster obviously doesn't intend to play by the rules like a dog.
"Looks like you had a nice evening."
Rand lowered his head and said to Munster with a strong sense of powerlessness.
If it weren't for the chain of events that happened tonight, Rand might have been outraged by Munster's troubles (after all, not every owner is happy to see their pets play 'Home Alone' at home), but now Rand is just feel...
He didn't know how to describe the feeling.
All in all, Rand still responded negatively to the clean-up project he was about to face, but at least he was happy to have a little monster in his life this night - he felt a little relieved because of it.
Munster stared curiously at Rand's face, the human pale cheek with a touch of tears, salty and warm.
Its claws were now resting on Rand's shoulders, and two tentacles quivered slightly overhead.
"Choo Choo Choo… "
A series of murmurs rolled from the little monster's throat, something Rand had never heard from Munster before. They sound deeper and softer, reminiscent of a mother's whisper, a cat's purr, a lover's breath... a voice with a strong soothing quality.
Rand's sofa was still emitting moisture, his carpet was a mess and the corridor was almost finished, but at this moment, Rand held the little blue bastard, and there was an indescribable satisfaction in words.
The night was so chaotic and painful, it seemed that even the light of the heart was going to be sucked away by the bad news, but this little bastard in Rand's arms gave him the sweetest "song", and it used that kind of song from beginning to end. The focused, earnest gaze on him gave Rand a sense of peace.
He hugged Munster tighter, the wet and cold body pressed against his chest, and then Rand felt Munster very consciously resting his head on his neck, his paws Picking his shoulders.
The soft voice never stopped.
About ten minutes later, Munster moved on to something else.
It wiggled its tail and slipped nimbly from Rand's arms. At first Rand thought it was just tired of being around humans, but Munster's actions soon put him off the idea.
The little monster had been clawing at his trousers, and Rand saw white scuffs quickly appear on his trouser legs.
He looked at Munster in confusion.
"what happened?"
He couldn't help asking, even though he knew there wouldn't be any response.
Munster began to gnaw at Rand's slippers, and its bark began to grow fast.
Every once in a while it would let go of Rand and wriggled towards the corridor, Rand looked at it in confusion - and after finding that Rand was still not moving, Munster had to come back and continue. Hooked his pants and bit his slippers.
After repeating this a few times, Rand finally realized with hindsight that Munster was trying to get him to follow.
Rand followed in confusion, then found Munster crawling down the hallway all the way to the door of his bedroom. Rand was sure he had closed the bedroom door when he left the house, but now he saw that there was now a hole about the diameter of Munster under the door panel, with jagged edges and obvious claw planing.
An ominous premonition crept into Rand's mind, and he stopped, then watched as Munster drilled through the hole.
…
After a few seconds, it seemed to notice that Rand was not following, and stuck its head out of the hole.
"Chirp!"
It stared intently at Rand, its tentacles twitching and muttering, as if urging something.
Rand stared back at the little monster at his feet.
He had a strong hunch that he wouldn't want to see what was in the door.