Flies crawled lazily along the walls of the little apartment. The living room was barely large enough to hold the two person sofa, square coffee table, and tiny television stand it contained, and a person would have to walk sideways past those things to get to the shoulder height window to see outside. There was not much to see outside the broken and drooping blinds, though. If there was anyone there to try and see.

The narrow entryway passed through a cramped kitchenette on its way to the living room. Once upon a time, it might have been a quaint, homey place. Someone with not enough money but who wanted to feel comfortable in their little space. All the small appliances were tucked away in their cabinets, two mugs upside down on the counter next to a single coil hot plate with a cold kettle on top. A bowl of fruit rested near the edge, what remained of bananas and apples inside. A blanket of flies covered the decaying fruit, the air ripe with the overly sweet smell. That smell, and others.

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From the tiny bathroom, there came a slow and even 'plunk'. Building maintenance should have been by to fix the slow drip in the shower stall months prior. Mold and mildew fought for dominance in the stall thanks to the constantly damp environment. The grout might as well be stripped and redone. Nobody would ever be able to get all the black stains out of it.

A bright light filled the living room, sending the wall of flies up into the air in search of its source. As it faded, two figures fell onto the square coffee table, breaking it with their weight. The light faded, and the flies settled back against the walls, unbothered. The figures pushed their selves up onto hands and knees, one pushing the other away in anger.

"Dammit, Gu Cheng!"