The metal hallway sloped upward, climbing between the walls of the apartment and up into the space above. There, a metal door blocked the way. Levi pushed, and it swung open, revealing inches of thick steel and a heavy layer of sound dampening foam, and beyond that, a dark space. The jagged, triangular edges of the foam jutted into the room like a thousand small knives. In the dark space, he dimly made out the same sharp foam stabbing into the room from every direction, completely cloaking the steel walls.

Levi pressed his lips together. Don’t like where this is going.

In the dim light from the hallway, he barely made out a switch in the metal wall. Levi flicked it, and flickering lights cut on.

A chair stood in the center of the room. Metal straps hung open at the arms, legs, and waist, ready to bind a victim into the seat. A drain opened beneath the chair, rusty blotches staining the floor around it. No torture tools hung from the walls, but somehow, the space became more terrifying for the lack thereof. Dark, hollow, every sound swallowed by the foam daggers lining the wall, Levi couldn’t help but see himself in that chair, strapped down, a hand approaching his head, knowing there was only one fate that awaited him, and no escape—

Levi froze. Wait. He took half a step into the room, then stopped. His whole body shook. The metal room closed in around him, steel walls constricting his body.

He forced himself to take a deep breath. Nothing closed in. Nothing approached. The steel remained firm, the foam growing no closer. I’m fine. I’m not going to get trapped.

All at once, before he could think again, he scurried into the room, up to the chair, and peered closely at its restraints. Carefully, he wiggled one, feeling the weight in the metal, the strength of the hinge. His brow furrowed deeper. Could it be? But…

Behind him, a clatter. Levi whirled. The hallway remained empty, the door still hanging open, the sound beyond the range of his vision.

Okay. I’ve found what I came here for. Let’s get out before I get trapped. He highstepped back to the door, peering around it down the hallway beyond. Still nothing. Flipping the lights off, he crept back down the hallway, taking it slow, peering around each corner before he turned. At last, the exit to the hallway appeared, a bright rectangle of light at the end of the dark tunnel. Coming to the edge, he peeked around the edge into the bedroom.

Rainer Drift stared back at him, draped in a hastily-thrown-on-nightgown and a pair of fluffy slippers, completely able to see into the straight-shot metal hallway. She shrieked, an unusually melodious sound.

Levi grinned back. Pushing away from the wall, he swaggered into the room with full confidence. “Good afternoon! Sorry if I startled you. Alpha sent me.”

Rainer Drift stopped screaming. She backed away warily, putting her back to the wall and as much distance between her and Levi as she could muster. “Who are you?”

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“An old friend of Alpha’s. Yeah. We go way back,” Levi explained, nodding.

She narrowed her eyes. Her back hit a lamp, and she snatched it up, brandishing it at him. “Why are you here?”

“Oh! Oh, my bad. Alpha sent me to check in on you. I wasn’t supposed to wake you up…sorry, my bad.” He scratched the back of his neck and gave her a sheepish smile. Casually, he reached back into the tunnel and flicked the switch just on the other side of the opening. The wall slid back down, once more hiding the grim, steel-lined room.

Still pointing the lamp at him, her eyes narrowed a little less, but she remained skeptical. “Why didn’t he tell me about you?”

Time for the Hail Mary, Levi. Here we go! He coughed, embarrassed. “Well, after that argument, he didn’t want you to know…you know. That he was hovering. So worried about you.”

Her brows furrowed. Levi watched her closely, all but holding his breath. Come on. All couples argue. It’s a normal argument to have with a super boyfriend, for him to be hyper vigilant and hyper worried about his girlfriend, not to mention that Alpha’s a paranoid bastard, as previously mentioned. Come on. Come on!

Abruptly, her brows unwound. She thumped the lamp down, furious. “Alpha, that asshole! I told him! I told him, absolutely no one in the apartment while I’m here! I don’t care if you’re his best friend, I told that fucker—”

She coughed, turning to Levi. “Sorry. It’s not your fault.”

“No, no. Go on. I was in the wrong here,” Levi said. He shook his head apologetically. “I should’ve asked for more details. I should’ve made sure you were on board. No…I should have known, when he asked me to keep it secret…”

“Yes, that is on you,” Rainer Drift agreed.

Levi coughed. You’re not supposed to agree…anyways. He tipped an imaginary hat. “Sorry to trouble you, in any case. I’ll go ahead and excuse myself now.”

“Do you have a cough?” Rainer Drift asked.

“Er…no. Just a bad habit. Well, then, don’t see me out.” With his usual jaunty wave, Levi headed for the door.

“Wait.”

Levi froze. He turned, peeking at her from over his shoulder.

Rainer Drift cocked her head at him. “What’s your name?”

Levi opened his mouth. He thought for a moment, then grinned. “Blasterman.”

“Blasterman. I’ll make sure Alpha knows about your service,” Rainer Drift said sarcastically. She leaned against the wall, frustrated, thought not at him.

“Oh…please do,” Levi said, nodding. “I want to make sure he counts all my brownie points. Especially after I abandoned my post at the Gate the other day.”

“What?” Rainer asked, stepping forward, actual concern on her face.

“Nothing, nothing. Have a good evening!” Levi hurried back across the apartment, past the picture windows and to the elevator. He paused just a moment, then took a deep breath and hit the call button, suppressing his claustrophobia. Now wasn’t the time. Better to get out quick, before Alpha showed up. He’d die far faster in Alpha’s hands than trapped in the elevator.

The elevator chimed.

Though in some aspects, that makes Alpha far less frightening than the elevator, Levi mused, rubbing his chin. He stepped into the elevator, and the doors slid shut.

Even as the doors shut, a brightly lit body rapidly approached the penthouse apartment. The elevator accelerated downward, shaking slightly as the gears ground to open Alpha’s landing door in the penthouse. Levi crouched, placing his hands on the floor, lifting his rear end and bracing his legs in a runner’s stance. Time to get the hell out of dodge.

The elevator doors opened. The monsters in the lobby turned, one of them chewing on a dead man’s torso. Levi burst out of the elevator, sprinting for the door as fast as his speed would take him.