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ON SOULLESS FEET WE CROSS THE FLOOR CHAPTER 3
"This is the last time we can meet like this," Olivia said lazily and withdrew her arm around Nick. She had kept her relationship with the man alive for too long and for one short moment she had feared she had become addicted. Thankfully a few moments with Hector LeMans had reminded her of what was truly important.
"I know," the lawyer stated putting his cigarette away. Olivia didn't turn to look, but she could hear and feel how he stood up and left the bed.
"I guess you are more intelligent than I thought," she pointed out. For some reason she was disappointed for not being able to shock the man at all.
"Perhaps. It also helps that I am leaving," Nick said. He collected his clothes from the floor and got dressed as he spoke.
"Leaving? Where?" Olivia asked. Nothing was going according to her plan. She wasn't supposed to be the one asking the questions!
Nick put on his tie. "I have been made an offer I can't refuse," he said shortly.
"By who? I thought Hector controls everything important nowadays," Olivia stated. She tasted her cigarette and watched how Nick found his shoes.
"He does, but that won't stop me. One rarely is offered such... permanent and steady positions," the man said.
At that moment Olivia realised what she should have understood days ago. Nick Virago, the man she had considered a greedy realist, was about to go hunting for invisible dreams.
She had to laugh out loud. "You are full of surprises, Nick! It's almost a pity to let you go."
Since when had Nick learned to make decisions? Olivia was used to that once men were under her spell they no longer lit a cigarette without her approval. To think that Nick had been stupid enough to...
Perhaps he was only trying to annoy her. That was it, he was trying to have a revenge on her. The lawyer had to be aware of what was going on between her and Hector LeMans and he had decided to make the first move before becoming ridiculous. Hah, men and their pride!
"This is it then," Nick said and walked to the door, not turning to look at Olivia again. The woman only smiled and enjoyed her cigarette, pleased with herself. Despite his hard effort, Nick just couldn't hide his hurt ego from her.
When the lawyer had gone and she was alone, Olivia curled up in her bed and chuckled to herself.
What a fool Nick was.
---
It was night and almost everyone was asleep. When there were no casinos or night life of any sort anywhere no one had a reason to stay awake at the nightly hours. Olivia was irritated by it as she had always considered night to be the best moment to live and succeed.
The lobby was completely empty when she walked through it. No one had switched the light off so she guessed they were meant to remain on the entire night. Agata was gone and Olivia wouldn't have liked to have the woman with her anyway.
She wasn't sure why she had to do this in the middle of the night and in secret. Perhaps she was trying to arrange some excitement in her life that had suddenly turned upside-down, so grey and joyless.
Olivia felt almost happy as she slipped through the door to the street. The street lights she had noticed earlier were lit and they cast colourless light on the grey surroundings. It was almost quiet; the only audible sound was the click of Olivia's shoes.
She knew where she was going and hurried her steps. She was not afraid of anyone spotting her but she liked to be careful. It was a while she had done anything that made her excited.
As she walked on the deserted streets under the light, accompanied by the sound of her steps, Olivia Ofrenda felt almost alive. Quite funny, considering she was very far from that overestimated state.
Now that it was darker she could almost imagine she was in Rubacava. The salty smell floating from the docks fed her imagination and finally she had to stop to lean on a street light for a while.
She wasn't feeling exhausted, but she still had to catch a breath. Perhaps it was because of the night, perhaps the strange city and its lonely streets. It felt like she was choking. Unlike one might have thought, the feeling refreshed her. With a smile she straightened and continued on her way, now with a slower pace.
She was Olivia Ofrenda, queen of the night.
It was like she had drunk a glass or two of good wine. She was warm and felt good. Part of her mind tried to whisper her that she shouldn't have felt that way, but she didn't listen. As if in a dream she walked through the city towards west.
As she neared the edge of the city she noticed that there were less and less street lights. The darkness grew stronger and Olivia started to have more control over her thoughts. When there was no light left she stopped and shook her head.
What happened? she asked herself and turned to look behind her where the lit streets lay.
She had felt fantastic and the only thing in her mind had been the light and how easy her steps had been. Plans for a better position, ambition and greed had all been gone.
Olivia drew a hissing breath. It had to be the light. It seemed to throb with some kind of invisible warmth. She hurried to get farther away from it.
Her thoughts became clearer as she walked and she started to understand what was going on. It terrified her and at the same time she was filled with defiance. She would not give up that easily and now that she had got away once she knew how to watch out.
Some people found happiness in looking for imaginary dolphins and she had almost lost herself to street lights.
"How pathetic," she muttered to herself and promised that she would be more careful in the future. This world would try everything to make her a senseless and empty creature, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.
Now that there was no more light she had to walk slowly. The street was covered by small stones and black buildings framed her journey.
Olivia wasn't sure why she had decided to search the western parts of the city at that time of the night. What did she expect to find?
Perhaps it was her innate curiosity or what Agata had said. She took everything dangerous as a personal challenge.
Besides, if she wanted to find someone powerful who shared her hungry for power, the western part was the right place.
There started to be fewer buildings there and the street soon became a thin alley. It was still straight and covered in rocks but the few buildings around it became shorter and they had no windows.
And then it all ended. No buildings, no road.
For a moment Olivia just stood there trying to understand what had happened. She had been on her way to the western part but the city had ended before she got there. It was quite interesting and disturbing at the same time. Did the western area exist at all?
Suddenly everything was lit when a huge statue of fire shot from the ground about hundred feet away from her. Olivia took a surprised step back and covered her face from the heat she could feel even there.
"What is that?" she asked no one in particular when the statue grew smaller and then died. Everything was dark again and it took a while for her to realise what had happened. What kind of place was that?
Everything had been lit only for a while, but it had been enough for her. In the light she had seen a path that circled away from the city. After the first step it was not hard to guess where she was heading.
I am doing this because I want to learn to know this world, she thought to herself. There is no sense in trying anything if you don't know the rules.
The fire statue rose from the ground again, but it didn't impress Olivia anymore. The heat was terrible though and in the light of the fire she noticed that the sea wasn't too far away. The shore was rocky and waves hit them roaring.
Soon she was close to the place where she had seen the statue of fire. A railing had been built there to keep curious people from falling underground.
"Fascinating," Olivia breathed despite herself as she grabbed the railing and peered down. She had imagined she'd only see a dark tunnel, but there was actually a cave down there. And people.
Countless souls, all men, worked below her. Some of them were digging, some moving rocks or other equipment. They were all dressed in similar dirty outfits and everyone's bones were covered in coal.
They had to be the worst of the worst that Agata had talked about. Olivia bent a little closer, perhaps she'd see Hector LeMans somewhere. The mere thought of her powerful and self-confident boyfriend being down there as a common worker amused her greatly.
She wasn't quite able to hear what the men were saying, she could only see their jaws moving. If they saw her she would probably wave at them and remind them that not everyone was suffering the same fate.
And then one of them looked up.
Olivia smiled to herself as she watched how the man stopped for a while. She was too high to see his expression, but she could imagine it better than well. It made her feel satisfied to see someone who was worse off than her.
She wasn't about to stay and watch them for any longer. She grew bored easily and this entertainment had already grown old. Besides, it was possible that someone would come and see who she was. Being there when the statue of fire returned wouldn't have been nice either.
After glancing around she decided to continue on. The seashore didn't seem to end anywhere and there wasn't a single building in sight. She guessed the men spent their entire time underground. Perhaps there wasn't even a way out? Perhaps they were just thrown there?
The thought, thought it didn't shock her very much, made her look behind her once.
Someone has to lead those men. They wouldn't settle with working down there if someone didn't make them to, she thought. She held on to that thought as she walked towards the shore.
Because if there was no one...
Olivia shook her head to herself. It shouldn't matter. She would make it alone too. She didn't need a man to be something, it was just so much easier when one was around.
Suddenly she almost lost her balance as she stepped on a small stone and it made her stop. She had walked farther to west from the pit of fire and the path had ended.
"So this is the dangerous west?" she asked her surroundings and put her hand on her hip. She had to admit that she was disappointed. From what Agata had said she had at least expected to meet a monster who ate everyone who came near.
"This is ridiculous," she said and started to go over what she had done. She, Olivia Ofrenda, had gone for a completely useless walk to look for... what?
She realised that the purpose of the entire thing had been to find someone to make sure she made it. That wasn't actually anything new as she had seduced men with the same intention for years, but this time she hadn't wanted just that.
What then? Olivia sat on a stone to think. She felt like she hadn't managed to escape the lure of the street lights after all. She glanced towards the city and saw the light, but it didn't take long before the statue of fire blocked her view.
She drew a deep breath and clenched her fists. Calm down, Olivia... she told herself. They had tried to trick her again. She had used her energy to find someone who would take her under his wings when she in reality needed no one.
It looked like this world really wanted to lull her in fake safety.
And she would not subject to that.
The waves licked the shore and Olivia realised with a start that her feet were wet. She pulled them quickly out of water, not caring that the wind blowing from the sea made them feel cold.
She would have to come up with something before she became like the others. Before she started hunting dolphins and dancing under street lights.
Agata! Olivia suddenly realised it. The other woman didn't seem to have any difficulties keeping herself in once piece. Surely she had found a way to protect her soul. Olivia would only have to --
"I found him here as well," a voice said suddenly and Olivia turned around. Even in the dark she recognised Tom better than well.
"What are you doing here?" she asked and let herself relax.
Tom slipped his hands in his pockets. "I came to see whether you are ready to return. You should sleep if you want to work tomorrow."
Olivia snorted. "I hardly have to think about it. My work is no exactly very demanding," she said.
"I know. I was there when it was picked for you. If I had been allowed to make the decision you would be down there playing with fire," Tom stated.
"Really? How interesting," Olivia said lazily. Now that she wasn't alone with her thoughts she felt much better and homey. It didn't even matter that she was accompanied by a man who she didn't really like.
"Yes. You disgust me, Olivia. Your crimes may not be the worst, but I know what you are like. I am sure you wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice your own children for yourself," Tom said.
"You will never find an answer to that," Olivia replied.
"Maybe not, but I have imagination."
"Why are you bothering me? I haven't done a thing to you -- yet. I am not interested in having you around and from what I have gathered, you don't fancy me either. Do us both a favour and leave," Olivia said. She was a bit surprised because of her words.
Tom shrugged. "As you wish. He didn't tell me to go anywhere. In fact I think that he was happy to see me."
"Who? Who are you talking about?" Olivia wanted to know.
"Nick Virago, of course. He was sitting here too when I found him two days after he had ran off. I think he came here to look for something better," Tom said.
"And you dragged him back and chained him."
"I didn't force him; he followed me of his free will."
"Liar! Nick would never submit to someone else's will like that!"
The roar of the waves was the only audible sounds during the following moments. Olivia sat and looked at Tom in defiance. The man's shoulders shuddered and she realised he was laughing at him in silence.
"Nick Virago is wiser than you. He saw something here and it made him realise what is the best for him," the man said.
"What did he see?" Olivia asked. She was almost afraid to find out. What could make a man like Nick surrender?
"I don't know. There are many things in this world no one understands. My employer could probably explain it, but it is not my job to question such things," Tom said and turned his back on her. He started to walk away and Olivia sat still until the sound of the man's steps was gone.
I should have asked him about his employer, she realised but the lost chance didn't really bother her.
She was too tired.
Olivia stood up and waded back to shore. The water had risen without her noticing it and reached her knees.
Right before she stepped out of water she thought she heard something from the sea. Like a cheerful chuckle...
She almost turned to look.
---
"Agata!"
Olivia lifted her gaze from her work when she heard a joyful male voice. She and many others turned to look in awe as a man dressed in an old, blue suit jumped over the counter and grabbed the woman behind it in his arms.
Agata wrapped her arms around the man and a sob escaped her mouth. "Alejandro..."
Olivia wasn't close enough to hear what the man whispered to Agata, but she could imagine it better than well.
How pathetic, she thought and returned to her work, perhaps with a little more effort than before.
So Agata had been reunited with her love. Olivia had to admit that she was a little surprised. She hadn't thought any man being capable of loving the one and same woman, especially after she was sprouted.
"Look at them," Tom said next to her and Olivia turned angrily to the man.
"What now?" she asked.
"Nothing, I merely told you to look. They are now sharing something that you have never experienced and never will," he said.
"I'm crushed," Olivia said dryly.
"I know," Tom said. Olivia turned her back on him and concentrated on swiping the floor again. She knew that Tom stood behind her, watching her, before finally walking away. Olivia watched from the corner of her eye socket how he walked to the happy couple.
"Time to go," he said and tapped Alejandro in the shoulder. The man turned to look and Olivia saw his face for the first time. He had a thin moustache, his face was slim and something gave him a peaceful expression.
"Do I have to?" he asked and turned to look at Agata.
"Don't worry, you have nothing to fear. We will meet again," she replied softly and the lovers reluctantly let go of each other. Alejandro climbed over the counter and let Tom lead him away.
It was a late evening and the lobby was almost empty, most of the other people having left after Alejandro's scene. Olivia glanced at Agata who leaned against her counter looking happier than ever. For some reason it annoyed her.
"Well, I guess you are happy now," she stated sharply. Agata didn't even notice her tone.
"Oh, you can't imagine! I always hoped he would come to me!" she exclaimed and her voice broke near the end. She sobbed and started to cry. "I am so happy..." she managed to stutter.
Olivia took a step back and looked at the woman with mixed feelings. How could she act like that because of one man? It made no sense. It was just as ridiculous as how she had enjoyed the street lights the previous night.
In fact, those two things had much in common. Both were just illusions and lies. A man's love, the warmth of light... All fake.
"I'd like to see how long he will be able to take it," she muttered to herself.
"What do you mean?" Agata asked drying her face. Olivia shrugged.
"Well, I don't know... Most of the people who come here seem to fall in love with dolphins," she said with an innocent chuckle.
"Alejandro doesn't have to find happiness elsewhere! We will leave this world together!" Agata snapped.
"We shall see. He is a man after all," Olivia said. Agata didn't look pleased with her words, but didn't reply. Olivia suspected she was too caught up with her dreams to understand anything.
Oh well, it wasn't her problem.
It took only twenty minutes or so before Tom came back with Alejandro. Agata rushed to greet her lover and soon the duo was in each other's arms again. Olivia felt sick.
"He will stay to work in this building," Tom announced and Agata flashed a grateful smile at him.
"I have waited for you so long," she said to Alejandro.
"And I am so happy to see you again. When you were sprouted..." the man started, but Agata pressed her finger on his mouth.
"Don't talk about it. It doesn't mean a thing anymore," she said. "You know Tom already, but not Olivia," she continued, letting go of the man and turning at Olivia.
She and Alejandro looked at each other and neither said a thing. Olivia tried to see what kind of man stood in front of her. I doubt he is as nice and lovely as Agata thinks, she thought. She had no trouble imagining Alejandro being involved with other women after his lover's sprouting.
But he loves her. The others were probably to make him feel better. An interesting case. Men in love were always so amusing, just like the targets of their affections. Olivia had always liked keeping an eye on them.
If she ever got bored...
"Nice to meet you," she said smiling and leaned on her broom.
"The same. It is a pleasure to meet Agata's friends," the man said and walked to her to shake her hand. Olivia chuckled and accepted the gesture.
"Come, I want to show you everything we have here. We've got so much to talk about," Agata said and Alejandro returned to her. The duo left together leaving Tom and Olivia alone.
The man stared furiously at Olivia and she had to laugh. "What?" she asked.
"Don't even think about it," the man said.
"My thoughts are not your business," Olivia stated.
"They are in the case their only purpose is to destroy someone's happiness. I know how you looked at Alejandro and I know what he thought. If you do nothing, so will he," Tom said.
"Well, if a man is not pleased what he has..." Olivia implied in amusement.
"Shut up!"
"My, someone takes this seriously. May I ask why you are so eager to keep Agata happy?"
"That shouldn't matter to you," Tom said darkly. Then he drew a deep breath. "Come to my office for a while. I have something for you."
"What?" Olivia tilted her head in curiosity.
"Come and you'll see." Tom started to walk away and without a moment of hesitation Olivia placed her broom against the wall and followed him. Whatever it was, it had to be better than cleaning. Besides, she really wanted to find out what was going on now.
They arrived at the man's office and he closed the door after them. "Have a seat," he said and Olivia obeyed. She crossed her legs and leaned back on the same sofa she had sat on the previous time she had been in Tom's office.
"Well?" she asked.
"I have a gift for you."
"A gift?"
"Yes. I told my employer about your nightly adventure and he was generous enough to let you have this." As he spoke Tom walked to his desk, opened a drawer and drew out a blue ball.
"That is his fabulous gift?" Olivia asked suspiciously. Tom walked to her, took her hand and made her take the ball.
"Look at it, Olivia," he said.
And Olivia did.
The ball fit her palm nicely. It was pale, but she could see darker colours inside it. They moved and mixed with each other and she watched the play of blue for a while. Nothing interesting happened.
She decided to give the ball back and say that it was one lousy gift. It was no use to her.
I will take one more look at it, she thought. The colours didn't interest her at all, but watching them soothed her. It was actually quite relaxing.
"Do you like it, Olivia?" Tom asked and spoke to her like she was a child. Olivia understood it but did nothing to snap at the man or tell him to stop.
She was too caught up with the ball.
"It's... interesting," she said.
"Do you see what it's trying to tell you?"
"What?" Now Olivia lifted her gaze from the ball. She shook her head, the item was truly hypnotic.
Tom looked at her with a smile. "It has something to tell you. My employer wants you to see it."
Olivia turned her attention back to the ball and the swirling colours. When she looked really hard she could actually see something in the middle of them. Something dark... By concentrating she noticed that the dark area kept growing, black was mixed with blue and finally the ball in her hand looked dirty.
And she fell.
---
He had been running for two days now and they hadn't caught up with him. It was possible that he'd make it and find his way to somewhere where he wasn't treated like dirt.
If a place like that existed, that is.
Nick couldn't help it that he was growing a little nervous. There was nothing for him in the city, all buildings were like the one he had left and there wasn't a single boat at the docks.
And everything out of the city was useless, bare land.
He was heading away from the shore on purpose because he didn’t think there was anything. He had already seen the pit of fire and come to the conclusion that it didn't offer anything to him.
After walking some more time he was strongly starting to feel that he would never find anything. But he couldn't go back as running away had only made his... punishment longer.
The mere thought angered Nick. Why did they have to punish him for doing what had been the best for him? How could it be his fault that others were so weak and fell?
"Who's there?"
Nick froze as he heard the voice. It couldn't be... It just couldn't be!
"Lola?" he asked fearing the reply. He heard how someone drew a deep breath and then a woman appeared behind a tall rock. The moon lit her figure and Nick knew he wasn't dreaming.
Lola, the woman he had murdered, stood in front of him.
This wasn't what shocked him. He didn't feel guilty and wasn't afraid of what she might say when meeting her murderer. But her presence made him think and come to a certain conclusion.
"You can't be here!" he snapped at the woman who looked at him with a lost expression on her face. Perhaps she had run off too? The thought didn't stay long in Nick's mind as it meant nothing to him. The only important thing was that she was there.
"Nick..." Lola said. There was no amusement or cruelty in her voice, nothing to say that the lawyer had got what he deserved. If anything, she sounded relieved. "Nick, you have to help me!"
Nick looked at Lola and her desperate voice rang in his head. He didn't want to understand what was so clear now.
What a cruel game they were playing.
Nick didn't ask what he could do for Lola. He turned on his heels and returned to the shore. Perhaps he even ran. Lola didn't call after him.
He sat on a stone, out of breath, and didn't resist when Tom came for him.
---
Shreds spread all over the floor when Olivia jumped on her feet and threw the ball away.
"You... you..." she hissed at Tom who smiled at her behind his desk. Olivia was boiling with rage and felt her body shiver. Everything was...
She remembered better than well the words Tom had said to her when she had arrived.
“Lola was with us a couple of days because of some little matters. Salvador Limones, on the other hand, has already been escorted to the Ninth Underworld.”
Lola should have been able to leave long before Nick had arrived. And yet...
Olivia didn't stay to see or hear whether Tom had anything else to say to her. She barely realised she loathed the man more than she had ever thought possible. As far as she was concerned, he could go to Hell!
Except that he was there already. She now understood what Nick had seen and why the man wasn't interested in improving his position.
There was nothing they could do.
Tom had lied to her. They had all been lied to. No one got away, ever. They were being fed lies of how they would get to the Ninth Underworld after working off their time. Even the most stubborn souls learned to accept it after a while and found something to keep themselves happy.
Dolphins, street lights...It was all the same, cruel plot.
It was quiet everywhere as she hurried towards the lobby. It seemed like she had been hours in Tom's office.
"Hi, Olivia. We are going out for a walk. The streets are so lovely quiet at night," Agata said to her when they passed. Olivia didn't even glance at the lovers who would soon disappear through the door.
She could imagine them dancing under the street lights. They would be happy and never even realise that their eternity had been stolen from them.
Olivia leaned against the counter in the empty lobby. What should she do? Now that she knew that there was no way out she didn't see a reason to continue her work. But there was nothing else for her.
Unless she gave up and, like the others, started to believe in dreams that would never come true. The lit streets were outside; she would only have to step through the door.
"No, I am not that desperate," she muttered to herself. Her voice sounded strange in her ear holes and she hit her fist at the counter. Damn it!
She sighed. The situation was hopeless. She had been in desperate situations before, but then there had always been something she could do. She had always made it. Now there was nothing.
She didn't even find the strength to hate anyone. Understanding everything had made her tired and nothing interested her. She just wanted to disappear for a while.
Suddenly she knew where to go. She almost laughed at herself for not having realised it before.
---
Nick was sleeping, half bent over his desk, when Olivia stepped in. The entire room darkened as she closed the door after her. Even in dark she was able to walk next to the man desk, sit on the floor and lean against it.
The man was snoring lightly. It was a sound that was familiar to Olivia and in the dark she could almost imagine that things were like they had used to.
Olivia sat there the entire night, breathing Nick's scent and listening to him sleep. At some point she fell asleep as well and dreamt of the times they had danced tango.
It was her moment of weakness.
The End
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