Chapter 153
"We can have breakfast now." Suzy lifted the bag in her hand slightly.
Inside were two pieces of bread and two bottles of milk—more than enough for a morning meal, especially in a world where supplies were so scarce.
She didn’t have much of an appetite, so she ate a little and left the rest for Thomas.
After that, she contacted Leonard and told him they were ready to leave.
He had just finished breakfast himself. After a quick cleanup, he said he would come pick them up shortly.
Before leaving, Suzy prepared a few things for Gloria as a gesture of thanks.
There were weapons, medicine, and a small half-bottle of diluted spirit spring water.
She could feel Gloria’s kindness toward her, and she wanted to return it.
She packed everything neatly into a black backpack and zipped it up.
"Let’s go, we’re about—"
She turned to speak to Thomas, only to find him standing by the window, staring into the distance.
"What’s wrong?" she asked, puzzled.
There was something off about his expression—serious, almost grim—and it stirred a faint unease in her chest.
"It’s nothing." Thomas stepped away from the window and walked toward her.
"That doesn’t look like nothing," she said.
He frowned slightly, glancing outside once more, his eyes narrowing. "I heard something just now while I was by the window. I’m not sure if I imagined it."
His hearing had always been sharp. It was a distant argument that had drawn him to the window.
But no matter how keen his senses were, the rain made it impossible to pinpoint the exact direction.
More importantly, the sound had vanished quickly, swallowed by the steady patter of rain.
When Thomas listened again, there was nothing left but the endless drizzle.
"A sound? What kind of sound?" Suzy paused and moved closer to the window.
Her own senses had been enhanced as well. Logically, if he could hear it, she should be able to as well.
But she heard nothing.
Only the rain. Endless rain.
"People arguing," Thomas said after thinking for a moment.
Sharp, uncontrolled voices—like tensions that had built up for too long, finally erupting.
And then, just as suddenly, silence.
She stood by the window, listening carefully for a while longer, but still heard nothing of what he described.
Even so, she didn’t let her guard down.
Not hearing something didn’t mean it wasn’t there—especially in a world like this.
"What is it? Did you hear it too?" Thomas asked, now standing behind her.
"No." She shook her head. "I didn’t hear anything."
"Then why that look?" He pulled her into his arms and gently smoothed the crease between her brows.
She leaned into him, exhaling softly. "I just... suddenly have a bad feeling."
The moment she saw his expression earlier, that unease had crept in.
Thomas didn’t want her to worry too much, so he soothed her gently. "It’s probably nothing. Maybe I misheard."
"How often do you mishear things?" she asked.
He fell silent for a moment. "...Not often."
As one of the top mercenaries, his awareness of his surroundings was far beyond ordinary.
Suddenly, she pinched him sharply.
"Don’t say that."
From everything she had read and watched, whenever someone said something like that, it usually meant trouble was about to follow.
He looked confused, but still nodded obediently.
The rain began to intensify, the sound growing louder, as if deliberately working against them.
In the end, she let out a breath.
"Let’s go."
From the moment Suzy finished packing until now, ten minutes had passed.
That uneasy feeling hadn’t faded.
But they couldn’t just stay here forever, waiting.
Especially when nothing else had happened in those ten minutes—no sounds, no signs, nothing.
She finally understood why, in movies, characters who sensed something wrong would still try to reassure themselves that they had probably imagined it.
Because sometimes... there was simply no better option.
They couldn’t just freeze in place, waiting for something unseen to happen.
They had to move.
Now.
Besides, Leonard would be here any minute.
"Maybe you really did mishear it," Suzy muttered under her breath.
Perhaps his earlier expression had been too serious, making her overly jumpy.
They gathered their belongings, Suzy lifting the black backpack filled with supplies.
"Let’s go. We’ll give this to Gloria first."
Thomas nodded and followed her out of the room.
The hallway was quiet, with only faint murmurs drifting from afar.
A few people noticed them as they passed, their gazes lingering in a way that felt... suggestive.
It took Suzy a second to realize why, and her face flushed. Thomas, on the other hand, looked completely at ease.
The small moment eased the tension in her chest.
Soon, they reached the area near Gloria’s room.
Just as they were about to turn the corner, a heavy thud echoed. Both of them froze instantly.
The sound came from downstairs.
Dull and forceful, like something heavy slamming into the ground.
They exchanged a look.
This time, Suzy heard it clearly. It wasn’t her imagination.
Then came a burst of noise from below.
Shouting. Cursing. The crash of things being overturned.
Blended with the sound of rain, it was hard to make out clearly. Without her heightened senses, she might have missed it entirely.
Thomas’s brows drew together.
"That’s it?" she asked in a low voice.
He nodded. "Louder than before."
They stood still, holding their breath as they listened.
The commotion lasted only a few seconds.
Then it stopped abruptly.
"Let’s go find Gloria first," she said quietly.
Gloria was inside her room. Suzy knocked on the door, harder than usual.
"Gloria!"
The door opened quickly. Gloria peeked out, her face lighting up when she saw Suzy. "Miss!"
Her expression was completely normal—she clearly hadn’t heard anything.
Then her gaze shifted to their packed belongings, and her eyes dimmed slightly.
"You’re leaving?" she asked softly.
Suzy nodded and handed her the backpack. "This is for you."
Gloria accepted it, still a bit dazed, not even having time to thank her before Suzy spoke again.
"There was some noise downstairs just now. Did you hear it?"
Gloria looked confused. "What noise? No..."
Then, as if realizing something, she quickly stepped aside and opened the door wider.
"Come in first," she said.