Adam and David finally arrived at their room, after walking down many dark alleyways, climbing a few ladders, and busting the lock on a window.

“Home sweet home!” David said with a forced smile.

It was a small room with white walls and a wooden floor. The room had two beds that had been neatly done that morning. Between the two beds, there was a small window with the shutters closed, under which was a bedside table, with a small lamp. There were two old closets, with paint stains, next to the beds. All the furniture was parallel to each other and leaning against the walls.

Adam placed his backpack next to his bed and sighed.

“So... How’s your head? Are you alright?” David asked after a few awkward moments of silence, but Adam didn’t answer and instead gave him a cold stare “Well, I’ll take that as a... yes?” He let out an awkward chuckle, but he only received an even more heart-piercing look.

Adam turned around and took a plastic bag from under his bed, along with his hygiene kit. Then he took his pajamas from under his pillow and a clean pair of underwear from the nightstand’s first drawer. David did the same thing.

They tiptoed into the showers and took a quick bath. Then, they sneaked into the orphanage’s basement and threw their bloodied clothes into the boiler’s furnace along with the plastic bags, before closing it and turning it on.

“I liked those pants…” David sighed. 

Once again, Adam didn’t answer, and this time he didn’t even acknowledge that he talked.

“Oh, come on. You’re not giving me the silent treatment, are you?” he scoffed. 

Adam slapped him across his face, and the orphan stumbled back.

“Did your mother drop you on your head as a child or something?! You know what could have happened if I hadn’t managed to get back up?! What if they were armed?! You could have DIED, David! Do you think that just because the afterlife is a thing, you can just waltz into death’s maw LIKE A FUCKING CRACKHEAD!? ARE YOU STUPID?!”

“I’m…” 

“A FUCKING IDIOT?!” he completed, stomping his foot.

“They were in our place!” he snapped.

“It’s a fucking abandoned park, David! We could always just hang out somewhere else!”

“But…”

“WHAT? But what, David?”

“...I’m sorry.” he backed down.

Adam sighed with his arms crossed.

“Let’s hope those fuckers keep their mouths shut.” He massaged his eyelids and took a deep breath “Come on. We have homework to do.” He turned around and got close to the door.

“But I like that place!” he yelled, making Adam stop in his tracks “It’s the perfect place to hang out, you know? You like chilling and being calm and stuff, but I need things to do, ok? Like, yeah, we sometimes hang out in the multi-media room, but the TV and the GameStation aren’t always available, and then I get bored! Or the place is just too crowded and noisy, and then you want to leave… And there are no ghosts around that park, so I don’t have to constantly worry about accidentally making eye contact with a dead person! That place is perfect for us…”

Adam started trembling and closed his fists.

“Yeah… But it still isn’t worth risking your life for it.” His voice was trembling.

David remained quiet and still, waiting for his friend to calm down.

Adam took a few deep breaths, wiped the water from the corners of his eyes, and fixed his hair.

“Is your back alright?” he asked, turning around, showing David the same neutral and unreadable face he showed to everyone he wasn’t close to.

“It hurts a little, but I think I’m fine,” he answered calmly.

“Good.” 

The two left the basement without noticing the squeaking bumble of eyes that had been watching them the whole time.

The rodents moved in unison, as if they were connected by a hivemind, and crawled up the wall, exiting the basement by a vent, after chewing through the metal grid in a matter of seconds.