Chapter 2: Without, at the Door

November, 2015.

Nithan [nigh-thin] stood ceremoniously in front of his uniform as he inspected it.  As a cadet in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (otherwise known as ROTC), he spent a great deal of time preparing for whatever was to come next in the training curriculum.  Usually that meant uniform inspections, drill competitions, repetitious creeds, and memorization of the Code of Conduct.

Standing at five feet, six inches, 140 pounds, Nithan was a little on the scrawny side.  He stepped back, gazing at the pristinely ironed dress shirt.  There was sharp crack down the hall from his room.

Juuuuust ignore it, Nithan thought irritably.

He had been living with his friend for only a few days; she was currently up north visiting family, which left him here to take care of her house.  The residence was cold, but that did not make much difference to him.  What bothered him were the odd sounds.  They came in the form of cracks and bangs, as if someone was walking through the rest of the home.  He was not a superstitious person, nor was he a conspiracy nut.

The house was aged, historic almost, but it was making him paranoid.  If he was in his previous apartment and heard those same noises, he would immediately grab a weapon to confront what he would expect to be intruders.

Nithan was fairly sure it was the creaky house; he already did a cursory sweep of the residence with what little training he had as a cadet.  Nithan chose not to investigate every sound he heard, as he did not hear them frequently enough to set off internal alarm bells.  Still, he was nervous, but would not admit to being scared.

Nithan calmly strode over to the open door, shutting it and pressing the lock button.

Better safe than sorry , Nithan mused.

Chapter 3: Immaculate

Snipping cables.  Nithan was currently doing just that.  Cables was a term that referred to frayed strands of thread protruding from a uniform, thereby rendering it unkempt.  Another crack from the hallway.  

Nithan paused, turning his head towards the door.  Although not uncommon, this sound was different from the rest.  It sounded sharper, deeper, and more artificial.  Nithan returned his attention back to his uniform; starting to feel the effects of something he hated…fear.

I wish this house would just…stop, Nithan thought hopelessly.

As he finished inspecting his uniform, removing the imperfections, he stepped back, grabbing a handful of cashews.  Throwing them in his mouth, Nithan thoroughly wiped his hands on his pajamas before giving his uniform another once-over.  Satisfied, he put his clothing on a hanger dangling from the closet door, ready to be worn for tomorrow’s events.

Shower time, Nithan reminded himself.

He turned his bedroom handle slowly, opening the door.

Stop being stupid, Nithan chastised himself.

He strode out of the bedroom into the pasty-tan hallway, stealing a glance on either side for reassurance.  

The hallway was long and narrow.  One end led to his friend’s master bedroom.  The other end led to a small single-step stair that descended into the living room on the right and, through a door, the piano room on the left.  Nithan’s room was situated in the middle of the hallway.  The bathroom was located between the master bedroom and the guest room.

Nithan stepped inside the bathroom.  He closed the door, making sure to lock it in the process.