Chapter 828: Rain [1]

Kyle stood beside the window, watching the rain.

It wasn’t particularly heavy. Small droplets gathered against the glass, joining together before slowly running down towards the frame.

Beyond them, the sky was grey.

The buildings farther away were difficult to make out, their outlines fading behind the drizzle. Down on the road, several cars moved slowly through the traffic, their lights reflecting against the wet ground.

Kyle lifted his coffee and took a sip.

Then he lowered it.

For a while, he remained where he was.

“Still here?”

Zoey’s voice came from behind him.

He turned slightly as she approached, her attention moving from the cup in his hand to the window.

“…It’s still raining.”

“Yes.”

She stopped beside him.

Neither said anything for a moment.

A few people hurried across the road below. One held a bag over his head, while another remained beneath an awning, looking up as though waiting for the rain to stop.

Zoey stared at the window before her lips parted.

“…I don’t know about this rain, but it seems like it’s going to keep going for quite some time.”

“I heard.”

Kyle took another sip of his coffee.

“I don’t like this rain.”

“Me neither…”

Zoey folded her arms as her brows furrowed.

“Something about this rain makes me uncomfortable. Feels like some sort of omen.”

“…Same.”

Kyle continued looking outside.

The rain was soft enough that he could barely hear it through the glass. Occasionally, the wind pushed it against the window, making the droplets scatter before they started running down again.

Zoey took out her phone.

At first, she only glanced at the screen.

Then her expression paused as her thumb moved.

Kyle noticed the change in her reflection before he turned towards her.

“What is it?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she scrolled a little farther, reading something near the bottom of the page.

“Zoey?”

She nudged his arm and held the phone towards him.

“Look.”

Kyle lowered his cup.

An article filled the screen. He read the title before moving towards the text beneath it, his expression slowly changing as Zoey scrolled back to the top.

“When was this posted?”

“A little while ago.”

He looked at her.

“There are others… I’ve been noticing them for the entire week”

Zoey added, her thumb moving further down as she skimmed through them.

“…..”

Kyle returned his attention to the screen.

For a while, neither spoke.

The rain continued falling outside, blurring the buildings beyond the window. A droplet ran down the glass beside Kyle’s reflection, passing over his face before disappearing beneath the frame.

Eventually, Zoey lowered the phone.

Kyle looked outside again.

“…I really don’t like this rain.”

He brought the cup to his lips and took another sip.

***

I lowered the cup in my hand.

Beyond the window, the sky remained grey.

It was difficult to tell what time it was without looking at my phone. The buildings were there, as were the roads beneath them, but everything seemed a little farther away through the rain.

I watched a car stop at a crossing.

Then another.

Their lights reflected against the road, stretching whenever the water moved.

?The rain is expected to continue over Sines for quite some time. Current forecasts suggest at least another week of wet weather, possibly longer.

The news played behind me.

I didn’t turn around.

I brought the coffee towards my mouth again, taking a small sip before letting the cup rest near my chest.

?There may be brief breaks over the next few days, but residents shouldn’t expect conditions to improve significantly.

“…..”

I continued looking outside.

There wasn’t much to see.

A few people moved along the pavement beneath their umbrellas, occasionally stopping near the entrances of buildings. From here, I couldn’t make out their faces.

Nor was I interested in seeing, as I held my breath, holding in the incoming sneeze.

But?

“Achoo.”

It had gotten to the point where I could no longer hold the symptoms back.

I didn’t have much time left.

I could feel it.

?A few floor warnings have been given in certain areas of Sines, but all seems to still be under control.

I listened without paying much attention to the words.

Eventually, my eyes stopped following the rain as I stared at the reflection staring back at me.

The light from the television made it easier to see whenever the image behind me changed. I looked at the faint outline for a moment before raising my hand towards the bottom of my eyes.

My eyes looked tired.

More tired than usual.

I didn’t get much sleep. All I did was stare at the recordings over and over again, trying to see anything new that I’d missed.

I lowered my hand.

My reflection did the same.

Then I took another sip of coffee.

?Meanwhile, a series of articles published by an unidentified source is drawing considerable attention online.

The weather report ended.

I could hear the change in the presenter’s voice, but my attention remained on the window.

?The articles raise new questions about the Malovia incident, suggesting that the disaster may not have been an entirely spontaneous anomalous event.

My cup stopped near my mouth.

Only for a moment.

Then I finished the sip.

?Instead, the writer claims there may be grounds to investigate whether someone deliberately caused, or helped bring about, what happened.

“…..”

A short pause followed.

Then another voice joined the first.

?To be clear, there is currently no verified evidence establishing human responsibility for the incident. However, the posts have spread rapidly since appearing online, with several of the questions now being repeated across larger news outlets.

I looked slightly to the side.

The television’s reflection was faintly visible in the window.

I could see numerous damaged buildings. The image changed before I could look at it for too long.

?Much of the attention centres on the sequence of events surrounding the Jester incident. The anonymous writer questions whether the publicly available accounts explain how the situation developed, or whether important details remain undisclosed.

I lowered the cup.

The room was quiet apart from the television.

I watched a thin trail of water work its way down the window before it reached another droplet.

The two joined and continued downwards.

?The same source has also published material concerning the Butcher incident in Malia.

My fingers moved slightly around the cup, prompting me to turn my head as another headline appeared beneath the images.

[Malia Aftermath: Unanswered Questions Surround the Butcher Incident]

?While the incidents are currently being discussed together online, a connection between them has not been established.

The presenter continued.

?The writer stops short of naming anyone responsible. Instead, the articles ask whether both cases should be re-examined with the possibility of human involvement in mind.

I stared at the headline.

?Some readers have dismissed the posts as conspiracy theories built around incomplete information. Others are calling for the Bureau to release more details about the investigations.

The screen changed again.

Several excerpts appeared beside each other. Most were questions, with certain words enlarged enough that I could read them from where I stood.

I looked away before the next one appeared.

?Our newsroom has requested a response regarding the claims. Until further information is available, viewers should distinguish between confirmed findings and speculation circulating online.

My reflection appeared in the glass again.

Somehow, I looked even more tired than before.

I studied it for a moment before taking another sip.

The coffee seemed to have lost all its head.

I swallowed and lowered the cup, listening as the presenter returned to the photographs from Malovia.

The rain continued falling.

?We don’t know if these conspiracies are true, but with the passing of time, we can see more and more hints that there might indeed be something more than we’re aware.

Trrr!

My phone rang on the table beside me.

I looked down.

For a moment, I remained where I was, the cup still resting in my hand while the sound continued.

Then I set it down.

I reached for the phone and turned it over, looking at the screen.

The rain continued to drizzle, pounding against the glass before me.