Chapter Text
A loud crash abruptly awoke Antony. Through bleary eyes, he peered at the dimly lit room around him, annoyed at the cacophonous city noise that arose from his sleep. Blankly gazing at the yellowing wallpaper that was interspersed with water stains and, he’s pretty sure anyway, toxic black mould, he clambered back onto his dismal excuse of a bed. The splintering, rotten wood of the creaky old floorboards scraped the rough skin on the palms of his calloused hands as he did so. Groggily, he rolled back onto the thin, prison-like mattress, but not before slamming the squeaky window above his bed shut. Now that he had been so rudely awakened, he lazily rolled over to glance at his phone, the screen of which had delicate cracks and chips cascading across its surface. 4:55 pm. "Shit,” he mumbled, defeated. The word felt like sandpaper in his throat. How long had it been since he’d spoken to someone?
A gentle knock came from the other side of his cheaply made door, it was quickly accompanied by a high pitched female voice “Ant? I’m heading out ok, I’ll be back soon,” his ex-girlfriend, he didn’t respond. The unmistakable noise of an angrily slammed door pierced the deafening silence of the hallway. As he buried his face in his stained and yellowed pillow a sharp sting began to well up in the corners of his eyes, but before any lone tears could form a soft buzz began to emanate from his phone, another voice Mail. Hesitantly he tried to clear the 48 messages and miscalls but in his desperation he mistakenly clicked on a voicemail from a long forgotten friend.
The dusty speakers of his phone crackled to life, a warm and friendly voice flowing out of them “Hey man, can’t believe you missed Luca’s birthday party yesterday it was legendary, Oliver drank almost a whole-“ he abruptly cut it off, how long ago was Luca’s birthday? He couldn’t remember. Apathetically, he scrolled through message after message from concerned friends to angry bosses all outdated by months at least, fearing his own reflection in the empty, darkness of his phone screen. Swiping away from the graveyard of messages, desperate for a distraction he clicked on a playlist he’d made months ago, the melodic sounds of mitski enveloping him in sympathy, like how the tides of warm oceans caress the shores of deserted, tropical islands. Slowly, unfurled himself from the tight defensive position he’d curled into and began to relax. As he did so he took a deep breath in and was repulsed by his own repugnant odour.
“ I should probably shower,” he mumbled to no one in particular.
With a reluctant surge of energy, he stumbled through the cheaply made door of his bedroom. The carpet, which must have been decades old at this point, felt like sandpaper to the delicate skin on the pads of his feet. Hesitantly, he trudged into his damp and dingy bathroom. Where thick layers of black mould coagulated in the many nooks and cranny’s of the frankly dishevelled bathroom. There, they enjoyed large amounts of damp and warm air to aid their quest to encase the dingy and windowless room. Gingerly, he stepped off of the poorly grouted tiles and onto the cracked porcelain enamelled steel of the shower floor. He felt the tarnished silver dial crumble to power under the gentle grip of his hand. After a juddering turn to the left, however, the grimy shower head sputtered to life. His normally smooth, tan skin, decorated with a few birth marks and a large scar that branched out and separated out like the branches of an ancient oak tree, tapering to spindly ends as it spanned across the length of his thigh, was turning a delicate shade of pink under the assault of the chalky southern water. RING!!! RING!!! Ant’s heart jumped into his throat as his phone began ringing, buzzing, and flashing. Obtrusive, red, flashing text fills the screen in a... A government alert!? A growing sense of dread rose from the pit of his stomach, and he shut the water off in a panic. His hand, slick with water, struggled to grasp the damp, slippery silver.
*GOVERNMENT ALERT: ALL RESIDENTS OF LONDON REMAIN INSIDE YOUR HOMES; LOCK ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS