Chapter-20: The Apartment

Nora P.O.V

We pulled up to a weathered apartment building on the bad side of town. The streets were cracked, littered with broken bottles and crumpled paper bags, and the walls of the nearby buildings were covered in fading graffiti. The people here looked rough, wearing old clothes and eyeing us with suspicion as we parked the car. A group of men huddled around a broken fire hydrant, speaking in hushed voices, watching us as we walked past.

The stairs creaked beneath our feet as we ascended to the fourth floor. The walls were stained with grime and covered in old posters and faded gang tags. Paint was peeling off in large flakes, revealing the mould underneath. The air was thick with humidity and the smell of sweat, smoke, and something else I didn’t want to think about.

“This place is a dump,” Lee muttered, glancing around at this shady area of the city.

“Yeah,” I agreed, keeping my voice low. “Let’s just get this over with.”

When we finally reached the fourth floor, we stopped in f