A New Apartment

They showed him the elevator. He boarded reluctantly. He felt as if he'd rather had taken the stairs if it were up to him. The room was only on the third floor. He could have walked while they all took the elevator for all he cared. It wasn't that he had a dislike for elevators. He just felt a bit uncomfortable in such a confined space with so many people he did not know. He didn't really know anyone anymore. He never knew anyone, did he? He didn't even know himself. He saw his reflection in the shiny doors of the lift and struggled not to shake his head. Instead, he glanced away.   At the ding, everyone stepped out. There were only four there, including himself, but he still felt there were too many people. He didn't like this. Everyone walking together. The men were mumbling something to each other and the woman added something that he couldn't discern. He didn't want to discern it. He wanted to shut all their voices out of his mind, so he carried on forward in front of the group.   Before long, they arrived at the room. Aiden unlocked it and offered for him to step inside first. With a slight frown, he entered. Looking around, it was nothing fancy. There was a couch and a television set, a small bookshelf and a window. There was a little table in the corner near the kitchenette.   "The couch folds out into a bed," Aiden said, "but there's also a bedroom and a bathroom over there. This one comes with an extra room as well. You can use it for your office or whatever you'd like. TV has premium cable and there are some DVDs in the cabinet over there."   He wasn't paying attention to a word Aiden was saying. Well, he heard him, and he understood, but he only found himself staring out the window. There wasn't particularly what one would call 'a view' through this window. He could see the parking lot and a few trees in the distance, along with some grass, a street, and line of businesses far off. The Maryland skyline was out there, too, but not close enough for the average person to fully enjoy. He didn't care about any of those things, however. He was gazing at the overcast, or was it the dull grass, or the drab concrete? Or maybe his own faint reflection in the glass. He didn't know what he was looking at. He didn't know where his mind was, if he even had one anymore.   He didn't realize quite how or when, but he looked around and noticed that he was the only one left. He supposed they had all left him to settle in. The burly man had set his luggage by the door before leaving, he surmised. It wasn't really his luggage, but rather the luggage they'd given him back at headquarters. Regardless, it was the only evidence left of his welcoming party. Aiden and the woman were gone as well. With a sigh, he looked at the couch. Aiden had said it could fold out into a bed. He figured that even though they'd told him he had a bedroom, he'd set up camp in the main area tonight.