Page 4 of Creed
I’d dumped all my savings into buying this property, just like Magnus and Brody had.
I was just as committed as them, but what else could I do?
Now that I’d retired from the military, what job could I do to earn money?
Infiltrating enemy territory wasn’t exactly a transferable skill to civilian life. Brody and Magnus both had interests outside of their military career that they’d managed to take advantage of, but I wasn’t the same. My priority had always been survival. I could ensure that every member of my unit got to their destination safely, but survival wasn’t a job. There was no way to make money just by “surviving”.
After breakfast—which I’d barely touched—I offered to help Brody and Magnus. I knew nothing of construction. That was Brody’s area of expertise. Even Magnus, with his interest in plants, understood at least a little about how the soil worked.I, on the other hand, was completely out of my depth, and had to rely on the others for instruction. I could, at least, follow instructions.
Brody directed Magnus and I to remove as much rubble as possible from the pit in the middle of the property while he inspected the old foundation holding up the tunnel. We would need to build new supports, eventually, but before that, we would first need to clear out a space to work.
With some old timber plants, Magnus and I cobbled together a makeshift ramp we could use to carry the broken earth and stone out of the pit. Many of the pieces were too big for one person to lift, so we had to work together.
I kept silent through most of it, mulling over my thoughts as my body worked on autopilot. Magnus and Brody were used to this and didn’t question my silence. In fact, Magnus looked more shocked when I finally spoke up.
“So, Mag,” I said suddenly after the third load of debris we carried up the ramp. “How did you and Trent meet? You never told me much about that.”
I may not have any idea what to do with myself, but if I was going to be living with these two new strangers, then I should at least learn more about them.
Magnus’s surprise over my unexpected question was quickly replaced by excitement as he gushed about his newfound partner. Apparently, they’d met because of the body that Magnus discovered, which seemed like a morbid start to a relationship, but I just nodded along as he told me about their first meeting. I knew nothing about healthy relationships. The longest romantic relationship I’d ever maintained only lasted afew weeks. So long as Magnus was happy, then I saw no reason to complain.
Magnus and Brody were happy here. That was probably the part I struggled with the most. The two of them had settled down easily, building their homes, and almost immediately finding luck in their love lives. It was like happiness had just been handed to them on a silver platter, and I had no idea how they did it.
Could I be happy here as well?
When retiring and buying a property together had just been a dream, I thought I could be happy with such a life. Now that it was my reality, however, I wasn’t sure.
The day passed by in a whirlwind of hard work. Trent and Ellis returned just before sundown, and we all piled around the dinner table for another shared meal. Ignoring the fact that we were five burly men, it was like something straight out of a sitcom or a Hallmark movie, where the family all sits down together at the dinner table to discuss their day. Everyone was smiling and joking. They asked Ellis if he’d had any luck applying for jobs and inquired about the process it would take for Trent to rent his apartment.
It should have been a happy scene.
So, why did it set my teeth on edge?
Maybe there was something wrong with me.
I barely said two words during dinner, thankful for my already stoic personality. No one questioned my silence, and other than a few sidelong glances from Brody and Magnus, I was mostlyleft alone as if I was nothing more than another part of the decoration.
Hours later, I found myself lying on my bed, staring up at the dark ceiling of the guestroom. I was exhausted after a day of hard labor, but my thoughts were too chaotic to sleep.
“Alcohol,” I eventually declared aloud after checking the clock to see that it was nearly midnight. “Maybe alcohol will solve my problem.”
Getting drunk would at least be better than lying awake all night.
Leaving the guest bedroom behind, I headed down to the kitchen without turning on any lights. If I knew Brody, which I did, then there would be at least one bottle of quality whiskey or scotch hidden somewhere in his pantry.
As I passed near the master bedroom, I heard strange sounds coming through the door. I only paused for a moment to listen, before realizing the sounds were of an intimate nature, and quickly hurried on my way.
The alcohol wasn’t even hidden. It was displayed proudly on a custom wine rack where anyone could take it. Not even bothering to pour myself a drink, I grabbed an entire bottle of whiskey and turned to head back to my room. Then I realized that meant passing by the master bedroom again.
Not wanting to hear any more of Brody’s private life, I headed for the porch instead.
The night was overcast. I could still see the general outline of the moon, but it was hazy and ill-defined. Occasional stars peeked through gaps in the clouds, gone almost as soon as they appeared.
No one, not even the night sky, could judge me as I leaned back and drank straight from the bottle in my hand.
Sip by sip, the night slowly crept by. I couldn’t see enough of the bottle to know how much I’d drunk, but I could feel the alcohol heating my veins, so I knew it must have been a substantial amount. Just as I was considering if I should go back inside and try to sleep again, my drunken daze was interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing. I jumped, having completely forgotten that I’d brought the thing outside with me, and nearly dropped the bottle.
Who was calling me in the middle of the night?
