285 - From the ashes: Under watch, always

The dark SUV gleaming under the light of the day arrived at an apartment building where it slowed down, and moved into the parking lot inside. It moved to the deeper part of the parking lot where it found itself a place to stop.

The two at the front came down, with one looking around while the other went to open the door at the back. The mysterious man came out of the SUV, and together, they moved to the lift, and went to a floor high above.

They walked down an empty but cozy corridor, and stopped before a door where two other people stood like guards. The latter exchanged indifferent glances with the new arrivals, before one of them moved to open the door, and let them go in.

Closing the door back, the corridor regained its silence, with the two statue-like guards returning to their posture. They gave the otherwise cozy corridor a lifelessness that felt pitiful, one they seemed to thrive in, blending into it calmly, almost naturally.