Chapter 12: The Walking Chaos

Stacy finally wrapped up her work. She stood and stretched. What time was it? What’s happening outside? She had no idea.

Her head felt light and her back was aching. What else? She wasn’t sure. For god-knows-how-long, she’s been bent over the table, picking up parts, assembling, and repeating the cycle over again.

Just as she moved the weapons to the shooting range, Mark walked in. She almost rolled her eyes at the sight of him. She was glad she didn’t. He seemed different.

The hatred and anger wasn’t radiating off him like the last time when he found her in the warehouse. The frown, however, remained.

He walked over and leaned against the wall with his arms folded in front of him. Stacy ignored him. As long as he won’t interrupt her work, she’d act as if he wasn’t there. Weird enough, he was uncharacteristically silent.

She went on testing the weapons. The sound of gunshots echoed in the warehouse. Mark remained silent at the side, as if he was a statue attached to the wall. Slowly, he faded out from her sight. He’s merely a decoration, out of her focus range.

Stacy repeated her actions on all the weapons; shooting, examining, taking notes, labelling. Time flew by and at the end of her test, she’d totally forgotten about the intruder.

She brought the weapons back to the table. From the corner of her eyes, she detected movement. Mark followed her quietly. Back at her working area, she modified the weapons according to her notes and labels. Mark grabbed a stool and sat quietly at the side, eyes never leaving her.

Her hands moved quickly with precision. Slowly, seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours.

At some point, the door opened. “Time for dinner!” A head popped in and exclaimed. Mark turned to look at the newcomer. He hesitated for a few beats before replying, “I’ll pass.”

The word ‘dinner’ seemed to hit a button. Stacy looked up from her spot, seemingly surprised. “What time is it?” She asked.

The man at the door walked in. He’s quite the opposite of Mark. He had a bubbly vibe. The moment he walked in, the whole place seemed to cheer up. “Of course it’s evening, miss. It’s dinner time,” he replied with a smile. None of them reacted but he inched closer. He leaned on the table casually.

“Wow, this is cool!” He exclaimed. Immediately, his hand reached for a blueprint on the table. “You really are making awesome weapons here. It’s so interesting! No wonder you never leave the warehouse,” he continued on. “Which one is this? Is it done, or still in the making?” His eyes shone as he scanned the different models on the table.

“You never stop talking, do you?” Mark said, looking troubled. “Come on, I’m just curious,” he replied, not bothered at all. Stacy pushed a gun towards him. The gun slid across the table at a high speed. His response was fast, catching the gun before it hit him. Mark immediately stood on full alert, ready to fight.

Unbothered by the sudden action, the ever so easygoing Reaper man picked up the gun and spinned it twice. “Hmm.. this is a masterpiece! Can I try it?” He sounded like a child with candy.

“Jack, I don’t think you should..” Mark, who had just relaxed and sat back on the stool voiced out his protest. Before he could finish his sentence, Jack rushed over to the shooting range upon getting Stacy’s nod of approval.

“Wait up!” Mark followed his friend, mumbling, “how are you still alive?”

BANG! BANG! He fired two shots at the dummy. “Wow, it’s fast! Double shot!” Jack cheered as he flipped the gun in wonder.

He came back to the table as fast as the way he left. “This is good stuff!” He gave Stacy a thumbs up upon reaching the table. Immediately, he took the seat beside her. His actions were natural, like he’s known Stacy for years. Mark came back to his seat, shaking his head. At that moment, he felt like a nanny with an overly energetic toddler.

Stacy looked up briefly before continuing her work. “You can have it,” she said. She didn’t realize she was smiling until she opened her mouth to talk. Jack’s bubbly personality was impossible to ignore. It’s amusing.

“Really?” He perked up. “Hmm. Do you want me to customize it for you?” Stacy’s as calm as ever but Jack was way over excited. He started talking about how he wanted to modify his new weapon while Stacy drew his description on her notes. Mark sat quietly at the side, wearing a frown with his arms folded like when he first came in.

After voicing out all of his requests, Jack stood up with a satisfied smile. “Come on, let’s get dinner!”

Mark’s frown deepened. “You go ahead,” he said briefly. “Hey, come on! Don’t skip dinner. A full belly makes a happy person,” Jack pushed. He moved to where Mark was rooted and hit his shoulders twice before saying with confidence, “you’re so grumpy because you’re hungry. We need to fix this!”

Stacy couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Yeah, Mr. Grumpy. Go ahead. Rest assured, I won’t burn the warehouse down. If you’re worried, you can ask someone to take over before leaving,” Stacy mused.

“You’re helping her with the weapons?” Jack asked the first question that came to his mind. Immediately after the question, the warehouse was back to an awkward silence. Jack was left confused. He turned his head left and right, alternating to look between them both. “Did I miss something?”

Finally, Mark sighed. He stood up, saying, “I’ll fill you in while we eat.” Jack smiled triumphantly. “Come on, weapon geek. You need to get food in your system,” he turned his attention to Stacy. Mark’s frown immediately found his way back while Stacy looked confused.

“What? Me?” She asked after missing a few beats. “Yes. I’m off duty tonight. Heard you’re new in town. There’s a bar owned by us Reapers. You’ll like it there,” he ended his sentence with a wink.

Stacy blinked a few times before realizing that he was asking her to join them for dinner. She stole a glance at Mark. His frown has been replaced by a poker face. “You guys go ahead. I need to talk to Chad,” she blurted out the first reason that popped out in her head. Mark rolled his eyes and turned to leave. “That’s a pity. Next time, then. The signature cocktail there is really good!” Jack said before leaving the warehouse, bringing all the chatter with him. ‘What an interesting person,’ Stacy thought. He really was a chaos, coming and going like the wind. She shook her head, still amused by the man she’s just known.