Chapter One - Ballast / Page 4 of 6
The First Door
Elias finds the key, checks the frame, and steps into the boarding house with habit leading and story following.
The key was where the message said it would be, under the chipped clay pot beside the door.
Elias checked the frame before he opened it. Habit first. Story later. The jamb was swollen at the lower hinge, the paint split where water had found its patient way in.
The latch gave with a tired click. Inside, the hall smelled of radiator heat, damp wool, and old paper left too long against a wall.
He stepped in and listened to the house settle around him. Not speaking. Not warning. Only adjusting to one more person keeping track.
Habit first. Story later.
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