"Good night... no... Good morning," Erwin left his desk to his bed. He had a soothing smile on his face showing how delighted he was about the case. It seemed strange, how easy going it was.
"That's just probably how easy it is, I should not stress myself over it," He thought to himself.
*Ringg*Ringg*
His alarm began to ring. That was the time he normally woke up, 6:30 am.
He put it off, getting on his bed afterwards.
'Christopher...' He thought to himself just after he had rested his head on the pillow to sleep. " What am I thinking? I should tell him,"
Erwin grabbed his phone which he placed on the bedside stool, dialling Chris's number afterwards.
The phone rang, but the call wasn't answered. After one more trial, he went to rest.
**************************
LATER THAT DAY...
"I just got to the hotel, I am going to be at the reception, meet me there," Denzel said over the phone call to Zoey, and she replied to him, notifying him that she would be there soon.
Denzel looked at the Hotel, Salvermore Suites, having about fifteen floors. It was tall. He walked in, greeted the receptionist and walked to sit down.
He wore a nose mask and a cap, so, the Receptionist didn't really recognise him. He wanted to put on eyeshades before he left home, but, he thought he might look shady.
He waited in the reception, reading the news on his cellphone when he noticed someone walk into the room. It was Zoey, putting on a red shirt and a pair of jeans, wearing sneakers underneath.
"Hi, Zoey, how have you been?" Denzel stood, waving at her to gain her attention.
"You are here, Den," She waved her right at him a bit, smiling at him and then signalling to him to turn around and walk out of the building with the finger of her left hand.
"I said so earlier on the phone," Denzel's attention hadn't gone to her hand, so he stood there, smiling at her. 'What's with the Den?' He thought to himself.
"Yeah I know," She kept on smiling at him, moving her gaze from Denzel's face to her finger to send his awareness to her finger, but Denzel was just as clueless.
Zoey walked towards him, wrapped her arm over his shoulder and dragged him out with her.
"How clueless are you?" She whimpered to him, smiling as she did.
"Did I do anything wrong?" Denzel looked at her. He didn't know what he did that made her say that about him, but he followed her nonetheless.
"Let's get out of here first, we would talk outside,"
Denzel adhered, and they both walked out of the building.
"I kept on signalling to you to leave the building,"
"Why? I didn't notice anything,"
"The lady at the counter kept glaring at you. How smart are you? You think these are enough to keep you hidden?" Zoey pointed at his face with her finger, fidgeting it around his face. She talked like she scolded him. Denzel kept looking at her. He looked at his body, trying to figure out what was wrong with his dressing.
"Can people still recognise me?" Denzel asked her holding his cellphone up to look at his face in it.
"Hmmm" Zoey sighed, "Wait here."
Denzel stared at her as she left him and crossed to the other side of the road, walking to a boutique that wasn't too far away from the Hotel.
Denzel wondered what she went to buy. He kept on looking at his phone, still trying to understand bad his guise was.
Soon, he saw Zoey running towards him, wielding a pair of eyeshades for him to wear.
"Won't I look like a genuine criminal?" Denzel asked her, he didn't see anything wrong with what he did. He collected the eyeglasses from her hand, putting them on as soon as he did.
"You dyed your hair black before you came to Hilldale right?" She asked him, pulling off his cap, and straightening his hair. "This should do, they all think you are still blonde."
"So, should we talk out here?" Denzel asked her, still straightening his hair by himself.
"No. should we go to a cafe?"
"I can't I would have to get my mask off," Denzel clarified, taking his cellphone to take a look at his face once more.
"Ohh...You are not all dumb, let's go to my room," Walking side to side with Denzel and holding hands with him, they returned into the building, going towards the elevator afterwards.
When they got into the elevator, Denzel thought of taking off the mask since it felt uncomfortable.
"What are you trying to do?" Zoey looked at him, she questioned him and began to wonder whether he didn't know that what he was doing could implicate him.
"Taking off my mask, it's so uncomfortable,"
"You would have to get used to it, there is a security camera in here," Zoey explained that to him, and Denzel already understood. He took a quick look around the Elevator and could see the security camera.
The elevator came to a stop and they got out, walking towards her room, Denzel followed Zoey's lead till they got to the room and she showed Denzel a seat for him to sit on.
"So, Denzel, what was it that you wanted to tell me? You said it was urgent," Zoey took a cup of coffee and handed it over to him.
"Nothing much... actually, it's something much, I need you to help me get the weaknesses of each of the Zookeepers."
"Why, what's wrong, what about the Rhino and the snake?"
"Yeah, they helped prove you and Grayson's point. They are wearing the mask of their animals, and the weakness of their animals works on them." Denzel took a sip from the cup she gave to him and placed it down afterwards.
"But, what about Rhino and Snake?"
"Grayson took care of the Rhino guy. For the rest of them, just do what you can, you don't compulsory have to do it all, Oliver isn't around." Denzel said to her.
They kept on talking, until about two hours when Denzel heard a beep on his phone.
He took a quick look at it, and he frowned his face instantly.
*************************
THIRTY MINUTES AGO...
"Dad, don't stay out for long, you just came back from your workplace," Carrie waved to Chris, he was on his way to get groceries for the house.
Carrie sat in the parlour, waiting for her dad that just left not long ago to return.
She heard a knock on the door, and quickly, she stood up to open it, wondering whether her dad was already back.
"Dad, did you forget some--th...I..ng?" She began to stutter when she saw that it was not her father. It was a man that wore a mask of something that looked like a rat.
"Hello, little gir-" Before the guy could say anything, out of fear, she slammed
the door back, locking it immediately. She began to breathe heavily, looking for something she could use to hold the door back.
Her hands trembling, she grabbed her cell phone and tried to call Denzel.
It didn't take long when the door was kicked down, and the phone she held in her hands fell out.
"Careful young girl, I am not going to hurt you, I only need you to follow me,"
"Why would... I follow you?" She stuttered, her hands still twitching continuously.
"Seems like your brother isn't around, so, I would be Collecting you," The voice of the guy was very deep. The way he spoke felt like he was about to swallow her. He began to stretch his hands towards her.