Chapter 28

• Like clockwork, I woke up at 4 a.m. I wish I could say it was restful but it wasn’t. Multiple times I jolted awake because I felt like it was too quiet. I gave up when it hit four. Taking a shower, I got dressed in a pair of shorts and another shirt I got from Target. Setting up the kettle to boil some water, I opened up the vault door to peak outside. Vlad wasn’t there but another guard was. He was younger, with tousled blonde hair. His eyes were closed as he sat on the concrete bench. Clearing my throat, he jolted up in a military stance complete with a salute. Once he realized what he was doing, he sheepishly smiled and brought his hand down.
• “Sorry, Mrs. Baranov. It won’t happen again.”
• I shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s not even five. There might be some packages for me I was hoping to get started on, do you think you could check?”