Chapter Twenty-Two: A Friend

The field of wheat lead to a house in the center. It looked dilapidated, worn down, but the door was locked and surprisingly could not be pushed open.

"Yeah, you won't break it down," the writer said. He took out his notebook and started scribbling in it. "The owner of the house makes it look run down, but it's actually very well maintained. Four-inch think steel door, multiple locks."

"Who lives here?" I asked.

"A friend," the writer said closing his notebook. "A friend who calls himself Amicus Nemini."

"Um, you do know what that means, right?" Tulip asked as the writer tried the door again and opened it. Apparently, his scribbling was able to unlock it.

"What?" I said.

"The name," she said. "Amicus Nemini. I took Latin a fear years back. It means 'a friend to none.'"

The writer walked inside and I was left looking at Tulip. I just shrugged and followed him, so Tulip followed me. "Why are we following this guy, by the way?" Tulip asked.

"He's going to lead us to the Wall," I said.

"Right," she said.

"What I don't understand," I said, "is why you're coming along. You don't have to be here."

"Yeah, well," she said, "I was tired of running away. When I heard what you were doing is sounded...this is stupid, but it sounded like a quest. It sounded like something out of a story. So I made an impulsive decision and decided to come along."

"Oh," I said. We passed through a corridor and came across a large room. Unlike the outside of the house, this room was very neat and clean and well-maintained. There were security cameras everywhere, as well as a wooden table and a chair. I turned to the writer. "Where is your friend?"

"Dead," he said. "I think he's been dead for a while. But he left something behind, something we need."

"You said we were close to the turning point," I said.

"Close," he said, looking around the room. His eyes finally fell on a bookshelf. He scanned the shelf and then pulled out a notebook bound in rubber bands. "Here it is. His notes about the Wall. This is the way to the Wall. It is the outline of how to get there."

"I thought you knew how to get there?" I asked.

"I do," he said. "This is how to get there." He held up the notebook. "Take a look."